Article: Minor League Promotions Coming Soon?

[Vanimal46]

 

I'm much less of a fan of calling up the batters straight from AA, I'd like to see Gordon get some AAA pitching first; it hasn't worked out terrible well for the Twins when the batters have had no or minimal AAA experience. I think they need to continue to figure out how to adjust and react to the pitchers.

 

I'm just fine calling pitchers up from AA though, particularly relievers. They are the causation to the batters reaction, the things they tend to have to work on like mechanics and control are completely independent of the batters they face.

 

Yeah I agree... Other than Mauer and Sano, who were the cream of the crop elite prospects, I can't think of other prospects in this organization who have immediate MLB success from AA. 

 

Gordon is good and could be great, but he's not an ELITE prospect IMO. 

[Vanimal46]

 

To make room for all this movement, several (5, 6?) folks at Rochester need to simply be let go --- or a mix of folks -- a couple from each of three or four teams.  I'm wondering who those folks are.  It can't be just the fringes of each team's roster, that won't provide the necessary playing time.

 

Considering the lack of talent being called up to the MLB from Rochester, there should be a lot of fat to trim on the team. 

[Dr. Evil]

Too bad a player's readiness doesn't always jive with the big club's current needs.

 

I lean more towards the being aggressive side myself. But, I can see where it's a very fine line.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Not sure where to bring this up but... Chih-Wei Hu's fastball in limited MLB appearances was an average of 93 mph, why am I thinking on of the knocks on him when traded for Jepsen was his fastball velocity was below average?

 

He was touching 96 before the trade. There were no knocks on Hu at that time. They knew that they were giving up someone with a future when they dealt him. That's the "danger" of being a buyer at the trade deadline. You're going to give something up to get something. And Jepsen helped the Twins a ton down the stretch in 2015. But Hu was being a bunch of guys on the Twins prospect rankings already back then, a mid-teens type of prospect. The Rays have moved him to the bullpen too now. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Randy Rosario? Any thoughts on him? I haven't checked his stats since he was optioned back to the Lookouts. Maybe he's young enough that a little more AA time wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

 

That was my thought. I figured that with Reed and Melotakis already moving up, and me supporting Bard and Curtiss moving up, Rosario can stay in AA for now. I think it's a good thing. He started the year in Ft. Myers, and he's young, so no worries. I'd push the older guys (who also have upside). 

[Seth Stohs]

 

To make room for all this movement, several (5, 6?) folks at Rochester need to simply be let go --- or a mix of folks -- a couple from each of three or four teams.  I'm wondering who those folks are.  It can't be just the fringes of each team's roster, that won't provide the necessary playing time.

 

I would expect there would be some releases, some mysterious DL placement, but not just at Rochester, also at some of the lower levels as well. 

 

Several players in Extended Spring were released yesterday, and I'm sure we'll hear of more as well.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Great post. Thanks!

[Oldgoat_MN]

 

To make room for all this movement, several (5, 6?) folks at Rochester need to simply be let go --- or a mix of folks -- a couple from each of three or four teams.  I'm wondering who those folks are.  It can't be just the fringes of each team's roster, that won't provide the necessary playing time.

There two players on the Rochester roster who have an OPS of >=.800. That would be Mitch Garver & Zach Granite. There are two players who have a batting average of >=.265. That would be Granite and Matt Hague.

Seven players are 27 years old or older.

Now I realize selecting a BA of .265 is arbitrary, but few would expect a guy hitting .265 in AAA to hit better than .240 in MLB. That is a BA that most teams are unlikely to find helpful.

 

Yes, I agree that there are players who could be trimmed from AAA.

[toosweet64]

Wimmers, Turley, and Haley. There's three guys who could come off the 25 man and 40 man. All are terrible. 

[jorgenswest]

I would be concerned about Wade's ability to hit with hard contact as shown by his ISO. As compared to Grossman's time in AA it is much lower.

 

The Twins have much better data to look at for barrels and hard contact. Maybe most of his hard contact is directly at fielders and his low ISO is a poor indicator. He won't walk in the majors if he doesn't hit the ball with some authority. Major league pitchers will pitch to his weaker contact and his walk rate will drop considerably.

