Tuesday, June, 16th

Twins Talk

• The Twins had yesterday off before beginning a series tonight against the Pittsburgh Pirates as Glen Perkins makes his return to the Twins rotation and gets the start for the Twins.

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 4 Columbus 2

• The Red Wings snapped a tough 3 game losing streak last night with a hard fought 4-2 victory over Columbus. Jason Jones got the start for the Red Wings last night and finally had a good start after a bad stretch of games. Jones went 6.1 shutout innings on only 7 hits along with 1 walk and 1 strikeout to lower his era to 6.30 on the year and picked up his 2nd win along with 5 losses. Jason Jones has not been very good this year and I was ready to give up on him and about the trade that sent Charles Nolte to the Yankees. The Red Wings really need to get these kind of starts out of Jones because they don't have very good starting pitching so they need Jones to do his part and give them good pitching. Juan Morillo then came into the game and gave up a run on 2 hits along with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts in 1.1 innings to raise his era to 3.42. Rob Delaney then came on to pick up the save by going 1.1 innings where he gave up a run and 2 hits along with a strikeout to raise his era to 5.40. Delaney will have his struggles, but he will have way more good outings then games he struggles and will be with the Twins sometime in the next couple of years.

• The Red Wings really got their offense going in a good way after struggling offensively as of late. Brock Peterson was the hitting hero in this one by going 3-4 with his 7th rbi of the year and brought his average up to .226 on the year. Peterson has really picked it up as of late and has saw his playing time increase because of that. In the month of June Brock is hitting .367 in 9 games for the Wings. If Brock can keep it up and contribute to the Wings offense that will really make a difference. David Winfree went 2-4 with his 16th double of the year. Matt Macri went 1-4 with his 6th homerun of the year along with 2 rbi's to bring his total up to 21. Jason Pridie and Steve Tolleson each doubled in the game. For Pridie it was his 11th and Tolleson's 7th of the year.
  
• Tonight, the Red Wings continue their series with Columbus as staff ace Kevin Mulvey gets the start for Rochester.

New Britain Business

• The Rockcats had the day off and begin a series with Altoona tonight with Jay Rainville getting the start for New Britain.

Fort Myers Minutes

Dunedin 2 Fort Myers 1

• The Miracle lost their season high 3rd straight game was a tough 2-1 loss as the Miracle had a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the 9th and couldn't hold the lead. The pitching was not the problem as David Bromberg got the start for the Miracle. Bromberg went 6.1 innings and did not give up a run on only 3 hits along with 4 walks and 5 strikeouts to lower his era down to 2.22 on the year. Bromberg probably has been the best pitcher on the staff this season and that included Carlos Gutierrez. The only problem is he walks to many batters because when he throws strikes he is impossible to hit. When he is off it is because his control is lacking not because people are hitting him. If Bromberg can throw strikes he is probably the best pitching prospect in the organization. Spencer Steedley then came on and gave up a run on 2 hits in 1.2 innings of work to raise his incredible era to 0.86. Blair Erickson picked up the loss going 2/3 of an inning and giving up an unearned run thanks to a Chris Parmalee error. Erickson saw his record drop to 0-2 on the season.

• Offensively, the Miracle continued their hitting slump as they were only able to score 1 run on only 4 hits. Steve Singelton was the hitting star of the game as he went 2-4 with his 3rd homerun of the year and his 25th rbi along with his 11th double of the year. Chris Cates added his 2nd triple of the year for the Miracle. Deibinson Romero added a single in the losing cause for the Miracle last night to bring his average to .227.
• Tonight, the Miracle try to break out of their 3 game losing streak as they send Tyler Robertson to the mound for Fort Myers.

