Minor League Report (7/22): Dallas Keuchel Refuses to Allow Runs, Jorge Polanco Homers in Rehab Assignment

[Matt Braun]

Even the former major-leaguers couldn't help the Saints win, though. 

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

TRANSACTIONS
OF Alec Sayre activated from 7-day IL (A-Fort Myers)
SS Dalton Shuffield sent to a rehab assignment (FCL Twins)

Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 5, Omaha 8
Box Score
Dallas Keuchel: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
HR: Jorge Polanco (1), Andrew Stevenson (11), Jair Camargo (14)
Multi-hit games: Andrew Stevenson (2-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI), Jorge Polanco (2-for-3, HR, R, RBI), Mark Contreras (2-for-3, 2B, RBI)

The Saints imploded late, allowing four runs in back-to-back frames to lose on Saturday.

Dallas Keuchel shocked many earlier in the week, forgoing his opt-out to stay with St. Paul for the near future. His attachment was a reward for both sides; Keuchel continued to suppress runs, tossing six scoreless innings with just two hits allowed on 73 pitches.

Jorge Polanco—rehabbing, perhaps soon to move to third base—smoked a solo shot to center to start the scoring.

He wasn’t the only Saint homering to center; Andrew Stevenson blasted a two-run shot to give St. Paul a healthy 4-0 lead. 

It appeared the Saints were well on their way to a breezy victory, but fortune changed immediately when Keuchel left the game. Blayne Enlow imploded; the righty allowed seven earned runs over 1 1/3 innings, mixing in a pair of pickoff throwing errors to completely alter the shape of the game, turning it from an in-hand win for St. Paul to a sudden, heartbreaking deficit. 

Jair Camargo blasted a solo homer in the ninth, but that was all for the offense, and the Saints could only watch their once hard-earned lead dissipate into nothingness.

Kansas City’s 3rd-ranked prospect, Nick Loftin, singled and struck out in four at-bats. 

Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 2, Amarillo 8
Box Score
Travis Adams: 5 2/3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
HR: Alex Isola (12)
Multi-hit games: None
The Wind Surge scored twice in the first, and failed to do anything with it, eventually losing big to the Sod Poodles on Saturday.

Let’s start with the good news: Alex Isola homered on his birthday. The fresh 25-year-old blasted a two-run shot in his first at-bat, giving the Wind Surge an early advantage.

Unfortunately, the rest of the game only delivered bad news. Starter Travis Adams coughed up two runs of his own in the first—he gave up three over the course of his start—and Amarillo really stepped on the gas when Wichita’s bullpen entered the game. Each reliever allowed at least one run, leading to five extra runs, and a dominating, suffocating win for the Sod Poodles.

Yoyner Fajardo swiped his 27th base of the season. 

The fifth-best prospect in MLB, Jordan Lawler, doubled twice and walked in an impressive showing out of the two-hole. 

Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 2
Box Score
Kyle Jones: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K 
HR: None
Multi-hit games: None
The Kernels scored early, late to win their game on Saturday.

It started quickly; Noah Miller walked and Ben Ross was hit by a pitch, placing the first two men of Cedar Rapids’ lineup on base to start the game. A passed ball moved both runners up. Kala’i Rosario wasn’t fancy—he didn’t need to be—and a simple well-placed groundout plated the first run of the game.

Kyle Jones appreciated the support. The sinking groundball specialist gobbled up six efficient innings, only needing 62 pitches (with 48 strikes) to carry his team deep into the ballgame. He punched out two.

The eighth saw a similar situation as the first, with Rosario, again, stepping up to the plate with runners in scoring position. The infield was in, but a second well-placed groundball caused the second baseman to hesitate slightly, allowing the speedster Mikey Perez to scamper home on Rosario’s second RBI of the night. 

The lead held, and Miguel Rodriguez was the reliever who slammed the door in the ninth. 

