Twins Minor League Week in Review (5/7-5/13): Everyone's a Winner

[Ted Schwerzler]

For the first time this season, five of the six Twins affiliates were in action. With the Complex League squad joining the full-season teams, only the Dominican Summer League has yet to kick off. A star pitching prospect showed out, and a gigantic outfielder for Wichita had an insane stretch.

Image courtesy of © Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

As the Minnesota Twins consider the pitching depth at the back end of their starting rotation, Simeon Woods Richardson continues to get the first crack, but David Festa is making his name known. As the organization continues to ramp up his pitch count, it seems as though he could be getting closer to making his big-league debut. More outings like he had this week will certainly bolster the urgency of calls to see him in Minneapolis.

While not a top prospect in the same sense as Festa, meanwhile, it's pretty hard to miss 6-foot-8 Carson McCusker. He made his presence felt at the dish with an incredible stretch for Wichita this week, and has continued to produce since joining the Twins organization. After being picked up out of the Frontier League last season, he earned a look at Double-A to start the year. He's been so good that a trip up to St. Paul feels within reach.

TRANSACTIONS:

• RHP Nick Wittgren transferred from Wichita to St. Paul
• LHP Caleb Baragar signed by Minnesota and assigned to St. Paul
• LHP Michael Boyle released by St. Paul
• OF Kyle Hess signed by Minnesota and assigned to Fort Myers
• C Cole Elvis transferred from Fort Myers to FCL
• INF Omari Daniel transferred from Fort Myers to FCL

COMPLEX CHRONICLES

FCL Twins 9, FCL Orioles 8
Box Score

It was a tough start for the Twins as Anthony Narvaez allowed eight runs (seven earned) in just three innings of work. Digging out of a big hole, they had plenty of work to do, and decided not to kick it off until the 4th inning.

Yasser Mercedes singled with the bases loaded to score both Jayson Bass and Ricardo Pena. Daniel Pena followed his lead with a single of his own, and Yilber Herrera scored with Mercedes being tagged out at the plate. Ariel Castro picked him up with his first double of the season, and that allowed both Dameury Pena and Daniel Pena to cross the plate. All of a sudden it was a 8-5 game.

In the 5th inning Mercedes launched his first dinger of the season and the two run shot also plated Anderson Nova. In the 7th inning Dameury Pena completed the comeback on a single that scored Bass and Omari Daniel. The Twins held onto the 9-8 lead thanks to strong relief work by Eider Machuca and Wilker Reyes.

Mercedes paced the club with three hits while Dameury Pena had two. Nova drew threw walks on the afternoon.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Triple-A: St. Paul Saints

• Overall: 16-21 (3-3 last week) Ninth place in the IL West
• Overview: Another 3-3 week has the Saints in the same place they entered the week. Holding serve on the road against Toledo was impressive.
• 🔥DaShawn Keirsey Jr. posted another great week, leading the team with a 1.187 OPS. He could be an option at some point for the Twins, and his two home runs tied Yunior Severino for the team lead on the week.
• 🔥Randy Dobnak gave up five hits in six innings, but didn’t allow a run and had a 7:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• 🔥David Festa struck out 10 across six scoreless innings, as he continues to push toward the Twins.
• 🔥Patrick Winkel played in just three games this week, but had a team-high three doubles (as did Anthony Prato) en route to a 1.084 OPS.
• 😏Matt Wallner is starting to find it, and while the line didn’t stand out this week, his five RBIs trailed only Severino.
• 🥶Diego A. Castillo had his first real cold stretch for the Saints going 3-for-20 with five strikeouts.
• 🥶Joe Gunkel continues to get blown up; he allowed six runs in 4 2/3 innings.
• What’s Next: Welcoming Omaha to CHS Field, the Saints play host to the best team in the IL West.

Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge

• Overall: 13-19 (4-2 last week) Fifth place in the Texas League North
• Overview: The Wind Surge got their first series win of the season, and it came at home against a good Arkansas team.
• 🔥Carson McCusker led the team with 10 hits and three home runs with a 1.749 OPS. He played in five games as well, which was a team high with no player appearing in all six.
• 🔥Zebby Matthews made his Double-A debut and pitched 6 2/3 innings allowing just two unearned runs with nine strikeouts.
• 😏Alerick Soularie played in five games but recorded just seven at bats. He drew four walks and stole four bases.
• 😏Travis Adams gave up a pair of runs in his six-inning start, but he struck out six.
• 🥶Emmanuel Rodriguez put up a stinker of a week, going 3-for-22 with an uncharacteristic 11:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• What’s Next: Traveling to Tulsa, the Wind Surge will take on the team directly above them in the Texas League North standings.

