Twins Minor League Report (6/11): Kirilloff, Saints Power Their Way to Sixth Straight Win

[Seth Stohs]

Alex Kirilloff is doing his best to get a call back to the Twins soon. The Saints are playing well and hitting a lot of homers. Rains won the day in Florida as the Mighty Mussels were rained out, and the FCL Twins game was suspended in the first inning due to weather. Cedar Rapids and Wichita are both working hard to try to stay in first place in their division. 

 

After a really poor three-week stretch, the St. Paul Saints are now one of the hottest teams in Triple-A baseball. They are powering their way to a lot of wins. It’s been fun, I’m sure for the several players and coaches on the Saints roster who spent time with the Red Wings while they were a Twins affiliate. Manager Matthew LeCroy and left-handed pitcher Sam Clay are former members of the Twins organization that are with the Nationals organization now.  

There were several transactions on Saturday. The Twins beat the Rays, assuring a series win, but also assuring a winning record in their much-ballyhooed nine-game stretch against the Blue Jays, the Yankees and the Rays. Their young players continue to play well. Jose Miranda and Trevor Larnach have really hit. Gilberto Celestino continues to hit well over .300. Nick Gordon has proven versatile. 

Now, Nick Gordon did leave Saturday’s game with some sort of discomfort. Could he be an IL candidate? If so, would the Twins call up Alex Kirilloff? He has hit .379/.464/.695 (1.158) with six doubles and eight homers in 24 games since his demotion. Or, since Gordon is currently the backup to Carlos Correa at shortstop, and Correa is still getting time off, could Jermaine Palacios be added and play a utility role? He would need to be added to the 40-man roster, but Chi Chi Gonzalez was DFAd after Saturday’s game. 

Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. 

TRANSACTIONS

• The Twins selected the contract of RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez. 
• SS Royce Lewis was placed on the 60-Day Injured List. 
• RHP Yennier Cano was optioned to the Saints. 
• Following the game, the Twins DFAd Gonzalez. 
• OF Derek Fisher was released. 

SAINTS SENTINEL 
St. Paul 11, Rochester 7 
Box Score

The Saints won for the sixth straight time on Saturday night. They have won the first five games against the previous Twins Triple-A affiliate, the Red Wings. Just two weeks ago, the Saints were ten games under .500. With the win, they are now 29-29. 

On this night, St. Paul had a season-high 17 hits including seven that went for extra bases. Tim Beckham led the way. He went 4-for-5 and is hitting .500 through his first eight games with the Saints. 

Alex Kirilloff continues to rake. He went 3-for-5 and hit his seventh and eighth homers with the Saints. Above you saw his numbers over 24 games since his demotion. However, looking at just his eight games, he is .438/.514/1.094 (1.607) with three doubles, six homers, and 12 RBI in his past eight games. He also has at least one hit in 12 of his past 13 games. 

Michael Helman also had three hits. He was 3-for-5 with a double. Jermaine Palacios was 2-for-4 with a walk and his tenth double. Curtis Terry went 2-for-4 with his 13th double. Caleb Hamilton’s sixth home run gave the Saints a 6-4 lead in the fourth inning. It came off of former Twins prospect Sam Clay. 

Jordan Balazovic started. He gave up one run on four hits over 2 2/3 innings. He struck out one batter and walked none. Jordan Gore came on and gave up a double and a home run. Dereck Rodriguez came on and gave up three runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four batters. Wladimir Pinto gave up one run on two hits and a walk in 2/3 of an inning. Ian Hamilton got the final four outs to record the save. He gave up two hits, but struck out two batters. 

With three homers on Saturday, the Saints have 26 already during the month of June. That is more than any other minor-league or major-league team. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 2, Arkansas 5  
Box Score 

Simeon Woods Richardson started for the Wind Surge on Saturday. He had a rough first inning. He gave up four runs on three hits and a walk. He also had a wild pitch and a balk, and the big hit was a two-run homer for Cade Marlowe. 

But minor-league baseball is all about development, and Woods Richardson showed a lot after the early struggles. He got a strikeout to end the first inning. Then he had 1-2-3 innings in the second and third frames. He gave up a two-out single in the fourth, but that’s it. In the fifth inning, he gave up a leadoff single, but got a double-play before getting the third out. 

Overall, he gave up four runs on four hits and two walks in five innings. He had three strikeouts. Denny Bentley struck out two in a scoreless sixth inning. Andrew Cabezas struck out one in a perfect seventh inning. Steven Cruz gave up a run on two hits and a walk in the eighth inning. He struck out two batters. 

Offense was difficult to come by for the Wind Surge on Saturday. On his 25th birthday, Dennis Ortega went 2-for-4 with his eighth double of the season. DaShawn Keirsey’s 11th double of the season drove in the team’s two runs in the seventh inning. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 3, South Bend 4
Box Score

The Kernels got a good start from Aaron Rozek, and the offense got people on base but were unable to sustain due to 16 strikeouts. 

