2025 Wichita Wind Surge Roster Preview: Walker Jenkins and Impact Pitching

[Cody Christie]

Prospects beginning the year at Double-A have a strong chance to impact the big-league roster over the next two seasons. Many eyes will be on Walker Jenkins’ continued development, but other future big-league players will also be on the roster.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge

 

Many prospects can succeed in the minors’ lower levels, but Double-A becomes a proving ground for players who aspire to make a big-league impact. The Wind Surge roster includes four of Twins Daily’s top-20 prospects, including Walker Jenkins, Connor Prielipp, Ricardo Olivar, and Kala’i Rosario. Jenkins will get much of the attention in Wichita from Twins fans and the national media. However, the continued development of other top prospects is what separates organizations. 

Prielipp is one of the system’s most exciting arms and has a chance to prove he can stick as a starting pitcher this season. Olivar is a bat-first catcher who has an opportunity to refine his defensive skills in the upper minors. The Twins don’t have a long-term answer at catcher, which opens the door for prospects like Olivar. Rosario has gotten a lot of attention with his power production in the AFL over the last two seasons. Now, he must stay healthy and translate that power to the regular season. 

Coaching and development throughout the system are critical, and the Wind Surge will have a mostly new coaching staff for the 2025 campaign. Brian Dinkelman is entering his first season managing at the Double-A level. Dinkelman spent the previous five seasons as the manager of the Twins' High-A affiliate Cedar Rapids Kernels. He posted a winning record each season, propelling the Kernels to four consecutive postseason berths, including a Midwest League Championship in 2023. 

Dinkelman will be joined on the coaching staff by hitting coaches Andrew Cresci and Yeison Perez, with Perez being the lone returning coach from the 2024 Wind Surge. Ryan Ricci and Jesus Sanchez are the pitching coaches and will be in their first years coaching at Double-A. So, who will these coaches be working with to start the year?

Pitchers: RHP Darren Bowen, RHP Trent Baker, RHP Ricky Castro, RHP Joel Cesar, RHP Chase Chaney, RHP John Klein, RHP Cody Laweryson, RHP Angel Macuare, RHP Michael Martinez, LHP Jaylen Nowlin, RHP Mike Paredes, LHP Connor Prielipp, LHP Aaron Rozek, RHP John Stankiewicz, RHP Jarret Whorff
Prielipp is the highest-ranked pitching prospect on the Wind Surge roster as he currently sits 10th on the Twins Daily top-20 prospect list. The Twins selected Prielipp in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft, but he has been limited to 30 professional innings due to multiple injuries. Last season, he made seven starts (19 1/3 innings) at High-A and posted a 3.26 ERA with a 0.98 WHIP and a 41.6 K%. Minnesota will continue to allow him to start. Still, it will be interesting to see if he gets relief opportunities as a lefty that could impact the big-league roster in the season’s second half. 

Some other names might be familiar to Twins fans. Bowen was part of the Jorge Polanco trade and made 18 appearances at High-A last year with a 6.07 ERA. Laweryson is entering his seventh season in the Twins organization. Last season was his first as a full-time reliever and he struck out 21.7% of batters. Nowlin made 15 starts for Wichita last season and posted a 4.67 ERA with a 22.9 K%. Rozek saw time with the Twins this spring and has pitched parts of the last three seasons at Double-A. 

Catchers: C Noah Cardenas, C Andrew Cossetti, C/OF Ricardo Olivar
Olivar currently ranks as Twins Daily’s 20th-best prospect, so it was interesting that the Twins left him unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft. Even with some defensive flexibility, Olivar’s offensive profile is what carries his potential as a prospect. Last season, he played 81 games at High-A and posted a .867 OPS with 31 extra-base hits. He struggled in the transition to Double-A (19 games), but he was over two years younger than the average age of the competition. Cossetti spent all of 2024 in Wichita and collected 29 extra-base hits in 87 games. Cardenas also returns to Double-A after struggling with a .587 OPS last season. 

Infielders: INF Rubel Cespedes, INF/OF Jorel Ortega, INF/OF Ben Ross, INF Jake Rucker, INF Tanner Schobel, INF/OF Dalton Shuffield
Cespedes will be getting his first taste of Double-A. Last season, he got on base over 34% of the time while playing three infield positions. Ortega combined for 26 extra-base hits in 122 Double-A games in 2024. Ross is coming off an Arizona Fall League appearance where he posted a .817 OPS in 100 PA. Rucker is entering his third season in Wichita, averaging nine home runs and 22 doubles per season at Double-A. Schobel posted a .639 OPS with the Wind Surge last season but faced older pitchers in over 83% of his at-bats. Shuffield has played at three different levels in every professional season, so he will move around again in 2025. 

