PORT CHARLOTTE, FL - MARCH 11: The Minnesota Twins warm up before the start of a Grapefruit League spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Charlotte Sports Complex on March 11, 2013 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL – MARCH 11: The Minnesota Twins warm up before the start of a Grapefruit League spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Charlotte Sports Complex on March 11, 2013 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images) /
The Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates have all completed their regular season. It’s awards time!
While the Minnesota Twins major league club makes a push for a playoff spot, the minor leagues have enjoyed an incredible season at every single level!
We will start with the affiliate team of the year, then announce the “team” of the year, which player was the best at each position in the minors in 2017 (based on stats, not on prospect status), and then finally the pitcher of the year and the player of the year.
Let’s start with the organizational leaders: AVG (min. 250 PA): Zack Granite .340 AVG (min. 50 PA): Rainis Silva .356 OBP (250): Jonathan Rodriguez .408 OBP (50): Rainis Silva .446 SLG (250): Brent Rooker .566 SLG (50): Brent Rooker .566 OPS (250): Brent Rooker .930 OPS (50): Alberoni Nunez .965 R: Jonathan Rodriguez 89 H: Jermaine Palacios, Matt Hague 149 2B: Lewin Diaz 33 3B: Travis Blankenhorn 11 HR: Jonathan Rodriguez 22 RBI: Jonathan Rodriguez 78 TB: Jonathan Rodriguez 234 SB: Tanner English 35 BB: Jonathan Rodriguez 81 HBP: Travis Blankenhorn 17
G: Colton Davis, Nick Anderson 44 GS: Felix Jorge, Sean Poppen 25 IP: Felix Jorge 149 W: Aaron Slegers 15 CG: Clark Beeker 2 SO: Clark Beeker 2 SV: John Curtiss 19 K: Nik Turley 124 ERA (min. 65 IP): Sam Clay 1.87 ERA (min. 15 IP): Junior Navas 0.00 WHIP (65): Nik Turley 1.01 WHIP (15): Blayne Enlow 0.69 BB/9 (65): Clark Beeker 1.4 BB/9 (15): Bailey Ober 1.0 K/9 (65): Luke Bard 13.6 K/9 (15): Jovani Moran 16.4 K/BB (65): Sean Poppen 4.88 K/BB (15): Bailey Ober 11.67
Now, we’ll get into our awards. First, the affiliate team of the year:
Next: Record-Breaking Team
Chattanooga Lookouts
The team changed night over night, with promotions, demotions, injuries, slumps, streaks, and all the other things that come along with a baseball season, but one thing remained the same for the Lookouts this season – they won.
Chattanooga won both halves of the season, with a 91-49 record overall on the season. The next-best team in the Southern League was 15-games worse. Neither half was particularly close, either, as the Lookouts won the first half title by 5 games and the second half title by 10 games.
With shifting lineups throughout the season, the Lookouts hit .255 on the season, but they led the Southern League in scoring by a full 12 runs with 659 runs over 140 games. Chattanooga’s offense also led the league in on base, finishing with 610 walks as a team, nearly 90 more than the second-place team in the Southern League.
The jewel of Chattanooga was their pitching staff. The Lookouts frequently went six deep in quality starters, often using one out of the bullpen, and their bullpen was masterfully made up of late-inning types along with 1 or 2 long men in the bullpen as well. The team finished first in the Southern League in pitching, with a 3.09 ERA. The team also had 46 saves to lead the league, and they allowed just 75 home runs, the lowest number in the league.
With a balance of veterans and prospects in the lineup, the Lookouts used 22 hitters on the season. Thirty-three players threw a pitch for the Lookouts on the season, including two position players in a crazy 21-inning game on July 29th, where Alex Perez pitched two scoreless innings before Max Murphy threw a scoreless 21st inning and recorded the win.
Chattanooga will open their pursuit of a Southern League championship Wednesday night against Montgomery.
