Twins Minor League Report (9/14): Woods Richardson Deals, Saints Come Marching In

[Steve Lein]

The games in both Fort Myers and Wichita were affected by rain on Tuesday night, but in the ICT that didn’t stop Simeon Woods Richardson from showing why he’s a highly thought of prospect. The Saints also continued their offensive barrage over the last week where they’ve scored double digit runs in three of their past six games.

TRANSACTIONS

• LHP Charlie Barnes and RHP Andrew Albers were recalled from St. Paul in advance of the Twins doubleheader with Cleveland.
• In double-A, RHP Tyler Beck was placed on the 7-day injured list with a right forearm strain.
• RHP Jackson Hicks was officially promoted from the FCL Twins to the Mighty Mussels.
• RHP Hunter McMahon joined the FCL Twins on a rehab assignment.

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 13, Indianapolis 4
Box Score

Three days after bludgeoning their opponent 21-4 at CHS Field, the Saints did more of the same to a new opponent on the road in Indianapolis on Tuesday night.

A six-run second inning got the party started and included home runs from Mark Contreras and Jose Miranda, along with an RBI double from Damek Tomscha. They extended their lead to 8-0 in the top of the fourth thanks to an error and an RBI groundout from Tomas Telis. Tomscha added a solo home run in the sixth that made it 9-1 before a four-run seventh capped off the evening and was powered by yet another Saints home run off the bat of Sherman Johnson.

In all the Saints lineup pounded out 14 hits with eight of them going for extra bases. Though they were only 5-for-19 with runners in scoring position, those hits were big ones with the home runs and doubles. Miranda (2-for-6, R, HR, 4 RBI), Contreras (2-for-5, R, 2B, HR, RBI, K), Jimmy Kerrigan (3-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 K), and Tomscha (4-for-5, 4 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) had multiple hits.

Right-hander Drew Strotman made the start and delivered a quality outing. Over six innings he scattered five hits and three walks, allowing two runs (on two homers) while punching out four batters. Ryan Mason pitched two perfect innings of relief, striking out one. Ian Hamilton pitched the ninth and was charged with two earned runs thanks to three walks and one hit, but it was far from enough for Indianapolis.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Arkansas 4, Wichita 1 (Game Suspended, to be resumed tomorrow at 4:30 PM)
Box Score

Unfortunately for the Wind Surge, they played much of this game through some drizzle before the conditions became too much for them to continue. They had not yet completed five innings, so the game was suspended in the top of the fifth and will resume tomorrow.

It had been a mixed bag before the game was paused, as Simeon Woods Richardson delivered a fantastic performance for the first three innings of the game, but upon his exit the Travelers struck to take the 4-1 lead against Ben Gross.

In his outing, Woods Richardson allowed just two hits while striking out five in his three innings. He definitely looked like a top prospect in this one as compared to his prior outings. Of his 47 pitches in the game, 32 went for strikes (68%), including a whopping 12 swinging strikes. He got those swings and misses on all of his pitches as well, with his changeup especially (to my eyes) looking like it was fooling everyone.

Wichita got their lone run in the bottom of the second thanks to an RBI infield single from Aaron Whitefield.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 1, Peoria 6
Box Score

Cedar Rapids was unable to solve the Peoria pitching staff on Tuesday, resulting in a 6-1 loss that dropped them to 63-52 and just one game ahead of the teams chasing them in the High-A Central playoff race.

The lineup was only able to manage four hits on the night, with two of those coming off the bat of Matt Wallner. Their lone run came in the fifth inning thanks to a solo home run from DeShawn Keirsey. As a team they struck out 11 times and drew just one walk, while having only two at-bats with runners in scoring position in the game. 

Cody Laweryson was on the mound to start and went the first 5 1/3 innings. He allowed all six of the Chiefs runs, on eight hits and one walk, while striking out five. Zach Featherston got the Kernels through the seventh inning without allowing a hit, walking one, and striking out two in his 1 2/3 innings. Tyler Palm finished the game with a scoreless eighth, giving up one hit and striking out two batters.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Tampa @ Fort Myers, Postponed: Inclement Weather

The Mighty Mussels game with the Tarpons was postponed on Tuesday as rain was moving into the area.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 6, FCL Rays 3
Box Score

The Twins used a five-run second inning to pull away early, and the pitching staff held the Rays at bay the rest of the way to pick up the win.

