Minor League Report (6/13): Miranda, Winder Shine Again Sunday

[Nash Walker]

The system split their four games Sunday as José Miranda and Josh Winder excelled once again for the Wind Surge. 

TRANSACTIONS:

OF Max Kepler joins Triple-A St.Paul on a rehab assignment

 

SAINTS SENTINEL

Storm Chasers 15, Saints 4

Box Score

Charlie Barnes: 3 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 4 K

HR: Damek Tomscha (4)

Multi-hit games: Mark Contreras (3-for-4, 2B, R, RBI)

Charlie Barnes entered Sunday with a sterling 2.20 ERA in 32 ⅔ innings for the Saints this year. He’d allowed just two runs in his previous 19 innings spanning across three starts. That trend changed Sunday as Barnes allowed four homers and six runs in his shortest outing of the young season. 

Andrew Vasquez and Ian Gibaut each allowed three runs in relief. In the first game of his rehab assignment, Max Kepler went 0-for-4. Mark Contreras, who had been struggling since moving up to Triple-A, had a great day at the plate with three hits, including a double. 

The Saints won two of their six games against the Storm Chasers this week, falling to 17-19 on the season. 

 

WIND SURGE WISDOM

Wind Surge 7, Drillers 1

Box Score

Josh Winder: 6 IP, 3 H, R/ER, 0 BB, 7 K

HR: José Miranda (8)

Multi-hit games: Miranda (3-for-5, HR, BB), Aaron Whitefield (2-for-3, RBI, 2 BB), Roy Morales (2-for-4, RBI, R, BB)

Josh Winder has now struck out 50 of the 158 batters he’s faced this season. He lowered his ERA to 2.16 after another great start Sunday. Winder is thriving with increased velocity on his fastball and exceptional command. Winder was walked only eight batters in 41 ⅔ innings. The righty retired 14 in a row to complete his outing Sunday. 

Also excelling for the Wind Surge is José Miranda, who entered today hitting .296/.370/.496 with a miniscule 11% strikeout rate. Miranda busted out of a brief June slump with three hits and a homer in the win. 

Right-handed reliever Yennier Cano continued to dominate with two perfect innings. Cano has allowed just three runs in 18 ⅓ innings (1.47 ERA) while striking out nearly 35% of the batters he’s faced. Cano and Jovani Moran have been lights-out for the Surge. 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Snappers 8, Kernels 5

Box Score

Luis Rijo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, 2 K

HR: Wander Javier (5)

Multi-hit games: Javier (2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI), Gabe Snyder (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB), 

Luis Rijo made his first start of the 2021 season and struck out two in one scoreless inning. Rijo was fantastic for the Kernels in 2019, pitching to a 2.86 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 107 innings as a starter. 

Wander Javier is officially on fire. The former top prospect came into the game hitting .295/.340/.636 in June. That was before he recorded two more hits and a homer in the loss. 

https://twitter.com/tlschwerz/status/1404207298700926977?s=20

Unfortunately Javier and Gabe Snyder’s offensive efforts were not enough to mask an ugly performance from the Cedar Rapids bullpen. The Kernels fell to 17-19 on the season. 

 

MUSSEL MATTERS

Mussels 4, Hammerheads 3

Box Score

Casey Legumina: 1 IP, 0 BB, 0 H, 0 R/ER, K

HR: None

Multi-hit games: None

The Mussels went 3-for-32 but scored four runs Sunday. They walked eight times, including three from Aaron Sabato, who entered the game with a 21% walk rate on the season. Sabato walked in a run in the fifth and watched ball four get away from the catcher in the first, scoring the Mussels’ first run of the game. 

Yunior Severino made it 4-0 with an RBI single to center in the fifth. The Mussels had some terrific performances out of the bullpen en route to victory. Blue Jays rookie Alek Manoah has a 3.14 ERA in three starts for Toronto this year while his older brother, Erik Manoah Jr., was added to the Mussels’ roster this week.

Manoah was fantastic Sunday, striking out three in 1 ⅓ innings of perfect ball. He threw 10 strikes on 16 pitches in a strong first impression. 

