Article: Twins Minor League Report (7/16): Palka, Paulino Power Wings Win

[Seth Stohs]

Saturday was a big day in the Twins organization as Torii Hunter was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame. I mentioned in an article a few weeks ago that the guys we are writing about in these daily reports are striving to reach the big leagues. Do you ever wonder if any of the players currently in the Twins minor leagues will play well enough to go into the Twins Hall of Fame? Well, we’ll need to revisit this in about 25 years to find out.

 

On the field, the Twins affiliates had two extra-innings games. One team knocked out 23 hits. There were more multi-hit games and even a multi-home run game. One team threw a shutout, and we saw a bit of Palka Power again.For more information on the Twins minor leagues, please continue reading.

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 4, Norfolk 0

Box Score

 

A couple of big hits and some terrific pitching was the recipe for a Red Wings win on Saturday night. Andrew Albers started and worked six shutout innings. He gave up eight hits, walked two and struck out two. DJ Baxendale worked two scoreless innings, striking out one. He has now thrown 10.1 scoreless innings out of the Red Wings bullpen. Ryan O’Rourke struck out one in a scoreless ninth.

 

Carlos Paulino led the way. He went 2-3 and had a two-run single. Daniel Palka added his third Red Wings homer. Wilfredo Tovar (17) and Tommy Field (8) each added a double. Byung Ho Park went 1-2 and was hit by a pitch.

 

 

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 8, Mobile 7

Box Score

 

With the Lookouts down a run going into the 7th inning, Shannon Wilkerson came up and doubled, driving in the tying and go-ahead runs. They were able to hold on for the win.

 

Tyler Jay made his second start for the Lookouts. He gave up five runs (four earned) on four hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out four. Mason Melotakis came on and gave up a run in his inning. Zack Jones worked two innings and recorded four strikeouts. He gave up his first run of the season with the Lookouts. WIth the lead back, it was Trevor Hildenberger who threw the final inning to record his 15th save. He gave up a hit and struck out two in his scoreless inning.

 

Did you ever wonder how Jeremy Nygaard feels about what should be done with Hildenberger?

 

 

Dalton Hicks went 3-5 with two RBI. Zach Granite went 2-5 with his 10th double. Niko Goodrum went 2-4. Ryan Walker went 1-3 with a walk and his eighth stolen base. Mitch Garver led the way again. He went 1-2 and was hit by a pitch, walked and hit a big three-run homer in the first inning. It was his ninth homer of the year.

 

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 2, Tampa 1 (13 innings)

Box Score

 

Down 1-0 in the 8th, TJ White launched his fifth home run of the year to tie the game. In the 13th, the Miracle scored on an error and held on for the win.

 

Sam Clay started for the Miracle. He gave up no runs on three hits over five innings. He struck out five. The only problem was that he also walked seven batters and just 43 of his 85 pitches were strikes. John Curtiss came on and gave up an unearned run over his two innings. He struck out two. Todd Van Steensel pitched a scoreless inning. Yorman Landa struck out two over two scoreless innings. Michael Theofanopoulos worked three shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked two (one intentional) and struck out five to gain the Win.

 

Joe Maloney went 3-6 with his fifth and sixth doubles for the Miracle. Nick Gordon extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a 2-5 game and his average is now at .304. Tanner Witt went 2-6.

 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 13, Ft. Wayne 10 (10 innings)

Box Score

 

This game definitely started out poorly for the Kernels, but with a big comeback and a lot of hits they put together another win. The Kernels were down 6-0 after two innings and 8-1 after four innings, so it was quite improbable.

 

Sam Gibbons is back in the rotation, though on this night it did not go well. He gave up eight runs (five earned) on six hits in just four innings. Three of the hits left the ballpark. He also walked two and struck two out. Kuo Hua Lo came on and threw three scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked two and struck out two. Tom Hackimer was charged with two unearned runs over his two innings. He struck out four and got credit for the win. With the lead in the 10th, Williams Ramirez came on and struck out two in a perfect inning for the save.

 

The Kernels accumulated 23 hits in this game. 2016 draft pick Casey Scoggins went 4-7 with his fourth double, three RBI and his first stolen base. Rainis Silva went 4-6. Nelson Molina entered the game after Jermaine Palacios left after being hit by a pitch. Molina went 3-4 with a triple and four RBI. He also stole his fourth base. Luis Arraez had yet another multi-hit game, his 32nd of the year. He was 3-6 with a walk. It was his tenth game with at least three hits. He also stole his first base of the season. Zander Wiel was 3-7. He hit his 18th double as well as his ninth and tenth home runs. Chris Cavaness added two hits as well.

 

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 1, Princeton 5

Box Score

 

Ryan Mason made another start for the Twins. He threw four shutout innings. He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out three. Alex Schik came on and gave up three runs on five hits over three innings. He struck out five without issuing a walk. Hector Lujan gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits in the eighth inning. He struck out two.

