Great first half behind them, Cedar Rapids Kernels look to continue winning

CEDAR RAPIDS — It’s the age-old question with an answer that probably is different depending on with whom you talk.

How important is winning in the minor leagues?

Of course, the first, second, third and fourth objective of the minors is developing players. Might be the fifth, sixth and seventh top objectives, actually.

But certainly there is value in being a part of a winning club. Of doing things that help your club.

“You don’t want to come to the park every day and feel like you don’t have a chance to win,” Cedar Rapids Kernels Manager Brian Dinkelman said. “I think guys learn how to lose in those situations. You want to learn how to win at this level, so when you get to the big leagues, you’ve had an opportunity to know what it feels like to win, you know how to go about winning ballgames.

“I know they say the minor leagues is all about development, but it’s also fun to win. So when you get up there, you know what you’re doing and hopefully you can win a championship at that level.”

The Kernels officially ended the first half of the Midwest League season with a 3-2 loss Thursday night against West Michigan at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Weird how it came in the middle of a six-game series.

Cedar Rapids began the second half with a sloppily-played 10-8 loss. That dropped its overall record to 43-24, which is still tops in the MWL.

The first-half championship in the Western Division gave the Kernels an automatic playoff berth in September. Bottom line is this club has been fun to watch.

“We’ve pitched really well,” Dinkelman said. “We’ve had guys swing the bat good. I think both our offense and pitching have been really good. Nice combination of both. Some nights pitching carries us, other nights the offense carries us. We have gotten a lot of good individual performances. Guys have been playing well. It’s a testament to everybody.”

The Kernels ended the first half ranked just seventh out of 12 teams in batting average in the Midwest League, but were second in home runs, third in OPS and first in runs. Dinkelman said he considered third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand the team’s first-half position player MVP, which makes total sense.

Encarnacion-Strand ranks in the top half-dozen in the Midwest League in several offensive categories. He ended the half with a .289 average, 19 doubles, 14 home runs and a league-high 54 RBIs.

“I mean, Christian’s had a really strong first half,” Dinkelman said. “Driving in runs, hitting homers, extra-base hits. He has been a tough out at the plate. So he’s probably our best hitter at the moment.”

Pitching MVP is a more difficult choice. The Kernels ended the half with a 3.05 earned run average, .60 lower than the next-best ERA (3.65 by Lake County).

Starters Sawyer Gipson-Long and Casey Legumina both were promoted to Double-A Wichita in the first half, as were relievers Osiris German, Denny Bentley, Melvi Acosta, Andrew Cabezas and Cody Laweryson (on Friday).

Assuredly other pitchers will move, perhaps sooner than later. Starter Brent Headrick is tied for the league lead in wins, Cade Povich is a legit prospect, David Festa has a fastball that’s hit 99 miles per hour.

“The list is long pitching wise,” Dinkelman said. “Headrick’s been good, Povich has been good. Some of the other guys that went up to Double-A were good: Cabezas out of the bullpen, Melvi, guys like that. We have had a lot of guys throw the ball well. I think the whole pitching staff has been strong.”

Good pitching always gives you a chance to win.

“Yeah, pitching depth is always huge,” Dinkelman said. “When you play long seasons, long series, stuff like that, you always have to have the depth. If you are top heavy or whatever, they are going to get to the backside of your (staff). Our guys have been really good so far.”

Everybody has, really.

Cedar Rapids Kernels first-half analysis

Position Player MVP — Has to be third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand. He had 15 RBIs in the team’s first series of the season against Beloit. A THREE-GAME series. Leads the Midwest League with 57 RBIs in 64 games. Add 20 doubles, 15 home runs and a .292 average, and that’s doing work at the plate.

Starting Pitcher MVP — Sawyer Gipson-Long deserves strong mention. He went 5-2 with a 1.99 earned run average in 10 starts before getting a promotion to Double-A Wichita. But Brent Headrick nudges him here. The southpaw from Illinois State is tied for the Midwest League in victories (7), posting a 7-2 record and 2.48 ERA in 12 starts. He has given up just 38 hits and 12 walks in 54 1/3 innings and struck out 68. One bad start skews the ERA.

Bullpen MVP — A lot of candidates here. Osiris German picked up five saves in his six appearances before heading to Double-A. Melvi Acosta pitched to a 1.47 ERA in 13 games before a promotion. Bobby Milacki (3-0, 2.10 ERA) has been nails most of this season. Cody Laweryson started dealing once he went from the starting rotation to the pen. But how about Bradley Hanner? A 4-1 record, a save and a 1.86 ERA in 20 appearances. Just 11 hits allowed in 29 innings. All from a guy with a 7.13 earned run average last season in low-A ball.

Overall grade — Definitely an ‘A.’ Best record in the league, a playoff spot secured again (nine years as a Minnesota Twins affiliate, nine years qualifying for the postseason), a league-best ERA and the most runs scored in the league. That’s pretty good.

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