Article: Twins Minor League Report (7/10): It's Sean and Poppen!

[Jeremy Nygaard]

The baseball world is fixated on Miami this week. Twins fans were fixated on Monday’s Home Run Derby in which Miguel Sano participated and had a pretty good showing. (I won’t ruin it for you.)

 

Around the organization there was some other news Monday: Miracle reliever Tom Hackimer was named FSL Pitcher of the Week. Lookouts catcher Jonathan Rodriguez was named Southern League Hitter of the Week. Rochester catcher Mitch Garver was named International League Batter of the Week. Congrats to those three!

 

Let’s check in on all of Monday’s games.RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester - OFF DAY

The Red Wings are off for their all-star break. The AAA All-Star Game takes place on Wednesday.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 2, Pensacola 3

Box Score

 

Not a lot of offense as Chattanooga was limited to two hits on Monday: an Andy Wilkins double that was followed by a T.J. White home run. Ryan Walker stole a base.

 

Dereck Rodriguez pitched well, but not well enough. He gave up three runs in seven innings. He allowed seven hits and two walks. He struck out one.

 

Paul Clemens pitched an inning of relief, striking out one.

 

The first-half champion Lookouts still have a four-game lead, but fall to 14-4.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 1, Palm Beach 0

Box Score

 

Similar to the Lookouts, Fort Myers only had two hits. A Tanner English triple drove in Nelson Molina. Brandon Lopez provided the only other hit for a lineup that struck out 11 times.

 

Sean Poppen was the difference though. He threw eight shutout innings, allowing five hits and a walk. He struck out four.

 

Alex Muren picked up his third save of the season.

 

At 13-4 in the second half, Fort Myers now has a two-game lead.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 0, Peoria 3

Box Score

 

Following suit, the Kernels were one-hit by Mike O’Reilly, who struck out 12 batters. Christian Cavaness hit a double, but the only other thing the bats hit were the showers.

 

Eduardo Del Rosario suffered the loss, but wasn’t bad, allowing one run on six hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out two.

 

Logan Lombana struck out two in two frames. Max Cordy allowed two runs on two walks and a hit in his inning of work.

 

The playoff-bound Kernels dropped to 10-9 in the second half.

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 13, Johnson City 12

Box Score

 

Finally, offense! Of course, the story is Brent Rooker, who went 3-3 with three walks, three runs scored and an RBI. Shane Carrier also had three hits, which included a double. J.J. Robinson hit his third home run as part of his five RBI. Matt Albanese and Wander Javier, who tripled, both had two hits. Andrew Bechtold hit his first professional home run.

 

Huascar Ynoa was brutal. In two innings, he allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits and five walks. He struck out two. Blair Lasko managed three scoreless innings before Juan Gamez allowed five more runs in two innings. Jose Martinez picked up the win, going three innings and allowing only one run.

 

The E-Twins improved to 13-6.

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 13, GCL Orioles 1

Box Score

 

Royce Lewis had three more hits, including his second home run. Ricky De La Torre also had a three hit game. Both stole bases.

 

And while Benjamin Rodriguez didn’t steal a base, he did get three hits: Two doubles and a grand slam. He drove in seven (!).

 

Brusdar Graterol pitched five shutout, one-hit innings, striking out four and walking two.

 

Matt Jones picked up the four-inning save. He allowed a single run on three hits. He struck out three.

 

The GCL Twins improve to 10-3.

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day – Sean Poppen, Fort Myers

Hitter of the Day – Benjamin Rodriguez, GCL Twins

 

TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Chattanooga at Pensacola (6:35 CST) - TBA

GCL Twins vst GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) - TBA

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games.

 

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[Cap'n Piranha]

Our short season teams are going to be a lot of fun to follow this year. Lewis looks like he wants an all expenses paid trip to beautiful Tennessee.

[jokin]

 

Our short season teams are going to be a lot of fun to follow this year. Lewis looks like he wants an all expenses paid trip to beautiful Tennessee.

 

Or maybe Lewis could play leap-frog over Wander and jump right to Cedar Rapids, perhaps for the playoff run in August and September? There's no current Kernel SS there to hold him back, especially if he can maintain anything close to this level of offensive production.

 

Has Bob Sacramento, or someone else, graded him out so far in terms of his real-time defense at SS?

[108Stitches]

It's sad that Poppen gets no real widespread recognition for this performance. If Kohl Stewart or Griffin Jax had done this it'd be front page on milb.com. Hell if a bonus baby even does a mediocre job it pops up on my Facebook from milb. The middle round draft guys who are doing better than high round guys are more impressive to me. Poppen, Wells (when he's playing) Beeker, Vasquez and a few more.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Or maybe Lewis could play leap-frog over Wander and jump right to Cedar Rapids, perhaps for the playoff run in August and September? There's no current Kernel SS there to hold him back, especially if he can maintain anything close to this level of offensive production.

