Article: Twins Minor League Report (6/24): First Full Slate Of Games

[Seth Stohs]

Friday was the first day in which all six Minnesota Twins domestic affiliates played a game. The GCL Twins played at jetBlue Stadium in Ft. Myers and got some great pitching. Felix Jorge and Daniel Palka did things they’ve done all year. Two guys had big games in Elizabethton. Man, there is so much in today’s minor league report including a huge return for a player who has missed the first two months of the season with injury. Miguel Sano made his AAA debut. You’ll just have to keep reading.This is my favorite time of the year. Six (or more) box scores most every day. Prospects galore all getting another opportunity to show something. The short-season affiliates are full of guys that have been sitting in extended spring training waiting for this, and the 2016 draft picks would like nothing more than to start off their professional careers on a high note.

 

Six box scores is a lot of work, but it's so much fun! Enjoy! Ask lots of questions.

 

Here is Friday night’s minor league update.

 

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 4, Louisville 5 (12 innings)

Box Score

 

Logan Darnell started for the Red Wings on Friday night. The southpaw gave up four runs on five hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out seven. Ryan O’Rourke threw a scoreless top of the seventh inning, but the Red Wings were down 4-0.

 

In the bottom of the 7th, John Ryan Murphy came to the plate with the bases loaded. He delivered a bases-clearing double. It was followed by a Jorge Polanco single to tie the game at four.

 

JT Chargois came in and struck out two in the eighth inning. The Red Wings went scoreless in the bottom of the inning. Chargois stayed in to start the ninth and did not give up a run, reducing his Red Wings ERA to just 0.48.

 

The score remained tied at four until the 12th inning thanks to two shutout innings from Alex Wimmers. In the top of the 12th, Sean Burnett gave up one run on one walk and one hit. In the bottom of the 12th, the Red Wings sent three men, Rosario, Field and Wickens, to the plate and each went down on strikes.

 

Miguel Sano made his first appearance. He played five innings at third base and only had one play. He caught a pop up. He walked in his first plate appearance and then grounded out in his second.

 

James Beresford and Jorge Polanco were both 2-6.

 

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 2, Jackson 8

Box Score

 

It was a rough outing for Ryan Eades in his first second half start. The right-hander gave up eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out four. Luke Westphal threw two innings. He gave up a hit and a walk and struck out two without giving up a run. Raul Fernandez threw the final two innings. He gave up a hit, walked one and struck out one, but did not allow a run.

 

Daniel Palka hit his 17th homer of the season, which leads the Southern League. Mitch Garver went 2-4 and drove in the other Lookouts run.

 

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 5, Jupiter 1

Box Score

 

Felix Jorge did Felix Jorge things on the mound, and Niko Goodrum returned to game action with a big game.

 

Let’s start on the mound though. Jorge improved to 7-3 with a 1.58 ERA. He gave up one run on five hits over six innings. He struck out three without a walk. Brandon Peterson worked a perfect seventh frame. Yorman Landa recorded his fifth save by giving up just one hit over two scoreless innings.

 

Niko Goodrum has been out and on the disabled list since late in spring training. He had a stress reaction in his foot. He was activated yesterday and sent to Ft. Myers to get some game action. In his first game back, Goodrum batted third and played shortstop. He went 4-5 with three doubles. Not a bad way to come back. Trey Vavra and Max Murphy each went 2-5. Tanner Witt went 1-2 with two walks.

 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 6, Beloit 4

Box Score

 

The Kernels fell behind 2-0 in the first inning, but they came back a couple of times to pick up a nice win. In the third inning, Brad Hartong’s double was followed by Sean Miller’s second home run of the year. It tied the game at two even though they were the only two hits the Kernels had at that time.

 

Then the pitchers put up zeros until the sixth inning when Kernels starter Eduardo Del Rosario was charged with two more runs. However, in the 7th, the Kernels struck for four runs. Austin Diemer hit a solo home run. A JJ Fernandez double scored Rainis Silva to tie the game at four. Chris Ibarra scored the go-ahead run when Brad Hartong hit into a fielder’s choice. Finally, Fernandez scored on a Miller sacrifice fly.

 

Diemer led the way, going 2-3 with his first homer in his return to Cedar Rapids. Miller was 1-3 with his second homer and three RBI. Hartong’s double was his fifth, while Fernandez’s double was his third.

 

Del Rosario started and gave up four runs on nine hits over 5.2 innings. He walked three and struck out two. Williams Ramirez came in and threw 2.1 hitless innings. He walked two and struck out two. Anthony McIver pitched the ninth. He gave up two hits, but got a strikeout and a game-inning ending play to record his third save.

 

 

E-Twins E-Notes

Elizabethton 4, Kingsport 0

Box Score

 

There were a couple of batters with strong games on Friday night, but when a team throws a shutout, we’ll most likely talk about the pitching first.