Beloit Beat

Clinton 10 Beloit 5

• The Snappers suffered a tough 10-5 loss to Clinton last night as they saw a 5-2 lead disinterigate in the late innings. Brad Tippett was probably the only pitcher last night that did his job. Tippett went 6 solid innings giving up 2 runs on 5 hits along with 5 strikeouts to lower his era to 3.15 on the year. Tippett has been the most consistant starter on the Snappers staff as the Snappers have looked for consistant pitching Tippett has given the Snappers a chance to win just about every time out. Curtis Leavitt then came in and in a word was awful. Leavitt did not get an out and gave up 4 runs on 3 hits along with a walk to raise his era to 12.10 on the year. I am not going to get on him because Leavitt has really struggled since coming off the DL so hopefully he is healthy and can get it going in the second half. Bruce Pugh then came on and was not much better giving up 3 runs on 1 hit along with 3 walks and 2 strikeouts in 2.1 innings of work. Blake Martin then came on to get the last 2 outs, but not before walking 3 batters and striking out 1. The big problem with the pitching last night was the walks as the Snappers walked 7 last night in the last 3 innings which is not good enough on any night.

• The Snappers continued their recent offensive streak as they scored 5 runs on 10 hits. James Beresford, Ramon Santana, Ozzie Lewis, and Juan Richardson each had 2 hits to pace the Snappers. Santana added 2 rbi's to bring his season total up to a team high 29. Ozzie Lewis added his 11th double of the year and increased his average up to .296 on the year. Dominic De La Osa added his 5th double of the year and increased his average up to .211 and had 2 rbi's to bring his total up to 13. Angel Morales also added a single in the losing cause last night.
• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with Clinton as new member of the starting staff Michael Tarsi gets the start for the Snappers.
  

Travis Talks prospect list: Prospects 20-16

Today I will be continuing my countdown in Twins prospects as I will be doing the 20-16 Twins prospects. I will be bringing prospects 15-11 tommorrow, 10-6 on Thursday and Finish 5-1 on Friday. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think in the comment box below.


20. Steve Tolleson IF 25 (11/1/1983)
2008 teams: New Britain

• Steve Tolleson was drafted by the Twins in the 5th round of the 2005 draft out of South Carolina University. After signing with the Twins Tolleson started his career with E-town before moving on to Beloit. In 16 games at E-town Steve hit .321 with 2 homeruns and 8 rbi's along with 6 doubles. Tolleson then moved on to class A Beloit where he played in 31 games to finish the 2005 season where he hit .176 with 3hr and 10 rbi's along with 2 doubles. Tolleson split the 2006 season between Beloit and Fort Myers. In 47 games at Beloit Steve hit .287 with 2 homeruns and 16 rbi's along with 8 doubles and a .390 obp. He was then promoted to Fort Myers where he hit .268 in 49 games along with 4hr and 23 rbi's along with 8 doubles and a .353 obp. In 2007 Steve spent the entire year at Fort Myers where he hit .285 with 5 hr and 35 rbi's along witha very impressive 24 doubles and a very good 27 stolen bases along with a .388 obp. This led to a promotion to AA New Britain for the 2008 season where he followed up a very good 2007 season with an even better 2008 season. In 93 games Steve hit a even .300 with 9hr and 50 rbi's along with 28 doubles and a very impressive .382 obp. A season like that would have many teams promoting him to AAA. The Twins thought otherwise and kept him at AA and I don't know if he let his disappointment get to him but he really struggled early on with th Rockcats. He came on late which got him a promotion to Rochester where he has done very well. At New Britain in 38 games Steve hit .258 with 2hr and 13 rbi's along with 10 doubles. That led to his promotion where in 16 games Tolle is hittin .345 with a homer and 4 rbi's along with 7 doubles. Steve Tolleson has gone from a so so prospect to a possible starting possiblity with the Twins in the last 3 years. His 2007-2009 have been very good and has many people asking is he ready for the bigs. What I like about Steve is he can play all over as he has played second, short, and the outfield. That is a valuable skill to have because then he can serve as a backup infielder and outfielder and free up a roster spot for someone else. He plays good defense, a solid obp guy who will steal some bases. He does not hit for much power and his range is not great at short. If he can continue to play at the level he has the last 3 years I can see him making the Twins as a utility infielder as soon as this year.
• 2009: Spend season at 2nd for Rochester and maybe get call to Twins
• Projection: I project him as a utility player whether its for the Twins or someone he has a big league future.

