RE: Players and prospects III (Full Version)

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Mr. Ed -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 11:04:08 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: djskillz

Would be great to see Berrios and Rosario promoted together to New Britain.



I suspect Rosario will go in the next week.

I suspect Berrios, and perhaps 1 or 2 other pitchers, go after their all-star break.




Stacey King -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 11:08:32 AM)

Adam Brett Walker II has something about him.

His manager sees it. His high school and college coaches have raved about it. His parents raised it.

The Fort Myers Miracle right fielder and power hitter isn’t flashy and often wears navy blue stirrups over his white socks, a baseball fashion trend that ended two decades ago.

He doesn’t pump his fists or give rah-rah speeches or curse or do anything to draw attention to himself except for one thing. He hits baseballs over fences.

“The way I can describe Adam Brett is that he is a young man with an old man’s soul,” said Glynis Walker, Adam’s mother. “The stirrups fit right in with his personality. He’s an only child. So he was always very mature for his age.”

The 6-foot-4, 223-pound, 22-year-old could have been the Minnesota Twins’ minor league player of the year last season.

Instead, he had one of the least-talked-about breakout parties by a Twins prospect. Overshadowed by Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, two of the top six prospects, Walker excelled for the low Class A Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kernels of the Midwest League.

He hit .278 (141-for-508) with 31 doubles, 27 home runs and 109 RBI, the second-highest RBI total in minor league baseball for 2013.

“He had a great year last year,” Miracle manager Doug Mientkiewicz said before acknowledging Walker’s slower start this season.

Through his first 51 Miracle games entering Saturday, Walker led the Florida State League in home runs with 12, including the two he hit Friday night. He ranked second in RBI with 38. But he was hitting just .236 (47-for-199) with 16 walks while ranking fourth in the league with 60 strikeouts.

“I think we all knew that this level would be a big test for him,” Mientkiewicz said. “A lot of guys put up really good numbers in the Midwest League and then struggle in the Florida State League. But the last couple of weeks, he’s not chasing balls out of the strike zone. He’s just being more aggressive. When he swings at strikes, he’s dangerous.”

Walker said he wasn’t thinking about home runs and RBI.

“The main thing is just looking for good pitches to hit,” Walker said. “My numbers will start to come around now that I’m starting to see the ball better. I’m just trying to keep working to become a better hitter, and we’ll see where I end up.”

Imposing figure

Walker’s imposing stature and plate presence do not match his personality, which best could be described as a quiet cool.

Although he sometimes gets his uniform dirty, he otherwise comes across as squeaky clean. A Christian, Walker wears a silver cross around his neck, a gift from his aunt six years ago. He said he never takes it off.

“He’s never gotten in trouble,” said Glynis Walker, a college volleyball and Division III national champion high jumper at Carthage College in the early 1980s. “He’s never done anything wrong. We used to have to make up stuff so that he would know the word ‘No.’ That’s the honest to goodness truth.”

Mientkiewicz said he and the Twins have no problem with Walker’s personality.

“His teammates love him,” Mientkiewicz said. “You always have to have a couple of guys like rocks. At times, you’d like to see him show a little more emotion, but there are plenty of guys in the big leagues who have big personalities. You’ve got to balance that out one way or another.

“Perception is reality. What you show might not be who you really are. The one thing about Walker is he works hard every day. He wants to get better. Just because he’s quiet doesn’t mean he isn’t competitive.”

Competitive streak

Walker announced his competitiveness at the end of this past spring training. Summoned by the Twins as a substitute for a big-league starter in the late innings of a game at JetBlue Park, Walker launched a baseball over the near-replica Green Monster wall against the Boston Red Sox. His parents sat in the stands while visiting from their Milwaukee home.

“It was very surreal because the ball came off the bat so fast, and it got out of the park so fast, that probably everybody in the park didn’t recognize what was happening,” Glynis Walker said. “But I did because I’ve been watching Adam Brett his whole life.

“I jumped up and said, ‘Wow!’ I was so excited. The whole ballpark was silent for a moment.”

Walker’s father, fumbling a camera, missed seeing the ball fly out of the ballpark. Adam Brett Walker I, however, said he would have plenty more opportunities to see his son homer.

