Twins Minor League Report (7/9): Matthews Meets His Match

[Steve Lein]

A trio of games were affected by weather on Tuesday, with one being canceled, another made final early, and the third being delayed about an hour. A top pitching prospect was facing a top offense in the Texas League, and a major league reliever made his first rehab appearance in triple-A.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Luke Keaschall)

TRANSACTIONS

• In transaction news that should be music to Minnesota Twins Fans ears, RHP Brock Stewart was sent on a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints, and he would make an appearance in Louisville.
• Also in triple-A, Zack Weiss’s rehab assignment was transferred from Fort Myers to St. Paul, RHP John Stankiewicz was assigned back to Wichita, and OF Maddux Houghton was assigned back to the Mighty Mussels.
• In the Midwest League, 3B Rubel Cespedes was activated from the 7-day injured list.

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 1, Louisville 8 (5 innings)
Box Score
Rain put this game into a delay in the bottom of the fifth inning, which eventually led to it being made final.

Caleb Boushley made the start and went the first three innings. The Bats jumped him for four runs in the first, and three more in the second to build an early 7-0 lead. He allowed seven hits and walked two, along with picking up three strikeouts.

Brock Stewart came on to begin the fourth inning and his rehab assignment, and former Saint Tony Kemp drew a walk against him as the first hitter he’s faced since May 1st. He picked up a strikeout to the next hitter, and walked another before inducing a double-play ball for a scoreless outing. Per Baseball Savant, Stewart averaged about 95 MPH with his fastball, topping out at 96.9, and got five swinging strikes on his 21 pitches.

Ronny Henriquez gave up a home run in the bottom of the fifth to make the final score, and got a groundout before the tarp came out.

The Saints scored their only run in the top of the third inning, thanks to Edouard Julien’s fourth home run of the year with St. Paul. Otherwise, a Jair Camargo double and Chris Williams single were their only other hits in the game. They were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position, and left only two men on base as a team. On the good side, they did not strike out a single time as a team either.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 6, Springfield 7 (10 innings)
Box Score
As I’ve mentioned before, it is always fun for me to see a Minnesota Twins affiliate playing at one of the many minor league stadiums I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. Hammons Field in Springfield, MO is one of my favorites. Making it even more exciting tonight, was having right-hander Zebby Matthews on the mound for the good guys.

One thing to keep note of as this recap goes on, is the Springfield Cardinals came into this series leading the Texas League in batting average, on-base percentage, and have had the fewest strikeouts as a team. Zebby strikes guys out, doesn’t walk anybody, and limits hits. Sounds like a story of unstoppable force, meeting an immovable object. Which would prevail?

Before Matthews even took the mound however, the Wind Surge lineup had a lot to say. Luke Keaschall led off the game with a home run off the foul pole on a 2-0 pitch.

After a pair of strikeouts the hitters also realized that Cardinals pitcher Edwin Nunez has trouble throwing strikes, and if not throwing it to the backstop, would groove you one if you waited. Aaron Sabato was hit by a pitch, Carson McCusker moved him to third on a single, then Tanner Schobel drove one in with a single of his own. Andrew Cossetti got hit by another pitch to load the bases, before two wild pitches made it 4-0 Wind Surge before Matthews took the mound.He breezed through the Cardinals lineup for two innings. He struck out the first hitter of the game on three pitches (as well as the sixth), three total through two, and needed just 23 pitches to retire all six hitters. The immovable object certainly took the first few rounds.

But you know what they say about unstoppable forces.

The Cardinals lineup started to make Matthews work in the third inning. It took seven pitches to get a flyout, then a single put the first runner of the game on base. He proceeded to pick up his fourth strikeout to the next batter, but a pair of walks (gasp!) sandwiched around a single loaded the bases with two outs and scored the Cardinals first run of the game. That was the first time this season Matthews had walked two hitters in any game, let alone the same inning.

Then a hard hit grounder ricocheted off Jake Rucker at first base for an error, and two runners came into score to make it 5-3 Wind Surge. Before it was done, Matthews had thrown 37 pitches in the inning, which means his outing was over. In all he was charged with three runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks, while striking out four. It was his shortest outing of the year.

Wichita added a single run in each of the third and fourth innings, as they stayed in front 6-4. A Carson McCusker single was followed by an Andrew Cossetti RBI double in the third. Singles from Ben Ross and Keaschall in the fourth allowed Jake Rucker to drive in one with a sac fly.

