Twins: Minor League Report (9/21)
The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels completed their season this week with a record of 60-54. Meanwhile, the Wichita Wind Surge will battle the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in the Double-A Central Championship round starting Sept. 21. As well as the Cedar Rapids Kernels will be taking on the Quad Cities River Bandits in the HACL Championship.
Top Performers:
AAA
Jose Miranda, #8, 3B
6 Games, .357 BA (10/28), 2 HR, 8 RBI
- Jose Miranda hasn’t made many appearances on the ‘Top Performers’ section lately. One impressive part of his game is his ability to hit for power and not striking out often. In 300 at-bats for the St. Paul Saints, he’s striking out only 15.7 percent of the time.
Damek Tomscha, 3B
6 Games, .375 BA (9/24), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO
- Damek Tomscha has spent the majority of the season with the Saints after appearing in five games for the Wichita Wind Surge. The 30-year likely won’t receive a call-up to the majors soon, but it’s nice to see an unusual suspect crack the list for his great performance.
Beau Burrows, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 6.1 IP, 1.42 ERA, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 SO
- Beau Burrows didn’t pan out for the Twins when he was called up, but he was a former first-round pick in 2015. If he can string together more performances like these, then there might be some sort of role for him next year.
AA
Spencer Steer, #23, SS
6 Games, .182 (4/22), 1 HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1 SB
- Normally a player shouldn’t get mentioned as a top performer if he bats under .200, but Spencer Steer is deserving of a nomination after leading the team with eight RBIs this week. He’s not known for his power, but he’s crushed 24 home runs this season. In 2019 he hit a total of four HRs and 17 in four years at the University of Oregon.
Aaron Whitefield, CF
5 Games, .375 (6/16), 4 RBI, 3 BB, 3 SO, 6 SB
- If you’re a pitcher, you don’t want to see Aaron Whitefield on the base-paths. This week he stole six bags, adding to his season total of 36. He doesn’t hit for power, but he collects a lot of singles and has drawn 42 walks.
Erik Manoah Jr., RHP
2 Games, 1-0, 3.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 SO
- Erik Manoah Jr. has been in the minor league system since 2014, but he’s only 25 years old. After starting the year in Low-A, he’s climbed his way up to Double-A. He hasn’t been as good as he was at the two Single-A clubs, but still a player to keep monitoring.
High-A
Edouard Julien, 2B
6 Games, .231 BA (6/26), 3 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 12 SO
- Edouard Julien has had an incredible end-of-the-season run for the Kernels. On Aug. 6, the former Auburn star was batting .192. Since then, he’s raised that average to .266.
Aaron Sabato, #16, 1B
5 Games, .125 BA (2/16), 1 RBI, 7 BB, 10 SO
- Aaron Sabato has been a bit of disappointment this season. The Twins’ former first-round pick has struck out in 41.2 percent of his at-bats, factoring into his low batting average on the year (.202). However, in 22 games with the Kernels, he’s hitting .253, which is an encouraging sign.
Louie Varland, #29, SP
1 Game, 0-1, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 11 SO
- Louie Varland is potentially having the best season for Twins’ minor league pitchers. Despite picking up the loss on Sept. 15, the Minnesota native struck out 11 and had just one earned run in the 2-1 loss to the Peoria Chiefs.
Osiris German, RHP
2 Games, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 6 SO
- Osiris German was signed as a free agent from the Dominican Republic. The 22-year-old started the season with the Might Mussels and eventually earned his call-up in July after pitching a 2.27 ERA.
Low-A
Willie Joe Garry Jr., RF
4 Games, .385 BA (5/13), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 SO
- The Twins’ former ninth-round pick hasn’t played well this season, hitting just under .200. He hasn’t seen much success at any of the previous two levels, but the 21-year-old still has time on his side.
Brent Headrick, SP
1 Game, 3.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 7 SO
- Brent Headrick is another former ninth-round pick and has had a decent season. He currently boasts an ERA of 3.82, but opponents are hitting .264 off him.
John Stankiewicz, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 6.0 IP, 1.50 ERA, 5 H, 1 BB, 6 SO
- John Stankiewicz has appeared in seven games for Fort Myers this season and has looked good. In 23.1 innings, the right-handed pitcher has an ERA of 2.70, and opponents are only hitting .212 off him.
Top Prospects
Austin Martin, #2, SS
6 Games, .316 BA (6/19), 6 BB, 3 SO, 1 SB
Jordan Balazovic, #3, SP
1 Games, 3.2 IP, 9.82 ERA, 4 H, 4 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR
Simeon Woods-Richardson, #4, SP
2 Games, 1-0, 5.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 SO
Misael Urbina, #12, CF
4 Games, .154 (2/13), 1 RBI, 2 BB, 4 SO, 3 SB
Matt Wallner, #14, RF
6 Games, .304 BA (7/23), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 7 SO
Drew Strotman, #17, SP
2 Games, 1-1, 10.0 IP, 8.10 ERA, 6 BB, 6 SO, 2 HR
Alerick Soularie, #18, 2B
4 Games, .071 BA (1/14), 2 BB, 5 SO, 1 SB
Cole Sands, #19, SP
1 Games, 1-0, 5.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 SO
Chris Vallimont, #21, SP
1 Game, 5.2 IP, 1.59 ERA, 2 H, 4 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR
Yunior Severino, #27, 2B
1 Game, .000 BA (0/2), 2 BB, 1 SO