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A pitcher threw six, two-hit innings, and he wasn't the pitcher of the day. A hitter had a home run and two triples, and wasn't the hitter of the day. It was a day of strong performances and Wins in the Twins organization. It was a full day in the Twins minor league system on Thursday. The Twins got back to winning. Rochester got a great start and some serious run production. Pensacola swept a double-header with strong pitching and big hits. Ft. Myers got a strong start and enough power to score seven runs. The Kernels needed ten shutout innings to get a win. Great day in terms wins in the Twins organization.Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Thursday, starting with the transactions of the day... well, after a Misael Urbina update from the DSL. Game 2 - Pensacola 11, Jacksonville 4 Box Score The bottom of the Wahoos lineup led them to a big Game 2 win. A four-run fourth inning was followed by a five-run fifth inning. The six through nine hitters combined to go 6-for-11 with seven runs on nine RBI. Sixth-place hitter Caleb Hamilton went 2-for-3 with his 11th double and fifth homer. He drove in three runs. Next up was Michael Davis. After hitting his first homer in Game 1, he hit his first two triples in Double-A. Brian Navarreto drove in two runs with his second home run, and nine-hole hitter Joe Cronin hit a two-run homer. It was his third Double-A homer. It was a bullpen game for Pensacola. Anthony Vizcaya got them off to a fast start. He needed just 42 pitches to get through three scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out six batters. Williams Ramirez came on and gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits and a walk in his inning. Cody Stashak gave up two runs over his two innings. Zack Weiss pitched a scoreless final frame and struck out two. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Florida 4 Box Score Jordan Balazovic was really good again on Thursday night and improved to 4-0 since joining the Miracle a month ago. In this one, he started with five scoreless innings. He did give up a run in the sixth frame, so his final line had him giving up one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out seven. Calvin Faucher gave up three runs (one earned) on three hits over two innings. Melvi Acosta pitched in another different role. This time he was the closer and came on for the final four outs to record his first save. He struck out two. Royce Lewis led off and led the way for the offense. He went 3-for-5 with his 13th double. Ernie De La Trinidad also had three hits, including a triple. Jose Miranda went 2-for-3 with a walk and his 12th double. Lewin Diaz added his 11th home run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Clinton 0 (10 innings) Box Score For the second straight night, there wasn’t much scoring in Clinton, but the Kernels were able to scratch one across in the top of the tenth to take a 1-0 win. Wander Javier came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the tenth and grounded into a fielder’s choice. The out was made at third base while the runner, Ricky De La Torre, crossed home plate. Jared Akins went 2-for-4. Gilberto Celestino had a single and a walk. The story, of course, was on the mound where Kernels starters struck out 15 batters over 10 shutout innings. Kody Funderburk made the start and worked five scoreless, one-hit innings. He struck out seven without a walk. Alex Schick came on and tossed two scoreless innings. Derek Molina followed with four strikeouts over the next two innings. Zack Neff came on for the bottom of the 10th inning and kept the LumberKings from scoring. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Sean Poppen, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jake Cave, Rochester Red Wings PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 3-5, 2B(13), R, RBI #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Injured List #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder) #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 2K #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, BB, RBI #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 2-5, RBI, 2K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch. #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch. #9 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch. #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured List (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 1-5, R, RBI, 2B(8) #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List (elbow) #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, BB #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Game 1 (0-3, 2K), Game 2 (1-4, R, K) #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (thumb) #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, BB, K #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 1-5, 2B(6), R, 2 RBI, 2K #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 2-3, BB, 2B(12), R, RBI FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (DH @ 4:05 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (4-3, 3.95 ERA), TBD Pensacola @ Biloxi (6:35 CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes (0-0, 3.60 ERA) Jupiter @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) - RHP Jhoan Duran (0-5, 3.61 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 CST) - RHP Tyler Palm (1-4, 4.75 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games or any other minor league topics you would like. Click here to view the article
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Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Thursday, starting with the transactions of the day... well, after a Misael Urbina update from the DSL. https://twitter.com/SethTweets/status/1136773288678612992 TRANSACTIONS Catcher Brian Navarreto was activated from the injured list. Mitchell Kranson was released by the Twins. AWARDS Trevor Larnach was named the Florida State League Player of the Month for May. Probably no surprise as he was named the hitter of the week twice during the month. Hard to argue, though we at Twins Daily named his teammate Lewin Diaz the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month, with Larnach finishing a close second. Also, we finished our May Minor League Awards by announcing that Hector Lujan was the choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month. ALL-STARS On Thursday, the Southern League announced their All-Stars. Six members of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos made the South Division team. They are RHP Brusdar Graterol, Griffin Jax, Ryan Mason, C Caleb Hamilton, 2B Travis Blankenhorn and OF Jaylin Davis. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 9, Syracuse 0 Box Score Sean Poppen has moved up and down from Pensacola to Rochester a couple of times this season, but after a start like Thursday night’s, he just might stick. The right-hander from Harvard tossed seven shutout innings. He gave up just two hits, walked two and struck out eight. Jake Reed got the final six outs, four of them on strikeouts. The Red Wings got offense from a bunch of people - all nine starters had at least one hit - but Jake Cave stayed hot. The outfielder went 4-for-5 in this game with four doubles. In his last three games, he has eight hits. Jordany Valdespin went 2-for-5 with his fifth home runs. Zander Wiel added his ninth homer. Tomas Telis went 2-for-4 with his eighth double. Brent Rooker went 2-for-5. BLUE WAHOO BITES Before we get to the double-header, but we're just going to start with Jimmy Kerrigan, who did this: https://twitter.com/MiLB/status/1136845322506735682 Game 1 - Pensacola 2, Jacksonville 0 Box Score Andro Cutura has had a rocky start to his 2019 season, his first at Double-A. But on Thursday, he was fantastic. The right-hander threw six shutout innings. He gave up just two hits, walked none and struck out two batters. Sam Clay worked a scoreless seventh inning for his fifth save. Michael Davis connected for his first Double-A home run since his promotion from Cedar earlier in the week. It gave the Wahoos a 1-0 lead in the second inning. In the third, Travis Blankenhorn scored on an error. That was all the scoring. Jimmy Kerrigan went 2-or-3. https://twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall/status/1136801569473794050 Game 2 - Pensacola 11, Jacksonville 4 Box Score The bottom of the Wahoos lineup led them to a big Game 2 win. A four-run fourth inning was followed by a five-run fifth inning. The six through nine hitters combined to go 6-for-11 with seven runs on nine RBI. Sixth-place hitter Caleb Hamilton went 2-for-3 with his 11th double and fifth homer. He drove in three runs. Next up was Michael Davis. After hitting his first homer in Game 1, he hit his first two triples in Double-A. Brian Navarreto drove in two runs with his second home run, and nine-hole hitter Joe Cronin hit a two-run homer. It was his third Double-A homer. It was a bullpen game for Pensacola. Anthony Vizcaya got them off to a fast start. He needed just 42 pitches to get through three scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out six batters. Williams Ramirez came on and gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits and a walk in his inning. Cody Stashak gave up two runs over his two innings. Zack Weiss pitched a scoreless final frame and struck out two. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Florida 4 Box Score Jordan Balazovic was really good again on Thursday night and improved to 4-0 since joining the Miracle a month ago. In this one, he started with five scoreless innings. He did give up a run in the sixth frame, so his final line had him giving up one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out seven. Calvin Faucher gave up three runs (one earned) on three hits over two innings. Melvi Acosta pitched in another different role. This time he was the closer and came on for the final four outs to record his first save. He struck out two. Royce Lewis led off and led the way for the offense. He went 3-for-5 with his 13th double. Ernie De La Trinidad also had three hits, including a triple. Jose Miranda went 2-for-3 with a walk and his 12th double. Lewin Diaz added his 11th home run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Clinton 0 (10 innings) Box Score For the second straight night, there wasn’t much scoring in Clinton, but the Kernels were able to scratch one across in the top of the tenth to take a 1-0 win. Wander Javier came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the tenth and grounded into a fielder’s choice. The out was made at third base while the runner, Ricky De La Torre, crossed home plate. Jared Akins went 2-for-4. Gilberto Celestino had a single and a walk. The story, of course, was on the mound where Kernels starters struck out 15 batters over 10 shutout innings. Kody Funderburk made the start and worked five scoreless, one-hit innings. He struck out seven without a walk. Alex Schick came on and tossed two scoreless innings. Derek Molina followed with four strikeouts over the next two innings. Zack Neff came on for the bottom of the 10th inning and kept the LumberKings from scoring. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Sean Poppen, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jake Cave, Rochester Red Wings PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 3-5, 2B(13), R, RBI #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Injured List #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder) #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 2K #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, BB, RBI #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 2-5, RBI, 2K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch. #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch. #9 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch. #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured List (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 1-5, R, RBI, 2B(8) #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List (elbow) #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, BB #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Game 1 (0-3, 2K), Game 2 (1-4, R, K) #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (thumb) #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, BB, K #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 1-5, 2B(6), R, 2 RBI, 2K #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 2-3, BB, 2B(12), R, RBI FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (DH @ 4:05 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (4-3, 3.95 ERA), TBD Pensacola @ Biloxi (6:35 CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes (0-0, 3.60 ERA) Jupiter @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) - RHP Jhoan Duran (0-5, 3.61 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 CST) - RHP Tyler Palm (1-4, 4.75 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games or any other minor league topics you would like.
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The Minnesota Twins selected Cabbage with their fourth-round pick in the Amateur Draft in June, 2015, out of Grainger High School in Rutledge, Tennessee, and, like most high school draftees, they assigned him to their Gulf Coast League affiliate in Fort Myers. Also like most high school draftees, Cabbage found playing ball professionally, even at the lowest US-based levels, was nothing like high school. In his first four summers of pro ball, starting with that first summer with the GCL Twins and followed by about a season and a half each with Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids, Cabbage hit just .236 while striking out in almost one-third of his plate appearances. Of course, a propensity for strikeouts is something most organizations accept for their power hitters. The problem, for Cabbage, was that his eight home runs for the Kernels in 2018 constituted a career high in round trippers, which certainly threatened to disqualify him from membership in the “power hitter” club. While still just 21 years old, the 2019 season suddenly loomed as a critical year for Cabbage. Something had to change. Though this season is still less than a month old, it’s becoming clear that something has indeed changed for Cabbage. Maybe a couple of somethings. First, and most discernible to the casual observer, he’s up to 224 pounds and none of it is in places it shouldn’t be. If you’re one of those people who like to shake a player’s hand when you ask for his autograph, you might want to just settle for his signature. His handshake could affect your ability to sign your own name for a couple of days if you aren’t prepared for it. Even with the additional strength, though, it turns out the “something” that’s changed the most is the one square foot of space between Cabbage’s ears. photo by Steve Buhr Through Wednesday, he’s sporting a .364/.417./.705 (1.121 OPS) slash line that’s unlike anything the Twins have seen from him before. It takes more than additional strength to make that kind of turnaround, even if the season is less than a month old. Ironically, perhaps, the primary reason for his statistical turnaround may be a new personal disregard for the numbers. “Working with Pete Fatse, our hitting coordinator, and Ryan Smith, our hitting coach here, I’ve got more of a process-oriented mindset instead of a numbers mindset,” Cabbage explained this week. “Because if you’re worried about trying to get hits for the numbers, then you’re going to start manipulating your swing and that’s going to cause you to start overthinking and swinging at bad pitches. At least it does for me.” His manager, Brian Dinkelman, agrees and has seen the difference in Cabbage already. “I think the mental thing is probably the big thing for him. Just not trying to overthink things or change up too much all the time,” Dinkelman said. “Stick to what his plan is and swinging at strikes, that’s the main thing for him. Nobody hits really when they expand the zone. If you’re swinging at pitches in the zone, then you can do some damage. Once he makes contact with the ball, he usually hits it pretty hard.” Which brings us back to the subject of those strikeouts. Through Wednesday, Cabbage has been striking out just over one time every four plate appearances. Not a major reduction from the one-in-three rate previously, perhaps, especially considering the small sample size reflected in 11 games worth of plate appearances, but arguably a step in the right direction. Cabbage isn’t doing any one thing in particular to focus on reducing his strikeout rate but feels his new mental approach to hitting will take care of that. “I think with the mindset of doing more damage, the big thing was to zone up and not try to cover all 17 inches of the plate at all times,” he explained. “When you’re in an offensive count, there’s no need to be fighting off a pitch on the outer black – fighting off the nasty slider or change up that they’re throwing when you’re in an offensive count. You should look for pitches you can do damage. “So, (hitting coach Ryan Smith) was telling me to zone up and doing that has allowed me to have more of a clear vision of what I’m looking for. Not just be like, ‘Alright that looks like it could be a strike, let’s take a hack at it.’ That’s what I’ve done in the past and I was having too broad of a zone when I was ahead in the count.” photo by Steve Buhr Having suited up for the Kernels for 47 games in 2017 and the entire 2018 season, nobody could blame Cabbage for not wanting to spend any more time back in Cedar Rapids this season than is absolutely necessary. After all, the goal of every minor league player is to get promoted to the next level and, while he’s still close to the average age for a player at the Class A level, this is still his third calendar year with the Kernels. While Cedar Rapids understandably wasn’t his preferred destination to start the current season, Cabbage took the re-assignment to the Kernels in stride. “I was with the Fort Myers (Class High-A) group through most of spring training and I was busting my hind end trying to stay on that roster as long as I could and of course I wanted to start the season there,” he admitted. “But that’s out of my hands and all I can do is just go out and take care of my work and whatever happens, happens. “I won’t lie to you, I wanted to be there really bad, but there are a lot worse places to be than Cedar Rapids. I still have a job and I’m still playing.” photo by Steve Buhr He’s also not letting himself get distracted by thoughts of a potential promotion, even with his hot start. “If I was wishing, ‘Oh, I should be there, I’m out-playing somebody,’ that’s just bad karma, it doesn’t help anybody,” he said. “Then you start saying, ‘oh, well he got two hits, I’ve got to go get two hits.’ Then you press and overdo things. “I’m just trying to go out and play day by day and take care of myself. That’s how you got to the level where you’re at. You’ve got to take it one pitch at a time and make sure you beat the (pitcher) on every pitch that you see.” For those who have watched his on-deck circle routine for a couple of years (which always begins with a ‘Happy Gilmore’ hop-skip-swing), it’s natural to wonder if Cabbage is attributing any of his success to new routines, but that’s not really the case. Not too much, anyway. “I feel good at the plate right now. I’ve always been a routine-based guy, so I know what’s going on right now feels good, so I’m not thinking, ‘OK well this is good, if I do a little bit more, I can make it a little bit better,’ he explained. “I’m only a little ‘stitious,’ I’m not ‘SUPERstitious.’ So, I like to keep the same routine, but I’m not in a panic mode if something doesn’t go exactly right. It’s just coming in and getting the work in every day. Not trying to overdo it. Not trying to overthink it. And then when the game (starts), you go out and play. You’re not overthinking or over critiquing yourself pitch by pitch.” Other Kernels Notes Cedar Rapids’ record is just 5-8, tied for last place in the Midwest League’s Western Division currently. Cabbage has been the brightest spot in the Kernels’ lineup thus far, but others may be starting to step up and carry their share of the load.Michael Davis is now hitting .314 with an .862 OPS. Gabe Snyder, who joined the team last week, is slashing .455/.500/.773 (1.273 OPS) through his first six games in CR. Gabriel Maciel recently arrived and promptly went 3 for 5 in his first game with the Kernels. [*]On the pitching side, most of the rotation has had a start that didn’t go particularly well and at least one other that went much better. Blayne Enlow has given up just one earned run, in total, over his last two starts. Jordan Balazovic struck out nine batters in each of his two starts this season. Josh Winder struck out nine batters over five innings pitched in his last start. Reliever Brian Rapp has a 0.78 WHIP and a 1.00 ERA over his first nine innings of relief work. Tyler Palm has a 0.86 WHIP and a 1.29 ERA over seven innings of relief. Zach Neff and Carlos Suniaga have each struck out nine batters over their first six innings out of the bullpen. Joe Record has yet to give up an earned run while striking out seven over 2.2 Innings Pitched over three relief appearances. Looking for more information on the Kernels? Check out these stories from the Cedar Rapids Gazette’s beat reporter, Jeff Johnson: Reliever Joe Record Looking Forward to First Pro Outing, Two Years in the Making Reliever Tyler Palm Takes the Road Less Traveled to Affiliated Ball Gabe Snyder Makes Good Early Impression for Kernels
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Go back through the minor league histories of most players who ultimately become big leaguers. You can often see a point in the career timelines where they went from just another young player trying to figure it all out to a legitimate professional ballplayer with a chance to make his dreams come true. A point at which a metaphorical switch was flipped. If Trey Cabbage’s dreams of playing Major League Baseball ultimately are realized, the spring of 2019 might just be the point in time that we identify his switch as having been flipped.The Minnesota Twins selected Cabbage with their fourth-round pick in the Amateur Draft in June, 2015, out of Grainger High School in Rutledge, Tennessee, and, like most high school draftees, they assigned him to their Gulf Coast League affiliate in Fort Myers. Also like most high school draftees, Cabbage found playing ball professionally, even at the lowest US-based levels, was nothing like high school. In his first four summers of pro ball, starting with that first summer with the GCL Twins and followed by about a season and a half each with Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids, Cabbage hit just .236 while striking out in almost one-third of his plate appearances. Of course, a propensity for strikeouts is something most organizations accept for their power hitters. The problem, for Cabbage, was that his eight home runs for the Kernels in 2018 constituted a career high in round trippers, which certainly threatened to disqualify him from membership in the “power hitter” club. While still just 21 years old, the 2019 season suddenly loomed as a critical year for Cabbage. Something had to change. Though this season is still less than a month old, it’s becoming clear that something has indeed changed for Cabbage. Maybe a couple of somethings. First, and most discernible to the casual observer, he’s up to 224 pounds and none of it is in places it shouldn’t be. If you’re one of those people who like to shake a player’s hand when you ask for his autograph, you might want to just settle for his signature. His handshake could affect your ability to sign your own name for a couple of days if you aren’t prepared for it. Even with the additional strength, though, it turns out the “something” that’s changed the most is the one square foot of space between Cabbage’s ears. photo by Steve Buhr Through Wednesday, he’s sporting a .364/.417./.705 (1.121 OPS) slash line that’s unlike anything the Twins have seen from him before. It takes more than additional strength to make that kind of turnaround, even if the season is less than a month old. Ironically, perhaps, the primary reason for his statistical turnaround may be a new personal disregard for the numbers. “Working with Pete Fatse, our hitting coordinator, and Ryan Smith, our hitting coach here, I’ve got more of a process-oriented mindset instead of a numbers mindset,” Cabbage explained this week. “Because if you’re worried about trying to get hits for the numbers, then you’re going to start manipulating your swing and that’s going to cause you to start overthinking and swinging at bad pitches. At least it does for me.” His manager, Brian Dinkelman, agrees and has seen the difference in Cabbage already. “I think the mental thing is probably the big thing for him. Just not trying to overthink things or change up too much all the time,” Dinkelman said. “Stick to what his plan is and swinging at strikes, that’s the main thing for him. Nobody hits really when they expand the zone. If you’re swinging at pitches in the zone, then you can do some damage. Once he makes contact with the ball, he usually hits it pretty hard.” Which brings us back to the subject of those strikeouts. Through Wednesday, Cabbage has been striking out just over one time every four plate appearances. Not a major reduction from the one-in-three rate previously, perhaps, especially considering the small sample size reflected in 11 games worth of plate appearances, but arguably a step in the right direction. Cabbage isn’t doing any one thing in particular to focus on reducing his strikeout rate but feels his new mental approach to hitting will take care of that. “I think with the mindset of doing more damage, the big thing was to zone up and not try to cover all 17 inches of the plate at all times,” he explained. “When you’re in an offensive count, there’s no need to be fighting off a pitch on the outer black – fighting off the nasty slider or change up that they’re throwing when you’re in an offensive count. You should look for pitches you can do damage. “So, (hitting coach Ryan Smith) was telling me to zone up and doing that has allowed me to have more of a clear vision of what I’m looking for. Not just be like, ‘Alright that looks like it could be a strike, let’s take a hack at it.’ That’s what I’ve done in the past and I was having too broad of a zone when I was ahead in the count.” photo by Steve Buhr Having suited up for the Kernels for 47 games in 2017 and the entire 2018 season, nobody could blame Cabbage for not wanting to spend any more time back in Cedar Rapids this season than is absolutely necessary. After all, the goal of every minor league player is to get promoted to the next level and, while he’s still close to the average age for a player at the Class A level, this is still his third calendar year with the Kernels. While Cedar Rapids understandably wasn’t his preferred destination to start the current season, Cabbage took the re-assignment to the Kernels in stride. “I was with the Fort Myers (Class High-A) group through most of spring training and I was busting my hind end trying to stay on that roster as long as I could and of course I wanted to start the season there,” he admitted. “But that’s out of my hands and all I can do is just go out and take care of my work and whatever happens, happens. “I won’t lie to you, I wanted to be there really bad, but there are a lot worse places to be than Cedar Rapids. I still have a job and I’m still playing.” photo by Steve Buhr He’s also not letting himself get distracted by thoughts of a potential promotion, even with his hot start. “If I was wishing, ‘Oh, I should be there, I’m out-playing somebody,’ that’s just bad karma, it doesn’t help anybody,” he said. “Then you start saying, ‘oh, well he got two hits, I’ve got to go get two hits.’ Then you press and overdo things. “I’m just trying to go out and play day by day and take care of myself. That’s how you got to the level where you’re at. You’ve got to take it one pitch at a time and make sure you beat the (pitcher) on every pitch that you see.” For those who have watched his on-deck circle routine for a couple of years (which always begins with a ‘Happy Gilmore’ hop-skip-swing), it’s natural to wonder if Cabbage is attributing any of his success to new routines, but that’s not really the case. Not too much, anyway. “I feel good at the plate right now. I’ve always been a routine-based guy, so I know what’s going on right now feels good, so I’m not thinking, ‘OK well this is good, if I do a little bit more, I can make it a little bit better,’ he explained. “I’m only a little ‘stitious,’ I’m not ‘SUPERstitious.’ So, I like to keep the same routine, but I’m not in a panic mode if something doesn’t go exactly right. It’s just coming in and getting the work in every day. Not trying to overdo it. Not trying to overthink it. And then when the game (starts), you go out and play. You’re not overthinking or over critiquing yourself pitch by pitch.” Other Kernels Notes Cedar Rapids’ record is just 5-8, tied for last place in the Midwest League’s Western Division currently.Cabbage has been the brightest spot in the Kernels’ lineup thus far, but others may be starting to step up and carry their share of the load.Michael Davis is now hitting .314 with an .862 OPS.Gabe Snyder, who joined the team last week, is slashing .455/.500/.773 (1.273 OPS) through his first six games in CR.Gabriel Maciel recently arrived and promptly went 3 for 5 in his first game with the Kernels.On the pitching side, most of the rotation has had a start that didn’t go particularly well and at least one other that went much better.Blayne Enlow has given up just one earned run, in total, over his last two starts.Jordan Balazovic struck out nine batters in each of his two starts this season.Josh Winder struck out nine batters over five innings pitched in his last start.Reliever Brian Rapp has a 0.78 WHIP and a 1.00 ERA over his first nine innings of relief work.Tyler Palm has a 0.86 WHIP and a 1.29 ERA over seven innings of relief.Zach Neff and Carlos Suniaga have each struck out nine batters over their first six innings out of the bullpen.Joe Record has yet to give up an earned run while striking out seven over 2.2 Innings Pitched over three relief appearances.Looking for more information on the Kernels? Check out these stories from the Cedar Rapids Gazette’s beat reporter, Jeff Johnson:Reliever Joe Record Looking Forward to First Pro Outing, Two Years in the MakingReliever Tyler Palm Takes the Road Less Traveled to Affiliated BallGabe Snyder Makes Good Early Impression for Kernels Click here to view the article
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On Sunday morning, Royce Lewis was walking around the Twins clubhouse. He was called into manager Rocco Baldelli’s office and was told that he had been re-assigned to minor league camp. He got right to work and reported to the minor league side on Monday. The Twins now have 51 players in big-league spring training.Lewis handled the news very well, very professionally and chatted with assembled media shortly after learning the news. While he didn’t get to play in games during spring training because of an oblique injury, he said that he learned a ton about the game from players in the locker room as well as some of the legends that are also in spring training. Lewis noted, “Everyone really appreciated me asking questions, and I had guys over here like Nelson (Cruz) and Rod Carew, just everyone helping me out. Schoopy (Jonathan Schoop), CJ (Cron),, they all just talked to me and I was very appreciative of it.” Rod Carew was in his ear frequently, and Lewis took in every bit of information. For instance, when asked what he learned from talking with Tony Oliva and Rod Carew, Lewis said, “That if I bunt, I’ll raise my batting average about 40 points so I might bunt a little bit more this year.” Yes, they talked about more than just bunting. He continued, “But just a lot about hitting and little things about the game. I sat next to him for three straight games, and basically every game, but basically three straight games of him in my ear about every pitch. I wasn’t even looking at the game like that. I was looking at it like just a normal fun game. There’s a lot more to it.” It sounds as if Lewis is very near a return to the field. An oblique injury cost him most of spring training, in terms of games. Before he had learned about being re-assigned, I had asked him if he was disappointed about not being able to play in the games. Obviously he wanted to play and be healthy, but he said he wasn’t disappointed at all. He knew his job was to get himself ready for the 140 game season and even though he couldn't play, he loved the opportunity and took advantage of everything that big league camp has to offer. His manager was also impressed with Lewis during spring training. “Royce could not have made his camp any better than it was. Obviously we all wish and especially Royce wishes that he was out there playing and running around and showing us all what he could do but we know the injury happened and he did not pout, he did not waste a day here. He got all of his work done. He got a chance to spend time with a lot of very important and helpful people. He used this camp to learn and grow and I think he accomplished that and then some.” Lewis will be at minor league camp on Monday. On Monday and Tuesday, the minor leaguers will have their morning workouts. In the afternoon, the “Rochester” roster will scrimmage the “Pensacola” roster. Also the “Ft. Myers” roster will scrimmage the “Cedar Rapids” roster. On Wednesday, the teams will start playing their schedule against other organizations. That is when they are targeting Lewis getting into a game. He is feeling “good. I think we just wanted to take care of it just because it was spring training. It was something mild. We just wanted to make sure it was not going to linger on throughout the whole season and create a disaster for me.” Along with staying healthy, Lewis doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. When asked about his goals for the upcoming season, he said, “I think every player thinks about where they’re going to play and stuff, but honestly it’s not in my hands. All I can control is my controllables and my main goal this year is to create a routine off the field that makes me prepare well for on the field each and every day so I can be healthy and not deal with an oblique or a hamstring or anything crazy, so I can play at my highest level.” NOTES FROM ACROSS THE PARKING LOT I was able to spend about two hours observing at minor league spring training camp before the Twins-Blue Jays game on Monday afternoon. Here are a few notes. The Twins signed former MLB catcher Willin Rosario to a minor league contract. He hasn’t played in affiliated ball since 2015. He has played in both Korea and Japan. However, he has played very little behind the plate. On Sunday at spring training, he spent the day in catcher’s gear and catching bullpens when he wasn’t hitting.Michael Davis was the Twins 24th round draft pick in 2018 out of Texas Tech where he had played on two College World Series competing teams. He hit ten home runs after the draft last year (9 in Cedar Rapids) while playing shortstop most games. This spring, he is also catching. In a brief conversation with him on Sunday afternoon, he noted that he’s going to work as a super-utility player this spring and into this season. He will catch, but he will presumably continue to play around the infield as well.The weather in Ft. Myers on Sunday was brutal. Not Minnesota brutal. Trust me, I am happy to be away from the snow and seeing green grass. But it was 84 degrees and very humid. Many of the minor leaguers pointed out how humid it was. However, in a brief conversation with outfielder Aaron Whitefield, he pointed out that when he left Australia last month, it was 120 degrees there. Yikes!On Monday, Brusdar Graterol threw a bullpen. He tells me that he will be pitching in a minor league. While the Twins played the Tigers on Monday afternoon, the minor leaguers were participating in their first scrimmage of the year. After four days of workouts, the “Rochester” roster played the “Pensacola” roster, and the “Miracle” roster took on the “Kernels” roster. I will be in attendance on Tuesday when they scrimmage again. On Wednesday, the Rochester and Pensacola rosters will travel to Port Charlotte to take on the AAA and AA affiliates of the Rays.Please feel free to ask any questions you might have. Click here to view the article