The Mussels are 20-16. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Josh Winder

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: José Miranda

PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

#1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – Did not play

#2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL)

#3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 2-for-4, 2B

#4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 1-for-3, HR

#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch

#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch

#7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – Did not play

#8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-2, 3 BB

#9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (elbow)

#10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (elbow)

#11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 0-for-3

#12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – Did not play

#13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (wrist)

#14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-4, BB

#15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch

#16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow)

#17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) –0-for-1

#18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A

#19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) –  3-for-5, HR, BB

#20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) - Did not pitch

 

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[mikelink45]

Not inspired. We need pitchers and Barnes pitched like he was already part of the major league staff.  Oh please help - I am too old to keep suffering like this. 

[Seth Stohs]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Not inspired. We need pitchers and Barnes pitched like he was already part of the major league staff.  Oh please help - I am too old to keep suffering like this. 

His ERA was 2.20 before this today's game... they're all still working on things. They're all going to have games like that. And, the Saints are literally playing 4-5 teams this year, so they're going to see each other a lot. 

By the way, Luis Rijo left today's game with an elbow "injury"... at least according to the assumption made by the Beloit radio people. Just not good... hopefully it isn't serious, but we'll find out, I'm sure. 

[HrbieFan]

Can we please get Cano and Moran in the majors tomorrow! 

[roger]

Another game, another couple hits from Javier.  Is this former top prospect who was no longer in your top 20 working his way back into top prospect status?  He is developing into the most exciting story in the organization, at least for me.  Hopefully, they will keep him in Cedar Rapids for at least another month to build his confidence.  Should he continue, going to be lots of teams kicking themselves for not selecting him in the Rule 5...twice!

After reading Seth's comment, gave him the sad face because we all had such high hopes for Rijo.  Hopefully, it is just a scare and he is back in a few weeks.

[Dman]

I was waiting for this with Barnes.  When he is bad he tends to be very bad.  Thankfully he wasn't added to the 40 man just yet.  Hopefully he comes back just a strong but typically this is the beginning of more bad outings than good ones.  I guess we will see how he respond's over the next month.

Winder hasn't been getting as many K's but he has been pitching into the 6th inning which is good to see.  I assume he will be the next guy up to AAA when an arm is needed there.  Miranda is ready to move as well.  Would be nice for the FO to see just how far along he is before the trade deadline because he looks like a better 3rd base prospect than a lot trade candidates I have seen.

Wander is starting to look like the real deal.  The power that was supposed to be there is showing up.  After his extremely cold start his OPS is finally over 700.  The walk and K rates could be better at this level but are not too out of line and considering he was almost a non-prospect just fine for now.  I am really hopeful they have something here.  He has a long way to go but this is a great start.

[MN_ExPat]

Not really Twins minor league related, but… we are here at Hammond Stadium this morning for a Perfect Game tournament. Super bummed that the mussels don’t play until tomorrow (we are done today and heading home after the game ?).

[Alex Schieferdecker]

It's good to see Winder finish strong. That's been the only issue he's had this year, as he hits the third time through the order he has gotten hit a bit too much. 

With Winder, Moran, and Cano, I'm not sure how much more the Twins are waiting to see at AA. All three have clearly earned a spot up in St. Paul. Let's see what they can do with the Saints.

[jmlease1]

51 minutes ago, Alex Schieferdecker said:

With Winder, Moran, and Cano, I'm not sure how much more the Twins are waiting to see at AA. All three have clearly earned a spot up in St. Paul. Let's see what they can do with the Saints.

Winder has 41 IP above A-ball, and didn't throw a single inning in organized play last year. Yes, he's off to a great start in AA, but it's still only 8 starts from a guy whose career high is 125 IP in a season. Let him take a couple of additional turns and move him up at midseason if you have a slot for him a AAA. Not like he's going to fly in and save the season at Target Field.

Cano is doing well, but is still pretty hittable; I'd feel better about a pitcher of his age in AA not giving up about as many hits as innings pitched. He's likely to move up fairly soon anyway. Moran looks like a terrific prospect right now; I can live with his BB/9 when a player gets Ks like that. But these are still tiny sample sizes, which is why the Twins probably aren't feeling the need to rush into anything.

Great results for Wander Javier. Really great to see him healthy and displaying his talent. It takes a lot, mentally and physically, to come back from all that injury and layoff time so it's fun to see him play and play well. Hard to rank him as a prospect right now, but could be a fun evaluation at season's end.

