Article: Twins Minor League Report (7/23): Slegers Continues Strong Streak

[Seth Stohs]

On Sunday, Aaron Slegers continued a very impressive streak of starts. He was helped by his catcher, Mitch Garver behind the plate and with his bat. The Lookouts got a short start but the bullpen kept them in the game. It was a crazy game for the Miracle that three members of their team didn’t see the completion of. Cedar Rapids got a great start and some big offensive performances. It was a back-and-forth game for the E-Twins that got off to a quick start.Sunday, the Twins recognized Armed Forces Appreciation Day at Target Field. It was a great ceremony where the various military branches were recognized. On Saturday night, Kernels right-hander Griffin Jax made his final appearance before he leaves to fulfill his final two years of his military commitment. I think it would have been great if the Twins would have brought Jax to Target Field to be recognized. However, when he left the mound with two outs in the seventh inning in Cedar Rapids on Saturday night, he received a standing ovation.

 

 

And Steve Buhr captured a great photo of it.

 

 

 

Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Sunday.

 

Let’s start with the transactions of the day:

• Following the Twins loss on Sunday, the team announced the veteran Craig Breslow had been DFAd, and that a corresponding move would be made on Monday. Since Justin Haley is on Day 29 of a maximum 30-day rehab assignment, it is likely that he will be recalled to be a long reliever.
• Rochester announced that OF Daniel Palka has been reinstated from the DL. Ryan Strausborger was placed on the disabled list.

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 7, Toledo 1

Box Score

After this game, Aaron Slegers is now 11-4 overall with a 3.35 ERA. Over those seven starts, he is 7-0 with a 2.05 ERA. In seven innings, he gave up one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings. He also struck out seven. Drew Rucinski struck out two in his scoreless inning. Jake Reed then struck out two in a scoreless ninth.

 

On the offensive side, Mitch Garver again led the way. Batting second, he went 2-3 with two walks, his 21st double and his 14th home run. Matt Hague went 2-4 with a walk and his 18th double. He also stole his sixth base. Kennys Vargas added his fifth home run. Daniel Palka made his return and went 1-2 with two walks.

 

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 4, Mobile 6

Box Score

 

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.

 

Todd Van Steensel came on and threw 2.1 scoreless innings to drop his season ERA to 1.47. He walked one and struck out two. Paul Clemens walked two and struck out two over two scoreless innings. Luke Bard struck out one in a scoreless eighth frame.

 

The team tried to come back but fell short. Former Brewers outfield Andy Wilkens led the way by going 3-5 with his 13th double and seventh home run. Carlos Paulino went 3-3 with his fourth double. Max Murphy went 2-5 with his fourth double.

 

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 2, Tampa 6

Box Score

 

It was a very interesting game for the Miracle, well, even before the game started. While meeting with the umpires and the opposing manager before the game, Miracle manager Doug Mientkiewicz was ejected. In the fifth inning, when Sean Miller was called out on a stolen base attempt, hitting coach and acting-manager Steve Singleton was ejected. Later that inning, Kevin Garcia was tossed after being called out at first base.

 

Brady Anderson started for the Miracle and went the first six innings. He gave up six runs on eight hits. He walked four and struck out two. Tom Hackimer came on and threw two scoreless innings, striking out four. His Miracle ERA dropped to 1.21. Sam Clay struck out two in a perfect ninth.

 

The Miracle bats managed just six hits in the game. Brent Rooker went 1-3 with a walk. Brian Navarreto and Nelson Molina each had RBI singles.

 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 8, Lansing 5

Box Score

 

Several hitters had big games for the Kernels, but they also received a really strong start. Clark Beeker recorded his ninth win of the season. The right-hander threw six shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked none and struck out three.

 

Ryan Mason came on and was charged with three runs on four hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. He struck out two. Max Cordy got the final four outs, but gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits in 1.1 innings.

 

Caleb Hamilton went 3-3 with a walk and three RBI. Hank Morrison went 3-4 with a walk. Amaurys Minier had the big hit of the game, though. He hit his third home run, a grand slam. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-5 with his ninth stolen base. Aaron Whitefield went 2-5 with his 25th stolen base.

 

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 9, Bluefield 11

Box Score

 

This game was back and forth. The Twins fell behind early, had a big comeback, but then lost it late.