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Lewis handled the news very well, very professionally and chatted with assembled media shortly after learning the news. While he didn’t get to play in games during spring training because of an oblique injury, he said that he learned a ton about the game from players in the locker room as well as some of the legends that are also in spring training. Lewis noted, “Everyone really appreciated me asking questions, and I had guys over here like Nelson (Cruz) and Rod Carew, just everyone helping me out. Schoopy (Jonathan Schoop), CJ (Cron),, they all just talked to me and I was very appreciative of it.” Rod Carew was in his ear frequently, and Lewis took in every bit of information. For instance, when asked what he learned from talking with Tony Oliva and Rod Carew, Lewis said, “That if I bunt, I’ll raise my batting average about 40 points so I might bunt a little bit more this year.” Yes, they talked about more than just bunting. He continued, “But just a lot about hitting and little things about the game. I sat next to him for three straight games, and basically every game, but basically three straight games of him in my ear about every pitch. I wasn’t even looking at the game like that. I was looking at it like just a normal fun game. There’s a lot more to it.” It sounds as if Lewis is very near a return to the field. An oblique injury cost him most of spring training, in terms of games. Before he had learned about being re-assigned, I had asked him if he was disappointed about not being able to play in the games. Obviously he wanted to play and be healthy, but he said he wasn’t disappointed at all. He knew his job was to get himself ready for the 140 game season and even though he couldn't play, he loved the opportunity and took advantage of everything that big league camp has to offer. His manager was also impressed with Lewis during spring training. “Royce could not have made his camp any better than it was. Obviously we all wish and especially Royce wishes that he was out there playing and running around and showing us all what he could do but we know the injury happened and he did not pout, he did not waste a day here. He got all of his work done. He got a chance to spend time with a lot of very important and helpful people. He used this camp to learn and grow and I think he accomplished that and then some.” Lewis will be at minor league camp on Monday. On Monday and Tuesday, the minor leaguers will have their morning workouts. In the afternoon, the “Rochester” roster will scrimmage the “Pensacola” roster. Also the “Ft. Myers” roster will scrimmage the “Cedar Rapids” roster. On Wednesday, the teams will start playing their schedule against other organizations. That is when they are targeting Lewis getting into a game. He is feeling “good. I think we just wanted to take care of it just because it was spring training. It was something mild. We just wanted to make sure it was not going to linger on throughout the whole season and create a disaster for me.” Along with staying healthy, Lewis doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. When asked about his goals for the upcoming season, he said, “I think every player thinks about where they’re going to play and stuff, but honestly it’s not in my hands. All I can control is my controllables and my main goal this year is to create a routine off the field that makes me prepare well for on the field each and every day so I can be healthy and not deal with an oblique or a hamstring or anything crazy, so I can play at my highest level.” NOTES FROM ACROSS THE PARKING LOT I was able to spend about two hours observing at minor league spring training camp before the Twins-Blue Jays game on Monday afternoon. Here are a few notes. The Twins signed former MLB catcher Willin Rosario to a minor league contract. He hasn’t played in affiliated ball since 2015. He has played in both Korea and Japan. However, he has played very little behind the plate. On Sunday at spring training, he spent the day in catcher’s gear and catching bullpens when he wasn’t hitting. Michael Davis was the Twins 24th round draft pick in 2018 out of Texas Tech where he had played on two College World Series competing teams. He hit ten home runs after the draft last year (9 in Cedar Rapids) while playing shortstop most games. This spring, he is also catching. In a brief conversation with him on Sunday afternoon, he noted that he’s going to work as a super-utility player this spring and into this season. He will catch, but he will presumably continue to play around the infield as well. The weather in Ft. Myers on Sunday was brutal. Not Minnesota brutal. Trust me, I am happy to be away from the snow and seeing green grass. But it was 84 degrees and very humid. Many of the minor leaguers pointed out how humid it was. However, in a brief conversation with outfielder Aaron Whitefield, he pointed out that when he left Australia last month, it was 120 degrees there. Yikes! On Monday, Brusdar Graterol threw a bullpen. He tells me that he will be pitching in a minor league. Griffin Jax and Regi Grace were working the bullpen next to each other. I talked to Grace later in the morning, and he said that he has been at the academy since January 7th already. The academy has certainly allowed for players to come in and get work in when they are from areas of the country that are cold or a community that just doesn’t have the facilities needed. While the Twins played the Tigers on Monday afternoon, the minor leaguers were participating in their first scrimmage of the year. After four days of workouts, the “Rochester” roster played the “Pensacola” roster, and the “Miracle” roster took on the “Kernels” roster. I will be in attendance on Tuesday when they scrimmage again. On Wednesday, the Rochester and Pensacola rosters will travel to Port Charlotte to take on the AAA and AA affiliates of the Rays. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have.
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“Growing up, I loved the game and being around it. I played pretty much 24/7; playing fall ball, playing spring ball, and in the winter, I was usually doing something related to baseball.” Michael Helman was born 22 years ago in Lincoln, Nebraska. While football is life in Lincoln (yes, even now), baseball was the sport for Helman. While he did play basketball and football, once he got to high school, it was all baseball all the time. But that started when he was young. Helman notes, “When I was a kid, I was watching baseball movies all the time. I was watching Roy Hobbs and The Natural, and Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner. I always had a passion for the game.” It was a passion that was shared in his home. “I was always playing catch with my dad, and I have a twin brother. We always played on the same teams. Even where we used to live, there was a cruddy little baseball field behind our house. We got out there a lot to play catch and our dad would throw to us. It was fun. I loved baseball, and it was how I grew up. I had a dream to make it one day.” He also appreciates his youth coaches for continually pushing him on the field and driving his passion. “Growing up, I played some travel baseball. Probably second grade to eighth grade. I had some great coaches, and I have to thank them for the kind of ballplayer and person that they made me into.” In Lincoln, most baseball fans are Kansas City Royals fans. It is the nearest MLB team to the city, but also the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate is in Omaha. Helman was a Royals fan, but not solely a Royals fan. “I was a Royals fan by default, and then I was also a Twins fan for awhile just because I have a twin brother. So we followed the Twins for a while. Actually I grew up being a Mets fans. Kind of weird. I loved Mike Piazza. ” Helman went to Lincoln’s Pius X High School. Baseball in Lincoln may not be as strong as in Omaha, but there have been several players to go to Division I schools and more playing at Division II schools, or other colleges. Speaking of Omaha, while Helman didn’t get the chance to play in the College World Series, it is an event that he has attended most years. “I would go almost every year. I went when I was in junior college. This past year, even though we didn’t make the College World Series, I was still able to go to some games. It’s like a carnival there.” Upon graduation from high school, Helman made the decision to head south and play baseball at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas. Despite a solid career in high school, Helman found himself without any college offers. He added, “The only reason I got hooked up with Hutch was because a kid that went to my high school went there and then went to the University of Nebraska. He called them up and said ‘Hey, take a look at this kid.’ They invited me to a camp, and they happened to have one spot open. They offered me a spot on the team, and I took that.” Whatever the reason, Helman took full advantage of the opportunity presented to him. As a freshman, he hit .416/.473/.654 (1.127) with 20 doubles and nine home runs in 57 games. The next year, he played 60 games and hit .487/.567/.829 (1.329) with 17 doubles and 17 home runs.In addition, he walked 34 times and struck out just 13 times that season. Despite such gaudy numbers, Helman went undrafted. Scouts were there to watch his teammate, pitcher Nolan Hoffman. He filled out the questionnaires and sat down with scouts, but nothing too major. During the draft, he did receive some phone calls, but by then he was pretty set on going to Texas A&M. He had several Division I offers, but he knew he wanted to play for the Aggies. A fellow Lincoln native Logan Foster was heading there, and so was Hutchinson teammate Nolan Hoffman (who was drafted in the fifth round by the Mariners in 2018). In addition, one of Texas A&M coaches had gone to high school at Lincoln Southeast High School and the University of Nebraska. That coach is Jeff Christy who was the sixth-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2006. He played in the Twins organization through the 2009 season and reached the Triple-A level. “It was nice to have guys I was familiar with at A&M.The coaches at Hutch really helped me out with everything. Coach Ryan Schmidt, he was great through the whole process and stuck with me the whole way, and I’m glad it worked out at Texas A&M..” His junior, and sole, season, at Texas A&M, Helman played in 61 games. He hit .369/.452/.520 (.972) with 15 doubles and six home runs. This time, Helman was ready to make the jump to pro ball. He noted, “I knew I wanted to play professional ball once I got to A&M, and I knew A&M was a great place to get more looks and have that opportunity.” Greg Runser is the Twins area scout for southeast Texas and Louisiana. He was in occasional contact with Helman. But there were several other teams that expressed interest as well. Helman said, “Close to the draft day, I know I got calls from him and calls from a bunch of other teams. It looked like the Rockies were probably most interested, and they were planning on taking me anywhere from the third to seventh round. Obviously that didn’t happen.” Helman fell to the 11th round, and the Twins were thrilled to take him with the first pick of the third day. In a story in the Lincoln Journal-Star, Helman noticed that he had likely been drafted thanks to social media and a familiar Twins website he follows. He told the newspaper, The Twins sent Helman to Elizabethton to begin his career. He was excited to get going. He thought that the time in Elizabethton was beneficial just in terms of getting back into the proverbial swing of things. “The Twins ended up coming through, and I was glad to start my professional career. I was definitely trying to get back into it because I hadn’t played for a month and a half while we were waiting for Trevor Larnach (to sign). It was nice to get back into it and see that pitching. There were a lot of good arms there, though it was all stuff that I’ve seen before. It just took time to adjust again.” It didn’t take him long to adjust at all. He played just twelve games and got just 40 at-bats in Tennessee. He hit .375 (1.010 OPS) with a triple and two home runs. In early August, Helman was surprised that he was promoted to Cedar Rapids. He made an assumption that he would spend the remainder of the season in E-Town. “Honestly, I was playing maybe three times a week. I wasn’t planning on getting called up. I brought my car to Tennessee so I could drive back home. After I got called up, my dad flew to Tennessee and drove my car up to Cedar Rapids. I was pretty shocked when I got called up. I didn’t figure I’d be up there that quick, after just 12 games, and ended up playing every single day, which was an adjustment for me. It was great.” It’s not unusual for college players to play every other day in Elizabethton as they re-adjust to playing after time off between their college season, the draft and signing. But once he got to the Kernels, he was in the lineup almost every day. And, he had fans in the stands. “It was great to be there. It was a little closer to home so my family could come up and watch. It just felt a little more like home. The competition definitely upped itself a little bit once I got to Cedar Rapids, but nothing too drastic changing from Rookie to Low A.” Soon after, the Kernels had four members of the 2018 Twins draft on its roster. First-round pick Trevor Larnach played right field most days. Second-round pick Ryan Jeffers split time catching and at DH. Helman played second base, and 25th-round pick Michael Davis played shortstop. All four found success and helped push the team forward as they prepared for the Midwest League playoffs. The four players fit in and got to know each other. “It was great to help out the team and do our jobs, to be team players. We all just kind of clicked together and we all feed off of each other, hitting the ball and on defense. We hang out together all the time, and being around those guys is great.” Helman contributed strongly in the middle of the lineup. In his 27 games with the Kernels, he hit .355/.398/.486 (.884) with six double and two home runs. As a hitter, Helman tries to keep it simple and put the ball in play. “My whole life I’ve loved swinging the bat. My whole approach at the plate has been established through my junior college play and at Texas A&M. I just figure, put the ball in play and anything can happen.” How about power? Could he add some power to his game? Helman insists. “I say I have a little power, it just hasn’t been unleashed yet. I pretty much spray the ball to all parts of the field. I’m just trying to drive the ball, and sometimes I hit the ball on the ground in a hole and can beat it out. Bunt for hits. I just compete, a scrappy player, I would say.” Defensively, he has primarily played second base the last few years, and it is a position at which he is continuing to gain confidence. “I played one game at shortstop in E-Town. It wasn’t bad, it was just getting readjusted to it because I played a little shortstop in high school. But my whole life, I was a catcher. The first time I played second base consistently was at Hutchinson. I got recruited as a second baseman, and I got drafted as a second baseman. I’m really comfortable over there. I enjoy being over there. I’m willing to play anywhere, outfield ,left side of the infield, but most comfortable at second base.” He continued, “I definitely need to work on my defense a little bit. I’ve only been playing second base for three years. There’s always room to get better in every part of my game, defense, base running, anything like that.” Helman is a very competitive, very talented player who works really hard on the field, something he considers his biggest strength right now. “I would say it’s my ability to compete, not necessarily in the box, but even making plays in the field, making the routine ones, laying out for balls that are borderline, and helping the team in any way that I can.” Away from the game, you won’t be surprised to read one of his favorite things to do. “I play Fortnite with my roommates. I love playing Fortnite. He will spend a large part of his offseason back at College Station. Winter in Texas is generally a bit warmer than in Lincoln. He’ll be able to play catch outside, take ground balls and hit on the field. But he will head back home to Nebraska a few times during the offseason. “I really want to get back to Lincoln and see a Husker football game because I’m a die-hard Husker football fan at heart. Even though they’re not playing well, things are crazy, it’s a great atmosphere.” Helman just returned from his first Instructional League. Now he’ll enjoy his first offseason as a professional baseball player. He’ll work out for baseball, and he’ll play a lot of Fortnite.
