Twins Minor League Report (8/11): Lewis, Lee, Camargo Homer as Daryl Strawberry Returns to St. Paul

[Ted Schwerzler]

Darryl Strawberry met the media Friday prior to a jersey retirement ceremony on Saturday night with the Saints. St. Paul got a late start due to inclement weather but had plenty of fireworks, and the system provided plenty of strong performances.

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

With the St. Paul Saints set to retire Darryl Strawberry’s jersey on Saturday night, he took time to answer questions and discuss what the honor meant to him. For a guy that had played on some of the biggest stages over the course of his career, a 29-game sample with the Saints seems rather nondescript. Batting .435 with 18 home runs in that stretch though, his performance was anything but to be overlooked.

“I think it means everything to the people that are here. All of the people that were here when I came here. The St. Paul staff, the fans. I really had no idea if I wanted to play baseball again. The wonderful people of St. Paul welcomed me and my family at that particular time. My life was in shambles. They were a big part of my journey.” Strawberry remembers his time with the Saints fondly. Frankly he says, “most people don’t know I really didn’t want to come to play. My agent convinced me it would be a good place. I realized that baseball was fun again.”

The Saints have been synonymous with fun, and that certainly made a lasting impression on Strawberry. “I’ve always played in chaotic atmospheres. I was treated in such a different way here. I never heard a fan boo, that’s a miracle in and of itself. All of the activities that were going on during a ballgame; I think they had a pig running around. I played baseball a long time, and I’ve never played a game where they were giving haircuts up in the stands. It had a special feel and memories will stay with you because I was part of it.”

Playing the game itself was certainly fun as well, and that’s aided by such a strong performance on the field. When asked if Strawberry had ever seen that sort of success during a stretch before he said, “I didn’t experience that in high school even, and high school was pretty good. In 100-something at bats, I’ve never experienced that much success. I don’t care what level it’s been at, you have to actually go out there and perform. To be able to do that, it really tells me how comfortable I was playing for the Saints.”

While Strawberry’s background and history are well documented, he appears to be in a much healthier place. “Life now is fun. I’m busy. I have a wonderful life and marriage. My wife and I have a ministry. I get to do some pretty cool things. Life is a real journey. A lot of times it has nothing to do with being a baseball player. I was raised right, but I was the one that lived a heathen lifestyle, and there’s a price to be paid for that. I hope my mother is proud of me.”

Maybe the most thought provoking comment from The Straw Man came when he was asked how he ultimately was able to figure it out. “You don’t figure life out by yourself. My wife Tracy has had the biggest influence in my life. She was the only person that ever told me, when are you going to take that baseball uniform off and identify yourself as someone other than a baseball player. She was right, I never thought about that. The uniform represents what you do, but I needed to go on a journey to find myself and who I was.”

Fans can flock to CHS Field on Saturday if they’d like to take in the number retirement ceremony for Strawberry, as well as catch what could be Royce Lewis’ final weekend in action at Triple-A for the year. Great seats are still available for the festivities and fans can grab tickets here.

SAINTS SENTINEL 
St. Paul 5, Louisville 0
Box Score
After the hyped-up matchup between Hunter Greene and Royce Lewis on Thursday night, he was back in the lineup batting second as the Saints designated hitter on Friday. On Tuesday, he said postgame that the plan is for him to play the week in St. Paul. Assuming things continue going well, he should be active for the Twins when they return home to face the Tigers next week.

Rain and hail poured down across parts of the Twin Cities metro area during the early-evening hours Friday, and that left the Saints with a new lake bracketing the outfield. The game was still scheduled to take place, but the 7pm start time wasn’t going to happen.

After some minor flooding, this one got underway over 90 minutes late, and Louie Varland was on the bump. He turned in arguably the best performance of his season. He went 7 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed just three hits and a walk. He punched out six and dominated the top offense in the International League. 