 

Has Bob Sacramento, or someone else, graded him out so far in terms of his real-time defense at SS?

 

I don't remember where, but Bob (I think) mentioned the other day that his defense was behind his offense and that he wasn't the best defender on his team. I don't know if that as a high compliment to someone else or indication that Lewis needed more work there.

[drjim]

Rooker still playing like a bust.

[drjim]

It's sad that Poppen gets no real widespread recognition for this performance. If Kohl Stewart or Griffin Jax had done this it'd be front page on milb.com. Hell if a bonus baby even does a mediocre job it pops up on my Facebook from milb. The middle round draft guys who are doing better than high round guys are more impressive to me. Poppen, Wells (when he's playing) Beeker, Vasquez and a few more.

Poppen is a Harvard man too. Probably a good front office exec prospect.

 

He'll need to perform at AA before prospect watchers get too excited. Stuff and age play such an important role in what makes a prospect.

[benji21]

I was definitely excited when Lewis got the call 1-1. Glad he's off to a hot start, like kiralof (?) last year. A major benefit of nabbing a position player high in the draft? Seeing them everyday in the box scores!

[MN_ExPat]

 

Rooker still playing like a bust.

What???  I'm assuming this is sarcasm, because have you actually looked at his numbers?

 

...and besides even IF he was actually playing bad, he's only played 16 professional games.   Until a player has played a few years, that label can't be accurately affixed.

[drivlikejehu]

 

It's sad that Poppen gets no real widespread recognition for this performance. If Kohl Stewart or Griffin Jax had done this it'd be front page on milb.com. Hell if a bonus baby even does a mediocre job it pops up on my Facebook from milb. The middle round draft guys who are doing better than high round guys are more impressive to me. Poppen, Wells (when he's playing) Beeker, Vasquez and a few more.

 

Um plenty of guys put up good numbers in A-ball without being top prospects. Is milb.com supposed to write articles on hundreds of different players a day? That's just not practical.

[clutterheart]

The DSL twins are 24 - 7!.  

So far the 2016 signing class is looking decent.  Michael Montero & Jesus Toledo are young pitchers might be fun to watch. Wander Valdez has an interesting BB/KK.  Estamy Urena has a nice OPS.  

 

I don't suppose there are any reports on these guys?

 

[Taildragger8791]

 

What???  I'm assuming this is sarcasm, because have you actually looked at his numbers?

 

...and besides even IF he was actually playing bad, he's only played 16 professional games.   Until a player has played a few years, that label can't be accurately affixed.

 

It's gotta be sarcasm but I'm not sure who it's directed at. I haven't seen anyone seriously suggest Rooker is a bust. Though there were some eyebrows raised when he stated recently that he mostly just sits on fastballs, and he's already showed some tendency to strike out against Appy league pitchers. I don't think it's unfair to be worried how that will carry over against better pitchers who will throw him nothing but offspeed stuff. Thankfully he's proven to be adaptable and a hard worker so hopefully he makes the necessary adjustments to diversify his approach.

[hugelycat]

 

What???  I'm assuming this is sarcasm, because have you actually looked at his numbers?

 

...and besides even IF he was actually playing bad, he's only played 16 professional games.   Until a player has played a few years, that label can't be accurately affixed.

 

I'm also assuming sarcasm. I completely agree with you that 16 games don't mean anything, but there were some people calling Rooker a bust after one bad week.

[Han Joelo]

To my knowledge, none of the other top 5 picks have even played yet, while Lewis AND Rooker are already deserving promotions.  

 

Fake "News" Headline:

 

New Twins FO Excelling at Scouting, Signing, and Player Development, While Other Org's Languish.

[John Kelsey]

 

It's gotta be sarcasm but I'm not sure who it's directed at. I haven't seen anyone seriously suggest Rooker is a bust. Though there were some eyebrows raised when he stated recently that he mostly just sits on fastballs, and he's already showed some tendency to strike out against Appy league pitchers. I don't think it's unfair to be worried how that will carry over against better pitchers who will throw him nothing but offspeed stuff. Thankfully he's proven to be adaptable and a hard worker so hopefully he makes the necessary adjustments to diversify his approach.

 

You must have missed the "he'd be lucky to have ABW's career" posts last week. 

[108Stitches]

 

Um plenty of guys put up good numbers in A-ball without being top prospects. Is milb.com supposed to write articles on hundreds of different players a day? That's just not practical.

Um and plenty of those guys get national attention if they're a bonus baby even in A ball. That's my point. And to say hundreds of players a day have stellar outings is just ridiculous. 

