Article: Twins Minor League Report (5/15): Sammons Spins and Cabezas Captivates for Affiliates on the Bump

[Ted Schwerzler]

There wasn’t a ton to write home about offensively on the farm today, but a few pitching performances stood out. Bryan Sammons was again solid for the Fort Myers Miracle, and Andrew Cabezas turned in his best start of an already good year for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. A big blast by Jared Akins was notable, and Pensacola plated their fair share. Read more in the minor league report.TRANSACTIONS

Minnesota Twins

RHP Trevor Hildenberger optioned to Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings

3B Miguel Sano activated by Minnesota Twins off of MLB rehab

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Charlotte 7, Rochester 3

Box Score

Rochester decided to go with a bullpen game tonight, and there were plenty of unfortunate outings. Rehabbing Addison Reed gave up a two-run blast in his lone inning of work. Jake Reed allowed a two-run shot in his two innings, and Gabriel Moya coughed up three on three hits and a walk.

 

The Red Wings scored in the second inning on a Wilin Rosario Double and a Jordany Valdespin single. Their third run came on a solo shot in the sixth. Despite having the lead at that point, five more Charlotte runs crossed the plate to give us our final score.

 

Minnesota is working on a relief move for the big club, and we can make an educated guess that none of the guys trotted out tonight will head to Seattle. KSTP’s Darren Wolfson noted an interesting name to keep an eye on.

 

BLUE WAHOO BITES

Pensacola 7, Chattanooga 6

Box Score

 

Battling the former Minnesota Twins Double-A affiliate in some morning baseball action, Randy Dobnak worked into the sixth inning capturing his second win for the Wahoos. Scattering seven hits, striking out four, and walking three, Dobnak gave up four runs (three earned). Owning a 2.93 ERA since his promotion, he continues to roll.

 

Pensacola found themselves trailing 3-0 once the fourth inning came around, but that was the last time they’d trail in this one. Caleb Hamilton picked up his third dinger of the year, and then doubles by Mark Contreras and Joe Cronin pushed the Wahoos out front. A Travis Blankenhorn homer gave the visitors a 5-3 cushion.

 

After the Lookouts answered with a run of their own in the sixth, Alex Kirilloff singled in Tanner English and Contreras to re-establish the breathing room. Ryan Mason did give up his first earned runs of this season in recording a hold and Sam Clay was able to close it out for his third save.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Bradenton 7, Fort Myers 6

Box Score

 

Bryan Sammons brought an impressive six-game run into this one and put forth another effort that has been status quo this season. Working five innings, he allowed just two runs and struck out three. After seven turns through the rotation he’s got a sparkling 1.11 ERA.

 

The two teams combined for 24 hits in the 10 inning contest and 13 runs crossed the plate. Fort Myers got hits from everyone in the lineup aside from Royce Lewis, who had a tough night going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts. Trevor Larnach and Ryan Costello tallied two-hit nights with each of them recording a double.

 

Extras were needed to settle this one after back-to-back blown save opportunities. Lewis scored for the Miracle in the top half to put Fort Myers ahead, but Bradenton would plate two in the bottom half, walking off the good guys.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 1, Quad Cities 0

Box Score

 

Just seven batters recorded hits across both lineups today, but it was the Kernels Andrew Cabezas who spun a gem over seven strong. Notching nine strikeouts, walking no one, and allowing just a single hit, Cedar Rapids had all the oomph it needed on the mound.

 

Recently activated Jared Akins was playing in just his second game of the season when he launched his first home run. The fourth inning solo blast was the difference here, and became a footnote on a day when pitching was dominant.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

TD Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Cabezas (Cedar Rapids) – 7.0 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 9 K

TD Hitter of the Day- Jared Akins (Cedar Rapids) – 1-3, R, RBI, HR(1)

 

PROSPECT SUMMARY

Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:

#1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) – 0-5, 4 K

#2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) – 1-5, 2 RBI, K

#3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) – Did Not Pitch

#4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) – 2-4, R, BB, 2 K, 2B

#5 - Wander Javier (EST) – Injured, early May return

#6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) – 1-4, 2 K

#7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) – Did Not Pitch

#8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) – Did Not Pitch

#9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did Not Pitch

#10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) – Did Not Play

#11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List

#12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List

#13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) – Did Not Play

#14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) – 2-5, R, K

#15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List

#16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) – 1-3

#17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) – Did Not Pitch

#18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 1-4, BB

#19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) – Did Not Pitch

#20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) – 1-4, R, RBI

 

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester @ Charlotte (6:04PM CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (2-2, 4.50 ERA)

Mobile @ Pensacola (6:35PM CST) – RHP Griffin Jax (2-1, 1.35 ERA)

Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (2-2, 7.66 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30PM CST) – RHP Blayne Enlow (3-3, 5.52 ERA)

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday’s games.

