Notes and Team Leaders: DSL Twins

For rate stats, we're using an arbitrary cut-off of 80 at-bats and 25 innings.

OPS

Victor Tademo, .817
Edgar Herrera, .783
Humberto Maldonado, .766

AVG

Herrera, .317
Tademo, .311
Jorge Parra, .294

OBP

Tademo, .388
Darling Cuesto, .376
Herrera, .374

SLG

Tademo, .429
Yeison Perez, .427
Herrera, .409

HOME RUNS

Mariano Calcano, 4
Perez, 3
Yeremi De La Cruz, 3

DOUBLES

Tademo, 16
Maldonado, 11
Herrera, 11

RBI

Maldonado, 24
Antonio Tovar, 24
Parra, 23

STOLEN BASES

Tademo, 21
Agustin Marte, 15
Maldonado, 14

ERA

Frandy Torres, 1.80
Carlos Suniaga, 2.03
Pedro Garcia, 2.17

WHIP

Garcia, 1.01
Suniaga, 1.01
Juan Mojica, 1.05

WINS

Suniaga, 7
Garcia, 5
Mojica, 5
Melvi Acosta, 5

STRIKEOUTS

Mojica, 73
Garcia, 69
Suniaga, 58

SAVES

Torres, 5
Jose Bermudez, 5
Andriu Marin, 4
Fredderi Soto, 4

STARTS

Garcia, 14
Acosta, 14
Edwar Colina, 13
Mojica, 13

INNINGS

Acosta, 70.1
Garcia, 62.1
Mojica, 62

GAMES

Soto, 23
Marin, 20
Bermudez, 20

Victor Tademo was probably the team MVP.  A seventeen-year-old third baseman, he hit .311/.388/.429 with 21 stolen bases.

Edgar Herrera is in his third year in the DSL.  He did substantially better than his prior two years, batting .317/.374/.409.  He's a nineteen-year-old first baseman.

Jorge Parra is in his fourth year in the DSL.  He did somewhat beter than before, but not tons better.  He batted .294/.339/.375.  He's a twenty-one-year-old outfielder.

Humberto Maldonado batted .283/.363/.404.  He's an eighteen-year-old outfielder.

Melvi Acosta made his DSL debut at age twenty-one.  He went 5-2, 3.20, 1.25 WHIP with 57 strikeouts in 71.1 innings.

Pedro Garcia was 5-1, 2.17, 1.01 WHIP with 69 strikeouts in 62.1 innings.  He's a twenty-one-year-old righthander also in his first year in the DSL.

Juan Mojica was 5-2, 2.47, 1.05 WHIP with 73 strikeouts in 62 innings.  He's also a twenty-one-year-old righthander in his first year in the DSL.  I don't know if it's a thing that the pitchers tend to be older or if it's just a coincidence.

Carlos Suniaga was 7-3, 2.03, 1.01 WHIP with 58 strikeouts in 57.2 innings.  He's a nineteen-year-old in his second DSL season.

Notes and Team Leaders: GCL Twins

For rate stats, we're using an arbitrary cut-off of 80 at-bats and 25 innings.

OPS

Lean Marrero, .739
Aaron Whitefield, .737
Gorge Munoz, .676

AVG

Whitefield, .298
Marrero, .290
Justin Hazard, .280

OBP

Whitefield, .370
Dane Hutcheon, .321
Marrero, .319

SLG

Marrero, .421
Hazard, .376
Whitefield, .366

HOME RUNS

Roni Tapia, 3
4 tied at 2

DOUBLES

Munoz, 13
Whitefield, 7
Jose Miranda, 7

RBI

Miranda, 20
Munoz, 18
Whitefield, 17

STOLEN BASES

Whitefield, 31
Munoz, 13
Akil Baddoo, 8

ERA

Brady Anderson, 0.98
Moises Gomez, 1.19
Jordan Balazovic, 1.97

WHIP

Anderson, 0.72
Balazovic, 0.97
Miguel De Jesus, 0.97

WINS

Bo Hellquist, 5
Gomez, 4
De Jesus, 3
Huascar Ynoa, 3

STRIKEOUTS

Ynoa, 51
Taylor Clemensia, 47
Hellquist, 46

SAVES

Zach Strecker, 6
Onas Farfan, 4
Garrett Kelly, 3

STARTS

Ynoa, 11
Clemensia, 10
Tyler Fox, 10
Hellquist, 10

INNINGS

Fox, 52.1
Hellquist, 52
Ynoa, 51

GAMES

Farfan, 19
Kelly, 18
Callan Pearce, 18

If you're wondering, the Twins offensive numbers are not good even for the league.  They were second in the league in walks and first in stolen bases, but were at or near the bottom in pretty much every other offensive category.  Their pitching, however, was near the top in most categories, which perhaps shows that the Twins were emphasizing pitching in this year's draft.

Aaron Whitefield hit .298/.370/.366 with 31 stolen bases, a total which led the league.  He's a twenty-year-old outfielder from Australia.

Lean Marrero hit .290/.319/.421.  Those numbers improved substantially over his numbers in the GCL last year.  He's a sixteenth-round draft choice, an outfielder from Puerto Rico.

Justin Hazard hit .280/.284/. 376.  He walked once in 93 official at-bats.  He's a twenty-three-year-old catcher who went to college at Nevada-Reno.

Gorge Munoz hit .256/.314/.362.  He hit .315 in the DSL in 2015.  He's a twenty-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic.

Brady Anderson did very well in 27.2 GCL innings, then was promoted to Cedar Rapids, where he did well in six starts.  He's a twenty-three-year-old righthander who went to college at Florida Gulf Coast.