The Wind Surge bullpen didn’t have better luck than Matthews against that top hitting offense, either. John Stankiewicz allowed one run on two hits in 1 1/3 innings, striking out one. Cody Laweryson was the victim of four hits and two earned runs in 1 2/3, but did strike out three. Taylor Floyd did his best to give Wichita a chance, going two hitless innings and striking out two. Miguel Rodriguez pitched a one-two-three ninth, but with the runner on second in the tenth wasn’t able to keep Springfield from walking it off. He got a strikeout before a single and sac fly ended this one.

Keaschall led the way for Wichita with three hits in five at-bats. His home run was his third of the season in double-A. McCusker (2-for-5, 2 R, K) and Andrew Cossetti (2-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB) also had two hits.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 3, Beloit 5
Box Score
Speaking of stadiums I’ve been to…oh wait, the Snappers…(ahem) Sky Carp… don’t play (thankfully) at Pohlman Field anymore! The beautiful ABC Supply Stadium (never been) was finished in 2021 and was built to meet the requirements from Major League Baseball for their MiLB stadiums, which Pohlman…definitely did not. You could call it “charming,” I guess.

Anyway, like the Saints this game was delayed due to rain, but they were able to get back underway and finish a full nine innings.

Lefty Jordan Carr took the bump for the Kernels, and pitched until that delay in play came in the sixth inning. He worked through some adversity, allowing five runs (three earned) on nine hits in his five total innings. He struck out one and walked nobody.

Cedar Rapids scored their first run of the game in the fourth inning after Gabriel Gonzalez led off with a double. A pair of groundouts later he was able to score to make it 3-1 at the time. 

In the top of the fifth they managed to tie the game at three after Tyler Dearden followed suit with a leadoff double of his own. Agustin Ruiz traded places with him on his own double. Then later, Gonzalez drove him in with a single.

After the delay, it was Jarret Whorff in for Carr, and he finished out the final three innings and was solid. He allowed just two hits, one walk, and struck out four to keep the Sky Carp lead at two.

Unfortunately, the Kernels couldn’t mount any more rally’s either. Gonzalez (2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI), Kevin Maitan (2-for-4, 2B), and Dearden (2-for-3, R, 2B) each had two hits in the loss.

In positive news, infielder Rayne Doncon was named the Midwest League player of the week on Monday after hitting .400 and blasting three home runs.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Daytona 9, Fort Myers 0
Box Score
This was one the Mighty Mussels are certainly going to throw in the garbage bin and never lift the lid back open from. 

They collected just two hits, finishing 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and leaving only six men on base for the game. They did manage to draw six walks, but never sent more than four hitters to the plate in any inning. Carlos Aguiar and Yohander Martinez collected the only hits, both singles. Isaac Pena and Aguiar also each drew two walks.

On the mound Cesar Lares made the start, and was ambushed from the get-go. A walk to the first hitter of the game led to a two-run homer that made it 2-0 early. The Tortugas added another in the first after a single and RBI double. It was similar in the third inning, when a single-single-home run sequence made it 6-0. He did finish the third inning, but that was it. He was charged with six earned runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out two.

Ben Ethridge (2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 K), Wilker Reyes (2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB), and Samuel Perez (2 IP, H, 2 K) each pitched two innings out of the bullpen to finish out the game.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Rays 8, FCL Twins 9
Box Score
The Twins fell behind 7-0 after the top of the fourth inning, but used a few big innings of their own to come storming back.

Starting pitcher Juan Cota went the first three innings. He allowed only one earned run of those alluded to on one hit and two walks in his time on the mound. He also struck out two. Kyle Bloor was the victim of five earned runs in the fourth inning. He recorded only two outs, gave up three hits and a walk, and struck out two. Miguel Cordero finished the fourth and also pitched the next three innings. He was charged with two earned runs on four hits and a walk, but calmed everything down by striking out five to pick up his first win of the season. Matthew Helwig finished off the final two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk to pick up his first save.

The Twins offense came alive in the bottom of the fourth, cutting that early lead to three. Three one-out walks loaded the bases for Amilcar Vasquez, who cleared the bases with a three-run double. Vasquez would score their fourth run of the inning a wild pitch a few batters later.

