A Weekend in Beloit
Fans of the
Twins and their minor league system know that Beloit is the home of the
Snappers, the Twins Low Class A affiliate in the
Midwest League. It is a step above the short-season team in Elizabethton and
most of these players hope the next step in their career leads them to Ft.
Myers, where the Miracle is the Twins High Class A affiliate in the Florida
State League.
Fans of minor
league baseball and specifically the Twins know that it is important to develop
players in the minor leagues for one of two purposes. Generally the goal is for
the players to make it up to the Twins. The other possibility is that they can
be used in a trade for big league talent.
Along with my
Twins Minor League Weekly co-host Travis Aune, I left
Chanhassen at 7:13 in the morning on Friday. A quick stop for breakfast in
Menomonie and at an open Rest Area in Wisconsin, and we arrived at the hotel in
Beloit at 1:13. So, as I have mentioned before, Twins fans can see some of the
team's best prospects and only need to drive about five and a half hours to see
them (from the Twin Cities).
Once there,
we got to the ballpark early and met with Jeff Vohs (GM of the
Snappers) on the field and he was kind enough to spend about a half-hour with
us answering our questions. I mention that because along with the
GM duties, he also has to make sure all is going well in the concessions, on
the complex, and even helps with the grounds crew. I joked with him that
his quietest time is probably when he is dragging the field on the tractor
before games.
We went to
the games on Friday night, Saturday night and even in the scorching heat on
Sunday afternoon. They were kind enough to let Travis and I in
to watch the Snappers pre-game activities such as infield work and batting
practice. And it is through viewing all of that that you realize just how hard
these guys work. I've written each year in my prospect handbook that the minor
leaguers deserve to be recognized because they were just as hard as the big leaguers, they just do it with less fan fare, smaller per
diems, lesser travel accommodations and wallets that aren't as thick due to
paychecks with far less digits.
The Twins do
a great job with their affiliates and upper management is almost always
represented. While we were there, minor league hitting coordinator Bill Springman, minor league pitching coordinator Erik
Rasmussen, Minor League Field Coordinator Joel Lepel,
Senior Advisor to the GM and former Twins GM Terry Ryan, and Special Assistant,
Roving Minor League Instructor and Baseball Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, were also there. They were working right alongside
the Snappers coaching staff which includes manager Nelson Prada, pitching coach
and former big leaguer Gary Lucas, and hitting coach and former Twins player
Tommy Watkins.
One of the
coolest things about Pohlman Field in Beloit is that
it is the only stadium in the Midwest League where the players have to go on
the concourse to get to the locker rooms. In other words, the players walk
right in the midst of the fans which presents a great
opportunity for autograph collectors or for fans just getting say hi or shake
hands with players. The batting cage is also under the bleachers down the 3B
line. I was able to catch up with Reggie Williams. He came and shook my hands
as if we talked all the time. He was just sent down from Ft. Myers that day,
but he was such a positive person.
Snappers
Media Relations man Justin Waters gave us access to some of the players. Travis
and I had the opportunity to interview several players. First, we had the
chance to talk to Ben Tootle about his return from rotator cuff surgery last
year. We talked to Lance Ray about how he overcame his early struggles to
dominate as a hitter. We talked to BJ Hermsen about
his work ethic and his improvement from 2010. On Sunday, we first talked to
Michael Gonzales about his dominant 2011 season, his weight loss and his power.
We then talked to 2011 9th round pick Adam Bryant about the
transition from college to the pro game. Finally, we talked to North Dakotan
Andy Leer about being drafted and then playing in the farm system of the team
he grew up watching.
We met some
really cool fans too. First, there is the little old lady (who must be in her
80s maybe) who stands between the clubhouse and the Snappers dugout before each
game and gives high fives and fist pumps as the players go to the dugout. Some
spend time chatting with her. When the lineups are announced, she sits in her
box seat and rings her cow bell.
On Sunday,
three Snappers fans came over and introduced themselves. They go to most of the
games with their kids. In fact, as players were entering the field area, they
were all giving the daughter a big hug or a high five. The fans said that a
couple of times a year, they invite players over to their home for a barbecue,
and it’s all about fun and relaxation, no autographs. They said that they were
disappointed when the Brewers’ affiliate left Beloit (and went to Appleton),
but they love the Twins and the fact that all of the players they sign are
great people as well as good ball players.
There are
things to do for all ages, all around the stadium. One of the greatest features
of the stadium is the All-You-Can-Eat section. For $25 (if you call ahead,
otherwise $30), you can sit in a picnic area along the right field line. We
spent one game out there, and although we didn’t, you certainly could get your
money’s worth of food and beverage. It’s great for groups, for sure.
In the end
though, you also get to see a pretty good brand of baseball. Most of the
players are between 20 and 23 and still developing. It is fun to watch and do a
little of your own scouting. I wrote scouting reports on Friday night and
Saturday night, if you want to read more specifics about more of the players.
Last year when I went, I was able to see Aaron Hicks, Angel Morales, James
Beresford and more. Next year, the Snappers could be the team where the likes
of Miguel Sano, Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario and other
top prospects will play. This year’s Snappers team only has one player that is
generally ranked among top ten Twins prospects, and that is Adrian Salcedo. However, you never know what other players will
develop and get to the Twins and contribute. There were a couple of guys that
really stood out to me:
Lance Ray –
1B/OF – I know I ranked him in my top 20 coming into the season, but seeing him
take quality at bat after quality at bat which ends in a rocket shot off the
bat was impressive. In his past five games, he is 8-19 with five doubles and two
home runs. We saw the lefty-hitter drill a couple of doubles off the wall in
right field, and he also hit an opposite field home run off the stadium’s new
scoreboard. He is not a huge guy, but he seemingly finds a way to get the good
part of the bat on the ball with regularity. In the three games, he played
about a game-and-a-half at both 1B and RF.
