Farm Report: Twins top prospects from August

For the final time this season, we’ll be looking at some top-performances throughout the Twins minor-league system.

All stats updated entering September 1.

Top-Pitcher from August: Bailey Ober

Bailey Ober stood out among all the pitchers within the Minnesota Twins minor-league system this past month. The 24-year-old began August pitching at high-A with the Fort Myers Miracle. Ober was nearly unhittable during his single outing with the Miracle, where he pitched six innings and allowed just one run on four hits and induced eight strikeouts as well.

Following that performance, Ober was then promoted to the double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos. The 12th-round draft pick by the Twins in 2017 clearly wasn’t phased by any of the competition at double-A. Since he recorded a 0.43 ERA, 0.520 WHIP, 13.3 SO/9 and a .127 OPP AVG through his three starts.

Ober has dominated at three different levels this season, recording a sub-one ERA at each individual level. While it’s unlikely we’ll see the 24-year-old up pitching with the Twins this season, it’s very possible we could be watching him dominate opposing hitters in a Twins’ uniform at some point next season.

Honorable Mention: Jordan Balazovic

The No. 4 Top-30 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Jordan Balazovic was a man on a mission this past month. After sustaining a rough stretch during June where he performed to a 4.12 ERA and a .275 OPP AVG, Balazovic was then held to just a pair of outings due to injuries in July.

However, this past month the Canadian-native was finally able to get back to full-health and displayed once again just how good he really is. Through four starts this past month, Balazovic produced a 2.33 ERA, 0.880 WHIP, 13.2 SO/9 and a .169 OPP AVG.

At just 20-years-old, Balazovic isn’t far off from making his MLB-debut. If he’s able to stay healthy for the majority of next season, then it wouldn’t be surprising to see his name recalled around this time next year.

Top-Hitter from August: Trevor Larnach

The No. 5 prospect within the Twins’ system just couldn’t be stopped this past month. After only playing in 14 games in July, Trevor Larnach tore the cover off the ball through his 27 games at double-A this past month.

During those 27 games, Larnach hit a pair of doubles, six home runs, 18 RBI’s and slashed a line of .306/.395/.510/.905 as well. What was also really impressive about Larnach’s performance was his walks to strikeouts totals. The 22-year-old generated 14 walks to just 30 strikeouts this past month.

Strikeouts were a bit of a concern for Larnach when he first arrived to double-A in July. But, the 1st-round selection by the Twins in last year’s draft has made significant progress in counteracting his strikeouts with an impressive amount of walks. Hopefully, Larnach will be able to continue this progress through next season as well.

Honorable Mention: Alex Kirilloff

Alex Kirilloff went on an absolute tear this past month. The No. 2 prospect in the Twins’ system was finally able to wake up offensively during his 26 games at double-A. Before the start of August, Kirilloff had hit seven doubles and just four home runs this season.

Thankfully, the 21-year-old had no problems hitting for power this past month. Through his 26 games, Kirilloff hit five doubles, five home runs, 19 RBI’s and produced a hitting line of .311/.351/.500/.851.

Although he likely won’t be considered for a September call-up this season (ed. note: hasn’t been so far at least,) the Twins have to be ecstatic about this improved production from Kirilloff. Not only has he reduced his high amounts of strikeouts, but he’s also started hitting for more power as well.