Twins Minor League Week in Review: All Four Teams Over .500

[Seth Stohs]

The St. Paul Saints went 5-1 this week to improve to 33-32 on the season. Now, all four Twins full-season affiliates are over .500 halfway through their seasons. The FCL Twins were able to play again after several postponements due to tropical storms. And, the Dominican Summer League is now in full-swing. Check out a busy, highlight-filled week in the Twins farm system. 

Be sure to read Nick’s Twins Week in Review from yesterday, and then jump into the minor league week. 

Transactions 

Before we get started, let’s check out the Transactions and the FCL Twins game on Monday: 

• With Mitch Garver activated between the Twins doubleheader games, Ben Rortvedt has been optioned to Triple-A St. Paul. That said, Rortvedt is expected to stay close with the team as Garver and his wife are expecting their first child at any time. 

 

FCL Twins Talk

Box Score 

The FCL Twins scored three runs in the third inning and three more runs in the fifth inning and topped the Pirates Gold squad 8-1 on Monday. 

Matt Wallner continued his rehab stint. He went 2-for-4 and scored twice. He played in right field. Wander Valdez went 2-for-3 with a walk. Yonardy Soto went 2-for-4 with a walk and his first double. Luis Baez and Kala’i Rosario each went 2-for-5. Rosario notched his third triple. 

Coming off of his no-hitter last week (5 innings), Giovahniey German gave up only an unearned run on four hits and a walk over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out seven. Danny Moreno returned to the mound for the first time since being injured in his second GCL game in 2021. He recorded four outs. Matt Mullenbach tossed two scoreless innings, before Ramon Pineda finished with a perfect ninth. 

 

With that, let’s look at Week 11 in the Twins minor leagues: 

RESULTS

Triple-A: St. Paul Saints: Week (5-1, hosting Columbus), overall (33-32)

Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge: Week (4-2, hosting Tulsa), overall (37-29)

High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels: Week (2-4, @ South Bend), overall (36-30)

Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: Week (2-4, hosting Jupiter), overall (36-30) 

Complex League: FCL Twins are 4-10.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Here are the week’s Twins minor league-related articles. 

• Twins Minor League Week in Review: Kernels with the Sweep 
• Tuesday: Rooker Smashes! And Rookie League No-Hitter*
• Wednesday: By the Hair of their Chins 
• Twins Prospect Retrospective: LHP Charlie Barnes 
• Thursday: Jordy Blazes, Garv Sauce Thrives
• 2021 has been a Big Year for Twins Draft Pick Noah Miller and Family 
• Friday: More Late Heartbreak for Kernels  
• Saturday: Mark Contreras is the Redemption Story we Need in 2021
• Sunday: Tomas Telis, Saints Battle Back for Walk-Off Win 
• Twins Minor League Pitching Report: Notes on Varland, Vallimont and Gore

 

Highlights 

We will start with the Twins choices for the organizational hitter and pitcher of the week, and then mention several other Twins prospects who had good Week 9 performances

Twins Player of the Week: Brent Rooker, St. Paul Saints     

Brent Rooker had a big week for the Saints. In six games, he hit .304/.393/1.000 (1.393) with a double, five home runs and 13 RBI. Three homers and a double came in one game. 

Rooker hit one home run in eight games with the Twins earlier this season. In 58 games with the Saints, he has eight doubles and 19 homers. His 20 total homers is most in the organization, one ahead of Nelson Cruz. With the Saints, he is hitting .239/.368/.566 (.934).  

Twins Pitcher of the Week: Jordan Balazovic, Wichita Wind Surge      

In his start last week, Balazovic was again remarkable. Over seven innings, he gave up just one hit (a single, and the runner was thrown out trying to turn it into a double) and walked one. He struck out 11 batters. He had now tossed 18 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings over his past three starts. In 18 2/3 innings over his first five starts, he had a 5.79 ERA. Now, overall, he is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA. In 37 1/3 innings, he has nine walks to go with 51 strikeouts. He has certainly reclaimed his spot as the organization’s top pitching prospect. For his efforts, he was also names AA Central Pitcher of the Week. 

Other Strong Performances this Week

St. Paul Saints

Mark Contreras played in four games, and he showed some power too. He hit .385/.556/1.077 (1.632) with three homers. He walked one, and he was hit by four pitches. Keon Broxton played in five games. He hit .357/.500/.643 (1.143) with a double and a homer and three walks. Jose Miranda played in all six games. He hit .385/.448/.692 (1.141) with two doubles and two homers. Jimmy Kerrigan hit .308/.357/.769 (1.126) with two homers. 

