Tag: Chattanooga Lookouts

Arizona Fall League just around the corner

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.

Griffin Jax
Hector Lujan
Alex Robinson
Devin Smeltzer
Travis Blankenhorn
Jaylin Davis
Luke Raley
Brent Rooker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

click on images to make them larger

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.

 2018 AFL Schedule

Twins minor league players of the week – Jose Miranda & Omar Bencomo

The Twins have named Low A Cedar Rapids infielder Jose Miranda and AA Chattanooga
right-handed pitcher Omar Bencomo as Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Jose Miranda

In eight games for the Kernels, Miranda hit .414 (12-for-29) with four doubles, one home run and nine RBI. The Manati, Puerto Rico native was drafted by the Twins in the second round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft. The soon to be 20-year-old Miranda is a right-handed batter and is in his third season of pro ball. This season Miranda is playing second base and third base.

According to a 2016 Rhett Bollinger article, Miranda, who was selected from Leadership Christian Academy with the 2016 number 73 overall pick in Lottery Round B, projects to be a power-hitting third baseman. The Twins saved slot money by signing him for $775,000, as the pick had a value of $878,500.

Omar Bencomo

The 29-year-old right-handed Bencomo made two starts, one for the Lookouts and one for the Red Wings, going 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA (13.0 IP, 1 ER) with five hits allowed, two walks and 11 strikeouts.

The Valencia, Venezuela native first started playing pro ball in 2007 and signed with the Twins as a minor league free agent on January 19, 2018. Bencomo has been used both as a starter and a reliever over the years but he has been a starter for Chattanooga and Rochester since the end of April. Bencomo was promoted to Rochester on May 30th.

 

Twins Minor League Report 060218

Twins minor league players of the week – Nick Gordon and Zack Littell

The Twins have named Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts infielder Nick Gordon and Triple-A Rochester right-handed pitcher Zack Littell Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Nick Gordon

In seven games this week, the 22-year-old left-handed hitting Gordon hit .400 (10-for-25) with four doubles, one home run, four RBI, four runs scored, four walks and a .484 on-base percentage. So far this season Gordon is hitting .346 in 34 games and has played shortstop in 27 games, 6 games at second base and 1 as the DH. Gordon was selected fifth overall by the Twins in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft and is the son of former major league pitcher Tom Gordon and younger brother of Mariners outfielder Dee Gordon.

You have to figure Gordon is ready to move up a notch to AAA and is likely to see some action for the Twins this season.

Looking at the 41 picks in the 2014 first round, 21 of the selections are position players and ten of the 21 were drafted out of high school like Gordon and none of them have yet advanced to the big leagues. Out of the 11 position players picked out of colleges, seven have or are playing in the majors.

20 of the 41 first round selections in 2014 were pitchers, 10 out of high school and just one of these picks, Jack Flaherty from the Cardinals has thrown off a big league mound. On the other hand, the other 10 pitcher selections were out of a college and only one of the 10 has not seen big league action.

So I have to wonder, why do you spend a first round pick on a high school player? You would think you would want a return on your money sooner than later.

Zack Littell

Littell, 22, who was just recently promoted from Double-A Chattanooga, started two games for the Red Wings this week, going 1-0 with one run allowed on four hits in 12.0 innings, six walks and 14 strikeouts. 

Littell was a Mariners 11th round selection in 2013 and was traded to the Yankees in a minor league transaction after the 2016 season. The 6’4″ Littell was then acquired by the Twins via trade with New York Yankees on July 30, 2017 along with left-handed pitcher Dietrich Enns, in exchange for left-handed pitcher Jaime Garcia. In 2017 between 3 different minor league teams, he put up a 19-1 record with a 2.12 ERA. He too should see at least a cup of coffee with the Twins this season.

Twins Minor League Report 051218

Twins minor league players of the week – Royce Lewis & Stephen Gonsalves

The Twins have named Single-A Cedar Rapids shortstop Royce Lewis ML Player of the Week and Triple-A Rochester left-handed pitcher Stephen Gonsalves ML Pitcher of the Week.

Royce Lewis

Royce Lewis hit .304 (7-for-23) with four runs and four RBI in four games for the Kernels (had 4-hit game previous week). For the season, Lewis is hitting .316 with one double, one home run and 10 RBI. 

