Twins Minor League Report (6/16): Kernels Clinch Playoff Spot

[Seth Stohs]

Congratulations to the Cedar Rapids Kernels for officially earning another of their annual trips to the playoffs in the Midwest League. Beyond that, you'll want to see a strange innings for St. Paul, a comeback for Wichita, a big final-inning homer by a top 20 prospect in the DSL, and a five-hit game in the DSL. Read all about it in today's minor-league report. And Happy Blayne Enlow Day to those who celebrate. 

It was a full day in the Twins minor league system on Friday, but there were some really exciting games as well. It seems so early, but Cedar Rapids clinched another playoff spot and the Midwest League's first-half West Division title. The Saints needed extra innings but still crushed in Louisville, Likewise, the Wins Surge got some big hits late in the game. Fort Myers did not have a good game, but the FCL Twins had a strong showing and a top 20 prospect hit a pretty massive home run. And there was a five-hit game in the Dominican. Read all about it and more. 

Win-Loss Records 
St. Paul Saints: 39-27
Wichita Wind Surge: 26-34
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 36-25
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 32-29
FCL Twins: 5-4
DSL Twins: 2-7

Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. 

TRANSACTIONS
Following their game, the Twins announced that left Brent Headrick was being called up to the Twins. Josh Winder has been optioned to St. Paul. 
Cedar Rapids placed LHP Jordan Carr on the IL with left elbow inflammation.
OF Willie Joe Garry was activated from the Cedar Rapids Injured List.
RHP Ricky Mineo and C.J. Culpepper was activated from the Development List (which he was on for one day)
. 

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 8, Louisville 3 (10 innings)
Box Score
Hard to imagine that this game was tied at 1-1 at the end of nine innings. However, the Saints scored seven runs in the top of the 10th to grab an “easy” extra-innings win. They are now 5-1 in extra-inning games. 

The Saints got on the scoreboard first with a Matt Wallner opposite field solo home run. And the Bats got their run in the fifth inning when Joey Votto was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. 

Alright, let’s get to the good stuff, the top of the 10th inning. Elliot Soto began the inning as the Manfred Man. He advanced to third base on a ground out. Mark Contreras pinch-hit for the rehabbing Gilberto Celestino and drilled a triple which allowed Soto to walk in from third. Next, Trevor Larnach singled in Contreras. That was followed by a double by Jose Miranda. With runners on second and third, Matt Wallner was intentionally walked to load the bases. But that brought red-hot Chris Williams to the plate. He lined a single to left that drove in two more runs to make it 5-1 Saints. But that wasn’t it. With a new pitcher, Jair Camargo walked to reload the bases. Then Anthony Prato drove in two runs with a single to center. Then Soto singled to score Camargo and end the Saints scoring. They gave up two runs in the bottom of the 10th, but no worries.

Kenta Maeda made another rehab start. He was charged with one run on two hits. In his 4 1/3 innings, he walked four and struck four batters out. Kody Funderburk got the next five outs, two on strikeouts. Austin Brice worked a scoreless inning. Patrick Murphy struck out two batters over the eighth and ninth innings. He recorded the Win and improved to 5-0 and has given up just one run over his past 21 2/3 innings. Alex Scherff gave up two runs (1 earned) in the 10th inning, but he also struck out three batters in his Triple-A debut. 

The Saints had 10 hits and eight walks in the game, but until the 10th inning, they struggled to score. Larnach and Prato went 2-for-5. Wallner was 1-2 with three walks and his eighth homer.  

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 8,Midland 5
Box Score
This was really a back-and-forth game, but the Wind Surge scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to give them their margin of victory. 

The top of the Wichita lineup continued to produce. DaShawn Keirsey is now hitting .323 after going 2-for-5. Brooks Lee went 2-for-5 with his system-leading 23rd double. Yoyner Fajardo went 2-for-5 and drove in three runs, two in the ninth inning.

