Twins Minor League Report (8/8): Saints Bludgeon the Bats

[Steve Lein]

The St. Paul Saints came home to face the Louisville Bats and one of their top prospects on Tuesday. It was also the first time Brooks Lee, Yunior Severino, and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. got to play in front of their home fans. They were joined by a former top prospect on a rehab assignment. They combined to bash the visiting team into submission.

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis)

Despite all that action in St. Paul, the Wind Surge also got perhaps their best starting pitching performance of the season, The Mighty Mussels racked up a bunch of hits, and a high school draftee went yard again in the FCL to lead his team to victory. Also, Chris Williams loves hitting on Tuesday’s…

TRANSACTIONS

• After the big promotions last week from Wichita, the St. Paul Saints got even more star power for their lineup in the form of a rehabbing Royce Lewis. He batted second and played third base on Tuesday.

SAINTS SENTINEL
Louisville 4, St. Paul 14
Box Score
While the story for the home town fans was certainly Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee suiting up for the Saints on Tuesday, they had a tall order in front of them from an on-paper perspective. That’s because they were facing the 2023 minor league strikeout leader and Cincinnati Reds number five prospect (according to MLB Pipeline), Connor Phillips. 

Promoted to Triple-A before July, Phillips had been lights out with the Louisville Bats in six starts, compiling a 1.95 ERA in 27 2/3 IP, including 32 strikeouts.

He didn’t even finish the second inning.

That’s because St. Paul's lineup made him work, tossing 52 pitches in his 1 1/3 innings, with just 25 for strikes. He recorded strikeouts on the first two hitters of the game, but like my eyes peeped watching on MiLB.tv (highly recommend if you’re still looking for a baseball fix, and/or are not able to watch the Twins), the lineup figured out he could only throw a slider with two-strikes and didn’t have command of his fastball to make anything else work. He ended up walking three, and allowing five earned runs on three hits, including allowing his first home run at Triple-A to Trevor Larnach in the second inning. It was Larnach's 10th with the Saints.

Yunior Severino also launched his first Triple-A home run, and 25th of the season, in the third inning which made it 7-0 Saints early. Both home runs cleared the home run porch in right field, flying 460+ feet. (of note, the next time he came up Bats pitcher Randy Wynne quite obviously plunked Severino in retaliation and was ejected for it)

Royce Lewis also had no intention of going unnoticed in the first game of his rehab assignment, launching his fifth Triple-A home run of the season in the fourth after a sac fly in the second. He finished 1-for-4 with two RBI.

The Saints really broke it open in the fifth inning after the Wynne ejection and the bases became loaded. Austin Martin delivered an RBI single for one, before Chris Williams delivered a grand slam to make it 13-1.

The Saints even got a solid outing from Simeon Woods Richardson, keeping the top hitting team in the International League at bay for most of his outing. Through five innings, Woods Richardson had allowed just one run on two hits and three walks, and maybe should have been pulled at that point with the big lead. Back out for the sixth, he recorded two more outs, but got tagged with two home runs to dampen his stat line. He struck out three in his 5 2/3 innings, picking up his fourth win of the year.

Austin Schulfer delivered 1 1/3 scoreless relief innings, walking one and striking out two. Cole Sands finished off the final two frames, allowing two hits and notching four strikeouts.

Martin finished 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, a double, RBI, walk, and his seventh stolen base. Williams was 2-for-4 with a walk and five RBI. Larnach also collected multiple hits and finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in addition to the homer. Anthony Prato clubbed a double in two at-bats, drew three walks, scored three runs, and drove in one. Brooks Lee picked up his first hit at CHS Field in front of the home fans and finished 1-for-5.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 5, NW Arkansas 2
Box Score
The Wind Surge got a dominant effort from their starting pitcher, Pierson Ohl, on Tuesday, who very well could have gone the distance with 84 pitches (61 strikes) after his eight innings. He allowed just one run in the first inning, scattered seven hits, and struck out four on the night.

Wichita pounced for two runs in the top of the first to give almost all the run support he would need to pick up his fourth win. Yoyner Fajardo led off the game with a single, stole his 35th and 36th bases, and scored the first run on a groundout from Alex Isola. A Seth Gray RBI single later scored Tanner Schobel, who drew a walk, for the early 2-0 lead.

