Twins Minor League Report (8/6): Draft Picks Show Off For Mussels

[Steve Lein]

In the minors on Tuesday one former top prospect continued a lengthy streak in triple-A. The Wichita Wind Surge got a strong pitching performance and a multi-home run effort in an extra-inning win. Walker Jenkins also added to his list of firsts with Cedar Rapids, but most impressively the new draftees made their presence felt with the Mighty Mussels.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge

TRANSACTIONS

• In Triple-A, The Minnesota Twins signed free agent RHP Giovanny Gallegos and assigned him to the Saints. The Twins also sent IF Kyle Farmer to CHS Field to begin a rehab assignment.
• A lot of roster movement has happened down in Fort Myers in the past two days as recent draft picks started being assigned to the rosters of the Mighty Mussels and FCL Twins. On Tuesday those official moves were 3B Jay Thomason, OF Caden Kendle, and C Derek Bender being assigned to the Mighty Mussels. 

SAINTS SENTINEL
Columbus 7, St. Paul 4
Box Score
Right-hander Adam Plutko was coming off his longest outing of the season with the Saints in his last start, but ended up with his shortest in this one.

The Clippers put together four singles and a double in an extended top of the first, putting an end to this one for Plutko after 43 pitches. He was charged with four earned runs, walked nobody, and struck out nobody in his lone inning.

Ryan Jensen came on for the second and went the next two innings. He gave up two earned runs on three hits and a walk. He struck out three. Nick Wittgren went the next three, allowing four hits, one earned run, and striking out three. 

The Saints finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh, against the major-league rehabbing Sam Hentges of the Cleveland Guardians. Rylan Bannon was hit by a pitch in front of a Wynton Bernard single. Another hit batter (Anthony Prato) led to a bases-loaded walk from Edouard Julien that made it 7-1 Clippers. Julien’s walk made it the 32nd straight game with the Saints where he has reached base.

Saints relievers Matt Bowman (2 IP, H, BB, 2 K) and Hobie Harris (1 IP, K) kept the visitors off the scoreboard for the final three innings.

In the bottom of the ninth the Saints finally showed some life. Alex Isola drew a walk. Prato followed with a double. Edouard Julien then launched his sixth Saints home run of the season off the batter’s eye in center field, making it 7-4 with one out. Payton Eeles then hit a single before the Saints rally came to an end.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was the only Saints hitter with multiple knocks, finishing 2-for-4 with a triple. The rehabbing Kyle Farmer played second base and finished 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts from the second spot in the batting order. As a team the Saints were just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, and left nine men on base.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 5, Corpus Christi 4 (10 innings)
Box Score
The Wind Surge got on the scoreboard first in the opening frame, as Ricardo Olivar and Carson McCusker put together a mini two-out rally with a single and RBI double respectively, for a 1-0 lead.

Starting pitcher Christian MacLeod did most of the heavy lifting from there, putting together five strong innings. He scattered just three hits and one walk, while striking out eight Hooks hitters. He threw 82 pitches in the game, with 57 going for strikes (70%), including a solid 12 swinging.

He left the game with a 3-1 lead, as Wichita added more run support in the top of the fourth. Tanner Schobel clubbed a solo home run. Noah Cardenas followed with a double and was driven in by a single from Jorel Ortega. Schobel added his second home run of the game in the sixth, putting the Wind Surge up by three.

Unfortunately for MacLeod, reliever Cody Laweryson wasn’t able to keep runners off the base paths in the sixth. He ended up charged with three runs (1 earned) on three hits and a walk in 2/3 of an inning, knotting up the game at four. John Stankiewicz got the final out with no further damage.

The score remained tied for the rest of regulation, as Mason Fox (1+ IP, H, 4 BB, K) and Taylor Floyd (3 IP, 2 K) kept the Hooks from taking advantage of any baserunners.

