Article: Twins Minor League Report (7/17): Miracle Bats And Batts Dominate

[Seth Stohs]

It was a busy day on and off the field in the Twins system. The big league club started out their 2^nd half by powering their way to a 5-0 win over Sonny Gray and the A’s. All six affiliates played.

 

The team worked hard trying to sign compensation pick Kyle Cody, but they were unsuccessful. The ramifications of not signing him for the dollars they wanted went far beyond losing the one player.There were three, one-run ball games on the farm, and two blowouts. Continue reading to find out everything. Three players made rehab appearances in the GCL, so be sure to read to the bottom!

 

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 0, Lehigh Valley 1

Box Score

 

Pat Dean was terrific on this night, but the Red Wings offense was not able to support him. He went eight strong innings. He gave up just one run on seven hits. He walked one and struck out seven. Mark Hamburger pitched a perfect ninth.

 

Unfortunately, the Red Wings managed just four hits in this one. Oswaldo Arcia went 0-3 and has struck out in six straight plate appearances since homering in his first at bat on Thursday.

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 6, Biloxi 5

Box Score

 

The Lookouts got a lead and were able to hang on at the end. Heiker Meneses went 3-4 with his seventh double. Stuart Turner was 3-4. In his last four games, he is 8-17, raising his season average to .206. Adam Brett Walker went 2-5 with his 21^st double and his 76^th RBI. Max Kepler went 2-5 and stole his 13^th base. Kennys Vargas returned to the lineup and went 1-4 with a walk.

 

DJ Baxendale went the first six innings. He was charged with three runs on nine hits. He walked one and struck out seven. Alex Muren threw two shutout innings, giving up only a walk. JT Chargois came on for the ninth. He gave up two unearned runs in the ninth thanks to two errors in the Lookouts infield in the ninth, but got a ground out with the bases loaded to end the game.

 

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 12, Brevard County 1

Box Score

 

It was a great night for the Miracle bats, and Batts!

 

Let’s start with offense. Alex Swim and Brett Doe each had four hits in the game. Swim was 4-5 with his 11^th double and two RBI. Doe was 4-6 with two RBI. Ryan Walker went 2-6 and drove in three runs. Chad Christensen went 2-4 with a walk and his first triple of the season. Tanner Vavra went 2-4. Jason Kanzler was 2-5.

 

On the mound, lefty Mat Batts continued his mastery. He gave up just one run on five hits over seven innings. He struck out five without issuing a walk. The outing reduces his Miracle ERA to just 1.66 in nine starts and 54.1 innings. Todd Van Steensel gave up a single but no runs in the eighth inning. Nick Burdi struck out two in a perfect ninth. In his eight innings now with the Miracle, he is yet to give up a run. He has given up four hits, walked none and struck out 12.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 1, Burlington 3

Box Score

 

The Kernels offense got eight hits, but they were unable to bunch enough together to score enough runs in this game. Edgar Corcino led the way. He went 3-4. Pat Kelly went 2-4 in the game. Nick Gordon had a walk and a single. His hitting streak is now at 16 games. He is now 23-67 in those games, a batting average of .343. Coming into the game, he had hit .305/.380/.366 (.746) with ten doubles since May 22 (41 games).

 

Randy Rosario started for the Kernels. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out three. Luke Bard struck out two over the next two innings. He gave up just two hits. Randy LeBlanc gave up one run on three hits over the final two innings.

 

 

E-TOWN E-NOTES

Elizabethton 1, Danville 2 (10 innings)

Box Score

 

Andro Cutura was drafted by the Twins last year, but he didn’t pitch due to injury. He had a terrific start on this night. He gave up just one run on two hits over seven innings. He walked none and struck out four. Anthony Mciver came on and gave up two hits and a walk, but no runs, in his inning. He struck out two. Logan Lombana pitched a scoreless ninth inning, but he takes the loss after giving up the winning run with two outs in the tenth. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out two in 1.2 innings.

 

AJ Murray led the offense. He went 2-4 including his third home run of the season. Rainis Silva was 2-2 in the game. Nelson Molina went 2-3 and added his first double of the year.

 

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 8, GCL Red Sox 2

Box Score

 

The Twins put together a seven-run third inning and held on for another win to improve to 13-8 on the season. They got a little offense throughout the lineup.

