2013 Miracle Players and their Futures

Maybe you haven't heard of Miracle catcher Matt Koch.
He's having a pretty nice season thus far.

The Minnesota Twins are in a state of flux. Their pitching is (or will be) below league average. They haven't had a third baseman stick since Corey Koskie, middle infield has been a revolving door of below average players, and unfortunately Justin Morneau's future as a Twins player is very much uncertain.

What are currently weaknesses for the Twins hopefully can be opportunities for several Miracle players. Twins fans hope -- often even with desperation -- that Miguel Sano can stick at third base. If his defense is even league average, that would be wonderful. I'm optimistic: I believe that he is a very good athlete, and I believe he's willing to take instruction and criticism. Also, he won't be 20 years old until Saturday. In other words, there's time for Sano to learn. And as I previously wrote, Twins fans also hope that Eddie Rosario can fill that second base position for years to come. Finally, tonight's hero (thus far) DJ Baxendale, should continue to advance through the system.

Importantly, however, there are many other interesting players on this 2013 Miracle team with potential: Kennys Vargas, Matt Koch, Adrian Salcedo, Corey Williams, Jason Wheeler, and others, have the ability to advance up the Twins' system. Although Sano and Rosario might sell the most jerseys this season, they likely won't be the only Miracle players to someday wear a Twins jersey.

Eddie Rosario: Getting it Done

Eddie Rosario bats for the Miracle.
Courtesy of Terry Allen Williams, news-press.com

Eddie Rosario is only 21 years old. He began in the Twins' system as an outfielder, but is in the process of being converted to a second baseman. If you don't follow the Twins, here's the abbreviated story: the Twins don't need outfielders in the same way that they need middle infielders. For Rosario, his quickest shot to the majors is if he can stick at second base.

How has he done this year? Offensively, very very well. Going into tonight's game, he's hitting .339/.371/.521 with 2 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs and 20 RBIs. He has 22 Ks to only 7 walks, so it would be nice to see his eye at the plate improve -- and his on-base percentage increase as a result. But that should come with age and another several hundred plate appearances in the minor leagues.

His defense has been much improved. After having 15 errors in 67 games at second base last season in Low-A Beloit, he has 2 errors in 29 games this season. Perfection? No. But improvement at a higher level of play: absolutely.

Let me re-emphasize that Rosario is ONLY 21 YEARS OLD. He will not be 22 until the end of September.  If Rosario continues to exceed expectations and improve his defense, there's no reason he can't start 2014 at AA. And from there, as Terry Ryan has repeatedly said about Rock Cats top prospects, their advancement is in their hands.

Why I Love Minor League Baseball

This isn't a sales pitch for Miracle Baseball games. I've never been to one, and I'm not on the Miracle payroll; I have a real, non-baseball job, and I just blog for fun. But I have been to probably 40 minor league games in the past 2+ years, compared to only 4 or so major league games.

And I, hands-down, prefer minor league games. I don't have kids, but I don't know how your typical American "family of 4" affords a major league game. Between tickets, parking, and even just hot dogs and soda, you're looking at well over $100. Get ready to fork over a lot more if you want a good view, or if you want to enjoy a beer with that hot dog.

I love minor league baseball because families can enjoy high-quality baseball and still have money in the bank. I love minor league baseball because you can talk to players before and after the games -- players that in another year or two may be Major League All-Stars. I love minor league baseball because it's easy to root for they guys as they go up the system. And I love minor league baseball because, for under $15, I can sit above my team's dugout and enjoy a perfect view of a ballgame.

The other great part of MiLB games are promotions. Almost every game offers something, whether it's bobbleheads, discounted tickets, or happy hour evenings -- the Rock Cats do their happy hours on Thursday evenings. Here's the link to the Miracle's 2013 promotions. If you can't find something interesting or fun on this list, you probably are not a baseball fan. If you haven't been, I encourage you to check out your "local" minor league team -- wherever that is, and whatever their affiliation.

Miracle Pitching Can't Go Unnoticed

Yes, it's probably fair to say that the Miracle's offense has carried it -- having top offensive prospects like Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario in the same minor league lineup is usually a temporary, and great, phenomenon. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention the starting pitching.

