The
SethSpeaks May Player of the Month is... (drum roll please)Tuesday, July 11, 2006
June Minor League Update
Good morning to everyone! I know I am a little bit late on the June Minor League update, but I have been struggling with time and with finding statistics. I wasn't in a place to print out the player's numbers on July 1, so I wasn't able to do the math my self. Well, there is a new site out there call Minor League Splits. Creative name, I know, but it has provided me with the June numbers. So today, I will discuss some of them.
Today, I will be discussing the Twins Minor Leaguers. I will count down the Top 5 Twins Hitters and Pitchers in the month of May. Each list will lead to the SethSpeaks Hitter and Pitcher of the Month. You will notice a couple of changes. For instance, with the pitchers, you will not find the W-L record. First, I just don't believe that is important for a minor leaguers, particularly in the lower levels. But second, and maybe more importantly, I just don't have those numbers. But again, I really don't care. W-L record does not necessarily say how well a pitcher is throwing.
I hope you enjoy this and learning more about the goings on in the Twins system. I almost had to consider Beloit's Whit Robbins for the Hitter of the Month of June. After his college career at Georgia Tech ended in the College World Series, Robbins signed with the Twins and was sent to Beloit. In June, he only played in three games. He went 7-9 with three walks. He hit .778/.857/1.444 with a double, a triple and a home run. I know, far from enough at bats, but it was enough to make a very strong first impression.
So let's get to the Minor League Players and Pitchers of the Month. Please, feel free to leave some comments or send me an e-mail with any thoughts that you may have. Let's get started (Note - Stats are only for June)
THE HITTERS
#5 - Brock Peterson - 1B - Ft. Myers Miracle
I thought Peterson would spend this summer in New Britain, but staying in Ft. Myers may have been the best thing for his career. He had a very strong month of June with the bat. He went 31-105. He hit .295/.336/.486 with six doubles, a triple and four home runs.
#4 - Caleb Moore - Catcher - Beloit Snappers
Moore was a Top 5 player in April, and then had a rough May. He came back in a big way in June. The catcher who did a Q&A for this site last month went 20-62 on the month. I know, that isn't probably enough at bats to warrant this spot, but I'll go with it since he is a catcher. Anyway, he hit .323/.386/.548 with seven doubles, two triples and a home run. That's a lot of extra base hits!
#3 - Doug Deeds - Outfielder - New Britain Rockcats
I keep talking about how Deeds and Danny Matienzo had to be very disappointed to have put up such strong numbers at New Britain and yet to be back there again this year. They both got off to a slow start, but Deeds has really come on of late. In June, he went 29-86. He hit .337/.394/.453 with four doubles and two homers. I still think he should be up in Rochester but if he keeps hitting, he will get there.
#2 - Andrew Thompson - Infielder - Beloit Snappers
Andrew Thompson missed some of May with an injury, but he came back in June with a very strong month. The middle infielder hit .312/.347/.462 with six doubles, a triple and two home runs. He was 29-93. The son of a former All-Star has teamed with Paul Kelly in Beloit to make a strong keystone combo that should stay together through the system.
The
SethSpeaks May Player of the Month is... (drum roll please)
# 1 - Matt Tolbert - Infielder - New Britain Rockcats
Matt Tolbert started the season in New Britain, but he really struggled. He went back down to Ft. Myers and played a few infield positions. In June in Ft. Myers, he hit .323/.384/.446 with three doubles, a triple and a homer. Then after the draft it was Tolbert, not Alexi Casilla, who was moved up to New Britain. He played and he has hit ever since. At New Britain, he has hit .419/.514/.710 with three double and two home runs. Of late, he has been the team's #3 hitter!
HONORABLE MENTION - Alexi Casilla, Ft. Myers Miracle (.326/.385/.360, 28-86) - Trent Oeltjen, New Britain Rockcats (.305/.341/.415, 25-82, 4-2B, 1-HR) - Denard Span, New Britain Rockcats (.313/.358/.364, 31-99, 3-2B) - Jason Tyner, Rochester Red Wings (.315/.371/.378, 35-111).
THE PITCHERS
#5 - Yohan Pino - Reliever - Beloit Snappers
The 22 year old Venezuelan has been quite impressive this season in Beloit. In June, he threw just 13.1 innings. He allowed hitters to hit .180/.226/.220. He gave up nine hits and walked three. He had 16 strikeouts which translates to 10.8 per nine innings. His WHIP was just 0.90. Pino has been solid all year and does appear to have a good future.
