Article: Twins Minor League Report (5/22): Gordon Promoted, Diaz Walks It Off

[Steve Lein]

Despite there only being three games in the Minnesota Twins farm system Tuesday, there were plenty of interesting stories both in games and out. Off the diamond, a top prospect was promoted to the final rung of the minor league ladder before an MLB debut could happen. On it, a Fort Myers pitcher delivered his best start of the season, and another prospect walked off a win for the Miracle. Trevor May and Miguel Sano also continued their rehab tours in Triple-A.To find out how all of your favorite Twins prospects fared on Tuesday, keep reading and be sure to add to the discussion in the comments!

 

TRANSACTIONS

 

As alluded to, there was one pretty major transaction in the system on Tuesday. With Ryan LaMarre being recalled to the Twins, shortstop Nick Gordon was assigned to the Rochester Red Wings from Chattanooga. Left-handed starter Adalberto Mejia was also reinstated from the disabled list for Rochester and would piggy-back on Trevor May in their game.

 

Also, the Twins acquired first baseman Chris Carter for cash considerations. He was slugging .600 for the Angels' Triple A club and had 13 home runs in 38 games. Carter will report to Rochester.

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Lehigh Valley 4, Rochester 3

Box Score

 

Trevor May was on the mound for the Red Wings, making his third rehab appearance in the minors as part of his comeback from Tommy John surgery. He went the first four innings and allowed three earned runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out two. He threw 68 pitches, with 39 of them going strikes. All the Iron Pigs damage came in the second inning as they took a 3-0 lead. A two-run home run and an RBI triple accounted for those runs. May settled in from there to deliver a one-two-three third, and only a walk to #OldFriend Trevor Plouffe in the fourth, who also collected an RBI double in the sixth.

 

May was relieved by Adalberto Mejia, and the lefty finished the next 3 1/3 innings. He allowed one run on five hits, but also struck out five including all three outs of the seventh with the score 4-1 in favor of Lehigh Valley.

 

Rochester got on the scoreboard in the top of the seventh thanks to a sac fly off the bat of Taylor Featherstone to score Brock Stassi, who had led off the inning with a walk. The good guys closed that lead to 4-3 in the top of the eighth after Zack Granite led off with a double and Miguel Sano followed with a two-run homer, the first of his rehab assignment. Sano’s day was then done, but he finished the game 3-for-4.

 

The reason Sano’s night was over after that big blast, was because newly promoted top prospect Nick Gordon was brought into the game as a defensive replacement for him in the bottom of the eighth. Gordon slotted at shortstop while Leonardo Reginatto moved over to third base. He got no defensive chances and with the Red Wings going down one-two-three in the ninth, also didn’t get to make a plate appearance.

 

Alan Busenitz got the final two outs of the game for Rochester, walking one and striking out one.

 

Astudillo joined Sano with multiple hits on the game, finishing 2-for-4. Rochester falls to 21-18 on the season, and now two and a half games behind the Iron Pigs in the International League North division.

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Scheduled day off.

 

The Lookouts had Tuesday off as they travel back home to Chattanooga from Mississippi. They will take on the Montgomery Biscuits at 6:15PM CST on Wednesday night looking to extend their lead in the Southern League North division.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 2

Box Score

 

Despite knocking out eleven hits compared to just six for the Marauders, the Miracle needed the bottom of the ninth inning to pull this one out.

 

Luis Arreaz (2-for-3, RBI) and Jaylin Davis 3-for-3, R, 2 2B, BB) each had multi-hit nights to lead the offense. As a team they left twelve men on base but cashed them in when it counted by going 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

 

Sean Poppen got the start for Fort Myers and was electric for the first seven innings. He allowed just one earned run on five hits and zero walks, while striking out seven. His only blemish was a solo home run in the second inning and he was the first pitcher for the Miracle to complete seven innings so far this year.

 

With the score 2-1 in favor of Fort Myers going into the ninth inning, reliever Ryan Mason came on for his second inning of work. He had a one-two-three eighth frame but a one-out walk put the tying run on base. After picking up a K to bring Bradenton down to their last out, they got the big hit in the form of a triple to tie the game. Mason got out of the inning but was charged with the blown save.