They tied the game at seven in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out rally. Javier Roman singled, and Hendry Chivilli drew a walk in front of Yilber Herrera, who launched his second home run of the season. #WalksWillHaunt

After falling behind 8-7 in the top of the seventh, they took back the lead in the bottom half. Bryan Acuna and Roman got on base with singles. Acuna would score on a wild pitch, and Herrera would drive in Roman with a sac fly to take the lead for good.

Roman had three hits in three at-bats, scored three runs, and also drew a walk. Vasquez finished 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Herrera drove in four and drew a walk in addition to his homer, scoring two runs as well.

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL Twins @ DSL Cardinals, Canceled - Lightning

The DSL Twins game Tuesday morning was canceled due to lightning in the area, and will not be made up. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day - Jarret Whorff, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K)
Hitter of the Day - Luke Keaschall, Wichita Wind Surge (3-for-5, R, HR, RBI)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
#5 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI
#9 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 3-for-5, R, HR (3), RBI
#13 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-for-5, R, RBI, K
#14 – Zebby Matthews (Wichita) – 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 4 K
#18 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 0-for-2
#20 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-3, BB

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Louisville (5:35 PM CDT) - RHP David Festa (3-2, 3.77 ERA)
Wichita @ Springfield (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Kyle Jones (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Mike Paredes (1-0, 2.70 ERA)
Daytona @ Fort Myers (11:05 AM CDT) - RHP Ricky Castro (3-1, 4.29 ERA)
DSL Twins @ DSL Rangers Red (10:00 AM CDT) - TBD

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

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[wabene]

Nice to see Keaschall bust out again after a slow week last week. Doncon is looking more and more like a shrewd move as a tack on for taking Margot off the Dodgers hands. It was fun to watch Miller in the field, but Doncon's looking like he's got some real upside.

[SaberNerd]

Promising rehab for Stewart. Velo down 2mph which isn't concerning for first rehab game, 6 whiffs in 8 swings. Getting him back will be a massive boost for the pen

[nclahammer]

1 hour ago, wabene said:

Nice to see Keaschall bust out again after a slow week last week. Doncon is looking more and more like a shrewd move as a tack on for taking Margot off the Dodgers hands. It was fun to watch Miller in the field, but Doncon's looking like he's got some real upside.

Reminds me of the Twins getting catcher Jair Camargo as a throw in of sorts from the Dodgers in the Kenta Maeda trade.   A very nice under the radar move.

[MMMordabito]

Unless it's for a pitcher with multiple years of control, Keaschall should be untouchable. IMHO, once Lee officially graduates, he's probably a top 3 org prospect and should make top 100 in MLB soon.

[tony&rodney]

I watched Matthews pitch. He threw too many pitches in the 3rd inning and had to come out. The defense was less than stellar. Also, while we always read comments about how a catcher needs to hit at least a little bit, watching Cossetti behind the plate is a reminder of the actual job description of a catcher. Perhaps Cossetti just had a bad day but it was a full on example of how valuable a good catcher is to a pitcher in reverse. 

Along those lines, I wonder if an organization might have more success developing their pitchers if they only used decent catchers. This also begs the question of why more athletic baseball players don't give catching a try. 

[Trov]

8 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

I watched Matthews pitch. He threw too many pitches in the 3rd inning and had to come out. The defense was less than stellar. Also, while we always read comments about how a catcher needs to hit at least a little bit, watching Cossetti behind the plate is a reminder of the actual job description of a catcher. Perhaps Cossetti just had a bad day but it was a full on example of how valuable a good catcher is to a pitcher in reverse. 

Along those lines, I wonder if an organization might have more success developing their pitchers if they only used decent catchers. This also begs the question of why more athletic baseball players don't give catching a try. 

I agree about the importance of Catchers, which is why you see some catchers like Vasquez still have jobs despite being terrible at plate.  Most of the time teams take top hitting catchers off the position because it is hell on your knees, and cuts your career short for most players and saps their offense.  Only the HOF guys can stick it out and be good on offense.  Rarely do you see a guy with good arm move to catcher, but more often they get moved off the position.  If you can be a good catcher and stick there it is an easier path to majors, but it is a hard way to get there because of the wear and tear on body.  Not just the knees, but all the foul tips into face, onto hand, legs, everywhere. 

[Dman]

I went to the Kernals game in Beloit to see what I could see.  

