April 29, 2008

Revere promoted to Beloit

Yesterday morning it was announced that the Minnesota Twins promoted top 2007 draft pick, Ben Revere to Single-A Beloit, after spending all of April in Extended Spring Training. Revere, a speedy outfielder, took the roster spot of injured third baseman Deibinson Romero who's likely to be out for 3-4 weeks after having surgery on his right knee to repair a torn meniscus.

Revere debuted at # 7 in my "Top 55 Twins Prospects" rankings. Here's what I had to say about him:
Ben Revere was taken by the Twins in the first round of the 2007 draft. Many people were skeptical of the pick, as many thought there were definitely better players available and that the Twins shouldn't be adding more speedy outfielders with low power potential. However, Ben shut a lot of those critics up(at least for the time being) and now many think (at least, so far) that it may have been a great pick for the Twins. Of course, it's really too soon to tell. In 191 AB's, Ben hit .325/.388/.461 with zero home runs. That's right, a .461 slugging percentage without a home run. The reason for this is that Ben possesses amazing speed which allowed him to hit 16 extra-base hits, 10 of which were triples. He also stole 21 bases in 50 games and displayed solid plate discipline as well. He projects as a potentially great left-handed lead-off hitter with great defense. Right now, again it's probably too soon to compare him, but I'd say he's a potential Jacoby Ellsbury clone. Ben should be in Beloit this season, and will likely spend the entire season there, sink or swim.
He obviously did not start in Beloit, but my optimism regarding his potential remains. He likely will never hit more than a couple home runs per season, however his speed and aggression on the base paths will make him an exciting prospect to watch.

After starting the season in EST, Revere has now arrived in Beloit.

He debuted for the Snappers last night, and had a rough first game. He went went 0-3 with a walk and two strikeouts at the plate, while committing an error on defense while playing left field. It will be interesting to see who the Snappers play in center field each night as Joe Benson has played there for much of the last year.

Revere was not the only player promoted however, Bradley Tippett and Santos Arias also joined him in Beloit out of EST. Arias is a 21-year-old starting pitcher from the Dominican Republic. He had an impressive 2007 season for the GCL Twins in which he went 3-4 in 11 games (10 started) with a 2.96 ERA. He also fanned 46 batters in just over 54 innings.

Tippett, 20, is a 2006 non-drafted free agent out of Australia. I ranked him as the 52nd top Twins prospect for 2008, here's what I had to say:
Brad Tippett is a non-drafted free agent who signed on January 4th, 2006 out of Australia. He has been a reliever through both levels of rookie league, and has faired well in both. He allowed only 4 walks through 38 innings while striking out 51 in '07. He had a sub 1.00 ERA as well and allowed only 1 home run on 20 total hits. He will most likely be a reliever through his career, however he's been known to pitch 2 or 3 innings at a time while holding other teams to minimal damage. He's only 20 years old, so the Twins will not rush him at all through the minors. He'll likely be in Beloit this season, but could move up fairly quickly if he continues to dominate his opponents.
He obviously had a very impressive '07 season, but the Twins decided to keep him in EST to start the '08 season. A lanky right-hander, Tippett pitched as a reliever last season, although sometimes pitching 3-4-sometimes 5 innings in a game. He'll likely stay in the bullpen in Beloit, but he may be an option to start down the line.

To make room for Tippett and Arias, the Snappers placed Michael McCardell on the 7-day DL with bone chips in his elbow. They Snappers also announced that they have released right-handed reliever Dominique Rodgers. Rodgers, 23, was a 36th round draft pick last season out of Kent State. I haven't been able to find a reasoning for his release.

It's great to see these guys get promoted, but it's definitely unfortunate that they had to come at the expense of injuries and being released.

Hitter of the Day
Darnell McDonald - Red Wings - Right Field
Note:
McDonald tried to carry the load for the Red Wings, offensively, but it wasn't enough. Despite going 2-5 with 3 runs scored, a double, and a grand slam, the Red Wings still fell 8-6 to the Pawtucket Red Sox. McDonald now has 10 RBI's in 14 games for the Red Wings.

Pitcher of the Day
Tyler Robertson - Miracle - Starting Pitcher
Note: Robertson had a good start for the Miracle last night, unfortunately the runs came late which resulted in Robertson picking up a no-decision, his fourth of the season. Robertson went 6 strong innings, giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits. He walked 3 but struck out 6. Robertson now sits at 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA and a 27/12 K/BB ratio in 25 1/3 innings pitched. In '07, he gave up just one home run about every 34 innings, and this year he still has not allowed an opposing batter to hit a ball over the fence.

Touch 'Em All!
  • Red Wings: McDonald (2)
  • Rock Cats: None (Off-Day)
  • Miracle: None
  • Snappers: None

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