Article: Twins Minor League Report (7/18): Larnach Debuts and Top Bats Fly

[Ted Schwerzler]

The Minnesota Twins are still on their All Star Break, but the entire farm system was in action today. 1st round 2018 MLB draft pick Trevor Larnach made his debut for the Elizabethton Twins, while top prospects Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff did damage for the Fort Myers Miracle. Stephen Gonsalves turned in a nice outing for the Red Wings, and there was plenty of stat stuffing across the minors.TRANSACTIONS

Rochester Red Wings

Add INF Alex Perez

DEL OF Zack Granite placed on DL with right shoulder contusion

Chattanooga Lookouts

Add C Brian Olson active from DL

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Louisville 2, Rochester 0

Box Score

 

Stephen Gonsalves was on the bump for this one, and he turned in a good outing for Rochester. Holding Louisville scoreless through six innings, the Red Wings simply couldn’t push a run across of their own, and fell by a 2-0 tally.

 

The game would be scoreless through six innings, at which point Louisville would strike first. With John Curtiss on the bump, a single would push across the game’s first run. The Red Wings then found themselves trailing 2-0 entering their last raps in the 9th.

 

(But check out this athleticism from Curtiss to cut down a run)

 

 

Getting singles from both LaMonte Wade and Andy Wilkins, Rochester would put up a threat. Unfortunately recently acquired Jon Kemmer went down swinging, and Edgar Corcino popped out to end the game.

 

Rochester will head back to upstate New York tomorrow and look for some home cooking in a doubleheader with the Norfolk Tides.

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 4, Mobile 2

Box Score

 

Despite working as a starter for the majority of the season, Anthony Marzi came on in relief for this one. Paco Rodriguez got the ball to kick off the contest, and he turned in a scoreless first inning while striking out two. Marzi then worked four innings and the bullpen finished off the 4-2 victory.

 

Chattanooga got on the board first, thanks to an error in an attempt to throw out Mitchell Kranson. The errant throw allowed Luis Arraez to score, and the Lookouts took the lead.

 

Unfortunately, being on top wouldn’t last long for the Lookouts. Mobile immediately answered against Marzi in the bottom of the fourth. Pushing across two runs, they grabbed their first and only lead of the contest.

 

Fueled by a pair of solo blasts from Jimmy Kerrigan and Brian Navarreto, Chattanooga leapt back out in front 3-2 heading into the eighth inning. Navaretto then singled in Arraez to add an insurance run, and the 4-2 lead would be enough to get the win.

 

In a five game set with the Bay Bears, Chattanooga owns a 1-0 lead and will look to extend that in game two tomorrow night.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 13, St. Lucie 7

Box Score

 

Early and often was the mantra tonight for the Miracle. Despite having ace Tyler Wells on the bump, Fort Myers put runs on the board in bunches, and in turn gave their pitchers some breathing room.

 

Scoring four runs in the first inning, Fort Myers got a handful of contributors. Alex Kirilloff drove in the first run on an RBI since to score Mark Contreras. Caleb Hamilton scored Joe Cronin from third on a single of his own. Shane Carrier then kept the carousel going with another RBI single to push Kirilloff and Hamilton across the plate.

 

After the Mets chipped two runs off the lead, Royce Lewis gave the Miracle a bit more breathing room. A looping single to center drove in Aaron Whitefield, and Fort Myers led 5-2 in the second. Another push by the Mets had Fort Myers looking at a lead in jeopardy, but Lewin Diaz came through with the insurance this time. In the fifthinning, his sac fly drove in Cronin and it was a 6-4 game.

 

Aaron Whitefield launched a two-run shot in the sixth for his second dinger of the year, and in turn, put Fort Myers up 8-5. St. Lucie battled back again and got within one, 8-7 in the seventh. An eighth inning barrage for Fort Myers put this one away however. A Contreras double drove in two, and then a Kirilloff triple scored another couple of Miracle baserunners. For good measure, Hamilton \drove in Kirilloff from third on a ground out to cap off the five-run eighth inning.

 

Downing the Mets 13-7, Fort Myers was able to cap off a series sweep. They’ll welcome Lakeland tomorrow night for another three-game set.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 2, Great Lakes 1

Box Score

 

With Edwar Colina on the mound, Cedar Rapids was handed six quality innings of scoreless work. Colina was able to fan seven while allowing just three free passes. Neither team scored until the seventh inning, and it was a two-run ninth that put the good guys out in front for good.

 

The Loons tallied the first run of the game on a double in the seventh off of Calvin Faucher. That would be the only run they’d tally however, and the rally caps came out for the Kernels a couple of innings later.

