Twins Release Nine From Minor League Camp

[Seth Stohs]

It was a difficult day on Monday in the Twins minor league clubhouse. Nine players were called into the office and told that the Twins organization was releasing them. This is happens every season, and with the strength of the Twins organization, there are some good baseball players who will be served their walking papers. Hopefully a few of these guys get an opportunity elsewhere.

 

1B - Bryan Haar - The 26-year-old 1B hit 14 homers in Cedar Rapids in 2014. Last year, he played 68 games in Ft. Myers before breaking his hand on a hit-by-pitch. He was hoping to make the Chattanooga roster this season. He was the Twins 34th round pick in 2012 out of the University of San Diego. 

 

3B - Pat Kelly - The Red Wing, Minnesota, kid was the Twins 12th round pick in 2014 out of the University of Nebraska. Last year at Cedar Rapids, he hit .220/.278/.312 (.590) in 95 games. 

 

OF - Zack Larson - The 20th round pick in the 2012 draft out of high school in Bradenton, Larson hit well in 2013 in the GCL and Elizabethton. He got off to a fast start in Cedar Rapids in 2014, but a hamstring injury cost him most of the rest of the season. Last year in Cedar Rapids, he hit just .214/.291/.275 (.566) in 106 games. He is 22.

 

OF - Marcus Knecht - The 25-year-old Toronto native was the 3rd round pick of the Blue Jays in 2010 out of Connors State College. With the Jays, he spent parts of 2012, 2013 and 2014 in the Florida State League (Dunedin). He was let go last spring and the Twins signed him. He played 101 games for the Miracle and his .226/.318/.318 (.636) for the Miracle and .171 (in just 10 games) in Chattanooga). 

 

OF - Kamran Young - The 23-year-old was the Twins 21st round pick in 2015 out of Cal State-Dominguez Hills. He went to Elizabethton where he hit .219/.301/.339 (.639) with four homers in 52 games.

 

RHP - Jared Wilson - Wilson was the Twins 35th round pick in 2013, and then he signed with the Twins in 2013 when he was their 19th round pick. He had a solid 2014 season in the Cedar Rapids bullpen. In 2015, he was given the opportunity to start with the Kernels and was a first-half All Star. He ended the season in the bullpen. He also made one start for Ft. Myers last year. He turns 26 in late April.

 

RH - Tyler Stirewalt - The Twins drafted him in the 21st round of the 2013 draft out of Fresno State where he went to play football. He had a strong arm, so he did some pitching. He threw 15.2 innings in the GCL in 2013 and then missed all of 2014 with Tommy John surgery. He returned last year to Elizabethton where he posted a 7.83 ERA in 23 innings. He is 25.

 

RHP - Miguel Sanchez - The 21 year old from the Dominican pitched in the GCL last year for the third straight year. He went 3-2 with a 1.59 ERA in 39.2 innings (7 BB, 40 K).

 

RHP - Brandon Poulson - It was a big, national story when the Twins signed Poulson as a 24-year-old, non-drafted free agent out of the Academy of Arts in San Francisco. He was seen the a Twins scout in a summer league throwing 100 mph. Unfortunately, despite a ton of work, he has not been able to hone his control at all. Last year, he went to the GCL and posted a 3.10 ERA in 20.1 innings (26 K). However, he walked 19. This spring it was clear that he still didn't have any control. It was a good signing as a diamond in the rough, a guy with that kind of velocity, but it just didn't work out.

 

I've had the opportunity to get to know several of these individuals over the last couple of years (maybe even chat over a beverage with a couple of them). As I say often, there are a lot of really good people in this group, and I certainly wish them nothing but good things. I would think a couple of these guys might have an opportunity with another organization, or an independent league. 

 

With another 16-18 players needing to be sent from big league camp to minor league camp within the next week or so, it isn't going to get easier. There will be more releases, and more really difficult decisions to make. 

[righty8383]

Good luck to them all. Zach Larson is the only one on this list that I'm a little uneasy about the Twins letting him go. He seemed to show some potential before the hamstring injury. Wish the Twins could have given him one more year in the system but oh well. Again, good luck...

[Seth Stohs]

I guess the only one that really surprised me was Kamran Young. 

[Thrylos]

 

RHP - Miguel Sanchez - The 21 year old from the Dominican pitched in the GCL last year for the third straight year. He went 3-2 with a 1.59 ERA in 39.2 innings (7 BB, 40 K).

 

I suspect that you mean Miguel Gonzalez  

 

This was more than a bit of surprise, sub 2.00 ERA, sub 1.000 WHIP more than 9K/9 and less than 2 BB/9 do not grow on trees...