 

Brandon Lopez was hit by a pitch to start the game. He left the game and was replaced by Ariel Montesino who went 2-3. Alex Kirilloff went 2-4 with his sixth double. Roberto Gonzalez was 2-4 with his first triple. He drove in the lone run for the Twins.

 

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 4

Box Score

 

The Twins got a great start but the offense just wasn’t able to come through. Brady Anderson, the non-drafted free agent from Florida Gulf Coast, gave up just one hit over the first five innings. He walked none and struck out three. Next, 2016 draft pick Matt Jones came in for his professional debut. He walked both batters he faced before being removed. Zach Strecker came in and both inherited runners scored. He gave up four hits and two more runs in the inning. Two of the outs came on strikeout. Garrett Kelly pitched the final two innings. He gave up a hit and walked two over two scoreless innings. He struck out three.

 

Jorge Munoz led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk and his third double. Jorge Andrade added his third double.

 

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Brian Anderson, GCL Twins

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Zander Wiel, Cedar Rapids Kernels

 

 

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Norfolk @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - RHP Jose Berrios

Mobile @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge

Lakeland @ Ft. Myers (3:05 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero

Cedar Rapids @ Ft. Wayne (12:05 CST) – RHP Eduardo del Rosario

Elizabethton @ Princeton (4:00 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen

GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday's games.

 

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[GMinTraining]

When people think of Jorge Polanco's defense they often think of him as a shortstop because of the Twins experiment.  He is however - a GREAT defensive 2nd baseman.  Rochester has an excellent defensive squad. (Fields, Beresford, Tovar, Polanco).  HOW ABOUT THOSE RED WINGS - 15 GAMES OVER .500

[carlito_b]

What's Trevor's pitch mix consist of?

[nyazbeck]

What's Trevor's pitch mix consist of?

 

Fastball change up

[nater79a]

Wonder if Tyler Jay is hitting the proverbial wall with the increased innings or just the better competition at AA? Maybe a combination of the two? Struggling with his control it seems... 4.5 BB/9 in his two Chattanooga starts.

[nater79a]

Somewhat surprised that Luis Arraez only has one stolen base. For as many times as he's been on base I'd have thought he'd have more. Don't have my Twins Prospect Handbook handy or I'd see if it says anything about his speed. Maybe he's working on his technique,except that he has only attempted three SB's.

[HitInAPinch]

 

Most scouts call him a bat first player and a competent bat at 2B  You consider him a great defensive 2B. What makes you think that? 

Here on Twins Daily, the opinions on Polanco are all over the place. 

 

[jimmer]

 

When people think of Jorge Polanco's defense they often think of him as a shortstop because of the Twins experiment.  He is however - a GREAT defensive 2nd baseman.  Rochester has an excellent defensive squad. (Fields, Beresford, Tovar, Polanco).  HOW ABOUT THOSE RED WINGS - 15 GAMES OVER .500

Most scouts call him a bat first player and a competent fielder at 2B  You consider him a great defensive 2B. What makes you think that?

[Otto von Ballpark]

Why call up Hildenberger now? He is still behind Chargois on the depth chart, maybe Melotakis too. He's not on the 40 man and not Rule 5 eligible this winter. Probably not worth leaving someone else unprotected this winter just to get Hildenberger a handful of innings in a lost season, no?

 

I could see a promotion to AAA, maybe an AFL stint, to get him ready for an early 2017 debut.

[Seth Stohs]

Jermaine Palacios was hit by a pitch last night. He fractured his hand and will be placed on the Disabled List. Chris Ibarra comes off the DL.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Fastball change up

 

good slider too.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Somewhat surprised that Luis Arraez only has one stolen base. For as many times as he's been on base I'd have thought he'd have more. Don't have my Twins Prospect Handbook handy or I'd see if it says anything about his speed. Maybe he's working on his technique,except that he has only attempted three SB's.

 

I'ts interesting how well he's played. When you watch him, there are good and bad. The good... he's got a great eye, works hard and grinds out at bats. Has a little bit of pop. Works really hard. 

The non-good... he's not a great athlete right now. He's not real, real fast. His SB rate is as much about speed as it is about base running ability. He's not a bad base runner.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Why call up Hildenberger now? He is still behind Chargois on the depth chart, maybe Melotakis too. He's not on the 40 man and not Rule 5 eligible this winter. Probably not worth leaving someone else unprotected this winter just to get Hildenberger a handful of innings in a lost season, no?

I could see a promotion to AAA, maybe an AFL stint, to get him ready for an early 2017 debut.

 

Why call up Hildenberger now? He is still behind Chargois on the depth chart, maybe Melotakis too. He's not on the 40 man and not Rule 5 eligible this winter. Probably not worth leaving someone else unprotected this winter just to get Hildenberger a handful of innings in a lost season, no?

I could see a promotion to AAA, maybe an AFL stint, to get him ready for an early 2017 debut.

