Twins Minor League Week in Review (7/31-8/6): Faces in New Places

[Jeremy Nygaard]

There has been a lot going on in the minor leagues of late, with new players joining the organization and others moving within the organization. We've seen the professional debut of many recent signings, including the top rookie. And we've seen the Triple-A debut of a handful of prospects, including the top prospect. All in all, it was a fun week on the farm. 

Image courtesy of Landon Bost/Naples Daily News/USA TODAY Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Twins were able to celebrate Joe Mauer's induction into the team's Hall of Fame by sweeping the Diamondbacks. You can read all about that and the Twins complete inactivity at the trade deadline in Nick’s Week in Review. 

And there was a lot that happened in the (still fully intact) system. 

WEEK IN REVIEW 

Triple-A: St. Paul Saints

• Overall: 18-15 (2-4 last week) in the second half; In second place in the IL West, trailing Louisville by one game.
• Overview: It was a down week, dropping out of a first place tie. The Saints, though, are still only 2.5 games outs in their attempt to win the second half title and qualify for the playoffs.
• 😍: It was a fun week for prospect-watching because the Twins promoted top prospect Brooks Lee, top 20 prospect Yunior Severino and borderline top 30 prospect DaShawn Kiersey.  It's entirely conceivable to believe that Severino and Kiersey are doing well enough on their year-long audition to be added to the 40-man roster. The problem for both is that they play positions that have good depth in the organization. How do Severino and Miranda both fit as third basemen? Kiersey is two years older than Gilberto Celestino and, along with most of the other outfielders, bats lefthanded. But Celestino will be out of options going into next year, so it's possible that Kiersey could just replace him.
• 🔥: I was critical of Austin Martin in this very space last week and he turned around and had a very good week. He only had four hits on the week (in five games), but they came in only 13 at-bats because he also drew seven walks (versus only three strikeouts). He hit for two doubles and was three-of-four in stolen base attempts. He's not playing shortstop at all anymore, but he does add a dynamic right-handed alternative in left field and can also play second base. As the roster flotsam clears up this winter, it's entirely possible the Twins just replace the out-of-options Nick Gordon by giving his roster spot to Austin Martin. Aside from their handedness, they would provide the Twins with pretty similar skillsets. 
• 🔥: Kody Funderburk is almost 27 years old, but it wouldn't be shocking if the Twins took a look at him in the big-league bullpen before the end of the year. He's a tall lefty who began the year at Wichita, but has thrown 43 2/3 innings and struck out 65 for the Saints. His numbers are extremely impressive. In his three games (five innings) this week, he allowed a single run on a hit and three walks. he struck out nine. Most impressively, though, Funderburk has absolutely destroyed right-handed batters (.183/.254/.209. .463 OPS). He hasn't allowed a home run this entire year. He's allowed only three doubles to right-handers in 115 at-bats. 
• 🔥: Trevor Larnach led the team with nine hits and tied for the lead with three extra-base hits. He put up a 1.229 OPS despite not hitting a home run. He's been passed on the organizational depth chart by Matt Wallner and Max Kepler has been raking his way into "maybe the Twins should pick up his option for next year" territory. That would ticket Larnach for St. Paul again, where he would be on his final optional assignment. 
• 🥶: Lee (1-13), Severino (1-8) and Kiersey (2-9) are all adjusting in their first handful of games at the highest minor-league level. 
• 🥶: Blayne Enlow has really slowed down since his promotion to AAA, but he's nearly 80 innings on the year, exceeding his combined innings in the 2021 and 2022. Prior to COVID, Enlow had broken the 100 innings mark in 2019, but obviously didn't throw in games in 2020. Enlow gave up four hits and walked four in three innings allowing four runs (three earned). He struck out two.
• What's Next: The Saints, who own the best second-half home record (11-4) will welcome the Louisville Bats to CHS Field. Louisville is on a six-game winning streak and are the hottest team in the International League. Two giants colliding!

Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge

• Overall: 15-18 (4-2 last week) in the second half; 2.5 games behind NW Arkansas and in fourth place in the Texas League. 
• Overview: Wichita sent their three best hitters to St. Paul, but still managed to take four wins in the series.
• 🔥: Dalton Shuffield has really bounced around since signing as a 10th-round pick in 2022. He got 48 AAA at-bats last year, but has mostly played in Fort Myers this year. He made a brief stop at Cedar Rapids before getting to Wichita and being productive in three games. His three home runs last week (in eight at-bats) were one more than he had in his previous 129 at-bats this season. 
• 🔥: Yoyner Fajardo led the team with 12 hits, six runs and four doubles last week. He also hit two home runs and tied for the team lead with six runs batted in and four stolen bases. The 24-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder has a .811 OPS and 34 stolen bases. He doesn't have a typical corner-outfield profile, but he's definitely impressed.
• 🔥: Pierson Ohl put up another great start. He allowed only three hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out five. Through 46 AA innings, he's struck out 43 with only nine walks. His WHIP is 1.09 and he's actually pulling off the rare feat of making baseball look easier despite moving to a harder level. 
• 🔥: Patrick Winkel had two doubles and two home runs among his seven hits in 16 at-bats. He also drew six walks for an impressive 1.529 OPS. 
• 🥶: Tanner Schobel continues to struggle through 15 games at AA. He went 3-for-19 with two doubles this past week. With the heart of their lineup promoted, someone is going to have step up and eyes will be on Schobel. 
• 🥶: Marco Raya was here last week after a dismal start. This one was even worse. He got pulled without recording an out. He gave up six runs (four earned) on four hits and a walk. It will be interesting to see how Raya is handled this week. The kid gloves have been on with him at almost every turn. 
• What's Next: Heading to NW Arkansas, looking to close the gap in the league standings. 

High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels

• Overall: 23-13 (5-1 last week) in the second half, 2.0 games ahead of Peoria. The Kernels have clinched a postseason berth.
• Overview: A loss on Sunday prevented the Kernels from the six-game sweep. 
• 🔥: Like Emmanuel Rodriguez's performances, I'm hot and cold on him. When it's bad, it's almost unbelievably bad. When it's good - like this past week - it's really, really good. He was 6-for-17 with three home runs. He walked five times and only struck out three times. He also stole two bases. 
• 🔥: After struggling in his debut last week, Andrew Morris picked up a win, throwing six strong innings, allowing only one run on five hits. He struck out nine batters. 
• 🔥: Cory Lewis didn't quite strike out a batter per inning (five in six innings), but he did only allow one run on three hits and a walk.
• 🔥: Two bullpen members deserve a mention: Jordan Carr pitched four near-perfect innings last week. He struck out three and allowed a single walk. He was in the starting rotation until around Memorial Day, but had a 1.45 WHIP and an opposing batting average of .295. Since the transition, Carr has not allowed an earned run (eight appearances, 23 innings) and has reduced his WHIP and opposing batting average in each appearance (down to 1.05 and .211).  Miguel Rodriguez has also been very good. He's 14-for-14 in save opportunities. He's struck out 42 in 41 innings over 33 appearances. His WHIP is 1.05 and his opposing batting average is .212. Carr and Rodriguez are nice back-end for a playoff team.
• 🔥: Both Jorel Ortega (5-15, 2B, 3B, HR) and Noah Miller (6-18, 2B, HR) had weeks with an OPS over 1.000.
• 🥶: It's easier to overlook the Kala'i Rosario strikeouts when he's banging home runs. It's less easy when he's striking out 12 times in 21 a-bats.
• What's Next: The Kernels will head to last-place Quad Cities (12-24), but they'll need to stay hot to keep Peoria and their eight-game winning streak at bay.

Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels

• Overall: 15-21 (3-3 last week) in the second half, 10.0 games out of first place.
• Overview: A split with Dunedin! Reason to celebrate... but Dunedin is tied for last place with Fort Myers. 
• 🔥: Luke Keaschall is by far the best prospect the Mighty Mussels have and he had a very good week with two doubles in his seven hits. He also stole two bases. 
• 🔥: Jarret Whorff had a great start, allowing only one run on two hits in six innings while striking out nine. It's his best start since moving into the rotation in early July.
• 🔥: Ricardo Olivar tied for the team lead in hits with seven and also was one of three players to hit a home run. He also stole a base.
• 🔥: Ben Ethridge allowed three hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball. He struck out five. 
• 🤔: Fort Myers just isn't a very good team this year. We're not going to pick too much on the guys that are struggling. Hopefully there are some more prospect reinforcements on the way to help.
• What's Next: Bradenton (23-13) will come to town. 

