Twins Minor League Report (9/6): Larnach Launches Help Saints Slam Bats

[Seth Stohs]

The Saints won in grand fashion with another impressive power performance. Wichita still has a chance to get to the playoffs. Cedar Rapids just keeps rolling. And the Mighty Mussels have won 13 of their past 16 games and ensured their ninth winning season in the past ten seasons. 

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

On Tuesday, Brooks Lee his a grand slam for the Saints. It was the team's 12th grand slam of the season which is more than any other team in professional baseball right now. On Wednesday, the Saints combined to hit five more homers including a 13th grand slam. And its timing couldn't have been better. It wasn't the only grand slam in the Twins minor leagues on Wednesday. 

Check out the records of the Twins and their affiliates: 

Minnesota Twins: 73-66
St. Paul Saints: 77-56
Wichita Wind Surge: 60-67 
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 82-46
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 66-61

Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. 

TRANSACTIONS
The Twins had RHP Chris Paddack make his first rehab appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery early in the 2022 season. 

In addition, the Mussels put RHP Juan Mercedes on the Development List and activated LHP Develson Aria. 

photo by William Parmeter (Chris Paddack)

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 13, Louisville 8
Box Score
The Saints scored one run from the second inning through the eighth inning. Yet somehow they scored 13 runs in the game.. Two big innings and some big home runs helped the Saints to their 77th win of the season. 

The Saints jumped to a big lead right away with five runs in the top of the first inning. Michael Helman led off the game with a home run, a sign of things to come. After one out, Brooks Lee singled and scored on Trevor Larnach’s 13th Saints homer to give them a 3-0 lead. Kyle Garlick was hit by a pitch. That was followed by Yunior Severino’s seventh Saints homer, and 31st homer overall. 5-0 Saints. 

 

As noted, the Saints offense didn’t do much again until the ninth inning. The lone exception was Austin Martin’s sixth home run which came in the fourth inning. So let’s jump to the pitching. 

 

David Festa started and gave up two runs on three hits over 4 2/3 innings. He had six strikeouts. However, he also had six strikeouts and six walks which drove up the pitch count. Michael Boyle walked two and struck out one over the next 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Alex Scherff came on and threw a scoreless seventh inning. However, he gave up one run in the bottom of the eighth inning before leaving the game with one out and two runners on base. 

Ronny Henriquez came into the game with a 6-3 lead. However, he allowed both of the inherited runners to score, and three more runs before getting the third out of the eighth inning. 

The Saints came to bat in the ninth inning down 8-6. #OldFriend Alan Busenitz, who has spent a couple of stints in the big leagues with the Reds this season, came in for the Bats. He spent parts of 2017 and 2018 with the Twins. He spent four seasons pitching for Rakuten in Japan. He returned to the States this year. 

With that as the backdrop, the Saints put together a huge inning. Busenitz struck out the first batters. However, Austin Martin and Gilberto Celestino singled to put runners on first and third. DaShawn Keirsey came in to pinch hit and walked to load the bases. Michael Helman singled to score Martin. 

Busenitz’s night was done, and Silvino Bracho came in. Alex Kirilloff came up and drove in two runs with a single to right field to give the Saints a 9-8 lead. Brooks Lee followed with a walk to load the bases again. That brought Trevor Larnach up, and he crushed the first grand slam of his professional career to give the Saints the 13-8 lead. The grand slam was the Saints’ 13th this season. 

 

Henriquez came back out for the bottom of the ninth inning. He walked the first batter but responded by coaxing a double play ball. After a two-out double, he was able to record the final out of the game. 

Larnach led the way with his two home runs and six RBI. Austin Martin went 2-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. Michael Helman went 2-for-5 with his fifth homer. Alex Kirilloff went 2-for-5. Gilberto Celestino went 2-for-4. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 4, Corpus Christi 10
Box Score
The Wind Surge fell behind 5-0 through four innings. Sean Mooney made the start as an “opener” of sorts for Wichita. He walked one and struck out two batters in a scoreless first inning. Carlos Luna came in and was charged with five runs on six hits and a walk over 2 2/3 innings. He had three strikeouts and allowed three home runs. 

