Twins Minor League Report (7/21): Raya Reigns Supreme, Kernels Power

[Ted Schwerzler]

Marco Raya twirled a gem on the farm again, and Dallas Keuchel's impending opt out was a point of consternation. Read more in the farm report below.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Marco Raya)

TRANSACTIONS
Dallas Keuchel decided to extend his opt out with the Twins to August 1.

SAINTS SENTINEL 
Omaha 5, St. Paul 4
Box Score
Simeon Woods Richardson got the start on Friday for the Saints, and he went five strong innings. He allowed just two runs on five hits. His command was better in this game. He didn't give up a walk, and he still put away four Omaha hitters via strikeouts.

The third inning saw Omaha plate two runs and take the lead, but St. Paul stormed backed in the fifth inning. Austin Martin singled home Ernie Yake before Kyle Garlick drew a bases loaded walk to bring in Alex De Goti. Gilberto Celestino then singled home Martin, and it was a 4-2 lead for the Saints.

Unfortunately, they didn't add the rest of the game. Cody Laweryson struck out two batters over two scoreless innings. Michael Boyle tossed a scoreless eighth frame. Josh Winder came in for the bottom of the ninth inning to protect a two-run lead. He gave up three runs on three hits and two walks and recorded just one out. 

Andrew Stevenson was the lone Saints hitter to record a pair of hits on the evening.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Amarillo 3, Wichita 2
Box Score
The Wind Surge went with top pitching prospect Marco Raya on Friday night, and he twirled four strong innings. He gave up just a single run on two hits. Raya avoided free passes and punched out four in the process.

After giving up a first-inning solo blast, the Sod Poodles didn't score again until they added a pair of runs in the seventh inning. Needing a rally to stay alive, David Banuelos homered for the seventh time to make it a 3-1 game in the eighth inning. Yoyner Fajardo continued to produce with a ninth-inning single, but no one followed Severino home. Tanner Schobel was left on third base.

Severino had two singles in the game. Will Holland had two hits, including his eighth double of the season. 

Pierson Ohl gave up two runs on three hits and two walks (one intentional) in the final four innings. He had seven strikeouts. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 8, Peoria 5
Box Score
The Kernels gave Zebby Matthews the ball on Friday night, and he turned in five innings of three-run baseball. Matthews gave up five hits but walked no one and struck out six batters. 

After allowing an opening inning blast to Peoria, Cedar Rapids went to work if the bottom of the first. Kala'i Rosario launched his 13th dinger of the season which also drove in Noah Miller. That was followed by solo shots from Ben Ross (14th) and Jorel Ortega (4th) to make it a 4-1 game entering the second inning.

In the fourth inning, Willie Joe Garry Jr. singled home Andrew Cossetti before Miller smacked his fifth big fly to make it a 7-1 game. Peoria tried to claw back in the sixth inning and drew within four, but Garry Jr. launched his third homer or the year in the bottom half to make it an 8-3 contest. Although Peoria again added in the eighth inning, the two runs weren't enough to make a difference.

Miller led off and went 2-for-3 with a walk. He also stole his ninth base. Garry Jr. batted ninth. He was also 2-for-3.

A.J. Labas gave up two runs on five hits and recorded three outs. Niklas Rimmel came into the game with the bases-loaded in the eighth frame. One run scored on a sacrifice fly, but Rimmel got all six batters he faced out, four on strikeouts. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Bradenton 11, Fort Myers 3
Box Score
Jarret Whorff took the ball for Fort Myers and things went sideways early. He lasted just 2 1/3 innings and gave up five runs on six hits and four walks. Whorff struck out out four, but the damage had been done.

Down 11-0 heading to the ninth inning, Fort Myers was essentially playing for pride. After Danny De Andrade was hit by a pitch and Kamron Willman walked, Rubel Cespedes singled home Danny De Andrade for the team's first run. It came on their first hit. Later, Yohander Martinez added a two-out single that drove in two runs and finish out the scoring. 

