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.

Down on the Farm: Low A Report

Beloit Snappers (8-7)
T-3rd -- Midwest League Western Division

Snappers Season Stats

Starting Pitchers
1.) Jeff Manship - 4 starts [2 starts]
2.) Cole Devries - 2 starts, 2 RA [1 start]
3.) Adam Hawes - 3 starts [1 start]
4.) Alex Burnett - 3 starts [1 start]
5.) Jose Lugo - 3 starts [1 start]

Who's Hot: Jeff Manship continues to roll on through the Midwest League, picking up his first win and going 13.2 innings and giving up just 2 runs on 6 hits with 12 K's and just 2 walks in his two starts this week. Manship now has a 1.08 ERA and a 0.68 WHIP in 25 innings, and a very solid 28-2 K-BB ratio. At what point does the promotion watch start? My guess is mid-May . . . Cole Devries also had a solid week, going 5 innings and giving up 2 unearned runs on 4 hits and a walk with 6 K's. Devries has a 0.73 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in 12.1 innings to go along with an 11-4 K-BB ratio. Finally, Alex Burnett went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits with a walk and 5 K's. His season ERA sits at 4.50 and his WHIP at 1.29 in 14 innings to go along with a 14-4 K-BB ratio.

Who's Not: Adam Hawes had the worst start of the week for the Snappers, going 4.1 innings and giving up 3 runs on 6 hits with 3 walks and 4 K's. He still has solid season numbers, with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP in 15.1 innings. Jose Lugo, meanwhile, went 4.2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits with 4 walks and 3 K's. He's had the roughest time amongst the Snappers starters this season, with an ERA of 5.25 and a WHIP of 1.92 in 12 innings this year.

Relief Pitchers
1.) Adam Revelette - 7 RA [2 RA]
2.) Armando Gabino - 5 RA [2 RA]
3.) Robert Delaney - 5 RA [2 RA]
4.) Danny Vais - 5 RA [2 RA]
5.) Dan Leatherman - 5 RA [2 RA]
6.) Sean Land - 5 RA [2 RA]
7.) Danny Hernandez - 5 RA [2 RA]

Who's Hot: Armando Gabino went 2.2 innings and gave up just 2 hits while striking out 4 this week to lower his season ERA to 0.90 with a 1.00 WHIP and a 7-1 K-BB ratio. Danny Hernandez also had a decent week, going 2.1 innings and allowing just 1 run on 3 hits with 3 K's -- his season ERA is now sitting at 1.42 and his WHIP at 0.95 along with a 7-2 K-BB ratio.

Who's Not: Sean Land went 2.1 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. Land still has a solid 2.57 ERA on the season and a 1.57 WHIP in 7 innings of work. Adam Revelette went 0.2 innings in 2 appearances, and while he didn't allow any runs, he did give up 2 hits on 2 walks with 1 K. His season ERA sits at 3.00 and his WHIP is a horrendous 3.33 in 3 innings of work.

Catchers
1.) Greg Yersich - C(9) [C(3)]
2.) Allan de San Miguel - C(7) [C(3)]

Who's Hot: Uhhhh -- empty set.

Who's Not: Greg Yersich went 0-for-9 this week and is hitting .103 on the season, while Allan de San Miguel went 2-for-10 (his first 2 hits of the season) to bring his batting average to a towering .100 (although he did hit his first HR of the season). Ugh.

Infielders
1.) Garrett Olson - 3B(6), SS(4), DH(2), LF(2), 1B(3) [3B(2), SS(2), LF(2), 1B(1)]
2.) Johnny Woodard - 1B(13), DH(1) [1B(5), DH(1)]
3.) Danny Valencia - 3B(8), DH(5), 1B(1) [DH(3), 3B(2)]
4.) Brian Dinkelman - 2B(13) [2B(4)]
5.) Yancarlos Ortiz - SS(12) [SS(5)]
6.) Daniel Berg - DH(6), 3B(3), 1B(1) [DH(2), 3B(2)]
7.) William Luque - SS(5), 2B(3), 3B(2) [2B(2), 3B(1), SS(1)]
DL - Andrew Thompson
DL - Paul Kelly

Who's Hot: Johnny Woodard went 8-for-19 this week and stole a base. He's hitting .289 with a .794 OPS on the season, although his 12 K's in 38 AB's is a little high. Danny Valencia also continues to smack the ball, going 7-for-19 on the week including his 4th homerun of the year, and is now hitting .354 on the season with a 1.082 OPS with 10 RBI's and 3 stolen bases. Finally, Brian Dinkelman also had a solid week, going 5-for-16 to raise his season average to .289 with a .940 OPS.