The usually stacked Cardinals minor league system lacked a true dominant prospect playing in Saturday’s game, but the wonderfully named Jimmy Crooks—13th in the system—caught and went hitless in four at-bats. 

Mussel Matters
Ft. Myers 3, Bradenton 2 
Box Score
Andrew Morris: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
HR: Carson McCusker (7)
Multi-hit games: Carson McCusker (2-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI), Dylan Neuse (2-for-4, 2B)
The Mighty Mussels won their game on Saturday… eventually.  

Andrew Morris was masterful. Minnesota’s fourth-round pick in 2022 set a professional career-high in strikeouts, punching out eight batters over six frames of work. He allowed one earned run. There was an early stumble—Bradenton knocked him for two runs in the first two innings—but Morris locked in, allowing one lonely hit in his last four innings of work. 

It was a well-deserved win that he did not get. The Mighty Mussels and Marauders settled into an extended Cold War, wiping out nearly the entire game with stranded runners and batters walking back to the dugout; no team scored between second and ninth innings.

But Fort Myers broke through eventually, plating two off a clutch two-out Carson McCusker homer.

The rain came, forcing the bottom of the ninth to wait a little, but Gabriel Yanez was unfazed, tossing a clean inning to end the game—perhaps some time later than they hoped.

Ricardo Olivar did not take an at-bat on Saturday, walking all four times he stepped up to the plate. 

2nd baseman Termarr Johnson served as Bradenton’s finest prospect; the 26th-best prospect in MLB went hitless in four trips to the plate. 

Complex Chronicles
FCL Twins 2, FCL Red Sox 4
Box Score
John Klein: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
HR: Endy Rodriguez (2)
Multi-hit games: Dalton Shuffield (2-for-4)

The FCL Twins fell to the FCL Red Sox on Saturday.

Rehabbing minor leaguer, Dalton Shuffield, collected a pair of hits out of the leadoff spot, also stealing a base for good effect. The rest of the offense mostly didn’t show up, though; Endy Rodriguez had the only extra-base hit with a fifth inning solo shot.

They did find other ways to score, as Andres Centeno and Bryan Acuna executed a double steal, allowing Centeno to swipe home for the second run of the game. It was the FCL Twins’ final score.

John Klein wasn’t great on the mound, but reliever Miguel Olivares was; he struck out two in a scoreless frame. 

Dominican Dailies
DSL Twins 0, DSL NYY Yankees 3
Box Score
Juan Cota: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: None

The DSL Twins lost quietly on Saturday.

The bats were silent; Hendry Chivilli was the sole extra-base hit earner, and he was promptly left stranded on second—along with every other DSL Twins hitter that reached base.

Juan Cota was solid on the mound, tossing four frames with no earned runs and six punchouts.

Defense proved to be the Achilles Heel, as they committed four errors, leading to two unearned runs scoring. Somehow, neither team got a hit with runners in scoring position. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dallas Keuchel
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Andrew Stevenson

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

#1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-4, K
#5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-4, K
#8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-0
#10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-4, K
#11 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL Twins) - 0-3, K
#15 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, W
#16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
#17 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-3, R, K
#20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 1-3

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Omaha (5:05 PM) - RHP Randy Dobnak
Wichita @ Amarillo (6:05 PM) - LHP Aaron Rozek
Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM) - LHP Christian MacLeod
Fort Myers @ Bradenton (11:00 AM) - RHP Ben Ethridge

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[FlyingFinn]

Uffda, the DSL Twins are having a rough time at 7-25!!

This McCusker guy took over as the main hitter, signed just about the time their former main hitter, Ortega, got called up to Cedar Rapids. Any OF spots open up there Kernels? Urbina, E-Rod and Rosario are there so probably not unless we are moving one of the last two up to Wichita.

[NeverSeenATwinsPlayoffWin]

The Keuchel decision is really interesting. I would assume that he would have trade value (for cash or intl bonus pool money) if the Twins decide that they do not want him at the major league level. Lefty pitching is something that the Twins do not have much of, and I would prefer Keuchel to Headrick/Winder/Sands in a mop-up/6th SP role. He could be a fantastic addition that helps this young pitching staff. Or he could have a couple of rough starts and get cut. Either way, there is very little risk.

