Twins Minor League Week in Review (4/15-4/21): Mighty Mussels Shutout Parade

[Cody Christie]

Fort Myers’s pitching staff was outstanding over the last seven days. What other minor-league performances stood out in the Twins system?

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (Left: Jason Doktorczyk, Top Right: Dylan Questad, Bottom Right: Eli Jones)

MONDAY’S TRANSACTIONS
-St. Paul Saints placed RHP Randy Dobnak on the 7-day injured list.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT
-Prospect Retrospective: Luke Keaschall
-Minor League Report: Mussels Shut Out Bradenton for a Third Time and All Other Games are Washed out
-Twins Minor League Report (4/19): López Sharp in Rehab Start
-Zebby Matthews and the Next Frontier of Pitching Development
-Twins Minor League Report (4/18): Jason Doktorcyk Ks 10
-Mighty Mussels See Early Returns from Twins’ Willingness to Draft High-School Arms
-Twins Minor League Report (4/17): Eli Jones Dominates and Kyler Fedko's Power Surge
-Three Up, Three Down: Fast Start Preferred
-The Twins Have a Stud Pitching Prospect Almost Nobody Is Talking About
-Twins Minor League Report (4/16): Fort Myers Rehabbing Pitchers Dazzle
-Twins Minor League Report (4/15): Zebby Matthews and Travis Adams Blow Away the Iowa Cubs

WEEK IN REVIEW
Triple-A: St. Paul Saints
Overall: 7-10 (5.5 Games Out of First)
Last Week: 2-3

• The Saints were rained out on Sunday, and now have a franchise record five doubleheaders on their 2025 schedule. 
• On Saturday, Pablo López was sharp in his rehab start, as he tossed 4 2/3 innings while allowing one earned run on a solo home run. He threw 63 pitches (43 for strikes) and got eight swings and misses.
• The Saints offense exploded in Friday night’s victory. Eight of nine Saints collected a hit, seven of nine scored a run, and six of nine drove in a run in an 11-8 win.
• Marco Raya made his third start of the season and looked sharp. He’s been on a strict pitch count at the beginning of the year. Across three shutout innings, he gave up four hits while walking one and striking out three. 
• On Wednesday, the Saints slugged four home runs, including back-to-back homers in the eighth from Armando Alvarez and Carson McCusker.
• McCusker was the team’s best hitter this week. He went 7-for-18 (.389 BA) with three home runs, one double, and 8 RBIs. 
• Andrew Morris set a new personal best by topping out at 99.3 miles per hour.
• Zebby Matthews also set a personal best with a 99.5-mph fastball on his final pitch of Tuesday’s game. He went 5 innings, allowing one run on four hits while walking one and striking out seven. He threw 71 pitches, 49 for strikes.
• Travis Adams took over for Matthews and didn’t allow more than one runner in any of his four innings, including retiring eight of nine from the sixth through the eighth innings. He went 4 shutout innings allowing two hits while striking out two in picking up the save.  

What’s Next: The Saints return to action on Tuesday morning at 11:07 a.m. against the Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates) for the start of a six-game set.

Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge
Overall: 8-7 (3.0 Games Out of First)
Last Week: 2-4

• The Wind Surge swept a Saturday doubleheader. A trio of home runs was enough to get by while four Wichita pitchers combined for 13 punchouts.
• Connor Prielipp pitched three innings and allowed one run (a solo home run) on two hits. He struck out five batters and 33 of his 48 pitches were for strikes (68.75%).
• Darren Bowen earned his second win of the season, giving up just two hits with three walks and four strikeouts out of the bullpen.
• Kyler Fedko is tied for the Texas League lead in home runs (4) alongside Tulsa’s Jose Ramos. He finished the week going 6-for-16 (.375 BA) with three home runs, one double, and seven RBI. 
• On Friday, the Wind Surge hit a trio of home runs in a loss. Tyler Dearden, Kala’i Rosario, and Aaron Sabato each connected for a homer. Rosario’s was the strangest as the right-fielder grabbed at the ball and somersaulted over the short wall into the bullpen, where the ball popped out of his glove and flung itself back onto the field of play. After a meeting with all of the umpires, they awarded Rosario a two-run home run, his second long ball of the season.
• Aaron Rozek started Friday’s game and spun a strong five innings as the starter. He gave up just two earned runs on three hits with eight strikeouts, tying the most he’s had in an appearance as a member of the Wind Surge.
• Trent Baker started on Thursday and pitched 4 2/3 innings while allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits with just one walk to a season-high seven strikeouts.
• Aaron Sabato started hot after coming off the IL. He went 6-for-14 (.429 BA) with a double and a home run. 

What’s Next: Wichita will open a six-game home series against the Springfield Cardinals on Tuesday at 6:05 PM CST. 

