Young to DL; Tosoni Called
Up
If you missed yesterday’s blog, scroll down for
A
Look Back at the Capps/Ramos Trade.
Initially Delmon
Young was set to be in the Twins lineup last night, but after being unable to
get loose during batting practice, he took himself out of the lineup. Because
Jim Thome (oblique) and Jason Repko
(Quad) were unable to play for a bit, Gardy and GM
Bill Smith had only one option, and that was to put Young on the Disabled List
and get another body up here. For last night, the Twins could make do with
Jason Kubel in left field. However, it also meant
that Michael Cuddyer had to play right field, and
that meant the Luke Hughes had to move from 2B to 1B. And that meant that Matt
Tolbert had to play 2B. And that meant that Gardy’s
bench consisted of… Steve Holm as his only available option.
Just after the game started, I got a message
that Rene Tosoni was going to be called up from
Rochester. My assumption was that meant Young would go to the Disabled List,
but I wasn’t able to confirm that. I tweeted about Tosoni
being called up. Many Twins writers in the press box retweeted it. However, they were unable to get any
confirmation from Bill Smith or anyone with the Twins. I was very confident and
comfortable with my source. However, when Francisco Liriano
gave up five hits and four runs before getting an out, I got a little nervous.
I tweeted, “Paging Anthony Swarzak! Anthony Swarzak, please report to Target Field.” If Eric Hacker had
to be used early in this game, he would not be able to start on Saturday ,and if that’s the case, a pitcher would need to be
promoted. Maybe that would alter the plan to promote Tosoni.
Thankfully in the bottom of the 3rd inning, the press box was
informed that Tosoni was being promoted and Delmon Young had been put on the Disabled List. Uffdah! I was relieved. And soon after, Hacker was entering
the game in the 4th inning. Immediately it became clear what the
next move was. Hacker would be sent down following the game, and someone would be
called up. In the end, it was Anthony Swarzak, who
will start the 2nd game on Thursday on just three days of rest. So,
he was on short rest, and to make Twins fans feel even better, in Swarzak’s most recent start, he gave up seven runs on eight
hits and two walks in just 4.2 innings. We haven’t seen Swarzak
with the Twins in the regular season since 2009. It’s good to see him get
another chance… even if it is just for a day or two, until Kevin Slowey is activated.
For more information on Rene Tosoni, here is what was written (by Josh Johnson) about
him in the Minnesota
Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011 which is still available:
Rene Tosoni – OF – (7/2/86)
Acquired: 36th
round pick in 2005 from Chipola JC
2010 Team(s): New
Britain Rock Cats
2010 Stats:
.270/.369/.422, 8-2B, 4-3B, 4 HR, 24 RBI
Tosoni
was drafted by the Twins in the 34th round of the 2004 draft and then again in
the 2005 draft. Signed as a draft-and-follow, the Canadian outfielder attended Chipola Junior College before joining the Twins. Visa
problems during the 2006 season delayed Tosoni’s
debut until 2007. In his first season of pro ball, Tosoni
helped lead Elizabethton to an Appalachian League title by hitting
.301/.407/.428 with 20 extra-base hits and 13 stolen bases in 63 games. He
played in two games for Beloit following Elizabethton’s season, but many
figured he’d return to the Midwest League in 2008. But the Twins surprisingly
had Tosoni skip Beloit in 2008 and instead he
reported to Ft. Myers. He broke his leg in May and was only able to play in 42
games. Tosoni returned for just a handful of games,
but he made his presence known. In game one of the 2008 divisional playoff
series against Dunedin, Tosoni belted a two-run home
run which proved to be the deciding factor in a 2-1 victory over the Blue Jays.
In the end, Tosoni hit .300/.408/.414 with 11
extra-base hits and was also named to the Florida State League All-Star Roster
(but was unable to play).
In
2009, Tosoni spent the entire season roaming the
outfield in New Britain. Having had just five home runs heading into 2009, Tosoni belted three times that much in his first taste of
the Eastern League. He hit .271/.360/.454 with 44 extra-base hits in 122 games.
In July, Tosoni was selected to play in the 2009
Futures Game for the World team. He hit a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh
(and final) inning, to give the World team the victory. He then left New
Britain in August to play for Team Canada in the World Cup where he hit
.357/.446/.714 with five doubles, three triples and three home runs in the
tournament. He finally finished off the year by playing for the Mesa Solar Sox
in the Arizona Fall League. 2010 figured to be a big season for the
24-year-old, but a logjam of outfielders in Rochester meant he’d be returning
to the Eastern League. He had a sore shoulder at the beginning of the season
and finally had to undergo labrum surgery in June. He spent time in the
outfield, but spent the majority of the time as the Rock Cats designated
hitter. He played in a total of 52 games in 2010, hitting .270/.369/.422 with
16 extra-base hits. Had he not been injured, he for sure would have finished
the season in Rochester or Minnesota.
