Minor League Report (8/4): Brooks Lee Debuts in Twins' System

[Nash Walker]

It was a mixed bag for the Twins’ system Thursday. There was some good, some bad, and some in-between. Let’s get you caught up. 

 

SAINTS SENTINEL
Saints 3, Storm Chasers 9
Box Score

The Saints had trouble offensively in Thursday’s loss to the Storm Chasers. They struck out 15 times and recorded seven hits, two of which came from the new Saint Nash Knight. Elliott Soto homered in the fifth, his fifth of the season. Caleb Hamilton also went deep in the eighth, his 11th long-ball of the year. 

Jordan Balazovic started and gave up five runs on six hits in three innings. Balazovic walked two and struck out four. His ERA is 10.75 in 37 ⅔ innings for the Saints. Ronny Henriquez struggled in relief, allowing four runs in four innings. Henriquez walked one and struck out six. 

The Saints had won four straight and six of their last seven. They fell to 49-51 with the loss on their trek to .500. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wind Surge 4, Missions 3
Box Score

The Wind Surge, after giving up their lead in the ninth, won the game in the 10th on an RBI single from Anthony Prato and a scoreless outing from Steven Cruz. Cruz entered the game with a runner at third and one out in the bottom of the 10th. He got a key strikeout and forced a flyout to end the game. 

Louie Varland started for the Surge and pitched six scoreless innings, allowing seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Varland has a 3.34 ERA on the season, his follow-up from an outstanding Minor League Pitcher of the Year season in 2021. 

Andrew Bechtold had a two-hit, two-walk night, including his 14th homer of the season. Prato, the hero in the top of the 10th, notched two hits on the night and drew a walk. He’s hitting .308 with an .808 OPS in 49 games for the Surge. Edouard Julien hit his 13th homer, continuing a scorching hot streak. Wichita is 52-46. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Kernels 4, Sky Carp 5
Box Score

The Kernels scored their first two runs on wild pitches in the first and second innings, jumping to an early lead. Seth Gray made it a 3-1 game with a double in the fifth, his 12th double and 51st RBI of the season. Gray went 2-for-4 on the day. 

Orlando Rodríguez started for the Kernels and pitched well. Rodríguez struck out six of the 13 batters he faced, allowing three hits and one run in 3 2/3 innings. The Kernels blew the lead in the sixth, giving up a game-tying two-run homer and a two-run single. 

The Kernels battled with two outs in the bottom of the ninth with three straight singles to pull within one run. They had the tying run on third and the winning run on second but couldn’t cash in. The Kernels are 59-40. They’ve lost three straight to Beloit and five of their last six. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Mighty Mussels 7, Marauders 4
Box Score

The Mighty Mussels built a 7-0 lead behind a tremendous start from Jordan Carr. Carr pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits with four strikeouts and zero walks. Misael Urbina and Rubel Cespedes each hit solo homers to give the Mussels a 2-0 lead. Urbina entered the game hitting .290/.333/.548 with 11 extra-base hits over his last 69 plate appearances. 

Daniel Ozoria added an RBI double in the fourth, his fourth on the season. Cespedes and Urbina had multi-hit nights, as did Noah Cardenas. Nelson Roberto added a double and came around to score. 

The Mussels gave up four runs in the eighth and ninth innings, but Jackson Hicks ultimately shut the door to secure the win. The Mussels are 55-40. 

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 8, FCL Pirates 5
Box Score

Brooks Lee made his much-anticipated debut Thursday, leading off and playing shortstop for the FCL Twins. Lee went 1-for-4 with his first professional hit, a single to left. Lee, the Twins’ first-round pick mere weeks ago, should be fun to watch down the stretch. 

Brayan Medina started for the Twins and pitched four solid innings, allowing just one run with five strikeouts and one walk. It was a massive day for Rafael Cruz, who went 2-for-4 with a triple, a homer, and five RBI. Dennis Ortega notched two hits as he rehabs on route back to Wichita. 

The FCL Twins are inching back toward .500, improving to 20-21 with the win. They’ll face the FCL Red Sox Friday morning in Fort Myers at the historic JetBlue Park. 

