Article: Twins Minor League Report (5/22): Barnes Baffles in Daytona

[Seth Stohs]

It was a busy day throughout the Twins organization. The Twins powered past the Angels to complete a sweep. Pensacola got a big win. Ft Myers got a great start and the offense showed up in the ninth inning to take a nice win. Cedar Rapids has received power from a new, maybe unexpected source and got a late-inning clutch hit to win.Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Thursday, starting with the transactions of the day.

 

TRANSACTIONS

• Pensacola placed LHP Jovani Moran on the seven-day injured list and activated RHP Andro Cutura.

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 3, Buffalo 4

Box Score

 

The Red Wings were supposed to play a morning game on Thursday. Weather delayed the start, making it an afternoon game.

 

Lefty Devin Smeltzer was on the mound for the Red Wings. He went the first five innings. He gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits. He uncharacteristically walked four batters and struck out three. Jake Reed came on and threw three shutout innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out three. Gabriel Moya worked the ninth. He gave up two runs on two hits and three walks to take the loss.

 

Wilin Rosario led the offense. He went 2-for-4 with his sixth home run. He drove in all three Red Wings runs. Jordany Valdespin went 2-for-4 and stole a base. Zander Wiel was 1-for-3 with a walk and his eighth double.

 

 

BLUE WAHOO BITES

Pensacola 10, Tennessee 5

Box Score

 

The Blue Wahoos had an offense explosion in this one, which was needed after a short start. Sean Poppen started and needed 32 pitches to get through the first inning. He gave up three runs on five hits and a hit batter. Williams Ramirez came on to start the second. He went 2 2/3 inning and gave up just one hit. He walked two and struck out three. Tyler Jay went the next 2 1/3 innings. He gave up two unearned runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out three. Ryan Mason came on and struck out two batters over two scoreless innings. Cody Stashak pitched a scoreless ninth.

 

Jaylin Davis went 3-for-5 with his fifth home run. Travis Blankenhorn went 3-for-5 with his fourth double. Alex Kirilloff went 2-or-4 with a walk and his fifth double. Taylor Grzelakowski was 2-for-4 with a walk and his seventh double.

 

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 3, Daytona 0

Box Score

 

Charlie Barnes put in the best start of the season. The southpaw from Clemson needed just 87 pitches to throw eight shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out five.

 

However, after Barnes walked off the mound after the bottom of the eighth inning, the Miracle started the ninth with some good patience. Trey Cabbage walked. Royce Lewis walked. Michael Helman walked to load the bases. Jose Miranda didn’t walk. He grounded out to second base, hitting it in the right spot to allow the first run of the game to score and the other runners to move up a base. That was important because Lewin Diaz followed with a ground-rule double to score two more runs.

 

Anthony Vizcaya came on for the ninth and struck out two in a perfect inning to record the save, his sixth of the season.

 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 2, Burlington 1

Box Score

 

Jared Akins was the Twins 13th round draft pick in 2017 out of Fresno State. He was called up to the Kernels about ten days ago. He went 3-for-4 in this game and hit his fourth homer in nine games.

 

Blayne Enlow made the start for the Kernels. He went the first five innings and gave up just one run on three hits. He walked four and struck out five. He was replaced by Moises Gomez who struck out four over two scoreless innings. Derek Molina got the final six outs to record the save.

 

In the seventh inning, Estamy Urena singled in Andrew Bechtold with what proved to be the winning run. Bechtold and Jacob Pearson each walked twice in the game. Yeltsin Encarnacion went 2-for-4.

 

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Charlie Barnes, Ft. Myers Miracle

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jared Akins, Cedar Rapids Kernels

 

 

PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

 

#1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, BB, R, 2 K

#2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 2-4, BB, 2B(5), RBI

#3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch.

#4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - .0-3, BB, 2 K

#5 - Wander Javier (EST) - Injured (quad), return...unknown

#6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured (wrist)

#7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch

#8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch

#9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K (92 pitches, 56 strikes)

#10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured List

#11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Did Not Play

#12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch

#13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, BB, K

#14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Did Not Play

#15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List

#16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, K

#17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch

#18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 0-4, K (threw out a runner at home, as well)

#19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch

#20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, RBI.

 

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Pawtucket @ Rochester (DH @ 4:05 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe (3-2, 6.70 ERA)

Pensacola @ Tennessee (6:00 CST) - RHP - RHP Jorge Alcala (5-1, 4.09 ERA)

Ft. Myers @ Daytona (6:05 CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (1-4, 4.66 ERA)

Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Tyler Palm (1-3, 4.44 ERA)

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday’s games.