Tosoni
has a very good approach at the plate and gets on-base a lot. He has a smooth
left-handed swing that has good gap power. He’s not the fastest outfielder, but
what he lacks in range he makes up for with a strong arm. He doesn’t hit
left-handed pitchers very well, but he has a history of success against
right-handers. He has a future in the major leagues, but with the Twins having
a crowded outfield it might be hard for him to stick in Minnesota. JJ
As it is, Tosoni
may only be with the Twins until next Wednesday when Young is eligible to come
off of the Disabled List. Unless there is another injury, Tosoni
will head back to Rochester where he is currently hitting .286/.329/.500 with
six doubles, three homers and 16 RBI. For instance, if Jason Repko’s quad does not improve by then, he could be put on
the DL.
Just to give you a little more, here is part
of what I wrote about Tosoni in the 2010
Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook:
Tosoni is most often referred to as a very complete player.
Defensively, he has good range and a very strong, very accurate throwing arm.
He has primarily played right field in his career, but he has done well when he
has played centerfield as well. He has played just a handful of games in his
career in left field, although it may make sense for him to get more time out
there in 2010. Offensively, he will have the ability to hit for average as well
as potentially being a 12-15 home run type of hitter. He is a very patient
hitter, taking a lot of walks and consistently getting on base in nearly 10% of
his plate appearances. He is a very good base runner despite not stealing a lot
of bases. There is really just one negative to the game of Rene Tosoni to this point in his still-young career. He has not
hit well against southpaws. For his career, he has hit .302/.387/.473 against
right-handed pitching, but against lefties, he has hit just .231/.346/.343. In
2009, he hit .303/.386/.503 against righties. He hit just .183/.285/.302
against left-handers. Unless this trend is quickly corrected, Tosoni may be a lefty-hitting platoon option for the Twins,
but if he can gain some confidence and do anything against left-handed
pitching, he could be a very good performer across the board for the Twins.
Clearly the Twins like him very much, enough to invite him to big league spring
training.
Tosoni’s Prospect Ranking
Tosoni has certainly been a prospect since signing with the
Twins. Here is where I ranked him each of the past four years:
·
2008 – 29
·
2009 – 15
·
2010 – 9
·
2011 – 32
I think it is safe to say that I factored Tosoni’s injury and surgery in 2010, along with his age. I
also assumed that the lost time would mean that he would return to New Britain
rather than move up to Rochester to start the season.
So hopefully with all of that, you have
plenty of information on Rene Tosoni for his five or
six days in the big leagues for now. Don’t worry, though, he will be around for
a long time.
Minor
League Report
SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Steve
Singleton, New Britain Rock Cats
SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – BJ Hermsen, Beloit Snappers
Red Wings Ramblings
Wednesday
– Red Wings 3, Buffalo 2 – Scott
Diamond recorded the win with a very good start. The lefty went the first six
innings and gave up two runs on two hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Anthony Slama came in and gave up three hits and a
walk, but no runs, in 1.1 innings. Phil Dumatrait
pitched an inning, and then Alex Burnett got the final two outs for the save.
Both came via the strikeout. Matt Brown went 2-4 with his third double and
second home run. Brandon Roberts went 2-5 with his first double. Dustin Martin
was 1-2 with two walks. Ben Revere went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth stolen
base.
Rock Cats Report
Wednesday
– Rock Cats 5, New Hampshire 11 – Deolis Guerra had a rough one. He gave up nine runs on nine
hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. He struck out two. Three of the hits were
home runs. Brett Jacobson went 2.1 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and
two walks. Michael Tarsi gave up a solo homer in his inning, but he struck out
two. Santos Arias gave up a run on two hits and a walk. Steve Singleton went
3-5 with his eighth double, second home run, and he is now hitting .313. Allan
de San Miguel went 2-4. Mark Dolenc hit a triple.
Miracle Matters
Wednesday
– Miracle 4, Charlotte 3 – Matt Schuld went five innings in this start. He gave up three
runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four. Andrew Albers threw two
scoreless innings. Bruce Pugh got the first five batters out. He struck out
three. But with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, he gave up a
walk-off home run. Danny Rams again led the offense. He went 2-4 with his
fourth double. He is now hitting .367. The team had just five hits. Anderson
Hidalgo went 1-3 with a walk.
Snappers Bites
Wednesday
– Snappers 10, Burlington 2 – BJ Hermsen picked up his first win of the year. He went seven
innings and gave up just one run on four hits. He walked one and struck out
seven. Michael Tonkin then gave up a run on a hit in his inning. Martire Garcia walked two, but didn’t give up a run in his
inning. There were lots of contributions from the offense. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-4
with his second double, first home run and three RBI. Oswaldo
Arcia was 2-4 with a walk and his fourth home run (3rd
in last two games). Danny Santana was 2-4 with a walk and his third triple.
Derek McCallum hit his first two doubles. Jamaal Hawkins was 2-3. Danny Ortiz
was 2-4 with a walk and his seventh double.
Feel free to leave
your thoughts, questions or comments.
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