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
Emma Baccellieri did a nice story about Twins rookie Willians Astudillo in the September 18 issue of Sports Illustrated called “Meet Your New Favorite Player: Twins Utilityman Willians ‘El Tortuga’ Astudillo.”
It is a fun, enjoyable feel good story about an exciting and unique ballplayer with the Minnesota Twins in a season where Minnesota Twins fans have had very little to cheer about. Check it out, it will be worth your time.
The Baltimore Orioles became the first American pro team to wear Braille-lettered jerseys yesterday, which was National Federation of the Blind Night at Oriole Park.
What a shameful marketing ploy! Can anyone tell me what possible benefit putting Braille on a baseball uniform has? I am all ears.
The Twins A+ Ft. Myers Miracle beat the Daytona Tortugas by a score of 8-5 on September 10th in Game 4 of the Florida State League Championship to clinch the series 3-1. The Miracle scored five runs in the third inning and took a 5-3 lead thanks to a three-run home run by Ryan Costello. Edwar Colina was the starter and winner for Ft. Myers, allowing three runs (none earned) on three hits and four walks with six strikeouts over 6.2 innings. In the four game series, Travis Blankenhorn hit .538 (7-for-13) with a double, four RBI and five runs scored while Royce Lewis hit .294 (5-for-17) with five RBI and five runs scored.
This marks the Ft. Myers Miracle first FSL Championship since 2014. The Miracle are the second Twins affiliate to win a championship this year, the first being Rookie League Elizabethton Twins, who won the Appalachian League title on September 5.
Miracle run: After clinching late berth, Fort Myers rolls to Florida State League crown
Yes, the Elizabethton Twins have won the championship again, their 12th Appalachian League title and ninth under current manager Ray Smith.
The Final Out of Elizabethton’s Championship Season
The E-Twins 2018 story (about 7 1/2 minutes long)
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.
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.
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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.
2018 Arizona Fall League rosters were announced August 30th and the Minnesota Twins players will make-up part of the Salt River Rafters along with players from the Diamondbacks, Rockies, Marlins and Nationals. The club’s manager will be Tommy Watkins and strength and conditioning will be handled by Jacob Dean.
Players representing the Twins will be right-handed pitchers Griffin Jax and Hector Lujan, left-handed pitchers Alex Robinson and Devin Smeltzer, infielder Travis Blankenhorn, and outfielders Jaylin Davis, Luke Raley and Brent Rooker.
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Entering its 27th year, the AFL features six teams that are composed of players from all 30 Major League organizations. It offers the unique opportunity to gauge young talent against competition that usually is superior to what they experienced during the Minor League season. The rosters for this year’s AFL, are loaded with future stars. The group features 18 players ranked on MLB Pipeline’s list of the Top 100 Prospects.
Although I have not been to any AFL games the last few seasons I have attended a number of them in the past and it is a special treat to watch these young up and coming stars play ball. The price is right and often you will see more scouts than you will see paying fans. It is indeed a unique experience that I would recommend you partake in, if the opportunity presents itself.
AAA Rochester Red Wings first baseman Kennys Vargas has been named the designated hitter on the International League Postseason All-Star Team, according to the league office. The 27 year-old Vargas is batting .234 with 20 doubles, 20 home runs, 69 RBI, 39 runs scored, 56 walks and 130 strikeouts in 124 games with Rochester this season. Vargas is leading the team in hits, doubles, homers, RBI, runs and walks. He is the first Red Wing to be named the DH on the Postseason All-Star Team since Willis Otanez in 1998 and fourth since the current ballot format began in 1978.
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.
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.
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.
Regulars that stop by this site know that I am a fan of La Vida Baseball. There is a new post out the site called THE LEGACY OF A JEWELER ON LATIN AMERICAN BASEBALL. One of the players that Andres Reiner signed was Johan Santana. The posting includes a short video called “Johan Santana 1995 scouting report“. It is very interesting and talks about how Reiner had the vision to see a pitcher in Johan Santana when he was a first baseman/outfielder with no power. Check out the story and the video.
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.
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, 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.