Rookie: FCL Twins

• Overall: 17-25 (1-4 last week) on the season. 10.5 games behind the FCL Pirates in the FCL South. 
• 😍: Walker Jenkins is slowing getting back into the baseball thing... and I think he's going to be ok.
• 🔥: Brandon Winokur led the team with eight hits, six runs and four runs batted in his first few days playing professional baseball. Impressively, Winokur has been playing more shortstop than anything else. Drafted as an outfielder and projected to eventually fit in a corner, the Twins must think that there's a chance Winokur could stay in the dirt (most likely at third base). 
• 🥶: The young international, newsworthy guys - Jose Rodriguez, Yasser Mercedes, Byron Chourio and Bryan Acuna - are all Top 30-type guys and still struggling. Chourio had the best week going 5-for-13.
• 🥶: Lots of crooked numbers on the pitching side of things and that's not ideal. No one threw more than two innings and had an ERA under 4.00 and only one had a WHIP under 1.40. 

Rookie: DSL Twins 

• Overall: 9-32 (1-4 last week) on the season. 24.5 games back in the DSL South. 
• 🔥: Yency De Jesus was really good two weeks ago and even better last week. He tied for the lead in innings pitched (5) and strikeouts (5), and led WHIP (0.40) while not allowing a run. 
•  🔥: Dameury Pena led the team with five hits. Despite not hitting for any power, he still managed to get on base 54% of the time so his OPS was near 1.000. 
• 😏: Hendry Chivilli is coming on. He collected four hits in 13 at-bats, including a triple. He is the highest-regarded prospect on this roster.
• 🥶: There's a reason this team isn't winning many games and a lot of that has to with poor pitching.

PROSPECT SUMMARY 
This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker will be updated periodically throughout the season. Notice that these pages now include stats and splits, as well as past article links, video and more. Season-long stats will be in parenthesis. 

• 20. Jose Rodriguez, OF, FCL Twins: 4-21, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K, CS. (.252/.318/.404. .722 OPS)
• 19. Brent Headrick, RHP, Minnesota. St. Paul: 0-1, 13.50 ERA, 4 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 HB, 3 BB, 3 K. (1.42 WHIP, .271 BAA); currently pitching out of the Twins bullpen.
• 18. Jose Salas, INF, Cedar Rapids: currently on the Development List and appears on the FCL Twins roster but has not played. (.181/.268/.265. .533 OPS), previously played two games at shortstop and committed one error in seven chances (13 total; four errors in 43 chances total), played one game (14 total) at third base and committed no errors in one chance (three errors in 32 total chances). He played five games (40 total) at second base with no errors in 16 chances (three errors in 161 total chances).
• 17. Yunior Severino, 3B, St. Paul. Wichita/St. Paul: 2-14, RBI, R, 2 BB, 5 K. (AA/AAA combined .284/.360/.555. .910 OPS).
• 16. Kala'i Rosario, OF, Cedar Rapids: 3-21, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, 4 BB, 12 K. (.262/.377/.481. .858 OPS).
• 15. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, Minnesota. St. Paul: (1.60 WHIP, .261 BAA); currently pitching out of the Twins bullpen.
• 14. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 6 BB, 4 K (1.63 WHIP, .271 BAA); Minnesota: (1.85 WHIP, .313 BAA)
• 13. Brandon Winokur, OF, FCL Twins: 8-20, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 6 R, 2 BB, 7 K. (.321/.367/.500. .867 OPS), played four games at shortstop and committed one error in 17 chances and played two games at centerfield and committed no errors in eight chances. 
• 12. Luke Keaschall, 2B, Fort Myers: 7-15, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K. (rookie/l-A combined .364/.516/.455. .971 OPS), played five games at second base and committed one error in 12 chances and played one game at third base and committed one error in two chances. 
• 11. Yasser Mercedes, OF, FCL Twins: 2-7, 2B, 2 RBI, R, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 SB. (.196/.248/.381. .629 OPS)
• 10. Tanner Schobel, INF, Wichita: 3-19, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K, CS. (high-A/AA combined .268/.357/.456. .813 OPS), played four games (35 total) at second base and committed one error in seven chances (6 errors in 142 total chances), played two games (52 total) at third base and committed one error in four chances (four errors in 107 total chances).
• 9. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Cedar Rapids: Announced that Prielipp will be undergoing season-ending elbow surgery. (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA)
• 8. Austin Martin , SS, St. Paul: 4-13, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 7 BB, 3 K, 3 SB, CS. (rehab/AAA combined .231/.344/.333. .677 OPS), played two games (four total) in left field and committed no errors in six chances (no errors in 10 total chances) and played three games (17 total) at second base and committed no errors in 11 chances (two errors in 72 total chances). Has also played three games in centerfield and committed no errors in seven chances(Not so sure we can call him a shortstop prospect anymore,)
• 7. David Festa, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 HB, 3 BB, 9 K. (1.44 WHIP, .261 BAA)
• 6. Charlee Soto, RHP: Has not played in a professional game.
• 5. Matt Wallner, OF, Minnesota: St. Paul (.291/.403/.524. .927 OPS); currently with the Twins.
• 4. Marco Raya, RHP, Wichita: 0-1, INF ERA, 0.0 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 ER, HRA, BB, 2 K. (AA/Hi-A combined 1.10 WHIP, .216 BAA)
• 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 6-17, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R, 5 BB, 3 K, 2 SB, CS. (.228/.396/.452. .848 OPS)
• 2. Walker Jenkins, OF, FCL Twins: 4-8, 2B, RBI, SB, CS. (.500/.500/.625. 1.125 OPS)
• 1. Brooks Lee, SS, St. Paul. Wichita/St. Paul: 3-21, 2B, RBI, R, 4 K ,SB. (AA/AAA combined .285/.356/.461. .817 OPS), played 5 games (85 total) at shortstop and committed two errors in 14 chances (14 errors in 342 total chances). Lee has committed one error in three chances in one game at third base this season.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

