Article: Twins Minor League Report (8/22): Berrios Strikes Out Ten

[Seth Stohs]

The Twins are now 2-0 with Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano in the same lineup after a win in Baltimore. There was a trade. JO Berrios was back on the mound, pitching against the same team he had no-hit for six innings a week ago. One of the more rare plays in baseball was accomplished in the Chattanooga game. There were a couple of blow-outs in the system, but there were also two walk-off games.

 

Continue reading for everything that happened on Friday in the Twins minor league system.TRANSACTIONS

 

There were a couple of transactions in the Twins system on Friday:

• Following the Twins 4-3 win in Baltimore, the Twins and Brewers announced that Neal Cotts was traded to the Twins for a player to be named later, or cash. To make room, AJ Achter was optioned to AAA Rochester.

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 2, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 3 (14 innings)

Box Score

 

It was a long night in Scranton, and unfortunately for the Red Wings, the home team won. However, it started with another impressive performance from JO Berrios. One week ago, Berrios threw six no-hit innings against the RailRiders before giving up six runs in the seventh inning without recording an out. On this night, he lost the no-hitter early, and he gave up a run in the third inning. However, he was very impressive. He went the first seven innings. He gave up just the one run on five hits. He walked none and struck out ten.

 

In the top of the eighth inning, the Red Wings scratched out the go-ahead run. Aaron Thompson replaced Berrios. He walked one batter and struck out another. Alex Meyer came on next. He walked one and then gave up a single just past a diving James Beresford to tie the game.

 

Mark Hamburger came in and gave up just two hits over three shutout innings. Michael Tonkin then gave up two hits over two shutout innings. Adrian Salcedo came on for the 14^th inning. He got two outs, but he gave up the winning run on the third hit of the inning, to take the loss.

 

In 14 innings, the Red Wings managed just six hits. James Beresford went 2-5 with a walk and his 20^th double. Kennys Vargas went 1-3 with a walk and his sixth double.

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 7, Pensacola 2

Box Score

 

It was a good day for the Lookouts. Adam Brett Walker got the scoring started in the first inning with an RBI double. Later in the game, he had another RBI double. He now has 28 doubles and 96 RBI on the season. Levi Michael went 2-4 with a walk, his tenth double and his fifth home run. Max Kepler went 2-5. Shannon Wilkerson hit his first home run with the Lookouts.

 

DJ Baxendale made the start. He was wild but gave up just one run on five hits in five innings. He walked five and struck out six. Nick Burdi got the next two innings. He gave up no runs and no hits. He walked three and struck out three. Brandon Peterson worked the final two innings. He gave up one run on one hit. He walked two and struck out one.

 

With the game still in the balance in the fourth inning, Baxendale started the inning by walking two straight batters. That brought up former Twins farmhand Ray Chang. The infielder grounded to Heiker Meneses who stepped on third base. He threw to Levi Michael at second for the second out. Michael then threw to Niko Goodrum at first base to complete the rare triple play.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 3, Bradenton 9

Box Score

 

Matt Summers made his first start of the year after being returned to the Miracle. He gave up four runs on four hits and a walk over just two innings. He was replaced by Brian Gilbert who gave up three runs on five hits and two walks in three innings. Zack Jones came on and gave up two runs on two hits and three walks in two innings. He struck out three. Jake Reed struck out one in a flawless inning.

 

Logan Wade and Jason Kanzler both went 2-4 in the game. Mitch Garver hit his 22^nd double of the year.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 1, Clinton 2

Box Score

 

As you would expect with someone returning from Tommy John surgery, there will be some ups and downs. That would describe Randy Rosario’s 2015 return, but tonight was a great night for the lefty. Rosario went seven innings. He gave up just one run on two hits. He walked one and struck out eight. He left with a tied game. Luke Bard pitched a scoreless eighth. However, with two outs in the ninth, he gave up the game-winning run. Bard struck out four in 1.2 innings.

 

The Kernels managed just six hits. Sean Miller went 2-4 with his second double. Rafael Valera, Edgar Corcino, and TJ White each had a single and a walk.

 

E-TOWN E-NOTES

Elizabethton 5, Pulaski 14

Box Score

 

Dereck Rodriguez has been terrific for the E-Twins this season, but tonight didn’t go so well. In this one, he went just three innings. He was charged with six runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out two. With this rough outing, he falls to 5-2 with a very solid 2.65 ERA. CK Irby came on and gave up six runs (five earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out one in two innings. Anthony Mciver gave up an unearned run on one hit and a hit batter in two innings. He struck out three. Josh Guyer gave up one run on one hit in his inning.

 

LaMonte Wade went 2-3 with a walk. Jermaine Palacios gets back into these reports, going 2-5 with his first triple. Kamran Young hit his fourth homer and drove in three runs. Lewin Diaz is hitting just .083 since moving up to Elizabethton, but on this night, he hit his first Appy League homer.

