Twins Minor League Report (5/2): Errors and Extras

[Steve Lein]

Minnesota Twins affiliates went just 1-3 on Tuesday, with errors in bunches leading to one of those losses, and questionable baserunning decisions contributing to another in extra innings.

Image courtesy of Theo Tollefson (photo of Mark Contreras)

TRANSACTIONS
  The Twins sent IF Kyle Farmer on a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints.
  OF/1B Alex Kirilloff was officially optioned to Triple-A, and the Saints transferred 3B Hernan Perez to the Development List.

SAINTS SENTINEL
Nashville 11, St. Paul 5
Box Score
Starter Aaron Sanchez retired the first seven men he faced, striking out five of them in the process to begin this one, but six of the next seven reached base putting an end to his outing in the third inning. In total, he went the first 2 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and a walk. Derek Rodriguez went the next 2 1/3 frames, allowing three runs (one earned) of his own on two hits and two walks, while striking out two.

The St. Paul offense did its best to keep it close early, getting a solo home run from Mark Contreras in the second inning, and RBI doubles from Michael Helman and Contreras in the fourth that made the score 6-3. 

Cole Sands delivered two perfect innings, striking out one before it got out of hand against Connor Sadzek in the eighth. The Sounds added four unearned runs thanks to a pair of errors while the right-hander recorded just two outs. Patrick Murphy finished off the final 1 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out three.

Tony Wolters drove in a run with a single in the seventh, and Edouard Julien did the same in the ninth to account for all the Saints scoring. Contreras was the only hitter with multiple knocks in the game (2-for-3, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), while Matt Wallner (1-for-3, R, BB, K) and Helman (1-for-2, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB) each reached base twice. 

The lapses on defense were too much to overcome in this one as the Saints committed five errors in total, a franchise record. Alex Kirilloff contributed three of them at first base.

The rehabbing Kyle Farmer went 0-for-3 with a strikeout, batting second and playing second base for the first seven innings.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 4, NW Arkansas 6
Box Score
The Wind Surge took the lead first in this one thanks to a David Banuelos two-run home run in the top of the second. Unfortunately, starting pitcher Travis Adams was unable to hold the Naturals back.

They scored one in the bottom of the second, then four in the third to take a 5-2 lead. Adams completed four innings, allowing those five runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out four. Hunter McMahon was the first reliever summoned and went two scoreless, allowing one hit and striking out two. Andrew Cabezas (1 2/3 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, K) and Osiris German (1/3 IP, K) finished out the game for the Wind Surge bullpen.

Wichita made it 5-4 in the fourth on a two-run home run from Armani Smith but were unable to mount any scoring threats after that. As a team, they had 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position, but managed just one hit and left nine men on base for the game.

Besides the two home runs, Brooks Lee (2-for-4, 2B, BB, K) and Yoyner Fajardo (2-for-4, BB, 2 SB) had multiple hits, while Alex Isola (0-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB, K, SB) scored two runs. The Wind Surge have yet to win a day game this season (0-8), and this was their first loss in a series opener (4-1).

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 3, South Bend 4 (11 innings)
Box Score
The Kernels struck late to send this one to extra innings, but it wasn’t meant to be as they ran themselves into outs on the base paths in the eleventh.

Jordan Carr made the start and went the first 4 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on five hits and a pair of walks, while striking out six. The game was tied at one when he left the game, as the Kernels got an RBI single from Noah Cardenas in the third.

Mike Paredes pitched the next 2 1/3 innings, allowing the Cubs to take the lead in the seventh when he surrendered a two-run home run.

Still down by two in the top of the ninth, Cedar Rapids got a rally started when Jose Salas led off with a walk, advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw, and Misael Urbina drove him in with a double. Two outs later, Noah Miller delivered an RBI single to tie the game at three. After a single from Ben Ross to put Miller in scoring position, Cardenas singled into left field, but Miller was thrown out at home to send it into extras.

