Minor League Report...August 23, 2009
by roger13 on Aug 23, 2009 10:58 AM EDT
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PrintGood morning, today's report is late as I was travelling yesterday. All results and records will be reported as of the completion of play on Friday. Today I will take a closer look at a couple players on each team who we haven't heard as much of, however, their play this season improves the liklihood that they may someday fulfill their dreams of playing major league baseball.
After completing their first 30-win week of the season a week ago, the organization came within a game of repeating with a 29-15 record. All teams were at or better than .500 with Ft. Myers leading the way with 7 wins. As the minor league seasons wind down, three teams are in first place (Ft. Myers, Elizabethton and GCL Twins) with the DSL Twins opening a three game playoff series today with the division winning Yankees-2.
Although it came down to the last hour the Twins signed their first round pick, Kyle Gibson. They also signed their 44th round pick, Tyler Herr. The Twins placed Francisco Liriano on the disabled list, calling up Philip Humber who was added to the 40-man roster. Matt Macri was removed from the 40-man roster, however, remained with the Red Wings. The Twins sent Anthony Swarzak back to Rochester and called up pitcher Armando Gabino who is expected to make his first major league start on Tuesday.
Rochester Red Wings (5-3, 61-65, 3rd place, -9.5 games)
The Wings moved up a spot as they picked up 1.5 games on the league leading Scranton/WB Yankees.
They won one of three against Syracuse behind Armando Gabino, 8-1, on Sunday when Gabino pitched 7.0 innings with only 3 hits, 1 run and 9K/1BB. Gabino made his last start for the Wings on Friday, pitching 3.0 shutout innings with 1 hit before being pulled to prepare for his trip to Minnesota. After spending much of the season in the Red Wing bullpen, Gabino recently made five starts (36 games) to finish his season with a 5-3 record, 1 save, 2.83ERA, 1.01WHIP and 55K/22BB in 86.0 innings.
The highlight this week was a four game sweep of the Pawtuckett Red Sox behind four starts by Reid Santos, Justin Jones, Yohan Pino and R. A. Dickey. Dickey pitched 7.0 innings with 8 hits, 2 runs (1 earned) and 4K/1BB in Thursday's 5-3 win. Jones returned to the rotation with his best start of the season in Wednesday's 5-1 win, pitching 7.0 innings with 4 hits, 1 run and 4K/2BB.
Gabino is the type of prospect who would merit mention this week as someone who flew under the radar much of his career, yet played excellent ball this season to earn his promotion to the Twins. Another is first baseman Brock Peterson who played well for the Twins in spring training then struggled in his adjustment to AAA by hitting only .214 Average in 28 April at bats and .114 Average in 35 May at bats. Peterson turned his game around in June and although the big first baseman has only 7 home runs, he has his average up to .289/.373/.441 in 256 at bats with 16 doubles, 1 triple and 34 RBI. This former 49th round pick appears to have done everything he can to be ready for that final call which could come next year with either the Twins or another organization.
New Britain Rock Cats (4-2, 63-61, 2nd place, -8.0 games)
Although any hope of catching Connecticut is gone, the second place Cats hold a 1.0 game lead over Trenton for the last play-off spot in the Eastern League.
The Cats began and ended their week with 4-1 and 6-3 wins (vs. Akron and Reading) behind Matt Fox who has returned to his early season form. Fox pitched 7.0 shutout innings with 2 hits and 6K/2BB on Saturday then pitched 5.1 innings with 4 hits, 2 runs and 7K/1BB on Friday. Deolis Guerra also had a big start on Thursday when he pitched the Rock Cats to a 7-2 win with 6.2 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs (1 earned) and 6K/0BB.
Although he is a former first round pick, Kyle Waldrop had fallen off the Twins radar the past few years as the result of missing all of 2008 following shoulder surgery. The Twins elected to limit Waldrop's innings this season by moving him to the bullpen as he returned to Ft. Myers where he compiled a 3-2 record with a 3.09ERA in 20 games (35.0 innings) with 20K/7BB. Waldrop moved up to the Rock Cats where he was better, appearing in 24 games with a 2-3 record, 1.43ERA, 1.18WHIP and 20K/14BB in 44.0 innings.
Another player who we are familiar with, yet isn't included when talking about top prospects is Brian Dinkelman. Dinkelman is having an excellent season for the Rock Cats with the seventh best average in the league, .305/.395/.462 while leading the league with 36 doubles. Dinkelman also has scored 56 runs with 2 triples, 8 home runs and 62 RBI with 51 walks and 60 strikeouts in 407 at bats. Although he has yet to play in AAA, Dinkelman must be someone considered as a utility player in 2010.
