Front Page: Twins Minor League Report (8/13): Walk-Off's and Strong Starts In the Rain

[Steve Lein]

Two different Minnesota Twins affiliates had doubleheaders scheduled on Tuesday as rain wreaked havoc on the Florida panhandle on Monday. Rain continued to affect the schedule in the Florida State and Gulf Coast Leagues on Tuesday, but both teams managed to get both games official when all was said and done. Pitching lines owned the box scores on the night, but there were also multiple walk-off games, and a couple that may have gone that way if not for being completed early.To find out everything that happened with all your favorite Minnesota Twins prospects on the day, keep reading!

 

TRANSACTIONS

 

There were a few transactions in the upper levels of the minor leagues with RHP Sam Dyson’s activation from the injured list into for the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday:

• The Rochester Red Wings activated C Wynston Sawyer from the seven-day injured list while placing RHP Sean Poppen on it with a right elbow contusion. RHP Cody Stashak was also optioned to AAA in a corresponding move with Dyson’s activation.
• C Caleb Hamilton was assigned to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos from AAA with the placement of SS Jordan Gore on the seven-day injured list.

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 3, Indianapolis 6

Box Score

 

The Red Wings plated single runs in third, seventh, and eighth innings but that was all they could muster as the Indians doubled them up with two crooked innings on the scoreboard.

 

Rochester got their runs in the form of a balk after Zander Wiel led off the third with a triple, an RBI single from Mike Miller in the seventh, and Brandon Barnes’ 26home run on the year in the International League in the eighth.

 

Each of Wiel (2-for-4, 2 R, 3B), Ronald Torreyes (2-for-4), and Barnes (2-for-4, R, HR, RBI) had two hits on the game while Tomas Telis added a double.

 

Lefty Lewis Thorpe got the start in this one and in what one might consider major league roster strategic fashion, went just three innings. This despite throwing only 42 pitches (29 for strikes) and allowing only one earned run on a solo homer and striking out four hitters. Adam Bray came on for the fourth and went the next two innings, giving up one hit and one walk with two strikeouts. Fernando Romero got the sixth and was charged with three unearned runs after an infield error was followed by a two-out bases-clearing triple. He walked one, allowed two hits, and struck out two. Jeremy Bleich finished out the final two innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out four.

 

BLUE WAHOOS BITES

Chattanooga 6, Pensacola 3

Box Score

 

The Twins former Southern League affiliate used a big third inning to take it to the Blue Wahoos on Tuesday, while also doubling them up on the hit tally, twelve to six.

 

Top prospect Jhoan Duran took the mound for Pensacola but ran into trouble in multiple frames as the Lookouts had his number early and often. In just 2+ innings Duran was charged with six earned runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out two and left the game in the third after loading the bases with a hit-by-pitch and two walks, a wild pitch, then allowing two run-scoring singles before being lifted in favor of Jovani Moran. Moran went 1 1/3, allowing a hit and walk along with striking out one. Andrew Vasquez went the next 1 2/3 scoreless, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out three. Jonathan Cheshire and Alex Phillips combined for four scoreless innings to close the game. Cheshire struck out two and Phillips K'd four.

 

Big-name prospects got it started on the right foot with two runs in the bottom of the first when Alex Kirilloff led off with a double and scored on a Royce Lewis single before Trevor Larnach brought Lewis around with a double. From there the next fourteen Blue Wahoos hitters were retired and a Lewis sac fly in the eight was all the offense they could muster on the game. Ryan Jeffers and Jimmy Kerrigan also added doubles to the effort.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Game 1: St. Lucie 7, Fort Myers 4 (7 innings)

Box Score

 

After their rainout yesterday, the Miracle had a doubleheader on Tuesday that also got started a bit late due to the weather. This one went back and forth until the Mets broke it open with a three-run sixth inning to take the lead for good, 6-4.

 

Cole Sands made the start and left in line for the win after five innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out four. Melvi Acosta was summoned in for the sixth when things went south. He allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits and a walk in his inning, striking out one. Cuban signee Yennier Cano allowed an insurance run for the Mets in the seventh when he gave up a solo home run. He walked one and struck out one otherwise to finish the game.

 

The lineup responded to the Mets in the second inning thanks to a two-RBI single from David Banuelos to tie it, then took their first lead in the fourth when he brought in another runner with a double. Tied at three going into the bottom of the fifth, the Miracle took their last lead of the game on an RBI-double from Trey Cabbage before the Mets' rally in the sixth.

 

Game 2: St. Lucie 2, Fort Myers 3 (9 innings)

Box Score

 

The Miracle got back at the Mets in game 2, but it took extra innings as part of their shortened game doubleheader.

 

Starter Dakota Chalmers was brilliant for the first six innings, allowing just one run (unearned) on three hits and a walk, while punching out nine St. Lucie hitters. Of his 88 pitches, 59 went for strikes (67%) and he racked up 15 swinging strikes.