 

Alex Robinson, a reliever drafted out of Maryland in 2015, made the start for the E-Twins. The good news? He threw 4.2 shutout innings, gave up just two hits and struck out eight batters. The non-good news? He walked six batters. Max Cordy came in for the final out of the fifth and got five more batters out. He gave up one hit, walked two and struck out two. Colton Davis got the final seven outs to record his first save.

 

Two players highlighted the E-Twins offense. In the first inning, Lewin Diaz doubled in Travis Blankenhorn, who had singled. In the third inning, Jaylin Davis doubled in Travis Blankenhorn, who had walked and stole second base. In the eighth inning, they got some insurance when Travis Blankenhorn and Lewin Diaz hit solo homers. Blankenhorn finished the day by going 2-3 with a walk and his second homer. He scored three of the four runs. Diaz made his first start and hit his first double and first home run of the year. Mitchell Kranson, in his first game, played third base and recorded his first professional hit, a double. Caleb Hamilton played shortstop and got his first hit, a single.

 

 

GCL Twins Takes

GCL Twins 5, GCL Red Sox 3

Box Score

 

The GCL Twins took to the field for the first time this season in a game that counted. Yesterday, we reviewed the roster. Several of those players made their pro debuts on Friday. Joe Cronin led the offense. He went 2-5 and stole a base. Speedster Jean Carlos Arias went 2-4 with a double and two stolen bases. Jorge Munoz had a double. Ben Rortvedt caught the whole game and went 1-4 with a single and an RBI.

 

Miguel De Jesus was the story. The right-hander worked five innings and gave up just one hit. He walked none and struck out five. He was sitting 92-96, with movement, and attacked the strike zone. Daniel Martinez came on and was charged with two runs on three hits and got just two outs. However, the first two batters he faced grounded out. He struck out the third, but on a wild pitch the batter got on base. Could have been a great inning, but then three straight hits scored two runs. Brady Anderson came on and got four outs, three of them on strikeouts. Garrett Kelly gave up just a walk, but the runner scored. Patrick McGuff recorded the save with a perfect inning, including two strikeouts.

 

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Ft. Myers Miracle

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Travis Blankenhorn, Elizabethton Twins

 

 

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Louisville @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - LHP Andrew Albers (6-1, 3.36 ERA)

Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves (0-0, 1st AA Start)

Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (4:30 CST) - RHP Keaton Steele (2-6, 4.30 ERA)

Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Cody Stashak (4-4, 2.73 ERA)

Elizabethton @ Kingsport (6:00 CST) - TBD

 

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[twinssouth]

Great job Seth, lotta work to put all this together. Liked reading Blankenhorn this, Blankenhorn that. Sounded like a one man wrecking crew. Great to see fellow Georgian Niko start off with a bang. Should be in Chattanooga soon.

[twinssouth]

Sano playing 5 innings at 3rd showed the Twins have some sanity. Kepler batting 250 ish with good D should keep him out of the outfield. My guess when Sano is ready, he's back at 3rd and DH, mixing it up with Plouffe and Park being sent down.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Great job Seth, lotta work to put all this together. Liked reading Blankenhorn this, Blankenhorn that. Sounded like a one man wrecking crew. Great to see fellow Georgian Niko start off with a bang. Should be in Chattanooga soon.

 

I think he will be. Smart though to get him some games in Ft. Myers to get going... that didn't take long. Ha!

[Pitz]

Will Goodrum be getting playing time all over both the infield and outfield? Seems like super-utility may be his best shot at a big league career.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Will Goodrum be getting playing time all over both the infield and outfield? Seems like super-utility may be his best shot at a big league career.

 

I would think so, though in my mind, Shortstop is certainly his best position.

[Rezzy]

Great game from Blankenhorn! I'm excited to follow this kid as he moves up the ranks.

[Jordan1212]

Seth, do we have any pitchers in our system besides berrios that remind you of a Johan santana? I'm tired of everybody being "Kyle Gibson" we can't win till we have a guy that when he pitches we know we're going to win the game like Johan. Who should I watch in minors?

[FormerMinnasotan]

Looks like Jorge needs be promoted to Chattanooga as well. A 1.58 ERA?? Plus I think the Twins have to either put Jorge on the 40 man or risk losing Jorge in the Rule 5 draft. Having Jorge in AA ball would justify Jorge's 40 man spot better.

Edited June 25, 2016 by FormerMinnasotan

[Seth Stohs]

 

Seth, do we have any pitchers in our system besides berrios that remind you of a Johan santana? I'm tired of everybody being "Kyle Gibson" we can't win till we have a guy that when he pitches we know we're going to win the game like Johan. Who should I watch in minors?

 

I mean, Johan wasn't Johan for a year or two. He was a Rule 5 guy, so it's hard to project. 