Ft. Myers Miracle (6-2, 31-24, 1st place, +2.0 games)
The first half champions hold a 2.0 game lead over Charlotte as they prepare for their second straight trip to the FSL playoffs.
Steven Hirschfield has been battling David Bromberg for the role as team Ace the second half. Bromberg was the winner on Tuesday, 4-3, as he pitched 6.0 innings with 3 hits, 2 runs and 6K/3BB to remain tied for the second most wins in the league with twelve. Hirschfield has the league's second best ERA (2.01) after a week in which he picked up two wins with a 6.1 inning start Sunday when he allowed 6 hits and 3 runs with 5K/2BB. He had a gem in Friday's 7-1 win when he pitched 7.0 shutout innings with 5 hits and 5K/2BB. Chris Parmalee provided some of the support Friday when he hit his league leading 16th home run as he remains one RBI behind Tampa's Brandon Lord for the league lead with 69.
With high profile starters such as Bromberg, McCardell, Guerra and Gutierrez pitching in Ft. Myers this year, one pitcher who hasn't received as much attention is Santos Arias. After pitching very well for Beloit in 2009, Arias began this season in the Miracle bullpen before moving to the starting rotation in July. Arias has 7 starts with a 2-1 record with a 1.85ERA and 29K/11BB in 43.2 innings. As a reliever, Arias had compiled a 4-1 record with a 2.39ERA in 29 games (49.0 innings) with 38K/11BB.
Another exciting player for the Miracle this year is shortstop Estarlin De Los Santos. Although he missed a good part of the season, De Los Santos has the Miracle's second highest average at .300/.342/.423 with 10 doubles, 7 triples and 1 home run in 220 at bats.
Beloit Snappers (3-3, 23-31, 7th place, -10.5 games)
The Snappers finished their week with a pair of wins, 5-1 and 9-6, over Kane County. Daniel Osterbrock had one of his best starts of the season on Friday, pitching 5.2 innings with 3 hits, 1 unearned run and 6K/2BB as he improved his record to 6-9 with a 5.42ERA and 114K/30BB in 119.2 innings.
Bruce Pugh was a 19th round pick last year out of Hillsborough Community College. Pugh had a 3.92ERA in 27 games as a reliever (43.2 innings) with 50K/26BB. Since moving into the starting rotation in late July, Pugh has made 5 starts (24.1 innings) with a 1-1 record, 1.48ERA and 26K/10BB while holding opponents to a .218 batting average.
I have often mentioned James Beresford for the season he is having at Beloit this season. Following an appearance in this year's WBC with the Australian team, this 20-year old middle infielder has played very well as evidenced by his hitting .283/.339/.305 with 9 doubles and 49 runs scored in 407 at bats.
Elizabethton Twins (3-3, 38-19, 1st place, +6.0 games)
We saw a preview of this year's playoffs this week as the Twins lost two of three to the Danville Braves. The Twins lost two games, 5-4 and 5-1, behind Tom Stuifbergen (6.0 innings, 8 hits, 5 runs and 7K/0BB) and Miguel Munoz (6.0 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs and 4K/2BB). They beat the Braves, 9-5, on Monday behind Edgar Ibarra who pitched 5.0 innings with 5 hits, 1 run and 3K/2BB. Matt Tone allowed his first earned run in nearly a month, however, continues to be one of the top relievers in the Appy League with a 4-1 record, 1.45ERA, 1.10WHIP and 40K/22BB in 31.0 innings.
Ibarra pitched very well last year for the GCL Twins where he had a 4-0 record with a 3.12ERA in 49.0 innings. Ibarra has appeared in 12 games this season (4 starts) with a 5-2 record, 3.26ERA, 1.24WHIP and 41K/16BB in 38.2 innings.
With Tyler Ladendorf hitting .220 Average in the MidWest League with Kane County, Brian Dozier is a young shortstop Twins fans will watch closely. Dozier continues as the ETon Twins top hitter at .349/.419/.440 which is fourth best in the Appy League. Dozier also has a team best and league sixth best 16 doubles.
GCL Twins (4-2, 30-18, 1st place, +4.5 games)
The Twins stretched their lead over the Reds by another game even though they lost their only game with the Reds, 6-3, on Wednesday. With only seven games remaining, the Twins are close to clinching a second straight division championship.
