Twins Minor League Report (5/6): We're Making "Carson McCrusher" Happen...

[Steve Lein]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Carson McCusker)

TRANSACTIONS

• In Triple-A with the St. Paul Saints, C Diego Cartaya was transferred to the development list, while OF Austin Martin was activated from the injured list and started in left field (more on that to come…).
• Down in the Florida State League IF Dameury Pena was activated from the injured list, and in a corresponding move the Mighty Mussels sent RHP Xavier Kolhosser back to the FCL Twins.

SAINTS SENTINEL
Buffalo 2, St. Paul 6
Box Score
In the words of Sean Aronson on the Saints broadcast, “Carson McCrusher” needs to be on a t-shirt. And probably trademarked. By somebody. Not me. Maybe. But somebody. We’ll see…

That’s because Carson McCusker finished this one 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs to give him nine on the season, ranking second in the International League. And my goodness, the first one was absolutely obliterated (make sure you turn the sound up):

The broadcast was adamant this ball cleared the roof of the Cub-a-Cabana out in right field. If you’ve been to CHS Field, you know that this party area is not particularly close to the field. Just to show how much power he has in his six-foot eight-inch tall frame, he went the opposite way for his second home run in the eighth inning.

But I digress, because we also need to talk about David Festa.

For the second game in a row the lanky right-hander cruised through his opposition. Last Tuesday he needed just 68 pitches to get through six innings, and punched out seven. In this one they didn’t quite let him finish six, but he again punched out seven and needed just 72 pitches, with 50 going for strikes (69%). In his 5 2/3 innings he gave up just three hits, and was removed from the game with two outs and a runner on second base. 

Travis Adams was brought on and promptly gave up an RBI single, leading to an earned run on Festa’s ledger and a no-decision in the scorebook. If it were me, I’d have let Festa at least finish that one batter one way or the other (and he wanted to), but it didn’t really end up making much of a difference thanks to McCusker.

Adams went on to complete 2 1/3 innings of his own, allowing no runs on three hits while striking out four. Jacob Bosiokovic finished out the ninth inning with the Saints up by five. He gave up one run on two hits and a pair of walks and struck out two.

Besides McCusker, Mickey Gasper finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and his third home run in five games with the Saints. Jeferson Morales added a double.

Austin Martin returned from the injured list and started this game in left field. He led off the game for the Saints with a single, and along with McCusker executed a double-steal for the game’s first run. However, Martin pulled up injured before reaching home and the only reason he did score is the throw got away from the catcher. He was removed for Anthony Prato to start the second inning.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 4, NW Arkansas 5
Box Score
The Wind Surge took an early lead in this one as leadoff man Tanner Schobel started the game by reaching base on an error. Two outs later Rubel Cespedes drove him in with an RBI double for a 1-0 lead.

Taking the bump for Wichita was Darren Bowen and he would get the first three innings. He delivered a one-two-three first inning including a strikeout, but lost his control in the second. Four walks led to a tie game, and he also allowed a solo home run in the third that made it 3-2.

The Wind Surge had that lead as in the top of the third Jake Rucker and Schobel traded places with back-to-back doubles to start the inning, and Kala’i Rosario drove in Schobel with a single two batters later that put them in front 3-1. They added their fourth run in the sixth inning after a Kyler Fedko double and two walks loaded the bases, before Rucker brought a run in with a groundout.

Righty Pierson Ohl came on to start the fourth inning and went the next two scoreless frames, giving up just two hits to keep Wichita in front. John Klein delivered a scoreless sixth inning, but ran into trouble in the seventh and eighth. A three-run homer in the seventh put the Naturals in front, then a pair of two out singles in the eighth ended Klein’s outing. He finished with three earned runs on six hits and a walk in his 2 2/3 innings pitched, while striking out three. Cody Laweryson got the final out of the game for the Wind Surge.