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While Twins 2018 draft pick Michael Helman is just 22-years-old, baseball has kept him on the move in recent years. The infielder from Lincoln, Nebraska, has played in Hutchinson (Kansas), College Station (Texas), Elizabethton (Tennessee), and Cedar Rapids (Iowa). And, he just completed his first camp in Ft. Myers (Florida). Recently, Twins Daily caught up with the talented second base prospect and 11th round pick in 2018. Get to know a little more about him on and off the field.“Growing up, I loved the game and being around it. I played pretty much 24/7; playing fall ball, playing spring ball, and in the winter, I was usually doing something related to baseball.” Michael Helman was born 22 years ago in Lincoln, Nebraska. While football is life in Lincoln (yes, even now), baseball was the sport for Helman. While he did play basketball and football, once he got to high school, it was all baseball all the time. But that started when he was young. Helman notes, “When I was a kid, I was watching baseball movies all the time. I was watching Roy Hobbs and The Natural, and Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner. I always had a passion for the game.” It was a passion that was shared in his home. “I was always playing catch with my dad, and I have a twin brother. We always played on the same teams. Even where we used to live, there was a cruddy little baseball field behind our house. We got out there a lot to play catch and our dad would throw to us. It was fun. I loved baseball, and it was how I grew up. I had a dream to make it one day.” He also appreciates his youth coaches for continually pushing him on the field and driving his passion. “Growing up, I played some travel baseball. Probably second grade to eighth grade. I had some great coaches, and I have to thank them for the kind of ballplayer and person that they made me into.” In Lincoln, most baseball fans are Kansas City Royals fans. It is the nearest MLB team to the city, but also the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate is in Omaha. Helman was a Royals fan, but not solely a Royals fan. “I was a Royals fan by default, and then I was also a Twins fan for awhile just because I have a twin brother. So we followed the Twins for a while. Actually I grew up being a Mets fans. Kind of weird. I loved Mike Piazza. ” Helman went to Lincoln’s Pius X High School. Baseball in Lincoln may not be as strong as in Omaha, but there have been several players to go to Division I schools and more playing at Division II schools, or other colleges. Speaking of Omaha, while Helman didn’t get the chance to play in the College World Series, it is an event that he has attended most years. “I would go almost every year. I went when I was in junior college. This past year, even though we didn’t make the College World Series, I was still able to go to some games. It’s like a carnival there.” Upon graduation from high school, Helman made the decision to head south and play baseball at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas. Despite a solid career in high school, Helman found himself without any college offers. He added, “The only reason I got hooked up with Hutch was because a kid that went to my high school went there and then went to the University of Nebraska. He called them up and said ‘Hey, take a look at this kid.’ They invited me to a camp, and they happened to have one spot open. They offered me a spot on the team, and I took that.” Whatever the reason, Helman took full advantage of the opportunity presented to him. As a freshman, he hit .416/.473/.654 (1.127) with 20 doubles and nine home runs in 57 games. The next year, he played 60 games and hit .487/.567/.829 (1.329) with 17 doubles and 17 home runs.In addition, he walked 34 times and struck out just 13 times that season. Despite such gaudy numbers, Helman went undrafted. Scouts were there to watch his teammate, pitcher Nolan Hoffman. He filled out the questionnaires and sat down with scouts, but nothing too major. During the draft, he did receive some phone calls, but by then he was pretty set on going to Texas A&M. He had several Division I offers, but he knew he wanted to play for the Aggies. A fellow Lincoln native Logan Foster was heading there, and so was Hutchinson teammate Nolan Hoffman (who was drafted in the fifth round by the Mariners in 2018). In addition, one of Texas A&M coaches had gone to high school at Lincoln Southeast High School and the University of Nebraska. That coach is Jeff Christy who was the sixth-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2006. He played in the Twins organization through the 2009 season and reached the Triple-A level. “It was nice to have guys I was familiar with at A&M.The coaches at Hutch really helped me out with everything. Coach Ryan Schmidt, he was great through the whole process and stuck with me the whole way, and I’m glad it worked out at Texas A&M..” His junior, and sole, season, at Texas A&M, Helman played in 61 games. He hit .369/.452/.520 (.972) with 15 doubles and six home runs. This time, Helman was ready to make the jump to pro ball. He noted, “I knew I wanted to play professional ball once I got to A&M, and I knew A&M was a great place to get more looks and have that opportunity.” Greg Runser is the Twins area scout for southeast Texas and Louisiana. He was in occasional contact with Helman. But there were several other teams that expressed interest as well. Helman said, “Close to the draft day, I know I got calls from him and calls from a bunch of other teams. It looked like the Rockies were probably most interested, and they were planning on taking me anywhere from the third to seventh round. Obviously that didn’t happen.” Helman fell to the 11th round, and the Twins were thrilled to take him with the first pick of the third day. In a story in the Lincoln Journal-Star, Helman noticed that he had likely been drafted thanks to social media and a familiar Twins website he follows. He told the newspaper, The Twins sent Helman to Elizabethton to begin his career. He was excited to get going. He thought that the time in Elizabethton was beneficial just in terms of getting back into the proverbial swing of things. “The Twins ended up coming through, and I was glad to start my professional career. I was definitely trying to get back into it because I hadn’t played for a month and a half while we were waiting for Trevor Larnach (to sign). It was nice to get back into it and see that pitching. There were a lot of good arms there, though it was all stuff that I’ve seen before. It just took time to adjust again.” It didn’t take him long to adjust at all. He played just twelve games and got just 40 at-bats in Tennessee. He hit .375 (1.010 OPS) with a triple and two home runs. In early August, Helman was surprised that he was promoted to Cedar Rapids. He made an assumption that he would spend the remainder of the season in E-Town. “Honestly, I was playing maybe three times a week. I wasn’t planning on getting called up. I brought my car to Tennessee so I could drive back home. After I got called up, my dad flew to Tennessee and drove my car up to Cedar Rapids. I was pretty shocked when I got called up. I didn’t figure I’d be up there that quick, after just 12 games, and ended up playing every single day, which was an adjustment for me. It was great.” It’s not unusual for college players to play every other day in Elizabethton as they re-adjust to playing after time off between their college season, the draft and signing. But once he got to the Kernels, he was in the lineup almost every day. And, he had fans in the stands. “It was great to be there. It was a little closer to home so my family could come up and watch. It just felt a little more like home. The competition definitely upped itself a little bit once I got to Cedar Rapids, but nothing too drastic changing from Rookie to Low A.” Soon after, the Kernels had four members of the 2018 Twins draft on its roster. First-round pick Trevor Larnach played right field most days. Second-round pick Ryan Jeffers split time catching and at DH. Helman played second base, and 25th-round pick Michael Davis played shortstop. All four found success and helped push the team forward as they prepared for the Midwest League playoffs. The four players fit in and got to know each other. “It was great to help out the team and do our jobs, to be team players. We all just kind of clicked together and we all feed off of each other, hitting the ball and on defense. We hang out together all the time, and being around those guys is great.” Helman contributed strongly in the middle of the lineup. In his 27 games with the Kernels, he hit .355/.398/.486 (.884) with six double and two home runs. As a hitter, Helman tries to keep it simple and put the ball in play. “My whole life I’ve loved swinging the bat. My whole approach at the plate has been established through my junior college play and at Texas A&M. I just figure, put the ball in play and anything can happen.” How about power? Could he add some power to his game? Helman insists. “I say I have a little power, it just hasn’t been unleashed yet. I pretty much spray the ball to all parts of the field. I’m just trying to drive the ball, and sometimes I hit the ball on the ground in a hole and can beat it out. Bunt for hits. I just compete, a scrappy player, I would say.” Defensively, he has primarily played second base the last few years, and it is a position at which he is continuing to gain confidence. “I played one game at shortstop in E-Town. It wasn’t bad, it was just getting readjusted to it because I played a little shortstop in high school. But my whole life, I was a catcher. The first time I played second base consistently was at Hutchinson. I got recruited as a second baseman, and I got drafted as a second baseman. I’m really comfortable over there. I enjoy being over there. I’m willing to play anywhere, outfield ,left side of the infield, but most comfortable at second base.” He continued, “I definitely need to work on my defense a little bit. I’ve only been playing second base for three years. There’s always room to get better in every part of my game, defense, base running, anything like that.” Helman is a very competitive, very talented player who works really hard on the field, something he considers his biggest strength right now. “I would say it’s my ability to compete, not necessarily in the box, but even making plays in the field, making the routine ones, laying out for balls that are borderline, and helping the team in any way that I can.” Away from the game, you won’t be surprised to read one of his favorite things to do. “I play Fortnite with my roommates. I love playing Fortnite. He will spend a large part of his offseason back at College Station. Winter in Texas is generally a bit warmer than in Lincoln. He’ll be able to play catch outside, take ground balls and hit on the field. But he will head back home to Nebraska a few times during the offseason. “I really want to get back to Lincoln and see a Husker football game because I’m a die-hard Husker football fan at heart. Even though they’re not playing well, things are crazy, it’s a great atmosphere.” Helman just returned from his first Instructional League. Now he’ll enjoy his first offseason as a professional baseball player. He’ll work out for baseball, and he’ll play a lot of Fortnite. Click here to view the article
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- michael helman
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The Twins have had a bit of success in recent years with four-year college draft picks. Brian Dozier played four years at Southern Mississippi before the Twins made him their 8th round pick in 2009. Mitch Garver played four years at New Mexico before the Twins made him their 9th round pick in 2013. Hey, Trevor Hildenberger spent five seasons at Cal-Berkeley, and didn’t pitch much until his last two years, and the Twins made him their 22nd round pick in 2014. In the 2018 MLB Draft, the Twins selected several more college seniors and will now give them the opportunity. While Chris Williams (8th round, Clemson) was our choice for short-season Minor League Hitter of the Year for his work in Elizabethton, 24th round pick Michael Davis made a strong first impression in the Twins organization this summer. Could he be one of those seniors who gets pushed and winds up in the big leagues? Time will tell. Recently we caught up with the shortstop to get to know him.Michael Davis grew up in west Texas, in the city of Lubbock. That is football country, to be sure, but there is a lot of great baseball. In fact, Davis noted that the Little League team the year before him went to the Little League World Series. His team finished one game shy of playing in Williamsport. Davis played some football into his high school years, but it was baseball that he loved. It was baseball that he loved to play, all the time. “I didn’t watch a lot of baseball growing up. I didn’t watch too much TV. I lived in a neighborhood where I had 13 buddies that we would play wiffle ball or some other sport. We went to a few Rangers games, it was fun. I wasn’t really glued to the TV. I cheered for them when they made their World Series run, but same with the Astros. I like the teams from Texas. That’s just kind of the way it’s always been for me.” Out of high school, Davis had some thoughts of going to a junior college. He had several offers and often thought it might be fun to leave home for a bit, but in the end, he stayed right in Lubbock and played four years for Texas Tech. As a freshman, he was a part-time player, splitting time around the infield. As a sophomore, he earned playing time nearly every game. He responded with a 20-double season. As a junior, he started seeing and talking to more scouts. He noted, “All the teams kind of talk to you and want to get to know you, and the teams were interested. They said I had a good arm, and I could play infield.” Teams told him that there was a chance that he could be drafted. Unfortunately, a late-season injury cut his season short and he ended up going undrafted. He returned for his senior season and really put together a terrific season. He hit .281/371/.524 (.895) with 18 doubles and 12 home runs. The 12 home runs was one more than he had hit over his previous three seasons. But even more than his individual success, Texas Tech returned to Omaha to play in the College World Series. It was a great way to end his college career. “I enjoyed it so much more the second time. Instead of taking phone pictures of everything, I was just able to take it all in.” Scouts were a bit different during his senior season. “The first question is ‘Do you want to keep playing baseball?’ Yeah. I do. And then just hoping the right team finds you.” The Twins liked him and took him in the 24th round of this past June’s draft. The Twins area scout is Trevor Brown. Davis said, “Trevor had called me a few days before, and talked to me a little bit about it. He said ‘We’ll see what happens.’ A couple other teams had done that also.We were actually at practice and just finished when that round came up. Trevor called me probably 30 seconds after (the pick) and talked to me for five or six minutes. I went in and celebrated with my teammates. Then I think we had three or four more guys got off the board in the next four rounds.” At that point, it was a bit of a whirlwind for awhile. Following the College World Series, Davis signed. He went to Ft. Myers briefly before joining the Elizabethton Twins. He played just three games for the E-Twins before being promoted to Cedar Rapids where he was able to spend the final seven weeks and the playoffs with the Kernels. Davis’s biggest worry at that time might surprise you. “Trying to find some wood bats. That’s what I was focused on, making sure I had a couple to hit with after I got moved.” But Davis, already 22 years old, was ready for the challenge. “It was quick, but I was ready for it. When I got to Elizabethton, I felt like I was playing with college kids. When I got moved up, I thought the same thing. They would have me here if they didn’t believe in me. Got there and just went after it.” Shortly after his arrival, the Kernels went on a bit of tear and carried it into the playoffs where they won a series before losing in the Midwest League Western Division championship series. After doing a lot of winning at Texas Tech, being part of a winning team in his professional debut was something Davis really enjoyed. “Awesome. We got on a huge hot streak. It was hard for us to lose. We won 16 or 17 out of 20. That’s more fun, I think. You don’t even worry about making the postseason or playoffs. You just go and play. To do it with those guys, that’s a lot of fun.” While he struggled with some swing-and-miss early in his time with the Kernels, he really turned it on late and provided a lot of power near the bottom of the lineup. In his 42 games in Cedar Rapids, he hit .294/.327/.559 (.886) with nine doubles, a triple and nine home runs. Steve Buhr The increased power that he showcased in his senior season at Texas Tech carried over into his pro debut. He credited his maturity and adjustments in college, but also showed appreciation for his Kernels coaching staff. “I think it has a lot to do with both. My knowledge of hitting is much higher. With the Twins, Dink (Brian Dinkelman) and Toby (Gardenhire) were able to help in a short period of time. They worked with me to find something that was comfortable and worked well for me. You get on a role that’s really nice to have. I think my consistency was getting better. I wasn’t necessarily getting a hit every time, but I was making more hard contact instead of striking out.” After playing around the infield in college, primarily at second base, Davis stepped right into the Kernels lineup at shortstop and played there the rest of the season. He thinks that his defense might be his biggest strength right now, but he also thinks his time at Texas Tech has really prepared him for this next challenge, professional baseball. “Probably playing defense right now. Just having a knowledge of the game. When you get to play four years at a college, you learn so many things and do so many things. Bringing that, and my ability to play defense at a pretty high level. You always want to say Hitting, but hitting comes and goes as a strength. I think it’s something I’ll continue to grown on and hopefully I’ll continue to get better.” While he played short, he’s fully aware that Royce Lewis is in the system. He sees that as a good thing. “It’s not always the easiest thing to have a guy like Royce Lewis in front of you, but I see it as a blessing because I know they believe I’ll get a chance as I’m doing the right thing for the organization.” But it will also be important for him to play around the field and provide himself, and the organization, with options to keep him moving on up. “I’ve played third a little bit throughout college here and there, but I’m comfortable anywhere you want to put me. I may not be the best out in centerfield, but Akil (Baddoo) does pretty well out there. If you need me to go stand out there because something happened, I can do it. I’m not nervous about playing anywhere. But I am really comfortable playing in the middle of the field and that’s where I want to stay.” Steve Buhr It is middle infielders that Davis enjoys watching and tries to emulate as well. “I really enjoy watching Brandon Crawford play defense. I think the way he does it is really hard for anybody to emulate, and he does it at such a high level. I see myself similar to Jed Lowrie of a Ben Zobrist. I can play around the field. I’m not going to Wow you with any numbers, but I can play the game the right way and play hard.” Davis is looking forward to his first offseason from baseball. It’s not something that college players are really used to. He’s got a lot of questions on how to handle his time off, but he’s got the right idea. “I think just everything that they had me build on once I got to Cedar Rapids. The working out aspect. Making sure I’m doing it the right way, the way they want me to do it. And also just taking care of myself and knowing my limits. It’s a little different than college baseball where you play in the fall and the spring, and then you can play summer ball. You can kind of play all year round. I’ve kind of had breaks like this before, but not for four to five months. So, trying to get ideas on what guys do in the offseason and asking questions and making sure I’m staying on top of things.” And in his spare time, his time away from the game of baseball, Davis enjoys doing something that a lot of Minnesotans can relate to. “I’m an avid hunter. I really love to hunt and be out at my buddy’s ranch. Work on guns. Anything hunting wise, you can pretty much count me in on it.” 2018 was a pretty special year for Michael Davis. He returned to college and played in his second World Series. He was drafted in the MLB Draft. He played really well in his pro debut and helped a winning team. It was certainly a nice block upon which to build. Click here to view the article
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- michael davis
- mitch garver
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Michael Davis grew up in west Texas, in the city of Lubbock. That is football country, to be sure, but there is a lot of great baseball. In fact, Davis noted that the Little League team the year before him went to the Little League World Series. His team finished one game shy of playing in Williamsport. Davis played some football into his high school years, but it was baseball that he loved. It was baseball that he loved to play, all the time. “I didn’t watch a lot of baseball growing up. I didn’t watch too much TV. I lived in a neighborhood where I had 13 buddies that we would play wiffle ball or some other sport. We went to a few Rangers games, it was fun. I wasn’t really glued to the TV. I cheered for them when they made their World Series run, but same with the Astros. I like the teams from Texas. That’s just kind of the way it’s always been for me.” Out of high school, Davis had some thoughts of going to a junior college. He had several offers and often thought it might be fun to leave home for a bit, but in the end, he stayed right in Lubbock and played four years for Texas Tech. As a freshman, he was a part-time player, splitting time around the infield. As a sophomore, he earned playing time nearly every game. He responded with a 20-double season. As a junior, he started seeing and talking to more scouts. He noted, “All the teams kind of talk to you and want to get to know you, and the teams were interested. They said I had a good arm, and I could play infield.” Teams told him that there was a chance that he could be drafted. Unfortunately, a late-season injury cut his season short and he ended up going undrafted. He returned for his senior season and really put together a terrific season. He hit .281/371/.524 (.895) with 18 doubles and 12 home runs. The 12 home runs was one more than he had hit over his previous three seasons. But even more than his individual success, Texas Tech returned to Omaha to play in the College World Series. It was a great way to end his college career. “I enjoyed it so much more the second time. Instead of taking phone pictures of everything, I was just able to take it all in.” Scouts were a bit different during his senior season. “The first question is ‘Do you want to keep playing baseball?’ Yeah. I do. And then just hoping the right team finds you.” The Twins liked him and took him in the 24th round of this past June’s draft. The Twins area scout is Trevor Brown. Davis said, “Trevor had called me a few days before, and talked to me a little bit about it. He said ‘We’ll see what happens.’ A couple other teams had done that also.We were actually at practice and just finished when that round came up. Trevor called me probably 30 seconds after (the pick) and talked to me for five or six minutes. I went in and celebrated with my teammates. Then I think we had three or four more guys got off the board in the next four rounds.” At that point, it was a bit of a whirlwind for awhile. Following the College World Series, Davis signed. He went to Ft. Myers briefly before joining the Elizabethton Twins. He played just three games for the E-Twins before being promoted to Cedar Rapids where he was able to spend the final seven weeks and the playoffs with the Kernels. Davis’s biggest worry at that time might surprise you. “Trying to find some wood bats. That’s what I was focused on, making sure I had a couple to hit with after I got moved.” But Davis, already 22 years old, was ready for the challenge. “It was quick, but I was ready for it. When I got to Elizabethton, I felt like I was playing with college kids. When I got moved up, I thought the same thing. They would have me here if they didn’t believe in me. Got there and just went after it.” Shortly after his arrival, the Kernels went on a bit of tear and carried it into the playoffs where they won a series before losing in the Midwest League Western Division championship series. After doing a lot of winning at Texas Tech, being part of a winning team in his professional debut was something Davis really enjoyed. “Awesome. We got on a huge hot streak. It was hard for us to lose. We won 16 or 17 out of 20. That’s more fun, I think. You don’t even worry about making the postseason or playoffs. You just go and play. To do it with those guys, that’s a lot of fun.” While he struggled with some swing-and-miss early in his time with the Kernels, he really turned it on late and provided a lot of power near the bottom of the lineup. In his 42 games in Cedar Rapids, he hit .294/.327/.559 (.886) with nine doubles, a triple and nine home runs. Steve Buhr The increased power that he showcased in his senior season at Texas Tech carried over into his pro debut. He credited his maturity and adjustments in college, but also showed appreciation for his Kernels coaching staff. “I think it has a lot to do with both. My knowledge of hitting is much higher. With the Twins, Dink (Brian Dinkelman) and Toby (Gardenhire) were able to help in a short period of time. They worked with me to find something that was comfortable and worked well for me. You get on a role that’s really nice to have. I think my consistency was getting better. I wasn’t necessarily getting a hit every time, but I was making more hard contact instead of striking out.” After playing around the infield in college, primarily at second base, Davis stepped right into the Kernels lineup at shortstop and played there the rest of the season. He thinks that his defense might be his biggest strength right now, but he also thinks his time at Texas Tech has really prepared him for this next challenge, professional baseball. “Probably playing defense right now. Just having a knowledge of the game. When you get to play four years at a college, you learn so many things and do so many things. Bringing that, and my ability to play defense at a pretty high level. You always want to say Hitting, but hitting comes and goes as a strength. I think it’s something I’ll continue to grown on and hopefully I’ll continue to get better.” While he played short, he’s fully aware that Royce Lewis is in the system. He sees that as a good thing. “It’s not always the easiest thing to have a guy like Royce Lewis in front of you, but I see it as a blessing because I know they believe I’ll get a chance as I’m doing the right thing for the organization.” But it will also be important for him to play around the field and provide himself, and the organization, with options to keep him moving on up. “I’ve played third a little bit throughout college here and there, but I’m comfortable anywhere you want to put me. I may not be the best out in centerfield, but Akil (Baddoo) does pretty well out there. If you need me to go stand out there because something happened, I can do it. I’m not nervous about playing anywhere. But I am really comfortable playing in the middle of the field and that’s where I want to stay.” Steve Buhr It is middle infielders that Davis enjoys watching and tries to emulate as well. “I really enjoy watching Brandon Crawford play defense. I think the way he does it is really hard for anybody to emulate, and he does it at such a high level. I see myself similar to Jed Lowrie of a Ben Zobrist. I can play around the field. I’m not going to Wow you with any numbers, but I can play the game the right way and play hard.” Davis is looking forward to his first offseason from baseball. It’s not something that college players are really used to. He’s got a lot of questions on how to handle his time off, but he’s got the right idea. “I think just everything that they had me build on once I got to Cedar Rapids. The working out aspect. Making sure I’m doing it the right way, the way they want me to do it. And also just taking care of myself and knowing my limits. It’s a little different than college baseball where you play in the fall and the spring, and then you can play summer ball. You can kind of play all year round. I’ve kind of had breaks like this before, but not for four to five months. So, trying to get ideas on what guys do in the offseason and asking questions and making sure I’m staying on top of things.” And in his spare time, his time away from the game of baseball, Davis enjoys doing something that a lot of Minnesotans can relate to. “I’m an avid hunter. I really love to hunt and be out at my buddy’s ranch. Work on guns. Anything hunting wise, you can pretty much count me in on it.” 2018 was a pretty special year for Michael Davis. He returned to college and played in his second World Series. He was drafted in the MLB Draft. He played really well in his pro debut and helped a winning team. It was certainly a nice block upon which to build.
