SB Nation - Max Kepler

World Baseball Classic Preview: The Regensburg Qualifying Round

Josh Timmers — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:45:27 -0000

The big news coming out of the World Baseball Classic is that they announced on their twitter feed that all the games would be available for streaming over the internet at worldbaseballclassic.com and that the final game of all four qualifying tournaments will be televised on the MLB Network. Now I have no idea what the details will be and there is nothing about live video currently on the website. But we'll see what happens when they take the field in Jupiter later today.

Today's preview is on the four teams playing a qualifying round in Regensburg, Germany: Canada, Germany, Great Britain and the Czech Republic. They'll start play on Thursday. There are two more qualifiers to come in Panama and Taiwan, but both of those will take place in November and so I'll leave their preview until then.

Canada: Canada was forced into this pool when they were upset by Italy, 6-2 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto back in 2009, meaning Canada didn't win a game in the last tournament and was forced into the qualifying rounds. Even without all the Canadian major leaguers such as Joey Votto, Ryan Dempster, Brett Lawrie and John Axford, the long tradition of Canadian baseball gives them a large pool of talented players with experience in Triple-A or the majors.

The biggest names on Team Canada are pitcher Shawn Hill and outfielder Adam Loewen. You may remember Loewen when he was a pitcher for the Orioles, but he gave up pitching in 2009 after repeated injuries. He got 37 at-bats as an outfielder with the Blue Jays in 2011, but spent almost all of 2012 in the Mets system with Triple-A Buffalo.

Hill is still a pitcher, but he's coming back from Tommy John Surgery that cost him all of 2011. He started the season in independent ball, but he finished the year with the Blue Jays Triple-A team in Las Vegas. He went 9-2 withe a 4.52 ERA there. While that ERA sounds bad, that's actually not bad for Las Vegas. Hill will take the mound for the opening game against Great Britain.

In addition to Hill, Canada's pitching staff includes Twins lefty Andrew Albers, who has excellent control. Albers had a 3.75 ERA and only walked 12 batters in 98.1 innings with Double-A New Britain. Also of note is Brewers lefty Philippe Valiquette, who missed all of 2011 with an injury and struggled in his comeback in Double-A this year. Before he got hurt, however, Valiquette threw 97-98 mph and could touch 100. He's never made the majors because his control wasn't good and his secondary stuff was awful. Left-hander R.J. Swindle has 11 major league innings to his credit.

Sheldon McDonald, who pitched brilliantly out of the bullpen for the Cubs' Peoria Chiefs this past season, will try to do the same for team Canada.

A couple of catchers are of interest, including former Iowa Cub Chris Robinson, who spent this past season in Baltimore's Triple-A franchise in Norfolk, and Kellin Deglan, who was a Baseball America Top 30 prospect in the Rangers system this past off-season. He played in low-A Hickory this year.

First baseman Jimmy Van Ostrand may not be a prospect anymore at 27 and in Double-A Harrisburg, but he did hit .310 with ten home runs in eighty games. Outfielder Tim Smith played for the Braves Double-A franchise in Mississippi and Marlins third baseman Shawn Bowman is a defensive specialist who played in Double-A Jacksonville and Triple-A New Orleans in 2012.

I should mention first baseman Jordan Lennerton, who was a teammate of Darwin Barney with Oregon State's 2007 NCAA Championship team. He hit twenty-one home runs for the Tigers Double-A affiliate in Erie this season.

Finally, in yet another sign that everything in Canada revolves around hockey, most of the players on Team Canada are growing "Playoff Beards" for the tournament.

Germany: Germany will have home-field advantage and is fielding a team with mostly German players with only a few "Passport Players" tossed in. The biggest name is 19 year-old outfielder Max Kepler, who was a BA top 20 Twins prospect this past off-season and will probably rise after a strong season in rookie ball. The other interesting prospect on the German team is Reds first baseman Donald Lutz, who was born in New York but lived in Berlin since he was a year old. Lutz has solid power with 22 home runs this past season between High-A and Double-A.

Left-hander Alex Burgos was BA's number eight prospect in the Tigers system this past off-season and will probably be Germany's ace. He struggled with control for Lakeland in the Florida State League this year. RIght-handed pitcher Daniel Thieben is only 18 and struggled in rookie ball, but the Mariners gave him $100,000 bonus a year ago.

These pitchers will throw to catcher Kai Gronauer, who played for the Mets High-A and Double-A teams this past season. He didn't hit much, but he's considered a strong defender.

There are a couple of imported players on the German team including one player very familiar to Cubs fans: reliever Will Ohman, who pitched 26 innings for the White Sox this season. Another familiar name, if not a familiar player, is former Twins utility player Toby Gardenhire, Ron's son. He finished 2011 in Triple-A, but he did not play in 2012.

Great Britain: Great Britain is relying on some top-flight pitching prospects, the Dodgers Chris Reed and the Angels Michael Roth. Reed was the Dodgers first round pick in 2011 and was born in London although he grew up in California. He pitched for very well for High-A Rancho Cucamonga this year. He struggled a bit in Double-A Chattanooga, but he's likely a Top 100 prospect this off-season. Roth was the pitching ace of South Carolina's College World Series Champion in 2011 and runner-up team in 2012. He only pitched 22 innings in rookie ball because of the Angels desire to limit his innings, but they are going to let him make one 65 pitch appearance.

