Article: Twins Minor League Report (6/24): Career Day for Pearson

[Cody Christie]

Welcome to the last week of June. It’s hard to believe July is just around the corner. For young baseball players, July can be a tiring month with the trade deadline approaching. Not only do they have to focus on the games at hand but they also have the thought of being traded in the back of their mind.

 

It still remains to be seen whether the Twins will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline but time is running out to make a move. Otherwise, players with expiring contracts could find themselves in new uniforms in the weeks ahead.RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 1, Scranton/WB 4 (Suspended in 4^th Inning)

Sunday’s contest between the Red Wings and the RailRiders was suspended in the fourth inning with Scranton/WB up 4-1. This game will continue on Monday starting at 4:05 CST before playing tomorrow’s regularly scheduled game. The suspended game will go nine innings and be followed by a seven inning game.

 

Before the weather came, Jake Cave hit a solo-home run in the first inning with two outs. Dietrich Enns pitched four innings and allowed four runs on five hits. Byron Buxton continued his rehab assignment and went 0-for-2 out of the lead-off spot.

 

Check back on Monday for a full game report.

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 3, Biloxi 6

Box Score

Anthony Marzi started for Chattanooga and allowed two earned runs with both coming on solo- home runs. He struck out five and walked two but he won’t figure into the decision in this one. Ryan Eades took over for Mariz and allowed two earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked one as he saw his ERA rise to 5.36. Todd Van Steensel tossed 1 1/3 shutout innings before Cody Stashak allowed a couple of insurance runs to score in the ninth.

 

The Lookouts only had four opportunities to bat with runners in scoring position and the team never recorded a hit in those situations. Jaylin Davis cracked a two-run home run in the fourth inning as part of a three hit day. For the second straight day, Andy Wilkins went 2-for-4 with a triple and scored a run. Besides those two, no other batters reached base multiple times.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 0, Bradenton 5 (8 Innings)

Box Score

Miracle players got to see an abbreviated no-hitter on Sunday but they were the team not collecting any hits. Oddy Nunez pitched eight no-hitting innings before the game was called due to rain. Joe Cronin and Shane Carrier both reached base on walks and Alex Kirilloff was hit by a pitch. Those were all of the base runners for the Miracle. Jorge Polanco went 0-for-3 with a strikeout as he gets ready to get back from suspension.

 

Andro Cutura took the loss but he pitched into the sixth inning and only allowed two earned runs. He carried a no-hitter of his own into the fifth. Overall, he pitched 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. Tom Hackimer allowed three runs on two hits over 1 1/3 innings.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 14, Wisconsin 1

Box Score

A 10-run inning and a big offensive day from Jacob Pearson helped the Kernels finish off a four-game sweep of the Timber Rattlers. Pearson had a career-high four hits, scored three runs, drove in three runs and finished a double shy of the cycle. The 10 run-inning was the most runs Cedar Rapids scored in one frame since 2015.

 

Pearson wasn’t the only offensive star. Robby Rinn reached base four times and collected three hits. Jose Miranda drove in a team-high five runs and added his 14^th double of the season. Andrew Bechtold and Jordan Gore added home runs. Every batter besides Trey Cabbage reached base at some point in the blowout win.

 

Brusdar Graterol was able to cruise through five shutout innings while only allowing two hits. He struck out nine and walked three. He reached triple digits on the radar five times on Sunday including a 101 mph fastball in the first inning. Jose Martinez allowed one run on two hits in two innings of work. Tanner Kiest finished off the game with two shutout frames.

 

E-TWINS E-TALK

Elizabethton 9, Bristol 2

Box Score

Elizabethton pushed across nine runs in the sixth inning to cruise to their fifth win in six games to start the season. Jared Akins went 3-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored. Alex Robles reached base three times and added two RBI. Chris Williams and DeShawn Keirsey also had multi-hit games.

 

Three E-Twins pitchers all were asked to pitch three innings. Kody Funderburk and Blair Lakso each pitched three shutout innings. Funderburk struck out three and walked one. Lakso earned his second win after not allowing a hit. He struck out four and walked one. Derek Molina earned his first save but he allowed two runs in the final frame. He struck out four.