High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels
Overall: 9-5 (1.0 Game Out of First)
Last Week: 3-2

• Like the Saints, the Kernels were rained out on Sunday which shortened their week. 
• Logan Whitaker picked up his first professional win as part of Saturday’s double-header. In two innings, he allowed one run on one hit.
• On Thursday, Charlee Soto was handed his first loss of the season despite pitching well. In four innings, he allowed two earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and a walk. He has a 1.38 ERA for the season. 
• The Kernels had a nail-biting, back-and-forth game on Wednesday. Trailing by a run in the top of the ninth, Cedar Rapids tied the game to force extra innings and won it in the 11th.Khadim Diaw hit an infield fly that dropped in the ninth to score a runner from second. Brandon Winokur lined an RBI double in extra-innings for the win. 
• Paulshawn Pasqualotto gets a lot of credit for the extra-innings victory. In his fourth outing of the year, the right-hander did not allow a run across the eighth, ninth and tenth innings, collecting four strikeouts with just two hits allowed.
• Nate Baez was the team’s best hitter this week. He went 8-for-13 (.615 BA) with one double, four walks, and seven runs scored. 

What’s Next: Cedar Rapids opens a 12-game homestand Tuesday night with the first of six games against Wisconsin at 6:35 PM CST.

Low-A: Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
Overall: 8-7 (1.0 Games Out of First)
Last Week: 4-2

• On Sunday, the Mighty Mussels tossed their third shutout of the week. It was the second consecutive shutout, as Fort Myers took the series four games to two.
• Mussels’ pitching now has a 2.69 ERA on the season, good for second in all of Class-A, behind just the Stockton Ports of the California League at 2.36. Fort Myers leads all of Class-A with 179 strikeouts on the season.
• Making his first professional start, Fort Myers right-hander Jakob Hall tossed three scoreless frames. The eighth-round pick in 2024 allowed one hit and issued one walk, while punching out a pair.
• Jacob Kisting came on in relief of Hall. He tossed three hitless innings, while hitting a batter and walking another for the only two baserunners of his outing.
• Devin Kirby followed Kisting out of the Mussel bullpen. The knuckleballer tossed a pair of scoreless frames, scattering two hits and striking out one batter.
• Kade Bragg earned his first save of the season as he finished off Sunday’s shutout by striking out the side. It was the second career save for Bragg. 
• Making his first professional start, Cole Peschl picked up the win after five scoreless innings. The 15th-round pick in 2024 surrendered two hits and issued one walk on the night. He struck out six batters while throwing 47 of his 65 pitches for strikes.
• Zander Sechrist closed down the game tha Peschel started. He earned the save after tossing three shutdown innings, allowing two hits while striking out three.
• Jay Thomason was on a tear this week. He had three long balls in the six-game series and they all had an exit velocity of 111 mph. He has now recorded an extra-base hit in four of the five games to start the week. 
• On Friday, Jason Doktorczyk combined for a 10-strikeout performance. He surrendered three unearned runs across five innings, while allowing four hits and no walks. The 10 strikeouts is a new season high for a Mussels’ pitcher.
• Michael Tonkin, on rehab, allowed an unearned run across two innings, while striking out three batters. 
• Eli Jones put together a solid outing on Thursday. He tossed five shutout innings and struck out six batters. He carried a no-hit bid into the fifth inning, before a one-out, broken bat single found the grass in center field.
• The Fort Myers pitching staff tied a Mighty Mussels era record with 19 strikeouts on their way to a 1-0 shutout victory over the Bradenton Marauders on Wednesday night. 
• Christian MacLeod, on a rehab assignment from Double-A Wichita, started on the mound for Fort Myers. The lefty spun two perfect innings, striking out four batters in the process.
• Pierson Ohl, also on a rehab assignment from Double-A Wichita, dominated the middle three innings. He allowed the only hit of the night on a bunt single, but fanned eight batters and didn’t issue a walk in his outing.
• Dylan Questad earned a three-inning save to complete the shutout while striking out four and issuing a pair of walks.
• Fort Myers started their week well with a season-high 12 hits on Tuesday night. 
• Michael Carpenter made the second start of his professional career, allowing one run on the solo homer, while striking out three Marauder batters over two-plus innings of work.
• Jose Rodriguez hit his first triple since he hit three in the 2022 Dominican Summer League. The two-run three-bagger was critical to the team’s win on Tuesday. 
• Fort Myers’s bullpen was great on Tuesday. Liam Rocha, Brock Stewart, Kade Bragg, Brady Feigl and Jacob Kisting combined to allow just one earned run while striking out nine hitters across seven frames.

What’s Next: Fort Myers heads on the road for a six-game series against the Clearwater Threshers. 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects. And, be sure to note the new, updated Top 20 rankings. Roster assignments below are subject to change as some players have yet to be assigned or are in Extended Spring Training. 