Dalton Shuffield added a sacrifice fly in the sixth, Fajardo an RBI double in the seventh, and Willie Joe Garry Jr. RBI triple in the eighth accounted for all five of the Wind Surge runs. Fajardo (2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI, 3 K), Aaron Sabato (2-for-3, R, 2B, BB, K), and Garry Jr. (2-for-4, 2 3B, RBI, 2 K) had multiple hits in the win.

Miguel Rodriguez pitched the ninth inning, and surrendered one earned run on one hit. He struck out two batters.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 0, Quad Cities 7
Box Score
Cedar Rapids hit the road eastward to the Quad Cities area, renewing the in-state rivalry for their series this week. While the Kernels sit atop the Midwest League West Division standings and the River Bandits the bottom, you can usually throw any of that info out when these teams face off.

Case in point, Tuesday’s shutout of the visiting team.

The Kernels drew seven walks as a team, but combined those with just two hits in the game. They were both doubles (from Ben Ross and Kyler Fedko), but came with nobody on base. As a team they were just 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and left nine men on base.

Zebby Matthews made the start for Cedar Rapids and made it through 4 1/3 innings. He allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and a pair of walks. He struck out six batters. Two home runs allowed did most of that damage. The bullpen trio of Niklas Rimmel (1 IP, H, 2 ER, 3 BB, K), John Stankiewicz (1 2/3 IP, 3 K), and John Wilson (1 IP, H, K) worked the rest of the game.

Emmanuel Rodriguez finished 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. Jorel Ortega was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. In addition to his double, Kyler Fedko also drew two walks.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Bradenton 13, Fort Myers 9
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first on Danny De Andrade’s eighth home run of the season that made it 2-0. They went up 4-2 in the second after an RBI-double from Maddux Houghton and a wild pitch that later allowed him to scamper home. Unfortunately, that was the last lead they held the rest of the game.

Fort Myers starter Jose Olivares finished the first four innings and got a lot of swings and misses, but was tagged for five runs (four earned) in his time on the mound. He gave up four hits, walked two, and struck out nine.

Samuel Perez was charged with three earned runs on two hits and three walks in his 2/3 of an inning. Johnathan Lavallee (1 1/3 IP, H, 3 BB, K), Wilker Reyes (2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 4 K), and Develson Aria (1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K) finished out the game for the Mighty Mussels, with the same type of results as Olivares. The 18 K’s from the staff pitching were impressive, but paired with 10 walks and 13 hits, you end up with a result like this.

The lineup added a pair of runs in the eighth inning when De Andrade led off with a single and advanced to second on an error. A groundout from Rubel Cespedes brought him home before Jay Harry’s second double of the season gave them six on the scoreboard. In the bottom of the ninth down 13-6, they added a few more runs but fell short of an epic comeback. A pair of walks preceded put runners on for De Andrade, who drove them both in with a double. Rafael Cruz then scored De Andrade with a single for the final score.

De Andrade (3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) and Cruz (4-for-5, 2B, RBI) had multiple hits to lead the offense. Each other hitter had one knock, and they totaled 14 hits as a team in the loss.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Pirates 2, FCL Twins 3
Box Score
Twins starter Eduardo Soriano delivered a scoreless first inning, but some walks caught up with him in the second. He finished 1 2/3 innings and was charged with two runs (one earned) on one hit and four walks. He struck out three.

In the bottom of the second, the Twins put together a two-out rally thanks to some walks of their own. After loading the bases, Andres Centeno delivered a two-RBI single to tie the game.

In the third, Brandon Winokur raced around the bases for an inside-the-park home run to make it 3-2. It was his second home run in nine games.

That would be all the Twins needed, as the bullpen shut down the Pirates from there. Julio Bonilla (W, 3 1/3 IP, H, BB, K), Jeferson Lopez (H, 3 1/3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K), and Miguel Olivares (2/3 IP, BB, 2 K) all delivered scoreless outings and as a staff the Twins held the Pirates to just two hits in the game.

Walker Jenkins followed Winokur’s blast with a single in the third and finished 1-for-3. Daniel Pena added the Twins' only other hit.

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL Giants Orange 6, DSL Twins 6 (suspended in the bottom of the fifth)
Box Score
The Giants and Twins were only able to get through four-plus innings on Tuesday before the game was suspended, but in that time there was a lot of action.

