SB Nation User Blog: roger13

Minor League Report...November 30, 2008

roger13 — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:17:41 -0000

Greetings from the Dominican Republic (well, actually a bit northwest of there in a western suburb of Minneapolis)!

Gigantes del Cibao has a half game lead with a 20-14 record. Their leadoff hitter is Alexi Casilla who has been on fire. Prior to yesterday's game in which he went 3 for 4 with a double and walk, Casilla was hitting .395/.500/.579 in 38 at bats. He had scored 10 runs with a double, 2 home runs, 9 rbi, 8 walks and 7 strikeouts. Julio DePaula is another member of Gigantes with a Twins connection. DePaula has appeared in 20 games (24 innings) with a 3-1 record, 4.88ERA and 15K/10BB. Twins farmhand Estarlin De Los Santos has seen limited playing time, hitting .083/.083/.083 in 12 at bats.

Leones del Escogido has a 16-19 record, 4.5 games behing Gigantes. Carlos Gomez has been splitting time in centerfield, appearing in 12 games with 47 at bats. Gomez is hitting .255/.352/.404 with 2 doubles, a triple, 1 home run, 12 runs scored, 4 rbi and 7 stolen bases in 9 attempts. Gomez has struck out 11 times with 5 walks. Former Twin, Tony Batista, is also with Escogido...hitting .282/.352/.460 with 10 doubles, 4 home runs and 28 rbi in 124 at bats.

Armando Gabino has made five early appearances (3.0 innings) with Aguilas, who is 2.0 games out with a 18-16 record. Gabino has a 9.00ERA with 2K/1BB.

After hitting .325/.389/.514 in the Southern League this past summer, former Twin Doug Deeds has appeared in 10 games with Azucareros...hitting .200/.200/.286 in 35 at bats.

Minor League Report...November 23, 2008

roger13 — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:56:52 -0000

A little over a week ago the Phoenix Desert Dogs clinched their division title and proceeded to go into a year end slump, losing their last five games and finishing with a 18-18-2 record. This is the second year that the Twins prospects have been with the Dogs, however, it is the Desert Dogs fifth straight trip to the championship game after winning four consecutive league championships.

Mesa finished in a first place tie in their division with a record of 26-12, however, per league rules won the right to face the Dogs for this season's championship. Mesa had the AFL's top offense this year and arguably the most dominant pitcher of this or any other fall, Atlanta's Tommy Hanson. Hanson began 2008 in the Hi-A Carolina League where he was 3-1 with a 0.90ERA in 40.0 innings. He moved up to the AA Southern League where he had a 8-4 record with a 3.03ERA in 98.0 innings with 114K/41BB. In Arizona, Hanson pitched 36.2 innings with a 0.74ERA and 64K/10BB.

The Dogs were missing their cleanup hitter who had a previous commitment, however, still had Colorado outfielder Eric Young who led both the Dogs and AFL in hitting at .430/.504/.640 in 100 at bats with 20 stolen bases in 21 attempts following a .290/.391/.392 season in the AA Texas League. The second best hitter for this years Dogs was the Twins Steve Tolleson who finished his season at .383/.449/.543 in 94 at bats.

Tommy Hanson, who was a 22nd round pick in 2005, was excellent for 5 innings before tiring and turning the game over to the Mesa bullpen. The Dogs sole run off Hanson came in the fifth inning when Danny Valencia tripled, then scored the Dogs first run on a Evan Frey fielder choice. Twins pitching prospect Jeff Manship got the start and other than the fourth inning matched Hanson's performance. Jeff gave up a walk followed by a double in the second with the runner scoring on an error by center fielder Eric Young. Mesa opened the fourth with a single followed by a home run by Jeff Larish. Manship left in the fifth inning with the Dogs trailing 3-0...finishing with a line of 4.2 innings with 8 hits, 3 runs (2 earned) and 4K/2BB.

Rob Delaney relieved Manship, pitching 1.1 innings with 2 hits, 1 run and 0K/0BB. The Dogs offense came to life in the sixth as they took a 6-4 lead, giving Delaney the "W" in a game they would eventually win 10-4 for their fifth consecutive Arizona Fall League championship.

After struggling much of the fall, hitting only .209/.254/.270 in 115 at bats, Valencia had his best game as a Desert Dog with 2 hits in 3 at bats, plus a walk, triple, 2 runs scored and 2 runs batted in. The Twins Dustin Martin was 1 for 5 with a run scored and one rbi in the championship. Martin was also one of the Dogs top hitters finishing his fall at .314/.397/.449 in 118 at bats. Tolleson was 0 for 4 with a walk and run scored in the championship game.