 

Zach Neff came on and took Fort Myers into extra innings, picking up his third win for his efforts. He allowed an unearned run on two hits and a walk, notching three K’s in three innings pitched.

 

The Miracle got on the scoreboard first in the second inning when Taylor Grezalowski drove in Jacob Pearson with a single. The score remained tied until the top of the ninth when St. Lucie went up 2-1, but the home team answered in the bottom half with a two-out rally. Yeltsin Encarnacion brought in the tying run with a single, then Gabriel Maciel followed with an RBI single of his own to walk it off in Hammond Stadium.

 

Grezalakowski was the only batter with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI and a double. They drew six walks as a team and in the end took advantage when they needed to by finishing 4-13 with runners in scoring position compared to 1-for-7 for the Mets.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Scheduled Day Off

 

The Kernels just finished off the start of August by winning eight games in a row and will look to extend that perfect month against the Los Angeles Dodgers-affiliated Great Lake Loons on Wednesday at home. Lefthander Kody Funderbunk is scheduled to start the game.

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Pulaski 1, Elizabethton 0 (8+ innings)

Box Score

 

Hits were at a premium in this one as the teams combined for just five hits on the game. The only run of the game scored when Twins catcher Jonigson Villalobos’ attempted to pick a runner off third base and his throw got into the outfield in the fourth inning. Elizabethton left nine men on base compared to Pulaski’s three.

 

As the leadoff man Willie Joe Garry Jr. finished 1-for-3 with a walk. He ended up stranded on third in the first inning when the Twins were unable to capitalize on loading the bases with two-outs. That was their best threat of the game despite four walks and three hit-by-pitches. Parker Phillips and Max Smith picked up the other singles while Seth Gray drew two of those four walks.

 

2019 fourth-round draft pick Cody Laweryson got he start for Elizabethton and was brilliant four five innings. His only run allowed was unearned, surrendering only two hits and a walk while striking out five. It was his fourth appearance (three starts) in a row without allowing an earned run, and seventh of nine appearances in his professional career. As a professional he’s pitched 35 innings with a 1.29 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and 40 strikeouts to just nine walks.

 

Unfortunately, this game was made official after two-outs were recorded in the top of the ninth inning thanks to rain, so Elizabethon never got their final chance at pulling out a victory.

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

Game 1: GCL Rays 2, GCL Twins 3 (8 innings)

Box Score

 

In the early morning game of their doubleheader, the Rays and Twins needed an “extra” inning to close it out, with the Twins coming out on top in walk-off fashion.

 

Making his second rehab appearance since hitting the injured list all the way back on May 25^th, left-hander Stephen Gonsalves got the first inning in this one and set the Rays down in order, including striking out the first two hitters of the game. Another rehabber followed him for the second in the form of Trevor Hildenberger, who gave up a run on two hits while striking out one. From there, primary pitcher Miguel Rodriguez shouldered the rest of the game's load. In six bulldog innings, he allowed just one run on four hits and a walk along with striking out five to pick up his second win in the Gulf Coast League.

 

The Twins scored first in this one thanks to an error by the Rays to the leadoff man in the bottom of the opening frame. Victor Heredia drove him in with a single two batters later. Down 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth Jesus Feliz tied the game with his third home run of the season. In the extra frame it was a two-out RBI single from Wander Valdez that brought in the walk-off run for the Twins.

 

The home team collected just five hits on the game but made them count by finishing 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Alec Craig scored two runs out of the leadoff spot and nine-man Jake Hirabayashi drew two walks.

 

Game 2: GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 0 (6+ innings)

Box Score

 

The teams made up for that extra inning in game one by finishing only six innings in game two thanks to the rain that also delayed the Miracle’s start. The teams combined for just seven hits in this one, but the advantage went to the Twins by finishing 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position while the Rays went 0-for-5.

 

The Twins scored all three of their runs in the second inning, with Luis Milla driving in one with a single through the right side, and Erick Rivera following later with a two-RBI single to center. Francisco Martinez finished his day 1-for-1 with a run scored and a pair of walks.

 

On the bump in this one was right-hander Niklas Rimmel and he took it to the Rays hitters. In five innings he scattered four hits and allowed zero runs while striking out four. Steve Theetge came out for the sixth inning but before he could record an out the rains came and the contest was ruled official.