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 0, GCL Red Sox 10

Box Score

 

The Twins bullpen struggled in this one, but it didn’t matter much because their bats managed just three hits. Luis Martinez hit his fourth double. Roni Tapia had a single and a walk.

 

Eduardo del Rosario started. He gave up two runs on six hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out six. Brandon Poulson came on. He pitched a scoreless sixth inning before a wild seventh inning. Poulson got just one out. He was charged with three runs on two hits and two walks. Rich Condeelis came on and gave up five runs on four hits and a walk in 0.1 innings. Andrew Vasquez got the final out of the seventh, but not before walking two and giving up a hit to score all three inherited runners. Matz Schutte struck out one in a perfect eighth inning.

 

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – JO Berrios, Rochester Red Wings

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Levi Michael, Chattanooga Lookouts

 

 

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes Barre (6:05 CST) – RHP Michael Bowden

Chattanooga @ Pensacola (6:35 CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler

Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – LHP Mat Batts

Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons

Elizabethton @ Pulaski (6:00 CST) – RHP Onesimo Hernandez

GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (9:00 CST) – TBD

 

 

Feel free to leave any questions or comments below

 

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[Jham]

Save some of those bullets for the mlb pen jose! Get that kid up here.

[stringer bell]

148+ innings so far this year for JO. A 20% increase over 2014 would be about three more starts. I'm guessing Berrios gets those three starts for the Red Wings and is done for the year. He'll have thrown enough innings and the Twins won't have used a 40-man spot for him. I think his big league debut will be about April 20, 2016.

[Seth Stohs]

 

148+ innings so far this year for JO. A 20% increase over 2014 would be about three more starts. I'm guessing Berrios gets those three starts for the Red Wings and is done for the year. He'll have thrown enough innings and the Twins won't have used a 40-man spot for him. I think his big league debut will be about April 20, 2016.

 

I would agree completely. Once he wasn't up by early August, it doesn't make a lot of sense to bring him up until late April... the Kris Bryant decision... 

[twinssouth]

148+ innings so far this year for JO. A 20% increase over 2014 would be about three more starts. I'm guessing Berrios gets those three starts for the Red Wings and is done for the year. He'll have thrown enough innings and the Twins won't have used a 40-man spot for him. I think his big league debut will be about April 20, 2016.

 

 

 

This kid has some serious stamina. Lots of innings pitched, this late in the year, and still strikes out 10. No dead arm syndrome here.

[twinssouth]

What is with Arcia? Ofer 6 and last 10 games 063. Wow, did he throw in the towel. Other players (Der Kep) are passing him by.

[Seth Stohs]

 

What is with Arcia? Ofer 6 and last 10 games 063. Wow, did he throw in the towel. Other players (Der Kep) are passing him by.

 

Nick wrote an article about Arcia a week or so ago. He is now like 0-fer his last 24 after last night. 

[sane]

If that is an up-to-date photo of Berrios, he can't be ready for MLB!

He looks 12-yrs-old!

[Mike Sixel]

If they think they are a playoff team, shouldn't he be up here this year? We won't agree on this, but they should be trying to win if they are trying to win, not worry about 5 years from now. And the twenty percent thing is based on junk science.

[Seth Stohs]

 

If that is an up-to-date photo of Berrios, he can't be ready for MLB!

He looks 12-yrs-old!

 

It was from spring training. He looks young, but he is incredibly mature.

[clutterheart]

Sigh. We all know its the smart move to keep Berrios at AAA. He will be under team control if he doesn't pitch in the MLB this year.

 

Maybe Billy can leverage that future money saved and win another Oscar.

 

Go Pohlads!

[stringer bell]

 

Sigh. We all know its the smart move to keep Berrios at AAA. He will be under team control if he doesn't pitch in the MLB this year.

Maybe Billy can leverage that future money saved and win another Oscar.

Go Pohlads!

It wouldn't so much be money saved as team control. If Berrios were recalled now, he's take a 40-man spot, and would have approximately 40 days of big league service. He would be eligible for arb after three full years (after 2018) and a free agent after 2021. If he stays in the minors this year and until April 20-25, he would be a Super 2 and eligible for arb at the same time, but the Twins would get one more year of control (his age 28 year).

[Otto von Ballpark]

It wouldn't so much be money saved as team control. If Berrios were recalled now, he's take a 40-man spot, and would have approximately 40 days of big league service. He would be eligible for arb after three full years (after 2018) and a free agent after 2021. If he stays in the minors this year and until April 20-25, he would be a Super 2 and eligible for arb at the same time, but the Twins would get one more year of control (his age 28 year).

Of course, he could come up now, and then go back to the minors to start 2016 and we get that extra year of control too.

 

And projecting pitchers is tougher than hitters. Should the 2005 Twins not have called up Liriano for September? He got hurt and optioned a few years later and still got the extra year of control (not that it did us much good).

[drjim]

 

Of course, he could come up now, and then go back to the minors to start 2016 and we get that extra year of control too.