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As we passed Labor Day, the minor league season has come to an end. Next week, we’ll start announcing the Twins Daily Minor League awards for 2018. This week, we will celebrate the strong performances from the season’s final month. It may be surprising that August marks the first time that we have a repeat winner for Hitter of the Month. It probably won’t surprise you to learn which player is the repeat winner. Previous Hitters of the Month for 2018: April 2018: Zander Wiel, Chattanooga Lookouts May 2018: Alex Kirilloff, Cedar Rapids Kernels June 2018: Luis Arraez, Ft. Myers Miracle July 2018: Ryan Jeffers, Cedar Rapids Kernels August 2018: See below...Let’s take a look at the Top 4 hitters for the month of August, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Luis Arraez - Chattanooga Lookouts - 28-81, .346/.393/.444 (.838) with two doubles and two homers.Colton Burns - Elizabethton Twins - 16-51, .314/.435/.627 (1.063) with four doubles and four home runs.Trevor Casanova - Elizabethton Twins - 19-52, .365/.397/.577 (.973) with five doubles, two homers, seven RBIs.Trevor Larnach - Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels - 30-105, .286/.364/.476 (.841), nine doubles, one triple, three homers, 12 RBIs.Luke Raley - Chattanooga Lookouts - 23-84, .274/.382/.440 (.823) with one double, two triples, three homers and 13 RBI.Ben Rodriguez - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 24-91, .264/.358/.462 (.819) with ten doubles, one triple, two homers and 20 RBIs.Ben Rortvedt - Ft. Myers Miracle - 16-56, .286/.344/.464 (.809) with five doubles, one triple, one homer and ten RBIs.THE TOP FOUR HITTERS Number 4 – Chattanooga Lookouts - Jaylin Davis - .290/.368/.473 (.841). 27-93 with five doubles, four home runs and 15 RBIs. 2018 has been a year of improvement for Jaylin Davis. He has dropped his strikeout rate some and increased his walk rate. He has successfully moved from High-A to Double-A. In the final week of August, Davis learned that he would be representing the Twins in the Arizona Fall League. While Davis is not a big man, he is incredibly strong and full of power potential. He will need to continue showing plate discipline and strike zone judgment, but he’s put himself in a good situation going into 2019. Number 3 - Cedar Rapids Kernels – 2B Michael Helman - .367/.407/.510 (.918), 36-98 with six doubles, one triple, two homers and 14 RBIs. The Twins were excited that Helman, a shortstop from Texas A&M, was available when they made their first pick on Day 3 of June’s draft. Since signing officially on the final day, he has primarily played second base. He has also been hitting pretty much from the start. In 12 games in Elizabethton, he hit .375. In 26 games with the Kernels, he has hit .359. Over his final seven games of the month, he hit .429 (12-for-28) with three doubles and a homer. He had 12 multi-hit games in 24 games played during the month including his first three (and four of his first five) of the month after being promoted. Number 2 - Cedar Rapids Kernels – SS Michael Davis - .289/.312/.578 (.890), 26-90 with six doubles, one triple, six homers and 21 RBIs. With how quickly Davis has adjusted to pro ball and life in the Midwest League, one can’t help but wonder how it is possible that Michael Davis was available to the Twins in the 24th round of this year’s draft. After just three games in Elizabethton, Davis was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he hasn’t missed a beat. While it could potentially be hard to maintain success with the 31 strikeouts/3 walk ratio he had in August, when you produce the kind of power he produced, it can be very impressive. Not only that, but he’s playing a solid shortstop as well. Over his final seven games of the month, Davis hit .519 (14-for-27) with a double, triple, homer and 15 RBIs, helping the Kernels earn their 2nd half division title. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Ft. Myers Miracle – OF Alex Kirilloff - .351/.387/.550 (.936), 39-111 with ten doubles, four homers and 16 RBIs. Kirilloff put together one of the best seasons in recent Twins minor league history. He was our choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month in May and now again in August. Interestingly, Kirilloff’s OPS for the month of August was under 1.000 for the first time since April. But he led the Miracle to a playoff berth on the last day of the season. He continued to provide doubles and added more home runs during the month than he had previously with the Miracle this year. The former first-round pick finished his first full season of playing as a professional with 44 doubles, seven triples, 20 home runs and 101 RBIs. We would like to congratulate Alex Kirilloff, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for August 2018. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions. Click here to view the article
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Let’s take a look at the Top 4 hitters for the month of August, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Luis Arraez - Chattanooga Lookouts - 28-81, .346/.393/.444 (.838) with two doubles and two homers. Colton Burns - Elizabethton Twins - 16-51, .314/.435/.627 (1.063) with four doubles and four home runs. Trevor Casanova - Elizabethton Twins - 19-52, .365/.397/.577 (.973) with five doubles, two homers, seven RBIs. Trevor Larnach - Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels - 30-105, .286/.364/.476 (.841), nine doubles, one triple, three homers, 12 RBIs. Luke Raley - Chattanooga Lookouts - 23-84, .274/.382/.440 (.823) with one double, two triples, three homers and 13 RBI. Ben Rodriguez - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 24-91, .264/.358/.462 (.819) with ten doubles, one triple, two homers and 20 RBIs. Ben Rortvedt - Ft. Myers Miracle - 16-56, .286/.344/.464 (.809) with five doubles, one triple, one homer and ten RBIs. THE TOP FOUR HITTERS Number 4 – Chattanooga Lookouts - Jaylin Davis - .290/.368/.473 (.841). 27-93 with five doubles, four home runs and 15 RBIs. 2018 has been a year of improvement for Jaylin Davis. He has dropped his strikeout rate some and increased his walk rate. He has successfully moved from High-A to Double-A. In the final week of August, Davis learned that he would be representing the Twins in the Arizona Fall League. While Davis is not a big man, he is incredibly strong and full of power potential. He will need to continue showing plate discipline and strike zone judgment, but he’s put himself in a good situation going into 2019. Number 3 - Cedar Rapids Kernels – 2B Michael Helman - .367/.407/.510 (.918), 36-98 with six doubles, one triple, two homers and 14 RBIs. The Twins were excited that Helman, a shortstop from Texas A&M, was available when they made their first pick on Day 3 of June’s draft. Since signing officially on the final day, he has primarily played second base. He has also been hitting pretty much from the start. In 12 games in Elizabethton, he hit .375. In 26 games with the Kernels, he has hit .359. Over his final seven games of the month, he hit .429 (12-for-28) with three doubles and a homer. He had 12 multi-hit games in 24 games played during the month including his first three (and four of his first five) of the month after being promoted. Number 2 - Cedar Rapids Kernels – SS Michael Davis - .289/.312/.578 (.890), 26-90 with six doubles, one triple, six homers and 21 RBIs. With how quickly Davis has adjusted to pro ball and life in the Midwest League, one can’t help but wonder how it is possible that Michael Davis was available to the Twins in the 24th round of this year’s draft. After just three games in Elizabethton, Davis was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he hasn’t missed a beat. While it could potentially be hard to maintain success with the 31 strikeouts/3 walk ratio he had in August, when you produce the kind of power he produced, it can be very impressive. Not only that, but he’s playing a solid shortstop as well. Over his final seven games of the month, Davis hit .519 (14-for-27) with a double, triple, homer and 15 RBIs, helping the Kernels earn their 2nd half division title. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Ft. Myers Miracle – OF Alex Kirilloff - .351/.387/.550 (.936), 39-111 with ten doubles, four homers and 16 RBIs. Kirilloff put together one of the best seasons in recent Twins minor league history. He was our choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month in May and now again in August. Interestingly, Kirilloff’s OPS for the month of August was under 1.000 for the first time since April. But he led the Miracle to a playoff berth on the last day of the season. He continued to provide doubles and added more home runs during the month than he had previously with the Miracle this year. The former first-round pick finished his first full season of playing as a professional with 44 doubles, seven triples, 20 home runs and 101 RBIs. We would like to congratulate Alex Kirilloff, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for August 2018. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions.
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Twins Minor League Report (8/27): Kernels Clinch Another Playoff Berth
Seth Stohs posted an article in Minors
Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Mondays, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS RHP Omar Bencomo was activated from the Lookouts DL. Clark Beeker was returned to the Miracle. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Syracuse 6 Box Score When Fernando Romero left the mound with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Red Wings held a 3-1 lead. Ryne Harper came on and allowed both inherited runners to score. Harper went another two innings after getting the third out of the sixth inning.He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out four in his 2 1/3 innings. Romero ended up giving up three runs on eight hits over his 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six without issuing a walk. Byron Buxton had a single and his ninth double in the game. He was the lone Red Wings batter with more than one hit. Johnny Field, Kennys Vargas and Juan Graterol each added a double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Jacksonville 1 Box Score Casey Crosby was the team’s “opener” on Monday. The left-hander gave up two hits and walked two over two shutout innings. He struck out three. Omar Bencomo went the next five innings to win for the eighth time this season. He gave up five hits without allowing a run. He walked none and struck out four. Devin Smeltzer pitched a scoreless eighth inning. He was charged with a run in the ninth inning and recorded one out. Cody Stashak got the final two outs to record his fourth save. Andy Wilkins had another strong game. He went 1-for-2 with two walks and his 10th home run. Brent Rooker drove in a run with his 32nd double. Jimmy Kerrigan’s sixth double drove in a run as well. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Bradenton 2 Box Score Brusdar Graterol turned 20 years old on Sunday. On Monday, he made his first start as an non-teenager. He threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked on and struck out six. Colton Davis came on and struck out three over the next 2 1/3 innings. He gave up no runs on no hits and no walks. He did hit one batter. Kevin Marnon recorded the save despite giving up two runs on three hits in the ninth inning for the save. Alex Kirilloff led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. He had RBI singles in his final two at-bats. Caleb Hamilton’s 18th double drove in the team’s first run. Aaron Whitefield was back in the leadoff spot and responded by going 2-for-4 with his sixth double. Royce Lewis was moved to the #3 spot in the lineup for this game. He went 0-4 and is now 5-for-48 (.104) in his last 12 games. Just a reminder, slumps can happen to anyone. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Kane County 1 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels will head to the Midwest League playoffs for the sixth straight season (also their sixth straight season as a Twins affiliate). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vtVpSiAYXg&feature=youtu.be Randy Dobnak has been a key starter for the Kernels throughout the season. With seven innings of one-run ball on Monday night, he earned his tenth win of the year. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out four. Jared Finkel worked the final two innings without allowing a run. He gave up one hit, walked two, hit one and struck one out. Michael Davis continued his impressive professional debut. On this night, the shortstop went 2-for-3 with his eighth home run and three runs driven in. In 36 games with the Kernels (he played three games for Elizabethton), the 24th round pick from Texas Tech has nine doubles and eight home runs. He is now hitting .292 as well. Victor Tademo, making his Midwest League debut, hit his first home run of the season. He had spent the majority of this season in extended spring training and in the GCL (though he also played a few games with the Miracle). E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton 6, Pulaski 2 Box Score The E-Twins are approaching the playoffs and got a strong all-around game on Monday night. Luis Rijo started and went just two innings, but he was perfect and struck out four. Brian Rapp worked the next three innings. He gave up two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three. Blair Lakso struck out four, and walked two, over three no-hit innings. Tanner Howell worked a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one. Jean Carlos Arias led the offense. He went 2-for-4 with a walk, his third triple, and his third stolen base. Jared Akins had two hits in three at bats. Trevor Casanova knocked his 14th double, and he had a walk. Ricky De La Torre doubled for the 10th time. https://twitter.com/Mike_Gally21/status/1034268746037243905 GCL TWINS TALK The GCL Twins season came to an end on Saturday. They finished with a 32-24 record which was 1 1/2 games behind the GCL South Division champion GCL Red Sox. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Michael Davis, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-3, HR(8), 3 RBI). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Brusdar Graterol, Ft. Myers Miracle (5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 IBB, 6 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - 3-4, 2 RBI #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K (88 pitches, 59 strikes) #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 1-4, K #5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Minnesota) - No game scheduled #6 - Trevor Larnach (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4 #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-4, 2B(32), RBI, R, K #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not pitch #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 1-4, R, RBI #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-3 #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did not pitch #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - Did not play #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - Out for the season (wrist) #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4 #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - 1-2, BB, R, RBI, K #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - Did not play #21 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 0-4 *Since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ Rochester (DH 4:05 CST) - RHP Zack Littell (5-6, 3.42 ERA), TBD Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (5-6, 3.44 ERA) Bradenton @ Ft. Myers (5:30 CST) - RHP Andro Cutura (4-6, 3.88 ERA) Cedar Rapids - No game scheduled Pulaski @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins - Season Completed Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s games, or ask any questions you may have.- 28 comments
