Twins Minor League Week in Review (9/4-9/10): Stars Shine in System

[Jeremy Nygaard]

The minor league season is quickly approaching the end. One more affiliate is done. But another will start their playoff push this week. The other two teams still have a chance to make the playoffs. Lots of drama yet to come.

 

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

Read all about the Twins week in Nick’s Week in Review. 

WEEK IN REVIEW 
Triple-A: St. Paul Saints

• Overall: 36-27 (4-2 last week) in the second half; In first place in the IL West by 1.5 games; tied for fourth place in the International League.
• Overview: The Saints made a little progress, but thanks to losing to last two games are running out of time if they want to make the playoffs.
•  🔥: Trevor Larnach . Again! Eight hits in 23 at-bats. Four doubles and two home runs. Seven strikeouts, but six walks. 
• 🔥: Bailey Ober  made his first AAA start after his demotion. He threw five one-run innings, allowing three hits and struck out three.
• 🔥: Simeon Woods Richardson has had quite a year. He's still young, but the shine has faded. This week, though, he was really good. He struck out five in six innings, allowing only one run on four hits and a walk.
• 🤔: Yunior Severino hit three more home runs this week and has 32 total home runs on the season.  But struck out 10 times in 23 at-bats.
• 🥶: Jordan Balazovic  walked five and allowed three hits in 2 1/3 innings. 
• 🥶: Hernan Perez  was the hitter of the week two weeks ago. This week he was 2-for-15 with six strikeouts. 
• What's Next: A road-trip to Iowa (31-31) followed by a season-closing series hosting Toledo (32-31).  

Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge

• Overall: 34-29 (2-4 last week) in the second half and have dropped behind Springfield in the division.
• Overview: A one-game deficit with six games to go. The Wind Surge have to play their best baseball to make the playoffs.
• 🔥: Yoyner Fajardo  led the team with seven hits, two triples and four walks. He also doubled twice and stole a base.
• 🔥: Marco Raya struck out three in 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Curtis Taylor (5 1/3 IP, H, BB, 5 K) and Isaac Mattson (4 2/3, BB, 8 K) where great in multiple relief appearances.  Pierson Ohl gave up a home run among four hits, and struck out four in 5 1/3 innings.
• 🔥: Seth Gray led the team with two home runs and five runs batted in. 
• 🥶: Aaron Rozek  was very good two weeks ago, but last week struggled. He only retired two batters and allowed three hits, including two home runs.
• 🥶: Patrick Winkel had one hit in 16 at-bats. Will Holland had one hit in eight at-bats.
• What's Next: A cold stretch has Wichita on the outside looking in on the playoffs. The Wind Surge will host Midland (34-29) while Springfield (35-28) goes to San Antonio (30-33). 

High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels

• Overall: 42-24 (2-4 last week) in the second half, six games ahead of Peoria. 
• Overview: The regular season concludes with the Kernels sporting the best full-season record in the Midwest League (82-50).
• 🔥: Not a lot of big weeks for the Kernels hitters. Luke Keaschall led the team with six hits (including two home runs). Kala'i Rosario also had two home runs (but struck out 10 times).
• 🔥: Cory Lewis  went five innings, striking out three and walking two, allowing only one hit.
• 🤔: Jose Salas  had five hits last week. He barely batted over .200, but five hits, including a home run and double, is at least worth mentioning.
• 🥶: C.J. Culpepper  gave up seven runs on seven hits and two walks in two innings. 
•  🥶: Jorel Ortega (1-for-16), Keoni Cavaco (1-for-10), Carson McCusker (1-for-11) and Andrew Cossetti (0-for-9) combined to strike out 22 times this past week.
• What's Next: The Kernels will take their four-game losing streak to Peoria for Game 1 on Tuesday. They will host the remainder of the best-of-three series later in the week.

Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels

• Overall: 33-32 (2-4 last week) in the second half, finishing 10.5 games behind Lakeland.
• 😍: Walker Jenkins  may have completed his first professional season. He was 6-for-19 with two triples on the week. He drove in and scored four runs. 
• 🔥: Jay Harry and Nate Baez  had good weeks. Harry had seven hits and Baez led the team with eight hits and eight runs batted in. 
• 🔥: Matt Gabbert  made his first start at Low-A, and it went extremely well. He allowed one hit and two walks in five shutout innings. He struck out six.
• 😏: Chris Paddack and Jorge Alcala both made rehab appearances.
•  🥶: Ty Langenberg gave up two runs in 1 2/3 innings. Develson Aria gave up two runs while recording only one out. Juan Mendez, Juan Mercedes and Jack Noble all gave up two home runs.
• 🥶: The Kyle Schmidt hitless streak has reached a third week. Seven more hitless at-bats with one strikeout. (But his 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. Brent Headrick, LHP, Minnesota: Recalled to the Twins bullpen. (1.43 WHIP, .256 BAA ), St. Paul: (1.36 WHIP, .263 BAA).
• 19. Cory Lewis, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K (1.06 WHIP, .198 BAA).
• 18. Jose Rodriguez, OF, FCL Twins: (.262/.325/.412. .737 OPS)
• 17. Danny De Andrade, SS, Fort Myers: 4-17, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, K, SB, CS. (.244/.354/.396. .750 OPS), played five games (90 total games) at shortstop and committed two errors in 18 chances (15 errors in 326 total chances). Previously played one game at third base and had no errors in four chances. 
• 16. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 3.86 ERA, 2.1 IP, 3 H, ER, 5 BB. (1.75 WHIP, .270 BAA); Minnesota: (1.56 WHIP, .274 BAA).
• 15. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 4 H, ER, HRA, BB, 5 K (1.50 WHIP, .253 BAA); Minnesota: (1.56 WHIP, .274 BAA).
• 14. Yunior Severino, 3B, St. Paul: 5-23, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, 10 K. (AA/AAA combined .277/.353/.550. .903 OPS).
• 13. Kala'i Rosario, OF, Cedar Rapids: 4-22, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 10 K. (.252/.364/.467. .831 OPS).
• 12. Yasser Mercedes, OF, FCL Twins: (.196/.248/.381. .629 OPS)
• 11. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Cedar Rapids: Prielipp underwent season-ending elbow surgery. (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA)
• 10. Luke Keaschall, 2B, Cedar Rapids: 6-24, 2B,, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, K. (rookie/l-A/h-A combined .288/.414/.477. .891 OPS), played four games (24 total) at second base and committed two errors in 22 chances (three errors in 83 total chances), played one game in centerfield (four games total) and committed no errors in no chances (no errors in two total chances), and played one game at third base (two total) and committed no errors in one chance (one error in three total chances). 
• 9. Brandon Winokur, OF, FCL Twins: (.288/.338/.545. .883 OPS), played nine games at shortstop and committed two errors in 34 chances and played seven games at centerfield and committed no errors in 19 chances. 
• 8. Tanner Schobel, INF, Wichita: 5-18, RBI, 2 BB, 3 K. (high-A/AA combined .267/.357/.433. .790 OPS), played four games (54 total) at second base and committed no errors in 12 chances (9 errors in 212 total chances), played one game (58 total) at third base and committed no errors in one chance (four errors in 115 total chances), played two games (five total) at shortstop and committed no errors in six chances (no errors in 14 total chances).
• 7. Austin Martin, 2B/OF, St. Paul: 6-19, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K. (rehab/AAA combined .266/.376/.409. .785 OPS), played one game (11 total) in centerfield and committed one error in four chances (one error in 28 total chances), played three games (36 total) at second base and committed no errors in 9 chances (four errors in 144 total chances), played two games (11 total) in left field and committed no errors in six chance (no errors in 27 total chances). 
• 6. David Festa, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 3.86 ERA, 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 BB 6 K. (AAA/AA combined 1.37 WHIP, .244 BAA)
• 5. Charlee Soto, RHP: Did not pitch.
• 4. Marco Raya, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.1 IP, 2 H, 3 K. (AA/Hi-A combined 1.11 WHIP, .205 BAA)
• 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 3-13, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 7 BB, 6 K. (.240/.400/.463. .863 OPS)
• 2. Walker Jenkins, OF, Fort Myers: 6-19, 2 3B, 4 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K, SB, CS. (FCL/low-A combined .362/.417/.571. .988 OPS)
• 1. Brooks Lee, SS, St. Paul: 4-19, 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R, 6 BB, 3 K. (AA/AAA combined .282/.357/.470. .827 OPS), played four games (103 total) at shortstop and committed no errors in 20 chances (18 errors in 430 total chances) and played one game (six total) at third base and committed no errors in three chances (one error in 14 chances total chances). 

