nclahammer

You are sooooo right about the politeness of the staff. During the rain suspended game, I was going to get the van and pull up closer so my friend in his wheelchair would not get as wet. One of the ushers, David, got an umbrella to cover up my friend Steve while he was wheeling toward where I would pick him up. David then held the umbrella above my friend while he got in the van, despite getting wet himself. It was exemplary.

If other people are looking for autographs after the game, ask them if they come to many games. If one of them is a local (from the area), many times they will help identify specific players because when they come out of the locker room, it can be hard to see who is who. I ran into a guy named Jeff on Friday night, who asked which players I was looking for. He then said he'd help me and point them out as they exited.

I just completed my 24th annual baseball road trip with my buddies Steve-O and TJ, this past weekend we caught a trio of games in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, home of the Minnesota Twins High Class A team the Kernels. The Beloit Sky Carp won the first game we saw on Friday, June 23, 11-9. Cedar Rapids then won the next two days by scores of 10-6 and 8-3. Sky Carp, in case you are wondering, is a not-so-flattering moniker for Canadian geese. I am by no means a baseball expert, but rather just an avid fan who loves to go to baseball games, watching and observing. With my scorebook in hand, I make notes throughout the game of what I see happening on the field (and sometimes inthe stands.) Here's a summary along with some thoughts and observations on how players on the Twins Daily Top 20 prospect list faired, along with some of the other Kernels "popping" in the minors. Current Twins Daily Top 20 prospects (after mid-May rankings) #3 prospect - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez Over the three games we saw...10ABs/2H/HR/RBI/4SO/4BB/SB - Rodriquez played CF the first two games and DH the final one. Good athleticism in CF. In the first game he showed excellent range getting to a ball in the LF/CF gap and then he non-chalantly flipped his glove for the catch and the ball glanced off his glove for a three-base error. The next night was windy and with a rocket hit to CF he hustled back to the ball in time, but it hit off his glove for a triple (we thought it could have been an error, but then again it was windy.) Showed some patience at the plate with 4 walks to go along with 4 strikeouts. Has some of that "Wow" factor going for him with his swing (he's got "pop"), presence, and confidence. I hope he can continue to mature and improve, he is the youngest player on the Cedar Rapids Kernel roster. #6 prospect - P Marco Raya - 4th round pick in 2020 out of HS - He pitched the first game we saw on Friday and got off to a quick start, retiring 7 of the first 8 batters he faced. Then an error (Rodriguez) and two unearned runs later, the Kernels were down 2-0 after three. Raya got the first out in the 4th, but never finished the inning after loading up the bases on three consecutive singles. His stat line was 3 1/3IP/4H/3ER/2K/BB. In ten Class High-A starts, Raya is 0-1, 3.19 ERA, 35K/6BB in 31 IP. The word I would use to describe Marco Raya is "efficient." He started out the game dealing strikes and going after the hitters and was getting outs. Then after giving up three consecutive singles to load the bases in the 4th, the Kernels made a call to the bullpen, which let the game get away in the middle frames (see Jaylin Nowlin below.) Nothing "Wow" about his stuff like when I saw Brusdar Graterol pitch here, but Raya did exhibit good control and confidence. They seem to be bringing Raya along slowly with 31 IP in ten starts. #12 prospect - IF Jose Salas Also acquired in the Luis Arraez trade - 7ABs/R/H/RBI/2B/2K/2BB/2HBP/1SB. He played 2B two games and 3B once, with a slick glove, great range, with no errors. On the season batting .166 with 61 Ks in 193 AB. He is the second youngest player on the roster. The glove is there, the bat is not (yet?) Good versatility and speed. #13 prospect - SS Noah Miller - 1st round pick 2021 out of HS - 9ABs/R/2H/2RBI/SB/5Ks. Miller played two games at SS and was part of 3 double plays. His glove is MLB ready IMO. He gobbled up anything hit his way and was smooth as butter with his glove & throws, but has much work to do with the bat. Miller is a switch hitter batting .208 (not sure of his splits.) He had two RBI singles late in the Friday night game, otherwise he had tough at bats. Out of the regulars playing offensively, Miller