Miranda is killing it. Love the low K-rate, love seeing good power production, love seeing him shine. He will rocket up the prospect charts, and deservedly so.

[DJL44]

33 minutes ago, Alex Schieferdecker said:

With Winder, Moran, and Cano, I'm not sure how much more the Twins are waiting to see at AA. All three have clearly earned a spot up in St. Paul. Let's see what they can do with the Saints.

I think those three, Palacios and Miranda are looking at a mid-season promotion but I'm in no hurry to rush players up the ladder. There isn't a huge difference between Double-A and Triple-A.

[Mike Sixel]

Given that Wander needs to be protected, should he be moving up faster than others? I have no idea at all, btw. Hence the question.

[DJL44]

11 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Given that Wander needs to be protected, should he be moving up faster than others? I have no idea at all, btw. Hence the question.

Yes and no. They need a spot for him at the next level, which means Palacios has to get promoted too. It's important to make sure he's successful. 750 OPS in 140 plate appearances doesn't scream "promote me". Canterino is the player at Cedar Rapids who is the most impressive.

[Seth Stohs]

38 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Given that Wander needs to be protected, should he be moving up faster than others? I have no idea at all, btw. Hence the question.

That's a really good question... That said, guys get added to the 40-man from High-A often. Looking back, Polanco and Kepler were added after their full seasons at Cedar Rapids when Cedar Rapids was in Low-A. So I don't think they HAVE TO move him up to AA. The other thing I keep forgetting is that he's only 22. Adding him to the 40-man means three option years. So, in reality that means there is no rush to promote him this year. That said, how 40-man rosters are used now compared to even 8-10 years ago is much, much different. So, they can't necessarily add a guy with more questions about their future. So, I do think it'd be good for him to get up to AA this year, even if just for the final 4-6 weeks... but I also would like to see him experience some sustained success for awhile. I think that would be great for him mentally in terms of confidence. Long-winded answer for you. Sorry. Ha! 

[Danchat]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Given that Wander needs to be protected, should he be moving up faster than others? I have no idea at all, btw. Hence the question.

I dunno, I doubt he’s ready for AA. Still just at .744 OPS despite all the hype. He needs to keep emerging if he wants to climb back up the prospect rankings.

[AceWrigley]

It's good to see Palacios playing well again. After being traded to the Rays (for 2 good years from Jake Odorizzi) he really struggled in the minors and the Twins scooped him back up. Is he really 6-0 145 pounds? That would make Nick Gordon look . . . plump.

[darwin22]

Looking forward to seeing Jordan Balazovic start tomorrow night at home against Springfield.  Will be leaving KC area tomorrow to see Wind Surge games Tues and Wed. night.  Will be a MUCH warmer game night than the 2 games I saw in Springfield the 1st week of the season.  Hoping to see Balazovic rebound from a poor start in his last game.  Not sure who's lined up to pitch Wed, night but it appears that it may be Cole Sands.  Sands has had a nice start with Wichita.  Along with Winder, Moran, Cano and possibly Ryan Mason, would be good to see these "young guns" continue to progress and get promoted to Saint Paul.  Will be interesting to see that the "game atmosphere" is like the next 2 nights at Riverfront Stadium as the 2 games in Springfield my spouse and I attended were VERY quiet.  That could've been attributed to COVID protocols/limited attendance, but it was the quietest crowd I've ever attended a game in person for.  Hopefully the pitching and bats of Miranda, Whitefield and others will provide for some great entertainment and two wins!

[Major League Ready]

On 6/14/2021 at 8:02 AM, roger said:

Another game, another couple hits from Javier.  Is this former top prospect who was no longer in your top 20 working his way back into top prospect status?  He is developing into the most exciting story in the organization, at least for me.  Hopefully, they will keep him in Cedar Rapids for at least another month to build his confidence.  Should he continue, going to be lots of teams kicking themselves for not selecting him in the Rule 5...twice!

After reading Seth's comment, gave him the sad face because we all had such high hopes for Rijo.  Hopefully, it is just a scare and he is back in a few weeks.

Every night I check the box scores to see how Javier and Miranda have done.  Its a little more exciting because they seemed destined to be AAAA players.  It's a bonus we did not expect.  I guess the same is true of Gordon.  What a boost for the organization if a couple of these guys ended up living up to the potential.