David Festa made the start on the mound. He gave up four runs on six hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out seven batters. Hunter McMahon was fantastic. He got all eight batters he faced out, three on strikeouts. Francis Peguero gave up the game-tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning. With the lead, Regi Grace got the ninth inning and recorded his first Double-A save. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 3, South Bend 1
Box Score
The Kernels got strong pitching from Marco Raya and Zebby Matthews, and just enough offense to win the game. Cedar Rapids has been a Twins affiliate since 2012, and every year they have made the playoffs. That streak will continue as the win clinched the first-half title for the Kernels. Congratulations to Brian Dinkelman, his staff and players. 

Raya made the start and again worked three innings. He gave up one run on two hits. He also struck out six batters without a walk. Coming off of his first bad appearance of the season, Matthews came in and tossed six shutout innings. He gave up five hits, struck out four and also did not walk a batter. He was credited with his first High-A Win.

Down 1-0 going to the bottom of the fourth, Misael Urbina doubled to score Noah Miller and tie the game. Urbina then scored on a single by Jose Salas to give them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Noah Cardenas gave them a little insurance in the eighth inning when he singled to score Emmanuel Rodriguez for the team’s third run. 

Urbina led the way. He went 2-for-3 with his seventh and eighth doubles. Salas was also 2-for-3. Rodriguez walked and doubled in the game. Twins 2022 11th round pick Brandon Birdsell, who didn’t sign with the Twins, opting to spend another year at Texas Tech, took the loss in the game for the Cubs.  

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 1, Bradenton 6
Box Score
The Mussels were unable to muster a run until they scored a single run in the top of the ninth inning, but that certainly wasn’t enough on this night. 

Fort Myers had just five hits in this game, and 2022 sixth-round pick Jorel Ortega had three of them, including his 22nd double. Rubel Cespedes added his ninth double of the seasons nd drove in the lone run. 

Jose Olivares gave up four runs on just two hits over 4 1/3 innings in the start. He was hurt by the four walks, but he also notched seven strikeouts. Danny Moreno came in to finish the fifth inning, but before he got two outs, he allowed an inherited runner and two more runs to score. Ricky Mineo returned to action and struck out two in a scoreless inning. Jackson Hicks finished with two scoreless innings. 

COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA
FCL Twins 12, FCL Red Sox 11 (7 innings)
Box Score
Man, I heard this was a wild one!  And to think, it only went seven innings. The Red Sox scored two in the second inning. They busted out for six in the fourth and three more in the fifth. 

After four innings, the Twins were down 8-3, but they scored four runs in the fifth, two in the sixth and three in the top of the seventh to take the lead. The hero? Jose Rodriguez hit a three-run homer to give the Twins the lead, and eventually the win. 

Let’s start with the good news, the offense. Anderson Nova went 2-for-2 with two walks and his first two doubles of the season. Jose Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a walk and his first home run of the year. Bryan Acuna went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Isaac Pena added a double.  

On the mound, Brayan Medina started. In 3 1/3 innings, he gave up seven runs (6 earned) on seven hits and two walks. He struck out one. Yon Landaeta got the final two outs of the fourth inning, but not before both of Medina’s runners scored and he gave up a run of his own. Cleiber Maldonado gave up three runs on three hits and a walk over 1 2/3 innings. Finally, Matt Gabbert came on and got the final for outs, three of them on strikeouts. 

COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA
DSL Twins 12, DSL Brewers (1) 1
Box Score
The Twins Dominican Complex team scored five in the first inning and then scored in six of the first seven innings to earn a lopsided win from the now 6-3 Brewers squad. 

The hitting star was infielder (DH in this game) Dameury Pena. He went 5-for-6 with two doubles and three RBI in the game. He is now hitting .467 (1.051) on the young season. Catcher Jesus Peraza went 3-for-5 with his first double of the season. Juan Hernandez went 2-for-5 with his first double as well. Ariel Castro led off and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a triple, three runs scored and two driven in.  

Miguel Cordero started and gave up just one hit over four scoreless innings. He walked four and struck out six batters. Joel Garcia gave up one run on three hits and two walks over three innings. He recorded the Win and struck out five batters. Juan Cota and Eider Machuca each struck out two batters in a scoreless inning. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Zebby Matthews (Cedar Rapids) - 6 IP, 5H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 71 pitches, 52 strikes.
Hitter of the Day – Dameury Pena (DSL Twins) - 5-for-6, 2-2B(3), 2 R, 3 RBI, SB (3)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday.

