Rochester Update; Thompson impresses

I had my first chance to see the Rochester Red Wings at Frontier Field for a game Aug. 25, 2013, a game in which Terry Ryan attended to gauge potential September call-ups.

The Red Wings have had a solid season and are in line to make the International League playoffs as a Wild Card team, a rare feat for a Twins organization that routinely fields a poor to mediocre AAA team record. Much of the success has come from feel-good stories like Chris Colabello, Clete Thomas, Doug Bernier, Caleb Theilbar and Andrew Albers, all unheralded players that have become the competitive pulse of the big-league club, to go along with top prospects, Oswaldo Arcia and Chris Hermann.

Now, the Red Wings feature a long list of once highly-touted players on the Twins opening-day roster: Chris Parmelee, Aaron Hicks, Darin Mastroianni, Eduardo Escobar, an injured Vance Worley, and also Cole DeVries and Pedro Hernandez pitching in AA. 

With September call-ups just on the way, the Twins must decide whether to bring up several players to the big-league, or leave them in AAA for playoff experience. From my one-game sample, it appears that Chris Parmelee and Aaron Hicks are still playing flat, and could benefit from the excitement of a playoff atmosphere. Eduardo Escobar has emerged as a leader and clutch player at shortstop, and would also be a shame to strip from the playoff team. Darin Mastroianni has been fighting himself to get a timing and rhythm back after injuries have derailed his season, but is in a bit of a logjam in a crowded AAA outfield.

With the Twins needing another middle infielder down the stretch, it could be interesting to see if shortstop, Danny Santanta, 22, could be bumped up from AA after hitting .296 in 510 at-bats. This would allow the Twins to rest a tired middle infield and give Escobar a chance to help the Rochester team in a more important role than he’d have in the big leagues.

Scott Diamond is almost sure to be recalled, as he has sparkled with a 1.93 ERA in four starts, and with the Twins a bit shaky in the rotation down the stretch. The AAA team would still boast a formidable playoff rotation of P.J. Walters (3.97 ERA, 17 starts), Pat Dean (2.13 ERA, four starts), Logan Darnell (4.09 ERA, 11 starts). Pedro Hernandez (0.82 ERA, two starts) and Cole DeVries (1.69 ERA, three starts) both have major league experience and are pitching well in AA, and should both be called up to either to the AAA playoff roster or the big leagues.

Kyle Gibson has likely seen his last time with the Twins this season, and appeared to be battling his command upon a return to AAA. Approaching the 150 inning mark shortly after his Tommy John surgery, it may be nearing time to shut him down, although perhaps at least one playoff start would be a nice way to end the year. Gibson has been in ace form most of the AAA season, with a 3.04 ERA in 17 starts.

The Red Wings have plenty of outfield depth, so look for at least one or two players to be called up. Darin Mastroianni is still somewhat rusty, hitting .244 in 51 at-bats, but deserves a call. Aaron Hicks has only batted .176 in 51 at-bats, while Chris Parmalee is only at .225 in 138 at-bats. With such slumping numbers, they may be likely to stay in AAA and perhaps see time in winter ball this offseason.

LHP Aaron Thompson and RHP Michael Tomkin both look like “blue chip” relief prospects to me. Thompson is a left-handed reliever with a solid delivery and composure, perhaps a bit better than Brian Duensing is right now as a short reliever. Tonkin took the loss with four runs allowed in the 10th inning on Aug 25 for the Red Wings, but was beat on some very good pitches and was showing outstanding movement.

Thompson is not on the 40-man roster, so will likely stay in AAA unless the Twins find a last-minute trading partner for Brian Duensing (seems like somebody would be interested??). Tonkin is the anchor of the Red Wings bullpen, so look for him to also stay until after the playoff run.

