Minor Details: A midweek look at the Twins farm system
Posted on June 24th, 2009 – 1:20 PMBy La Velle
It’s been a busy week already - and not just because the short-season leagues have started
Danny Valencia, the Twins’ top third base prospect, and righthander Jeff Manship have been promoted to Class AAA Rochester. Valencia batted .284 with 7 homers and 29 RBI at Class AA New Britian while Manship was 6-4 with a 4.28 ERA.
Valencia, the favorite to open 2010 at third base for the Twins, is steady with the glove and projects to hit for some power. He made a good impression with Twins manager Ron Gardenhire during spring training.
He’s improved a little since joining New Britain:
G AB 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG OBP SLG
2008: 69 266 18 2 10 32 18 70 .289 .334 .485
2009 57 218 14 4 7 29 31 40 .284 .373 .482
He struggled when he first got to New Britain last year but finished well and carried that into this season. The increase in walks and decrease in strikeouts is noteoworthy.
Manship struggled some early this season but had reeled off five straight quality starts when promoted. In three June starts, Manship was 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA.
WHAT ABOUT HUGHES?
It will be interesting to see what the Twins will do with third baseman Luke Hughes when he returns from a strained oblique muscle. He injured himself in late May then aggravated the injury on June 6. He’s currently rehabbing in Fort Myers Fla.
Jim Rantz, the Twins minor league director, said the plan all along was to get Valencia to Rochester before the year ended. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire thinks Hughes looks better at second base. But that’s where Alexi Casilla is.
Casilla, by the way, has missed a few games with a groin muscle strain.
OTHER MOVES
Righthander Kyle Waldrop and infielder Daniel Berg have been moved to New Britain to replace Manship and Valencia. Juan Portes, whose bat has come alive this year, will move to third base. Portes is batting .333 at New Britain. He’s played various positions in his career, but Rantz said Portes can hold his own in the field and is not a DH prospect.
OTHER STUFF
The numbers don’t show it, but Rantz said righthander Deolis Guerra is making some progress after changing his delivery and dealing with a drop in velocity. Rantz said Guerra’s velocity is up to around 90-91 miles an hour and could get better. Guerra hit 95 on the gun as an 18-year old but had no movement, leading to the change in his delivery.
A few Class A Fort Myers players left Tuesday’s game because of the heat. The temperature was 96 with a heat index of 110. Rantz said an umpire had to leave the Gulf Cost League game.
Shortstop Tyler Ladendorf was 4 for 4 on Tuesday in Elizabethton’s season opener. He was a second-round pick in last year’s draft after a prolific junior college career but batted .204 for the Gulf Coast League Twins. “Sometimes you have to give them a mulligan that first year when they are getting used to wood bats,” Rantz said. Ladendorf could end up at Class A Beloit for the season is over.
FINALLY
There continue to be whispers that Ben Revere will be moved to second base - but Rantz shot it down. “I don’t know who is talking about that but it ain’t us,” Rantz said.
49 Responses to "Minor Details: A midweek look at the Twins farm system"
The temperature was 96 with a heat index of 110.
I will no longer complain about the heat up here in Minny. That’s nuts. AND to have to play a ball game in it! 
The GCL Twins pitched a combined no-hitter this afternoon: Iowan BJ Hermsen and Cowboy Dakota Watts.
The bench coach down there must double as an English teacher. Take a look at that roster.
Thanks for the update!
Revere to second base? Who would start those rumors?
Very excited to hear good news on the Guerra front. I’ve been a supporter of him and would love it if I could be right. 
Move Revere to AA now! He his ready, let him show you what he can do! He should have been in high A last year but they stuck him at Beloit all year and he went off. He should be at AAA by the end of this year, but now he will be a year behind that.
Great info La Velle! What a great time to be a Twins fan.
Adam:
“He [Revere] should be at AAA by the end of this year, but now he will be a year behind that.”
Adam, do you need help getting ahold of the dozens of Twins staffers who have followed Revere daily for hundreds of hours over two seasons? Because, apparently they aren’t aware of this.
“He’s improved a little since joining New Britain:”
…a bit of an understatement, in my opinion. those numbers (ESPECIALLY THE K/BB RATIO!!) are overwhelmingly GREAT news for the Twins.
Thanks, LaVelle
I was wondering about Hughes too after Valencia arrived here the other day and put up a great debut last night. I like the idea of Manship comin up too. We’re not winning a lot in Rochester this year, but I feel like I’m watching the beginning of a very good young Twins team falling into place.
