Seth Stohs

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You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1715-Twins-Minor-League-Report-(5-14)-Lee-Walker-Propel-Kernels

Overall, it was not a good day for the Minnesota Twins’ minor league affiliates. However, you’ll want to see what the Cedar Rapids Kernels’ most productive and most exciting hitters did on Tuesday. Kyle Gibson was back on the mound for the first time since his complete game shutout. How did the Red Wings right-hander back up his strong performance? Antoan Richardson performed the duties of leadoff hitter very well. Cedar Rapids also made several transactions. Check out what happened in the Twins farm system on Tuesday: Rochester Red Wings 4, Durham Bulls 7 Box Score In his previous start, Kyle Gibson threw a complete game shutout against the offensively-challenged Toledo Mud Hens. He threw 114 pitches, so his next start was pushed back a day. On Tuesday night, he faced the good offense of the Durham Bulls. It didn’t go so well. He gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk in just three innings. Tyler Robertson came on and worked two innings. He gave up a run on one hit and one walk. He struck out two. Dan Turpen came on and gave up two runs on three hits in two innings. He walked one and struck out one. Luis Perdomo came on and gave up just one hit over two innings. Antoan Richardson went 3-4 with a walk and a stolen base. Ray Olmedo went 2-4 with a walk. Chris Colabello was 2-5. On Wednesday, Cole De Vries will make his third rehab start, first with the Red Wings. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Bowie Baysox 8 Box Score BJ Hermsen made his longest start of the season. He worked six innings. He gave up four unearned runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out four. Edgar Ibarra pitched a scoreless seventh inning, walking one and striking one out. Bobby Lanigan pitched the eighth inning and gave up four runs on four hits. The Rock Cat bats managed just four hits. Danny Ortiz hit his 11th double. Jason Christian hit his second triple. Pat Dean will make the start on Wednesday for New Britain. Ft. Myers Miracle 3, Dunedin Blue Jays 9 Box Score It wasn’t a good night for the Miracle. Matt Summers started and gave up three runs on five hits. In 5.2 innings, he walked three and struck out five. Chad Rodgers came on and gave up four unearned runs on four hits and a walk in 1.1 innings. Dakota Watts pitched the final two innings and gave up two runs on four hits. Levi Michael went 2-4 with his fifth double. Aderlin Mejia was also 2-4. The two combined for four of the team’s six hits. On Wednesday, Tom Stuifbergen will make the start for the Miracle. Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, Burlington Bees 4 Box Score The Kernels may have only had four hits in this game, but they got a pretty big hit from a pretty big guy who has been a pretty big, productive performer all year for the team. Adam Walker came to the plate in the 6th inning of a tie game. For the third time this season, he hit a grand slam. On the year, Walker is now hitting .309/.356/.655 with ten doubles, four triples, ten home runs and 44 RBI in 35 games. 24 of his 43 hits have gone for extra bases. This home run went over the batter’s eye in center field, a monstrous blast. As Jeff Johnson of The Gazette (Cedar Rapids) tweeted, “Cover Kernels since ’99, seen vast majority of games in new ballpark, see 2 balls hit over batter’s eye previously. 2 this year.” Dalton Hicks hit one over the eye earlier this season, and Kennys Vargas did it once last year in a Beloit uniform. Jim Crikket was at the game and tweeted, “Walker is now 5-for-6 with the bases loaded this season. 3 of those hits are grand slams.” [ATTACH=CONFIG]4078[/ATTACH] Photo by Rinaldi Photos The Kernels added an important insurance run an inning later. Byron Buxton hit a routine fly ball to centerfield. The centerfielder dropped the ball and kicked it around a little bit. In the meantime, Buxton raced all the way around the bases. I’m sure Mr. Crikket will read this (maybe?) and be able to tell us more, but I envision a guy running around the bases really, really quickly. Lefty Brett Lee was very impressive on the mound. He threw six shutout innings before his own throwing error led to two unearned runs in the seventh inning. He gave up eight hits, but walked just one and struck out ten batters for the Win. Coming into the game, he had just 13 strikeouts in 24.2 innings. He now has 23 strikeouts (and just seven walks) in 31.2 innings on the year. Manuel Soliman came on and threw a scoreless eighth before being charged with two in the ninth. David Hurlbut got the final two outs to record his third save. Hudson Boyd will make the start on Wednesday for the Kernels. On Tuesday, the Kernels made several transactions. Lefty Josue Montanez returns to the team. Michael Quesada was officially added to the roster after his 50 game suspension. Jeremias Pineda, who came to the Twins last August in the Danny Valencia trade, was promoted to Cedar Rapids as well. Romy Jimenez, on his birthday, was sent down to Extended Spring Training. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

People thought I was overly optimistic when I said they would win 73 games this year... I think I'm going to stick with that number, but it's been an impressive season (in my mind) so far!

