Category: Twins Minor League Player of the Week

Twins minor league players of the week are Williams and Alcala

Cedar Rapids Kernels (Low A) infielder Chris Williams and AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos right-handed pitcher Jorge Alcala have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Chris Williams

In seven games for the Kernels, the 22 year old Chris Williams hit .333 (6-for-18) with three home runs, six RBI, six walks, six runs scored and a 1.333 OPS. The 22-year-old was drafted by the Twins in the eighth round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Clemson University as a catcher. In 2019 he has played 8 games at first base, 8 as a DH and caught just 5 games.

Jorge Alcala

Alcala made one start for the Blue Wahoos, coming on Thursday vs. Biloxi, pitching
5 shutout innings with five hits allowed, no walks and eight strikeouts. The 23-year-old, Dominican Republic native, was acquired by the Twins via trade with Houston at the deadline last season, in exchange for right-handed pitcher Ryan Pressly. 

In his fifth pro season Alcala has a career ERA of just 3.32 and in 325.2 innings only given up 257 hits while striking out 326. Although he can use more work on his control, Jorge knows how to keep the ball in the ballpark. You have to like Alcala’s potential.

Both the AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos and the High A Fort Myers Miracle are 19-10 and in first place in their divisions.

Twins Minor League Report, 5-5-19

Twins Minor League Players of the Week – Davis & Thorpe

AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos outfielder Jaylin Davis and AAA Rochester left-handed pitcher Lewis Thorpe have been named Twins minor league player and Pitcher of the Week.

Jaylin Davis

In six games for the Blue Wahoos, Davis hit .407 (11-for-27) with three doubles, two home runs, six RBI and a 1.148 OPS.

Davis, 24, and in his fourth season of pro ball was drafted by the Twins in the 24th round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Appalachian State University. Jaylin Malik Davis was expected to be a top 3-4 round talent coming out of Appalachian State University but was unfortunate to tear the labrum in his right shoulder when diving after a ball during his draft season. Davis missed the rest of 2015 getting the shoulder repaired and letting it heal.

Lewis Thorpe

Thorpe, 23, made one start for the Red Wings on Tuesday vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, allowing one run on three hits in 8.0 innings while striking out 12 batters for the second straight start. Thorpe got off to a rough starts this season allowing 15 runs in his first two starts that lasted a total of 8.2 innings. For the year Thorpe is 1-2 with a 7.25 ERA in 22.1 innings. 7 of his 8 walks this season were in his first two starts. 

Thorpe was signed in 2012 out of Melbourne, Australia at the age of 16 and is in his eighth season of pro ball but he missed 2015 and 2016 due to Tommy John surgery. Thorpe, the 6’2″ lefty was the Twins minor league Pitcher of the Year last season. I would expect Thorpe to make his major league debut with the Twins in 2019.

Wings’ Thorpe ties career high … again

 

Twins Minor League Report, 4-28-19

Twins minor league players of the week are Cabbage & Graterol

Trey Cabbage

Low A Cedar Rapids Kernels outfielder Trey Cabbage and AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos right-handed pitcher Brusdar Graterol are the Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

The soon to be 22 year old Cabbage hit .333 in 27 plate appearances this past week with a triple, three home runs, nine RBI and scored eight times. Cabbage also walked six times and struck out the same number of times. Cabbage was drafted by the Twins in the fourth round of the 2015 June Amateur Draft out of Grainger High School in Rutledge, Tennessee as a third baseman but is currently playing corner outfield positions. Andrew Vasquez a LHP remains the only player drafted by the Twins in 2015 to make an appearance in the big leagues to this point. I would expect that Cabbage will be moving up to the A+ Miracles soon.

Brusdar Graterol

Graterol made the start for the Blue Wahoos on Tuesday at Biloxi, pitching 7 shutout innings with one hit, one walk and eight strikeouts. The 20-year-old Calabozo, Venezuela native has gone 1-0, 0.52 ERA (17.1 IP, 1 ER) with six walks, 18 strikeouts and a .121 opponent batting average in three starts for the Wahoos this season.

According to MLB Pipeline Graterol is the Twins third best overall prospect and top pitching prospect who is on a fast track to Minnesota. The Twins signed Graterol out of Venezuela when he was 16 years old for $150,000 as part of their 2014 international class. He was just a teen throwing in the high 80s at the time, nothing special. In February of 2015, they assigned him to the Dominican Summer League. He lasted four starts until he tore his UCL and underwent Tommy John surgery. Here is the rest of the story.

 

Twins Minor League Report, 4-21-19

 

 

 

Twins minor league players of the week – Blankenhorn & Smeltzer

Travis Blankenhorn

The first 2019 Twins position player of the week is A+ Fort Myers Miracles infielder Travis Blankenhorn. Blankenhorn who is playing his fifth season of pro ball appeared in six games this past week hitting .300 with 6 hits in 24 PA’s including a double, a home run and 2 RBI. Blankenhorn also walked four times.  The 22-year-old Blankenhorn has already played second and third base as well as the left field this season.

