43 replies to this topic

[Tom Froemming]

The Twins lost a tough game at Houston, but there were plenty of bright spots across the minor league system on Sunday. Fernando Romero delivered another strong, albeit brief start and Brent Rooker hit his seventh homer.

Plus, the Kernels finally busted out of their hitting slump, scoring eight runs in a victory. Oh, and how could I forget, it was Sean and Poppen (h/t Jeremy Nygaard) in Fort Myers once again.Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Sunday.

RED WINGS REPORT
Lehigh Valley 4, Rochester 3
Box Score

J.R Murphy hit a solo homer, but the Red Wings could muster only three other hits and Tim Melville had his worst start for Rochester. Over 4.1 innings, Melville gave up four earned runs on seven hits.

All that’s a shame, too, because the bullpen was phenomenal. Craig Breslow retired both batters he faced, one on strikes. Mason Melotakis gave up a hit over his 0.2 shutout innings. Alan Busenitz was particularly impressive, striking out four of the five men he faced. John Curtiss finished things off with a perfect inning with two strikeouts.

The Wings were rallying in the eighth, as Matt Hague reached on an error with one out, and would scored on an Edgar Corcino double. ByungHo Park drew a walk, but the Iron Pigs were able to turn two on a Tommy Field grounder to third to end the threat.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER
Chattanooga 5, Jacksonville 2
Box Score

Fernando Romero held the Jumbo Shrimp to two runs over his five innings of work, striking out six in the process. Romero threw 82 pitches, 54 for strikes. It was the third-straight start in which Romero pitched exactly five innings despite not eclipsing even 90 pitches. It would appear he’ll be on a pretty strict innings limit for the rest of the season.

The Lookouts were trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the second, but a big two-out rally led to Chattanooga tallying three runs in the inning. Travis Harrison had the big hit of that frame, a two-run double. Nick Gordon had a nice night at the plate, going 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base, but he also made his 19th error of the season.

Jonathan Rodriguez and Max Murphy also had two hits each. Ryan Eades followed Romero with three shutout innings and Paul Clemens pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save.

MIRACLE MATTERS
Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 3
Box Score

The Miracle improved to 17-5 in the second half behind another great start from Sean Poppen, who lowered his ERA with Fort Myers to 0.55. Poppen held the Mets to one run over 6.1 innings and racked up five strikeouts while walking just one batter.

Zander Wiel hit a two-run homer, his eighth of the season, and the following players got two hits a piece: Sean Miller, Mitchell Kranson and Jaylin Davis. Kranson has had a nice first 20 games since being called up from Cedar Rapids, hitting .304/.360/.430 (.791 OPS).

Tom Hackimer, who has a 0.96 ERA of his own, got the last two outs of the seventh. Alex Robinson gave up two runs over the final two innings, striking out three in the process.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 8, South Bend 4
Box Score

The Kernels snapped a season-high five-game losing streak with a much-needed offensive explosion. Cedar Rapids had scored just four runs total in their previous six games, but they managed to tally two runs before even recording an out in this one.

Aaron Whitefield led off the game with a walk and stole his 20th base of the season. Joe Cronin followed with a walk and Travis Blankenhorn delivered a two-run triple. Lewin Diaz plated Blankenhorn on a groundout. Diaz was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk. Amaurys Minier hit a three-run homer in the third inning, his second of the year with the Kernels

Anthony Marzi had a three-run lead before even taking the mound. He improved to 3-0 on the season by holding the Cubs to two runs over six innings. Marzi, who the Twins signed out of the Atlantic League, now has a 1.37 ERA and 0.71 WHIP over his first three appearances in the organization.

E-TWINS E-NOTES
Greenville 8, Elizabethton 4
Box Score

Brent Rooker hit his seventh home run of the season in just his 21st game played, but it was one of only four hits on the day for the Twins. Shortstop Jordan Gore delivered the other big knock, a three-run double.

Edwar Colina gave up three runs over 4.1 innings, Rickey Ramirez was rocked for four runs in his 1.2 innings and Jared Finkel gave up a run over two innings. This was a big game in the landscape of the Appalachian League, as the loss dropped E-Town to a half-game back of Greenville in the West division.

GCL TWINS TAKES
Scheduled off day.

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Sean Poppen, Fort Myers (6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K)
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Amaurys Minier, Cedar Rapids (1-for-4, HR, BB, 3 RBI, 1 R).

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Rochester vs. Charlotte, 4:05 pm CT, David Hurlbut (3.44 ERA, 1.40 WHIP)
Rochester “at” Charlotte (in Rochester), Game 2, Aaron Slegers (3.75 ERA, 1.36 WHIP)
Chattanooga vs. Jacksonville, 10:15 am CT, Felix Jorge (3.14 ERA, 1.30 WHIP)
Fort Myers vs. St. Lucie, 10:05 am CT, TBD
Cedar Rapids at South Bend, 12:05 pm CT, Eduardo Del Rosario (4.48 ERA, 1.33 WHIP)
Elizabethton at Greenville, 6:00 pm CT, Huascar Ynoa (5.06 ERA, 1.81 WHIP)
GCL Twins vs. GCL Rays, 11:00 am CT, TBD

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

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[D.C Twins]

I think Rooker has proven himself against high school all stars ("I keep getting older adn they stay the same age").... time to move along unless he part of an upcoming E-Town promotion  

[D.C Twins]

There is something about Max Murphy.... could he be a Dan Gladden like gamer?!

[D.C Twins]

Dear Twins,

 

Why am not in your bullpen again?