 

In the bottom of the ninth, a leadoff single from Jared Foster was followed by a sacrifice bunt from Arreaz to put the winning run in scoring position for the Miracle, and after an intentional walk to Jimmy Kerrigan, Lewin Diaz stepped into the box and walked it off for the home team with an RBI single to center field.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Kane County 8, Cedar Rapids 7

Box Score

 

The Kernels scored first in this one thanks to the bat of Trey Cabbage, who slugged his third home run of the season in the second inning. They pushed that lead to 6-0 after the top of the third inning as they sent nine men to the plate in the frame. Triples from Jean Carlos Arias and Jose Miranda were the big knocks in that sequence to drive in three, and Ben Rortvedt (RBI single) and Cabbage (sac fly) knocked in the others.

 

But starter Tyler Watson gave those five runs right back in the bottom of the frame thanks to a pair of doubles, a walk, a hit batter, and a three-run home run. Watson was able to finish 4 2/3 innings but was pulled in the fifth after allowing a triple and walking a couple of hitters. Jovani Moran came on and escaped that jam with a strikeout to keep the game tied at six.

 

The Kernels went back ahead in the top of the sixth after a double from David Banuelos was followed by an RBI single from Arias.

 

Moran set the Cougars down one-two-three in the bottom of the sixth, including two strikeouts but was greeted by consecutive extra-base hits in the seventh that tied the game back up at seven, and then a wild pitch that scored another to give the Cougars the lead. Moran picked up two more K’s and finished with five strikeouts in his two innings, but the two earned runs saddled him with the loss.

 

The Cedar Rapids lineup went down without a fight in the final two frames, failing to get a baserunner against the Kane County bullpen. Calvin Faucher finished the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing no hits and striking out two.

 

As a team the Kernels finished this one with thirteen hits and three walks, went 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and left only four men on base, but couldn’t get the needed hits in the end. Arias (3-5, R, 3B, RBI) and Royce Lewis (2-5, R) each collected multiple hits. Alex Kirilloff finished 1-2 with a run scored, drew two walks, and also stole the first base of his career.

 

STARS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Sean Poppen, Fort Myers Miracle (7 IP, ER, 5 H, 7 K)

Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Jaylin Davis, Fort Myers Miracle (3-for-3, R, 2 2B, BB)

 

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY

 

1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-5, R, 2 K’s

3. Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) – Did not bat.

5. Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-2, R, 2 BB, K

13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 1-for-5, RBI (Walk-off single)

15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – (Twins game in progress as of this writing)

16. Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, R, RBI, K

17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 1-for-3, K

 

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (6:05PM CST) – RHP Zack Littell (1-0, 1.69 ERA)

Montgomery @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) – TBD

Bradenton @ Fort Myers (11:00AM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (1-4, 4.41 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (11:00AM CST) – RHP Bailey Ober (0-1, 8.04 ERA)

 

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

 

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[darin617]

Nice to see Gordon has earned the promotion.

[glunn]

Another great writeup.

[dbminn]

Well deserved, Nick Gordon. 

[jokin]

 

TRANSACTIONS

As alluded to, there was one pretty major transaction in the system on Tuesday. With Ryan LaMarre being recalled to the Twins, shortstop Nick Gordon was assigned to the Rochester Red Wings from Chattanooga. Left-handed starter Adalberto Mejia was also reinstated from the disabled list for Rochester and would piggy-back on Trevor May in their game.


 

 

Nary a mention of Chris Carter signed to Rochester? Pretty significant low-risk lotto pick/insurance policy. Goodbye, Kennys Vargas.

Edited May 23, 2018 by jokin

[Seth Stohs]

 

Nary a mention of Chris Carter signed to Rochester? Pretty significant low-risk lotto pick/insurance policy. Goodbye, Kennys Vargas.

 

Insurance policy for Mauer, probably, and yes, it speaks to Vargas being bad too. 

 

Yeah, that was a pretty big transaction... 

[Tom Froemming]

 

Nary a mention of Chris Carter signed to Rochester? Pretty significant low-risk lotto pick/insurance policy. Goodbye, Kennys Vargas.

Updated, thank you. I'm still not sure what the Twins are going to do with a 52-year-old former wide receiver, but I guess he'll draw in some of the Vikings fans. Oh wait, not that Chris Carter?

[rdehring]

Luis Arraez is on a 6-game hitting streak, with 2 hits in four of those games.  Great to see him getting back to where he was before the injury.

 

Expect May is going to need all 30-days of his rehab assignment.

[big dog]

I was at the Kernels game yesterday.  I got too relaxed up 6-0 in the third- my bad.

 

Watson looked bad- wasn't hitting his spots, and when he was in the zone he got rocked.  Even before Kane County scored in the fifth, they had a bunch of runners on.  Not a good performance at all.

