Twins Minor League Report (7/19): Yes, Sir! Yasser's Back!!

[Seth Stohs]

Maybe you've heard. Prospect development is not linear. And, Twins fans know that that often is caused by injuries. After a tough 2023, Yasser Mercedes appears to be back. He is filling up the box scores and stat lines thoroughly again. Find out what he did on Friday, and who else did well. 

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 54-42
St. Paul Saints: 45-48
Wichita Wind Surge: 36-52
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 51-35
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 44-41
FCL Twins: 25-30
DSL Twins: 15-13

TRANSACTIONS
We learned about it a few days ago, but on Friday, RHP Zebby Matthews was officially assigned to the Saints. We have written about that a few times. 

In addition, utility man Dalton Shuffield has been assigned to the Saints from Wichita. 

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 8, Toledo 6
Box Score
Randy Dobnak was blessed with the honor of being the starter in the team’s return from the All Star Break. A five-run sixth inning gave the Saints an 8-2 lead that they found a way to hang onto.   

Dobnak went the first five innings. He was charged with two runs on five hits and three walks. He also struck out four batters. He earned the Win and improved to 8-5 with a 3.79 ERA. Brock Stewart came in for the sixth inning and gave up one hit and had two strikeouts. 

The Saints got on the board when Chris Williams hit his 11th home run of the season. It was a solo blast that made it 1-1. 

In the fifth inning, Payton Eeles led off with his second homer since joining the Saints. 

Dalton Shuffield followed with a single and stole second. Rylan Bannon walked. With two outs, Williams singled to right to drive in Shuffield and make it 3-2 Saints.  

That brings us to the sixth inning. Anthony Prato led off with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Alex Isola reached on an error. Eeles then had a bunt single to load the bases. Shuffield singled to left to drive in two runs. Bannon singled to drive in two more runs. The final run scored on a Williams’ sacrifice fly. 

With an 8-2 lead, Scott Blewett came in. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits and a walk. 

With an 8-4 lead, Josh Winder came in. He gave up two runs on two hits and two walks and recorded just two outs. Jeff Brigham came on with two runners on base and didn’t allow either runner to score. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the save. 

Williams went 3-for-4 with his 11th home run and three RBI. Eeles went 2-for-4 with his second home run. Shuffield went 2-for-4 with two RBI. He also had two stolen bases. In his first game in the organization, Rylan Bannon went 1-for-2 with three walks and two RBI. 

It will be interesting to see how the Saints roster is comprised depending upon the Twins roster needs on Saturday. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 5, Frisco 8
Box Score
Marco Raya gets the nod for the Wind Surge. He went the first four innings and gave up five runs on seven hits. He walked four and struck out four batters. He threw 79 pitches which matches a career-high. The other time he threw that many pitches in a game was on May 21, 2022, for Fort Myers.

Ricardo Velez came on for the fifth inning. He gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning. Kyle Jones came on and gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in three innings. Cody Laweryson pitched a perfect ninth inning.  

After second-inning walks to Carson McCusker and Tyler Dearden, Ben Ross singled to drive in the team’s first run and tie the game at 1-1. 

Down 5-1 going to the bottom of the fifth inning, Jake Rucker singled with one out. He scored on a Jeferson Morales double that made it a 5-2 game. 

Let’s jump ahead to the bottom of the eighth inning, Morales led off with a triple and scored on a wild pitch. However, Wichita was now down 8-3. 

Luke Keaschall led off with a single. He moved to second on a one-out single by Morales. McCusker walked to load the bases. Schobel walked to drive in one run, and then Dearden singled in a second run. But that was the end of the scoring, and the Wind Surge fell 8-5. 

Morales led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with his 18th double and first triple. Dearden went 2-for-4 with a walk. McCusker walked three times. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 1, Wisconsin 1
Box Score
Lefty Christian MacLeod was back on the mound in Cedar Rapids as they took on the Timber Rattlers. He continued his streak of strong starts with another strong start on Friday. He gave up one run on six hits over six innings. He walked one and had seven strikeouts. 

Kyle Bischoff got the next five outs, three of them on strikeouts. Gabriel Yanez got the final four outs to record his seventh save. 

However, the Rattlers’ pitching was up to the task as well. The Kernels’ bats were held scoreless through the first six innings. Down 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh, former Gophers pitcher Aidan Maldonado came in for his Double-A debut. He had been the Brewer Fanatic Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month in June. Kevin Maitan led off with a single. Jay Harry was then hit by a pitch. After a strikeout, Misael Urbina walked to load the bases. Kyle Hess followed with a sacrifice fly to score Maitan. Harry then scored the second run on a wild pitch.