#4 - Kyle Waldrop - Starter - Beloit Snappers
Waldrop was terrific during the month of June. Honeslty, there is only one number of his that is concerning. That is his strikeout number. In 34 June innings, he struck out just 16 (4.2 per nine innings). However, since he walked just three, his 5.3:1 strikeout:walk ratio is very strong. Opponents hit .233/267/.341 off of him for the month. His WHIP was just 0.97. Could Waldrop move up to Ft. Myers? I certainly think so, but will he? We'll see!
#3 - Alexander Smit - Reliever/Starter - New Britain Rockcats
The tall lefty from The Netherlands has really been an enigma the last couple of seasons. Earlier this year, his walk total just hurt him so much. Well, that and the long ball. But in June, he figured something out and it is working. In 15.1 innings, he walked just three and struck out 25. That is an astounding 15.3 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents hit just .232/.271/.357 against him. His WHIP was 1.09. Smit has now been moved to the rotation and through just a couple of starts, that is going well too.
#2 - Pat Neshek - Reliever - Rochester Red Wings
The newest Twins pitcher finishes in the Top 3 for the third straight month. He finished second for the second straight month. In June, Neshek went 17.2 innings. He gave up 13 hits and five walks. He struck out 21 which amounts to 10.7 strikeouts per nine. His WHIP is just 1.02. Neshek is now in the big leagues and made a strong first appearance. He could be around for a while now! Hopefully (for him and Twins fans), he won't be on this list at all next month!
The
SethSpeaks May Pitcher of the Month is... (drum roll please)
# 1 - Kevin Slowey - Starter - Ft. Myers Miracle
Kevin Slowey finished second in April and has now finished as the Pitcher of the Month for the second straight month. At Ft. Myers, Slowey threw 28.2 innings. He gave up 16 hits, four walks and struck out 24. Opponents hit just .160/.192/.190 against him. He had a 0.70 WHIP and a 7.5 K/9. He did make one start in New Britain after he was finally promoted. It wasn't great. He gave up six runs (4 earned) in 6.2 innings. That wasn't enough to drop him any further on this list.
HONORABLE MENTION - Oswaldo Sosa, Beloit Snappers (1.11 WHIP, 7.6 K/9 (32 K in 38 IP), 6 BB, .254/.280/.324) - David Shinskie, Beloit Snappers (0.92 WHIP, 6.6 K/9 (12 K in 16.1 IP), 3 BB, .211/.262/.228) - Josh Hill, Ft. Myers Miracle (0.84 WHIP, 7.0 K/9 (13 K in 16.2 IP), 4 BB, .167/.231/.317) - Brian Duensing, Ft. Myers Miracle (1.12 WHIP, 6.9 K/9 (20 K in 26 IP), 3 BB, 260/.279/.390), Matt Garza, New Britain Rockcats (1.14 WHIP, 9.1 K/9 (32 K in 31.7 IP), 11 BB, .207/.284/.339), Beau Kemp, Rochester Red Wings (1.02 WHIP, 4.0 K/9 (6 K in 13.2 IP), 6 BB, .170/.278/.234), Scott Baker, Rochester Red Wings (1.22 WHIP, 7.7 K/9 (37 K in 43.1 IP) 16 BB, .239/.314/.355).
So there you have it. The June SethSpeaks hitter and pitcher of the month along with some other very worthy candidates. Of course, I could have commented on several others too without feeling like I was hurting the list. This month's list was so difficult to rank from 1-5, but that is a positive. It was very difficult not to put Matt Garza on the list, but it was just as difficult to leave Josh Hill or Oswaldo Sosa off too. The Twins system is solid, and very well represented in the ten names above.
Are there any other thoughts that I missed or should have pointed out. Feel free to send me any notes or tidbits on any of the players. Feel free to discuss below in the comments or send me an e-mail.
Francisco Liriano is an All-Star after all. 10-1 with a 1.83 ERA did not get him on the All-Star roster, but fortunately an "injury" to Jose Contreras made a spot available for him. I have read several places where people are disappointed because he will now not be able to start on Thursday against Cleveland. Well, first, he may not pitch in the All-Star Game. Second, he would probably work a bullpen today anyway. So, if he pitches just one inning, he technically could still start on Thursday. If not, start him on Saturday or Sunday. But, it is such an honor and such a well-deserved honor for Liriano that it kind of bothers me to read so many people upset that he is being recognized and may not start on Thursday.