Doncon’s misplays at short cost them some runs in the first inning but after that he settled in nicely at short. His defense at short did make me miss Miller on defense though. I thought his plate appearances were really good even though he didn’t get a hit.  He really knows the zone and swings at good pitches it just didn’t work out for him last night. He got too far under some balls and just weaker contact in general.  I still believe in the bat especially since he appears to really know the zone.

Olivar looked good too.  Smoking some balls but they were all outs. His walk was well earned and showed his good eye and patience.

Gabby had a really good game going two for four with a double.  He really looks confident up there as he got the single with 2 strikes hitting through the infield the opposite way as they played him to pull the ball, but he didn’t.  Some nice hitting there.

I never knew Cespedas was so small with sort of chicken legs.  The pitch recognition just isn’t the same as the first three guys.  He had a rough night going 0 for 4.  Was hoping to see him at third where I love his defense but they had Harry there.  I have some concerns about the hit tool after watching him in person.

Carr was not impressive pitching last night, giving up tons of hard contact with multiple warning track fly balls and 2 home runs along with well stroked singles.  It’s early, but he looks like reliever material to me.  Maybe just a bad night, but that was a brutal performance IMO.

OK who is this Deardon guy?  Whoever he is he doesn’t belong at High A.  That swing looks like a major league swing to me.  It is just easy and he gets so much good contact.  I know he is 26 so no longer prospect material, but something’s not right because he doesn’t belong there.  Way too good for that level.  I would have him at AAA but he has to at least get moved to AA. His at bats really impressed me. Hopefully they move him up shortly after the draft as his talent is being wasted right now.
 

[SaberNerd]

37 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Along those lines, I wonder if an organization might have more success developing their pitchers if they only used decent catchers. This also begs the question of why more athletic baseball players don't give catching a try. 

For young players who are athletic enough to potentially play SS/CF, or for guys who have the potential to be great hitters, moving to C isn't a good move since you aren't going to be playing every day.  

[CCHOF5yearstoolate]

3 hours ago, wabene said:

Nice to see Keaschall bust out again after a slow week last week. Doncon is looking more and more like a shrewd move as a tack on for taking Margot off the Dodgers hands. It was fun to watch Miller in the field, but Doncon's looking like he's got some real upside.

Some slick deals this offseason in offloading Polo for Gabriel Gonzalez and company, and getting Doncon & Margot for Miller who is putting up his usual .700 OPS in A-ball. Oh and Okert for Nick Gordon, too.

 

 

[Steve Lein]

55 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

I watched Matthews pitch. He threw too many pitches in the 3rd inning and had to come out. The defense was less than stellar. Also, while we always read comments about how a catcher needs to hit at least a little bit, watching Cossetti behind the plate is a reminder of the actual job description of a catcher. Perhaps Cossetti just had a bad day but it was a full on example of how valuable a good catcher is to a pitcher in reverse. 

Yes, definitely way too many pitches in the inning. He was going to be lifted if he didn't get the last guy out.

I disagree though with your thoughts on Cossetti contributing to any of that as the catcher. Matthews couldn't put hitters away in the third. There was a 7-pitch at-bat with four foul balls, a wild pitch that was definitely his fault, and an 11-pitch at-bat with five more foul balls. I'm not saying Cossetti is a good catcher or not, but this had a lot more to do with Matthews not quite executing and the Cardinals doing what they do, and being tough outs. One of the hits was from a lefty that shot the ball to where the shortstop should be if they weren't shifted. It was honestly one of the worst swings I've ever seen, but it was an RBI single in the book.

Cossetti was an excellent batter last night, though. Along with his two hits, he also just missed a go-ahead liner foul down the line in the 10th before working a 9-pitch walk.

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

I watched Matthews pitch. He threw too many pitches in the 3rd inning and had to come out. The defense was less than stellar. Also, while we always read comments about how a catcher needs to hit at least a little bit, watching Cossetti behind the plate is a reminder of the actual job description of a catcher. Perhaps Cossetti just had a bad day but it was a full on example of how valuable a good catcher is to a pitcher in reverse. 

Along those lines, I wonder if an organization might have more success developing their pitchers if they only used decent catchers. This also begs the question of why more athletic baseball players don't give catching a try. 

Feels like catcher development is something that MLB is struggling with overall. It's so physically demanding, requires a diverse and well-rounded set of skills, and there's a huge mental component on top of it...and that's just the defensive side of things. You also need these guys to develop as hitters and because of the demands of the position it's harder to get them in the lineup as often, so they might not get as many consistent ABs. Tough one to crack from a development standpoint.