Jovani Moran made his Triple-A debut this week and tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit, walked one and struck out five batters. Matt Shoemaker tossed five shutout innings in his start. Ian Hamilton pitched twice, once as an opener, and gave up just one run on two hits over five innings. Griffin Jax gave up one run over five innings in his Triple-A start last week.  

Wichita Wind Surge

Jordan Gore made his first two Double-A appearances, well, as a pitcher, well, not as a position-player-pitching. In 2019, he pitched twice for Pensacola, a combined one inning, but that was in late-inning blowout situations. Now, he is a full-time pitcher and getting some pretty high-leverage situations. So far, so good. In his two games last week, he worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Kody Funderburk also made his first Double-A appearance. He came on in relief of Cole Sands who tossed two innings in his return to the mound. Funderburk gave up only an unearned run over the next five innings.  

Andrew Bechtold hit .278/.350/.611 (.961) with three doubles and a home run. 

In 17 games with the Kernels early in the season, Chris Williams went 5-for-50 (.100) with 27 strikeouts. He was promoted to the Wind Surge. In 11 games, he is hitting .313/.476/.594 (1.070) with four doubles, a triple and a home run. He also has nine walks and nine strikeouts in 42 plate appearances. Explain that. This past week, he was 4-for-10 with two doubles and a homer.  

Also, he is throwing out would-be base stealers left and right.  

Cedar Rapids Kernels 

Louie Varland was very impressive in his High-A debut, he tossed six shutout innings in South Bend. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out five batters. Tyler Watson continues to perform in whatever role he is given. This past week, he was asked to come in after a short start, and the lefty responded with five shutout innings. He gave up just two hits, walked two and struck out nine batters! Likewise, Ben Gross came in after a short start and gave up one run on four hits over 5 1/3 innings. Osiris German also made his first Kernels appearance. In that game, he faced six batters and recorded six outs, three on strikeouts.

Max Smith filled out the stat sheet quite well last week. In five games, he hit .294/.500/.706 (1.206) with two doubles, a triple and a home run. He also walked seven times. Gabriel Maciel played in all six games. He hit .353/.476/.529 (1.006) with a home run. He walked four times with just three strikeouts. Jair Camargo went 5-for-17 (.294) with a triple and his 12th home run of the season. 

Ft. Myers Might Mussels

Denny Bentley continues to dominate the late innings for the Mighty Mussels. Last week, he was 2-for-2 in save opportunities. In three games and 2 2/3 innings, he struck out three batters. Lefty Aaron Rozek has bounced around in his brief time in the Twins organization. He made one start for Ft. Myers last week. He went five scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out seven batters. Orlando Rodriguez may have had the start of the week. In his first start in the Twins organization, the Cuban right-hander gave up one run over seven innings. He struck out six batters. Rodriguez and Rozek were both signed recently from the independent Schaumburg Boomers. Mighty Mussels hitting coach Derek Shomon had been the Boomers hitting until spring training when he joined the Twins organization.

Infielder Ruben Santana got a late start, but he had a fantastic week. In five games, he hit. 571/.750/.571 (1.321). He went 4-for-7 but walked five times without striking out at all.   

FCL Twins 

Giovahniey German pitched twice. Last week, he tossed five no-hit innings. On Monday, he gave up only an unearned run over 4 2/3 innings. Combined, he gave up four hits, walked three and struck out 11 batters. Landon Leach tossed three scoreless innings. Matt Mullenbach threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings. 

Wander Valdez has big power potential, and in the last week, he played in six games. He hit .389/.500/.611 (1.111) with four doubles in 18 at-bats. Kala’i Rosario played five games. He hit .353/.400/.529 (.929) with a double and a triple in 17 at-bats. Alexander Pena went 8-for-23 (.348) over six games. 

 

Lowlights

We are talking about small samples for these six-game weeks, so it’s important not to make any big decisions or develop a full impression on a player from this small size. It’s just a reminder of the fact that baseball is hard, and all players have good and bad stretches.  

St. Paul Saints

Ian Gibaut gave up five runs on 10 hits and a walk over just four innings last week. 