Lewis wasted little time making his mark on Friday’s game. Stepping in as the second batter in the bottom of the first inning, he blasted a homer, his second of the week. Jair Camargo then doubled on a crazy play to the first baseman that scored both Trevor Larnach and Gilberto Celestino. Up 3-0 after the first, the wait was worth it for St. Paul.

Brooks Lee led off the third inning with his first Triple-A home run, and Camargo followed his lead launching his 18th.

The Saints got two hits from Lewis, Camargo, and Martin Friday night. They also accounted for four of the five runs driven in. Martin grabbed his ninth stolen based and Varland allowed St. Paul to go into the weekend on a high note.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
NW Arkansas 8, Wichita 7
Box Score
The Wind Surge turned to Marco Raya on Friday night. He has been struggling of late, and this was another abbreviated outing. While he didn’t give up a hit, the Wichita starter allowed a run on four walks in just one inning.

After giving up a run in the first inning, the Wind Surge stormed back and took over. Alerick Soularie clubbed his eighth homer of the year. His second-inning blast plated Seth Gray to take a lead. In the third inning, Yoyner Fajardo homered for the seventh time before Patrick Winkel doubled home Tanner Schobel. Gray then launched his seventh dinger of the season which scored Winkel, and gave the good guys a 6-1 lead.

Soularie singled home Dalton Shuffield in the fifth inning to give Wichita a commanding 7-1 lead. Northwest Arkansas got two back in the sixth inning, but the distance still provided them breathing room.

Unfortunately, things went sideways in the eighth inning when Wichita saw their lead evaporate, and the Travelers tied things at seven. Wichita went scoreless in the top of the ninth which allowed Northwest Arkansas to complete the comeback in walkoff fashion in the bottom of the ninth inning. Luca Tresh singled home Jorge Bonifacio, and the Wind Surge saw a six-run lead go to waste.

Soularie had a big night with a pair of hits, three RBI, and the big fly. He was the only Wind Surge player to record multiple hits. Shuffield stole a pair of bags with Soularie swiping one as well.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 3
Box Score
Andrew Morris took the ball for Cedar Rapids and twirled five innings of one (unearned) run baseball. Morris allowed only four hits, walked one, and struck out three. He has continued to have a strong season and lowered his ERA to 2.81 with the Kernels.

Quad Cities scored the first run of the game in the first inning. Cedar Rapids grabbed a lead with a three-spot in the third inning though, and they never gave it back. Noah Miller launched his seventh home run of the season which drove in Jeferson Morales. Emmanuel Rodriguez followed his lead with a home run, his 15th of the year. Ben Ross went deep for the 16th time this season and made it a four-run game.

The River Bandits drew closer with a run in the sixth inning, and drama ensued. Dustin Dickerson’s double brought home Juan Carlos Negret, but Dickerson was nailed at the plate. Quad Cities wanted interference to be called on the play, and the benches emptied.

A seventh-inning run for the River Bandits made it a one-run game, but that was where things ended with the Kernels grabbing the victory.

No Kernels had multiple hits Friday evening, but Miller recorded a pair of RBI while Noah Cardenas stole his ninth base. Unfortunately, Rodriguez was lifted due to injury, and it didn’t look pretty. Jeff Johnson talked with manager Brian Dinkelman postgame and it sounds like Rodriguez will be just fine.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Bradenton 7, Fort Myers 4
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels started Jack Noble on Friday night, and he turned in 3 2/3 innings of work. Noble allowed three runs on five hits and five walks. He didn’t give up a longball and struck out five in the effort.

Bradenton put Fort Myers behind early with a three-run first inning. The Mighty Mussels answered in the fourth inning with three runs of their own. Maddux Houghton doubled home Nate Baez and Jay Harry before Gregory Duran brought in Alec Sayre on a sacrifice fly to even the score.

In the fifth inning, Baez scored on a wild pitch which gave Fort Myers their first lead of the contest. It was short-lived because the Marauders scored two in the sixth and two more runs in the seventh. The Mighty Mussels didn’t answer and dropped the tilt by a three-run deficit.