Down 5-4 in the ninth, the Wichita lineup went down one-two-three to fall to 15-13 on the season. Aaron Sabato (2-for-3, BB) led the way with multiple hits. Schobel scored two runs from the top of the lineup. Five of their nine hits as a team were doubles, but the Naturals' big blast was enough to overcome the Wind Surge’s warning track power in this one.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 8, Beloit 0
Box Score
The Kernels blanked the Minnesota Twins former Midwest League Affiliate on Tuesday behind a stellar effort from their pitching staff and taking advantage of Snappers miscues.

Chase Chaney made the start and was excellent. He did not allow a run or issue a walk, scattering seven hits over six shutout innings. He threw 90 pitches, with 60 going for strikes (67%), and punching out six. He retired the first eight hitters of the game before giving up a single in the third inning.

The lineup scored all the runs they would need in the top of the first inning, after Brandon Winokur reached base on an infield single, and advanced to second on a throwing error. Danny De Andrade followed with an RBI single that made it 1-0.

They added a single run in the third when Kaelen Culpepper led off with a double, moved to third on another error (off the bat of Winokur), and was brought in to score on a De Andrade groundout. 

The Kernels lineup did most of their damage in the fifth inning. Caden Kendle led off with a double. Two more consecutive errors loaded the bases before Winokur drove in two with a single. Another De Andrade groundout scored another, before Khadim Diaw brought in the fourth run of the inning with an RBI single to make it 6-0.

The bullpen duo of Samuel Perez (2 IP, 2 H, 2 K) and Jacob Wosinski (IP, K) closed out the final three innings in scoreless fashion to complete the shutout. Chaney picked up his first win of the year and completed six innings for the second straight game.

The offense tacked on two more runs in the top of the eighth thanks to an RBI double from Kevin Maitan and a Nate Baez sac fly to make the final score.

Winokur was the only Kernels batter with multiple hits, finishing 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. De Andrade had just one hit in five trips to the plate, but drove in three.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Dunedin 12, Fort Myers 13 (11 innings)
Box Score
Fans at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers were treated to an extra-inning barn-burner on Tuesday, as a big early lead turned into a tied up affair late and headed to extra-innings.

The Mighty Mussels ambushed Blue Jays starter Austin Cates, who wasn’t able to make it out of the first inning. Byron Chourio got him first with a solo home run. Then a sequence of single, walk, single, single knocked him from the game with Fort Myers up 3-0. They tacked on three more in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a thousand cuts approach, as singles from Demeury Pena, Chourio, Yasser Mercedes, and Jay Thomason built their lead to six.

Starting for the Mighty Mussels was Michael Ross, and he pitched the first three innings, retiring the first seven hitters he faced before allowing a one-out triple in the third. That runner ended up scoring on a wild pitch, but Ross also struck out the final two hitters he faced. In total, Ross allowed one earned run on one hit, while striking out four.

Then it got weird for Fort Myers and pitcher Jason Doktorczyk. While he did work the next three-plus innings, he was also kept in the game while giving up nine hits (including three home runs), eight runs (seven earned), and walking two. He did punch out four but by the time the Mighty Mussels made another call to the bullpen the game was tied at nine.

Hunter Hoopes pitched a scoreless and hitless 1 2/3 innings, striking out one. Ivran Romero came in for the ninth and kept the game tied to head to extras. Back out for the 10th the ghost runner did come around to score on a double, but one run wouldn’t be enough.

In the bottom half an RBI single from Yohander Martinez tied it up again, and they got the winning run to third before Chourio went down swinging.

Tyler Stasiowski was brought in for the top of the eleventh, and again the Blue Jays were able to take advantage, as a two-run homer put them up 12-10.

The visiting team couldn’t close it out, however. A walk to Mercedes and a single from Thomason loaded the bases with nobody out. An error brought the home squad within one, a wild-pitch tied it back up, and a sac fly from Jefferson Valladeres walked it off for those who stuck it out.

