Twins Minor League Report (7/25): Stevenson and Prato Power the Saints

[Steve Lein]

While #5 overall pick Walker Jenkins was in the house at Target Field on Tuesday, the minor league system he is soon to join was in full swing. There was strong pitching, as multiple affiliates nearly had no-hitters, and strong hitting as multiple batters in St. Paul nearly hit for the cycle.

Image courtesy of Ethan Chapman (photo of Cory Lewis)

TRANSACTIONS

• Left-handed reliever Caleb Thielbar was sent on a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints, and he made an appearance in their game against Toledo.
• In Cedar Rapids, LHP Zarion Sharpe was released, and LHP Jordan Carr was activated from the injured list.
• Down in Fort Myers, C Frank Nigro was assigned to the Mighty Mussels from the FCL Twins.

SAINTS SENTINEL
Toledo 7, St. Paul 14
Box Score
Louie Varland took the mound for the Saints, but wasn’t as sharp as we’ve become accustomed to. He finished just 3 2/3 innings, and was charged with six runs (five earned) on nine hits and a walk, striking out four. The most damage came on a three-run homer in the third inning, and his team was down 6-2 upon his exit.

Thankfully for the Minnesota native, the rest of his pitching staff and the lineup, picked him up.

The Saints cut into that lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, when team MVP Andrew Stevenson launched his 12th home run of the season, a three-run shot to make it 6-5. They took the lead in the bottom of the fifth thanks to an RBI double from Anthony Prato and an RBI single off the bat of Alex De Goti.

In relief of Varland, the Saints got a solid outing from Michael Boyle, who allowed just a walk in 1 1/3 innings, striking out two. Caleb Thielbar then made his first appearance of his rehab assignment. He walked one and struck out one in his inning. Cody Laweryson got hit with a blown save by allowing one run on two hits in his lone inning, striking out two. But he also got the win because the lineup took off after that.

A six-run bottom of the seventh put this one away, with the big hits coming from a Prato home run, and bases loaded double from Gilberto Celestino, who also homered earlier in the game.

Stevenson finished 4-for-5 with four runs scored and three-RBI, only missing a triple in his bid for the cycle. Prato also came a triple shy of the cycle. He went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and three RBI. Celestino scored three runs and drove in three with two hits in five at-bats.

As a team, the Saints also drew a club-record 13 walks on the night, which is how you end up with 14 runs total. 

Jorge Polanco played third base and was 1-for-4 with a run scored and two walks. He had one error. Austin Martin was in center field, but was removed from the game in the fifth inning with an apparent foot injury.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Frisco 10, Wichita 4
Box Score
Wind Surge starter Chad Donato got knocked around by the RoughRiders in the first inning, and the home team was unable to recover.

Donato recorded just two outs, and before the Wind Surge could get anyone warmed up, he had been charged with nine runs (eight earned) on nine hits.

Regi Grace and the rest of the bullpen admirably righted the ship after Donato’s exit, but it was too little, too late. Grace pitched 2 1/3 innings. he walked two and struck out three batters. Denny Bentley was charged with Frisco’s only other run, but completed three innings. He allowed four hits and struck out four batters. Curtis Taylor allowed one hit and struck out two in his two innings. Francis Peguero finished it out with a one-two-three ninth, all on K’s.

Wichita got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning, thanks to David Banuelos’ eighth home run of the season. They added three more in the fourth inning on Yunior Severino’s 19th home run and a two-run triple from Yoyner Fajardo.

Brooks Lee was 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot, and Fajardo also had two knocks and stole his 30th base.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 1
Box Score
Pitchers Cory Lewis and Mike Paredes combined to hold the Timber Rattlers to just one hit, and home runs from Andrew Cossetti and Kala’i Rosario were plenty of ammo to back them up on offense.

Lewis got the starting nod and continued his string of strong performances to pick up his fourth win. He finished five innings, allowed just one run on one hit and one walk, and notched three strikeouts on just 59 pitches.

Paredes finished the final four innings to pick up his first save of the season. He allowed no hits, walked two, and struck out three batters.