“My advice to him is not to worry about the next step,” said Walker I, who was an NFL replacement running back for the Minnesota Vikings in 1987 and is the defensive coordinator at Concordia University.

“The Twins have a plan,” Walker I said. “When it’s his turn, they’ll let him know.”

Rising up

Walker II has taken advantage of his turns.

At Jacksonville University, Walker led the Dolphins his junior season in 2011 in batting average (.343), hits (72), runs (44), doubles (14), homers (12), RBI (42) and on-base percentage (.426).

“He kept to himself, but he absolutely loved baseball,” said Jacksonville coach Tim Montez, whose 12-year-old son has a poster of Walker hanging in his bedroom.

Montez recruited Walker out of Milwaukee Lutheran High, where he was a catcher.

“He was a pretty darn good high school quarterback, too,” Montez said. “In baseball, he had some raw power and probably the best raw power that I’ve seen in 27 years of coaching. I’ve been very blessed to be around some good programs and good players over the years. But I’ve seen him hit some baseballs that just left me shaking my head.”

Bob Heinkel, 61 and Milwaukee Lutheran’s varsity baseball coach, said Walker has stood out among the hundreds of players he has coached.

“He was clearly the best power hitter I’ve had in 40 years,” Heinkel said. “He’s right at the top.”

Walker has been able to make smooth transitions to each level. Heinkel has seen those transitions since first coaching him at age 7 at a youth baseball camp.

“Well, as far as the transition, I think he has made good strides,” Heinkel said. “I think his upside still remains. He’s got power and leverage. He’s going to be able to throw the ball with the very best of them.”

When Heinkel holds his annual youth camp this summer, he planned to talk about Walker.

“I coach hundreds and hundreds of kids each summer, and I can point to him as a role model, and an excellent role model at that,” Heinkel said. “His faith and his example are just wonderful to see as he continues to develop.”

Walker’s mother had trouble coming up with any misdeeds for her son, but Heinkel easily thought of the only trouble he ever had with him.

“Here’s the worst thing I can come up with,” Heinkel said. “When he was a sophomore, playing on varsity, we had a game that started at 1 o’clock on Saturday, and the junior varsity had a game at 11 o’clock. So he went over to cheer them on. He got so involved in cheering them on, that he came a few minutes late for our pregame. He was kind of petrified when he realized he had messed up. He was worried about how he was going to affect the team being a sophomore and so forth.

“He got carried away caring about others.”

[image]http://i61.tinypic.com/23vj3sz.jpg[/image]
ADAM BRETT WALKER II

Who: Miracle right fielder

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 223 pounds

Age: 22

How acquired: Third round pick in the 2012 draft out of Jacksonville University

Last season: Hit .278 with 27 homers and 109 RBI




Stacey King -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 11:31:46 AM)

Another Draft pick look back....


Mason Melotakis closed it out for Fort Myers last night. Working almost exclusively out of the pen after starting most of 2013

Drafted in the 2nd round (63rd overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 2012 (signed for $750,000)
Mason Melotakis, a hard thrower in college as mostly a reliever, the Twins drafted him in hopes he could become a starting pitcher as he developed and went through their system. Now 2 years in the 23-year old Melotakis is in HiA ball pitching out of the pen with a 4.15 ERA & 1.64 WHIP.

The projection/hope the Twins scouts saw in this high draft pick seem to be out. Another swing-and-a-miss by the scouting staff.


A look back at Melotakis's draft report as he entered the 2012 Draft.

A Grapevine, Texas, product, Melotakis slipped out of Texas to play at Northwestern State in Louisiana. He touched 90 mph at times in high school but has filled out physically and become a true power relief arm in his college career. He emerged as a prospect with 10 strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings against Louisiana State as a sophomore and threw plenty of strikes in the Cape Cod League last summer, posting a 22-2 strikeout-walk ratio in 19 innings. The Blue Demons have used him as a starter at times, including a heavily scouted outing May 4 against Central Arkansas. His high-effort delivery wore him out after four innings and he got only one out in the fifth, but he sat at 94-96 mph with his fastball for three innings, typical of his velocity at his best. Melotakis's slider remains inconsistent but flashes above-average. His short arm action is another factor in making the bullpen his likely big league destination. Melotakis has the mentality for it, going after hitters with his power stuff, and should go out in the first three rounds.




