Hanson Provides Miracle Walk Off
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At about 10:20
today, I’ll be on KFAN with Paul Allen to talk about the Twins. Listen on
am1130 in the Twin Cities, or on one of their affiliates, or even at www. KFAN.com.
The Ft. Myers Miracle scored three runs in
the bottom of the 5th inning, and going into the eighth frame, they
held a one run lead. Bruce Pugh blew his first save of the season. The teams
went into the bottom of the 9th inning tied at five. With the bases
loaded, Minnesota native Nate Hanson stepped to the plate and ended the game in
style. Sure, all he needed was a walk or a single, but he ended the game by
launching a walk-off grand slam giving the Miracle a 9-5 win
over Bradenton.
No one is hotter at the plate right now than
Hanson right now. In his last seven games played, he has six multi-hit games.
He is 13-29 over that stretch (.448). On the season, he is now hitting
.352/.390/.574 with three doubles and three home runs.
Hanson was the subject of an article in my Minnesota
Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011. Although he was born in California, his
family moved to Minnesota when he was young. He went to Eden Prairie High
School and the University of Minnesota before the Twins drafted him in the 28th
round of the 2008 draft. He spend 2010 with the Miracle
as well and hit .254/.324/.385 with 18 doubles and 11 home runs. He probably
could be up at Double-A New Britain, but with Chris Parmelee
playing 1B there every day, Hanson finds himself back in the Florida State
League. He is making the most of the opportunity and the everyday spot in the
middle of the lineup.
Another former Gopher is off to a terrific
start as well. 2010 was a frustrating season for the professorial right-hander.
He split time between New Britain and Rochester and between being a starter and
a bullpen arm. In all, he was 1-8 with a 5.79 ERA. He is working out of the
bullpen now for the Rock Cats. He has thrown 9.1 innings in four games and is
yet to allow an earned run. He has given up just two hits, walked one and has
12 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .065 against him. Another Eden
Prairie high school alum, the 26 year old hopes to continue his success and get
back to Triple-A. Not bad for a player who was not drafted and signed with the
Twins in 2006.
The Twins drafted catcher Kyle Knudson out of
the University of Minnesota in the 9th round of the 2010 draft.
Right now, he is splitting time with two other catchers at Beloit. He is
hitting .313 (5-16) in the early season. Derek McCallum, the Twins fourth round
pick in 2009 has really struggled to stay healthy since signing. He is back in
Beloit this year playing 2B and some in the outfield. He is off to a slow
start, hitting just .148 through his first 27 at bats.
The Twins generally have a few Minnesota
Gophers on their roster. Since the MLB draft starting in
1965, the Twins have drafted 35 Gophers.
Ya’ll, I’m so far behind on the minor league
updates, so today is going to be very much just highlights from the past few
games, just to get caught up. If you ever have any questions on the Twins minor
league system, players, etc., please
feel free to e-mail me.
SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Nate Hanson,
Ft. Myers Miracle.
SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Andrew
Albers, Ft. Myers Miracle
Red Wings Ramblings
Wednesday
– Red Wings – Kyle Gibson will take the mound in Game 1 of a
Thursday doubleheader. He was set to start on Wednesday until the game was
postponed by rain, snow and freezing conditions.
Rock Cats Report
Wednesday
– Rock Cats 2, New Hampshire 6 – Deolis Guerra had his first rough start of the year. He
gave up six runs on nine hits in three innings. Cole DeVries
still hasn’t given up a run this year. He struck out two in two scoreless
innings. Jake Stevens hasn’t either after two more shutout frames. Tyler
Robertson struck out two in his two scoreless innings. Joe Benson and Evan Bigley were each 2-4.
Miracle Matters
Wednesday
– Miracle 9, Bradenton 5 – If you’re
reading this far into the blog, you know how this game finished up. Nate Hanson
walked off with a grand slam in the bottom of the 9th to give the
Miracle the 9-5 win. Hanson was 2-3 with two walks and it was his third home
run of the year. Brian Dozier went 3-4 with a walk and three stolen bases.
Danny Rams went 2-4 with his second triple and three RBI. Brad Stillings got the start for the Miracle and gave up four
runs (2 earned) on three hits. He walked four and struck out three. Andrew
Albers went 2.1 scoreless. Bruce Pugh gave up one run on five hits and a walk
in his inning, so he gets the blown save. But he also gets the win thanks to
that big, walk-off grand slam by Nate Hanson.
Snappers Bites
Wednesday
– Snappers, Wisconsin – The
conditions were bad enough that Wednesday night’s game was postponed already on
Tuesday afternoon. The Snappers will resume play on Thursday in Peoria.
Feel free to leave
your thoughts, questions or comments.
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