 

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[Danchat]

*commence everyone demanding whichever minor league pitcher did well be immediately called up*

 

 

Yeah, I guess Austin Adams would be the next guy up, but he's nothing exciting. Coming in to the season I was concerned about the AAA depth of this team, and it's coming to fruition. Though so far, Harper and Morin have been hits, so that helps things.

[jkcarew]

Gordon hurt again? And is it time to update Javier from “early May return”?

[MNT1996]

Looks like it's Austin Adams coming up. Hopefully Wes can work his magic and turn this guy into a reliable arm. I have hope. There's been success stories like this before.

[Rosterman]

If Adams comes up, who is jettisoned from the 40-man. Man, the bullpen is full of waiver wire guys!

 

[nytwinsfan]

$100 says Royce Lewis is playing through/with some sort of injury.

[rdehring]

Was wrong about Arraez.  Thought he would struggle for a week or two, then begin putting up multi-hit games.  Two games at AAA, two hits in each game.  Makes it look easy, eh?

 

Also great seeing Rortvedt adjust to AA with hits in both games, including two last night.  

 

The situation in Rochester is just plain ugly right now.  Gotta expect there isn't a lot of interest in this team by the local fans.  Every winter management goes out to add a bunch of guys for AAA who should give the big team depth and the AAA team a chance at the playoffs.  Even though several of the pickups last winter looked like a good fit, it sure ain't working.

[Taildragger8791]

Between injuries and poor performance, that Top 20 Prospect Summary is a pretty rough read most days. There's only a few names regularly lighting up the board, and it's rarely the ones we're really counting on. Hopefully the switch flips sometime this summer...

[mikelink45]

Austin Adams (32 years old) is a really boring choice - his MiLB stats for the year according to baseball reference give him a 4.50 era and a career 6.29 MLB era.  The three in the bullpen game made their audition and proved they do not belong.  Addison Reed now has an era of 14.40.   Don't we have someone with a live arm in the minors?  Mason?  How about putting Pineda in the BP and Graterol in the rotation?  

 

Rooker continues to disappoint.  Two more k's.  He has 86 AB and 40 K now batting 221 which means when he makes contact he is hitting 413 - it would seem obvious that making contact would enrich his potential.  Is he working on this or just hoping for long ones?

 

 

[jkcarew]

Cabezas is my favorite prospect. The prospect of Cervezas with the Twins is glorious, especially on a day like today.

[dbminn]

 

Between injuries and poor performance, that Top 20 Prospect Summary is a pretty rough read most days. There's only a few names regularly lighting up the board, and it's rarely the ones we're really counting on. Hopefully the switch flips sometime this summer...

 

I agree. It will get better when the top two prospects get going. I bet it will be soon. Lewis - other than yesterday's game - has started hitting. Kirilloff will figure it out.

 

The next two, Graterol and Larnach, have been as advertised. Larnach has recovered from a slow start and now looks like a first-round pick. The rest of the top ten, other than Duran, have been disappointing so far. 

 

The saving grace has been those outside the top 10. The farm system is really deep. A lot of these lower ranked players have a legitimate chance of making it to the Twins:

 

Still Too Young to Write Off: Trey Cabbage, Travis Blankenhorn, Lewin Diaz. They are all just 22 years old. Cabbage has had the least prospect buzz of this group, but has managed a 1.008 OPS across two levels this year. 

 

The Catchers: Ben Rortvedt and Ryan Jeffers. Learning how to be a professional catcher is hard, so development can be slower than for other position players. I'm excited that Rortvedt has made it to AA as a 21 year old. He's the youngest catcher in the Southern League.

 

Could've Been Rated Higher: Luis Arraez, Luke Raley and Jordan Balazovic. There are legitimate questions about Arraez's lack of power and Raley's K% but they keep doing their thing. Balazovic was very good last year but has now taken it to another level.

 

I was Skeptical: Jorge Acala. I watched a couple of his starts after he came to the organization last season. Threw incredibly hard with a nasty slider. He had no idea where they were going. Mechanically, he looked like the rivets in his joints were going to fly off. Snippets I've seen from this season show a lot of improvement. Here's a tweet from Chris Blessing, who saw him pitch last week: 

 

Who Knew?: Devin Smeltzer. Maybe some of you were high on this guy. I had no clue. He doesn't throw hard but he misses bats. As Tom has shown, he has deception. I can see him as a Twins middle reliever soon.