This was Moises Gomez' second year in the GCL.  He did not do badly last year but did even better this year.  He was 4-0, 1.19, 1.22 WHIP.  He's a nineteen-year-old righthander from Venezuela.

Jordan Balazovic got his pro career off to a good start.  He was 2-1, 1.97, 0.97 WHIP.  He's an eighteen-year-old righthander from Ontario.

Bo Hellquist is also a first-year player.  He was 5-3, 2.25, 1.08 WHIP with 46 strikeouts and only 7 walks in 52 innings.  He's a twenty-two-year-old lefty who went to school at Minnesota-Duluth.

Husacar Ynoa was in the DSL last year and did well upon being moved up.  He was 3-5, 3.18, 1.10 WHIP with 51 strikeouts in 51 innings.  He's an eighteen-year-old righthander from the Dominican Republic.

Tyler Fox was 2-3, 3.10, 1.01 WHIP, a fine start to his pro career.  He's a twenty-two-year-old righthander who went to school at Nebraska-Omaha.

Taylor Clemensia was 1-4, but with a 2.47 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.  He struck out 47 in 43.2 innings.  He's a nineteen-year-old lefthander from the Netherlands.

Notes and Team Leaders: Elizabethton Twins

For rate stats, we're using an arbitrary cut-off of 80 at-bats and 25 innings.

OPS

Lewin Diaz, .928
Travis Blankenhorn, .900
Brandon Lopez, .883

AVG

Lopez, .337
Diaz, .310
Alex Kirilloff, .306

OBP

Lopez, .470
Diaz, .353
Caleb Hamilton, .351

SLG

Diaz, .575
Blankenhorn, .558
Kirilloff, .454

HR

Amaurys Minier, 10
Blankenhorn, 9
Diaz, 9

DOUBLES

Diaz, 15
Shane Carrier, 14
Kirilloff, 9

RBI

Diaz, 37
Kirilloff, 33
Minier, 32

STOLEN BASES

Ariel Montesino, 7
Lopez, 4
3 tied at 3

ERA

Tyler Beardsley, 2.65
Patrick McGuff, 2.77
Sean Poppen, 2.97

WHIP

Beardsley, 1.12
Tyler Wells, 1.20
Alex Schick, 1.25

WINS

Wells, 5
Schick, 5
Austin Tribby, 5

STRIKEOUTS

Wells, 59
Alex Robinson, 52
Schick, 49

SAVES

Patrick McGuff, 9
Colton Davis, 5
Hector Lujan, 3
Johan Quezada, 3

STARTS

Jose Martinez, 11
Wells, 10
Ryan Mason, 9

GAMES

Lujan, 19
Quezada, 19
McGuff, 18

INNINGS

Domenick Carlini, 50.1
Mason, 49
Martinez, 48
Schick, 48

Brandon Lopez had a fine year in Elizabethton and did okay when promoted to Cedar Rapids, too.  He has very little power, with only nine extra-base hits (8 doubles, 1 triple) in 162 at-bats.  But he hit .337 with an OBP of .470 in Elziabethton and hit .286 with an OBP of .393 in Cedar Rapids.  A tenth-round draft choice, he turned twenty-three about ten days ago.

One could argue that Lewin Diaz should've been in Cedar Rapids by the end of the year, but at age nineteen, it was probably okay to leave him in Elizabethton.  He had a pretty good year, though:  .310/.353/.575.  He was second in the league in slugging.

Alex Kirilloff got his career off to a fine start.  He hit .306/.341/.454.  He tailed off badly toward the end of the season, going just 4-for-32 in his last ten games.  He'll turn nineteen in November.

Ben Rortvedt's numbers don't look all that great--.250/.348/.250--but it's only forty at-bats, and he got off to a terrible start, going 1-for-14 before finishing 9-for-26.  No extra-base hits isn't a good sign, but it's probably not enough at-bats to mean much of anything.  He'll turn nineteen next Sunday.

Amaurys Minier hit ten home runs and had 32 RBIs.  He also batted .222 and struck out 62 times in 167 at-bats.  Those numbers are better than he did in Elizabethton in 2015, but the only major difference is an increase in power.  He'll turn twenty-one in January.

The pitchers are mostly an exercise in small sample size theater.  Tyler Beardsley went 2-0, 2.65, 1.12 WHIP with 33 strikeouts in 34 innings.  He only walked six.  He'll be twenty-three in May.

Tyler Wells went 5-2, 3.23, 1.20 with 59 strikeouts in 47.1 innings.   A fifteenth-round draft choice, he turned twenty-two in August.

Austin Tribby went 5-0 and struck out thirty in 31.2 innings.  The trouble with Tribby is that those are about his only good numbers.  His ERA was 5.40, his WHIP was 1.83, and he gave up forty-four hits.  He turned twenty-two in July and was a thirty-fifth round draft choice.

Alex Schick had a good year in every stat but ERA.  He was 5-2, he had a WHIP of 1.25, he struck out 49 and walked just 15 in 48 innings, but his ERA was 5.25.  He didn't give up a lot of home runs, either.  I assume that when he fell apart he fell apart quickly, so that the hits came in bunches before they could get him out of there.  It also could be that the bullpen allowed a lot of inherited runners to score.  He's a sixth-round draft choice who will turn twenty-two in December.

Notes and Team Leaders: Fort Myers Miracle

We're using an arbitrary standard of 150 at-bats and 50 IP to determine rate leaders.