The Kernels took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when they loaded the bases with one out, and Kyler Fedko delivered a sacrifice fly. Cossetti led off the fifth with his ninth double, and later scored on another sacrifice fly from Emmanuel Rodriguez to go up 2-1.

Rosario led off the eighth with his 14th home run, and Andrew Cossetti led off the ninth with his fifth home run with Cedar Rapids to provide insurance runs.

Noah Cardenas (3-for-4, 2B) joined Rosario (2-for-4, R, 2B, HR, RBI, K) and Cossetti (2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB) with multiple hits in the game.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Palm Beach 3, Fort Myers 1
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels were unable to muster much offense at Hammond Stadium on Tuesday. Their lineup collected just three hits. 

Ben Ethridge made the start and finished 3 2/3 innings. He was charged with two earned runs on five hits and a pair of walks. He had three strikeouts. Danny Moreno recorded the next seven outs and allowed one hit and a walk to get them to the seventh inning. He struck out one batter.

Juan Mendez gave up one more run to the Cardinals in the top of the seventh to make it 3-0 Cardinals. He recorded three strikeouts.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Mighty Mussels were finally able to mount a threat when Rubel Cespedes drew a leadoff walk and Rafael Cruz was hit by a pitch. With two outs, Alec Sayre put them on the board with an RBI single. However, they also ran into the third out at third base on the play which ended the inning. 

Zach Veen finished the game for Fort Myers, allowing one hit in two innings. He struck out two batters.

Sayre had two of the team's three hits in the game, while Ricardo Olivar notched the other.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Braves 3, FCL Twins 2 (10 innings)
Box Score
Starter Eduardo Soriano completed the first three innings for the Twins and allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit and two walks. He had two strikeouts.

The Twins tied the game in the fourth inning when Dalton Shuffield, Nate Baez, and Yasser Mercedes hit consecutive singles to start the frame and load the bases. A pair of wild pitches resulted in their only runs of the game.

Shuffield, on a rehab assignment, finished 3-for-4 with a run scored out of the leadoff spot. Jose Rodriguez added a pair of hits, including a double, in four at-bats. The rest of the team managed just three hits, and they finished just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven men on base.

After Soriano’s exit, the bullpen trio of Pierce Banks (2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 K), Jeferson Lopez (1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K), and Kyle Bischoff (3 IP, 3 K) got them through the ninth with the score still tied.

Miguel Olivares was brought on for the start of the 10th inning and got two quick outs before a single drove in the go-ahead run. 

The Twins then went down in order in the bottom half, to fall to the Braves.

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL Twins 2, DSL Mariners 3 (8 innings)
Box Score
Neither team was able to score a run during the scheduled seven innings, and in fact, the Twins had a no-hitter going into the extra eighth frame.

Adrian Bohorquez made the start and went the first two innings. He issued two walks and struck out one batter. Yency De Jesus took over to start the third inning and walked only two over the next five innings. He had five strikeouts.

The Twins had some threats and had five hits to the Mariners zero hits through seven innings. However, they ran themselves into outs multiple times which kept them off the scoreboard.

With the runner on second to start the extra inning, an error on a pickoff and then an RBI single from Angel Trinidad scored the first run of the game. A single from Jayson Bass later in the frame put a runner on third, and a passed ball led to their second run.

Back out to try and finish off their no-hitter, De Jesus ran out of gas. A leadoff walk was followed by the first Mariners hit of the game which loaded the bases. Then they scored their first run on a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly tied the game at two. The Mariners walked it off with their second single of the game, putting a damper on a solid team effort.

Trinidad (2-for-2, RBI) and Bass (2-for-4, K) each had multiple hits in the loss to lead the offense.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day - Cory Lewis, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)
Hitter of the Day - Andrew Stevenson, St. Paul Saints (4-for-5, 4 R, 2B, HR (12), 3 RBI, BB, SB(34))

PROSPECT SUMMARY
#1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-for-4, K
#2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL)

#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, RBI, 3 K
#5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-for-4, R, HR (2), 2 RBI, 3 K
#8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, R, K (left game in 5th inning due to injury)
#10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-for-4, K
#11 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL) - 1-for-4, K
#16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, R, 2B, HR (14), RBI, K
#17 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-3, R, HR (19), RBI, BB, K
#20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) - 2-for-4, K