Garver has overcome obstacles at every step with the Minnesota Twins organization. He was the third catcher selected by the team in the 2013 draft, where he was selected in the 9th round out of the University of New Mexico.
Garver has always had a positive rating on his bat, from the time he busted out with a .298/.399/.481 season in Cedar Rapids with 16 home runs. The Twins have still put Garver behind other catchers in the system throughout his career, but his bat has continued to push him forward.
This season has forced the team’s hand, as Garver hit .291/.387/.541 in AAA with Rochester with 29 doubles and 17 home runs. He’s now made his way to Minnesota for the end of the season. He could very well have a spot on the 2018 Twins opening day roster, perhaps even splitting time with Jason Castro or even getting the majority of the time.
Others to note: Yeremi De La Cruz, 19, DSL; Rainis Silva, 21, Elizabethton; Carlos Paulino, 27, Chattanooga/Rochester
Catchers across the system really didn’t have a great offensive season in general. However, one bright spot was Silva, who has been with the Twins since signing in 2012 out of Venezuela. After working his way up the system, Silva struggled mightily at the plate with Cedar Rapids in 2016, but back in Elizabethton in 2017, Silva not just hit well and drove the ball, but he also showed plate discipline that he hadn’t previously shown with a 17/8 BB/K ratio in 30 games (roughly the same amount of plate appearances he’s had in other stops with typically a slightly lower walk rate, but a MUCH higher strikeout rate).
Signed as a minor league free agent out of the St. Louis Cardinals system after the 2016 season, Rodriguez had shown flashes of power in the Cardinals system, but never in the same way that he did with the Twins system in 2017.
Rodriguez played the majority of the season with Chattanooga, earning recognition on the Southern League end of season awards team, as he hit .309/.414/.525 with 31 doubles and 21 home runs for Chattanooga. He struggled some in his 5 games with Rochester, but he did club one home run, bringing his season total to 22, which led the Twins system.
While a large man at 6’2″ and 250 pounds, Rodriguez is notably nimble around the bag, making some very impressive plays on balls down the line and saving his fellow infielders a number of errors with excellent scoops and reaches at the position.
Others to note: Lewin Diaz, 20, Cedar Rapids; Ruben Santana, 19, DSL; Andy Wilkins, 28, Chattanooga; J.J. Robinson, 24, Elizabethton; Ben Rodriguez, 22, GCL; Matt Hague, 31, Rochester; Zander Wiel, 24, Fort Myers
The first base crop in the system was quite good this season. Diaz is a top prospect in the system and flashed his developing power in the Midwest League, leading the Twins system in doubles. Hague led the International League in hits. Rodriguez is a mammoth of a human being that was a late draftee in 2017 out of Pepperdine and if he could tap into his raw power, he could be an offensive force.
The Minnesota Twins drafted Miranda out of Puerto Rico with a second round compensatory pick in 2016. The Twins have traditionally scouted Puerto Rico well, and Miranda’s raw power was something the team was absolutely enamored with.
Miranda has played around the infield, but in a fairly shallow group of second baseman, he was the one who had played the majority of his games at the position that produced the best on the season. In 2017, he primarily at second base or DH, so the Twins may have settled on his defensive home already.
With a lightning-quick swing, and a developing 6’2″ frame, Miranda certainly has the potential to hit for plus power or even better. On the season, he hit .283/.340/.484 for the Elizabethton team with 8 doubles, 2 triples, and 11 home runs. Most importantly, he posted a 16/24 BB/K ratio, or in percentage terms, a 6.5% walk rate and a 9.7% strikeout rate. Flashing that kind of power with a single-digit percentage strikeout rate is incredibly rare and is something to certainly take note of in the system.
Both Urena and Morel received plenty of notice on the season around scouting communities. Urena was an under-the-radar prospect to watch in the DSL coming into the season, and he certainly showed well. Morel really hasn’t filled in for any power, but his defense up the middle at both second and short is tremendous, with speed that some scouts put a 65 or even 70 on, which would give him a “plus-plus” grade.