Rozek, the lefty from Burnsville High School and Minnesota State-Mankato made his eighth start of the year for the Kernels. He gave up only two hits and one walk over four scoreless innings. He struck out three batters. 

Sean Mooney came on as the piggyback in the fifth inning. Coming into the outing, he had a 1.67 ERA. On this night, he gave up four runs (3 earned) on five hits. He struck out four batters without issuing a walk. 

Wander Javier reached base four times. He went 2-for-2 with his seventh double, a walk and was also hit by a pitch. Seth Gray went 2-for-4. His eighth double came in the ninth inning and scored Yunior Severino to cut the deficit to 4-3. With one out, Javier walked, and the Kernels had the tying and go-ahead runners on base. Unfortunately, that’s where they remained as the next two batters struck out. 

Aaron Sabato homered for the second straight night, his ninth of the season. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers, Daytona 

The game in Daytona was postponed by rain. The two teams will finish their series at Jackie Robinson Ballpark on Sunday afternoon. 

COMPLEX CHRONICLES 
FCL Twins 2, FCL Red Sox 0 (Suspended in 1st inning) 
Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Brayan Medina (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K) 
Multi-Hit Games: None. 
XBH: None. 
Rehab Players: Daniel Robertson (0-for-1) 
Top Prospects: Danny De Andrade (1-for-1, R), Fredy Michel (1-for-1, 1 R).  

The Red Sox youngsters made the six-mile drive down Daniels Parkway. They went 1-2-3 in the top of the first inning. The Twins came to the plate. Daniel Robertson grounded out. Fredy Michel singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Danny De Andrade singled to center. Michael advanced to third base, and De Andrade advanced to second on the throw. Alexander Pena then singled to left to score both runners. And then the rains came. 

DOMINICAN DAILIES 
DSL Twins 6, DSL Giants 0
Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Cesar Lares (4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K)
Winning Pitcher: Roger Duran (2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K) 
Multi-Hit Games: Isaac Pena (2-for-3, R, 3B)
2B: Daniel Pena (2), Denyerbe Gervis (2) 
3B: Isaac Pena (1)
HR: Jose Rodriguez (1)  
Top Prospects: Bryan Acuna (1-for-3, BB, R, K, SB)    

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Rozek (Cedar Rapids) - 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K (48 pitches, 31 strikes)
Hitter of the Day – Alex Kirilloff (St. Paul) - 3-5, 2-HR (8), 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 K 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins' Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Saturday. 

#2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 3 K (played CF) 
#3 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - 1-for-4, 2B (8), RBI
#4 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K (46 pitches, 35 strikes)
#5 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 5 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K (69 pitches, 44 strikes 
#15 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 1-for-3, BB, K 
#16 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
#18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 3 K

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Rochester @ St. Paul (2:07 PM CST) - RHP Jake Faria (0-2, 7.12 ERA) 
Wichita @ Arkansas (1:35 PM CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (0-0, 6.08 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (1:05 PM CST) - LHP Cade Povich (3-4, 3.65 ERA) 
Fort Myers @ Daytona (DH at 2:30 PM CST) - TBD, TBD

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

 

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[wsnydes]

Man it's nice to see Kirilloff raking again.  And raking with power.

[FlyingFinn]

Gameday said "injury" and Balazovic was immediately taken out. Any update on this?

[TopGunn#22]

It's not just that Kirilloff is hitting for a high average.  It's that his power is there.  I, for one, would love to see him called up and rotated between 1B, LF/RF and DH.  With the majority of pitching being RH he should be in line for plenty of AB's.  

Kepler is having a better year and that's good to see.  Less power than we'd like, but better AB's.  Larnach and Kirilloff are somewhat redundant but there would be nothing wrong with having all three in the lineup together.  But a GOOD Kirilloff along with an up and coming Larnach really gives the Twins options in a possible trade package to bring a Montas/Castillo level starter to the rotation.  

Also, I agree with FlyingFinn, any word on Balazovic ?  Is it an injury ?  Or something else ?  This guy has so much promise!!  But like Duran, Ryan, Winder etc...he's got to be healthy to realize that promise.    

[stringer bell]

The Twins have used Sánchez at DH frequently against RH pitching. I would think that having Kirilloff in the lineup instead would make a better attack. For now, neither catcher is hitting much and it seems a waste to have both in the lineup so often. 
 

[Otaknam]

Nice thought about adding a top starting pitcher, but not if Kiriloff is included. I think he’s going to be a 30 homer, .300 hitter with 40-50 doubles. He’s a keeper!

[GKuehl]

Who is Michael Helman? Why have I never heard his name before — his numbers look really solid! 

[jmlease1]

Kirilloff looks like he's either finally fully healthy or has just figured out how to play with his wrist being what it is. Regardless, he's looking like the elite hitter we hoped he could be again, and I look forward to seeing him back in MLB. Arraez has done a great job filling in at 1B, but I'd be perfectly fine with sliding him in to DH and letting Kirilloff play 1B, especially since Larnach and Kepler have both been good in the corners. Pretty soon the Twins will have to drop a pitcher for a position player, right? Maybe that's what they're waiting for on Kirilloff.

typical Wallner game: 1-3, BB, K. But if that's his new baseline, he's going to be all right.