Team Great Britain has three more pitchers in organized baseball, all relievers. Jake Esch was effective for Low-A Greensboro in the Marlins system this past year and lefty Hamilton Bennett was excellent in relief for the Mets High-A team in St. Lucie. Estevenson Encarnacion pitched for the Indians rookie ball club.

There's less to choose from among the British batters, but the one name, if not the player, that's familiar is Orioles farmhand Steve Bumbry, son of Orioles great Al Bumbry. Steve's mother is from Wales. He hit .249 for High-A Frederick this past season, but he did steal 12 bases in 14 attempts in only 64 games after a demotion from Double-A.

The big controversy on the Great Britain team is the presence of two Bahamanian players, outfielder Antoan Richardson and infielder Albert Cartwright. There's no question that they are eligible: both of their parents were born in the Bahamas when it was still a British colony. The controversy is that there is no team from the Bahamas, primarily because of bureaucracy and infighting between competing Bahamanian baseball groups.

Czech Republic: The Czech Republic is going with mostly a home-grown lineup and has only five players who play in America. The best player is third baseman Mike Cervenak, who had 13 at bats with the Phillies in 2008. He had a huge season for Triple-A New Orleans this season, posting a .340 batting average with 13 home runs and a .408 OBP. He is, however, thirty-six years old. Alex Sogard was a decent reliever for the Astros Double-A team in Corpus Christi this season. The other three players are still in rookie ball.

The rest of the Czech Republic team is made up of local players, six of which came out of MLB's European Academy. The Czech Republic is about as long a shot as France is in the Jupiter qualifier, although they apparently did beat the Netherlands in the European Championships this year, so they're hoping that anything can happen.

At worst though, the players will show up on the field with a great cap.

Prospect Preview: (Another) 5 Guys to Keep in Mind

Craig Goldstein — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:00:24 -0000

By now you know the drill. I present you with another five guys you should be aware of heading into fantasy's offseason, with all five of these guys playing below Double-A at the moment. This is mainly to provide you with a frame of reference as these guys likely won't be fantasy relevant for at least a couple of seasons.

Jace Peterson - SS - SD - Peterson was a multi-sport star throughout high school and into college where he played both football and baseball for McNeese State. The Padres were able to convince him to stick with baseball by offering him a $624,000 scholarship in the supplemental first round. He didn't show the rawness typical of multi-sport athletes in his short-season debut, drawing 50 walks in only 333 plate appearances and swiping 39 bases in 49 tries. Peterson has decided to kick it up a notch in 2012, upping his slash line to .288/.379/.390, good for a 769 OPS in Lo-A ball. Peterson displays impressive contact ability, striking out in only 12.3% of his at-bats while walking in 11.9%. Peterson doesn't have blazing speed, but shows impressive instincts on the base paths, nabbing 50/63 bases this year. He's never going to hit for power but should be able to be an average hitter with solid defense and good base running skills. He is lauded for his work ethic and ability to make adjustments.

More after the jump...

Max Kepler - OF - MIN - Kepler has been generating a ton of buzz recently after putting together a strong season while repeating the Appy League with a .297/.387/.539 slash line. He's also been of interest to many as he was drafted out of Germany in 2009, signing for $800,000. He's a very good athlete with fluid motions in the field and at the plate. He's added strength as his frame as filled out, as evidenced by his jump in ISO from .104 in 2011 to .242 this year. He was drafted as a centerfielder, but as he's added strength, he's lost speed and while he still patrols the middle, he will need to work to stick there. He's not much of a threat on the bases attempting only 7 steals all year, but he has been successful on all of them. He's going to be in play at the back end of some top 100 lists, and deservedly so. At 19, Kepler has plenty of time to work his way up the system.

Todd Glaesmann - OF - TB - Glaesmann has split his 2012 season between Lo- and Hi-A, posting a combined .285/.336/.493 slash line, while bashing 21 home runs and 53 extra base hits. Glaesmann was hailed as a potential five-tool talent when he was selected in the third round of the 2009 draft, though his speed has yet to develop as a true weapon. His approach at the plate is solid but could still use some development as shown by his mediocre on-base percentages, and a consistent walk rate in the 5% range. His power has taken a huge step forward, going from under .400 in 2011 to just under .500 this year. At 6'4/205 lbs, Glaesmann has length to his swing, but also the ability to capitalize on the leverage in his swing, as he's begun to do this year. Next year could see him back at Hi-A with a mid-season promotion to Double-A. Double-A will be a good test, as the more advanced pitchers will be able to exploit his weaknesses and force him to adjust.

J.O. Berrios - SP - MIN - Berrios was a first round draft pick by Minnesota, and he represents a bucking of the trend for the Twins in that he is a power pitcher and not a control/command guy. At 6'1/180 lbs, Berrios doesn't have a ton of projection left in his mature frame. He throws in the low- to mid-90s and can touch 98 MPH with his fastball. He supplements that with a 80 MPH slider with nice bite and has shown feel for the change up though it lags behind the other two pitches, something not uncommon for high school draftees. Berrios receives plaudits for his work ethic as he added 20+ pounds of muscle between his junior and senior year, leading to his high draft position. With present stuff and command/control Berrios was expected to succeed in his debut, but I'm not sure anyone saw this coming. He's split his time between two rookie level stops compiling 49 strikeouts in 30.2 innings compared to only FOUR walks. It's not too soon to get excited about what Berrios has shown, but keep in mind that the he's not going to follow the developmental curve you normally associate with prep pitching products due to his physical maturity and present command/control. He is likely to tear through the low minors without his ultimate ceiling being altered.