Five of the starting nine hitters had multiple hits in the win. Martinez (3-for-5, 2 RBI) and Thomason (3-for-5, 3 R, RBI, BB, 2 K, 2 SB) each had three to lead the way. As a team the Mighty Mussels racked up sixteen hits (though only two went for extra bases), and they finished 8-for-17 with runners in scoring position.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Pirates 3, FCL Twins 7 (7 innings)
Box Score
The Twins lineup scored runs in five of their six turns at bat, taking advantage of 10 walks as a team in the game.

Daiber De Los Santos led off the bottom of the first with a triple and scored on a groundout from Eduardo Beltre to get it started. In the second it was a pair of walks, a wild pitch, and a sac fly from Victor Leal. In the next two innings they scored two runs each, with those coming thanks to those walks and a sac fly in the third, and an extra out in the fourth. De Los Santos reached base on a passed ball strikeout in the fourth, which allowed Bryan Acuna (double) and Jayson Bass (single) to take advantage with RBI hits. Three more walks and a sac fly from Beltre in the fifth capped their scoring.

Right-hander Miguel Cordero made the start and pitched into the fourth inning. He allowed three earned runs on four hits in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out three. Ruddy Gomez finished the fourth and fifth innings by facing four hitters, and striking out all of them to earn his first professional win. Will Armbruester closed out the final two innings, allowing one hit, walking one, and striking out two.

The Twins had just three hits on the game, compared to five from the Pirates, but they took advantage of their extra opportunities. Beltre (0-for-2, 2 R, 2 RBI) drove in two and scored two runs without recording a hit or walk. Acuna (1-for-2, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB) and Bass (1-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB) each drew a pair of walks in addition to their hits. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – David Festa, St. Paul Saints (5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K)
Hitter of the Day – Carson McCusker, St. Paul Saints (3-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, K)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Tuesday. (Seth Note: We found that Twins Daily writers rankings were not included in the recent vote. The rankings have now been updated to include those votes. There were a few players that moved up or down 1-3 spots.) 

#3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 1-for-3, BB, K
#6 – Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5, 2 R, 2B
#9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI
#11 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4, R, BB, K
#16 - Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins): 0-for-2, 2 R, 2 RBI. HBP, SF
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita): 1-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 K
#18 – Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers): 1-for-5, 2 R, RBI, BB, 3 K
#19 – Carson McCusker (St. Paul): 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR (9), 3 RBI, K, SB (1)
#20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 1-for-3. 

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Buffalo @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - RHP Andrew Morris (0-1, 4.57 ERA)
Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Trent Baker (1-2, 2.49 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (11:10 AM CDT) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-0, 6.00 ERA)
Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Adrian Bohorquez (0-1, 6.75 ERA)

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

 

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[FlyingFinn]

Mickey Gasper - he just belongs in the AAA Hall of Fame. His stats are great at that level.

[Dman]

McCusker making his move to convince the Twins he needs to be called up. He is on fire to start the season.  Absolutely dialed in. The only thing holding him back is that 30% K rate which generally only gets worse at the MLB level.  I do love seeing him hit home runs.

Festa looking really good too.  He is just waiting for another chance.

[Doctor Gast]

Cartaya was sent to the instructional complex; they should have sent Julien down with him to learn 1B. Why keep him at 2B (Twins have done very well w/o him the last 3 games) when he has no future with the Twins there? Martin did what he usually does: got on base and scored against a very good SP (Saints didn't score for another 5 innings after the SP left). He's a spark plug that the Twins desperately need, a spark plug, a leadoff hitter & a stable 2Bman. Twins don't need an OFer, they needed a 2Bman in a very fragile INF to start the season. Why so determined to keep Martin in the OF when 2B is his most natural position & is more needed there?

Another thing, why orchestrate a double steal with Martin on his 1st day back from IL? That's insane. McCuster hadn't stole a base this season, why place Martin in a place of jeopardy? Didn't Toby get the memo to take it easy on Martin? Maybe there was no memo sent because the Twins don't care. They are blinded to what they really need. If it's not programmed in their spreadsheet they can't see it. It's the little things that help you win the close games. That's why the Twins lose so many of them.