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 6, FCL Red Sox 3 (F/7)
Box Score  
Zarion Sharpe drew the start for the Twins as his rehab continued. He gave up one run on two hits over two innings. He struck out a pair. Jacob Wosinski gave up two runs on four hits in one innings. Matt Gabbert came on and struck out four batters over the final four scoreless innings. 

The Red Sox and Twins matched tallies in the second and third innings. Getting down one, the Twins responded with Isaac Pena singling home Jose Rodriguez. Then getting down two in the third inning, Harold Grant doubled home both Yasser Mercedes and Byron Chourio. Rodriguez’s fifth inning homer, his fourth, provided the Twins with their first lead.

Adding another pair in the sixth inning, the Twins saw Fredy Michel race home on a Giovanny Rivero groundout before Anderson Nova singled home Endy Rodriguez. That was enough to secure the victory in this one.

Rodriguez doubled along with his homer on Friday, and his two hits represented the only Twins player recording a multi-hit effort. This was a seven-inning game because the teams also completed a previously-suspended game. Box Score here. 

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL Phillies Red 4, DSL Twins 2 (F/7)
Box Score

The good news is that Friday the DSL Twins kept the opposition in single digits. The bad news is that they dropped another game and now are 7-24.

Leonardo Lugo got the start and worked three innings allowing two runs (one earned) on a hit and two walks. He did strike out three. The Twins were down 2-0 after the first inning, but got on the board in the third inning when Dameury Pena singled home Angel Trinidad. The Phillies extended the lead to 4-1 in the fifth inning, and the Twins could only answer with one run in the seventh inning.

Carlos Silvas was back in the lineup working behind the dish today, and Hendry Chivilli led off. Only Ewing Matos, who drove in Jesus Peraza for the second run, had a pair of hits today for the Twins.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Marco Raya (Wichita) - 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 47 pitches, 37 strikes, 78.7%
Hitter of the Day – Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 2-4, 2B, HR(4), RBI, K

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) - 0-4, K
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, K
#4 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 47 pitches, 37 strikes (78.7%)
#5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-3, R, BB, K
#8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-5, R, RBI, K
#10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-3, BB
#11 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL Twins) - 1-3, R
#14 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER , 0 BB, 4 K
#16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR9(13)
#17 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 2-4, R
#20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 2-4, 2B, HR(4), RBI, K

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Omaha (7:05PM CST) - LHP Dallas Keuchel
Wichita @ Amarillo (7:05PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams
Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Kyle Jones
Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30PM CST) - RHP Andrew Morris

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

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[Aerodeliria]

Rosario seems to be plowing through every level. 

[FlyingFinn]

Noah Miller with his 5th homer and a pair of hits (didn't realize he is no longer in our top 20 prospects - with his D at SS and youth, even a little hitting should have him back on this list).

Winder - many more games like this and he will pitch himself right off the 40 man roster for next year. ERA is over 6.

[Dman]

Kind of curious about the Kuechel non opt out.  So does this mean that the Twins are planning to deal players at the deadline to make room for Kuechel? You would think that just before the deadline would be a good time to opt out as teams are generally looking to add pitching. Granted most playoff teams might not consider him a difference making arm, but still he seems like a good depth piece\insurance to cover for injuries a team might suffer.

The other question is does he have more leverage just after the deadline for teams that didn't get the players they wanted or found the prices to high pay?  Will he opt out just after the deadline or will he not need one because there is a wink, wink agreement he will be added once the Twins make more room?  In interviews he sounded like he didn't want to stay with a team that didn't view him as a 40 man add.

He has pitched pretty well at AAA. While his WHIP is a bit of a red flag the .90 ERA is impressive. Unless there just isn't league wide interest in him I don't know why he would pass on taking the opt out at what seems like a prime time to be on the market. Unless he is essentially guaranteed a spot.

 

[Dman]

Nice to see Miller hitting the ball hard.  He has more HR's in July than the previous three months to start the season.  So far in July he has a .800 OPS which we haven't seen from him in quite some time.  I hope his July bat is here to stay because his defense is very, very good add in a plus hit tool and he could be a very valuable player for a Twins system with few true shortstops.