Luis Sardinas - SS - TEX - Sardinas is one of my favorite lower minors prospects. He was signed in the same signing period as Jurickson Profar for only $330,000 less. Baseball America had him as the Rangers 17th rated prospect, and said he might have even better raw tools than Profar. That being said, the polish isn't even close as Sardinas has lost valuable development time with injuries to his hand and shoulder since being signed. In his favor is that despite that lost time, he's finishing up a season at Lo-A hitting .292/.347/.357 at age 19. Power is always going to be an issue for Sardinas given his slight frame, but he counters that with plus-plus speed, as evidenced by his 32 stolen bases in 41 tries. He shows good contact ability with a strikeout rate of 12.5%, but the approach could use some work, as would be expected of a 19 year old, registering a 7.1% walk rate. A switch-hitting shortstop with plus hand-eye coordination in the Texas organization is likely going to draw comparisons to Profar, especially when they were signed together, but Sardinas is impressive in his own right and deserves to be recognized for that. Likely to be overshadowed on prospect lists by the more recently signed Nomar Mazara, Sardinas is someone to keep in mind in extremely deep leagues.

Minor League Report...August 25, 2012

roger13 — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 13:38:41 -0000

After a long run of winning weeks, the organization fell to four games under .500 at 21-25.

In player movement, the Twins outrighted Nick Blackburn and Tsuyoshi Nishioka to Rochester. Those moves removed both from the 40-man roster while keeping them under contract with the Twins on the hook for the $8,500,000 owed them in 2013. Will either ever play again for the Twins?

Liam Hendriks and Kyle Waldrop moved up to the Twins with Matt Carson going back to Rochester. In other moves of interest, Kyle Gibson moved up to Rochester where he will make his first start tonight against Lehigh Valley. He will be limited to about 65 pitches. Depending on his progress in the Fall Instructional League, he may be assigned to the Arizona Fall League. Gibson will replace Pedro Hernandez, who left Tuesday's game in the third inning with an injury reported to be a strained rotator cuff. The Twins also promoted Miracle all-star catcher Josmil Pinto, who hit .295 average with a .834 OPS and a dozen home runs, to New Britain. Terry Ryan, who is in New Britain this week, will have a decision to make later this year about adding Pinto to their 40-man roster.

In other news, Candido Pimentel became the third consecutive Twin to receive recognition as the Appalachian League's Player of the Year. He and teammate Max Kepler were the only two Twins to be selected as Appy League All-Stars. The Eastern League also announced their all-stars. They included three Rock Cats, third baseman Deibinson Romero, outfielder Aaron Hicks and designated hitter Chris Colabello.

Last year was a disappointing year for the organization as only Elizabethton made the playoffs. I wrote this spring about the organization's need to be better in 2012 with at least half their teams playing post-season baseball. When Elizabethton clinched their West Division championship, they became the second team to qualify for the playoffs. Although none of the other four teams have been mathematically eliminated, both New Britain and the Gulf Coast League Twins have a realistic chance of joining Elizabethton and Beloit in the playoffs.

Read about an exciting week for the GCL Twins and more after the jump.

The GCL Twins (32-26) began their week two back of the Red Sox. After winning five of six, the Twins woke up Friday morning only one back. They had only two games left in their season with both against the team they were chasing, the Red Sox. After an impressive 4-1 victory yesterday, they will face-off later this morning for a winner take all final game.

Most Twins fans know the Twins biggest problem is their lack of quality starting pitching. We remember how correct Tom Kelly was when he often said, "you are only as good as your next day's starting pitcher." Although there are five levels between the Gulf Coast League and the Twins, the GCL Twins win because of their starting pitching. In six games last week, their five starters did not allow a single earned run. No, you didn't misread that. Their five starters pitched 33.0 innings with two unearned runs, 18 hits, 5 walks and 36 strikeouts. Yes, in six games that is a 0.696 WHIP. What is most exciting is that all five, Randy Rosario (1.64 ERA), Austin Malinowski (2.27), Kuo Hua Lo (1.19), Yorman Landa (2.43) and this year's sixth round pick, Andre Martinez (4.50), are all eighteen or nineteen years old.

Rosario was especially sharp, pitching five shutout innings of their only loss last Friday to the Red Sox while allowing three hits. He was even better Thursday against the Orioles, pitching seven shutout innings with one hit, no walks and nine strikeouts. Twelve shutout innings with four hits, two walks and twelve strikeouts is a performance that certainly qualifies him for consideration as this week's Player of the Week.

The Twins called on Gonzalo Sanudo to make his second start of the year in yesterday's must win game. Sanudo responded by allowing only one run in four innings. Josue Montanez threw 2.1 shutout innings with one hit for the win after throwing 3.0 shutout innings on Tuesday. Melcaides De La Cruz threw the last 2.2 innings of shutout ball with two hits, no walks and four strikeouts to pick up his team leading sixth save. One run on eight hits and a walk gave the Twins the win and the opportunity to play for the South Division championship and a spot in this year's Gulf Coast League playoffs.

