TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history. “History never looks like history when you are living through it” – John Gardner, former Secretary of Health
Cedar Rapids (A – Midwest League) catcher Mitch Garver is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In seven games for the Kernels Garver hit .400 (8-for-20) with three doubles, four home runs, six RBI, six runs scored and five walks. The Twins ninth round pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft is in his second full season in the Twins system, the Albuquerque native spent last season at Rookie-Elizabethton, hitting .243 (49-for-202) in 56 games.
Outfielder Byron Buxton has been named the 2013 Sherry Robertson Award winner as the Twins Minor League Player of the Year and left-handed pitcher Andrew Albers has been named the 2013 Jim Rantz Award winner as the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
Buxton, 19, hit .334 (163-for-488) with 19 doubles, 18 triples, 12 home runs, 77 RBI, 109 runs scored and 55 stolen bases in 125 games this season between Low-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Ft. Myers. In the field playing primarily center field, Buxton committed two errors in 306 chances and was credited with 9 assists. The right-handed hitting Buxton was named Midwest League MVP as well as the top minor league prospect at midseason and Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. Buxton was the Twins first round pick (second overall) in the 2012 June Amateur draft.
Albers, 27, began the season at Triple-A Rochester and went 11-5 with a 2.86 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP (132.1 IP, 42 ER), allowing 124 hits with 32 walks, 116 strikeouts and three complete games (one shutout) in 22 starts. The left-handed Canadian native was named to the Triple-A All-Star game. At the time of his promotion to Minnesota in August, he ranked first in the International League in strikeouts, tied for second in wins, third in innings pitched and fifth in ERA. With the Twins, Albers went 2-5 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 10 games (all starts). Albers struck out 25 and walked just 7 batters in 60 innings.
Buxton becomes the 44th winner of this award (since 1970) and Albers becomes the 12th winner of this award (since 2002). The 2012 award winners were Oswaldo Arcia and B.J. Hermsen.
Congratulations to both Byron Buxton and Andrew Albers on a job well done.
New Britain (AA – Eastern League) third baseman Miguel Sano is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In six games for the Rock Cats, Sano hit .333 (7-for-21) with four home runs, eight RBI, two doubles, seven walks and scored five runs. The 20-year old from San Pedro De Macoris, Dominican Republic is in his fourth season of pro ball and has hit a combined 35 home runs and knocked in 103 runs between Single-A and Double-A this season. Baseball America has listed Sano the Twins top prospect each of the last two seasons.
Fans in Minnesota who are tired of watching the home team struggle to score runs are hoping that the Twins will make Miguel Sano a September call-up and allow him to win the third base job during spring training in 2014. I too would love to see what Sano can do against big league pitching this year at Target Field but I don’t see it happening no matter how much the Twins could use his bat.
New Britain (AA – Eastern League) shortstop Danny Santana is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In seven games for the Rock Cats, Santana hit .429 (8-for-23) with one home run, five RBI, one double, two triples, two stolen bases and four runs scored. The 22-year old from Monte Plata, Dominican Republic, is hitting .296 (150-for-506) this season, with 22 doubles, 10 triples, two home runs, 43 RBI, 26 stolen bases and 63 runs scored with a .331 OBP in 123 games for New Britain.
Although Santana is only 22, he is already in his sixth season in the Twins organization. The 5’11” switch-hitting Santana is a slick fielder and is well liked by many in the Twins organization. Since 2010 his OBP has gone from .285, to .289, to .298, to .329 and now to .331. Don’t be surprised is Santana makes a serious run at taking over the Twins shortstop job within the next year or two.
Ft. Myers (A – Florida St. League) first baseman D.J. Hicks is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In six games for the Miracle, Hicks hit .435 (10-for-23) with two home runs, eight RBI, two doubles and scored five runs. Dalton Hicks was drafted by the Twins in the 17th round of the 2012 First-Year Player draft, was signed and played his first year of pro ball in Elizabethton. The 6’5″ left-handed hitting Hicks is hitting .308 in 28 games with the Miracle this season after getting promoted from Cedar Rapids where hit .297 in 89 games to start the season.