 

Huascar Yona started and struggled. He gave up six runs on eight hits and two walks in 3.2 innings. He struck out three. Then Bailey Ober came in for his professional debut. The 12th-round pick from the College of Charleston threw 3.1 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out three. 31 of his 41 pitches were strikes.

 

Akil Baddoo played his second game for the E-Twins. He went 3-4 with a walk and he led off the bottom of the first inning with his first Appy League home run. Jordan Gore continues to rake. With a 3-5 game, he is now hitting .418 on the season. He added his fourth double. Jose Miranda was 2-5 with three RBI.

 

Down 6-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, Kolton Kendrick led off with a solo homer, his second homer of the year. Later in the inning, Shane Carrier hit a three-run homer to give Twins the lead. It was his third homer with the E-Twins.

 

Blair Lakso got the final two innings. He was charged with five runs on five hits over those innings. He walked two (one intentional) and struck out three.

 

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins

Box Score

 

The GCL Twins do not play on Sundays.

 

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Slegers, Rochester Red Wings

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Akil Baddoo, Elizabethton Twins

 

 

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Rochester @ Indianapolis (6:05 CST) - LHP Nik Turley

Chattanooga - No Game Scheduled.

Tampa @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe

Lansing @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi

Elizabethton @ Pulaski (6:00 CST) - TBD

GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) - TBD

 

 

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

 

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[DocBauer]

OK, he may not project the way some pitching prospects do, but sooner or later, we have to acknowledge that Slegers is a legitimate SP prospect with at least some potential. Don't we?

 

He has made steady and solid progress since being drafted, albeit nothing special, he is 24, (25 in September), and in his first season, period, of AAA ball. And while there have been a few poor or so-so performances, he has largely been solid and been in a roll. If you are 24, in your very first season of AAA ball, and actually getting better as the season goes on, sooner or later you have to be considered as a decent prospect. Yes?

[beckmt]

 

OK, he may not project the way some pitching prospects do, but sooner or later, we have to acknowledge that Slegers is a legitimate SP prospect with at least some potential. Don't we? He has made steady and solid progress since being drafted, albeit nothing special, he is 24, (25 in September), and in his first season, period, of AAA ball. And while there have been a few poor or so-so performances, he has largely been solid and been in a roll. If you are 24, in your very first season of AAA ball, and actually getting better as the season goes on, sooner or later you have to be considered as a decent prospect. Yes?

No, to me he is another AAAA pitcher, good but not able to pitch  successfully at the MLB level.  

[terrydactyls]

No, to me he is another AAAA pitcher, good but not able to pitch  successfully at the MLB level.

 

Question: Has he ever pitched for an extended period in the major leagues? If he hasn't, what is the basis for declaring that he can't "pitch successfully?"

[gman]

 I think Slegers needs to be put in the Twins regular rotation for the rest of the year. Give him 6-8 starts and find out what you have. He has been succeeding at Triple A and he Twins need him to learn how to succeed and become a reliable major league starter for 2018 and forward. The Twins also need to find out if he is not a future probability at starter.

[laloesch]

 

 I think Slegers needs to be put in the Twins regular rotation for the rest of the year. Give him 6-8 starts and find out what you have. He has been succeeding at Triple A and he Twins need him to learn how to succeed and become a reliable major league starter for 2018 and forward. The Twins also need to find out if he is not a future probability at starter.

 

Why not?  I think he has potential, more so than Tepesch, Gee, Colon, etc.  He has pitched well down the stretch here.  He doesn't have overwhelming stuff but he's winning.  Do i think the Twins will promote him down the stretch here?  No, unfortunately.

 

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

OK, he may not project the way some pitching prospects do, but sooner or later, we have to acknowledge that Slegers is a legitimate SP prospect with at least some potential. Don't we? He has made steady and solid progress since being drafted, albeit nothing special, he is 24, (25 in September), and in his first season, period, of AAA ball. And while there have been a few poor or so-so performances, he has largely been solid and been in a roll. If you are 24, in your very first season of AAA ball, and actually getting better as the season goes on, sooner or later you have to be considered as a decent prospect. Yes?

 

He's strung enough of these types of starts together to make you wonder if he has potential. Given how bad the rotation is, I wouldn't be surprised if he got called up once the Colon experiment is done for good. 

 

BTW, for the record he's 6-10. He's another one of those really tall long armed guys in the Alex Meyer mold that we tend to get a bit scared of.

[Old Twins Cap]

I don't know what Slegers has got, but KC had a tall starting pitcher who was below average and never made it.  Next thing you know he became Wade Davis.  Now he closes for the Cubs.

