Article: Twins Winter League Update

[Seth Stohs]

It’s been awhile since we provided the Twins Daily readers with an update on how Twins players are performing (or have performed) in the Winter Leagues. There have been 13 Twins players to play in Venezuela so far this winter. Eight Twins have played in the Dominican Winter League. Seven current Twins (and several former Twins) have played in the Australian Baseball League this year. Finally, Reynaldo Rodriguez is playing in the Mexican Winter League.Below you will find how they’re doing.

 

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE

 

There are six current Twins players who are participating in the Australian Baseball League. There are a lot of former Twins and Twins farmhands. For instance, Luke Hughes is hitting under .200, but he’s in the middle of the Perth lineup. Allan de San Miguel, twice a member of the organization, has six home runs. He spent time with Rochester last year. There are several, such as Josh Dean and Jacob Younis who didn’t get out of the rookie leagues with the Twins.

• For Melbourne, Tanner Vavra has played primarily shortstop and second base and bats second. He is hitting .317/.430/.416 (.846) with five doubles, a triple and a home run. He has 12 walks to go with 12 strikeouts. He has also been hit by a pitch eight times in 33 games.
• Trey Vavra has primarily been playing first base, but has made a handful of starts at second base as well. In 34 games, he is now hitting .281/.363/.469 (.832) with six doubles and six home runs. He has walked 14 times and struck out 16 times.
• Logan Wade has returned for Brisbane after missing about a month with injury. In 13 games, he has hit .256/.304/.349 (.653) with a double and a homer.
• Aaron Whitefield has played in 15 games for Brisbane. He is hitting .325/.325/.350 (.675) with a double.
• Aaron Thompson, who spent much of the first half of 2015 with the Twins, has pitched 8.1 innings over seven games with Canberra. He’s 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA. He’s given up nine hits, walked seven and struck out 12.
• Loek Van Mil has pitched just four times so far for Adelaine. He’s 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA. In 3.2 innings, he has given up three hits, walked one and struck out three.
• Todd Van Steensel just returned to the mound for Sydney. He’s pitched just three times over the last week. He has given up two runs on two hits and three walks in just 2.1 innings.

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE

 

The Dominican League can be tough as well. There are eight current members of the Twins organization who have played in the league at some point this winter. Five of them spent time with the Twins in 2015.

• Recently-signed Buck Britton played two games in the DWL in late October and early November and went 1-5.
• Miguel Sano played 15 games before being shut down to concentrate on his conditioning and learning the outfield. In that time, he hit .241/.344/.426 (.770) with four doubles and two homers. He walked eight times.
• Danny Santana has settled in at second base after playing around the diamond early in the season. In 25 games, he has hit .305/.320/.411 (.730) with five doubles, a triple and a home run.
• Eduardo Nunez just recently started playing. He has played in just five games, but he is hitting .316/.356/.368 (.718) with a double in those games.
• Jorge Polanco has played in 37 games. He is hitting .238/.329/.320 (.648). He has one doubles, three triples and a home run thus far.
• Catcher Carlos Paulino has played in 35 games. He is hitting .259/.322/.463 (.785) with five doubles, a triple and five home runs.
• Ryan O’Rourke pitched in four games in a one-week stretch in the Dominican. He worked three innings. He gave up three earned runs on three hits and a walk. He struck out two.
• Recently-signed Fernando Abad has pitched six times including two starts. He has worked a total of eight innings. He’s given up nine earned runs on 13 hits and four walks. He has also struck out ten.

MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE

 

As of right now, just one Twins player is playing in the Mexican Winter League.

• Reynaldo Rodriguez has already had 162 at bats over 46 games played. He is hitting .247/.346/.494 (.839) with eight doubles, a triple and ten home runs.

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE

 

There are a lot of current, former and future Minnesota Twins playing in the Venezuelan Winter League.

