Monday,
September 5, 2011
Twins Minor League
Starting Pitcher of the Year
Note – Be sure to listen at
10:00 tonight to the final episode of Twins
Minor League Weekly where Travis Aune and I will
be talking about everything throughout the Twins minor league season. We’ll
discuss our choices as top players for each team and in the organization, how
each team did, and many of the players that will be back next year. Check it
out here at 10!
As games
finished on Labor Day in the Twins minor league system, the Twins minor league
season came to an end. New Britain had an opportunity to make the playoffs had Reading
lost and the Rock Cats won. Unfortunately, the R-Phillies won their game. The
Elizabethton Twins were the lone playoff team in the organization, although
they lost in the first round. It was a disappointing season in the Twins farm
system. However, there are a lot of guys who had very good seasons. Today, I’ll
present for you my choices for the Twins Minor League Hitter, Starting Pitcher
and Relief Pitcher of the Year in three separate blog entries. We will start
with the Relief Pitchers. Feel free to debate them, or ask any questions you
may have in the Comments
section:
Starting Pitcher of the Year
#3 – Adrian Salcedo
– Beloit Snappers (6-6, 2.93 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 135 IP, 131 H, 27 BB, 92 K)
The 20 year old Top 10 Twins prospect had a very good 2011 season. He made
20 starts and pitched well, although his final start pushed his ERA above
three. He had reached his innings limit and moved to the bullpen where he gave
up just one earned run in 13.2 innings. Salcedo is
young and very talented. Like that kicker from The Replacements, he “wiry.” He
will be a good one!
#2 – BJ Hermsen –
Beloit Snappers/Ft. Myers Miracle (13-8, 3.33 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 151.1 IP, 165 H,
37 BB, 101 K)
Hermsen was the Twins 6th
round pick in 2008 out of Masonville, Iowa, where he
was a four-sport star in high school. At 6-5, Hermsen
certainly has room to grow, but he works hard and that work really paid off
this year. As Salcedo reached his innings limit, Hermsen was at his finest and earned his promotion to the Ft.
Myers Miracle (11-7, 3.10 ERA with Snappers). He made five starts for the
Miracle and in the middle three, he gave up a total of
three earned runs in 18 innings. His first and last starts of
the season were rough, but doesn’t take away from a tremendous 2011
season for Hermsen.
Starting Pitcher of the Year – Liam Hendriks – New Britain Rock Cats/Rochester Red Wings (12-6, 3.36
ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 139.1 IP, 137 H, 21 BB, 111 K)
For the second straight year,
Liam Hendriks is my choice for the Twins Minor League
Pitcher of the Year (Note – if you read the comments, I was told I was an idiot.
I’m used to that.). I talk a lot about having seen Angels’ OF Mike Trout in
Beloit last year (playing for Cedar Rapids). Hendriks
began his 2010 season with the Snappers (Low A). After six starts (1.32 ERA),
he moved up to Ft. Myers where he was their top pitcher 1.93 ERA). In 2010, he
was 8-4 with a 1.74 ERA. In 108.2 innings, he gave up just 79 hits, walked just
12 and struck out 105! He began the 2011 season with New Britain. He went 8-2
with a 2.70 ERA before pitching in both the Futures Game and the Eastern League
All Star game. He then moved up to AAA Rochester where he has gone 4-4 with a
4.56 ERA in nine starts. In AAA, he has three walks and 30 strikeouts. A
tremendous control pitcher, Hendriks is also very
competitive. The 22 year old Australia native missed the entire 2008 season
with a spinal cord injury, but he has been terrific since then. He has a tough
delivery that has been described to me as “It’s just Liam, there is no
comparison.” That is why I am excited to see him make his Major League Debut on
Tuesday night at Target Field against the White Sox.
Feel free to
discuss in the Comments
section.