Travis Blankenhorn was the Minnesota Twins third round draft choice in the 2015 June amateur draft. So far the only Twins draft choice to reach the big leagues from that draft is 32nd round selection LHP  Andrew Vasquez.

Devin Smeltzer

The first 2019 Twins pitcher of the week is LHP Devin Smeltzer of the AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos. In his second start of the 2019 season Smeltzer threw 8.1 shutout innings allowing just 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8 and earning the win on just 85 pitches (65 strikes). So far this season Smeltzer is 2-0 in 3 starts and has allowed just one earned run in 18 innings on 9 hits, 3 walks, and 21 strikeouts.

Devin Smeltzer was a Los Angeles Dodgers 5th round pick in the 2016 June Amateur draft and traded to Minnesota along with outfielder Luke Raley, second baseman Logan Forsythe in the Brian Dozier deal on July 31, 2018. The Twins used Smeltzer in relief last season at Chattanooga after acquiring him from the Dodgers but this season he is doing what he likes best and that is starting.

Twins Minor League Report, 4-14-19

Twins minor league players of the week – Michael Davis & Andrew Vasquez

The Twins have named A- Cedar Rapids infielder Michael Davis and Twins left-handed pitcher Andrew Vasquez Twins minor league Player of the Week and minor league Pitcher of the Week.

Michael Davis

In seven games for the Kernels, Davis hit .464 (13-for-28) with one double, one triple, three home runs and 13 RBI. The Bedford, Texas native was drafted by the Twins
in the 24th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Tech. Davis appeared in just three games for Elizabethton where he was 6 for 14 with a home run before being bumped up to Cedar Rapids where he has appeared in 42 games and is hitting .294 with 9 home runs and 28 RBI  and playing primarily shortstop.

Prior to getting called up by the Twins, Vasquez appeared in three games for the Red Wings, pitching 4.1 scoreless innings with three walks and 10 strikeouts. The 6’6″ soon-to-be 25 year-old lefty from Rancho Cucamonga, California was drafted by the Twins in the 32nd round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. 2018 was a breakout year for Vasquez who started the season with the A+ Miracle where he struck out 37 in 32.2 innings. Then when the Twins bumped him up to AA Chattanooga he really showed something when he struck out 59 batters in just 31 innings and walked just four. The walk ratio was the big surprise because he has had some control issues in the past. The Twins sent him to AAA Rochester at the end of the season and he appeared in just four games but struck out 12 in just 5.2 innings. The Twins then called him up to Minnesota as a September call-up and made his big league debut on September 1st. Jumping from High A in Ft. Myers to AA, then AAA and then the big leagues in one season is very impressive indeed. It will  be very interesting to see what Vasquez can show us this next month.

Andrew Vasquez in his major league debut on 9/1/2018. Credit to Ricardo Rodriguez of Getty Images

enlarge picture by clicking on the image

 

MLB announced on August 31 that Minnesota Twins Minor League pitcher Alex Banks, who is currently on the roster of the rookie-level Dominican Summer League Twins, has received a 72-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Banks is a 17 year-old right-handed pitcher who was spending his first season in pro ball.

 

Twins Minor League Report 090418

Twins minor league players of the week – Trevor Larnach & Jhoan Duran

The Twins have named A- Cedar Rapids Kernels outfielder Trevor Larnach and Single-A Cedar Rapids right-handed pitcher Jhoan Duran as Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Trevor Larnach

In six games for the Kernels, Larnach hit .391 (9-for-23) with two doubles, one home
run, three RBI, three walks and six runs scored. The California native was drafted by the Twins 20th overall in this past June’s draft. The 6’4″ left-handed hitting Larnach started playing pro ball in Elizabethton and moved up to Cedar Rapids after 18 games. The Twins are expecting Larnach to move up the Twins system quickly.

Jhoan Duran

Duran made two starts for the Kernels, going 1-0, 0.66 ERA (13.2 IP, 1 ER) with three walks and 19 strikeouts. Duran, who earned this award earlier in the month, was acquired at the trade deadline from Arizona in exchange for infielder Eduardo Escobar. The 6’5″ 20-year-old right-hander has started five games for the Kernels since the Twins acquired him and has a 2-1 record but that is deceiving. He has allowed just 16 hits in 32 innings while striking out 41 and walking 7. Duran has an ERA of 2.25 and a 0.719 WHIP. The guy is tearing it up! WOW! Duran could be a steal.