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 6, DSL Dodgers 2
Box Score

The DSL Twins took down the DSL Dodgers Thursday, thanks to stellar performances from Yasser Mercedes, José Rodríguez, and the pitching staff. Mercedes went 3-for-4 with a double, and Rodríguez went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, his 10th of the season. Both Mercedes and Rodríguez have crushed DSL pitching this summer. 

Anthony Narváez struck out seven over his three-inning start, allowing only one run and walking none. Orlando Rubio and Bianger Liedo combined to allow zero earned runs over four innings, locking down the victory. It was a strong day. 

The DSL Twins improved to 27-18 with the win and will return to play the DSL Tigers Friday at 10 a.m. CT. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Minor League Hitter of the Day - José Rodríguez (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI)
Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Louie Varland (6 IP, 7 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, 3 K)

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY
#7 Jordan Balazovic - 3 IP, 6 H, 5 R/ER, 2 BB, 4 K
#11 Louie Varland - 6 IP, 7 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, 3 K
#12 Matt Wallner - 1-for-4, 2B
#14 Ronny Henríquez - 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R/ER, BB, 6 K

 

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[Linus]

Wow. Jordy Blaze is just a mess. I was worried about him last year when he struggled at times but never thought it would be this bad. If he isnt 100% IL him and if he is send him to Wichita. Getting the crap kicked out of you every start is not a development plan. 

[mikelink45]

Can Balazovic trade places with Varland?  He looks like he needs a reset.  And Ronny Henriquez has not shown anything that makes him look a future part of the rotation.  

I am anxious for a new prospect ranking from TD and a perspective on the top arms now in the minors.

 

[roger]

I don't know what to make of Balazovic this year.  Has he had any good starts?  Do any of the TD guys know, is he battling some type of injury?  Should the Twins shut him down before working with him this winter, hoping he is better in 2023?  Also saw from the brief Saints write-up in today's Strib that Brent Rooker had a two run home run for Omaha last night.  See that he was just traded by the Padres to the Royals.

Great seeing Lee playing in Fort Myers.  Hopefully, they will move him up to the Mighty Mussels soon so he can have a couple weeks against better pitching before the year ends.  The player I really want to see, however, is Prielipp.  I pray that he will be as good as some thought before his injury as the Twins really need one of these young pitching prospects to turn into the real deal.

Nice outing by Medina.  I had forgotten that he was the PTBNL in the Taylor Rogers trade.  When I was looking at the Twins website on Tuesday, was surprised to see that they have him ranked as their #9 prospect.  Saw in his bio that he was considered the top pitching prospect from Venezuela in his signing class.  Gonna have to keep a closer eye on this young man. 

 

[USAFChief]

Great. Just great. Lee hitting only .250 with no power, and STILL unable to progress to higher levels.

Looking like another wasted top draft pick!!1!

[puckstopper1]

If Balazovic is healthy, his struggles are VERY discouraging.  If he is not, shame on the organization for continuing to trot him out there every 5 days so he can throw 3 innings of BP.

[Mike Sixel]

It's pretty mind blowing with B at this point. I wonder if he's suffering from what happened to Ankiel. Just too much inner chatter

[USAFChief]

Just now, Mike Sixel said:

It's pretty mind blowing with B at this point. I wonder if he's suffering from what happened to Ankiel. Just too much inner chatter

Just a reminder that the nerds got a few things right, one of which is TINSTAAPP.

[jmlease1]

24 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Just a reminder that the nerds got a few things right, one of which is TINSTAAPP.

Truth. it's why you have to be ok with trading pitching prospects for MLB talent, especially dudes down in A-ball or lower.

Glad that Brooks Lee debuted already. I'm assuming they want him to get acclimated to pro life in rookie ball (the complex league) rather than move to the FSL out the gate? He's got the talent and advanced hit tool to move quickly, so hopefully he does well.

Good to see Varland following up a breakout year with more success. he hasn't dominated as much, but he's also stayed healthy and it's good to see him on track to pitch a full season in AA. Hopefully he can get another 4-5 starts and finish the year at 125-130 innings pitched. I'd say he's on track to start next season in AAA and be an early injury call up.

[Karbo]

Why is Balazavic still in AAA? He has been downright awful in St. Paul.

[Dman]

20 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

 

Good to see Varland following up a breakout year with more success. he hasn't dominated as much, but he's also stayed healthy and it's good to see him on track to pitch a full season in AA. Hopefully he can get another 4-5 starts and finish the year at 125-130 innings pitched. I'd say he's on track to start next season in AAA and be an early injury call up.