[carlito_b]

Rooker needs to move up. Sec caliber baseball us probably a tiny notch up from cedar Rapids even he should probably be in ft Myers but at least cedar Rapids.. Will be really interesting seeing who goes where with all DE LA Torre wander and royce.. Crazy how fast shortstop became the systems strongest prospect position(ceiling wise) after being desperate for a prospect for a decade ..

[Seth Stohs]

 

I don't remember where, but Bob (I think) mentioned the other day that his defense was behind his offense and that he wasn't the best defender on his team. I don't know if that as a high compliment to someone else or indication that Lewis needed more work there.

 

I can't speak for Bob, but I know that Ricky De La Torre (6th round pick) is highly regarded defensively at shortstop. To this point, Lewis has played SS most of the time, with De La Torre playing there most of the other days. He's then playing some 2B as well. And obviously they both get some DH days too.

[Seth Stohs]

 

The DSL twins are 24 - 7!.  

So far the 2016 signing class is looking decent.  Michael Montero & Jesus Toledo are young pitchers might be fun to watch. Wander Valdez has an interesting BB/KK.  Estamy Urena has a nice OPS.  

 

I don't suppose there are any reports on these guys?

 

I can try, if people think they're valuable...

 

I asked many years ago what should be made of the stats in the DSL. I was basically told, as we know, that the further away from the big leagues, the less the stats mean. It's almost completely about tools at that level.

 

It's weird to say, but if a player there is 19 or older, that's probably not going to be too much of a prospect. There are obvious exceptions. For instance, a guy like Williams Ramirez spent a couple of DSL years as a hitter and then moved to pitcher, so all of those other factors come into it.

 

Then if you see a guy who succeeds at age 17, basically their first year of being able to play, they become intriguing. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Poppen is a Harvard man too. Probably a good front office exec prospect.

He'll need to perform at AA before prospect watchers get too excited. Stuff and age play such an important role in what makes a prospect.

 

He's a four-year guy, obviously very smart. When I saw him in May, I assumed I'd see kind of a soft-tossing guy who would try to out-smart hitters. But I was impressed. He's not a soft-tosser. He sits 91-93. He has good secondary stuff. And, what impressed me is that he seemed able to make some quick adjustments in-game. 

 

He's not a Top 40 guy for me, but he's not just a filler guy. He's certainly worth watching. 

 

I just hate when four-year college guys are generally not considered prospects because they stayed in school. Consider Hildenberger went to college for 5 years. Dozier went for four years. Garver's about as ready as it gets to be a big leaguer, and he was a four-year guy. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Rooker needs to move up. Sec caliber baseball us probably a tiny notch up from cedar Rapids even he should probably be in ft Myers but at least cedar Rapids.. Will be really interesting seeing who goes where with all DE LA Torre wander and royce.. Crazy how fast shortstop became the systems strongest prospect position(ceiling wise) after being desperate for a prospect for a decade ..

 

I talked to Brandon Lopez a bit about that in May in Cedar Rapids. He was a four-year starter at Miami, so I asked him how the big time college programs compare to the Midwest League, etc. 

 

He said it's fairly similar. The best pitchers in the SEC or any big conference are maybe ready for High-A. He said the 2-3 starters are maybe Low-A ready. The guys they face on some Sundays or during the week are guys for E-Town. 

 

You'll notice, only a handful from even those top colleges get drafted each year, and how many of them get even to AA, much less higher. 

 

I think we sometimes need to slow down our thoughts on how good all of the ball is at those top colleges and realize how good the baseball is in the full season leagues, even the Midwest League. Sure, guys taken in the top 10-15 picks out of college can probably jump straight to the Florida State League level. But any college players after that shouldn't start higher than the Midwest League, and most should probably get at least some time in an advanced rookie league just to work through some of the adjustments on and off the field. 

 

So I don't think I would say that the SEC is a little higher talent-wise than the Midwest League. The top SEC players are probably a little higher talent-wise than most in the Midwest League, but the average SEC player is right in line with some of the Midwest League players. 

[Mr. Brooks]

You must have missed the "he'd be lucky to have ABW's career" posts last week.

That we me, and I've never suggested he's a bust. Far too early for that, also far too early too get excited about anything he's done in a league he doesn't belong in.

 

He will be lucky to have ABW's career. (Opinion of course)

What are the odds on a guy picked where he was? Maybe it's higher than I think, who knows.

 

I'm just not a big believer, looking at his strike out tendencies, his strategy of just sitting fastball, and his priority of individual award ceremonies over actually going to work.

That doesn't mean I'm writing him off as a bust though, these things are just opinion and not fact yet.

If/ when I'm wrong I'll own it and be happy for him and the team.

I don't feel like I need to be called out for my opinion though.

If I had a positive opinion of him in this same small sample size nobody would think twice. But if it's a negative opinion then its, "whoa whoa, sample size dude!"