Starting pitcher Reynel Garcia got the short end of the stick because of his defense in the first, being charged with three unearned runs on only one hit. Oscar Paredes had a one-two-three second inning, before Adrian Bohorquez gave the bulk of the pitching work. In 2 2/3 innings, he allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits. He also struck out five. Jose Ojo got the final out of the fifth before the game was suspended.

The Twins scored two in the first after loading the bases on a Junior Del Valle two-run single. They added three more in the third on a Moises Lopez double to score Dameury Pena, Jesus Peraza ground ball to score Lopez, and a wild pitch that allowed Carlos Silva to score. They scored their sixth run in the fourth when Pena and Del Valle each clubbed a double.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day - Pierson Ohl, Wichita Wind Surge (W, 8 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 4 K)
Hitter of the Day - Chris Williams, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, 2 R, Grand Slam, 5 RBI, BB)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
#1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) -1-for-5, K
#2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL) - 1-for-3
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K
#5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-for-4, 2 K
#8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 3-for-3, 2 R, 2B (6), RBI, BB, SB (7)
#10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 K
#12 - Luke Keaschall (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, R, BB, K
#13 - Brandon Winokur (FCL) - 1-for-4, R, HR (2), RBI, K
#14 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - W, 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 earned) 4 BB, 3 K
#16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, K
#17 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 K
#20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) - 0-for-3, 2 K

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Louisville @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - RHP Randy Dobnak (4-5, 4.33 ERA)
Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Carlos Luna (1-7, 5.54 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CDT) - RHP Kyle Jones (5-4, 4.52 ERA)
Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CDT) - TBD
DSL Reds @ DSL Twins (makeup of 7/26 postponement) 

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

 

 

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[stringer bell]

Austin Martin 3-3, with a walk and stolen base. Keep it up!!

[Doctor Wu]

7 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Austin Martin 3-3, with a walk and stolen base. Keep it up!!

Very encouraging to see a game like that from Martin. I still think he's going to turn into a good MLB player. But at which position?

[Doctor Wu]

Like probably everyone else on this board I'm delighted to Royce  Lewis back in action and playing games again. And that home run was sweet too!

[mikelink45]

Is Larnach an AAAA player now?  Is he trade bait?  Or is it that he has not been given a long enough chance to establish himself in the majors?

The Saints are so solid in the field and yet it is difficult to see how the prospects will be able to push in the majors - although one of them should take 1B with Kiriloff hurt (again) and push Gallo out.  

[Doctor Wu]

3 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Is Larnach an AAAA player now?  Is he trade bait?  Or is it that he has not been given a long enough chance to establish himself in the majors?

The Saints are so solid in the field and yet it is difficult to see how the prospects will be able to push in the majors - although one of them should take 1B with Kiriloff hurt (again) and push Gallo out.  

Good question. I'm not sure how much more Larnach needs to do at AAA to show what he can do, But whether or not he's good enough to be a MLB regular or just AAAA player who bounces between levels is still a question mark. I'm still on the fence. Maybe he needs to learn some first base skills too. 

[FlyingFinn]

29 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Austin Martin 3-3, with a walk and stolen base. Keep it up!!

Martin, after a slow start returning from injury, is on a 13 for 30 streak with 8 walks and 5 SB's dating back into July. There was a question about his position in MLB. He would be a utility guy, playing mostly CF, LF, and 2B. If we are keeping Lewis at 3B, Martin really should get a shot in CF.

[Cory Engelhardt]

Jenkins also stole 2nd and 3rd after his single. Thought that was cool. 

[Dman]

What a start from Ohl.  Pure Domination and he was so aggressive throwing strikes he didn't give up a walk.  He did give up plenty of hits but he made them earn getting on base.  Really like that guys style and is still playing well at AA.  He could have gone 9 but this late in the season best to keep the number of pitches down.  I think the other team pulled their guy at 66 pitches.  I was actually surprised they let him go 8 as 7 usually seems the limit but nice to see him pitch so well last night.

That AAA team has a great hitters lineup.  I am going echo others and say Martin just keep doing what you are doing and don't worry about power.  There is enough doubles power and the ability to steal bases to make him plenty valuable in other ways.  Was happy to see a dominant 3 for 3.

SWR has been better recently. I had been pretty down on him and thought he might fade even at the end of the season.  I still think his ultimate home is in relief but he did a nice job again last night.