In that second inning, the Twins took advantage of a pair of errors and got RBI singles from Argenis Jiminez, Noah Cardenas, and Ernie Yake before a sac fly from Endy Rodriguez plated the fifth run. They got an insurance run in the top of the ninth thanks to an RBI single from Wilfri Castro to drive in Gregory Duran who had led off the inning with a triple. Yake (2-for-4, 2B, RBI K) had multiple hits in the contest.

Hunter McMahon got the start in his first game with the FCL Twins and went the first two innings, allowing one hit and striking out four batters. Ryan Shreve allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits in his lone inning, though he did strike out three. Wilker Reyes was credited with his first hold by going the next three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two Rays. Juan Mendez picked up his first save by finishing the final three innings. He gave up one run on three hits and struck out three hitters.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day - Simeon Woods Richardson, Wichita Wind Surge (3 IP, 2 H, 5 K)
Hitter of the Day - Damek Tomscha, St. Paul Saints (4-for-5, 4 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI)

PROSPECT SUMMARY

#1 - Royce Lewis (rehab) - Out for season (torn ACL)
#2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - Game suspended
#3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) - Did not pitch
#4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 5 K
#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (elbow strain)
#6 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 2-for-6, R, HR, 4 RBI
#7 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - 5 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 5 K (left game in sixth after being struck in hand with line drive)
#8 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (right elbow strain)
#9 - Chase Petty (Complex) - Did not pitch
#10 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - Temporarily Inactive List
#11 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Injured List (right shoulder impingement)
#12 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4
#13 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, K
#14 - Drew Strotman (St. Paul) - W, 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
#15 - Noah Miller (Complex) - 0-for-5, 2 K
#16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - Did not play (Paternity List)
#17 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for season (Tommy John surgery)
#18 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - Game postponed
#19 - Cole Sands (Wichita) - Did not pitch
#20 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - Game suspended

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

St. Paul @ Indianapolis (11:05 AM CST) - RHP Beau Burrows (2-5, 6.16 ERA)
Arkansas @ Wichita (30 min after completion of suspended game) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (5-4, 3.38 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Louie Varland (6-1, 2.17 ERA)
Tampa @ Fort Myers, Game 1 (3:30 PM CST) - RHP John Stankiewicz (0-0, 3.12 ERA)
Tampa @ Fort Myers, Game 2 (30 min after Game 1) - RHP Jackson Hicks (Low-A debut)

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

 

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[roger]

Great seeing a very nice start from Strotman, Steve.  Is that his best outing since joining the Twins?  Should he make it, the Cruz trade gets even better.  Also fantastic seeing SWR with his first really good start since returning from Tokyo.  He and Balazovic could make an awfully nice duo heading into the playoffs.

Bit disappointing seeing Miller go 0 for whatever the last couple days.  Really like him as a prospect.  And Rosario just keeps showing up and getting hits.  He just may turn out to be the best pick from last year's short draft.

 

[wabene]

19 minutes ago, roger said:

Great seeing a very nice start from Strotman, Steve.  Is that his best outing since joining the Twins?  Should he make it, the Cruz trade gets even better.  Also fantastic seeing SWR with his first really good start since returning from Tokyo.  He and Balazovic could make an awfully nice duo heading into the playoffs.

Bit disappointing seeing Miller go 0 for whatever the last couple days.  Really like him as a prospect.  And Rosario just keeps showing up and getting hits.  He just may turn out to be the best pick from last year's short draft.

 

I think Miller went 6 for 6 or something like that the other day. Hell get there.

Another outing like this from Strotman and perhaps a start for the big club is in order. He is on the 40 man. He could even give Ryan a week off although he is one day behind him pitching schedule wise.