Tonight's starter, D.J. Baxendale. Courtesy of TwinsTrivia.com

Through 2 innings tonight, Miracle starter D.J. Baxendale has 4 strikeouts and appears to be dominating a good Tampa Yankees roster. Going into this evening's game, Baxendale's WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched -- a good stat to measure a pitcher's general effectiveness over things he can control) was a mere 0.92. It's already lower, of course, given his solid first couple innings. He could pick up his 5th win tonight, which would give him at least a temporary lead in wins for the entire Florida State League.

But it hasn't just been Baxendale keeping this pitching staff afloat. As a team, the Miracle have a respectable 3.69 ERA going into tonight's game, and a more-than-respectable 183-60 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In other words, they've been striking out just more than 3 hitters for every 1 hitter they've walked.

This is important. The odds that Sano wears a Miracle uniform for all of 2013 get slimmer with each home run he hits. The pitching is going to have to be ready to pick up the slack when some of these top hitters get mid-season or late-season promotions.

 

How Disgustingly Great has Miguel Sano Been?

Miguel Sano doesn't look like this anyomre.

The answer: very, very disgustingly great. Check it out here yourself.

Going into tonight's game: Sano's .385 batting average is tops in the entire FSL league; his 26 runs are first; his 42 hits are second (1 hit shy of tying Phillies farmhand Cameron Perkins); he's tied for 7th in doubles with 9 -- but don't worry, that's only because his extra-base hits are usually homers -- he leads the league with 10 home runs (next best is 6); he leads the league in RBIs with 30; he leads the league in total bases with 83; he's second in the league with a .456 on-base percentage; he's first in the league with a .761 slugging percentage; and of course he's first with an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of 1.217.

Yes, his defense at third base has been an issue going into this year (although it's important to note that his defense apparently is much improved), but you simply cannot ignore or understate this impressive offensive production.

Sano has filled out just a little bit.
Image courtesy of Scott Butherus, NaplesNews.

Ft. Myers Miracle Blogapalooza!

Good Evening Twins Major and Minor League baseball fans!

I'm excited to be live-blogging, and live-tweeting, tonight's Ft. Myers Miracle vs. Tampa Yankees game.
Please feel free to leave a comment here at the blog, or hit me up on Twitter @mnfanfromafar.

I usually post on the New Britain Rock Cats, and the Twins of course, but this game is a great opportunity to talk about a few players who are likely to be future Rock Cats this season, and future Twins in years to come.

A couple game notes: The Miracle are a ridiculous 23-6 under new manager, and former Twin Doug Mientkiewicz. This has been a really exciting team to follow. D.J. Baxendale is on the mound tonight, with an impressive 4-0 record, and a very impressive 25/6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That's the kind of stat the Twins brass goes crazy for! Shortstop Adam Bryant was placed on the disabled list, which resulted in Aderlin Mejia getting a shot with the Miracle.

The last name I'll discuss, just for the moment, is Miguel Sano. I'm not certain that I've been as excited for a Twins prospect as I have been for Sano. He is tearing up the Florida State League, which is traditionally known as a pitchers' league: .385 average; 10 home runs ;12 multi-hit games, 7 multi-RBI games; 21-for-51 (.412) in last 14 games. The Twins traditionally have even their top prospects spend a lot of time at the High-A level, but you have to wonder if Sano will spend all of 2013 in a Miracle uniform.

That's it for right now. Please listen to the game FOR FREE, starting at 7:05 eastern time, here, follow along on the Miracle website here, and drop me a line!

Alex Meyer's "Rough" Start

Alex Meyer, probably throwing a really, really hard fastball.
Courtesy of Kevin Pataky at MiLB.

For a Twins fan, I had perhaps the best seat in the house. Literally 1 row behind me -- same seat number in fact -- Twins' General Manager Terry Ryan sat with a pencil, scorecard and notepad. Literally the 2 rows in front of me, radar guns, operated by a scout I didn't know, and by Rock Cats' pitcher Logan Darnell (who actually tossed a great game tonight). I saw the speed and location of every single pitch. I watched arguably the Twins' best pitching prospect since Johan Santana throw, from right behind home plate, and I wasn't disappointed.

I'm not going to lie. I was pretty excited for the game. And I can tell you, Alex Meyer is as advertised. I'm not saying he's a perfect prospect -- obviously he was far from perfect last night -- but I can tell you, in this small, small sample size, I have no doubt that the Twins made a great trade. Let's talk specifics.

