Article: Twins Minor League Report (4/22): Controversial Conclusion in Cedar Rapids

[Tom Froemming]

The Red Wings faced some of the top prospects in the game, Randy LeBlanc extended his scoreless-innings streak, the Kernals somehow managed to get beat on a "swinging strike" and, of course, there was another rain out.

 

Find out what else happened around the Twins' minor leagues on Saturday.RED WINGS REPORT

Charlotte 7, Rochester 3

Box Score

 

The Red Wings had 10 hits and drew five walks, but thanks to untimely hitting and spotty defense they were unable to capture a vicory. Rochester was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and committed three errors.

 

J.B. Shuck hit his second home run of the season and smacked a double, as well. After an icy start, Shuck has his OPS up around .800, hitting .250/.316/.481. Tommy Field also had two hits for the Wings.

 

Aaron Slegers got the start and was the victim of a number of poorly-hit balls that fell in for base hits. Oh, and the defense didn't do him any favors, either. Slegers gave up seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out three batters.

 

Charlotte, an affiliate of the White Sox, had several of their top prospects appear in the game. Reynaldo Lopez went six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits. He issued more walks (four) than strikeouts (three). Zack Burdi, Nick's younger brother, pitched a scoreless ninth. And Yoan Moncada, the top prospect in all of baseball, was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and retired Field on a nifty defensive play ... or did he?

 

 

More controversial calls to come ...

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga vs. Tennessee (Postponed)

 

These two teams will play a doubleheader Sunday with the first game starting at 1:15 CT.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 4, Dunedin 1

Box Score

 

Randy LeBlanc finally gave up a run, but it was unearned. Dunedin scrapped together three singles off LeBlanc in the bottom of the fifth inning, but it was a Chris Paul fielding error in left field that allowed the run to score.

 

LeBlanc had pitched 36 scoreless innings, dating back to last season, before surrendering that run. The Tulane product has now gone six-straight starts without giving up an earned run, a streak that stretches 38 innings. The 6-4 right-hander didn't have his best stuff, giving up a season-high nine hits while only striking out two batters, but he got the job done once again.

 

Ehire Adrianza, on a rehab assignment, got the start at third base and went 2-for-5. His leadoff double in the eighth inning sparked a three-run rally. Paul was the only other Miracle batter to tally two hits, but Zander Wiel had a hit and a walk while both Casey Scoggins and Max Murphy managed to draw a pair of walks.

 

Sam Clay registered his first save of the season, pitching two scoreless innings while notching four strikeouts in the process. This was the fourth straight win for the Miracle, who are now 8-9.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Kane County 4, Cedar Rapids 3

Box Score

 

The deciding run came in the top of the ninth when Kane County had a runner score from second ... on a swing and a miss. Or at least that was the umpiring crew's story. Here's the play below, which was officially scored a passed ball on catcher Ben Rortvedt.

 

 

Unfortunately, the Cougars' baserunner perfectly screens the camera right at what would have been the moment of impact. But if that wasn't a foul tip, then we're to believe that Rortvedt just completely missed that ball and it hit him square in the mask. Again, the visual evidence isn't strong, but it's pretty hard to believe the batter didn't make contact.

 

Lewin Diaz did his best to keep Cedar Rapids in this game, delivering a couple of clutch two-out hits. He got the Kernels within one with a line-drive single in the bottom of the sixth inning before tying up the game on a run-scoring double in the eighth.

 

Mitchell Kranson went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, and is now hitting .318/.348/.545 on the young season. Jermaine Palacios had another extra-base hit, a double, but after going 1-for-4 is average is now "only" .390.