 

For each of those reasons I agree with you. I would have Chargois up with the Twins now (or very soon), and I'd move Hildenberger up to AAA. 

 

But yeah, unless you really believe Hildenberger is going to be ready opening day 2017, there's no reason to use up a 40-man roster spot at this time.

 

And note... he may be ready, and I'm certain he'll go to spring training next year as a non-roster guy (if he's not added this year) and be given a real chance. 

[John Kelsey]

How bout Zander Wiel? He's absolutely mashing right now. He has 6 HRs in July and an OPS of 1.134. 

 

Has a double in his first at-bat today as well. 

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

Our family watched the Tin Caps-Kernels tilt last night in Fort Wayne. We're on our way out to Boston and Fenway, and Pawtucket-AAA to see our Twins and Red Wings play.

 

Parkview Field rivals the finest Spring Training parks with a top notch field and facilities. Consider dropping in if you ever take an East Coast road trip.

 

As for the game,four errors and miscues made the score much closer than it should have been. Kevin Garcia-who was nice enough to toss my son a ball-tried reaching third on Rainis Siva's single with nobody out in the second inning. He was thrown out by fifteen feet. Nine other runners were stranded on base over the first four innings, adding to the frustration, and the simultaneous sense that our luck was bound to change.

 

Sam Gibbons' return to the rotation was also not as bad as the box scores dictates. One or two pitches would have been the difference. Haunting walks, bone head errors, and pitches left over the plate could easily have been replaced with balls-in-play, double plays, and timely strikeouts.

 

Eventually our fortunes changed. The bats stayed hot, and baserunners who couldn't get past third base during the early innings began to be waved home.

 

One last suggestion: try "Shigs in Pit" BBQ. The best BBQ I've enjoyed since dining at Gates BBQ in Kansas City, remembered from the days when we used to head south for outdoor baseball, and to escape our Teflon-covered exile in the Homerdome.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Our family watched the Tin Caps-Kernels tilt last night in Fort Wayne. We're on our way out to Boston and Fenway, and Pawtucket-AAA to see our Twins and Red Wings play.

Parkview Field rivals the finest Spring Training parks with a top notch field and facilities. Consider dropping in if you ever take an East Coast road trip.

As for the game,four errors and miscues made the score much closer than it should have been. Kevin Garcia-who was nice enough to toss my son a ball-tried reaching third on Rainis Siva's single with nobody out in the second inning. He was thrown out by fifteen feet. Nine other runners were stranded on base over the first four innings, adding to the frustration, and the simultaneous sense that our luck was bound to change.

Sam Gibbons' return to the rotation was also not as bad as the box scores dictates. One or two pitches would have been the difference. Haunting walks, bone head errors, and pitches left over the plate could easily have been replaced with balls-in-play, double plays, and timely strikeouts.

Eventually our fortunes changed. The bats stayed hot, and baserunners who couldn't get past third base during the early innings began to be waved home.

One last suggestion: try "Shigs in Pit" BBQ. The best BBQ I've enjoyed since dining at Gates BBQ in Kansas City, remembered from the days when we used to head south for outdoor baseball, and to escape our Teflon-covered exile in the Homerdome.

 

If you were in Fort Wayne, you really needed to head up north and get some wings at Checkerz...   You missed out there.

[Seth Stohs]

 

How bout Zander Wiel? He's absolutely mashing right now. He has 6 HRs in July and an OPS of 1.134. 

 

Has a double in his first at-bat today as well. 

 

How bout Zander Wiel? He's absolutely mashing right now. He has 6 HRs in July and an OPS of 1.134. 

 

Has a double in his first at-bat today as well. 

 

Twins minor league player of the week and a couple more extra base hits today.

[operation mindcrime]

We should've drafted Benintendi last year! We'll probably regret it for the next dozen years or more!

[Bob Sacamento]

Matt Jones made his MiLB debut 7/16, FB was ~85mph, with a breaking ball ~77.  Very wild:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6HHIP6axtI

[Bob Sacamento]

 

GCL TWINS TAKES 

GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 4
Box Score

The Twins got a great start but the offense just wasn’t able to come through. Brady Anderson, the non-drafted free agent from Florida Gulf Coast, gave up just one hit over the first five innings. He walked none and struck out three. Next, 2016 draft pick Matt Jones came in for his professional debut. He walked both batters he faced before being removed. Zach Strecker came in and both inherited runners scored. He gave up four hits and two more runs in the inning. Two of the outs came on strikeout. Garrett Kelly pitched the final two innings. He gave up a hit and walked two over two scoreless innings. He struck out three.

Jorge Munoz led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk and his third double. Jorge Andrade added his third double.

 

Video of Gorge Munoz, hitting a double off the Green Monster:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEWD4KILGzk

 

note: If you listen to the audio you can hear the GCL coach Ramon Borrego talking about the BoSox LFer saying "no arm, no arm, like [AB] Walker out there no arm"

Edited July 18, 2016 by Bob Sacamento