Twins Minor League Report (8/18): Ryan Rehabs and Fort Myers Explodes

[Ted Schwerzler]

Joe Ryan began a rehab assignment on Friday night with the Saints, and Fort Myers put up plenty of offense. There were big flies across the system, and a few notable performances to check in on.

 

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson - St. Paul Saints

TRANSACTIONS

• RHP Joe Ryan begins MLB rehab assignment with St. Paul
• RHP David Festa placed on the temporary inactive list by Wichita
• RHP Curtis Taylor reinstated from IL by Wichita

SAINTS SENTINEL 
St. Paul 8, Indianapolis 5
Box Score
Joe Ryan was with the Saints on Friday to make a rehab start as he works his way back from a groin injury. He worked four innings and allowed just one hit. Ryan walked two, but struck out seven (including six of the first seven batters he faced). The lone blemish was a Dom Nunez solo home run.

Andrew Stevenson kicked off the scoring with a leadoff home run, his 15th of the year. In the bottom of the second inning, Anthony Prato tripled home both Stevenson and Austin Martin before Brooks Lee singled and made it a 4-0 game.

After Nunez’s homer in the fourth inning, Austin Martin singled in Jair Camargo. The seventh inning saw things go awry for Brent Headrick, however. After cruising through his first two innings of work, he gave up a double and a homer allowing Indianapolis to knot things with a four-run frame.

Martin answered in the bottom of the seventh inning when he launched his fourth dinger of the season. Kyle Garlick and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. both came in on the big fly, and the three-run lead was enough to hang on for a victory. OIiver Ortega worked a scoreless ninth inning to get the save.

The Saints saw Prato, Lee, Keirsey Jr., and Martin all have two-hit nights. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 5, Springfield 4
Box Score
It was Marco Raya’s night on the bump and his innings continue to be monitored. Working two innings on Friday, he gave up only one hit and walked none. Raya also recorded three strikeouts.

Alex Isola stayed hot for the Wind Surge and launched home run number 17 in the first inning. With Yoyner Fajardo on, Wichita found themselves with a quick 2-0 lead. Though they gave up a run during the third inning, Tanner Schobel responded with a single to bring Fajardo around again.

In the fourth inning, Seth Gray doubled home Dalton Shuffield before then crossing the plate himself on a Willie Joe Garry Jr. groundout. The seventh inning saw Springfield add their second tally, but the three-run lead was still intact.

L.J. Jones homered in the eighth inning, and his two-run shot brought Springfield within one run. Francis Peguero got the Saints to the final out, and then Hunter McMahon came in with runners on second and third.  He got a groundout to end the game and strand the baserunners.

Gray was the lone hitter to post two hits for Wichita Friday.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 6, Wisconsin 4
Box Score
For the first time this season, Cory Lewis put up something of a clunker. He surrendered three runs on seven hits. Lewis walked two and struck out five. He lasted 4 1/3 innings for the contest. Even with the tougher outing, he still owns a 2.42 ERA with Cedar Rapids.

The Kernels scored first when Misael Urbina doubled home both Ben Ross and Emmanuel Rodriguez. The Timber Rattlers scored a run during the second inning, but Cedar Rapids added again in the fourth inning. Keoni Cavaco singled home Andrew Cossetti before Jeferson Morales came home on a wild pitch. Noah Miller then doubled in Cavaco and the lead stood at 5-1.

Wisconsin plated a pair during the fifth inning, but Cedar Rapids still clung to a two-run lead. The Kernels got one back in the eighth inning when Morales ripped his second triple of the season. Urbina scored, and Morales was out at home looking to make it a round tripper.

After a leadoff walk from John Stankiewicz, Jarret Whorff came on for the Kernels in the ninth inning. He allowed the inherited runner to score, but grabbed a pair of strikeouts and shut it down.

Morales was the lone Kernels hitter to record multiple hits Friday night.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 13, Palm Beach 8
Box Score
Miguelangel Boadas got the start Friday for Fort Myers. He went just 2 2/3  innings and gave up eight runs on six hits. Boadas did strike out two while walking a pair.

Ricardo Olivar doubled in the first inning to bring home Jay Harry and kick off the scoring. Unfortunately the Cardinals answered with three of their own in the bottom half of the frame.

After Palm Beach added another in the second inning, Danny De Andrade singled to bring home both Harry and Luke Keaschall. The one-run deficit was doubled in the bottom of the third with the Cardinals scoring again. Samuel Perez came on in relief of Boadas looking to slam the door with the bases loaded. Instead, Joshua Baez got him for a bases-clearing double and it was an 8-3 game.