Manship finished the regular AFL season with a 2-1 record and 5.01ERA in 32.1 innings with 29K/8BB. Anyone who read his blog knows that Jeff pitched nearly 200 innings this year between Ft. Myers, New Britain and Arizona. He was very up front talking about his arm and body being very tired and his need for a break from baseball. It is likely that most of the pitchers were equally tired which is why this is a hitters league. Delaney finished with a 1-1 record in 11 appearances (11.2 innings), 4.63ERA and 11K/4BB. Anthony Slama had a 0-0 record with a 8.10ERA in 12 games (10.0 innings), with 1 save and 10K/7BB. Tim Lahey had a 3.97ERA in 13 appearances (11.1 innings), with 1 save and 8K/6BB.

The AFL is a great league, a league in which players have a lot of fun meeting and playing with players from four other organizations. Manager Stan Cliburn was quoted following the game as saying, "Anytime you play for something that's Major League Baseball backed, you play for something, a championship and a gold ring." Cliburn did an excellent job with this team as they won their fifth straight AFL crown.

The VWL, DWL and PRWL are now heating up as more major league players are reporting, including Twins Carlos Gomez and Alexi Casilla. One item of note is that Twin Luke Hughes has been playing exclusively in left field for the past few weeks. Have the Twins been consulted with this move and will he be moved to left next spring?

It has been a long season for me as well and I also need a break. Will be doing frequent updates on the Caribbean Winter Leagues, however, not every weekend. Watch for my annual Twins organization All-Star team that will be released on Seth's site sometime in the next week to ten days. Enjoy your Thanksgiving everyone!

Minor League Report...November 15, 2008

roger13 — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:54:06 -0000

Under the leadership of Stan Cliburn, the Phoenix Desert Dogs continue to hold a solid 5.0 game lead in their division. The Dogs completed their week with a record of 2 wins, 3 losses and their second tie. They completed their suspended game on Wednesday, however, according to AFL rules that no game can go beyond 11 innings it ended in a 6-6 tie with Anthony Slama getting the last few outs. Their scheduled game that day also went 11 innings, ending in another tie, 5-5...giving the Dogs a record of 18-13-2.

The AFL is a hitters league in which Twins starter Jeff Manship is pitching very well. Manship was the starter of Wednesday's tied game, pitching 4.1 innings with 5 hits, 2 runs and 2K/2BB. Jeff has a 2-1 record in 7 starts (29.1 innings), 4.91ERA and 27K/7BB. Top Yankee prospect Phil Hughes has started 5 games (20.0 innings) with a 1-0 record, 4.50ERA and 22K/12BB. By comparison, the other starters for Phoenix are Max Scherzer (3.38ERA), Kyle Ginley (6.38ERA), Brooks Brown (5.66ERA) and Chaz Roe (11.28ERA).

Tim Lahey had two appearances this week, giving up 3 runs in 0.2 innings in one...raising his ERA to 3.48 in 12 games (10.1 innings) with 8K/6BB. Rob Delaney has appeared in 9 games (9.2 innings) with a 5.59ERA and 10K/3BB. Anthony Slama has 1 save in 9 appearances (7.1 innings) with a 3.68ERA and 8K/5BB.

Steve Tolleson hasn't played since Sunday, yet is the second best hitter on the Dogs with a .383/.440/.543 with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs and 20 rbi in 81 at bats. Dustin Martin also continues to be one of the top hitters at .302/.387/.427 with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs and 12 rbi in 96 at bats. Danny Valencia again struggled this week at 3 for 16. Danny is now hitting .225/.275/.284 with 6 doubles, 0 triples, 0 home runs and 5 rbi in 102 at bats.

The Puerto Rican Winter League is now underway with two Twins playing for Mayaguez. Felix Molina is hitting .385/.467/.462 with 1 double and 1 rbi in 13 at bats. Randy Ruiz is hitting .333/.467/.583 with a home run and 13 rbi in 12 at bats.

Danny Rondon continues to pitch well for Margarita in the VWL, with a 1-0 record in 12 games (16.1 innings) with a 5.51ERA and 9K/6BB. Alejandro Machado is hitting .286/.359/.314 in 35 at bats for Caracas.

Wilson Ramos continues his solid play for Aragua at .286/.286/.333 with 2 doubles and 6 rbi in 42 at bats. Luke Hughes has now been on fire for several weeks, finishing this week with 7 hits in 15 at bats. Luke has his average up to .266/.309/.453 with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs and 11 rbi in 64 at bats.

Bobby Korecky has 9 appearances (12.2 innings) with a 1-1 record, 6.39ERA and 10K/5BB. Carmen Cali has 1 save in 12 appearances (6.2 innings) as a left handed specialist with a 1.35ERA and 5K/4BB. Frank Mata has 5 appearances (6.2 innings) with a 6.75ERA and 2K/5BB. Jose Mijares has been Aragua's closer making 9 appearances (8.2 innings) with a 1-1 record, 3 saves, 1.04ERA and 10K/3BB. After missing much of the 2008 season, Mijares is getting valuable short relief experience in his native Venezuela this winter.