Meanwhile, the New Britain Rock Cats (68-64) weren't playing good baseball. Losing seven of their past eight, the Rock Cats lost control of their own destiny and now trail the Reading Phillies by two games for the Eastern Division Wild Card spot. With ten games remaining, they need to go on a nice winning streak beginning today if they are to extend their season past Labor Day.

Their lone win was last Saturday when Steve Hirschfeld allowed two runs in seven innings. Hirschfeld wasn't as successful Thursday when he allowed seven runs in 4.1 innings in a 9-6 loss to New Hampshire. In his defense, the Fisher Cats had Adam Lind and Jose Bautista in their lineup on rehab assignments. Bautista was especially nasty as he hit two home runs with five RBI's.

After being the Eastern League's Player of the Month for July, Oswaldo Arcia picked up another award when he was named the League's Player of the Week for the week of August 6-12. Although he doesn't have enough at bats to qualify for the Eastern League batting title, Arcia is the league's best hitter. In 220 at bats, Arcia is hitting for a .327 average with a .938 OPS, nineteen doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 53 runs driven in. He hit for a .317 average in his last ten games which also puts him on the list as a candidate for this week's Player of the Week. With Mr. Ryan in the stands this week, will he see enough to make the call to Arcia as a September call up after the Rock Cats' season is over?

In disappointing news, Joe Benson's season ended when he had surgery to clean up the knee that he injured in 2011. After a slow start at Rochester, a demotion to New Britain, a hamate bone injury and now his knee, Benson will probably be happy to have this season behind him. While watching the Red Wings play Pawtuckett this week, the Red Sox announcers were talking about hamate bone injuries. Of interest was their discussion about how you may come back to play in six weeks, the hand will remain weak for some time after that. Yes, Benson had a terrible first month this year, but injuries are the reason his entire season was lost. He has two options remaining and there is no reason that this very talented young man cannot overcome this year and get his career back on track. He has all the tools to be a future star, all that he needs to do is reach within himself and make it happen.

With a two year extension in hand, the Rochester Red Wings (67-67) also went on a losing streak, losing six of their past eight. With ten games remaining, they trail Lehigh Valley by four games and Pawtuckett by three and a half for a wild card spot in the playoffs.

They had several excellent starts this week, including one by Nick Blackburn in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Lehigh Valley. Blackburn pitched seven innings with seven hits and one run. Esmerling Vasquez allowed two runs in six innings Monday with Shairon Martis allowing only one earned run in 7.1 innings of Thursday's 5-2 win.

With Matt Carson up with the Twins, Wilkin Ramirez took charge with a big week. He was 11-27 (.407 average) with a double, two home runs, three runs scored and six driven in. He had the big hit, a grand slam home run in Monday's 9-6 win over Pawtuckett. Also add him to this week's voting for Player of the Week.

Although not eliminated from contention, the Fort Myers Miracle (28-32) are in fourth place, five games behind Jupiter. With ten games remaining, the magic number for elimination is six and there are two teams they would have to pass to make the playoffs.

Kyle Gibson allowed a run on three hits in his last start for the Miracle on Sunday. Matt Summers allowed two runs in 5.2 innings of a 3-2 win against Bradenton Tuesday. Pat Dean had a quality start on Thursday, however, their best start was by Tom Stuifbergen in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to Bradenton. Stuifbergen gets added to this week's Player of the Week voting for a nine inning complete game in which he allowed two runs on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

The Beloit Snappers (31-29) are in third place, seven games behind Clinton. They will open their best of three quarterfinal playoff series at Clinton on September 5th.

Jason Wheeler pitched a game Tuesday worthy of inclusion in this week's Player of the Week voting. He pitched eight shutout innings in a 11-0 win at Quad Cities with six hits, one walk and three strikeouts. The win was his league leading fourteenth win in twenty decisions.

The Snappers top hitter with a .319 average in 113 at bats is Kennys Vargas. Vargas, who hit safely in every game this week, was 13-32 (.406 average) with four runs scored, five driven in, a double and home run. Add Vargas to this week's voting. After missing nearly all of July and much of June, Eddie Rosario is back hitting .308 average in 104 August at bats. Rosario had a big game in Friday's 8-2 win when he was 4-5 with two doubles and his eleventh home run. Miguel Sano has likely wrapped up the Midwest League home run title with 26 as the player with the second most has only 19.

On Wednesday the Elizabethton Twins (42-19) clinched the Appalachian League Western Division championship. They will play a best of three first round playoff series against the Eastern Division second place team, most likely the Danville Braves.

Jose Berrios made two starts this week, beginning with five shutout innings with two hits, no walks and eleven strikeouts last Friday. He wasn't as sharp in a 6-4 win against Pulaski Thursday when he pitched five innings with five hits, two runs, no walks and six strikeouts. Byron Buxton is hitting .316 average (12-38) in his last ten games as he has his average up to .281 in 64 at bats with a .774 OPS. He has stolen five bases without being thrown out while scoring twelve runs.

