Twins Minor League Report (7/2): Morris Deals (Again), Lee Homers (Again)

[Steve Lein]

While a pair of games got rained out, there was still plenty of action in the minor league system on Tuesday. A rising pitching prospect continued his stretch of dominance in Double-A. A Future’s-Game-Elect hitter in Triple-A continued his home run binge. The Minnesota Twins top-rated prospect also filled up the stat sheet for Fort Myers.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Andrew Morris)

TRANSACTIONS

• Down in Florida, the Mighty Mussels sent RHP Kyle Bloor to the FCL Twins on a rehab assignment. He made the start on Tuesday morning with them.
• Preseason waiver claim, RHP Zack Weiss, came off the 60-day injured list last week and began a rehab assignment. Today, this assignment was transferred from the FCL Twins to Fort Myers.

SAINTS SENTINEL
Gwinnett 2, St. Paul 5
Box Score
Veteran Randy Dobnak took the bump for the Saints on Tuesday and was very effective, if a bit inefficient. His only run allowed came after he was hit in the calf by a 105 MPH liner in the top of the third inning. He shook it off and finished five innings to pick up his seventh win of the season. He allowed just one run on five hits and a walk, while striking out two. His pitch count did get high at 92 in those innings, with 56 going for strikes (61%).

The Saints went marching in the second inning, with Patrick Winkel and Brooks Lee wanting all their numbers for the game. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Diego Castillo led off the inning with consecutive walks, before Winkel drove them both in with a double. Alex Isola then drew a walk to put two men on before a pair of strikeouts brought Lee to the plate. He did as he has been doing, and launched his seventh home run of the season making it 5-0.

The offense went quiet from there, as they were outhit 9-6 as a team, but the damage had been done as the color guard of relievers locked it down after Dobnak’s exit. Ronny Henriquez gave up one run on two hits in two innings, but struck out five. Jeff Brigham worked around a pair of walks in a scoreless eighth. Nick Wittgren then picked up his second save with a scoreless ninth, allowing two hits and striking out one.

Matt Wallner led the way with two hits, including a double, in four at-bats. Lee did not collect another hit in three other trips, but did plenty of damage. Edouard Julien was 1-for-4. Keirsey Jr. stole his 19th base of the season.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Tulsa 2, Wichita 6
Box Score
The Wind Surge took an early lead in this one and never looked back, scoring runs in four of the first five innings. 

They scored first in the second after Tanner Schobel led off the frame with a walk. A wild pitch moved him to third and he was able to cross the plate on a groundout. In the third inning four walks combined to lead to a pair of runs and 3-0 lead. They extended that to five in the fourth thanks to doubles from Jorel Ortega and Jeferson Morales, as well as an RBI single from Jake Rucker. In the sixth a Noah Cardenas single brought in their final run of the game.

The game was never in much doubt thanks to a fantastic effort from starting pitcher Andrew Morris. He picked up his fourth win with Wichita by pitching into the seventh inning. He allowed just three hits (all singles) and no runs in his 6 1/3 innings pitched. He did walk three, but combined that with nine strikeouts to keep the Drillers from striking any oil. He threw 95 pitches, with 67 going for strikes (71%), including a double-A leading 20 swings and misses on the day.

Since giving up five runs in a start for the Kernels on April 17th, Miller has made 11 starts split between Cedar Rapids and Wichita, totaling 62 1/3 innings. He’s allowed just eight earned runs, walked twelve, and struck out 63 in that time. Good for a 1.16 ERA and .470 OPS against.

Jared Solomon pitched into the eighth, and was charged with both of Tulsa’s runs in the game. In one inning pitched he gave up those two runs on two hits and two walks. He struck out one. Taylor Floyd then got them to the ninth, but an error and hit-by-pitch prompted Ramon Borega to go back to the bullpen before it got out of hand. Floyd allowed one hit and struck out one. Cody Laweryson got the final two outs to ensure the victory.