 

Moran threw really well in the sixth but got lit up in the seventh.  Faucher looked really sharp.

 

Lewis looked good, overall.  He had a two-strike hit where he basically took a half-swing, hit a chopper to short, and beat it out.  Looked completely intentional.  Then he stole second on the first pitch to Kiriloff and beat the throw easily.  He had one really nice fielding play, diving up the middle to snag a grounder and then making a good overhand throw to second, with enough time to complete the double play.

 

I didn't get to see much batting from Kiriloff with two walks- I missed his hit for family-related reasons.  Good approach at the plate- took a couple close pitches during his two walks.  His steal was pretty neat- he had a delayed steal.  Took a couple of steps, stopped, then went again.  The catcher made a decent throw but the second baseman had fallen asleep and had to run just to catch the ball.  The throw looked high and late anyway.

 

Cabbage hit a foul that was nearly a home run, then a couple of pitches later he just crushed one down the right field line, just killed it.  Not one of those high majestic HRs, a laser that left a vapor trail.  Hit the back railing of the seating in that area.  When he came back to the dugout he gave a huge hug to someone who I believe was the pitching coach.  I'm guessing he got a tip about the pitcher.

 

Arias had an interesting day.  He tripled, and then scored on a bad throw.  He later had two singles.  However, he tried to steal after each single and was called out both times.  The first time he was definitely out but the second looked close.  On the triple, it looked like he was running to third all the way, and I thought the throw was going to get him but when he slid it hit is helmet (at least it hit something on him) and ricocheted into the dugout, letting him score.  In other words, he was really close to getting a double and two singles and being thrown out trying to advance on all three.  He might want to think that over a little bit.

 

Reporting from the field,

big dog

 

[MangLitch]

Do Krilloff and Lewis really have anything left to prove at CR?

 

Not that they will factor in this year, but you would think with the lack of depth in impact bats at mlb level we would be moving these guys fairly aggressively. It just feels like these two could use a new challenge at FM

[jokin]

 

Do Krilloff and Lewis really have anything left to prove at CR?

Not that they will factor in this year, but you would think with the lack of depth in impact bats at mlb level we would be moving these guys fairly aggressively. It just feels like these two could use a new challenge at FM

 

I'd wager they will be promoted by mid-June.

[Tom Froemming]

 

Do Krilloff and Lewis really have anything left to prove at CR?

Not that they will factor in this year, but you would think with the lack of depth in impact bats at mlb level we would be moving these guys fairly aggressively. It just feels like these two could use a new challenge at FM

I think it's good to get these guys out into the world for awhile. Back at Fort Myers, where the team's complex is, I feel like they're in a lot more of a controlled environment.

 

In Cedar Rapids, I believe most of the guys are staying with host families, and of course they're riding buses all across the Midwest. So I guess even if there's was nothing they had left to prove on the field, maybe it's good for them to be gaining these life experiences.

 

I dunno, maybe that stuff doesn't matter. I suppose it depends on the player.

[Steve Lein]

 

Nary a mention of Chris Carter signed to Rochester? Pretty significant low-risk lotto pick/insurance policy. Goodbye, Kennys Vargas.

 

Should have been added. I only go by MiLB.com's transaction pages, and as of 9:00 PM when I wrapped this up, he wasn't there yet as that's the last section I add

[jmlease1]

 

Do Krilloff and Lewis really have anything left to prove at CR?

Not that they will factor in this year, but you would think with the lack of depth in impact bats at mlb level we would be moving these guys fairly aggressively. It just feels like these two could use a new challenge at FM

 

Probably not, but letting them ride a few more weeks for a mid-season promotion won't hurt anything. Get a good half season in, do a good evaluation and if they're ready (which both are looking like they are) move them up. And then don't be surprised if they struggle a little for a while.

 

They're still both on an aggressive track: Kirilloff would have already been in FM if not for injury, but despite missing an entire season of play he's still younger than average at cedar rapids. Royce Lewis hasn't even turned 19 yet! (June 5th) 

[Brock Beauchamp]

I'm not sure why it took so long for Gordon to get this promotion but okay, at least he's where he belongs now.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Do Krilloff and Lewis really have anything left to prove at CR?

Not that they will factor in this year, but you would think with the lack of depth in impact bats at mlb level we would be moving these guys fairly aggressively. It just feels like these two could use a new challenge at FM

Lewis is still 18 years old for a couple of weeks. He's fine in CR for another month or so (and it's not as if he's lighting the world on fire offensively).

