New Britain Rock Cats: Moments & Anecdotes from 2012

Emerging prospect Oswaldo Arcia batting
late in the 2012 season

For the second consecutive season, the Rock Cats made it to the final game with a chance to make the playoffs. For the second consecutive season, they fell just short. They ended the season with a respectable record of 75-67, winning each of their last 6 games in a push for the playoffs. Playoffs in the minor leagues are interesting. On the one hand, the guys are competitors and want to earn a ring -- and we, as fans, want them to win, even in the minor leagues, where the focus should be predominately on player development. On the other hand, there's no significant financial incentive to play more games, and we're talking about young men that have been away from home for half a year, living out of suitcases and traveling almost exclusively on buses. So it's an interesting dichotomy. On that topic, here's a minor league anecdote for you: Most of the Rockcats' players leases were set to expire on the last day of the regular season. I was talking to a few of them, and here's what their schedule was like for 1 particular 24 hour period --- day game after a night game; go back to apartment, pack and clean it out so that landlord can conduct walk-through; sleep somewhere; play final game of season (which, if they won, they would have had to immediately board a bus to Reading, PA). Moreso than the slash lines, gym time, and bullpen sessions, that is the life of a minor leaguer. For every Aaron Hicks who has received a sizable signing bonus, there are dozens of Nathan Hansons and Chris Colabellos -- guys fighting, paycheck to paycheck, to defy the odds and keep advancing through the minor leagues. That's minor league baseball.

It was a very solid season for New Britain. Two players in particular -- Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks -- surpassed expectations, and will each rank somewhere in the top 5 on my list of Twins prospects going into 2013. Chris Herrmann demonstrated to me that he can handle the job of back-up catcher at least as well as Drew Butera. Chris Colabello -- a 28 year old depth signing -- set the franchise record for RBIs. Even Deibinson Romero, too old to be a legitimate prospect, hit 19 home runs and was named a season-ending All-Star. You'll notice that I'm not focusing too much on pitching. As I've written before, most pitchers with even decent stats were sent very quickly to AAA. Additionally, aside from B.J. Hermsen (who had a very solid season, going 11-6 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1-to-3 walk-to-strikeout ratio), I didn't see too much from the starters that really registered with me. Bruce Pugh, out of the bullpen, throws pretty hard, so that is encouraging. If you follow the Twins, though, it won't be surprising for you to hear that there is a dearth of top shelf pitching talent at this level of the minors.

There were some very memorable moments this season, as well. My "season" covering the Rock Cats actually started in January, well before Spring Training, when I attended the team's Hot Stove Luncheon, where former GM Bill Smith was the keynote speaker. Probably most important happening, for me personally this season, was when the Twins and the Rock Cats announced that they had extended their player development contract through the 2014 season, so I will have Twins-related baseball to follow, just down the road, for at least another couple years. With respect to on-the-field action, there was plenty. Arcia hit a walk-off home run shortly after being promoted. Colabello did the same -- his was a majestic opposite-field shot that glanced off a light tower. On several occasions this team came back in the final innings -- one time plating multiple runs when they were down to their final out -- to win outright, or at the very least, to push the contest to extra innings. Herrmann had 4 hits in consecutive games. Arcia had multiple hits in each of his last 8 games this season, and looked darn close to a major league hitter in my opinion. He was twice named Eastern League player of the week, and was the Eastern League player of the month in July. Hicks had 5 hits in a game, and has excellent speed. In fact, Hicks' ascension up the Twins prospect rankings might make an off-season trade of either Denard Span or Ben Revere more probable.