The Wind Surge had only seven hits on the game, but paired those with seven walks. Morales (2-for-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB, K) and Cardenas (2-for-2, RBI) each had two hits. Luke Keaschall finished 1-for-4 with a double and two strikeouts. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities, Postponed - Rain (Makeup on July 3rd)
The rain just won’t stop battering the Midwest, and the Kernels and River Bandits tilt fell victim to it on Tuesday. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow, with the first game beginning at 4:30 PM. Both games will be shortened to seven-inning contests.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 4
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels lineup and bullpen combined to outlast the Marauders on Tuesday, getting a victory on the road to improve to three games above .500 on the season. It also put them at 8-2 in the second half, which is the best record in the Florida State League.

They put three runs on the scoreboard in the second inning. Wilfri Castro got it started with a one-out double. Ryan McCarthy followed him with a double to put two runners in scoring position. Angel Del Rosario brought their first run of the game in with a single and moved to second on a throw home. Walker Jenkins then followed with a two-run single to make it 3-0.

Starting pitcher Ricky Castro gave all three of those runs back in the bottom of the inning, but went on to finish five innings. In total, he allowed four earned runs on four hits and five walks, while striking out seven. He picked up his third win of the season.

The Mussels pushed across a single run in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to reach their total of six. In the fourth it was four walks to Jenkins, Isaac Pena, Daniel Pena, and Yohander Martinez. In the fifth McCarthy led off with a walk, stole second base, and was moved to third with sac bunt before he was able to score on an Isaac Pena groundout. Jenkins also drew another walk and stole a base in the frame. In the sixth Carlos Aguiar doubled and was brought in by a single from McCarthy to cap their scoring.

After Castro’s exit, the bullpen trio of Wilker Reyes (IP, H, 2 K), the rehabbing Zack Weiss (IP, H), and Nolan Santos (2 IP, 3 K) kept the Marauders from breaching any gates with four scoreless innings combined.

McCarthy (2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, SB) and Del Rosario (2-for-4, R, RBI) each had two hits from the bottom of the lineup to lead the way. Jenkins finished 1-for-3 with a run scored, two RBI, three walks, and stole his first two bases of the season with the Mighty Mussels.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Pirates 3, FCL Twins 4
Box Score
Making the start for the Twins FCL squad on Tuesday morning was right-hander Kyle Bloor, on a rehab assignment from the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. As he is listed as a relief pitcher, he only threw one inning. A walk and a double led to a run for the Pirates, but that would be all and he picked up a strikeout.

Joel Garcia then was given the “piggy-backer” role and went the next five innings. He was charged with two earned runs on three hits and struck out four.

The Twins scored their first run of the game in the third to tie it at one. Dameury Pena led off with a single. He advanced to second on a ground out from Bryan Acuna. Two batters later, he scored on a single from Jayson Bass.

They tacked on their other three runs in the sixth. Bass started the rally with a one-out walk. Javier Roman put multiple ducks on the pond with a single. With two outs, Ariel Castro cashed them and himself in with an inside-the-park home run to put them ahead 4-3.

Cleiber Maldonado shut the door in the final inning, ending the game with a strikeout.

Pena (2-for-3, R) and Castro (2-for-3, R, HR, 3 RBI, K) had multiple hits in the win.

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL Rangers Red @ DSL Twins, Postponed - Rain (Makeup on July 10th)
The DSL Twins were also rained out on Tuesday and will be back in action on the Fourth of July against the DSL Rockies on the road.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day - Andrew Morris, Wichita Wind Surge (6 1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 9 K)
Hitter of the Day - Walker Jenkins, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 SB)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
#1 – Walker Jenkins (Fort Myers) – 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 SB
#2 – Brooks Lee (St. Paul) – 1-for-4, HR (7), 3 RBI, K
#8 – Austin Martin (Minnesota) – Pinch ran in the 8th inning.
#9 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 1-for-4, 2B, 2 K
#13 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 0-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, K

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Gwinnett @ St. Paul (6:07 PM CDT) - RHP Caleb Boushley (8-2, 3.48 ERA)
Tulsa @ Wichita (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Zebby Matthews (2-1, 1.75 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:00 PM CDT) - RHP Jeremy Lee (1-3, 4.76 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM CDT) - LHP Ross Dunn (1-1, 4.84 ERA)

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

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[wabene]

Morris is in a battle with Zebulon for Twins minor league pitcher of the year.