Wichita Wind Surge

I am bad luck. Last week, I was writing about how good Zach Neff has been this season. And he has, but last week, he gave up three runs on four hits over two innings of work. Chris Vallimont went just 3 1/3 innings in his start. He gave up five runs on seven hits and three walks (though he did strike out seven batters). Adam Lau pitched two innings over two appearances. He gave up five runs on five hits (3 homers). 

Jermaine Palacios and Ernie De La Trinidad each went 3-for-18 (.167) on the week. Outfielder DJ Burt went just 1-for-13 (.077) this past week, though he did provide one of the more interesting walk-off winners you’ll see.  

Cedar Rapids Kernels 

Melvi Acosta worked just one inning. He gave up three runs on four hits. I had to mention. Osiris German is on this list too. His second appearance didn’t go as well. He gave up four runs on two hits and two walks in just 2/3 of an inning. Interestingly, he did strike out three batters, but one reached base still.   

Daniel Ozoria and Yeltsin Encarnacion combined to go 0-for-13 on the week. DaShawn Keirsey went 3-for-21 (.143), though he had a big triple .

Ft. Myers Might Mussels

Juan Pichardo had a rough game, though not all of his own doing. He recorded just one out. He was charged with seven runs (just two earned) on one hit, one hit batter and three walks. Steven Cruz gave up five runs on three hits and six walks over two innings. Bradley Hanner gave up seven runs on seven hits and four walks over 3 1/3 innings. Matthew Swain gave up four runs on one hit, two hit batters and three walks in 3 1/3 innings.   

At the beginning of the week, Aaron Sabato was so close to getting his season batting average to .200. However, in six games this week, he went 3-for-21 (.143). Yunior Severino and Jeferson Morales each went 3-for-20 (.150). 

FCL Twins 

Elpidio Perez gave up seven runs on five hits, three walks and a hit batter in 2/3 of an inning. Rafael Felix gave up five runs on five hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings. 

Carlos Aguiar, another guy with huge power potential, went 0-for-10 with five strikeouts over his first three games of the year. 

 

Trending Storyline 

There was a lot of doubt about whether there would be a Dominican Summer League this year. It wasn’t until fairly recently that they decided when the season would start. Well, that date was last week and the DSL Twins have played six games already.

It is impossible to make too much for six games, of course. I have also been told many times that the further away from the big-leagues a player is, the less important the stats are, and it’s a lot about the tools, skill development and getting some reps. 

That said, I also like to look at who is getting the most at bats. So far, it should come as no surprise who the top two on the team in plate appearances are. 

Fredy Michel is another interesting prospect. Last year when the Twins signed him for $1.1 million, he was going by Fredy LaFlor. He was MLB Pipeline’s #28-ranked international free agent. He just turned 17 this month. The switch-hitting infielder leads the team with 23 plate appearances. He is hitting .222/.391/.278 (.669) with a double. He also has four stolen bases.He has four walks and 10 strikeouts. He has split time between the middle infield positions. 

Just one plate appearance less is Danny De Andrade leads the team with 20 at-bats in six games. He received a $2.2 million signing bonus last year when he signed as a 16-year-old shortstop. Through six games, he is hitting .200 (.4-for-20) with two doubles. He has one walk and two strikeouts. He has been the primary shortstop, but he’s also played a game at third base.  

The other hitters who have played in all six games: 

Another January 15, 2021, signing was Junior Del Valle. An outfielder, he has started the season by hitting .471/.500/.588 (1.088) with a triple. Reynaldo Madrigal received a six-figure signing bonus. The Dominican shortstop is 3-for-16 (.188) to start his season. He already has five stolen bases. Luis Rodriguez signed in the same range as Rodriguez. Both are shortstops from the Dominican. He has gone 3-for-14 (.214) through the first six games. Madrigal has played in the outfield. Rodriguez has played the corner spots mostly. 

As for pitchers, no one has pitched more than three games, or more than six innings. Way too small of a sample to take anything from. 

