Article: Twins Minor League Hitter Of The Month - June 2015

[Seth Stohs]

We have named our Reliever of the Month (Brandon Peterson) and our Starting Pitcher of the Month (Taylor Rogers), so now it’s time to consider who should be the Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month for June 2015. There weren’t as many hitters that had noteworthy months. However, there is a threesome at the top of this list that would rival any other threesome. And this list doesn’t even include Byron Buxton who hit .370/.444/.435 (.879) in 12 games before his promotion to the Twins.Let’s get to the Top 6 Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitters for June:

 

 

Number 6 – Ft. Myers – SS Engelb Vielma - (27-78) .346/.411/.372 (.783) with two doubles and 10 RBI.

 

He’s listed at 5-11 and 150 pounds, and I would guess that's pretty accurate. Though he has committed 11 errors at shortstop so far this year in Ft. Myers, he is known for good range, good hands and a strong arm. Signed out of Venezuela in 2011, Vielma spent a year in the DSL before coming to the States in 2013. Last year, he played in 112 games for the Kernels and hit .266/.313/.323 (.636) with 13 doubles, four triples and a homer. He stole 10 bases. Overall this year with the Miracle, the just-turned-21-year-old is hitting .246/.297/.583. He has five doubles, a triple and a home run in 70 games. He has stolen 19 bases, as well.

Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – DH Alex Real - (25-80) .313/.374/.438 (.811) with four doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI.

 

Real was the Twins 24^th round pick in 2014 out of New Mexico where he teamed with Mitch Garver. Both were catchers so Real played first base most of the time until his final season when he got more time behind the plate. A 50-game suspension cost him the first two months of the 2015 season. His first game was on June 1 with the Kernels. He has caught just six times. In 23 games, he is now hitting .333/.389/.452 (.842) with four doubles and two home runs.

Number 4 – Ft. Myers – C Mitch Garver - (29-88) .330/.416/.420 (.836) with eight doubles and 10 RBI.

 

Mitch Garver was our choice for 2014 Twins minor league hitter of the year. In his first full season, Garver hit .298/.399/.481 (.880) with 29 doubles and 16 home runs. He earned a big league spring training invitation. It was a struggle for Garver the first two months of 2015. So despite his impressive June, his overall numbers are still working their way up. In 68 games for the Miracle, he is hitting .236/.349/.288 (.637). Defensively, he has made big improvements and throws out base stealers with regularity.

Number 3 - Chattanooga – OF/1B Max Kepler - (32-88) .364/.422/.580 (1.052) with six doubles, five triples, one home run and 17 RBI.

 

Kepler was the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month in May and he continued to rake in June. Signed by the Twins in July of 2009, Kepler has consistently moved up the system. In 58 games with the Lookouts this year, Kepler is hitting .346/.417/.556 (.973) with 20 doubles, eight triples and three home runs. At 6-4 and 225 pounds, there is a good chance that he will continue to add more home run power as he grows. He turned 22 before spring training started.

Number 2 – Chattanooga – 3B Miguel Sano – (26-79) .329/.432/.658 (1.090) with eight doubles, six home runs and 17 RBI.

 

Sano was signed by the Twins in October of 2009 under a lot of scrutiny and uncertainty. Since signing, he has put up big numbers at every level. After missing 2014 with Tommy John surgery, Sano struggled in April. However, he has been dominant again since then. Through 66 games at Chattanooga, Sano hit .274/.374/.554 (.918) with 18 doubles, 15 homers and 48 RBI. On Thursday night in Kansas City, Sano made his major league debut. In his fourth at-bat, he got his first big league hit, an infield single (of course).

 

The June 2015 Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is...

 

Chattanooga Lookouts OF Adam Brett Walker (30-95) .316/.371/.758 (1.129) with seven doubles, one triple, 11 home runs and 28 RBI.

 

 

With all of the prospects in the Twins system, it is likely that the most discussed Twins prospect on the pages and in the forums of Twins Daily is Adam Brett Walker. In 73 games this season, Walker has hit .272/.328/.612 (.940) with 23 homers and 67 RBI.