Outfielders: OF Allan Cerda, OF Tyler Dearden, OF Kyler Fedko, OF Walker Jenkins, OF Kala’i Rosario
Jenkins is the biggest name on the position player side, as Baseball America, MLB.com, and Baseball Prospectus each have him ranked among baseball’s top prospects. Last season, he missed time with a leg injury and still made it to Double-A in September. In 82 games, he hit .282/.394/.439 (.833) with 32 extra-base hits. Some national outlets believe Jenkins needs to show more in-game power before he can be considered among baseball’s top prospects. His power will be a focus for him in his first full season in Wichita. 

Rosario is also among Twins Daily’s top-20 prospects, entering the season ranked 18th. In 2024, he was limited to 70 games but posted a .757 OPS with 30 extra-base hits. Minnesota sent him to the AFL for the second straight season, and he’s averaged an OPS above .800. Cerda spent last season at Double-A in the Reds and Giants organization but was limited to 33 games. Dearden was signed out of the independent leagues where he played for Lew Ford-managed Long Island Ducks. He played 36 games after signing and posted a .659 OPS. Fedko returns to Wichita where he played 77 games last season and got on base 32.7% of the time. 

Wichita begins on the road against the Springfield Cardinals on Friday, April 4 at 6:35 PM CST. The Wind Surge home opener at the newly-renamed Equity Bank Park follows against the Midland Rockhounds on Tuesday, April 8 at 6:35 PM.

What questions do you have about the roster? What prospects have the best chance to move to Triple-A this year? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Rigby]

Culpepper, Ohl, Jones and MacLeod ?

[rdehring]

I seriously hope that Prielipp spends no more than two months in Wichita before moving up to the Saints. 

I may be missing something, but other than Jenkins it doesn't appear that the Wind Surge will have a tough lineup for opposing pitchers, will they?

[jmlease1]

thinner group of prospects at AA this season (for now, anyways) than we've maybe become accustomed to? But any roster that has Walker Jenkins on it is pretty exciting to me.

Hope Prielipp can stay healthy. Be great to be looking at him as a LH power arm relief option later in the year. Huge talent if his arm can take it. Fairly impressive that his stuff doesn't seem to have dropped off at all despite the injuries, surgeries, and so little game time.

Feels like Olivar isn't going to stick at C, so he'll need that bat to keep producing. I like Rosario, but he's got to make more contact if he wants to get past AA. (and I feel like he should be a better OF than he's shown; he's got good athleticism but he's been meh at best in the field)

[FlyingFinn]

4 hours ago, Rigby said:

Culpepper, Ohl, Jones and MacLeod ?

Great question - injured... or forgot to put on the list???

That OF should hit.

The infielders are mostly in the category of "hit this year" or you are a career minor leaguer. Schobel, Rucker and Ross are repeating AA. Cespedas and Ortega are older than average for AA. 

Important year for the catchers as well. Cardenas and Cossetti looked great coming into last year and through April and then flopped. Hope one of them masters AA pitchers. And Olivar is a major leaguer if he's a catcher but there's serious doubt about his defense at that position.

Pitchers don't look great other than Nowlin and Prielipp, unless the guys @Rigby listed are actually on the roster.

[DocBauer]

Again, where are Jones, Ohl, Culpepper, and McLeod? I COULD SEE Ohl gone based on numbers and a mediocre 2024, but what about the other 3? Are they injured and in EST? They make a big difference in the rotation!

The rotation looks very questionable without those names. Nowlin might be starting, but in ST the Twins seemed to be looking hard at converting him to a RP, which I agree with. But as hard as I follow the Twins system, I'm really confused who is a SP other than Prielipp and Bowen, who had a bad 2024. To paraphrase the Major League Movie, "who are these guys?"

I'm a devout follower of the Twins MILB system, but I'm not perfect in my devotion. But what I'm seeing is a mess of journeymen on the staff right now.

Cardenas is a quality catcher with a good eye and solid OB% with some pop/power potential. He hit a wall in 2024. Cossetti has a potentially better bat with more power while working on his skills but also hit a wall at AA. There's potential for both. But they are both in PROVE IT seasons.

Olivar is NOT a ML catching prospect unless his defense and game calling and throwing suddenly go to another level. His only chance to be a ML player is to be a great hitter and OB RH bat in the OF who can catch in an emergency.  Sorry to fans, but that's the reality if his catching ability doesn't suddenly grow.

Jenkins is the obvious target to follow. A healthy Jenkins only has to continue to be his self, but adapt his bat to power. 

Rosario is not a bad athlete. And he has strong arm. He'll probably never be a plus defender, but he could be a really good RH power bat who is AVG as an OF with a solid bat with good power. I see a potential role for him as a part time OF/DH.

Unfortunately, the INF is a mix of recent draftees who have talent and projection but haven't lived up to said projection at this point. Any one of them could suddenly improve and put themselves on the prospect map. And I hope they do. But so far, even with only a couple pro seasons amongst them, they haven't taken that step yet.