The Kernels had just seven hits in the game and one walk. There were also five Kernels hit by pitches. However, they were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Rubel Cespedes led the way with two hits.  Gabriel Gonzalez was 1-for-2 and hit by a pitch twice. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 6, Clearwater 1 
Box Score
Ricky Castro was on the mound for the start, well, delayed start in Clearwater. He was tremendous. He tossed five innings of scoreless, one-hit baseball. He walked none and struck out seven batters. 

Paulshawn Pasqualotto came on and struck out three batters over two scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit. Jack Noble pitched the eighth inning and gave up one run on two hits. Xander Hamilton gave up one hit and one walk in the ninth, but no runs. 

The Mussels got on the scoreboard first in the top of the fourth inning. Nick Lucky doubled to drive in Daniel Pena and Maddux Houghton. 

In the sixth inning, Rixon Wingrove hit a solo homer to give the team a 3-0 lead. 

Pena drove in Poncho Ruiz with a double in the eighth inning to make it 4-0. After giving up a run in the bottom of the eighth inning, Fort Myers responded in the ninth. Lucky scored on an error, and Yohander Martinez scored on a force out that gave us the final score of 6-1. 

Nick Lucky went 1-for-2 with two walks, his third double, and stole three bases. Daniel Pena went 2-for-4 with a walk and his first double of the season. 

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 3, FCL Red Sox 5
Box Score
Yasser Mercedes is back! The Twins top international signing from 2022 had a strong debut season in the Dominican Summer League. In 2023 in the FCL, he had a shoulder injury. He played through it for a while, but his performance suffered, and he was finally shut down. He has been healthy again in 2024 and the numbers are back! 

On Friday afternoon, he was at the top of the Twins lineup and went 4-for-4 with three doubles and two RBI. In 48 games played, he has hit .333/.424/.566 (.990) with 15 doubles, two triples, and six home runs. The 19-year-old also has 18 stolen bases.  

Alright, back to the game. Adrian Bohorquez started and gave up one run on one hit over three innings. He walked three and struck out three batters. Miguel DeJesus worked the next 2 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on two hits. He had three walks to one strikeout. Kyle Bloor worked the final 1 2/3 innings. He stranded two inherited runners in the sixth, but he gave up two runs on three hits in the seventh inning to take the loss. 

Omari Daniel went 2-for-3 in the game with his third double. Yilber Herrera was 1-for-3 with a walk. Harold Grant walked twice. Anderson Nova hit his second double and recorded the team’s other RBI. 

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 8, DSL Rangers 2
Box Score
A couple of big innings helped the Twins to a big win in the Dominican. They scored four runs in the second inning and then three runs in the fifth inning. 

Eudy Garcia made the start for the Twins and worked the first three innings. He gave up two hits and a walk without giving up a run. He also hit two batters and had two strikeouts. Melvin Rodriguez came in and gave up two runs on five hits over the final four innings. He had three strikeouts with no walks.

The second inning began with singles from Luis Fragoza and Ricardo Paez. They advanced a base on a passed ball. Fragoza scored on a Victor Leal groundout. Alver Medina reached on an error before Guillermo Sosa was hit by a pitch to load up the bases. Daiber De Los Santos drove in two runs with a single to center. Ramiro Dominguez doubled to drive in the fourth run of the inning. 

The Twins added a single run in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, De Los Santos and Dominguez walked. After the second out, Carlos Silva walked to load the bases. Fragoza then walked to score De Los Santos with the team’s fifth run.

In the bottom of the fifth, Medina and Ruben Velazquez walked with one out. After De Los Santos grounded into a fielder’s choice, he stole second. Dominguez drove a single to center that scored two runs. Silva drove in Dominguez with the eighth and final run of the game. 

The Twins had seven hits and nine walks in the game. Dominguez went 2-for-4 with a walk and his sixth double and three RBI. De Los Santos went 1-for-4 with a walk. He drove in two and scored twice. Fragoza went 1-for-2 with two walks. Eduardo Beltre went 1-for-2, was hit by a pitch twice and walked once. 

We also learned on Friday that DSL Twins Beltre and Dominguez have been named DSL All Stars. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Ricky Castro (Mighty Mussels) - 5.0 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, HBP, 7 K; 64 pitches, 49 strikes (76.6%)
Hitter of the Day – Yasser Mercedes (FCL Twins) - 4-for-4, 3-2B(15), 2 RBI, K. 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Friday.