With the recent news that Pat Neshek won't be part of the Twins bullpen in 2009, Mijares will be counted upon as a key late inning left handed option for the Twins and Cali could be a valuable arm at Rochester available to be called upon as a specialist if something happens to a lefty in the Twins pen.

Modified Top 20 Hitters

roger13 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:57:00 -0000

I thought some of you would like to see who my Top 20 hitters were, without adjustment for level of play. This still takes into consideration age/league. This will give an indication of who had the 20 best years based on my data.

1 - Ben Revere 139.8

2- Aaron Hicks 130.0

t3- Denard Span 129.7

Angel Morales 129.7

5 - Danny Valencia 121.0

6 - Luke Hughes 119.4

7 - Brian Buscher 116.1

8 - Wilson Ramos 114.8

9 - Garrett Jones 112.9

10 - Steve Tolleson 110.6

11 - Evan Bigley 109.9

12 - Steve Singleton 109.5

13 - Jose Morales 106.9

14 - Anderson Hidalgo 106.8

15 - Dustin Martin 106.4

16 - David Winfree 106.1

17 - Randy Ruiz 106.0

18 - Chris Parmalee 105.6

19 - Alejandro Machado 103.2

20 - Michael Gonzales 102.8

Similar, but a few key differences from my normal rankings.

Twins Position Players Annual Rankings

roger13 — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:34:56 -0000

Each year I rank all of the players in the organization, based on their play during the season with pitchers and position players ranked separately. Following is the ranking of this year's position players. I have included the numerical totals for each player so that you can see how many of these fell into groups that were so close that their rankings are somewhat interchangeable. I have also included each players age (on opening day, 2008), highest level of play and change in their ranking from 2007.

This exercise was changed somewhat from previous years, however, age to level of play remains an important factor. I also discount each players net score by their level of play so that performance at AAA or AA yields a reward when compared with players who are in the lower levels of the system. I will also repeat a statement made each year, "these rankings are based on their play in 2008 and do not necessarily indicate who are the top prospects in the organization," yet, there eventually has to be a correlation between prospect status and performance. As we look back to previous seasons players such as Denard Span and Brian Buscher ranked very high in these rankings, yet were often not rewarded with high rankings in many prospect lists.

The 2008 Position Player Rankings:

1 - Denard Span/24 AAA 124.486 +12

2 - Ben Revere/19 A 111.829 +24

3 - Brian Buscher/26 AAA 111.428 -1

4 - Luke Hughes/23 AAA 111.182 +12

Denard Span reported to Rochester out of spring training and played like a man possessed...hitting .340/.434/.481 in 156 at bats. Ben Revere just may have hit .400 had he not sustained a knee injury causing him to miss much of August and play at less than 100% when he did play, finishing at .379/.433/.497 with an organization high 44 stolen bases in 340 at bats. Brian Buscher may not be someone who has the Twins third base position locked up in 2009, however, he was awesome at Rochester last year...hitting .319/.402/.514 in 185 at bats. Luke Hughes had a dominant season following a solid 2007 at New Britain, where he hit .283/.356/.438 with 8 home runs. Luke broke out in 2008 at New Britain, hitting .319/.385/.551 with 15 home runs in 285 at bats before hitting a respectable .283/.325/.453 in his first 106 at bats in AAA.

5 - Garrett Jones/26 AAA 108.417 -1

6 - Danny Valencia/23 AA 108.048 +6

7 - Jose Morales/25 AAA 102.637 +4

8 - Steve Tolleson/24 AA 101.772 +20

9 - Randy Ruiz/30 AAA 101.719

10 - Alejandro Machado/25 AAA 99.067

Garrett Jones continued what he does, hit for power with an organization high 23 home runs and 33 doubles in 527 at bats with a .279/.337/.484. Twinkie Town's top prospect, Danny Valencia, was the FSL's top hitter the first half at .336/.402/.518 in 220 at bats. He took a couple weeks to adjust to AA pitching, finishing strong at .289/.334/.485. Jose Morales had only 197 at bats before missing more than half of the season due to his ankle injury. When healthy, Morales is a very good hitter as demonstrated by his .315/.348/.426. Steve Tolleson is tearing up the AFL, much as he did at New Britain prior to spending a good part of the middle of the season on the DL. Tolleson finished at .300/.382/.466 in 343 at bats with 12 stolen bases. Randy Ruiz was the International League's leading hitter prior to providing some key late season at bats for the Twins. Ruiz hit .320/.366/.536 in 416 at bats. Alejandro Machado has been injured most of the time since the Twins selected him in the 2006 Rule V draft. When healthy he is a very good hitter, as evidenced by his .338/.376/.472 in 195 at bats this season.

