Minor League Report (8/12): Saints Honor Strawberry, Wind Surge and Kernels Dish Out Runs

[Matt Braun]

Did you know Darryl Strawberry slugged 1.000 for the Saints in 1996?

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (Image is of Tanner Schobel)

TRANSACTIONS
RHP Carlos Luna transferred from AA Wichita to AAA St. Paul
RHP Cole Sands recalled by Twins
LHP Brent Headrick optioned to AAA St. Paul

Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 8, Louisville 4
Box Score
Patrick Murphy: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
HR: Hernán Pérez (5)
Multi-hit games: Yunior Severino (2-for-5, 2B, R, RBI), Chris Williams (2-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB)

On the night they retired Darryl Strawberry’s jersey, the Saints bested the Bats, winning smoothly with a star-studded audience in the crowd. 

Strawberry was a Saint in 1996, where he slashed .435/.538/1.000—yes he slugged 1.000—over 29 games. He then won the World Series with the Yankees. It was a good year to be Darryl Strawberry.

With Mike Veeck, Marv Goldklang, Van Schley, and, of course, Bill Murray on hand for the ceremony, the Saints felt a powerful, important presence looming over their game.

And it fueled them. Patrick Murphy was excellent to start, working four frames with no earned runs while striking out five.

After he blanked the Bats in the 4th, his Saints bats got rolling; Hernán Pérez smoked a three-run shot to right-center to start the scoring. 

The Bats struck for three of their own the following inning—very rude of them—but the Saints had an answer: if three runs weren’t enough, why not try four? Yunior Severino cracked a double and Chris Williams singled up the middle to plate three; the final run scored on a wild pitch. 

St. Paul scored one more time, but they didn’t need the run, and they were able to earn a victory to send Strawberry and the four men who brought baseball to St. Paul home with a win. 

Severino played first base for the second time since joining the Saints. Let the speculating commence. 

Noelvi Marte is the 24th-ranked prospect in MLB; he singled in two at-bats.

Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 13, NW Arkansas 3
Box Score
Jaylen Nowlin: 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Yoyner Fajardo (2-for-6, 2 R, RBI), Tanner Schobel (2-for-6, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI), Patrick Winkel (2-for-6, 2B, R, 2 RBI), Seth Gray (2-for-4, 3 R, RBI, BB), Jake Rucker (3-for-4, 3B, R, 3 RBI)

The Wind Surge obliterated their opponents on Saturday.

It’s always a good sign when it takes me a few minutes to type out the multi-hit games. It was a true group event; every hitter reached base at least once—that’s every hitter that appeared in the game, all 10 of them—as the Wind Surge totaled seven walks on top of their 14 hits. Perhaps the most absurd stat from the game is that Wichita went 9-for-22 with runners in scoring position. 22! There were only two innings that didn’t see a baserunner. 

Not to be overshadowed, starter Jaylen Nowlin pitched very well, allowing a lone earned run over 5 1/3 innings with four strikeouts. More importantly, perhaps, is that he only walked one batter. For a young hurler often at odds with his command, Saturday was a wonderful sight to see. 

Regi Grace dominated in relief as well; he tossed 3 2/3 shutout frames to bring the game to a quiet end.

Yoyner Fajardo stole three bases to bring his season total to 39. 

NW Arkansas third baseman Cayden Wallace is Kansas City’s second-best prospect; he doubled in four at-bats.

Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 10, Quad Cities 12 (10 Innings)
Box Score
Cory Lewis: 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
HR: Carson McCusker (2)
Multi-hit games: Noah Miller (2-for-6, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI), Kala’i Rosario (2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB)

The Kernels were walked-off on Saturday.

No one could blame Cedar Rapids’ offense for losing them the game; outbursts in the fifth, eighth, and ninth helped plate 10 runs for the Kernels. Again, this was a shared success, with every starter either scoring a run or earning an RBI. Noah Miller was perhaps the most successful batter, as he doubled twice and knocked in three out of the lead-off spot. He’s slashing .244/.326/.463 since the start of August.

