Minor League Report (8/15): Smashing Sunday

[Nash Walker]

The system went 3-0 and outscored opponents 26-9 Sunday. The Wind Surge smashed seven homers, Matt Canterino was phenomenal in his return to Cedar Rapids, and José Miranda added two more extra-base hits to his amazing Baseball Reference stats page. 

TRANSACTIONS:

• C Nick Garland released from organization. 
• OF Nick Anderson released from organization.

SAINTS SENTINEL
Saints 8, Indianapolis 0
Box Score
Andrew Albers: 8 IP, 5 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 5 K
HR: José Miranda (11)
Multi-hit games: Miranda (2-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, RBI), Mark Contreras (2-for-5, 2 RBI, R), Drew Stankiewicz (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, R)

Andrew Albers put together his best start of the season for the Saints, tossing eight scoreless innings and striking out five. Albers now owns a 2.94 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 49 innings pitched this season for St. Paul. He’s a call-up candidate with Michael Pineda hitting the injured list (oblique).

The Saints’ offense scored 41 runs over this six-game series with Indianapolis. They tacked on eight today, thanks to a five-run first and another José Miranda homer. Miranda’s excellence has been well-documented, but it’s truly remarkable what he’s done in the high minors. He’s hitting .347 with a 1.028 OPS in 41 games for the Saints. 

St. Paul improved its record to 48-41 and will head home to take on the Iowa Cubs. Now back from Japan, newly acquired starter Joe Ryan could make his Saints debut during the series. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM 
Surge 14, Drillers 8
Box Score
Jordan Balazovic: 1 2/3 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
HR: BJ Boyd 2 (13, 14), Andrew Bechtold (14), Leobaldo Cabrera (4), Jermaine Palacios (18), Chris Williams (3), Trey Cabbage (13)
Multi-hit games: Boyd (2-for-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R), Palacios (3-for-4, HR, 3 R, RBI, BB), Cabrera (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, R, BB), D.J. Burt (2-for-3, 2B, 3 R, 2 BB)

Another home run barrage for the Surge began less swimmingly. Jordan Balazovic struggled with his command, walking three in a very short outing. None of the six runs scored against him were earned, however, as the Surge made some throwing errors in the field. 

Wichita entered the game with a league-leading 26 homers in August. They bashed seven more in Sunday’s win. Trey Cabbage hit his seventh homer of the month and BJ Boyd hit another two bombs himself. Boyd has four homers in his last two games and nine over his last 13 games. 

It was a big win for Wichita as they extend their lead over Tulsa to four games. Wichita is in first place with a 52-38 record after the road series split. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Kernels 4, Chiefs 1
Box Score
Matt Canterino: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 1 BB, 8 K
HR: Michael Helman (11), Alex Isola (9)
Multi-hit games: Edouard Julien (2-for-3, 2B, RBI, 2 BB), Yunior Severino (2-for-5), Isola (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB), Helman (2-for-3, HR, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB) 

Matt Canterino was absolutely dominant in his abbreviated return from an elbow injury. He struck out eight of the 10 batters he faced with just one walk of top prospect Jordan Walker. Canterino owns a 0.78 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 23 innings this season. 

Michael Helman got things going for Cedar Rapids with a solo homer on the first pitch of the third inning. Alex Isola then went yard in the fourth, giving the Kernels a 2-0 lead. Cody Laweryson did an excellent job filling innings after Canterino, striking out six and not allowing a run in four innings of work. 

The Kernels have certainly enjoyed the return of Matt Wallner from the injured list. The lineup is deeper and presents an opportunity to balance out production. With the activation of Canterino, Cedar Rapids could really start to click. 

MUSSEL MATTERS

GAME POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER

COMPLEX CHRONICLES

THE FCL TWINS DID NOT PLAY SUNDAY

TWINS DAILY’S MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE DAY: ANDREW ALBERS: 8 IP, 5 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 5 K
TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE HITTER OF THE DAY: BJ BOYD: 2-for-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#1 – Royce Lewis (Rehab) – Out for season (torn ACL)
#2 – Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-for-6, R
#3 – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 1 2/3 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
#4 – Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - Did not pitch
#5 – Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (Right Elbow Strain)
#6 – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, RBI
#7 – Joe Ryan (St. Paul) - Did not pitch
#8 – Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, BB, 8 K
#9 – Chase Petty (Complex) - Did not pitch
#10 – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - Did not play (game postponed)

#11 – Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Injured List (Right Shoulder Impingement)
#12 – Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB
#13 – Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, R, 2 BB
#14 – Drew Strotman (St. Paul) - Did not pitch
#15 – Noah Miller (Complex) - Did not play
#16 – Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - Did not play
#17 – Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for Season (Tommy John surgery)
#18 – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - Did not play
#19 – Cole Sands (Wichita) - Did not pitch
#20 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) - Did not play

 

 

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[Mike Sixel]

Well. Dang. They 100 percent need two picthets from outside the org.....

