Twins AFL Report (Week 3): Desert Dogs Go Undefeated

[Steve Lein]

Minnesota Twins prospects played a big part in turning around the Glendale Desert Dogs fortunes in Week 3. A reigning MVP broke out in a big way, another hitter joined him in the bomb parade, and a starting pitcher continued to dominate the desert.

Image courtesy of Steve Buhr, Twins Daily

Game Results:
Monday, 10/16 | Peoria 4, Glendale 6
Tuesday, 10/17 | Glendale 7, Peoria 6 (10 innings)
Wednesday, 10/18 | Glendale 6, Mesa 2
Thursday, 10/19 | Glendale 10, Salt River 9
Friday, 10/20 | Mesa 4, Glendale 11
Saturday, 10/21 | Glendale 7, Mesa 6 (10 innings)

Coming into the week with a 2-10 record and sitting in last place in the AFL standings, the Glendale Desert Dogs reversed their fortunes in week three in undefeated fashion. Their 6-0 record on the week pushed them out of the cellar and improved their run differential by 16 in the process. When it comes to the Twins' prospects contributing, pretty much everybody improved their small-sample-size numbers across the board. Things were definitely looking up in Week 3!

C Andrew Cossetti
Week: 1-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB (1 game)
Overall: .100/.280/.250 (.530 OPS)

Cossetti saw action in just one game during the week, in Thursday’s win over the Mesa Solar Sox. He was the catcher and batted eighth in the lineup, and reached base three times.

Down 9-3 heading into the sixth inning, Cossetti was in the middle of a five-run rally for the Desert Dogs, contributing an RBI single to make it 9-5 after a pair of doubles in front of him. He later would score on a bases-loaded ground-rule double that gave his team seven runs at the time. He later drew walks in each of the seventh and ninth innings, but by that time his team had already put their runs on the board and he would end up stranded both times.

The Solar Sox were 3-for-3 stealing bases in the game, and Cossetti also had his second throwing error. In things that don’t really mean much, he has yet to throw out a base stealer in 12 chances (Glendale teammate and top prospect, Kevin Parada, has also been abysmal in this statistic, throwing out just 2 of 21 runners).

OF Kala’i Rosario
Week: 6-for-18, 6 R, 3 HR (4), 4 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K (5 games)
Overall: .160/.276/.420 (.696 OPS)

Hits had been hard to come by for Rosario in the season’s first two weeks, but his lone hit of week two left the yard so I had some optimism moving forward. That was rewarded by a big week from the reigning Midwest League MVP.

He went deep in each of his first two games, and added a third in their last one, giving him four home runs on the season to lead the Desert Dogs and rank second in the league after week three.

His home run in Monday’s win came in the third inning and put Glendale on the scoreboard for the first time against Peoria.

The Javelinas hadn’t seen enough on Tuesday, as his blast made it 3-2 in the top of the sixth inning. In the 10th inning, Rosario also added the needed insurance run with an RBI single that made the score 7-4 in a game they’d win by one. He finished this one 3-for-5.

His third homer came on Saturday in another extra-inning affair against Mesa, and was fun because it was the third of back-to-back-to-back blasts from his teammates that gave them a 4-0 lead after two innings. He also drew two walks in this contest and scored a second run of the game on another Desert Dogs home run. As a team, they hit five homers in the game, including one from Rosario’s teammate who is up next.

1B Aaron Sabato
Week: 2-for-16, 2 R, 2 HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K (4 games)
Overall: .163/.268/.408 (.676 OPS)

Sabato had a decent run with a bunch of doubles last week, and although he didn’t collect as many hits this time, he did turn both the ones he got into homers.

He again batted in the middle of the Glendale lineup in each game, and his first blast came in Wednesday’s win over Mesa. With the score tied at one in the fifth inning, Sabato’s two-run shot gave the Desert Dogs the lead for good.

He joined Rosario and the rest of his team with another blast on Saturday, and he is the one who got the party started. In the top of the first, he stepped in with two outs and sent his third bomb of the season the opposite way. He also drew two walks in this one.

In all four of his games on the week, Sabato played first base, and both of his games with home runs came with him batting third in the lineup. 

LHP Jordan Carr
Week: W, 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Overall: 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, .214 BAA, 1 BB, 7 K (12 IP)

Carr was finally rewarded with a win for his excellent and consistent efforts in the AFL so far, as his team gave him a 3-1 lead on Wednesday before he officially ended his start before the bottom of the fifth inning.

He retired the side in order in the first, induced a double-play ball in the second, and picked up a pair of strikeouts in the third before the Solar Sox were able to manufacture a run against him in the fourth. A leadoff single and a walk was followed by a fielder’s choice to put runners on second and third, before a sac fly brought in Mesa’s only run against him.

Of his 56 pitches, 36 went for strikes (64%), and his only walk issued thus far on the season came from a couple of questionable calls on the corners.

Carr has been nothing short of brilliant thus far in his three starts. He’s been efficient, worked himself out of any jams, and kept runners off the bases at an extraordinary rate, ranking third in the league in WHIP among qualified players. His 1.50 ERA also ranks fourth.

RHP Malik Barrington
Week: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (2 appearances)
Overall: 0-0, 13.50 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, .167 BAA, 4 BB, 7 K (3 1/3 IP)

Barrington had a rough go in his lone appearance last week, but course corrected in complete opposite fashion in week three, dominating in both of his appearances.