Lewis, who was ranked Baseball America’s top prospect in the Twins system, was drafted by the Twins first overall in last June’s MLB Draft out of JSerra Catholic High School (San Juan Capistrano, CA). According to MLB.com (Jim Callis) Lewis signed a deal for $6.725 million, a record for a high school player. Lewis is represented by Scott Boras. The 6’2″ right-handed Lewis will turn 19 on June 5.

Gonsalves, a 6’5″ left-hander was promoted from Double-A Chattanooga this week to AAA Rochester, made one start for the Lookouts on Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits in 5.0 innings pitched with nine strikeouts. In Chattanooga, Gonsalves was 3-0 in 4 starts with a 1.77 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 20.1 innings. 

Stephen Gonsalves

Gonsalves, Baseball America’s fourth best prospect in the Twins system,
was drafted in the fourth round in 2013 out of Cathedral Catholic High School (San Diego, CA).

I think that Gonsalves will be a star sooner than later and I fully expect him to be a starter in the Twins rotation this season. He is going to be a “good” one, the only reason the Twins were able to get him in the fourth round was because of this issue.

 

Twins Minor League Report 04 29 18

Twins Minor League Players of the Week – Zander Wiel and Tyler Duffey

This weeks Twins minor league players of the week are first baseman Zander Wiel of the Chattanooga Lookouts and Tyler Duffey.

Zander Wiel

This past week Zander Wiel appeared in six games and had 9 hits in 21 at bats with four doubles, two home runs, six RBI and scored five times posting a batting average of .429 and had a 1.405 OPS. For the season, the 25 year-old Weil is hitting .370 with 20 hits in 54 at bats.  Zander is about 6’3″ and goes about 232 and bats and throws right-handed. 

Weil, a Tennessee native is now in his fourth season of pro ball was drafted by Minnesota in the 12th round of the June 2015 amateur draft out of Vanderbilt University where he played on two CWS teams and has one championship on his resume. Weil is not currently rated as a Twins Top 30 prospect by  MLB.

Tyler Duffey

Tyler Duffey who has pitched for the Twins 2015-2017 and had a rough spring training started the season with the AAA Rochester Red Wings. This past week Duffey appeared in two games, pitched 6.2 innings and allowed no runs, just two hits, and struck out 10 while walking just one batter. Did I mention he is 3-1 this season with 14 strikeouts in 11 innings without allowing a single earned run? The Twins called Duffey up to the big club yesterday. Hopefully Duffey can keep it going with the Twins in the long relief role. 

Twins Minor League Report 042218

Twins Minor League Player of the Week – Leonardo Reginatto

Leonardo Reginatto

This weeks Twins Minor League Player of the Week is Rochester Red Wings (AAA) third baseman Leonardo Reginatto. In 7 games the 27 year-old Reginatto hit .391 (9 for 23), with 3 doubles and scored 4 runs. Reginatto has played 81 games for Rochester this season appearing at third base and second base and has hit .296 in 260 at bats with 3 home runs and 36 RBI. Reginatto was a non-roster Twins spring training invitee this year.

Reginatto, a Brazilian native was originally signed by the Tampa Rays as a non-drafted free agent in February 2009 and signed with the Twins as a minor league free agent in  December 2015. 

Twins Minor League Report 082917

 

Minor Matters

Double-A Chattanooga Manager Jake Mauer has been named the Southern League Manager of the Year. Mauer is the first Lookouts manager to win this award since Jayhawk Owens in 2004.

Southern League Postseason All-Stars have been announced and the Twins will be represented by four players from Double-A Chattanooga: infielder Nick Gordon, outfielder Edgar Corcino, designated hitter Jonathan Rodriguez and relief pitcher Gabriel Moya.

Rookie-Level Elizabethton recently clinched their Division Title and will open the playoffs on Saturday against Greenville or Johnson City. Elizabethton currently has a record of 41-26. This marks their 12th time in postseason play since 2003.

GCL Twins also recently clinched a playoff berth and will open their postseason play on Sunday (opponent TBD).

Twins Minor League Player of the Week – Fernando Romero

Fernando Romero

Chattanooga Lookouts (AA) right-handed pitcher Fernando Romero has been named Twins minor league Player of the Week. Romero made two starts for the Lookouts, going 2-0, 0.90 ERA (10.0 IP, 1 ER) with seven hits, four walks and 15 strikeouts in starts against Mobile last Saturday and Birmingham on Friday. He has appeared in 20 games (19 starts)
for the Lookouts this season, going 10-6, 2.64 ERA (105.2 IP, 31 ER) with one complete game shutout, 41 walks and 112 strikeouts.

