Article: Twins Minor League Report (5/14): Walk-Off Wins are Fun!

[Seth Stohs]

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php/2972-Twins-Minor-League-Report-(5-14)-Walk-Off-Wins-are-Fun!

[clutterheart]

Goodrum is having a better year than I expected. He is slugging .402 with 0 Home Runs!

 

 

He is leading the team with 7 SB, but I would like to see more of that

[lightfoot789]

It was nice to see AB Walker get his hits off one of the Brewers Top prospects (Jed Bradley / 1st Rounder). It was also nice to see his HR was of the Oppo fashion as well. Just need more consisitency. I can actually see him going to AA (midseason) and experiencing the same learning curve struggles. Why make him experience the same struggles at both levels if he can make those adjustments once (hopefully)? What would be the difference in adjustments he would need to make at A+ that were different from AA? Why keep a college kid down in A+ to make the same adjustments twice? Let him make them in AA for 2 years if needed.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Walkers OPS is below .700 and he's maintaing a .212 BA. I'd say he's got plenty of leanring curve struggles as it is and I don't think he's moving to AA any time soon. He's got to K a bit less and start making better contact when he's not putting it out of the park.

[Steven Buhr]

Minor correction, the Kernels play at Burlington Thursday night. Peoria series is over (fortunately for the Kernels).

[Mike Sixel]

Seems like an awful lot of unearned runs (errors) in that report......

[lightfoot789]

Walkers OPS is below .700 and he's maintaing a .212 BA. I'd say he's got plenty of leanring curve struggles as it is and I don't think he's moving to AA any time soon. He's got to K a bit less and start making better contact when he's not putting it out of the park.

 

I'm saying that I agree with all you are saying. My question is: What will he have to learn at AA that is different than A+? He can make the same mistakes at AA and develop a very similar learning curve. Unless you can tell me the particular things he will learn differently at AA as opposed to A+. I'm truly curious.

[Seth Stohs]

Seems like an awful lot of unearned runs (errors) in that report......

 

That's pretty normal in the minor leagues, especially in the lower levels.

[Seth Stohs]

I'm saying that I agree with all you are saying. My question is: What will he have to learn at AA that is different than A+? He can make the same mistakes at AA and develop a very similar learning curve. Unless you can tell me the particular things he will learn differently at AA as opposed to A+. I'm truly curious.

 

It's like saying that you should skip algebra and jump straight to calculus. The AA pitchers are better than the A+ pitchers. He's working hard to catch up to A+ right now (and he will), why throw AA pitchers at him? There's no rush whatsoever.

[Seth Stohs]

Minor correction, the Kernels play at Burlington Thursday night. Peoria series is over (fortunately for the Kernels).

 

Corrected... thank you!

[lightfoot789]

What do pitchers at each level work on? and what would you advise your hitters at each level to work on? What should hitters at the A+ level work on? Plate discipline seems to general of a term. What and how do I make those adjustments? What is the simple gameplan for a hitter?

[diehardtwinsfan]

What do pitchers at each level work on? and what would you advise your hitters at each level to work on? What should hitters at the A+ level work on? Plate discipline seems to general of a term. What and how do I make those adjustments? What is the simple gameplan for a hitter?

 

A lot of it is just refining skills and progression of them. The jump from A+ to AA is considered one of the hardest jumps to make (next to AAA to MLB). The big difference between pitchers in AA and the ones in A+ is that the AA guys do a much better job locating their breaking pitches, something that is not done well in A+ at all. Walker is already having a tough time making contact. Tossing him into an environment where pitchers can better locate those pitches he already cannot hit isn't going to be good for his development.

 

Moving a guy too quickly is a great way to ruin him.