The Mighty Mussels came roaring back during the fourth inning. Kyle Schmidt doubled home both Rubel Cespedes and Rafael Cruz. Then Harry singled to bring home Schmidt and drop the deficit back to two.

Fort Myers hoped for a ninth inning rally, and things started well with Alec Sayre and Harry both getting a base hit. Keaschall then clobbered his first professional home run and gave the Mighty Mussels the lead. Olivar followed with a single before Danny De Andrade blasted his ninth homer and made it an 11-8 game.

Ineffectiveness continued for the Cardinals and Fort Myers loaded the bases with just one out. Sayre then drew a walk and brought Cespedes home for their 12th run. Harry kept up his big game with a sacrifice fly to bring Cruz home.

Harry and Olivar both had four hits for Fort Myers, and Harry grabbed his first Single-A stolen base. De Andrade grabbed a pair of hits in the contest as well.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 1, FCL Red Sox 0
Box Score
With weather issues on Thursday, the Twins were back in action on Friday. Cleiber Maldonado turned in four strong innings of one-hit baseball. It was the only one the Red Sox recorded all day. He allowed three walks but struck out four.

The Twins recorded just five hits on the afternoon, but Isaac Pena’s leadoff double was enough to put him in position to score. He came across the plate on a wild pitch later in the first inning. Walker Jenkins was 0-for-4 with a strikeout while Brandon Winokur recorded a single.

2023 draft pick Jeremy Lee made his professional debut and picked up a save. He walked one and struck out one in an inning of work.

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL Nationals 3, DSL Twins 3 (Susp/7)
Box Score
Miguel Cordero made the start Friday for the Twins and worked 4 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk. Cordero also struck out five in the outing.

Carlos SIlva opened up the scoring when Ewing Matos reached on an error in the first inning. The Twins got behind from there after they gave up two in the fourth inning, and another in the fifth inning.

The Twins answered wildly in the sixth inning. Dameury Pena stole home on a double steal that was thrown through to second, and then Moises Lopez scored on a wild pitch. With the game tied, the sides were delayed in the top of the seventh inning. They ended the contest in a tie.

Silva was the only Twins player to have a hit.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Joe Ryan (St. Paul) - 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Hitter of the Day – Jay Harry (Fort Myers) - 4-5, 3 R, RBI, SB

PROSPECT SUMMARY
We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. 

Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed:

#1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 2-5, RBI, K
#2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL Twins) - 0-3, K
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, R, 2 BB, 2 K
#4 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB 3 K
#7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 2-3, 2 R, 4 RBI, HR(4), BB
#8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-4, RBI
#9 - Brandon Winokur (FCL Twins) - 1-3, K
#10 - Luke Keaschall (Fort Myers) - 1-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR(1), BB, K, SB
#13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, 2 K
#14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 0-4, 3 K
#16 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) -
#17 - Danny De Andrade (Fort Myers) - 2-5, R, 4 RBI, HR(9), K
#18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 1-3
#19 - Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 4.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
#20 - Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - 4.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Indianapolis @ St. Paul (7:07PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson
Springfield @ Wichita (6:05PM CST) - TBD
Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP C.J. Culpepper
Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:00PM CST) - RHP John Klein

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

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[FlyingFinn]

Austin Martin is really on fire.

Isola going for hitter of the week. If only he really was a catcher he would have an opportunity to make the bigs.

[twins_89]

Martin really seems like he's ready for the majors. If Wallner misses any time, I'd give Martin the chance to take a lot of those ABs.

[Unwinder]

I was at the Saints today, Martin looked really good, and Lee was great at shortstop. The highlight for me was that inning where Headrick did nothing but induce ground balls to Lee.

[bighat]

5 hours ago, twins_89 said:

Martin really seems like he's ready for the majors. If Wallner misses any time, I'd give Martin the chance to take a lot of those ABs.

Agreed. Would love to see what he's got. Same goes for Lee. 

Twins have a history of sitting on prospects, so we'll see. 

[Patzky]

7 hours ago, twins_89 said:

Martin really seems like he's ready for the majors. If Wallner misses any time, I'd give Martin the chance to take a lot of those ABs.

That would be great but you know it will be Larnach.. or the return of Willi..

[mikelink45]

I think Brent Headrick has lost his shine - I do not see him holding a top 20 prospect position.  5.01 and 6.01 ERAs don't make a prospect. 