On a personal level, this was a fun year to follow the team. I had a tough time keeping up with the blog part of this summer, as work and life got in the way just a little, so I apologize for that. That being said, it's incredibly easy to get involved with team events and to meet the players. I probably went to 15 or so games, and blogged about most of them. I got to know a lot of the season ticket holders, who are all fantastic people -- and Twins fans! I attended a preseason team dinner, where I sat with Alex Wimmers for a few hours. Unfortunately, Wimmers made only one start for New Britain before an arm injury, which eventually required Tommy John surgery, sidelined him for the season. I purchased a game-worn and signed Oswaldo Arcia "Irish Pride Night" jersey to support the Rock Cats charitable foundation (and met Arcia). Not regretting that purchase at all. I went to another charity event at a local bar/grill, where Chris Herrmann, whom I previously had interviewed, was my waiter, and where I talked to Aaron Hicks -- one of the nicest athletes I have ever met -- for a good half hour. I was a guest of infielder James Beresford's family, who had traveled from Australia to watch their son play for a few weeks. A couple weeks ago, Terry Ryan was in attendance, so I introduced myself and tried to talk up Herrmann to him. Finally, I threw out a first pitch a few weeks ago, and am happy to report that, although the velocity is significantly down, the accuracy is still there -- in other words, I fit the Twins mold.

I'm already looking forward to next year. Although I've almost certainly seen the last of Hicks and Herrmann, and probably Arcia, I'm excited for the next wave of talent coming up -- perhaps not at the beginning of the season, but by next summer.

Wednesday's Twins Minor League Daily

Chris Herrmann, one of three Rock Cats
players to see action in the AA
All-Star game last night

I'm back in action after a hiatus that took me, by car, halfway across the country to the beautiful Twin Cities, then up to Lake Superior, just south of the Canadian border, to parts of Minnesota that I had never seen. What a fantastically beautiful part of the state!

3 Rock Cats players appeared in the Eastern League All-Star Game last night: catcher Chris Herrmann, who I interviewed last month, and pitchers B.J. Hermsen and Daniel Turpen. Herrmann was hitless in 2 appearances, Hermsen gave up 1 run in an inning of work, and Daniel Turpen got the win, getting the final out of the game. Andrew Albers was also named to the team, but did not play. Congratulations to those guys on their achievements this season!

Each Wednesday evening I write a recap of what happened in the Twins' minor league system for TwinsDaily. Even though the major league teams are still resting in preparation for the second half of the season, there were plenty of minor league games last night, so let's take a look at that action.
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FT. MYERS 6, CLEARWATER 5
Tom Stuifbergen got the start for the Miracle tonight, and went 4 innings. He gave up only 1 hit, and struck out 4. Twins fans, take note: Matt Capps threw tonight, on his rehab assignment, after Stuifbergen. Capps tossed 1 inning, allowed 1 hit and no walks, but did surrender an unearned run. Thereafter, Adrian Salcedo tossed 3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits, striking out 1 and walking 1. Michael Tonkin picked up the save, his first of the season, throwing a perfect 9th.

On offense, Andy Leer and Anderson Hidalgo both homered. Daniel Santana had 2 hits, including a double. Joe Benson (yes, the Joe Benson that is still a top prospect rehabbing a wrist injury) had a double in 5 at-bats, as did Michael Gonzales in 3 trips to the plate. Kyle Knudson and Daniel Rams also singled.

Here's the link to the box score.

BELOIT 3, FT. WAYNE 6
Tyler Jones started for the Snappers tonight, and lasted 3 and 1/3 innings. He gave up 8 hits and 5 runs (4 earned), striking out 3 and walking 2. The bullpen was better: Cole Johnson threw 2 and 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed only 1 hit; Dallas Gallant tossed 1 and 1/3 scoreless, striking out 1; and Corey Williams threw 1 inning, allowing 1 run on 1 hit, striking out 2 and walking 1.

On offense, let's start with the big guy, Miguel Sano. He was 2-for-3 with a triple, his third of the season. He had 2 RBIs, a walk and a strikeout (also he committed 0 errors). Stephen Wickens, Drew Leachman, Steven Liddle, Jonathan Goncalves and Jairo Rodriguez all singled.

Here's the link to the box score.