is the third youngest behind Rodriguez and Salas. Preseason Top 20 Twins Daily prospects #18 prospect - IF Tanner Schobel (2nd round pick 2022 out of Virginia Tech as a draft eligible sophomore) In two games batting leadoff and playing third base, 9AB/3R/3H/5RBI/2HR/K. Batting .279 on the season with ten HRs and tied for the team lead with 46 RBI. He's only 6 months older than Miller, but has got the bat and is a solid fielder. I was surprised he dropped out of the Twins Daily Top 20 in the mid-May updated rankings, while Miller climbed one spot. I can see him earning a promotion to Wichita before long. Good stick & solid glove. Very comfortable at the plate. #20 prospect - OF Misael Urbina (signed as MLFA in 2108, just turned 21) - 13AB/2R/4H/5RBI/(2)2Bs/HR/3K. Played two games in LF and one at DH. Had 3 hits in Friday's game. Adequate fielder batting .192 on the season. I heard a lot about a high ceiling with him, nothing to write home about at this point (yet), hasn't taken off. Still A LOT to prove. Best of the rest Jorel Ortega IF - 6th round pick 2022 (signed out of Tennessee after his junior year) - recently promoted to Cedar Rapids. 12AB/5R/5H/2B/HR/BB. Played 1B,2B, and DH in the 3 games we watched. He catches your attention when playing. Batting .400 in 5 games since his promotion from Ft. Myers. I like his game, he hustles and does things positively that you notice. Kala'i Rosario OF - 5th round pick 2020 - Yay, another Rosario in the Twins organization! Played RF for 2 games. 7AB/5R/3H/2RBI/2B/HR/2K/3BB. Drafted out of high school in Hawaii, currently leads the Kernels in doubles (14), batting average (.279), and tied for HR lead with 12. 41 BBs to go along with 71 Ks. Nothing flashy defensively, but very solid at the plate. Possible OF promotion to Wichita if an opening should arise? On a side note, during a rain delay during the Saturday game, Rosario was the ONLY player from either team, on the side of the dugout signing autographs for kids (and some big kids too-see pic below) for over twenty minutes during a light (and sometimes not-so-light) rain. Ben Ross Utility - 5th round pick 2022 out of Notre Dame after his junior year - A clear fan favorite who plays everywhere, big blonde mullet (see locks below.) 1B/SS/CF when we saw him. 12AB/2R/3H/5RBI/(2)2Bs/HR. Batting .235 on the season with 11HRs. Fun player to cheer for, goes all out. Made an error while in CF otherwise was solid, but not spectacular on defense. Andrew Cossetti C - 11th round pick out of St. Josephs - Earned a promotion from Ft. Myers in May after a strong start. 3AB/R/2H/2B. Played one game behind the plate last weekend and is built as solid as a brickhouse. Not Ben Rortvedt solid, but a stocky 5'10/215 lbs. Seemed to call a really good game in the final game we saw on Sunday, and showed really good hustle legging out his double, helmet flew off and everything (almost Willians Astudillo like.) Other pitching prospect notes: I was hoping to see pitchers Cory Lewis and Zebby Matthews, who have created a bit of buzz this spring, but Lewis & Matthews did not throw. I heard pitcher Connor Prielipp (2022 2nd round pick) was at the Twins facility in Florida for evaluation, but someone was wearing his number 47 during Friday's jersey auction and they said it was HIS jersey in their online auction site. Mmmm? I did see Jaylin Nowlin pitch in relief Friday and he got lit up to the tune of 2IP/5H/4ER/3BB/noKs. Matthew Swain closed out Sunday's win allowing 2HRs on 3H with a K & BB in one inning pitched. Ironically, the best pitching performance of the weekend came from starter Orlando Rodriguez who threw 5 shutout innings on Sunday. earning the win and improving his record to 7-2 on the season. As mentioned earlier in Twins Daily, he was released after the game on Sunday. Rodriguez is 5-7 years older than most players in high-A ball and I guess they needed the roster space. Tough break. If you make the trip to Cedar Rapids, the players are pretty accessible after the games. They walk right out of the clubhouse past you, as does the opposition on the way to their bus. There was only one other person looking for autographs with me after Friday's game. On Sunday, fans are invited to go on the field as ALL Kernel players sign on the field after Sunday games for 10-15 minutes or so. The Cedar Rapids Kernels won the first half of the season standings and are loaded with talent, especially in the infield (with depth too.) It will be interesting to watch some of the names above and follow their development during the second half of the season and beyond. Thanks for reading.