One more thing, where is Miranda? Why isn't he playing 1B? Maybe it's more than a sore hand. Maybe it's a sore shoulder that's been hindering his hitting. We need him back healthy & able to take France place at 1B. France needs to be placed at DH & learn to be good there, not 1B.

[Doctor Wu]

Khadim Diaw having a quietly good season so far, batting .297 but with an impressive OPB of .471. No homers yet, but he's drawn a lot of walks and stolen 4 bases. But where has he been playing most games, as catcher or in the outfield?

[thelanges5]

47 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Cartaya was sent to the instructional complex; they should have sent Julien down with him to learn 1B. Why keep him at 2B (Twins have done very well w/o him the last 3 games) when he has no future with the Twins there? Martin did what he usually does: got on base and scored against a very good SP (Saints didn't score for another 5 innings after the SP left). He's a spark plug that the Twins desperately need, a spark plug, a leadoff hitter & a stable 2Bman. Twins don't need an OFer, they needed a 2Bman in a very fragile INF to start the season. Why so determined to keep Martin in the OF when 2B is his most natural position & is more needed there?

Another thing, why orchestrate a double steal with Martin on his 1st day back from IL? That's insane. McCuster hadn't stole a base this season, why place Martin in a place of jeopardy? Didn't Toby get the memo to take it easy on Martin? Maybe there was no memo sent because the Twins don't care. They are blinded to what they really need. It's the little things that help you win the close games. That's why the Twins lose so many of them.

One more thing, where is Miranda? Why isn't he playing 1B? We need him back healthy & able to take France place at 1B. France needs to be placed at DH & learn to be good there, not 1B.

 

12 minutes ago, Doctor Wu said:

Khadim Diaw having a quietly good season so far, batting .297 but with an impressive OPB of .471. No homers yet, but he's drawn a lot of walks and stolen 4 bases. But where has he been playing most games, as catcher or in the outfield?

Miranda is on the AAA IL

Diaw has played 15 games at C, 8 at OF, and 3 at DH

[kenneth frank]

Thanks for suggesting I turn the sound on!

[ryan189]

they took festa out because they needed to get guys work because of all the rain and wanted guys up and down a certain amount of times . the single adams gave up was a weak opposite way ground ball to where the ss would normally be. Just bad luck 

[Cory Engelhardt]

That is such a bummer for Austin Martin. Hopefully he isn't out long. 

[bean5302]

9 hours ago, Dman said:

McCusker making his move to convince the Twins he needs to be called up. He is on fire to start the season.  Absolutely dialed in. The only thing holding him back is that 30% K rate which generally only gets worse at the MLB level.  I do love seeing him hit home runs.

Festa looking really good too.  He is just waiting for another chance.

Have you seen his BABIP? It's consistently super high. Then I looked at his line drive rates... Consistently an astronomical 30% the past 2 seasons. The high K rate is generally associated with a very poor AVG/OBP, but if McCusker is able to hit 25%+ line drives at the MLB level, his OBP is going to stay over .300.

Not sure what to make of him, but some experience and success can see big drop offs in K rates after a couple years. Jeffers was at 37% K in his first full season, now at 17%. Larnach down from 35% to 19%, and Rooker from 33% to 25%.

With how much progress McCusker has made already, I think it's possible he could take another step forward in plate discipline. If he keeps it up through May, he needs to get a call.

[DJL44]

3 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Another thing, why orchestrate a double steal with Martin on his 1st day back from IL? That's insane.

If he wasn't healthy enough to play baseball (including running the bases) then he shouldn't have been taken off the IL.

[LambchoP]

Hopefully Martin isn't out too much longer, he was hitting really well. Call up Mccusker already! Adding a big power threat to a finally healthy lineup with Buxton, Correa and Lewis could be the jolt this offense needs to take off! Why waste the roster spot on Keirsey who we see maybe once per week?