ELIZABETHTON 4, GREENVILLE 7
Ricardo Arevalo got the start for the E-Town Twins tonight, going 4 innings. He gave up 6 runs on 5 hits, striking out 4 and walking 1. Brett Lee threw 2 scoreless innings, giving up 3 hits and striking out 2. J.T. Chargois was also effective, tossing 1 perfect inning and striking out 1. Tyler Duffey threw the 8th inning, giving up 1 run on 2 hits, striking out 1.

E-Town had ample offense, just not enough runs. Jhonatan Arias, catcher, had 3 singles in 4 at-bats, Jorge Polanco and Niko Goodrum each had 2 hits, Joshua Henkricks had a double, and Max Kepler, Adam Walker and Travis Harrison each singled.

Here's the link to the box score.

GCL TWINS 5, GCL ORIOLES 2 (7 inning game)
Felix Jorge tossed 4 scoreless innings, giving up only 2 hits and striking out 4. Alexander Muren threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 1, and Gonzalo Sanudo was the only Twins pitcher to get into trouble, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits, compiling 1 strikeout along the way.

Center fielder John Murphy and Joel Licon each had 2 hits, Murphy with 1 double and Licon with 2 RBIs. Aderlin Mejia and Javier Pimental each singled.

Here's the link to the box score.

GCL TWINS 6, GCL ORIOLES 1
Jouse Montanez was very effective, going 5 innings and allowing only 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 5 and issuing 0 free passes. Jose Berrios earned the save, tossing 2 perfect, scoreless innings and striking out 3.

Rene Tosoni had 2 hits tonight, both doubles, and 2 RBIs. Second baseman Jose Ramirez had a double, and Joel Licon, Bryan Haar and John Murphy all singled. Mejia, Haar and Murphy also had RBIs.

Here's the link to the box score.
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I'm hitting up tonight's Rock Cats game, so be sure to check back tomorrow for a "beyond the box score" report and hopefully a few pictures.

Rock Cats Starting to Rebound

B.J. Hermsen, perhaps
the MVP for the
Rock Cats this
past month

After winning 2 of 3 on the road at Erie over the weekend, the Rock Cats earned a much needed day off, though much of it was probably spent on the team bus headed back to Connecticut. Beginning tonight, the team is home for 6 games, before another week on the road. As I like to do once a week or so, I'll take a look at the team's performance, including a couple players that are currently standing out.

Importantly, the offense came back alive over the weekend. After scoring a combined 7 runs in 3 games against the Akron Aeros, the Rock Cats tallied 19 runs in their 3 games against Erie. Currently, New Britain is just 1 game back in their division, sitting in a tie with the Reading Phillies for second place.

Here are a few players that have been getting the job done this past week.

First, James Beresford: .296/.362/.340, 3 2B, 2 3B, 14 RBIs. Check out James' stats for the last 10 games: .417/.462/.556. 3 of his 5 extra base hits this season have come in these past 10 games. He's leading the Rock Cats in batting average far and away, and has been on a hot streak lately. Let's hope he can continue this recent success as we get into summer! It would be great to have one of the every-day players hitting above .300.

Evan Bigley: .243/.287/.410, 12 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 37 RBIs. Admittedly, I haven't written much about Bigley this season. For me, he has sort of flown under the radar. The 25 year old Texas native is an outfielder for New Britain, in his second full season with the team. His power stroke has been showing in the past 10 games: .317/.333/.634, 4 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBIs. Hopefully Evan will continue to knock the ball around.

B.J. Hermsen: 4-2, 2.59 ERA, 42 K, 11 BB, 55 and 2/3 innings. Hermsen has been nothing short of excellent for New Britain. This team has lost its most dependable pitchers, including Lucas French, to promotion, and that's part of the reason why the Rock Cats' record has stagnated to a degree. That's minor league baseball for you. The fact that Hermsen, 22, has been able to step up and can be counted on to pitch deep into games has been great for New Britain. His shortest start of the season for the Rock Cats is 5 innings; in 8 total starts, he has pitched 7 or more innings 6 times; 7 of his 8 starts have been quality starts. In fact, since he joined the Rock Cats on May 1, I might argue that Hermsen has been their most valuable player -- certainly their most valuable pitcher.