OPS

T. J. White, .776
Edgar Corcino, .760
Joe Maloney, .724

AVG

Nick Gordon, .291
White, .274
Corcino, .266

OBP

White. 345
Alex Perez, .345
Corcino, .340

SLG

White, .432
Corcino, .419
Maloney, .401

HR

Trey Vavra, 8
White, 7
Corcino, 6

DOUBLES

Gordon, 23
Maloney, 17
Vavra, 17

RBI

Gordon, 52
Vavra, 40
Chris Paul, 36

SB

Gordon, 19
Tanner English, 10
4 tied at 6

ERA

Felix Jorge, 1.55
Fernando Romero, 1.88
Stephen Gonsalves, 2.33

WHIP

Romero, 0.93
Jorge, 0.94
Gonsalves, 0.96

WINS

Jorge, 9
Keaton Steele, 8
Randy Rosario, 6

STRIKEOUTS

Steele, 85
Jorge, 77
3 tied at 68

SAVES

Nick Anderson, 10
Yorman Landa, 7
Todd Van Steensel, 5

STARTS

Steele, 23
Rosario, 16
Jorge 14

GAMES

Van Steensel, 39
John Curtiss, 38
Luke Bard, 35

INNINGS

Steele, 132.1
Rosario, 94.1
Jorge, 93

Nick Gordon went .291/.335/.386.  Not bad, but not really what you're hoping for out of your first-round draft choice, either.  On the other hand, he'll turn twenty-one next month, so he's still developing.  One assumes he'll go to AA next season, and we'll see how it goes.

LaMonte Wade would've been on a lot of these lists had he come up to Fort Myers a little sooner.  He went .318/.386/.518 in 110 at-bats.  He'll be twenty-three on New Year's Day.

After doing well in Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids last year, Trey Vavra appears to have stalled out.  He hit .230/.316/.326.  He'll be twenty-five tomorrow and hasn't gotten out of Class A yet.  If he's going to do anything, he'll have to do it soon.

The home run leaders have very low totals, but that's typical of Fort Myers.  You really have to be a home run hitter to hit very many there.  Adam Brett Walker II did it, and so did Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas, but not too many others.

Tyler Jay did not make any of the lists, but he had a good season.  He was 5-5, 2.84, 1.22 WHIP with 68 strikeouts in 69.1 innings.  He'll be twenty-three in April.

Through 2013, Dereck Rodriguez was an outfielder.  He started this year in Cedar Rapids and was still very much a work in progress.  He would pitch well for a few innings, but lose it very quickly.  As the season went on, however, he either gained arm strength or simply learned how to pitch, because he began to go much deeper into games.  His numbers at Cedar Rapids look awful, but he actually improved quite a bit during the season.  Promoted to Fort Myers for five starts, he did very well, going 1-2, 2.56, 0.98 WHIP.  Despite getting started late, he's only twenty-four.  I'm not predicting stardom, but I wouldn't count him out, either.

For part of the season, the Miracle had both Michael Theofanopoulos and Trevor Hildenberger in the bullpen.  That must set some kind of record for longest names by two teammates in the same bullpen.

Notes and Team Leaders: Cedar Rapids Kernels

We're using an arbitrary standard of 150 at-bats and 50 IP to determine rate leaders.

OPS

Luis Arraez, .830
Jaylin Davis, .808
LaMonte Wade, .806

AVG

Arraez, .347
Nelson Molina, .300
Wade, .280

OBP

Wade, .410
Arraez, .386
Molina, .374

SLG

Davis, .469
Zander Weil, .459
Arraez, .444

HR

Weil, 19
J. J. Fernandez, 10
Davis, 9

DOUBLES

Arraez, 31
Weil, 27
Fernandez, 26

RBI

Weil, 86
Arraez, 66
Fernandez, 52

SB

Weil, 7
Sean Miller, 7
3 tied at 5

ERA

Randy LeBlanc, 0.74
Lachlan Wells, 1.77
Anthony McIver, 2.58

WHIP

LeBlanc, 0.82
Wells, 1.02
Williams Ramirez, 1.05

WINS

Cody Stashak, 8
Sam Gibbons, 7
3 tied at 6

STRIKEOUTS

Dereck Rodriguez, 93
Sam Clay, 83
Eduardo Del Rosario, 81

SAVES

McIver, 10
Tom Hackimer, 5
Ramirez, 4

STARTS

Rodriguez, 18
Stashak, 17
Del Rosario, 16

GAMES

McIver, 31
Gibbons, 30
Michael Cederoth, 30

INNINGS

Gibbons, 107
Stashak, 105.1
Rodriguez, 101

The only reason I can think of that Luis Arraez was left in low A all year is that he's nineteen.  I don't consider that much of a reason.  Yes, he probably needs to learn to walk more, but I don't see how he's more likely to learn that in Cedar Rapids than he is in Fort Myers.  In fact, he may be less likely to learn it--when you've had as much success as he's had doing what he's doing, it can be hard to believe you need to change.  He should've been given a chance to see what he could do at a higher level.

As far as I know, Nelson Molina is not related to the famous Molinas.  He really came on this year.  After three poor seasons in the low minors, he hit .300/.374/.381 this year.  We'll see if he can continue the progress next season.  He'll turn twenty-two next April.

LaMonte Wade was having a fine season in Cedar Rapids, then was promoted to Fort Myers and did even better.  He was on the disabled list twice, however, ending the year there.

Zander Weil pretty quietly had a pretty good season.  .259/.333/.459 with nineteen home runs.  He'll be twenty-four in January.  A twelfth-round pick, this was his first season other than thirteen games at Elizabethton last year.

Jaylin Davis acquitted himself well in his first season.  He played twelve games in Elizabethton, then came up to hit .250/.339/.469 with nine homers in 192 at-bats.  He turned twenty-two in July and is a twenty-fourth round draft choice from Appalachian State.

