CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 13: Gloves and balls are seen on the field before the Chicago Cubs take on the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field on April 13, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Braves defeated the Cubs 4-0. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Twins have plenty of intriguing minor league players to watch this season. Here are 15 of them that are off to good starts in 2018.
For the Minnesota Twins and as well as for every other major league team, the minor leagues are an essential part of their organization. It is the place where teams hope that the future cornerstones of their franchise have the opportunity to play and develop into the type of superstars, all-stars, and regular players that every team needs on their quest to the playoffs and possible World Series championship.
The minor leagues are also a place of hope for fans of major league teams. It is a place that as Twins fans we spent a lot of time paying attention to as the 100 loss seasons piled up. Even though at this point in 2018 our hopes have taken a bit of a downturn, that hope has been realized as players have been promoted and have had an impact on the Twins team.
Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, Miguel Sano, and Jorge Polanco are just the beginnings of the list of minor league players who have turned into full-time Twins. That core of players is a big reason for the Twins playoff drought ending in 2017.
Now in 2018 as those players continue (mostly) to compete as members of the Twins, there is still another handful of exciting prospects playing throughout the minor leagues. As the minor league regular season has gotten going over the past month we wanted to put together a list of some of those performances that are especially standing out so far.
Some of these players are true prospects and names you will recognize. Others are career minor leaguers who are simply having great seasons. Either way, these are 15 players that caught our eye based on the production they are having out on the baseball diamond.
To give some level of organization to this exercise we will go through the top four levels of the Twins minor league teams from Low-A through Triple-A. As we do so we will see which players have been performing especially well for their respective clubs. Without any further delay, let us get to the players!
After the Twins made Royce Lewis the number one overall selection in the 2017 MLB draft, the shortstop has done nothing but impress. His potential and performance has made him the Twins number one prospect for many of those who do prospect rankings.
Lewis has started off the season swinging the bat well. He is slashing .311/.367/.304 and has a double, home run, seven RBIs, and four stolen bases. If Lewis keeps his production up it will be interesting to see how long until Lewis is promoted from Cedar Rapids.
Mark Contreras is likely one of those names that many won’t recognize as he doesn’t come with the same expectation and excitement as someone like Lewis. Contreras is off to a great start and actually already received a promotion to Fort Myers.
It was Contreras’ .440/.481./.560 and 1.041 OPS performance in Cedar Rapids that earned that promotion. His production hasn’t quite continued at the same level since moving to Fort Myers but in four games there he is hitting .273/.385/.545 with a double and a triple.
The Kernels first baseman Ben Rodriguez has actually outperformed Lewis to this point in the season. Clearly, Lewis has the better major league prospects but Rodriguez is giving plenty of reasons to make Midwest League pitchers pay attention to him. Rodriguez is slashing .343/.361/.571, .933 OPS, 5 doubles and a home run.
Alex Kiriloff has made his way into the top-10 of many Twins prospect lists. He is even knocking on the door to being in the top-5. Kirilloff doesn’t have near the slash line as the previous three on this list as he is hitting .263/.306/.509 to begin the season. What he has done is in his 14 games had some impactful hits as he has already recorded five doubles and three home runs while driving in 15 runs.
When looking back at recaps of Miracle games, often it seems that Jimmy Kerrigan was the driving offensive force behind successful games for Fort Myers. In 20 games this season, Kerrigan is slashing .365/.424/.622 with a 1.045 OPS. In 27 hits he also has eight doubles, a triple, three home runs, 11 RBIs, as well as a stolen base.
If Kerrigan keeps this type of performance up it would seem very likely that he could be moved to Double-A. That production next to Brent Rooker and LaMonte Wade as fellow outfielders would make an already dangerous Lookouts lineup that much more dangerous.
The Miracle’s third baseman Travis Blankenhorn has had a similar season to Kiriloff. Blankenhorn doesn’t have the slash line of some of these other players but his extra-base hits give him good slugging and OPS numbers. Blankenhorn is hitting .286/.324/.557, a .881 OPS, and has collected five doubles, a triple, four home runs, and 11 RBIs. As one of the few third base prospects in the Twins system, it is good to see him performing well.
