Twins Minor League Report (4/17): Eli Jones Dominates and Kyler Fedko's Power Surge

[Seth Stohs]

Find out everything that happened in the Minnesota Twins Minor League system on Thursday including a transaction that should have Twins fans really excited. With all due respect to Maroon 5. 

And Keaschall be loved.
And Keaschall be loved.
And Keaschall be loved.
And Keaschall be loved. 

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Eli Jones)

All four Minnesota Twins minor-league affiliates ended up on the losing side of the coin on Thursday, but hey, the Twins didn't lose. And there are always positives to be found in the games. A quick glance at the hitter and pitcher of the day and there are two really impressive performances on the night. There were several other multi-hit games, and a 2024 pick with a monster home run for the second straight day. 

And, there are a couple of typical minor-league transactions, but clearly the news from the minor leagues on Thursday was the promotion of one of the top 50 prospects in baseball, from the St. Paul Saints to the Minnesota Twins. I don't want to give anything away here in the introduction. You'll have to read through the full minor league report!! Enjoy! 

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 7-12
St. Paul Saints: 6-9
Wichita Wind Surge: 6-6
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 7-5
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 6-6

TRANSACTIONS
The Wichita Wind Surge transferred RHP Kyle Jones from the 7-Day IL to the 60-Day IL. 

That is it for the official transactions in the minor leagues. The Twins made one official move on Thursday. They officially announced the acquisition of infielder Jonah Bride from the Marlins. To add him to the 26-man roster, Matt Wallner was placed on the 10-day IL. 

Now, in unofficial moves, news broke on Thursday afternoon that Twins Daily’s #3 Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall will be joining the Twins in Atlanta where they play a weekend series against the Braves. He becomes the second member of the 2024 Opening Day Cedar Rapids Kernels roster to get The Call to the big leagues. Zebby Matthews flew through the minor leagues and ended the season in the big leagues. Now Keaschall, a second round pick in 2023, will be making his debut. Of course, Keaschall also had Tommy John surgery in mid-August, but he’s off to a solid start at Triple-A St. Paul and the Twins have needs. He has played 14 games for the Saints and played even as DH and seven at second base. He is hitting .261/.379/.348 (.727) with a double and a homer so far this season.

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 2, Iowa 6
Box Score
A one-run game became a five-run game on a Chase Strumpf grand slam in the eighth inning. 

Marco Raya was back on the mound for the Saints in Des Moines on Thursday afternoon. In his 48-pitch allotment, Raya was able to complete three scoreless innings. He gave up four hits and a walk, and he also had three strikeouts. 

In the top of the first inning, he received a bit of run support. Ryan Fitzgerald led off with a single. With one out, he moved to third base on a single by Emmanuel Rodriguez. Armando Alvarez was given a free RBI and he took advantage of it. With the infield back, he grounded out to second base to give the Saints a 1-0 lead. 

Jacob Bosiokovic came on and gave up a two-run homer in the fourth inning. He had three strikeouts over his two innings. Alex Speas worked a scoreless sixth inning, and Richard Lovelady struck out three batters in a scoreless seventh frame. 

Then came the bottom of the eighth. Kyle Bischoff came on to replace Lovelady. A single, stolen base, walk and hit batter loaded the bases. On a 2-2 pitch, a 96.1 mph fastball was launched by Chase Strumpf at 34 degrees and 100.9 mph toward straight-away center field and landed beyond the fence. A one-run nail-biter became a five-run lead with just three outs remaining. 

With two outs in the ninth, Mike Ford hit his second homer of the season, but it was too little too late. 

The Saints had just six hits and two walks in the game. They were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 3, Tulsa 5
Box Score
Trent Baker made the start for Wichita and began with three scoreless innings. In the fourth, he gave up a two-run homer. He was also charged with two unearned runs in the fifth inning. Michael Paredes came in with a runner on base and two outs. The inherited runner scored first so Baker’s line included giving up four runs (2 earned) on five hits and a walk. He also had seven strikeouts. 

Paredes finished the game, saving the Surge bullpen arms for another day. He gave up only an unearned run on three hits and a walk over the final 3 1/3 innings. He had four strikeouts. 