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Toledo @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - LHP Brent Headrick (3-1, 3.76 ERA)
Frisco @ Wichita (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP David Festa (2-2, 4.79 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (12:10 PM CDT) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (2-0, 0.00 ERA)
Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM CDT) - RHP Jose Olivares (2-3, 6.14 ERA)
DSL Reds @ DSL Twins (makeup of 7/13) - TBD

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

View full article

[Guest]

Steve, not that I disagree, but why should the Twins have assigned Max Kepler to Beloit to start 2012 rather than repeating Elizabethton? I just noticed that opinion in your "bio" paragraph, and I wonder about the significance?

Relatedly, I see that Walker Jenkins is being assigned to the FCL Twins, which is probably standard for a HS draftee.  Where, and when, do we expect to see the other new Twins start their professional careers?   

[Doctor Wu]

Another big game for Andrew Stevenson. He would seem ready for a callup, but frankly, I don't know if he'd get much playing time these final two months of the season. Does anyone think that he might get promoted before the season is over?

[FlyingFinn]

Not much more Stevenson can do to make it back to the majors and get another shot. Not being on the 40 man roster hurts him more than anything right now.

[Steve Lein]

6 hours ago, Bill Tanner said:

Steve, not that I disagree, but why should the Twins have assigned Max Kepler to Beloit to start 2012 rather than repeating Elizabethton? I just noticed that opinion in your "bio" paragraph, and I wonder about the significance?  

I was at spring training for an extended period before that season, and spent over a week watching games on the back fields.

He was playing with the Beloit roster that included Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Kennys Vargas. It was a stacked lineup, and Sano and Rosario had battled for the Appalachian League home run title the year before and Kepler was on that team too.

While I watched (think it was 5 games total),Kepler was, far and away, the best player on the team, and on the diamond period, every game while I was there. I still have my notebook around here somewhere. He clubbed line drives to all fields, ran like a deer, and was fantastic in the outfield. He made everyone else look slow.

Then he didn't even play for Beloit that season, instead relegated back to Elizabethton where he broke out.

Edited July 26, 2023 by Steve Lein

[Dman]

Yeah gotta agree with the Stevenson comments.  He has been a monster bat all season.  Nothing more he can do there.  He has had some success in the majors as well but was never given much time there.  It is a tough transition.  If he was right handed he might have a shot. Seems like a long shot though considering all the guys in front of him.  He deserves another shot at the MLB level I wonder if the Twins could trade him to Oakland or some other team for cash or something if they agreed to play him at the MLB level.

Speaking of right handed bats the Twins should move Rosario up to AA.  He has passed Tanner Schobel for OPS in the Midwest league stats and .04 points out of first place for the OPS lead.  Time to move the kid up so he can get used to the much better pitching at AA.  He might struggle there but at least by next year he could be a viable option at the MLB level if he gets his bat going there.  And we don't have another right handed outfield bat close to ready so they should keep him moving.

Cardenas is top 10 for OPS now as well one spot ahead of Rodriguez.  He has been a solid bat all year long and he has heated up the last couple of games.  He could stand to move up as well and Olivar is ready to move to High A it would be a good swap to keep both players more challenged.

Time to make some moves.  Hopefully they do.

[Trov]

1 hour ago, Doctor Wu said:

Another big game for Andrew Stevenson. He would seem ready for a callup, but frankly, I don't know if he'd get much playing time these final two months of the season. Does anyone think that he might get promoted before the season is over?

No. He is not on 40 man, he is 29 years old, and has only had short runs of success at MLB over his career. He appears to be the AAAA player, good for AAA but below average for MLB. Why would we DFA someone, keeping in mind we need to bring Gordon of the 60 day DL, for a guy that that will not be on team after season.  He would be added to our many left handed hitting OF.  He was brought in as AAA depth that is about it.  I wonder why he chose Twins organization being he is like 7th on left handed hitting outfield depth. 

[annismark]

I looked at that horrible first inning at Wichita.  First three batters went infield single x2 and a ground ball force out before Donato really started getting clocked.   Total of 7 singles and two doubles off Donato--but no walks 😀. A throwing error, a fielding error, two more infield singles before he left with two outs.