[roger]

Noticed Jenkins 2 steals also.  I know people believe he can stick in center.  But how fast is he?  
 

Will double down on the positive comments about Martin.  The Twins really have a fantastic group of position players who are either very close or just arrived.  AK, Julien, Lewis, Wallner, Larnach, Lee, Severino, Kiersey, and Martin.  And that doesn’t include Miranda, who’s disaster year may be injury related.

[LyleCole]

I was at the Ft Myers game last night.   I hadn't been to a Miracles game (the MIghty Mussels name is lame so I havent converted yet) in a while.   The game was absolutely boring for the most part.   The reason is that all of the pitchers from Ft Myers and the opponents were junk ball throwers, throwing under 90 mph, and they could not throw strikes.  

The only player for Ft Myers that played in this game that had any real upward potential is Twins 2023 2nd round draft pick Luke Keaschall.   He was just 1-4 with a walk and a K, but he hit the ball pretty hard and was robbed of a hit to lead off the game.   He is a very active player with a noisy approach to the plate that I think the Twins need to work on a bit.   He was all over the field and I made the mental note that he had to be the hyperactive kid whose mother could not wait for baseball season to start to give him something to use his energy on.

2023 6th round pick Jay Harry played 3rd base.   HE seems like the typical mid-round middle college middle infielder draft pick.  He hit the ball hard  a couple of times but what will make him or break him was tonight he only had warning track power.   HE seemed like a solid player who handled his chances in the field but will not be a strong enough hitter to have a chance at a big league career.

The most impressive player in the game was the Pirates 2023 13th round draft pick out of San Jose St, Charles McAdoo.  After FM starting pitcher Jose OLivares started the game with his slider dead on, striking out the side which included the Pirates 2023 2nd round pick, their 2019 comp-B pick Lonnie White (he was the Beer Batter whose two strikeouts yielded 30 cumulative minutes of $2 Coors Beer), and their 2023 3rd round pick, McAdoo stepped up to the plate and hammered the first pitch of the 2nd inning over the center field fence about 1/3 of the way up the big green fence they have to create better visibility for the hitters.   He wasn't done.  IN the third inning he hammered another home run just to the left of his original.  

What was most impressive about McAdoo was how he adjusted to the pitchers.   When the Miracle brought in Samuel Perez, a small pitcher who literally threw every pitch under 84mph, with most of his pitches being 76 mph curve balls, it took a couple of strikes to adjust.   Then he hammered another base hit.  

Overall, McAdoo was 6 for 6, with 8 RBIS and 4 runs.  Every one of those 6 hits was absolutely scorched.  The FM pitchers would see him on the on deck circle, and still walk the hitters in front of him.  McAdoo has started his professional baseball career 11 for 16, with a double and 2 home runs, plus 3 walks vs. 1 K.  He is hitting .688 with a .737 OBP.  His OPS is 1.862.

 

 

[terrydactyls]

1 hour ago, Doctor Wu said:

Maybe he needs to learn some first base skills too. 

That is an excellent idea.  He's athletic so he should be able to pick up the nuances of 1B pretty quickly.  Having one more position on his resume might just get him an extended look with the Twins.  Or it might confirm that the Twins have no interest in him except as an emergency replacement player.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

1.  Who is the batting coach in AAA -  right now he seems to be drastically outperforming.   Prato, Williams and now Martin going off in AAA - others as well.  I haven't checked so see if there is just a massive void of pitching talent in AAA or massive overperformance by the bats.   Martin has flashed but he needs a strong finish to the year and to remain healthy.  He is still on the same track for potential mlb utility player at some point next year,  but the glove continues to need to improve.   

2. Winokur - think I am more impressed he was able to hit an inside the parker home run - than over the fence home run.   Jenkins with 2 stolen bases.  My guess is the speed will wane with both players but that is dang impressive.  

[Steve Lein]

3 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

Very encouraging to see a game like that from Martin. I still think he's going to turn into a good MLB player. But at which position?

Not that anything was particularly difficult in the game yesterday, but Martin seemed to handle CF just fine. He has also only been playing the OF for the past few weeks.

[Steve Lein]

1 hour ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Jenkins also stole 2nd and 3rd after his single. Thought that was cool. 