And, of course if I waited for a large sample size to give my opinion out would be, "well yeah but that's hindsight bro, didn't hear you complaining when he was mashing in Elizabethtown."

[cmoss84]

Call me crazy, but I hope they move Lewis to 3rd sooner rather than later. Gordon seems to be our SS and it seems unlikely Lewis will be staying there long term.

[drjim]

He's a four-year guy, obviously very smart. When I saw him in May, I assumed I'd see kind of a soft-tossing guy who would try to out-smart hitters. But I was impressed. He's not a soft-tosser. He sits 91-93. He has good secondary stuff. And, what impressed me is that he seemed able to make some quick adjustments in-game.

 

He's not a Top 40 guy for me, but he's not just a filler guy. He's certainly worth watching.

 

I just hate when four-year college guys are generally not considered prospects because they stayed in school. Consider Hildenberger went to college for 5 years. Dozier went for four years. Garver's about as ready as it gets to be a big leaguer, and he was a four-year guy.

I didn't want to suggest he's not a prospect or has no chance, but (imo) 4 year guys need to perform at AA before we can get too excited. Hildenberger is a great example. When he pitched well at AA he got on the radar a little bit.

[drjim]

What??? I'm assuming this is sarcasm, because have you actually looked at his numbers?

 

...and besides even IF he was actually playing bad, he's only played 16 professional games. Until a player has played a few years, that label can't be accurately affixed.

I was being sarcastic (and exaggerating a little).

 

He's too experienced for this league, but I'm generally indifferent to performance the year a player is drafted. It's enough of an adjustment to pro ball and a wood bat that I'm not going to get too excited either way. Next year is what matters.

 

I did find it humorous when people were jumping in with the negativity because the k/bb rates were a little off after a handful of games.

[drjim]

That we me, and I've never suggested he's a bust. Far too early for that, also far too early too get excited about anything he's done in a league he doesn't belong in.

 

He will be lucky to have ABW's career. (Opinion of course)

What are the odds on a guy picked where he was? Maybe it's higher than I think, who knows.

 

I'm just not a big believer, looking at his strike out tendencies, his strategy of just sitting fastball, and his priority of individual award ceremonies over actually going to work.

That doesn't mean I'm writing him off as a bust though, these things are just opinion and not fact yet.

If/ when I'm wrong I'll own it and be happy for him and the team.

I don't feel like I need to be called out for my opinion though.

If I had a positive opinion of him in this same small sample size nobody would think twice. But if it's a negative opinion then its, "whoa whoa, sample size dude!"

And, of course if I waited for a large sample size to give my opinion out would be, "well yeah but that's hindsight bro, didn't hear you complaining when he was mashing in Elizabethtown."

You are correct, someone picked in that range is not likely to return much value.

[Mr. Brooks]

I was being sarcastic (and exaggerating a little).

 

He's too experienced for this league, but I'm generally indifferent to performance the year a player is drafted. It's enough of an adjustment to pro ball and a wood bat that I'm not going to get too excited either way. Next year is what matters.

 

I did find it humorous when people were jumping in with the negativity because the k/bb rates were a little off after a handful of games.

I could be thinking of someone else, but I think Rooker has already played with a wood bat.

[Bob Sacamento]

 

Or maybe Lewis could play leap-frog over Wander and jump right to Cedar Rapids, perhaps for the playoff run in August and September? There's no current Kernel SS there to hold him back, especially if he can maintain anything close to this level of offensive production.

 

Has Bob Sacramento, or someone else, graded him out so far in terms of his real-time defense at SS?

From what I've seen Lewis is a present day 35-40 SS with possible 50 grade in future.  He needs alot of footwork and fundamental work to stay at SS but not impossible.  Working in his favor is a strong work ethic, he's one of the first one's out on the field for the GCL games and he's the absolute last one to leave.  Even with his excellent speed, there's been balls up the middle and 3B-SS hole that players with more experience get to.  His arm strength is a plus although he throws like an outfielder and not an infielder.  One of my biggest mechanical pet peeves is his is the crowhop, jumphop whatever you want to call it that utilizes at short with nearly every groundball that he takes in.  In summation, he can pass at short for now, he needs alot of work to get it done in upper levels but not out of the realm of possibility. 

[carlito_b]

Most definitely agree with what you said. I'm just saying the typical Friday starters in the sec are better or more talented I should say than the Midwest league.. The average pro player is for sure better tho .. I'm just saying rooker crushed sec pitching which leads me to believe he's ready for a ball

[Seth Stohs]

 

I didn't want to suggest he's not a prospect or has no chance, but (imo) 4 year guys need to perform at AA before we can get too excited. Hildenberger is a great example. When he pitched well at AA he got on the radar a little bit.

 

I think we actually agree... your point is not to get too excited regardless of numbers. My point is not to brush off a college guy or a a four-year college guy right away by saying they're older than the competition.