Felix Jorge - 2017

[ashbury]

http://www.milb.com/images/602928/t498/180x270/602928.jpg

 

Felix De Jesus (Estevez) Jorge

 

Born: January 2, 1994 (age 23 this season)

Birthplace: Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic

Signed as an international free agent 2010, $250K

Height: 6' 2"

Weight: 170

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Bats: Right

Pitching arsenal: fastball (mid-90s), curveball, change

Stats at baseball-reference.com

 

After suffering a puzzling setback at single-A in 2014, Felix Jorge (Twins Daily's 12th ranked prospect) has resumed his rise through the Twins' minor league system, breezing through Cedar Rapids in 2015 and Ft Myers for the first part of 2016.

 

His Ft Myers numbers were ERA 1.55 in 14 starts, WHIP a phenomenal 0.935, and K/9 a slightly less phenomenal 7.5.

 

A mid-season promotion to AA Chattanooga in July, 2016 was not quite as successful: in 11 starts his ERA was 4.12, WHIP an OK 1.278, and K/9 a rather disappointing 3.9. Nevertheless, the year saw him pitch 167.1 innings, which is as important as any other stat when watching a starting pitching prospect's progress. In the off-season he was added to the Twins' 40-man roster, to protect him from greedy talent evaluators in the Rule-5 draft.

 

The willowy right-hander begins 2017 with a return to Chattanooga, with high hopes but still something to prove. He's scheduled to make his first start tonight (Sunday, April 9). With a good first half, a promotion to AAA Rochester would not seem out of the question, and he might be even a longshot September callup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf-t3eTYCqE

The above video of him in Spring Training is courtesy of fellow TDer Bob Sacamento.

 

Felix has been a popular guy to cover in this Twins Daily forum. You can have a look at past years' entries for interesting tidbits, such as the initial confusion about his name:

Felix Jorge Adopt-A-Prospect 2012

Felix Jorge Adopt-A-Prospect 2013

Felix Jorge Adopt-A-Prospect 2014

Felix Jorge Adopt-A-Prospect 2015

Felix Jorge Adopt-A-Prospect 2016 - he got skipped last year

[ashbury]

Felix pitched an abbreviated workload of four innings (71 pitches) against the Mobile BayBears this afternoon, with so-so results that amounted to two runs on six hits but no walks. He notched three strikeouts, two of which came at a most opportune time.

 

He gave up a solo homer to Mobile's Caleb Adams in the second inning. This followed a ragged top of the first, in which three of the first four batters singled, but damage in that frame was limited to a single run thanks in no small part to over-aggressive baserunning by Mobile. The third inning was 1-2-3, so except for the homer he basically cruised through the second and third. But the fourth quickly had runners on the corners with nobody out, a rally that was snuffed by two clutch strikeouts and then the runner on third getting caught in what was scored as a failed steal of home.

 

He left with a 4-2 lead, which was later erased but then won 5-4 by home team Chattanooga in a literal walk-off (bases-loaded walk to Dan Rohlfing to end the game). I don't think minor league rules are different from the majors, in that Felix would not have been in line for the win anyway, not having gone five innings.

 

We'll all hope for something a little more dominating in his next try, after this flirtation with disaster. Hopefully, he can dial up whatever he found, for those strikeouts in the fourth inning, a little sooner in a game.

[ashbury]

Tonight Felix Jorge put up good numbers in a big 10-1 win for Chattanooga. He turned Jacksonville into shrimp cocktail, limiting the Marlins farm club to a single run in his 5.2 innings of work, on 3 hits and 3 walks, notching 4 strikeouts. He didn't allow a baserunner until the fourth inning, and 59 of his total 94 pitches were for strikes. The game lowered his season ERA to a very good 2.79. And he earned honors as Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day!

[ashbury]

Felix had excellent results for Chattanooga again on Thursday April 20, shutting out the visiting Biloxi Shuckers through 6 innings on the way to a 3-0 victory, with 4 strikeouts. He wasn't untouchable, giving up all 6 of the hits the visitors managed for the entire game, while also walking 3 batters. Every inning saw at least one baserunner. But the damage was limited because only one of the base hits was for extra bases - a double in the second inning - and two of the walks were of the two-out variety with runners in scoring position, indicating that Felix wasn't going to give in to the hitter in that situation. So, it was a bit of a tightrope walk, and that doesn't always work out, but there's no arguing with the result this time. He hit the showers after 88 pitches, and presumably got a pat on the back or thereabouts from manager Doug Mientkiewicz for a job well done.