Miranda's mini slump is ova and the power stroke is back. Gleeman may be right about not calling him up. He is not on the 40 man yet and let him finish his green of a season on a high note right where he is. He won't be up until a ways into next season anyway ?

[Seth Stohs]

49 minutes ago, wabene said:

I think Miller went 6 for 6 or something like that the other day. Hell get there.

Another outing like this from Strotman and perhaps a start for the big club is in order. He is on the 40 man. He could even give Ryan a week off although he is one day behind him pitching schedule wise.

Miranda's mini slump is ova and the power stroke is back. Gleeman may be right about not calling him up. He is not on the 40 man yet and let him finish his green of a season on a high note right where he is. He won't be up until a ways into next season anyway ?

I think we'll see Strotman at some point over the final 2 1/2 weeks. Tom's video today showed him hitting 96. He has hit as high as 99 in a recent start. So, he is very exciting. 

Agree on Miranda. He could be called up, but he'll be added to the 40-man after the season. Not sure he's an opening day candidate anyway... and even if he is. 10 days or whatever isn't going to make any sort of difference. 

[Steve Lein]

1 hour ago, roger said:

Great seeing a very nice start from Strotman, Steve.  Is that his best outing since joining the Twins?  Should he make it, the Cruz trade gets even better.  Also fantastic seeing SWR with his first really good start since returning from Tokyo.  He and Balazovic could make an awfully nice duo heading into the playoffs.

 

For me on this game for Strotman, I'd probably say one of his better ones while he's been with the Saints, but it still wasn't necessarily what you'd like to see. He made himself work for it with 96 pitches, the three walks, and giving up two home runs.

Definitely a step in the right direction, but Strotman hasn't been very good yet since coming over:

Date	G	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	HBP	ERA	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	BAbip	GSc	AB	2B	3B	IBB	GDP	SF	SB	CS	PO	BF	Pit	Str	StL	StS	GB	FB	LD	PU
Jul 31 to Sep 14, 2021	9	W-L:2-1	43.0	47	31	31	22	36	9	1	6.49	.276	.361	.465	.826	.302	43	170	5	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	195	727	60%	16%	10%	49%	51%	21%	4%

Compared to this line he had with the Rays:

Date	G	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	HBP	ERA	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	BAbip	GSc	AB	2B	3B	IBB	GDP	SF	SB	CS	PO	BF	Pit	Str	StL	StS	GB	FB	LD	PU
May 7 to Jul 20, 2021	13	W-L:7-2	58.1	50	25	22	33	62	3	1	3.39	.235	.335	.333	.668	.309	56	213	10	1	0	0	4	7	3	2	251	1001	61%	14%	14%	48%	52%	22%	8%

Still a ton of walks, strikeouts down, and has been getting crushed. I don't see why they would bring him up at this point unless they move him to the bullpen to take a chance on his fastball/cutter combo. 

SWR was fun to watch in this one! He's one guy I especially would like to see in the AFL this October.

[Alex Schieferdecker]

Really nice to see some good pitching from Strotman. After a terrible start to life with the Saints, his last couple outings have been solid. Basically the same thing for SWR. He's so young for AA, it will be big for him if he's able to finish off the year with a couple more good outings. I expect next year he'll start in AA again, but a year older and wiser, and with the potential to move up quickly if he puts it together.

Love these nights when Balazovic and Varland are paired. Hopefully another night of good pitching. I think Balazovic will start at AAA next year, but he needs to earn it. Varland will start at AA (maybe he could even be promoted for Wichita's playoffs? I don't know the rules there) next season and could move quickly. I hope he returns to striking more guys out however. His K/9 dropped off at A+ and that's something to watch.

The Saints hitters are really putting up some incredible routs recently. Celestino's incredible hitting suggests that #13 is too low for him on the prospect rankings. He's hitting just a little bit behind Miranda, but is younger and in a more important position. His rise is making Max Kepler look like a very tradeable asset, or makes it easier to trade Buxton if a deal can't be reached.

