Minor League Report (9/9): Jorge Alcala Begins Rehab Assignment

[Matt Braun]

A good thing, too, because it was not a great day on the farm.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge

TRANSACTIONS
RHP Jorge Alcala assigned to Low-A Fort Myers on MLB Rehab.

Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 3, Louisville 4
Box Score
Bailey Ober: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Jair Camargo (2-for-4, RBI, K)

The Saints blew up late, falling to the Bats after an excellent start by Bailey Ober.

Ober was magnificent; the tall righty allowed just three measly singles, slicing through the Bats with his typical efficient style (he only needed 65 pitches). He also struck out three. You couldn’t draw up a more “Bailey Ober” start if you tried. 

St. Paul’s offense was occasionally patient, taking six walks on the day, but their issue was glaring, standing out like a neon light cutting through the night sky: 17 strikeouts. Three separate hitters whiffed at least three times, with Anthony Prato catching the worst of it; he punched out four times. 

They did score, though—three times in fact—as DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Austin Martin both knocked in a run with 1st inning singles. Jair Camargo added another with an infield hit in the 3rd inning.

Old friend Alan Busenitz (he’s back!) saved the game for Louisville, striking out one in a perfect inning. 

Both Jonathan India and Joey Votto played for the Bats; the rehabbing big-leaguers may be seen wearing Reds uniforms when the Twins soon come to town, but for now, the duo is based in Louisville. Votto singled.

Reliever Levi Stoudt is Cincinnati's only top-30 prospect at AAA; he pitched a scoreless frame. 

Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 3, Corpus Christi 7
Box Score
Travis Adams: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Tanner Schobel (2-for-4, RBI, K), Alex Isola (2-for-4, RBI)

A dreadful 2nd inning cursed the Wind Surge to lose on Saturday.

Travis Adams did recover to eventually finish the 5th inning, but the 2nd inning dragged him down, limiting the greatness of his pitching line. It’s a shame; the rest of his start was pretty good, with each other frame only once seeing a runner reach second base.

The bats were productive, with all but two batters earning a hit. Few were damaging. Just two of the knocks went for extra-bases. 

Coordination proved to be the problem; Wichita never scored in an inning more than once, leaving their rallies short and unthreatening.

Carlos Correa’s little brother, J.C. Correa, singled in three at-bats.

Houston’s best prospect, however, is centerfielder Jacob Melton, and he walked and struck out twice.

Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 2, Wisconsin 3
Box Score
John Klein: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Misael Urbina (3-for-4, R, K)

The Kernels lost a squeaker on Saturday.

John Klein—the pride of Brooklyn Park—made his Kernels debut. The Iowa Central Community College product was excellent, whiffing four while only allowing two runs, giving up six hits in the process. He’s had quite the season, moving from the FCL to A+ ball, and he could see himself start to appear on prospect lists in the offseason.

Cedar Rapids’ offense couldn’t support him, unfortunately, as a two-run Kala’i Rosario single represented the lone run-scoring hit of the night. The two RBIs pushed his season total to 94; he easily leads the Midwest League in RBIs; Jimmy Crooks is second with 73. 

The Kernels struck out 14 times, taking seven walks, while accruing six hits—all singles. 

Misael Urbina collected three singles and stole his sixth base of the season. 

Milwaukee’s 1st-round pick in 2023—Brock Wilken—struck out once in four at-bats.

Mussel Matters
Ft. Myers 4, Bradenton 5
Box Score
Jose Olivares: 4 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 7 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: None

Despite a four-run 2nd inning, the Mighty Mussels fell to the Marauders on Saturday.

Not even a rain delay could stop them; Fort Myers weathered a break in the middle of their rally, returning to plate four runs off a variety of Piranha-esque outcomes—singles, walks, and sacrifice flies.

That was it, though, as the Mighty Mussels only had four total bases on the game. They did reach base often, taking an astounding 13 walks, but finding the critical knock proved elusive, and they scored no runs after their early outburst.

They should have. The Marauders struck back with a four-run frame of their own, knotting the game in the middle innings. Though they sat dormant for a while as well, a 9th inning sacrifice fly broke the tie. Danny De Andrade’s lead-off double went nowhere. Alec Sayre’s groundout to the pitcher ended the game. 

Rehabbing big-leaguer, Jorge Alcala, struck out two in a perfect inning. He maxed out at 98.4 MPH.

Second baseman Mitch Jebb is Pittsburgh’s 9th-ranked prospect, and he walked while driving in a pair off two sacrifice flies. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Bailey Ober
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Misael Urbina

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

#1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K
#2 - Walker Jenkins (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, RBI, 2 K
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, BB, 4 K
#5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-3, 2 K
#8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-3, RBI, K
#10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 2-4, RBI, K
#12 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, BB
#16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
#18 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Louisville (12:05 PM) - RHP Blayne Enlow
Wichita @ Corpus Christi (1:05 PM) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin
Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (12:10 PM) - LHP Christian MacLeod
Bradenton @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM) - RHP Ben Ethridge

 

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[FlyingFinn]

Nice to see Ober pitch so well. I'm thinking he's up with the Twins within a week. Why waste his pitches in St. Paul?

[tony&rodney]

48 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

Nice to see Ober pitch so well. I'm thinking he's up with the Twins within a week. Why waste his pitches in St. Paul?

Totally agree. Ober deserves an MLB uniform. I do believe he needed a little time off. He is ready to pitch now though.

[roger]

Great seeing solid start by Ober.  Twins really need him back as #4 by the second round of the playoffs.  Thats assuming, of course.

Also great seeing Alcala with a solid outing.  Getting Alcala, Stewart and Paddack back for the playoffs would be HUGE!

Find it interesting how Gallo came up with a minor injury requiring time on the IL just as AK was ready to come back.  Smart move by the Twins Engineering Department.

[wabene]

It would be huge if Stewart and Alcala were bringing the gas for the pen soon. 

[FlyingFinn]

1 hour ago, wabene said:

It would be huge if Stewart and Alcala were bringing the gas for the pen soon. 

Would you trust Alcala in the playoffs if he's healthy? With so little time, I wouldn't. Stewart, since he was pitching so well this year, I'm taking my chances with him.

[Doctor Wu]

Just getting one of Alcala, Stewart and Paddack back for the playoffs would be nice, and two would be great. But I still can't see Paddack making an appearance unless he suddenly shows he has no lingering rustiness from the TJ surgery.