 

While he is in AA, he needs to be more aggressive attacking pitches that he can drive. Without recognition of pitches that he can drive, it will be hard to be successful in the majors.

[Rosterman]

The bigger question is who departs. Does the Yohan Pino's disappear from Rochester to make room. Who isn't playing well and can be given walking papers, at all levels, now that a fresh crop of players will start movement from Cedar Rapids and above!

 

Who do the Twins carry that will be minor league free agents come the end of the season, those that have no chance of being added to the 40-man and who might best be served by switching organizations sooner rather than later.

 

And anyone else the Twins think they should grab from Indy ball? The return of Mark Hamburger or Caleb Thielbar!

 

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

The bigger question is who departs. Does the Yohan Pino's disappear from Rochester to make room. Who isn't playing well and can be given walking papers, at all levels, now that a fresh crop of players will start movement from Cedar Rapids and above!

 

Who do the Twins carry that will be minor league free agents come the end of the season, those that have no chance of being added to the 40-man and who might best be served by switching organizations sooner rather than later.

 

And anyone else the Twins think they should grab from Indy ball? The return of Mark Hamburger or Caleb Thielbar!

 

This is the part that doesn't get talked about with regards to promotions.  Minor league teams have rosters too, and someone going up means someone else going down or out.  It's a big reason why this type of things doesn't happen consistently until after the draft/ASB.

[melshmeister]

 

Wimmers, Turley, and Haley. There's three guys who could come off the 25 man and 40 man. All are terrible. 

 

IMO... these comments provide zero value without there being a suggestion for who would be adequate (or at least 'better') replacements.

[toosweet64]

 

IMO... these comments provide zero value without there being a suggestion for who would be adequate (or at least 'better') replacements.

 

At this point, I'd take Eddie Guardado, Terry Mulholland, or even a statue of a garden gnome over any of those guys.  But if you want actual names, Hildenberger, Curtiss, and Gonsalves. Heck, I'd even take Tonkin back.  

[Bob Sacamento]

 

Anyone our favorite team trades, instantly becomes a board favorite. Any player we receive in return, instantly becomes a board scapegoat. It's a game we play here on TD. 

Yeah but quite a few people (myself included) who thought the deal was dumb at the time, now two years later it's even dumber.  Jepsen is now out of baseball, was ineffective as a Twin while Hu is 23, in the MLB and under service control for the next 6 years

[bluechipper]

 

Yeah I agree... Other than Mauer and Sano, who were the cream of the crop elite prospects, I can't think of other prospects in this organization who have immediate MLB success from AA. 

 

Gordon is good and could be great, but he's not an ELITE prospect IMO. 

Chris Parmelee and Kennys Vargas had immediate success. It was the following seasons that were the problem, but that probably had more to do with their talent than them skipping AAA.

[Vanimal46]

Chris Parmelee and Kennys Vargas had immediate success. It was the following seasons that were the problem, but that probably had more to do with their talent than them skipping AAA.

Ah good call. Forgot about Vargas being a AA call up. And I've erased all memories of Parmelee from my mind.

[bluechipper]

 

Dominate strikes me as a stretch. He's doing fine, but really hits with little pop. Wade and Granite are setting themselves up to be nice 4th OFs, seem to be lined up nicely for when a promotion might happen.

Agreed. Wade really only had one dominant month, with an .888 OPS in May. April and June have been underwhelming, though he still took a lot of walks those months.

[Bob Sacamento]

Seth made the half glass full post regarding players soon to be getting promotions but sadly there is usually an inverse that happens at this time as well in players getting cut at this point too.  Usually it's draftees from 2014, 2015 class but occasionally you'll get a smattering of 2016 picks and international signing failures.

[bluechipper]

 

It's two games... I'll have to ask him how that's going. It definitely is interesting, giving him more value... but two games is not enough to know much of anything.

Does it really matter though? His hitting would have to be really good to justify giving him any starts in the OF, assuming he's well below average out there.

