7 Triple-A Players Who Can Still Help the 2023 Twins

[Cody Christie]

The Twins can hope the injury bug avoids the team in the season's final weeks, but that seems unlikely. Here are seven St. Paul Saints players who can be helpful pieces as the calendar creeps closer to September.

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

 

In a perfect world, the Twins would glide through the season's final months while increasing their lead in the AL Central. Minnesota sports fans know better than to expect that to occur. It seems more likely that the team needs to dig into their accumulated depth at Triple-A to find a player who can help the club. Some players are on the 40-man roster, while others are not, adding another layer to the conversation. 

Trevor Larnach, OF
40-Man Roster: Yes
Larnach has played 180 games for the Twins over the last three seasons and has yet to establish himself at the big-league level. He's seen other corner outfielders pass like Matt Wallner pass him on the team's depth chart. This season at Triple-A, he's posted a .917 OPS with 18 extra-base hits in 43 games. Larnach is the most likely option for the team to add to the roster for the stretch run. 

Ronny Henriquez, RHP
40-Man Roster: Yes
Henriquez made his big-league debut with the Twins last season and allowed three earned runs in 11 2/3 innings with a 0.94 WHIP and nine strikeouts. Last season, he shifted roles between starter and reliever, so this has been his first full season in the bullpen. Over his last ten appearances, he has posted a 4.40 ERA with a 10-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Henriquez has been getting hit hard this season, but he's on the 40-man roster, giving him a chance to be a call-up. 

Louie Varland, RHP
40-Man Roster: Yes
The Twins could have selected Varland over Dallas Keuchel when Joe Ryan recently went on the IL. However, that would have meant giving up on Keuchel and taking away some of the organization's depth. Varland struggled in his ten big-league starts this year by allowing 33 earned runs in 56 innings. The Twins demoted him in mid-June, and he's posted a 4.63 ERA in nine starts while opponents have accumulated a .797 OPS. Varland is the most apparent option with the Saints if a starter gets injured. 

Gilberto Celestino, OF
40-Man Roster: Yes
Celestino didn't follow a linear development path with the Twins. The team rushed him to the big leagues, and he played 145 games with little experience at the Triple-A level. During spring training, he ruptured the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, which required surgery. Following rehab, the Twins sent him to Triple-A, where he has a .743 OPS with ten extra-base hits in 32 games. He's a right-handed bat that can play all three outfield positions which might be helpful if there is an outfield injury. 

Brooks Lee, SS
40-Man Roster: No
Many fans will be clamoring for Lee, the team's top prospect, to make his big-league debut, especially if the team falters down the stretch. He's the first player from the 2022 MLB Draft to play at the Triple-A level, so the Twins are already aggressive with his promotions. He posted an .841 OPS with 31 doubles and 11 home runs across 87 games at Double-A. If the Twins need Lee, it likely means an injury to a key player in the lineup.

Kody Funderburk, LHP
40-Man Roster: No
Surprisingly, the Twins have yet to turn to Funderburk while the team attempts to find reliable relief options. Minnesota has relied on Caleb Thielbar and Jovani Moran as the team's primary left-handed relievers, while Funderburk has posted solid numbers at Triple-A. In 31 appearances, he has posted a 2.68 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and 13.4 K/9. He's been one of the organization's top relievers for multiple seasons and deserves a chance at the big-league level. 

Anthony Prato, UTL
40-Man Roster: No
Prato can play multiple defensive positions in the infield and outfield, making him an intriguing option for the stretch run. He's also destroyed the ball since being promoted to Triple-A near the beginning of June. In 44 games, he has hit .324/.476/.613 (1.089) with 20 doubles and seven home runs. He's also drawn more walks (37) than strikeouts (36). Prato has been one of St. Paul's best hitters, and the Twins might want to reward his performance. 

Which player or players will help the Twins down the stretch? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

 

 

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[Major League Ready]

The only two I hope to see here are Larnach and Prato.  

[Karbo]

I think Larnach will be up when rosters expand in Sept. I'd like to see Prato but with him not on 40 man probably not. Celestino may in Sept.

[Peter]

Why not bring up lee and our first round pick this year? They both would give twins the power needed along with Royce coming back? 

[Cory Engelhardt]

I'm surprised you didn't mention Austin Martin. Otherwise it's a good list.

[MABB1959]

Bring them all up and give them a chance.  The offense can't get any worse and may light a fire or motivate the veterans to finally step up.  They are too comfortable and what better than a little competition.  It will go a long way in determining what they will have in 2024 and perhaps stop them from dumpster diving/signing older kind of washed up/hoping to get better players.

[MABB1959]

1 minute ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I'm surprised you didn't mention Austin Martin. Otherwise it's a good list.

We need to see what we have and let him go if he can't improve 

[MinnInPa]

i just dont get it...why never any mention of Stevensen.??   i'd say Stevensen, Prato or Funderburk could help ..all others need not apply

[MABB1959]

16 minutes ago, Peter said:

Why not bring up lee and our first round pick this year? They both would give twins the power needed along with Royce coming back? 

