Twins Minor League Hitter Of The Month - August 2018

Looks to me that Kiriloff will be the minor league hitter of the year.  Next year will be key as he will almost certainly start in Chattanooga.

Kirilloff should have been the hitter of the month every month.

Watch out Byron Buxton!

71 extra base hits, that's just impressive no matter how you look at it.  

I really hope he gets a ST invite and I really look forward to seeing him and Lewis in Chattanooga next year.   Should be some awesome baseball.

Watch out Byron Buxton!

Alex won't be lining up in CF anytime soon.

He's even acknowledged that he's still working hard to improve his defense.  

I'm excited about Ben Rortvedt - playing good catcher, and holding your own at the plate with good plate discipline when you are a full 2+ years younger than league average is pretty heady stuff.

Kiriloff - what a season. Like pre-knee injury Kubel.

Good to see Rortvedt hanging with the big boys.  if he keeps improving with the bat we might actually have a good young catcher in our system for the first time in a long time.

 

Kiriloff - what a season. Like pre-knee injury Kubel.

Jinx?

I'm excited about Ben Rortvedt - playing good catcher, and holding your own at the plate with good plate discipline when you are a full 2+ years younger than league average is pretty heady stuff.

 

Kiriloff - what a season. Like pre-knee injury Kubel.

I'm excited about Rortvedt too. He took a very important step forward as a hitter this year. It shouldn't have been a surprise for him to have improved as a hitter when repeating a level for the first half of the season, but he kept it up after moving up to Ft. Myers, where he was young for the level and it's generally known as a pitcher's league (Alex Kirilloff not withstanding).

I suspect he'll start the year in high A again next year and if he continues to hit like he did this season he'll move to AA around midseason. But the improved hit tool makes him a real live prospect now.

Curious, Seth, who from the past you feel had seasons similar to AK?  Could be interesting comparing their later success to where we think AK can go...or beyond?

Add me to the list of those excited about Rortvedt's future.  Expect some of our excitement comes from catching depth being a position of need for the Twins.  Must state, however, that I am also pleased with the success Garver made this year.  Garver-Castro should be fine for the Twins until Ben gets here and shares the spot with Mitch.

And what can anyone say about two diamonds in the rough the Twins found with Helman-Davis.  Should they develop into quality big leaguers, these type of later round finds can make a good team better.

Yeah, the keystone combo out of Texas looks real solid. If I'm responsible for drafting Davis and Helman, I'm feeling pretty good about it. Maybe they can progress through the system together. I can dig it.

Davis (bats L) improved every year at Texas Tech. Average, On Base and Slugging. Helman (bats R) gave up his senior year at A+M to join the Twins.

Good luck in the playoffs boys. Kick it.

Is it just my imagination, or did an inordinate amount of our top hitting prospects fade in the second half?  Some longer/worse than others...but still.  Lewis faded pretty dramatically in August...Rooker faded...even Baddoo some.  Don't know if I'd call what Gordon and Wade did at Rochester a 'fade'...more like they were overwhelmed by the level...Gordon more so that Wade, but Wade struggled pretty dramatically as well, slugging .336

It will be nice to see Lewis get a chance in the playoffs to end the season with an exclamation point.

Jinx?

Nah, it would only be a jinx if Kirilloff was playing in the Arizona Fall League.

Didn't Jeffers have a really solid August moving up a level and ranking after adjusting? No errors or passed balls at Cedar Rapids? Like hon. mention for hon. mention maybe? 2nd rounder looking good so far.

Is it just me or is it a little depressing that none of the considered hitters are at the AAA level, and only 2 (Arraez and Davis) at AA? Looks like reinforcements from below may be a long way off. 

Nah, Its just you...

Hopefully Gordon and Wade can rebound and make it up next year. They definitely did not deserve promotions and need more seasoning.

Rooker is highly likely to make his debut next year. I predict he forces his way up the first half of next year.

Kiriloff has been moving quickly as well. I would not be surprised to see Kiriloff force his way up in the second half next year as well. 

Luis Arreaz seems to be one of those guys overlooked by the fans. Next year he should at least start at Rochester and won't turn 22 until after the year starts. He finished hitting over 300 again with a 360 OBP. For his career he's at 329 with an obp over 380 and OPS at near 800. It doesn't look like he'll ever be a home run hitter or great base stealer. I could see him hitting second with his good obp and excellant  contact as his career minor league strikeout rate is only 8.5% Maybe somebody for the big boppers to drive in. He seems to adjust quickly to each level he plays at and avoid prolonged slumps. As a second baseman he committed only 2 errors this year and played shortstop and thirdbase as well.