Grace came in for the last out and threw a wild pitch on a walk and had a throwing error on a pickoff to let the next 2 runs in.

[FlyingFinn]

35 minutes ago, Dman said:

Cardenas is top 10 for OPS now as well one spot ahead of Rodriguez.  He has been a solid bat all year long

He and Cossetti seem to be two of the best catchers in that league right now.

[mikelink45]

1 hour ago, Doctor Wu said:

Another big game for Andrew Stevenson. He would seem ready for a callup, but frankly, I don't know if he'd get much playing time these final two months of the season. Does anyone think that he might get promoted before the season is over?

I am discouraged by Larnach - he has had three seasons to show us something and he continues to fall short - he has fallen into the strikeout vs hit category and maybe it is time to see someone like Stevenson. 

[roger]

Seems another day and another win for the Kernels.  Unfortunately, you can also say another day and another loss for Wichita.

Although he may have been a bit wild, seems like Reggie Grace is beginning to settle in at AA and is pitching more like he was before his promotion.  Can say the same about Cossetti.  Will we see both with the Twins in a couple years?

Great seeing Polo at third and Thielbar on the mound.  Will both be back with the Twins a week from now?  After watching that ugly finish last night, sure need Thielbar...if he is anything like the pitcher we knew last year.  But so sad to see the note that Martin left another game with an injury.  This kid can't get a break, no pun intended.

Sounds like the only people concerned with Jenkins getting signed yesterday were the fans.  If this kid is anywhere near as good as he says he intends to be, he should be patrolling center field for the Twins by sometime in 2026 at the age of 21.

[Mike Sixel]

Don't hold your breath on promotions.... They've barely promoted anyone to AAA, meaning AA is full.....I don't understand the thinking at all, of keeping AAAA players in St Paul you refuse to promote. Severino and Lee should be in St Paul. Prato with the Twins while Buxton was out, at third. I really am unsure what they're doing. While we watch Atlanta and Milwaukee call up guys from AA.... Over the last couple years

[2wins87]

Cossetti's bat has now been every bit as good in high-A as it was in low-A.  He's definitely been the biggest surprise this year, and it sounds like he's done a great job putting in the work to shore up the concerns over his defense.  I hope he gets a taste of AA after a few more weeks.

He looks like a really legit catching prospect who could be knocking on the door during Vazquez's final year under contract.

[2wins87]

9 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Don't hold your breath on promotions.... They've barely promoted anyone to AAA, meaning AA is full.....I don't understand the thinking at all, of keeping AAAA players in St Paul you refuse to promote. Severino and Lee should be in St Paul. Prato with the Twins while Buxton was out, at third. I really am unsure what they're doing. While we watch Atlanta and Milwaukee call up guys from AA.... Over the last couple years

The bulk of the promotions generally don't happen until several weeks after the draft.  Wallner, CES, and Headrick were promoted about 1-2 weeks after the draft last year, but Varland, SWR, and Severino were all August promotions.

Once the draft picks start to get assigned above rookie ball we will see more turnover.

[Dman]

5 minutes ago, 2wins87 said:

Cossetti's bat has now been every bit as good in high-A as it was in low-A.  He's definitely been the biggest surprise this year, and it sounds like he's done a great job putting in the work to shore up the concerns over his defense.  I hope he gets a taste of AA after a few more weeks.

He looks like a really legit catching prospect who could be knocking on the door during Vazquez's final year under contract.

Yeah he is the most well rounded bat of all the catching prospects.  15% walk rate. 17% K rate and .500 Slugging with the most HR's of all the catcher's not named Camargo.  His balanced line means he has a really good chance to be successful as he moves up.  The only other catcher with a similar profile would be Olivar who is one level behind him but is younger at only 21.

I don't know what his defense is like but with that bat it just needs to be passable.  Heck of a pickup for an 11th round pick.

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, 2wins87 said:

The bulk of the promotions generally don't happen until several weeks after the draft.  Wallner, CES, and Headrick were promoted about 1-2 weeks after the draft last year, but Varland, SWR, and Severino were all August promotions.

