also available at www.SethSpeaks.net –
On Tuesday afternoon, the Arizona Fall League rosters were announced. As I’ve mentioned previously, each team sends seven players to the league. The Twins prospects will play for the Peoria Saguaros this year, along with prospects from the Chicago White Sox, the Cincinnati Reds, the San Diego Padres and the Tampa Bay Rays. So, who is heading to Arizona to represent the Twins?
The Pitchers
- David Bromberg – RHP – As I mentioned yesterday, Bromberg has very quietly put together another very good year. He was the Twins Minor League pitcher of the year in 2009 after a very solid year with the Ft. Myers Miracle. He began 2010 by making 17 starts at AA New Britain, and has been even better in his nine AAA starts. Despite leading his league in strikeouts the previous three years, Bromberg remains a greatly underappreciated prospect.
- Carlos Gutierrez – RHP – I would assume that Gutierrez will be pitching primarily out of the bullpen. After making 16 starts for the Rockcats, he moved into the bullpen and made 16 appearances. He has pitched better out of the ‘pen and the assumption has always been that he and his 95+ mph sinking fastball would play better in a relief role.
- Tyler Robertson – LHP – This one is a little surprising. It has been a tough AA Debut for the tall, talented lefty. He has gone just 3-12 with the Rockcats (And also got a loss in his one spot start with Rochester). Following a very good 2007 season, he was my #1 ranked Twins prospect, but he was hurt some in 2008 and his numbers have not been the same since. That said, he has a lot of talent, and a lot of potential. As the team’s 3rd round pick in 2006, the Twins will need to decide if they will protect him on their 40 man roster.
- Kyle Waldrop – RHP – It’s been a very good year for Waldrop, even with the struggles the last six weeks. There had been talk of the Twins shutting down Waldrop, so that is why I am a little surprised that he is going to Arizona. It will be a good opportunity for Waldrop to continue to work out of the bullpen on that sinking fastball that has helped him to a successful AAA debut season.
The Hitters
- Joe Benson – OF – The power portion of his five-tools definitely came into play in 2010. He has hit 20 homers with the Rockcats and added four more during his short stint back in Ft. Myers. It’s definitely been a tough second half for Benson in terms of batting average, but he continues to have a high Isolated Discipline. He will be added to the 40 man roster after the season, but he will likely return to New Britain in 2011. This Arizona experience will help him gauge where he is at.
- Chris Parmelee – 1B – This one is surprising for me only because he played for Mesa in the Arizona Fall League last year and in my time following the Twins minor leagues, I haven’t seen a player go to the AFL in back-to-back years. That said, since returning to the Rockcats from Ft. Myers, Parmelee has been terrific. He’s hit .321 with a .404 OBP since the All-Star break.
- Ben Revere – OF – Revere returned to the Twins lineup just three weeks after being hit in the eye by a pitch. It has been great to see him get back in the lineup and play well. Revere was likely headed to the AFL either way, but getting these at bats at the end of the Rockcats season probably eases some of the concern. Arizona will allow Revere to get more at bats against top competition.
TWINS MINOR LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Here is a look at the Tuesday night’s minor league scores and highlights:
- Rochester 5, Pawtucket 6 – David Bromberg took the loss in this game after giving up five runs on five hits (3 HR) and two walks in five innings. He struck out four. Kyle Waldrop needed just 18 pitches to throw two shutout innings. Anthony Slama needed 32 pitches to work through the eighth inning during which he gave up one run on two hits and two walks. Brock Peterson went 2-3 with a walk and his 19th home run. Brandon Roberts was 2-4 with a walk and his fifth double. D’Angelo Jimenez was 2-4 with his 12th double. Brendan Harris hit his fourth home run.
- New Britain 6, Reading 5 – Chris Parmelee’s hot streak continues. In this game, he went 3-4 with a walk and two doubles. Juan Portes was 3-4. Steve Singleton was also 3-4 including his 42nd double. Steve Hirschfeld started and gave up four runs on eight hits (2 HR) in 4.1 innings. He walked three and struck out two. Carlos Gutierrez gave up four hits in 2.2 shutout innings. He struck out three. Steve Blevins pitched a perfect inning. Billy Bullock recorded his 13th save but still gave up a solo home run.
- Ft. Myers 4, Palm Beach 1 – Alex Wimmers start with the Miracle has been terrific, and on this night, he was very good. In five innings, he did not allow a hit or a run. He walked one and struck out six. Dan Osterbrock and Kane Holbrooks each pitched a hitless inning. In the 8th inning, Matt Schuld gave up a hit, and then gave up a run in the 9th. Deibinson Romero went 4-4 in this game. Allen de San Miguel hit his fifth home run, a three run blast that provided the team more than enough offense for the win.
- Beloit 5, Burlington 9 – Tom Stuifbergen started and gave up five runs (4 earned) on eight hits in 6.2 innings. He walked two and struck out eight. Eliecer Cardenas gave up four runs (2 earned) on one hit and three walks and recorded just two outs. Sam Spangler walked one but got two outs. Zach See pitched a scoreless ninth inning. The Snappers scored their five runs on just seven hits. Josmil Pinto hit his 9th home run. Reggie Williams went 1-3 with two walks and his seventh stolen base.