The Dominican Summer League Twins (31-39) season ended early when this weekend's games were cancelled because of Tropical Storm Isaac. They finished in sixth place of their eight team division, twelve games behind the Diamondbacks.

Poll

Who is this week's Player of the Week?

Wilkin Ramirez

11 votes

Oswaldo Arcia

43 votes

Tom Stuifbergen

45 votes

Jason Wheeler

9 votes

Kennys Vargas

15 votes

Randy Rosario

29 votes

152 votes | Poll has closed

Minor League Report...July 21, 2012

roger13 — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:33:08 -0000

In what is becoming routine this summer, the organization had another winning week at two games above .500 (22-20). The charging Red Wings led the way at 6-1, with the GCL Twins, 3-1, and New Britain, 4-3, also with winning records. Beloit and Elizabethton were 3-3 with Fort Myers (2-5) and the DSL Twins (1-4) both three games under .500.

There was lots of player movement beginning with Nick Blackburn returning to the Twins to replace Matt Capps who returned to the disabled list. The Rochester Red Wings activated Lester Oliveros with catcher J. R. Towles and infielder Michael Holliman both going on the disabled list. Moving up to Rochester from New Britain were catcher Danny Lehmann, pitcher Shairon Martis and outfielder Evan Bigley. Steven Hirschfeld also returned to New Britain from Rochester. Joe Benson completed his rehab assignment at Fort Myers and returned to New Britain. Rene Tosoni, who was in the GCL on a rehab assignment, moved up to Fort Myers early in the week then on to New Britain on Thursday.

Pitchers Matt Summers and Clint Dempster both moved from Beloit to Fort Myers who placed Adrian Salcedo back on their disabled list. The two pitchers were replaced in Beloit by recent second round pick Mason Melotakis and fourth round pick Zack Jones who moved up from Elizabethton. Beloit also activated Matt Tomshaw and lost outfielder Jonathan Goncalves who was promoted to Fort Myers. Infielder Adam Bryant was placed on Beloit's disabled list with a turf toe injury. The Twins fourteenth round pick, Jake Proctor, was transferred from Elizabethton's seven day disabled list to their sixty day disabled list. Recently signed thirty-second round pick Andrew Ferreira, who is a left handed pitcher from Harvard, was assigned to Elizabethton. Luke Bard, who is rehabbing his shoulder in Fort Myers, will begin his career with the GCL Twins. If my California math is correct, Kennys Vargas should be eligible to come off the suspended list next week.

Our Player of the Week was New Britain outfielder Aaron Hicks, who collected forty-two percent (42%) of the votes. This week's review follows the jump.

The biggest news in the organization is coming out of Rochester. As the Twins and Rochester Community Baseball consider an extension to their agreement which ends at the end of the season, the Red Wings are playing their best baseball in three years. Coming off two seasons in which they lost over 90 games, the Red Wings (50-49) find themselves above .500 for the first time since mid-April. By winning thirteen of seventeen this month, the Red Wings have moved into fifth place five games behind northern division leading Lehigh Valley.

The Player of the Week in Rochester was Liam Hendriks, who beat Toledo on Friday with a seven inning performance in a 7-3 win. He allowed three hits, two runs and no walks with five strikeouts as he stretched his record to 7-0. Hendriks returned on Wednesday at Norfolk where he pitched another seven innings in a game the Red Wings would win in fifteen innings. He allowed only one run on five hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Caleb Thielbar got the win with 3.2 shutout innings with Lester Oliveros pitching three shutout innings with only one hit in his second appearance since returning from the disabled list.

Nick Blackburn allowed three runs, only one earned, in seven innings of a 4-3 win against Toledo on Saturday. After their four game sweep of Toledo, the Wings moved on to Norfolk where Jeff Manship got the win on Tuesday, 6-2. Manship, who is 5-1, struck out seven with no walks in a six inning outing which was his longest start since returning to Rochester at the end of June.

Evan Bigley was five for seventeen in his first four games in AAA with a pair of doubles and six runs driven in. After riding the pine in Minnesota, Chris Parmelee needed a few games to get his batting eye back. After going one for fourteen in his first four games, Parmelee was nine for thirty (.300 average) in his last seven games. With the game at Norfolk tied 1-1 in the fifteenth inning Wednesday, Parmelee had a bases clearing double to give the Red Wings a 4-1 win. On Thursday the Red Wings were led by Bigley and Pedro Floriman, who both had three hits and Brian Dinkelman, who had four. Down 7-2 in the fourth inning, they scored five in the fifth and five in the sixth on their way to a 14-8 win overcoming Shairon Martis' first start in which he allowed seven runs in 3.2 innings.

The Twins made news early last week when they announced they had extended their agreement with New Britain through the 2014 season. They also need to deal with Rochester, Fort Myers and Beloit as their agreements also expire at the end of the season.

The Rock Cats (58-39) remain in second place, four games behind the Trenton Yankees. They lost three of four last weekend to Trenton, winning Friday, 9-2, behind Shairon Martis. Martis pitched seven innings with only one run in his last start before moving up to Rochester. Trenton won Sunday, 3-1, when B. J. Hermsen had a quality start, allowing three runs in six innings.