No, the video is not Encarnacion. Finding video or a picture of Yeltsin has proved to be near impossible!
Not really a well-known or highly-ranked prospect when he was signed out of the Dominican Republic, Encarnacion is in his third season with the DSL, and he really took a significant step forward this season.
Originally a shortstop, and blessed with an impressive arm, Encarnacion even made an appearance on the mound in 2017, and he looked at home at third base this season, though he did spend quite a bit of time at second base as well.
Encarnacion could have had his career year this year, or he might have filled in to the point where he’s ready to break out as a prospect and come to the U.S. in 2018 to show his impressive ability.
On the year, Encarnacion hit .318/.408/.523 with 9 doubles, 8 triples, 2 home runs, and 6 stolen bases. He also had 22 walks and 20 stolen bases.
Others of note: Chris Paul, 24, Fort Myers/GCL; Andrew Bechtold, 21, Elizabethton; Wander Valdez, 17, DSL; Travis Blankenhorn, 20, Cedar Rapids; T.J. White, 25, Chattanooga
This was a very deep crop of performers this season. Paul was having a tremendous year before breaking his hamate bone and missing a huge chunk of the season. Blankenhorn struggled out of the gate, but by the end of the season, he had rebounded such that he had double digit doubles, triples, home runs, and stolen bases. Bechtold could be a very impressive find from the 2017 draft class out of community college.
Palacios opened the 2017 season coming off of a very disappointing 2016 with Cedar Rapids, where he was only able to muster a .222/.276/.287 line. For a guy who had put up an .800+ OPS in each of his first two seasons, this was a significant step back.
The Twins certainly have a heavy wealth of shortstops in the system, so to stand out, one truly needs to do something outstanding, and Palacios certainly did that to open 2017 back with Cedar Rapids, as he hit .320/.362/.544, driving the ball throughout the field and becoming one of the most feared hitters in the Midwest League before he was promoted to Fort Myers in late June.
His time in Fort Myers got off to a rough start, but he rebounded by the end of the season to leave his season combined line at .299/.333/454 with 21 doubles, 10 triples, 13 home runs, and 20 stolen bases.
Palacios can get overly aggressive at the plate and on the base paths, as indicated by his 99 strikeouts and 15 caught stealing, but he’s shown a possible impact bat at an up the middle position, and whether that’s for the Twins down the line or if he’s moved in a deal to acquire a future piece, he should have a role down the line at the upper levels.
Others of note: Nick Gordon, 21, Chattanooga; Ricky De La Torre, 17, GCL; Agustin Marte, 18, DSL; Jordan Gore, 22, Elizabethton/Cedar Rapids; Wander Javier, 18, Elizabethton; Royce Lewis, 18, GCL/Cedar Rapids
When the top two prospects in the system end up in this bunch, you know you have a quality group of depth. In fact, it’s quite feasible that on many lists that 3 of the top 5 prospects in the entire system are in this “others of note” section with Gordon, Javier, and Lewis all feasible guys to rank that highly in the system. De La Torre is another raw Puerto Rican draft pick with incredible raw tools, but he could take a bit to climb the chain.
Having all three of the outfielders noted play at least some time in rookie ball this season is an impressive trio for the future indeed.
Rooker was the Twins competitive balance pick this summer in the first round of the draft after a monster season for Mississippi State where he seemed to lead the SEC in every statistical category that exists. As you can see in the video, Rooker has an extremely powerful swing, though he’s shown the ability to take a walk as well. Even though he didn’t play in the system until late June, he finished second in the entire system with 18 home runs.