11 - Wilson Ramos/20 A+ 98.771 +22

12 - Dustin Martin/24 AA 97.846 +7

13 - David Winfree/22 AA 97.591 +3

14 - Joe Gaetti/26 AAA 96.421

15 - Jason Pridie/24 AAA 93.542

16 - Trevor Plouffe/21 AAA 93.379 -4

17 - Rene Tosoni/21 A+ 91.085 +12

18 - Steve Singleton/22 A+ 90.929 +44

19 - Angel Morales/18 R+ 90.820 +27

20 - Brian Dinkelman/24 AA 89.683 -2

Wilson Ramos is the organization's top catching prospect, who hit an excellent .288/.346/.434 with 78 rbi in 452 at bats in the pitching rich FSL at the age of 20. David Winfree's average wasn't high, .252/.319/.450, however he had 19 home runs and 87 rbi in AA at the age of 22. Joe Gaetti's ranking includes his play during all of 2008 including his time prior to joining the Twins. Rene Tosoni skipped Beloit in his second year of professional ball, hitting .300/.408/.414 for the Miracle. Angel Morales is a young player who won't turn 19 until later this month, yet he hit .301/.413/.623 with a league high 15 home runs in Elizabethton. Morales struck out to often, however, he can play all three outfield positions and just could develop into a super star with the Twins in four or five years.

21 - Erik Lis/24 AA 88.451 -13

22 - Matt Macri/25 AAA 86.739 -16

23 - Darnell McDonald/29 AAA 86.499 -14

24 - Brock Peterson/24 AAA 86.071 -19

25 - Aaron Hicks/18 R 84.498

26 - Chris Parmalee/20 A 84.441 +10

27 - Howie Clark/34 AAA 81.610

28 - Edward Ovalle/23 A+ 79.167 +22

29 - Juan Portes/22 A+ 77.658 -2

30 - Evan Bigley/21 R+ 76.910

Lis, Macri, McDonald and Peterson were all players who did not improve after excellent seasons in 2007. Considering the discounting used in these rankings, a player ranking 25th while playing in the rookie GCL league, Aaron Hicks, indicates that he may have a special future. Chris Parmalee is a player who was clearly hindered by missing nearly half the season, yet, he was one of the top home run hitters in the organization with 14 in only 226 at bats. Edward Ovalle is a player who just gets better every year, moving up 22 spots this season.

31 - Whit Robbins/23 A+ 76.733 +32

32 - Danny Berg/21 AA 73.786 +41

33- Alexi Casilla/23 AAA 71.059 -26

34 - Alex Soto/21 R+ 70.884 +24

35 - Jonathan Waltenbury/20 R+ 70.849 +33

36 - *Tim Atherton/18 R 70.356

37 - Mike Harrington/22 R+ 69.451

38 - Anderson Hidalgo/19 R 69.406

39 - Rene Leveret/22 A 69.298 -17

40 - Johnny Woodard/23 A+ 67.740 -2

Alexi Casilla had a wonderful year for the Twins, however, he did not hit well at Rochester with a .219/.350/.250 in 96 at bats. Alex Soto is a slugging C/DH who hit 10 home runs in 116 at bats for Elizabethton. Tim Atherton was hitting .375 average for the GCL Twins when he was released (*) early in the season. Anderson Hidalgo was the GCL Twins top hitter at .364/.448/.466, unfortunately his 88 at bats were not enough to qualify for the league title.

41 - Sergio Santos/24 AAA 67.537

42 - Michael Gonzales/19 R 66.788

43 - Ryan Jorgenson/28 AAA 66.716

44 - Nicholas Romero/20 R+ 66.258

45 - Matt Moses/23 AA 66.143 -16

46 - Mark Dolenc/23 A 62.015 -5

47 - Frederic Hanvi/19 R 65.709

48 - Joe Benson/20 A 64.481 -9

49 - Josmil Pinto/19 R 64.400

50 - Brandon Roberts/23 AA 64.008 -33

Michael Gonzales hit very well for the GCL Twins, .331/.388/.492 in 130 at bats. Matt Moses continues his slide after his fourth season at AA, hitting .230/.293/.318. Joe Benson is a highly rated prospect who missed much of this season and often played injured. The former second round pick hit .248/.326/.382 in 254 at bats. Brandon Roberts is an excellent center fielder who also missed much of the year, getting only 95 at bats for AA New Britain.

