Twins minor-league stars of the week: Aug. 14

By foxsports
Published

This week's FOXSportsNorth.com Minor League Star of the Week is Rochester starting hurler Jose Berrios.

Berrios, a 21-year-old native of Puerto Rico, is the youngest pitcher in the International League. Yet, he has operated with a veteran's poise on the mound of late and has five quality starts since mid-July.  

Here's a look at what Berrios and the rest of this week's minor-league stars did throughout the Minnesota Twins' farm system.

TRIPLE-A ROCHESTER

Player of the Week: CF Byron Buxton

2015 stats (overall in minors): .297/.363/.491, 13 3B, 41 RBI, 22 SB

Recent highlights: Granted, Buxton's game has grown beyond the Triple-A level, but it's still interesting to observe how he's doing in his recovery from a thumb ailment. Buxton, who hit .189 in 11 games with the Twins earlier this summer, hit .417 (10 for 24) from Aug. 7-12, with a pair of three-hit games during that stretch. It's only a matter of time before the 21-year-old returns to Target Field. 

Pitcher of the Week: RHP Jose Berrios

2015 stats (overall in minors): 11-4, 3.06 ERA, 135 1/3 IP, 135 K, 36 BB

Recent highlights: Berrios is 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA over his last 10 minor-league outings, and was especially on his game last Saturday. On that day, at Charlotte, Berrios pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out nine while allowing five hits and one free pass.

DOUBLE-A CHATTANOOGA

Player of the Week: 2B Stephen Wickens

2015 stats: .265/.362/.360, 11 2B, 16 RB, 15 SB

Recent highlights: Wickens, a 26-year-old Canadian, has hit .353 over his last 10 games (12 for 34). What's more, he has three multi-hit games in his last six outings. Last Sunday, Wickens went 3 for 5 with six RBI in the Lookouts' 14-2 rout of Mobile.      

Pitcher of the Week: RHP Greg Peavey

2015 stats: 7-9, 4.70 ERA, 128 1/3 IP, 75 K, 30 BB 

Recent highlights: Peavey, 27, largely struggled in June and July. But the righty righted the ship on Wednesday, going eight innings while allowing two earned runs on two hits with three strikeouts and zero walks, in a narrow loss to Tennessee. 

HIGH-A FORT MYERS

Player of the Week: 2B Tanner Vavra

2015 stats: .253/.327/.303, 8 2B, 13 RBI

Recent highlights: Tanner Vavra, the 26-year-old son of current Twins bench coach Joe Vavra, had five hits over two games at St. Lucie on Monday and Tuesday, including a 3-for-4 effort in the latter of those two contests. Over his last 10 total games, Vavra has gone 12 for 31 (.387) at the plate.  

Pitcher of the Week: RHP Kohl Stewart

2015 stats: 5-7, 3.25 ERA, 110 2/3 IP, 63 K, 38 BB 

Recent highlights: Stewart, a first-round draft pick in 2013, silenced St. Lucie's bats in Wednesday's 1-0 Miracle win, going 6 2/3 innings while scattering eight hits, with one walk and five strikeouts. The 20-year-old, 6-foot-3 right-hander has a 2.95 ERA over his last 10 outings.  

LOW-A CEDAR RAPIDS

Player of the Week: SS Nick Gordon

2015 stats: .276/.339/.353, 17 2B, 53 RBI, 23 SB

Recent highlights: Gordon, 19, has improved his batting average 13 points over the last two weeks -- no small feat at this point in the season. The Twins' first-round draft pick in 2014, Gordon has three three-hit games in August, including on Tuesday, in the Kernels' 5-4 victory at Lake County.

Pitcher of the Week: RHP Randy LeBlanc

2015 stats: 8-4, 2.30 ERA, 70 1/3 IP, 55 K, 22 BB

Recent highlights: LeBlanc, a 23-year-old right-hander, had a solid outing last Sunday versus Bowling Green. On that day, LeBlanc threw five scoreless frames, yielding just one hit. As a result, the Kernels walked away victorious, winning by a 4-0 margin.

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