Baddoo was one of the most impressive athletes in the 2016 draft, but he was considered quite raw in his baseball abilities. A year later, Baddoo showed arguably the most advanced batting eye in the entire system along with plus speed and quickly-developing power that could give him a breadth of usable skills on the diamond. He hit .323/.436/.527 with 19 doubles, 5 triples, 4 home runs, and 9 stolen bases while posting a 36/32 BB/K ratio over 243 plate appearances, all while playing at 18 years old until mid-August as one of the youngest players in the 2016 draft class.
Nunez made his system debut this year, already 18, so older than the typical Latin signee. He hit .352/.420/.545 with 9 doubles, 7 triples, 3 home runs, and 11 stolen bases with the DSL team in 2017, playing most of his time in right field, and from what I’ve surmised in a few phone calls, he’s got a legit arm in the outfield, solid power, and athletic speed.
Zack Granite, 24, Rochester; Jean Carlos Arias, 19, GCL; LaMonte Wade, 23, Chattanooga; Samuel Vasquez, 20, DSL; Alex Robles, 21, GCL; Max Murphy, 24, Fort Myers/Chattanooga; Niko Goodrum, 25, Rochester; Aaron Whitefield, 20, Cedar Rapids; Edgar Corcino, 25, Chattanooga/Rochester; Jaylin Davis, 22, Cedar Rapids/Fort Myers
This is a very impressive group to say the least. The first three were all worthy to be considered starters as Granite, Arias, and Wade each had very impressive seasons. Davis is a guy who really had a big season in Cedar Rapids and struggled after his promotion, but he finished the season very well, with a .310/.362/.425 line in August. His impressive athleticism could be something to watch in 2018 now that he’s fully healthy.
Next: Right-Handed Starter
Clark Beeker, 24, Cedar Rapids/Fort Myers
A 33rd round selection out of Davidson College in 2016, Beeker pitched mostly out of the bullpen in 2016 after having thrown a ton of innings in college, but he really anchored the Cedar Rapids rotation all season long, going a combined 12-4 over 143 2/3 innings, with a 2.63 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 23/93 BB/K ratio. Beeker was the only pitcher in the entire system to complete multiple games, and both of his complete games were shutouts.
Beeker’s not a guy who will likely blow away the radar guns or flashes any double-plus offspeed pitches, but he has excellent control and seems to get tremendous movement on every single thing he throws, not allowing hitters to ever hit a ball squarely. However, when he does struggle, it’s because he attempts to nibble, and he tends to lose movement when he gets to the point of where he’s “aiming” the ball, as was seen in his 3 starts with Fort Myers at the end of the season.
This was the most difficult decision of any of the spots on this team between Aaron Slegers and Beeker as both had tremendous seasons, but Beeker’s overall performance was a hair better in peripheral numbers, which gave him the nod.
Others of note: Aaron Slegers, Rochester/Minnesota; Michael Montero, 17, DSL; Carlos Suniaga, 20, GCL/Elizabethton; Brusdar Graterol, 18, GCL/Elizabethton; Griffin Jax, 22, Elizabethton/Cedar Rapids; Cody Shashak, GCL/Fort Myers/Chattanooga, Tim Melville, 27, Rochester; Tyler Wells, 22, GCL/Cedar Rapids; Sean Poppen, 23, Cedar Rapids/Fort Myers; Dereck Rodriguez, 25, Fort Myers/Chattanooga; Zack Littell, 21, Chattanooga; Luis Gil, 19, DSL; Andriu Marin, 18, DSL; Felix Jorge, 23, Chattanooga/Rochester/Minnesota; Fernando Romero, 23, Chattanooga; Randy LeBlanc, 25, Fort Myers/Chattanooga
Plenty of names here, some prospects, some not so much. Graterol was one that really gained a ton of note over the season. Wells had a monster season going before he got hurt, and that’s one guy to watch in 2018. Littell will also likely get a lot of notice for national ‘pitcher of the year” teams with his 19-1 record on the season combined, but he only made a handful of starts for the Twins organization.