In the top of the 10th, Ortega wasted little time as his RBI single as the first batter of the inning put the Wind Surge back in front 5-4. They may have been able to add to that lead for Floyd, but both Ortega and Luke Keaschall, after a single of his own, were thrown out trying to steal second base.

Floyd picked up the win with a one-two-three bottom of the tenth, striking out the final two hitters of the game to punctuate the victory.

Both Schobel (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI) and Ortega (2-for-4, 2 RBI, K, SB) had multiple hits in the win. Jake Rucker added a double.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 5, Peoria 7
Box Score
Top prospect Walker Jenkins got the Kernels going to lead off the game, knocking his first double in the Midwest League.

Two batters later Rubel Cespedes traded spots with a double of his own for the game’s first run. Poncho Ruiz followed with an RBI single, and Cedar Rapids had an early 2-0 lead.

Jeremy Lee was on the bump for the good guys, and he worked the first five innings. After a one-two-three bottom of the first, Lee gave up a pair of singles in the second inning that would turn into the Chiefs first run of the game.

In the top of the fourth, the Kernels offense got that one back and more. Nick Lucky drew a one-out walk, and moved to third on a Misael Urbina single. Jenkins then came up with two outs and delivered his second double of the game, driving in both runners to make it 4-1.

Lee got bit by singles again in the bottom of the frame, with three of those and a sac fly making it 4-3. He finished a scoreless fifth and was charged three earned runs on five hits. He struck out three.

Gabriel Yanez came on for the sixth and worked two scoreless, hitless innings. Back out for the eighth he allowed a leadoff single and a change was made. Nolan Santos proceeded to give up three straight hits and a wild pitch that put Peoria out front 6-5. Yanez was charged with one earned run in two-plus innings. He gave up one hit and struck out one. Santos got hit with the loss and blown save, allowing three earned runs on four hits in his lone inning. His defense did let him down some, as a lazy fly ball into short center field ended up failing between three defenders, and a subsequent throw home was cut off when it likely would have beat the runner by quite a bit. 

In the top of the ninth, Gabriel Gonzalez led off with a single, bringing the tying run to the plate. Cespedes hit one hard to the right side, but a diving play got him at first, and Gonzalez thought the ball got through, and ended up being caught between second and third for the second out. Kevin Maitan then went down on strikes to end the game.

The Kernels got multiple hits from Jenkins (2-for-5, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, K), Gonzalez (2-for-5, K), Ruiz (2-for-4, R, RBI) and Urbina (2-for-3, R, RBI, BB, K), but weren’t able to string together enough of their 11 hits as a team. Nate Baez added a double to the effort.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 9, Jupiter 7
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels got an influx of new talent for this week’s series with the Hammerheads, and they came up big as a group to help push them to a victory after a brief rain delay on Tuesday.

Before that happened though, starting pitcher Cesar Lares was ambushed by Jupiter for three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Lares would go on to finish 3 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out three.

In the top of the second the first of the new guys made his presence felt. Third round draft pick Khadim Diaw got the inning started with a single. After a walk to Yasser Mercedes, Rixon Wingrove brought them all in with his eighth home run of the season, tying it at three.

In the top of the fourth it was the 33rd overall pick in June’s draft, Kyle DeBarge, who tied the game at four with an RBI single. In the fifth, second round pick Billy Amick led off with a single. Later in the inning he and Diaw would come around to score on a wild pitch and sac fly off the bat of fourth round pick Jaime Ferrer.

DeBarge struck again with an RBI triple in the sixth to put them ahead by one, before fifth round selection Caden Kendle brought him in with a single. Diaw followed with an RBI single as well and the Mussels had a 9-6 lead.

Relievers Ben Ethridge (2/3 IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB), Jack Noble (2 2/3 IP, H, BB, 4 K), Samuel Perez (1 IP, H, ER, BB), and Xander Hamilton (1 IP, H, BB, K) finished off the game for Fort Myers with 5 1/3 total innings. 

17th round pick Jay Thomason also chipped in two hits, making his own mark among everyone playing their first game from the most recent draft class.