I watched Alex Meyer's worst Rock Cats start. The start was not bad. One inning was bad, and here's the rundown: Meyer's third inning started off with a line out to center, and then a weakly hit roller down the third base line. Mark Sobolewski couldn't make the play, and it went for an infield single. Thereafter, there was a sharp single to right field, and Meyer must have become rattled, because he walked the next two batters. He clearly was off -- the missed fastballs to righty batters were up and out, not even close to strikes. There was a mound visit. In other words, something with both his composure and control was off. That second walk resulted in a run, and the next batter singled on (what I remember to be) a sharply hit grounder to the hole between shortstop and third base. The next batter hit a legitimate sacrifice fly to left, and all the sudden it's a 4-run inning.

Meyer's fastball throughout his start was consistently 94-95, and hit 96 multiple times. His stuff wasn't slower, or weaker, during that bad third inning, and his velocity was just as good out of the stretch. He simply lacked control and precision during those 20 minutes. One takeaway: AA players can hit a 96 MPH fastball down the middle, when they are expecting it. Meyer's breaking stuff -- see this excellent piece from the Hartford Courant's Dom Amore -- was consistently around 79.

Here's the best part of the story -- and also the reason why I have no concern with Alex Meyer: that third inning was an aberration. Instead of giving up as Terry Ryan and other scouts watched him scuffle, Meyer battled, and pitched 3 more innings, walking 0, allowing 1 single, and striking out 3. Rather than throw in the towel, Meyer demonstrated in innings 4-6 that he is the genuine article; he can be what we expect him to be.

Alex Meyer dominated most of the hitters he faced. There were many embarrassing swings, many called strikes that baffled batters, and many weakly hit grounders and fly balls. And I will note (as a fan, not a 100 percent objective observer), that Meyer did get pinched on a few pitches in that rough third inning. I did hear a couple groans from Mr. Ryan.

So here's the bottom line, as I have witnessed from 1 Alex Meyer start: he throws really, really hard, and it intimidates batters; he has a great knuckle-curve that breaks down pretty severely; the fastball reached 96 on a night when it was in the low 50s in Connecticut (he has reached 98 in better weather); he didn't give up an extra-base hit in his "worst" start, although there were a few deep fly balls. He did get rattled when he got in trouble in that inning, but again, the next 3 innings pitched suggest that he can rebound from a rough frame. The "line": 6 inning, 4 earned runs, 5 hits, 8 Ks, 3 BBs, and a loss. The real story: one very bad inning in front of a nerve-wracking crowd, and an otherwise dominating start. And one hell of a fastball.

Please also check out New Britain Herald writer Matt Straub's write-up on this game here.

One other strange item from last night: James Beresford, probably my favorite Rock Cats player this season, was tossed from the game. I've been asked a few times what happened, so here is the story as I witnessed it: To preface this story, I should note that, going back to last season, I really have enjoyed watching Beresford play. He is an above-average defender, and although he will never hit for big power, I have held out hope that he can become a singles and walk machine such that he can keep advancing up the system. James is on his way. As of tonight, he's batting .333 on the season after having to fight off a couple other players last-minute for a starting role. He's taking good at-bats, and is walking when he can, and he had extra-base hits in consecutive games last week. In short, a good start for Beresford.

Last night, in a mid-game at-bat against a tough LOOGY, Beresford took a fastball for a strike, which I believed (from my home plate vantage point) to be a few inches outside of the zone. He took longer than normal between pitches, speaking with the ump. The next pitch looked like it hit the outside corner, but Beresford also took that one, again speaking with the ump. The third pitch was a breaking ball in the dirt, which Beresford swung at. The ump rung him up, and James indicated that there was a foul tip. Nonetheless, it was a third strike for the third out. As Beresford bent down and undid his shin guard, some words must have been exchanged, because he was immediately tossed. So there's the story as I saw it.

So it was a strange game. I went expecting Alex Meyer to dominate, and he didn't. But at the same time, I saw just how scary and dominate he can -- and will -- be. Going from 96 to a wicked 79 mph knuckle curve is devastating. Not many AA pitchers can do that. Twins fans, rest assured, I believe that this was a great trade. Nothing against Denard Span -- one of my favorite Twins when he was in uniform -- but Meyer will be an excellent return for many, many years to come.