[ashbury]

Aw, geez. The Tennessee Smokies raised an ugly lump on Felix Jorge's season, in their game Wednesday, April 26. He gave up 6 runs on 10 hits, en route to an 8-4 loss to the Cubs' AA affiliate. He did strike out 4 in his 5 innings of work while walking only one. Three doubles were painful enough, but third-baseman Jason Vosler hit not one but *two* home runs off of Felix. (That jerk hit a third, later on, against Ryan Eades.) Maybe the 11 a.m. start had Felix's timing off. Better luck next game.

[ashbury]

Jorge bounced back somewhat from his previous debacle and earned the decision in a 5-2 win over the hard-hitting Jackson Generals.

 

Jackson managed to rack up 7 hits plus 3 walks in Jorge's 6 innings, but could break through for solitary runs only, namely solo home runs in the 3rd and 6th innings. Homers aren't especially good news, and another disappointing note is that Jorge struck out only 2 of the 26 batters he faced. Still, he battled through and limited the damage and got the win. Many other pitchers so far this season have had worse results against this team.

 

The game lowered his season ERA to 3.71.

[ashbury]

Jorge was the starter in the Lookouts' 9-2 win over the Biscuits of Montgomery, but failed to earn the decision because he could not get through the fifth. (Aspects of the game not relating to the starting pitcher can be found in TD's daily minor league report.)

 

Both of the opponents' runs were charged to him, although only one was earned, as he was sabotaged by an an error with two out in the third inning by, um, well, uh, errr... Felix Jorge himself. I suppose you know how I feel about charging unearned runs in that circumstance. Anywho, the solo home run in the second inning by Nick Ciuffo was very earned, and the tone for Felix's night was set by the first two batters singling, although scoring that inning was averted in part through an unassisted line-drive double play snared by first baseman Jonathan Rodriguez.

 

Batters reached base in every inning, with multiple runners in every inning except the fourth, and at least one opponent reaching third base in every inning except the first. Ryan Eades was finally summoned with two outs in the fifth to put down the Biscuits' uprising.^* The score was only 2-2 at the time, so the eventual margin of victory could not yet be guessed and leniency was not indicated.

 

When the dust had settled, Jorge's pitching line showed 9 hits, 2 walks and 2 wild pitches, to go with 3 strikeouts, consuming 86 pitches for the night. 55 of his pitches were for strikes in any form (including fouls and balls in play), but only 4 were of the swing-and-miss variety if the game log is to be believed - it sounds low. If you like Bill James's "game score", where a 50 is about average, this game registers as a disappointing 41 using b-r.com's method. Still, only one earned run means his season's ERA actually decreased slightly, to 3.45.

 

Here's hoping his peripheral stats improve to match his earned run results in coming starts, rather than the opposite happening.

 

^{* _{Pun intended. Pun also not very good.}}

[ashbury]

Felix's 11 a.m. (yawn!) start against Birmingham's Barons on Wednesday was quite good through 6 innings: 2 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk, with one of those hits being a second-inning homer that followed the walk.

 

Unfortunately, the Barons scored 6 in the top of the 7th inning, changing a 6-2 deficit into an 8-6 lead that the bad guys maintained through the remainder of the game. Felix was charged with 3 of those, making a total of 5 earned runs for the game. He could have had better luck that inning - he left in the seventh with the bases loaded and 1 out and no runs in yet, having thrown his 101st pitch - but the bullpen not only couldn't hold the fort, they let the opponents completely overrun it.

 

Only 4 hits and 3 walks - 5 earned runs sound kind of high for that, doesn't it? Sometimes you pitch a good game and lose. That's baseball.

[ashbury]

Felix Jorge pitched the Lookouts to a 4-3 win over the Biloxi Shuckers on Monday May 22, earning Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day honors for the second time this season.

 

The first run against him came in the third inning, from two singles that sandwiched a walk - a caught-stealing for the third out was instrumental in cutting off the damage. From there, it was smooth sailing save for a harmless double, until the seventh, when there was a single and a HBP, a base-advancing groundout, and then another single to plate both runners. Melotakis and Curtiss came in for the 8th and 9th respectively to complete the win.