Mr. Ed -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 11:36:10 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Stacey King

Another Draft pick look back....


Mason Melotakis closed it out for Fort Myers last night. Working almost exclusively out of the pen after starting most of 2013

Drafted in the 2nd round (63rd overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 2012 (signed for $750,000)
Mason Melotakis, a hard thrower in college as mostly a reliever, the Twins drafted him in hopes he could become a starting pitcher as he developed and went through their system. Now 2 years in the 23-year old Melotakis is in HiA ball pitching out of the pen with a 4.15 ERA & 1.64 WHIP.

The projection/hope the Twins scouts saw in this high draft pick seem to be out. Another swing-and-a-miss by the scouting staff.


A look back at Melotakis's draft report as he entered the 2012 Draft.

A Grapevine, Texas, product, Melotakis slipped out of Texas to play at Northwestern State in Louisiana. He touched 90 mph at times in high school but has filled out physically and become a true power relief arm in his college career. He emerged as a prospect with 10 strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings against Louisiana State as a sophomore and threw plenty of strikes in the Cape Cod League last summer, posting a 22-2 strikeout-walk ratio in 19 innings. The Blue Demons have used him as a starter at times, including a heavily scouted outing May 4 against Central Arkansas. His high-effort delivery wore him out after four innings and he got only one out in the fifth, but he sat at 94-96 mph with his fastball for three innings, typical of his velocity at his best. Melotakis's slider remains inconsistent but flashes above-average. His short arm action is another factor in making the bullpen his likely big league destination. Melotakis has the mentality for it, going after hitters with his power stuff, and should go out in the first three rounds.



"Let's try him as a starter and HOPE he can do it"...so they waste 2 years.

Summers is now a bullpen guy in AA. Baxendale is too.

Both were "hoping"to make it as starters......




djskillz -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 11:39:32 AM)

I had high hopes for Melotakis as a potential starter. The stuff is there. Too bad.




Stacey King -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 11:42:59 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: djskillz

I had high hopes for Melotakis as a potential starter. The stuff is there. Too bad.



He can still be a 8th inning guy. Short arm action and hard stuff for short bursts, inning at a time.

But for a 2nd rounder you hope for more ceiling. I guess the ceiling wasn't there...the ability to throw like that more than once through the order after they got him.

That is a projection the scouts have to be accountable for.




TJSweens -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:09:39 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mr. Ed

quote:

ORIGINAL: Stacey King

Another Draft pick look back....


Mason Melotakis closed it out for Fort Myers last night. Working almost exclusively out of the pen after starting most of 2013

Drafted in the 2nd round (63rd overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 2012 (signed for $750,000)
Mason Melotakis, a hard thrower in college as mostly a reliever, the Twins drafted him in hopes he could become a starting pitcher as he developed and went through their system. Now 2 years in the 23-year old Melotakis is in HiA ball pitching out of the pen with a 4.15 ERA & 1.64 WHIP.

The projection/hope the Twins scouts saw in this high draft pick seem to be out. Another swing-and-a-miss by the scouting staff.


A look back at Melotakis's draft report as he entered the 2012 Draft.

A Grapevine, Texas, product, Melotakis slipped out of Texas to play at Northwestern State in Louisiana. He touched 90 mph at times in high school but has filled out physically and become a true power relief arm in his college career. He emerged as a prospect with 10 strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings against Louisiana State as a sophomore and threw plenty of strikes in the Cape Cod League last summer, posting a 22-2 strikeout-walk ratio in 19 innings. The Blue Demons have used him as a starter at times, including a heavily scouted outing May 4 against Central Arkansas. His high-effort delivery wore him out after four innings and he got only one out in the fifth, but he sat at 94-96 mph with his fastball for three innings, typical of his velocity at his best. Melotakis's slider remains inconsistent but flashes above-average. His short arm action is another factor in making the bullpen his likely big league destination. Melotakis has the mentality for it, going after hitters with his power stuff, and should go out in the first three rounds.



"Let's try him as a starter and HOPE he can do it"...so they waste 2 years.

Summers is now a bullpen guy in AA. Baxendale is too.