• Eduardo Escobar has played in 14 games. In 51 at-bats, he has hit .314/.327/.412 (.739) with five doubles.
• Heiker Meneses was brought back and gets a second-straight spring training invite with the Twins. He’s played in 39 games already and has hit .230/.322/.270 (.592) with four doubles.
• Another non-roster invite to spring training in Wilfredo Tovar. He’s now played in just two games and is 2-8.
• Engelb Vielma began the year playing. He played in 18 games and hit .208/.269/.250 (519) with two doubles. He then spent some time in Ft. Myers working on his strength.
• Luis Arraez was an intriguing name to get to know in the GCL this year. He has played in 10 games and is 6-22. He’s hitting .273/.333/.364 (.697) with a triple.
• Levi Michael got off to a slow start in Venezuela, but through ten games, he is now hitting .314/.467/.400 (.867) with three doubles. He has eight walks to go with nine strikeouts.
• Omar Bencomo has made 11 starts in the VWL. He is 3-3 with an impressive 2.97 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. In 57.2 innings, he’s given up 57 hits, walked 12 and inexplicably struck out just 18.
• Logan Darnell has pitched in ten games including six starts. In 37.2 innings, he has allowed 39 hits, walked six and struck out 20. He is 1-2 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP.
• Yorman Landa was recently added to the Twins 40-man roster. He’s pitched in 8.1 innings over 10 appearances. He’s given up five earned runs on five hits and five walks. He’s struck out four. He is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA but a 1.08 WHIP.
• Recently signed Buddy Boshers has pitched 32 innings over 25 appearances already. He is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. He has given up just 22 hits, walked eight and struck out 35.
• David Hurlbut has made the most of his opportunity in Margarita. Last night, he threw five shutout innings. A week earlier, he threw five shutout innings. Six days prior to that, he gave up one run in five innings. So, in 15 total innings, he has given up just one run on ten hits. He has walked seven and struck out just five. He is 1-0 with a 0.60 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.
• Sometimes opportunities are brief in Venezuela. DJ Baxendale made two appearances before Thanksgiving. In just 1.1 innings, he gave up five earned runs on four hits and two walks.
• Brett Lee made two appearances early in the season as well. In 6.1 innings, he gave up four runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out two.

Feel free to leave any questions or comments below

 

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[HitInAPinch]

I'm happy to see some guys from the Twins playing in the Winter Leagues and not resting on their laurels.   

 

How do these leagues compare to the MiLB system?  What's the caliber of the local team?

[Seth Stohs]

It's good competition, but it's probably a little better than independent leagues. You can see from the Twins players what the varying level of talent is. Anywhere from a guy like Luis Arraez, who had a solid season in the GCL to Eduardo Nunez and Eduardo Escobar who are in the big leagues. 

 

They can make some decent money. 

[Han Joelo]

Nice to hear these updates.

 

I'd love to walk in these guys shoes for a little bit.  What an adventure.  I got to work overseas years ago, Antarctica, actually.  Probably would be less culture shock there than in Venezuela for the American players.  There were a few early washouts in Antarctica, mainly from the altitude at the South Pole.  Makes me wonder about Baxendale.  What was his story?  Did he pay his way down there?  Two game checks would hardly cover that.  Did he feel a twinge in his arm and decide to come home?  Not being critical, just curious.

 

Cool to see people chase their dreams.

[DocBauer]

Well, I suppose it may be stating the obvious, since the stats are listed directly above, but a few names pop out to me.

 

Santana=nice to see the offense after last year! But his OB is only 15% points higher than his BA. I don't know if that's telling or not, but it seems a bit concerning.

 

Polanco and Meneses=nice to see OB% so much higher than their BA. A poor BA is one thing, but to see BB and what surely must be solid contact, indicates a good approach at least, IMO.

 

Buddy Bosher=while I have no real illusions of him being some milb contract steal of a signing...wow...winter numbers are impressive to this point.

[tobi0040]

The thing that jumped out at me was the innings for Boshers.

 

25 ip in 32 IP.

 

That is almost half a season

[tobi0040]

Edit:

 

25 IP in 32 appearances.

[ShouldaCouldaWoulda]

I am just excited about Buddy Boshers. Just reminds me of the days having funs saying Boof Bonser. 

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

All of these stats are collected in one page at MLB.com too:

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/org.jsp?id=min

[ashbury]

I am just excited about Buddy Boshers. Just reminds me of the days having funs saying Boof Bonser. 

I looked it up, and the Twins have had a Bud Bloomfield (1964) and a Terry "Bud" Bulling (1977), but never a Buddy. A new era is upon us!

[James Richter]

What about Puerto Rico? Kennys Vargas has hit .297/.383/.485 with 4 2B and 5 HR in 28 games for Mayaguez.

[Seth Stohs]

 

All of these stats are collected in one page at MLB.com too:

http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/org.jsp?id=min

 

Thanks man for sharing my secret site with everyone... I prefer everyone think that I worked really, really hard and did a bunch of number-crunching to arrive at this... 

[Seth Stohs]

 

I am just excited about Buddy Boshers. Just reminds me of the days having funs saying Boof Bonser. 

 

On Saturday night, Boshers went 5 shutout innings (started). Improved to 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA on the season. Not too shabby. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

What about Puerto Rico? Kennys Vargas has hit .297/.383/.485 with 4 2B and 5 HR in 28 games for Mayaguez.