Ryan O’Rourke
– LHP – The left-handed pitcher came into the game with an ERA of just 1.98. He
actually didn’t probably pitch his best game, but he has a slider that may be
able to get big league left-handed hitters out now. He has a good fastball. If
he can improve his changeup over time, he could be a big league starter. If
not, he still could help a big league bullpen a lot!
Danny Santana
– SS – We saw him play a game at 2B and do very well. We saw him play a game at
shortstop and make an absolutely incredible play showing great range and a very
strong arm, and we saw him boot a routine double play ball. That’s been Santana
so far. Offensively, we saw a great drag bunt, and we saw him turn a single
into a double on a line drive over the 2B head. We saw him pop up and strike
out looking silly at times. He is incredibly fast.
Michael
Gonzales – 1B – the 6-6 first baseman lost over 30 pounds in the offseason, in
part, to stay healthy and on the field. To this point, he has been able to do
that. Watching him this year, compared to last year, and it is like night and
day. He looks different, but he also has much better range at 1B, scoops
better, has a much quicker swing and has shown great power.
Jose Gonzalez
– LHP – He is not tall and he has the Jose Mijares
body type, but he does throw pretty hard, has good control, He also has a good slider to
left-handers. He can be dominant in one-inning stint. When he has struggled, it has generally been
when he’s asked to go more than two innings.
Daniel Ortiz –
He was the minor league player of the month in April when he hit for huge power
numbers and average. It has been a struggle since that time. However, he has a
very nice, left-handed swing. He is a line drive hitter who may get a little
pull-happy at times, but when he stays down and used the whole field, he hits
that ball with authority. He also hit a ball hard off of the base of the wall
in right field. He looks natural in both left field and right field. Had two base running blunders in two games.
Again, you
can find more player notes by clicking
here. But again, if you’re interested in the Twins minor leaguers, having
the opportunity to gain your own opinions by viewing players in games is
something that sticks in your mind.
In the end,
this isn’t really a blog today on stats or technical stuff. It is a blog about
experiences because that’s what the trip over to Beloit to watch the Snappers
is, a series of tremendous memories that will last!
The final
memory, for me, happened at the end of the Sunday afternoon game. As we were
walking out, Reggie Williams saw us, and he took a few more steps and when things
cleared, he came back to us, shook our hands, and thanked us for being there and
for our support. There may not be a more classy player
than Reggie Williams.
Soon after,
Terry Ryan came walking toward us. He shook Travis’s hand and introduced
himself. Then he reached out his hand to me, and I said, “Hi, my name is…” He
cut me off and said, “I know who you are.”
That made me
nervous. What had I written? What had I said? Instead, he said, “Why didn’t you
come seek me out? I check out your sites a lot and wanted to thank you for all
you do, for your interest.” He introduced me to Joel Lepel,
and said something like, “This guy probably knows more about our minor leaguers
than I do.” (which of course is completely wrong, but
still nice.)
We had a 5-7
minute conversation, and it was just really cool. I was calm during the
conversation, but after saying our good byes, I
turned to Travis and said, “Wow! That was cool!”
People can
talk about the players that are in the Twins system. There are a lot of great
people in the Twins system and it starts right from the top.
Again, that 5 ½ hour drive from the Twin Cities to Beloit
is worth it for Twins fans who want to know about the future players. And it’s
just good, quality baseball. And, you never know who you might be able to meet
and say hi to. You will definitely make memories that will last.
·
Beloit
Starting Pitcher AJ Achter joined Seth on the SethSpeaks.net
Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast last night.
·
By the way, I just finished watching the Brent
Hanson-produced and directed movie For
Three. I have to say, it is so much better than I had expected.
The mood of the team and the community was summed up perfectly in documentary
form. The movie takes a look at the 2010-11 Perham Yellowjacket
season that started with high hopes before an on-court
heart attack by one of their top players, Zach Gabbard,
in mid-January jarred the team and the community. How the team came together
behind coach Dave Cresap was
incredible. The team faced several more obstacles on their way to capturing the
2011 Class AA state basketball championship. Seriously, if you're at all a
basketball fan, this is a great movie. Honestly, it's right up there with Hoop
Dreams for me. Plus, my name is found in the movie twice! So, you have to like
that, right?
·
Liam Hendriks was promoted to
AAA Rochester. In his first start last night, he gave up two runs on six
hits. In 6.2 innings, he walked none and struck out two.
·
David Bromberg pitched one inning in the GCL on Monday afternoon
and struck out two. In talking to him yesterday, he could be back in New
Britain before the end of the month which is impressive after breaking his ulna
on a come backer on April 26.
·
After being released by the Twins on Saturday, it didn't take
infielder Steve Singleton long to sign with another organization. Hopefully he
will go to a place where he will be given an opportunity to get to the big
leagues.
·
Miguel Sano hit his fourth and fifth home runs for the
Elizabethton Twins last night. Eddie Rosario hit his seventh.
·
Be
sure to check out Travis’s
most recent prospect profile on Joe Benson.
Any other questions on the
Twins minor leagues? E-mail
me, or leave
some Comments.