51 - Jair Fernandez/21 A 63.935

52 - Yangervis Solarte/20 A+ 63.313

53 - Dominic De La Osa/22 R+ 63.227

54 - Chris Cates/23 A 63.095 +31

55 - Garrett Olson/23 A+ 62.878 +16

56 - Drew Butera/24 AA 62.946 -6

57 - Daniel Ortiz/18 R 62.769

58 - Toby Gardenhire/25 AA 61.883 +31

59 - Danny Rams/19 R+ 61.821 +10

60 - Eli Tintor/23 A 61.235 -1

The Twins obtained Jair Fernandez from Seattle as compensation for a Rule V pick kept by the Mariners. He hit very well at Beloit prior to missing over half the season. Chris Cates is the shortest player in baseball who had a good season for Beloit, moving up 31 spots. Toby Gardenhire also moved up 31 spots while hitting .261/.348/.292.

61 - Jeff Lanning/21 R+ 61.187

62 - Ramon Santana/21 R+ 60.678 +22

63 - Nick Papason/20 R+ 60.181 +19

64 - Felix Molina/24 AAA 59.829 -32

65 - Paul Kelly/21 A 59.527

66 - Juan Sanchez/21 R 58.761

67 - D. J. Romero/21 A 58.348 -52

68 - Jonathan Goncalves/21 R 56.940

69 - Ozzie Lewis/21 A 55.796 -50

70 - Dan Lehmann/22 A+ 55.525 -10

Nick Papason was the talk of spring training, but again missed much of the year getting only 36 at bats in Elizabethton where he hit .389/.405/.556. Paul Kelly had arguably been the Twins top shortstop prospect following his 2006 season at Beloit. He missed nearly all of 2007 and 2008 when he had only 28 at bats for Beloit. D.J. Romero and Ozzie Lewis were two of the top players at Elizabethton in 2007. Both missed much of this year with injuries and where hindered when they did play. Both are young players who could come back healthy next year and get back on the Twins radar as top prospects.

71 - Reggie Williams/19 R 55.255

72 - Herbert Lara/19 R 55.183

73 - Adan Severino/21 R+ 54.065

74 - Alan de San Miguel/20 A+ 53.105 +1

75 - Greg Yersich/21 A 53.069 -30

76 - Yancarlos Ortiz/23 A+ 52.382 +11

77 - Andrew Schmeising/21 A 52.359 -21

78 - Estarlin De Los Santos/21 A 52.058 -40

79 - Hyun-wook Choi/18 R 51.900

80 - Andres Diaz/19 R 50.880

Alan de San Miguel has been with the organization a long time, yet still is only 20. The young Aussie is considered an excellent defensive catcher who had his best season at the plate this year at Beloit where he hit .269/.396/.362 in 130 at bats after moving down from Ft. Myers where he hit .123/.224/.215 in 65 at bats.

81 - Jeanfred Brito/20 A 50.123 -26

82 - Rodolpho Palacios/22 AA 49.169

83 - Jeff Christy/24 AAA 49.150 -19

84 - James Beresford/19 R+ 48.630 -19

85 - Nate Hanson/21 R+ 48.108

86 - Danny Santiesteban/23 A+ 45.163 -23

87 - Tyler Ladendorf/20 A 44.809

88 - Juan Richardson/21 A 44.501 -42

89 - Jae-Hyung Jang/21 R 42.010

90 - Hyeong-rok Choi/18 R 41.594

Danny Santiesteban is a talented defensive center fielder with a great arm. He hit only .213/.268/.322 in 286 at bats, however, may have found his role with the Miracle by doing an excellent job in 8 short relief appearances when he had a 4.50ERA in 10.0 innings with 6K/7BB earning an invitation to this year's Fall Instructional League as a pitcher. Tyler Ladendorf was the Twins second round pick this year who was assigned to the GCL Twins where he hit .200/.300/.283.

91 - Danny Rohlfing/19 R 39.096 -13

92 - *Jacub Hajtmar/20 R 36.140

93 - *Eric Santiago/20 A 30.713 -23

94 - Javier Brown/20 R 29.109

95 - Henry Sanchez/21 R 17.755 -72

96 - Wang-Wei Lin/19 R 14.233

Henry Sanchez is a former first round sandwich pick who has been injured much of every season since his draft year in 2005. Hajtmar and Santiago (*) were recently released.

Minor League Report...November 8,2008

roger13 — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:34:28 -0000

The Desert Dogs had another excellent week, going 4-1-1. Last nights game was tied 6-6 when suspended in the 11th inning because of a power outage. The game will be completed on the 12th. The Dogs now have a 16-10 record and lead second place Peoria by 5.5 games.

Jeff Manship made two starts this week, getting the win last Saturday (8-5) when he pitched 5.0 innings with 6 hits, 4 runs (2 earned) and 7K/0BB. Last night he only pitched 4.0 innings with 5 hits, 4 runs (2 earned) and 8K/1BB. Jeff now has a 2-1 record in 6 starts (25.0 innings) with a 5.04ERA and 25K/5BB.