HITTER - Yoyner Fajardo, Wichita. 

 

PITCHER - Kody Funderburk, St. Paul.

 

 

View full article

[FlyingFinn]

I love Kiersey but he's not being added to the 40 man this winter. Teams take mostly pitchers in the Rule 5 draft and certainly not "old" hitters.

[Dman]

I am loving Walker Jenkins as well.  With the double and Home Run today he doesn't look over matched in the FCL right now.  Winokur has quite the K rate but has been taking some walks and is hitting far better than I expected for an 18 year old.  Those two have been quite the one, two punch for their team.

Glad the OP mentioned Carr as even I had started to notice he is a stopper for that team.  Andrew Morris is starting to look more interesting these days as well.  AA should get a lot of pitching reinforcements next year from the loaded Kernal's team.  The best thing though is that Miller had a week with a 1.000 OPS.  He has struggled since turning pro with the bat so really hoping he comes on strong at the end of the year as he could be a star shortstop if the bat turns plus.  ER is gonna ER some weeks and other weeks he slumps.  Consistency for him is key and consistency for him would be a .900 to 1.000 OPS week in, week out as he hits the ball hard all the time.  I think he can do it. He just needs to get that swing under a bit more control at times.

I am still not a fan of Winkel's defense but he sure had a great week offensively.  He generally is solid in the box but he really stood out this week.  Seems like all the catchers in the Twins system are doing well with the bat this year. Fajardo can hit for average but if he is playing in a corner spot he needs to find a bit more power.  Really interesting player the Twins brought over but the walk rate is low and the slugging is OK but needs to be higher IMO.  He can steal bases but to get an outfield spot you almost have to be special and more power is the key there.  Have enjoyed Ohl all the way from A ball and happy to see him doing well at AA.  Kind of glad to Raya take some lumps it should make him a better pitcher down the road.

Gonna focus on Larnach at AAA.  On Sunday the Saints team only got three hits and Larnach had two of them.  He looks healthy and appears more confident at the plate.  I am still a believer but Kepler and Wallner are still ahead of him.  I still think he can be a slightly above average left fielder with a big bat with power to all fields.   He is going to have to impress at AAA and wait for his next shot though.

There is a ton of Blue Collar guys at AAA.  Prato, Helman, Keirsey, Severino, Stevenson and Williams.  Guys that are right on the cusp of a 40 man spot.  Out of all of them I think I like Prato the best but I wonder how many of those guys will around next year after Rule V and free agency.

Great summary as always! Love these reports.

[darwin22]

Jeremy:  Thanks for the detailed week in review. Great report.  Keep them coming.

[old nurse]

There are people who seem to have a fascination with age of a player. Kiersey is older than Celestino. Does that matter more than ability to hit a field?  How many players have the Twins moved on from after a few years? 

[TwinsDr2021]

16 minutes ago, old nurse said:

There are people who seem to have a fascination with age of a player. Kiersey is older than Celestino. Does that matter more than ability to hit a field?  How many players have the Twins moved on from after a few years? 