Who's Not: William Luque went 1-for-10 this week and is hitting just .120 on the season. Danny Berg, meanwhile, had a reasonable 4-for-13 week but is still hitting just .167 for the year.

Outfielders
1.) Chris Parmelee - RF(10), LF(3), DH(1) [RF(5), LF(1)]
2.) Joe Benson - CF(13) [CF(4)]
3.) Danny Santiesteban - RF(4), LF(3), CF(2) [CF(2), RF(1)]
4.) Mark Robinson - LF(8), RF(2) [LF(4), RF(1)]

Who's Hot: Chris Parmelee continues to bring his average up, going 7-for-22 on the week, including hitting his 2nd HR of the season. His season average is still at a low .240 with a .789 OPS. The biggest problem for Parmelee is that he's struck out an amazing 23 times in just 50 at-bats -- which is just really, really bad.

Who's Not: Joe Benson went just 1-for-13 this week and is hitting just .146 on the season with a .424 OPS, and further, like Parmelee he has struck out a horrid 16 times in 48 at-bats. Mark Robinson also went 1-for-13 this week and is hitting just .125 with a .268 OPS with 10 K's in 32 at-bats. Strikeouts are an epidemic with this team!

Down on the Farm: Low A Report

Beloit Snappers (4-5)
6th Place -- Midwest League Western Division

Snappers Season Stats

Starting Pitchers
1.) Jeff Manship - 2 starts [1 start]
2.) Adam Hawes - 2 starts [2 starts]
3.) Alex Burnett - 2 starts [1 start]
4.) Jose Lugo - 2 starts [1 start]
5.) Cole Devries - 1 start, 2 RA [1 start, 1 RA]

Who's Hot: Jeff Manship had a brilliant second start for the Snappers last Saturday, going 5.2 innings and giving up just 1 unearned run on 5 hits while striking out 10. On the season, he has a 0.79 ERA, an identical 0.79 WHIP, and a remarkable 16-0 K-BB ratio. The Snappers were also finally able to work Cole Devries into the rotation, and he went 4.1 innings in his first start, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits and a walk while striking out 3. That followed a relief appearance earlier in the week where he went 2 innings, allowing just an unearned run on a hit and a walk while picking up 2 K's. On the season, his ERA is sitting at a tidy 1.23, and he sports a very nice 0.95 WHIP to go along with it.

Who's Not: Jose Lugo gave up 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in just 3 innings of work in his only start of the week. Largely as a result, he's now sporting a season ERA of 6.14, with a bloated 1.91 WHIP to go along with it. In 2 starts this season he's made it through just 7.1 innings of work. Alex Burnett also struggled this week, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk in 4 innings of work. His season ERA rests at 5.63 through 8 innings, but he does have a nice 9-3 K-BB ratio.

Relief Pitchers
1.) Adam Revelette - 5 RA [3 RA]
2.) Armando Gabino - 3 RA [2 RA]
3.) Dan Leatherman - 3 RA [2 RA]
4.) Sean Land - 3 RA [2 RA]
5.) Danny Vais - 3 RA [2 RA]
6.) Danny Hernandez - 3 RA [2 RA]
7.) Robert Delaney - 3 RA [2 RA]

Who's Hot: Dan Leatherman had an unusual week, allowing 3 unearned runs in 3 innings of work. Nonetheless, his season ERA remains at 0.00, so I'm leaving him in the "hot" category. Of course, I probably should have put him below -- his WHIP is 1.75, and he has a horrid 2-4 K-BB ratio. Robert Delaney undoubtedly had the best week amongst the relievers, going 5.2 shutout innings and allowing just 1 hit while striking out 9 batters. On the season, Delaney has a 0.00 ERA, a sick 0.15 WHIP, and an indisputably strong 9-0 K-BB ratio. Sean Land and Danny Hernandez also maintained their 0.00 ERA's over the course of the week, although Hernandez gave up a game winning hit in one of his appearances this week (the 'ole 0.0 inning, 1 hit performance). Finally, Armando Gabino went 5.2 shutout innings this week, allowing just 4 hits and picking up a win. His season ERA rests at 1.23, with a 1.09 WHIP.