Cody Stashak pitched very well in Cedar Rapids, going 8-5, 3.16, 1.14 WHIP, then made three awesome starts in Fort Myers, allowing one run in 16.2 innings.  He'll be twenty-three in June, a thirteenth round draft pick from St. John's.

Australian Lachlan Wells did really well in twelve starts, going 6-4, 1.77, 1.02 WHIP with 63 strikeouts in 71.1 innings.  He'll be twenty in February.  He's small (5'8", 165), but I'm not going to hold that against him as long as he can get batters out.  He also has an awesome mugshot on milb.com

Randy LeBlanc was awesome in Cedar Rapids, struggled in Fort Myers, and then did really well in two starts at Chattanooga.  Maybe he doesn't like Florida.  In nine Cedar Rapids starts he was 6-2, 0.74, 0.82 WHIP.  In two Chattanooga starts, he was 1-0, 0.00, 0.90 WHIP.  But in thirteen starts in Fort Myers, he was 5-7, 4.70, 1.46 WHIP.  He doesn't strike a lot of guys out--a total of 87 Ks in 140 innings.  He'll be twenty-five in March.

Did you ever have a guy you really don't know much about but you just take a liking to him anyway?  That's me with Williams Ramirez.  I don't know why I like him, I just do.  The Twins made him spend three years in rookie ball, where he went a combined 11-4, 1,74, 1.03 WHIP with 170 strikeouts in 140 innings.  He walked 77, which is too many, but I don't see how keeping him in rookie ball was going to help with that.  Anyway, he finally went to Cedar Rapids this season and went 3-1, 2.62, 1.05 WHIP with 66 strikeouts in 55 innings.  He still walked too many--34--and he's going to have to solve that to have much of a career, but other than that he's done well everywhere he's been so far.  He turned twenty-four in August.

Notes and Team Leaders: Chattanooga Loookouts

We're using an arbitrary standard of 150 at-bats and 50 IP to determine rate leaders.

OPS

Daniel Palka, .894
Niko Goodrum, .808
Edgar Corcino, .754

AVG

Zach Granite, .295
Corcino, .284
Goodrum, .275

OBP

Goodrum, .357
Ryan Walker, .349
Palka, .348

SLG

Palka, .547
Goodrum, .451
Corcino, .421

HR

Palka, 21
Mitch Garver, 11
Travis Harrison, 7

DOUBLES

D. J. Hicks, 27
Garver, 25
Stuart Turner, 22
Harrison, 22

RBI

Garver, 66
Palka, 65
Hicks, 59

SB

Granite, 56
Harrison, 15
Walker, 13

ERA

Stephen Gonsalves, 1.82
Kohl Stewart, 3.03
Aaron Slegers, 3.41

WHIP

Gonsalves, 1.08
D. J. Baxendale, 1.21
Jake Reed, 1.22

WINS

Slegers, 10
Stewart, 9
Gonsalves, 8

STRIKEOUTS

Slegers, 104
Ryan Eades, 91
David Hurlbut, 90

SAVES

Trevor Hildenberger, 16
J. T. Chargois, 7
Raul Fernandez, 6

STARTS

Slegers, 25
Hurlbut, 23
Eades, 19

GAMES

Reed, 41
Mason Melotakis, 36
Hildenberger, 32

INNINGS

Slegers, 145.1
Hurlbut, 136
Eades, 113.1

Daniel Palka seems to fit into the Adam Brett Walker II category.  He hit 34 homers combined between Chattanooga and Rochester, but he also struck out 186 times, giving him a strikeout average of .370.  He'll be twenty-five next month.  I'm rooting for both of them, but it's hard for me to believe you can be successful in the majors when you swing and miss that often in the minors.

Zach Granite was named the Lookouts' player of the year.  His .295 average and 56 steals get you excited.  His .729 OPS and the fact that he struck out one more time than he walked does not.  I don't know anything about his defense, but he strikes me as a Ben Revere type player, one whose offensive value is going to be tied to his ability to hit singles and steal bases.  If you can do enough of those things, you can have a long career (see Pierre, Juan), so we'll see how it goes.

Niko Goodrum quietly had a pretty good season, batting .257/.375/.451.  He's a third baseman and will be twenty-five next season.

D. J. Hicks was okay, but no more than that.  He was .264/.348/.371.  I don't know why I had it in my head that he was expected to be pretty good--maybe it was his 2013 season in Cedar Rapids.  But he was a seventeenth round draft choice, and he seems to be playing like one.  He'll be twenty-seven next season.

I mentioned Mitch Garver yesterday, but he had a solid season in AA before doing even better in AAA (in a small sample size).  He was hitting .257/.334/.419.  If his catching defense is improving, and if his stint in AAA is for real, the Twins may actually have a catcher coming.  Those are big ifs, of course.  He'll be twenty-six next season.

Stephen Gonsalves was pretty tremendous when he was brought up to AA.  He went 8-1, 1.82, 1.08 WHIP, 89 strikeouts in 74.1 innings.  He turned twenty-two in July.  He's done well everywhere he's been so far.  It's hard not to get excited about him.

Kohl Stewart wasn't bad, either, but he struggled some with control.  He was 9-6, 3.03, but with a 1.47 WHIP due largely to 44 walks in 92 innings.  He only struck out 47.  He's worth keeping an eye on, but it seems like those numbers are going to have to improve.  He'll only be twenty-two next month, though, so he has time to do that.

Felix Jorge is another pitcher who's stopped striking people out.  He went 3-5, 4.12.  His 1.28 WHIP is fine, but he only struck out 32 in 74.1 innings.  He had done quite a bit better in Fort Myers, 77 Ks in 94 innings.  He'll be twenty-three next year, so he still has time to improve, too.