He has been the most consistent prospect arm at the upper levels this year. Still his FIP, xFIP and WHIP all say he is going to need to find another gear to make it to MLB.  I do agree though that given the results this year he would be next in line for a callup from AAA next year unless SWR shows something in the second half.  Really need a lot of guys to step up next year (Enlow, Sands, Henriquez, and Balazovich).  There is not much for arms right behind them right now with the 2021 class pretty much wiped out.

[jkcarew]

3 hours ago, USAFChief said:

Just a reminder that the nerds got a few things right, one of which is TINSTAAPP.

Sometimes it seems like the term was invented solely to describe the Twins organization, though.

[AceWrigley]

Who thought Balazovic would be 0-5 with a 10.75 era at this point this year?

I like how the camera in the Lee recording pans and focuses on the chain link fence . . . awesome.

[ashbury]

3 hours ago, USAFChief said:

Great. Just great. Lee hitting only .250 with no power, and STILL unable to progress to higher levels.

Looking like another wasted top draft pick!!1!

Schobel has an OPS of 0.000000000, rounded off.  So that's another high pick we'd like to have back.

[USAFChief]

2 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Schobel has an OPS of 0.000000000, rounded off.  So that's another.

Schobel might stick at SS though.

Lee has proven decisively he doesn't have SS chops. Stupid Twins still clinging to hopes.

[ashbury]

12 minutes ago, AceWrigley said:

I like how the camera in the Lee recording pans and focuses on the chain link fence . . . awesome.

Ever been to the back fields?  Opportunity for Total Fan Geek Out Mode like that is a lot of fun.

[FlyingFinn]

2 hours ago, Dman said:

he would be next in line for a callup from AAA next year unless SWR shows something in the second half.  Really need a lot of guys to step up next year (Enlow, Sands, Henriquez, and Balazovich). 

Is Varland better than Sands was last year in AA? I just think it takes these guys a year or so at AAA before they are really ready for MLB, and of course some don't make it. The Canterino's of the world, with better stuff, can make the jump more quickly IF they could just stay healthy.

[Dman]

35 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

Is Varland better than Sands was last year in AA? I just think it takes these guys a year or so at AAA before they are really ready for MLB, and of course some don't make it. The Canterino's of the world, with better stuff, can make the jump more quickly IF they could just stay healthy.

Sands was better last year in AA than Varland this year though he was injured a few times and got extra rest.  Still Sands hasn't shown much at the AAA level and I have him more as a reliever than starter as he has trouble staying healthy as a starter.  Sands is a good two pitch pitcher I think the pen is the best place for him and it looks like he\we will get a chance to see how that works out as he was just called up to replace Duffy.

[MN_ExPat]

1 hour ago, ashbury said:

Ever been to the back fields?  Opportunity for Total Fan Geek Out Mode like that is a lot of fun.

Never had the chance to watch the big boys play on the back fields, but my son has had a few opportunities to pitch at both Jet Blue and the Twins complex.  Not quite as cool, but still pretty fun  

[Dman]

1 hour ago, AceWrigley said:

Who thought Balazovic would be 0-5 with a 10.75 era at this point this year?

I was little concerned about him last year but the optimist in me had him shaking that off and doing better this year.  I never could have imagined my favorite arm would have 10.75 ERA.  I thought he had decent velocity, decent movement but maybe I was wrong.  I just don't understand how he could 10.75 bad.  I could maybe have worked my way to 4.75 or 5.25 but even those numbers would have been disappointing. 10.75 just blows my mind.

[bean5302]

Even more depressing is Balazovic is pitching 2-3 innings a game at this point. He can't make it deeper before he's pulled so this is about the best you could expect if he was converted to a reliever. The most troubling aspect is he's making Tyler Duffey look like a miser when it comes to giving up the long ball.

Getting hit this hard, this consistently, generally means the stuff doesn't work. Balazovic just isn't fooling anybody and a near 40% HR/FB rate is like home run derby numbers. It's a very, very dire outlook for Balazovic remaining on the 40 man roster.

I can't imagine an injury could drag on this long without being noticed in pitch velocity, etc.