Down 4-0 going to the sixth inning, the Surge attempted a comeback. Ricardo Olivar led off the inning with a walk. Ben Ross reached on an error. Kala’i Rosario grounded out but the runners advanced to second and third. That brought Kyler Fedko

es and three homers. He also has eight walks to go with six strikeouts. The deficit was down to just one run, and it was as close as they got.   

Fedko led the way. He had three of the Wind Surge’s five hits and all three RBI. Ben Ross had the other two hits. Olivar and Andrew Cossetti each walked twice. 

Congratulations to former Twins prospect Evan Sisk who has made his MLB debut with the Kansas City Royals. The Twins acquired him in the J.A. Happ deal from St. Louis. A couple years ago, Sisk and fellow Royals bullpen mate Steven Cruz were the two players traded to the Royals when the Twins acquired Michael A. Taylor  before the 2023 season.   

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 9 
Box Score
Charlee Soto was back on the mound, and he just wasn’t quite as sharp has he had been in his first couple of starts this season. He kept the game close for a while, but Peoria added on in the middle innings.

Soto left two runners stranded in a scoreless first inning. In the second inning, the first two batters reached base, but he got the next three and kept it scoreless. In the third inning, a couple of singles put runners on second and third with one out. A slow grounder to shortstop was turned into an out at first base, but the first run scored. That was it. In the fourth inning, Soto gave up a leadoff double. A groundout moved him to third base, and a wild pitch allowed the second run of the game. A single was followed by a strikeout. But in a really scary moment, Soto hit Zach Levenson in the helmet with a fastball. Levenson didn’t move, didn’t look like it hurt, went down to first base and played the remainder of the game which is great news. Soto responded by striking out another batter to end the inning. 

As much fun as seeing dominance can be, watching Soto work into trouble all four innings and find a way to limit the damage was also very encouraging. He was charged with two runs on six hits, a walk and two hit batters in four innings. He had four strikeouts. He was also already at 80 pitches through four innings. 

Samuel Perez came in and gave up four runs on three hits and two walks. He had two strikeouts. Juan Mercedes got four outs and was charged with three runs on two hits and two walks. Juan Mendez came on and got the final five outs. He gave up just one hit. 

The Kernels were held scoreless through the game’s first six innings. Their starter only got five outs, though he had three walks and hit a batter. #OldFriend Ricardo Velez came into the game for Peoria. He had just signed with the Cardinals and joined the Chiefs on Friday. He worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings. 

The Kernels scored three runs in the seventh inning. Danny De Andrade reached on an error. Khadim Diaw walked. Nate Baez lined a single to left to load the bases. The next two batters struck out. But Kyle DeBarge came up big and cleared the bases with his third double of the season. 

DeBarge drove in the ninth-inning run as well with a single. He had half of the Kernels four hits and all four of their RBI in the game. Billy Amick had a single and a walk. Nate Baez singled and walked twice. Kyle Hess walked twice. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 6
Box Score
A pitchers’ duel early, the Mussels grabbed an early lead. But messy defense, some hit batters, and a little bad luck and the Mussels fell back to .500. 

Eli Jones was the Twins’ seventh round pick in 2024 out of the University of South Carolina. It was his third start and easily the best so far. The right-hander tossed five innings over one-hit, one-walk, one-hit batter, scoreless baseball. He struck out six batters.   

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Jay Thomason led off with a single. Daniel Pena followed with a double to drive in Thomason with the game’s first run. After two outs, Yohander Martinez singled to drive in Pena with the second run. 

Hunter Hoopes came on to start the sixth inning for the Mussels. He gave up three runs on five hits and a walk and recorded just two outs. Tyler Stasiowski came on with the bases loaded and got the third out without any more damage. He also pitched the seventh inning and gave up a run. He recorded four outs, all on strikeouts. Devin Kirby worked the final two innings. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on one hit, one walk, and two hit batters. 

The third Mussels run came on a home run that nearly duplicated his homer from the day before. 40 degree angle and 111 mph exit velocity.   

Thomason was 2-for-3 with a walk and his second home run. Daniel Pena went 2-for-4. Byron Chourio was 2-for-3, was hit by a pitch, and stole his fourth base. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Kyler Fedko (Wichita): 3-for-5, HR(3), R, 3 RBI

Pitcher of the Day 
Eli Jones (Fort Myers): 5 IP, H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 80 pitches, 47 strikes (58.8%)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our recently-updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday.