USA! USA! USA!
I have not heard a single thing anywhere on Revere going to 2nd base. That is very interesting.
Devon:
“We’re not winning a lot in Rochester this year, but I feel like I’m watching the beginning of a very good young Twins team falling into place.”
You may be in for a long overdue treat this summer in Rochester. You have the youngest team in the International League. There are ten players on the team that get votes as Top 20 organizational prospects, and three of those are Top 10’s: Swarzak, Valencia, and Mulvey. Others: Delaney, Manship, Hughes, Plouffe, Tolleson, Duensing, Humber, Martin, and Pridie. You have others who’ve tasted big time success: Crain, Casilla, Morales, Morillo, and Macri. And Winfree may be your best hitter.
Get out to the ballpark, my friend. They should have a better second half.
birdofprey…
Watching Delaney pitch… can you compare him to anyone? Good and bad preferably to get a range. Because the sad thing is that I think he is our possible savior for the 2009 season if he can come up here by late August.
WOW!!!!! The Twins GCL team just combined for a no-hitter today (the 24th)and nearly a perfect game!! Three pitchers (B.J. Hermsen-’08 pick, Dakota Watts-16th rd. in ‘09 and Eliecer Cardenas-undrafted in ‘06) gave up ZERO hits, 1 walk with 3Ks!
Great job!!
Also, MN Gophers player and Twins 4th round pick, Derek Mccallum went 1-5 with 3Ks in his debut yesterday.
Last night for the Twins rookie team in Elizabethton, pitcher Tom Stuifbergen (undrafted in ‘06 from Denmark…hello Bert Blyleven) went 6IP, gave up 0BB and had 10K! Whoa! Looks like MN has some talented rookie-level prospects!
Last night for the Twins rookie team in Elizabethton, pitcher Tom Stuifbergen (undrafted in ‘06 from Denmark…hello Bert Blyleven) went 6IP, gave up 0BB and had 10K!
Holland (the Netherlands).
Stuif is the one who held the Dominican squad scoreless in the WBC; do you think that Rookie league players would be a problem for him? The guy should have been at least at Beloit if not at Ft. Myers to start the season.
Alright, calm down thrylos just passing along the info..
Thought Twins fans might like to know
I would at least like the Twins to try Revere back at 2nd to see how he does. We have much more outfield depth in the minors then infield.
Jeff, there is actually a bit of a logjam on second base in the minors:
Casilla blocks Tolleson who blocks Dinkelman who blocks Singleton who blocks McCallum. Not sure how Revere will fit in the equation (ok Singleton could play SS) because he will be blocked. Also there are 3 starting OF positions in a team and only 1 in 2B. The odds to rise through the organization at OF are higher at this point.
thrylos98,
It is quality, not quantity that blocks Revere (and chases…see Hicks and Angel Morales) at OF.
If Revere can handle 2B defensively and hit as he has in 2007-2009, Casilla, Tolleson, Dinkelman and McCallum are not going to block (or catch) him.
Everyone talks like turning an OF in to a 2B is routine… just give him a smaller glove and shove him out there. I’d be concerned that all of the work it would take to try to get a guy to be a passable infielder might have an adverse effect on his hitting.
BA Twins prospect rankings:
1)Hicks OF
2) Revere OF
10) Morales OF
14) Parmelee OF
15) Benson OF
18) Tosoni OF
All outfielders
23) Tolleson top ranked 2B
sane,
the Twins will need a least another OF in the bigs by at least 2011. By then the starting OF will probably be Span/Gomez/Young (LF/CF/RF). Young will be a FA after the 2012 season and Span and Gomez after the 2013 season, which allows plenty of opportunity for a Revere/Hicks/Morales outfield by then. Morales will be 24, Hicks and Revere 25 and still have 6 years of club control. Not a bad plan if it pans out.
JC,
Revere was a 2B until his senior year in HS, when he was switched to OF to make him more “draftable”.
sane, Parmalee (and Winfree) project as DH. And prospect rankings indicate potential not how ready for or far from the majors one is.
thrylos98,
If the Twins actually re-sign Span, Gomez and/or Young, the window of opportunity closes for Revere (Hicks or Morales).
sane,
agreed, but it will be unlikely for them to sign all three. Also a lot of things happen in 3 years (and none of the kids will be ready before that)
Nobody projects as a DH, until they have made it to MLB as an ACTUAL position player.