Anatomy of a Rock Cats Win & Postgame Conversation with James Beresford

Rock Cats starter B.J. Hermsen waits to deliver a pitch

It was a picture perfect night for baseball in Connecticut. No, our winter didn't extend into late April, as it did in Minnesota, but this was one of  the first days where it actually would have made sense to wear t-shirts and shorts around town. 4,615 were in attendance this evening as the Rock Cats took on the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Native Iowan, and righty, B.J. Hermsen was on the bump for the Rock Cats. This was only his second start of the year coming off the disabled list. Hermsen, who was last years' Twins minor league pitcher of the year, should be working for a promotion to AAA Rochester, so these early season starts are important for him. Hermsen survived the first inning, but didn't look very comfortable. He allowed a clean single to start off the game, threw a wild pitch, but then settled down. Hermsen was able to get a key strikeout and use his off-speed pitches to throw hitters off their timing. Hermsen didn't get tons of help from his defense early in the game. A strange weakly hit infield single to third base, a sinking liner that was almost caught in center, and a wild pitch that perhaps could have been stopped added to his workload.

Second baseman James Beresford got the Cats on the board in the second frame with a well placed, hard hit double down the left field line, scoring Danny Santana, who had singled to center and stolen second base. Beresford later singled to center on a sharp line drive, after taking 4 straight pitches to get in an advantageous 3-1 count. Although the season is young, Beresford has been very consistent. If he keeps that average around .300, with a .400 on-base percentage, there's no reason he should remain in New Britain as spring turns to summer.

The Rock Cats had a productive third inning. After singles from Antoan Richardson and Danny Santana (and a Mark Sobolewski pop-up that failed to drive in a run), Josmil Pinto unloaded on a 2-0 offering from Richmond starter Craig Westcott and that landed just under the New Britain scoreboard beyond left field for a home run. That was Pinto's 5th homer on the early season -- he's tied for second in the entire Eastern League. Pinto has demonstrated better hitting, and better discipline, in 2013, than he did in his brief stint in New Britain at the end of 2012.

B.J. Hermsen was . . . what Twins fans essentially expect, but clearly rusty. He issued only 1 walk, but had trouble locating some of his off-speed stuff. He did manage to limit damage. He wasn't missing many bats, and allowed 9 hits, but seemed to eek his way out of trouble, whether with a clutch strikeout, a groundball double play, or a couple pop-ups in situations where there was a runner on third. In all, Hermsen threw 92 pitches (53 for strikes) in 4 and 2/3 innings. There were several 3-2 counts, and of course Hermsen doesn't have a strikeout pitch. I was a bit surprised the Rock Cats let him come out for that 5th inning -- I figured he might be on a pitch count in only his second start.

After 4 and 2/3 innings, Hermsen was pulled in favor of lefty Jose Gonzalez, who promptly ended a Flying Squirrels threat with a strikeout. Gonzalez was effective in the 6th, as well, stranding a runner. He got in some trouble in the 7th, allowing a leadoff double and a walk, before getting a big called third strike against Richmond's cleanup hitter, a groundout, and a routine fly ball to left field to strand 2. Gonzalez really kept the Cats in the game, allowing only 1 hit in 2 and 1/3 innings, striking out 2 and walking 1. Edgar Ibarra came on to pitch the 8th, and got in a little trouble after allowing a double and a single. There was only one out, and the tying run was at the plate. Luckily, James Beresford made a nice play, fielding a grounder on a short-hop and flipping to SS Danny Santana to start a 4-6-3 double play and end Richmond's threat.

Ibarra got in trouble in the 9th, walking the leadoff batter (cardinal sin), and giving up a single. Suddenly, the tying run was at bat with no outs. Ibarra made matters much worse for himself after making a bad throw to second base (which ended up in center field) on a grounder, instead of simply throwing to first to get the easy out. Ibarra was charged with a throwing error, and Richmond scored its second run. That was it for Ibarra.

Michael Tonkin was summoned with the game on the line: runners on second and third with no outs in the 9th inning, and his team up by only 2 runs. Tonkin walked the first batter he faced on 5 pitches before getting big strikeouts for the first and second outs. A weakly hit grounder resulted in a 6-4 putout for the final out, and the Rock Cats won what ended up being a close and tense game.

Player of the game: Josmil Pinto; runner up James Beresford. Pitcher of the game: Jose Gonzalez; runner up Michael Tonkin.