Totally missed that. Has speed and the smarts too, apparently!

[tony&rodney]

The big offense at AAA may be a combination of factors. Perhaps there are a pile of pitchers who do not hit their spots, are in decline in regards to their careers, or simply still raw and learning on the way up. The batters are a combination of guys fighting for jobs on the 26 and 40 person rosters as well as some experienced players with talent who have begun to figure out how to hit. 

I have had the thought that using the ABS and challenge system at AAA gives hitters a great deal of confidence in what pitches to attack. No longer does a batter get that poor call which bails out a pitcher and puts the batter on the defensive side of a count. A bad call on a 1-1 pitch to make the count 1-2 suddenly shifts the at bat for both the pitcher and batter. Last night there was a particularly brutal strike call on Wallner, who is already prone to strike outs. Now Wallner needs to either take that pitch or try to hit it which is almost assuredly a swing and a miss.

[Steve Lein]

1 hour ago, LyleCole said:

Overall, McAdoo was 6 for 6, with 8 RBIS and 4 runs.  Every one of those 6 hits was absolutely scorched.  The FM pitchers would see him on the on deck circle, and still walk the hitters in front of him.  McAdoo has started his professional baseball career 11 for 16, with a double and 2 home runs, plus 3 walks vs. 1 K.  He is hitting .688 with a .737 OBP.  His OPS is 1.862.

 

 

It took a lot for me to not mention what McAdoo did to their pitchers last night, so I'll add what the game summary from the Mussels said: "The performance marked the first time a Florida State League hitter notched six hits and drove in eight this year. Moreover, he set the Marauders franchise record for hits in a game."

Absolutely monstrous performance!

[Major League Ready]

Can't wait to see how it shakes out will all these position players over the remainder of this year and then how the roster is constructed next year.  Lewis has a full-time spot for sure.  How will this shake out for the rest.  Could Prato or Severino get a shot before Lee?  Where do Prato and Severino play defensively?

The lynchpin is where they play Lewis.  If ends up in the OF two-thirds of the time he plays, that opens up 3rd base for a competition between Miranda / Lee / Prato and Severino.

So, what does that do to the bench next year.  I see some combination of Castro / Gordon / Prato / Martin / Larnach / Miranda / Severino and perhaps Kiersey.  It may not be a certainty they bring Farmer back with all these options.  Somebody needs to learn to play 1B.

[Steve Lein]

5 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

The big offense at AAA may be a combination of factors. Perhaps there are a pile of pitchers who do not hit their spots, are in decline in regards to their careers, or simply still raw and learning on the way up. The batters are a combination of guys fighting for jobs on the 26 and 40 person rosters as well as some experienced players with talent who have begun to figure out how to hit. 

I have had the thought that using the ABS and challenge system at AAA gives hitters a great deal of confidence in what pitches to attack. 

I think the ABS system is playing a role in the hitters, for sure.

For example, the average OPS in the league in 2022 was .750. This year it is .801 (The bats lead the league at .881, Saints are at .827). On-Base-Percentage is also up universally by about 20 points (.358).

For comparison, average OPS and OBP in the majors this season is .733 and .320, respectively. So an "average" triple-A hitter this season is basically putting up All-Star numbers for the majors with how it has worked out.

Hope Manfred is paying attention. If he wants more offense/action, this very likely is the way. At least should highly consider using the challenge-system version.

[Nashvilletwin]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Is Larnach an AAAA player now?  Is he trade bait?  Or is it that he has not been given a long enough chance to establish himself in the majors?

The Saints are so solid in the field and yet it is difficult to see how the prospects will be able to push in the majors - although one of them should take 1B with Kiriloff hurt (again) and push Gallo out.  

There should be room for most of our prospects in ‘24.  Here’s a take on the position players who could be coming out of camp:

“Youngster Locks” (6): Lewis, Lee, Julien, Kiriloff, Wallner, Jeffers, 

“Oldster Locks” (4) Correa, Buxton, Vasquez, Farmer.