[FlyingFinn]

17 minutes ago, NeverSeenATwinsPlayoffWin said:

The Keuchel decision is really interesting. I would assume that he would have trade value (for cash or intl bonus pool money) if the Twins decide that they do not want him at the major league level.

Keuchel and his agent, Scott Boras, were really nice to not opt-out. The Twins will be equally as nice if they decide not to call him up and do exactly what he wants, whether it is releasing him or trading him. It's a win-win for both sides.

[Doctor Wu]

Very surprised that Keuchel chose to change his opt-out date, but glad that he did it. It will nice to have a back-up option for the rotation in case of any injuries or performance meltdowns. In any case, I hope he keeps putting up impressive numbers like he's been doing thus far in St. Paul. 

[Doctor Gast]

These Twins are notorious for playing players where they shouldn't be, Julien shouldn't at 2B & they shouldn't experiment Polanco at 3B especially when he isn't 100% yet. Keep Polanco at 2B & move Julien to his more natural position, 1B.

[BSLinPA]

Did i read that Keuchel's next opt out date is Aug 1?  So likey one more Milb start.  If it goes well he's gotta move up (in some capacity).  History shows it takes precise control for a "soft-tossing lefty" to suceed at the MLB level.  We're all pulling for him, but the 11 BB in 26 IP is difficult to ignore..

Saw that Evan Sisk threw for Omaha vs StP.  There was some hand-wringing here over his inclusion in the Michael A. Taylor deal.  His age 26 season not impressive.  Evan Sisk Stats, Fantasy & News | MiLB.com

Andrew Morris (round 4 - '22) should be on our prospect radar screen with solid first 10 games started as a professional (yes, SSS).  But gotta like the ERA, BA against, K/9, and whip.  He is 6'0", 195 lb at 21 yrs old.  Andrew Morris Stats, Fantasy & News | MiLB.com 

[Connor Gould]

Former Maeda trade throw-in Jair Camargo slashing .254/.309/.502 at AAA in his first year at the level. I wonder if he's a nice looking option at catcher in the future.

[Otaknam]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

These Twins are notorious for playing players where they shouldn't be, Julien shouldn't at 2B & they shouldn't experiment Polanco at 3B especially when he isn't 100% yet. Keep Polanco at 2B & move Julien to his more natural position, 1B.

That makes no sense putting JULIEN out of position. And where does Kiriloff play? He’s been one of their best hitters lately and clearly has an upside. The solution is there if Buxton can play in the outfield but it looks like that won’t happen this year. Then Julien could be DH, Polanco at second, Lewis at 3rd when he come back, and Kiriloff stay at first. That solidifies the defense all around. 

[wabene]

23 minutes ago, Otaknam said:

That makes no sense putting JULIEN out of position. And where does Kiriloff play? He’s been one of their best hitters lately and clearly has an upside. The solution is there if Buxton can play in the outfield but it looks like that won’t happen this year. Then Julien could be DH, Polanco at second, Lewis at 3rd when he come back, and Kiriloff stay at first. That solidifies the defense all around. 

A rookie like Julien has enough on his plate, the plan to only play second makes sense. Kirilloff at first is the right move too. I like that they are prepping Polanco for third and you gotta like Polo's attitude on this (hello, Kepler?). Now when Royce comes back, the dream scenario is Buxton makes his long awaited return as the prodigal center fielder! Short of that things will get interesting. 

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

These Twins are notorious for playing players where they shouldn't be, Julien shouldn't at 2B & they shouldn't experiment Polanco at 3B especially when he isn't 100% yet. Keep Polanco at 2B & move Julien to his more natural position, 1B.

Strong disagree..