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Following the 2012 season, the Minnesota Twins made the decision to end their time in Beloit. They worked out a Player Development Agreement with the Cedar Rapids Kernels starting in the 2013 season. On Monday night, the Kernels clinched a 2018 playoff berth with a win. It marks the sixth straight season (all six with the Twins) that the Kernels will be in the playoffs. Jake Mauer managed the first four teams. Tommy Watkins was there in 2017. Congratulations to Toby Gardenhire and his coaching staff on another strong, successful season in Iowa!Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Mondays, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS RHP Omar Bencomo was activated from the Lookouts DL. Clark Beeker was returned to the Miracle.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 3, Syracuse 6 Box Score When Fernando Romero left the mound with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Red Wings held a 3-1 lead. Ryne Harper came on and allowed both inherited runners to score. Harper went another two innings after getting the third out of the sixth inning.He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out four in his 2 1/3 innings. Romero ended up giving up three runs on eight hits over his 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six without issuing a walk. Byron Buxton had a single and his ninth double in the game. He was the lone Red Wings batter with more than one hit. Johnny Field, Kennys Vargas and Juan Graterol each added a double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Jacksonville 1 Box Score Casey Crosby was the team’s “opener” on Monday. The left-hander gave up two hits and walked two over two shutout innings. He struck out three. Omar Bencomo went the next five innings to win for the eighth time this season. He gave up five hits without allowing a run. He walked none and struck out four. Devin Smeltzer pitched a scoreless eighth inning. He was charged with a run in the ninth inning and recorded one out. Cody Stashak got the final two outs to record his fourth save. Andy Wilkins had another strong game. He went 1-for-2 with two walks and his 10th home run. Brent Rooker drove in a run with his 32nd double. Jimmy Kerrigan’s sixth double drove in a run as well. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Bradenton 2 Box Score Brusdar Graterol turned 20 years old on Sunday. On Monday, he made his first start as an non-teenager. He threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked on and struck out six. Colton Davis came on and struck out three over the next 2 1/3 innings. He gave up no runs on no hits and no walks. He did hit one batter. Kevin Marnon recorded the save despite giving up two runs on three hits in the ninth inning for the save. Alex Kirilloff led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. He had RBI singles in his final two at-bats. Caleb Hamilton’s 18th double drove in the team’s first run. Aaron Whitefield was back in the leadoff spot and responded by going 2-for-4 with his sixth double. Royce Lewis was moved to the #3 spot in the lineup for this game. He went 0-4 and is now 5-for-48 (.104) in his last 12 games. Just a reminder, slumps can happen to anyone. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Kane County 1 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels will head to the Midwest League playoffs for the sixth straight season (also their sixth straight season as a Twins affiliate). Randy Dobnak has been a key starter for the Kernels throughout the season. With seven innings of one-run ball on Monday night, he earned his tenth win of the year. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out four. Jared Finkel worked the final two innings without allowing a run. He gave up one hit, walked two, hit one and struck one out. Michael Davis continued his impressive professional debut. On this night, the shortstop went 2-for-3 with his eighth home run and three runs driven in. In 36 games with the Kernels (he played three games for Elizabethton), the 24th round pick from Texas Tech has nine doubles and eight home runs. He is now hitting .292 as well. Victor Tademo, making his Midwest League debut, hit his first home run of the season. He had spent the majority of this season in extended spring training and in the GCL (though he also played a few games with the Miracle). E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton 6, Pulaski 2 Box Score The E-Twins are approaching the playoffs and got a strong all-around game on Monday night. Luis Rijo started and went just two innings, but he was perfect and struck out four. Brian Rapp worked the next three innings. He gave up two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three. Blair Lakso struck out four, and walked two, over three no-hit innings. Tanner Howell worked a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one. Jean Carlos Arias led the offense. He went 2-for-4 with a walk, his third triple, and his third stolen base. Jared Akins had two hits in three at bats. Trevor Casanova knocked his 14th double, and he had a walk. Ricky De La Torre doubled for the 10th time. GCL TWINS TALK The GCL Twins season came to an end on Saturday. They finished with a 32-24 record which was 1 1/2 games behind the GCL South Division champion GCL Red Sox. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Michael Davis, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-3, HR(8), 3 RBI). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Brusdar Graterol, Ft. Myers Miracle (5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 IBB, 6 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - 3-4, 2 RBI #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K (88 pitches, 59 strikes) #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 1-4, K #5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Minnesota) - No game scheduled #6 - Trevor Larnach (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4 #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-4, 2B(32), RBI, R, K #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not pitch #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 1-4, R, RBI #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-3 #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did not pitch #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - Did not play #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - Out for the season (wrist) #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4 #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - 1-2, BB, R, RBI, K #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - Did not play #21 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 0-4 *Since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ Rochester (DH 4:05 CST) - RHP Zack Littell (5-6, 3.42 ERA), TBD Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (5-6, 3.44 ERA) Bradenton @ Ft. Myers (5:30 CST) - RHP Andro Cutura (4-6, 3.88 ERA) Cedar Rapids - No game scheduled Pulaski @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins - Season Completed Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article
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Not a ton of hits and runs to go around and only one really decent pitching performance all around, but the Top 20 prospects performed admirably. Take a look below.Transactions – Fort Myers placed Joe Cronin on the DL retroactive to July 24th with a sore wrist, and Victor Tademo was promoted from the GCL Twins to take his place. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0 @ Indianapolis 4 Box Score Rochester managed just four hits and could not keep Indianapolis off the board. LaMonte Wade and Andy Wilkins both had a double but outside of those two only Kennys Vargas and Jeremy Hazelbaker managed singles. Nick Gordon was 0-for-3 with a walk. Starter Fernando Romero went 7 2/3 innings, mostly cruising after giving up three runs in the first. He gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out a pair. Luke Bard recorded the final out for the Red Wings, striking out the only batter he faced. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Pensacola 4 @ Chattanooga 1 Box Score Chattanooga outhit Pensacola 7-6 but managed only one run and committed three errors, falling 4-1. Brent Rooker had a solid night, 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. No other hitter had multiple hits, but Chris Paul hit a solo home run as part of his 1-for-4 evening. Dietrich Enns was tagged with the loss, going seven innings and giving up just three hits and two runs. He struck out six. Andrew Vasquez went 1 inning and gave up another two runs (one earned) and struck out three. Sam Clay pitched a scoreless ninth. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 9 @ Dayton 8 Box Score Alex Kirilloff extended his hitting streak to ten games, going 3-for-5 with a run scored and a pair of RBIs as the designated hitter, helping the Miracle win an 11-inning squeaker. The Miracle scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to take the lead, but Daytona scored another run in the bottom half of the inning to force extras. Each team scored two runs in the 10th to keep the game alive, and Fort Myers took the lead for good scoring a run in the top of the 11th on a fielding error. Royce Lewis was 2-for-7 with a pair of runs scored. Taylor Grzelakowski had a huge night, 5-for-6 with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored. Ben Rodriguez had a pair of hits as well as part of his 2-for-6 night with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. While not terribly effective as a unit, giving up eight runs, the Miracle pitching staff did just enough to guide them to a win. Griffin Jax pitched the first four innings giving up five runs on five hits, striking out seven and walking none. Alex Robinson pitched two and gave up just one one, striking out four. Adam Bray pitched two more innings, giving up no hits, he walked one and struck out four. Ryan Mason earned a blown save and the win with two innings of three-run baseball. Colton Davis kept the Tortugas off the board in the eleventh inning earning his first save of the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 1 @ Cedar Rapids 9 Box Score Cedar Rapids gave the home crowd of 2,327 plenty to cheer about, drubbing the Lumberkings 9-1. The Kernels were led by Michael Davis who was 2-for-3 with two home runs and a walk. He scored two runs and contributed three RBIs. Jared Akins also had a pair of hits and three RBIs of his own. Starter Tyler Watson went seven innings and gave up just one run on three hits. He walked one and struck out nine. Jared Finkel pitched the final two innings, keeping Clinton hitless and he struck out a pair. Elizabethton Twins Talk Elizabethton 0 @ Burlington 5 Box Score The Twins struggled to hit and score runs on Thursday night. E-Town managed just three hits, one from Yunior Severino, one from Alex Robles, and one from Tyler Webb. None went for extra bases. As a team the Twins were just 3-for-30 with 3 walks and 5 strike outs. Starter Andrew Cabezas went six innings and gave up just two runs, one earned, scattering four hits. He struck out five and did not walk anyone. Tanner Howell replaced him for two innings and gave up three runs on three hits. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Rays 3 @ GCL Twins 1 Box Score The Twins fell behind early and couldn’t muster enough runs against the GCL Rays, falling 3-1. The GCL Twins managed just four hits, one each from Yeison Perez, Janigson Villalobos, Christian Cavaness and Estamy Urena. Twins started Landon Leach went five innings, giving up just a pair of hits and an unearned run, but left with the game tied and earned a no-decision. Denny Bentley was tagged with the loss after giving up a pair of runs in 1 1/3 innings, on three hits. Osiris German pitched a clean two-thirds innings and Junior Navas gave up four hits over two innings but kept the Rays off the board. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Watson, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Taylor Grzelakowski, Fort Myers TOP 20 PROSPECT PERFORMANCE 1. Royce Lewis (FM): 2-7, 2 R, 1 K 2. Alex Kirilloff (FM): 3-5, 1 R, 2 RBI 3. Brusdar Graterol (FM): Did not play 4. Nick Gordon (ROC): 0-4, 1 BB 5. Stephen Gonsalves (ROC): Did not play 6. Trevor Larnach (ET): 0-3, 1 BB 7. Brent Rooker (CHAT): 2-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K 8. Akil Baddoo (CR): 0-2, 1 RBI, 2 BB 9. Wander Javier: Out of for the season 10. Zack Littell (ROC): Did not play 11. Blayne Enlow (CR): Did not play 12. LaMonte Wade (ROC): 1-4, 1 2B, 1 K 13. Travis Blankenhorn (FM): 0-3, 1 K 14. Lewis Thorpe (CHAT): Did not play 15. Ben Rortvedt (FM): 1-4, 2 BB, 1 K 16. Yunior Severino (ET): 1-4, 1 K 17. Lewin Diaz (FM): Did not play 18. Ryan Jeffers (ET): Did not play 19. Jacob Pearson (CR): Did not play 20. Luis Arraez (CHAT): 1-4 FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester (6:00pm) – Zack Littell (1-4, 3.63) Chattanooga (7:15pm) – Lewis Thorpe (5-4, 3.89) Fort Myers (6:05pm) – Brusdar Graterol (1-2, 6.20) Cedar Rapids (7:35pm) – Bailey Ober (7-1, 3.88) Elizabethton (6:00pm) – TBD GCL Twins (11:00am) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday's games. Click here to view the article
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Transactions – Fort Myers placed Joe Cronin on the DL retroactive to July 24th with a sore wrist, and Victor Tademo was promoted from the GCL Twins to take his place. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0 @ Indianapolis 4 Box Score Rochester managed just four hits and could not keep Indianapolis off the board. LaMonte Wade and Andy Wilkins both had a double but outside of those two only Kennys Vargas and Jeremy Hazelbaker managed singles. Nick Gordon was 0-for-3 with a walk. Starter Fernando Romero went 7 2/3 innings, mostly cruising after giving up three runs in the first. He gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out a pair. Luke Bard recorded the final out for the Red Wings, striking out the only batter he faced. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Pensacola 4 @ Chattanooga 1 Box Score Chattanooga outhit Pensacola 7-6 but managed only one run and committed three errors, falling 4-1. Brent Rooker had a solid night, 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. No other hitter had multiple hits, but Chris Paul hit a solo home run as part of his 1-for-4 evening. Dietrich Enns was tagged with the loss, going seven innings and giving up just three hits and two runs. He struck out six. Andrew Vasquez went 1 inning and gave up another two runs (one earned) and struck out three. Sam Clay pitched a scoreless ninth. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 9 @ Dayton 8 Box Score Alex Kirilloff extended his hitting streak to ten games, going 3-for-5 with a run scored and a pair of RBIs as the designated hitter, helping the Miracle win an 11-inning squeaker. The Miracle scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to take the lead, but Daytona scored another run in the bottom half of the inning to force extras. Each team scored two runs in the 10th to keep the game alive, and Fort Myers took the lead for good scoring a run in the top of the 11th on a fielding error. Royce Lewis was 2-for-7 with a pair of runs scored. Taylor Grzelakowski had a huge night, 5-for-6 with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored. Ben Rodriguez had a pair of hits as well as part of his 2-for-6 night with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. While not terribly effective as a unit, giving up eight runs, the Miracle pitching staff did just enough to guide them to a win. Griffin Jax pitched the first four innings giving up five runs on five hits, striking out seven and walking none. Alex Robinson pitched two and gave up just one one, striking out four. Adam Bray pitched two more innings, giving up no hits, he walked one and struck out four. Ryan Mason earned a blown save and the win with two innings of three-run baseball. Colton Davis kept the Tortugas off the board in the eleventh inning earning his first save of the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 1 @ Cedar Rapids 9 Box Score Cedar Rapids gave the home crowd of 2,327 plenty to cheer about, drubbing the Lumberkings 9-1. The Kernels were led by Michael Davis who was 2-for-3 with two home runs and a walk. He scored two runs and contributed three RBIs. Jared Akins also had a pair of hits and three RBIs of his own. Starter Tyler Watson went seven innings and gave up just one run on three hits. He walked one and struck out nine. Jared Finkel pitched the final two innings, keeping Clinton hitless and he struck out a pair. Elizabethton Twins Talk Elizabethton 0 @ Burlington 5 Box Score The Twins struggled to hit and score runs on Thursday night. E-Town managed just three hits, one from Yunior Severino, one from Alex Robles, and one from Tyler Webb. None went for extra bases. As a team the Twins were just 3-for-30 with 3 walks and 5 strike outs. Starter Andrew Cabezas went six innings and gave up just two runs, one earned, scattering four hits. He struck out five and did not walk anyone. Tanner Howell replaced him for two innings and gave up three runs on three hits. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Rays 3 @ GCL Twins 1 Box Score The Twins fell behind early and couldn’t muster enough runs against the GCL Rays, falling 3-1. The GCL Twins managed just four hits, one each from Yeison Perez, Janigson Villalobos, Christian Cavaness and Estamy Urena. Twins started Landon Leach went five innings, giving up just a pair of hits and an unearned run, but left with the game tied and earned a no-decision. Denny Bentley was tagged with the loss after giving up a pair of runs in 1 1/3 innings, on three hits. Osiris German pitched a clean two-thirds innings and Junior Navas gave up four hits over two innings but kept the Rays off the board. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Watson, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Taylor Grzelakowski, Fort Myers TOP 20 PROSPECT PERFORMANCE 1. Royce Lewis (FM): 2-7, 2 R, 1 K 2. Alex Kirilloff (FM): 3-5, 1 R, 2 RBI 3. Brusdar Graterol (FM): Did not play 4. Nick Gordon (ROC): 0-4, 1 BB 5. Stephen Gonsalves (ROC): Did not play 6. Trevor Larnach (ET): 0-3, 1 BB 7. Brent Rooker (CHAT): 2-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K 8. Akil Baddoo (CR): 0-2, 1 RBI, 2 BB 9. Wander Javier: Out of for the season 10. Zack Littell (ROC): Did not play 11. Blayne Enlow (CR): Did not play 12. LaMonte Wade (ROC): 1-4, 1 2B, 1 K 13. Travis Blankenhorn (FM): 0-3, 1 K 14. Lewis Thorpe (CHAT): Did not play 15. Ben Rortvedt (FM): 1-4, 2 BB, 1 K 16. Yunior Severino (ET): 1-4, 1 K 17. Lewin Diaz (FM): Did not play 18. Ryan Jeffers (ET): Did not play 19. Jacob Pearson (CR): Did not play 20. Luis Arraez (CHAT): 1-4 FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester (6:00pm) – Zack Littell (1-4, 3.63) Chattanooga (7:15pm) – Lewis Thorpe (5-4, 3.89) Fort Myers (6:05pm) – Brusdar Graterol (1-2, 6.20) Cedar Rapids (7:35pm) – Bailey Ober (7-1, 3.88) Elizabethton (6:00pm) – TBD GCL Twins (11:00am) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday's games.
