also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -
On Friday, the Twins began their Instructional League season down in Ft. Myers. The purpose of the instructional league is just what it says, instruction. It is for many of the younger players in the Twins system, but not all. I wish I could tell you the criteria for who is invited, and why others may not be. Below, you will find the Twins roster in the FIL:
Catchers: Kelly Cross (19), Matt Koch (22), Andy Leer (23), Danny Rams (22), Jairo Rodriguez (23).
Infielders: Adam Bryant (22), Michael Gonzales (23), Niko Goodrum (19), Tyler Grimes (21), Travis Harrison (18), Levi Michael (20), AJ Pettersen (22), Jorge Polanco (18), Miguel Sano (18).
Outfielders: Oswaldo Arcia (20), Angel Morales (21), Jairo Perez (23), Lance Ray (22), Nate Roberts (22), Dereck Rodriguez (19), Eddie Rosario (19), JD Williams (20).
Pitchers: Madison Boer (21), Hudson Boyd (18), Josh Burris (19), Nathan Fawbush (21), Steven Gruver (22), Matt Hauser (23), BJ Hermsen (21), Tyler Herr (20), Trent Higginbotham (19), Edgar Ibarra (22), Tyler Jones (22), Brett Lee (20), Kuo Hua Lo (18), Austin Malinowski (18), Angel Mata (18), Josue Montanez (19), Cole Nelson (22), Luis Nunez (19), Hein Robb (19), Matt Summers (22), Dakota Watts (23), Jason Wheeler (21), Corey Williams (21), Alex Wimmers (22).
Coaching Staff: Joel Lepel (Field Coordinator), Eric Rasmussen (Pitching Coordinator), Bill Springman (Hitting Coordinator), Nelson Prada (Manager), Gary Lucas (Pitching Coach), Ramon Borrego (Coach), Jeff Smith (Coach), Milt Cuyler (Coach).
The team will play games against teams from the Red Sox, Orioles, Mets and Rays. The only position change is Andy Leer getting some time behind the plate. He played infield at the University of Mary (Bismarck, ND) and in his two minor league seasons.
This will be the first pro experiences for several players including Hudson Boyd, Josh Burris, Trent Higginbotham, Austin Malinowski, Jason Wheeler, Travis Harrison and Levi Michael. Kuo Hua Lo (Taiwan) spent this season pitching in the Australian Summer League.
How fun was it to watch the Elizabethton Twins box scores this year to see what Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario would do next. Rosario was the Appalachian League Player of the Year Baseball America named him as their choice for the Rookie Classification Player of the Year. Rosario ended the year hitting 21 home runs. Meanwhile Sano hit 20 home runs. It’s interesting because they physically are very different. Miguel Sano is listed at 6-2 and 225 pounds. Rosario is 6-0 and 180 pounds.
I think that Hudson Boyd is a big-time pitching prospect. The Twins used their second supplemental first round pick on the right-hander from Ft. Myers. He is also just a BIG prospect. He measures in at 6-2 and 270 pounds.
If you have any questions or comments on any of these players, please feel free to ask in the Comments section.
Wrong spot for this question maybe but does anybody know why Solarte wasn’t called up to the Twins when rosters expanded? I believe he needs to be added to 40 man to protect anyways.
Where would he play? With Plouffe and Hughes out of options, they need to play a lot. He may still be added after the season. He wouldn’t play much, so no need to. He made his case very well!
Will there be a way to find out game info, stats, etc. from the Twins instructional league?
Usually not, but I’ll see what I can do.
Potential on the catchers at instrucs?
Jairo Perez only played infield in Beloit. Outfield would be a new position.
Great group Seth. I’m a little confused why Danny Santana and Nick Lockwood are not there. Santana is a dynamic outfielder that just started playing there and Lockwood seems to be a plus defender that played to a .991 defensive stat this year at 2nd base with better offensive production. Your thoughts??
very surprising on Lockwood since he was at E-Town. He can hit a bit too.
Santana wasn’t healthy at the end of the year.
I am confused about the Perez thing as well. I was assuming that second base would be his role at Fort Myers (or New Britain?) this coming year. Moving to the outfield would just add to the massive logjam and also diminish his value.
Santana and Lockwood are strange omissions.
Maybe those two were asked but for whatever reason just couldn’t go. I know of juniors who really wanted to get some classes started.
Santana broke a bone in his foot late in the season and was sent home to recover.
Why is Wimmers there, and not the AFL, do you suppose? I don’t get having a long time successful college pitcher in instructional league.
After all he went through and seemingly overcame this year, pushing him to the AFL probably would not be the best thing to do. He can make up some lost innings in the instructional league where there is no pressure. He is not back to where he was at the end of teh 2010 season, so I would be cautious too.
Fair enough. I don’t agree, but I can see the logic.
Seth….Plouffe & Hughes arent out of options, this is the 2nd yr of their 3 yr allowed options as both were only added last yr. If they are gonna add Solarte this winter, why not allow him up & at least he can DH or play 2B instead of Tolbert (who is out of options next yr). Please dont tell me they let a 24 yr who was 2nd in Eastern Lg Batting to leave as a free agent.
Check around on the JPerez OF thing. That is very disappointing to me if it is true. We hve many OF prospects & that means MN will hold him back more to work on his defense.
My bad……Plouffe/Hughes were added in 2009 & are out of options—they wasted the first yr on both by not recalling em & seeing what they have.
I don’t know why those were “wasted” option years. Please explain. I mean, should they have promoted Deolis Guerra last year? I guess I don’t get what you’re trying to say?
Perez is listed as an OF. Doesn’t mean he’ll solely play there. He’s not much of a range guy at 3B and it’s really obviously an issue at 2B. Like Solarte and Hughes, it’s his bat that will make him advance (maybe), so giving him time all over the place to make him more versatile makes some sense. I’d still guess he’s playing 3B in FM next year.
Potential on the catchers at instrucs? Also, anyway to get stats on games that start today at instrucs?
Hudson Boyd 6-2 270 is that a good thing? CC Sabathia is 6-7 270, i cant imagine what CC would look like 5″ shorter but the same weight
What is the point of posting anything here if nobody answers my questions?
Seth,
Are the (home)games/practices at the Twins spring training complex in Ft Myers?
Mary, I would say that only Rams has any real potential of that list of catchers. Maybe Cross can work something out since he is so young. There are a few other catchers who might have potential, but they aren’t in the Instructional League.
Also . . . I cannot find the stats. It would be great if we could.
Thanks, Shane. What do you know about Koch?
Mary,
I hate to burst your bubble but no one cares about stats at instructional league. This is strictly a period where organization brass get a longer look at mostly 1st year guys and a few younger top prospects within the system. Gives them an idea of who to place where in Spring Training. Don’t think for a minute that just because a 1st year guy is at instructs means he’s a prospect either. Concerning catchers, Rams is the only real prospect here, Rodriguez is getting a good look, Koch is a big lumbering kid that hits a bit and I know nothing about Cross. Of all of the catchers in the minor leagues that should have been here that aren’t….Matt Parker gets my vote as he caught Stephen Strausberg in college for 3 years very successfully. There is no catcher in the Twins minor league system that can boast an accomplishment even close to that one:) Just shows you how the Twins view experience and young talent.
Do you know what the Twins schedule is for the fall league?