Malik Barrington pitched the eighth and ninth innings, allowing no hits and striking out three to get them there. He was replaced by Regi Grace in the 10th, who delivered a one-two-three inning with a man on second, showing a nasty slider to pick up a pair of K’s. 

With Jose Salas on second base to start the eleventh, the Kernels got aggressive. Before an out was recorded Salas was thrown out trying to steal third, and after Urbina drew a walk got himself thrown out at second to end any scoring threats. Kernels runners stole just one base in five attempts in the game.

Grace got a little too nasty with that slider in the 11th, as a hit batter and wild pitch put the winning run on third, and the Cubs walked it off with a single into left.

The teams each went 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position and combined to leave 10 runners on base for the game. The Kernels got 10 hits to the Cubs 9, but those lost base runners loomed large.

The top of the lineup did most of the damage for Cedar Rapids, with their first five hitters combining for nine of their 10 hits. Those hitters were Noah Miller (2-for-4, RBI, K), Ben Ross (2-for-5, K), Noah Cardenas (2-for-5, RBI, 2 K), Kala’i Rosario (1-for-3, 2 BB, K), and Tanner Schobel (2-for-5, 2B). 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Dunedin 2, Fort Myers 7
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels got a solid start from right-hander Cory Lewis, who went the first five innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks, while striking out five.

He left the game with a 3-2 lead as his offense scored single runs in the third, fourth, and fifth innings. Jorel Ortega got the scoring started for Fort Myers with an RBI single in the third before Ricardo Olivar and Mikey Perez added solo home runs in the fourth and fifth respectively.

The first reliever summoned for Fort Myers was Ben Ethridge, who went two scoreless innings. He allowed no hits, walked one, and struck out three.

In the bottom of the seventh the home team took a 5-2 lead when a RBI sac fly from Perez was followed by an RBI double from Danny De Andrade. Dylan Neuse tacked on another two in the eighth with a two-run double for a commanding five-run lead.

Reliever Zach Veen finished off the game for the Mighty Mussels, allowing three hits and a walk, but giving up zero runs. He struck out one to pick up his first save.

Fort Myers had nine hits as a team, with Dalton Shuffield (2-for-3, 3 R, 3B, BB) scoring each time he reached base to lead the way. Neuse and Perez each had two RBI. Ortega finished 1-for-2 with a run scored, RBI, and pair of walks from the leadoff spot.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day - Malik Barrington, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2 IP, 3 K)
Hitter of the Day - Mark Contreras, St. Paul Saints (2-for-3, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
#1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-for-4, 2B, BB, K
#5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, RBI, K
#8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, R, BB, 2 K
#11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, R, BB, K
#14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, RBI, K
#18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2B
#20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB, K

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Nashville @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-0, 2.35 ERA)
Wichita @ NW Arkansas  (7:05 PM CDT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-1, 13.50 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (10:05 AM CDT) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-1, 2.08 ERA)
Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CDT) - RHP Jose Olivares (1-0, 2.31 ERA)

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

 

View full article

[FlyingFinn]

Balazovic is starting on Wednesday. Here I thought they moved him to relief. Very interesting to see how he does. Imagine he doesn't go more than 4 innings as they stretch him out.

[Nashvilletwin]

Miller needs to move up the list.  

[roger]

Also interested in seeing how Jordy B does in his first start of the year.  This kid has talent, hopefully, he will get off to a good start to his season.

Great seeing Miller with a couple hits.  Saw his error was only the second of the year.  

[Steve Lein]

9 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

Balazovic is starting on Wednesday. Here I thought they moved him to relief. Very interesting to see how he does. Imagine he doesn't go more than 4 innings as they stretch him out.

Yeah, looks like they were just building him up/easing him in after missing Spring Training. Glad to see they aren't holding last year against him, but I was intrigued by him in the bullpen. He might be able to hit 100 in short stints.

[Steve Lein]

1 hour ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Miller needs to move up the list.  