#1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-for-5, 2B(23), R, RBI, K
#2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 0-for-3, BB, K
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, BB, 2B(4), R.  
#4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 2-for-4, 2 K
#6 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 47 pitches, 31 strikes..
#8 - David Festa (Wichita) - 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 78 pitches, 51 strikes..
#9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, 3 BB, K, 2 R, RBI
#10 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL Twins) - 1-for-2, 2 R, SB(2). 
#12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, RBI, CS
#13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, R, K
#15 - Brent Headrick (Minnesota) - Called up to Twins after the game.
#18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 2-for-3, BB, HR(1), 2 R, 3 RBI. .

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES
St. Paul @ Louisville (6:15 PM CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (first AAA start)
Wichita @ Midland (7:00 PM CST) - RHP Carlos Luna (1-3, 5.40 ERA) 
South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin (2-3, 4.11 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM CST) - RHP Ben Ethridge (0-3, 2.96 ERA)
FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (9:00AM CST) - TBD
DSL Twins @ DSL Giants Orange (10:00AM CST) - TBD

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games! 

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[roger]

Thanks for bringing us this update, Seth.

Did you think Maeda's start was disappointing?  Not bad, but not what I would hope for as a last start before rejoining the Twins.

It is also disappointing looking at that Saints box score.  They are loaded with Celestino, Larnach, Miranda and Wallner.  Yet, really expected that at least one or two of this group would be hitting well at Target Field.

Glad to see that Reggie Grace put up zeros in another appearance.  The Twins sure as heck need some help in the pen, unfortunately, he can't get here this year.  Can he?

Took a look at the FCL box score.  Holy Cow, there are five guys hitting well over .300.  Yes, it is early, but this is the same group that blew up the DSL last year.  Also see that after another slow start when he was hitting 0.0 something, Acuna seems to be getting a couple hits every day.  If he continues like last year, he will also be over .300 in a couple weeks.  Great gene pool, could the Twins be so fortunate to have this kid be anything like his big bro?

Got a good smile, Seth, from your 'Manfred Man' comment.  Wasn't that a song back whenever?  Or maybe a group?  Or is my mind playing tricks on me?

[FlyingFinn]

Congrats to Cedar Rapids. Kind of amazing with seemingly half of the lineup hitting near the Mendoza line. They are top 3 in the league in ERA but, amazingly to me, they are also in the top half of most of the offensive stats as well. Zebby Matthews bounces back from a bad game and pitches great. I'm beginning to think their manager, Brian Dinkelman, is really good. His teams win every year.

[FlyingFinn]

2 minutes ago, roger said:

Did you think Maeda's start was disappointing?  Not bad, but not what I would hope for as a last start before rejoining the Twins.

It is also disappointing looking at that Saints box score.  They are loaded with Celestino, Larnach, Miranda and Wallner.  Yet, really expected that at least one or two of this group would be hitting well at Target Field.

Maeda seemed to have 4 really good innings and then started the 5th 1B, BB, BB. Maybe he ran out of gas building back up??

The Saints look good to me. Larnach, Wallner, Williams all over .950 OPS. Miranda back from the dead when he was batting .129. 39-27 record. This is a year to be watching the Saints.

[Dave Borton]

Kernels have the best logo in all of MiLB. Daytona Tortugas 2nd (my favorite hat in my wearing collection, the total of which my wife always exaggerates --grins).

 

 

[ashbury]

Hadn't paid much attention yet to the Dominican Summer League this season, since it's just underway, but in the early going, the batters throughout the league are way ahead of the pitchers.  Average run scoring is 6.19 right now.  So while the Twins ERA in the 8s is pretty bad, there are 4 other teams doing even worse!  Anyone like me who likes to play around with scouting players from their stats had better be aware of just how much of a hitter's league this is. (I also read almost nothing into a player's stats until he's age 20 or so, and a 20-year old in DSL is automatically a bit suspect, thus the DSL is more or less "oh, look at the ugly/pretty numbers.")  Hope a few gems emerge from this mass of young talent.