It has been a rough start for pitchers in the lower level of the Twins minor league system to this point in the season. Anthony Marzi becomes the first pitcher to make our list. The Miracle starter has made three starts as well as one appearance in relief. Marzi is 1-0, has pitched 18.2 innings and holds a 1.93 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts. Marzi very well will need to bring down the number of runners he is allowing to reach base, but for now, it is producing good results on the scoreboard.
To start the season a section of the Twins wanted to see Gordon be their shortstop after the Jorge Polanco suspension. Instead, and rightly so, Gordon has started the season at Double-A and has been off to a great start for the Chattanooga Lookouts. Gordon is hitting .361/.368/.569 with three doubles, three triples, two home runs, 11 RBIs, and three stolen bases. Gordon could be pushing for a promotion soon and has certainly positioned himself in a way that if needed he could be a major league call-up.
Zander Wiel is another name that is not as familiar as several others on this list. Wiel is off to a good pace to begin the season boasting the best batting average in a very good Lookouts lineup. Wiel is batting .367/.449/.583 and has seven doubles, two home runs, and 10 RBIs with a very good 1.033 OPS.
LaMonte Wade, OF
LaMonte Wade is a prospect that sits just out of the Twins top-10 in rankings. He is starting to make a name for himself after a good spring training and start to the 2018 season. In 18 games for the Lookouts Wade is slashing .311/.386/.443, a triple, and 2 home runs. Wade is also showing off a pretty nice 2/1 walk to strikeout ratio. Depending on the need, Wade could be useful to the Twins soon and should certainly get consideration when it comes to September call-ups.
Randy LeBlanc has been able to make four starts for the Lookouts and leads them in innings pitched with 22.2 innings. LeBlanc has given up a few too many hits but has been able to manage runners on base as shown by his 1.99 ERA. In those four starts, LeBlanc holds a 3-1 record. LeBlanc’s performance may even out at some point in the season resulting in a higher ERA, but right now he has been one of the more effective starters in the Twins minor leagues.
Stephen Gonsalves is one of the Twins top two starting pitching prospects and usually is top-5 among all Twins prospects. Gonsalves is also off to a great start as he has returned to the Lookouts rotation. In four starts and 20.1 innings pitched, he has a 1.77 ERA and has recorded 25 strikeouts. Friday Gonsalves was rewarded for his performance as a Lookout and was promoted to Triple-A where he finished 2017. That promotion means that he should also start getting looks for the major league rotation soon if he isn’t already.
Gregorio Petit was added to the Twins system this offseason mainly as a minor league depth player after spending 2017 in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. The career minor leaguer has been a key cog in the Red Wings offense early on. Petit is hitting .327/.346/.408 with two doubles, one triple, and 6 RBIs. While Petit may not impact the Twins at any point, he is certainly helping Red Wings fans have a more enjoyable season.
Fernando Romero is drawing the attention of so many. His electric arsenal of pitches has drawn attention as he has worked his way through the minor leagues. With an invite to spring training this season, he was able to show the major league staff first hand what he has.
Even though Romero didn’t head north with the Twins, he has done nothing but continued to impress as he starts games for the Rochester Red Wings. With 16.0 innings so far this season, Romero holds a 1.69 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts to 7 walks. There is a good chance Romero sees time with the Twins this season. The question is just when and in what role.
D.J Baxendale, P
D.J. Baxendale is a right-handed pitcher that the Twins drafted in the 10th round of the 2012 draft. He has since then worked his way through the Twins system to begin 2018 at Triple-A where he has both started and came in as a reliever. In four games, Baxendale has pitched 12.0 innings. He has a 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, eight strikeouts and no walks. Baxendale’s name was mentioned a few times in the latest shuffle of the bullpen before Aaron Slegers got the brief call to be with the Twins in New York.