[Dman]

22 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Well. Dang. They 100 percent need two picthets from outside the org.....

Yeah it seems Balazovich may have caught Goreitis.  Can't seem to throw strikes anymore.  Not sure what the deal is but hopefully he can fix it.  At least Canterino still looks dominant.

[jkcarew]

Palacios.

[jkcarew]

2 minutes ago, Dman said:

Yeah it seems Balazovich may have caught Goreitis.  Can't seem to throw strikes anymore.  Not sure what the deal is but hopefully he can fix it.  At least Canterino still looks dominant.

And it wasn’t just walks and errors, he was getting hit… 6 hits in 1.2 innings. We’ll see. Hopefully, he’s healthy.

[Dman]

We have 4 guys in from the minors with 20 HR's if you count Rooker with Mirnada, Rooker, Cabbage and Steer,  Palacios is closing in at 18 and Kerigan with 15 also Contreras, Bechtold and Boyd with 14.  Lot's of power bats in this system.  A chance for 9 guys to hit 20 if we get lucky.

[Danchat]

Holy cow, 8 of 9 outs were Ks for Canterino. Wow.

And no, don't sign me up for Andrew Albers. We have enough mediocre and old pitchers in our MLB club, and he's already had two stints with the Twins that went nowhere. There's no reason to try him out a third time.

[Walser]

What are the odds BJ Boyd eventually finds a place on the Twins as a 4th outfielder?

[twinstalker]

Canterino could be two months into his recovery from TJS.

[mikelink45]

I cannot understand what Miranda has to do to see the majors. 

[Rosterman]

Does Canterino move up to Wichita? Does Balazovic, this start aside, move to the Saints? 

 

In a team building for the future, should the Twins spend time on old AAAA guys giving them major league service time? Does it help their pensions? 

[GNess]

There are plenty of solid to very good starting pitcher prospects in the system: Balazovic, Woods-Richardson, Duran, Ryan, Canterino, Winder, Strotman, Sands, Enlow, Vallimont plus. Ober and Jax already with the Twins.. 

Is it unrealistic to think 2-3 of these guys become consistently effective major league pitchers in 2022-2023? 

Could at least one of them be at Berrios level? (a #2 type)

The Indians and Rays seem to crank them out why can't the Twins?

 

[strumdatjag]

1 hour ago, Danchat said:

Holy cow, 8 of 9 outs were Ks for Canterino. Wow.

And no, don't sign me up for Andrew Albers. We have enough mediocre and old pitchers in our MLB club, and he's already had two stints with the Twins that went nowhere. There's no reason to try him out a third time.

If Albers is showing success, the Twins must give him a call-up to see if it’s the real deal or a mirage.  Nothing to lose 

[Brock Beauchamp]

2 hours ago, Danchat said:

And no, don't sign me up for Andrew Albers.

[darwin22]

Although many may have little interest in how our affiliates finish the season, I was impressed to see how Wichita responded to split their series on the road at Tulsa.  A loss today would've decreased their lead to only 2 games over the Drillers and Arkansas.  Sure looked like a "L" would be the result---their 4th straight-----after falling into an early 6-0 hole.  Again, I know this is only 1 game at the AA level, but imo, this was their most impressive "W" of the year at they maintained their 4 game lead over both of these teams.  A favorable road series matchup at  (34-56)Springfield offers the Surge an opportunity to extend that margin as Tulsa battle NW Arkansas (only 4.5 games out) and Arkansas has to travel to 1st place (52-37) for a road series.  I do realize the "mission" is to advance players to the next level, which the Wind Surge has done all season by promoting Winder, Cano, Moran, Miranda and Celestino, but I'd also argue that instilling a winning attitude/demeanor is an important element for the players, coaching staff and fan base.

[Dman]

1 hour ago, darwin22 said:

Although many may have little interest in how our affiliates finish the season, I was impressed to see how Wichita responded to split their series on the road at Tulsa.  A loss today would've decreased their lead to only 2 games over the Drillers and Arkansas.  Sure looked like a "L" would be the result---their 4th straight-----after falling into an early 6-0 hole.  Again, I know this is only 1 game at the AA level, but imo, this was their most impressive "W" of the year at they maintained their 4 game lead over both of these teams.  A favorable road series matchup at  (34-56)Springfield offers the Surge an opportunity to extend that margin as Tulsa battle NW Arkansas (only 4.5 games out) and Arkansas has to travel to 1st place (52-37) for a road series.  I do realize the "mission" is to advance players to the next level, which the Wind Surge has done all season by promoting Winder, Cano, Moran, Miranda and Celestino, but I'd also argue that instilling a winning attitude/demeanor is an important element for the players, coaching staff and fan base.