[Dave Borton]

I encourage you to take in a Kernels game. It is 4 hrs down the road from the Cities.

My wife (not a BB fan) always acquiesces and we'll visit CR for a weekend. The stadium, the ball, the fans, the vendors -- all reminiscent of small town America. Well worth the visit. And yes, I wear my Kernels 5950.

Go Kernels!

[terrydactyls]

Interesting tweet.  Wallner hit his eighth home run and now has a HR in 21 straight games.

[Dman]

3 hours ago, ashbury said:

Hadn't paid much attention yet to the Dominican Summer League this season, since it's just underway, but in the early going, the batters throughout the league are way ahead of the pitchers.  Average run scoring is 6.19 right now.  So while the Twins ERA in the 8s is pretty bad, there are 4 other teams doing even worse!  Anyone like me who likes to play around with scouting players from their stats had better be aware of just how much of a hitter's league this is. (I also read almost nothing into a player's stats until he's age 20 or so, and a 20-year old in DSL is automatically a bit suspect, thus the DSL is more or less "oh, look at the ugly/pretty numbers.")  Hope a few gems emerge from this mass of young talent.

Yeah can't get all that much from the stats in the DSL or FCL because the age range and competition varies so much.  I think the main takeaways are if someone is hitting well in those leagues that is a good thing if they are not it is a bad thing. 

The competition doesn't seem to even out until A ball, but really all leagues have variable talent levels based on trades. player development or lack of player development, injury, coming back from injury, etc.  The numbers only mean so much and while they do help identify talent they can't really predict who can successfully make the jump to MLB.

You can see how difficult the jump is when you look at the FCL league MVP Olivar who had a 1.000 OPS last year and this year at A ball a more muted .800 OPS.  Other players like Cespedes, Cruz, Martinez and Baez to name a few more haven't even managed to hit the .700 OPS mark and they all hit well in the DSL.  So yeah you are correct the DSL numbers generally don't mean too much but you have to do well there to move to the next level.  Hopefully you find the next Arraez, Tates or Soto in the bucket of players you find there.

[Seth Stohs]

12 hours ago, roger said:

Thanks for bringing us this update, Seth.

Did you think Maeda's start was disappointing?  Not bad, but not what I would hope for as a last start before rejoining the Twins.

It is also disappointing looking at that Saints box score.  They are loaded with Celestino, Larnach, Miranda and Wallner.  Yet, really expected that at least one or two of this group would be hitting well at Target Field.

Glad to see that Reggie Grace put up zeros in another appearance.  The Twins sure as heck need some help in the pen, unfortunately, he can't get here this year.  Can he?

Took a look at the FCL box score.  Holy Cow, there are five guys hitting well over .300.  Yes, it is early, but this is the same group that blew up the DSL last year.  Also see that after another slow start when he was hitting 0.0 something, Acuna seems to be getting a couple hits every day.  If he continues like last year, he will also be over .300 in a couple weeks.  Great gene pool, could the Twins be so fortunate to have this kid be anything like his big bro?

Got a good smile, Seth, from your 'Manfred Man' comment.  Wasn't that a song back whenever?  Or maybe a group?  Or is my mind playing tricks on me?

Maeda: Nah, not too worried about the results. More about the pitch count and health. Will be interesting to see what they decide to do at the end of his rehab time. 

St. Paul: Just need an opening. 

Grace: No, not this year, and the peripherals aren't there yet. He's made huge strides, but still work to do. So happy to see him getting results. 

Acuna: if that's the expectation, I'm going to guess no, just because so few players get anywhere near that level. Ronald's a great player. If he can be as good as his other brother, Luisangel, and get on the 40-man roster, and we'll see when/if he gets an opportunity, that would make it a good signing. 

[Seth Stohs]

12 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

Congrats to Cedar Rapids. Kind of amazing with seemingly half of the lineup hitting near the Mendoza line. They are top 3 in the league in ERA but, amazingly to me, they are also in the top half of most of the offensive stats as well. Zebby Matthews bounces back from a bad game and pitches great. I'm beginning to think their manager, Brian Dinkelman, is really good. His teams win every year.