[Heiny]

Can McCusker just not handle 1b?  At 6'8" I would love to see him tried a 1b.  Big powerful hitter with great size,  1b seems like the perfect spot for him unless he just can't handle the throws in the dirt.  Does anyone have more info on his fielding?

[rdehring]

Add me to the list of those clamoring for McCusker to move over to Target Field.  Can this kid hit a home run say once every 10-12 at bats?  If so, I don't care if he strikes out 40% of the time. 

Also great seeing Festa settle in with a run of very good outings.  Sure looks like he is ready to step into the rotation, for good.  Should there not be a long-term injury to one of the starters, I remain hopeful that Paddack will continue pitching like he has so the Twins can move him come July.  Maybe, just maybe, they could get a decent prospect in return.  Would also save a couple million bucks which could be important considering how attendance is down.   

Looking down in Iowa is good seeing Winokur's bat heat up the last week or so.

[bean5302]

8 minutes ago, Heiny said:

Can McCusker just not handle 1b?  At 6'8" I would love to see him tried a 1b.  Big powerful hitter with great size,  1b seems like the perfect spot for him unless he just can't handle the throws in the dirt.  Does anyone have more info on his fielding?

I'd prefer giving him one thing at a time. Work on his plate discipline and keep hitting. Working him out at 1B over the offseason? Sure, if there is potential value there. The Twins are short on good outfield options next year.

Larnach is not a great option and Bader and Castro are highly likely to be free agents leaving only Buxton and Wallner as likely starters on the roster. McCusker gets scouted poorly in the outfield, but it's very hard to use the "eye test" on big guys like Wallner and McCusker because their size makes them look more awkward than they are.

In terms of RF/9, McCusker's metrics look pretty solid. The data doesn't care if the pitcher has a weird delivery or the fielder's legs don't churn as fast.
 

 

[Doctor Gast]

57 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

If he wasn't healthy enough to play baseball (including running the bases) then he shouldn't have been taken off the IL.

It's all a process, I'm surprised you don't know that! Many players are often very quickly reinjured because they over do it & or not managed properly. But your main goal is to refute anything I say about Martin, not to make sense.

[DJL44]

15 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

It's all a process, I'm surprised you don't know that! Many players are often very quickly reinjured because they over do it & or not managed properly. But your main goal is to refute anything I say about Martin, not to make sense.

No. If players aren't healthy enough to play baseball without getting immediately reinjured playing baseball, then they should have never come off the IL in the first place. You can't have someone come off the IL and say - "He's fine, except for running. Don't make him run".

[Doctor Gast]

30 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

No. If players aren't healthy enough to play baseball without getting immediately reinjured playing baseball, then they should have never come off the IL in the first place. You can't have someone come off the IL and say - "He's fine, except for running. Don't make him run".

So you are saying that all restrictions are off Lewis?  Tell him to forget about it, sprint your heart out? You are crazy. It's all a process. Martin is no different than Lewis. When you are stealing a base, you are not running, you are sprinting. That's what we are talking about.

[DJL44]

14 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

So you are saying that all restrictions are off Lewis?  Tell him to forget about it, sprint your heart out? You are crazy. It's all a process. Martin is no different than Lewis. When you are stealing a base, you are not running, you are sprinting. That's what we are talking about.

If he's off the IL, then all the restrictions have to be off. There is no point to having an injured player on the AAA roster. He can take BP, rehab and even play in simulated games in Fort Myers until he's ready to actually play in a game. If he can't sprint, he stays on the IL. It's not like he's gutting it out to try to help the big-league team (like Buxton did). Why would they risk re-injury to have Martin play games that don't matter for the Saints?

I sure as hell hope the restrictions are off for Royce Lewis. He has trouble staying healthy when he's actually healthy. Do you want the Twins to risk a career-ending injury because they insisted he plays hurt?