19. Mike Mccardell RHP 24 (4/13/1985)

2008 teams: Beloit Snappers

• Mike Mccardell was a 6th round pick by the Twins in the 2007 draft out of Kutztown University. After signing with the Twins Mccardell split the 2007 season between the GCL and E-town. At GCL Mike made 2 starts and went 2-0 with a 2.50 era and a 0.78 whip. He was then promoted to E-town where he made 8 starts and went 5-1 with a awesome 2.00 era along with only 5 walks in 45 innings compared to 70 strikeouts with a 0.76 whip. Mike then moved on to Beloit for the 2008 season and had a phenomenal season. He went 9-4 with a very good 2.86 era in 21 starts as he missed a month of the season due to a shoulder injury. In 135 innings he struck out 139 batters and only walked 25 for a whip of 1.00. Mike moved up to Fort Myers this year and hasn't missed a beat going 7-4 with a very good 3.86 era in 12 starts. In 63 innings Mike has only walked 14 and struck out 50 for a whip of 1.16. The thing that I absolutely love about Mike Mccardell is his control as he doesn't walk anyone as he is Brad Radke like. He has only walked 48 batters in 263 innings which is an amazing total. Mike has a low 90's fastball with a great curveball and a nice changeup. He has everything you are looking for out of a pitcher and reminds me of a young Kevin Tapani with his control and ability to just get guys out. The only negative is his age as he is 24 and only in high A. You would like a 24 year old pitcher to be in AA or even better in AAA. However, that does not take away from the pitching ability that Mike has and I really believe he has major league stuff. With his control you are going to have to hit him to get on base and that is harder than you think because he has 2 great pitches and can spot them where he wants. Mike Mccardell is one guy I am excited to follow to see how good he is going to be.
• 2009: Remain in starting rotation for Fort Myers
• Projection: He has major league stuff who could be a number 4 or 5 starter in the big leagues.

18. Anthony Slama RHP 25 (1/6/1984)

2008 teams: Fort Myers Miracle

• Anthony Slama was drafted by the Twins in the 39th round of the 2006 draft out of the University of San Diego. After signing with the Twins Slama was sent to E-town in 2007. In 6 games he went 0-0 with a 2.46 era along with 4 saves before being promoted to Beloit. In 21 games with the Snappers Anthony went 1-1 with a very good 1.48era and 10 saves. In 24 innings he had 9 walks and an incredible 39 strikeouts. For the 2008 season Anthony moved on to Fort Myers where he was even better. Slama's 2008 season got him on scout's radars and led many to believe he was a big time prospect and someone to watch. In 2008 with the Miracle he went 4-1 with a very low 1.o1 era along with 25 saves in 51 games. In 71 innings he walked 24 and struck out an incredble 110 strikeouts.
  That is an incredible 13.5 strikeouts per 9 innings. After that awesome season he moved on to New Britain this year and has kept it up. In 29 games with the Rockcats Slama is 4-1 with a 2.65 era along with 13 saves. In 34 innings Anthony has walked 18 and struck out 50. His strikeout rate is very comparable to what he did last year as he had 13.5 per/9 last year and this year he is 13.2 per/9. Anthony Slama's only problem is he walks to many hitters for a reliever. He has walked 90 batters in 226 innings. His wildness is the only thing holding him back from being a great reliever. However, his strikeout totals in my mind supercede his walk totals. He is absolutely dominant on the mound who keeps getting better as he moves along. Another red flag is his age as he will be 26 next season, but I think he is very close to being called up and I think he will be with the Twins before the year is out.
• 2009: Split season between New Britain and Rochester
• Projection: I project Slama to be the 8th inning guy with the Twins next season and for years to come.

