Dave The Dastardly

Author's Note: The game we attended was on July 23, so I apologize for the late report. But our intent wasn't a game report as much as a players scouting report. My son (Dastard Junior) and I made the one-day trip down-and-back to Cedar Rapids to catch a glimpse of the Twins High-A Kernels. The four-hour drive (one-way) proved to be a small price to pay. As others have mentioned on TD, the ballpark is great, the fans are friendly and the Kernels are well worth watching. Our tickets were on the first deck, just to the 3rd base side of home plate, so we had a great view of the action. Temps were near 90 degrees but our seats were in the shade (thank God!) so we didn’t fry. Dastard Jr. had seen the Kernels play several times before hand but at other stadiums, so a home Kernels game was a first for both of us. Junior, because he’d seen the team play before, and me, from the info I’d picked up reading the Minor League reports on TD, both had a general idea of the Kernels’ caliber of play and which players we might find most interesting, but even then we were still surprised. Here, in no particular order, is a brief synopsis of the players that caught our eye. Noah Cardenas - DH. The question we kept asking ourselves was “Why is this guy here?” Not that we thought Cardenas was overmatched, but rather why he was still in High A. Normally a catcher, Cardenas was DHing this day, and if I remember correctly, he went 3 for 3. Batting prowess: in the later innings the opposing team brought in a pitcher with an exaggerated overhand motion (the ball seemed to come out of his hand above his head) which baffled a couple Kernel batters. Then Cardenas stepped up to the plate and calmly rifled a single into right field; easy peasy. Best comparison: Arraez. Pre-game stats: 3 hr .283 ave 16 dbl .803 OPS Not sure how well Cardenas does defensively as a catcher (has also played 1st base) since he was DHing, but this kid is going to be a major league hitter even if they have to find him a spot on the grounds crew. Andrew Cossetti - Catcher- Cossetti is built like the typical catcher but has surprising speed on the base paths. We saw him go 1st to 3rd on what you’d expect to be an advance to 2nd on a single to RC. In fact I was following the ball, expecting to see Cossetti standing on 2nd when the throw finally came in, only to be stunned to find him standing on 3rd. My son and I exchanged a wide-eyed look of amazement: a catcher with wheels? Good receiver behind the plate. Seems to know how to handle pitchers. Got a “presence” on the field. The only negative, if there was one, he short-hopped a throw to 2nd on a steal attempt. Saw him do the same thing several times on the last throw to second in pre-inning warm-ups. Also he might have lost a high foul ball behind the plate, Ross charged in from 3rd to get it, but that might’ve been one of those “sun-in-the-eyes” things. Whatever. We think this guy’s got a future behind the plate. Power hitter more than a spray hitter like Cardenas, 10 hr, 19 dbl .297 ave .981 OPS. Can’t imagine how the Kernels are getting enough playing time behind the plate for both Cossetti and Cardenas. Noah Miller - Shortstop. This young man took our breath away on two different plays. He’s fast, rattlesnake quick, got a good glove, excellent range and a cannon for an arm. He was deep in the hole when one of those broken bat hits dribbled past the pitcher… thought for sure it was going to be a cheap infield hit when all of sudden Miller appears on the infield grass, snags the ball and guns it over to first in time to nail the runner by a stride. Later a hot grounder just got past an extended Ross at 3rd, again looking like a sure hit, when Miller swooped in from nowhere, nabbed the ball at the edge of the outfield grass and fired a bullet to first that nailed the runner. My old timers first comparison reaction: Greg Gagne. And like Gagne, Miller isn’t much of a hitter. 5 hrs 9 doubles. .208 Ave. .588 OPS But you don’t have to hit .300 to play short in the Majors. Just ask Correa. Ben Ross - 3rd base. Excellent range, good glove, another cannon arm, hit the walk-off single that won the game. This prospect has played every position (mostly 1st and 3rd) except catcher and we watched him play a very good 3rd base this day. An excellent athlete, obviously, but from what we saw today 3rd base just might become his permanent home. With him at 3rd and Miller at shortstop nothing will ever get through the left side of the infield. And he has power. 14 hr, 19 dbls .255 ave., .778 OPS. Kala’i Rosario - RF. Explosive contact! Before the game began my son told me the ball explodes off Rosario’s bat, has this different angry whack sound. First time at bat Rosario smoked a line drive to center field that if a few feet lower would’ve decapitated the center fielder. As it was it screamed over the center fielder’s head (already playing deep) and whacked into the wall like an anti-tank rocket. This kid’s got power! 13 hr, 20 dbls, .271 ave. .862 OPS. Oh, and he’s got an arm, too. A cut-off man’s wasted on this guy. Emmanuel Rodriguez - CF. Speedy - covers a lot of ground. Good arm. Kind of reminds you of a younger Buxton. Defensively that is. Got some pop, too. 6 dbls, 11 hrs, .228 Ave .827 OPS All in all, an entertaining trip, saw some good baseball and we agreed to make Cedar Rapids an annual outing. Maybe extend the trip to follow the Kernels to Beloit; baseball roadies.

"a traditional high strikeout power-hitting" player? Don't we already have a half dozen high strikeout guys? Who's next to consider? Sano?