Tim Lahey, who was on the mound last night when the game was called, continues to be a top short reliever for the Dogs, having appeared in 10 games (8.2 innings) with a 1.04ERA and 5K/4BB. Rob Delaney has appeared in 7 games (6.2 innings) with a 0-1 record, 8.10ERA and 6K/3BB. Anthony Slama has also appeared in 7 games (5.1 innings) with a 5.06ERA and 6K/4BB.

Steve Tolleson appeared in only three games this week. Steve is hitting .413/.451/.587 in 75 at bats with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs and 19 rbi. Dustin Martin is having an excellent fall, hitting .296/.387/.383 in 81 at bats with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run and 10 rbi. Danny Valencia was 4 for 16 this week and is now hitting .233/.275/.291 in 86 at bats with 5 doubles and 5 rbi.

Alejandro Machado is hitting .290/.333/.323 in his first 31 at bats for Caracas in the VWL. Julio DePaula had another good week and now has a 3-1 record in 11 games (13.1 innings) with a 2.70ERA and 10K/5BB for Gigantes in the DWL.

Meanwhile, most Twins prospects are playing for the Aragua Tigres in the VWL. The Tigres also have several ex-Twins who we are familiar with. Luis Rodriguez is the Tigres leading hitter at .429/.278/.476 in 21 at bats, while Luis Maza is hitting .371/.395/.429 in 35 at bats. Alex Romero is also with the Tigres and is hitting .200/.294/.333 in 30 at bats. The Twins top catching prospect, Wilson Ramos, is hitting .281/.281/.344 in 32 at bats with 6 rbi. The top catcher with the Tigres is Pittsburgh's Raul Chavez who hit .306 for their AAA farm club in 2008. Chavez is hitting .306/.321/.385 in 26 at bats for the Tigres. Third baseman Luke Hughes had an excellent week, going 8 for 23 with a double, triple and his second home run. Hughes, who also scored 4 runs with 6 rbi, has gotten his average up to .231/.286/.442 in 52 at bats after his cold, cold beginning to the season. Should Luke continue to play like he has lately, he will certainly force the Twins to add him to their 40-man roster and include him in their spring training plans.

Minor League Report...November 1, 2008

roger13 — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 13:52:00 -0000

The Phoenix Desert Dogs surged into first place this week while winning five of six, and now hold a 2.0 game lead as the AFL enters the closing stretch of its season. The Dogs were led by Twins shortstop Steven Tolleson who got 13 hits in 27 at bats. With multiple hits in each of the Dogs games, Tolleson had four 2 for 5 games and each evening his average went down! Now hitting .438/.471/.594 in 64 at bats with 2 home runs and 4 stolen bases in 6 attempts, Tolleson is the Dogs leading hitter and currently fourth best in the AFL.

Dustin Martin continues to have a solid fall, hitting .279/.355/.353 in 68 at bats with 4 stolen bases. Danny Valencia played in only half of the Desert Dogs games this week, raising his average to .229/.270/.286 in 70 at bats.

Jeff Manship had a solid outing in his last start, pitching 5.0 innings with 4 hits, 2 runs and 3K/2BB. Jeff has a 1-1 record with a 5.63ERA in 4 starts (16.0 innings) with 10K/4BB. Tim Lahey has had the best numbers of the Twins three relievers with the Dogs, appearing in 8 games (7.2 innings) with a 1-1 record, 1.17ERA and 3K/3BB. Robert Delaney has a 0-1 record in 5 games (4.2 innings) with a 9.64ERA adn 3K/2BB. Anthony Slama had been perfect until one bad outing this week when he gave up 2 hits and 2 walks for 4 runs (3 earned) in 0.1 inning. Unfortunately, in a short season a short reliever cannot overcome one bad outing as he now has a 5.06ERA in 7 games (5.1 innings) with 6K/4BB.

Danny Rondon continues to pitch very well for Margarita in the VWL. Danny has a 1-0 record in 5 games (7.0 innings) with a 2.57ERA and 5K/2BB. Julio DePaula has been very good for Gigantes in the DWL. DePaula now has a 3-0 record with a 3.24ERA in 8 games (8.1 innings) with 6K/3BB.

Most of the Twins prospects are with the Aragua Tigres in the VWL, led by their top catching prospect Wilson Ramos. Ramos is hitting .280/.280/.360 in 25 at bats with the second most rbi on the team, 6. The leading rbi man for Aragua is Prentice Redman who has 8 in 36 at bats after hitting .310 in the AAA Pacific Coast League this past summer. Luke Hughes is playing less, however, his average has risen to .154/.241/.346 after a 2 for 3 games on Thursday with his first home run and 3 rbi.