[jmlease1]

Good to see Strotman have a solid outing. I still have a lot of questions about him, but I wouldn't mind seeing him get a shot before the season ends to see how he reacts to MLB hitters (it's not like Andrew Albers is blocking him). I suspect he'll get a chance to impress in spring training next year and likely start in AAA as one of options 6-10 for the rotation as the season goes on. be interesting to see how he continues to adapt to the organization. If they can make good adjustments with him the way they have with Ober...

Any reason Woods-Richardson came out after only 3 innings? I like him as a prospect, but starters only throwing 3 innings in AA doesn't exactly make my socks roll up and down.

I think it's fair to rank celestino where he is; should he be up a few more spots? maybe, but I don't know how much difference there is between 10-15 on the list, really. He's bounced back well after being thrown into the MLB lineup too early: could be a great fit as a bench OF next year with defensively flexibility and being a RH hitter helps him as well (an OF rotation of Buxton, kepler, Kirilloff, celestino, and Larnach could be pretty great)

[wabene]

Any reason Woods-Richardson came out after only 3 innings? I like him as a prospect, but starters only throwing 3 innings in AA doesn't exactly make my socks roll up and down.

Since they didn't use him in the Olympics, he didn't pitch for weeks. They are cautiously building him up.

 

[Rosterman]

So next year we have Strotman, Balazovic, Duran, Winder, Sands and who else starting at AAA St. Paul? Barnes still there? Jax? Anyone else at AA deserving of a bieegr push?

[Dman]

3 hours ago, Steve Lein said:

point unless they move him to the bullpen to take a chance on his fastball/cutter combo. 

SWR was fun to watch in this one! He's one guy I especially would like to see in the AFL this October.

I agree with you and the stats that Strotman has WHIP issues which if unresolved will lead to a pen role but I love this guys delivery.  It is soo smooth.  He really looks like a great pitcher but the results are not there, at least not yet.  I do think if he can make a few more adjustments he is a legit MLB pitcher if not he could end up a AAAA guy. 

Next year will be a big year for him because they won't have time to carry him on the 40 man for long.  Hopefully he improves next year and makes the Twins FO look smart.  I like the look but it is a results oriented game here's hoping the results get better real soon.

[Otwins]

What I keep hoping for with Strotman is that his control is back next year.  Velocity comes back before command. Walks were not a problem for him before the surgery.  Next year is an important year for Strotman

 

[Diesel]

12 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

 

Agree on Miranda. He could be called up, but he'll be added to the 40-man after the season. Not sure he's an opening day candidate anyway... and even if he is. 10 days or whatever isn't going to make any sort of difference. 

I am going to be so mad when Miranda starts out at AAA next year. He is already 23, and has literally nothing to prove at St. Paul. He can play 3rd, 2nd, 1st, and LF in a pinch. Obviously see why putting him on the 40 man this year would be a waste. It will be interesting to see what the infield will look like next year. Somebody is going to get traded, and it better not be the guy who has had the best hitting season in the minors I remember from a Twins hitter.

[Seth Stohs]

2 minutes ago, Diesel said:

I am going to be so mad when Miranda starts out at AAA next year. He is already 23, and has literally nothing to prove at St. Paul. He can play 3rd, 2nd, 1st, and LF in a pinch. Obviously see why putting him on the 40 man this year would be a waste. It will be interesting to see what the infield will look like next year. Somebody is going to get traded, and it better not be the guy who has had the best hitting season in the minors I remember from a Twins hitter.

Well, in 2022, you've got: 

1B: Sano/Kirilloff
2B: Polanco/Arraez
3B: Donaldson/Arraez
SS: Polanco/FA/Trade
LF: Larnach/Rooker/Kirilloff/Gordon/Celestino

Adding him to the 40-man now is fine since he won't be optioned this year. 

But yes, there will be moves made, I'm sure. 

Also, 23 is not Old... 

[Greglw3]

I’m very excited to see Woods-Richardson have a dominant outing like that finally. Maybe his season can be like Brant Alyea’s 1970 season, hot at the start and end but icy cld in the middle of the season.