[nater79a]

TJ White, Max Murphy and Zach Granite safe, ya' think? Also, how about Alex Wimmers - one more year?

[Bob Sacamento]

This is the hard part of the business as most if not all these kids are good stand-up guys that are chasing their dreams but alas it is a business and only so many roster spots to go around.  Poulson is perhaps the "biggest name" but that's mainly due to his backstory and throwing 100mph.  I can honestly say I've seen Poulson pitch nearly twenty times (EXST, GCL, Instructs) and unfortunately at no point did it seem to ever click.  The fastest I saw him on the gun was 97 and he sat regularly 93-95mph but it felt like he had no idea where it was going. His slider was hard but more often then not hung up in the zone.  In one outing,  I recall him hitting a batter, throwing two wild pitches, walking three, and striking out two.  With as little of his history of pitching I am a little surprised the Twins are giving up so soon on what was obviously a project from the get-go and a power arm, as well as a 250K investment just two years ago.

[Seth Stohs]

 

I suspect that you mean Miguel Gonzalez  

 

This was more than a bit of surprise, sub 2.00 ERA, sub 1.000 WHIP more than 9K/9 and less than 2 BB/9 do not grow on trees...

 

Yup. Same guy. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

TJ White, Max Murphy and Zach Granite safe, ya' think? Also, how about Alex Wimmers - one more year?

 

I would think all four of them are safe. TJ White has had an incredible spring.

[Seth Stohs]

I don't know if you were there "Bob" when Poulson threw in a spring minor league game last week, but I felt uncomfortable watching. I know he walked three guys. I know he hit Zander Wiel. I don't think the inning even finished. He was in the low-90s (according to someone who had seen the radar gun), but it looked like he was throwing harder than that, and he was up and in on hitters frequently. He actually looked a little like he was aiming the ball. 

 

I don't know when the right time is to "give up" on a player, but it was pretty clear that it wasn't going to happen with Poulson. 

[Mike Sixel]

Good luck to all of them, no matter what they decide to do.

[Bob Sacamento]

 

I don't know if you were there "Bob" when Poulson threw in a spring minor league game last week, but I felt uncomfortable watching. I know he walked three guys. I know he hit Zander Wiel. I don't think the inning even finished. He was in the low-90s (according to someone who had seen the radar gun), but it looked like he was throwing harder than that, and he was up and in on hitters frequently. He actually looked a little like he was aiming the ball. 

 

I don't know when the right time is to "give up" on a player, but it was pretty clear that it wasn't going to happen with Poulson. 

No I wasn't, and if I saw him on the mound I would have walked the other way.  What you described seems accurate to what I saw most of last year from him.  I just find it unTwinsian to cut bait with a guy whom they gave 5th-6th round money to two years ago and outbid several other teams.   Everyone else on the cut list were minor investments, just shows how much the Twins did NOT believe he had the stuff to turn it around. 

[big dog]

 

No I wasn't, and if I saw him on the mound I would have walked the other way.  What you described seems accurate to what I saw most of last year from him.  I just find it unTwinsian to cut bait with a guy whom they gave 5th-6th round money to two years ago and outbid several other teams.   

Maybe they were just scared he would injure his teammates during games.  Sounds like a real possibility.  Good luck to him, whatever he does next.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

 

No I wasn't, and if I saw him on the mound I would have walked the other way.  What you described seems accurate to what I saw most of last year from him.  I just find it unTwinsian to cut bait with a guy whom they gave 5th-6th round money to two years ago and outbid several other teams.   Everyone else on the cut list were minor investments, just shows how much the Twins did NOT believe he had the stuff to turn it around. 

 

Gonzalez got a bonus of $650,000 in July of 2011. 

[nicksaviking]

 

Maybe they were just scared he would injure his teammates during games.  Sounds like a real possibility.  Good luck to him, whatever he does next.

 

I was thinking maybe they did it to protect him. If it ain't happening, no need to continue to destroy his shoulder with what sounds like a terribly stressful deliver.

 

 

[Bob Sacamento]

 

Gonzalez got a bonus of $650,000 in July of 2011. 

Nice, didn't bother to lookup Gonzo's bonus.  They also gave him 4 1/2 years to figure it out (including the lost 2014 due to injury), but he also at least looked good at points even though it was in the GCL (he was also 21 vs 18yo competition).  I'm still a little surprised they never had him above Rookie ball, the stat line and velo weren't bad.

 

As for Poulson, he signed in July 2014 for 250K with 8.38 ERA in college (Academy of Arts University) after not being drafted in the Rule IV selection.  He pretty much got the same money as Twins 2014 6th Rounder John Curtiss who had a decent career at Texas.  My guess is Twins didn't see anything that could help Poulson find the strikezone even after they altered his mechanics which in turn decreased his velocity.