Thank you Seth, just checked it out. Still it's a quite intriguing move.

When I saw that pitcher Orlando Rodriguez was released, I was a bit surprised. Just saw him start and pitch 5 shutout innings for the Kernels on Sunday and he's 7-2 on the season. This is where statistics do not tell the whole story. I then noticed that he was the oldest player on the Cedar Rapids roster (born in 1995) and 5-7 years older than many of his teammates and his competition. Looking to give younger arms some more innings and looks, who have a higher ceiling, that may someday help out the big club. That's what the minor leagues are all about, player development.

Good read & good points. I love how Castro has been a spark plug for the Twins and Jeffers has always been a pretty good hitter, who's worked hard to improve on defense. They've both been fun to watch. As of today, IMO noone offensively on the Minnesota Twins would get my all star game vote.

A nice surprise to surely add to your memorable experience.

I was at the Kernels game Friday night and saw the error that Rodriguex made in CF that allowed two uneanred runs. The phrase "lolly-gagging" comes to mind. A mental mistake which hopefully he will learn from (good range, he made all the other plays, and has a good arm.) When you lose a game 11-9 with your comeback falling short in the 9th, those two unearned runs loom much larger. He seems quite athletic, and drew a couple of walks in addition to hitting a solo homer. Last season in Ft. Myers her had more walks that strikeouts, not the case this year, but still good numbers (62 Ks/39 BBs), and an OBP of .379. I had a quick chat with him after the game outside their new $3.5 million training center adjacent to the ballpark, and the exchange was quite cordial (told his friends to keeping walking and he'd catch up), he was polite and gladly signed a ball for me (asked me where I wanted it signed.) I told him I'd see him the next night and good luck and he said, "Thanks." From what I've heard he seems to have a lot of upside (#3 overal prospect), I look forward to watching his growth and maturation as a person and player. Good chance for rain & t-storms for tonight's game, maybe play two on Sunday? Ernie Banks would love that.

I always love seeing things I've never seen before in 50+ years of watching baseball. TWO runs scoring on a sac fly? It was fun to watch the replay (several times), boy that DaShawn Keirsay Jr. can fly! I'll be down to CR this weekend for three games, hopefully Lewis will pitch again on Sunday?

Looking forward to seeing some of these "kids" this weekend in Cedar Rapids.

Great read TD and anothe rkid to cheer for. Hope to catch him in person this weekend when we road trip it to Cedar Rapids for a trio fo games.

I saw what you did there. Outstanding (or were you sitting when you wrote it?)

I would take any of the outfielders mentioned above "Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer, Jacque Jones, and Matt Lawton " over Max Kepler in all, but the Bomba season. WAR doesn't tell the whole story.

Awesome alliteration with the headlines TD. Wonderful words. Clever comment?

Just when you think the report from the kids down under can't get any better, TD adds the FCL and DSL daily reports. Well played Twins Daily, now that's tremendous depth.

So would Spencer Steer's 8 dingers.

I like the idea of daily coverage, if possible, added to the regular fantastic minor league reporting of TD. If it becomes too much, or there's just not enough meaningful daily content, I like the Monday approach, since that's just a recap day for the minors. Either way, thank you Twins Daily staff for the tremendous job you do covering our mostly minors, in the minors.

These Apple TV games..."you're killin' me smalls." If the Minnesota Twins win, but you're not able to watch it, does it still count? Somebody please find one consistent place for me to watch my favortie team play.

To say Buxton has been productive at DH, is setting the bar pretty low for that spot. He needs to be in centerfield...period. His defense is what excels him into an elite category...remember when he was a platinum defender? He needs to be in the CF mix, playing at least 2-3 times per week, where his defense can make a difference because it certainly isn't happening much offensively.

I asked myself the same question before our baseball road trip to Wichita last year from Red Wing, MN. Every Thursday home game, the Wichita Wind Surge tranform into their alter ego, the Turbo Tubs. So I looked it up on their team website and here's what they said about the name. "The Turbo Tubs identity is a tribute to Wichita with distinct identifiers specific to the city. The wind sail and jet engines propel the porcelain bathtub onward, paying homage to the tub races once held on the Arkansas River. The troll found along the water walk, near the Keeper of the Plains, takes charge as captain, bringing to life the fable tales heard by young and old throughout the community. The branding also includes a color palette of the one-of-a-kind sunsets uniquely occurring in the Midwest geographical region." The Arkansas River runs right by their ballpark. On a personal note, I love the Turbo Tubs jerseys, and purchased a game worn/team issued jersey from their team shop last year. If you road trip to Wichita, I highly recommend eating at Bite Me BBQ. So now you know.

Trevor Plouffe was always a class act, and is my daughter Audrey's favorite Twins player of all-time. She melted when he waved at her during TwinsFest. I look forward to his contributions and insight during Minnesota Twins games.

The Minnesota Twins NEED Taylor as insurance in CF. I'd much rather lose Nick Gordon.

Our old friend Michael Tonkin got the win for the Atlanta Braves last night and is not 2-1 on the year with a 2.51 ERA. Eddie Rosario went deep for the Braves in the win for his first HR of the season.

I like the early returns on Lopez...I think he and Duran have the potential to be an effective 1-2 punch in the pen.

So happy to see Nelson Cruzin and off to a good start this season. A Class act. Great ice cream truck driver line...the unis kind of grow on you after awhile. Like the Wichitia Wind Surge alternate unfiorms (Turbo Tubs) did for me last year.