Amick, Mercedes, and Kendle all had doubles. Diaw and Mercedes each stole a base. Wingrove’s three-run homer led the day in the RBI department.

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL Twins 3, DSL NYY Bombers 4
Box Score
Twins starting pitcher Santiago Rojas faced the minimum through his first three innings, allowing only a walk that got erased on double-play. But the Bombers squad finally got to him in the fourth. After a pair of walks, a couple hits, and the game’s first run, Rojas’ day was finished. He completed 3 1/3 innings, and ended up charged with two earned runs on two hits and three walks. He struck out three.

The Twins lineup finally came through in the top of the fifth with three runs of their own to take the lead. Ramiro Dominguez led off with a double. Ricardo Paez brought him home with an RBI single. Later in the frame a strikeout should have ended the inning, but it turned into a wild pitch that allowed Paez to score and Luis Rodriguez to reach first. Rodriguez then stole second and third base. After a walk to Merphy Hernandez, a throwing error on his own steal attempt put the Twins in front. 

Anderson Ramos was the Twins reliever summoned back in the fourth inning, and he would end up finishing the game. He allowed one inherited runner to score in that fourth inning, but delivered a scoreless fifth after the Twins had taken the lead. A two-out walk in the sixth spelled disaster, however. Two singles and an error from the Twins catcher put the Yankees back out front, and the Twins went down in order in their final at-bat. Ramos worked 2 2/3 innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks, while striking out three.

The Twins managed just three hits as a team, with Dominguez collecting two of them. They finished 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and left only three men on base in the game. Hernandez stole his 27th base of the season.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day - Christian MacLeod, Wichita Wind Surge (5 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 8 K)
Hitter of the Day - New Guys, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (10-for-25, 6 R, 2 2B, 3B, 5 RBI)
                               Tanner Schobel, Wichita Wind Surge (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our recently-updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Tuesday.

#1 – Walker Jenkins (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-5, R, 2 2B (2), 2 RBI, K
#2 – Brooks Lee (Minnesota) – 1-for-3, 2B (2), K
#4 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 1-for-5, K
#7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-5, K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 0-for-2 (was pinch hit for in the fourth inning)
#14 – Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, R, 2B (1), BB, K, SB (3)
#16 – Kyle DeBarge (Fort Myers) – 2-for-5, R, 3B (1), 2 RBI
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR (7), 2 RBI

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Columbus @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - TBD
Wichita @ Corpus Christi (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Andrew Morris (5-3, 2.14 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Darren Bowen (2-6, 6.17 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Charlee Soto (0-4, 5.64 ERA)
DSL Twins @ DSL NYY Yankees (9:00 AM CDT) - completion of game suspended on 7/22.

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

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[twinstalker]

Just as I disparage Tanner Schobel in another comment section here!

[FlyingFinn]

MacLeod has really been pitching well this season. Almost too good as he's a lefty and is Rule 5 draft eligible this year.

[Doctor Wu]

DeBarge off to a good start with 2 hits. This Fort Myers team should be fun to watch for the next month or so. 

[Spiritualized]

DeBarge was definitely feeling the rhythm of the night. Great to see a couple knocks.  

[SaberNerd]

Lot of good debuts in Fort Myers.  With how well many of these guys hit in college, they probably are too good for this level but it is still good to see them hit regardless.  Sometimes you see a college hitter just not hit in the pros (Sabato's had a strikeout problem in A ball).

It will be interesting to see how the TD readers view DeBarge vs Amick.  Amick was ranked higher by a lot of baseball people, but the Twins clearly preferred DeBarge.  Only time will tell.

[Dman]

Really nice to see all the draftee's have good nights at the plate.  I hope they just keep on hitting all the way up.  