Next: Left-Handed Starter
Stephen Gonsalves, 22, Chattanooga/Rochester
He missed almost two full months of the season, not making his first start until May 20th, but once he was on the mound, Stephen Gonsalves was the absolute truth for the Lookouts all season long. Gonsalves came into the season as a borderline top 100 candidate, and at the midseason point, he was still borderline top 100 due to the lack of evidence that was out there around July 1st.
Gonsalves made 20 appearances on the season, throwing 110 innings, allowing a 3.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 31/118 BB/K ratio. I’ve had multiple scouts from the Southern League tell me that this summer Gonsalves was the most polished, mature, poised, and/or prepared pitcher on the mound when he went into a game. Of note, even though he was hit a bit hard in Rochester, Gonsalves never once “gave in” during those games.
Of all the pitchers in the vaunted Chattanooga rotation, Gonsalves is probably the one I’d put my money on to open 2018 in Minnesota. He has the mound presence already to handle working at the back of a major league rotation.
Others of note: Nik Turley, 27, Chattanooga/Rochester/Minnesota; Anthony Marzi, 24, Cedar Rapids/Fort Myers; Fredderi Soto, 19, DSL; Bryan Sammons, 22, Elizabethton/Cedar Rapids; Lachlan Wells, 20, GCL/Fort Myers; Charlie Barnes, 21, Elizabethton/Cedar Rapids; Lewis Thorpe, 21, Fort Myers/Chattanooga; Jesus Toledo, 17, DSL
Turley’s run was very fun to watch this season, and guys like Marzi and Sammons both had excellent seasons from less than expected spots, as Marzi was signed from independent ball, and Sammons was a senior sign draft pick, so for both of them to have the success they did was very impressive, to say the least.
Next: Right-Handed Reliever
Nick Anderson, 26, Fort Myers/Chattanooga
A Minnesota native, Anderson was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 32nd round in 2012. However, Anderson ended up playing in the Frontier League instead, playing in that league until 2015, when the Twins spotted him. Anderson worked his way up the A-ball clubs in 2016, and he was nearly untouchable in Cedar Rapids before finding some difficulty in Fort Myers.
He had no such difficulty with Fort Myers this season, and he really didn’t find any issue with Chattanooga, either. Overall in 2017, Anderson totaled 44 appearances, 54 innings, a 1.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 11 saves, and a 10/57 BB/K ratio. Anderson did not allow a single home run on the entire season.
Others of note: Alan Busenitz, 26, Rochester; Thomas Hackimer, 23, Cedar Rapids/Fort Myers; Pedro Garcia, 21, GCL; Derek Molina, 19, GCL; Hector Lujan, 22, Cedar Rapids; John Curtiss, 24, Chattanooga/Rochester; Alex Wimmers, 28, Rochester; Frandy Torres, 21, DSL; Drew Rucinski, 28, Rochester; Michael Tonkin, 27, Rochester; Logan Lombana, 22, Cedar Rapids; Trevor Hildenberger, 26, Rochester; Todd Van Steensel, 26, Chattanooga; Patrick McGuff, 23, Cedar Rapids; Jake Reed, 24, Chattanooga/Rochester; D.J. Baxendale, 26, Chattanooga/Rochester; Alex Muren, 25, Fort Myers/Chattanooga; Williams Ramirez, 24, Fort Myers; Ryan Mason, 22, Cedar Rapids; Luke Bard, 26, Chattanooga/Rochester
This is a deep group, but it’s also notable just how good the bullpens were for the Twins minor league teams this year, and that’s a big reason why the organization saw the success that they did throughout the minor league system. A number saw their way to the big league club over the year and threw well. Two guys to keep an eye on would be Molina, who was nearly untouchable to close out the year in the GCL, and Lujan, who consistently received praise for his mentality and raw stuff in the closer role for Cedar Rapids.