Prediction? Look for the Twins to call up Scott Diamond, Darin Mastrolianni and Danny Santana on September 1, and add Pedro Hernandez and Cole DeVries to the AAA playoff roster. After the playoffs, Eduardo Escobar, Michael Tonkin and perhaps one additional pitcher could get the call.

Also note that Indianapolis Indians’ right-handed pitcher, Erik Cordier, clocked a pitch reading at 101 MPH at the Aug. 25th game. “That’s the fastest I’ve seen all year,” noted a scout.

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Carroll, Richardson, Colabello pushing for opportunities

With the team’s starting pitching woes, the Twins will need to generate much more offense to compete. Much has been said about Aaron Hick’s struggles, and it certainly appears that he needs more seasoning in the minor leagues.

Hicks has shown an inability to hit the other way, is late on good fastballs, and fooled frequently on off-speed pitches. This is expected from someone who has never played in AAA, but the team hasn’t has a replacement option in center field with Darin Mastroianni, 27, sidelined for most of the season.

Suddenly out of nowhere, forgotten journeyman, Antoan Richardson, 29, is tearing 

it up in the minor leagues. He is a switch-hitting center fielder with great speed and a career minor league on-base percentage of over .400.

Richardson, who is from the Bahamas, started the year in AA and hit .336 with 14 stolen bases before getting called up to AAA. In 30 at-bats, he owns a remarkable .500 on-base percentage and can obviously smell the best opportunity of his major league career, making a run for it the best he can. He could be a possible sleeper.

Brian Dozier is hitting .205 in 122 at-bats, and could soon be replaced by proven veteran, Jamey Carroll. Carroll is hitting .304 in just 54 at-bats, but might be the only current Twin capable of batting leadoff on a winning team. Dozier has drawn rave reviews for his defense, but Carroll is just as handy, more experienced and deserves a chance if the team really wants to win.

The Twins have a good deal of depth at first base and designated hitter, but its hard to ignore Chris Colabello, 29, who is putting up historically awesome numbers for AAA Rochester. In just his second professional year, the righthanded hitting first baseman is hitting .360 with 12 home runs, 38 RBI and a remarkable 17 doubles in 172 at-bats. On a Twins team struggling for offense, they may need to get creative to get this guy up to the big leagues, fast.

Sputtering Twins may have changes coming

After holding a .500 pace through the early part of the season, the Twins find themselves returning to last year’s toils of poor starting pitching and a lineup held back by slumping players. 

The team has now fallen to 18-23 after losing six in a row, and entering a time of year in which Terry Ryan has traditionally begun to make major changes.

A wealth of options exist for the #5 starter, and it appears that the team will turn to their third option after less than two months of the season. Liam Hendriks, 24, pitched mediocre to start the year, as did Pedro Henandez, 24, his replacement. Hendriks has yet to challenge major league hitters consistently, while Henandez may lack the “out pitch” needed for continued success at a high level.

One bright spot is that there are options in the system, unlike last year. Caleb Thielbar, 26, was called up to bolster the bullpen for the short-term, and looked fantastic in his big league debut. The Minnesota-born lefthander looked a lot like Glen Perkins, embarrassing several Atlanta Braves over two scoreless innings on May 20. Like Perkins, he features a smooth delivery, hard 93-mph fastball, and a nasty breaking pitch. While the bullpen has been solid for the Twins this season, it may be hard for the team to send down such a promising talent.

Most likely though, Thielbar will be sent down for a starting pitcher once the #5 spot in the rotation comes around. After pitching two dominant shutouts already this season in AAA, it will likely be Kyle Gibson, finally fully recovered from 2011 Tommy John surgery.

Gibson is a sinker-slider pitcher expected to be a big part of the Twins future starting rotation, but has yet to make his big-league debut. The team may also opt to go for a more experienced hand in P.J. Walters, 28, a more experienced but less talented pitcher with almost identical numbers to Gibson in Rochester.

