Minor Leagues

Josh Donaldson’s signing with the Twins sent shockwaves through much of the fan base for a variety of reasons. Minnesota had never signed a free agent to a larger contract, and many assumed he would wind up back in Atlanta since he had voiced that as his preference. His signing is a franchise-altering moment and there will be ramifications for years into the future. One impact will be felt by other players in the farm system as their path to the big-leagues could now be altered.

The 2020 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook will be now available.

By clicking here, you can order the paperback version of the PDF/E-Book version at Lulu.com.

In addition, the promo code ONEFIVE will get you 15% off of all print books you order on Lulu.com (promo code is good through Thursday). In this link, you'll see previous Twins Prospect Handbooks are available.

Normally we consider which players will need to be added to the 40 man roster after the season, leading up to the decision becoming official in mid-November. But let’s look ahead to that decision as it may affect decisions throughout the season. Plus, it never hurts to know who is playing for spots on the 40-man roster.

During every offseason organizations have time to re-evaluate the talent in their own organization. Minnesota’s championship window could be open and minor league talent can help to keep that window open. There’s also an opportunity to bolster the current roster by trading away prospects for MLB-ready talent.

Royce Lewis has been one of baseball’s top prospects since the Twins took him with the first overall pick back in 2017. He will continue to be ranked as the organization’s best prospect, but that certainly doesn’t mean he is without flaws. One of the biggest concerns might be with Lewis’ swing, so one must wonder if he can make adjustments in the minor leagues.

Day 1 of the Winter Meetings came and went. There was a major signing. Stephen Strasburg returned to the Nationals. But for the Twins and their fans, Day 1 was incredibly quiet. Maybe Day 2 will bring more rumors for discussion. Here is the place to discuss any Twins rumors throughout the day.

This morning, the Ft. Myers Miracle had a major announcement. Starting today, they are the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels.

The law has had to prevent Major League Baseball from destroying itself to some degree on multiple occasions over the past 25 years. Fans of minor league teams under threat of elimination in Rob Manfred’s new proposal, such as the Elizabethton Twins, might have to hope justice prevails once again.

Re-post as the deadline to add players to the 40-man roster is 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 20.  Between now and March, there are many decisions that this front office will need to make. (See the Twins Daily Offseason Handbook for much more on them.). The Twins made several roster moves on Monday, and more will happen soon. One big decision that is made every November is which players to add to the 40-man roster. Being added to the 40-man roster is a really big deal for players. They make extra money in the minor leagues, but more important, a huge obstacle to being called up to the big leagues is removed. Below you will find a list of Twins minor leaguers who would be eligible for the Rule 5 draft if not protected on the 40-man roster.

We are deeply saddened to learn that Minnesota Twins minor leaguer Ryan Costello passed away in New Zealand. Early reports indicate that he died of "natural causes" at the age of 23.

In this week's Get to Know 'Em podcast, Seth talked to Twins outfield prospect Matt Wallner about playing in Minnesota, at Southern Mississippi, being drafted by the Twins (twice) and more. Also, we had out Ten Minutes with Tyler (Wells) segment, which actually went about 15 minutes.

After having wrapped up their East division title in week five and a place in the Arizona Fall League Championship Game, the Salt River Rafters closed out their regular season with two wins, one loss, and a tie in week six. They finished with the top record in the league at 17-11-1 (.607 winning percentage) and faced the West Division winning Surprise Saguaros on Saturday for the title.

To find out how all your #MNTwinsInTheAFL closed out their regular seasons, and how that title game went down, keep reading!

(This report includes the games played through 10/26 and the end of the AFL season)