 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Pitcher of the Day – Dakota Chalmers, Fort Myers Miracle (6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, BB, 9 K)

Honorable Mention:

Miguel Rodriguez, GCL Twins (W, 6.0 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 5 K)

Niklas Rimmel, GCL Twins (W, 5.0 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 4 K)

Cody Laweryson, Elizabethton Twins (L, 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, BB, 5 K)

Hitter of the Day – Gabriel Maciel, Fort Myers Miracle (1-for-4, RBI, BB, walk-off single in extra innings)

 

PROSPECT SUMMARY

 

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

 

#1 - Royce Lewis (Pensacola) - 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, SF

#2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 1-for-4, R, 2B

#3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did not pitch

#4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - 1-for-4, 2B, K

#5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - No game

#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Fort Myers) - Did not pitch

#7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL) - Did not play

#8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured List (groin)

#9 - Jhoan Duran (Pensacola) - 2.0+ IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 K

#10 - Blayne Enlow (Fort Myers) - Did not pitch

#11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - 3.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 4 K

#12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List (leg contusion)

#13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - 1-for-3, 2B, BB

#14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - Game in progress

#15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 0-for-3, K

#16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Did not play

#17 - Akil Baddoo (Fort Myers) - Injured List (Tommy John surgery)

#18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did not pitch

#19 - Misael Urbina (DSL) - No game

#20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 0-for-4

 

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Rochester @ Indianapolis (12:35PM CST) - RHP Griffin Jax (1-0, 6.00 ERA)

Chattanooga @ Pensacola (6:35PM CST) - LHP Bryan Sammons (4-5, 4.60 ERA)

St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (1-5, 3.87 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05PM CST) - LHP Kody Funderburk (0-2, 4.45 ERA)

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

 

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

 

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[Aerodeliria]

Nice game by Chalmers. 

 

I'm glad to see that Thorpe didn't tank it. He has a lot of upside IMHO and is my favorite of all of the shuttlers.

[Seth Stohs]

 

What is Rooker's injury?

 

groin contusion...

[glunn]

 

groin contusion...

Ouch 

[nclahammer]

I'm a big fan of Dakota Chalmers and I hope he can continue to stay healthy and make positive steps like this, he's got a live arm.  He's the pitcher we acquired in the Fernando Rondey trade with the A's.  Heard lots of good things when he was an Oakland prosepect, and he could quickly climb up the Twins prospect ladder.

[rdehring]

The GCL Twins are quietly putting together a very nice season, now 10 games over .500 at 25-15.  Although 1.5 games behind the Orioles (their division), they are the leaders for the one wild card spot.  With a bit over two weeks remaining in their season, they need to stay hot.

 

Will we be seeing Astudillo and Wade begin their rehabs later this week?

 

Got to believe you were right, Steve, and the Twins plans were the reason Thorpe threw only 3.0 innings.  Will he be the second lefty in the Twins pen as we move into September?

 

Think I need to start paying closer attention to Laweryson.  Get to know him a bit better. 

[jdmurphy315]

Calling Zander Wiel up as an extra September bat wouldn't be crazy. He's been raking all season.

[BrianBuchanan]

Royce is slashing.241/.297/.397 in 14 games at AA, but he's also 3.7 years below the average player age.

 

Does his blue-chip prospect status hinge on how he starts the 2020 campaign, presuming he returns to AA? The Twins have been aggressive with him, but at some point I would hope to see another flash of his talent...

[Seth Stohs]

 

Calling Zander Wiel up as an extra September bat wouldn't be crazy. He's been raking all season.

 

Man, has he had a huge season, and very quietly. 

[Steve Lein]

 

Man, has he had a huge season, and very quietly. 

 

That's been Zander's MO. Doesn't necessarily stand out at any point, but when you look at his seasons in aggregate you'll be surprised! He's one of my favorite's for that reason.

[Steve Lein]

 

Royce is slashing.241/.297/.397 in 14 games at AA, but he's also 3.7 years below the average player age.

 

Does his blue-chip prospect status hinge on how he starts the 2020 campaign, presuming he returns to AA? The Twins have been aggressive with him, but at some point I would hope to see another flash of his talent...

 

Absolutely not. He's in double-A, turned just 20 a few months ago, and was the 2nd youngest player at the start of the season...

 

in the Florida State League.

 

Definitely want to see the stat line come together at some point, but that's not much of a problem for me now. He's still flashing all those tools.

[gunnarthor]

 

Royce is slashing.241/.297/.397 in 14 games at AA, but he's also 3.7 years below the average player age.

 

Does his blue-chip prospect status hinge on how he starts the 2020 campaign, presuming he returns to AA? The Twins have been aggressive with him, but at some point I would hope to see another flash of his talent...

Fangraphs guys are still pretty high on him. 

[ashbury]

Chattanooga won. Yay! Oh wait. Booo!

[jmlease1]

 

That's been Zander's MO. Doesn't necessarily stand out at any point, but when you look at his seasons in aggregate you'll be surprised! He's one of my favorite's for that reason.