Ohl pitched really well.  Too bad that Triple spoiled his line. 7 K's and keeping that WHIP in line he knows how to pitch sometimes things just don't break your way.

[jmlease1]

14 minutes ago, Dman said:

Kind of curious about the Kuechel non opt out.  So does this mean that the Twins are planning to deal players at the deadline to make room for Kuechel? You would think that just before the deadline would be a good time to opt out as teams are generally looking to add pitching. Granted most playoff teams might not consider him a difference making arm, but still he seems like a good depth piece\insurance to cover for injuries a team might suffer.

The other question is does he have more leverage just after the deadline for teams that didn't get the players they wanted or found the prices to high pay?  Will he opt out just after the deadline or will he not need one because there is a wink, wink agreement he will be added once the Twins make more room?  In interviews he sounded like he didn't want to stay with a team that didn't view him as a 40 man add.

He has pitched pretty well at AAA. While his WHIP is a bit of a red flag the .90 ERA is impressive. Unless there just isn't league wide interest in him I don't know why he would pass on taking the opt out at what seems like a prime time to be on the market. Unless he is essentially guaranteed a spot.

 

I'm not sure there's much of a market for Keuchel right now. He was bad in 2021 and worse in 2022, becoming very hittable and pairing it with too many walks. The ERA looks good right now, but the as you noted, the WHIP is concerning. He's arguably pitching worse this year in AAA than he did last season in AAA for Texas, even if the overall results have been better, so I'm sure teams are looking at him and thinking "how is he going to survive in MLB if he's giving up that many hits and walks in AAA?"

I think he might have a better chance just after the trade deadline when 1-2 teams didn't get the starting pitching help they wanted/needed, but I'm still not sure he's a great option. It's just hard for a guy who gives up a lot of hits and an average to above average number of walks without being a strikeout king to get it done in MLB.

I would not promise him a spot in the Twins rotation, I would not go to a 6-man rotation to bring him up. Someone might take a chance on him if he gets his release, but I don't know if it's going to be on a contender, which I imagine is what he wants.

[FlyingFinn]

22 minutes ago, Dman said:

Kind of curious about the Kuechel non opt out. 

My guess is that the Twins told him he is the next man up or they plan to bring him up for a spot start to give everyone an extra day of rest. Or they said, at a minimum, they will bring him up for long relief (not sure he wants that though) at some point, probably in place of Cole Sands when he pitches multiple innings. This is where there is a lot of trust between the Twins and Scott Boras, his agent.

[Guest]

Wouldn't be surprised to see Keuchel become part of a faux six-man starting rotation in August, using the 10-day IL to rotate the existing five and give each a respite before mid-September.

[Kenny Powers]

Why isn't Byron Chourio getting more ABs?  

He has a career batting average of .349 and career OPS of .851.  Yet, I see he only has only 218 career ABs over two seasons.  What am I missing?  I want to see more of that kid.

[stringer bell]

59 minutes ago, Minderbinder said:

Wouldn't be surprised to see Keuchel become part of a faux six-man starting rotation in August, using the 10-day IL to rotate the existing five and give each a respite before mid-September.

15 day minimum for pitchers in IL. 

[cmoss84]

Why isn't Raya throwing more pitches? 47? 

[wabene]

9 minutes ago, cmoss84 said:

Why isn't Raya throwing more pitches? 47? 

He is 20 and pretty slightly built at 6' 1" and 170. He has also had some minor, I think, shoulder issues. They have consistently limited him to around 50 pitches an outing and I'd guess that continues for the remainder this year. The plan could be to get some weight on him by next spring and then start ramping him up some. 

[ashbury]

13 hours ago, Ted Schwerzler said:

Carlos Silvas was back in the lineup working behind the dish today,

 

Pretty good for a 44-year old!  Welcome back to the organization, old man.

(Hint: yet another mistaken link for a player.  What is the process that leads to so much of this?)

[RpR]

Do not know why he performed so poorly earlier this year but Garlick]s stock is rising.