“Youngster Bubble” (3): Gordon, Larnach, Martin

“Oldster Bubble” (3):  Kepler, Polanco, and Castro

The “best” line-up may be Lewis in CF, Lee at 3B, Julien at 2B, Kiriloff at 1B, Wallner in RF and Larnach in LF. Correa stays at SS, BB is DH and Jeffers (60+%) and Vasquez (40-%) split duties behind the plate. Some combo of two of Gordon, Castro, and Martin play super utility roles covering both the outfield (all three spots) and the infield (not including 1B).  Farmer should stay as an all infield position playing capable player and for his veteran presence (the man is a pro’s pro). We could keep Polanco as an our primary backup 1B and switch hitting DH plus some 2B work against lefties - he’d get plenty of ABs. 

That’s 14 position players (one too many?) with excellent flexibility and redundancy at all positions.  Plus a good mix of right, left and switch hitting bats, defensive prowess and speed. Eight of the players are essentially making league minimum - freeing up capital to augment the pitching staff.  

[jmlease1]

Austin Martin is looking healthy again, and it's great to see. he's had a heck of an August at the plate so far: 7-16 with 3 2Bs, 8 BBs, and 4 SB is a very nice line. I think he can handle any OF spot just fine (probably not elite in CF but average to above average) and I think he can still play some in the infield if needed (2B, mostly but could also handle 3B). He's profiling nicely as a super-utility guy right now who could be almost like a 10th starter and be a great guy to slot in as a leadoff man or #2 hitter. It'll be interesting to see if the power ever comes for him, but his on-base skills, base-running, and solid defense at many positions will make him a very useful MLB player. (Willi Castro with better on-base skills and a higher batting average?) While Michael A. Taylor's pop has been welcome and his defense has been solid...Austin Martin looks like he might be coming for his job.

 

[Major League Ready]

26 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

There should be room for most of our prospects in ‘24.  Here’s a take on the position players who could be coming out of camp:

“Youngster Locks” (6): Lewis, Lee, Julien, Kiriloff, Wallner, Jeffers, 

“Oldster Locks” (4) Correa, Buxton, Vasquez, Farmer.

“Youngster Bubble” (3): Gordon, Larnach, Martin

“Oldster Bubble” (3):  Kepler, Polanco, and Castro

The “best” line-up may be Lewis in CF, Lee at 3B, Julien at 2B, Kiriloff at 1B, Wallner in RF and Larnach in LF. Correa stays at SS, BB is DH and Jeffers (60+%) and Vasquez (40-%) split duties behind the plate. Some combo of two of Gordon, Castro, and Martin play super utility roles covering both the outfield (all three spots) and the infield (not including 1B).  Farmer should stay as an all infield position playing capable player and for his veteran presence (the man is a pro’s pro). We could keep Polanco as an our primary backup 1B and switch hitting DH plus some 2B work against lefties - he’d get plenty of ABs. 

That’s 14 position players (one too many?) with excellent flexibility and redundancy at all positions.  Plus a good mix of right, left and switch hitting bats, defensive prowess and speed. Eight of the players are essentially making league minimum - freeing up capital to augment the pitching staff.  

I am not inclined to call Lee or Farmer Locks.  Lee will need to be very impressive at AAA given there are only 39 games remaining and he is started out very poorly.   There is just no need to be in a hurry given the number of options.  I think the odds are actually low that Lee breaks camp if Lewis remains at 3B. 

Farmer has been a good bench player but some of the guys waiting in the wings have more upside and they are cheaper.  A lot will depend on if Prato or Severino get some playing time at the ML level.   

[Nashvilletwin]

14 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

I am not inclined to call Lee or Farmer Locks.  Lee will need to be very impressive at AAA given there are only 39 games remaining and he is started out very poorly.   There is just no need to be in a hurry given the number of options.  I think the odds are actually low that Lee breaks camp if Lewis remains at 3B. 

Farmer has been a good bench player but some of the guys waiting in the wings have more upside and they are cheaper.  A lot will depend on if Prato or Severino get some playing time at the ML level.   

Farmer, like Polanco, is under contract for ‘24 - so would need to be traded or released. The first is certainly possible (so you are correct), the second unlikely.  Lee will come around at AAA; no worries there - he’s always hit and he knows the game.  He will be a strong candidate for AL Rookie of the Year in ‘24, which if it happens I think would accrue draft pick benefits to us if he’s up early enough.   He may not break camp per se, but he should be a quick/early call up and, if Lewis does play CF on a regular basis, he should be our starting 3B for most of ‘24.