He is putting up huge numbers this season at AA Chattanooga. His 23 home runs lead all of minor league baseball. He has 20 more RBI than anyone else in the Twins system, and he is also on pace for over 180 strikeouts.

The 2013 third-round pick out of Jacksonville has hit big home runs and driven in a lot of runs since signing.

Along with the 11 home runs that he hit in June for the Lookouts, he also won the Southern League’s Home Run Derby championship. In 2014, he won the Florida State League’s Home Run Derby. Asked if he had won it in 2013 in the Midwest League, he said that he was third in the division in home runs at the All-Star break and only the top two from each division participated.

In most organizations, Walker’s power would be best in the organization. With the Twins, there is a chance that Miguel Sano has as much raw power, but it’s close.

There has been some adjustment to the Southern League for Walker. “I think the adjustment is having some better plate discipline this year. Not only laying off balls, but hitting the balls up in the zone.”

What were his goals coming into the season? “I was hoping this would be the year for 30 home runs, and I wanted to reach 100 RBI again. I’m glad to be on pace now.”

Walker has always had a knack for driving in a lot of runs. How does he explain it? “I just try to have a quality at bat, like always. I wouldn’t be able to get RBI without my teammates getting on base. They are the biggest part of my RBI success this year.”

What is his approach going into each at-bat? “In most of my at bats, I am just looking to get a pitch up in the zone that I can handle. If I get barrel to the ball, good stuff happens.”

He spends a lot of time working with Lookouts hitting coach and former Twins outfielder Chad Allen. “Chad and I will work on keeping my swing short and quick, but mostly talk about my approach, plate discipline and swinging at good pitches.”

He played for former Twins first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz last year in Ft. Myers and again this year in Chattanooga. “Doug is awesome. He is a lot of fun to play for, but he expects a lot from us. He has really taught us a winning mindset and to play for each other as a team.”

In his pro career, he has primarily played right field. This season, he and Travis Harrison flip-flopped with Harrison played right and Walker moving over to left field. It also was a little bit of an adjustment. “There was a short time period when it felt a little weird, but I feel I’ve become well-adjusted to left field and I’m comfortable there now.”

As for goals for the remainder of the season, Walker didn’t get into specifics. However, he said, “I just try to learn and get better day to day, and make adjustments to become a better player. I want to continue reaching my goals that were made earlier in the season.”

A September call up for Walker is certainly within the realm of possibility. If not, he should be a given to be added to the Twins 40 man roster following the season.

 

There were several strong performances in June. The Lookouts stole the show, scoring a ton of runs. Feel free to discuss the top hitters in the Minnesota Twins organization in June.

 

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[nytwinsfan]

Amazing first three.

[jimbo92107]

AB Walker is one of my crazy favorites. Teams need a guy like this to remind them that baseball can be fun, like seeing how hard and how far you can hit a ball, even if you strike out...A LOT.

 

Walker's strikeout stats are nuts. More than just about anybody's. On the other hand, he's batting well over .300, leads his league in homers, and has lots of yummy RBI's. He's also a very good athlete, good speed, decent glove, decent arm. Not an idiot in the outfield, just around average.

 

Walker's all-or-nothing approach at the plate is one of the things people pay for when they buy a ticket to watch a baseball game. Lots of former little leaguers appreciate the slick fielding, the amazing pitching, etc, but most casual fans don't know what they're looking at...until some big, muscly guy cranks a baseball 450 feet over their heads into the second deck. That, we can all understand.

 

That's AB Walker. I like it.

[BoomBoom]

He is a Beast. Every year.

[jokin]

Vielma's SLG for the season is .290, not .583.

[GMinTraining]

AB Walker has been the most consistent run producer in the Twins system for quite some time.   Let's be honest.  EVERYBODY / MOST had doubt about his success at the AA level coming into the season.  Everyone / Most  "thought"  - that AA pitching would expose his previous mistake hitting success.  