I think the Twins have a few options in the system now, but all of them are incomplete in one way or another. But at least they have some guys with upside and possibilities now; things got real thin for a while in the system.

Interesting question on how much impact a quality catcher has on pitching development: The Bull Durham Theory?

[PDX Twin]

Quote

Matthews had thrown 37 pitches in the inning, which means his outing was over.

So ... the end of the inning coincided with the end of the outing?

[LambchoP]

Nice to see Stewart, Gabriel Gonzalez and Emmanuel Rodriguez all healthy again. Getting Stewart back will be a real boon for our pen down the stretch and into the playoffs. Hopefully Topa can follow suit.

[roger]

Great seeing Stewart back on a mound.  Timing seems to be lining up with his return to the Twins right after the break.  With Thielbar returning to what he was in previous years and a healthy Stewart, their bullpen should be SIX deep at the back end...Stewart, Thielbar, Staumont, Alcala, Jax and Duran.  Should be a huge help the last two months of the season.

Add me to those who continue to be impressed with Keaschall.  With Lee looking like the real deal with second base being his most likely home and Keaschall a year or so away, Julien is looking like the odd man out.  Maybe he becomes a platoon partner with Miranda at first?  But it seems more likely to me that when/if he can get his bat going his biggest value to the Twins may be as part of a deal for pitching.  Doubt that happens this month, more likely during the off-season.  Twins traded a starting second baseman two years ago, another last year.  Could Julien be a third former starting second baseman to depart next winter?

Saw that Jenkins was out again yesterday.  Expect they are being ultra careful with his injury.

[FlyingFinn]

2 hours ago, Dman said:

Doncon’s misplays at short cost them some runs in the first inning but after that he settled in nicely at short. His defense at short did make me miss Miller on defense though.

That really has been the debate - Miller's A+ defense at SS vs Doncon's A grade hitting. If Miller can hit at all, he's a major leaguer. If Doncon can field at SS, he's a major leaguer. At this point, I get the impression that neither of those will happen. Doncon will have the additional option of playing 3B/2B as he moves up the ladder but he will then have to maintain his A grade hit tool. 

Interesting question marks on that Cedar Rapids team - can Gonzalez field at all to go with his hitting? Can Olivar stick at catcher as his hitting is excellent this year?

Thanks for the in-person report @Dman. Always like these.

[Dman]

1 minute ago, FlyingFinn said:

That really has been the debate - Miller's A+ defense at SS vs Doncon's A grade hitting. If Miller can hit at all, he's a major leaguer. If Doncon can field at SS, he's a major leaguer. At this point, I get the impression that neither of those will happen. Doncon will have the additional option of playing 3B/2B as he moves up the ladder but he will then have to maintain his A grade hit tool. 

Interesting question marks on that Cedar Rapids team - can Gonzalez field at all to go with his hitting? Can Olivar stick at catcher as his hitting is excellent this year?

Thanks for the in-person report @Dman. Always like these.

I think those are good questions. The jury is still out on the defense, but that appears to be the weaker side of all the players you mentioned.  Will just have to wait and see if even their hit tools pass the AA and AAA test as lot's of hitters fail at those levels.  Still I have high hopes for all of them.

[FlyingFinn]

2 hours ago, Dman said:

OK who is this Deardon guy?

A number of the Twins free agent signings have really started out great - Eeles, Hess, McCusker, Deardon are ones that I remember. Seems the Twins start them out at a level they can have success and move them up fairly quickly. But that success hasn't always continued, at least not right away, at their new home.

[Mike Sixel]

3 hours ago, MMMordabito said:

Unless it's for a pitcher with multiple years of control, Keaschall should be untouchable. IMHO, once Lee officially graduates, he's probably a top 3 org prospect and should make top 100 in MLB soon.

He's already in the top 100 on multiple lists. I'd say he's going to finish in the top 75 or better. 

[Steve Lein]

3 hours ago, Dman said:

OK who is this Deardon guy?  Whoever he is he doesn’t belong at High A.  That swing looks like a major league swing to me.  It is just easy and he gets so much good contact.  I know he is 26 so no longer prospect material, but something’s not right because he doesn’t belong there.  Way too good for that level.  I would have him at AAA but he has to at least get moved to AA. His at bats really impressed me. Hopefully they move him up shortly after the draft as his talent is being wasted right now.
 