It's a SSS but in August, Schobel is hitting 273/333/909 for a 1.200 OPS.  There was a time back at High A when he looked like a better hitter than the Dodgers number one prospect Dalton Rushing.  Maybe he can get his Mojo back in AA and get back to top 10 prospect status for the Twins.  Hopefully he has figured out how to find more barrels and get more consistent hard contact.  AA is a tough level.

Another nice game for MaCleod.  He is making the transition to AA look easy.  He seemed so rocky to start the year, but now seems to really trust his stuff.  My only major concern with him is the long ball. If he can keep it in the park I think he will be OK.

[roger]

Great seeing Jenkins with nights like last night.  Hopefully, he has put the adjustment to Hi-A behind him and he will be the player we hope for the next month, plus.

[Blyleven2011]

Will continue to keep an eye on the prospects , thanks for the article ...

Ditto to what everyone else posted ...

[MMMordabito]

Is Payton Eeles our next Randy Dobnak?  He seems to be ignoring all the rules for how to get to the big leagues.

Maybe one chapter in the "Minnesota Twins Book of Cinderellas" ends while another begins.

[Doctor Gast]

1 hour ago, MMMordabito said:

Is Payton Eeles our next Randy Dobnak?  He seems to be ignoring all the rules for how to get to the big leagues.

Maybe one chapter in the "Minnesota Twins Book of Cinderellas" ends while another begins.

I have a feeling that other clubs are watching Eeles

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

There was major questions how good of hitters were in the draft class, the expectation was prospects only up to about the #60 to #70 range were decent hitters then a pretty big drop off.  So when the Twins continued to take a hitter heavy approach, I understood it as they went very heavy pitching wise last year but was curious how they would perform and look.  For a game,  and a single game,  I think we can say that narrative was wrong.  Those hitters looked like they belonged.   We will see if it develops into anything more than that,  but for now we she all be pretty pleased.  

[Dman]

1 hour ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

There was major questions how good of hitters were in the draft class, the expectation was prospects only up to about the #60 to #70 range were decent hitters then a pretty big drop off.  So when the Twins continued to take a hitter heavy approach, I understood it as they went very heavy pitching wise last year but was curious how they would perform and look.  For a game,  and a single game,  I think we can say that narrative was wrong.  Those hitters looked like they belonged.   We will see if it develops into anything more than that,  but for now we she all be pretty pleased.  

I don't think the narrative was wrong as 60 to 70 was pretty much the end for projected plus hitters.  There were still a lot of 50 rated hit tools left that with some polish could be plus hitters as these ratings are pretty subjective and pundits can't watch every prospect. Still finding a diamond in the rough is rare and pretty much any bat outside the top 100 picks is in that category. 

While I have hope that all the hitters work out that the Twins picked history tells us anyone picked outside the top 100 picks or so is unlikely to be an impact bat. Even guys picked higher like Miller and Schobel have struggled to become good hitters as they move up. You look at previous Twins drafts and pretty much everyone taken outside the top 100 has flamed out.  CES at 128 which is close to top 100 is about the only one I can think of to make it to the MLB level and stick.

Lot's of lower picks look good through high A and falter at AA and beyond.  Even those that make it all the way to AAA often times fail at that level.  You have to be the best of the best of the best and find your way at the MLB level. That's really hard to do even for the most highly rated players.

To your point I think they took some interesting risks on perceived under the radar type hitters that might just find a way and like you I hope they all turn out to be MLB players even if it is against the odds for those later picks. I'll be rooting for all of them, but I wouldn't bank on many making it all the way.

 

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

54 minutes ago, Dman said:

I don't think the narrative was wrong as 60 to 70 was pretty much the end for projected plus hitters.  There were still a lot of 50 rated hit tools left that with some polish could be plus hitters as these ratings are pretty subjective and pundits can't watch every prospect. Still finding a diamond in the rough is rare and pretty much any bat outside the top 100 picks is in that category. 