Typically it is 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first games. Both games are 7 innings.

Michael Quesada officially added to the Cedar Rapids roster today. They also receive LHP Josue Montanez and OF Jeremias Pineda (received last year from Red Sox for Danny Valencia). Romy Jimenez was sent down to EST.

It's a photo by Jesse Johnson, and it's from USA Today. Thanks for pointing that out. Trying to get better at including the credit to the picture. I have added it now.

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Coming into the game, centerfielder Aaron Hicks had a hitting line of .137/.239/.216 (.455). He had just five extra base hits in the first 30 games. He had struggled one defense as well as with the bat. And then came Monday night. After popping up in his first at bat, Hicks came up to the plate to lead off the 4th inning. He launched a long home run, 416 feet to straight-away centerfield. In the top of the 6th inning, the Twins lead had been cut to 5-3 with a runner still on base when Adam Dunn, who also came into the game with a .137 batting average, came to the plate. Dunn launched a ball to nearly the same spot as Hicks’s home run. Fortunately, Hicks raced back to the wall, leapt and then caught the ball well above the fence, robbing Dunn of a game-tying home run. The Target Field crowd erupted as Hicks showed the ball and smiled all the way back in to the dugout. He would bat second in the bottom half of the 6th inning. After Oswaldo Arcia struck out, Hicks stepped to the plate. On the first pitch he saw from lefty Hector Santiago, Hicks made solid contact and launched a ball, 412 feet, into the bullpen behind the left field fence. In doing so, he became the youngest Twins player to have a multi-home run game since Justin Morneau did it in 2004. Upon arriving in the dugout, the fans called for a curtain call, and Hicks obliged. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4065[/ATTACH] Following the game, Hicks stat line showed .152/.256/.286 (.542). It’s a good reminder of how much Hicks has struggled. It is going to take him a while to get those numbers up into the “respectable” category. However, his ability to take walks and show some power are encouraging for the long-term future. As disappointing as the first six weeks of the season has been for Hicks, it’s important to remember why fans were right to be excited about Hicks. No, it has nothing to do with the small-sample of Spring Training, though that was certainly encouraging. Let’s take a quick look at the Aaron Hicks stat line and recall why there is so much optimism for the future of Aaron Hicks. We won’t go all the way back to 2008 when the Twins took the California prep with the 14th overall pick. At the time, some teams ranked him higher than that, but as a pitcher. However, Hicks wanted to be a hitter, and the Twins were happy to take a guy that many believed had five-tool potential. It certainly has not been an easy ride up the Twins farm system. In 2009, he was scheduled to play in Elizabethton, but injuries pushed him up to Beloit where he struggled. He struggled enough that he repeated in Beloit in 2010 and showed much improvement. In 2011, he moved up to Ft. Myers where he again struggled early. He was a surprise invite to the Arizona Fall League where he had a nice breakout showing. In 2012, he moved up to AA and showed exactly what he can be as a player if he were to develop well. Hicks hit .286/.384/.460 (.844). Although I don’t believe that he will ever be a real high batting average guy, Hicks has always had a knack for getting on nearly 10% of the team via the walk. It is always great to see that trait remain as a player moves up levels. Hicks also had 21 doubles, 11 triples and 13 home runs in 2012. This shows that Hicks is not just a guy who stands at the plate and hopes to walk. He does have plenty of extra base power. He likely won’t be a 30 homer guy, but at his peak, Hicks could hit 15-20 home runs a year. The doubles and triples show that he has very good gap power, and the triples indicate the kind of speed that Hicks has. Add in 32 stolen bases, and you know that you’ve got a very fast player. Is he a five-tool player? Because he is one to strike out quite a bit, he may never have a great hit tool, but I think his ability to get on base makes up for that to some degree. He has good power for the position he plays. He certainly has very good speed. Although we have not seen it consistently, Aaron Hicks can be a very good outfielder with good range. And, his arm is very strong and generally quite accurate. Is it surprising that Aaron Hicks is struggling early in the season? Not at all. Hicks has struggled early in seasons before when going to a new level. Then consider that he is actually skipping a level to go along with being in the big leagues for the first time. His struggles have been monumental, but a game like Monday night should remind us of Hicks’ immense ability. Now, it’s just a matter of how can he put together consistently quality plate appearances from game to game, or even from at bat to at bat. Does one tremendous game mean that the tide has turned and all will be good for Hicks going forward? Of course not. What it does, for me, is remind me that the Twins need to do whatever it is that they feel is best for Hicks long-term to attempt to make him the best player he can be. Is that struggling in the big leagues, or is there a better situation for Hicks in Rochester? I can’t pretend to know the right answer to that question as it is something that would be different for every player. The variables to that question go beyond the physical and deep into the mental and psychological makeup of the player. The Smile doesn’t show up on the stat page, and often we tend to mock the intangibles, but it was continually brought up how much Hicks was smiling following the catch, then the second home run and through the curtain call. With the struggles, it is great to see Hicks actually having fun. It’s easy to say that one is having fun, but it was clear that Hicks was relaxed enough at that point to have a blast. If he can relax, it will only help his performance on the field. So, what do you think? 1.) Will Monday night’s 2 home run (plus robbing of Dunn’s home run) be the start of something big for Hicks, or was it just a good game? 2.) In your opinion, what is best for Hicks, to struggle in the big leagues, or to be able to work on things in Triple-A Rochester? 3.) How do you feel about the future of Aaron Hicks? How has that opinion changed since the offseason? Since spring training? Since… yesterday?