How many players playing in AA at age 26 year old turn into major league players? Most people are hoping for a difference maker and history show that isn't the case for players like him.  That is why people look at age. Larnach is 76 days older and has spent parts of 3 years in the majors. Is Kiersey somebody that really has improved his skills or somebody that has taken advantage of being older than most of the other players?

With that said I hope he catches on with a major league team and has a long career.

[Doctor Wu]

As this article mentioned we certainly have a logjam of good/borderline players that may need to be added to the 40-man roster, or even dropped. Some hard decisions, especially with all the injuries this year. I can't make any guesses who will make the cut at this point, but it will be an interesting and/or frustrating off-season. 

[Jeremy Nygaard]

15 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

I love Kiersey but he's not being added to the 40 man this winter. Teams take mostly pitchers in the Rule 5 draft and certainly not "old" hitters.

26-year-old first baseman Ryan Noda went second overall last year. 

A 26-year-old left-handed hitting DaShawn Keirsey, who has a .886 OPS against RHP, 32 stolen bases and could be a fourth OF right now, provides a heck of a whole lot more value than Noda.

I think he could certainly be drafted and stick.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

3 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

How many players playing in AA at age 26 year old turn into major league players? Most people are hoping for a difference maker and history show that isn't the case for players like him.  That is why people look at age. Larnach is 76 days older and has spent parts of 3 years in the majors. Is Kiersey somebody that really has improved his skills or somebody that has taken advantage of being older than most of the other players?

With that said I hope he catches on with a major league team and has a long career.

Keirsey has dealt with some injuries in his career. I think he had a hip thing that hampered him in 2019. No season in 2020 and only played 48 games in 2021. Now that's he fully healthy, he's been a dude. Yeah, he's a little older... but that really only means he's never going to get a huge free agent contract. 

[Jeremy Nygaard]

And I'm not some huge Keirsey fan either. I just think there's value there and, depending on how he does in AAA, probably stays in the conversation.

In fact, talking with a scout about the logjam, Keirsey was brought up unprompted... so he's getting noticed. If it's only depth, that's not a bad thing.

[old nurse]

3 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

How many players playing in AA at age 26 year old turn into major league players? Most people are hoping for a difference maker and history show that isn't the case for players like him.  That is why people look at age. Larnach is 76 days older and has spent parts of 3 years in the majors. Is Kiersey somebody that really has improved his skills or somebody that has taken advantage of being older than most of the other players?

With that said I hope he catches on with a major league team and has a long career.

Although they played in the majors before age 26 2 ex Twino, Dozier and Cruz didn’t become difference makers until age 28,I Over the Falvey era 31 different players have played in the outfield. Arraez, Hepler, Buxton and Rosario were the only difference makers.  Wallner may be on his way to that. There are only 9 that have a WRC+ greater than 100. That includes Gallo at 100. 

Near as I can tell baseball is a game of skill. Age is only a factor on the way down, If you have any proof that age makes a difference in young players it might be interesting.  If The players start playing in little league they have 10 years experience in the game. Although some players boneheaded plays make you wonder, they do have a lot of experience. Older players at AA or AAA could have benefit from having played at that level before. The usual reason why they are not advanced further would be their skill is not good enough for the next level. AAAA players in AAA. 

[old nurse]

56 minutes ago, Jeremy Nygaard said:

And I'm not some huge Keirsey fan either. I just think there's value there and, depending on how he does in AAA, probably stays in the conversation.

In fact, talking with a scout about the logjam, Keirsey was brought up unprompted... so he's getting noticed. If it's only depth, that's not a bad thing.

The value can be found by looking back at the OF used as replacements. There are a lot that have supplied less than replacement value. With the ongoing injuries if Kierkegaard can be an above average bat and an above average defender at all 3 OF positions. That is even if the career might only be a few years

[TwinsDr2021]

39 minutes ago, old nurse said:

Although they played in the majors before age 26 2 ex Twino, Dozier and Cruz didn’t become difference makers until age 28,I Over the Falvey era 31 different players have played in the outfield. Arraez, Hepler, Buxton and Rosario were the only difference makers.  Wallner may be on his way to that. There are only 9 that have a WRC+ greater than 100. That includes Gallo at 100. 