Dinkelman is really good. Great demeanor for a manager whose job is to help players work their way up the system. Works great with coaches too and let's them do what they need to do. Has the confidence of players. And, he has been the underdog who got an opportunity that all of his players dream of. That should hold some value and earn respect. 

[ashbury]

9 minutes ago, Seth Stohs said:

Acuna: if that's the expectation, I'm going to guess no, just because so few players get anywhere near that level. Ronald's a great player. If he can be as good as his other brother, Luisangel, and get on the 40-man roster, and we'll see when/if he gets an opportunity, that would make it a good signing. 

I see on Ronald Acuña Jr.'s Wikipedia page that his son was born in 2020.  Are there any early scouting reports on this prospect?

[Seth Stohs]

9 hours ago, ashbury said:

Hadn't paid much attention yet to the Dominican Summer League this season, since it's just underway, but in the early going, the batters throughout the league are way ahead of the pitchers.  Average run scoring is 6.19 right now.  So while the Twins ERA in the 8s is pretty bad, there are 4 other teams doing even worse!  Anyone like me who likes to play around with scouting players from their stats had better be aware of just how much of a hitter's league this is. (I also read almost nothing into a player's stats until he's age 20 or so, and a 20-year old in DSL is automatically a bit suspect, thus the DSL is more or less "oh, look at the ugly/pretty numbers.")  Hope a few gems emerge from this mass of young talent.

I held off for a LONG time on including DSL reports in the minor league reports for several reasons. One was just that it was so much for someone, but now we have 4-5 people who do these reports so it's not bad. Another reason is because it is so far from the big leagues. It's like 6-7 promotions from the big leagues. 

Figuring out the prospects is fairly easy. The 17 year olds who are holding their own, 18 year olds playing fairly well. The 20-year-olds aren't prospects, but as I like to point out, doesn't mean they can't get to the big leagues. Just means they developed a little later or weren't seen for awhile longer... 

[Seth Stohs]

1 minute ago, ashbury said:

I see on Ronald Acuña Jr.'s Wikipedia page that his son was born in 2020.  Are there any early scouting reports on this prospect?

five-tool potential!! Lots of development still needed. Also, MLB's little-known  rule that all players must be potty trained means that for a little longer, he will be ineligible. 

[ashbury]

3 minutes ago, Seth Stohs said:

five-tool potential!! Lots of development still needed. Also, MLB's little-known  rule that all players must be potty trained means that for a little longer, he will be ineligible. 

I'll ask my SABR researcher friends to try and name names as to why this particular rule was instituted.

[Seth Stohs]

6 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

Interesting tweet.  Wallner hit his eighth home run and now has a HR in 21 straight games.

That would be impressive. That's not exactly what the Tweet says (although it could certainly be read that way). 

[jmlease1]

Do the Twins intend to stretch Raya out at all this season? I'm all for being cautious with a young pitcher coming off an injury, but 47 pitches? At some point you have to let a starter throw 75 and start finding out what you really have in a guy. It's the middle of June, not April.

[Dave Borton]

11 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

Dinkelman is really good. Great demeanor for a manager whose job is to help players work their way up the system. Works great with coaches too and let's them do what they need to do. Has the confidence of players. And, he has been the underdog who got an opportunity that all of his players dream of. That should hold some value and earn respect. 

Just a word of thanks. Your coverage of MiLB really helps me keep up w/minors.

Willing to venture a few (many words) on your thoughts about the Twin training and development vs say, Tampa/Baltimore/Oakland/Cleveland? Pick your comparisons and how well Twins do in comparison to a couple. TIA. db

[Seth Stohs]

3 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

Do the Twins intend to stretch Raya out at all this season? I'm all for being cautious with a young pitcher coming off an injury, but 47 pitches? At some point you have to let a starter throw 75 and start finding out what you really have in a guy. It's the middle of June, not April.

Possibly, but with his minor-injuries past and frequency, I think it's pretty smart. No rush to get him up higher. He's at least two years out from MLB either way, so no need to rush. Get him healthy, keep building him up. He had gone 4 innings in his previous outing, so I assume he'll jump out to that, or maybe a 60-pitch limit for awhile.