 

STARS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Jacob Pearson, Cedar Rapids (4-5, HR, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 R)

Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Brusdar Graterol, Cedar Rapids (5 IP, 0 ER, 9 K, 3 BB)

 

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY

Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:

#3 – Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 0-2

#5 – Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 0-2

#7 – Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 1-4, 2 K

#9 – Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) – 5 IP, 0 ER, 9 K, 3 BB

#10 – Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K

#14 – LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 1-1, 2B

#17 – Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 0-3, 2 K

 

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester @ Syracuse (3:05 CST) – LHP Adalberto Mejia (3-2, 2.91 ERA)

Rochester @ Syracuse (Game 2) – TBD

Chattanooga vs. Biloxi (6:15 CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (3-4, 5.11 ERA)

Cedar Rapids vs. Beloit (6:35 CST) – LHP Bryan Sammons (3-4, 3.05 ERA)

Elizabethton vs. Johnson City (6:00 CST) - TBD

GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 AM CST) – TBD

Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have.

 

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[Hosken Bombo Disco]

What's Buxton actually doing? Has he run the bases at all? They said they were asking him to change his approach.

[drock2190]

 

What's Buxton actually doing? Has he run the bases at all? They said they were asking him to change his approach.

 

One has to be sent down to Single A to do that. Might as well turn back the clock to 2013. 

[jokin]

 

What's Buxton actually doing? Has he run the bases at all? They said they were asking him to change his approach.

 

Well, he trotted around the bases once on Friday night with a HR.

On Wednesday and Thursday, he had his 2 other AAA hits so far, singles, and stole 2nd base twice.

In summary, 3 hits and 7 Ks in 14 ABs.

 

If Buck is the player elevated on Tuesday, it will be a real headscratcher, because he hasn't shown much evidence that he has cured, or even addressed, his hitting woes.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Well, he trotted around the bases once on Friday night with a HR.

On Wednesday and Thursday, he had his 2 other AAA hits so far, singles, and stole 2nd base twice.

In summary, 3 hits and 7 Ks in 14 ABs.

 

If Buck is the player elevated on Tuesday, it will be a real headscratcher, because he hasn't shown much evidence that he has cured, or even addressed, his hitting woes.

What about his stance? How does he look? What is he actually doing? I think they are looking at more than box score stats.

[nater79a]

 

Well, he trotted around the bases once on Friday night with a HR.

On Wednesday and Thursday, he had his 2 other AAA hits so far, singles, and stole 2nd base twice.

In summary, 3 hits and 7 Ks in 14 ABs.

 

If Buck is the player elevated on Tuesday, it will be a real headscratcher, because he hasn't shown much evidence that he has cured, or even addressed, his hitting woes.

 

Thinking it's Cave, and not Buxton, that is recalled before Tuesday.  

Facing three right-handed pitchers in the Sox series so that's probably why they swapped out LaMarre.

 

I agree.  Would rather see Buck stay in Rochester and work on his mechanics and pitch recognition for at least a little while.

[jokin]

 

What about his stance? How does he look? What is he actually doing? I think they are looking at more than box score stats.

 

Whatever stance he's using has produced a K% over 43%. That generally indicates that his plate approach isn't working too well yet.

[Seth Stohs]

Buxton's added back a little bit of a leg kick. "They" aren't changing anything about his mechanics. He's working with Chad Allen, te Red Wings hitting coach. It's not the same as Sano's situation. Buxton just needs to get healthy, which he appears to be. When he gets on, he's been running, stealing bases. He's striking out a bunch. But it's a far different situation than the Sano situation. 

 

I also think it will/should be Cave, but Buxton will be up soon. They may give him the full 20 days of rehab, but he'll be back up soon.

[jokin]

 

Buxton's added back a little bit of a leg kick. "They" aren't changing anything about his mechanics. He's working with Chad Allen, te Red Wings hitting coach. It's not the same as Sano's situation.