Steve Hirschfeld was very good upon his return to New Britain in a 4-0 seven inning complete game Monday against New Hampshire. Logan Darnell started the opener, allowing four runs in five innings of a 8-5 win in which Dakota Watts pitched two innings of shutout ball for the win. David Bromberg pitched a complete game shutout on Wednesday when they closed out the New Hampshire series with a 8-0 win, winning three of four. Bromberg pitched six shutout innings in the rain shortened game which was his best start since returning from his latest trip on the disabled list. Manager Jeff Smith commented that Bromberg is a great competitor and always ready, whether used out of the bullpen or as a starter.

My Player of the Week is outfielder Joe Benson who appears to have put his early season struggle behind him. Since returning from his rehab assignment in Florida, Benson was 5-10 (.500 average) in three games with two runs scored, two driven in, a double, walk and no strikeouts. In twenty-six games with the Rock Cats, Oswaldo Arcia is their top hitter with a .316 average and .870 OPS in 98 at bats. Arcia has five doubles, two triples, three home runs, 24 runs scored and 26 driven in. Aaron Hicks also continues to hit well in July, .343 average, as he has his average up to .275 with a .803 OPS. Evan Bigley closed out his stay with the Rock Cats by hitting .268 in 347 at bats with 66 runs driven in while also leading all outfielders with ten assists.

The Fort Myers Miracle (12-16) are in fourth place, three and a half games behind Bradenton. Last Friday, Pat Dean had a no hitter going into the seventh inning. He would eventually give up two runs in 6.2 innings in a game the Miracle would lose at Clearwater, 4-3. Dean returned on Wednesday, when he pitched six innings with six hits, two runs, no walks and five strikeouts. Although he lost the game to even his record at 6-6, four runs in twelve innings makes him my Player of the Week. He is also a young man who is overdue for a visit to Jake Mauer's office informing him he is moving up.

Matt Summers made his Florida State League debut on Thursday, pitching five innings in a game the Miracle would lose at Lakeland, 4-3. Summers allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Summers finished his stay at Beloit with a 9-4 record, 3.55 ERA, 71 strikeouts and 34 walks in 109.0 innings. Tom Stuifbergen pitched 5.1 innings with two runs allowed versus Dunedin on Sunday. Jose Gonzalez came on to pitch 2.2 no-hit innings for his second win. Cole Nelson was the other winner this week in the opening game against Dunedin Tuesday, pitching five innings with one run of a 2-1 win.

In his brief stay with the Miracle, Joe Benson hit for a .303 average in 33 at bats with three doubles and a home run. Rene Tosoni was 3-13 with a home run in his four game rehab assignment. The Miracle's leading hitter is Daniel Santana, who is hitting .289 average in 353 at bats with a .728 OPS. He also has twenty-one errors. Santana, Danny Rams, and all-star catcher Josmil Pinto all had two multi-hit games.

Hitting .359 average in 39 at bats this month is a good sign that our top prospect, Miguel Sano, has put his extended slump behind him. Sano, who leads the Midwest League with twenty home runs and 68 runs driven in has also struck out only nine times this month while taking eleven walks. With rumors that Eddie Rosario is nearly ready to return, the Snappers (12-14) only trail Burlington by three games and are poised for a second half run for the prize that eluded them in the first half. The question is whether or not they have enough pitching with Madison Boer, Matt Summers and Clint Dempster all gone to Fort Myers.

Jason Wheeler continues to be tied for the most wins in the league (11) following Thursday's win at Lansing. Wheeler allowed only one run in six innings as he won a pitchers duel with the Lugnuts, 2-1. Cole Johnson made a spot start in the nightcap, pitching three no-hit innings. Mason Melotakis came on to pitch two shutout innings for his first win. Corey Williams, who leads the staff with fourteen saves, was charged with the loss at Lake County on Tuesday. With the game tied 8-8, Williams' error allowed the lead-off hitter to get on. After two sacrifice flies, the winning run scored on Williams' wild pitch. Williams is an exciting prospect who has dominating stuff, but this wasn't the first time that his fielding and wild pitches have cost the Snappers a game.

Steve Liddle and recently promoted Steve Wickens both had two multi-hit games. Drew Leachman, who is my Player of the Week, had three multi-hit games while going 9-20 (.450 average) with three runs scored, four driven in and a double. In 255 at bats, Leachman is hitting for a .286 average with a .741 OPS.

The Elizabethton Twins (19-10) have slipped into second place, a half game behind Greeneville. The difference continues to be the rubber game of their series last Friday, a game they lost 3-2 in ten innings.

With many exciting prospects spending their summer in Elizabethton, the first thing I do every week is check on the progress of 2010 supplemental picks Hudson Boyd and Travis Harrison. Boyd appeared in a 8-0 win versus Bluefield with two hits, three walks and two strikeouts in a game he was limited to only four innings by a strict pitch count. Travis Harrison is hitting .289 average with a .793 OPS in his last ten games as his average has slipped to .323 in 99 at bats.

Tenth round pick D. J. Baxendale appeared in two games (3.0 innings), allowing a hit and walk while striking out eight batters. The Twins certainly appear partial to University of Kentucky lefties with Taylor Rogers being the most recent Wildcat to join the organization. Rogers had the best start of his brief professional career against Bluefield Saturday, pitching six shutout innings with two hits, a walk and seven strikeouts. In five starts (24.0 innings), Rogers has a 1-1 record, 1.88 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 29 strikeouts and only four walks. Eighth round pick Christian Powell also recently joined the Twins. In his first three appearances, Powell has pitched five shutout innings with only two hits, two walks and nine punch outs.