Love some things he's doing, and came up big last night, but I'm not moving him much until his slugging percentage is higher than his on-base percentage.

[Seth Stohs]

10 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

Balazovic is starting on Wednesday. Here I thought they moved him to relief. Very interesting to see how he does. Imagine he doesn't go more than 4 innings as they stretch him out.

I think it's wise to keep him ready-if-needed for a 3ish inning stint. So while his MLB future may be in the bullpen, he should continue to build to 50+ pitches in outings. 

[2wins87]

36 minutes ago, Steve Lein said:

Yeah, looks like they were just building him up/easing him in after missing Spring Training. Glad to see they aren't holding last year against him, but I was intrigued by him in the bullpen. He might be able to hit 100 in short stints.

His high water mark in his 1-2 inning stints to start the season was 96.7 MPH, so probably 100 is a bit much.  But I do think relief is probably still his clearest path to the majors with a mid 90s fastball and two effective breaking balls.

If there hadn't been two MLB pitchers going on the IL at the same time I wonder if he'd still be getting this start.  Still, his early appearances have been encouraging, so I'm interested to see if he can get back to being an effective starter.

[Steve Lein]

14 minutes ago, 2wins87 said:

His high water mark in his 1-2 inning stints to start the season was 96.7 MPH, so probably 100 is a bit much.  But I do think relief is probably still his clearest path to the majors with a mid 90s fastball and two effective breaking balls.

If there hadn't been two MLB pitchers going on the IL at the same time I wonder if he'd still be getting this start.  Still, his early appearances have been encouraging, so I'm interested to see if he can get back to being an effective starter.

I wouldn't put any stock in his MPH at this point of the season in relation to my comment. He has averaged 96 MPH as a starter for a full season already. Also, those velocity bumps moving to a reliever don't necessarily come immediately, and I wouldn't assume Balazovic was trying to add any gas in his outings thus far.

Edited May 3, 2023 by Steve Lein

[Cory Engelhardt]

I'll echo what others have said regarding Balazovic; I'm excited to see how he looks this year. I still believe there is a good pitcher in there. :)

[jkcarew]

Two things..

Need to find out (one last chance, IMO) if Balazovic can get batters out consistently as a 'starter'/'long' guy. If he can't, then turn attention to what can make him a good short reliever.

Whose wife did Dalton Shuffield make a pass at...Falvey's or Levine's?? He's 24 and seemed to hold his own in small AAA sample last year. So...Low A?? It didn't make sense to start him at Fort Myers in 2023. Looks even stranger now. Or is this a 'rehab' assignment based on some off-season injury issue?

[Obsvr]

5 hours ago, jkcarew said:

Two things..

Need to find out (one last chance, IMO) if Balazovic can get batters out consistently as a 'starter'/'long' guy. If he can't, then turn attention to what can make him a good short reliever.

Whose wife did Dalton Shuffield make a pass at...Falvey's or Levine's?? He's 24 and seemed to hold his own in small AAA sample last year. So...Low A?? It didn't make sense to start him at Fort Myers in 2023. Looks even stranger now. Or is this a 'rehab' assignment based on some off-season injury issue?

he's what you call "organizational depth".  They can slot him in wherever he's needed...my guess would be after this years draft he'll probably find a home.

[jkcarew]

4 hours ago, Obsvr said:

he's what you call "organizational depth".  They can slot him in wherever he's needed...my guess would be after this years draft he'll probably find a home.

He was drafted last year. This is his first full pro season, and he’s done nothing but hit…hit better than others in his draft class…since the day he showed up. Not the profile for ‘organizational depth’. 

[FlyingFinn]

52 minutes ago, jkcarew said:

He was drafted last year. This is his first full pro season, and he’s done nothing but hit…hit better than others in his draft class…since the day he showed up. Not the profile for ‘organizational depth’. 

The Twins certainly treat him like 'organizational depth.' He's an older guy for Low A who is supposed to help out the young guys right now. 