Down 5-0, the Wind Surge put together a burst. With one out, Ben Ross and Jake Rucker hit back-to-back singles. After a ground out advanced them with a ground out. With two outs, there was a pitching change. Aaron Sabato walked to load the bases, and Seth Gray’s eighth homer of the season cut their deficit to 5-4. Unfortunately, the Gray grand slam was the end of the Wind Surge scoring for the evening. 

 

Taylor Floyd gave up two runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings. He had three strikeouts. Lefty Aaron Rozek recorded two outs. He gave up three runs on three hits (including two homers). Isaac Mattson came in and struck out five batters over two perfect innings. 

Ben Ross went 2-for-4 with a walk. Yoyner Fajardo hit his sixth triple. Aaron Sabato had a single and two walks.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 1
Box Score
The Kernels jumped ahead 3-0 after two innings and it held up as they recorded their 82nd win of the year. 

Cedar Rapids got some help from their hosts in Appleton. Noah Miller reached first base on an error. After an Emmanuel Rodriguez single, a passed ball put runners on second and third. Soon after, Miller scored on a wild pitch. That was it, though. 

The second inning started completely the opposite. Rehabbing lefty Aaron Ashby got a groundout and a strikeout to start the inning before issuing a walk. That ended his appearance and Brewer Fanatic’s starting pitcher of the month of August, Cameron Wagoner, entered. After a Keoni Cavaco single and a Noah Miller walk loaded the bases, Emmanuel Rodriguez drilled a two-run single up the middle to give the Kernels a 3-0 lead. 

That was it for the Kernels’ scoring until the top of the ninth inning when Jose Salas hit his fourth homer of the season. 

The Kernels had five hits with Rodriguez having two of them. He also stole his 20th base of the season. Noah Miller hit his fifth triple and a walk. 

The offense did their part, but the pitching staff was the big story on Wednesday afternoon. Cory Lewis was fantastic. He improved to 5-1 on the season thanks to five shutout innings. He gave up just one hit. He walked two and struck out three to drop his ERA with the Kernels to 2.32. 

Mike Paredes came in and got one out before giving up a single to Brock Wilken. Then the rains came. The game was delayed for just over 100 minutes. When the game continued, Ricardo Velez came in. He gave up a hit to allow the Paredes runner to score, but he gave up just two hits over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He walked none and struck out one. Jarret Whorff got the final four outs, two on strikeouts, to record his third save. 

 

 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 5
Box Score
The game went back and forth throughout the game. Fortunately, the Mussels scored last and held on. It was 3-3 through four innings, and then it was 5-5 through seven innings. But first, the Mussels were able to use a guy with 21 career wins in the big leagues as their starting pitcher. 

Chris Paddack came to the Twins on Opening Day 2022. After just a handful of starts, his elbow blew out and soon after, he had his second Tommy John surgery. On Wednesday night in Fort Myers, he returned to the mound for his first rehab appearance. The raw numbers won’t jump out to anyone. In 2 2/3 innings, he gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. He had four strikeouts. Most impressive, at least to me, was that he was able to (or allowed to) throw 52 pitches. No real surprise that just 27 of those pitches were strikes. But, the stuff looks good.

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Down 3-0 going to the bottom of the fourth inning, Danny De Andrade and Rubel Cespedes started the inning with walks. Nate Baez followed with a three-run homer to tie the game. Then in the bottom of the fifth, the innings started with singles by Jay Harry and Walker Jenkins. Jenkins stole second. Soon after, Harry scored on a wild pitch. Jenkins scored on a groundout by De Andrade to make it 5-3. However, the Marauders tied it with two runs in the top of the seventh frame.  

When Paddack was done, Jack Noble came in as the ‘Bulk’ pitcher and worked the next 5 1/3 innings. He gave up three runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out five batters. He was really only hurt by two home run balls. 