[jmlease1]

Really great to see Martin showing some pop in his bat. He's really on a nice run again, and looks like he's back to good health. Hopefully he can finish off the season strong. I certainly would have no objection to seeing him get a cup of coffee in MLB this season to see how he reacts, but considering this is his first year in AAA I wouldn't consider it some kind of crime if the Twins look for him to just get through the rest of the season healthy and playing well in Saint Paul. Regardless, he'll be in the mix next spring for a shot at MLB and looks like an excellent fit to be one of our OFs, whether it's starting or being the 4th OF who plays all three spots. 

De Andrade is putting together a nice season at Ft. Myers at 19. Not showing any power yet, but he's very young and the FSL is notorious for keeping the power number down for guys. He's getting more interesting every day.

[Five minute major]

So fun to see Austin Martin absolutely tearing it up over the past few weeks.  Just red hot and an absolute reversal of earlier this season.  A huge positive for the organization.

[stringer bell]

4 hours ago, bighat said:

Agreed. Would love to see what he's got. Same goes for Lee. 

Twins have a history of sitting on prospects, so we'll see. 

I don't think adding Martin to the active roster (and 40-man) will happen. He's a second baseman/outfielder and I don't know how his defense at any of those positions profiles. The development of Martin will probably effect how aggressively the Twins go after re-signing Taylor or someone else. as well as picking up Kepler's option.

[stringer bell]

Since he went only four innings, I suspect the Twins will have Ryan make another rehab start, which means Keuchel will probably get two more major league starts. If Keuchel gets tagged again tomorrow, the Twins could adjust their plans and give Louie Varland a spot start or they could bring back Ryan without another rehab start. 

[stringer bell]

2 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I think Brent Headrick has lost his shine - I do not see him holding a top 20 prospect position.  5.01 and 6.01 ERAs don't make a prospect. 

I don't hold out huge hope for Headrick, but I think the underlying numbers are better. He gave up four yesterday in St. Paul, but it's not like he allowed ten hits and a couple walks. Balazovic was horrible in '22 at St. Paul and only had a so-so ERA in ''23 before his recall and he's been pretty good for the Twins. 

[jorgenswest]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I think Brent Headrick has lost his shine - I do not see him holding a top 20 prospect position.  5.01 and 6.01 ERAs don't make a prospect. 

I don’t care about ranks at all but I haven’t given up hope that Headrick will be a useful left handed arm in the bullpen. I wouldn’t remove him from the 40.

I will add that teams in the IL average 5.58 runs per game this year. That run context distorts our perception of stats from both batters and hitters.

[roger]

Is great seeing Lee and Martin playing so well at St. Paul.  But for those of you clammering for them to be added to the 40-man and called up, it ain't gonna happen.  Yes, Martin needs to be added to the 40-man this November.  But with Julian, Polo, Lewis, Farmer and Solano on the Twins roster, adding a second baseman is unlikely.  Now should they get a rash of injuries to outfielders, maybe.

As for Lee, he doesn't need to be added to the 40-man until November 2025.  Calling him up next month would mean they would lose someone else in this winter's rule 5.  Wouldn't make sense.  Expect we will see him sometime next year after they have had a chance to work on their roster over the winter.

[Major League Ready]

Austin Martin would sure be great insurance for Buxton if this break out is for real.  It's only been 18 games but since 7/25 he is hitting .393 with an even 500 OBP.  His OPS is 1161.  Wow!  Hopefully, Buxton is back in CF next year and Martin joins Castro as part of a very good bench for the Twins.

[stringer bell]

The average OPS in the International League is .800, so let’s cool off a little about St. Paul’s hitters, Martin included. 
 

I think Martin’s skill set would fit really well with next year’s Twins roster. That he’s having success at the highest minor league level is great for his confidence and bodes well for his future. 

[jmlease1]

On 8/19/2023 at 10:35 AM, stringer bell said:

I don't think adding Martin to the active roster (and 40-man) will happen. He's a second baseman/outfielder and I don't know how his defense at any of those positions profiles. The development of Martin will probably effect how aggressively the Twins go after re-signing Taylor or someone else. as well as picking up Kepler's option.

Martin's defense at 2B is at least average, and he's got the range and skills to be good in all three OF spots (and possibly great in the corners, sort of like Kepler). But I do agree he's unlikely to get added to the 40-man until the offseason. Just finishing the season healthy and doing well would be a great sign. Right now he's shaping up nicely to contend for a roster spot in 2024.