 

Buxton just needs to get healthy, which he appears to be. When he gets on, he's been running, stealing bases. He's striking out a bunch. But it's a far different situation than the Sano situation. 

 

 

 

Nothing wrong with Buck's wheels.

Lack of pitch recognition and plate situational awareness appears to still be a big problem. Striking out a bunch? He's striking out at a 43.8% clip- against AAA hurlers. His career AAA OPS is .949 at half the current K% rate. I don't think whatever Buck's current problems are, they are likely to be completely resolved in just another game or two or three.

 

Buck's lack of health as the only reason for his ineptitude at the plate can also be easily debunked. Here are his abysmal numbers in April before the injuries:

 

BA .195 OPS .476 OPS+ 34

 

Better than his overall numbers, but you wouldn't need even one hand to count the CFers in all of baseball with worse offensive production in the first month than Buxton's first month of the season. For the season, with 210 or more PAs, the worst CF OPS, right at this moment, is Jarrod Dyson @ .540.

 

In short, it appears to be a long way back for Buxton. The return of the leg kick could end up being the first hopeful sign of a return to late last season form when Buck appeared ready to break out in a very big way. But I think it would be highly premature and a big mistake to recall him on Tuesday- no matter how healthy he is right now.

 

It's hard to write, utter, read or fathom the statement that "Jake Cave is the Twins best option in CF" at this very moment, but it's also obviously so, nevertheless.

 

The International League starts their 3-day ASG break after Sunday, July 8.

Is it optimistic, pessimistic, realistic or fantasy to think Buck will be really ready for daily doses of major league pitching in merely two more weeks?

Edited June 25, 2018 by jokin

[David HK]

 

Well, he trotted around the bases once on Friday night with a HR.

On Wednesday and Thursday, he had his 2 other AAA hits so far, singles, and stole 2nd base twice.

In summary, 3 hits and 7 Ks in 14 ABs.

 

If Buck is the player elevated on Tuesday, it will be a real headscratcher, because he hasn't shown much evidence that he has cured, or even addressed, his hitting woes.

I was thinking the same thing.  

 

But, the way things have been done around here lately, it wouldn't surprise me if they bring up an undercooked Bux, and expect him to turn it around on his own. I hope it's Cave, and swap Astudillo for Wilson. Or Garver. Beyond caring about those 2 by now.

[mikelink45]

I was caught up in the Buxton hype and it just seemed that we had a natural, a star that just needed to be put in the lineup and he would be a fixture for a decade or more.  It seemed to come easy for him and his minor league averages did not indicate that he was closing his eyes and swinging and hoping.  But he got to the majors and got worse instead of better. It is very disappointing so far and I hope that he will find the magic to swing that wand for more hits and less Ks in the future.  Our frustration with watching so much talent flounder is only made with when Sano, his HOF partner we thought, had to be sent to single A to straighten out his swing.  What is happening when these budding stars hit the majors?  Kepler has plateaued at to low a level, and the only one of the rain catchers that is starring is Rosario and for his first two years people were writing all kinds of notes about getting rid of him.  How things change.

[Vanimal46]

Don't call up Buxton for LaMarre. Learn from your mistakes just this year when you called him up too quickly. Nothing about his performance in AAA screams I'm ready to hit MLB pitching.

[rdehring]

Was Polanco in the lineup for Rochester, Cody?  If so, getting on the field is the first step towards his return.

 

And it seems we have a couple new young outfielders to start following.  This Pearson kid seems to be a solid prospect.  I know they picked him up this winter, was it the $$$/Ohtani trade with the Angels?  And Keirsey appears to be a good find in this year's draft.  May prove to be worth going over slot to get him signed.

 

Whenever Graterol is on the hump has to be exciting for folks down in C.R.  Gotta keep him healthy and get him some innings so he can build towards joining our rotation by 2020.

[gunnarthor]

Minorleague ball has a nice small report on Kiriloff in their prospects to watch segment.