Once the draft picks start to get assigned above rookie ball we will see more turnover.

Let's hope so.

[2wins87]

Just now, Dman said:

Yeah he is the most well rounded bat of all the catching prospects.  15% walk rate. 17% K rate and .500 Slugging with the most HR's of all the catcher's not named Camargo.  His balanced line means he has a really good chance to be successful as he moves up.  The only other catcher with a similar profile would be Olivar who is one level behind him but is younger at only 21.

I don't know what his defense is like but with that bat it just needs to be passable.  Heck of a pickup for an 11th round pick.

BA had an article on his defense.  Scouts didn't think he had the arm to stick at catcher when he was drafted, but he made huge improvements this offseason to the point that he's around MLB average arm strength now, and he's thrown out 31% of base-stealers across two levels.  The overall impression now seems to be that he can stick at catcher.

[gman]

Funderburk has pitched very well at St Paul with a 1.10 whip and 54 k's in 37 innings. He is also a lefty, yet I don't recall any noise on him getting a chance with the Twins. Anybody heard anything?

[william]

I couldn't agree more Funderburk has succeeded at every level. The Twins have only one more year of control lets see what the kid can do!

[Dman]

15 minutes ago, gman said:

Funderburk has pitched very well at St Paul with a 1.10 whip and 54 k's in 37 innings. He is also a lefty, yet I don't recall any noise on him getting a chance with the Twins. Anybody heard anything?

He has the best stats of any reliever in St Paul but I think he gets no love because of his fastball.  He also isn't on the 40 man and there isn't really room without dropping someone.  I think he will have to wait for next year to get his shot unless more injuries occur.  With Thielbar on the way back and Moran still up and Headrick on the 40 man he is going to have a tough time cracking the 40 man as a lefty reliever that doesn't really have elite stuff.  If the 40 man wasn't an issue I bet we would have seen him at the MLB level by now.

[JesusisLord7]

I think Andrew Stevenson should be starting in CF for the Twins right now. High average, stealing basis, high on base .pct. He is putting it all together. Plus he was a top prospect at one time. He is putting it all together meanwhile we have Michael Taylor. So glad someone is mentioning him in this article. 

[Steve Lein]

6 hours ago, Bill Tanner said:

Relatedly, I see that Walker Jenkins is being assigned to the FCL Twins, which is probably standard for a HS draftee.  Where, and when, do we expect to see the other new Twins start their professional careers?   

Jenkins hasn't really been assigned anywhere yet, but I'd expect him to get at least 100 at-bats somewhere, starting perhaps next month. It almost assuredly will be on the FCL squad, as well as any of the other high school bats.

The Twins haven't really sent HS pitchers to play much in the summer they are drafted, so I wouldn't necessarily expect Charlee Soto to make an appearance. Chase Petty pitched in 2 games after he was drafted, for a total of five innings.

Most of the college draftees will get some run with the FCL squad to get acclimated, before moving onto Fort Myers or Cedar Rapids, depending mostly on their age and experience.

[jkcarew]

3 hours ago, Dman said:

He has the best stats of any reliever in St Paul but I think he gets no love because of his fastball.  He also isn't on the 40 man and there isn't really room without dropping someone.  I think he will have to wait for next year to get his shot unless more injuries occur.  With Thielbar on the way back and Moran still up and Headrick on the 40 man he is going to have a tough time cracking the 40 man as a lefty reliever that doesn't really have elite stuff.  If the 40 man wasn't an issue I bet we would have seen him at the MLB level by now.

But, then again, none of the others have anything close to elite stuff, either.

[jkcarew]

I’m so dumb….

I didn’t know Severino was a switch hitter. His right handed splits (this year) are not AS good, but similar, to his left-handed splits…good SLG, OBP…with a ton of K.

[Chthulu]

10 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

Another big game for Andrew Stevenson. He would seem ready for a callup, but frankly, I don't know if he'd get much playing time these final two months of the season. Does anyone think that he might get promoted before the season is over?

Stevenson played 109 games for the Nationals in his age 27 season and was terrible. He is now 29. He's not a major league player.