 

 

[nicksaviking]

Please go to Pensacola for relief help. I've definitely got my preferred choice but there are a few arms down there that I'd rather see than Adams or anyone else still hanging around Rochester.

[MMMordabito]

 

How about putting Pineda in the BP and Graterol in the rotation?  

 

Really?  Have you watched Pineda pitch? Does he seem like the kind of guy that is going to be able to get up in the middle of a game and get himself ready in short order? 

 

Pineda looks like he needs all the pre-game long toss and bullpen warm-up time he can get.

 

Graterol as a weapon in the bullpen down the stretch this season could make some sense though, and there is plenty of precedent for it around the league.

[jmlease1]

Way to go, Ben Rortvedt! He's off to a very nice start in AA, hope it helps him settle in and have a great rest of the season. He's definitely improved his stock over the last 2 seasons.

 

Think Larnach is a candidate for a midseason promotion? He seems to have a fine handle on the strike zone and while I'd like to see some more power production, it is the FSL.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Larnach has really come around. That's nice to see. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Austin Adams (32 years old) is a really boring choice - his MiLB stats for the year according to baseball reference give him a 4.50 era and a career 6.29 MLB era.  The three in the bullpen game made their audition and proved they do not belong.  Addison Reed now has an era of 14.40.   Don't we have someone with a live arm in the minors?  Mason?  How about putting Pineda in the BP and Graterol in the rotation?  

 

Rooker continues to disappoint.  Two more k's.  He has 86 AB and 40 K now batting 221 which means when he makes contact he is hitting 413 - it would seem obvious that making contact would enrich his potential.  Is he working on this or just hoping for long ones?

 

Austin Adams throws like 95-96. 28 K in 18 IP. That's a pretty live arm. Mason is low 90s. 

 

The Twins are in a win-now situation this season, which is a good thing. That, to me, means just call up the guys that give you the best chance to win when they are asked to contribute. It's not about development at this point in the big leagues as it was when the team was bad. Adams has been good in AAA. He's got experience. 

 

Also, since he is out of options, he's the kind of guy that you don't worry about DFAing when he isn't needed in the big league roster. And he probably clears and stays. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Way to go, Ben Rortvedt! He's off to a very nice start in AA, hope it helps him settle in and have a great rest of the season. He's definitely improved his stock over the last 2 seasons.

 

Think Larnach is a candidate for a midseason promotion? He seems to have a fine handle on the strike zone and while I'd like to see some more power production, it is the FSL.

 

Rortvedt didn't put up big numbers in Ft. Myers, but he's off to a really nice start in Pensacola. Good to see. Aside from framing (and maybe the offseason work has paid off for him. I havent' heard any updates), he is a very good defensive catcher. But he is strong and I still think that he can hit. 

 

Larnach and Lewis will likely both be midseason promotions to AA. 

[nicksaviking]

 

Austin Adams throws like 95-96. 28 K in 18 IP. 

 

 

OK, if he's 95-96 then I buy into the strikeouts more. I'm game for giving him a shot.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Cabezas is my favorite prospect. The prospect of Cervezas with the Twins is glorious, especially on a day like today.

I'm not sure what cerveza has to do with Andrew Cabezas, unless you think of him as foam on top of your pours.

[jkcarew]

 

I'm not sure what cerveza has to do with Andrew Cabezas, unless you think of him as foam on top of your pours.

Must have read it too fast and thought we were talking about beer. Hey, the mind does what it will.

 

(especially at my advanced...experience.)

[Mr. Brooks]

Austin Adams throws like 95-96. 28 K in 18 IP. That's a pretty live arm. Mason is low 90s.

 

The Twins are in a win-now situation this season, which is a good thing. That, to me, means just call up the guys that give you the best chance to win when they are asked to contribute. It's not about development at this point in the big leagues as it was when the team was bad. Adams has been good in AAA. He's got experience.

 

Also, since he is out of options, he's the kind of guy that you don't worry about DFAing when he isn't needed in the big league roster. And he probably clears and stays.

It seems a bit contradictory to me to say that he's the best player to help a contending team right now, while also saying he'd clear waivers if DFA'd. By definition, wouldn't he be claimed by a contender if he's good enough to help a contender win games?

[Seth Stohs]

 

It seems a bit contradictory to me to say that he's the best player to help a contending team right now, while also saying he'd clear waivers if DFA'd. By definition, wouldn't he be claimed by a contender if he's good enough to help a contender win games?

 

Fair point, but the options on the 40-man roster are either injured or not performing, or guys they don't want to bring up to be the 25th man/final reliever option... or some combination of those things.