Ruben Sierra is gone. The injury-filled Twins career is over really before it got started. His biceps injury ruined more than a month of his season. As I have said before, I don't mind having a veteran presence on the bench, someone who has been there before and won't be overly nervous in a tough situation. However, the Twins did just fine without him, and Terry Tiffee has not done a poor job in that role. The question becomes who will or should be called up to take Sierra's roster spot. Just as important is who will will his spot on the 40 man roster. Here are just a few thoughts as they will make that decision in the next two days:
Option 1 - Is it possible that they call up a Josh Rabe or Jason Tyner and add them to the 40 man roster? This one doesn't make sense just because the Twins already have enough OF. But the role of Sierra was a reserve, not it would really just be an extra bat anyway.
Option 2 - Could Rondell White come back up? I really don't think so as the team decided to extend his rehab assignment to 20 days, instead of just 10. Also, he simply is not hitting at AAA and word is that he just can't catch a fastball. Unless the Twins found someone to trade him to, he should not be brought back up. (If he is about to be traded, I believe he would need to be activated from the DL first.)
Option 3 - The Twins need a 5th starter, right? Who in their system could start that is not on the 40 man roster. Scott Baker and Boof Bonser are on the 40 man roster. JD Durbin is on the 40 man, and he is hurt. Matt Garza, anyone? Could the 2005 top pick be called up after the break to take the #4 or #5 starter spot? Personally, I doubt it, and I just don't' think it is a good idea, but it might just be an option. I suppose Glen Perkins could be an option too, but he just isn't ready. Not that Garza is, but he is a better option right now.
I have read in a few places that the White Sox are trying to acquire pitcher Jason Schmidt from the San Francisco Giants. Rumors say that they would offer Brandon McCarthy and Brian Anderson to acquire him. The White Sox would then have to acquire a CF to fill Anderson's spot. There has been a lot of rumors about the White Sox trying to get Torii Hunter from the Twins. Now again, I have no problem dealing Torii Hunter, and may even encourage it. But why would the Twins make a deal with the White Sox? First, Hunter could resign with them and come back to haunt the Twins for the next few years. And, they would get the Tigers all upset at them for helping the Sox. It just does not make any sense to me for Hunter to be dealt to the Sox. Send him to the Yankees and Angels or Dodgers, but not the White Sox!
Do you have any thoughts on the Twins or anything else? If so, send me an e-mail, or post some Comments below.
SethSpeaks Player of the Day - Alexi Casilla, New Britain Rockcats
SethSpeaks Pitcher of the Day - Patrick Bryant, Elizabethton Twins
If you have any thoughts on the Twins system, please e-mail me.
ROCHESTER REPORT
Monday - Red Wings – All-Star Break for AAA too.
NEW BRITAIN NEWS
Monday - Rockcats 3, Connecticut 5 – Adam Harben was given another start. The righty went six innings and gave up five runs (4 earned) on six hits. He walked three and struck out just one. Tristan Crawford struck out two in his shutout inning before Julio DePaula pitched a scoreless inning. Garrett Guzman and Doug Deeds were each 2-4.
FT MYERS MEMOS
Monday - Miracle 6, Sarasota 4 – Alexi Casilla had a good game. He went 3-4 with a walk. Justin Arneson was 2-4 with his first homer and three RBI. Josh Hill made the start and went 5.1 innings. He gave up three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four. Colby Miller got five outs, three on strikeouts. JP Martinez gave up a run on a hit and two walks in his inning, but he got the Win. Danny Powers pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save.
BELOIT BITS
Monday - Snappers 1, Peoria 3 – Ryan Mullins started and gave up three runs (2 earned) on seven hits and two walks. He struck out four. Jose Cordero and David Shinskie each pitched a scoreless inning. Whit Robbins went 2-4 with an RBI. Paul Kelly hit his 20th double. But the Snappers managed just five hits on the night.
E-TOWN REPORT
Monday - E-Twins 10, Bristol 3 – Jose Lugo got his third win by allowing three runs on six hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. He had seven strikeouts. Armando Gabino and Patrick Bryant combined to go 3.1 shutout innings. Daniel Berg led the offense. He went 3-3 with two walks, a triple and two RBI. Garrett Olson was 2-4 with a walk. William Luque was 1-4 with two walks. Josh Dean was 1-3 with two walks and his first homer.
GCL REPORT
Monday - GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 4 – Juan Delgado had two of the Twins five hits on the day. Bruno Sanchez took the loss. He gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in just 1.2 innings. Robert Delaney went the next 2.1 innings and gave up just one run. Jakub Toufar went 1.2 scoreless innings. Then Carlos Garcia got the final four outs without allowing a run. 1st Round pick Chris Parmalee went 0-3 with two strikeouts. His batting average fell to .172.
Do you have any further thoughts on any Twins prospects, minor leaguers, or these summaries? I would love any input, or ideas to make it better. Thanks! E-mail me, or also feel free to leave comments below.
That is it for today! Have a great day!
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