 

Seems everyone was semi right.  Walker is exposed during most of his ABs (usually via the strikeout), while others are usually exposed in multiple ways (via the FO or GO or SO).  Lucky for Walker his .940 OPS helps off set that flaw some.  

 

Sense baseball is a game of failure, I tend to look at the positives more so than the negatives.  That's just me.  What collection of players bring me the best opportunity to win?  NATURAL BORN WINNERS   - With a .620 winning percentage in the minors, Walker's power (2B / 3B / HR) has shown to be a valuable asset in terms of Runs, RBI, and Wins.  Love the choice for this months top hitter.

 

Kepler, Walker and of course Polanco should be headed to AAA - BTW

 

 

[Seth Stohs]

The three Lookouts hitters made Baseball America's All Prospect Team for June. 

[diehardtwinsfan]

Those are video game stats by those 3 lookouts hitters.  I'm not sold completely on Walker just yet, but man he's fun to follow.  Sano and Kepler are looking like pretty sure things at the major league level, and if Walker can cut down on those K's just a bit, he's probably right there with them.  It will be interesting to see where they place him given his OF defense isn't all that good from what I've read.  But if he can improve just a bit on his contact, he'd likely be a pretty awesome DH/corner OF.

[lightfoot789]

From Baseball America Team of the Month: 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/baseballist-prospect-team-june/

 

OF Adam Brett Walker • Twins

Double-A Chattanooga (Southern)

Walker has led every minor league in which he has played—from Appalachian to Midwest to Florida State—in home runs, and he’s gunning for a fourth straight title this year in the Southern League. In fact, he led all minor leagueres with 23 bombs and a .612 slugging percentage at the end of June. Walker’s extreme power exploits come bundled with an extreme strikeout rate, for in June he led all minor league batters with 11 homers and a .453 isolated slugging percentage while ranking third with a 39 percent strikeout rate.

 

 

He really does take it to the extreme.  The question like always becomes, which extreme will prevail at the MLB level?  Thus far in his minor league career, it has been the ISO because his teams win and his numbers are a big part of those wins.

 

Note:  The Lookouts were shut out for the first time this season tonight.  Walker struck out in only 25% of his AB's.   Karma.  

{ That was a joke people - Lol }  

 

That K rate has to come way way down.  Agreed!  Just imagine what his ISO might be then?  It's not like he over swings at the plate either, yet his balls travel 400+ every time.    His nickname should be  "Extreme"

[DocBauer]

Love the potential, despite a high K rate that may never drop to where we want it to be. But thus far in his short career, he has made adjustments, and has performed at a pretty constant level. In fact, I dare say he's made more adjustments and more improvement this season than any other. And this, perhaps he finest season yet, comes at the AA level. So what if strikes out too much to hit 3 or 4. Maybe he strikes out too much to hit 5th. But he could be an absolute terror in the 6 or 7 hole if nothing else. (And honestly, Dozier, Sano, Kepler and others, might be the only spots with room anyway.

 

But with his propensity for strikeouts, with the success and improvement under way, I'm in favor of keeping him at AA for the remainder of the season. Just feels like a necessary, logical step in his evolution and development as a player. And there's nothing wrong with that.

[lightfoot789]

 

Love the potential, despite a high K rate that may never drop to where we want it to be. But thus far in his short career, he has made adjustments, and has performed at a pretty constant level. In fact, I dare say he's made more adjustments and more improvement this season than any other. And this, perhaps he finest season yet, comes at the AA level. So what if strikes out too much to hit 3 or 4. Maybe he strikes out too much to hit 5th. But he could be an absolute terror in the 6 or 7 hole if nothing else. (And honestly, Dozier, Sano, Kepler and others, might be the only spots with room anyway.

But with his propensity for strikeouts, with the success and improvement under way, I'm in favor of keeping him at AA for the remainder of the season. Just feels like a necessary, logical step in his evolution and development as a player. And there's nothing wrong with that.