Despite exiting from Friday’s game after a nasty collision with the outfield wall, Emmanuel Rodriguez played in Saturday’s match, singling and walking in six plate appearances. 

Pitching was hard to come by—for either side, really—as every Kernels pitcher not named Mike Paredes exited with more earned runs than they entered with. 

The game mercifully ended in the 10th, when—after Cedar Rapids failed to plate their Manfred Man—the River Bandits ended the game with a homer in the bottom half of the inning. 

Kansas City’s catcher Carter Jensen is their eighth-best prospect, and he knocked in two with a single and a sacrifice fly.

Mussel Matters
Ft. Myers 3, Bradenton 1
Box Score
Miguelangel Boadas: 3 1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Jay Harry (2-for-3, R)

The Mighty Mussels smothered Bradenton’s bats on Saturday.

Miguelangel Boadas may have started the game, but it was an all-around effort to limit offensive damage; Danny Moreno, Juan Mendez, and Ricardo Velez were all exceptional as well, carrying Fort Myers to the finish line with just one earned run. The most impressive outing? Perhaps Mendez, who struck out five over two scoreless frames.

And the bats did what they needed to do to help win. They only acquired five hits—typically not enough to win—but they also worked six walks, giving themselves plenty of extra chances to knock in runners. They did. Scoring in each of the first three innings, Fort Myers struck a 3-0 lead that never wavered.

Danny De Andrade earned a pair of RBIs, doubling in a run in the 1st while scoring another off a 3rd inning sacrifice fly.

2023 draft pick Jay Harry singled twice; his brother in recent draftee status, Luke Keaschall, walked once in four plate appearances.

The bases proved to be eventful on Saturday, with Fort Myers stealing three bases while being caught twice and picked off once. If my Washington math is correct, they broke even on steals. 

Pittsburgh’s 11th-ranked prospect—an infielder named Mitch Jebb—struck out once in four trips to the plate. 

Complex Chronicles
FCL Twins 2, FCL Red Sox 3
Box Score
Carlos Gutierrez: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
HR: Harold Grant (4)
Multi-hit games: None

The FCL Twins fell to the FCL Red Sox in a low-scoring affair on Saturday.

The New Bash Brothers—Brandon Winokur and Walker Jenkins—disappointed fans looking for fireworks with a tepid one hit over six combined at-bats. That one hit was immediately wiped out when catcher Diego Viloria picked off Jenkins. Certainly, the two will have better games in the future.

No hitter could really put anything together, though; a Harold Grant two-run homer served as the team’s only run-scoring knock.

Both Carlos Gutierrez and Matt Gabbert pitched well, with the two arms combining for 12 strikeouts and just one walk—a rarity for the lower levels of the minors.

Dominican Dailies
DSL Twins 2, DSL Mariners 1
Box Score 
Joel Garcia: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Junior Del Valle (2-for-2)

The DSL Twins sneaked by the DSL Mariners on Saturday.

Joel Garcia had another fine start, following up his four-frame one-earned run outing on the fifth with five shutout innings and five strikeouts. He allowed a few more baserunners than you’d like, but he eluded damage well, always finding a way to strand men on base.

The entirety of the DSL Twins’ offense came in the fourth; Javier Roman doubled in Moises Lopez, and Jesus Peraza—with the help of a Junior Del Valle sacrifice bunt—singled in Roman.

Star international signing Hendry Chivilli continued his poor start to pro ball, punching out three times in four trips to the plate.

