Twins Minor League Report (6/1): Saints March In, Cedar Rapids Did What?

[Ted Schwerzler]

The St. Paul Saints kicked off early action in grand style before the Cedar Rapids Kernels showed up and took everyone by storm. It was a runs-filled day on the farm for the Twins organization.

Image courtesy of Steve Buhr (photo of Ben Ross)

TRANSACTIONS

• 2B Edouard Julien optioned to St. Paul as Jorge Polanco was activated from the IL>
• INF Dalton Shuffield placed on 7-day IL by Fort Myers (wrist sprain)

SAINTS SENTINEL 
St. Paul 11, Buffalo 5
Box Score
The Saints apparently live by the wake and rake ideology as they put up double-digit runs during a morning game today in New York. Cody Laweryson worked as an opener putting up two scoreless innings before giving way to Jordan Balazovic. Balazovic gave up three runs on four hits across two innings, but he struck out five and walked none.

Looking to answer the Bisons earlier trio, St. Paul put up a five-spot in the fifth inning. Jair Camargo lifted a sacrifice fly to score Chris Williams before Andrew Stevenson singled in Andrew Bechtold. With the recently-promoted Seth Gray in third and Alex De Goti at second, Matt Wallner continued his hot hitting and played them both on a scorching single.

Buffalo tied things with a pair of runs in the sixth inning, but the Saints weren’t done marching in. Wallner blasted yet another home run, a solo shot, for his seventh of the year. In the ninth inning, Mark Contreras drew a bases-loaded walk to score De Goti before Williams hit a grand slam to make it an 11-5 game.

After rehabbing Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar worked a scoreless seventh inning striking out two, Josh Winder slammed the door. Working two scoreless innings, he struck out a pair.

Wallner and Williams both had big days with multiple hits. Bechtold joined that pair as well.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Tulsa 5, Wichita 4
Box Score
Aaron Rozek took the ball for the Wind Surge. It was a tough start as he managed just 2 2/3 innings before bowing out after allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out three while walking just two on the evening.

Wichita got off to a quick start with DaShawn Keirsey Jr. doubling in Brooks Lee in the first inning. Alex Isola then ripped his eighth home run of the season to drive in a pair and make it 3-0 good guys.

By the fourth inning, Tulsa had plated four and took the lead. It was necessary for the Wind Surge to answer. Anthony Prato did just that in the bottom half when he grabbed his second double of the season to bring home Keirsey Jr. yet again. Prato was thrown out at third trying to stretch it for a triple.

The Drillers retook the lead in the fifth inning and that’s where the difference in this one came. Keirsey Jr. and Isola were the lone Wichita batters to record a pair of hits.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 24, Lansing 5
Box Score
Pierson Ohl started on the mound for Cedar Rapids, but I’m pretty sure the Kernels could’ve started Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, you, or I, and still won this game. Ohl was fine working 4 2/3 innings while giving up three runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out three. None of that really mattered considering how the game went.

CEDAR RAPIDS SCORED TWENTY-FOUR RUNS.

Ben Ross singled in Tanner Schobel during the first inning to kick things off before Noah Cardenas used a sacrifice fly to plate Kala’i Rosario. Cardenas then singled in the third inning to bring home Rosario again and make it a 3-0 game.

That’s where things began to get out of hand.

A wild pitch allowed Ross to score before a Jose Salas single brought in Cardenas. Jeferson Morales then singled to drive in Salas and Schobel capped the inning off with a three-run blast, his fifth of the season, to make it 9-0.

After the Lugnuts answered with a third inning run of their own, Cedar Rapids added on again in the fifth inning. Ross doubled home both Keoni Cavaco and Emmanuel Rodriguez before yet another Cardenas hit allowed Ross to cross the plate.

Up 12-1 headed to the bottom of the fifth, Lansing answered with three to get within a pair of grand slams. Fortunately for Cedar Rapids, Rosario had one of his own up his sleeve and sent his sixth homer of the year deep to clear the bases. Now 16-4, it was a laugher.

After a seventh-inning run from Lansing made it 16-5, the Kernels ignored the mercy rule in the ninth. Ross hit his fifth homer of the year before Schobel was hit with the bases loaded to score Salas. Rodriguez then blasted a grand slam for his sixth dinger of the year, and Ross homered for the second time in the inning to make it a 24-5 rout.

The Kernels recorded 20 hits on the night with Schobel, Rodriguez, and Cardenas all grabbing three of their own. Ross had a four hit game while Rosario and Morales each added a pair. This one was nothing short of incredible.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 5, St. Lucie 1
Box Score
With C.J. Culpepper on the mound for Fort Myers tonight, the Mighty Mussels appeared in good hands from the jump. He worked five hitless innings allowing three walks while striking out six.

