Tag: Rochester Red Wings

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

Zack Granite has been named the International League Player of the Month for June

 

Zach Granite

The International League office announced on Saturday that Rochester Red Wings (AAA) outfielder Zach Granite has been named the International League Player of the Month for June.

Granite led the league with a .470 batting average, 55 hits, 16 extra-base hits, 23 runs scored, 78 total bases, a .527 on-base percentage and a 1.193 OPS in June, the 24-year-old was rewarded with his first mid-season All-Star selection earlier this week. Granite reached base safely in all 29 games he played in June, tied for the longest on-base streak in the league this season. For the season, Granite paces the league with a .367 batting average and a .419 on-base percentage. His batting average is 50 points higher than any other qualified IL batter and ranks third among all minor leaguers. Granite is the first Rochester player honored as league Player of the Month since Chris Colabello in June of 2013.

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 – Andrew Albers

Andrew Albers 2016Rochester Red Wings (AAA) left-handed pitcher Andrew Albers is the Twins minor league Player of the Week. Albers made two starts for the Red Wings, pitching 15.0 shutout innings, allowing 14 hits, two walks and seven strikeouts, he earned the win last Saturday over Norfolk and again with a 9 inning complete game on Thursday vs. Syracuse.

The 30-year Canadian pitched for the Twins in 2014 and was released when that season ended and he then signed with Toronto. Albers became a free agent after the 2015 season and signed with Minnesota again. Albers has made 16 starts for the Red Wings this season, going 9-3, 3.14 ERA (97.1 IP, 34 ER) with two complete games, 23 walks and 63 strikeouts.  Albers is one of those “crafty lefties” with good control and whose fastball tops out at only 86 mph and is complemented by a slow curveball that he throws around 67 mph.

Twins Minor League Report July 24, 2016

Twins Minor League Player of the Week – Jose Berrios

Jose Berrios 2015 2Rochester Red Wings (AAA) right-handed pitcher Jose Berrios is the Twins minor league Player of the Week. Berrios made one start for the Red Wings on Thursday at Columbus, pitching 8.0 scoreless innings, with three hits allowed,two walks and nine strikeouts, earning the win. In his last four starts for the Red Wings, Berrios has gone 3-1, 2.51 ERA (28.2 IP, 8 ER) with eight walks and 32 strikeouts. In 10 starts for the Red Wings this season, he is 6-3, 2.92 ERA (61.2 IP, 20 ER) with 25 walks and 67 strikeouts, while holding opponents to a .199 batting average.

Berrios had a brief stint with the Twins earlier this year when he made his major league debut on April 27 but he was not particularly effective so he was sent back to Rochester. His next call-up by the Twins which should be soon could be the one where Berrios comes up to stay for a long time. What have the Twins got to lose, let him come up and polish his skills at Target Field.

Twins minor league player of the week – Byron Buxton

Byron Buxton 2015Rochester Red Wings (AAA) outfielder Byron Buxton is the Twins minor league Player of the Week. Buxton played in six games for the Red Wings hitting .478 (11-for-23) with three doubles, three home runs, five RBI, eight runs scored and three walks with a 1.087 OPS. Buxton has played in 27 games for the Red Wings this season, hitting .345 (38-for-110) with nine doubles, two triples, six home runs and 13 RBI. The Twins recalled Buxton to Minnesota on May 31.

Previous 2016 winners of this award: infielder Nick Gordon, left-handed pitcher Stephen
Gonsalves, outfielder Daniel Palka, right-handed pitcher Yorman Landa, catcher A.J. Murray and infielder Kennys Vargas.

Twins Minor League Report May 29, 2016

Twins Minor League Player of the Week – Kennys Vargas

Kennys Vargas 2016Rochester Red Wings (AAA) first baseman Kennys Vargas is the Twins minor league Player of the Week. Vargas played in five games for the Red Wings hitting .440 (11-for-25) with two doubles, four home runs, 10 RBI, six runs scored and one walk. Vargas has played in 42 games for the Red Wings this season, hitting .252 (37-for-147) with six doubles, six home runs and 25 RBI. Kennys Vargas was signed by the Minnesota Twins as a non-drafted free agent on Feb. 25, 2009. Vargas has spent parts of 2014 and 2015 with the Twins but there does not appear to be a spot for him now which I think is kind of a shame.

 

Other news from the Twins minor league organization

Walker, Adam Brett 2016For the second time this week, Triple-A Rochester had a player accomplish something that hadn’t been done since 1990. Saturday night in Durham, Adam Walker became the first Red Wing to hit three home runs in a game since Leo Gomez did so on April 9, 1990 at Pawtucket. Walker set a career-high with the three homers, becoming just the second Rochester player (Gomez) to accomplish the feat in the last 40 years. Earlier this week, Kennys Vargas homered in four consecutive games, the first Red Wing to do so since Sam Horn in June, 1990.

Adam Brett Walker’s three home runs propel Wings to 12-2 win

There are some good stories at the end of the attached Twins minor league report PDF including an interesting look at Tommy John types of injuries.

Twins Minor League Report May 22, 2016

Twins minor league player of the week

Jose Berrios 2015 2Rochester (AAA) right-handed pitcher Jose Berrios is the Twins minor league Player of the Week. Berrios who is just 21 years old started for the Red Wings on Wednesday at Syracuse, pitching 7.0 shutout innings with three hits allowed, one walk and 12 strikeouts, earning the win as he recorded consecutive double-digit strikeout totals. Berrios has combined to go 12-5, 2.95 ERA (155.1 IP, 51 ER) with 37 walks and 165 strikeouts in 25 starts between Chattanooga (AA) and Rochester. Baseball America ranked him Berrios the 19th best mid-season prospect in baseball in July.

Berrios fans 12 in another dominant outing

Berrios who is in his fourth year in the Twins organization has never had a losing season and 2013 was the only year that Berrios spent the entire summer with just one ball club. Twins fans in Minnesota can’t wait to see Berrios in a Twins uniform, maybe as early as this September but unfortunately Berrios is approaching his Twins imposed innings limit and we may have to wait until 2016.

 

Twins Minor League Report August 30, 2015

 

Twins minor league player of the week

Dean, PatRochester (AAA) right-handed left-handed pitcher Pat Dean is the Twins minor league Player of the Week. Dean, 26, tossed a complete shutout allowing just six hits while striking out six in his only start last week versus Buffalo. He has tossed 15.1 consecutive scoreless innings for the Red Wings and has recorded four complete games on the season.

The Twins drafted Dean in the third round (102 overall) of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft out of Boston College and Dean signed for a reported $319,500. The Connecticut native is in his sixth season with Minnesota and has had a nice season as his 10-10 record with a 2.92 ERA indicates. Dean has started  24 games and he has completed 4 of his starts. Dean is not a strikeout pitcher as 92 KO’s in 152 innings indicates but he has great control (only 33 walks) and he keeps the ball in the ballpark as he has allowed only 10 round-trippers. The 26 year-old Dean is running out of time and it will be interesting to see if the Twins call him up in September.

Dean back on course

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