#5 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-2, 2 HBP 
#6 – Marco Raya (Wichita) – 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 79 pitches, 48 strikes (60.8%)
#9 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) –  1-for-4, BB, R
#10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, BB, 3 K.
#13 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-for-4, BB, RBI
#18 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 1-for-4, BB, 3 K. 
#20 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-4 

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Adam Plutko (3-1, 4.57 ERA)
Frisco @ Wichita (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Andrew Morris (4-2, 1.14 ERA)
Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Darren Bowen (2-4, 6.23 ERA)
Ft. Myers @ Clearwater (5:30 PM CST) – TBD 
FCL Twins @ FCL Red Sox (9:00 AM CT) - TBD

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

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[blairpaul715]

I have been following Christian MacLeod since we drafted him. I am assuming, if he didn't have the injuries he would be one of the Top 30 Twins prospects, tall lefthanded, and drafted in the first 5 rounds. I am personally surprised he isn't in the Top 30. He is my darkhorse pick to be up with Twins in the next two plus years, barring more injuries. 

[wabene]

It is time for a TD article on Mr MacLeod 🙂

[Doctor Wu]

Rough start for Marco Raya. Not sure if matching his highest pitch count was a good thing in this case or not. But at least Brock Stewart is healthy and pitching again. Stay strong!

[mikelink45]

I have a question about Winder.  At one point he was the hot topic in the minors and looking like he was going to be a good addition at MLB.  But his performance in MLB has been miserable. A 4.69 ERA over 103 innings (13.5 this year) and 1.360 whip.  He is almost 28 now, what can we reasonably expect from him?   He is a precaution for those of us hoping to see the young pitchers prosper.

I am also concerned with the rating of Marco Raya. Two seasons at AA he has a 5.64 era and 1.482 whip despite his limited innings pitched.  I am ready to see him moved down the rankings. 

[tony&rodney]

Flipping back and forth between games, I wondered about a few things. No Jenkins or Emmanuel. Julien was listed on Gameday as an extra but must be in Minneapolis. Can he lead the Twins again? Keaschall seems to exude confidence and control of his at bats. Can he get pushed to the Saints in August? McCuster takes pretty good at bats and seems like he is improving and becoming a guy worth watching despite being older. Raya looks more and more like a relief pitcher, which seems harsh because he is still young. Lastly, watching these minor league games is interesting, both on its own and to get reminders of the vast disparity between MLB and the minors. 

[FlyingFinn]

1 hour ago, Doctor Wu said:

Rough start for Marco Raya. Not sure if matching his highest pitch count was a good thing in this case or not.

Listened to the Wichita game while working on the deck (because Raya was pitching). He was worse than the #'s show. Frequently went 3 balls and no strikes on batters. Quite unimpressed.

Another thing I didn't realize, the announcers said with Emma Rodriguez injured the entire Wichita roster (batters) was right-handed until Deardon was called up.

[Major League Ready]

It would be nice to get Stewart back.  Royce should be getting close.  It's also good to see the high upside Milb players returning.  Having Jenkins, Prielipp, and now Mercedes back makes for a little greater anticipation when reading the minor league report.

[roger]

Great seeing another MiLB report, Seth.  It's good having baseball back.

Curious, Jenkins didn't play after their layoff.  Is he still battling an injury?  Or are they being careful and giving him lots of off days?

Was impressed by MacLeod's outing.  Was he the guy the Twins drafted several years ago out of one of the Mississippi schools who was injured and didn't pitch for a couple years?  I recall that pick was supposed to be a stud who fell to them because of the injury history.

Also great seeing Stewart have a solid outing.  Any word on his velocity?  Twins could really use him to make a solid pen a very good one.  Will be curious seeing who goes down/or/out when he is ready next week?

[mnfireman]

No Martin or Julien in last nights line-up, maybe a couple of moves coming? Correa to IL and Camargo returning to AAA?

[DJL44]

7 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

No Martin or Julien in last nights line-up, maybe a couple of moves coming? Correa to IL and Camargo returning to AAA?

Hopefully Camargo and Diego Castillo back to AAA.

[mnfireman]

1 minute ago, DJL44 said:

Hopefully Camargo and Diego Castillo back to AAA.

Forgot Castillo had been called up. That would be a better scenario, but I think Correa may be headed to the IL. Though he hasn't played since last Friday, essentially a 10 day IL stint. The team needs him healthy if they are going to make a run at Cleveland in the second half.

[LambchoP]

I still don't understand Raya being ranked so high on prospect lists. He seems like a pitcher destined for the bullpen who can't seem to find the strike zone and gives up more hits than innings pitched. Josh Winder also looks cooked which is too bad. Mathews and Keaschal on the other hand, have been great to follow this year.