High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels

• Overall: 18-14 (3-3 last week) Third place in the Midwest League West
• Overview: Splitting a road series with South Bend, the Kernels picked up a spot in the standings.
• 🔥Rubel Cespedes continues to be on a tear this season and owned a 1.116 OPS with 11s RBI in six games.
• 🔥Danny De Andrade batted .400 with a team-high 10 hits, while doubling twice in six games of action.
• 😏C.J. Culpepper returned to the active roster and punched out five in a four inning start where he allowed just a single run.
• 😏Darren Bowen led the team in strikeouts with six, but did allow three runs in a 4 1/3 inning start.
• 🥶Misael Urbina went through it going 2-for-18 with a home run and 7/1 K/BB.
• What’s Next: Back home against Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids will face the team directly above them in the standings.

Low-A: Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

• Overall: 13-20 (4-2 last week) Fifth place in Florida State League West
• Overview: A much-needed positive week against Dunedin actually cost the Mighty Mussels a spot in the standings, but it brings momentum to their side.
• 🔥Poncho Ruiz continues to steal the show for the Mighty Mussels and had a pair of doubles and homers each for a 1.591 OPS.
• 🔥Spencer Bengard was lights out in his one start allowing only one (unearned run) and posting a 5/0 K/BB in six innings.
• 🔥Payton Eeles, Rayne Doncon, and Rafael Cruz all played six games and each had an OPS north of .900.
• 😏Brandon Winokur continues to tread water but stole another two bases.
• 😏Cesar Lares struck out 11 in five innings despite allowing three runs.
• 🥶Byron Chourio’s .337 OPS wasn’t great, and was punctuated by six strikeouts.
• 🥶Paulshawn Pasqualotto turned in a stinker that hasn’t been customary for him this season.
• What’s Next: Heading to Lakeland this week, Fort Myers will play the second best team on the west side of the Florida State League.

Complex League: FCL Twins

• Overall: 4-2 (4-2 last week) Second place in Florida Complex League South
• Kicking off their season, the FCL Twins started on a strong foot.
• 🔥Bryan Acuna batted .500 with three of his four hits being doubles and also picking up four walks to lead the lineup in OPS.
• 🔥Dameury Pena picked up ten total bases and was the lone FCL Twins hitter to launch a dinger.
• 🔥Anthony Narvaez struck out six during a four inning start in which he held the opposition scoreless.
• 😏Jayson Bass batted just .188 in five games but led the team with four RBI.
• 😏Dylan Questad worked four innings and struck out seven while allowing a pair of runs.
• 🥶Yilber Herrera got off to an ugly start going just 1-for-10.

PROSPECT SUMMARY
#3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) – 3-22, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, 11 K
#5 – Marco Raya (Wichita) – 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
#6 – David Festa (St. Paul) – 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K
#7 – Austin Martin (Minnesota) – 1-9, BB, 2 K
#9 – Charlee Soto (Fort Myers) – 3.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
#10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 5-19, 2 2B, 3 BB, 10 K, 2 SB
#11 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 5-21, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, BB
#12 – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) – 7-23, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K
#13 – Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) – 6-22, 3 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 SB
#14 – C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) – 4.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
#15 – Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids) – 10-25, 2 2B, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, SB
#16 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 3-20, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 12 K
#17 – Matt Canterino (IL) – Shoulder injury
#18 – Connor Prielipp (IL) – UCL Surgery
#19 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 7-17, 3B, 2 RBI, 6 BB, K, BB
#20 – Simeon Woods Richardson (Minnesota) – 4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Hitter of the Week - Carson McCusker (Wichita) - 10-19, 3 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K, SB

Pitcher of the Week - David Festa (St. Paul) - 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K

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[Dman]

That 3 homer game has McCusker on a tear.  I like the idea of moving the mini giant to St. Paul.  He is a big man with a big swing.

I have really taken a liking to Poncho Ruiz.  Walks and K's about equal and he has been hitting well since the start of the season.

Hoping Keirsey keeps the bat hot and proves he can make it at the MLB level.

[twinstalker]

25 minutes ago, Dman said:

That 3 homer game has McCusker on a tear.  I like the idea of moving the mini giant to St. Paul.  He is a big man with a big swing.

I have really taken a liking to Poncho Ruiz.  Walks and K's about equal and he has been hitting well since the start of the season.

Hoping Keirsey keeps the bat hot and proves he can make it at the MLB level.

McCusker:  Numbers are really skewed by blowout, and he strikes out too much at AA.  I would suggest waiting to see how he does in half a season.  And he's 26 this year.

Poncho:  somewhat intriguing so far.  Again, the question is how he'll do at A+, given he's 22.  That he has a 16:15 BB:K ratio now when it was 16:36 in college last year tells me he's probably facing worse pitching.  Promote him in a month and see whether he's real in the second half.