Another signing out of the Independent Leagues, which I must say, the Twins are doing really well with to bolster their system this year (Eeles went straight from Cedar Rapids to St. Paul).

Deardon was in the Red Sox system from 2017 until last year, reaching double-A for the bulk of his time there, and had a cup of coffee at triple-A. Was very good in the Atlantic League, ranking top 10 in batting average (.361), slugging (.634), and OPS (1.044), with 12 home runs in 55 games. Is also one of the youngest guys you'll find on those leaderboards.

Edited July 10, 2024 by Steve Lein

[Dman]

2 minutes ago, Steve Lein said:

Another signing out of the Independent Leagues, which I must say, the Twins are doing really well with to bolster their system this year (Eeles went straight from Cedar Rapids to St. Paul).

Deardon was in the Red Sox system from 2017 until last year, reaching double-A for the bulk of his time there, and had a cup of coffee at triple-A. Was very good in the Atlantic League, ranking top 10 in batting average (.361), slugging (.634), OPS (1.044), with 12 home runs in 55 games. Is also one of the youngest guys you'll find on those leaderboards.

I wonder why Boston gave up on him?  I don't see future star for Deardon, but 4th outfielder seems very possible to me if he can carry his success forward.  I don't know how to explain it but he looked like he was on a different level to everyone else that took at bats last night. His quick compact swing just seems geared for success if you ask me. Granted I am no scout, but I do watch a lot of baseball and his swing looked really good to me.

The other thing is why sign with the Twins at 26 when likely pretty much blocked?  Shouldn't Miami or some other orgs in need of hitting have taken a flyer?.  Again maybe I think he is better than he really is, but it seems like he could help a team unless maybe he gets locked up on the elite breaking stuff?  Hard to say.  Anyway FWIW he impressed me.  Will have to wait and see if the higher levels trip him up.

[2wins87]

3 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

I watched Matthews pitch. He threw too many pitches in the 3rd inning and had to come out. The defense was less than stellar. Also, while we always read comments about how a catcher needs to hit at least a little bit, watching Cossetti behind the plate is a reminder of the actual job description of a catcher. Perhaps Cossetti just had a bad day but it was a full on example of how valuable a good catcher is to a pitcher in reverse. 

Along those lines, I wonder if an organization might have more success developing their pitchers if they only used decent catchers. This also begs the question of why more athletic baseball players don't give catching a try. 

I doubt there's much of an effect on pitcher development, but they have mostly drafted catchers in the late rounds, and more of them have been bat-first guys who they've tried to develop into better defenders. 

Andrew Bechtold and Charles Mack are two examples of athletic guys that they did try to convert to catchers (they really tried a bit of everything with Bechtold).

Bottom line, it's just a very difficult position to get to major league quality defense.  Clearly harder than SS IMO, and not a lot of the guys catching in the minors will actually go on to be viable major league options.

Cossetti was definitely a bat first guy.  They've done a bunch of work behind the scenes including improving his arm strength to improve his ability to control the run game compared to where it was when they drafted him.  But a catcher needs a lot of skills, so I'd agree that I'm not sure if he'll get all the way to MLB caliber defense (let alone average MLB defense), though certainly they need to give him a shot to keep working at it.

Of the catchers in the system, Camargo and Cardenas are the only two that I feel really confident could be MLB caliber defenders.  Certainly there are other guys that might be able to improve enough to get there, but most of the catchers in the Twins system, and really most other systems, are questionable on the defensive side.

[2wins87]

1 hour ago, PDX Twin said:

So ... the end of the inning coincided with the end of the outing?

Pretty much every organization has a policy of pulling pitchers after they go more than 35 pitches in an inning, to protect their arms.

[Steve Lein]

16 minutes ago, Dman said:

I wonder why Boston gave up on him?  I don't see future star for Deardon, but 4th outfielder seems very possible to me if he can carry his success forward.  I don't know how to explain it but he looked like he was on a different level to everyone else that took at bats last night. His quick compact swing just seems geared for success if you ask me. Granted I am no scout, but I do watch a lot of baseball and his swing looked really good to me.

The other thing is why sign with the Twins at 26 when likely pretty much blocked?  Shouldn't Miami or some other orgs in need of hitting have taken a flyer?.  Again maybe I think he is better than he really is, but it seems like he could help a team unless maybe he gets locked up on the elite breaking stuff?  Hard to say.  Anyway FWIW he impressed me.  Will have to wait and see if the higher levels trip him up.