[SteveLV]

It is strange to me in this "information age" that high-profile players like Jenkins can fail to start games with zero information as to their status.  Are the Twins deliberately closed-mouthed, or is SOP these days?

He sure has missed a lot of games for someone that young and spry.

[Patzky]

1 hour ago, mnfireman said:

Forgot Castillo had been called up. That would be a better scenario, but I think Correa may be headed to the IL. Though he hasn't played since last Friday, essentially a 10 day IL stint. The team needs him healthy if they are going to make a run at Cleveland in the second half.

Scouring and refreshing the MLB transaction page. Makes me crazy, Baseball is back!

[SaberNerd]

4 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I have a question about Winder.  At one point he was the hot topic in the minors and looking like he was going to be a good addition at MLB.  But his performance in MLB has been miserable. A 4.69 ERA over 103 innings (13.5 this year) and 1.360 whip.  He is almost 28 now, what can we reasonably expect from him?   He is a precaution for those of us hoping to see the young pitchers prosper.

Really nothing at this point.  His fastball has been awful against major league hitters even though he can throw it mid 90s.  It has hard hit rates >50% and a Whiff% around 10%.  They will try to keep him around because if they can fix the fastball to be average, because if they can he could be a solid reliever.

[Seth Stohs]

5 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I have a question about Winder.  At one point he was the hot topic in the minors and looking like he was going to be a good addition at MLB.  But his performance in MLB has been miserable. A 4.69 ERA over 103 innings (13.5 this year) and 1.360 whip.  He is almost 28 now, what can we reasonably expect from him?   He is a precaution for those of us hoping to see the young pitchers prosper.

I am also concerned with the rating of Marco Raya. Two seasons at AA he has a 5.64 era and 1.482 whip despite his limited innings pitched.  I am ready to see him moved down the rankings. 

Winder: Just needs to be healthy for an extended period of time. His shoulder just hasn't been write the past couple of seasons. At this stage, he'll be a reliever, and that's totally fine. Plenty of value in that. 

Re Raya: I would expect that to happen. It's certainly happened on my rankings. 

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, Patzky said:

Scouring and refreshing the MLB transaction page. Makes me crazy, Baseball is back!

I'm sure we will know by game time tonight.

[Seth Stohs]

2 hours ago, mnfireman said:

No Martin or Julien in last nights line-up, maybe a couple of moves coming? Correa to IL and Camargo returning to AAA?

Martin is on the MLB Injured List already. Julien not playing last night was interesting though. 

[TNTwinsFan]

5 hours ago, roger said:

Great seeing another MiLB report, Seth.  It's good having baseball back.

Curious, Jenkins didn't play after their layoff.  Is he still battling an injury?  Or are they being careful and giving him lots of off days?

Was impressed by MacLeod's outing.  Was he the guy the Twins drafted several years ago out of one of the Mississippi schools who was injured and didn't pitch for a couple years?  I recall that pick was supposed to be a stud who fell to them because of the injury history.

Also great seeing Stewart have a solid outing.  Any word on his velocity?  Twins could really use him to make a solid pen a very good one.  Will be curious seeing who goes down/or/out when he is ready next week?

MacLeod's WHIP has been high since he became a pro. BB/9 at 4.6 this year. Needs to get those things ironed out before being labeled as a Top 30 Prospect I suspect. K/9 is great! Something to build from.

[mnfireman]

3 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

Martin is on the MLB Injured List already. Julien not playing last night was interesting though. 

That's right, forgot about Martin...

[Doctor Wu]

21 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

Listened to the Wichita game while working on the deck (because Raya was pitching). He was worse than the #'s show. Frequently went 3 balls and no strikes on batters. Quite unimpressed.

Another thing I didn't realize, the announcers said with Emma Rodriguez injured the entire Wichita roster (batters) was right-handed until Deardon was called up.

Sorry to hear out an even worse report about Raya's outing, but thanks for letting us know. Just when it seems they MIGHT allow him to stretch out and actually pitch past the fourth inning, he gets rocked. What do you see as his future? Will he keep starting, or be moved to the bullpen?

[FlyingFinn]

1 hour ago, Doctor Wu said:

Sorry to hear out an even worse report about Raya's outing, but thanks for letting us know. Just when it seems they MIGHT allow him to stretch out and actually pitch past the fourth inning, he gets rocked. What do you see as his future? Will he keep starting, or be moved to the bullpen?

He will start right up into AAA as all highly regarded pitcher do. It's easy to control their innings, workouts, etc. this way. AA is the level you really learn how a player does against higher quality competition. Raya is still young though. It could simply be that his youth needs a year there to catch up to the competition. By the way, the pitch count had nothing to do with his struggles in the game. They started in the first couple innings.