Thursday,
April 15, 2010
Small Sample
Struggles
Be sure to
scroll down or click
here for today’s Twins Question
of the Day.
Do April
statistics mean anything? Well, the obvious answer to that is that, of course
the stats matter, just like a game in April is worth as much as a game in August
or September. However, I am fully of the belief that people can make too much
or worry too much about a slow start. There have been a lot of very slow starts
throughout the Twins minor league system throughout the first week. That by
itself is not a surprise. What is a surprise is that so many are struggling. Of
course it will even itself out over time and a guy hitting .100 through 20 at
bats probably won’t hit .100 over 400-500 plate appearances. Think about this,
a guy who is 2-20 (.100) can go 5-8 over the next two games (certainly not
otherworldly), and he is hitting .250. A couple more hits and you could be
approaching .300. So, to see Aaron Hicks
hitting .050 (1-20) right now, maybe you can
understand why I’m not too terribly worried. Here are some other guys who
likely would prefer to have started off a little faster (And yes, I do realize
that batting average is about the worst way to evaluate a hitter):
(Name – current BA
(H-AB), (BA if 4-4 in next game. I am including this to show just how much the
batting average can change with one big game. A 4-4 is feasible for anyone.)
Rochester Red Wings
·
Luke Hughes - .167 (4-24) (.286)
·
Danny Valencia - .167 (4-24) (.286)
·
Wilson Ramos - .208 (5-24) (.321)
New Britain Rockcats
·
Juan Portes - .050 (1-20)
(.208)
·
Whit Robbins - .067 (1-15) (.263)
·
Estarlin de Los Santos - .118
(2-17) (.286)
·
Steve Singleton - .176 (3-17) (.333)
·
Joe Benson - .188 (3-16) (.350)
·
Ben Revere - .238 (5-23) (.333)
Ft. Myers Miracle
·
Evan Bigley - .053 (1-19)
(.217)
·
Deibinson Romero - .118 (2-17)
(.286)
·
Ramon Santana - .130 (3-23) (.259)
·
Jair Fernandez - .133 (2-15) (.316)
·
Chris Herrmann - .188 (3-16) (.350)
Beloit Snappers
·
Aaron Hicks - .050 (1-20) (.208)
·
James Beresford - .091 (2-22) (.231)
·
Danny Rams - .150 (3-20) (.292)
·
Angel Morales - .211 (4-19) (.348)
SethSpeaks Wednesday Minor League
Hitter of the Day – Dustin Martin – Rochester
Red Wings
SethSpeaks Wednesday Minor League
Pitcher of the Day – Michael Tarsi –
Ft. Myers Miracle
Following the Twins 6-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox
on Wednesday afternoon, the Twins promoted Ron
Mahay to the Minnesota Twins. Alex Burnett was sent down to
Rochester. I know some people are disappointed that Burnett was sent to
Rochester, but first, he needs to get more opportunities to pitch than he will
get with the Twins, and second, he has been very good, but it is in just two
outings. That’s the second smallest of sample sizes. That said, in those two
outings, Burnett showed how good he can be. I thought he was very impressive
and the Twins have to now know that if there is a need, he could be ready. Him… or Anthony Slama. Matt
Williams was removed from the Ft. Myers Disabled List as well.
Red Wings Report
Wednesday – Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 2 – Ryan Mullins was given a start and pitched admirably. The lanky
lefty gave up one run on three hits over five innings. He walked one and struck
out six. Tim Lahey
gave up one run on four hits in one innings. Then Kyle Waldrop, Rob Delaney
and Anthony Slama
each pitched a scoreless inning. Delaney struck out two and Slama
struck out three. Jacque Jones went
2-3 with a walk and his second double. Dustin
Martin went 2-4 with a home and three RBI. Erik Lis was 2-4 with a double. Brian Dinkelman
was an on-base machine, going 1-2 with three walks.
New Britain Notes
Wednesday – New Britain 1, Portland 3 – Carlos Gutierrez was much improved in his second start of the
season. In five innings, he gave up just one run on five hits. He walked one
and struck out five. Spencer Steedley struck out three in two perfect innings. Cole Devries gave up two runs (1
earned) on two hits (including a home run). He walked one and struck out two. Chris Parmelee
was 2-4 with his second double. Estarlin de Los
Santos went 1-2 with two walks. Yancarlos Ortiz
and Rene Tosoni
each hit doubles.
Miracle Matters
Wednesday – Ft. Myers 2, Charlotte 1 – Michael Tarsi recorded his first win of the year. He threw six
shutout innings. He walked four and walked just one. Tony Davis gave up one run on three hits in 1.2 innings. Then Shooter Hunt came in and got the last out of the 8th and three
outs in the ninth for his first save. The Miracle managed just five hits. Yangervis Solarte, Drew Thompson and Evan Bigley each had a double.
Snappers Snippets
Wednesday – Beloit 6, Kane Country 5 – Steve Liddle continues to hit well. He went
2-3 with a walk, a double and a stolen base. Derek McCallum was 2-5 with his third double. Michael Gonzales hit his first home run of the year. Angel Morales stole two bases. Dan Osterbrock
started and went 4.2 innings. He gave up two runs on five hits and a walk while
striking out six. Ben Tootle got two
outs, but he gave up three runs on two hits and two walks. Dakota Watts struck out
five in 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Edgar Ibarra got the final out of the 9th frame. After
the Snappers grabbed the lead, Steve
Blevins came in and pitched a perfect 10th for his second save.
If you have any questions
or comments, please feel free to Leave your comments here.