[108Stitches]

When do these moves usually happen? I heard several weeks after the draft because it's a logistical challenge moving and releasing people. I am Particularly referring to the lower levels

[Mike Sixel]

 

Agreed. Wade really only had one dominant month, with an .888 OPS in May. April and June have been underwhelming, though he still took a lot of walks those months.

 

Yup, using the word dominate was silly of me. 

[Thrylos]

Cannot agree more with those.  Couple things:

 

a. Just by looking at rosters, the Red Wings have only 2 active OFs and the Rock Cats Lookouts only 3.   Pretty sure that this will not continue and more OFs will get there.

 

b. There is room (and need) to get rid of older under performing players, starting with Tray Vavra who will be 26 this September and has a .432 OPS at A+.  Yohan Pino, Paul Clemens, Matt Tracy, David Fischer, Jonny Drozd also fall in this category.  26 and 27 year olds have no business in high A.  You either promote them if they are good, or say goodbye.  They are in their primes and if they cannot deal with high A competition at this age, the spots better left for others to develop.

 

c. The lack of catching depth in the organization is simply scary, esp at the higher levels.  I suspect that they might move some catchers up just because of need as well. Similar to the OF situation, but worse, because it is more specialized position

[caninatl04]

I'm not sure how this fits into timelines, but there won't be any baseball for the Lookouts anytime soon.  This tropical storm (and the one that's following it) will wreck havoc on Lookouts, Miracle and both Rookie League teams until probably next Tuesday.

[Deduno Abides]

If he's healthy, I'd promote the Thorpedo to AA. Sure, it's been only a few innings after two years off, but health seems to be his challenge more than ability. Therefore, if he's proven he's healthy, move him on up.

 

I'd also like to see Gonsalves and Romero in AAA. There's a realistic chance they could become #3 and #4 in next year's starting rotation, barring a trade of Santana or a signing of a free agent. It would be good for them to get some AAA innings this year.

 

Gordon seems like he could be on the Kepler path. OK for a few years, then great in Chattanooga, then a short time in AAA the next year before sticking in the majors. One possible variation is Dozier; if he's traded this year or in the offseason, Gordon would be a logical replacement, which means hitting some AAA pitchers this year could benefit him. That said, if management wants him to stay at AA, that would probably be fine.

[Bob Sacamento]

 

When do these moves usually happen? I heard several weeks after the draft because it's a logistical challenge moving and releasing people. I am Particularly referring to the lower levels

Honestly, it's got to be soon as the GCL season starts on 6/26 and Etown starts 6/22 and there were close to 70 players in camp for EXST plus the 20 or so the Twins will sign from the draft.

[Darius]

Is Royce Lewis almost ready? The bum.

 

I heard Hunter Greene threw two perfect games in a double-header in AA yesterday. Broke the sound barrier with a changeup. Radar guns and catchers mitts littered the post apocalyptic landscape he left behind.

[Seth Stohs]

 

When do these moves usually happen? I heard several weeks after the draft because it's a logistical challenge moving and releasing people. I am Particularly referring to the lower levels

 

My guess is that Palacios is on a plane to Ft. Myers tomorrow (Wednesday) morning... but I could be wrong. 

[108Stitches]

Palacios might wanna ask them to wait until the tropical storm goes away. Could get bumpy lol

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Luke Bard had several injuries early in his career, but since coming back last year, he’s been a strikeout machine. Maybe it has to do with his incredible spin rate. In 32 innings this year, he has 52 strikeouts to go with just 11 walks. Not that there has to be a rush to promote the 26-year-old, it might be good to push him as he’ll be a potential 40-man roster add. And, those strikeouts sure are intriguing.

Why shouldn't there be a rush to promote Bard to AAA?  Like you said, he's Rule 5 eligible this winter unless we add him to the 40-man, but that decision and his 40-man future are a lot more up in the air than someone like, say, Gonsavles.  I would think we'd want to push Bard and get more data to better inform those decisions.

 

Also, given his injury history (and perhaps his family history?), who knows how long this success will last for Bard? I think we'd want to make the most of it while we can.