 

Twins Minor League Report 082718

Twins minor league players of the week – Jose Miranda & Prelander Berroa

The Twins have named A+ Ft. Myers Miracle infielder José Miranda and GCL Twins right-handed pitcher Prelander Berroa as Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Jose Miranda

The 20-year-old Jose Miranda played seven games for the Miracle, hitting .320 (8-for-25) with two doubles, one home run, four RBI and a .414 on-base percentage. Miranda plays primarily second and third base but has played some shortstop. Miranda was selected by the Twins 73rd overall in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft and signed for a reported $775,000. Bats and throws right-handed. Miranda also was the Twins player of the week back in June when he was with Cedar Rapids.

Prelander Berroa

 

 

 

Prelander Berroa, an 18-year-old Dominican right-hander made one start for the for the GCL Twins on Thursday vs. GCL Orioles, pitching 5.0 shutout innings with one hit allowed and nine strikeouts. Berroa has not allowed an earned run in his last three starts, games he which he pitched 5,4 and 5 innings. Berroa was signed as a 16-year-old undrafted free agent in July of 2016 for a reported $200,000 and started pitching in the Twins minor league system in 2017.

Twins Minor League Report 081818

Shortstop Royce Lewis and outfielder Alex Kirilloff were named to the 2018 Midwest League Postseason All-Star Team. Outfielder Ernie De La Trinidad who came over from Arizona in the Eduardo Escobar trade and is now playing with the Ft. Myers Miracle also made the same All-Star team.

Twins minor league players of the week – Royce Lewis & Edwar Colina

The Twins have named A+ Ft. Myers Miracle shortstop Royce Lewis and A- Cedar Rapids Kernels right-handed pitcher Edwar Colina as Twins minor league Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week.

Royce Lewis – Credit Tom Hagerty MiLB.COM

Lewis, who was selected first overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, played seven games for the Miracle, hitting .345 (10-for-29) with a triple, two home runs, six RBI, five walks and a .457 on-base percentage. In 101 games this year between Cedar Rapids (75) and Ft. Myers (26) the 19-year old right-handed hitting shortstop is hitting .318 with an OPS .867 and has 12 home runs and 71 RBI not to mention 28 stolen bases.

Edwar Colina

Colina,21, started one game for the Kernels on Monday vs. Beloit, pitching 8.0 innings with two unearned runs, no walks and eight strikeouts, earning his sixth win of the season. For the year the 5’11” left-hander is 6-3 with just 64 hits allowed in 84.2 inning with 75 KO’s and 45 walks. The Caracas, Venezuela native was signed by the Twins as a free agent in September of 2015.

Twins minor league players of the week – Ryan Jeffers & Jhoan Duran

The Twins have named A- Cedar Rapids Kernels catcher Ryan Jeffers and A- Cedar Rapids Kernels right-handed pitcher Jhoan Duran as Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Ryan Jeffers

Ryan Jeffers, 21, played in seven games for the Kernels, hitting .423 (11-for-26) with five doubles, two home runs, six RBI and a .500 on-base percentage. Jeffers was selected by the Twins in the second round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of UNC Wilmington and signed for a below slot $800,000. Jeffers started the season by playing for just over a month in 29 games with Elizabethton where he hit 3 home runs and had 16 RBI with a .458 OBP. Since his promotion to Cedar Rapids on July 24 he has played in 11 games and has 2 home runs and 9 RBI and is hitting .366. Mike Berardino recently wrote Second-rounder Ryan Jeffers laying quick claim to Twins’ ‘catcher of the future’, a good read.

Jhoan Duran

Jhoan Duran, 20, made the start on Monday at Quad Cities, pitching 7.0 shutout/no-hit innings with one walk and eight strikeouts in his first appearance in the Twins system. The 6’5″ and 175 pound Duran was acquired last week from Arizona in exchange for infielder Eduardo Escobar and is ranked as the Twins 23rd best prospect. The right-handed Duran from the Dominican Republic started in the Arizona system at the age of 17 is already in his fourth season of pro ball and won’t be 21 until January.

 

Twins Minor League Report 080518

 

 

Twins minor league players of the week – Donny Breek and Brent Rooker

The Twins have named GCL Twins right-handed pitcher Donny Breek and Double-A Chattanooga outfielder Brent Rooker as Twins minor league Pitcher and Player of the Week.

Donny Breek

Breek, 18, made two starts for the GCL Twins, going 1-0, 0.00 ERA (9.0 IP) with three hits allowed, four walks and 13 strikeouts. The Amsterdam native was signed to a seven-year deal by the Twins as a free agent last September.

Donny Breek signs with Twins

Brent Rooker

Rooker, who is winning this award for the third time this season (May 20 and June 10), hit .467 (14-for-30) with four doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, six walks and a .556 on-base percentage in seven games for the Lookouts. The 23-year old is putting together a solid season at Chattanooga and in 99 games is hitting .275 with a .862 OPS with 20 home runs and 66 RBI. He has struck out 120 times. Rooker was selected by the Twins 35th overall in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Mississippi State University.