Romy Jimenez continues to lead the Twins with a .388 average and 1.175 OPS, which also leads the league. Outfielder Candido Pimentel has his average up to .360 with a .404 average in July. The player who was hottest this week was Max Kepler. Kepler, who has a nine game hitting streak, was 9-18 (.500 average) with three runs scored, nine driven in, a double, triple and home runs in three consecutive games. Kepler, who after a brutal first couple weeks of the season, is hitting .312 average with a .958 OPS in 93 at bats while striking out only ten times. He has also taken eighteen walks which is why he has a .453 on base percentage which is second in the league to only Jimenez (.462 OBP).

The GCL Twins (16-10) are holding on to first place, a game ahead of the Red Sox. The Twins had two starts this week from Kyle Gibson. He allowed two hits, a run and walk in 0.2 innings in a 4-1 win against the Rays last Friday. He then pitched two innings with two hits and runs in a game they would lose to the Rays on Thursday, 7-6. As Gibson has mentioned, he is more concerned with his progress than he is with results at this stage of his rehab.

Trent Higginbotham pitched two shutout innings in relief of Austin Malinowski against the Red Sox Saturday for his first win. Jose Berrios struck out the side in an inning of work for his fourth save. Chris Mazza was the winner in relief of Gibson on Thursday when he pitched three shutout innings with only one hit. Mazza, Malinowski and Josue Montanez all have a 0.60 ERA.

Dereck Rodriguez is the GCL Twins leading hitter (.390 average), although he hasn't played since July 5th. Jorge Fernandez, who is a high school catcher from Puerto Rico recently drafted in the seventh round, is hitting .325 average in 40 at bats. The hottest hitter this week and my Player of the Week is Dominican middle infielder Aderlin Mejia, who was 7-16 (.437 average) with two runs scored, one driven in, a double and stolen base. In 87 at bats, Mejia is hitting .322 average with a .781 OPS and seven stolen bases.

The DSL Twins (19-21) are in sixth place in their eight team division, five back of the Diamondbacks. The Dominican Summer League All-Star game was Sunday with the American League beating the National League, 6-3. Jadison Jimenez, who is eighteen years old, pitched the third inning with two hits, a run and two strikeouts. Adonis Pacheco got a triple in his one at bat while also walking. Engelb Vielma, who turned eighteen three weeks ago, went hitless in his one at bat.

Miguel Gonzalez threw four shutout innings in a game the Twins would lose to the Reds, 6-1, on Friday. The normally reliable Junior Subero, allowed five runs in six innings of a 9-7 win over the Rockies on Tuesday. Jadison Jimenez picked up the win while Reyson Zoquiel earned a save with a shutout inning.

Adonis Pacheco is another repeat Player of the Week nominee with two multi-hit games. Pacheco, who is hitting .356 average, was 8-15 (.533 average) with four runs scored, one driven in, a double and three stolen bases. Although Gabriel Ynfante had four hits and Ernesto Ciprian three hits with a home run on Tuesday, Pacheco was the only player with two multi-hit games during this shortened week.

Poll

Who is the Twins organization's Player of the Week?

Liam Hendriks

27 votes

Joe Benson

11 votes

Pat Dean

2 votes

Drew Leachman

0 votes

Max Kepler

89 votes

Aderlin Mejia

0 votes

Adonis Pacheco

4 votes

133 votes | Poll has closed

Minnesota Twins 2012 Top 20 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review

John Sickels — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:30:05 -0000

Minnesota Twins Top 20 2012 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review

This morning, we continue our mid-season reviews of our pre-season Top 20 prospect lists, witih a look at the Minnesota Twins. Remember, this is the pre-season list. It is not a new list.

This list was originally published October 9th, 2011.

1) Miguel Sano, 3B, Grade B+: Hitting .249/.369/.505 with 18 homers, 18 doubles, 53 walks, and 102 strikeouts in 305 at-bats for Low-A Beloit. Enormous power, will take a walk, strikeout rate is quite high and defense remains rough, but he's only 19 and in full-season ball.

2) Eddie Rosario, 2B-OF, Grade B: Hitting .293/.362/.473 with 27 walks, 38 strikeouts in 239 at-bats for Beloit, while doing a decent job adapting to second base. Currently on the DL after being hit in the face with a baseball, but he was turning heads before the injury.

3) Liam Hendriks, RHP, Grade B: Brilliant in Triple-A (1.79 ERA, 48/14 K/BB in 60 innings, just 37 hits) due to superb control, but hammered in the majors (7.04 ERA, 23/10 K/BB in 38 innings, 57 hits, 10 homers). He'll get more chances.

4) Oswaldo Arcia, OF, Grade B: Hitting .307/.371/.502 combined between High-A Fort Myers and Double-A New Britain, maintaining production at the higher level although impatience is an issue. Obviously a high-ceiling bat, main flaw is platoon issues.

5) Joe Benson, OF, Grade B-: Couldn't hit in Triple-A (.584 OPS in 28 games) or Double-A (.500 OPS in eight games), then got hurt, just reactivated in Gulf Coast League. Still has excellent tools, still hampered by contact/plate discipline problems.