Near as I can tell baseball is a game of skill. Age is only a factor on the way down, If you have any proof that age makes a difference in young players it might be interesting.  If The players start playing in little league they have 10 years experience in the game. Although some players boneheaded plays make you wonder, they do have a lot of experience. Older players at AA or AAA could have benefit from having played at that level before. The usual reason why they are not advanced further would be their skill is not good enough for the next level. AAAA players in AAA. 

Well Cruz was in the majors at 24, big difference between being in the majors at 26 and getting to AAA at 26, lets not forget his steriod suspension as well. Dozier from what I can tell was up days before his 25th birthday and was basically done by 30. (and by the way had 8.6 WAR prior to his 28th bday)

You can say only Kepler, Buxton Arraez and Rosario were the only difference makers, but two of them have basically been the starting CF and RF the since 2016, and Rosario 17 - 20, not really sure how you can expect more when that has basically been the outfield during this FO time here.

Baseball is 100% a game of skill and most really good players have that skill pretty early on, and the ones that take longer generally don't make it, end up utility type players, or aren't afforded the opportunity to make it because some younger higher ceiling prospect passes them up.  Proof? it is right in front of your eyes, who are the best players in the game and history and when did the make the majors? There are exceptions for sure, generally they are on terrible teams and allowed to blossom, because good contending teams don't turn over a starting job to a guy on the wrong side of 25. Looks at the Twins and Wallner, and if he doesn't keep hitting this year they won't turn it over to him next year either, because this game is about stats, analysis and probability.

[TwinsDr2021]

1 hour ago, Jeremy Nygaard said:

Keirsey has dealt with some injuries in his career. I think he had a hip thing that hampered him in 2019. No season in 2020 and only played 48 games in 2021. Now that's he fully healthy, he's been a dude. Yeah, he's a little older... but that really only means he's never going to get a huge free agent contract. 

He has been good, he has been a top 5 CF overall in the Texas league, he also is the oldest by quite a bit. 

I wish him well, I think it isn't the best sign that he is being outperformed by younger guys who also aren't high end prospects.

https://www.milb.com/stats/texas/ops?position=CF

[Dman]

2 hours ago, Jeremy Nygaard said:

And I'm not some huge Keirsey fan either. I just think there's value there and, depending on how he does in AAA, probably stays in the conversation.

In fact, talking with a scout about the logjam, Keirsey was brought up unprompted... so he's getting noticed. If it's only depth, that's not a bad thing.

Yeah when you think of Keirsey over a Nick Gordon in center field it makes even more sense.  Also Keirsey should be able to play all three outfield positions at a plus level.  Still questions with the bat so hoping he maintains his batting line in AAA. Larnach is still a bit better at the plate than Keirsey but Keirsey could be a replacement for Larnach as well with the caveat that the bat holds up at AAA and beyond.

I agree that hip injury really held him back for longer than anticipated. He has an aggressive approach with a good K rate so he has good bat to ball skills. Not enough walks though so his transition to MLB looks like it would be bumpy to me unless he maintains a good contact rate with the ball. Still the defense and ability to steal bases sure is enticing and the Twins don't have a lot of players that run above average so that brings value as well as having three option years so they can move him up and down to balance the roster as needed.  Clearly a good 4th outfielder option but needs more work to be a regular IMO.

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Well Cruz was in the majors at 24, big difference between being in the majors at 26 and getting to AAA at 26, lets not forget his steriod suspension as well. Dozier from what I can tell was up days before his 25th birthday and was basically done by 30. (and by the way had 8.6 WAR prior to his 28th bday)

You can say only Kepler, Buxton Arraez and Rosario were the only difference makers, but two of them have basically been the starting CF and RF the since 2016, and Rosario 17 - 20, not really sure how you can expect more when that has basically been the outfield during this FO time here.

Baseball is 100% a game of skill and most really good players have that skill pretty early on, and the ones that take longer generally don't make it, end up utility type players, or aren't afforded the opportunity to make it because some younger higher ceiling prospect passes them up.  Proof? it is right in front of your eyes, who are the best players in the game and history and when did the make the majors? There are exceptions for sure, generally they are on terrible teams and allowed to blossom, because good contending teams don't turn over a starting job to a guy on the wrong side of 25. Looks at the Twins and Wallner, and if he doesn't keep hitting this year they won't turn it over to him next year either, because this game is about stats, analysis and probability.

I guess your eyes didn’t see all the scalp trotted out last year in the outfield

Your eyes do not see the players that do not hit their stride in till after age 28.

Your eyes didn’t see Kierley lost development time due to covid and injuries.