 

Looking at a loss with their last at-bat in front of them, Toby Gardenhire’s squad needed a rally. With Jared Akins and Ben Rodriguez manning second and third, Jacob Pearson was called upon to pinch hit. Coming through with a single to left, both runners scored and Cedar Rapids had their first lead of the contest.

 

Kevin Marnon came on to record the save, his second of the season. The three game series will continue tomorrow evening with Cedar Rapids looking at an opportunity to take it on the road.

 

E-TWINS E-TALK

Elizabethton 6, Greenville 5

Box Score

 

2018 Minnesota Twins first round pick Trevor Larnach made his pro debut in this one, and Tyler Palm spun five solid innings of work. It took some late runs and lockdown efforts from the bullpen, but the Twins walked away with the victory.

 

Trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning, Chris Williams came through scoring Lean Marrero and evening the contest at 1. A couple of innings later, in the bottom of the sixth, Trevor Larnach recorded his first professional hit. The single drove in second-round pick Ryan Jeffers, and hehad his first professional RBI on the same play. A wild pitch to Trevor Casanova allowed Williams to come in from third, and Casanova’s first pro homer drove in Larnach. Up 5-1 headed to the seventh, the Twins were in a nice spot.

 

Having given all of the lead back, Elizabethton needed something in the bottom of the eighth to jump back out in front. Larnach again came through, this time with a fielder’s choice. Jeffers raced home and the 6-5 lead was enough to get the victory.

 

Elizabethton will continue the series with Greenville tomorrow night. It seems likely that Ryan Jeffers may soon be headed towards Cedar Rapids, but the Twins fans should have a few weeks of Larnach to hold them over.

 

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

Twins 8, Orioles 7

Box Score

 

Coming on and working two innings of relief, 2018 Twins draft pick Erik Cha picked up his first professional win in this one. Fellow 2018 draft pick Denny Bentley was able to record his first professional save to close out the victory.

 

The first big inning came from the Twins in the 2nd. A 0-0 game was broken open with a six-run effort. A throwing error allowed Samuel Vasquez to come across as the game’s first run. Alberoni Nunez later ripped his 4th double, to plate another three runs. A fielding error on a ball put in play by Victor Tademo brought in both Nunez and Kidany Silva. Having batted around in the inning, the Twins were way out in front.

 

After having a big inning of their own, the Twins allowed the opposition that feat as well. A five-run 4th had the ball game back to being a close one. Nunez singled and then came around to score on a wild pitch in the 6th. The 7th saw the Twins add another run on an Agustin Marte double. The Orioles would push a run across in the 7th and 8th but were never able to make up the single tally deficit.

These two teams will again do battle tomorrow morning.

STARS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 K

Twins Daily Hitter(s) of the Day – Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) – 4-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 3B

 

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY

#1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) – 2-5, R, RBI, 2B

#2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) – 4-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 3B

#4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 0-4, K

#5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 K

#6 - Trevor Larnach (Elizabethton) – 1-4, R, 2 RBI

#7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 0-3, BB, K

#8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 1-4

#12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 2-3, BB

#17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, RBI

#18 - Ryan Jeffers (Elizabethton) – 1-2, 2 R, 2B

#19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) – 1-1, 2 RBI

#20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) – 2-4, 2 R

 

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Norfolk @ Rochester DH (4:05PM CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (0-1, 5.82 ERA/TBD)

Chattanooga @ Mobile (6:35PM CST) – RHP Omar Bencomo (5-4, 3.42 ERA)

Lakeland @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Griffin Jax (1-1, 3.38 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Great Lakes (6:05PM CST) – LHP Tyler Watson (2-4, 5.44 ERA)

Greeneville @ Elizabethton (6:00PM CST) – TBD

GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00AM CST) - TBD

 

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

 

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[ScooterDance]

5 more BB by gonsalves

[Danchat]

 

5 more BB by gonsalves

I saw he gave up 0 runs, so I was about to compliment him, but he had to give up 5 walks... I guess he's wildly effective!

 

Kiriloff is pretty darn good. All he does is hit!

[nater79a]

Seth posted this on Twitter tonight.   

 

 

 

What kind of tightrope do you have to walk in order to have a 0.54 ERA over 33.1 innings with 21 walks? Seems almost impossible even with the low number of hits.

[launchingthrees]

 

5 more BB by gonsalves

 

Yeah his peripherals at AAA are concerning at the moment. 

[rdehring]

Gonsalves hasn't allowed more than 1 run in any game since June 11.  Yet, he continues to walk way to many batters.  Expect that is the main reason he is still in Rochester.

 

Great seeing Larnach on the field in Elizabethton.  Always good to see a top prospect being productive in his first game.