In Tuesday’s extra-inning win over Peoria he was the first reliever out of the bullpen to start the fifth inning, and put together a good old snapper-mow-em-down inning. He struck out the side in order, with 10 of his 16 pitches going for strikes, including five swinging.

Back onto the mound for Saturday’s extra-inning game with Mesa, Barrington got the eighth inning with the score tied at six. He struck out the first hitter on three pitches and got the next on a flyout, before issuing a walk. He recovered and struck out the next batter to keep the game tied. 11 of his 18 pitches went for strikes in this one, including five more swinging.

RHP A.J. Labas
Week: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K (1 appearance)
Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, .214 BAA, 4 BB, 5 K (4 IP)

Labas came out of the bullpen just one time this week, but he picked up a hold in the process by pitching the seventh inning of the game started by Carr. He did have to work for a bit, as he threw 27 pitches and the Solar Sox loaded the bases against him, but he made a big pitch when he needed to and got a double-play ball to end the threat and keep his team out front 4-2.

RHP Ben Ethridge
Week: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (2 appearances)
Overall: 1-0, 9.82 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, .267 BAA, 0 BB, 2 K (3 2/3 IP)

Ethridge bookended the week for the Desert Dogs with appearances in Monday and Saturday’s wins.

On Monday, despite allowing three hits and two earned runs, he was credited with the win after his lineup went off for four runs in the bottom of the seventh after his outing in the top half.

He recovered nicely on Saturday from allowing traffic on the bases, as he pitched a one-two-three fourth inning while his team was up 4-2. He struck out one.

LHP Zach Veen
Week: 1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (1 appearance)
Overall: 0-0, 7.20 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, .348 BAA, 1 BB, 4 K (5 IP)

The lone appearance of the week for the southpaw came in Thursday’s comeback win over Salt River.

After the Desert Dogs starter had given up four runs, and the first reliever five of his own, Veen was called upon to stabilize the game in the middle of the fourth inning after those five runs had already come across. With runners on first and second and one out, he got a big swinging strikeout on a splitter before ending the threat with a popout on the first pitch to the next batter.

Back out for the fifth inning, he needed just seven pitches to retire the Rafters in order, including a strikeout of the leadoff man. He threw just 13 pitches total in the outing, with 9 going for strikes, and his offense began their comeback with a five-run sixth inning after his exit in game they would win 10-9 after being down 9-3 after four.

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the prospects playing in the AFL this week!

 

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[FlyingFinn]

Nice to see Rosario with a great week. I've been down on him the past two weeks when he almost had no hits.

[twinstalker]

I would say we're wasting AFL spots with some of these guys, but I don't know that there's anyone to replace them.

[Doctor Wu]

6 hours ago, twinstalker said:

I would say we're wasting AFL spots with some of these guys, but I don't know that there's anyone to replace them.

It DOES seem like an odd, if underwhelming, bunch of players that the Twins have in the AFL this year, but then again, I'm not a scout or in the front office, so I give them the benefit of the doubt. At least it's good to see a young pitcher like Jordan Carr performing well. In any case, thanks for another thorough report!

[Trov]

8 hours ago, twinstalker said:

I would say we're wasting AFL spots with some of these guys, but I don't know that there's anyone to replace them.

Players get sent to AFL for different reasons.  Not all are sent because they are looking to be the next big prospects.  Some are sent to give more time because of injuries during season, or because FO wants to see them play a little more against what normally will be higher comp.  

Take Sabato for example, the FO has to decide to add him to 40 man or not.  The numbers he puts up is not going make or break that decision, but giving him time with other coaches and see how he does may affect that.  Consetti is a guy that tore up lower minors, but he is a little old for prospect status based on level he was playing, but being his main position is catcher, most likely they want him to work on his defense there and see if he can make jump to AA and possibly up to AAA by end of next season. 

Kala’i Rosario is the bigger prospect, still only 21 and rising up minors.  Get him some time with older players to hopefully build off of.  The pitchers, not sure as none of them are really considered top guys in our system so I am sure each have a reason. 

[Dman]

Nice to see the MVP with a good week.  I am a big believer in Rosario's bat.  Still some work to do with the K rate and getting more of those flies to left over the fence, but he has improved every year and with his breakout year this year hoping he is ready to tackle AA next year.

Carr was not really on my radar as he is older, He had an excellent season at High A but he was old for the level.  If his stuff translates to AA and AAA though that would be big since he is a lefty.  I am rooting for him but the odds are long there.

Cossetti is bumming me out a bit, but adding in fall league makes it a looong season for a catcher.  He has been dominant through high A but AA is a different animal so I hope he can rise to the challenge next year.

No one is having a Jullien type Fall League experience but it should help all them be better players in the end.

[Steve Lein]

10 hours ago, twinstalker said:

I would say we're wasting AFL spots with some of these guys, but I don't know that there's anyone to replace them.

To a similar post last week, this was my answer:

"It is certainly a different group from what they sent a year ago! Though I don't really know whom would have been equivalent to Julien or Martin this season. Julien inexplicably spent all of 2022 in double-A, but almost all the players who had success with Wichita this year ended up playing with the Saints. Seems to be triple-A is not a place the Twins tap for players to send.

I liked the choices of Sabato and Cossetti based on their 2022 seasons or where they were at on the ladder. The challenge for Rosario was also a good idea."

To add on, the pitching is especially weak this season across the league. Only two MLB.com top 100 prospects, and both guys who missed time due to injury being the reason they are there.

[dougd]

No 5 for Rosario last night (and 3 K's)