 

All told, then, Jorge pitched 7 full innings, requiring just 88 pitches, and he gave up 5 hits and the 1 walk, striking out 3 in the process. On a different day, maybe those baserunners would have been more scattered, but Biloxi's offense was efficient that evening. Shucks.

[ashbury]

Felix had a really nice game on Sunday May 28. He scattered 5 hits and just 1 walk across 7 full innings of shutout ball, consuming 96 pitches in the process. Oddly, he notched merely one strikeout, the sole downside to the day.

 

He retired the side only in the 4th and 6th innings, but just one baserunner ever reached third base, and that was with two outs in the 3rd. So you can say he acquitted himself well with runners on base, a helpful attribute for any pitcher.

 

The performance brought his season ERA down to 3.48, raised his win-loss record to 5-1, and was good for Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day honors.

 

The bullpen gave up a couple of meaningless runs in the final two innings, which didn't mar an easy 9-2 win over Montgomery's home-made, from-scratch, melt-in-your-mouth, most-delicious-in-baseball, name-that-team-2003-contest-winner buttermilk Biscuits.

[ashbury]

Felix Jorge's body of work earned him Honorable Mention recognition in the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month for May.

[ashbury]

Felix got his month of June off to a good start on Friday night, leading the Lookouts to a 3-2 win over the Birmingham Barons. He carried a 2-0 lead into the 7th, but weakened and gave up a solo homer to Cameron Seitzer, then a Mason Robbins two-out single; Jake Reed was summoned for relief help, but he allowed the tying run to come in, on three straight walks, before registering the final out. Chattanooga came back in the top of the 8th to retake the lead, and Raul Fernandez and John Curtiss each pitched scoreless innings to secure the victory. Reed thus vultured the win.

 

The stat line for Jorge shows just 4 hits and a walk in his 6.2 innings of work. In four of the innings he faced the minimum 3 batters. This very strong showing, despite the two earned runs, left his season ERA at 3.39.

 

As a side note: a lengthy game recap, authored anonymously by "Birmingham Barons", hilariously managed to completely omit any mention of the name Felix Jorge! In a related note, MiLB.com this year has computer generated games stories, and the one for this game did a better job in relation to Felix, although the little detail about 3 consecutive walks resulted only in "Jake Reed (1-0) got the win in relief". If you want to complain about the coverage in the STrib or PPress, just remember that it can always be worse.

[bird]

They would have completely omitted any mention of the 18-35 Birmingham Barons had they an ounce of dignity...

[ashbury]

I've been a little remiss with my adoptee Felix. He had two good games in my absence.

 

June 7 saw him control the Jackson Generals in an early (11 am) start at home, registering 9 strikeouts in 6.2 innings. He scattered 7 hits and a walk well enough to surrender only 2 runs, en route to a 7-2 win for Chattanooga. He crossed the 100-pitch threshold during a strikeout, and that was it for his day.

 

Five nights later, he induced fewer strikeouts (5) but had arguably the better game, shutting out Montomery on the road on only 3 hits and 2 walks in 7 full innings. Again, the pitch count probably ended his labors, as he reached 95 pitches at the end of the seventh. (Mason Melotakis took good care of the 2-0 lead he was entrusted with, making 5 of his 6 outs on strikeouts, and the Lookouts tacked on 4 insurance runs in the top of the ninth for a 6-0 laugher.)

 

All this hard work brings Felix Jorge's season ERA down to precisely 3. His strikeouts per 9 innings ratio is only 6.3, while his WHIP (walks plus hits per inning) is a decent 1.25. He doesn't walk many, which leave him with a fine SO/W ratio of 2.38 despite not being a strikeout machine. Pitching like this in AA at age 23, he's coming along just fine.

 

 

 

 

[ashbury]

After a string of five quite good games, Felix might have been due for a bad one, and that's what the host Tennessee Smokies gave him on Saturday, June 17, in front of a record-sized crowd in attendance for Jimmy Buffett night. In six innings he gave up five runs, on nine hits (two of which went out) and one walk. He struck out four. Most of the damage was done in the four-run second inning, during which the home runs were hit consecutively after a walk, and then a couple more singles sandwiching a balk brought another tally home. The additional run came in the fourth inning courtesy of a double and a single.