 

My only problem with the year to year promotion philosophy for Walker is that he hasn't improved his K rate during the last 2 years.  Why not see if a mid season promotion works in some strange way?  If you want change, stop doing the same thing goes for the organization as well as the prospect.   Besides he has earned it IMO.  

 

Walker:

Leads all of AA in HRs by 8 and RBI by 16.  He also leads AA in XBH's with 44.  He is not boom or bust from the standpoint that he also has 19 doubles and 2 triples to his resume.  Even with his ridiculous K rate - Walker is among the top run scorers in AA and has done so thru out his career.   Promote the kid and throw him his first true bone (from the organization) since drafting him.  

[Seth Stohs]

I can't agree with that. I don't see how he can be promoted with that big of a k rate. That said, I expect him to get a Sept call up.

[d-mac]

 

 

Walker:

Leads all of AA in HRs by 8 and RBI by 16.  He also leads AA in XBH's with 44.  He is not boom or bust from the standpoint that he also has 19 doubles and 2 triples to his resume.  Even with his ridiculous K rate - Walker is among the top run scorers in AA and has done so thru out his career.   Promote the kid and throw him his first true bone (from the organization) since drafting him.  

 

Counting stats. The only reason he does so well with RBI's and Runs, is because he plays on teams that score a ridiculous number of runs. Those stats mean nothing. 

[drjim]

 

I can't agree with that. I don't see how he can be promoted with that big of a k rate. That said, I expect him to get a Sept call up.

 

You think Walker gets a Sept callup? Twins don't call up prospects in Sept to sit on the bench and there seems to be way too many corner bats ahead of him in the majors/AAA right now. Barring a couple injuries, Kepler doesn't get a call either.

[Seth Stohs]

 

You think Walker gets a Sept callup? Twins don't call up prospects in Sept to sit on the bench and there seems to be way too many corner bats ahead of him in the majors/AAA right now. Barring a couple injuries, Kepler doesn't get a call either.

 

Kepler is a given, in my opinion, especially with his versatility. Walker is probably more of a long shot. He is a given to be added to the 40 man roster though.

[lightfoot789]

 

I can't agree with that. I don't see how he can be promoted with that big of a k rate. That said, I expect him to get a Sept call up.

 

I hear you Seth, but you and many others have suggested the same development playbook for Walker over the last 3 years.  You have gotten what you wanted as it pertains to his need to cut down on K's and improve contact.  How has that worked for you or the Twins?  Wanting him to stay to get certain results is one thing, but wanting him to stay and getting the same results proves nothing.

 

What is the joke:  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and getting expecting different results.  That joke can go for Prospect and Organization.  I say try something new and pray for new results.  What do you have to lose after trying your method for 3 years?

[GMinTraining]

 

Counting stats. The only reason he does so well with RBI's and Runs, is because he plays on teams that score a ridiculous number of runs. Those stats mean nothing. 

 

That has been the case every year Walker has played and you have no argument with me there.  He plays with great teammates who know how to score runs.  I'm just saying he does it better than everyone else on his team (EVERY YEAR).  Whether he bats 7th (like most of this year) or 5th (like he is lately).  As far as those stats meaning nothing - naaah - They mean plenty.  Don't ask the fans.  Ask his teammates who play with him if they mean nothing.  Ask those opposing coaches if they mean nothing.

 

70 RBI and 23 HRs on a team that scores a lot of runs can't mean nothing when his now 70 RBI are double the next closest teammate on his team.  That's right DOUBLED.   Is his .924 OPS a meaningless stat too?  He has plenty to work on but damn.............. "Nothing"

Edited July 7, 2015 by GMinTraining

[GMinTraining]

Seems like the Southern League agreed with you Seth.  I agree with you as well.  The Twins announced their Minor League Hitter of the Month going to Kepler.  

 

Crazy stats for both, but I again can't ignore the mass numbers put up in the month of June.  Crazy Production.

 

http://www.milb.com/documents/2/9/6/135045296/Walker_Named_Player_of_the_Month_89m02y48.pdf