Nothing yet.

Roberts tore his meniscus working out this offseason. Had surgery. And, it would be a huge mistake for the Twins to give up on Hendriks at this point.

Sorry ya'll... tweeted it earlier this morning when I saw it... others did as well. He's a speed guy. He's an old version of Ben Revere... but obviously not quite that level. But a nice signing nonetheless.

Adam Brett Walker named MWL Player of the Week | Cedar Rapids Kernels News Adam Walker was named the Midwest League Hitter of the Week for the 2nd time this season.

As there are more data points, we have more to evaluate and alter prospect rankings. If a 21-year-old put up those numbers in the MWL, it'd be hard to ignore. But if he put up those numbers and wasn't promoted, it would also throw up a whole bunch of red flags. So, who knows.

Niko is pretty impressive! There's some question about if he'll stay at SS or eventually move to 3B (obviously, in part, depends on Sano and Harrison). Offensively, he's got a nice approach and a smooth swing. Defensively, I thought he looked pretty good at SS.

Very good points. Thanks! He certainly isn't in the top prospect category. Certainly wasn't coming into the season. And, when you look at it as you did, that he's the 5-7 prospect on his own team's prospect coming into the season, it's hard to argue with you. Ha! Even now, I don't think I would have him higher than 5th (maybe 4th) prospect on his own team. I think he, and Polanco, have probably changed some perceptions. A little more belief in both of them.

Also, pitch counts are likely still involved with Berrios and others.

They didn't have to. He didn't walk many and he threw strikes. He was pitching to contact, but he had such a tremendous changeup that it got swings and misses.

I think it's an interesting thing to consider... I've referenced the Evan Longoria and Matt Moore deals. This one is a little more risky, I think. The TWins have definitely shown a willingness to by who some arbitration and free agent years. They did that with Hunter, Santana, Mauer, Morneau, Span, Blackburn, etc. I've referenced it relative to Oswaldo Arcia. I just think it's important to get players through at 31, maybe 32. After that, it's probably even more risky to sign free agents than signing them early.

Can a 3rd round pick who was a terrific college hitter really be a "sleeper" prospect though? I was so impressed seeing Walker in person... he's putting up numbers beyond what anyone should reasonably expect. I do think he could move quickly, even before the All Star game, if needed. He's so strong!