[gunnarthor]

 

I guess the only one that really surprised me was Kamran Young. 

Did you write about him before?  I remember you wrote something about a HS kid the Twins nabbed who was a freak athlete who the Twins hoped could play CF.  The article the kid said something about another kid who had amazing stats and wasn't even offered a scholarship.  Does that ring a bell?

[Seth Stohs]

 

Did you write about him before?  I remember you wrote something about a HS kid the Twins nabbed who was a freak athlete who the Twins hoped could play CF.  The article the kid said something about another kid who had amazing stats and wasn't even offered a scholarship.  Does that ring a bell?

 

I don't know about the scholarship part, but I wrote about Tyree Davis last spring. He looked even better this spring. Very fast. Had gained 20 pounds. Has terrific pop in his bat. Needs confidence and to stay healthy.

[gunnarthor]

 

I don't know about the scholarship part, but I wrote about Tyree Davis last spring. He looked even better this spring. Very fast. Had gained 20 pounds. Has terrific pop in his bat. Needs confidence and to stay healthy.

That's him - from Compton.  Really hope he works out.  

[Seth Stohs]

 

That's him - from Compton.  Really hope he works out.  

 

Man, so do I. Great kid. It's fun to watch him in practice because he brings people together. He seems to be good friends with the guys from Latin America, and he works with them to better speak and understand the language. 

 

But also, so much talent!

[Bob Sacamento]

 

Man, so do I. Great kid. It's fun to watch him in practice because he brings people together. He seems to be good friends with the guys from Latin America, and he works with them to better speak and understand the language. 

 

But also, so much talent!

Yeah, I got to talk to Tyree more than I'm sure he would have preferred during the GCL season due to an elbow injury.  Apparently, it was such an issue there was talk of possible surgery yet they went the conservative route.  At the end of Instructs, he said he was finally healed up and was trying to get the team to let him play winter ball outside of the States.  Looked like he didn't get his wish instead spending more time in the weight room during the offseason.  Davis is definitely one of the guys I'm looking for a strong showing in 2016 of his skills.  I've seen him launch some serious opposite field shots in BP, show great speed on the bases, run down balls that most don't get to and show off a plus arm. The tools are all there, it's just a matter of putting it all together.  My biggest concern is his contact as the last time he played he had some serious holes in his swing.  I expect he'll start the season off in EXST and go to the GCL and hopefully see Etown by the end of the year.

[DaveW]

They gave up on Poulson too quickly, guys who throw that hard don't grow on trees. Should have given him one more year IMO.

[Rosterman]

Poulson was interesting. I wonder, though, if part of it was that Poulson just couldn't afford to be a prospect anymore? At some point, you have to go forth...either commit to baseball and possibly 2-3 more years in the lowly minors, or enter the real world.Keep updating

 

Thanks, Seth. Always like to be informed of happenings like this.

 

And idea what minor league guys will be "breaking camp" on the disabled list and doing their rehab in Ft. Myers?

 

[DaveW]

Yeah, great work as always on this Seth! This is the type of info/news that would otherwise be near impossible to find.

 

Hopefully a few of these guys can catch on somewhere.

 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Poulson was interesting. I wonder, though, if part of it was that Poulson just couldn't afford to be a prospect anymore? At some point, you have to go forth...either commit to baseball and possibly 2-3 more years in the lowly minors, or enter the real world.Keep updating

 

Thanks, Seth. Always like to be informed of happenings like this.

 

And idea what minor league guys will be "breaking camp" on the disabled list and doing their rehab in Ft. Myers?

 

 

I don't know. That $250,000 signing bonus gave him some time. But it's possible that he was at a point where he wanted to see some results too and the Twins needed that too. It's hard to have a 26-year-old in Extended Spring Training.

 

As for guys who will likely start the season on the DL, there are quite a few.

 

Lewin Diaz (hip), Emmanuel Morel (hamstring), Joe Benson (back), Tyree Davis (forearm), Lewis Thorpe (still recovering from TJ), Cam Booser (still recovering from shoulder), Brusdar Graterol (recovering all year from TJ in August), Fernando Romero might start in EST for a couple more starts before moving forward (TJ). 

 

RHP Alex Muren is going to start on the DL, and right now they're evaluating the issue... I'll find out when they find out.

[Bob Sacamento]

 

Fernando Romero might start in EST for a couple more starts before moving forward (TJ). 

 

Romero looked real good the other day hitting 93-95 consistently with his FB and his slider was sharp hard breaking.  Also threw 5 innings