DESTINATION: The Show
In this week's episode, Jeremy and JD chat with Carlos Collazo, prospect guru at Baseball America. Lots of Twins talk, especially regarding their 2023 draft class. Below is a quick out-take from the show. Click here to watch the full episode. You can find Destination: The Show on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, iTunes, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music. The show is available on Libsyn, our podcasting platform, in addition to Youtube.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
HITTER - Trevor Larnach, St. Paul

 

CO-PITCHERS - Isaac Mattson, Wichita and Cory Lewis, Cedar Rapids 

 

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[dogsday]

"He threw five one-run innings, allowing three hits and struck out three."

 

5 innings allowing one run????

[roger]

Would still like to see Jenkins get moved up to the Kernels for the playoffs.

I don't view the Ober to St. Paul move as a demotion.  Appears to me to be their best effort to deal with his innings issue.  By doing this they can have him on a plan to pitch a bit, then ramp up and hopefully be ready for the playoffs as their fourth starter.  They couldn't do that if he stayed with the Twins.  Will it work?  Remains to be seen.

[wabene]

Twitter? Do I have to?

[mikelink45]

I am disappointed in Mercedes his stock is dropping like Balazovic and Headrick.  I put Woods-Richardson in the stock is dropping category too.  I will be interested in the next adjustment to the prospect list. 

[Doctor Wu]

12 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I am disappointed in Mercedes his stock is dropping like Balazovic and Headrick.  I put Woods-Richardson in the stock is dropping category too.  I will be interested in the next adjustment to the prospect list. 

I was optimistic about Woods-Richardson last season, but not so much  after his struggles this year.  What is the consensus? Can he still make it as a MLB starter? Is the bullpen an option going forward? 

[Doctor Wu]

Thank you for another excellent Week in Review. The highlights for each team is very much appreciated. One name I had never noticed before was Yoyner Fajardo. A very impressive week for him! But I notice that he's already 24 years old. Is he still a prospect with potential or not?

[FlyingFinn]

26 minutes ago, Doctor Wu said:

Is he still a prospect with potential or not?

Yes, still a prospect but he has to do a lot of things great. I compare him to Stephenson but not as fast and I don't think he's a center fielder. So he doesn't have a couple things that make it easier to make it to MLB.

[DJL44]

3 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

I was optimistic about Woods-Richardson last season, but not so much  after his struggles this year.  What is the consensus? Can he still make it as a MLB starter? Is the bullpen an option going forward? 

He's still really young for AAA, basically the same age as Brooks Lee. That alone makes it likely he will be successful in the big leagues. The problem is Woods-Richardson may run out of options before he's actually ready to contribute on a contender. A trade to a bad team would be in his best interest.

[gman]

Lewis has certainly had a good year. He definitely looks like a candidate to start next year at Wichita. His first year in the system and he has 101 innings pitched with very good numbers. Could he make 3A next year, seems possible.

[jmlease1]

16 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I am disappointed in Mercedes his stock is dropping like Balazovic and Headrick.  I put Woods-Richardson in the stock is dropping category too.  I will be interested in the next adjustment to the prospect list. 

It is going to be an interesting list after the off-season is completed. Balazovic and Headrick look like candidates to drop off. The system is deep enough that Mercedes could drop off too. Schobel might slide back a little, Keaschall looks like he's rising...and just how do you rank someone like Prielipp?

 

[TwinsDr2021]

So we are up to 22 2/3 of wasted minor league innings for Ober? What are they doing with this guy?

[mikelink45]

20 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

It is going to be an interesting list after the off-season is completed. Balazovic and Headrick look like candidates to drop off. The system is deep enough that Mercedes could drop off too. Schobel might slide back a little, Keaschall looks like he's rising...and just how do you rank someone like Prielipp?

 

I don't  I have to see a player perform before I can rank them.  I never like taking a prospect position for someone who is not playing.  There is plenty of time for ranking once they get back on the field. 

[FlyingFinn]

22 hours ago, gman said:

Lewis has certainly had a good year. He definitely looks like a candidate to start next year at Wichita.

I see much of that Cedar Rapids starting rotation in Wichita next year. They are that good. AA will be the test for them though as some will likely struggle there.

[jkcarew]

I cannot WAIT to see Emmanuel Rodriquez and Walker Jenkins playing for the Twins…

…getting pinch-hit for by journeymen righties in the 5th inning…

…SO exciting! Can’t wait!