Rochester (AAA – International League) first baseman Jeff Clement is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In seven games for the Red Wings, Clement hit .375 (12-for-32) with two home runs (including a grand slam), 12 RBI, three doubles and three runs scored. In Rochester this season Clement has played 1B in 47 games and served as the DH in 53 games. In 104 games and 425 plate appearances the 29-year-old Clement is hitting just .218 but he does have 15 home runs and 62 RBI.
Clement is in his ninth season of pro ball and has appeared in 152 big leagues games, 75 with the Seattle Mariners in 2007-2008 and 77 with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010 and 2012. The Twins originally selected Clement in round 12 of the 2002 June amateur draft out of Marshalltown High School (Iowa) as a catcher but he chose not to sign and went on to attend USC. He was then drafted by the Mariners with the third overall pick in the 2005 First-Year Player draft. Although drafted as a catcher, Clement has only caught 35 big league games and he last caught in the majors in 2008. Clement signed as a minor league free agent with the Twins in November of 2012 and has spent all season in AAA – Rochester.
New Britain (AA – Eastern League) outfielder Daniel Ortiz is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In five games for the Rock Cats, the left-handed hitting Ortiz hit .350 (7-for-20) with two home runs, nine RBI’s and three runs scored. Ortiz is hitting .272 (108-for-397) with 24 doubles in 108 games for the Rock Cats this season.
Ortiz, 23, was drafted by the Twins in the fourth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Benjamin Harrison High School in Puerto Rico Ortiz has progressed through the Twins minor league system playing primarily corner outfield but he has seen duty in center as well. Ortiz has hit 10 or more home runs each season he has played pro ball except for his first season in 2008. Ortiz did not play in 2009, not sure why.
Cedar Rapids (Single-A – Midwest League) pitcher Brett Lee is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In two starts for the Kernels, the 22 year-old Lee went 2-0, pitching two complete games (18.0 IP), allowing two runs on 11 hits with two walks and 13 strikeouts. The left-handed 6′ 4″ Lee pitched primarily in relief in Elizabethton in 2012 where he was 4-0 with a 2.68 ERA but in Cedar Rapids this season Lee has appeared in 17 games and started 15 of them. Thus far this season Lee has a 7-4 record while posting a 3.30 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. In 95.1 innings he has allowed 100 hits with 22 walks and 74 punch-outs. Lee was a 40th round pick by the Pirates in 2009 and was selected in round 33 by the Dodgers the following season but chose not to sign. Lee was then drafted by the Twins in the 10th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.
Ft. Myers (A – Florida St. League) outfielder Jhon Goncalves is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In five games for the Miracle, the right-handed hitting Goncalves hit .555 (10-for-18) with six doubles, five RBI and three walks.
Jhonathan Humberto (Cervelli) Goncalves, 24 was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 2005 out of Venezuela. Goncalves started the 2013 season with New Britain Rock Cats but struggled hitting just .196 in 31 games and was demoted to Ft. Myers. Goncalves is hitting .306 in 177 at-bats for the Miracle with 2 home runs and 5 stolen bases.
Previous winners this season include (in order): P Tyler Duffey, INF Miguel Sano, OF Adam Brett Walker, INF Jorge Polanco (twice), P Kyle Gibson, INF Chris Colabello, P Logan Darnell, P Taylor Rogers, P Andrew Albers, OF Byron Buxton and P Trevor May.
Cedar Rapids (A – Midwest League) 2B/SS Jorge Polanco is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week for the second time this season. In two games for the Kernels, Polanco hit .500 (9-for-18) with two doubles, one home run, 10 RBI and five runs scored. Polanco is hitting .306 (90-for-294) with 21 doubles, nine triples, 3 home runs, 61 RBI and 47 runs scored in 73 games this season. That is an impressive RBI total for a guy with a total of 3 home runs.
The switch-hitting 5-foot-11, 190-pound infielder was signed by the Twins for a $700,000 bonus as a non-drafted free agent on July 5th of 2009 the day after his 16th birthday and is in his fourth season of pro ball even though he is only 19 years of age. Players from the Dominican Republic are allowed to sign contracts with Major League teams as soon as they are 16 years old. Polanco was named to the MiLB.com Twins organizational All-Star team in 2012.