Adrian Salcedo made two strong starts this week, winning 2-1 last Saturday when he pitched 6.0 innings with 5 hits, 1 run and 4K/1BB. Salcedo was the loser, 5-2, on Thursday when he pitched 6.2 innings with 3 unearned runs and 6K/0BB. Eliecer Cardenas was the loser to the Reds when he pitched 3.0 innings with 4 hits, 5 runs (1 earned) and 2K/1BB.
One young starter who is having an excellent season is Michael Tonkin. Tonkin had another very good start in Monday's 2-1 win over the Rays when he pitched 6.0 innings with 4 hits, 1 unearned run and 6K/0BB. Tonkin has a 3-3 record with a 3.55ERA in 10 games (50.2 innings) with 58K/6BB. In his last three starts, Tonkin has pitched 18.0 innings with only 1 earned run with 17K/2BB.
Closer Andrei Lobanov has a team best 7 saves with a 0.90ERA in 14 games (20.0 innings) with 32K/0BB. This young Russian may have a tremendous future if he can continue to pitch anywhere near as well as he has this season in the GCL.
DSL Twins (4-0, 46-23, 2nd place, -0.5 games)
The Twins completed their season in second place a half game behind the Yankees-2. They begin a three game playoff series with the Yankees-2 today.
Romy Trinidad is a 18-year old outfielder who was the DSL Twins lone non-pitcher all-star. Trinidad hit a solid .312/.443/.363 in 157 at bats with 32 walks and 31 strikeouts. Cesar Ciurcina is a 18-year old starter who led the team and league with a 9-2 record with a 1.39ERA and league best 0.69WHIP in 84.0 innings with 72K/8BB.
Player of the Week
Coming into this season Yohan Pino wasn't considered a top prospect in part because he isn't a hard throwing pitcher who can dominate the opposition. Yet, Pino had an amazing 46-19 record and 2.83ERA in five seasons in the organization. Pino began 2009 working out of the New Britain bullpen where he compiled a 5-1 record with a 3.19ERA in 32 games (62.0 innings) with 64K/16BB. Pino earned a promotion to AAA Rochester where he joined their starting rotation.
Pino got the start against Pawtuckett Wednesday, leading the Wings to a 6-0 win by pitching 8.0 shutout innings with 3 hits and 8K/1BB to pick up his second win in four decisions.
In seven games with the Red Wings (43.0 innings), Pino has a 3.14ERA, 1.00WHIP and 39K/10BB. He certainly appears to be a player the Twins will count on in 2010 when they need someone to fill in either as a starter or working out of their bullpen.
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Last night.....
On the radio, mention was made that the Twins pulled Carlos Gutierrez after a couple of innings and shut him down for the season (granted, not much of a season left). Be interested to see what he does in 2010 — start or relieve.
Jay Rainville. Heard he retired. What’s the scoop on players when they decide to retire and are still considered prospects. Do the Twins still hold playing rights to him for a few more years…or if Rainville decides to comeback, can he do it with another team?
Also, the Twins signed Bret Farve to throw…wait, that was the Vikings…sorry!
Kudos to Brock Peterson. Maybe he’ll find a home like Garrett Jones did in 2010. Who do the Twins protect in the off-season, Peterson, Erik Lis, Whit Robbins, David Winfree?
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who do they protect from those 4 ?
David Winfree
(out of Peterson, Lis, Robbins, and David Winfree)
by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Aug 23, 2009 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions
The Twins had moved...
…Gutierrez to the bullpen some time ago and he did appear in a couple games this week. Hadn’t seen that he was being shut down, but wouldn’t be surprising.
I would be surprised if any of the players you mention would be added to the 40-man roster, although I think an argument could be made for Winfree. There are 6 or 7 others that would be in danger of being lost if they aren’t and with 43 players currently on the roster, there are going to have to be a lot of cuts to open spots for those players. Should be intersting to see how Bill Smith handles this situation come November.
Bill Smith announced today...
…that Gutierrez will be throwing an inning or so a couple times a week as they are working to keep his innings to a minimum. When asked about his future, he seemed to acknowledge that Gutierrez’ future will most likely be as a reliever.
He was also asked about three Rochester relievers and whether or not they would be called up in September/added to the 40-man roster. He said that Morillo will most likely be gone if he isn’t added and arms like (throws almost 100mph) don’t come a long very often. He didn’t reply regarding Slama and Delaney. It may be tough for them to add all three to the roster and I have to believe that if any of the three isn’t added, they will be gone in the Rule V draft (Morillo would be a 6 year minor league free agent).