 

The Lookouts batters picked him up, and he actually got credit for the 7-5 win. Probably the home crowd was lost in Margaritaville while enjoying their cheeseburgers in the paradise that is the Knoxville suburb of Kodak, and didn't take the loss all that hard.

 

His ERA is back up to 3.35.

[ashbury]

Felix Jorge's 14th start of the season was a qualified success, as he scattered an unsightly 11 hits across seven and two-thirds innings to limit the visiting Blue Meanies Wahoos to two runs in an 3-2 victory, Saturday night June 24. Actually he had a shutout going until the 8th, when Pepsi-Cola Pensacola finally broke through with a two-out, two-run double by Gavin LaValley, the only extra-base hit he surrendered. Randy Rosario came in and induced a strikeout to end that rally.

 

Felix garnered 7 strikeouts of his own with no walks, and even picked off a runner at first base. He nudged his ERA downward to 3.26.

 

He was not the pitcher of record, however, as the Lookouts did not score until the bottom of the ninth. The game ended anti-climactically when Levi Michael was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two runs already in. With the win, Chattanooga brought their season log to 7-0 against this otherwise strong opponent, a streak which they extended with a double-header win by identical 6-0 scores on Sunday.

[ashbury]

It has been reported in various posts on TD that Felix Jorge is being called up to the big club for a Saturday start. He's already on the 40-man, and the circumstance allows a 26th man for the occasion, so no corresponding roster move is called for, and Jorge will presumably be returned to Chatanooga after the game unless he pitches a no-hitter^* or something.

 

^{_{* I know, I know, I shouldn't jinx my own player.}}

[ashbury]

I was away for the holiday, and thus basically missed the excitement of Felix Jorge's major league debut, a 10-5 win over the Royals on July 1. The game was reported elsewhere, in the TD daily recap, of course.

 

He had a good game, but was evidently on a short leash, and was pulled after giving up a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth, with a 7-2 lead. The relief corps allowed that runner to score, marring his final line a little. Still, 3 earned runs in 5+ innings, on 7 hits and a walk, is a pretty nice introduction for a guy not highly ranked by national pundits. (Your Truly has of course always thought he could make it.) With regard to strikeouts, the pundits can still say I Told You So, as Felix notched only 2 in his evening's work, and the two-run homer by Hosmer in the first inning surely was an unwelcome wakeup call to the young pitcher. But he threw strikes, and settle down after the homer, and I'm sure the manager and front office were pleased by the emergency callup's outing.

[ashbury]

Felix is slated for another start in Minnesota, tonight against the Orioles. The front office is really working that 40-man roster.

[ashbury]

Disappointing. Can I just leave it at that?

[AZTwin]

Disappointing. Can I just leave it at that?

Not surprised. I think this experience will be beneficial for him. Maybe we don't see the fruits of it this year but I'm hopeful he will make the necessary adjustments

[ashbury]

Felix got back to his successful ways at AA, logging 6 innings of 2-run ball (only 1 earned) in an eventual 5-3 win over Pensacola Wednesday night. He did not get the decision, as the bullpen gave up a tying run in the seventh and Chattanooga came right back to score 2 in the top of the... twelfth. Like I said, eventual.

 

He gave up 5 hits and 3 walks in that span, and struck out 3. Two of the hits were doubles. Nick Gordon committed the error that allowed the second run to come in. As you might imagine from this litany of baserunners, none of Jorge's innings were one-two-three.

 

The game lowered Jorge's season ERA to 3.14.

[ashbury]

A good beginning turned into a bad game for Felix on July 17 against the Jacksonville Ten-Legged Crustaceans. Some first-inning jitters (loading the bases via two hits and a walk) disappeared and he retired the next 9 batters, while being staked to a 6-0 lead. What at the time must have seemed like a meaningless run came across in the fourth on a groundout. But then the bottom fell out for him in the fifth, as six consecutive batters reached base after an initial groundout. He left with a 6-5 lead still intact. But reliever Randy LeBlanc could not stem the tide, allowing one inherited runner to score and eventually taking the loss via 3 more runs of his own in the decisive sixth inning, for a 9-6 final.

 

All told, Jorge's line shows 9 hits and 2 walks that led to 6 earned runs in only four and a third inning. It was quite a poor showing after a promising start.