 

https://www.minorleagueball.com/2018/6/24/17498108/the-minnesota-twins-red-hot-alex-kirilloff-highlights-3-prospects-to-watch-this-week

 

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Was Polanco in the lineup for Rochester, Cody?  If so, getting on the field is the first step towards his return.

Polanco was the DH for Ft Myers on Sunday. I think the plan was to have him start at shortstop for Rochester on Tuesday.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

This Pearson kid seems to be a solid prospect.  I know they picked him up this winter, was it the $$$/Ohtani trade with the Angels?

Correct, we got Pearson in exchange for some of our international bonus pool.

 

I knew Pearson was a high school draftee just last summer, but worth noting he's a little old for that group. He turned 19 just before he was drafted, so he is already 20 now. By comparison, he's a full year older than fellow 2017 HS draftee Royce Lewis and 9-10 months older than Enlow.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Whenever Graterol is on the hump has to be exciting for folks down in C.R.  Gotta keep him healthy and get him some innings so he can build towards joining our rotation by 2020.

Should we be talking about a promotion for Graterol? I know they will want to limit his innings -- but maybe that makes it more important to move him up the ladder promptly. He's at 8 starts, 41.1 innings this year already.

 

Last year, in his first full pro season, the Astros promoted 19 year old Forrest Whitley out of A ball after just 12 games (10 starts) and 46.1 innings. He actually got all the way to AA by season's end, and was still limited to 92.1 innings total for the season, and was a consensus top 10 prospect in MLB last offseason.

[jokin]

 

I was thinking the same thing.  

 

But, the way things have been done around here lately, it wouldn't surprise me if they bring up an undercooked Bux, and expect him to turn it around on his own. I hope it's Cave, and swap Astudillo for Wilson. Or Garver. Beyond caring about those 2 by now.

 

I hear you. The excuse for not replacing Wilson will be lost in the confirmation bias thing after he just drove in a run yesterday and caught Berrios in his career-high 12 K performance.

 

Garver should have had a 1.5 year apprenticeship under Castro and see if he could pick up enough MLB catcher and hitting chops to stick. As of right now, his MLB performance makes one pine for JR Murphy.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Polanco was the DH for Ft Myers on Sunday. I think the plan was to have him start at shortstop for Rochester on Tuesday.

 

He DHd for Ft. Myers Sunday.

He's supposed to face Ervin Santana in some Live BP today in Ft. Myers.

He's supposed to play SS for Ft. Myers in Tuesday.

I would suspect they'll get him up to Rochester soon after that.

And again, I am assuming that when Polanco moves up to Rochester, Royce Lewis will move up to Ft. Myers.

[rdehring]

 

Should we be talking about a promotion for Graterol? I know they will want to limit his innings -- but maybe that makes it more important to move him up the ladder promptly. He's at 8 starts, 41.1 innings this year already.

 

Last year, in his first full pro season, the Astros promoted 19 year old Forrest Whitley out of A ball after just 12 games (10 starts) and 46.1 innings. He actually got all the way to AA by season's end, and was still limited to 92.1 innings total for the season, and was a consensus top 10 prospect in MLB last offseason.

Was Whitley coming off T.J. surgery?  Expect that may be a reason to be real careful with him this year.

[rdehring]

 

He DHd for Ft. Myers Sunday.

He's supposed to face Ervin Santana in some Live BP today in Ft. Myers.

He's supposed to play SS for Ft. Myers in Tuesday.

I would suspect they'll get him up to Rochester soon after that.

And again, I am assuming that when Polanco moves up to Rochester, Royce Lewis will move up to Ft. Myers.

So they have 6-7 days to get him ready for joining the team on July 2 or July 3.  Probably going to be a bit tight, but we don't know exactly what he has been doing the last month.  Still has a chance if he can start playing every day tomorrow.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Was Whitley coming off T.J. surgery?  Expect that may be a reason to be real careful with him this year.

No, but neither is Graterol -- his surgery was almost 3 years ago now.

 

And I think 92 innings for a full season of a starting pitcher still falls well under the "real careful" umbrella.