Morillo
Smith also acknowledged that he has to throw more strikes. There is zero chance that Delaney or Slama is left off the 40 man roster in November. Guys like that would be gone easily.
Gutierrez a reliever?
So our high draft picks for that year were a reliever and a guy who couldn’t hit the broad side of barn with his fastball (Hunt)?
Relievers are very valuable
After watching this team blow 45 leads in the late innings the last two years, I would be glad to spend a first rounder on a solid set-up guy.
The guys I cringe at are Moses, Sanchez and Hunt. Moses hasn’t been the same since he re-injured his back. Nobody expected Hunt to develop Steve Blass disease. The consolation there is he was a sandwich pick. Speaking of sandwich picks, Sanchez was the biggest bust this system has had in this decade. That was a pick where we listened to Baseball America over our own scouts.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Henry Sanchez, 1B
1st round (39th) of 2005 draft.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=sanche002hen
Trying to find the right Sanchez at a baseball site could take months.
Hunt
I think he was projected as an infielder but was happy to be with the twins so he could pitch.
I wonder if will try and make a switch.
by clutterheart on Aug 25, 2009 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Gutierrez
In wonder if he will have to be on the 40 man too
Its going to be an interesting offseason, and a crucial one…
by clutterheart on Aug 24, 2009 10:47 AM EDT up reply actions
And a young high school outfielder....
…most say is the top prospect in the organization (Aaron Hicks).
Two teams make playoff moves...
…The GCL Twins beat the Red Sox, 5-4, yesterday. The win clinched their division championship as they have a 5.0 game lead over the Reds and Orioles with 4 games remaining. They will have a single game playoff with the winner moving on, a game they lost last season.
The DSL Twins beat the Yankees-2 yesterday, 4-3, to win their three game series two games to one. They now move on to a second round three game series against the Rangers-2.
Ft. Myers is in the playoffs as the first division champ. New Britain is battling for a playoff spot and Elizabethton looks like they will again win their division and play the Danville Braves for the Appy League championship.
First half/second half champions
That league rewards teams for having a good half a season because so many players move up from/to high A. Since they won the first half championship, they’re in the playoffs.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
The Ft. Myers Miracle...
…are in the playoffs as first half champions. They are also winning the second half, although only by a couple games so they haven’t clinched. Don’t have a clue who is the other team if they win both halves.
New Britain doesn’t have first and second half winners. AA and AAA play a full season like the Twins. The Rock Cats are a ways out, but they are fighting for second place in the division which is in the playoffs. Obviously, playing first place Connecticut right now won’t help because they have lost about 2/3 of the games they have played against them this year.
Hard for a contender to rank highly
How many of those minor league system rankings are due to good drafting and how many are due to trading off veterans for prospects. Cleveland has a good minor league system right now but a lot of their players were drafted by other organizations.
We've had some questionable drafts
But the main reasons the system seems weak are the way we promote and our draft order. When you draft in the 20s for several years in a row, it’s tough to build a great system. Teams that draft in the upper half every year naturally have stronger systems. The teams that draft in our area every year do not promote as much as we do because they sign a lot of free agents. Naturally they have stronger systems.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Not concerned with rankings...
…I have always wondered about player and team rankings. For example, what goes into ranking a good minor league system. Is it how many top prospects they have? Is it based on winning percentage or how many league winners they have? Also, what is the purpose of a minor league system? And that answer may differ depending upon who you are speaking to.
It appears the Twins organization may have five of their seven teams in the playoffs this year. There is a real chance that three could actually win their league championships. That is a heck of a year. If you are a fan living in New Britain, Rochester or Elizabethton, winning league championships is what it is about. And every organization must have a concern about winning or their respective franchise owner won’t be happy cause losing affects their pocketbook.
But really, a minor league system is all about developing players for the major league team. So that should take precedence and I suspect the BA’s of the world base their rankings on how many top prospects are in each organization. Now players don’t need to be a top prospect to be solid/good major league players…as proven by the likes of Nick Blackburn (yes, I do think that Blackburn is a solid part of this staff and look for him to be a very good #3/#4 starter for years to come) and even former first round pick Denard Span. So the success of a system isn’t all about how many top prospects you have.
An interesting question is which would you rather have, one super highly rated prospect at each level (Aaron Hicks), or several good prospects at each level (Joe Benson, Michael McCardell, Rene Tosoni, Brian Dinkelman)? The Twins appear to be the later and I expect a team with four or five top 100 prospects will be rated higher than a team with a dozen very good prospects…but that is for BA to decide.