[2wins87]

22 hours ago, Steve Lein said:

I wouldn't put any stock in his MPH at this point of the season in relation to my comment. He has averaged 96 MPH as a starter for a full season already. Also, those velocity bumps moving to a reliever don't necessarily come immediately, and I wouldn't assume Balazovic was trying to add any gas in his outings thus far.

Do you have statcast data on that?  Genuinely curious, not trying to be snarky.

One thing I've found in the past few years is that the little snippets of velocity reports or even watching velo on broadcasts, it often seems like minor league guys throw harder than they actually do on average once you start tracking every pitch via statcast and compare them to the league.  That's one reason I've enjoyed being able to track statcast data on some of the guys in low A and AAA this year.

Balazovic has averaged around 94.5 so far this year, which would be very solid as a starter, and is pretty in line with the Fangraphs scouting data coming into the season that he sits 93-96 and tops out at 97.  Averaging 96 as a starter would be around the top 10% of the MLB, and it's never been my impression that he threw quite that hard.

We've seen Jax touching 98 after being in the low 90s as a starter, so I'm not saying he couldn't get there, but all the data I've seen suggests he's more of a mid-90s guy.  At any rate, whether he averages 95 or 97 won't be that big of a determining factor in his success.

[Steve Lein]

1 hour ago, 2wins87 said:

Do you have statcast data on that?  Genuinely curious, not trying to be snarky.

One thing I've found in the past few years is that the little snippets of velocity reports or even watching velo on broadcasts, it often seems like minor league guys throw harder than they actually do on average once you start tracking every pitch via statcast and compare them to the league.  That's one reason I've enjoyed being able to track statcast data on some of the guys in low A and AAA this year.

Balazovic has averaged around 94.5 so far this year, which would be very solid as a starter, and is pretty in line with the Fangraphs scouting data coming into the season that he sits 93-96 and tops out at 97.  Averaging 96 as a starter would be around the top 10% of the MLB, and it's never been my impression that he threw quite that hard.

We've seen Jax touching 98 after being in the low 90s as a starter, so I'm not saying he couldn't get there, but all the data I've seen suggests he's more of a mid-90s guy.  At any rate, whether he averages 95 or 97 won't be that big of a determining factor in his success.

Velocity reports are almost always given as "peak" values. On scouting reports or the scouting scale, that is for sure what you are always getting. 

As for Balazovic, I'd have to do some searching to find the statcast data if it exists, but I have seen multiple reports about this velocity, though it's not necessarily recent. From MLB.com's prospect profile on him:

"When Balazovic first returned from his knee injury, he was not as physical as he had been and his stuff regressed across the board. His upswing at the end included an uptick of his velocity in the right direction, though his average fastball dipped from 96 mph in 2021 to about 94 mph."

Also, for what it's worth, there's a 99 and 97 in here from yesterday:

 

Edited May 4, 2023 by Steve Lein

[2wins87]

30 minutes ago, Steve Lein said:

Velocity reports are almost always given as "peak" values. On scouting reports or the scouting scale, that is for sure what you are always getting. 

As for Balazovic, I'd have to do some searching to find the statcast data if it exists, but I have seen multiple reports about this velocity, though it's not necessarily recent. From MLB.com's prospect profile on him:

"When Balazovic first returned from his knee injury, he was not as physical as he had been and his stuff regressed across the board. His upswing at the end included an uptick of his velocity in the right direction, though his average fastball dipped from 96 mph in 2021 to about 94 mph."

Also, for what it's worth, there's a 99 and 97 in here from yesterday:

 

I just checked the data on baseball savant and it has his max at 96.6 and average at 94.8.

That does seem to confirm what I've suspected that the radar gun on the Saints broadcast runs a little hot.

But either way, his stuff seems like it's been pretty good this year.  I wasn't sure what to expect after his pre spring training mishap, but it's been an encouraging start to the season.