 

Thanks in advance for the clarification,

 

Alan Busenitz

[mikelink45]

Let's not use any of these young arms - let's turn to a fat 44 year old.  What is going on.  Move these players up to levels where they belong.

[Seth Stohs]

"Sean Poppen, who lowered his ERA with Fort Myers to 0.55."

 

It actually raised his ERA to 0.55. He came in with 10 scoreless innings.

[Seth Stohs]

 

I think Rooker has proven himself against high school all stars ("I keep getting older adn they stay the same age").... time to move along unless he part of an upcoming E-Town promotion

 

I agree that Rooker is now ready to move up... but people really need to stop with this whole high school thing. Very few high schoolers go straight to the Appy League unless they are first round picks, or there are 1-2 teams that don't have a GCL team (or same caliber) for some reason. 

[Deduno Abides]

Rooker also got his 20th K. There are several hitters in the Appalachian League hitting better than he is and his K rate suggests that he might be selling out for homers. He has nowhere to go in the Twins system, with Diaz and Minier at Cedar Rapids and none of the three ready for the Florida State League. Unless he demonstrates better bat control in the Rookie League before he gets promoted, history shows that he'll get eaten alive.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Rooker also got his 20th K. There are several hitters in the Appalachian League hitting better than he is and his K rate suggests that he might be selling out for homers. He has nowhere to go in the Twins system, with Diaz and Minier at Cedar Rapids and none of the three ready for the Florida State League. Unless he demonstrates better bat control in the Rookie League before he gets promoted, history shows that he'll get eaten alive.

 

He's playing the OF, specifically left field, and the Kernels were looking for another OF. 

[Jeff A]

I see that Brandon Lopez came out of the Fort Myers game after being hit by a pitch.  Any word on what happened or how he's doing?

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

"Sean Poppen, who lowered his ERA with Fort Myers to 0.55."

 

It actually raised his ERA to 0.55. He came in with 10 scoreless innings.

 

Have to admit this is a name I don't really recognize other than recently. I checked his history and he's been decent since drafted. He's slightly younger than his league this year. So tell me, what does his pitch mix look like?

[071063]

 

"Sean Poppen, who lowered his ERA with Fort Myers to 0.55."

 

It actually raised his ERA to 0.55. He came in with 10 scoreless innings.

Can someone provide a scouting report on Poppen?  Is he a legit prospect?  Will he stick as a starter?  What does he throw?

[clutterheart]

 

Rooker also got his 20th K. There are several hitters in the Appalachian League hitting better than he is and his K rate suggests that he might be selling out for homers. He has nowhere to go in the Twins system, with Diaz and Minier at Cedar Rapids and none of the three ready for the Florida State League. Unless he demonstrates better bat control in the Rookie League before he gets promoted, history shows that he'll get eaten alive.

 

In my mind this is why its important to promote guys until they struggle.  Leaving them at a level where they have success but don't have to improve is how they get bad habits.  Getting a person to change their approach when they are dominating isn't so easy.  

[Seth Stohs]

 

Have to admit this is a name I don't really recognize other than recently. I checked his history and he's been decent since drafted. He's slightly younger than his league this year. So tell me, what does his pitch mix look like?

 

Can someone provide a scouting report on Poppen?  Is he a legit prospect?  Will he stick as a starter?  What does he throw?

 

I saw him pitch this spring, twice, and he got knocked all over the place in the outings.

 

Then he was putting up numbers in Cedar Rapids. I saw him pitch in CR for the Kernels in early May. He got hit a bit in the first inning when he was being aggressive and the hitters were being aggressive. But he adapted quickly. He's got a fastball that sits 91-93. And he's got some decent secondary pitches, a curveball and a changeup. He's got good control. Being a Harvard guy, he's pretty smart, but his ability to adapt quickly impressed me. I think he's a decent prospect. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

I see that Brandon Lopez came out of the Fort Myers game after being hit by a pitch.  Any word on what happened or how he's doing?

 

He stayed in the game and scored a run after he was hit. Then they took him out for precautionary reasons. He's listed as day-to-day. I'll see if I can find any more. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Poppen also has a thread in the Adopt-A-Prospect.

[wavedog]

 

Rooker also got his 20th K. There are several hitters in the Appalachian League hitting better than he is and his K rate suggests that he might be selling out for homers. He has nowhere to go in the Twins system, with Diaz and Minier at Cedar Rapids and none of the three ready for the Florida State League. Unless he demonstrates better bat control in the Rookie League before he gets promoted, history shows that he'll get eaten alive.

Breaking out his plate discipline by time frames (and I only have these stats because he is my adopted prospect) - in his first 8 games he had 1 walk and 10 strikeouts.  In the past 2 weeks he has 9 walks and 10 strikeouts without any significant dropoff in power so he is trending better.  

[Mike Sixel]

I say just leave him in rookie ball. Don't want to rush him and ruin a 24 year old's future forever by rushing him. 

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Breaking out his plate discipline by time frames (and I only have these stats because he is my adopted prospect) - in his first 8 games he had 1 walk and 10 strikeouts.  In the past 2 weeks he has 9 walks and 10 strikeouts without any significant dropoff in power so he is trending better.  

 

He had good discipline in college too. I'm not too concerned about that. Obviously at this point he should pretty used to using a wood bat. I'd think he'd be headed to CR or FTM at some point soon.

[Deduno Abides]

Breaking out his plate discipline by time frames (and I only have these stats because he is my adopted prospect) - in his first 8 games he had 1 walk and 10 strikeouts.  In the past 2 weeks he has 9 walks and 10 strikeouts without any significant dropoff in power so he is trending better.

Sounds good. Let's hope the trend continues to improve so he can get a month in A ball.