Romero was signed by the Twins out of the Dominican Republic on November 4, 2011 as a 16 year-old for a reported $260,000. Romero has TJ surgery in June 2014 and missed the entire 2015 season.

 

Twins Minor League Player of the Week – Jonathan Rodriguez

Jonathan Rodriguez

Chattanooga Lookouts (AA) infielder Jonathan Rodriguez was named the Twins Player of the Week. In six games for the Lookouts, Rodriguez hit .429 (9-for-21) with two doubles, three home runs, six RBI, five walks and seven runs scored. Rodriguez, a right-handed hitter has played 1B in 69 of his 85 games for the Lookouts this season and is hitting .315 (97-for-308) with 21 doubles, 14 home runs and 52 RBI. Rodriguez has also played 3B and some outfield while with the Cards but not with Minnesota.

The 27-year-old was signed by the Twins as a minor league free agent in January, spending the previous eight seasons in the Cardinals minor league system. Rodriguez was originally drafted by the Cardinals in 2009 in round 17.

All previous winners can be found in the Twins minor league player of the week category.

Twins Minor League Report 07232017

Twins Minor League Player of the Week – Nik Turley

Nik Turley

This weeks Twins Minor League Player of the Week is also today’s Minnesota Twins starting pitcher against the San Francisco Giants, left-hander Nik Turley. The 6’5″ Turley will be the fourth Twins pitcher to make major league debut this season following Randy Rosario, Jason Wheeler and Justin Haley. 

Turley tied a Southern League record with the  Chattanooga Lookouts (AA) by striking out eight straight batters on April 25 vs. Tennessee and also set a Frontier Field record by striking out 15 batters in just 6.0 innings in his last start on June 6 for the Rochester Red Wings (AAA) while allowing just 4 hits. The 15 strikeouts were the most by a Red Wings pitcher since 1988.

Between Chattanooga and Rochester, Turley struck out 84 of 204 total batters faced (41.2%). He struck out 45 of 86 total batters faced (52.3%) with the Lookouts.

The now 27-year old Turley was a 50th round selection (1,502 overall) by the Yankees in 2008 and has played in the minor league systems of the Yankees, Giants, Red Sox and the Twins as well as an independent league team. Turley is the first 50th round draft pick to reach the majors since Efren Navarro in 2011, and one of just three 50th round selections
to reach the major leagues since 2000 (also: Jarrod Dyson in 2010). 

In his 10th minor league season Turley has a 48-45 record with a 3.50 ERA. Turley changed the grip on some of his pitches this spring and seemingly has turned his career around. Nik has stated that former Yankee pitcher Bob Turley is a distant relative.

Red Wings pitcher Nik Turley called up to Twins after 15-strikeout game

Twins Minor League Report 06112017

 

Twins Minor League Player of the Week – John Curtiss

John Curtiss

Chattanooga Lookouts (AA) right-handed pitcher John Curtiss has been named Twins minor league Player of the Week. Curtiss saved three games for the Lookouts, pitching 3.0 scoreless innings with one walk and six strikeouts in three games. The Dallas native was drafted by the Twins in the sixth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Texas and signed for a reported $266,900 signing bonus.

Here is what one scouting report has to say about John Curtiss:

The former Texas Longhorns closer put together 61 strong innings in 2016, primarily at High A Fort Myers, and followed-up his regular season campaign with a solid AFL performance that saw him strike out almost two batters per innings pitched. Curtiss can work 95-to-97 mph with good life down in the zone and will also show a mid- to upper-80s slider that will flash. The arm generally works well and our looks in the AFL prompted a Joe Nathan (RHP, Giants) comp on the strapping righty. While control has been an issue in the past, Curtiss tightened up his execution in 2016. If he can maintain that his momentum heading into 2017 he could emerge as a quality late-inning arm for the Twins, logging innings in Minneapolis as early as this upcoming summer.

In 2017 the 6’4″ Curtiss has pitched 17+ innings and allowed just one run (unearned), allowed 10 hits and struck out 25 batters. The downside about Curtiss is that he has walked 10 batters. Unless he falls apart or gets hurt, you have to figure on seeing John Curtiss at Target Field this year, at least for a cup of coffee in September.

Medi-facts –  Underwent Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2012 and sat out the entire 2013 season while at Texas. Missed much of the 2015 season with a concussion.

Twins Minor League Report 05292017

An interesting read about Rochester manager Mike Quade and batting orders today in the Democrat & Chronicle: Baseball managers use Sabermetrics to construct batting order