 

He's got to get better control of the strike zone, though. Outside of 2018 in AA, he's never put up the serious OBP numbers he's going to need to be a factor and not a AAAA player. He's had a nice power-up this year, but I'd be a little concerned that some of that is related to the new ball in AAA. He's also an older player. I'm rooting for him, but I'm not confident in his chances to be an impact player. feels like a useful minor league depth guy, I'm afraid. Rooker is younger and demonstrably better, and there are still a lot people questioning his chances, so what does that mean for Wiel?

[jkcarew]

 

Man, has he had a huge season, and very quietly. 

Wiel has done very very well for himself advancing to this point as a 12th round draft pick.

 

But he's not really having a great season. Actually, he's having his worse professional season...by far. The AAA ball (and Rochester's park) are inflating statistics pretty horrifically. Wiel's OPS is actually below Rochester's team collective OPS. His wRC+ is 98. Which is downright poor for a first baseman. But, it will be interesting to see how he does with the 'opportunity' to repeat AAA next year...as he's been significantly better at each of his previous stops in the minors....and at 26 still could be a late bloomer.

 

Here are some wRC+ for some of the 'prospects' at Rochester...

 

Jake Cave         146

Brent Rooker     138

LaMonte Wade  103

Nick Gordon       101

Zander Wiel          98

 

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Calling Zander Wiel up as an extra September bat wouldn't be crazy. He's been raking all season.

 

 

Man, has he had a huge season, and very quietly. 

 

Are we talking about the same Zander Wiel? He's got a 98 wRC+ in AAA this year, behind a whole host of marginal guys. The .814 OPS looks solid, but the league OPS is .790. He's not even really trending any better -- yes, his August OPS is .853, but it was only .778 before his triple yesterday. July was his worst month at .727. 

 

His K% has been consistently around 30% all season, compared to a league rate of 22.8%. He's a 35% in August, with a paltry 5% BB%.

 

As a 26 year old right-handed first baseman, this doesn't seem impressive in the least.

 

Edit: Coke to jkcarew -- should have refreshed the page before posting!

Edited August 14, 2019 by spycake

[Steve Lein]

 

He's got to get better control of the strike zone, though. Outside of 2018 in AA, he's never put up the serious OBP numbers he's going to need to be a factor and not a AAAA player. He's had a nice power-up this year, but I'd be a little concerned that some of that is related to the new ball in AAA. He's also an older player. I'm rooting for him, but I'm not confident in his chances to be an impact player. feels like a useful minor league depth guy, I'm afraid. Rooker is younger and demonstrably better, and there are still a lot people questioning his chances, so what does that mean for Wiel?

 

You're not saying anything I wouldn't also. I just like the guy for what he does, and he's been pretty good

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Here are some wRC+ for some of the 'prospects' at Rochester...

 

Jake Cave         146

Brent Rooker     138

LaMonte Wade  103

Nick Gordon       101

Zander Wiel          98

It's even worse if you look at how Wiel compares in wRC+ to the non-prospects, min. 50 PA:

 

De Aza 153

Willin Rosario 119 (catcher)

Maggi 117 (infielder)

Kerrigan 106 (sent back to AA)

Telis 104 (catcher)

Sawyer 103 (catcher)

Valdespin 99 (released)

Wiel 98

Cesar 93 (released)

Andreoli 78 (traded)

Torreyes 76

Rosales 26 (traded)

Schales 9 (inactive list)

[Otto von Ballpark]

In fairness, Wiel was "sneaky good" (albeit on the old side) at A, A+, and AA from 2016-2018 -- although the AA one was fueled by a .377 BABIP.

 

But he hasn't been good, or sneaky good, at AAA in 2019.

 

As a silver lining, though, this likely means he can take another shot at Rochester next year without costing us a 40-man spot.

[South Dakota Tom]

Noticing a lot of “3 runs (1 earned)” throughout. Nothing harder for a hurler than having to get extra outs. Is this just a Twins MiLB problem, or are field conditions an issue? Typically, guys can either field their position or they can’t - any sense that the same dedication is being made to overall defense as it is to receiving or framing for catchers (I realize that is “defense” as well)?

[ashbury]

Noticing a lot of “3 runs (1 earned)” throughout. Nothing harder for a hurler than having to get extra outs. Is this just a Twins MiLB problem, or are field conditions an issue? Typically, guys can either field their position or they can’t - any sense that the same dedication is being made to overall defense as it is to receiving or framing for catchers (I realize that is “defense” as well)?

Minors always have lots more errors. I think the groundskeeping has some of the blame, because often a good prospect suddenly becomes a much "better" fielder when moving up a level, even as the batting average goes down. It's possible that minor league Official Scorers are not quite on the same page with their MLB counterparts. It kind of doesn't matter where the errors come from, though.

 

At the moment, the average MLB team has committed 73 errors, while the average Midwest League team has about 130, as an example.

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=7dc93b9d#all_league_fielding

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2019.shtml#all_teams_standard_fielding