In the bottom of the eighth, the Mussels started with Rubel Cespedes and Nate Baez walks. Maddux Houghton pinch-ran for Cespedes. Alec Sayre grounded back to the pitcher who got the out at second but Sayre beat the throw to first. Houghton advanced to third base. That brought up catcher Kyle Schmidt came up and grounded to shortstop. They recorded the out at second but Schmidt’s hustle beat the throw and allowed Houghton to score the go-ahead run. 

With the one-run lead, lefty Samuel Perez came in and worked a one-two-three ninth inning to record his second save of the year. 

Jay Harry went 2-for-4. Walker Jenkins was 2-for-4 with his second stolen base.. Nate Baez’s home run was his second of the season. He also walked twice. Rubel Cespedes was 1-for-1 with three walks and stole his third base. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day – Trevor Larnach (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 2-HR(14), 2 R, 6 RBI, K. 
Pitcher of the Day – Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 69 pitches, 45 strikes (61.1%)
Blooper of the Day - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - Great catch, but forgetting how many outs there are is always funny the next day when it gets on blooper reels. 

 

 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. 

#1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, 2 R, K
#2 - Walker Jenkins (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, R, SB(2)
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2 RBI, K, SB(20)
#6 - David Festa (St. Paul) - 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 6 K, 91 pitches, 43 strikes (47.3%)
#7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 2-for-3, HBP, HR(6), 2 R, RBI
#10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4 
#13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 3 K
#14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, HR(7, 31), R, 2 RBI, 3 K
#17 - Danny De Andrade (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, BB, R, RBI 
#19 - Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 69 pitches, 45 strikes (65.2%)

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES
St. Paul @ Louisville (5:35 PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (5-6, 5.29 ERA)
Wichita @ Corpus Christi (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl (7-3, 2.95 ERA)  
Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:40 PM CST) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (2-1, 3.58 ERA)
Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - RHP John Klein (2-1, 2.97 ERA) 

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics!

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[FlyingFinn]

These highlights of Martin in CF seem to show he is really good out there. Now, hopefully he never forgets how many outs there are. Still not counting him out as an add to the 40 man and being on the playoff runner mostly as a pinch runner.

[joemama]

We probably don't say it enough: these MiLB reports are very much appreciated! One think I'd like to see you add at the end, right below the PROSPECT SUMMARY, is a REHAB SUMMARY, and within it include both the day's line and total line since the start of his rehab. It would currently include Kirilloff and Paddack for sure but could also include Buxton, even though his rehab was temporarily halted. Thanks for all you do!

[mikelink45]

That Saints lineup is really good - impressive and promising.  How many will be in Minneapolis next year?

[Doctor Wu]

7 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

These highlights of Martin in CF seem to show he is really good out there. Now, hopefully he never forgets how many outs there are. Still not counting him out as an add to the 40 man and being on the playoff runner mostly as a pinch runner.

Yeah, that was a great catch, followed by a crazy mental mistake that will no doubt go viral online. Like you said, let's hope that's a BIG learning moment for Martin!

[Doctor Wu]

Seth, what do you think will happen to Larnach next year? It doesn't seem like he's much of a factor in the Twins future plans at this point. 

[Major League Ready]

Great to see Paddack pitching again.  Seems like a longshot that he could get his command to the point where he can contribute in October but that would be a nice surprise.

Walker Jenkins!

[tony&rodney]

Paddack cam out of the game with two outs and two runners on base. The relief pitcher gave up a three run home run, which accounted for Paddack's two runs.

Emmanuel Rodriguez is good but still young and prone to giving away at bats with long swings. Exciting prospect for sure.

Michael Helman strikes me as a player that could be useful on a MLB roster. Austin Martin is an athlete, hopefully in CF next year.

Twins Daily does an amazing job with these minor league recaps of the games. If I'm up late I grab the computer specifically to look for the summaries or love to grab a cup of coffee and go directly to the minor league reports early in the morning. 

I have been watching multiple games on milb.com whenever possible. Saints comeback was explosive.

Thank you for the write-ups.

[gil4]

27 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

Walker Jenkins!

Ho hum. Just another 2-hit night.  