Notes and Team Leaders: Rochester Red Wings

We're using an arbitrary standard of 150 at-bats and 50 IP to determine rate leaders.

OPS

Byron Buxton, .927
Eddie Rosario, .881
Jorge Polanco, .793

AVG

Rosario, .319
Buxton, .305
Polanco, .276

OBP

Kennys Vargas, .361
Buxton, .359
Rosario, ,343

SLG

Buxton, .568
Rosario, .538
Daniel Palka, .483

HR

Adam Brett Walker II, 27
Vargas, 15
Palka, 13

DOUBLES

Wilfredo Tovar, 24
Walker II, 22
Vargas, 16

RBI

Walker II, 75
Vargas, 58
Tommy Field, 44

SB

Tovar, 29
Darin Mastroianni, 8
Buxton, 7
Walker II, 7

ERA

Jose Berrios, 2.51
Nick Greenwood, 2.84
Logan Darnell, 3.53
Jason Wheeler, 3.53

WHIP

Berrios, 0.99
Greenwood, 1.10
Wheeler, 1.20

WINS

Wheeler, 11
Berrios, 10
Andrew Albers, 10

STRIKEOUTS

Berrios, 125
Wheeler, 113
Albers, 84

SAVES

Alex Wimmers, 11
J. T. Chargois, 9
Marcus Walden, 7

STARTS

Wheeler, 24
Albers, 21
Darnell, 18

GAMES

Wimmers, 39
Walden, 36
Ryan O'Rourke, 33

INNINGS

Wheeler, 145.1
Albers, 124.1
Berrios, 111.1

NOTES

Mitch Garver did very well in his short time in Rochester, hitting .329/.381/.434 in 76 at-bats.  The Twins say his defense behind the plate improved quite a bit, too.

The Twins dropped John Hicks to make room for David Murphy, who didn't want to play for them.  Hicks went on to bat .296/.346/.474 in AAA.

I'm happy that James Beresford got a September callup.  But in three and a half AAA seasons he's hit .286/.334/.342.  He's twenty-seven.  It's quite possible that this September callup will be his entire big-league career.

As Wilfredo Tovar's name popped up in a couple lists, I thought you might want to know about him.  He's twenty-five.  He played in nine games for the Mets from 2013-14.  He hit .249/.301/.327.  He's stolen fifty-nine bases over his last two AAA seasons.  In the old days, when teams only carried eight or nine pitchers, he might've had a decent career as a pinch runner/utility infielder.  Now, though, I don't see much future for him.

What about Adam Brett Walker II?  Well, he hit .243/.305/.479.  He also struck out 202 times in 478 at-bats.  That's a strikeout average of .423.  I can't see him getting much of a chance with anybody unless he can cut down on the strikeouts.  Unfortunately, he's going the other way:  he had 156 strikeouts in 505 at-bats in Class A in 2014 and 195 strikeouts in 502 at-bats in AA last year.  He'll turn twenty-five next month.

Kennys Vargas and Byungho Park both had low averages with power.  Vargas was .233/.361/.424 with 15 homers.  Park was .224/.297/.526 with 10 homers.

Daniel Palka's numbers went down significantly when he made the jump from AA to AAA, but he continued to hit with power, too.  .232/.296/.483 with 13 homers.

Jason Wheeler turned in a fine season, going 11-6, 3.53, 1.20 WHIP.  He'll turn 26 next month.

Nick Greenwood pretty quietly had a fine season.  He went 6-3, 2.84, 1.10 WHIP in 79.1 innings after getting called up from AA.  Unfortunately, he'll be twenty-nine at the end of the month.  Still, there are pitchers who figure it out late, and with that kind of record there's a pretty good chance he'll be pitching somewhere next season.

D. J. Baxendale and J. T. Chargois had remarkably similar seasons.  They were both 2-1, 1.29.  Chargois had a WHIP of 1.00 and Baxendale was 1.03.  Chargois struck out 41 and Baxendale 40.  They each pitched 35 innings in AAA.  They'll also each turn twenty-six in December.

Game of September 12

CLINTON 1, CEDAR RAPIDS 0 IN CLINTON (11 INNINGS)

Ricky Eusebio's RBI single with two out in the eleventh took the LumberKings into the Midwest League finals and ended the Kernels' season.  Sean Poppen pitched five innings, giving up three hits and no walks with three strikeouts.  Michael Cederoth struck out five in two shutout innings.  Tom Hackimer struck out two in 2.1 scoreless innings.  Cedar Rapids had only four hits.  Clinton had eight, three of them coming in the eleventh inning.

That concludes our daily game reports.  We'll put together some season-ending information about each of the Twins' minor league teams in the days to come.

Game of September 11

CLINTON 6, CEDAR RAPIDS 1 IN CLINTON

The LumberKings scored two in the third and four in the fourth to take the win.  Sam Gibbons lasted only four innings, surrendering six runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts.  Williams Ramirez came in to strike out five in three shutout innings of relief.  Zander Weil was 2-for-3.  The Kernels had only five hits in the game, all singles.  The best-of-three series is tied at one game apiece.