 

And Kirilloff has a lot of rust to shake off after being out for a full season. I expect he'll see a promotion soon as well. Both guys only have ~40 games played at Cedar Rapids.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Should have been added. I only go by MiLB.com's transaction pages, and as of 9:00 PM when I wrapped this up, he wasn't there yet as that's the last section I add

 

This new site, Twitter.com, often has a lot more information too. Ha! I kid, I kid. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

I'm not sure why it took so long for Gordon to get this promotion but okay, at least he's where he belongs now.

 

I just keep going back to the three things that caused a lot of people concern when he was discussed here throughout the offseason:

 

1.) seriously slumped in the 2nd half... no way he can prove that he's overcome that until the 2nd half. Ha!

 

2.) Hitting vs LHP in 2017 wasn't good. This year, his OPS vs LHP is at 736 (vs over 900 vs RHP), so that's an improvement, though probably small enough of a sample size that it could be more about scouting and reports than the numbers.

 

3.) defense at SS... His .958 fielding percentage this year is about the same as his .957 fielding percentage a year ago. But I have heard that he's shown some improved lateral movement this year, so that's' a positive.

 

My guess is that, like LaMonte Wade, they also wanted to see some more power, and he's done that. 

 

So, I actually good with the timing. I don't have a problem with him going back, and I like to see them move him up this year pretty quickly too. 

[jkcarew]

Every time a player is promoted, there are roster considerations for two teams.  Somewhere upstream there has to be a corresponding reduction, which in some cases, represents the closing of the door on that player's dream.  I'm always glad to see when these promotions are handled in a thoughtful and patient manner, even though that sometimes results in players 'immediately', or even 'soon' after appearing ready.

 

Downstream there has to be a supply of players to take the place of the promoted player.  Usually, after the amateur draft, that re-supply will result in several promotions being made.

[Steve Lein]

 

This new site, Twitter.com, often has a lot more information too. Ha! I kid, I kid. 

 

Hah, yeah. I like "official" notices!

[caninatl04]

Every time a player is promoted, there are roster considerations for two teams.  Somewhere upstream there has to be a corresponding reduction, which in some cases, represents the closing of the door on that player's dream.  I'm always glad to see when these promotions are handled in a thoughtful and patient manner, even though that sometimes results in players 'immediately', or even 'soon' after appearing ready.

 

Downstream there has to be a supply of players to take the place of the promoted player.  Usually, after the amateur draft, that re-supply will result in several promotions being made.

So, for whom will their proverbial doors close?

[nicksaviking]

 

I think it's good to get these guys out into the world for awhile. Back at Fort Myers, where the team's complex is, I feel like they're in a lot more of a controlled environment.

 

In Cedar Rapids, I believe most of the guys are staying with host families, and of course they're riding buses all across the Midwest. So I guess even if there's was nothing they had left to prove on the field, maybe it's good for them to be gaining these life experiences.

 

I dunno, maybe that stuff doesn't matter. I suppose it depends on the player.

 

So if I'm reading between the lines correctly, you think they should go straight to Chattanooga. 

[MangLitch]

 

Lewis is still 18 years old for a couple of weeks. He's fine in CR for another month or so (and it's not as if he's lighting the world on fire offensively).

 

And Kirilloff has a lot of rust to shake off after being out for a full season. I expect he'll see a promotion soon as well. Both guys only have ~40 games played at Cedar Rapids.

 

Understandable, I just can't get my around around any metric of why these guys should hang out at a level for a set period. 

 

Krilloff missed a season, I get it. But he is mashing and I would argue that he is really not being challenged at CR anymore.

 

Lewis isn't crushing it, anymore, but he has proven that he can and will. 

 

My point is, i guess, when do we stop treating these kids with "kid gloves" and stop worrying about if there confidence will tank if they fail at a level. I think their mental make-up is strong enough that we should have faith in moving them until they struggle. I think they are good enough kids that they will benefit more from the struggle than sitting at a level that isn't really pushing them.

 

Further, the big league club will need both of them very soon as shortstop and impact bats have been missing so far this year (Escobar is being bucketed in 3B) (Not that they will see action this year). 

 

The movement so far with the Albies, Soto's, ETC by successful clubs has shown that it may not be a terrible idea, if the kids have the right makeup, to push these kids along until they fail.... and hey, they might not. Or they might, but it shouldn't shake them, or at least I dont see it shaking Lewis or Krilloff as they both seem like high character and heady kids. 

 

My two cents

Edited May 24, 2018 by MangLitch