[Trov]

8 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

These highlights of Martin in CF seem to show he is really good out there. Now, hopefully he never forgets how many outs there are. Still not counting him out as an add to the 40 man and being on the playoff runner mostly as a pinch runner.

Only way he could make playoff roster now is if we have a new injury putting someone on the 60 day IL.  He needed to be added before September.  Stevenson was added just on September 1, but they moved a player to 60 day IL.  

[Kenny Powers]

For me, it was great to see Paddock has his velocity up.  He was a 95 mph guy in 2021.  Dropped to 93.5 mph last year.  Now it looks like he's already back to 95 - fantastic!  If you step back and squint....there is a pitching pipeline coming through for next year:

1.)  Paddock

2.)  Varland

3.)  Festa

4.)  Enlow

5.)  Canterino

6.)  Raya

7.)  Ohl

8.)  Nowlin

9.)  Lewis

10.)  Culpepper

Plus whatever emerges from our recent draft.  Some of those guys will be competing for starting spots next year and others might be ready to fill in our bullpen.

[FlyingFinn]

7 minutes ago, Trov said:

Only way he could make playoff roster now is if we have a new injury putting someone on the 60 day IL.  He needed to be added before September.  Stevenson was added just on September 1, but they moved a player to 60 day IL. 

Very easy - Moran with a forearm strain. IL-60 and Martin's is in. Or if Buxton is totally shut down. A lengthy discussion of this on TD ended with the commissioner basically rubber stamps these post-September moves from within the organization.

[2wins87]

Watched most of Festa's start.  He did have some general trouble finding his locations, particularly with his breaking ball, but he also seemed to have some issues with the automatic K zone.

There was one particular at bat where he threw 4 straight pitches belt high over the plate and ended up with a 4 pitch walk.  He was visibly baffled after that one.  It seemed like he eventually started mostly working at the bottom of the zone, even with his fastball, which is typically more effective at the top of the zone.  I'm still encouraged by how his stuff played when he got it in the zone.

The hitters that spent a lot of time in AAA and the majors have apparently commented on how they learned to just not offer at anything up in AAA since the top of the zone was so different from the typical zone in the majors.  I think there are still some kinks to work out before we see it in the majors.  From my understanding, the zone is determined for each player by taking measurements, but I don't know exactly how this is done.  Presumably they use the rulebook definition while they are in their batting stance, but that seems like it would give hitters a lot of incentive to alter their stance a bit when taking measurements to get a smaller zone.  I think the rulebook probably needs to be changed for an automatic zone, and they have to find a reasonable anatomical marker in standing position that is fair for hitters and pitchers.

Anyway, Lee also had a nice play deep in the hole at short.  He looks like he would be a serviceable SS in the majors, but it'll be interesting to see where he can find a spot next year with Correa and Lewis currently manning the left side.  I think Martin now has to be pretty much a full-time outfielder.  The Twins just have too many better options in AAA and the majors for the infield spots.

 

[2wins87]

2 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

Yeah, that was a great catch, followed by a crazy mental mistake that will no doubt go viral online. Like you said, let's hope that's a BIG learning moment for Martin!

For the record, the first base coach had no idea what he was talking about.  That wasn't a homerun, it was a throwing error giving the runner second base.  Didn't end up affecting the score, though it is still very critical to know how many outs there are.

[stringer bell]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

That Saints lineup is really good - impressive and promising.  How many will be in Minneapolis next year?

This has been on my mind a lot. I believe Larnach will be out of options in 2024, Austin Martin and Lee look like they will get their big-league baptisms next year and then there are guys like Helman, Severino, and Prato that also might merit a chance even though they aren't top prospects. Add in Jose Miranda, who displayed a major league bat in 2022. The Twins have the ability to return starters (under contract or team option) at every position except center field. (counting Buxton as a DH), so the St. Paul guys would mostly be looking at utility positions and the Twins have Castro, Farmer and Solano. 

I don't think the Twins can carry that many veteran utility guys, so I think at least one and maybe two of Castro, Solano and Farmer will be gone by Opening Day next year despite their good performances this year. 