[Doctor Wu]

Is that the regular Wind Surge jersey that Morris wearing in the picture? It looks like a leftover from a Grateful Dead merchandise stall!

[FlyingFinn]

95 pitches for Morris. Nice to see we are really stretching out our starters now. 71% strikes is very good. With that strike %, it's hard to walk 3 guys but he did. Very good outing again!

[nclahammer]

Excellent write-ups Steve, Morris is really dealing again for the Twins.  Saw him last season in Cedar Rapids and he's got the goods.

[Old Crow]

1 hour ago, Doctor Wu said:

Is that the regular Wind Surge jersey that Morris wearing in the picture? It looks like a leftover from a Grateful Dead merchandise stall!

Last night's Surge jerseys were a piece of work to say the least.

[Dman]

Lee really worked the count and finally got that home run.  It's just another thing to show he is ready.  While all HR's count,  ambushing the pitcher on the first pitch just feels a little cheaper than other HR's to me.  When you are down to your last strike like Lee was and still get one.  That is the definition of being fearless in the count.  After last year I just didn't see this much power coming for Lee, but with that power he is making it harder and harder for the Twins to keep him at AAA.

As others have noted, Morris was impressive again.  He gave up some walks but when only giving up 3 hits in over 6 innings you can afford to walk a few guys. Just one short of double digit K's as well.  He has got to be happy with his season so far.

[stringer bell]

• Preseason waiver claim, RHP Zack Weiss, was activated from the 60-day injured list last week and began a rehab assignment. Today, this assignment was transferred from the FCL Twins to Fort Myers.

Nit pick here--Weiss wasn't activated, he was given a rehab assignment. When he is activated, he will either have to be added to the 40-man roster or DFA'd. 

[Trov]

I feel Morris will need to move way up prospect lists this year.  He is doing even better in AA than in High A this year. I know much of prospect lists are ceiling and hype and 4 year college guys will not get much of that, but he is still 22, will be 23 in a couple months. 

[Seth Stohs]

3 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

Is that the regular Wind Surge jersey that Morris wearing in the picture? It looks like a leftover from a Grateful Dead merchandise stall!

Yeah, the photo was from last night. Not a regular Wind Surge jersey but one of their Tumba Vacas-themed jerseys... I can't explain it but here: https://www.milb.com/wichita/fans/copa

[wabene]

29 minutes ago, Trov said:

I feel Morris will need to move way up prospect lists this year.  He is doing even better in AA than in High A this year. I know much of prospect lists are ceiling and hype and 4 year college guys will not get much of that, but he is still 22, will be 23 in a couple months. 

Tom F already has Morris and Zebulon moved up solidly into his top 10 in yesterday's video.

[LambchoP]

With Royce Lewis unfortunately probably going on the IL I think it's time to call up Brooks Lee to man 2nd base. Miranda can continue to cover 3rd. Keirsey Jr really looks like he wants a shot at the bigs. Looks to me like he's proved everything he needs to in St Paul. Good average, good hr pop. Almost 20 stolen bases. Not to mention he can play great defense at all three outfield positions. That's valuable for a team. Kind of sounds like a better version of Martin if he can produce in the MLB like he has in AAA. Give him a shot, I'm sure he'd give us more than Margot, both offensively and defensively. My guess is when they need an OF they call up Wallner though, which wouldn't be the end of the world if he can limit his strikeouts.

[Steve Lein]

3 hours ago, stringer bell said:

• Preseason waiver claim, RHP Zack Weiss, was activated from the 60-day injured list last week and began a rehab assignment. Today, this assignment was transferred from the FCL Twins to Fort Myers.

Nit pick here--Weiss wasn't activated, he was given a rehab assignment. When he is activated, he will either have to be added to the 40-man roster or DFA'd. 