 

Wow!! I don't know how I did that, but i did completely miss Puerto Rico!

 

Vargas has done well.

Juan Centeno is catching there.

Dereck Rodriguez has thrown about 10 innings.

 

My bad!

[Bob Sacamento]

Looks like Tyree Davis didn't get his wish. I had talked to him just as the Instruct season was winding down and he said he really wanted to play Winter League ball but wasn't sure if the organziation was going to let him.  Davis didn't play much at all in 2015 as he was rehabbing from an elbow injury which could have needed surgery.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Looks like Tyree Davis didn't get his wish. I had talked to him just as the Instruct season was winding down and he said he really wanted to play Winter League ball but wasn't sure if the organziation was going to let him.  Davis didn't play much at all in 2015 as he was rehabbing from an elbow injury which could have needed surgery.

 

I haven't talked to him, but I don't know that he would go to one of these leagues anyway. Maybe Australia, or maybe to one of these leagues' minor leagues. 

[lmfellman]

No Arcia!?

[roger]

After a dip following his first few games, Kennys Vargas is heating up in Puerto Rico.  Expect his chances of making the Twins out of spring training are slim, yet, he can provide insurance should someone not pan out or there be injuries.  Will be great to see him have a huge early part of the season at Rochester as I still see him as being a big part of the Twins future.

[jokin]

 

No Arcia!?

 

Where's Os-Waldo?

 

http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/725/373/479.jpg

[Seth Stohs]

 

No Arcia!?

Nope, the Twins have said all along that Arcia was going to stay in Ft. Myers and work out there this offseason.

[Bob Sacamento]

Yes Oswaldo is here in SWFL working out. Just out of hapstance my barber next door is a former milber and is close friends of Oswaldo, wouldn't have believed it til he showed be video of them working out and hanging in his pool. Arcia looks SWOLLEN!! I get a personal meet and greet next time he's getting his hair trimmed.

[TRex]

 

Yes Oswaldo is here in SWFL working out. Just out of hapstance my barber next door is a former milber and is close friends of Oswaldo, wouldn't have believed it til he showed be video of them working out and hanging in his pool. Arcia looks SWOLLEN!! I get a personal meet and greet next time he's getting his hair trimmed.

I hope you don't mind that I ask, but what exactly do you mean by SWOLLEN?

As in:

1. Just had an impacted tooth removed,
2. Can't get hands to touch when doing jumping jacks,
3. Or, ala Rodney Dangerfield, has he been 'sitting a-round the house' all winter?

 

[Bob Sacamento]

 

 

I hope you don't mind that I ask, but what exactly do you mean by SWOLLEN?

As in:

1. Just had an impacted tooth removed,
2. Can't get hands to touch when doing jumping jacks,
3. Or, ala Rodney Dangerfield, has he been 'sitting a-round the house' all winter?

 

SWOLLEN, its a term the kids are using nowadays for being ripped/jacked/etc.  The video I saw earlier today he was doing standing bicep curls, for the looks of it he's been doing biceps and chest in the gym.  Apparently has lost fat weight and added more muscle weight already this winter

[South Dakota Tom]

That's much better than what I feared you meant....

[Seth Stohs]

 

SWOLLEN, its a term the kids are using nowadays for being ripped/jacked/etc.  The video I saw earlier today he was doing standing bicep curls, for the looks of it he's been doing biceps and chest in the gym.  Apparently has lost fat weight and added more muscle weight already this winter

 

I'm pretty sure this was the intent of him not playing in Venezuela and working out in Ft. Myers. 

 

The hope is the Arcia got humbled in 2015 and  will work hard in the offseason to try to put that past him. The guy his 20 big league homers just a year ago and is only 25. Still has potential to be a solid major league if used appropriately.

[Bob Sacamento]

 

I'm pretty sure this was the intent of him not playing in Venezuela and working out in Ft. Myers. 

 

The hope is the Arcia got humbled in 2015 and  will work hard in the offseason to try to put that past him. The guy his 20 big league homers just a year ago and is only 25. Still has potential to be a solid major league if used appropriately.

I find it ironic that you used the word "humble" as his friend/barber was describing him to me that Ozzy is a very humble guy wouldn't know that he's close to a MLBer.

[Old Twins Cap]

For the record, everyone coming to the Twins camp is in "the best shape of their career", whether ripped, jacked, humbled or swollen.

 

That's the way spring goes:  optimism, hope, glory and gumption.

 

Gotta love it.  And take it with a mountain sized grain of salt.