 

Domenick Carlini started for Cedar Rapids, surrendering three runs over four innings. Andrew Vasquez, Alex Robinson and Max Cordy came out of the bullpen to combine for five innings of four-hit ball with four walks and an eye-popping 10 strikeouts. Cordy was on the mound for that bizarre game-deciding play, and was credited with the loss despite not allowing a hit.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc (7.0 IP, 9 H, 0 ER, 1BB, 3K)

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Lewin Diaz (2-for-4, 2 RBI, hit game-tying double)

 

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Rochester @ Charlotte (1:05 CT) - David Hurlbut (0.00 ERA, 1.18 WHIP)

Chattanooga v. Tennessee (1:15 CT) - Kohl Stewart (5.11 ERA, 1.70 WHIP)

Chattanooga v. Tennessee (Game 2) - TBA

Fort Myers @ Dunedin (Noon CT) - Dereck Rodriguez (3.44 ERA, 1.20 WHIP)

Cedar Rapids v. Kane County (2:05 CT) - Clark Beeker (2.45 ERA, 1.16 WHIP)

 

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

 

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[70charger]

 

it's pretty hard to believe the batter didn't make contact.

 

Understatement of the day?

[nyazbeck]

Why did ft Myers skip wells in the rotation

[yarnivek1972]

Rortvedt sure reacted like it was a ball in play. If he had heard contact he probably wouldn't have started chasing after it.

[Tom Froemming]

 

Why did ft Myers skip wells in the rotation

Not sure, but Lachlan is still only 20, and pitched just 71.1 innings last season. It appears they're trying to limit his innings in the early going.

[D.C Twins]

Le BLANK !!!

[mudcat14]

Looked to me like Rortvedt was looking at the ground and not the ball.  Can't tell though.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Why did ft Myers skip wells in the rotation

 

He wasn't... He pitched - not too well - today.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Rortvedt sure reacted like it was a ball in play. If he had heard contact he probably wouldn't have started chasing after it.

 

Yeah, I agree... video doesn't show it clearly, but Rortvedt's reaction tells me that there was no foul ball and he missed it. 

[mlhouse]

I am a critic of how the TWins manage their minor league prospects and LeBlanc is just an example.  I really do not know what his true upside is as a professional baseball pitcher.  He seems like a pitch to contact guy with a 6.40 K/9 through A+ and probably does have a limited future.

 

But, he is a college draft pick and is not 25 years old pitching in A+ ball.  The Twins management of him is typical.  He pitched short season in Rookie+ in Elizabethton in his draft year.  His first full professional season he pitched A- at Cedar Rapids, mainly as a reliever with a 3.03 ERA.  Then, in typical Twins style they send him to a "prove it" start in 2016 again at Cedar Rapids before moving to A+ for the remainder with a 2 game coffee stop in AA (with a 0.00 ERA).  Now it is back to A+ to start the season with another "prove it" start that he is passing in flying colors.

 

So, if they follow this pattern he will be moved up to AA in midseason.  Start 2018 to prove again AA and maybe AAA again.  THen prove it in AAA some more.  Get called up, notpitch well, bounce up and down.  By the time he will even be looking at a chance in the majors he will be 27-28 years old.

 

This process isn't getting the prospects up to the major leagues fast enough and it would be different if the prospects that our system finally gets to the majors was ready, but their arent.  So it is obvious that our approach to developing players and rebuilding our major league team is not working yet we continue the same old anyways.

[Seth Stohs]

 

I am a critic of how the TWins manage their minor league prospects and LeBlanc is just an example.  I really do not know what his true upside is as a professional baseball pitcher.  He seems like a pitch to contact guy with a 6.40 K/9 through A+ and probably does have a limited future.

 

But, he is a college draft pick and is not 25 years old pitching in A+ ball.  The Twins management of him is typical.  He pitched short season in Rookie+ in Elizabethton in his draft year.  His first full professional season he pitched A- at Cedar Rapids, mainly as a reliever with a 3.03 ERA.  Then, in typical Twins style they send him to a "prove it" start in 2016 again at Cedar Rapids before moving to A+ for the remainder with a 2 game coffee stop in AA (with a 0.00 ERA).  Now it is back to A+ to start the season with another "prove it" start that he is passing in flying colors.

 

So, if they follow this pattern he will be moved up to AA in midseason.  Start 2018 to prove again AA and maybe AAA again.  THen prove it in AAA some more.  Get called up, notpitch well, bounce up and down.  By the time he will even be looking at a chance in the majors he will be 27-28 years old.

 

This process isn't getting the prospects up to the major leagues fast enough and it would be different if the prospects that our system finally gets to the majors was ready, but their arent.  So it is obvious that our approach to developing players and rebuilding our major league team is not working yet we continue the same old anyways.

