Down on the Farm: High A Report

The Twins High A team is the Ft. Myers Miracle.

Check the previous posts on the AAA and AA teams for a better understanding of the purposes and methods of this particular post.

Starting Pitching

1.) Kevin Slowey - 3-1 record, 1.19 ERA, 75.2 innings over 12 starts, 87-5 KK/BB
2.) Anthony Swarzak - 3-3 record, 3.98 ERA, 61 innings over 12 starts, 65-27 KK/BB
3.) Kyle Aselton - 4-2 record, 4.56 ERA, 49.1 innings over 11 starts, 44-26 KK/BB
4.) Justin Jones - 1-0 record, 1.47 ERA, 18.1 innings over 4 games (2 starts), 9-7 KK/BB
5.) Brian Duensing - no record

There are some very big names in this group as far as the Twins minor league system. Kevin Slowey was drafted last season, and appears to be not too terribly far behind Matt Garza in terms of development. Talk about a great pitching draft for the Twins! Also from that draft is the just-promoted Brian Duensing, who had been pitching very well for the Beloit Snappers. Swarzak and Aselton are big names from the 2004 draft, but don't seem to be having the early success that the 2005 pitching draftees are having. Justin Jones, meanwhile, was sent down to Ft. Myers a couple of weeks ago to make room at AA for Matt Garza.

Relief Pitchers

1.) J.P Martinez - 1.44 ERA, 33.1 innings in 22 games, 35-14 KK/BB , 8 saves
2.) Danny Powers - 1.33 ERA, 20.1 innings in 9 games, 20-3 KK/BB
3.) Angel Garcia - 2.93 ERA, 15.1 innings in 8 games, 13-9 KK/BB
4.) Ryan Callahan - 3.29 ERA, 27.1 innings in 16 games, 23-12 KK/BB
5.) Chris Schutt - 3.63 ERA, 17.1 innings in 12 games, 22-11 KK/BB
6.) Colby Miller - 4.91 ERA, 18.1 innings in 5 games*, 9-11 KK/BB
7.) Tim Lahey - 5.40 ERA, 33.1 innings in 20 games, 25-10 KK/BB
8.) Jose Mijares - 5.46 ERA, 28 innings in 10 games, 30-17 KK/BB
9.) Josh Hill - 7.39 ERA, 31.2 innings in 17 games, 18-12 KK/BB

* Colby Miller has started 4 of the 5 games in which he has pitched, accounting for his high ratio of games/innings pitched.

There aren't a lot of names here that I'm all that familiar with. Danny Powers is a 2005 draft choice, so appears to be developing at a solid pace. J.P. Martinez is a 2004 draftee. Chris Schutt is from 2003. Watch Martinez and Powers; Martinez because the fact that he's been named the club's closer is a solid indication that the Twins believe him to be a top prospect at this level, and Powers because he is a recent draftee who is doing very well at a level a little above where the "average" 2005 prospect would find himself.

Catchers

1.) Kyle Geiger - 42 games, .247 BA, 0 HR, 14 RBI
2.) Korey Feiner - 35 games, .193 BA, 0 HR, 8 RBI

Looking at these numbers after seeing what the Twins have in the AAA and AA systems helps you understand why the Twins drafted an outrageous number of Catchers today (as mentioned in a post to come later tonight). There isn't really much to say here, since neither of these guys will probably ever make it much beyond this level.

Infielders

I have to confess to not knowing as much about where some of these players play, so I'm labelling most of them as IF, and only specifically naming positions where I know it.

IF - Dave Winfree - 6 games, .320 BA, 0 HR, 6 RBI
IF - Johnny Woodard - 23 games, .181 BA, 2 HR, 8 RBI
2B/SS - Alexi Casilla - 55 games, .304 BA, 0 HR, 22 RBI
IF - Luke Hughes - 42 games, .242 BA, 2 HR, 17 RBI
IF - Jose Leger - 14 games, .238 BA, 0 HR, 3 RBI
IF - Brock Peterson - 41 games, .295 BA, 5 HR, 23 RBI
SS - Trevor Plouffe - 52 games, .202 BA, 0 HR, 12 RBI
IF - Matt Tolbert - 29 games, .316 BA, 4 HR, 19 RBI

The big name here is Trevor Plouffe, a big name draft pick from 2004. In fact, he was the Twins first pick that year. Unfortunately, Plouffe has never proven his ability to hit at any level. He's made to high A largely as a social promotion, with the hope that his hitting will come along. Hopefully he won't turn into a B.J. Garbe or Adam Johnson.

The other interesting name at this point is Alexi Casilla, who the Twins acquired from the Angels for J.C. Romero this past offseason. Casilla is, happily, playing well right now. At the time, I thought that the trade was heavily weighted in favor of the Angels. If Casilla can develop into a solid player, then I would happily be proved wrong.

Outfielders

1.) Erold Andrus - 20 games, .200 BA, 2 HR, 17 RBI
2.) Justin Arneson - 31 games, .198 BA, 0 HR, 7 RBI
3.) Deacon Burns - 47 games, .198 BA, 1 HR, 9 RBI
4.) Garrett Guzman - 53 games, .276 BA, 7 HR, 42 RBI
5.) Jeremy Pickrel - 47 games, .269 BA, 3 HR, 25 RBI

The top three guys on this list explain why, when the Twins weren't busy drafting catchers, they were largely taking outfielders. At the low minor league level, the Twins don't have a lot to show at this level. The big positive is Guzman, who has developed into a legitimate threat (42 RBI's in A ball is an accomplishment at this point in the season). It would be a surprise if any of the other four players on this list ever made it much farther than this level, since a whole host of youngsters will be coming up the ladder over the next year and a half from the current year's just completed draft to replace them.