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

This has been on my mind a lot. I believe Larnach will be out of options in 2024, Austin Martin and Lee look like they will get their big-league baptisms next year and then there are guys like Helman, Severino, and Prato that also might merit a chance even though they aren't top prospects. Add in Jose Miranda, who displayed a major league bat in 2022. The Twins have the ability to return starters (under contract or team option) at every position except center field. (counting Buxton as a DH), so the St. Paul guys would mostly be looking at utility positions and the Twins have Castro, Farmer and Solano. 

I don't think the Twins can carry that many veteran utility guys, so I think at least one and maybe two of Castro, Solano and Farmer will be gone by Opening Day next year despite their good performances this year. 

I'll correct myself--Fangraphs says that Larnach will still have an option in 2024. That increases his value, both to the Twins and other teams. 

[DJL44]

6 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

I'll correct myself--Fangraphs says that Larnach will still have an option in 2024. That increases his value, both to the Twins and other teams. 

It's time to give him a season in the big leagues and see what happens. There's no reason to stash him in AAA for another season.

[stringer bell]

Just now, DJL44 said:

It's time to give him a season in the big leagues and see what happens. There's no reason to stash him in AAA for another season.

Okay, but where does he play? Assuming Kepler is retained (for the record, I doubted his return, but now am in favor of it), it again is Wallner and Larnach for a corner OF spot, neither of whom have sustained big-league corner OF production. IMHO, Wallner's run with the Twins has been good, but the batting average is going down and the Ks are rising. Larnach has been similar, but with less power.

[Dman]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

I don't think the Twins can carry that many veteran utility guys, so I think at least one and maybe two of Castro, Solano and Farmer will be gone by Opening Day next year despite their good performances this year. 

I have the Twins trading or trying to trade Farmer after the season.  They have Lewis who can handle short in a pinch and Castro with Lee likely on the way and all three can bat righty if needed.  I think all three can likely match Farmer's .700 OPS.  With Martin, Severino, Rodriguez and Carmargo likely adds to the 40 man I just don't see room.

Also Martin and Celestino are almost identical players can they afford to have both on the 40 man? Martin would have a full three option years left, appears to have more power and runs as well as Celestino. Moving Celestino would make sense as well if you ask me.

I don't know what they do with Solano.  He is a clutch right handed bat and would be hard to replace.  How long he can keep this up is hard to say but since he doesn't need to play every day maybe the Twins can keep him fresh if they can hang onto him.

[DJL44]

3 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Okay, but where does he play?

Probably on a different team.

[RpR]

14 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

It's time to give him a season in the big leagues and see what happens. There's no reason to stash him in AAA for another season.

Garlick is doing better in AAA than Larnach and would be added before Larnach.

[DocBauer]

Great catch by Martin. Seems we've seen a bunch of those the past few months. Right now, I think he's an honest contender for CF in 2024. And that's why I'm also OK letting him finish this season at AAA, in order to keep playing daily and honing all of his abilities. Now, were the Twins willing to promote him and let him play every day, we have a different discussion.

Helman and Keirsey are both later developing options, for different reasons,  but shouldn't  be counted out as future contributors. Not predicting "starhood" for either,  but Keirsey can do a little of everything offensively and is reportedly a very good CF. I can see roster scenarios where he and Martin are both on the club. (Even for short periods of time). Helman is a RH version of Keirsey offensively, with the ability and experience to plug in everywhere buy catcher. I'd be willing to bet real $ Luplow would  never have been needed/claimed had Helman been healthy this year.

Unless moved, Larnach, Severino, and Prato join the list of Saints who all might be part of the 2024 Twins at some point.

[Beast]

Sure would be nice to find a place for Kirilloff and Larnach against RHP right now.  Both are on fire.

Wallner has gone fairly cold.  It looks even worse if you take out the BP against a position player.

Julien is slashing .236/.367/.303 over the past 30 games.  The OBP is very good, but could use a little more thump from someone hitting in a prominent lineup slot.

We all know how Gallo has been playing.

Bring up Kirilloff and Larnach.  Get them some major league ABs before the playoffs.  Gallo and Stevenson are expendable.