17. Trevor Plouffe SS 23 (6/15/1986)

2008 teams: New Britain and Rochester

• Trevor Plouffe was a 1st round pick by the Twins in the 2004 draft out of high school in Encino, California. After signing with the Twins Plouffe went to E-town where he hit .283 with 4hr and 28rbi along with 7 doubles and a obp of .340. In 2005 Trevor moved up to Beloit and hit .223 with 13 hr and 60 rbi's along with 18 doubles. Even though his average was not great and his obp was not better he was productive enough that he was promoted to Fort Myers for the 2006 season. In 125 games with the Miracle Trevor hit .246 with 4 hr and 45 rbi's along with an incredible 26 doubles and a much better .333 obp. That led to a promotion for the 2007 season in New Britain. With the Rockcats in 2007 Plouffe hit .274 with 9 homeruns and 50 rbi's along with unbelievable 37 doubles in 126 games. After that season people started looking at Trevor as the shortstop of the future and why many were surprised he started the 2008 season back in New Britain. Plouffe split the 2008 season between New Britain and Rochester. At New Britain Trevor hit .269 with 3hr and 21 rbi's along with 17 doubles in 58 games. He was then promoted to AAA Rochester where he hit .256 with 6hr and 39 rbi's along with 17 doubles in 66 games. This year he started the season with Rochester and has struggled hitting only .238 with 5hr and 36 rbi's along with only 8 doubles in 214 at bats. Trevor Plouffe is a doubles machine as he has 130 doubles in 6 seasons would say. He will not hit for average, but he is good at hitting extra base hits and his defense is adequete. His defense is not as good as you would hope it would be. Sometimes he seems like he doesn't get fired up to play baseball, but that may have to do with being a California guy as he is very laid back. Overall, though Trevor Plouffe is the future starting shortstop for the Twins and that could happen as early as next season. He is smooth at shortstop and brings extra base power, speed, and overall a very good player.
• 2009: Play shortstop for the Rochester Redwings
• Projection: He will be the opening day shortstop next spring for the Twins

16. Deolis Guerra RHP 20 (4/17/1989)

2008 teams: Fort Myers Miracle

• Deolis Guerra was signed by the New York Mets as a free agent in 2005. Before the 2008 season he was traded to the Twins along with Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey, and Philip Humber for Johan Santana. After signing with the Mets Deolis spent the 2006 season at Class A Hagerstown where he went 6-7 with a very good 2.20 era in 17 starts. In 81 innings Deolis walked 37 and struck out 64 batters. He was then promoted to high A St. Lucie for the 2007 season at the age of 18 where he went 2-6 with a 4.02 era in 20 starts. In 89 innings Guerra had 25 walks and 66 strikeouts. When he came over the Twins decided his mechanics were all screwed up and would lead to future arm problems so they switched his mechanics. By doing this Guerra went from a mid 90's fastball down to a low 90's fastball, but they felt that would keep him healthy. The Twins had Guerra spend the 2008 season in Fort Myers where he went 11-9 with a 5.47 era in 25 starts. In 130 innings he had 71 strikeouts, but he also walked an incredible 71 batters. This season he is spending his 3rd season at High A Fort Myers where he has gone 4-6 with a 4.41 era in 11 starts. In 63 innings he has walked 20 and struck out 44. Deolis Guerra might not be the prospect we thought he was going to be when he came over in the Santana trade. However, he is only 20 years old and has a good fastball in the low 90's and a good curveball and great slider. I think everyone is being a little bit premature in saying that Guerra is a bust or not what we needed. At the age of 20 most guys are in GCL and not in high A. I really believe that Guerra is going to develop into a number 1 type of pitcher we just need to give him some time. The big thing is he needs to quit walking people based on the 71 walks last year would say. He is doing much better with the walks this year. I really think it is time for him to go to AA and see what he is all about. He has spent 3 years at high A now and I would like to see him go to AA and see if he can take off like I think he would.
• 2009: I think he will spend season starting for Fort Myers
• Projection: I project him as a #1 type of starter eventually