Both were "hoping"to make it as starters......


That's what I remember about that draft. They kept picking pitchers that had good stuff to be starters, but most MLB scouts projected as relievers.




Mr. Ed -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:11:09 PM)

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/261772421.html

Dougie a hard-nosed manager.

Man, would he make a GREAT 3rd base coach for Paul Molitor.




Trekgeekscott -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:18:02 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Stacey King

quote:

ORIGINAL: djskillz

I had high hopes for Melotakis as a potential starter. The stuff is there. Too bad.



He can still be a 8th inning guy. Short arm action and hard stuff for short bursts, inning at a time.

But for a 2nd rounder you hope for more ceiling. I guess the ceiling wasn't there...the ability to throw like that more than once through the order after they got him.

That is a projection the scouts have to be accountable for.

Accountability does not happen in this organization. If it did, the entire scouting department, Terry Ryan, Bill Smith, Ron Gardenhire, the crack medical staff, Rick Anderson, Scott Ulger (who has sucked at every coaching job he's had but keeps getting another crack at it) and Joe Vavra would all have been fired LONG AGO.




Dave E -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:24:37 PM)

Joe Posnanski had a great write-up on the Oakland A's, and how little they like to rely on "hope." They take bets -- who doesn't? -- but they do everything possible to make sure they are making bets they have a high likelihood of winning.

The Twins...gah. Draft a bunch of relivers hoping they can be turned into starters. Re-sign Guerrier, Kubel, Bartlett on the one in a millino shot that they still have what it takes.

Make better bets, Twins.




Stacey King -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:33:50 PM)

The Florida State League can be a graveyard for sluggers, the weather and distant fences often taking a heavy toll.

Adam Brett Walker, though, is defying the power-suppressing reputation of the Class A Advanced circuit.

"If I hit it right, I think it will go out no matter," the Minnesota Twins' No. 13 prospect said. "I try not to let the wind or the ballparks get to me."

Walker certainly didn't in mid-May, when the 6-foot-4 Fort Myers right fielder smashed two grand slams over a four-game span.

"It was crazy," the 22-year-old Wisconsin native said. "It's still kind of hard to believe."

[image]http://i60.tinypic.com/20gi7ty.jpg[/image]

The right-handed hitter went deep to the opposite field against tough left-hander Jed Bradley in the first inning at Brevard County on May 14, then pulled a shot to left off Daytona right-hander Zack Godley in the seventh at Hammond Stadium on May 18.

"I have to give my teammates credit for being on base," he said. "I think I came up with the bases loaded six times that week."

Walker quickly emptied them twice.

"It definitely helped my numbers," he said.

The grand slams, though, were just part of a three-week binge in which Walker hit seven homers and drove in 22 runs.

The long-ball breakout was capped by a two-homer game at Clearwater on May 30, the second a towering blast to left field into Frenchy's Tiki Pavilion that gave him the league lead with 12.

Walker was third in the FSL with 41 RBIs through 54 games and had helped Fort Myers stay in a battle with St. Lucie for first place in the South Division.

The third-round pick in the 2012 Draft out of Jacksonville University has always put up impressive power numbers since signing with the Twins.

Walker recorded 14 homers and 45 RBIs in 58 games for Elizabethton of the Rookie Appalachian League and then had a Class A Midwest League-best 27 homers and 109 RBIs last season for Cedar Rapids while being named the Topps Player of the Year.

But making consistent contact has been an issue, and the move up to the Florida State League certainly hadn't diminished that. Walker, who was hitting .239, had 63 strikeouts in his first 209 at-bats for the Miracle.

"Strikeouts happen, but I've been feeling good at the plate," he said. "I'm just trying to be more consistent."

Walker comes by his athletic ability naturally. His father was a pro football player who now coaches in college and his mother is a former national track champion. Walker himself was a rangy high school quarterback in Milwaukee, but he knew which sport he wanted to pursue from an early age.

"My first love was always baseball," he said.

Walker fled the cold of Wisconsin to play in college at Jacksonville, and two teammates there -- pitcher Matt Tomshaw and outfielder John Murphy -- have spent most of this season with him on the Miracle.

Whether in college or the Minors, batting practice can be showtime with Walker.