I spoke to Beresford after the game about his hot start (.317 average; .403 on-base percentage). Most important, he stated, was "swinging at good pitches," getting in advantageous counts (like he did tonight on the 3-1 single to center), and "keeping [his swing] short, not trying to get too big." James is listed at 6'1'', 170 pounds on the Rock Cats website, and this seems to be one of the rare situations where the team doesn't lie in the media guide. Keeping weight and muscle on has been an issue for James. He gained "about 20 pounds" this off-season, and although Beresford will never be a power hitting middle infielder, the extra weight is certainly useful. He still has a goal to gain a little more weight (and not lose the weight as the grind of the minor league season drags on), so that's something to watch for. Finally, I asked Mr. Beresford about Chad Allen, the Rock Cats' new hitting coach. Beresford stated that Allen "keeps it simple," has been great to work with, and "gets everyone in a positive mind frame."

Rock Cats: The First 2 Weeks

This picture of Justin Morneau hangs in a suite at New Britain Stadium.
The Rock Cats do a great job of paying tribute to the Twins' greats
that have come and gone from this stadium.

After approximately the first two weeks of the 2013 season, the Rock Cats stand at a respectable 8-7, which is good for a second place tie in the Eastern League Eastern Division. Reading, who always seems to put a good team together, stands at 7-6 -- a slightly better winning percentage.

I try not to read much at all into small sample sizes, but there are several players that have had noteworthy performances thus far. I'll start with offense. One player I've been very impressed with is infielder James Beresford. He had to fight for playing time the first week or so, but has demonstrated that he deserves to be the Rock Cats' starting second baseman. In 36 at-bats, Beresford has a .333/.444/.389 slash line, including 3 stolen bases. There's not much power to speak of, but Beresford can be successful as a singles hitter with a good eye (7 walks already) and above-average speed. Additionally, Beresford is an excellent defender. This is Beresford's second full season in Connecticut, and he's 24 years old. If he keeps the batting average up, and continues to demonstrate a good eye, I think a promotion to AAA is in his future. As I've said before, aside from starting pitching, if there's one area where Twins prospects should quickly advance in the system, it's the middle infield.

Daniel Ortiz has been tearing the cover off the ball. With a .345/.391/.638 line in 58 at-bats, Ortiz has impressed. He has 3 home runs, 6 doubles, a triple, and 13 RBIs. He does lead the Rock Cats with 16 Ks, so there is room for improvement, but it's fair to state that Ortiz, 23 years old, has exceeded expectations, and has helped this club make up for the absence of players like Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia in the lineup.

The final hitter I'm going to highlight for the moment is Josmil Pinto. He ended 2012 with the Rock Cats, looking good in 47 at-bats. Currently with a .295/.394/.574 line, Pinto leads New Britain with 4 home runs and 14 RBIs. He's also hit safely in 9 of his last 10 games, including 4 multi-hit games.

On the whole, I've been impressed with the offense. They haven't quite replicated the Arcia/Hicks/Herrmann/Colabello power from 2012, but players like Beresford, Ortiz, Pinto, and even Antoan Richardson, have helped to keep the team in games.

Starting pitching has been exciting. Right now -- and probably only until the All-Star break -- the Rock Cats have both Alex Meyer and Trevor May, both top 10 prospects in the Twins' organization. Both have been as advertised. Meyer has a 1-0 record, a 1.69 ERA, and has struck out 19 and walked 7 in 16 innings. His WHIP is 1.25. Rock Cats broadcaster Jeff Dooley noted that Meyer hit 98 mph on the radar gun in one of his starts. He's doing exactly what we expect: missing bats. Hopefully, the control will improve just a little, and he'll be in AAA by July.

Trevor May has an 0-1 record, and a 3.14 ERA, but has 19 Ks and 10 walks in 14 and 1/3 innings. His WHIP is 1.60. Yes, there are control issues, but there's no reason that those can't be ironed out. May, who is 23, has a promising future, and he, too, can be out of New Britain later this season if he gets his control under control. As a fan, it's exciting to see Meyer's and May's (the new M & M Boys???) K totals. Twins fans should be excited.

The Rock Cats are currently on the road in Portland, Maine, and lost a tough one, 12-1, last night. I'll be in attendance and reporting when the return to New Britain Stadium next weekend, so expect some good content in the near future.