 

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[Aerodeliria]

Thanks for this. It's always appreciated.

 

I hope I'm not jumping the gun, but it seems as if Kirilloff is finally starting to get it figured out this season.

[cgreuling]

What's the scouting report on Akins? His name keeps popping up the Cedar Rapids recaps.

[clutterheart]

Blankenhorn's start is impossible to ignore. His K's are down, his power is up and he is getting on base. After his not great 2017 and his poor 2018 season I thought this was his make or break year and I expected him to struggle.  

 

He has not. Its too bad he can't play 3B.  

[jz7233]

Rooker, Duran, Thorpe, Enlow, Gonsalves, Celestino, Littell and Miranda might drop out of top 20 Twins prospects list soon. Sammons, Ober, Balazovic, Hackimer, Smeltzer, Jax, Stashak, Mason, Sands, Schulfer, Lujan & Lewin Diaz are all doing well.

[Seth Stohs]

 

What's the scouting report on Akins? His name keeps popping up the Cedar Rapids recaps.

 

Good athlete. Very strong. Big power potential. Good speed. Swing-and-miss... but played at Fresno State. He's a college guy, drafted in 2017 and still started this season in Extended, but everyone develops as they are ready. He may just be a late-bloomer. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Blankenhorn's start is impossible to ignore. His K's are down, his power is up and he is getting on base. After his not great 2017 and his poor 2018 season I thought this was his make or break year and I expected him to struggle.  

 

He has not. Its too bad he can't play 3B.  

 

He's such a great athlete, that I always believed he would figure it out. I think some of it is getting out of the Florida State League. But when I asked about that, I was told that in Pensacola, with the Gulf winds coming in from right field, you really have to get a hold of one,, and a few of his homers since moving up there have just shot right through the wind. Good speed. Great power... He'll have his ups and downs, but it's always been clear that the organization really likes his potential. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Rooker, Duran, Thorpe, Enlow, Gonsalves, Celestino, Littell and Miranda might drop out of top 20 Twins prospects list soon. Sammons, Ober, Balazovic, Hackimer, Smeltzer, Jax, Stashak, Mason, Sands, Schulfer, Lujan & Lewin Diaz are all doing well.

 

Thorpe, Enlow and Rooker won't be moving out of Top 20s anytime soon (I don't think). The others were borderline Top 20 this year already so they were always potentially going to be moving based even on other guys outside of the Top 20. Balazovic iss clearly top 10 now. Smeltzer, Jax and Diaz have certainly put themselves into Top 20 consideration. 

[rdehring]

 

Good athlete. Very strong. Big power potential. Good speed. Swing-and-miss... but played at Fresno State. He's a college guy, drafted in 2017 and still started this season in Extended, but everyone develops as they are ready. He may just be a late-bloomer. 

The thing that surprised me most about Akins, Seth, is how young he is.  In his third year since being drafted out of college and he is only 22.

[rdehring]

 

Thorpe, Enlow and Rooker won't be moving out of Top 20s anytime soon (I don't think). The others were borderline Top 20 this year already so they were always potentially going to be moving based even on other guys outside of the Top 20. Balazovic iss clearly top 10 now. Smeltzer, Jax and Diaz have certainly put themselves into Top 20 consideration. 

Speaking of Jax, Seth, any word on his injury and how long he should be out?

 

[2wins87]

 

Rooker, Duran, Thorpe, Enlow, Gonsalves, Celestino, Littell and Miranda might drop out of top 20 Twins prospects list soon. Sammons, Ober, Balazovic, Hackimer, Smeltzer, Jax, Stashak, Mason, Sands, Schulfer, Lujan & Lewin Diaz are all doing well.

 

If you look past ERAs to some more peripheral stats Jax and Enlow look to have about equally good numbers.  I've never been particularly high on Enlow, but he's doing fine and is still young.  Jax has been good but his top-line ERA number definitely overstates how good he's been.

 

I'd have a hard time putting any of the minor league relievers in a top 20 list, even top 30 given the solid depth of the system right now.

 

Smeltzer, Balazovic, and Sands have been the biggest risers on the pitching side for me this year.  All of them have some good reports on their stuff to back up their numbers.  Ober would be in that group if it weren't for his continued struggles staying healthy.  I'm just cautious about getting too excited if he can't stay on the mound.

 

On the hitting side it's obviously Blankenhorn, Diaz, and Cabbage.  We shouldn't be too surprised to see any of them breaking out but they've all been very much more impressive than I expected this year.