 

Tall guys mature late because their extension is hard to manage without long term muscle memory.  Give them a shorter game window and suddenly they are unhittable.

 

 

[rdehring]

While reading this I had many of the same thoughts mentioned above. I sincerely hope the Twins give Slegers a chance, if not now, at least in September.

 

But the biggest news today was Palacios going 0-4!

 

And all eyes will be on Fort Myers tonight where the Thorpedo makes another start!

[Seth Stohs]

Slegers has been fantastic. While 6-10, he doesn't throw 98 like Randy Johnson or Alex Meyer, but he throws 91-93 and touches 95. He's no slouch. Is he a top prospect? No. However, I don't know the reason why he doesn't get more credit, and more discussion. The Twins risked losing him in the Rule 5 draft, so he's not a big prospect, but they invited him to big league camp, and that's not something they do for just anyone. There are some people in the organization that really like him a lot. There's no reason to think he doesn't deserve or hasn't earned an opportunity. 

 

With Breslow coming off the 40-man roster, and Bartolo Colon contemplating retiring after his next start, I think Slegers should get the next opportunity (and Romero and Gonsalves should move up to Rochester). 

[clutterheart]

 

Slegers has been fantastic. While 6-10, he doesn't throw 98 like Randy Johnson or Alex Meyer, but he throws 91-93 and touches 95. He's no slouch. Is he a top prospect? No. However, I don't know the reason why he doesn't get more credit, and more discussion. 

 

Because he hasn't been "discussion worthy" throughout his career.    I have never read about scouts talk about his pitches and up until recently, he hasn't struck out many guys, he gave up too many hits and walked too many people.  

 

That being said, he is on the young side compared to his competition and he is having a good July.  If this continues, he could be "in the discussion."  But you have to judge a guy by his body of work, not just the last month.   

 

He could get "the call" over more deserving guys like Gonsalves and he could have a few decent starts. But over his MLB career I wouldn't expect anything more than a 5th starter for 1 or 2 seasons.

 

Though I would be interested in seeing if he could be in the bullpen mix.  

Edited July 24, 2017 by clutterheart

[clutterheart]

Fantastic seeing the season Baddoo is having.  Anyone know how to pronounce that last name?

 

[Minnesotatwins005]

I never seen Slegers pitch besides a game or two for Indiana in college but I always just assumed he was more of a Chris Young type. Tall guy that doesn't have overpowering stuff but his length gives him some extra deception on his fastball that makes it seem a few MPH faster then it actually is.

[Bob Sacamento]

 

Fantastic seeing the season Baddoo is having.  Anyone know how to pronounce that last name?

Akil Baddoo is pronounced

 

Akeel  Bah - Do

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

OK, he may not project the way some pitching prospects do, but sooner or later, we have to acknowledge that Slegers is a legitimate SP prospect with at least some potential.

Sure, Slegers can be considered a prospect.  But he's a Justin Haley type prospect, which doesn't necessarily mean much to the Twins, unfortunately.

[Bob Sacamento]

No one going to mention what the hell happened in High A?  How the hell does a manager get ejected before the game??  Then the hitting coach turned manager gets tossed leaving the pitching coach as the defacto manager?  Just insane, who's next after the pitching coach in the active manager hierarchy? The bat boy? The PA announcer? One of the players?

 

 

 

 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Sure, Slegers can be considered a prospect.  But he's a Justin Haley type prospect, which doesn't necessarily mean much to the Twins, unfortunately.

 

Maybe... but I we don't know that. That's always my point. There are always examples of guys like Slegers who suddenly get to the big leagues and become solid #3s. The odds aren't good that he'll become even a #3, but he's obviously at least intriguing. It's not like he's a soft-tosser. 

[clutterheart]

 

Maybe... but I we don't know that. That's always my point. There are always examples of guys like Slegers who suddenly get to the big leagues and become solid #3s. The odds aren't good that he'll become even a #3, but he's obviously at least intriguing. It's not like he's a soft-tosser. 

 

Of course.  Thats whats makes watching prospects fun.  But until the last month or so, there has been no reason to think Slegers will be that guy.  Until recently he has given up too many hits and too many walks.   

