Article: Twins Minor League Report (7/3): Red Wings and Miracle Fireworks

[Cody Christie]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=2015-Twins-Minor-League-Report-(7-3)-Red-Wings-and-Miracle-Fireworks

[jokin]

This was actually Blackburn's 2nd start. He's gone 4 innings both starts. In low-Rookie League. I guess it just goes to show that $5.5M doesn't go as far as it used to.

 

I wonder if they will give Blackie a Nishi-type promotion in August after he's stretched out?

 

I don't wonder if the Twins will pick up his $8M team option for 2014.

[twinstalker]

I don't think there's even a spark of hope having anything to do with Blackburn (such as hoping he might have a good start and a team relieves them of his contract), so I think they're just doing him a favor and going through the motions with him until the contract is up, or they decline whatever option there is. Being good to a player they'd just as soon release will help their reputation.

[IdahoPilgrim]

To be fair, first rehab starts are almost always limited by a pitch count.

[nowheresville]

Is Nico Goodrum's defense as horrific all season as it has been during his games in Beloit? He made another error last night, forgetting to touch second base and then badly misfiring on the throw to first, getting no outs on what should have been a double play ball. That came after he badly booted two pretty routine grounders the night before. From my memory, he had some pretty bad defensive mistakes in the other games I've seen, and it seems like he would have no chance of sticking as a middle infielder, but I'm also dealing with a small sample size of the half dozen or so games I've seen.

 

Travis Harrison has become one of my favorite players to watch on the Kernals, but he had a pretty bad night last night too. He would have had an error, throwing the ball into right field on a double play, had Polanco not made a pretty amazing grab to catch his throw at 2nd base. He also made a pretty unforgivable mistake on the basepaths. He got doubled off first, on a fly ball to right field, even though the throw back to first was overthrown! The Snappers RF made a pretty remarkable catch, and Travis basically gave up on the play and didn't run back to first. The cut-off man's throw sailed over the 1st baseman's head, and then he started running, but the catcher still had time to pick up the ball and throw it back to first for the 9-4-2-3 putout.

[bird]

Those are the kinds of things that we don't see in the box score that explain why players remain at their current level.

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

Our family made it to the Rochester-Buffalo game, with the Buffalo Philharmonic and Fireworks to follow. The postgame festivities were rain delayed, as we were soaked by a ten minute cloudburst.

 

No worries, the Red Wings provided plenty of fireworks early, scoring 11 runs on 15 hits, including three homers and four doubles.

 

A few highlights:

 

1) Albers was awesome! Kevin Pillar's home run was a nice piece of hitting on a pitch low in the zone, and away. Pillar dropped the head of the bat down and connected. Pillar finished the game hitting .382, after going 2 for 4, which means that Albers made a quality pitch to a quality hitter. Nice matchup between two talented players. We should eventually enjoy watching them face each other again, and again, in the big show.

 

2) Deibinson Romero's homer was a monster moonshot. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle obviously did not send a writer to the game, as the byline on their article reads "Staff Reports." The article offers this understatement: "Debinson Romero put the Wings up 1-0 with a solo homerun that landed just inside the left-field foul pole to lead off the top of the second inning." What the staff reports fail to mention is that the shot, while just inside the foul pole, was a cloud-seeding shot that might have brought the later rain. The Bisons have erected a Mesh Monster screen over the left field fence to keep batting practice shots from landing on the I-190 on-ramp. The Monster is a good fifty to seventy feet above the twelve foot fence measured at 325 feet at the foul pole. Romero's shot easily cleared the Mesh Monster, and probably dinged a homeward bound commuter who stayed late at work. Proving once again that hard work does not necessarily pay off, or, no good deed goes unpunished...

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20130703/SPORTS06/307030074/Red-Wings-rout-Bisons?nclick_check=1

 

3. Chris Herrmann bailed out James Beresford on a nifty backup of first base. Kevin Pillar reached first on a Beresford error. Next, the Bison's #2 hitter, Ryan Goins hit a hard shot to Doug Bernier, the Red Wings shortstop. He flipped the ball to Beresford, who threw another bullet past Chris Colabello at first. Fortunately, Herrmann was backing up the play as Goins tried to take second. Goins came into the bag standing up as Hermann whirled and threw a pea into Beresford's open glove. Bang, bang. Albers struck out Mauro Gomez, the Bison's #3 hitter, and the Red Wings were in the dugout.

[Thrylos]

The struggles continued for Miguel Sano at the Double-A level.

 

That's not fair by any means... Even with the small sample size and the 0 for 4 yesterday, his OPS is .843 . Just wish that every Twins' player "struggled" like that...

[jokin]

To be fair, first rehab starts are almost always limited by a pitch count.

 

And 2nd rehab starts, sometimes, too:

 

Nick Blackburn Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights | MiLB.com Stats | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball

[jokin]

I don't think there's even a spark of hope having anything to do with Blackburn (such as hoping he might have a good start and a team relieves them of his contract), so I think they're just doing him a favor and going through the motions with him until the contract is up, or they decline whatever option there is. Being good to a player they'd just as soon release will help their reputation.

 

Yeah, that's what I meant by the Nishi-like promotion...

[YourHouseIsMyHouse]

That's not fair by any means... Even with the small sample size and the 0 for 4 yesterday, his OPS is .843 . Just wish that every Twins' player "struggled" like that...

 

I'd also highly contest that he's "struggling".

[cmb0252]

I'd also highly contest that he's "struggling".

 

Agreed. Sano was one of the youngest players in high A, turned 20 in May, and just made the hardest jump in the minors to AA. 82 plate appearances is nothing.

[chopper0080]

Is it just me or does it seem like Buxton should have been promoted to AA? Hi-A just doesn't seem like the leap to him that is can be to others.

[Seth Stohs]

Sano has certainly impressed at AS with his power production, but his strikeout rate is very high. It is something that needs to be worked on, but that was known. That is the one thing that could keep him from being great in the big leagues. (See Brandon Wood) However, he's so young and does work at his game, so it's hopefully just time and plate appearances. I'm not at all worried, but he needs do reduce his K rate to keep moving up or he won't be as great as we hope in the big leagues.

[diehardtwinsfan]

His K rate dropped in FTM, did it not? I suspect more than anything that he's pressing a bit and swinging for the fences. I wouldn't be surprised if he started out next year in AA and got off to a similar start as Fort Meyers.