Who's Not: Really, not anybody -- there have been some moderately bad performances, but nothing worthy of being stuck in this category.

Catchers
1.) Greg Yersich - C(6) [C(4)]
2.) Allan de San Miguel - C(4) [C(3)]
DL - Jose Leger

Who's Hot: Sadly, neither.

Who's Not: Greg Yersich went 2-for-13 this week while making 2 errors behind the plate. He's hitting a whopping .150 on the season, with 3 runs scored and 3 RBI's. Allan de San Miguel has been even worse, going 0-for-8 this week, which leaves him 0-for-10 on the season. He has at least drawn a walk, so he does have an On-Base Percentage.

Infielders
1.) Garrett Olson - 3B(4), 1B(2), SS(2), DH(2) [3B(4), 1B(1), SS(1), DH(1)]
2.) Brian Dinkelman - 2B(9) [2B(6)]
3.) Daniel Valencia - 3B(6), DH(2), 1B(1) [3B(3), DH(2), 1B(1)]
4.) Johnny Woodard - 1B(8) [1B(6)]
5.) Yancarlos Ortiz - SS(7) [SS(5)]
6.) Daniel Berg - DH(4), 1B(1), 3B(1) [DH(3), 1B(1), 3B(1)]
7.) William Luque - SS(4), 3B(1), 2B(1) [SS(3), 3B(1)]
DL - Andrew Thompson
DL - Paul Kelly

Who's Hot: Daniel Valencia went deep twice this week while going 7-for-19 at the plate. On the season, he's hitting .345 with 5 RBI's, 5 runs scored, 3 homers, and 3 stolen bases. If not for his 2 errors, I'd say he's having nearly a perfect start to the season. Garrett Olson, meanwhile, went 7-for-22 at the dish this week without having a single huge game. He's hitting .281 on the season with 3 runs scored and 5 RBI's.

Who's Not: This category has to lead off this week with Daniel Berg, who went 1-for-14 on the week while driving his season batting average down to a paltry .059. Also struggling this week: Johnny Woodard (2-for-14 on the week, .158 on the season); William Luque (2-for-12 on the week, .133 on the season); and Yancarlos Ortiz (3-for-13 on the week, .167 on the season). Somewhat stunningly right now, there are only three players on the entire Snappers team that have a batting average above .179 -- yowsers!

Outfielders
1.) Joe Benson - CF(9) [CF(6)]
2.) Chris Parmelee - RF(5), LF(2), DH(1) [RF(3), LF(2)]
3.) Danny Santiesteban - LF(3), RF(3) [LF(2), RF(2)]
4.) Mark Robinson - LF(4), RF(1) [LF(2), RF(1)]

Who's Hot: Amazingly, no one in this bunch qualifies.

Who's Not: While I could probably sneak each of the four in this category, I'll just mention the two worst offenders for the week. Danny Santiesteban managed to go just 1-for-14 on the week, and is hitting just .143 on the season. He does have 2 stolen bases, which is something I guess. Mark Robinson, meanwhile, went 1-for-12 on the week to drop his season batting average to .158. I will mention Chris Parmelee and Joe Benson to say that, amazingly, they've struck out a combined total of 27 times already this season: Parmelee 14 (in 28 at-bats), Benson 13 (in 35 at-bats). Ouch!