[NYCTK]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

No. If players aren't healthy enough to play baseball without getting immediately reinjured playing baseball, then they should have never come off the IL in the first place. You can't have someone come off the IL and say - "He's fine, except for running. Don't make him run".

Especially if that's your one decent tool as a player. 

 

[Doctor Gast]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

If he's off the IL, then all the restrictions have to be off. There is no point to having an injured player on the AAA roster. He can take BP, rehab and even play in simulated games in Fort Myers until he's ready to actually play in a game. If he can't sprint, he stays on the IL. It's not like he's gutting it out to try to help the big-league team (like Buxton did). Why would they risk re-injury to have Martin play games that don't matter for the Saints?

I sure as hell hope the restrictions are off for Royce Lewis. He has trouble staying healthy when he's actually healthy. Do you want the Twins to risk a career-ending injury because they insisted he plays hurt?

Of course, I don't want any Twins at risk of any career-ending injury. I believe I'm one of the strongest advocates of keeping our players healthy (& highly criticized for being so). For the 3rd time, it's a process. You get them off the IL then you ease them into their positions. If they have arm problems, you play them at 1B/ DH until they fully recover. If you have leg problems, like hamstrings, then I'd restrict their sprinting & I'd remove them from the OF (how Martin originally got hurt). If you are waiting for Lewis to be a 100% before he'd start his rehab, you'd have to wait a very long time before he makes back to MLB.

[DJL44]

27 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

If you have leg problems, like hamstrings, then I'd restrict their sprinting & I'd remove them from the OF (how Martin originally got hurt).

If Martin can't run, he's useless and should stay on the IL until he can run.

[bean5302]

8 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

If Martin can't run, he's useless and should stay on the IL until he can run.

...and if Martin was hiding his underlying soreness or issues re-aggravating his hamstring is on him. If the hamstring was truly 100%, it makes no sense to see it strained again like this. Obviously, this is totally speculatory, but it wouldn't surprise me the hamstring was feeling a bit of a twinge or was "tight" and Martin was pushing hard to get an opportunity to be back with the club.

Similarly, there's a history of Royce Lewis pushing to get back onto the field to the point trainers and medical staff have started to ignore what Lewis says. I have serious reservations about the qualifications of the Twins' medical staff and trainers at this point. These injuries are happening way, way, way too frequently. Either the staff is medically incompetent or they're not competent in their communication style.

All that aside, Martin is a replacement level player. He's got about a 1.0 WAR ceiling on him.

[Steve Lein]

7 hours ago, kenneth frank said:

Thanks for suggesting I turn the sound on!

It's the perfect example of "THE sound." 💥

[tony&rodney]

9 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Have you seen his BABIP? It's consistently super high. Then I looked at his line drive rates... Consistently an astronomical 30% the past 2 seasons. The high K rate is generally associated with a very poor AVG/OBP, but if McCusker is able to hit 25%+ line drives at the MLB level, his OBP is going to stay over .300.

Not sure what to make of him, but some experience and success can see big drop offs in K rates after a couple years. Jeffers was at 37% K in his first full season, now at 17%. Larnach down from 35% to 19%, and Rooker from 33% to 25%.

With how much progress McCusker has made already, I think it's possible he could take another step forward in plate discipline. If he keeps it up through May, he needs to get a call.

Bean 5302, I hope you are watching him play. Nothing is guaranteed for minor league players if they reach The Show, but McCusker, while still in need of improvements, has made great strides in the last two years that I have watched him in games. Carson hits the ball very hard pretty often.

[tony&rodney]

8 hours ago, bean5302 said:

McCusker gets scouted poorly in the outfield, but it's very hard to use the "eye test" on big guys like Wallner and McCusker because their size makes them look more awkward than they are.

In terms of RF/9, McCusker's metrics look pretty solid. The data doesn't care if the pitcher has a weird delivery or the fielder's legs don't churn as fast.

This is true. My eye test gives McCusker slightly better jumps than Wallner, but Wallner is a little faster. So same, same more or less in the field.