 

PROSPECT SUMMARY

We have now updated this Prospect Summary to show our Midseason Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings… 

#1 - Royce Lewis (Wichita) - Out for Season (torn ACL)

#2 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 5 G, 4 GS, 16.0 IP, 16 H, 13 BB, 22 K, 5.06 ERA, 1.81 WHIP (on IL with a right forearm strain)  

#3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 8 GS, 37.1 IP, 32 H, 9 BB, 51 K, 2.89 ERA, 1.10 WHIP 

#4 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – 4 GS, 18.0 IP, 10 H, 3 BB, 35 K, 1.00 ERA, 0.72 WHIP (went on the IL with right elbow strain)

#5 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 65 games, .345/.411/.509 (1.010) with 14 doubles, 18 homers, 54 RBI, 27 BB, 39 K

#6 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 38 games, .279/.361/.357 (.718) with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 16 RBI, 17 BB, 44 K, 6 SB 

#7 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesotal) – Wichita (21 games, .250/.344/.381 (.725) with 5 doubles, 2 homers. 11 BB, 24 K), Minnesota (18 games, .146/.180/.313 (.493) with 2 BB, 9 K)

#8 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - 13 GS, 66.2 IP, 49 H, 13 BB, 77 K, 2.30 ERA, 0.93 WHIP 

#9 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 65 games, .189/.368/.297 (.695) with 12 doubles, 4 homers, 25 RBI, 59 BB, 87 K

#10 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 17 games, .333/.384/.621 (1.005) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 14 RBI, 5 BB, 28 K. (on IL after having hamate bone surgery)

#11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – 3 GS, 14.2 IP, 13 H, 6 BB, 23 K, 1.84 ERA, 1.30 WHIP (underwent Tommy John surgery on June 9th) 

#12 - Bailey Ober (Minnesotal) – St. Paul (4 GS, 16.0 IP, 13 H, 5 BB, 21 K, 2.81 ERA, 1.13 WHIP), Minnesota (8 GS, 33.0 IP, 34 H, 11 BB, 37 K, 5.45 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) 

#13 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – 8 GS, 33.2 IP, 24 H, 18 BB, 45 K, 2.67 ERA, 1.25 WHIP

 #14 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – St. Paul (58 games, .239/.368/.566 (.934) with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 19 homers, 37 BB, 74 K), Minnesota (8 games, .103/.133/.241 (375) with 1 double, 1 homer, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 13 K)

#15 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 58 games, .209/.314/.307 (621) with 6 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homer, 40 RBI, 32 BB, 50 K, 9 SB)

#16 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 62 games, .254/.373/.483 (.856) with 7 doubles, 1 triple, 15 homers, 36 RBI, 42 BB, 51 K) 

#17 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 55 games, .223/.289/.431 (.721) with 10 doubles, 5 triples, 8 homers, 34 RBI, 17 BB, 77 K) 

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

#19 - Edwar Colina (Minnesota) - 60-Day IL (had surgery on his right elbow to remove bone chips)

#20 - Chris Vallimont (Wichita) - 10 GS, 41.2 IP, 36 H, 22 BB, 67 K, 3.67 ERA, 1.39 WHIP

LOOKING AHEAD

Daytona @ Ft. Myers (Aaron Rozek, Sawyer Gipson-Long, Brent Headrick, TBD, Orlando Rodriguez, Zarion Sharpe): 

Beloit @ Cedar Rapids:(Tyler Beck, Louie Varland, Jon Olsen, Tyler Watson, Ben Gross, Luis Rijo)

Wichita @ Arkansas: (Jordan Balazovic, Cole Sands (followed byBryan Sammons), Chris Vallimont, Austin Schulfer, Kody Funderburk, Jordan Balazovic) 

St. Paul @ Omaha: (Chandler Shepherd, Josh Winder, TBD, TBD, TBD, TBD): 

 

Feel free to provide some feedback below regarding these reports. What do you like to read? What types of information would you like added? Also, feel free to ask any questions you like.

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[roger]

Appreciate these reports, Seth, especially the information on the young kids playing in the DSL.  Looks like the biggest names from last year's class are off to good starts.

Watched most of Balazovic's game that earned him POW.  He dominated that game, much like I have seen Winder do in several outings for Wichita.  I really believe that this duo is special with a very good chance that both become at least solid #3's, with a chance of one becoming a #1 or even a legit ACE.  If the Twins can figure out a way to keep Berrios, the Twins just may have a strong 1-2-3 come 2023.  

I know you had a wonderful interview with Rooker last winter.  And he seems to be following his normal MO, cool start to the season before raking come summer.  See the box score in the Strib every day and it appears he is striking out less.  Is that so?  We don't know if Cruz will get traded in the next ten days, but if he does do you see Rooker sliding into the Twins DH role most of the time?  Do you believe he will be successful as their DH?