Good call. Bad word since my intent with it conflicts with the baseball terminology.

[Doctor Gast]

Morris didn't fail us. Dobnak wasn't flashy but he's tough. What is Dobnak GB%? If it's pretty high, could some team be interested? Lee, Wallner & Keirsey are ready to be called up. Lee call up Falvey & tell him you're ready.

[bean5302]

27 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Morris didn't fail us. Dobnak wasn't flashy but he's tough. What is Dobnak GB%? If it's pretty high, could some team be interested? Lee, Wallner & Keirsey are ready to be called up. Lee call up Falvey & tell him you're ready.

I have to be honest, Dobnak has earned an opportunity somewhere. I don't think he's going to get it with the Twins, but he's probably a serviceable #5 for somebody right now. Since he's not on the 40 man, and he can't choose MiLB free agency next year without forfeiting his $3MM 2025 contract if he does, it's a bad spot for him. Boushley has kind of occupied Dobnak's position, taking over the veteran depth starter role on the 40 man.

Elite ground ball rate, and solid at preventing home runs this year, Dobnak has elevated his K rate (at the cost of more walks). His 3.91 ERA is well above average in the International League, ranking 28th of 103 pitchers with 40+ innings this year and a 4.74 ERA median.

Given his MLB experience, hopefully, Dobber gets a chance. He's under team control through 2028 for cheap if the team picks up his 2026 - $6MM, 2027 - $7MM, 2028 - $8.5MM. If he can serve as a back end rotation arm somewhere, it's likely those options are picked up.

[Shaitan]

dumb question; Are there international teams in the International League?

[wabene]

23 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

I have to be honest, Dobnak has earned an opportunity somewhere. I don't think he's going to get it with the Twins, but he's probably a serviceable #5 for somebody right now. Since he's not on the 40 man, and he can't choose MiLB free agency next year without forfeiting his $3MM 2025 contract if he does, it's a bad spot for him. Boushley has kind of occupied Dobnak's position, taking over the veteran depth starter role on the 40 man.

Elite ground ball rate, and solid at preventing home runs this year, Dobnak has elevated his K rate (at the cost of more walks). His 3.91 ERA is well above average in the International League, ranking 28th of 103 pitchers with 40+ innings this year and a 4.74 ERA median.

Given his MLB experience, hopefully, Dobber gets a chance. He's under team control through 2028 for cheap if the team picks up his 2026 - $6MM, 2027 - $7MM, 2028 - $8.5MM. If he can serve as a back end rotation arm somewhere, it's likely those options are picked up.

It's crazy when you consider Dobnak is guaranteed 10mm, but could easily end up with 30mm if someone picks up those options.

[Dman]

49 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

I have to be honest, Dobnak has earned an opportunity somewhere. I don't think he's going to get it with the Twins, but he's probably a serviceable #5 for somebody right now. Since he's not on the 40 man, and he can't choose MiLB free agency next year without forfeiting his $3MM 2025 contract if he does, it's a bad spot for him. Boushley has kind of occupied Dobnak's position, taking over the veteran depth starter role on the 40 man.

Elite ground ball rate, and solid at preventing home runs this year, Dobnak has elevated his K rate (at the cost of more walks). His 3.91 ERA is well above average in the International League, ranking 28th of 103 pitchers with 40+ innings this year and a 4.74 ERA median.

Given his MLB experience, hopefully, Dobber gets a chance. He's under team control through 2028 for cheap if the team picks up his 2026 - $6MM, 2027 - $7MM, 2028 - $8.5MM. If he can serve as a back end rotation arm somewhere, it's likely those options are picked up.

I thought maybe Colorado would be interested as Dobber generally keeps the ball on the ground and has been durable after the finger issues were resolved and they are starved for pitching.  The A's would be a really good team with the big park there and he doesn't cost much.

For the Twins it is K rate and walk rate holding him back, but as you mentioned the K rate has been good at AAA this year and that is no small feat given the tight Zone there.  I also don't think Dobnak is reliable enough compared to other options.  Boushley's issues are similar with a lower K rate but I like him better as he gives up fewer walks and hits.  Festa's K rate is MLB ready and he throws harder than both of those guys and with Zebby and Morris not that far away it feels like Randy's time has passed with the Twins.