Down on the Farm: Low A Report

Beloit Snappers (3-0)
T-1st Place -- Midwest League Western Division

Snappers Season Stats

Starting Pitchers
1.) Jeff Manship - 1 start
2.) Alex Burnett - 1 start
3.) Jose Lugo - 1 start
4.) Cole DeVries - 1 relief appearance
5.) Adam Hawes

Who's Hot: Jeff Manship threw down the gauntlet by going 5.2 innings and allowing just 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 6 in the extreme cold when the Snappers finally got a chance to open their season on Saturday after back-to-back "cold outs." It's become apparent that Manship has dynamite stuff, and it would not be even remotely surprising to see him get a quick promotion to Ft. Myers -- he could end up having a Matt Garza or Kevin Slowey like season where he very quickly moves through multiple levels of the organization. Neither Burnett (4 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2BB's, 5 K's) or Lugo (4.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB's, 6 K's) were too shabby either in their season debut's. Cole DeVries meanwhile, got an inning out of the bullpen and allowed an unearned run and a walk.

Who's Not: So far the starting pitching has been perfectly adequate, so nobody is deserving of being in this category so far.

Relief Pitchers
1.) Adam Revelette - 2 relief appearances ("RA")
2.) Dan Leatherman - 1 RA
3.) Danny Vais - 1 RA
4.) Danny Hernandez - 1 RA
5.) Sean Land - 1 RA
6.) Armando Gabino - 1 RA
7.) Robert Delaney - 1 RA

Who's Hot: Danny Hernandez (2 IP, 1 BB, 1 K) and Sean Land (1.2 IP) have both opened up with scoreless appearances, and Land even earned a save for his troubles. Dan Leatherman and Robert Delaney have also both pitched scoreless innings in their first relief appearances, although Leatherman did allow a hit (Delaney was perfect).

Who's Not: When a team is 3-0, it usually means that the pitching has been decent, and that's certainly the case here. Armando Gabino has struggled the most, giving up 1 run on 3 hits in 1.2 innings. Danny Vais, meanwhile, gave up 1 run on 1 hit in 2.1 innings of work on his way to a win -- but at this point, merely having an ERA in this bullpen is enough to get you on the "Who's Not' list.

Catchers
1.) Greg Yersich - C (2)
2.) Allan de San Miguel - C (1)
DL - Jose Leger

Who's Hot: Neither of them, at the moment.

Who's Not: Yersich is 1-for-7 with an RBI and 2 K's, while de San Miguel is 0-for-2 with a K. I would say both of those performances qualify as "Not Hot." On the plus side, de San Miguel has drawn a walk, and neither of them has made an error through three games. Faint praise, indeed.

Infielders
1.) Johnny Woodard - 1B (2)
2.) Brian Dinkelman - 2B (3)
3.) Daniel Valencia - 3B (3)
4.) Yancarlos Ortiz - SS (2)
5.) Garrett Olson - 1B (1), SS (1), DH (1)
6.) William Luque - 2B (1), SS (1)
7.) Daniel Berg - DH (1)
DL - Andrew Thompson
DL - Paul Kelly

Who's Hot: Daniel Valencia has started off 3-for-10 with a HR and 2 RBI's and a walk. He's also played error-free baseball at third base, and has picked up a stolen base. Brian Dinkelman, meanwhile, is 2-for-7 with 3 walks and a run scored -- although unlike Valencia he has made an error in the field. Garrett Olson, meanwhile, is hitting just .200 (2-for-10), but he has 3 RBI's and 2 runs scored while being asked to bounce around to numerous positions.

Who's Not: Yancarlos Ortiz has undoubtedly started off the worst for the Snappers, going 0-for-5 with a K and making an error in the field. He's not alone in still looking for his first hit: Daniel Berg (0-for-3 with 3 walks) and William Luque (0-for-3 with a walk) are also still trying to get on the board.

Outfielders
1.) Joe Benson - CF (3)
2.) Chris Parmelee - RF (2), DH (1)
3.) Mark Robinson - LF (2)
4.) Danny Santiesteban - LF (1), RF (1)

Who's Hot: Danny Santiesteban and Mark Robinson have both started off by going 2-for-7, and Santiesteban has a double and 2 RBI's as part of the deal. Chris Parmelee, meanwhile, is hitting just .200 (2-for-10), but he has a solo HR and 4 runs scored, making his line look a little stronger.

Who's Not: Joe Benson has kicked off his season on a 2-for-13 snide with 6 K's. At least he's played error-free ball in the outfield.