 

Arraez hasn't been hitting like we expect from him as he adjusts to AA pitching.  Great seeing him with a 2 hit game last night while also scoring 2 runs.  If he gets back to multiple hit games being the norm in a few more weeks, will his next stop be Target Field?

 

 

[Tomj14]

 

5 more BB by gonsalves

I really hope all his walks are because he is actually working on something or some pitch.

Not because he is wild or nit picks around the corners.

 

[cgreuling]

Is Navaretto a real option as a part time MLB catcher? He's actually hitting pretty well in AA (had a rough June but other months look very good) and his defense has always been very good.

[nicksaviking]

Gonsalves was always said to have decent control, still, at all levels he threw too many pitches. I'm putting my money (once again) on the belief that he's a nibbler and has always gotten the lower level guys to chase out of the zone which is how he racked up the strikeouts despite not having top end stuff. The AAA guys probably aren't chasing.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Gonsalves was always said to have decent control, still, at all levels he threw too many pitches. I'm putting my money (once again) on the belief that he's a nibbler and has always gotten the lower level guys to chase out of the zone which is how he racked up the strikeouts despite not having top end stuff. The AAA guys probably aren't chasing.

 

My guess also, but I don't know....but that seems likely to me.

 

Jeffers moving up soon, we think? Seems like it is time at this point.

 

Kiriloff sure looks good this year. Imagine how well he'd be playing had he not missed a year!

[nicksaviking]

 

My guess also, but I don't know....but that seems likely to me.

 

Jeffers moving up soon, we think? Seems like it is time at this point.

 

Kiriloff sure looks good this year. Imagine how well he'd be playing had he not missed a year!

 

Had Kirilloff stayed healthy, Kepler might be nervously looking over his shoulder right about now!

[jmlease1]

 

Had Kirilloff stayed healthy, Kepler might be nervously looking over his shoulder right about now!

 

Kepler should be looking over his shoulder right now. Wade is coming for him, Rooker is coming for him and Kirilloff is coming for him. and kepler has hit like a 4th OF this year.

 

Kirilloff looks great, no problems adjusting to High A so far, which is great to see. lewis seems to be managing the adjustment fine too.

[Mike Sixel]

Kepler will put up around 2 WAR this year.....and is league median for RF. Has he been great? No. Is he bad? Not even close.

[caninatl04]

"Great seeing Larnach on the field in Elizabethton.Always good to see a top prospect being productive in his first game."

 

Amen.

 

I hope I am wrong, but I don't think the Class of '18 will go down in Twins' history.  The Classes of '16 and '17 will, in my humble opinion, define the future of the Twins

[Seth Stohs]

 

Gonsalves hasn't allowed more than 1 run in any game since June 11.  Yet, he continues to walk way to many batters.  Expect that is the main reason he is still in Rochester.

 

Great seeing Larnach on the field in Elizabethton.  Always good to see a top prospect being productive in his first game.

 

Arraez hasn't been hitting like we expect from him as he adjusts to AA pitching.  Great seeing him with a 2 hit game last night while also scoring 2 runs.  If he gets back to multiple hit games being the norm in a few more weeks, will his next stop be Target Field?

 

I'd expect that the walks are the only reason he's still in Rochester. 

 

Arraez's next stop will be Rochester... (I mean, unless he's added to the 40-man roster - probably will be - and there is a specific need in MLB). 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Is Navaretto a real option as a part time MLB catcher? He's actually hitting pretty well in AA (had a rough June but other months look very good) and his defense has always been very good.

 

Brian Navarreto can be a big league catcher... He can be Drew Butera. They profile similarly. Wont hit a ton, but can really catch and can really throw. 

 

I've always hoped that the offense will pick up. I no longer think he'll be a great hitter, but if he can find a way to post a .675 OPS in the minor leagues, he will be a big leaguer. If he can post a .600 OPS in MLB, he'll have a long-ish career. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Gonsalves was always said to have decent control, still, at all levels he threw too many pitches. I'm putting my money (once again) on the belief that he's a nibbler and has always gotten the lower level guys to chase out of the zone which is how he racked up the strikeouts despite not having top end stuff. The AAA guys probably aren't chasing.

 

That''s the report I've been getting. He really works the corners, and obviously as you move up, guys aren't going to swing at those pitches. He will obviously need to have some real good control and will have to live on the edges. He's got the pitches, but just needs to fine-tune things. 

[Han Joelo]

What is truly sensational about that clip of Curtiss--and the play was pretty awesome--is the explosion of hair that occurs as his hat falls off.  At first watch. I thought he was wearing a batting helmet...a rather large batting helmet.  After watching a few times, I realized it wasn't a batting helmet, but rather, this:

 

 

[jokin]

 

My guess also, but I don't know....but that seems likely to me.