I was impressed and surprised as well.  I looked at the box score and had already written it off and a lose and figured Wichita would dwindle away it s lead.  Looked later and had to do a double take as I was expecting them to be on the wrong end of the score.  I too know it doesn't matter but it is always nice to see "your" team in 1st place.  It is still something to fight for.

[Danchat]

4 hours ago, Walser said:

What are the odds BJ Boyd eventually finds a place on the Twins as a 4th outfielder?

He looks more like a 1B/DH type, but I could be wrong. I'd rather see him play in AAA and give Kerrigan (can handle CF) or Contreras (won a gold glove playing LF in the minors) a chance since they can hit and handle themselves defensively.

[bean5302]

Obviously concerned about a potential Balazovic injury at this point. Even if Balazovic isn't hurt, the Twins need to shut him down for a couple weeks. I can't help but think he's got some dead arm going on at this point and throwing hard with a dead arm is a sure fire way to get him hurt.

I think Canterino is ready for AA at this point. With a little over a month left to play, he can certainly slot into Balazovic's spot while Balazovic rests up.

[roger]

Yes, all 6 of the runs scored on Balazovic were unearned, but I expect a potential ACE should be able to dominate the other team and work out of jams without that many runners scoring.  What was it, a couple clunkers followed by one fantastic start and now another real head scratcher.  Will second bean's comment above, have to believe there is some minor injury or dead arm or something.

Hopefully, Miranda will get called up sometime in September, but not so soon that he loses rookie status for 2022.  I want him to be next year's Rookie of the Year.  

And add me to those who were thrilled with Canterino's start.  Eight of nine outs by strikeout?  Now let's pray that he remains healthy for the rest of the season.

[Tibs]

Matt Canterino is an absolute madman out there pitching and I love it.

I love how he sprints off the mound back to the dugout and makes sure he jumps over the foul line.

Then he has a big smile for his player picture on milb.com

It's great.

[Taildragger8791]

16 hours ago, GNess said:

There are plenty of solid to very good starting pitcher prospects in the system: Balazovic, Woods-Richardson, Duran, Ryan, Canterino, Winder, Strotman, Sands, Enlow, Vallimont plus. Ober and Jax already with the Twins.. 

Is it unrealistic to think 2-3 of these guys become consistently effective major league pitchers in 2022-2023? 

Could at least one of them be at Berrios level? (a #2 type)

The Indians and Rays seem to crank them out why can't the Twins?

 

Ryan, Winder, Sands, and Canterino are the only ones that seem like they could be more than a 4/5 and are ready to try out next year. Sands/Canterino may run into innings limits though. Ober/Jax better not be planned for more than a #5/RP role out of the gate.

Everyone else has a combination of innings limits, health issues, or control/consistency problems to work out. It would be irresponsible to assume any of them will see MLB time before late '22.

[ashbury]

23 hours ago, Nash Walker said:

• C Nick Garland released from organization. 
• OF Nick Anderson released from organization.

Some assets are getting nicked. Could Vincent and Gordon be nickst?

[Devilsadvocate]

3 hours ago, ashbury said:

Some assets are getting nicked. Could Vincent and Gordon be nickst?

Gordon as in Nick Gordon? He's not getting released any time soon.

[Nashvilletwin]

8 hours ago, Taildragger8791 said:

Ryan, Winder, Sands, and Canterino are the only ones that seem like they could be more than a 4/5 and are ready to try out next year. Sands/Canterino may run into innings limits though. Ober/Jax better not be planned for more than a #5/RP role out of the gate.

Everyone else has a combination of innings limits, health issues, or control/consistency problems to work out. It would be irresponsible to assume any of them will see MLB time before late '22.

I disagree. Among those 12 names there is potential for several (4-5 at least) to be #2-4s in time. In this day and age a solid #3 gives you 5-6 innings and 3 earned runs. A lot of names on that group can give us that. 
 

Give them time to gestate next year. I hope a handful of them though get at least 5–10 starts in the bigs next year. 

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, Devilsadvocate said:

Gordon as in Nick Gordon? He's not getting released any time soon.

In any event we can always replace them with Jonas and Cannon.

[Mike Sixel]

15 hours ago, Devilsadvocate said:

Gordon as in Nick Gordon? He's not getting released any time soon.

Think you missed the bit......

[Devilsadvocate]

3 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Think you missed the bit......

Reading that back, I see that what I saw as a typo was actually very clever wordplay!