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Minnesota Twins Dominican Summer League Affiliate Wraps Up Regular Season

By Benjamin Chase |
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 11: A closup of a Dominican Republic hat and glove during a Pool C game of the 2017 World Baseball Classic against the United States at Miami Marlins Stadium on March 11, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 11: A closup of a Dominican Republic hat and glove during a Pool C game of the 2017 World Baseball Classic against the United States at Miami Marlins Stadium on March 11, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The minor league regular season is ending around baseball, and Minnesota Twins affiliates are showing very well. One of the best wrapped up the regular season on Saturday.

The Minnesota Twins have seen their minor league teams this year rate as the top team in many of their affiliate levels, and every level currently would make the playoffs if the season ended today, with the stateside teams finishing up in a couple weeks. The Dominican Summer League finished up on Saturday, and the Twins have one of the absolute elite teams in the league, as the DSL Twins finished with the 2nd best record among the 40 affiliates in the Dominican Summer League at 49-22, a .690 winning percentage!

Let’s take a look at a few of the standout players this season:

Lineup

The Twins led the DSL in hitting with a team .280 batting average. As a team, they were second in on base percentage and led the DSL in slugging percentage. The Twins hit 46 triples as a team, which was 10 more than any other team in the league.

Some of the best individual performances:

  • Alberoni Nunez led the team in OPS, posting a .352/.420/.545 line with 9 doubles, 7 triples, 2 home runs, and 11 stolen bases.
  • Yeltsin Encarnacion slumped late in the season, but still finished with .318/.408/.523 with 9 doubles, 8 triples, 2 home runs, and 6 stolen bases. He also posted a 22/20 BB/K ratio.
  • Ruben Santana was quite impressive with his glove, but his contact was excellent as well, going .340/.418/.453, with 10 doubles, 4 triples, and 6 stolen bases, with an even 18/18 BB/K ratio.
  • Coming into the year, Estamy Urena was probably the second-most regarded player on the team, and he showed he was worthy of that high regard, going .306/.369/.434 with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs, and 4 stolen bases.
  • The speed at the top of the lineup was provided by Samuel Vasquez, who hit .301/.396/.398 with 4 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs,
    and 26 stolen bases.
  • His strikeout rate was fairly high, but in pure athleticism,
    few were more impressive than Agustin Marte, who hit .299/.366/.419, with 11 doubles, 3 triples, a home run, and 11 stolen bases, but with a 16/43 BB/K ratio.
  • Certainly the highest-rated prospect coming into the season on the DSL roster, Wander Valdez had some ups and downs on the year, but altogether was solid, with a .263/.347/.401 line with 12 doubles, 4 triples, a home run, and 4 stolen bases.

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Pitching

The Twins pitching was not as elite as the hitting, but overall still put up some excellent numbers, finishing 13th among 40 teams with a 3.28 team ERA, 18th in WHIP with a 1.35 team mark, and 15th in strikeouts with 527 over 71 games.

Some of the best individual performances:

  • Michael Montero was the team’s ace all season, making 13 starts, throwing 58 1/3 innings, going 4-1, with a 2.78 ERA, 0.96 WHIP,
    and a 12/64 BB/K ratio.
  • The “ace” at the back end of the staff was closer Frandy Torres, who made 23 appearances, pitching 37 2/3 innings, with a 6-0 record, 10 saves, a 0.72 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 13/34 BB/K ratio.
  • While Montero was more the staff leader, Fredderi Soto had perhaps even better stats. Soto made 15 appearances, 10 of them starts,
    throwing 53 2/3 innings, with a 1.34 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a 10/28 BB/K ratio.
  • Andriu Marin is the pitcher that is getting the scouting notice from the DSL team, and his stats back up that intrigue as well, as he made 12 appearances (11 starts), throwing 49 innings, with a 2.02 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 12/46 BB/K
  • Jesus Toledo worked the swing man role well, making 14 appearances, 9 starts, throwing 45 1/3 innings, with a 2.38 ERA, 1.26 WHIP,
    and a 17/30 BB/K ratio.
  • Luis Gil was the final piece of the rotation that was among the league’s best, as he made 14 starts, with a 2.59 ERA over 41 2/3 innings,
    posting a 1.22 WHIP and a 20/49 BB/K ratio.
  • He only made one appearance before late July, but after that point, Junior Navas became a vital piece of the bullpen, going 11 appearances (2 starts) without allowing an earned run the entire season over 18 2/3 innings. He also saved 2 games and posted a a 1.29 WHIP along with a 10/14 BB/K ratio.
  • Osiris German got touched up in one of the final games of the year, but he was sporting excellent numbers all year before that. Overall,
    he made 15 appearances, 3 of them starts, throwing 31 2/3 innings, with a 3.13 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 11/30 BB/K ratio. He had a 2.36 ERA before his final two appearances.

Next: Twins Players Weekend Nicknames Explained

The Twins will open the Dominican Summer League playoffs this week as the first Minnesota Twins affiliate representative in the playoffs, but they certainly will not be the last!

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