Up ahead: I'll be at either Wednesday's or Thursday's Rock Cats game, so expect a report, analysis and pictures from that. And tomorrow morning expect a recap and pictures from Justin Morneau's Casino Night, with a Rock Cats twist.

Wednesday's Rock Cats Report

Quietly, and with many, many singles,
Rock Cats infielder James Beresford is leading
the team in batting average

Last night, the Rock Cats lost to the Akron Aeros 6-2. Starter B.J. Hermsen took a tough loss, giving up 3 runs (only 1 earned) in 5 innings, but he wasn't aided much by his defense, which committed 2 errors while he was on the mound. Hermsen is 3-2 on the season with an ERA of 2.96. Very solid. He has walked 5 and struck out 25 in his 7 starts (48 and 2/3 innings) as a Rock Cat. Deibinson Romero and Evan Bigley provided the offense, both hitting solo home runs for New Britain. For more, here's a great summary of the game by Nodak Twins Fan.

The Rock Cats lost another player to promotion to AAA Rochester. Starting pitcher Steve Hirschfeld was promoted earlier this week. He was 4-4 on the season with a 3.2 ERA. In 64 and 2/3 innings this season for New Britain, he gave up 73 hits, walked 16 and struck out 44, for a WHIP of 1.38. Good luck, Steve! As noted in the Hartford Courant this week, Hirschfeld is the 8th player promoted from New Britain this season. Aside from Wilkin Ramirez, Darin Mastroianni and Pedro Florimon, the bulk of the promoted players have been pitchers, including Lucas French, Deolis Guerra, Lester Oliveros and David Bromberg (I guess you can also count Jason Marquis, but that hardly worked out well for anyone). This, as I have mentioned before, is the tough part about minor league baseball: your best talent rarely stays for too long. In return, New Britain has received players such as Hermsen, Caleb Thielbar and Bruce Pugh, who all saw success at A-level Ft. Myers. Hopefully, they can continue their success in the Eastern League.

Although they have lost 3 consecutive games, as of this morning, the Rock Cats are in a tie for first place in their division. Both the Trenton Thunder (suddenly very hot) and New Britain are 32-24, good for a .571 winning percentage. The Rock Cats continue their series against the Aeros tonight. Incidentally, I heard that it was a 10-hour bus ride to Akron.

Finally, as I try to do every week or so, I'll take a look at a few prospects and highlight how they are doing on the season, and in recent days.

Aaron Hicks: .246/.341/.396, 8 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 28 RBIs, 15 stolen bases (caught 4 times).
In his last 10 games, Hicks is hitting .233/.333/.410 with a home run, 3 RBIs and 9 walks. I have been getting a few questions lately about Hicks and a promotion. As Seth Stohs noted recently, Hicks needs to be added to the 40 man roster after this season. In my opinion, though, Hicks is playing this season where he needs to play. Defensively, he's ready for the majors, but significant work needs to be done at the plate, including a determination of whether he will continue to switch hit. Twins fans, Aaron Hicks is 22 years old -- still a young prospect who the Twins took out of high school. There's no point in sending him to AAA when he's not even batting .250 in the Eastern League. I have confidence that he will materialize, but it might take a little more time than some want.