TODAY'S TILT

6:30  Cedar Rapids (Sean Poppen, 1-1, 2.12) at Clinton (Nick Neidert, 7-3, 2.57)

Game of September 10

CEDAR RAPIDS 9, CLINTON 3 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

The LumberKings led 2-0 and 3-1, but the Kernels scored two in the third to tie it and two in the fourth to take the lead.  Starter Brady Anderson pitched only three innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks with one strikeout.  Andrew Vasquez came in to throw four shutout innings, striking out six and giving one hit and one walk.  Travis Blankenhorn was 3-for-4 with a walk.  Christian Ibarra was 2-for-4 with a home run and a double.  Luis Arraez was 2-for-4 with a double and is now 9-for-13 in the playoffs.  Kevin Garcia was 2-for-4.  Jaylin Davis was 2-for-5 with a triple.  Casey Scoggins was 2-for-5.  The Kernels take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

TODAY'S TILT

6:30  Cedar Rapids (Sam Gibbons, 7-6, 4.71) at Clinton (Kevin Gadea, 3-0, 2.15)

Game of September 8

CEDAR RAPIDS 3, WISCONSIN 1 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

All the runs were scored in the third inning.  Corey Ray singled in the lone Timber Rattler run in the top of the inning.  In the bottom, Luis Arraez singled in the tying run, Zander Weil tripled home the go-ahead run, and Travis Blankenhorn's RBI single brought in an insurance run.  Eduardo Del Rosario pitched six innings, giving up one run on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts.  Tom Hackimer struck out four in two shutout innings of relief.  Arraez was 4-for-4 and went 7-for-9 in the series.  Casey Scoggins was 2-for-4 with a double.  The win gives the Kernels a sweep of the best-of-three series.  They will play Clinton in the semi-finals starting Saturday at 4:05 Central.

Game of September 7

CEDAR RAPIDS 11, WISCONSIN 3 IN WISCONSIN

The Kernels led 3-0 after three, but the Timber Rattlers came back with three in the fifth to tie it.  No worries, as the Kernels opened the sixth with three consecutive doubles and eventually scored five runs in the inning to take control of the game.  Lachlan Wells struck out nine in five innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks.  The bullpen came in to throw four perfect innings, with Michael Cederoth pitching three of them and Colton Davis pitching the last one.  Cedar Rapids had four triples in the game.  Luis Arraez was 3-for-5 with two triples, Zander Weil was 3-for-5 with a triple and a double, and Travis Blankenhorn was 2-for-4 with a triple and a double.  J. J. Fernandez was 2-for-5 with a double, and Casey Scoggins and Nelson Molina were each 2-for-5.  The Kernels take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

TODAY'S TILT

6:35  Wisconsin (Marcos Diplan, 6-2, 1.80) at Cedar Rapids (Eduardo Del Rosario, 6-2, 3.67)

Where They Stand: Final Edition

With the regular season over and the playoffs starting tonight, we'll take the occasion to take one last look at the minor league standings.

Rochester was 81-63, third in the International League North, 10.5 games behind Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  The Red Wings finished second in the wild card race, 4.5 games behind Lehigh Valley.  In the "baseball is not always fair" department, Gwinnett won the International League South with a record of 65-78.

Chattanooga was 75-65.  In the first half they were 36-34, second in the Southern League North, ten games behind Jackson.  In the second half they were 39-31, second again, three games behind Montgomery.

Fort Myers was 70-68.  In the first half they were 34-35, third in the Florida State League South, 4.5 games behind Bradenton.  In the second half they were 36-33, third again, 3.5 games behind St. Lucie.

Cedar Rapids was 78-61.  In the first half they were 36-33, third in the Midwest League Western, 3.5 games behind Peoria.  In the second half they were 42-28, in second place, five games behind Clinton.  They begin their playoff series with Wisconsin tonight.

Elizabethton was 36-31, second in the Appalachian League West, 3.5 games behind Johnson City.  They lost to Johnson City two games to one in the first round of the playoffs.

The GCL Twins were 32-29.  They had finished the scheduled portion of the season 32-28, tied with the GCL Red Sox, but lost to the Red Sox in a one-game playoff.

The DSL Twins were 36-34, fifth in the Dominican Summer League South, 11.5 games behind the DSL Mariners1.

TODAY'S TILT

6:35  Cedar Rapids (Lachlan Wells, 6-4, 1.77) at Wisconsin (Jordan Yamamoto, 7-8, 3.82)

Games of September 5

And then there was one.

LEHIGH VALLEY 7, ROCHESTER 0 IN LEHIGH VALLEY

The IronPigs scored one in the third, three in the fourth, and three more in the fifth.  All seven run were charged to David Hurlbut, who was credited with four innings, seven runs, twelve hits, no walks, and four strikeouts.  Jake Reed pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to close out his AAA season with a 1.69 ERA, an 0.94 WHIP, and 8 strikeouts in 10.2 innings.  The Red Wings had only four hits and did not draw any walks.  Brian Olson made his AAA debut and went 0-for-3.  Rochester ends its season with a record of 81-63.

CHATTANOOGA 2, JACKSON 1 IN JACKSON

A run-scoring single by D. J. Hicks in the eighth gave the Lookouts a 2-1 lead.  Felix Jorge pitched a complete game, using just ninety-four pitched to allow one run on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts.  Engelb Vielma was 2-for-4.  Niko Goodrum hit a home run, his sixth.  Chattanooga ends its season with a record of 75-65.

CEDAR RAPIDS 12, CLINTON 2 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Fourth inning two-run homers by Zander Weil and Jaylin Davis put the Kernels up 5-1 and they cruised from there.  Cedar Rapids used six pitchers.  Starter Eduardo Del Rosario pitched two innings, giving up one run on a hit and a walk with two strikeouts.  Sean Poppen pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits with two strikeouts.  Colton Davis pitched his second scoreless inning since coming to Class A.  Zander Weil was 3-for-4 with two home runs, his eighteenth and nineteenth.  He is batting .362 with five home runs in his last ten games.  J. J. Fernandez was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Rainis Silva was 2-for-4.  The home run by Davis was his ninth.  Nelson Molina was 0-for-4 and ends the season batting .300.  The Kernels will open the post-season Wednesday in Wisconsin in a best-of-three series.