- Elizabethton 9, Johnson City 3 – Andy Leer had a big game in this one. He went 3-5 with two doubles and a triple. Brian Burke and Danny Ortiz were each 2-5 with a double. Oswaldo Arcia hit his 21st double. Preparing for the playoffs, the E-Twins got a couple of innings for several pitchers. Pat Dean started and threw two perfect innings, including three strikeouts. Logan Darnell struck out two in two scoreless innings. Adam Achter threw three shutout innings and struck out four. BJ Hermsen struck out two in his shutout inning. Adrian Salcedo gave up three runs (1 earned) on three hits in the 9th. He struck out two.
Any thoughts on the Twins or the Twins blogosphere? Feel free to leave your questions and comments here.
SethSpeaks.net 
seth who makes the twins first revere or benson, when and why? twins need to improve outfield d but can these guys do that without giving away 40-50 rbi? if so kubel, dy and span could all be trade bait this winter.
Seth –
I know you love Benson – but he is NOT a “five-tool player” since he does not hit for average. I don’t think he is a certain to be added to the roster. The question is whether any major league team is going to be willing to carry him on the roster for a year given his inability to make contact. Unless a team is convinced they can fix his flaws, they aren’t going to invest a roster spot.
While he has major league tools in terms of range and arm, his defensive skills need to have developed to the point that he is an above average major league outfielder. Otherwise, he just doesn’t have a role on a major league bench.
TT-
You don’t think a team desperate for an outfield prospect could find a place for someone who could at least pinch run and be a solid defensive replacement?
Role players who hit in the low .200s, particularly with power (see Marcus Thames) are actually very common.
I also disagree with TT on this. Benson is a top 5-10 prospect for the Twins. He’s probably as good as some MLB OFers right now and he’d be “free” to most teams. No way they leave him unprotected.
As for the AFL:
The hitters all make sense. Would be nice if they had a MIF to send…..
The pitchers are an interesting lot, to me anyway. I’m surprised they are letting Guttierez pitch this much, after arm problems.
“Role players who hit in the low .200s, particularly with power (see Marcus Thames) are actually very common.”
There is absolutely zero evidence that Benson could hit close to .200 against major league pitching. Since the allstar break, he has been struggling to stay above the Mendoza line against AA pitching.
“You don’t think a team desperate for an outfield prospect could find a place for someone who could at least pinch run and be a solid defensive replacement?”
Well yes, I think some team might find a spot for him if they thought Benson would be an above average defender. But its just not clear to me that Benson is an above average major league defensive player right now. Range and arm are just tools.
“He’s probably as good as some MLB OFers right now ”
I think this is the basic misunderstanding. There is a huge difference between AA and major league ball. Right now, Benson is struggling mightily at AA. Depending on what the Twins believe are the reasons for that, he may or may not be protected from the rule 5 draft.
BTW – I think calling Parmelee’s performance a “hot streak” is a bit misleading. Parmelee is the guy who has had a break out season. He is hitting .331 post allstar break with more walks than strikeouts and improved power. He actually hit slightly worse in August than he did in July. He looks like he is now starting to live up to his first round draft status.
The Benson / Revere comparison is an interestng one, but not favoring Benson as much as some people think. Benson strikes out in 24% of his career Plate Appearances and 28% in AA, while Revere is at 8% career and 10% AA.
Benson walks around 9-10% while Revere is steady at 8%. Career OPS’s are similar but Benson’s generally trends upwards while Revere generally trends downward.
My concern on Joe revolves around striking out that much against AA pitchers and how that translates against MLB pitchers.
I share your concerns over the strikeout rates. I’m not certain he will be a MLB player. but, there are absolutely teams that should/would claim him.
Agree – if Benson isn’t protected by the Twins he will be one of the first players selected in the Rule 5. I know BA has Hicks with the best outfield arm in the minors – but I think Benson’s is better. He has 4 plus/plus tools. He still needs work on getting the batting average and contact up.
Here is a description of the problem:
“Without a good hitting approach, power will be much more difficult to realize. A good hitter who lacks power will find it reasonably easier to later add power than will a player with good power-potential lacking a “good bat” develop into a well-rounded hitter”
“http://www.baseballexaminer.com/FAQs/scouting_faq.htm”
Benson’s hitting has gone from bad to worse in the second half of the season. His strikeouts have increased and his walks have declined right along with his batting average in the second half. That is the opposite of Parmelee who has improved dramatically after they both returned from being demoted to Fort Myers.
I also agree. He’ll be taken for sure in the Rule 5 draft. His ceiling is too high for a team not to take him. He’s a lock.
Van Mil is PTBNL for Fuentes.
Good trade for the Twins
Does anyone else think the Twins are trying to get an extended look at Parmelee because of the unfortunately possibility that Morneau might not return to form from his concussion? I hate to think it, but it could be true…