[stringer bell]

21 minutes ago, Dman said:

I have the Twins trading or trying to trade Farmer after the season.  They have Lewis who can handle short in a pinch and Castro with Lee likely on the way and all three can bat righty if needed.  I think all three can likely match Farmer's .700 OPS.  With Martin, Severino, Rodriguez and Carmargo likely adds to the 40 man I just don't see room.

Also Martin and Celestino are almost identical players can they afford to have both on the 40 man? Martin would have a full three option years left, appears to have more power and runs as well as Celestino. Moving Celestino would make sense as well if you ask me.

I don't know what they do with Solano.  He is a clutch right handed bat and would be hard to replace.  How long he can keep this up is hard to say but since he doesn't need to play every day maybe the Twins can keep him fresh if they can hang onto him.

I wrote a response to this posting this morning, but it doesn't seem to have been posted.

My thought is that Jose Miranda might be a suitable replacement for Donnie Barrels. Solano has been a fine hitter this year, but he's 35 and he is a limited guy in the field and on the bases. Miranda looked like a really good hitter in '22, and he can play first and third base and be a DH. Miranda could be as good a hitter as Solano and have more power.

I don't think of Martin and Celestino are identical. While they are the same age, Martin has better speed and versatility and projects to provide far better hitting skills. I see Celestino as a DFA or trade candidate.

[Dman]

3 hours ago, stringer bell said:

I wrote a response to this posting this morning, but it doesn't seem to have been posted.

My thought is that Jose Miranda might be a suitable replacement for Donnie Barrels. Solano has been a fine hitter this year, but he's 35 and he is a limited guy in the field and on the bases. Miranda looked like a really good hitter in '22, and he can play first and third base and be a DH. Miranda could be as good a hitter as Solano and have more power.

I don't think of Martin and Celestino are identical. While they are the same age, Martin has better speed and versatility and projects to provide far better hitting skills. I see Celestino as a DFA or trade candidate.

Not sure I have the faith you do in Miranda but can't say I disagree all that much.  He was good at the plate once before and should be good again.  Donnie Barrels is old and limited defensively, but I am not sure what the Twins will do there. Not a ton of space on the 40 man and they need these younger players to build value so you could be right.

I should have clarified that I meant Celestino and and Martin are almost identical hitters.  They walk about as much as they K.  Both are good at getting the bat to the ball and both aren't really known for their power.  Both players most likely position is center field but yes Martin could play the infield if needed as well so he does one up Celestino for position flexibility and Martin has all three option years left.  They might not "need" to trade Celestino but they also don't need two of the same type of player on the 40 man.  Not sure if I would go with a DFA but if there is no trade interest at all from other teams then I guess that says all that needs to be said about his value.

 

[Fatbat]

15 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

That Saints lineup is really good - impressive and promising.  How many will be in Minneapolis next year?

Without naming names. 5 for sure. Most likely 8-10 due to injuries. 

[Fatbat]

13 hours ago, Kenny Powers said:

For me, it was great to see Paddock has his velocity up.  He was a 95 mph guy in 2021.  Dropped to 93.5 mph last year.  Now it looks like he's already back to 95 - fantastic!  If you step back and squint....there is a pitching pipeline coming through for next year:

1.)  Paddock

2.)  Varland

3.)  Festa

4.)  Enlow

5.)  Canterino

6.)  Raya

7.)  Ohl

8.)  Nowlin

9.)  Lewis

10.)  Culpepper

Plus whatever emerges from our recent draft.  Some of those guys will be competing for starting spots next year and others might be ready to fill in our bullpen.

Thats a nice pipeline. SWR could be added to that if he ever finds consistency. 

[Doctor Wu]

17 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Probably on a different team.

Maybe he can go to Oakland and team up with Rooker!

[stringer bell]

8 hours ago, Fatbat said:

Thats a nice pipeline. SWR could be added to that if he ever finds consistency. 

Nice outing from SWR last night. Adjusting for the offense in the International League this year, Woods Richardson hasn't been a disaster and he remains just 22 years old.