It looks like a poor season to watch at AA other than a couple outliers. 

[Mike Sixel]

Preilipp should be in Minnesota as a RP by July. He's not pitching many innings, why waste them?

[FlyingFinn]

22 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

Again, where are Jones, Ohl, Culpepper, and McLeod?

FYI - Kyle Jones is listed on the Wichita roster on the website. 

[LambchoP]

Really hoping for a healthy and full season from Jenkins. I'm not worried about the power. If he continues to hit well and rack up doubles, I'm sure the home runs will come too. He's still super young, just needs to play. Same with Prelipp. He reminds me of Canterino. Might have some of the best stuff in our system but hasn't been able to pitch enough. If he can stay healthy all year and continue racking up the strikeouts, he could be another solid weapon in our pen. Left handed too!

[rikker49]

Sabato?

[AceWrigley]

I don't see Mr. Sabato on any of the rosters, thank you very much.

[AceWrigley]

I think Wichita should have a food specialty called the Wind Surge, A large bean and cheese burrito smothered in guacamole sauce.

[twinstalker]

2.5 prospects, at least until CJ Culpepper and similar get there.  I think he's got arm problems they're trying to ignore, surgically.

Meanwhile we can (hopefully) watch Jenkins, Prielipp, and see if Olivar might be anything.  Rosario (not a real prospect in my book) will hit well there when he's not striking out.  It's not the most exciting roster, but it might be more interesting to watch than Cedar Rapids.

CR has Bengard, Soto, De Andrade, and a bunch of overrated recent draftees.  It might be interesting for a while.  Doncon is starting there.  I think we'll see DeBarge and Amick for the poor choices they were.  K. Culpepper will have a chance to show if he might be something.  But all three are too old to not do well as high draft choices

[FlyingFinn]

11 hours ago, twinstalker said:

CR has Bengard, Soto, De Andrade, and a bunch of overrated recent draftees. 

I think you are first person who thinks Winokur is overrated. Not sure he will make it at SS but he keeps moving up my ratings, ahead of Bengard and De Andrade.

[jorgenswest]

On 4/2/2025 at 7:54 PM, Mike Sixel said:

Preilipp should be in Minnesota as a RP by July. He's not pitching many innings, why waste them?

It might be worth the year to rebuild his arm strength after his multiple surgeries. The Rangers had Cole Ragans pitching on a very strict schedule when he returned in 2021. They used him every 7th day split evenly between two levels. Rarely did it go to the 6th day or 8th day. He started 2022 the same way in the first half and reached the majors in the second half. I don’t think it is a matter of  limiting innings as much as it is regaining a healthy arm. That is likely best done with a very structured schedule that can’t happen as part of a major league bullpen.

[Peter Gravett]

On 4/2/2025 at 3:05 PM, Rigby said:

Culpepper, Ohl, Jones and MacLeod ?

They were late to assign Nowlin too.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, jorgenswest said:

It might be worth the year to rebuild his arm strength after his multiple surgeries. The Rangers had Cole Ragans pitching on a very strict schedule when he returned in 2021. They used him every 7th day split evenly between two levels. Rarely did it go to the 6th day or 8th day. He started 2022 the same way in the first half and reached the majors in the second half. I don’t think it is a matter of  limiting innings as much as it is regaining a healthy arm. That is likely best done with a very structured schedule that can’t happen as part of a major league bullpen.

Good point. I don't think I'd ever trust his arm to be a starter, and I'd get him in Minnesota making real money and contributing ASAP. Like they should have done with Jax....or Varland....

[Cody Christie]

The Twins just posted this video with some background on Walker Jenkins

 

[Rigby]

7 hours ago, Peter Gravett said:

They were late to assign Nowlin too.

All 4 to 7-day IL along with Sabato

[FargoFanMan]

On 4/3/2025 at 7:29 PM, twinstalker said:

2.5 prospects, at least until CJ Culpepper and similar get there.  I think he's got arm problems they're trying to ignore, surgically.

Meanwhile we can (hopefully) watch Jenkins, Prielipp, and see if Olivar might be anything.  Rosario (not a real prospect in my book) will hit well there when he's not striking out.  It's not the most exciting roster, but it might be more interesting to watch than Cedar Rapids.

CR has Bengard, Soto, De Andrade, and a bunch of overrated recent draftees.  It might be interesting for a while.  Doncon is starting there.  I think we'll see DeBarge and Amick for the poor choices they were.  K. Culpepper will have a chance to show if he might be something.  But all three are too old to not do well as high draft choices

Culpepper and de barge are solid. For all 3 it will be their first full season. We’ll know more at the end of the year with these 3. Way too early to start poo-pooing these 3. Culpepper in particular has some great tools to “Actually” stick at SS in the major leagues.