[mikelink45]

58 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

There should be room for most of our prospects in ‘24.  Here’s a take on the position players who could be coming out of camp:

“Youngster Locks” (6): Lewis, Lee, Julien, Kiriloff, Wallner, Jeffers, 

“Oldster Locks” (4) Correa, Buxton, Vasquez, Farmer.

“Youngster Bubble” (3): Gordon, Larnach, Martin

“Oldster Bubble” (3):  Kepler, Polanco, and Castro

The “best” line-up may be Lewis in CF, Lee at 3B, Julien at 2B, Kiriloff at 1B, Wallner in RF and Larnach in LF. Correa stays at SS, BB is DH and Jeffers (60+%) and Vasquez (40-%) split duties behind the plate. Some combo of two of Gordon, Castro, and Martin play super utility roles covering both the outfield (all three spots) and the infield (not including 1B).  Farmer should stay as an all infield position playing capable player and for his veteran presence (the man is a pro’s pro). We could keep Polanco as an our primary backup 1B and switch hitting DH plus some 2B work against lefties - he’d get plenty of ABs. 

That’s 14 position players (one too many?) with excellent flexibility and redundancy at all positions.  Plus a good mix of right, left and switch hitting bats, defensive prowess and speed. Eight of the players are essentially making league minimum - freeing up capital to augment the pitching staff.  

Nice take - I have Castro as a lock right now.  He is really popular with management, and I hope they don't fall in love with Luplow. 

[chpettit19]

7 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Farmer, like Polanco, is under contract for ‘24 - so would need to be traded or released. The first is certainly possible, the second unlikely.  Lee will come around at AAA; no worries there - he’s always hit and he knows the game.  He will be a strong candidate for AL Rookie of the Year in ‘24, which of it happens I think would accrue draft pick benefits to us if he’s up early enough.   He may not break camp per se, but he should be a quick/early call up and, if Lewis does play CF on a regular basis, he should be our starting 3B for most of ‘24.

Farmer is Arb eligible in '24, not under contract. They could simply non-tender him. I'm not saying that's what they'd do, but they have no financial obligation to Kyle Farmer for 2024 at this point in time.

I agree there's incentive for Lee to break camp with the team next year. Julien is looking like a top 2 or 3 finisher in AL ROY voting this year (especially with Jung being hurt now) and he will most likely just get credit for a full year of service while the Twins get nothing back for him. Those early promotion incentives are pretty big. Either call him up from the jump, or let him sit in AAA for half the year. I'd bet on them sending him to AAA, but I hope they give him a real shot at an opening day spot (assuming he adjusts quickly and does well in AAA to end the year).

[jorgenswest]

35 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

I am not inclined to call Lee or Farmer Locks.  Lee will need to be very impressive at AAA given there are only 39 games remaining and he is started out very poorly.   There is just no need to be in a hurry given the number of options.  I think the odds are actually low that Lee breaks camp if Lewis remains at 3B. 

Farmer has been a good bench player but some of the guys waiting in the wings have more upside and they are cheaper.  A lot will depend on if Prato or Severino get some playing time at the ML level.   

Agree on Farmer. He turns 33 this month. As a third year arb he will be due a nice boost from his 5.585 million. His increased salary will be at the point where they would be reluctant to release him. Twins have more depth at SS than a year ago when they traded for him. At that time they hadn’t signed Correa, Lewis would miss the start of the year and Brooks Lee was at least a year away. I would not pay more for his decline. 

[jmlease1]

2 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Nice take - I have Castro as a lock right now.  He is really popular with management, and I hope they don't fall in love with Luplow. 

I'm not too worried about them falling in love with Luplow. He's fine but doesn't have the upside of guys like Martin, Larnach, or even Miranda.

I can see Castro sticking. He's doing very well as a utility guy, covering a lot of defensive positions well, the speed & baserunning makes him useful in close & late situations as a pinch runner, and it's always nice to have that switch-hitter with positional flexibility on your bench. You just need to be realistic about what to expect: don't expect him to start hitting HRs, don't expect him to hit .300, or have an OPS+ of more than the 85-95 range. The OBP has been solid this season and going 28-32 in SBs is outstanding and valuable. I think he stole Nick Gordon's job.

