The full-season minor league campaigns just got started on Thursday. The Twins affiliates have played four or five games. Little can be made out of the small sample size, but already some stories are jumping to the forefront. So, take any statistics below with a grain of salt. Few players even have 20 at bats yet. However, here are some interesting notes and stories from the season's first handful of games:
Trevor Plouffe was named as the International League Player of the Week. After going 0-4 on Opening Night, Plouffe recorded eight hits (including five extra base hits, three of which were home runs) over the next three games. His second home run in Saturday's game came with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and tied the game. Three innings later, Jeff Bailey would end the game with a walk-off home run. With the early struggles of Alexi Casilla, Trevor Plouffe will be a prospect to watch. We saw last year that he can hit for power, but can he get on base, put the ball in play, and maybe most important, can he make the plays with the glove and his arm?
In 2008, the Twins used their third first-round draft pick (first pick of the supplemental first round) on Shooter Hunt. Since a solid debut that year, he has struggled with his control. This has been well documented. In the past two seasons, he has thrown 100 innings and struck out 105 batters. That speaks to his incredible stuff. However, he has walked 142 in that same time. He returns to the Ft. Myers bullpen in 2011 where he has pitched twice so far this year. In 3.2 innings, he has give up four unearned runs on five hits, three walks and has two strikeouts.
Hunt is joined in Ft. Myers this year by 2010 top pick Alex Wimmers. When drafted, some 'experts' deemed Wimmers the pitching prospect from that draft most ready for the big leagues because of his terrific control and a big league changeup. A couple of weeks ago, it was reported to me that Wimmers, too, was experiencing a case of the "yips." He was really struggling with his control in spring training games. I didn't make much of it, hoping that when the regular season started, he would be just fine and there would be nothing to make of it. He was the fifth starter for the Ft. Myers Miracle (Where after signing late last year, he gave up six hits, walked five and struck out 23 in 15.2 innings). Last night, he made his first start of the season. He faced six batters. He walked all six of them and threw three wild pitches before being removed from the game. Hopefully this is a short-term story, but it is one that can't, and won't, be ignored.
Ft. Myers is currently 4-1 on the short season. Chris Herrmann was invited to spring training as a non-roster invite and as a catcher. He has caught one time in the first five games and has played left field three games. Last year, he was described to me as the best defensively left fielder in the Florida State League. He is also a solid, improving catcher. After skipping Beloit last year, Herrmann represented the Miracle at the midseason All-Star game. He is off to a terrific start. He has seven hits in 14 at bats, including a triple. He has walked three times and has not struck out.
2008's first, first-round pick, Aaron Hicks may have experienced some 'struggles' late last week, but has has done well in his adjustment to the Florida State League. He is 7-20 (.350) with a double and a triple. He has walked four times and struck out just once. He has played terrific defense in centerfield. The one area that he really has to improve is his base running. He is 0-2 in stolen base attempts and been picked off twice.
After hitting 27 home runs last year (and 23 of them in AA), Joe Benson returned to New Britain to start the 2011 season. He currently is 8-17 (.471) with two doubles and a home run. The key number to watch, if you're following the progress of Benson, is his strikeout number. At this point, he has three strikeouts in 17 at bats, a rate he will hopefully be able to maintain throughout the year.
Andrei Lobanov is a recently-turned-21-year-old lefty from Moscow who has done a terrific job the last two years in the Twins lower minor league levels. In 109 innings coming into the season, he has walked just 19 batters and struck out 111 while working out of the bullpen. This year, he is going to get an opportunity to start. He made his first start last night for Beloit and gave up two runs in four innings. However, he walked just one and struck out six. Could he be a solid starter, or is he just getting a chance to do that until Pat Dean comes back from his injury?