Carmen Cali is the Twins player who has appeared in the most games for Aragua, 6, pitching 3.0 innings with a 0.00ERA and 5K/4BB. Jose Mijares has a 1-0 record in 4 games (3.0 innings) with a 0.00ERA and 5K/0BB. Bobby Korecky hasn't pitched as well in his 4 games (5.1 innings) with a 0-1 record, 8.44ERA and 4K/3BB.

It is great seeing Mijares continue to pitch as he did in September for the Twins as he makes his claim on a lefty spot in the Twins 2009 bullpen. And Tim Lahey may be saying protect me or I may again be gone in the Rule V draft. Meanwhile, Steve Tolleson is telling Twins management to take a hard look at him for a utility spot, perhaps taking the spot of the more expensive Nick Punto......which would make many Twinkie Town readers shout for joy!

40 man Roster

roger13 — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:28:01 -0000

Seth and the Star Tribune reported earlier today that the Twins have outrighted four players to Rochester: Julio DePaula, Oswaldo Sosa, Ryan Jorgenson and Sergio Santos.

This leaves the 40-man roster at 34 players:

Pitchers (16): Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Boof Bonser, Craig Breslow, Jesse Crain, Eddie Guardado, Matt Guerrier, Philip Humber, Bobby Korecky, Francisco Liriano, Jose Mijares, Joe Nathan, Pat Neshek, Glen Perkins, Dennys Reyes, and Kevin Slowey.

Catchers (3): Joe Mauer, Jose Morales, and Mike Redmond

Infielders/DH (9): Brian Buscher, Alexi Casilla, Adam Everett, Brendan Harris, Matt Macri, Justin Morneau, Nick Punto, Randy Ruiz and Matt Tolbert

Outfielders/DH (6): Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Gomez, Jason Pridie, Denard Span, Delmon Young, and Jason Kubel

It is likely that there will be several more players removed from the roster after the World Series. Most likely are Guardado, Everett, Ruiz and possibly Dennys Reyes, who is a free agent who will get the Twins compensation should they offer arbitration. Jose Morales is also a possibility to be outrighted to Rochester after missing most of the 2008 season, however, if he is moved off the roster they will need to add a third catcher to replace him.

That should leave the roster around 30-32 which would enable them to add 7 to 9 players while keeping one spot open to add a player through free agency or the Rule V draft.

Players most likely to be added from Rochester include Brian Duensing, Anthony Swarzak, Trevor Plouffe and Luke Hughes. Tim Lahey may also get some consideration and others that may merit consideration but are unlikely to be added are Ricky Barrett, Mariano Gomez and Alejandro Machado.

The only player that is likely to be added from New Britain is Steve Tolleson. Others that may receive some consideration from the Rock Cats are Jay Rainville, Ryan Mullins, Zach Ward, David Winfree, Brandon Roberts and Erik Lis.

The two players most likely to be added from Ft. Myers both fall into the unknown category based on when they were signed, Wilson Ramos and Rene Tosoni. Ramos was signed at 16 years of age on July 7, 2004. If he played that year in the DSL, he would be eligible for the Rule V draft and would certainly be protected. Tosoni was drafted in the 2005 draft and turned 19 on July 2, 2005. It is unclear when he signed, however, due to what I understand as a Visa situation he did not play until 2007. It is unlikely that he is eligible for the draft, however, if he is he would also likely be protected. Another player from Ft. Myers that may be protected is Kyle Waldrop (missed entire season with surgery).

There are four from Rochester, one at New Britain and possibly one from Ft. Myers that are very likely to be added. Thus, they should have room to add a couple of the other players mentioned above.

Minor League Report...October 25, 2008

roger13 — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:41:04 -0000

The Phoenix Desert Dogs slipped to a 7-8 record this week, 2.0 games behind the division leading Peoria Javelinas. One of the hottest players in the league was Twin shortstop, Steven Tolleson. Tolleson is tied for the second highest average on the Dogs at .405/.452/.486 in 12 games (37 at bats) with 3 doubles, 12 rbi and 2 stolen bases in 3 attempts. Dustin Martin is hitting .265/.333/.367 in 13 games (49 at bats) with 2 doubles, 5 rbi and 2 stolen bases. After the first couple games, third baseman Danny Valencia's bat has been silent...hitting .211/.262/.263 in 15 games (57 at bats) with 3 doubles, 3 rbi and 1 stolen base in 2 attempts.