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Joel Garcia, DSL Twins 
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jake Rucker, Wichita Wind Surge 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 1-5, R, K
#2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL Twins) - 1-3, K
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, 3 R, BB
#5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 2-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, K
#8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB, K
#10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 2-6, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI, 2 K
#12 - Luke Keaschall (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, R, BB
#13 - Brandon Winokur (FCL Twins) - 0-3, K
#15 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
#16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, R, 2 RBI, BB
#17 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 2-5, 2B, R, RBI, K
#18 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, R, 2 K
#20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 1-3, R

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Louisville @ St. Paul (2:07 PM) - RHP Carlos Luna
Wichita @ NW Arkansas (2:05 PM) - RHP David Festa
Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:00 PM) - RHP C.J. Culpepper
Bradenton @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM) - RHP John Klein 

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[nclahammer]

TD has been doing this for awhile now, and I really like it when they mention the top prospect for their opponent and how they fared in the game too.  Hats off to TD!

[Doctor Wu]

Thanks for another thorough report! Very happy to see Jaylen Nowlin with a good game, and as you noted, for someone with control issues, the fact that he only give up 1 walk was very encouraging to see. 

[Doctor Wu]

I'm still trying to get my head around that teaser of a Darryl Strawberry headline.

Did you know Darryl Strawberry slugged 1.000 for the Saints in 1996?

No, not at all! Any more details on that short stint with the Saints? At that time, it obviously wasn't a Twins affiliate, but what was Strawberry doing there? On some sort or rehab assignment? Back from drug purgatory? 1996 remains a VERY hazy year for me. That was the year I moved overseas to Southeast Asia and at that time, I didn't have any online access and only infrequent access to any printed newspapers that carried sports from the USA, so, the whole Strawberry soap opera (being traded, injuries, drug issues, what else?) remains a gray area for me, not to mention anything else that happened that year or the following year. 

[jmlease1]

more walks for Austin Martin, more runs scored. Hopefully he can finish the season strong and healthy. I think he could be a real option as a 4th OF/super-utility player for the MLb club next season who gets on base all the time and impacts the game on the basepaths as well. Still believe in his talent, and I think he'll add power if he can stay healthy.

[wabene]

Just now, jmlease1 said:

more walks for Austin Martin, more runs scored. Hopefully he can finish the season strong and healthy. I think he could be a real option as a 4th OF/super-utility player for the MLb club next season who gets on base all the time and impacts the game on the basepaths as well. Still believe in his talent, and I think he'll add power if he can stay healthy.

Will those walks translate to MLB? 

[terrydactyls]

1 hour ago, wabene said:

Will those walks translate to MLB? 

Yes.  Four balls is a walk in both the major and minor leagues.

[Dman]

2 hours ago, wabene said:

Will those walks translate to MLB? 

He likes to crowd the plate which is why he gets so many hit by pitch at bats.  With little power I am not sure those walks will translate well.  Just pitch to the guy and the worst he can do is get a single which is essentially the same as a walk.  I would just attack him with breaking stuff and make him work his way on instead of giving him a free pass. 

He hasn't even hit .300 in any minor league season so it isn't like he is great with the bat anyway.  Best way to beat him is to attack him.  He keeps his K rate down so he can hit almost anything but he doesn't get solid contact so his slugging is low and with .260 -.270 Average in AAA I don't see how that approach is gonna translate well to MLB.  His one strength is his balanced K rate and walk rate so he has always had a really good OBP throughout his career.  Gonna have to wait and see but given how many outs he makes I am surprised teams even at AAA want to walk him at all.

[Old Crow]

Caught the Saint's game last night by accident on WUCW.  This was not the 1st time that has happened.  I have never seen any advance notice that these games are being televised in the local media.  Are these last minute scheduling additions what am I missing?

[Daniel Anderson]

12 minutes ago, Old Crow said:

Caught the Saint's game last night by accident on WUCW.  This was not the 1st time that has happened.  I have never seen any advance notice that these games are being televised in the local media.  Are these last minute scheduling additions what am I missing?

A number of weekend home games have been on this and last year. Sometimes the TV sports grid in the Strib or PP lists them in advance.

Chris Williams now has 26 RBIs with the bases loaded this year, in about 15 at bats. Do the Twins have anybody with 5 yet?

I believe Strawberry had 18 homers in 29 games with the Saints in 1996.