Chris Herrmann: .250/.313/.401, 14 2B, 5 HR, 19 RBIs.
In his last 10 games, Herrmann is struggling, batting .125/.300/.219 with a home run, 3 RBIs and 8 walks. If you happened to miss it, I recently interviewed Herrmann. Take a look. My opinion is that, like Hicks, Herrmann is where he needs to be right now. Hicks and Herrmann are not similar prospects, though. Hicks, as a 22 year old first round outfield prospect drafted out of high school, needs to be developed slowly and carefully, especially considering that the Twins have good outfield talent in their system. Herrmann, a 24 year old catcher with D-1 college experience, is already second on my depth chart for catchers in the entire organization. If Herrmann can get that average up to around .270, and demonstrate more plate discipline, I'd like to see him promoted this season. The interesting question is should he go to Rochester or Minnesota? Ordinarily, you think about a guy working his way through the minors and going up the ladder one step at a time. What about a catcher, though? If the expectation in Minnesota is that Herrmann will be Joe Mauer's back-up sooner rather than later, does it make more sense to send him directly to Minnesota this September to learn how to catch the different pitchers on the Twins roster? Or, is it better for his development to catch AAA-level pitchers (many of which he already caught in New Britain) and work on hitting at that level? It's an interesting question.

James Beresford: .273/.346/.302., 2 2B, 1 3B, 11 RBIs.
In his last 10 games, the Australian Beresford is hitting .294/.333/.353. Very quietly, Beresford is leading the Rock Cats in batting average, and although he generally flies under the radar, it's important to give mention when it is due. The problem with Beresford's stats, though, is that they are barren when it comes to power. Of his 38 hits this season, 2 were doubles and 1 was a triple. And for a middle infielder, he apparently is not very fast (or is not a good base-stealer), going 0-for-3 in stolen base attempts. But perhaps just as importantly, the defense has been solid: he has only 1 error in 202 chances between second base and shortstop. I don't realistically think of Beresford as the Twins second baseman of the future, but he's only 23 years old, and there is still time for development.  

Wednesday's Twins Minor League Report

Every Wednesday night, I write a column for the TwinsDaily website going over all of the minor league action from that day. If you're at all curious about the Twins minor league system, I highly recommend reading these daily reports -- you'll quickly get an understanding of what's going on in the system, who's hot, who's cold, and who's ready to be promoted. Last night's minor league games were especially interesting -- a couple high-scoring affairs, a couple good pitching performances, and some good outings from top Twins prospects. Here's what I wrote:
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Sweet Lord, the Twins swept a series. Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau, Francisco Liriano. Those were all big names going into 2012, and they all had good performances at some point in this series. Bottom line: the Twins won 3 games in a row. Yes, it was against another bad team, and yes, there are still major problems with the Twins. But, as fans, isn't it nice to see a few wins grouped together, rather than many, many losses? I posted this earlier at Twins Fan From Afar, but here's some food for thought: Justin Morneau is on pace for 29 home runs and 81 RBIs; Joe Mauer is on pace for 39 doubles, 107 walks and is currently a seeing-eye single away from batting .300; Josh Willingham is on pace for 113 RBIs and 32 home runs; and Denard Span is on pace for 45 doubles (which would come close to doubling his career high of 26 from 2010). Yes, there are many bad things happening in Minnesota, but there are some good things, as well.

Let's take a look at how the Twins' affiliates fared tonight.

ROCHESTER 11, CHARLOTTE 10

This was a crazy game! The Red Wings had a good offensive showing tonight, and despite the fact that the pitching simply didn't keep them in the game, the Red Wings managed to win. Rochester scored 4 in the 9th to tie, and 1 in the 10th to win.

Starter Liam Hendriks had a rough outing. He went 5 innings, allowing 6 runs on 7 hits, striking out 1 and walking 2. He allowed 2 home runs -- both 2-run shots. Out of the bullpen, reliever Deolis Guerra had a rare poor performance. In 1 inning of work, he allowed 3 runs on 3 walks. He didn't allow a hit and struck out 1. Lester Oliveros also allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning, giving up 2 hits and walking 1. Carlos Gutierrez tossed 2 scoreless innings, striking out 4 and giving up only 1 hit. He earned the win. Anthony "why isn't he in Minnesota" Slama closed the door and earned his 9th save, tossing a scoreless 10th.