You'd have to get the photos from the neighbor lady. She might even have video. Chased me around the yard and I was going at a pretty good clip. Those icebergs were 1" hailstones by the way. Hard on bare feet. I hope I don't come up limping. The son and I are headed to Cedar Rapids for a little Kernel action tomorrow. Do a little bonding. Does that sound corny?

Just started raining here - 60 mile south of the stadium. Hail coming down in chunks right now. About the size of Greenland icebergs. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little... excuse me, I'm going to strip naked and run around the house ...

If only they'd take a bath, maybe comb their hair...

For which reason do you speak? 7 years experience as a minor league manager; 3 years Advanced A, 2 years Double A, 2 years AAA? A winning record 6 of those 7 years? Lifetime winning percentage of .545? A players' favorite? “He wasn’t just a coach to most players,” Buxton said. “He was more of a brother to us. He fit in. He’d tell us all the time: ‘Y’all can text me anytime of night. It doesn’t have to be about baseball. It can be about life.’ “ Buxton, who remains in frequent contact with Mientkiewicz, is among 16 current Twins to have played for him in the minors. How did he instill winning ways en route to four playoff trips and two league titles? “It’s more the character and the energy he brought to the field every day,” Buxton said. “It’s the excitement, the way that he knew how to play the game. He showed us the right way to play the game.” https://www.twincities.com/2017/09/16/byron-buxton-on-fired-manager-doug-mientkiewicz-more-of-a-brother-to-us/ Yep, nothing there for the "Twins Way."

Stu- Are you in truth the Ed-less Horseman?

One word: Dougie

I can't get too excited about any of the Twins' draft picks. They either 1) become chronically injured, 2) get traded to other teams where they shine in exchange for a chronically injured veteran , or 3) wallow in the minor leagues while a newly signed over-paid chronically injured veteran fills out the Twins roster. The next Twins general manager should be an orthopedic surgeon. Or a comedian.

Can't seem to justify wasting three hours watching/listening to this outfit. Took a hit in interest when they traded Arraez. Totally stopped paying attention in early June. Signed in to TD maybe three times in the last month, for minor league news. Really don't care to watch a daily "professional" debacle. I'll come back when Pohlad cleans house from the FO down to the the lowest grounds guy... well, maybe not him. For sure the Run Scoring Coordinator.

Great post! Thanks for the review. My son and I are headed down to shuck some Kernels in July.

Two coaching moves that would solve all problems; Dougie replaces Rocco Joe Mauer replaces Popken Guarantee you sloppy play, mental mistakes, etc. disappear overnight and hitters "listen" to their coach.

I don't get it. What is it about our AAA coaching that can fix batting and/or fielding problems; problems that apparently can't be fixed by our coaches at the major league level? Shouldn't the MLB coaches be our best coaches? Or do the Twins automatically put their best coaches at the AAA level, assuming they'll fix whatever problems MLB players are having after they're demoted? Why not just put those superior AAA coaches at the MLB level, get rid of the MLB level coaches who apparently aren't any good at "fixing" players and eliminate the back and forth? And what's the criteria then for determining who coaches at the ML level? Good at spreadsheets but horse puckey at actually "coaching"? Better at game strategy (though I don't think anyone can make a case for that)? Oh wait... can struggling players get a "rest" at the minor league level; a rest that suddenly makes them better fielders and hitters? But we've got Rocco at the MLB level don't we? Help me out, I'm not finding any logic here.

How are they going to keep the kid down on the farm?

Probably won't bring him up until Rocco works out a Pre-planned Rest Day schedule for him. Imagine the wails from the fan base if Kirilloff, Correa and Buxton are all "resting to avoid re-injury" in the same game, all three unavailable to play or pinch hit.

I always find it humorous that a language with so many different words with varying meanings can so easily be twisted to deliberately muddle the message.

"He was feeling some soreness in his posterior elbow." Rocco, you mean his elbows are one behind the other? No wonder the guy's been having trouble pitching.

Makes too much sense, Ted. Not screwy enough to be considered.

If I recall correctly, Miranda has traditionally been a slow-starter right thru his time in the minor leagues. Cooler weather also has to be a factor, especially during this fake "spring". Temps 20 degrees below average in what's normally a cool month anyway doesn't lend itself towards "loosening up". I'll start worrying about Miranda if his bat hasn't warmed up by mid-May, assuming of course we're in the 70's by then. Which is never a sure thing for Minnesota. I believe the last frost date average for us is May 15. That translates to puffy coats for outdoor baseball 'till June.

But it's outdoor baseball.

I'm not in favor of overworking players, nor am I in favor of underworking players. Injuries are unpredictable. You could give a player a week off and he could throw his arm out on the first pitch back. Now if that same player goes up to the coach and says, "Boss, my arm feels a little tired. I could pitch an inning if you really need me but I'd prefer to take a breather if I can," that's a different story. And maybe that's what happened, but given Rocco's predilection for scheduling rest days whether or not they're needed I have to remain skeptical.

Huh? Duran threw 3 pitches yesterday and for that he gets an automatic Buxton Rest Day? How fragile are these guys?

Sounds like me. Then I played in a club tournament and won a trophy. Figured out my cost per stroke and realized winning was a losing proposition. So I quit golf and took up bowling.

Correction: Great-granddad jokes.

Kudos to Rocco. I feared a Pagan sacrifice.