[2wins87]

5 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

I'm still trying to get my head around that teaser of a Darryl Strawberry headline.

Did you know Darryl Strawberry slugged 1.000 for the Saints in 1996?

No, not at all! Any more details on that short stint with the Saints? At that time, it obviously wasn't a Twins affiliate, but what was Strawberry doing there? On some sort or rehab assignment? Back from drug purgatory? 1996 remains a VERY hazy year for me. That was the year I moved overseas to Southeast Asia and at that time, I didn't have any online access and only infrequent access to any printed newspapers that carried sports from the USA, so, the whole Strawberry soap opera (being traded, injuries, drug issues, what else?) remains a gray area for me, not to mention anything else that happened that year or the following year. 

I remember going seeing Strawberry at a Saints game that year as a kid. I wasn't super aware of him other than the fact that he had been a good mlb player and was clearly better than everyone else in the league. I think he was just trying to rehabilitate his career at that point, but maybe he had a suspension keeping him from playing in the majors at the beginning of the year?

That was a couple years after Kevin Millar played with the Saints and a year before J.D. Drew played with them at Boras's suggestion after not signing in the MLB draft. Those mid to late 90's Saints teams were a lot of fun, certainly rivaling the Twins of that era for entertainment value.

[jorgenswest]

3 hours ago, Dman said:

He likes to crowd the plate which is why he gets so many hit by pitch at bats.  With little power I am not sure those walks will translate well.  Just pitch to the guy and the worst he can do is get a single which is essentially the same as a walk.  I would just attack him with breaking stuff and make him work his way on instead of giving him a free pass. 

He hasn't even hit .300 in any minor league season so it isn't like he is great with the bat anyway.  Best way to beat him is to attack him.  He keeps his K rate down so he can hit almost anything but he doesn't get solid contact so his slugging is low and with .260 -.270 Average in AAA I don't see how that approach is gonna translate well to MLB.  His one strength is his balanced K rate and walk rate so he has always had a really good OBP throughout his career.  Gonna have to wait and see but given how many outs he makes I am surprised teams even at AAA want to walk him at all.

I tend to agree but I can probably go back and find a similar comment I made about LaMonte Wade Jr. 

[Matt Braun]

10 hours ago, nclahammer said:

TD has been doing this for awhile now, and I really like it when they mention the top prospect for their opponent and how they fared in the game too.  Hats off to TD!

Someone mentioned doing it maybe a year ago and I thought it was a wonderful idea. Thank whoever had that idea!

[Matt Braun]

9 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

I'm still trying to get my head around that teaser of a Darryl Strawberry headline.

Did you know Darryl Strawberry slugged 1.000 for the Saints in 1996?

No, not at all! Any more details on that short stint with the Saints? At that time, it obviously wasn't a Twins affiliate, but what was Strawberry doing there? On some sort or rehab assignment? Back from drug purgatory? 1996 remains a VERY hazy year for me. That was the year I moved overseas to Southeast Asia and at that time, I didn't have any online access and only infrequent access to any printed newspapers that carried sports from the USA, so, the whole Strawberry soap opera (being traded, injuries, drug issues, what else?) remains a gray area for me, not to mention anything else that happened that year or the following year. 

John Shipley has far more information than I could find here:

https://www.twincities.com/2023/08/11/john-shipley-darryl-strawberrys-st-paul-stay-was-short-but-it-definitely-left-a-mark/

[Dman]

3 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

I tend to agree but I can probably go back and find a similar comment I made about LaMonte Wade Jr. 

And of coarse just to make me look an idiot he homered in his first at bat today.  Maybe Wade will be a good comparison.  I hope so.

[Doctor Wu]

13 hours ago, Matt Braun said:

John Shipley has far more information than I could find here:

https://www.twincities.com/2023/08/11/john-shipley-darryl-strawberrys-st-paul-stay-was-short-but-it-definitely-left-a-mark/

Just read the other article in TD too. Thanks for that!