 

You might have forgotten that he started back in Cedar Rapids because he was moving to starting. A

 

And, you also forgot to not that he posted a 4.7 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP in his 1/2 of a season with the Miracle. 

 

And I think the Twins and scouts and opponents' scouts would say that the Twins promote their "prospects" at a pretty good rate. 

[yarnivek1972]

You might have forgotten that he started back in Cedar Rapids because he was moving to starting. A

 

And, you also forgot to not that he posted a 4.7 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP in his 1/2 of a season with the Miracle.

 

And I think the Twins and scouts and opponents' scouts would say that the Twins promote their "prospects" at a pretty good rate.

But they continue to do a very poor job at developing players. This is where Falvey and Levine need to make an impact.

[Tom Froemming]

 

I am a critic of how the TWins manage their minor league prospects and LeBlanc is just an example.  I really do not know what his true upside is as a professional baseball pitcher.  He seems like a pitch to contact guy with a 6.40 K/9 through A+ and probably does have a limited future.

 

But, he is a college draft pick and is not 25 years old pitching in A+ ball.  The Twins management of him is typical.  He pitched short season in Rookie+ in Elizabethton in his draft year.  His first full professional season he pitched A- at Cedar Rapids, mainly as a reliever with a 3.03 ERA.  Then, in typical Twins style they send him to a "prove it" start in 2016 again at Cedar Rapids before moving to A+ for the remainder with a 2 game coffee stop in AA (with a 0.00 ERA).  Now it is back to A+ to start the season with another "prove it" start that he is passing in flying colors.

 

So, if they follow this pattern he will be moved up to AA in midseason.  Start 2018 to prove again AA and maybe AAA again.  THen prove it in AAA some more.  Get called up, notpitch well, bounce up and down.  By the time he will even be looking at a chance in the majors he will be 27-28 years old.

 

This process isn't getting the prospects up to the major leagues fast enough and it would be different if the prospects that our system finally gets to the majors was ready, but their arent.  So it is obvious that our approach to developing players and rebuilding our major league team is not working yet we continue the same old anyways.

I'd be all for LeBlanc getting the bump up to Double A, but then who do you take out of the Lookouts' rotation? Obviously not any of the three prospects (Romero, Stewart, Jorge). The other three guys who have started (Clemens, Tracy, Turley) all have an argument that they should be in Triple A ... but then who do you take out of the Red Wings' rotation?

[Mike Sixel]

 

I'd be all for LeBlanc getting the bump up to Double A, but then who do you take out of the Lookouts' rotation? Obviously not any of the three prospects (Romero, Stewart, Jorge). The other three guys who have started (Clemens, Tracy, Turley) all have an argument that they should be in Triple A ... but then who do you take out of the Red Wings' rotation?

 

Well, the Rochester rotation should not include Berrios.....and Mejia is the only other prospect right now, right?

[Tom Froemming]

 

Well, the Rochester rotation should not include Berrios.....and Mejia is the only other prospect right now, right?

Those would be the two bright, shiny prospects, yes. But none of the other guys (Jason Wheeler, Aaron Slegers, David Hurlbut) deserves to be demoted or released at this point. I suppose somebody could go to the pen, but it seems the last thing the Twins need is another reliever in the high minors. 

 

There will be opportunities that open up, and they could come quick, but for right now it's tough for me to find a path for LeBlanc into the Chattanooga rotation.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Those would be the two bright, shiny prospects, yes. But none of the other guys (Jason Wheeler, Aaron Slegers, David Hurlbut) deserves to be demoted or released at this point. I suppose somebody could go to the pen, but it seems the last thing the Twins need is another reliever in the high minors. 

 

There will be opportunities that open up, and they could come quick, but for right now it's tough for me to find a path for LeBlanc into the Chattanooga rotation.

 

Well, imo, if Berrios is in AAA, someone can be promoted.

 

I agree, those guys do not deserve demotions. As for not needing RPs in the minors? I don't know, there seem to be none available to come up and fix the bullpen in MN, so I don't know if they are over supplied or not.