Keirsey:  well, his K rate is a little high, but it was better at AAA last year.  It tells me he's letting loose this year.  I think he gets his chance at some point.  There's nothing to draw on to think he's worthy, but if he keeps up his current numbers for another month or two, he'll need to get a chance just to see.  He turned 27 today.  It's pretty much this year or never for him to push through.

The guy I'm most excited about is De Andrade.  I loved his swing when the Twins signed him, at the time they said he'd stick at SS, and he's finally starting to show his stuff in age-appropriate leagues.  There's your real Twins prospect, the guy who takes over SS for Correa.

(p.s. I don't really know how good a fielder he is, so grain of salt that comment)

[Dman]

1 minute ago, twinstalker said:

The guy I'm most excited about is De Andrade.  I loved his swing when the Twins signed him, at the time they said he'd stick at SS, and he's finally starting to show his stuff in age-appropriate leagues.  There's your real Twins prospect, the guy who takes over SS for Correa.

(p.s. I don't really know how good a fielder he is, so grain of salt that comment)

From what I understand he is a pretty good fielder and they think he can stick at short but will have to wait and see how he fills out. I really like De Andrade as well.  

 

[Fatbat]

DeAndrade and Kalai Rosario should be moved up at some point this season. Lots of pop in those bats. 

[FlyingFinn]

4 hours ago, twinstalker said:

The guy I'm most excited about is De Andrade. 

The Twins must really like De Andrade since they traded Noah Miller. We got Rayne Doncon in that trade but he will be a 2B or 3B as he moves up. De Andrade is comparable to Miller but 1.5 years younger. They are both playing high A. Their stats:

Miller - 131 AB, .267 avg., 5 HR, 20 rbi's, .797 ops, 2 errors. It surprises me that the Dodgers are playing him at 2B one third of the time (SS the remainder).

De Andrade - 97 AB, .258 avg., 2 HR, 19 rbi's, .732 ops, 6 errors. SS for 21 games, 2B for 4 games.

The errors are concerning for De Andrade. Miller is the best defensive SS in the minors and his hitting #'s are better this year than in prior years (repeating high A).

[mikelink45]

I am constantly frustrated when you use pictures and do not identify the player.  Please help those of us who have not gotten face recognition.

Otherwise I love these reports. 

[Doctor Wu]

7 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I am constantly frustrated when you use pictures and do not identify the player.  Please help those of us who have not gotten face recognition.

Otherwise I love these reports. 

I agree on both counts. Great reports that are very informative, but the lack of photo credits is very annoying. 

[Doctor Wu]

• C Cole Elvis transferred from Fort Myers to FCL

Okay, I'm a big reader of crime fiction and I'm a fan of the Elvis Cole novels by Robert Crais ... but Cole Elvis? Gotta keep an eye on this player from now on!

[terrydactyls]

24 minutes ago, Doctor Wu said:

• C Cole Elvis transferred from Fort Myers to FCL

Okay, I'm a big reader of crime fiction and I'm a fan of the Elvis Cole novels by Robert Crais ... but Cole Elvis? Gotta keep an eye on this player from now on!

I just finished another Elvis Cole book on Friday.  I had the same reaction as you.

[wabene]

8 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I am constantly frustrated when you use pictures and do not identify the player.  Please help those of us who have not gotten face recognition.

Otherwise I love these reports. 

DaShawn Keirsey Jr, fleet footed center fielder. Rising above walls to steal homers at a minor league ballpark near you.

[Ted Schwerzler]

8 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I am constantly frustrated when you use pictures and do not identify the player.  Please help those of us who have not gotten face recognition.

Otherwise I love these reports. 

Sorry about that. I'm not sure who chose the photo. That's DaShawn Keirsey Jr.

[wabene]

11 minutes ago, Ted Schwerzler said:

Sorry about that. I'm not sure who chose the photo. That's DaShawn Keirsey Jr.

The editor picks out the photo, and writes the lede.

Edited May 14, 2024 by wabene

[Teddy]

This is the first time I've really watched many highlights of Festa pitching, and his windup caught my eye. He doesn't really open and extend his pitching elbow much as he's loading up to pitch. I wonder if that is something that he's been taught or just part of his natural motion, but it looks a bit unorthodox.

[LambchoP]

Excited to see Festa and Keirsey Jr get their shot. E-Rod should get a bump to AAA at some point if he continues to hit well. Really impressed with Zebby Mathews. He may end up being one of our best pitching prospects:)

[Trov]

If Keirsey was not left handed I bet he would be looking at a call up and sending Margot packing, but being Keirsey is weak against lefties, like many of our outfielders, it is not really an upgrade.