6) Chris Parmelee, 1B-OF, Grade B-: Effective in Triple-A (.300/.449/.529 in 22 games) but hasn't brought this forward to the majors (.194/.278/.320 in 38 games). Like Benson, he isn't taking advantage of his opportunity but is still young enough at age 24 to have a future

7) Aaron Hicks, OF, Grade B-: Hitting .275/.367/.436 with nine homers, 44 walks, 77 strikeouts, 19 steals in 291 at-bats in Double-A. Showing more power this year, will take a walk, fast, good glove, just 22, making some progress but not looking like a future star at this stage.

8) Levi Michael, SS, Grade B-: Hitting .229/.319/.306 with 37 walks, 58 strikeouts in 288 at-bats for High-A Fort Myers. Looks like a reliable defender at second base and shortstop, will take a walk, but lack of pop in the bat is holding him back

9) Travis Harrison, 3B, Grade B-: Defense looks horrible: 14 errors in 22 games at third base. However, the bat looks excellent: .341/.429/.518 with 11 walks, 13 strikeouts in 85 at-bats in the rookie-level Appalachian League. He should have the bat to play first base if he needs to move

10) Brian Dozier, SS, Grade B-: Playing in Minnesota, hitting .241/.272/.343 in 215 at-bats, 10 walks, 41 strikeouts. I think he's capable of better and can improve.

11) Madison Boer, RHP, Grade B-: Adequately effective in Low-A (3.58 ERA, 20/10 K/BB in 28 innings) but horrible after being promoted to High-A (6.95 ERA, 35/25 K/BB in 66 innings, 93 hits). I expect he'll end up in the bullpen eventually, where he was effective in college.

12) Hudson Boyd, RHP, Grade B-: Looking good so far in the Appalachian League, 1.44 ERA, 18/8 K/BB in 25 innings. Live arm but needs to stay in shape.

13) Adrian Salcedo, RHP, Grade B-: Ineffective in High-A, 6.39 ERA with 14/15 K/BB in 25 innings, 33 hits. Stuff not picking up as hoped.

14) Alex Wimmers, RHP, Grade C+: Shut down after one start with elbow problems. A real enigma at this point.

15) Kyle Gibson, RHP, Grade C+: On rehab assignment in the Gulf Coast League, recovering from Tommy John surgery.

16) Niko Goodrum, SS, Grade C+: Hitting .289/.444/.592 with 21 walks, 16 strikeouts in 76 at-bats for Elizabethton. Looks excellent right now, promotion to Low-A should come soon. Big-time tools and his skills look better this year.

17) Max Kepler, OF, Grade C+: Hitting .296/.457/.407 with 18 walks, nine strikeouts in 81 at-bats for Elizabethton. No power yet, but showing an excellent approach to hitting, impressive for a 19-year-old kid from Germany. Has dramatically lowered his strikeout rate this year.

18) Manuel Soliman, RHP, Grade C+: Shut down after two starts with a sore shoulder.

19) Matthew Summers, RHP, Grade C+: 3.55 ERA with 71/34 K/BB in 109 innings for Beloit, 103 hits. Pitching pretty well, throwing strikes, but usually doesn't dominate, looks like back-of-rotation starter or a reliever.

20) Deolis Guerra, RHP, Grade C+: Erratic in Triple-A (4.91 ERA with 34/16 K/BB in 37 innings), pitched well in April and May, then poorly in June before going on the DL with a sore shoulder.

21) Nate Roberts, OF, Grade C+: Late start due to a spring injury, currently hitting .270/.422/.409 in 34 games for Beloit, 10 steals, 22 walks, 13 strikeouts in 115 at-bats. Shows a good approach.

22) Lester Oliveros, RHP, Grade C+: 2.56 ERA with 42/12 K/BB in 39 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. Looks like a spare part for the bullpen.

23) Tyler Robertson, LHP, Grade C+: 3.77 ERA, 33/13 K/BB in 29 Triple-A innings. 5.14 ERA with 10/1 K/BB in seven major league innings. Another part for the bullpen.

24) Matt Hauser, RHP, Grade C+: 2.87 ERA with 50/22 K/BB in 60 innings for High-A Fort Myers, 53 hits, 1.86 GO/AO. Another bullpen possibility for the future.

Very mixed results here. I strongly believe in Sano and Rosario, and Arcia could be a regular as well. However, few of the guys close to the majors have done much, with Benson, Parmelee, and Hendriks all significant disappointments, although all still have a chance to contribute. There's been some injury attrition, and Odin knows what, if anything, the Twins will eventually get out of their first-round investments in Gibson and Wimmers.

On the positive side, the Twins have received strong performance from former Rule 5 pick Scott Diamond, who was awful in Triple-A last year but has ridden his control to major league success this year. Former non-drafted free agent Cole De Vries has been useful as well. B.J. Hermsen's stock is up enough that he could get a shot, although his low K/IP ratio is a red flag.

Outfielder Daniel Ortiz and infielder Daniel Santana have shown some intriguing talent flashes in High-A, and keep an eye on power-hitting catcher Matthew Koch at Low-A. Hard-throwing right-handers Tyler Jones and Michael Tonkin are dominating A-ball and both have strong sleeper potential.