Next: Left-Handed Reliever
Andrew Vasquez, 23, Cedar Rapids/Fort Myers
Vasquez had a terrible August by his measure, which is the only thing that even made this close. After allowing a total of 6 runs (4 earned) in the entire season coming into August, Vasquez allowed 7 runs (6 earned) in August, though all that did was to bring Vasquez from a super-human level to more of a normal elite level.
The Twins drafted the 6’6″ Vasquez out of Westmont College in 2015 in the 32nd round. They’ve certainly gotten their investment returned thus far. Vasquez has a bit of deception to his delivery along with a wicked breaking pitch and a moving fastball that is incredibly hard for a hitter to square up.
His final numbers on the year were 37 appearances, 58 innings, a 1.55 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a crazy 21/85 BB/K ratio. Vasquez very well could challenge for a major league job at some point in 2018.
Others of note: Jovani Moran, 20, Elizabethton; Gabriel Moya, 22, Chattanooga; Mason Melotakis, 26, Chattanooga/Rochester; Sam Clay, 24, Fort Myers/Chattanooga; Anthony McIver, 25, Fort Myers/Chattanooga
Yes, the tough August made the decision tough at this position, but the performances of Clay and Moran were both incredible and pushed that decision. Moran was particularly difficult to deny the spot as he was absolutely dominant in his return from Tommy John surgery. with a 0.36 ERA, but he only made 11 appearances, so Vasquez was still the choice.
Next: Pitcher of the Year
MIAMI, FL – JULY 09: Country flags are displayed around the pitchers mound prior to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game between the U.S. Team and the World Team at Marlins Park on July 9, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
Clark Beeker
For me, there were three real candidates here. The top three were Beeker, Slegers, and Gonsalves. With Gonsalves missing time, it broke down to Beeker and Slegers.
It will be incredibly fun to watch the rotations among Cedar Rapids, Fort Myers, and Chattanooga get put together in 2017 with the excellent pitchers that were part of the rotations in Elizabethton, Cedar Rapids, and Fort Myers this season that will return next season, let alone any possible acquisitions that could come in.
Beeker’s methodical delivery doesn’t exactly provide any deception or any sort of “fooling” of the hitter through timing issues in his delivery. He simply comes after hitters and attacks the strike zone with a collection of average to above-average pitches, all thrown with excellent movement.
Beeker doesn’t flash 98 or break off a 90 MPH breaking pitch, but his stuff gets a swing that looks just as ugly as either of those pitches would generate – it’s just that his pitch then gets tipped off the very end of the bat to the second baseman’s glove rather than getting a swing and miss like those other pitches will do.
Beeker may have a tough time getting to the big leagues with a long-term future in the rotation, but he’s already shown an exceptional ability to handle himself on the mound, and it’s always easy to cheer for a guy with a draft slot in the 30-something round.
Next: Player of the Year
OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 15: A view of the Boston Red Sox bat rack during a game against the Oakland Athletics on April 15, 2009 at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /
Jonathan Rodriguez
While the pitcher of the year had a few good candidates, this was incredibly easy. Rodriguez was the best performing hitter in the system throughout the year, and it wasn’t really close.
All one has to do is return to the first page of this post and look at the leader board. He led the entire system in runs, home runs, RBI, walks, and total bases. However, it’s not just that he led those categories. It’s that he was so good in other ones that he didn’t lead. Rodriguez was 5th in hits, 2nd in doubles, 3rd in batting average for those who had more than 250 plate appearances, led the system in on base for those with more than 250 plate appearances, was 3rd in slugging with those who had more than 250 PA, and 3rd in OPS for those who had 250+ PA.
That level of dominance made the choice of Rodriguez an easy one. Whether he’ll be back with the Twins system in 2018 or not will be an interesting offseason decision as Rodriguez will be a minor league free agent again after this season, but hopefully his positive experience in 2017 will keep him swinging for the Twins system, as he could work his way to the major leagues in 2018 if he keeps up the improvements he made in 2017.