 

Dalton Hicks made his first rehab appearance since being injured very late in April. He had a hit in three at bats. Brian Olson went 1-3 with two walks. Trey Cabbage went 2-4. Roberto Gonzalez went 2-3 with a walk and his second double. Lewin Diaz had an RBI triple in the first inning. Luis Arraez walked twice.

Jermaine Palacios went 2-4 with his second triple. After starting the season 1-19, he has now gone 28-51(.549) and hit in 12 of his last 13 games. He has multi-hit games in 11 of those 13 games.

 

For his second straight start, Williams Ramirez gave up just one hit over five shutout innings. In this game, he walked two and struck out two. In 21 innings for the GCL Twins, Ramirez has given up one run on six hits. He has walked nine and struck out 26. Very solid numbers, though the Dominican right-hander will turn 23 years old in early August.

 

Ramirez was replaced by the rehabbing Stephen Pryor. Reports from Ft. Myers indicated that his fastball was 87 to 91 mph, which is nowhere near where he was before his injuries started a couple of years ago. He walked one and struck out one in a scoreless innings. Matz Schutte came on and gave up a solo home run before getting the next three batters out. John Curtiss walked one and struck one out in a scoreless inning. He has not pitched due to a forearm strain since May 25^th. Moises Gomez gave up one run on two hits and a walk in the ninth inning.

 

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Mat Batts, Ft. Myers Miracle

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Alex Swim/Brett Doe, Ft. Myers Miracle

 

 

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (5:05 CST) – RHP JO Berrios

Chattanooga at Biloxi (7:10 CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler

Ft. Myers at Brevard County (5:35 CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart

Cedar Rapids vs Quad Cities (6:00 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons

Elizabethton at Danville (6:00 CST) - LHP Sam Clay

GCL Twins vs GCL Red Sox (9:00 CST) - TBA

 

Feel free to leave any questions or comments below.

 

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[lightfoot789]

Adam Brett Walker went 2-5 with his 21st double and his 76th RBI

 

 

A 9 HR lead on everyone in the organization and a 25 RBI lead on everyone in the organization and he has still never earned a promotion mid season.   Same can be said for Kepler (never a mid season promotion).  

 

Can the boys be shown some kind of love from the organization (AAA), or are they afraid to totally deplete Chattanooga since it is a new franchise city?  They have to give the new fan base something to see (politics - IMO).  PRODUCTION & BOTH GUYS PROVIDE IT!

[stringer bell]

Four more hits for Swim. I know he's versatile (C, 1B, OF) and he hits line drives. Will he ever reach the seats?

[Seth Stohs]

Kepler got hurt, otherwise he would have likely moved up to AAA.

 

And you know why Walker is still in AA. It's written about lots of forums on this site.

[biscuit]

So, what are the ramifications of not signing Kyle Cody?  Don't lead with something like that and then drop it.

[goulik]

So, what are the ramifications of not signing Kyle Cody?  Don't lead with something like that and then drop it.

this has all been covered elsewhere but signing Cody for less than slot because of the physical would have freed up bonus money to also sign others lower in the draft.

Since we did not get him signed we get a compensation pick #74 next year and are done signing this year.

[jokin]

 

Kepler got hurt, otherwise he would have likely moved up to AAA.

 

And you know why Walker is still in AA. It's written about lots of forums on this site.

 

Yep.  Neither move is due to politics.

[lightfoot789]

 

Kepler got hurt, otherwise he would have likely moved up to AAA.

 

And you know why Walker is still in AA. It's written about lots of forums on this site.

You're right. I do know why.

 

Has this philosophy (keep him at level until he improves) worked for Walker in each of his previous 3 seasons?  No!  What do you lose by promoting him to AAA?  Every prospect who has made it to the MLB (Twins) has gained the benefit of preparing in the off season at some point for what they know is coming the next year (because of a promotion).

 

What are coaches doing differently in the second half to gain new results?

Hoping for results on one end without a new plan is not resourceful.  Maybe the manager and hitting coach at AAA can relate to Walker better and find his correction?  

 

People make light of Sano stating "MLB pitching is easier to hit than AA", but what if that is true in some small way.  A way that relates to a certain hitter.  Try something new is my cry.