[Cap'n Piranha]

It behooves the Twins to start getting an idea on how many legitimate options we have for next years rotation. We have 3 locks in Santana, Berrios, and Mejia. Santiago is probably gone, and we shouldn't count on Hughes being able to ever start again. That leaves Gibson, Slegers, Jorge, Gonsalves, and Romero as guys who could potentially contribute next year. I think it makes sense to start finding out if the potential is real or not, rather than experiment with a bunch of has-beens, and never-weres.

[jmlease1]

 

No one going to mention what the hell happened in High A?  How the hell does a manager get ejected before the game??  Then the hitting coach turned manager gets tossed leaving the pitching coach as the defacto manager?  Just insane, who's next after the pitching coach in the active manager hierarchy? The bat boy? The PA announcer? One of the players?

 

I'm with you. A manager getting tossed before a game actually starts is Earl Weaver-Billy Martin kind of stuff. I'd love to know what got said to set someone off and why no one was able to calm things down before an ejection had to take place.

 

(admittedly, I love this stuff. I swear, didn't Billy Martin and Stevie Palermo get into it before a game once and then the anthem started playing, so they stopped the fight, stood quietly next to each other with hats over their hearts until the anthem was over, and then got right back into screaming at each other.)

[Seth Stohs]

 

It behooves the Twins to start getting an idea on how many legitimate options we have for next years rotation. We have 3 locks in Santana, Berrios, and Mejia. Santiago is probably gone, and we shouldn't count on Hughes being able to ever start again. That leaves Gibson, Slegers, Jorge, Gonsalves, and Romero as guys who could potentially contribute next year. I think it makes sense to start finding out if the potential is real or not, rather than experiment with a bunch of has-beens, and never-weres.

 

I don't think Jorge, Gonsalves and Romero fit into that category. What they would do the remainder of this year shouldn't indicate if the 'potential is real.' I get it with Slegers because he's 24 and in AAA. But Romero, Gonsalves, Jorge, they're all in AA, young, full of potential. Those guys should be brought up when they're ready... not to fulfill some timeline.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Of course.  Thats whats makes watching prospects fun.  But until the last month or so, there has been no reason to think Slegers will be that guy.  Until recently he has given up too many hits and too many walks.   

 

He's always had tremendous control, particularly for a guy with that height.  He's always been a 'guy.' I mean, he was a 5th round pick, not a 25th rounder. There's always been a feeling that he "could" get to the big leagues. He's been a guy who's moved up one year at a time, and always done alright. He's improved too, that's a big thing. 

[Seth Stohs]

By the way... Alan Busenitz recalled to take Craig  Breslow's spot. 

[gunnarthor]

 

 

 

(admittedly, I love this stuff. I swear, didn't Billy Martin and Stevie Palermo get into it before a game once and then the anthem started playing, so they stopped the fight, stood quietly next to each other with hats over their hearts until the anthem was over, and then got right back into screaming at each other.)

I've heard that story probably a dozen times. No idea if it's true but I want it to be true.

[nicksaviking]

 

He's strung enough of these types of starts together to make you wonder if he has potential. Given how bad the rotation is, I wouldn't be surprised if he got called up once the Colon experiment is done for good. 

 

BTW, for the record he's 6-10. He's another one of those really tall long armed guys in the Alex Meyer mold that we tend to get a bit scared of.

 

With the long arms creating leverage it would seem like the tall pitchers would fall into the Randy Johnson/Alex Meyer high velocity but wild category, but then you have the Chris Youngs, Mark Hendricksons and Doug Fisters who seemingly defy physics and don't throw hard and do have good command. Slegers definately looks like the Chris Young type.

[nicksaviking]

I didn't realize that Steve Singleton was the Ft Myers bench coach. I assume that's the same Steve Singleton that played MiLB ball for the Twins last decade?

[drjim]

 

I've heard that story probably a dozen times. No idea if it's true but I want it to be true.

 

Not quite the same, but I remember this:

 

[Seth Stohs]

 

I didn't realize that Steve Singleton was the Ft Myers bench coach. I assume that's the same Steve Singleton that played MiLB ball for the Twins last decade?

 

He coached in the GCL last year. Since he retired, he's coached some in junior college and such. 

[Deduno Abides]

Yabba Da Baddoo!

[Deduno Abides]

Slegers is requiring attention. Sometimes tall pitchers get screwed up by their coaches trying to get them to emphasize their height and work on a downward plane, instead of telling them to just go pitch with whatever works for them. Perhaps Flavor Lev are changing some of the minor league pitching instruction? Maybe Stewart will be next to step up?