[ashbury]

Ugh, I can't bear to speak ill of my adoptees, nor especially to invest time doing so, therefore I'll just plagiarize Seth.

 

Felix Jorge had his second straight rough start since returning from the big leagues. The right-hander gave up six runs on ten hits and a walk over just 2.2 innings. He struck out three.

http://twinsdaily.com/topic/26872-article-twins-minor-league-report-723-slegers-continues-strong-streak/?do=findComment&comment=656726

[ashbury]

Felix has bounced back with a couple of extremely nice games. Saturday night July 29 he went the first nine innings of the 21-inning (!) 2-1 win over the Birmingham Barons. He surrendered only four hits and no walks, striking out eight. The run came in the first inning, on a double and a single followed by a fielding error by third baseman T.J.White, but after that Felix was nearly untouchable, and he finished up by retiring the final 18 batters he faced. I won't try to detail the game itself, except to say that the Lookouts waited until the bottom of the ninth to tie the score and had a chance to win it right there but T.J.White got hisself picked offa first base after being intentionally walked. Ohhhhh, :shoot: that guy. You can read the rest about the game here.

 

Then yesterday, August 3 against the Montgomery Biscuits, Jorge followed up with a game only slightly less impressive: seven and two-thirds innings, four hits (again) plus two walks, notching five strikeouts. This time no runs were scored against him, and Nick Anderson came on to finish the shutout.

 

The two games bring his season ERA down to 3.51. Oh, and he garnered Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day honors. If he's bucking for a September callup, he's on the right track now.

 

 

[ashbury]

Felix Jorge's start against the Jackson Generals on August 8 was just so-so. He was charged with only 2 ER in 7.2 innings, but there was a third run counted as unearned due to an error by the catcher. And ten hits plus a walk in that span, along with only 3 strikeouts, isn't really dominating. True, alternate innings (2nd, 4th, 6th) were clean one-two-three affairs, but there was a lot of traffic on the basepaths in the odd numbered stanzas, plus the eighth.. The Lookouts didn't score any runs, and Jorge was charged with the 3-0 loss.

 

After a couple of very strong outings, so-so is OK, if it doesn't become the norm.

[ashbury]

Felix was called in a day early to start against Birmingham, and it didn't go too well. Five hits and three walks in 4.2 innings, and an unearned run to go with three earnies. He did register 6 strikeouts. Chattanooga scored just enough by the seventh inning to take him off the hook, but Glen Perkins promptly surrendered a couple of runs to take the loss. It wound up 7-4. Bleh. Friday the 13th came on Sunday this month.

[ashbury]

It was a creditable outing for Felix Jorge on Friday evening August 18 against the host Tennessee Smokies, and indeed he got credit for this 9-8 win, running his season won-loss record to 10-3.

 

That score might look bad from a pitching standpoint, but most of the damage against the Lookouts occurred after Felix's seven innings of work, in which he gave up three runs on six hits and three walks. The runs scored during a shaky first and third inning. But only one hit was for extra bases, a harmless double by Jason Vosler with two out in the fifth. He finished strong, retiring the side in both the sixth and the seventh, at which point his pitch count of 98 probably drove the decision to bring in the bullpen, who proceeded to make the game close. Altogether Felix struck out six in this Quality Start, and his ERA in AA now stands at 3.54.

[ashbury]

A bit unexpectedly, to this observer at least, Felix Jorge was called up to AAA Rochester and was immediately put to work. His debut on Wednesday August 23 went very well. He scattered 5 hits and 1 walk across 6 innings of shutout ball against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Hobos. A couple of the base hits were doubles, and only the fourth and fifth innings were 1-2-3; on the plus side of the ledger, he induced 7 strikeouts, picked off a runner at first base, and even started a nifty 1-6-3 double play.

 

He got no decision however, because the Red Wings were also skunked. That is, until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Leonard Reginnato slugged a two-out homer. Since this was the second game of a double-header, that was a walkoff win, and reliever Mike Tonkin got the W for his solitary inning of work.

 

Felix gets the last laugh, though, as he collects Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day honors.

 

 

[ashbury]

Felix had a stinker of a game on August 28 against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Five runs on 7 hits (3 of them homers) in just 4 innings of work. Just two strikeouts among the 18 batters he faced. His 61 pitches were the fewest he's thrown this season. Hopefully the big club's internal scouts were catching a nap last night and missed it.