Kyle Gibson: 9 starts, 3.25 ERA, 52.2 IP, 46 hits, 14 BB, 46 SO

P.J. Walters: 9 starts, 3.31 ERA,  54.1 IP, 55 hits, 16 BB, 46 SO

Samuel Deduno, 29. also has a 2.70 ERA in his first three AAA starts since coming off the disabled list, and pitched well for the Twins in 2012. He throws one of the best curveballs in baseball, but may be a long-spot due to his high pitch counts and inability to pitch deep into games. Expect him to reach the rotation whenever the Twins bullpen is less taxed and able to absorb his 5-6 inning starts.

It’s also hard not to notice long-spot option, Andrew Albers, 27, a lefthander who has a sparkling 2.34 ERA in eight starts. Albers has never been a top-flight prospect, but his success to start the season is sure to open some eyes. He would also add a different look to the rotation, that could use another lefty to compliment Scott Diamond.

Even though the other four starting pitchers have struggled, don’t expect the core to change until at least mid-season. Mike Pelfrey is the most vulnerable, with a 6.57 ERA and .339 opponents’ batting average over eight starts, but his fastball in now reaching the mid-90s and he will be given some slack after returning very early from Tommy John surgery just a year ago.

Tough decisions as pitchers return from DL

Anthony Swarzak is a good pitcher with a major-league salary, but a strong showing by Twins relievers early in the season may make it hard for him to crack the roster again after cracking a rib.

Glen Perkins, Jared Burton and Brian Duensing are all proven veterans, guaranteed to stay on the roster. Casey Fien has been pitching the living fire out of the ball, striking out the side in his first inning of work this year and getting the final out of a bases-load jam two days later. Josh Roenicke was wicked movement and a solid track record. 

It seems the only vulnerable pitchers would be Tyler Robertson and Ryan Pressly. Problem is, the intimidating, Paul Bunyan-like Robertson is death to left-handers, striking out Price Fielder with the bases loaded in his first appearance. Pressly, meanwhile, must remain on the roster all year or the Twins will lose his rights as a Rule V player.

My, how times have changed on the Twins staff.. additionally, Rich Haren, Tim Wood and Rafael Perez are all highly thought of veteran pitchers on the mend soon, while Luis Perdomo, Anthony Slama and Bryan Augenstein have all pitched in the big-leagues and would do respectably well for the big-league club.

In the rotation, Liam Hendriks and Cole DeVries will be competing for a spot once Scott Diamond returns from the DL, and World Baseball Classic star, Samual Deduno, will be waiting in the wings at AAA if anyone falters. Beyond that? PJ Walters, Kyle Gibson and Pedro Henandez make up what appears to be a team with good, experienced depth in AAA.

Pressly looks like a keeper

Whomever scouted Rule V pick, Ryan Pressly, should get a big pat on the back for finding a largely unheralded AA pitcher that has a chance to contribute now in the majors.

At the end of the third game of the season, the Twins were locked neck-and-neck with the Tigers, depleting the entire bullpen besides Pressly and closer, Glen Perkins. With two outs in the ninth and the Twins clinging to a slim, one-run lead, Perkins stood on the bullpen mound waiting to enter the game as the rookie, Pressly sat alone on the bullpen bench.

Suddenly, the Twins strung together an amble of runs and the Twins called Pressly to take Perkins’ place on the bullpen mound. He ambled up to the rubber, noticeably shaking, vibrating almost, and things did not look pretty. His curves were hanging and at one point he bounced two straight fastballs about six feet in front of the plate.

Then, just before the call, he scrambled for a stick of bubble gum, slipped the wrapper in his back pocket and took a long, cool jog into what would be his first major league game. 

And then, everything seemed to click. He gave up a quick single but settled down to retire the next three batters, including striking out Torii Hunter on one of the best curveballs anyone had thrown all day. His fastball was clocked at a respectable 92mph with movement, and he challenged the hitters with no fear or apparent jitters. Like night-and-day from what could have been foreshadowed in the bullpen, pitching like a veteran.