While I have hope that all the hitters work out that the Twins picked history tells us anyone picked outside the top 100 picks or so is unlikely to be an impact bat. Even guys picked higher like Miller and Schobel have struggled to become good hitters as they move up. You look at previous Twins drafts and pretty much everyone taken outside the top 100 has flamed out.  CES at 128 which is close to top 100 is about the only one I can think of to make it to the MLB level and stick.

Lot's of lower picks look good through high A and falter at AA and beyond.  Even those that make it all the way to AAA often times fail at that level.  You have to be the best of the best of the best and find your way at the MLB level. That's really hard to do even for the most highly rated players.

To your point I think they took some interesting risks on perceived under the radar type hitters that might just find a way and like you I hope they all turn out to be MLB players even if it is against the odds for those later picks. I'll be rooting for all of them, but I wouldn't bank on many making it all the way.

 

You do have Julien and Holland (finally started looking like could make it to the big leagues this year before his tibia fracture) from the 2019  draft.   Even still I fully agree with your assessment.  

[Dman]

18 minutes ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

You do have Julien and Holland (finally started looking like could make it to the big leagues this year before his tibia fracture) from the 2019  draft.   Even still I fully agree with your assessment.  

Jullien is kind of an odd one.  He was rated inside the top 100 with some 1st round buzz, but had a bad year mainly due to lack of contact (sound familiar) his Sophmore year. Once outside the top 100 there were concerns he might not sign as he could have gone back for his Junior year so he fell outside the top 10 rounds where the Twins took a chance on him signing him for I think 4th or 5th round money which he did.  He is an outlier in the process in those regards IMO, but too your point yes taken outside the top 100. Still with the major league time he has logged he would count as "making it" IMO.

Holland also started the year in 1st round pick territory but also fell to the 5th round due to contact issues.  It's been a tough climb but I agree with you that he showed signs of being a better hitter this year until he got injured.  It is interesting that both were in the 1st round convo's even though picked later they had some 1st round traits. Holland with 5 tool potential if the hit tool went plus. Contact concerns dropped them though.

With the exception of Amick it seems like all the guys they picked this year have pretty good contact skills so I am more hopeful than normal that some of those guys will work out.  Gonna take some time to find out though.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

On 8/7/2024 at 3:04 PM, Dman said:

Jullien is kind of an odd one.  He was rated inside the top 100 with some 1st round buzz, but had a bad year mainly due to lack of contact (sound familiar) his Sophmore year. Once outside the top 100 there were concerns he might not sign as he could have gone back for his Junior year so he fell outside the top 10 rounds where the Twins took a chance on him signing him for I think 4th or 5th round money which he did.  He is an outlier in the process in those regards IMO, but too your point yes taken outside the top 100. Still with the major league time he has logged he would count as "making it" IMO.

Holland also started the year in 1st round pick territory but also fell to the 5th round due to contact issues.  It's been a tough climb but I agree with you that he showed signs of being a better hitter this year until he got injured.  It is interesting that both were in the 1st round convo's even though picked later they had some 1st round traits. Holland with 5 tool potential if the hit tool went plus. Contact concerns dropped them though.

With the exception of Amick it seems like all the guys they picked this year have pretty good contact skills so I am more hopeful than normal that some of those guys will work out.  Gonna take some time to find out though.

I agree, I don't think you can look anymore where they were picked,  rather how much was agreed to in the contract.  The biggest thing with Julien was he was always going to be a harder sign,  then he exploded in the CWS last few games (after the draft).  This allowed him much more leverage, and when he feigned going back to college, the Twins upped the amount.  In either case,  neither were a 1st through 3rd round signee.   In either case you cannot argue with the Twins strategies,  find hitters early,  and then come back with tons of pitching picks later in the draft.  They are also going for 1 big swing, on the pitchers in the early rounds as well.  

As to this year,  as you have stated,  the most likely hitters to succeed would be Culpepper, Amick and Debarge,  but there is some talent in the later rounds.  More than anything they needed to round out the overall roster after picking so many pitchers last year.  A ball needed a massive shot in the arm, and this draft has provided it.