 

That said, Obviously there is hope to have upper-half-of-rotation (meaning 1, 2 and reliable 3s - guys you feel OK about making starts in the playoffs one day). Tyler Jay... Kohl Stewart maybe. Gonsalves maybe. Romero has the kind of stuff to get excited about. Jorge, I think he'll eventually strikeout more. There are some guys who could be... but if the bar is Santana, that's pretty tough.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Looks like Jorge needs be promoted to Chattanooga as well. A 1.58 ERA?? Plus I think the Twins have to either put Jorge on the 40 man or risk losing Jorge in the Rule 5 draft. Having Jorge in AA ball would justify Jorge's 40 man spot better.

 

Gonsalves was promoted, because it was time and he's ready for that next challenge, but a couple of people I talked to said that Jorge is easily the top pitcher at Ft. Myers and has been for awhile. Good stuff, throws hard, throws strikes, gets ground balls and people think he will eventually add more strikeouts.

[FormerMinnasotan]

I mean, Johan wasn't Johan for a year or two. He was a Rule 5 guy, so it's hard to project.

 

That said, Obviously there is hope to have upper-half-of-rotation (meaning 1, 2 and reliable 3s - guys you feel OK about making starts in the playoffs one day). Tyler Jay... Kohl Stewart maybe. Gonsalves maybe. Romero has the kind of stuff to get excited about. Jorge, I think he'll eventually strikeout more. There are some guys who could be... but if the bar is Santana, that's pretty tough.

Don't forget about Lewis Thorpe. I mean yeah he might not pitch at all this year due to him coming down with mono, but before him getting Tommy John sugurey he was looking like a better pitching prospect than even Gonsalves or Stewart. Next year for Thrope should be a good one.

[FormerMinnasotan]

Gonsalves was promoted, because it was time and he's ready for that next challenge, but a couple of people I talked to said that Jorge is easily the top pitcher at Ft. Myers and has been for awhile. Good stuff, throws hard, throws strikes, gets ground balls and people think he will eventually add more strikeouts.

That's what I figured. I mean Stewart and Gonsalves were going to get promoted first anyways due to their time in Ft Myers last year. Jorge though has to be a bit of a surprise how well he has done. He was good in Ceder Rapids last year, but wow he has been very good (even if the k's aren't quite there yet) in Ft Myers.

[Badsmerf]

Potential was always there for jorge. I think his rough start in 2014 was the real surprise. That is the real outlier for him. It's almost too bad all the top talent is at the same level. They might have to start making some room for these guys.

 

Seth is probably right with Jay. He will hit his innings limit and finish in the aa pen.

[Pitz]

Of course its tough to glean much from the DSL, and even more so with a small sample size. But I'm wondering if anyone has any info on a couple of young players.

 

Victor Tademo is still only 16 (til July 9) and has put up some pretty impressive numbers thus far. I see from his player page that he signed as a SS last September, he's listed as a 2B on the roster, but I think he's been playing mostly 3B.  .378/.429/.533

 

Agustin Marte (17) signed in February as a SS also putting up good numbers drawing 11 walks in 12 games (with 8 k's). .371/.522/.429

[Seth Stohs]

 

Of course its tough to glean much from the DSL, and even more so with a small sample size. But I'm wondering if anyone has any info on a couple of young players.

 

Victor Tademo is still only 16 (til July 9) and has put up some pretty impressive numbers thus far. I see from his player page that he signed as a SS last September, he's listed as a 2B on the roster, but I think he's been playing mostly 3B.  .378/.429/.533

 

Agustin Marte (17) signed in February as a SS also putting up good numbers drawing 11 walks in 12 games (with 8 k's). .371/.522/.429

 

I'm told that Tademo has a strong feel for hitting and there is a thought that he could develop power over time. His best position is 3B thoughhe could also play SS and 2B.

 

Marte is a switch-hitting middle infielder. A speed guy.

[AZTwin]

 

I'm told that Tademo has a strong feel for hitting and there is a thought that he could develop power over time. His best position is 3B thoughhe could also play SS and 2B.

 

Marte is a switch-hitting middle infielder. A speed guy.

Marte has 9 stolen bases on the year... (He's played in 13 games so far).  Had to do a double take.

[jokin]

 

Miguel De Jesus was the story. The right-hander worked five innings and gave up just one hit. He walked none and struck out five. He was sitting 92-96, with movement, and attacked the strike zone.





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Miguel De Jesus... is it worth finding out more info on this International Man of Mystery?

[Teflon]

At 24, do we think Palka is ready for AAA and maybe a September look-see with the big club?

[Seth Stohs]

 

Miguel De Jesus... is it worth finding out more info on this International Man of Mystery?

 

I've been hearing great things about him throughout EST, and he was tremendous in his first outing. Fastball 92-96 with movement. He has decent secondary stuff too. He is already 20, but he's here for the first time, so he's doing just fine. Definitely worth monitoring. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

At 24, do we think Palka is ready for AAA and maybe a September look-see with the big club?

 

Needs to be added to the 40 man after the season, so I'd say he could be a September call-up. Of course, with Kepler, Buxton, Rosario and Grossman in the outfield, there's no reason to call him up before September. Might as well let him keep playing.