It’s way to early to say if Ryan Pressly will make it through the whole season, or even if he’ll remain when several veteran pitchers, like Anthony Swarzak, Scott Diamond and Rich Harden return from the Disabled List, but the Twins sure did pick a good arm hiding out of nowhere.

Pressly began the 2012 season by posting a 6.28 ERA in 76 innings in high A ball. On the verge of possible release, he was converted to a reliever and suddenly improved to an 2.93 ERA over a small sampling of 14 games and 27 innings pitched in AA. That’s quite a turn-around in a short amount of time, and he comes to the majors as one of the more unlikely contributors in recent Twins history.

2013 Twins roster full of depth, potential

Although most pundits predict a poor 2013 season for the Minnesota Twins, the team has quietly accumulated depth and respectability in most regards, and could be a surprise contender in the American League Central. 

The starting pitching staff was terrible in 2012, but has added Vance Worley, Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey, to go along with Scott Diamond and at least one of a stew of last years holdovers, headed by Liam Hendriks and Cole DeVries. Unlike last season, the team has plenty of pitchers to choose from if their veterans falter, and it seems like SOMEBODY out of ten or so major league-ready starters will have a break-out season.

The offense is not a problem, with a killer row middle-of-the-lineup in Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau and Ryan Doumit. The key here will be getting solid years out of right fielder, Chris Parmalee, and third-baseman, Trevor Plouffe. Both players should be ready to step up if they are to become quality regular players.

The middle infield consists of defensive whiz, Pedro Florimon at shortstop and line-drive hitting, Brian Dozier, at second base. Jamey Carroll and Eduardo Escobar provide good defense for spot starts or the late innings. The Twins have lacked consistent infield defense over the past two years, and this year’s more experienced squad should be much improved, and should improve the overall pitching numbers.

The bullpen should be one of the best in baseball, although it was fairly solid last year. If fact, 26-year-old Alex Burnett was recently let go, which is a sign of healthy times. Burnett had been with the team for three seasons and posted a respectable 3.52 ERA in 2012, but was simply not good enough to crack the 40-man roster with so many new additions this year, such as Josh Roenicke and promising Rule V pick, Ryan Pressly.

All in all, expect the Twins to fair much better than expected. They should be at least a .500 team with an outside shot at a Wild Card.

Interesting non-roster invitees

Each years during Spring Training, major league teams will invite a host of usually unheralded, journeymen players to camp and give them the opportunity to win a job on the big-league squad.

These are usually grizzled AAA veterans that might spawn images of characters from the film, Major League, or perhaps more realistically, a small snapshot of of the infamous “replacement player” spring training of 1995.

There will also be a caravan of young, upcoming prospects brought in for their first taste of camp, and a token slate of catchers who will gruel through endless bullpen sessions, never to be heard from again once the calender strikes April.

There will also be, however, diamonds in the rough that will excite the nerdiest of baseball fans. Although 2012 was a bust, the Twins got heavy use out of its non-roster players, primarily Jared Burton, but also Casey Fien, Jeff Gray, Sam Deduno and PJ Walters.

So far, the 2013 slate is certainly highlighted by Rich Harden, who is a non-roster player simply due to his dreadful series of injuries over the past several years. Several other interesting, and more traditional non-roster players who are new to the Twins organization include:

Bryan Augenstein, RHP

Augenstein, 26, was once a fast-track starting pitching prospect for Arizona, but has fallen off the charts since 2009. Converted to a reliever, he had a respectable 3.59 ERA in 42 innings last season for AAA Durham. Augenstain is legitimate competition for Tim Wood, Josh Roenicke, Anthony Slama, Luis Perdomo, Ryan Pressly and others trying to grab the last open spot as a right-handed middle reliever in the Twins bullpen.

Most likely he will provide depth at AAA, either as a starter or reliever.