[roger]

Another day, another 'W' for the Kernels.  Some days they win with their bats, yesterday was with strong pitching.  Gotta love that team and relationship the Twins have had with the City of Cedar Rapids since moving over from Beloit.

See the DSL squad got shut out by the Yankees.  Speaking of the Yankees, our old friend Ben Rortvedt was their catcher yesterday.

Add me to the list of those waiting and wondering how the Kuechel situation is going to shake out.  Expect they wanted him to get another start or two before making their decision and he/his agent went along with it.  Also expect the trading deadline had something to do with it as they may be planning on opening a 40-man spot over the next week or so, thus they won't have to lose player X when they add Kuechel to their roster.

[saviking]

11 hours ago, NeverSeenATwinsPlayoffWin said:

The Keuchel decision is really interesting. I would assume that he would have trade value (for cash or intl bonus pool money) if the Twins decide that they do not want him at the major league level. Lefty pitching is something that the Twins do not have much of, and I would prefer Keuchel to Headrick/Winder/Sands in a mop-up/6th SP role. He could be a fantastic addition that helps this young pitching staff. Or he could have a couple of rough starts and get cut. Either way, there is very little risk.

Could the Twins be trying to trade Gray with a plan of having Keuchel replace him 🤔 

[USNMCPO]

1 hour ago, wabene said:

A rookie like Julien has enough on his plate, the plan to only play second makes sense. Kirilloff at first is the right move too. I like that they are prepping Polanco for third and you gotta like Polo's attitude on this (hello, Kepler?). Now when Royce comes back, the dream scenario is Buxton makes his long awaited return as the prodigal center fielder! Short of that things will get interesting. 

I am kind of thinking Lewis to left field.

[Obsvr]

I generally dont speak in absolutes but Id bet my house that boras didn't find any takers, which is why Keuchel is still with the organization.

[Blyleven2011]

8 hours ago, saviking said:

Could the Twins be trying to trade Gray with a plan of having Keuchel replace him 🤔 

That is my first thought ...

I like sonny but if we can get great value for him  at the deadline  I say do it because teams over pay for pitching in deadline trades , losing petty to the trade for Gray might help get some decent pitching prospects in return  ...

[ashbury]

4 hours ago, Blyleven2011 said:

That is my first thought ...

I like sonny but if we can get great value for him  at the deadline  I say do it because teams over pay for pitching in deadline trades , losing petty to the trade for Gray might help get some decent pitching prospects in return  ...

We'll find out I guess   Folks here like to accuse the front office of believing they're the smartest people in the room.  But trading away Gray?  That's a smartest guy in the room kind of stunt to try, and it could completely blow up in their faces.  I don't see it.

[Major League Ready]

11 hours ago, Blyleven2011 said:

That is my first thought ...

I like sonny but if we can get great value for him  at the deadline  I say do it because teams over pay for pitching in deadline trades , losing petty to the trade for Gray might help get some decent pitching prospects in return  ...

Obviously, It's a balancing act between short-term and long-term interests.  There is no doubt there is a premium paid for perceived  immediate impact.  I say perceived because as we witnessed with Mahle and Lopez and many other examples for other teams, the benefit is far from certain.  However, trading Gray diminishes our chances this year which will alienate certain portion of the fan base and every business wants customer satisfaction.   

The long-term impact of trading him is unknown which to a fanbase focused on the right now is basically of no value.  What we know for sure is the benefits of keeping him are limited to this year.  What also know for sure is the worst case scenario is there is no long-term benefit.  Of course, there is a good chance they get a quality player that impacts the team for 6+,years.   If the goal was to maximize wins over the next decade, we would take the long-term play in most cases.  That's the best way to sustain success.  

I don't think they will trade him partially because the gain over a comp pick being that great.  He has been quite average over his last dozen starts.  I am assuming that brings his value down but perhaps not.  They also will please the fans by holding on to him while increasing their chances at a post season which means a substantial increase in revenue.   It's business, the combination of pleasing customers and increasing revenue is very attractive.