Valdez and Rosario sure seem like nice prospects in the FCL.  And Pena's .348 week was a huge drop off.  Will be interesting watching this trio and the kids playing in the DSL to see if there are a couple from this group who will help the Twins four to six years from now.

Any idea when we will start getting information on kids from this year's draft getting signed?

Was watching Bezos blast off into space while typing this, Seth.  Blastoff went well, they got to 62 miles and he just landed safely in the circle as planned.  Amazing!

[Alex Schieferdecker]

That Wind Surge walk-off sure is something.

As dreadful as the Twins pitching has been this year, it really feels like the team is on the cusp of a big wave of promising prospects. Balazovic and Winder seem to have real front-of-the-rotation potential. Ober has what it takes to stick at the back-end. Canterino and Duran might have some significant reliever risk at this point, but they have Karinchak/Clase-esque ceilings there and we need help in the bullpen too. Also in the bullpen, Moran seems likely to debut later this year. Hard not to be excited about the arms that the Twins have in the system, while knocking on wood that they stay healthy.

The flip side is that the system's hitters really don't look to be as promising, once you get past Miranda. Sabato was billed as one of the most pro-ready hitters in his class, and he's been dreadful. Rooker might be back with the Twins if/when Cruz is traded, but it's probably his last chance to make an impact. Celestino isn't ready, and I'm worried that playing infrequently with the Twins isn't great for his development.

[Dman]

Seth thanks for these recaps I know I really appreciate them.  I was most impressed by your players of the week.  Balazovichs last start was pure domination.  He looked really good as the hitters has no idea where the ball was going to go and several just stood there taking called third strikes.  He looked like a guy who could make it as front of the rotation starter.

Rooker was amazing with the HR's last week.  I still have my concerns but he looks better than ever at AAA so hopefully he brings that forward with him to MLB.  He is on the 40 man he needs to prove he belongs there.

Nice to see some of our pitchers coming back (Sands, Rijo) hopefully they look good the rest of the way.  With all the pitching injuries our affiliates have been depleted of starters.

Happy to see all teams above 500. Shows the Twins have a balanced system right now.

[Seth Stohs]

46 minutes ago, Dman said:

Seth thanks for these recaps I know I really appreciate them.  I was most impressed by your players of the week.  Balazovichs last start was pure domination.  He looked really good as the hitters has no idea where the ball was going to go and several just stood there taking called third strikes.  He looked like a guy who could make it as front of the rotation starter.

Rooker was amazing with the HR's last week.  I still have my concerns but he looks better than ever at AAA so hopefully he brings that forward with him to MLB.  He is on the 40 man he needs to prove he belongs there.

Nice to see some of our pitchers coming back (Sands, Rijo) hopefully they look good the rest of the way.  With all the pitching injuries our affiliates have been depleted of starters.

Happy to see all teams above 500. Shows the Twins have a balanced system right now.

Just to remind... those are the Twins choices for Pitcher and Hitter of the Week, though this week that probably is what I would have picked too. 

[Seth Stohs]

1 hour ago, Alex Schieferdecker said:

That Wind Surge walk-off sure is something.

As dreadful as the Twins pitching has been this year, it really feels like the team is on the cusp of a big wave of promising prospects. Balazovic and Winder seem to have real front-of-the-rotation potential. Ober has what it takes to stick at the back-end. Canterino and Duran might have some significant reliever risk at this point, but they have Karinchak/Clase-esque ceilings there and we need help in the bullpen too. Also in the bullpen, Moran seems likely to debut later this year. Hard not to be excited about the arms that the Twins have in the system, while knocking on wood that they stay healthy.

The flip side is that the system's hitters really don't look to be as promising, once you get past Miranda. Sabato was billed as one of the most pro-ready hitters in his class, and he's been dreadful. Rooker might be back with the Twins if/when Cruz is traded, but it's probably his last chance to make an impact. Celestino isn't ready, and I'm worried that playing infrequently with the Twins isn't great for his development.

I don't disagree with the pitching comments. Balazovic and Winder both seems to have playoff rotation starter stuff, so that's encouraging. To me, guys like Ober, Barnes and Jax will kind of be big in this. They're lesser discussed prospects who have come up and represented themselves well. Can that be maintained? I'm not ready to say Canterino has to be a reliever. Duran either, though I think that's a likely scenario for both, not reason to push that yet. 

Rooker needs to get an extended look. He's been what they wanted when they drafted him after the first round. He's not Nelson Cruz (who is?), but he can be productive. 

