Minnesota Twins: Minor League Report 5/8 to 5/14
The Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates had an average week and look to improve on that this week.
Jose Berrios was called up last week to start for the Minnesota Twins. He showed that he was ready to start in the MLB. Last week some lesser known Twins prospects showed what they are capable of by dominating minor league pitching.
Zach Granite is finally healthy and showing why he was the Twins minor league player of the year last year. Stephen Gonsalves, the Twins minor league pitcher of the year is currently on the 7-day disabled list. Once he returns he will get to build off a Double-A resume where he was 8-1 with a 1.82 ERA.
Although the big names like Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios have reached the major league level the Twins farm system still boasts some talent. Last week a lot of bullpen arms showed that they are the future of the Twins.
Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A)
Last week the Rochester Red Wings went 3-3 with a series against the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs and the Pawtucket Red Sox. The players we are spotlighting are Zach Granite and Alan Busenitz.
Zach Granite – Last week Granite went 7 for 25 at the plate for a .280 average. He had two runs, two doubles, one RBI, and three stolen bases. Granite was also named the Batavia Downs Player of the Week for the Red Wings. Zach brings a lot of speed to the base paths as he had 56 stolen bases last year with Chattanooga. He has just started out his season with Rochester as he was injured to begin the season. Granite is also last year’s Twins Minor League Player of the Year.
Alan Busenitz – Busenitz was aquired last year in the Ricky Nolasco/Hector Santiago trade. Last week Alan pitched 2.2 innings of shutout baseball with six strikeouts and one walk with no hits allowed. He struck out all but two batters that he faced and also earned his first save of the season.
Alan Busenitz picks up first Triple-A save in his Red Wings debut. Was 96-98 mph on stadium radar gun.
— Josh Whetzel (@JoshWhetzel) August 21, 2016
Honorable Mentions
Mitch Garver – Garver has been rotating time behind the plate with John Ryan Murphy. In his three games last week he hit .300 with a double, a run, a home run and an RBI.
Aaron Slegers – Slegers made up for a poor performance on Monday by pitching 7.1 innings on Saturday. He gave up three hits while striking out five and not allowing a hit until the bottom of the seventh inning.
Chattanooga Lookouts (Double-A)
Last week the Lookouts went 4-3 while playing the Montgomery Biscuits and the Birmingham Barons. They feature a loaded roster with Nick Gordon, LaMonte Wade and Stephen Gonsalves (7-day disabled list). This week we spotlight Jonathan Rodriguez and Nick Burdi.
Jonathan Rodriguez – Last week Rodriguez was on fire for the Lookouts. He raised his batting average 30 points to .364 after going 10 for 26 (.385). Rodriguez led the team with seven runs scored and was second with six RBIs. He also had two doubles and one home run along with a 14-game hitting streak until last Wednesday.
https://twitter.com/ChattLookouts/status/862727474005913601
Nick Burdi – Burdi has had control issues for most of his career but is starting to figure it out. He pitched 3.1 innings last week with no hits or runs allowed and five strikeouts. Nick also lowered his ERA to 0.66 and will hopefully be helping the Twins bullpen in a couple years.
Honorable Mentions
LaMonte Wade – Wade continued his hot streak at the plate, a week after being named to the MLB Pipeline Team of the Week. He went 11/26 (.423) with seven runs, one home run, five RBIs, two stolen bases and six walks.
John Curtiss – Curtiss converted both of his save opportunities for his fifth and sixth saves of the year. He also only walked one batter and struck out four to keep his ERA on the season at 0.00.
Fort Myers Miracle (High Single-A)
The Miracle went 3-4 last week against the Palm Beach Cardinals and the Charlotte Stone Crabs. They were powered along by Chris Paul and Brady Anderson.
Chris Paul – Paul leads the offense with a .327 batting average and last week was nothing different. He had four runs, three doubles and led the team with four RBIs. He also helped the Miracle complete a huge comeback on Saturday.
Shane Kennedy's triple ties the game, and Chris Paul smacks the next pitch for a double to give the #MiracleXXV a 7-6 lead. They trailed 6-1
— Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (@MightyMussels) May 14, 2017
Brady Anderson – Anderson got his second win of the season and is now 2-0 for the Miracle. He pitched five innings giving up four hits with four strikeouts and one walk. He also lowered his ERA to 3.26.
Honorable Mentions
Sean Miller – Last week Miller was 9/26 (.346) with three runs, two doubles and two RBIs. He also raised his season average 22 points from .237 to .259.
Anthony McIver – The left-handed McIver pitched 3.2 innings for the Miracle last week and was one of four pitchers to not give up any runs. He had four strikeouts and dropped his ERA down to 3.05.
Cedar Rapids Kernels (Low Single-A)
The Kernels had a .500 week going 3-3 against the Dayton Dragons and the Bowling Green Hot Rods. The two players who stood out the most were Lewin Diaz and Tom Hackimer.
Lewin Diaz – Two weeks ago Diaz was spotlighted on the MLB Pipeline Team of the Week with LaMonte Wade. He had another great week going 9/26 (.346) at the plate with five runs, two doubles, a homer and two RBIs. He also raised his average from .273 to .293 and was a triple away from the cycle on Saturday.
#CycleWatch - Lewin Diaz due up third in the 9th inning, needs a triple to hit for the cycle... #KernelsBaseball pic.twitter.com/FLzWLissOJ
— Cedar Rapids Kernels (@CRKernels) May 14, 2017
Tom Hackimer – Hackimer was drafted in the fourth round in 2016 and recorded his third and fourth saves last week. In 3.1 innings he allowed 2 hits while striking out two and lowering his ERA to 2.12.
Honorable Mentions
Caleb Hamilton – Hamilton hit .417 (5/12) with three runs, two doubles and three RBIs. The third baseman has started to see more playing time as Travis Blankenhorn has seen playing time as a designated hitter.
Andrew Vasquez – Last week Vasquez recorded his third hold of the season and lowered his ERA to 1.84. He pitched 3.1 innings while striking out six batters and allowing just two runners to reach base (one hit and a walk).
Next: Minnesota Twins Extend Home-run Streak
The Minnesota Twins may look for some minor league players to help boost their roster a little later down the road. As they look, expect players to continue to improve as they try to fulfill their dreams of making the majors.