Baez had a strong night. He recorded three of the six total hits for Fort Myers. Houghton’s double was the only extra-base hit.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 8, FCL Red Sox 4
Box Score
Friday was a big day in the Complex League for Twins prospects as a host of recently-drafted pitchers made their professional debut. Nolan Santos, Ty Langenberg, Xander Hamilton, Spencer Bengard, Hector Garcia Jr., Jacob King, and Liam Rocha now all have officially begun their careers.

Santos struck out two batters, as did Langenberg and Hamilton. Langenberg picked up his first professional hold, and Pierce Banks recorded the win.

Walker Jenkins started the scoring with a triple, driving in Jankel Ortiz and Byron Chourio. By the eighth inning, the Twins were staring at a 4-2 deficit but came roaring back. Isaac Pena singled home Jenkins before Bryan Acuna drove in Poncho Ruiz and Anderson Nova to make it a 5-4 ballgame.

In the ninth inning, Brandon Winokur blasted his third dinger of the season. The two-run shot also plated Chourio. Harold Grant doubled in Pena before the frame was over, and the 8-4 lead was enough to hold up.

Winokur and Pena both recorded a pair of hits on the afternoon.

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL Twins 7, DSL Nationals 4
Box Score
Yency De Jesus came on for the Twins in the third inning and provided five strong innings of work. He got the win after he struck out eight batters and allowed just one run on three hits and three walks.

Angel Trinidad had a big game from the nine-spot, going 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Moises Lopez homered for the fourth time this season. His solo shot made it a 5-2 game in the fifth inning. Juan Hernandez drove in Junior Del Valle in the same frame. The Twins added another run in the seventh inning.

Trinidad was the only Twins player to record multiple hits, and he also swiped a pair of bases. The Twins stole five total bases in the game.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Louie Varland (St. Paul) - 7.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Hitter of the Day – Alerick Soularie (Wichita) - 2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR(8), SB(14), 2 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 (St. Paul) - 1-4, HR(1), R, RBI
#2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL Twins) - 1-5, R, 2 RBI, 3B, K
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-2, R, RBI, HR(15), K
#4 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB
#5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-1, K
#8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 2-4, SB(9) 
#10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-4, R, BB, 2 K
#12 - Luke Keaschall (Fort Myers) - 0-4, 2 K
#13 - Brandon Winokur (FCL Twins) - 2-5, R, 2 RBI, HR(3), 2 K
#16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, K
#19 - Brent Headrick (Minnesota) - 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Louisville @ St. Paul (7:07PM CST) - TBD
Wichita @ NW Arkansas (6:05PM CST) - RHP Jaylen Nowlin
Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30PM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis
Bradenton @ Fort Myers (5:00PM CST) - RHP Miguelangel Boadas

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

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[twinstalker]

Thanks.  Not sure what your criterion is for a "prospect," but Wallner's passed the rookie AB threshold.

[Jocko87]

I can't help but notice that Varland is on the same schedule as Kuechel.  Wonder if its just a co-inkidink.

[FlyingFinn]

Hate to see E-Rod crashing into the wall. Hope it's nothing. The Twins need to have better training on how to (or not to) crash into walls. Maybe hire a hockey guy that teaches how to (and not to) take checks.

[mikelink45]

Headricks performance so far could drop him from the prospects list.  

[tony&rodney]

Brooks Lee is a quick learner. From my observations (milb.com), Lee has become more comfortable as the season has gone along. He is aggressive in certain counts and on specific pitches. Lee also knows how to put the bat on the ball when needed. His first full year of professional baseball is looking excellent. Each month it seems Lee looks better as he adjusts to the pitchers rather quickly.

[terrydactyls]

Jair Carmargo hits a pop up but he still put his head down and ran hard toward 1st base.  Good to see hustle.  And then the Keystone Cops showed up and hilarity ensued.

Speaking of hustle, E-Rod has some wheels.  He covered a lot of ground to catch that ball.  I hope the collision was more knocking the wind out of him than a physical injury.

[DJL44]

I got to attend the Saints game last evening. Looks like they're on TV tonight so I should get to see them back to back.