Your eyes must have missed that Buxton has not played the outfield this year and has not played in three seasons worth of games before that

If it is only potential all stars you want developed good luck fielding a team in the minors

Nobody said to hand him a starting job. He is a player that so far this year has shown something. 

[TwinsDr2021]

1 minute ago, old nurse said:

I guess your eyes didn’t see all the scalp trotted out last year in the outfield

Your eyes do not see the players that do not hit their stride in till after age 28.

Your eyes didn’t see Kierley lost development time due to covid and injuries.

Your eyes must have missed that Buxton has not played the outfield this year and has not played in three seasons worth of games before that

If it is only potential all stars you want developed good luck fielding a team in the minors

Nobody said to hand him a starting job. He is a player that so far this year has shown something. 

What does last year matter, when talking about a prospect next year?

Please give me an accurate list of players that got to AAA at age 26 and became anything more than a utility player, or a bad full time player on a bad baseball team.

I am sick about hearing about the Covid season hurt Twins prospects but yet prospects all over the league are doing fine at a much younger age. I know he lost time to his hip injury and that is the only reason I still think he has a chance at a utility 4th outfielder type player.

You are correct I don't see Keirsey as a depth option next year to Buxton.

Obviously not every minor league player will be an all star, most won't ever if see the majors, but for the last few decades if not more older "prospects" get passed by the next great thing, that is how baseball works.

Having a player show something at age 25 in AA, call me un-impressed, with that said I wish him the best of luck and hope he can be one of the rare few exceptions.

[dogsday]

4 hours ago, old nurse said:

The value can be found by looking back at the OF used as replacements. There are a lot that have supplied less than replacement value. With the ongoing injuries if Kierkegaard can be an above average bat and an above average defender at all 3 OF positions. That is even if the career might only be a few years

If Kierkegaard can be a difference maker for the Twins, the sky is the limit. Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Heidegger, Socrates. No one else is drafting and developing these guys. 🙃

[FlyingFinn]

6 hours ago, Jeremy Nygaard said:

26-year-old first baseman Ryan Noda went second overall last year. 

A 26-year-old left-handed hitting DaShawn Keirsey, who has a .886 OPS against RHP, 32 stolen bases and could be a fourth OF right now, provides a heck of a whole lot more value than Noda.

I think he could certainly be drafted and stick.

I'm thinking we will get to find out who is correct this winter. I certainly hope he doesn't get picked. Plus, I would have taken Helman last year in the Rule 5 draft over Kiersey this year with Helman's super utility, power and speed combo.

I do think that Funderburk will need to be added or he will get selected.

[old nurse]

3 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

What does last year matter, when talking about a prospect next year?

Please give me an accurate list of players that got to AAA at age 26 and became anything more than a utility player, or a bad full time player on a bad baseball team.

I am sick about hearing about the Covid season hurt Twins prospects but yet prospects all over the league are doing fine at a much younger age. I know he lost time to his hip injury and that is the only reason I still think he has a chance at a utility 4th outfielder type player.

You are correct I don't see Keirsey as a depth option next year to Buxton.

Obviously not every minor league player will be an all star, most won't ever if see the majors, but for the last few decades if not more older "prospects" get passed by the next great thing, that is how baseball works.

Having a player show something at age 25 in AA, call me un-impressed, with that said I wish him the best of luck and hope he can be one of the rare few exceptions.

Kevin Millar 

Nothing wrong with developing a decent backup. There is no shame there   There is value there. Last year should have proved that notion. 

[Jeremy Nygaard]

15 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

I'm thinking we will get to find out who is correct this winter. I certainly hope he doesn't get picked. Plus, I would have taken Helman last year in the Rule 5 draft over Kiersey this year with Helman's super utility, power and speed combo.

I do think that Funderburk will need to be added or he will get selected.

Absolutely. And if he doesn't do well in AAA, it's all moot anyway. He won't be added and won't be selected... but that's why the Twins needed to get him to St. Paul.

Mark Contreras wasn't terrible at AAA, really fits the description of a 4A player and could have been a usable depth piece as a select/outright guy at any time (as he has been in the past). The Twins appear to believe in Keirsey enough to simply move on from Contreras. Obviously "the past" was a time when the Twins had like 100 outfielders injured and now Contreras/Keirsey would be further down the pecking order.

But the point remains: this is his audition to be added to the 40-man and be part of the outfield depth for the next couple of seasons.