[RaymondLuxuryYacht]

How can we say the philosophy hasn't  benefitted Walker?  He seems to be doing pretty well - a sign that he has been moved at a proper pace.  Maybe the organization believes that players progress at different rates and that not all will respond to mid-season promotions the same way.

[Squirrel]

 

You're right. I do know why.

 

Has this philosophy (keep him at level until he improves) worked for Walker in each of his previous 3 seasons?  No!  What do you lose by promoting him to AAA?  Every prospect who has made it to the MLB (Twins) has gained the benefit of preparing in the off season at some point for what they know is coming the next year (because of a promotion).

 

What are coaches doing differently in the second half to gain new results?

Hoping for results on one end without a new plan is not resourceful.  Maybe the manager and hitting coach at AAA can relate to Walker better and find his correction?  

 

People make light of Sano stating "MLB pitching is easier to hit than AA", but what if that is true in some small way.  A way that relates to a certain hitter.  Try something new is my cry.

Moderator warning: This is not a 'Why hasn't Walker been promoted' thread. As diehard said, this has been talked about in numerous threads. Please keep to the topic … this thread is to talk about what happened in the games around the minor leagues yesterday. Don't hijack this thread, or any other thread, for your personal agenda.

[Seth Stohs]

 

You're right. I do know why.

 

Has this philosophy (keep him at level until he improves) worked for Walker in each of his previous 3 seasons?  No!  What do you lose by promoting him to AAA?  Every prospect who has made it to the MLB (Twins) has gained the benefit of preparing in the off season at some point for what they know is coming the next year (because of a promotion).

 

What are coaches doing differently in the second half to gain new results?

Hoping for results on one end without a new plan is not resourceful.  Maybe the manager and hitting coach at AAA can relate to Walker better and find his correction?  

 

People make light of Sano stating "MLB pitching is easier to hit than AA", but what if that is true in some small way.  A way that relates to a certain hitter.  Try something new is my cry.

 

 

I would probably argue that to this point, it's been a good plan for him as an individual. As he's moved up each year, he's had success despite his weaknesses. 

 

He doesn't even need to be added to the 40 man roster until after this season. He's only 23. No need to move him up to another level right now. He's doing fine and can work on his flaws. Hopefully correcting some of them before the end of the year.

 

What will be interesting is now how he performs with no protection in his lineup and less base runners to drive in (probably). That'll be a good challenge for him. 

[lightfoot789]

 

I would probably argue that to this point, it's been a good plan for him as an individual. As he's moved up each year, he's had success despite his weaknesses. 

 

He doesn't even need to be added to the 40 man roster until after this season. He's only 23. No need to move him up to another level right now. He's doing fine and can work on his flaws. Hopefully correcting some of them before the end of the year.

 

What will be interesting is now how he performs with no protection in his lineup and less base runners to drive in (probably). That'll be a good challenge for him. 

I will adhere to moderators request upon answering Seth's comment.  Buxton, Polanco nor Sano played on Ft. Myers team last year in 2nd half.  Walker stayed steady.  

 

Buxton, Polanco, nor Dalton Hicks, played on Cedar Rapids in the 2nd half of 2013 and the Kernels posted the best record in baseball for the 2nd half of that season.

 

So despite what happens this year with the loss of Buxton, Polanco, Sano, and Hicks - Chattanooga's results will not suddenly become an indictment to Walker's worth.  Damned if he does and Damned if he doesn't.  And to the protection part - Walker hit 7th in the order when those guys were at Chattanooga.  Where's the protection? Lol  When has he ever truly had protection for a period of time?

 

I hope he works on his flaws too.  My concern is that he has not improved in that area with his yearly hold backs.  Why do you feel something will change this 2nd half in terms of SO?

 

Done ChiTown!  -  I did mention Kepler too BTW

[drock2190]

Pushing up Walker to Triple AAA will not solve anything. He is going to strikeout a ton anywhere, you could demote him to A ball and he probably will lead the strikeouts. The Twins want the strikeouts to go down for Walker but pushing prospects that are strikeout prone aggressively almost always backfires. Now, what the Twins really want is him to get a better idea of the strike zone, he needs to start walking a bunch to be a real prospect. Like Miguel Sano.

 

The Twins do what they think is best based on the individual. Trust the process. If your going to complain about the Twins there are much better subjects to chew on. Like relief pitching...

[lightfoot789]

Not complaining - Questioning?