Rubel Cespedes kicked off the scoring with his fifth double of the season, a second inning hit that scored Mikey Perez. Alec Sayre then singled to drive in Cespedes and Fort Myers was off and running. Rafael Cruz lifted a sacrifice fly to score Danny De Andrade in the third inning and make it a 3-0 game.

After St. Lucie answered with a run of their own in the sixth inning, Carlos Aguiar blasted his eight homer of the year in the seventh inning. The two-run shot also brought home Jorel Ortega and pushed it to the final 5-1 tally.

Cespedes was the only Mighty Mussels batter to record a pair of hits tonight, but Aguiar grabbed two RBI on his own.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – C.J. Culpepper (Fort Myers) - 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Hitter of the Day – Ben Ross (Cedar Rapids) - 4-6, 4 R, 6 RBI, 2B, 2 HR(6)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed:

#1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-4, R
#2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR(2)
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 3-6, 3 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, HR(6)
#9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-5, R, 3 RBI, HR(7), 2 K
#12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, K
#19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-4, 2 K

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Buffalo (6:05PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak
Tulsa @ Wichita (6:45PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams
Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya
St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (3:30PM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis (GM 2 follow)

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

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[FlyingFinn]

Fajardo and Kiersey are really playing well in the Wichita OF. Does St. Paul have room for them to move up in July? Not if you have Wallner in RF, Celestino back in CF and Larnach coming down and playing LF. 

[Doctor Wu]

7 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

Fajardo and Kiersey are really playing well in the Wichita OF. Does St. Paul have room for them to move up in July? Not if you have Wallner in RF, Celestino back in CF and Larnach coming down and playing LF. 

I've also noticed those guys playing well, particularly Kiersey, Jr. Seems like there's not much room for him at AAA right now, but you never know when someone will get injured. But yeah, right now, he's playing very well for Wichita. 

[mikelink45]

Wallner should be up. Look at the production from our current OF. Balazovic still not productive. Time for Thielbar to come back. 

[Major League Ready]

Fort Meyers has 3 SPs that have been very good so far.  Mathews / Culpepper and Lewis.  Anyone have thoughts on which one has the best chance of making it to the ML level?  

[Dman]

The tough part about big games like Cedar Rapids had is it kind of inflates the stats for the hitters when the pitching is off for the other team.  I know that it takes skill to get a hit no matter the pitcher but sometimes the task is a bit easier especially in the 9th when they had a position player pitch and Ross got two HR's that inning.  That is a pretty large OPS boost against a Non pitcher. Still it all counts and you have to hit the ball but that game was a stat inflator to me.  For a lineup that has been having trouble hitting a game like this is just what the doctor ordered.  Also FWIW it seemed like the ump called a very tight zone last night which seemed to help hitters from both sides to 12 and 20 hits.  You had to have stuff that played in the zone to be effective last night.

Wallner brought his Batting average up to .302 and OPS to .982 after his two hit game in AAA.  Hitting for average and power he is locked in.  Seems a shame to waste that hot streak in St. Paul.

Culpepper pitched really well.  He has a nice stat line on the season as well.  It will be interesting to see how his stuff plays when he moves up a level.

Huge night for Cedar Rapids and Tanner Schobel has been getting better every month and started off June with a bang.  I am keeping an eye on him as he has almost as many HR's as Rosario and his batting average is moving up with the warmer weather. Ross had been pretty quiet with the bat until this game where he got 4 hits and 2 HR's but hopefully that was a slump buster game for him. 

I can't speak to their defense but right now Cardenas looks as good or better with the bat than Daniel Susak who was taken in the first round by Oakland.  Lot's of time left for separation but right now Cardenas looks like a good get in the 8th round.

A big night for the bats and Wallner has been at his best for at least two weeks now.

[2wins87]

Wow, what a night in Lansing for the Kernels hitters!  I think they had a couple full weeks earlier in the season where they didn't even score close to 24 runs. It seems the 8 runs in the 9th were off of a position player, so take those stats with a grain of salt but still a great night for many guys.

Watching Tanner Schobel earlier this year he looked like a guy who could punch above his weight though the stat line didn't really show it at the time.  He's been coming on lately though.  7 game hit streak in which he is 14 for 33 and now HR in back to back games.

I also commented a few weeks ago that Rosario seemed like a guy that could be a minor tweak away from a breakout and it seems like it may have happened.  5 HR in the last 2 and 1/2 weeks and the plate discipline numbers continue to trend in the right direction.

[roger]

The best news in my eyes was ERod going 3-6, plus a walk.  Granted, the Kernels weren't facing Cy Young.  But any great night for this young man should be a step in the right direction.

Appears Thielbar should be ready to stay on the West side of the river.  After a few good outings that are now well in the rear view mirror, not certain Balazovic will ever make that drive.

We keep reading stories and comments about how well Wallner is hitting.  My interest would be peaked if I could learn something, or anything, about what he is doing to improve his D.