#2 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, K
#3 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - Called Up to the Big Leagues.
#4 - Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - 4 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HBP, WP, 80 pitches, 47 strikes (58.8%)
#6 - Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 B, 3 K, 48 pitches, 33 strikes (68.8%)
#8 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-5, K
#13 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2B(3), 4 RBI.
#15 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, K
#17 - Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, BB, 2 K
#18 - Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) - 0-for-4, K
#19 - Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K
#20 - Ricardo Olivar (Wichita) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, R       

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Minnesota @ Atlanta (6:15 PM CST) - RHP Chris Paddack (0-2, 9.49 ERA)
St. Paul @ Iowa (7:08 PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (0-0, 4.50 ERA)
Wichita @ Tulsa (7:00 PM CST) - LHP Aaron Rozek (1-1, 4.82 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-0, 5.63 ERA)
Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Jason Doktorczyk (2-0, 2.70 ERA)

Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the roster, and discuss Thursday’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! 

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[FlyingFinn]

I did listen to the Kernels game while Soto was pitching. According to the announcer, there were a couple of his hits that the defense should have had including one Hess butchered into a triple. Also, Soto threw 80 pitches, which is the most he has ever thrown. One other note - on a single to left with a runner on 2nd, that runner stopped at 3rd. Gonzalez airmailed the throw to home allowing the runner to go to 2nd. The announcer wasn't too happy with Gonzalez decision, or lack there of.

[Blyleven2011]

No wins in development leagues ,    that's the way the ball bounces once in awhile ...

[terrydactyls]

I do not understand the Twins' handling of young pitchers.  Marco Raya, 22 years old and in his fourth professional season is pulled after he reaches his 48 pitch allotment.  Charlee Soto is 19 years old and is in his second professional season is allowed to three 80 pitches.  That does not appear to be a organizational philosophy.   If Raya is only a 50-pitch hurler, then call him up and make him a long reliever.

[LambchoP]

27 minutes ago, terrydactyls said:

I do not understand the Twins' handling of young pitchers.  Marco Raya, 22 years old and in his fourth professional season is pulled after he reaches his 48 pitch allotment.  Charlee Soto is 19 years old and is in his second professional season is allowed to three 80 pitches.  That does not appear to be a organizational philosophy.   If Raya is only a 50-pitch hurler, then call him up and make him a long reliever.

This has me confused too. Does Raya really start to tire after 40-50 pitches? After 4 years, if that's what happens then he should be put in the pen. Soto allowed to throw 80 pitches even though sounds like they were pretty much all under duress. What is the plan or philosophy here?

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, terrydactyls said:

I do not understand the Twins' handling of young pitchers.  Marco Raya, 22 years old and in his fourth professional season is pulled after he reaches his 48 pitch allotment.  Charlee Soto is 19 years old and is in his second professional season is allowed to three 80 pitches.  That does not appear to be a organizational philosophy.   If Raya is only a 50-pitch hurler, then call him up and make him a long reliever.

I think they are grooming Raya to be a reliever. It's probably a good idea to have him start in AAA because more innings now will help his development in the longer run.

[Mike Sixel]

They have to be grooming Raya as a RP, right? Otherwise it's baffling .

[Dman]

Watched most of the Muscles game and the defense was mind bogglingly bad. I mean bad news Bears bad. It was hard to believe they were pro ball players. The coaches there need to get to work.

I know Pena is a big guy and catcher might be the only position he is “fit” to play but I don’t think I have seen a worse catcher in the minors in my time watching. Fumbling balls, a slow release and not a strong arm to 2nd. The other team was stealing 2nd base at will. They could have sent their slowest player and still made it. I really like his bat, but he has soooo far to go defensively he will single handedly lose games for them.

I was always one to think they didn’t need to draft catchers early, but given what I am seeing I hope they add a good defensive catcher to the system in this years draft.

[jkcarew]

Regarding Raya: Has a relief pitcher ever been ranked as high as #6 before?

Warm weather yesterday, no interruptions or super long half-innings to go through. On 5 days rest. And still…after a pretty clean 3rd inning…not even allowed to start the 4th inning. Drafted almost 5 years ago now. Will turn 23 this season.

He’s not a serious starting prospect. There’s a reason he’s always been handled differently…and he’s always been handled differently. Although some here will continue to deny the obvious.