Balazovic has so much talent, but he needs health and innings. His struggles are another reason why the Twins were trying to line up so many options to start this season. You just don't know when (if at all) you'll be able to count on a guy like Balazovic. Hope he can find a run of good health and opportunity to pitch some innings. I still believe in his ability, but he's got to start getting some consistent starts in.

[puckstopper1]

Gardenhire has not been managing the Saints this week do to the birth of a child.  The way they are playing, maybe he should have more kids! ?

Also - any word on why Steer has not played the past couple of games?

[Vanimal46]

1 hour ago, FlyingFinn said:

Gameday said "injury" and Balazovic was immediately taken out. Any update on this?

He was simply on a pitch count limit according to the TV broadcast. 

[Rosterman]

Yes, at some point Kirilloff will be back. It was going to kinda be between him and Lewis when the bullpen drops to eight arms soon.

Wander Javier will be able to walk away from the Twins this off-season. So, can he increase his value as a trade piece? WOuld the Twins even consider adding him to the 40-man roster?

Still haven't figured out if Palacios is on the 40-man or not. Was he actually optioned back to St. Paul?

Curious about ALL those catchers at AAA/AA and their potential to be added to the 40-man, or do we need to replace msot of them next season. Wichita is full of catchers who can play other positions (Bechtold, Williams, Isola). And Jair Camargo will be forcing the Twins to make a tough choice on his career potential.

I wish Balazovic luck, but it seems his stock as a future Twins is diminishing...fast.

[TwinsDr2021]

It is good to see the held SWR to 69 pitches, can't have the minor league pitchers getting hurt.

[Seth Stohs]

2 hours ago, GKuehl said:

Who is Michael Helman? Why have I never heard his name before — his numbers look really solid! 

11th round from Texas A&M in 2018. Been around quite a bit. Something definitely clicked for him about two months into the 2021 season in Cedar Rapids. And, he can play all over the field. 

Year	Age	AgeDif	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB
2017	21	0.9	Brazos Valley	TXCL	Smr		35	163	142	24	43	3	2	4	14	14	2	11	12	.303	.359	.437	.795	62		3	4	3	0
2018	22	1.3	Texas A&M	SEC	NCAA		62	293	249	61	92	17	2	6	36	12	2	28	31	.370	.451	.526	.978	131	9	10	5	1
2018	22		2 Teams	2 Lgs	A-Rk	MIN	39	164	147	28	53	6	2	4	22	10	6	9	18	.361	.409	.510	.919	75	2	5	0	3	0
2018	22	0.6	Cedar Rapids	MIDW	A	MIN	27	118	107	20	38	6	1	2	15	4	5	6	14	.355	.398	.486	.884	52	2	3	0	2	0
2018	22	1.7	Elizabethton	APPY	Rk	MIN	12	46	40	8	15	0	1	2	7	6	1	3	4	.375	.435	.575	1.010	23	0	2	0	1	0
2019	23	0.6	Fort Myers	FLOR	A+	MIN	82	306	284	26	56	13	1	3	25	3	3	17	40	.197	.243	.282	.524	80	5	1	1	3	0
2021	25	2.5	Cedar Rapids	HAC	A+	MIN	111	453	398	71	98	21	4	19	57	21	5	51	87	.246	.336	.462	.798	184	6	3	0	1	1
2021	25	2.3	Scottsdale	AZFL	Fal		16	62	51	10	11	2	0	0	3	7	0	9	6	.216	.355	.255	.610	13	1	2	0	0	0
2022	26		2 Teams	2 Lgs	AA-AAA	MIN	50	214	186	44	51	10	2	7	26	13	1	26	36	.274	.365	.462	.827	86	3	1	0	1	0
2022	26	-0.5	St. Paul	IL	AAA	MIN	11	48	42	10	11	4	0	1	6	3	1	5	4	.262	.354	.429	.783	18	0	1	0	0	0
2022	26	1.8	Wichita	TL	AA	MIN	39	166	144	34	40	6	2	6	20	10	0	21	32	.278	.368	.472	.840	68	3	0	0	1	0

[Seth Stohs]

2 hours ago, puckstopper1 said:

Gardenhire has not been managing the Saints this week do to the birth of a child.  The way they are playing, maybe he should have more kids! ?

Also - any word on why Steer has not played the past couple of games?

Tyler Smarslok is perfect as the Saints manager! 

Steer is away for personal reasons. Nothing bad at all. 

[ashbury]

SWR really hasn't been anything special at AA since his first four games of the season.  Is he physically okay, or trying to battle through something that keeps lingering?

[stringer bell]

I was wondering about Steer, as well. Glad that his absence isn't injury related. I guess the Saints don't need him!