And projecting pitchers is tougher than hitters. Should the 2005 Twins not have called up Liriano for September? He got hurt and optioned a few years later and still got the extra year of control (not that it did us much good).

 

Exactly, he's a pitcher. No need to play service time games when he is basically ready and the team is trying to win. If he's good enough the Twins can pop him for an extension well before service time becomes an issue.

 

Looking back at the season I think the failure to call up Berrios and the resulting May fiasco will be the biggest and most inexplicable mistake the front office made. Really no reason for any of it.

[stringer bell]

 

Exactly, he's a pitcher. No need to play service time games when he is basically ready and the team is trying to win. If he's good enough the Twins can pop him for an extension well before service time becomes an issue.

 

Looking back at the season I think the failure to call up Berrios and the resulting May fiasco will be the biggest and most inexplicable mistake the front office made. Really no reason for any of it.

I really don't agree. First of all, Berrios is only 21. I do believe he's the Twins best pitching prospect, at least in the top two levels, but I don't know how he would fare in the majors. Further, I believe the Twins will want to protect him and not use him for too many innings. He's never really pitched out of the bullpen, so that may have been an issue. Finally, there are service time and 40-man issues. Hindsight is 20-20, but it may be that they promoted the most ready guy (Duffey) and adding two to the 40-man was thought to be too many. The May thing didn't work out. I'm guessing the Twins would have kept May in the rotation if Duffey got knocked around, but since he did well his second (and now third) start, they kept May as a bullpen option.

[Mike Sixel]

Other teams don't have this fear of using eventual starters in the bullpen the year before. KLAW and others online, former FO people, are wondering why Berrios isn't here. This isn't an irrational fan opinion.

[h2oface]

Too young and his arm can't do the innings, eh? Amazing that he also pitched throughout the off season, if not just for workouts. Amazing that guys used to start every 4 days and pitch complete games and shutouts, and throw well over 200 innings. People aren't that different from 30 years ago. This philosophy of saving years is futile. Good thing they saved Meyer last year. Wouldn't want to get a guy to help the team just because he is young. If you are worried about innings, just put him in the pen. It still needs lots of help.

[DocBauer]

Like anyone else, I want Berrios up.

 

I want him to get a brief taste of ML life, hitters, and arenas before he gets that first real shot to STICK. And let's be honest, while the Twins have a guideline on how to handle young pitchers, and IP year to year and subsequent increase in such, there is no hard and fast rule or body of evidence that suggests a "must be" or "always" much less any list of consequence.

 

But to be equally honest, there is no rule or proof to dictate or indicate that the Twins way, the roughly 20% rule isn't a good idea, and doesn't work. I have to confess, logic would tell me that a 21 yo kid/young man, no matter how talented, who has already conquered 2 levels this season, who is on pace for a 20% increase in workload on his arm, has probably done about as well as could be expected, and has probably climbed the mountain about as far as he can...perhaps should?...for one season.

 

He's been fantastic and has increased our appetite for more. But is a promotion now, starting his clock, taking up a 40 man spot that could be reserved for someone else for the winter, worth the 3-4 starts he might make at the ML level this season? I would argue that for THIS season, it would make little difference. Would it make enough of a difference for next season? That's the rub!

[drjim]

Too young and his arm can't do the innings, eh? Amazing that he also pitched throughout the off season, if not just for workouts. Amazing that guys used to start every 4 days and pitch complete games and shutouts, and throw well over 200 innings. People aren't that different from 30 years ago. This philosophy of saving years is futile. Good thing they saved Meyer last year. Wouldn't want to get a guy to help the team just because he is young. If you are worried about innings, just put him in the pen. It still needs lots of help.

Meyer was hurt last year.

 

And the golden age of pitchers you reference is as much myth as reality, many more injuries and shorter careers. We remember the few and forget the many.

 

All that doesn't mean Berrios doesn't shouldn't be up.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Next year we probably want him to start through September (and hopefully into October).

 

Wouldn't it make sense to let him get a taste of MLB starting action in August, then work out of the pen after the minor league season ends in September? Control the innings however you want, but I'd like to keep him in use so we don't have to talk next year about how he's never pitched a MLB length season before. (I have a feeling that innings limits might come up for May if he returns to starting in 2016 too.)

 

Also, get him on the 40-man for September 1 and he is a playoff option, should our remote chance come to fruition.

Edited August 22, 2015 by spycake

[Seth Stohs]

 

 I would argue that for THIS season, it would make little difference. Would it make enough of a difference for next season? That's the rub!

 

Doc, your whole response was very good, well reasoned. I don't think the Twins are a team that follow too closely to the 20% thing, at least not as much in the upper levels as the lower levels. 

 

But to what I included above... it's an interesting question ,but there's no way to know what getting 1-2 starts and 3-4 relief appearances would do for him in terms of 2016. No way to know. People have been successful with and without that time the year before. There are plenty examples of both.