The other factor is for the price Randy is nice rotation depth to have in your back pocket and what return would the Twins get that would be better than the value he provides right now?  Add it all up and unless a team wants to overpay for him I think he is stuck where he is. Maybe if he keeps this up the rest of the year another team would be interested in trading for him.  He just hasn't been that good in the K department until this year and the walk rate is red flag not good.

[Doctor Gast]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

I have to be honest, Dobnak has earned an opportunity somewhere. I don't think he's going to get it with the Twins, but he's probably a serviceable #5 for somebody right now. Since he's not on the 40 man, and he can't choose MiLB free agency next year without forfeiting his $3MM 2025 contract if he does, it's a bad spot for him. Boushley has kind of occupied Dobnak's position, taking over the veteran depth starter role on the 40 man.

Elite ground ball rate, and solid at preventing home runs this year, Dobnak has elevated his K rate (at the cost of more walks). His 3.91 ERA is well above average in the International League, ranking 28th of 103 pitchers with 40+ innings this year and a 4.74 ERA median.

Given his MLB experience, hopefully, Dobber gets a chance. He's under team control through 2028 for cheap if the team picks up his 2026 - $6MM, 2027 - $7MM, 2028 - $8.5MM. If he can serve as a back end rotation arm somewhere, it's likely those options are picked up.

Dobby's ERA was terrible in the beginning of the season. But lately, it has been very good (no stats)

[bean5302]

4 hours ago, Shaitan said:

dumb question; Are there international teams in the International League?

Nope. Not currently. Way back in the day there were a few in Cuba, and within the last 20 years, Canada. I think the Blue Jays' A+ team is the only one which operates outside the US right now. Aside from the DSL stuff, anyway.

[bean5302]

4 hours ago, Dman said:

I thought maybe Colorado would be interested as Dobber generally keeps the ball on the ground and has been durable after the finger issues were resolved and they are starved for pitching.  The A's would be a really good team with the big park there and he doesn't cost much.

For the Twins it is K rate and walk rate holding him back, but as you mentioned the K rate has been good at AAA this year and that is no small feat given the tight Zone there.  I also don't think Dobnak is reliable enough compared to other options.  Boushley's issues are similar with a lower K rate but I like him better as he gives up fewer walks and hits.  Festa's K rate is MLB ready and he throws harder than both of those guys and with Zebby and Morris not that far away it feels like Randy's time has passed with the Twins.

The other factor is for the price Randy is nice rotation depth to have in your back pocket and what return would the Twins get that would be better than the value he provides right now?  Add it all up and unless a team wants to overpay for him I think he is stuck where he is. Maybe if he keeps this up the rest of the year another team would be interested in trading for him.  He just hasn't been that good in the K department until this year and the walk rate is red flag not good.

Dobnak is a sunk cost for next year at $3MM, but it's clear he's terribly far down the depth chart.
Festa (40 man) > Varland (40 man) > Boushley (40 man) > Dobnak is how I'd rate the starter priority. The biggest issue with Dobnak wasn't necessarily his performance, but his time on the IL. He made 26 starts and 31 appearances last year, and he's been durable again this year, on pace for 150 innings or so.

I don't think a PTBNL or a 20-30 org prospect is an overpay for Dobnak at his $3MM considering the team options which come with him. I agree with you the Rockies would likely be a very good fit for him, and given he's only under contract through next year (without exercising options), I think he's to the point where the sunk costs are largely evaporated so the Twins should be interested in moving him.

[jorgenswest]

5 hours ago, Shaitan said:

dumb question; Are there international teams in the International League?

The league has been around a long time. The Montreal Royals had a long history from the late 1800s into the 1960s. Jackie Robinson played for the Royals. The Toronto Maple Leafs had a similarly lengthy run. It is those two franchises in particular that helped motivate the name International.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/International_League