JOHNSON CITY 8, ELIZABETHTON 6 IN JOHNSON CITY (PLAYOFF GAME 3)

The Twins had leads of 1-0, 3-2, 4-3, 5-4, and 6-5, but it's who leads after nine innings that counts.  The Cardinals scored three in the seventh to go up 8-6 and the Twins got only one baserunner after that.  Starter Clark Beeker pitched four innings, giving up four runs on eleven hits and no walks with four strikeouts.  Lewin Diaz was 4-for-5 with a home run and two doubles.  Shane Carrier was 3-for-5.  Amaurys Minier and Ben Rortvedt were each 2-for-4.  Caleb Hamilton was 2-for-5 with a triple.  The loss takes Elizabethton out of the playoffs.

WEDNESDAY WARMUP

6:35  Cedar Rapids (Lachlan Wells, 6-4, 1.77) at Wisconsin (Jordan Yamamoto, 7-8, 3.82)

Games of September 3-4

Minor league regular seasons come to an end today.  Cedar Rapids prepares for the playoffs, beginning Wednesday.  Elizabethton will play the final game of its first round playoff series tonight.

GAMES OF SEPTEMBER 3

LEHIGH VALLEY 5, ROCHESTER 1 IN LEHIGH VALLEY

The IronPigs scored all their runs on homers, getting a solo homer in the third, two solo shots in the fourth, and a two-run homer in the seventh.  Tyler Duffey pitched well other than the homers, throwing a complete game while allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.  Leonardo Reginatto was 4-for-4.  Mitch Garver was 2-for-4 and is batting .311.  Tanner English was 2-for-3.

CHATTANOOGA 2, JACKSON 1 IN JACKSON

Two singles and a sacrifice fly produced a fourth-inning run that put the Lookouts up 2-1.  Kohl Stewart and Randy LeBlanc took it from there.  Stewart pitched six innings and gave up one run on three this and three walks with one strikeout.  LeBlanc struck out four in three shutout innings, giving up no hits and two walks.  He has now pitched ten scoreless innings since his promotion to AA.  Niko Goodrum and D. J. Hicks were each 2-for-4.

FORT MYERS 7, BRADENTON 3 IN FORT MYERS (COMPLETION OF SUSPENDED GAME)

Joe Maloney hit a three-run homer in the sixth to put the Miracle up 4-3 and Fort Myers got three more in the seventh to put the game out of reach and keep the Miracle alive in the playoff race.  Dereck Rodriguez had pitched five innings before it rained, giving up two runs on five hits and no walks with three strikeouts.  Nick Gordon was 3-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Christian Ibarra was 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk.  Maloney's home run was his fifth.

BRADENTON 11, FORT MYERS 6 IN FORT MYERS (SCHEDULED GAME--7 INNINGS)

The Marauders scored six in the first inning and the game was never close.  Sam Clay did not get out of the first inning, getting charged with all six runs on two hits and four walks in a third of an inning.  Brian Navaretto was 3-for-3.  The loss took the Miracle out of playoff contention.

CLINTON 8, CEDAR RAPIDS 5 IN CLINTON

The LumberKings scored three in the first and eventually built a 6-0 lead before the Twins scored some late runs to make the final score look better.  Brady Anderson pitched 5.2 innings, allowing six runs on twelve hits and a walk with two strikeouts.  Zander Weil was 3-for-5 with a home run, his seventeenth.  Jaylin Davis was 2-for-4.  J. J. Fernandez hit a home run, his tenth.  Nelson Molina was 0-for-4 and is batting .304

JOHNSON CITY 7, ELIZABETHTON 4 IN ELIZABETHTON (PLAYOFF GAME 1)

It was tied 3-3 after seven, but Joshua Lopez hit a two-run homer in the eighth and the Cardinals got two more in the ninth to put the game out of reach.  Miguel De Jesus pitched five innings, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts.  Lewin Diaz was 2-for-4 with a home run and a double.  Caleb Hamilton and Luis Martinez were each 2-for-4.  The playoff series is best-of-three.

GCL RED SOX 4, GCL TWINS 3 AT TWINS (ONE-GAME PLAYOFF)

The Red Sox scored three in the sixth and one in the seventh to take 4-0 lead.  In the eighth, Akil Baddoo hit a two-run triple and scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-3, but the Twins did not get the tying run on base.  Tyler Fox pitched 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks with one strikeout.  Lean Marrero was 3-for-3 with a double.  The loss ends the GCL Twins' season.

GAMES OF SEPTEMBER 4

ROCHESTER 5, LEHIGH VALLEY 4 IN LEHIGH VALLEY

Leonardo Reginatto's three-run double was the highlight of a four-run eighth that put the Red Wings up 5-2.  They then held on, as the IronPigs scored one in the eighth and one in the ninth.  Omar Bencomo pitched six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk with four strikeouts.  Mitch Garver was 2-for-2 with a double and two walks and is batting .329.  Kennys Vargas was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Tanner English was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk and is batting .308.  Reginatto was 2-for-4.

JACKSON 8, CHATTANOOGA 5 IN JACKSON

The Generals scored five in the first to go up 5-0.  The Lookouts battled back and tied it 5-5 in the sixth, but it went for naught as Tyler Marlette hit a two-run homer in a three-run Jackson eighth.  Ryan Eades pitched four innings, surrendering five runs on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts.  Niko Goodrum was 3-for-3 with a double and a walk.  He is 8-for-11 in his last three games and is batting .447 in his last ten games.  T. J. White was 2-for-3 with a walk.  D. J. Hicks was 2-for-4 with a double.