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Twins Minor League Report (7/10): Career Firsts Power E-Twins
Steve Lein posted an article in Minors
To find out how all your favorite prospects fared on Tuesday night, keep reading and be sure to discuss in the comments! TRANSACTIONS Just one transaction today as the the Twins sent starter Ervin Santana on assignment to Chattanooga to continue his rehab, and he pitched his best game so far on the comeback trail for them on Tuesday. RED WINGS REPORT No Game – Triple-A All-Star Break The Red Wings continue to enjoy their midsummer break. The International League will face off against the Pacific Coast League in Columbus, OH on Wednesday night. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Jacksonville 7 Box Score As mentioned, Ervin Santana got the rehab nod in this one and went the first five innings and 63 pitches (65.1% for strikes). He allowed two earned runs courtesy of a two-run home run in the fourth, but that would be it for the Jumbo Shrimp. He finished with just two hits allowed and struck out six. Five of those K’s came in the first two innings. Down 2-0 heading into the top of the fifth, the Lookouts tied the game with a two-run home run of their own. This came courtesy of Jordan Gore, his first in double-A. Sam Clay came on in the sixth and that’s when the game got away thanks to a couple of errors, including one on himself. All told he got two outs and allowed four runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks. Williams Ramirez finished the game with 2 1/3 innings. He allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out three. Chattanooga had just two other hits besides Gore’s home run on the game, with Brent Rooker going 1-for-4 with three K’s, and Zander Wiel 1-for-4 with a triple. As a team they were just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. MIRACLE MATTERS Palm Beach 14, Fort Myers 8 Box Score Down 8-3 at one point, the Miracle did storm back to tie this one heading into the ninth, but then it got away from them. Tom Hackimer was summoned from the bullpen to start the eighth inning and loaded the bases before escaping. Bringing him back out for the ninth after just tying the game was probably a bad idea. When it was done for Hackimer, utility man Joe Cronin was brought in to record the final two outs on the mound and six runs came around for the final score. Clark Beeker started for Fort Myers and was responsible for the Cardinals first five runs. In four innings he allowed those on two walks, eight hits including two homers, while striking out four. Alex Robinson allowed three runs on two hits and two walks in 2/3’s of an inning, striking out one. Hector Lujan settled things down for the next 2 1/3, allowing one hit and a walk along with two K’s. The initial comeback for the Miracle was sparked by a four-run seventh inning. Alex Kirilloff, Caleb Hamilton, and Taylor Grzelakowski all delivered RBI doubles in the frame. They tied it in the eighth thanks to a Cronin groundout after a walk from Aaron Whitefield to lead off the frame and a single from Travis Blankenhorn advanced him to third. Cronin finished the game as a batter with a run scored on two hits and two walks and drove in three. Lewin Diaz and Grzelakowski also collected multiple hits for the home team in the loss. KERNELS NUGGETS Scheduled Day Off It was a Midwest League travel day for The Kernels as they head back home to Cedar Rapids. They begin a six-game homestand on Wednesday against the Fort Wayne TinCaps, and finish against the Lake County Captains. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 15, Johnson City 1 Box Score Elizabethton took the early lead with two runs in the first, then piled it on from the fifth inning, blowing out their cross-county rival Johnson City in demoralizing fashion Tuesday night. 2018 second-round pick, Ryan Jeffers, got it started with a two-run home in the first inning, his first as a professional baseball player. In the fifth the Twins sent ten hitters into the batters box, and every possible one of them scored as they took control 9-1. The big hits included a two-RBI single from Michael Davis, a two-RBI double from Andrew Coscrove, and a solo home run from Albee Weiss. Three runs in the sixth came on a solo shot from Hunter Lee, also his first as a pro, and a two-run double from Alex Robles. To continue the theme, three more runs in the sixth came courtesy of another Weiss solo blast, and a two-run bomb from Davis that also marked his first since being drafted in the 24th round out of Texas Tech last month and in his first career game. On the pitching front Elizabethton got four innings from starter Pedro Garcia as he was a bit too wild to go any further. He allowed an unearned run on two hits and three walks. He struck out one. Blair Lakso went the three scoreless innings and picked up his third win. He allowed four hits and struck out two. Seth Pinkerton finished it off with two scoreless frames, hitting one batter with a pitch. Only one hitter in the lineup for the Twins didn’t collect a hit, and only two got on base less than twice. Their 18 hits included going 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position and they left only five men on base as they cashed in on almost all their scoring opportunities. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 5 Box Score The Twins were down 3-1 after three, but scratched across runs in four straight innings to take the lead back and hold off the Rays. Andriu Marin got the start and went five innings. He allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk, along with picking up four K’s. The two unearned runs were courtesy of two errors in the third inning that allowed runs to score. They got a sac fly off the bat of Gabe Snyder in the first inning, and he got the comeback started in the fourth with his second home run of the year to lead it off. The Twins got an RBI groundout from Alberoni Nunez later in that inning that would tally single runs in each of the next three. Tyler Webb homered to lead off the fifth, Yeltsin Encarnacion delivered and RBI single in the sixth, and a sac fly from Nunez in the seventh accounted for a 6-3 lead. J.T. Perez was the first arm out of the bullpen, and despite two unearned runs, would end up with his second win of the year. In 1 1/3 innings, he walked one, gave up one hit, and struck out one. Frandy Torres came on with two runners in the seventh and they both would score to account for Perez’s runs, but would get out of the inning with the Twins still out front. Petru Balan began the eighth inning but after loading the bases with two walks and a single, Tanner Howell was brought on. He escaped the jam with a strikeout, ground ball force out to home, and another grounder to keep it 6-5. He finished the game with a scoreless ninth, working around two one-out hits for his third save. He struck out three in his two innings. The Twins totaled twelve hits on the game but weren’t as good as they could have been with runners on, as they were just 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position and left thirteen men on base. Edgar Herrera racked up four of those hits including a double and a run scored. Webb finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk in addition to his homer. Snyder also tacked on with multiple hits in a 2-for-4 game. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Tanner Howell, GCL Twins (Save (3), 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 K) Twins Daily Hitter(s) of the Day – Ryan Jeffers (2-for-3, 3 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB), Hunter Lee (4-for-5, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, K), and Michael Davis (2-for-5, 3 R, HR (1), 3 RBI, BB); Elizabethton Twins (all hit their first career home runs after being drafted this year) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – Scheduled Day off. 2. Fernando Romero (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 3. Nick Gordon (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 4. Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 5. Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 1-for-5, R, 2B (3), RBI, 2 K 6. Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – Out for season with injury. 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 1-for-4, 3 K 8. Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Scheduled Day off. 9. Brusdar Graterol (Fort Myers) – Did not pitch. 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – Scheduled Day off. 11. Zack Littell (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 12. Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 2-for-5, R, K 14. LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – 0-for-2, BB 16. Ben Rortvedt (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, R, BB, 2 K 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, RBI, BB 18. Yunior Severino (Elizabethton Twins) – Did not play. 19. Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 20. Felix Jorge (Rochester) – Did not pitch. WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – Triple-A All-Star Game (6:00PM CST) Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (11:05AM CST) – LHP Dietrich Enns (0-2, 3.09 ERA) Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (3-5, 3.00 ERA) Fort Wayne @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Tyler Watson (2-3, 4.85 ERA) Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00PM CST) – TBD GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!- 16 comments
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Relatively speaking, there was limited action on Tuesday as two affiliates enjoyed days off. One for travel and the other as their level continued their All-Star break. But there were still four games, and one of them included an offensive explosion led by three hitters each accomplishing a big first in their professional careers.To find out how all your favorite prospects fared on Tuesday night, keep reading and be sure to discuss in the comments! TRANSACTIONS Just one transaction today as the the Twins sent starter Ervin Santana on assignment to Chattanooga to continue his rehab, and he pitched his best game so far on the comeback trail for them on Tuesday. RED WINGS REPORT No Game – Triple-A All-Star Break The Red Wings continue to enjoy their midsummer break. The International League will face off against the Pacific Coast League in Columbus, OH on Wednesday night. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Jacksonville 7 Box Score As mentioned, Ervin Santana got the rehab nod in this one and went the first five innings and 63 pitches (65.1% for strikes). He allowed two earned runs courtesy of a two-run home run in the fourth, but that would be it for the Jumbo Shrimp. He finished with just two hits allowed and struck out six. Five of those K’s came in the first two innings. Down 2-0 heading into the top of the fifth, the Lookouts tied the game with a two-run home run of their own. This came courtesy of Jordan Gore, his first in double-A. Sam Clay came on in the sixth and that’s when the game got away thanks to a couple of errors, including one on himself. All told he got two outs and allowed four runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks. Williams Ramirez finished the game with 2 1/3 innings. He allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out three. Chattanooga had just two other hits besides Gore’s home run on the game, with Brent Rooker going 1-for-4 with three K’s, and Zander Wiel 1-for-4 with a triple. As a team they were just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. MIRACLE MATTERS Palm Beach 14, Fort Myers 8 Box Score Down 8-3 at one point, the Miracle did storm back to tie this one heading into the ninth, but then it got away from them. Tom Hackimer was summoned from the bullpen to start the eighth inning and loaded the bases before escaping. Bringing him back out for the ninth after just tying the game was probably a bad idea. When it was done for Hackimer, utility man Joe Cronin was brought in to record the final two outs on the mound and six runs came around for the final score. Clark Beeker started for Fort Myers and was responsible for the Cardinals first five runs. In four innings he allowed those on two walks, eight hits including two homers, while striking out four. Alex Robinson allowed three runs on two hits and two walks in 2/3’s of an inning, striking out one. Hector Lujan settled things down for the next 2 1/3, allowing one hit and a walk along with two K’s. The initial comeback for the Miracle was sparked by a four-run seventh inning. Alex Kirilloff, Caleb Hamilton, and Taylor Grzelakowski all delivered RBI doubles in the frame. They tied it in the eighth thanks to a Cronin groundout after a walk from Aaron Whitefield to lead off the frame and a single from Travis Blankenhorn advanced him to third. Cronin finished the game as a batter with a run scored on two hits and two walks and drove in three. Lewin Diaz and Grzelakowski also collected multiple hits for the home team in the loss. KERNELS NUGGETS Scheduled Day Off It was a Midwest League travel day for The Kernels as they head back home to Cedar Rapids. They begin a six-game homestand on Wednesday against the Fort Wayne TinCaps, and finish against the Lake County Captains. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 15, Johnson City 1 Box Score Elizabethton took the early lead with two runs in the first, then piled it on from the fifth inning, blowing out their cross-county rival Johnson City in demoralizing fashion Tuesday night. 2018 second-round pick, Ryan Jeffers, got it started with a two-run home in the first inning, his first as a professional baseball player. In the fifth the Twins sent ten hitters into the batters box, and every possible one of them scored as they took control 9-1. The big hits included a two-RBI single from Michael Davis, a two-RBI double from Andrew Coscrove, and a solo home run from Albee Weiss. Three runs in the sixth came on a solo shot from Hunter Lee, also his first as a pro, and a two-run double from Alex Robles. To continue the theme, three more runs in the sixth came courtesy of another Weiss solo blast, and a two-run bomb from Davis that also marked his first since being drafted in the 24th round out of Texas Tech last month and in his first career game. On the pitching front Elizabethton got four innings from starter Pedro Garcia as he was a bit too wild to go any further. He allowed an unearned run on two hits and three walks. He struck out one. Blair Lakso went the three scoreless innings and picked up his third win. He allowed four hits and struck out two. Seth Pinkerton finished it off with two scoreless frames, hitting one batter with a pitch. Only one hitter in the lineup for the Twins didn’t collect a hit, and only two got on base less than twice. Their 18 hits included going 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position and they left only five men on base as they cashed in on almost all their scoring opportunities. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 5 Box Score The Twins were down 3-1 after three, but scratched across runs in four straight innings to take the lead back and hold off the Rays. Andriu Marin got the start and went five innings. He allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk, along with picking up four K’s. The two unearned runs were courtesy of two errors in the third inning that allowed runs to score. They got a sac fly off the bat of Gabe Snyder in the first inning, and he got the comeback started in the fourth with his second home run of the year to lead it off. The Twins got an RBI groundout from Alberoni Nunez later in that inning that would tally single runs in each of the next three. Tyler Webb homered to lead off the fifth, Yeltsin Encarnacion delivered and RBI single in the sixth, and a sac fly from Nunez in the seventh accounted for a 6-3 lead. J.T. Perez was the first arm out of the bullpen, and despite two unearned runs, would end up with his second win of the year. In 1 1/3 innings, he walked one, gave up one hit, and struck out one. Frandy Torres came on with two runners in the seventh and they both would score to account for Perez’s runs, but would get out of the inning with the Twins still out front. Petru Balan began the eighth inning but after loading the bases with two walks and a single, Tanner Howell was brought on. He escaped the jam with a strikeout, ground ball force out to home, and another grounder to keep it 6-5. He finished the game with a scoreless ninth, working around two one-out hits for his third save. He struck out three in his two innings. The Twins totaled twelve hits on the game but weren’t as good as they could have been with runners on, as they were just 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position and left thirteen men on base. Edgar Herrera racked up four of those hits including a double and a run scored. Webb finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk in addition to his homer. Snyder also tacked on with multiple hits in a 2-for-4 game. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Tanner Howell, GCL Twins (Save (3), 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 K) Twins Daily Hitter(s) of the Day – Ryan Jeffers (2-for-3, 3 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB), Hunter Lee (4-for-5, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, K), and Michael Davis (2-for-5, 3 R, HR (1), 3 RBI, BB); Elizabethton Twins (all hit their first career home runs after being drafted this year) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – Scheduled Day off. 2. Fernando Romero (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 3. Nick Gordon (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 4. Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 5. Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 1-for-5, R, 2B (3), RBI, 2 K 6. Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – Out for season with injury. 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 1-for-4, 3 K 8. Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Scheduled Day off. 9. Brusdar Graterol (Fort Myers) – Did not pitch. 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – Scheduled Day off. 11. Zack Littell (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 12. Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 2-for-5, R, K 14. LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – 0-for-2, BB 16. Ben Rortvedt (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, R, BB, 2 K 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, RBI, BB 18. Yunior Severino (Elizabethton Twins) – Did not play. 19. Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 20. Felix Jorge (Rochester) – Did not pitch. WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – Triple-A All-Star Game (6:00PM CST) Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (11:05AM CST) – LHP Dietrich Enns (0-2, 3.09 ERA) Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (3-5, 3.00 ERA) Fort Wayne @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Tyler Watson (2-3, 4.85 ERA) Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00PM CST) – TBD GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article
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