Sounds good but not sure Royce and or ever will be completely healthy.  Gotta figure that one out too and not have the situation we have with Buxton.  

[JD-TWINS]

16 minutes ago, Peter said:

Why not bring up lee and our first round pick this year? They both would give twins the power needed along with Royce coming back? 

Lee’s been in AAA for 3 games & our #1 pick this year just got out of high school…???

Kirilloff - Buxton - Lewis need to get back ASAP. Really need Kirilloff healthy to chase Gallo out of the line-up.

[Nashvilletwin]

Larnach has such a sweet swing. It’s a shame that Gallo basically took his season away from him.  It would have been nice to know what we really have in him.  Hope he gets a call up and does a few things so he can get traded over the off-season - he needs a new organization. 
 

Given how this team is run/managed, and that we are in the stretch run for a playoff spot, I don’t see many ABs being available for the position players. On the other hand, the pitchers should be ready at any time to fill in the bullpen - I’d think they would get the majority of an expanded roster spots.

[Althebum82]

Here's an observation......the last time the Twins had only two catchers on their active roster over an entire season was 1995 with Walbeck and Merullo.  Granted they only played 144 games as a team that year and utility guy Reboulet did fill in an inning, but the point is that the odds of Vaquez and Jeffers staying healthy enough to handle the entire season and possibly playoffs alone is historically daunting.  No one else is on the 40 man roster, and we only add two more now in September to the active roster  instead of an unlimted number basically in years past.

Should Camargo or Williams be added to this list?

By the way, love the premise of the article and the conversation it inspires!

[IndianaTwin]

He's not a Triple A player, but the status of Chris Paddack will play a role in who gets the extra pitcher spot. 

Similarly, if Jose Miranda were to regain health, he would be on this list. If it's assumed he won't be, he can be moved to the 60-day IL, freeing up a 40-man spot if needed. 

The last update I've read says that Paddack was expected to progress to live BP by the third week of August. Miranda's last update is listed as July 16. Is there update on either? 

 

[IndianaTwin]

15 minutes ago, Althebum82 said:

Here's an observation......the last time the Twins had only two catchers on their active roster over an entire season was 1995 with Walbeck and Merullo.  Granted they only played 144 games as a team that year and utility guy Reboulet did fill in an inning, but the point is that the odds of Vaquez and Jeffers staying healthy enough to handle the entire season and possibly playoffs alone is historically daunting.  No one else is on the 40 man roster, and we only add two more now in September to the active roster  instead an unlimted number basically in years past.

Should Camargo and/or Williams be added to this list?

I also noticed recently that we've managed to make it this far with no IL stints for a catcher. Please let that continue. 

I think Camargo/Williams could be added with an asterisk. While an injury to just about anyone leads to a Larnach callup, thanks to the positional flexibility they've developed, it takes an injury specifically to a catcher to give Camargo or Williams a shot. The one exception to the Larnach callup could be Taylor. If he's hurt, I could see them going to Celestino. 

[chpettit19]

40 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Larnach has such a sweet swing. It’s a shame that Gallo basically took his season away from him.  It would have been nice to know what we really have in him.  Hope he gets a call up and does a few things so he can get traded over the off-season - he needs a new organization. 
 

Given how this team is run/managed, and that we are in the stretch run for a playoff spot, I don’t see many ABs being available for the position players. On the other hand, the pitchers should be ready at any time to fill in the bullpen - I’d think they would get the majority of an expanded roster spots.

FYI, they can only carry 14 pitchers even with expanded rosters.

[chpettit19]

40 minutes ago, Althebum82 said:

Here's an observation......the last time the Twins had only two catchers on their active roster over an entire season was 1995 with Walbeck and Merullo.  Granted they only played 144 games as a team that year and utility guy Reboulet did fill in an inning, but the point is that the odds of Vaquez and Jeffers staying healthy enough to handle the entire season and possibly playoffs alone is historically daunting.  No one else is on the 40 man roster, and we only add two more now in September to the active roster  instead of an unlimted number basically in years past.

Should Camargo or Williams be added to this list?

By the way, love the premise of the article and the conversation it inspires!

I'd be a little surprised if they called either of them up for September. Farmer is their 3rd catcher, and has MLB experience behind the plate (although not since 2019). I'd expect them to go to 14 pitchers, though, and call up Larnach. Where things would likely change is if Kirilloff comes back healthy and they're willing to move on from Gallo which would open another spot. I'm not holding my breath there, though.

[DJL44]

Only Larnach and Varland look like they could help, as in they would be better than someone on the MLB roster. Funderburk could be interesting as a 2nd lefthanded short reliever.

[TWTwinsFan]

FO：WHO？

rewarding performance is never an option.

[mikelink45]

Prato, Larnach, and  Funderburk would be my choices.  The starting pitchers promoted to the BP have not done well, a RP is someone I would expect more from.

Larnach for Gallo (I am a broken record).  Prato because he has earned it.  Celestino is not showing enough to be back up.  Same with Henriquez and Varland.

Lee is still a year away.  Let's see production in AAA over the next few weeks before pushing for a call up.