If they're pitchers
I’d rather have the latter
Rochestor
Is likely a drag on our minor leauge rankings.
In recent years they have been a perinial loser, rarely sign “impact” minor leauge FAs and right now are the youngest team in IL. (I think) Only one position player on the team has a chance to play in the MLB at the start of 2010 (Danny V). The twins are really doing the town a diservice by keeping guys like Watkins and not getting more guys like Huber.
Jim Mandelaro’s blog has ocasionally complained about this.
BUT Next year the team could be full of guys like Manship, Pino, Gambino, Perkins and Mulvey, with a solid bullpen of Delaney, Slama and Waldrop. They could be good. It would be interesting to see if that increased the twins minor leauge rankings.
by clutterheart on Aug 26, 2009 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions
word is...
My old college roommate used to live in Rochester and claims the city and management are eager to jettison the Twins and find a new partner. They think the Twins have been chintzy with the team and seem not to care about putting a quality product on the field.
hmmm
If my memory is correct, the twins just reupped with Rochester.
by clutterheart on Aug 26, 2009 10:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Come to the midwest!
Preferably Sioux Falls, SD.
Or maybe Rochester, MN, to confuse fans geographically.
FARGO, ND
We’ve already got the facility, oh and the team. The Fargo Moorhead Redhawks??!!! I’ve always wanted them to be affiliated with any major league club. I realize it will not happen with the Red Wings but I still hold out hope that someday they will be part of a farm system.
Does anyone have any idea how often it happens that a team switches it’s minor league partners? I’m assuming not too often.
Peyton's good but have you ever heard of Jeff George?
Cleveland
The Indians have changed affiliates so now they have most of their system in Ohio
AAA- Columbus
AA- Akron
A- Lake County (suburbs)
A- Youngstown area
A- Kinston, NC
Brilliant from a marketing standpoint. Many Ohioans seem to be moving from the Reds to the Indians.
I would think Rochester MN would be a great AAA town
They’d draw a lot of fans from the cities.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
No AAA Stadium in Rochester
They’d make a great Midwest League affilliate though, better than Beloit.
back to Fargo :)
Does anyone know what kind of facility is needed for each level? Newman outdoor field seems nice to me, but very small. If it meant getting a minor league affiliate I would think that would be a good enough reason to upgrade and add more seating.
Peyton's good but have you ever heard of Jeff George?
The Twins will normally put pressure on their AAA franchise...
…by the fact that they use their farm system to replenish the team during the season. They don’t go out and get a lot of free agents and if they have injuries and players at the big league level who aren’t cutting it…they have only one place to go for help, Rochester. Expect a lot of other teams philosophies are different. Thus, it would shock me to see Rochester ever win the IL while with the Twins.
And yes, Mandelaro has often been on Minnesota’s case. Last year he was right in doing so but not because of lack of talent. The Twins allowed the Wings to get into a situation where they were playing for some time with about 10 position players. The powers to be didn’t replace players called up to the Twins for various reasons. And the Red Wings looked really bad to their fans when they were 2-3-4 players under the maximum for what I think was well over a week. He also has pointed out on occassion that the Red Wings hadn’t gone thru any decade (I think that was his statement) without winning their league. With their play this year, this decade is a first time for that and they were with the Twins during this period.
Rochester
Yes, in 2008 the team was understaffed and complaints were made the rookies weren’t promoted (not that they would’ve fared better).
The roster for 2009 was pretty solid AAAA-type players with a few diehard prospects mixed in. The team should’ve performed better, Some were jettisoned early (Gosling, Hendrickson, Gaetti). Not sure if the team would’ve been a solid winner with msot of New Brits players on baord.
Luv to have a Twins AAA team cose by (no, not Edmonton).
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The DSL Twins got off to a good start...
…in their second round three-game playoff series with the Rangers-2 yesterday with a 2-0 win behind 6.0 shutout innings from Orlando Villaroel.
New Britian just dropped three straight to division leading Connecticut (who they have had trouble with all season), yet still have a 3.0 game lead for second place and a spot in the playoffs. Michael McCardell did a good job allowing three runs in 5.1 innings, but the Rock Cat bats haven’t scored a lot of runs against Connecticut this year.
Yohan Pino
Noticed the Twins shipped Yohan Pino to the Indians….player-to-be-named later for Pavano.
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