There's a lot of offense to discuss. Rochester banged out 18 hits tonight. The big slugger tonight was the recently demoted Chris Parmelee. He was 3-for-4 with a 3-run home run, a walk, and 5 RBIs. Shortstop Pedro Florimon also had 3 hits and an RBI. Clete Thomas had 3 hits (2 doubles). Danny Valencia had 2 hits (1 double) and an RBI. Catcher J.R. Towles had 2 doubles, Matt Carson had 2 hits, including a double, and 2 RBIs. Sean Burroughs was 2-for-4, and Ray Chang had a single as a pinch hitter.

Here's the link for the box score.

NEW BRITAIN 7, NEW HAMPSHIRE 2

This was an evening about top Twins prospects. Let's start with pitching. Starter B.J. Hermsen had a great start: he was one out shy of a complete game! In 8 and 2/3 innings, he allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, striking out 4 and issuing zero walks. His ERA at AA is 2.68. His stock is rising, and it's tough not to be a little excited about that. Luis Perdomo struck out the final batter of the game.

On offense, almost every Rock Cats starter contributed. Top prospect Aaron Hicks connected for his 6th home run of the year, and catcher Chris Herrmann hit his 5th of the season. Both were solo shots. Danny Lehmann and Matt Rizzotti both had doubles, Rizzotti's driving in 2 runs, and James Berersford had 2 hits, including a triple, and 2 RBIs. Shortstop Estarlin De Los Santos had 2 singles, and Deibinson Romero had a single and an RBI.

Here's the link for the box score.

FT. MYERS 4, BRADENTON 3

Miguel Munoz had a solid start for the Miracle tonight, going 5 innings, and allowing 1 run on 5 hits and a walk. He struck out 3 along the way. Nelvin Fuentes gave up 2 runs in 2 and 1/3 innings, allowing 3 hits, striking out 3 and walking 1. Both runs came on a 2-run home run. Bruce Pugh earned his 5th save of the season, and he was great, going 1 and 2/3 innings and striking out 4. He allowed no hits.

Top prospect Oswaldo Arcia had another great game, going 4-for-4 with a home run, his 5th of the season. Daniel Santana was also excellent, going 3-for-4 with a double and a triple, and driving in 2 runs. Levi Michael and Angel Morales also had singles.

Here's the link for the box score.

BELOIT 3, QUAD CITIES 20

This was not a good night for the Snappers. Starter Tim Shibuya only made it 2/3 of an inning, and allowed 12 runs on 10 hits. He walked 1, struck out 2, and allowed a home run. Ryan O'Rourke was somewhat better, going 4 and 1/3 innings and allowing 2 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 3 and walked 1. Corey Williams allowed 4 runs (3 earned) in 1 inning of work, giving up 3 hits, striking out 3 and walking 1. Michael Tonkin tossed the 7th, allowing 1 run on 2 walks and 2 hits. A.J. Pettersen -- yes the infielder of TwinsDaily lore -- tossed a scoreless 8th inning, issuing 1 walk.

There wasn't much offense to speak of tonight. The Snappers amassed only 5 hits. Adam Bryant had a double, and Drew Leachman, Kyle Knudson, Eddie Rosario and A.J. Pettersen each had singles.

Here's the link to the box score.
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Players of the day for May 30, 2012
Hitter of the day: Chris Parmelee (close call with Arcia, but 5 RBIs gets the nod).



Pitcher of the Day: B.J. Hermsen (close call with A.J. Pettersen, but I'll give the nod to the actual pitcher).


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A Look Ahead: Schedule for Thursday, May 31

ROCHESTER @ CHARLOTTE -- LHP Matt Maloney
NEW BRITAIN @ NEW HAMPSHIRE -- LHP Andrew Albers
FT. MYERS @ BRADENTON --- LHP Cole Nelson
BELOIT @ QUAD CITIES --- LHP Steven M. Gruver

4 road games, 4 lefties, one of which uses his middle initial!