FORT MYERS 5, BRADENTON 2 IN FORT MYERS

The Miracle scored single runs in the third, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth to close out their season with a win.  Keaton Steele struck out seven in seven innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks.  Daniel Kihle was 3-for-3 with a home run (his second) and a double.  A. J. Murray was 2-for-4 with a home run, his fourth.  Alex Perez was also 2-for-4.  Fort Myers ends its season with a record of 70-68.

CLINTON 5, CEDAR RAPIDS 0 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Rayder Ascanio hit a three-run homer in the fifth to put the LumberKings up 4-0 and give them control of the game.  Sam Gibbons pitched seven innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on eight hits and two walks with five strikeouts.  Andrew Vasquez struck out three in two perfect innings.  He has an ERA of 1.59, a WHIP of 0.88, and has 36 strikeouts in 28.1 innings.  J. J. Fernandez was 3-for-4.  Casey Scoggins was 2-for-4 with a double.  Luis Arraez was 1-for-4 and is batting .347.

ELIZABETHTON 8, JOHNSON CITY 7 IN JOHNSON CITY (PLAYOFF GAME 2)

The Twins led 1-0, trailed 4-1, led 5-4, trailed 6-5, were tied 6-6, and finally took the lead for good on a run-scoring ground out in the sixth.  The Cardinals had the tying run on third in both the seventh and the eighth.  Tyler Wells lasted only 3.1 innings, surrendering six runs on seven hits and a walk with two strikeouts.  Caleb Hamilton was 3-for-4 with a double.  Mitchell Kranson was 3-for-5 with a double.  Ben Rortvedt was 2-for-5 with a double.  Shane Carrier hit a home run.  The teams are tied 1-1.  The deciding game of the series is scheduled to be played today.

TODAY'S TILTS

12:05  Clinton (Nick Wells, 1-8, 5.61) at Cedar Rapids (Eduardo Del Rosario, 6-2, 3.65)--last game of regular season
12:35  Rochester (David Hurlbut, 0-1, 2.45) at Lehigh Valley (David Buchanan, 9-9, 4.15)--last game of season
2:05  Chattanooga (Felix Jorge, 2-5, 4.55) at Jackson (Bryan Evans, 0-1, 4.76)
6:00  Elizabethton (Clark Beeker, 0-1, 2.38) at Johnson City (Ian Oxnevad, 5-3, 3.38)--playoff game 3

Games of September 2

The Red Wings are eliminated.  The Lookouts are barely hanging on.  A catcher is the winning pitcher for the Kernels.  The Miracle and the GCL Twins are rained out.

LEHIGH VALLEY 7, ROCHESTER 1 IN ROCHESTER

The IronPigs scored five runs in the first inning and the game, along with the Red Wings' postseason hopes, was gone.  They were nearly no-hit, as three pitchers combined to throw 8.2 hitless innings before Reynaldo Rodriguez lined a single to center to drive home the only Rochester run.  Jason Wheeler lasted only a third of an inning, surrendering five runs on four hits and two walks.  D. J. Baxendale came in to pitch 4.2 innings, striking out six while giving up one run on three hits and no walks.  The Red Wings have been eliminated from playoff contention.

CHATTANOOGA 5, JACKSON 0 IN JACKSON

The Lookouts got one in the first, one in the fourth, one in the seventh, and two in the eighth.  Aaron Slegers struck out seven in seven shutout innings, giving up four hits and two walks.  Niko Goodrum was 3-for-4 with a double.  Travis Harrison was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  D. J. Hicks was also 2-for-4 with a double.  Zach Granite was 0-for-4 with a walk and is batting .300.  Chattanooga still trails Montgomery by three games, however, and their elimination number is one.

BRADENTON AT FORT MYERS

Rained out.  They'll try again today.

CEDAR RAPIDS 5, WISCONSIN 4 IN WISCONSIN (16 INNINGS)

The Kernels probably didn't need a sixteen-inning game with the playoffs right around the corner, but at least they won it.  Nelson Molina delivered a two-out RBI triple to drive home the winning run.  Tyler Beardsley pitched 4.2 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts.  Anthony McIver and Max Cordy each pitched three shutout innings.  Colton Davis made his Class A debut with a scoreless inning.  Kevin Garcia, normally a catcher, pitched two shutout innings of relief to get the win.  J. J. Fernandez was 3-for-8 with a home run, his ninth.  Zander Weil was also 3-for-8 with a home run, his sixteenth.  Also going 3-for-8 was Brandon Lopez.  Molina was 2-for-6 and is batting .308.  Luis Arraez was 1-for-5 and is batting .348.

ELIZABETHTON TWINS

No game scheduled.

GCL RED SOX AT GCL TWINS--PLAYOFF

Postponed due to wet grounds.  They'll try again today.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:00  GCL Red Sox at GCL Twins (Taylor Clemensia, 1-4, 2.47)--playoff
3:00  Bradenton at Fort Myers--completion of suspended game
Game 2  Bradenton (TBA) at Fort Myers (Dereck Rodriguez, 1-2, 2.56)
5:00  Johnson City (TBA) at Elizabethton (MIguel De Jesus, 0-2, 3.00)--Playoff Game 1
5:35  Rochester (Tyler Duffey, 1-0, 1.99) at Lehigh Valley (Nick Pivetta, 0-2, 3.20)
6:05  Chattanooga (Randy LeBlanc, 1-0, 0.00) at Jackson (TBA)
6:35  Clinton (Luiz Gohara, 4-2, 2.01) at Cedar Rapids (Brady Anderson, 3-0, 1.24)