"In the last round, I let it fly a little bit to see how far I can hit it," he said.

And that's a long way, not matter what ballpark Walker is hitting in.




SoMnFan -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:35:03 PM)

We don't think that way here, son ...




SoMnFan -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:35:56 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mr. Ed

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/261772421.html

Dougie a hard-nosed manager.

Man, would he make a GREAT 3rd base coach for Paul Molitor.

I wouldn't be able to walk for awhile.
If you know what I mean.




Mr. Ed -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:45:02 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: wethrock

Reportedly, there will be major news announcement about the future of the RockCats tomorrow (June 4). Some of the leaked info. does not seem to be credible - this could potentially affect the Twins being in CT. The Hartford newspaper http://www,courant.com will have the stories.



HARTFORD – The city plans to build a $60 million stadium to lure the New Britain Rock Cats to Hartford, officials said Wednesday at a press conference attended by the team's owner and some players.

The Eastern League affiliate of the Minnesota Twins has agreed to sign a 25-year lease with the city beginning in 2016 if Hartford builds a new baseball stadium. It would pay the city about $500,000 per year.

The plan would bring 600 full-time jobs to Hartford and 900 construction jobs related to the stadium job, said Mayor Pedro Segarra.



http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-hartford-rockcats-0605-20140604,0,5401516.story




Stacey King -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:47:28 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: SoMnFan

We don't think that way here, son ...



Be cool if Vargas and Walker keep coming on. Two monster big boys on the big league club with Sano. The new Minnesota Lumber Company.

[image]http://i58.tinypic.com/desjma.jpg[/image]

Put Craig Mongo Kusick types back into vogue.




SoMnFan -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:48:04 PM)

Mongo!




SoMnFan -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:49:15 PM)

You look up lumbering power hitter in Websters, that's the picture you see.




djskillz -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:55:06 PM)

Yep, Stacey.

Buxton-CF
Mauer-1b
Sano-3b
Arcia-LF
Walker-RF
Vargas-DH
Pinto-C
Rosario-2b
Dozier-SS
(other options of Plouffe, Goodrum, Polanco, etc.)

THAT is a lineup.




Stacey King -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:57:28 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: djskillz

Yep, Stacey.

Buxton-CF
Mauer-1b
Sano-3b
Arcia-LF
Walker-RF
Vargas-DH
Pinto-C
Rosario-2b
Dozier-SS
(other options of Plouffe, Goodrum, Polanco, etc.)

THAT is a lineup.



THAT INDEED.

No breaks for the opposing pitcher.




SoMnFan -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:59:33 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Stacey King

quote:

ORIGINAL: djskillz

Yep, Stacey.

Buxton-CF
Mauer-1b
Sano-3b
Arcia-LF
Walker-RF
Vargas-DH
Pinto-C
Rosario-2b
Dozier-SS
(other options of Plouffe, Goodrum, Polanco, etc.)

THAT is a lineup.



THAT INDEED.

No breaks for the opposing pitcher.

Let's hope our nursing homes have good TV




djskillz -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 12:59:45 PM)

Defense is a little lacking. Probably below average at almost every position sans CF and maybe 1b. But man we would mash teams to death.




SoMnFan -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 1:00:13 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: djskillz

Defense is a little lacking. Probably below average at almost every position sans CF and maybe 1b. But man we would mash teams to death.

We don't do that here, son ....




Stacey King -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 1:01:36 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: SoMnFan

quote:

ORIGINAL: Stacey King

quote:

ORIGINAL: djskillz

Yep, Stacey.

Buxton-CF
Mauer-1b
Sano-3b
Arcia-LF
Walker-RF
Vargas-DH
Pinto-C
Rosario-2b
Dozier-SS
(other options of Plouffe, Goodrum, Polanco, etc.)

THAT is a lineup.



THAT INDEED.

No breaks for the opposing pitcher.

Let's hope our nursing homes have good TV



Gardy's Wallbangers.

Lord knows he'll outlast us all.




SoMnFan -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 1:05:28 PM)

Timex watches, rats, and Gardy.
That's all that will be left someday.




TJSweens -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/4/2014 1:21:30 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: SoMnFan

Timex watches, rats, and Gardy.
That's all that will be left someday.


You forgot cockroaches.




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