Miranda could be as good as Kirilloff/Larnach with the bat too. Sabato... not so much. He's going to have to really work on athleticism in the offseason and find a way to find some bat speed. 

[Seth Stohs]

2 hours ago, roger said:

I know you had a wonderful interview with Rooker last winter.  And he seems to be following his normal MO, cool start to the season before raking come summer.  See the box score in the Strib every day and it appears he is striking out less.  Is that so?  We don't know if Cruz will get traded in the next ten days, but if he does do you see Rooker sliding into the Twins DH role most of the time?  Do you believe he will be successful as their DH?

Any idea when we will start getting information on kids from this year's draft getting signed?

Was watching Bezos blast off into space while typing this, Seth.  Blastoff went well, they got to 62 miles and he just landed safely in the circle as planned.  Amazing!

I watched the Bezos thing too. That was pretty cool. I personally would have zero interest in doing that, but was very impressed. 

As for players signing... 13th round pick David Festa signed at $125,000 yesterday. That's the only official one at this point. I assume Petty and Miller will be at Target Field this weekend to do what they need to do, get signed, meet the team and such. We will put together an article in the coming days to start following this. 

Rooker struck out 35% of his at-bats at AAA in 2019. He's currently at 30% this year... 

[Danchat]

Good to see Sands back, now let’s hope Canterino and Duran can get throwing again soon just to get more innings before the year’s over.

[Rosterman]

I feel so bad for Rooker. You have Garlick and Refsnyder both holding 40-man positions. You have Celestino rushed, but shows promise. Cave is back. Both Larnach and Kirilloff are here to stay. Until the Twins figure out if they are keeping Cruz and the eventual fate of Sano, there is no place for Rooker in the inn. Especially when the Twins are more than happy to play Arraez or Gordon in the outfield, too.

 

Happily Rooker has increased his value as a possible trade chip, or for himself if the Twins choose to move on from him in the off-season.

 

WHich brings he question - you are making additions/deletion decisions on the 40-man. Who do you keep of Rooker, Cave, Garlick, Refsnyder, Astudillo?

[jorgenswest]

1 hour ago, Rosterman said:

WHich brings he question - you are making additions/deletion decisions on the 40-man. Who do you keep of Rooker, Cave, Garlick, Refsnyder, Astudillo?

What is the options status of the 5? I am certain Refsnyder is out of options. How about Cave and Garlick? They would have value I’d they have an option for next year. I am pretty certain Astudillo and Rooker will have an option left.

Any with options have value as a AAAA player. They also have value in a trade for a different AAAA player that might be a better positional fit.

 

[Seth Stohs]

2 hours ago, Rosterman said:

I feel so bad for Rooker. You have Garlick and Refsnyder both holding 40-man positions. You have Celestino rushed, but shows promise. Cave is back. Both Larnach and Kirilloff are here to stay. Until the Twins figure out if they are keeping Cruz and the eventual fate of Sano, there is no place for Rooker in the inn. Especially when the Twins are more than happy to play Arraez or Gordon in the outfield, too.

Happily Rooker has increased his value as a possible trade chip, or for himself if the Twins choose to move on from him in the off-season.

WHich brings he question - you are making additions/deletion decisions on the 40-man. Who do you keep of Rooker, Cave, Garlick, Refsnyder, Astudillo?

I expect Cave to rejoin the Twins this weekend with Celestino finally going to St. Paul. When Refsnyder gets back, I assume Gordon will go down. Celestino and Gordon are part of the future, they need lots of reps. 

I think that Cruz is traded and Rooker comes up. 

I think Garlick spends the full 20-days of his rehab with St. Paul, and when that's up, I think he's optioned. 

Rooker is the only one of that group that I would keep on the roster this offseason. 

[jorgenswest]

Has Garlick used an option this year? If they option him this year will it be his last? I would rather keep that option either for the possibility of a AAAA shuttle player next year or maybe in trade for a AAAA middle infielder or reliever with an option.

[MN_ExPat]

Thanks as always Seth.  Love the write ups on the minors, no matter how the big club is doing.  It's great to see Leach back and pitching after missing so much time.  

My son has a showcase and tournament in Tampa next week, so we are hoping to catch some of the FCL action while we are there.  If I can get some pictures of any games I will try to post them .

[Unwinder]

It's very encouraging that all the minor-league teams are winning when so many of the good prospects have been called up this year.