 

Jeffers moving up soon, we think? Seems like it is time at this point.

 

Kiriloff sure looks good this year. Imagine how well he'd be playing had he not missed a year!

 

Jeffers better be moving up. And time to actually immerse him in Catcher 101 with a good coach and a peer with more catching tools.

 

I wrote about Kiriloff back in May. It's easy to project his what-if? trajectory to him now being in AAA and knocking on the door. At this juncture, all signs point to him being the Twins best hitting prospect since Morneau/Mauer. Kiriloff's numbers at age 20 compare very favorably and meet or exceed the latter two's hitting stats at the same age and level.

 

Both Morneau and Mauer didn't lose a year to injury and both ended their 20 year old season with AA exposure. Will Twins management continue to be aggressive with him and give Kiriloff a AA look-see in August if he continues to rake?

[jkcarew]

My take-away from this article?...

 

Is that Elizabethton's game field behind Larnach?  Yikes.  It looks like my high-school field in northern Minnesota looked every April, except slightly worse.

[Tom Froemming]

Last night Stephen Gonsalves recorded his 300th strikeout in 274 2/3 innings between Double A and Triple A. That's a 9.8 K/9 in a good-sized sample in the high minors. He's only surrendered 193 hits over that span, an average of 6.3 H/9.

 

To put that into perspective, Jose Berrios had a 9.2 K/9 and gave up 6.8 H/9 between Double A and Triple A. Obviously, there's a huge gap in the base on balls department between the two of them, but all I'm trying to display is how nasty SG has been. Also, keep in mind those numbers include 100-something innings of work from Jose AFTER he already had made his MLB debut. 

 

The concerns are absolutely legit, but it's also worth keeping in mind that this isn't a finished product we're looking at. Hopefully this ends up being a good learning experience/exposes something in Stephen's game that he needs to address, but if you take a look at him through rose-colored glasses right now the picture sure is sweet.

[Seth Stohs]

 

My take-away from this article?...

 

Is that Elizabethton's game field behind Larnach?  Yikes.  It looks like my high-school field in northern Minnesota looked every April, except slightly worse.

 

This isn't untrue... 

[slash129]

Geez ...Jeffers is maintaining a 40% LD-rate on 75 balls in play.  That's a pretty good run on squaring it up.  Maybe he needs to play where he'll see more movement. 

[Loosey]

 

My take-away from this article?...

 

Is that Elizabethton's game field behind Larnach?  Yikes.  It looks like my high-school field in northern Minnesota looked every April, except slightly worse.

My take away was that picture with the shadows and the field was there was random 12 year old fan of the E-Twins.  My lord he looked young in that photo.

[rdehring]

 

"Great seeing Larnach on the field in Elizabethton.Always good to see a top prospect being productive in his first game."

 

Amen.

 

I hope I am wrong, but I don't think the Class of '18 will go down in Twins' history.  The Classes of '16 and '17 will, in my humble opinion, define the future of the Twins

I agree that '16 and '17 could be special draft classes.  That doesn't mean that '18 can't also be very good. 

 

To be good, they need about 3 players to contribute with one being a better than average starter.  So if Larnach can be that good starter, they need a couple of the other 30 some picks to stick with the team for longer than a year or two.  

[jkcarew]

 

My take away was that picture with the shadows and the field was there was random 12 year old fan of the E-Twins.  My lord he looked young in that photo.

Yeah, in the picture, he's got kind of a baby-face, the-uniform-they-gave-me-doesn't-quite-fit-right, youth-league look about him.

 

And he's about 2 1/2 years OLDER than Royce Lewis.

[h2oface]

Nice new box format for the minors. More like the MLB boxes.

[gman]

Notes on Gonzalvez last game - not intended for scouting purposes.

 

He always pitches from stretch. His front leg sometimes kicks behind him, sometimes in front of him sometimes behind him that looks sorta like winding up from the stretch position. If you can imagine that.

 

His stride is shorter with runners on base, which seems to give him better control and h steps more directly towards the plate.

 

Each walk had 2-3 high pitches, probably fastballs. 

 

Very few curves thrown, although frequently in the dirt.

 

He walk 1 batter in the first, 1 in second, 2 in third and 1 in sixth. His control got better after runners got on base.

 

His head bobs up and down a lot.

 

Most strikeouts seemed to come on the changeup with batters frequently fooled.

 

Other notes - In his last 33 innings he has given up 14 hits all singles.

 

Tidbit - By system mandate a pitcher who throws 35 or more pitches in a single inning must be pulled from game. Gonzales threw 31 in 3rd inning. 

 

He doesn't nibble but does let the ball fly. Definitely has command issues.

 

 

I was just curious.