Martin was mentioned in another comment, but he has been too inconsistent at all levels since we got him. 

I am curious about Stevenson, but really want to see Carmargo get a call up.  The league loves catchers and he or Vasquez could be trade bait.  

The bigger question for me is who is cut for Kiriloff and Lewis?

[saviking]

Good start plus this time next year we will be adding Camargo Williams, Severino Keirsey Martin to your list. But our minors looked depleted in pitching with the possible exception of the deep, deep minors as in this year's and last year's draft picks. 

[Matt Braun]

Anthony Prato is such a strange case to me. I don't think I've ever seen a guy completely turn around his season after a promotion, and the numbers are so good they're actually a little scary in an Andrew Vasquez type of way. Still, the walk to strikeout numbers are great, so maybe some of this is real. He's worth a shot, at least, 

[nicksaviking]

7 minutes ago, Matt Braun said:

Anthony Prato is such a strange case to me. I don't think I've ever seen a guy completely turn around his season after a promotion, and the numbers are so good they're actually a little scary in an Andrew Vasquez type of way. Still, the walk to strikeout numbers are great, so maybe some of this is real. He's worth a shot, at least, 

Not sure what happened early in the year in Wichita, but Prato in St. Paul, looks pretty much the same as he did last year.

I don't have much faith that Celestino will ever be more than the 26th man on the bench, I think we can be pretty confident his bat won't help. I'd honestly rather see Keirsey at this point.

Also, if Joey Gallo is getting the 1B work now, Chris Williams should 100% be on this list. 

[Blyleven2011]

Adding another lefthander in the bullpen should be a priority  , funderburk numbers in the bullpen  have transitioned into a relief pitcher the past two years ...

We need pitching and he has earned  a promotion with his solid pitching in the minors ...

The others might deserve  promotions to but are just depth at the moment  ...

 

[DJL44]

52 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Prato because he has earned it. 

I have been watching some Saints games on TV and Prato impresses as someone who clearly knows how to play baseball. I don't see a path for him onto the roster at the moment. Castro and Farmer are playing well enough. I don't see a reason to force Prato onto the roster but he should get a chance to play in the big leagues at some point.

[TwinsAce]

Quote

He's the first player from the 2022 MLB Draft to play at the Triple-A level, so the Twins are already aggressive with his promotions.

Ha - I had to double take at this one, but then I remembered that Zach Neto passed over Triple A in April.  Both accurate and also not as aggressive as the Angels somehow.  Either way, I'm glad Lee is at AAA already.

Someone out there is probably wondering why the Twins haven't promoted Jenkins to MLB yet...oh wait. 

[John Mickelson]

Stevenson has earned it. Gallo at $11mil over Larnach is a joke Mr Falvey! Celestino has not earned promotion. 

 

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

Lee’s been in AAA for 3 games & our #1 pick this year just got out of high school…???

Kirilloff - Buxton - Lewis need to get back ASAP. Really need Kirilloff healthy to chase Gallo out of the line-up.

Pass on Buxton UNLESS healthy to play defense.  

[Trov]

Prato and Funderburk not being on 40 man is an issue for them to help.  There are a couple of people that could get put on 60 day, but we have others nearing read to come off the 60 day which complicates things.  Prato has a SSS power surge.  Outside of his 45 games in AAA he has never hit at the level he has shown there.  He has always been good walk to k rate, and can play many positions so that is helpful.  I could see him come in if there is a major injury, but absent that I do not see it happening. 

Funderburk is less likely unless there are some big injures in the pen as well. 

[PatPfund]

Love the premise of the article! Like your list, but I'd drop Celestino a mile off this list, and frankly waive him at some point if the 40-man gets tight (strategic to call him a right-handed bat, because he certainly isn't a hitter to go along with being a foolish base-runner; probably clears waivers, and if he doesn't then no loss). Stevenson plays decent defense, is hitting .312 with 14 HR, 35 SB, 51 RBI, and OPS of .906. and you don't need to platoon him. 

I'd also drop Lee off the list, and let him play the rest of the season at AAA. Sticking to the number I'd put Chris Williams on the list in Lee's stead; he has shown major pop from the right side of the plate for lefty/righty fetishists (of which I'm not one, but Rocco certainly is). Probably not Camargo yet, but as a defensive catcher developing major thunder with the bat, I'm curious what the off-season brings (I'd be quietly shopping Vasquez to see if there is a market).

[PatPfund]

For those worried about 40-man roster space, Gallo and Luplow (unless he hits fairly quickly) are low-hanging fruit on the MLB team. Someone else pointed out that Miranda could be 60-dayed (he's already more than halfway through that) if he isn't due back soon. Gilberto Celestino isn't as good as Mark Contreras who was just waived, and he could be waived probably without a claim (and no loss if he is; good athlete who can't hit, and whose terrible base-running wrecks even a bench role). Oliver Ortega is a fungible minor league RP who could be waived (say for Funderburk).

Cole Sands would be next on my list, but I'm not sure you need 5 40-man slots to finish the year.