Brandon Boggs, OF

The Twins lost a lot of veteran depth by trading Denard Span and Ben Revere, and while Boggs is not regarded as an everyday player, he can play good defense at all outfield positions and could be a valuable bench player.

Boggs, 30, is a switch-hitter who battled .259 with nine home runs and 57 runs battled in in 409 AAA at-bats last season. Over 326 major league at-bats, he has hit .209 with 10 home runs and 113 strikouts. He will complete for a backup role with Wilkin Ramirez, 27, and Clete Thomas, 29, all veteran outfielders who have struggled with strikeouts over their careers. Brian Dinkelman, 29, is also a popular player and versatile defender who has played three full seasons in AAA Rochester.

Jeff Clement, 1B/DH

Clement, 29, is a former Little League World Series hero who was drafted by the Twins out of high school but never signed. He was later the #3 overall pick by Seattle in 2005, but his big-league opportunities have been limited despite decent minor league numbers. In only 385 major league at-bats, he’s hit .218 but with a respectable 14 home runs.

Clement, a lefthanded hitter, holds a career .282 average with a .493 slugging percentage and 92 home runs over 2204 minor league at-bats, mostly in AAA (one homer per 24 at-bats.) Although drafted as a catcher, he has had knee issues and primarily played first base since 2009.

The Twins need some serious offense off the bench, as their currant infield is filled with light-hitting utility players. He would also provide needed veteran depth for Justin Morneau, with Chris Parmalee expected to play right field full-time.

Chris Colabello, 1B

Last year the Twins were desperate for minor league depth and offense at first base, and signed the then 28-year-old Colabello, who had played seven seasons in the independent Can-Am league without being drafted or signed.

Colabello played in AA New Brittain for all of 2012, hitting .284 with 19 home runs and 98 RBI, setting a team RBI record. Colabello is regarded as an outstanding defensive first baseman, and impressed management with his attitude and dependability. 

The righthanded first baseman will likely start the year in AAA, but is already regarded as one of the best baseball stories in some time.

Shairon Martis, RHP

Martis, 25, was rushed to the majors by the Nationals several years ago, and became a forgotten man after posting a 5.33 ERA in 106.1 innings combined during 2008 and 2009. Since then, he has spent three seasons trying to regain his form in AA and AAA, but is still young and talented enough to warrant some interest.

Martis will be lumped together with Esmerling Vasquez, PJ Walters, Sam Deduno and Nick Blackburn as veteran righthanded starting pitchers on the fringe between AAA and the majors. His relative youth somewhat seperates him from the pack, but his abused development track push him out of “young prospect” status.

Ray Olmedo, 3B/IF

The 31-year-old Olmedo began his AAA career way back in 2003, and is still scratching away for a real shot in the Show. With a career .264 average and 32 home runs in 4739 minor league at-bats, he won’t exactly give Trevor Plouffe a run for his money at third base, but is a versatile switch-hitter and professional player who wouldn’t embarrass the team as a utility player. To be playing for this long at that level, he is bound to have some heart.

Last year while with the White Sox for a brief stint, he batted .244 in 41 at-bats, but was noted as a positive team player, even volunteering to catch or warm up pitchers if needed.

"Sometimes practicing different positions is good for you," Oldedo was quoted. "I'm ready for everything, all the time.”

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Although they weren’t invited to the major league camp, pitchers Scott Elarton, 36, and Jason Lane, 35, were signed to minor league deals and prove that the Twins are willing to look anywhere for pitching. Elarton is a 6’8” tall former first round draft pick who has a 5.29 ERA over ten major league seasons, but hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2008. Lane is a former outfielder who hit ,241 with 61 home runs in 1208 major league at-bats between 2002-2007. Making his comback as a pitcher, Lane posted a 3.17 ERA in 110.2 innings last season in the independent Atlantic League. It was his first full season as a pitcher since college, where he pitched in the 2008 College World Series.