[2wins87]

1 hour ago, Major League Ready said:

Fort Meyers has 3 SPs that have been very good so far.  Mathews / Culpepper and Lewis.  Anyone have thoughts on which one has the best chance of making it to the ML level?  

Matthews got the first promotion and he'd be my pick too at this point based off statcast and stat-line data.

His FB is generally in the mid 90s averaging over 93 mph and he's topped out at 96.3.  Seems like he can spin a good breaking ball too though he probably needs to refine into one or two consistent shapes.  His changeup didn't get a ton of whiffs in low A so he probably still needs to work on it and that probably adds to to his reliever risk somewhat.  His control seems to already be really good though which helps to put him over the top.  He had a miniscule 3.3% walk rate against low A hitters while striking out over 35%.

Lewis is right behind him for me.  The fastball only averages around 90.5 mph and has topped out at 93, but it has been pretty effective so I think it may have some good secondary characteristics.  The knuckleball has unsurprisingly baffled low-A hitters getting whiffs on over half of the swings.  But his slider has also been really effective so he's really got a full repertoire to go with the knuckle ball and it makes me interested to see how his stuff plays as he moves up.

Culpepper is definitely intriguing beyond the stat line as well.  He's the hardest thrower of the bunch averaging around 94 mph and having topped out at 97.5 in game.  I don't know what he was throwing pre-draft, but based on where he was drafted I'm guessing he added a bunch of that velocity in the Twins' off-season camp.  He probably has the most refinement still needed on his pitches and command, but he has the profile of that late round pick from a smaller baseball program that they develop into something solid.

[LonelyseatinMOA]

1 hour ago, Major League Ready said:

Fort Meyers has 3 SPs that have been very good so far.  Mathews / Culpepper and Lewis.  Anyone have thoughts on which one has the best chance of making it to the ML level?  

Probably Matthews, Lewis, then Culpepper in that order. But how likely is it that any make it? tough to say at this point. Matthews and Lewis are near the top of the minor league leaderboard when it comes to K%-BB% which is very promising 

[Major League Ready]

18 minutes ago, 2wins87 said:

Matthews got the first promotion and he'd be my pick too at this point based off statcast and stat-line data.

His FB is generally in the mid 90s averaging over 93 mph and he's topped out at 96.3.  Seems like he can spin a good breaking ball too though he probably needs to refine into one or two consistent shapes.  His changeup didn't get a ton of whiffs in low A so he probably still needs to work on it and that probably adds to to his reliever risk somewhat.  His control seems to already be really good though which helps to put him over the top.  He had a miniscule 3.3% walk rate against low A hitters while striking out over 35%.

Lewis is right behind him for me.  The fastball only averages around 90.5 mph and has topped out at 93, but it has been pretty effective so I think it may have some good secondary characteristics.  The knuckleball has unsurprisingly baffled low-A hitters getting whiffs on over half of the swings.  But his slider has also been really effective so he's really got a full repertoire to go with the knuckle ball and it makes me interested to see how his stuff plays as he moves up.

Culpepper is definitely intriguing beyond the stat line as well.  He's the hardest thrower of the bunch averaging around 94 mph and having topped out at 97.5 in game.  I don't know what he was throwing pre-draft, but based on where he was drafted I'm guessing he added a bunch of that velocity in the Twins' off-season camp.  He probably has the most refinement still needed on his pitches and command, but he has the profile of that late round pick from a smaller baseball program that they develop into something solid.

Thanks.  I noticed both Mathews and Lewis had very impressive K to BB ratios.  It will be interesting to see how Lewis does with that knuckleball at higher levels.  Obviously, a unique pitch mix in today's game.  

[jmlease1]

That's a really big night for Cedar Rapids!

I've been on Team Rosario for a while now and he keeps doing everything right to get himself promoted: hitting for power, good contact rates and a strong batting average, taking walks, and a more than reasonable K-rate. And this isn't a older player beating up on a bunch of kids: he's still only 20 (for now)! He looks like an easy choice to move up to Wichita at midseason to me.

E-Rod had a great night. He's so talented, but we shouldn't be surprised that it's taking him a while to find consistency coming off a knee injury at his age while adjusting to a new level of competition. He's still taking walks and his overall approach at the plate is sound. He's still so young (just barely turned 20) but the ball explodes off his bat and he's going to be really fun to watch all year. Looking forward to a few more 3-hit nights!

[ashbury]

Where is your evidence that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or you were not in disguise and pitching for Lansing yesterday? (I have witnesses who can vouch that I was not there, so at least there's that.)

In a big night at bat for the Kernels, it seems like the guys who were already scuffling did the least to take part in the fun. Jose Salas, Misael Urbina, and Keoni Cavaco all did little to improve their status as serious prospects who may not make it.  They didn't go 0-for, nobody did, but still it was a missed opportunity.  Kudos to the others, though.