Probably because he was 24/25 reaching double-A and eligible for minor league free agency. Not much more to it than that I wouldn't think. Was a late round draftee out of High School they were able to sign for about round 9 money.

I love these observations for him, though. He is probably a lot more AA/AAA player than A+. I would expect him to be moved up relatively soon.

[Steve Lein]

1 hour ago, PDX Twin said:

So ... the end of the inning coincided with the end of the outing?

The pitch count would be the cause for ending his outing.

[darwin22]

Steve;  Thanks for the analysis for our minor league affiliates.  Attended the game in person last night and getting ready to head out for Game #2, which I hope has a better result.  Would absolutely agree with your point that Hammons Field is as good a AA ballpark in the country.  

Although others have commented on last nights game, I will offer a few observations:

#1  Zebby Matthews is the real deal.  Yes, he had his shortest start of the season, which was a huge bummer for me, for he was extremely unlucky with his 37-pitch 3rd inning.  As noted, he dominated the 1st two innings- striking out 3 on only 23 pitches.  If not for a 2-out little dribbler ground ball single by Tommy Edman  (on a 0-2 count), Matthews would've escaped the inning with under 20 pitches.   I will give Springfield hitters credit for pushing up his pitch count as they hit numerous foul balls and didn't chase borderline pitches.  

If Matthews can get back on track over the next 6 weeks, I'd expect a promotion to SP in September.  'Would be interested to hear your (and others) take on that possibility.

2.  Luke Keaschall:  Looking forward to seeing his progress as he's been the best hitter for this team over the last 2 months.  His lead off HR was impressive as he pulled a 2-strike heater off the fair pole in LF.

Although given credit for three hits---he really only had 2 as the Springfield official scorer was very generous giving him  a hit on a routine groundball their 2B misplayed.

3. Aaron Sabato:  Maybe a better game coming tonight, but Sabato continues, imo, to be one of the biggest BUSTS as a 1st round pick in Twins history.  Having seen Sabato now for 3 straight years (2022 in CR and last 2 years with Wichita), his bat is slow and his propensity to whiff reminds me of Sano.  Box score shows he had a hit, but again that really was an error (groundball in 7th that SF 3B butchered).  Another 2 K's last night.

4. Carson McCusker:  May be not well known by many (26 year-old drafted by MIL in 2017 in 26th round), but he's having a good year for Wichita.  A big dude (6'6/ 250 lbs), McCusker moves well and had 2 hits last night.

Finishing up, what is the status of E-Rod?  I know he's been on IL and think he's been on a rehab assignment with Fort Myers.  His presence in the lineup would be a big upgrade.

Hopefully a better report coming tomorrow after tonights game.

 

 

 

[mark sills]

8 hours ago, LambchoP said:

Nice to see Stewart, Gabriel Gonzalez and Emmanuel Rodriguez all healthy again. Getting Stewart back will be a real boon for our pen down the stretch and into the playoffs. Hopefully Topa can follow suit.

I think there policy is no more batters after 35 pitches, but if you start a batter with less than 35 pitches and get out of the inning you can continue.

[tony&rodney]

9 hours ago, 2wins87 said:

Bottom line, it's just a very difficult position to get to major league quality defense.  Clearly harder than SS IMO, and not a lot of the guys catching in the minors will actually go on to be viable major league options.

Totally agree. I have been saying for years that catchers are under-appreciated and that the difficulty of the position is many factors harder than any other spot on the diamond. When the discussions about Mauer for Hall of Fame were ongoing, I found it hard to be civil, but just chose to promote his career on its merits. I pitched into my 50s but found the roughly 100 times spent behind the plate to be the most difficult thing in my sporting experiences.

I guess the really good athletes, with a sporadic exception here and there, are pushed to avoid the position. Their knees and legs thank them for decades. 

[bespenson]

whatever happened to Emmanuel Rodriquez? The Twins injury update has not been updated since June 7. And I can't find his name in any of the minor league box scores. Is he still injured?

 

 

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, bespenson said:

whatever happened to Emmanuel Rodriquez? The Twins injury update has not been updated since June 7. And I can't find his name in any of the minor league box scores. Is he still injured?

 

 

He's playing. Rehab assignment started 2 days ago. He's in Ft. Myers in the CPX league.
https://www.fangraphs.com/players/emmanuel-rodriguez/sa3014693/game-log?position=OF