Posted by andrew on June 23, 2010 under Andrew | 
With a few months of the minor league season in the books, and with several players having been either promoted or demoted throughout the system, it’s time for another Minor League Check-In. Here are three players who Twins fans should be keeping their eye on this year:
Kyle Gibson, SP, New Britain Rock Cats
After dominating his opposition while with the Fort Myers Miracle, Gibson sported a 1.87 ERA on the season. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was looking excellent, and a few thought the former first-round pick may be able to challenge for a September call-up later in 2010.
Since being promoted to Double-A New Britain, however, Gibson has received a harsh welcome. Through seven starts, Gibson has a 4.83 ERA to go with an inflated WHIP. He is being hit much harder in New Britain, but Gibson has managed to keep his K/BB ratio in tact and as appealing as ever.
Nearly all hope of a 2010 appearance with the major-league club has been dissolved, but Gibson should still be able to finish the season with the Rochester Red Wings. He will contend for a rotation spot to start the 2011 season.
Joe Benson, OF, New Britain Rock Cats
Benson was one of the first Twins to be promoted this season, as he was sent from Fort Myers to New Britain. He has played 40 games at the Double-A level, and has proven that he isn’t over-matched at the higher level. He is still struggling with strikeouts, but Benson’s .350/.478 on-base and slugging percentages are among the best in Minnesota’s organization. Benson has hit 12 home runs so far this season, and is stealing more bases than he has in the past.
Although the Twins’ outfield is jam-packed with talented players, if Benson keeps hitting like this it will be impossible to leave him out of the major-league picture for too long.
Miguel Sano, 3B/OF, Dominican Summer League
One of the Twins’ biggest international signings in their history, Sano has been raking opposing pitching through his first 14 games. Hitting .341/.444/.636, Sano has shown himself to be a natural hitter at the Hot Corner.
Of course, he’s only had about 50 professional plate appearances, and Sano will need many more years before he is polished enough to join the big-league club. When Sano is ready for big-league action, though, the Twins will be more than happy to accommodate him.
Posted by andrew on April 21, 2010 under Andrew |
15. Deolis Guerra, RH-SP, New Britain
Guerra has made two starts so far this season, and has a 4.91 ERA through 11 innings. His WHIP is just above 1, but he isn’t striking out as many as he had in the past. Guerra ended last season with the Rock Cats, and pitched 62.2 innings with a 5.17 ERA and seven strikeouts per nine innings. This year, though, Guerra has yet to walk a batter.
14. Tyler Robertson, LH-SP, New Britain
Robertson is making his first appearance in the Florida State League this year, and has made two less-than-stellar starts so far. His ERA is 5.40, his WHIP 1.500, and he has managed to last a combined total of just 6.2 innings. It’s early, but Robertson has struck out just two batters, and opponents are hitting .333 off him. Robertson has induced more fly-outs than ground-outs, which is troubling.
13. Rene Tosoni, OF, New Britain
Tosoni has had a monster start to the season, and is hitting .432/.488/.649 in the first ten games of his second year at Double-A. On Monday, Tosoni went 4-4 with a double, home run, and stolen base. The sample-size is obviously very small, but Tosoni has hit equally well against both right- and left-handers. His inability to hit against southpaws throughout his career is probably his biggest drawback. If he can figure out left-handers, there is no reason why he can’t be a candidate for a late-season call-up.
12. BJ Hermsen, RH-SP, EST
Hermsen hasn’t compiled any stats so far this year, which could be because he is participating in Extended Spring Training. After EST, Hermsen could either go back to the Gulf Coast League, or advance to the Beloit rotation.
11. David Bromberg, RH-SP, New Britain
In his two starts so far this season, Bromberg has looked great. He has just 11 innings under his belt, but Bromberg has an ERA of 0.82, and opponents are hitting just .139 off him. This is Bromberg’s first year of Double-A, and he is limiting his base-runners while striking out plenty.
10. Miguel Angel Sano, SS/3B/OF, EST?
Sano will most likely play for the GCL Twins this season. They haven’t started playing games yet.
9. Joe Benson, OF, New Britain Rock Cats
Benson performed well in the Florida State League last year, and made the jump to Double-A this season. Through ten games, Bromberg is hitting .216/.326/.351 with one home run, and he has four stolen bases. As Benson gets accustomed to the environs of Double-A, his production will greatly improve.
8. Chris Parmelee, 1B/DH, New Britain
Parmelee was given a relatively unexpected promotion to New Britain to start the 2010 season, and has shown his power right out of the gate. Through ten games, Parmelee is hitting .250/.304/.475 with two home runs and three doubles. We’ve yet to see how his defense looks, which is the biggest issue with Parmelee. Should he prove capable of playing adequate first base or corner outfield defense, his value as a prospect will shoot up.
7. Adrian Salcedo, RH-SP, EST
Like Hermsen, Salcedo will likely start the year in Extended Spring Training before joining the Beloit rotation. He hasn’t thrown a competitive pitch yet this year.
6. Wilson Ramos, C, Rochester
After the Twins opted to give Ramos consistent playing time over a back-up catcher role with the big-league club, Ramos has hit .189/.211/.297 in nine games. He has one home run, but has a 10/1 K/BB ratio. This is his first year of Triple-A, and he clearly needs some time to re-gain his footing.
5. Kyle Gibson, RH-SP, Fort Myers
Gibson has made three starts so far this year for the Miracle, and has looked exceptional. He is striking out an average of 9.7 batters per nine innings, and has an ERA of 2.70. He has struck out 18 opposing batters, and given a free pass to just three. After a few more starts like these, Gibson could find his way to New Britain very soon.
4. Danny Valencia, 3B, Rochester
Valencia finished last season with the Red Wings, and is hitting .188/.250/.250 in his nine games in Rochester in 2010. The season is still very young, and he will get the hang of things eventually. When he does, Valencia stands a very good chance to make the big-league squad and attempt to take playing time away from Nick Punto and Brendan Harris at the hot corner.
3. Ben Revere, OF, New Britain
After a great showing in Spring Training, Revere started the 2010 season in New Britain. This is his first season in Double-A, and he is hitting .214/.353/.214 through eight games. He has two stolen bases in as many attempts. If he can get his bat working for him, Revere could find his way to Rochester by the end of the season.
2. Angel Morales, OF, Beloit Snappers
After hitting .266/.329/.455 with 40 extra-base hits at Beloit last season, Morales was denied a promotion to High-A and was sentenced to repeat Low-A and work on his very high strikeout rate. So far this year, not much has improved. Morales has struck out 12 times, while only drawing two walks. He’s still just 20 years old, though, and has plenty of time to develop plate discipline, which will be the main focus of 2010 for Morales.
1. Aaron Hicks, OF, Beloit
Hicks spent last season in Beloit, and wasn’t very impressive at the plate. This season, as a 20-year old, Hicks has hit .108/.233/.216 through ten games. The athleticism, speed, and plate discipline are all very advanced for Hicks, but the bat has yet to come around.
Tags: Aaron Hicks, Adrian Salcedo, Angel Morales, Ben Revere, BJ Hermsen, Chris Parmelee, Danny Valencia, David Bromberg, Deolis Guerra, Joe Benson, Kyle Gibson, Miguel Angel Sano, Rene Tosoni, Tyler Robertson, Wilson Ramos