Jeff Manship has made 3 starts, one very good, one that was ok and one that was rough. He has pitched 11.0 innings with a 6.55ERA, 1.45WHIP and 7K/2BB. Tim Lahey has done an excellent job in relief, appearing in 5 games (4.2 innings) with a 1.93ERA, 1.71WHIP and 0K/1BB. Rob Delaney has both struggled and been solid in his 4 games (3.2 innings) with a 9.82ERA, 1.91WHIP and 2K/2BB. The shining star for the Twins and the Dogs bullpen has been Anthony Slama, who has appeared in 5 games (4.0 innings) with a 0.00ERA, 1.25WHIP and 5K/0BB. Pitching in a league with this level of talent clearly indicates that Slama should be successful when he moves up to AA and AAA.

One of the top hitters early in the season for the Aragua Tigres has been catcher Wilson Ramos, who is hitting .333/.333/.500 in 4 games (12 at bats) with 2 doubles and 4 rbi. Luke Hughes has appeared in 6 games at third base with 20 at bats, hitting .100/.182/.200 with 1 triple. Bobby Korecky appeared in 2 games (3.1 innings) with a 8.10ERA, 2.40WHIP and 2K/3BB. Frank Mata appeared in 3 games (1.2 innings) with a 10.80ERA, 2.40WHIP and 1K/4BB. Carmen Cali has been sharp, appearing in 3 games (1.2 innings) with a 0.00ERA, 1.80WHIP and 3K/3BB. Jose Mijares reported late and has appeared in only 1 game (0.2 inning) with a 0.00ERA, 1.50WHIP and 2K/0BB.

Perhaps the best pitching performance by any Twin early in the VWL has been Danny Rondon who is with Margarita. Rondon has appeared in 3 games (5.2 innings) with a 1.59ERA, 1.06WHIP and 3K/1BB. There are also a couple prospects pitching in the Dominican Winter League. Armando Gabino made one early appearance for Aguilas, pitching 0.1 inning with a 0.00ERA, 3.00WHIP and 0K/0BB. Julio DePaula has been solid for Gigantes, appearing in 4 games (3.2 innings) with a 2.45ERA, 0.82WHIP and 2K/1BB.

Free agency will begin shortly after the World Series. The Twins normally begin to make adjustments to their 40-man roster during the last half of November, however, Seth is reporting that they made five moves this week. Pat Neshek has been removed from the 60-day disabled list and four players have been outrighted to Rochester, which means that they are off the 40-man roster and have cleared waivers. The four are Sergio Santos, Oswaldo Sosa, Julio DePaula and Ryan Jorgenson. With these moves the 40-man roster is at 34, thus, they have some room to add several prospects who could be at risk in the Rule V draft if not protected.

Minor League Report...October 18, 2008

roger13 — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:16:02 -0000

Am on vacation so this will be a short update this week.

The Phoenix Desert Dogs are tied for first in their three team division with a 5-5 record. Jeff Manship made his second start this week, pitching 5.0 excellent innings with 3 hits, 1 run and 3K/0BB. Unfortunately, the Dogs only scored 2 runs in a 3-2 loss. Jeff has now pitched 8.0 innings in 2 starts with a 0-1 record, 3.38ERA, 0.88WHIP and 6K/0BB. Tim Lahey has appeared in 4 games (4.0 innings) with a 1-1 record, 2.25ERA, 2.00WHIP and 0K/1BB. Rob Delaney has appeared in 3 games (3.0 innings) with a 3.00ERA, 1.33WHIP and 1K/0BB. Anthony Slama has also appeared in 3 games (2.2 innings), earning 1 save with a 0.00ERA, 1.13WHIP and 3K/0BB.

Through their first 10 games, Danny Valencia has the most at bats of any Twins prospect. Danny is hitting .237/.293/.289 in his first 38 at bats. Dustin Martin has cooled a bit since the first few games...hitting .273/.333/.394 in 33 at bats. Steve Tolleson has the least at bats, 21, however the best numbers at .286/.360/.333.

As the AFL gets into the middle part of its season the next few weeks, these potential future Twins will all have the opportunity to prove what Nick Blackburn did in 2007...that they deserve the opportunity to fight for a spot with the Twins next spring.

The Venezuelan Winter League also began play this week with several Twins prospects playing for the Aragua Tigres. Luke Hughes has appeared in all three of their games, playing at third base, getting 2 hits in his first 11 at bats, including a triple. Wilson Ramos went hitless in 3 at bats in his only game and Rodolpho Palacios was hitless in his lone at bat. Carmen Cali has pitched 0.2 innings with a 0.00ERA. Bobby Korecky appeared in one game (1.2 innings), allowing 2 earned runs. Frank Mata also pitched 1.2 innings with 1 earned run, while Edgar Ibarra pitched 0.1 inning with 1 hit and 0 runs. Armando Gabino is with the Aguilus Team in the Dominican Winter League. He allowed 1 hit and 0 runs in his first appearance of 0.1 innings.

This is an excellent time for these young prospects to get valuable innings in the DWL and VWL as the veteran major league players normally don't report to their traditional teams until the later part of the season.