Brooks Lee is going to be a very good baseball player. He made a couple nifty plays at SS and looks like he can clearly handle the position. His first flyball out was to the deepest part of CF and the HR was a bomb.

Varland shut down a Triple-A lineup like a big league pitcher is supposed to do. Nice to see his success and fun to see him meet up with his family for fireworks after the game. The fireworks started a little early with one of the Bats hitters getting into it with Camargo. They let Louie stay in the 8th inning just to strike that guy out again and send him back to the dugout.

Royce Lewis is ready. Just bring him up. He's not challenged by AAA pitching.

Camargo has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. That can be a good thing for a catcher.

Larnach looks like he's pressing a little at the plate. Played pretty well in RF though.

Martin and Prato are a contrast of tools versus skills. 

Kiersey looked overwhelmed at the plate and Celestino wasn't much better. Moran still can't find the strike zone.

Lots of talent on the Saints right now and still the best ballpark experience in the Twin Cities.

[roger]

The Twins really need Lewis back.  Hopefully he returns Monday and is healthy thru the playoffs.  Also could use a healthy AK.

Could not be more excited for those two high school kids down in Florida.    With both Lee and Martin playing well, what a battle next spring for the second base job.  Will Polo still be a Twin?

[DJL44]

7 minutes ago, roger said:

The Twins really need Lewis back.  Hopefully he returns Monday and is healthy thru the playoffs.  Also could use a healthy AK.

Could not be more excited for those two high school kids down in Florida.    With both Lee and Martin playing well, what a battle next spring for the second base job.  Will Polo still be a Twin?

Notable that you didn't even put Julien in consideration for 2B. I would play Lee at 2B and Lewis at 3B and that could be a very good infield. I think I would keep Polanco as a veteran bench player but I don't think he has the physical ability to play every day anymore which means I would decline the $10.25M option.

[roger]

8 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Notable that you didn't even put Julien in consideration for 2B. I would play Lee at 2B and Lewis at 3B and that could be a very good infield. I think I would keep Polanco as a veteran bench player but I don't think he has the physical ability to play every day anymore which means I would decline the $10.25M option.

As usual, DJL44, my writing often isn't as clear as my thoughts.  The battle I envision for second base next spring will/could include Lee, Lewis, Martin, and Julien in addition to the veterans, Polo and Farmer.  Reason I say Lewis is he could be at either second or third.  But what if Miranda's 2023 disaster was really the result of his injury from spring?  What if he returns as the player he was in 2022?  

[DJL44]

21 minutes ago, roger said:

As usual, DJL44, my writing often isn't as clear as my thoughts.  The battle I envision for second base next spring will/could include Lee, Lewis, Martin, and Julien in addition to the veterans, Polo and Farmer.  Reason I say Lewis is he could be at either second or third.  But what if Miranda's 2023 disaster was really the result of his injury from spring?  What if he returns as the player he was in 2022?  

If Miranda returns then you don't need Solano anymore. 

[Hashim]

4 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Headricks performance so far could drop him from the prospects list.  

I feel like he’s better as a starter. His swing and miss stuff is good. 

[Seth Stohs]

14 hours ago, twinstalker said:

Thanks.  Not sure what your criterion is for a "prospect," but Wallner's passed the rookie AB threshold.

We use the same criteria as rookie qualification, but as you may have seen in the forums, we are also now voting on the updated Top 20 prospect rankings, and he isn't eligible. 

[Seth Stohs]

13 hours ago, Jocko87 said:

I can't help but notice that Varland is on the same schedule as Kuechel.  Wonder if its just a co-inkidink.

Probably not an accident. I would think that Keuchel would get another start next weekend against the Pirates. Varland's been struggling a lot prior to last night, so I don't think they need to rush into a decision. 

[AlwaysinModeration]

Great story on Darryl Strawberry.  I was at the Saints game in 1996 (?) when he hit three homers.  Nice to read about how  playing with the Saints was a part of him redemption story.  Good for him (and his wife) for getting on track.