It'll be interesting to see how the Twins sort out the infield for next season. Lee is off to a slow start in AAA, but I doubt anyone is particularly worried about it. I would hope Julien would look at picking up a 1B glove in the offseason because there is going to be a lot of competition for 2B and 3B innings between Julien, Lewis, Polanco (if he returns), Lee, and Miranda will likely be back in the mix as well. It's a good problem to have...so long as you you pick the right guys and make the right trades. And we haven't even mentioned Severino, who seems likely to be added to the 40-man and could slug his way into the conversation much like he did in AA this season.

[chpettit19]

1 minute ago, jmlease1 said:

I'm not too worried about them falling in love with Luplow. He's fine but doesn't have the upside of guys like Martin, Larnach, or even Miranda.

I can see Castro sticking. He's doing very well as a utility guy, covering a lot of defensive positions well, the speed & baserunning makes him useful in close & late situations as a pinch runner, and it's always nice to have that switch-hitter with positional flexibility on your bench. You just need to be realistic about what to expect: don't expect him to start hitting HRs, don't expect him to hit .300, or have an OPS+ of more than the 85-95 range. The OBP has been solid this season and going 28-32 in SBs is outstanding and valuable. I think he stole Nick Gordon's job.

It'll be interesting to see how the Twins sort out the infield for next season. Lee is off to a slow start in AAA, but I doubt anyone is particularly worried about it. I would hope Julien would look at picking up a 1B glove in the offseason because there is going to be a lot of competition for 2B and 3B innings between Julien, Lewis, Polanco (if he returns), Lee, and Miranda will likely be back in the mix as well. It's a good problem to have...so long as you you pick the right guys and make the right trades. And we haven't even mentioned Severino, who seems likely to be added to the 40-man and could slug his way into the conversation much like he did in AA this season.

If I'm remembering correctly, there was talk that Julien had been out taking grounders at 1B before a game or 2 in the last couple weeks. Rocco said he didn't know about it, and wasn't the one who asked him to do it, and they had no plans to play him there. I think with his feet and hands he'd make a terrible 1B. I don't think he'd be any good at shifting his feet around the bag to be able to adjust to throws up or down the line, and I don't think his hands would be good for picking low throws. OF is the only shift from 2B that I see for him. No idea how well he judges a ball, but them cutting the experiment off real quick in the minors, and never trying again, isn't encouraging. He's a DH that can fill in at 2B on occasion. Most definitely not ideal, but you find a way to get that bat in your lineup.

[Major League Ready]

31 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Farmer, like Polanco, is under contract for ‘24 - so would need to be traded or released. The first is certainly possible (so you are correct), the second unlikely.  Lee will come around at AAA; no worries there - he’s always hit and he knows the game.  He will be a strong candidate for AL Rookie of the Year in ‘24, which if it happens I think would accrue draft pick benefits to us if he’s up early enough.   He may not break camp per se, but he should be a quick/early call up and, if Lewis does play CF on a regular basis, he should be our starting 3B for most of ‘24.

Farmer is an ARB 3?  So, they could non-tender him but he has trade value.  I think there is at least a 50% chance they keep him.  I just don't think it's a lock.  Maybe he is in the eyes of the FO but the guys at AAA are making noise.

I think Lee will figure it out as well.  I am not on the "rookie of year" level bus.  He has been very good, not elite.  He will be competing against higher ranked / more accomplished prospects.

Polanco has been one of my favorite twins but I think he gets traded if they get a reasonable offer.  He does not look good at 3B and he is not taking 2B back from Julien.

[Major League Ready]

15 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

If I'm remembering correctly, there was talk that Julien had been out taking grounders at 1B before a game or 2 in the last couple weeks. Rocco said he didn't know about it, and wasn't the one who asked him to do it, and they had no plans to play him there. I think with his feet and hands he'd make a terrible 1B. I don't think he'd be any good at shifting his feet around the bag to be able to adjust to throws up or down the line, and I don't think his hands would be good for picking low throws. OF is the only shift from 2B that I see for him. No idea how well he judges a ball, but them cutting the experiment off real quick in the minors, and never trying again, isn't encouraging. He's a DH that can fill in at 2B on occasion. Most definitely not ideal, but you find a way to get that bat in your lineup.

I don't understand the continued call for him a 1B because he really does have terrible hands and foot work.  Severino has become the guy I am hoping they can teach to play 1B but IDK that he has the right tools either.  My thought is he becomes more useful if he can cover 1B/3B/DH.