You are right about the rankings, because they ALL could fail.
But the point is that a Revere switch to 2B, (if he proves to be defensively adequate) would remove Span, Gomez, Young, Hicks and Romero as potential roadblocks.
Tolleson, etc would not be roadblocks for the minor leagues batting champion (Revere)
I meant Angel MORALES. (not Romero)
Tolleson, etc would not be roadblocks for the minor leagues batting champion (Revere)
Revere was the batting champion in the Midwest (A)league
Tolleson might actually be the batting champion in the international (AAA) league this season if he has enough PA to qualify… He is hitting .340/.421/.500 so far. Not that bad
and another thing: You are talking about an organization that allowed Pignatiello, Julianel, Lahey, Hendrickson and other such remarkables to block Delaney and Slama. Do you think that Revere will be any different? Tolleson was blocked earlier this year by the likes of Tolbert, Macri and Machado…
“Revere was the batting champion in the Midwest (A)league”
He was also the batting champion of ALL minor league baseball. (.379)
What a difference that pitch, which should have been called strike three, is called a ball.
Wrong blog
If the Twins OF is Gomez-Young-Span in 2011 we will finish in the cellar.
A post on what’s goin on in the Twins Minor League system and no mention that OF Aaron Hicks is finally playing for Beloit?!? come on…he’s only the top prospect and all…
“A post on what’s goin on in the Twins Minor League system and no mention that OF Aaron Hicks is finally playing for Beloit?!?”
What else can be said after eight at-bats except, “Aaron Hicks is finally playing”?
sane -
and yet, that still wasn’t said…which is the whole point of me saying that. How many people here have said things like “why isn’t Hicks playing?”, “when is Hicks going to make his debut?”, etc…
Therefore I think it would be noteworthy…
TNG,
From LaVelle, June 18.
“Just got word that Aaron Hicks, the Twins’ first round pick from last year’s draft, is headed to Class A Beloit.”
After that, most of us who were asking “when is Hicks going to make his debut?” started tracking Snappers games.
You are right, though.
It probably deserved a mention.
I injected my criticism of the beat writers when no one would ask “what is Hicks working on in EST?”
I finally had to find out second-hand from Hicks himself.
I try not to be too critical of people who are giving me information for free.
woop, I missed that mention then…
what’d Hicks say to your questions?
I myself am now planning a road trip to Beloit (anyone else interested?) so I can watch him first hand and get some impressions…
TNG,
Hicks was held in EST to work on one aspect of his LEFT-HANDED hitting.
(He is, of course, a switch-hitter)
He was pulling off the ball left-handed, leaving himself vulnerable to outside corner off-speed pitches.
The Twins wanted him to clean that up before he left EST.
Perfectly understandable, but it was frustrating to me not knowing and not having any Twins (or media) who would release (or ask for) that information.
I agree, was frustrating to me as well
Perfectly understandable, but it was frustrating to me not knowing and not having any Twins (or media) who would release (or ask for) that information.
I suspect that the reason that this information was not released by the Twins’ organization is because it could potentially expose a weakness in a player, which could be taken advantage by opponents. Would you ever publicly talk about the weaknesses of your players and what you they are working to fix?
http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/48567282.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU
Newspapers still exist, you know….
“Would you ever publicly talk about the weaknesses of your players and what you they are working to fix?”
I didn’t want specifics.
Just “working on LH-hitting” would have been sufficient until the problem was corrected.
sane,
I get it. And I am 99.99% certain that La Velle had that information (LEN3 call me wrong if you didn’t)
BUT
At some point it is a trust issue. And it is more serious if your paycheck (and your livelihood) kind of depended on it.
Personally, I would have preferred an even more vague description of “working some kinks out at EST”
but that’s just me…
Regarding Revere, it took the Twins two years after just about everyone said that Matt Moses would never make it at third to move him.
The Twins have about 50 guys who are CFers in the system (including two at the MLB level). They have maybe 3 decent middle infielders in the minors (Tolleson, Portes and maybe Plouffe). If the Twins don’t plan on switching Revere, they should trade him because he will just rot away in the Twins system stuck between Span and Gomez from above and Angel Morales and Aaron Hicks from below.
Kevin H,
I agree.
Revere could disappear as an OF, but would rise quickly as a .370-hitting 2B.
