Down on the Farm: Low A Report

Beloit Snappers (30-16)
1st Place -- Midwest League Western Division

Snappers Season Stats

Starting Pitchers
1.) Jeff Manship - 10 starts
2.) Cole DeVries - 8 starts, 2 RA
3.) Adam Hawes - 9 starts
4.) Alex Burnett - 9 starts
5.) Brian Kirwan - 1 start
DL - Jose Lugo - 7 starts

Who's Hot: Jeff Manship has put together a great season for the Snappers, going 5-1 with a 1.49 ERA and 0.71 WHIP in 60.1 innings of work. His 61-7 K-BB ratio is equal proof that Manship is already beyond the Low A level, and it should only be a matter of time before he earns his first promotion, up to Ft. Myers. Unfortunately, he left his start last night with an injury, but it sounds very minor and at worst should only land him on the 7-day DL. Cole DeVries is also having a great first season in the Twins organization, as he's put up a 1.53 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP with a 34-14 K-BB ratio in 47 innings. He too could potentially earn a mid-season callup -- although finding room for everybody at Ft. Myers would be a bit of an issue if both Manship and DeVries were to be promoted, so I suspect DeVries will finish off his season in Beloit. Finally, Brian Kirwan was just added to the team from Extended Spring Training, and had a very nice first start, going 5 scoreless innings and allowing just 1 hit.

Who's Not: No one really belongs on this list. Adam Hawes (3.23/1.25) and Alex Burnett (3.25/1.12) have both pitched well. The only guy I can find who fits the bill is Jose Lugo, who has posted a 4.68 ERA/1.74 WHIP in 32.2 innings -- but of course, he's on the DL right now, so it's kind of a cheat to put him on this list.

Relief Pitchers
1.) Robert Delaney - 19 RA
2.) Dan Leatherman - 18 RA
3.) Danny Vais - 11 RA, 2 starts
4.) Jesus Carnevales - 9 RA
5.) Aaron Craig - 5 RA
6.) Matthew Fox - 1 RA
DL - Danny Hernandez
DL - Sean Land

Who's Hot: This bullpen has gone through a massive overhaul since the last time I wrote, with Armando Gabino being promoted, Adam Revelette being released from the organization, and Sean Land and Danny Hernandez being placed on the DL. To replace them, Jesus Carnevales, Aaron Craig, and Matthew Fox have all been either activated from the DL or called up from Extended Spring Training to fill places on the roster. The result has been continued strong pitching from the bullpen, led by closer Robert Delaney, who has put up 16 saves and a 0.67 ERA with a 0.63 WHIP along with a 31-4 K-BB ratio in 27 innings. Jesus Carnevales (2.93/1.17) and Matthew Fox (0.00/1.00 -- but in just 1 inning of work) also deserve particular mention. Really, though, the bulk of the guys in the bullpen are in the mid-3.00's.

Who's Not: Nobody has been outright bad, but Danny Vais has been the worst of the bunch that's still with the team, posting a 4.13 and a 1.24 WHIP in 28.1 innings of work. On the positive side, he still has a 20-3 K-BB ratio -- which, coupled with that pretty low WHIP indicates that he really hasn't pitched that badly. Still, someone had to end up on this list, and an ERA above 4.00 is at least a partial justification for having it be him.

Catchers
1.) Gregory Yersich - C(24)
2.) Allan de San Miguel - C(23)

Who's Hot: Sadly, neither of them.

Who's Not: Less bad -- de San Miguel's .206/.615 with 2 homers and 13 RBI's (although, he does have 21 K's in 68 AB's. Really bad -- Yersich's .189/.474 with just 6 RBI's and 21 K's in 74 AB's, as well as 4 errors. Yowsers.

Infielders
1.) Brian Dinkelman - 2B(33), LF(13), DH(2)
2.) Daniel Valencia - 3B(29), DH(13), 1B(1)
3.) Johnny Woodard - 1B(33), DH(8)
4.) Garrett Olson - 3B(16), LF(11), SS(5), DH(3), 1B(3), RF(1)
5.) Yancarlos Ortiz - SS(32)
6.) Daniel Berg - DH(14), 1B(12), 3B(3)
7.) Steven Singleton - SS(14), 2B(6), DH(2)
8.) William Luque - 2B(10), SS(6), DH(2), 3B(2)
DL - Andrew Thompson
DL - Paul Kelly

Who's Hot: Danny Valencia has been very solid at 3B for the Snappers this season, hitting .310 with an .877 OPS, 7 HR's and 25 RBI's. He has struck out 33 times, but that's in 158 AB's -- a far cry from the horrid K-BB ratio's put up by the Catchers on the team. Brian Dinkelman has also had a solid season, hitting .282/.839 with 4 homers of his own to go with 12 RBI's and 7 SB's. Perhaps most interesting, he's been getting a lot of playing time recently in left field - a position that I didn't know the Twins were interested in having him play. Steven Singleton, who joined the team at the start of May, has become pretty much the regular shortstop for the Snappers, and has hit .280/.639 since being called up. On the downside, he's made 7 errors in just 22 games. Finally, Johnny Woodard is hitting .277/.833 with 4 homers and 16 RBI's (and a less flashy 8 errors) so far this year as the Snapper's primary 1B.

Who's Not: William Luque, a backup middle infielder with the team, is doing nothing to suggest that he deserves more playing time -- he's hitting just .143/.348 in 56 at-bats. Yancarlos Ortiz, who had been the starting shortstop before Steven Singleton was added to the roster, is also struggling along with a .159/.414. Finally, Daniel Berg has hit just .170/.479 in his playing time -- problematic since he's already at 100 AB's, indicating that he's playing a fair amount.

Outfielders
1.) Chris Parmelee - RF(34), LF(4), DH(3)
2.) Joe Benson - CF(38), DH(1)
3.) Danny Santiesteban - LF(14), RF(10), CF(9)

Who's Hot: None of them, but Chris Parmelee is the closest, with a .230 average and a slightly better .718 OPS. He's hit 4 homers and driven in 16 runs. He's also struck out 43 times in 139 AB's -- and that's not going to win you any awards.

Who's Not: Danny Santiesteban is hitting just .216/.704 with 4 errors and 35 K's in 111 AB's (he does have 6 homers). Joe Benson is hitting .206/.617 with 34 K's in 136 AB's and 3 errors. Mark Robinson was playing so badly (.132 batting average in 38 AB's) that he was released from the organization. Time to pick it up, boys.