1. Walker Jenkins (Wichita): On injured list
2. Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 4-19, 1 RBI, 1 R, 4 BB, 7 K
3. Luke Keaschall (Minnesota): 4-12, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
4. Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids): 4 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
5. Andrew Morris (St. Paul): 3.2 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
6. Marco Raya (St. Paul): 3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
7. Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids): On injured list
8. Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 4-23, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K, 2 SB
9. Cory Lewis (St. Paul): 2.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER (4 HR), 0 BB, 4 K
10. Connor Prielipp (Wichita): 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
11. Dasan Hill (Fort Myers): Did Not Pitch
12. C.J. Culpepper (Wichita): On injured list
13. Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 4-22, 2 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K
14. Eduardo Beltre (DSL Twins): In Extended Spring Training
15. Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers): 2-21, 1 2B, 5 BB, 9 K, 3 R, 1 SB
16. Rayne Doncon (Cedar Rapids): On injured list
17. Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids): 6-18, 1 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, 7 K 
18. Kala’i Rosario (Wichita): 4-25, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 12 K, 0 BB, 2 SB
19. Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids): 5-20, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 K
20. Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 4-13, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Hitter of the Week: Kyle Fedko (Wichita)
6-for-16 (.375 BA), 3 HR, 1 2B, 7 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K, 1.500 OPS

Pitcher of the Week: Jason Doktorczyk (Fort Myers)
5 IP, 0 ER (3 R), 4 H, 0 BB, 10 K

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[FlyingFinn]

Jay Thomason - 3 HR's in one week in the Florida State League. That's impressive. When is the last time that has happened for Fort Myers? 17th round pick. Any chance of being a diamond in the rough? I'm guessing probably a one-week wonder or it's just way too early to tell.

[Dman]

23 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

Jay Thomason - 3 HR's in one week in the Florida State League. That's impressive. When is the last time that has happened for Fort Myers? 17th round pick. Any chance of being a diamond in the rough? I'm guessing probably a one-week wonder or it's just way too early to tell.

I was thinking Carr was going to be the one to watch, but Thomason had a great week.  K rate 24% Walk rate 22% but the batting average is low right now and the only thing holding him back.  I am betting he is too good for this level like most college bats are.  I got to see one of his home runs and I think it went out of the stadium so he has some serious power.  Won't know much until he hits AA but that's impressive and I can't think of anyone else who hit three HR's in one week at that level.  Maybe Winokur on his HR hot streak last year?  At any rate its a good stat to have.

Kind of interested in Peschl.  Does anyone know how hard he throws. I was going to go back and watch his game but haven't gotten the chance.  That was a nice debut.

Sure feels like Fedko has turned a corner.  He likely needs another month to prove it, but dang he has been money at the plate to start the year.

 

[bean5302]

Another 48 pitch start for Prielipp, and this time he got through 3 innings. It's nice that he's not walking almost anybody. Hopefully, he stays healthy, bumps that efficiency up just a little and he's able to keep moving forward.

I don't get the kid gloves on Raya again this year. He hasn't exactly been efficient, putting too many runners on base, but the whole 50 pitch max stuff makes no sense. Again, is he a reliever or a starter?

[mikelink45]

Are we making Raya a RP?  Because SP go more innings!

Bring up McCusker - put Keaschall at 2B and McCusker at DH

[High heat]

I haven’t looked to closely but has McCusker played any 1B this yr for the Saints? 

[FlyingFinn]

23 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Are we making Raya a RP?  Because SP go more innings!

Not yet, at least nobody is saying it. The Twins usually hold down the young pitchers in AAA whom they think they will call up as they want them to able to pitch in September. They held Festa to 50-70 pitches per game until April 30 last year and then let him go further. Matthew pitched 57, 80, and 71 so far this year so............

Having said that, the Twins have always held Raya back more. Besides an injury, the medical staff must be saying this is needed. They are treating him like the injury-prone Ober in the minors (and that worked out). For high quality young guys, even after the team figures out they are relievers, it's much easier to control the pitcher usage by starting them (if the game is cut short due to weather, they still pitch; they face the top of the order more and get tested against the best guys, very controlled warming up before the 1st pitch, etc.).

Unless the Twins are out of contention, Raya isn't going to be a starter for the Twins, this year.

[dougd]

BPro had a nice write-up on Dasan Hill today.

[Mike Sixel]

Kind of need some hitting.....

[Doctor Wu]

I'll say it again: thank heavens for these minor league reports. But the dismal state of our major league club, it's refreshing to read about some of these positive developments on the farm. Looking forward to more, and longer, good outings from Prielipp and Soto. 

[rdehring]

A couple questions on the injury front.  Any word on when Jenkins is expected back?  Also, what was the reason Hill didn't pitch this week?

Is this Fort Myers staff going to give us another wave of lesser known pitchers in a couple years?  Sure was an impressive week from a lot of guys not all that familiar, at least to this old guy.

[Guest]

Well done, thank you.

[LambchoP]

It's awesome that Zebby and Morris are hitting 99 mph! Festa, Zebby and Morris all might be pitching in the majors this year, especially if we have a big sell off at the deadline like I think we might. With both Larnach and Keirsey struggling so much I think it's time they give Mccusker a chance. What's the harm in a cup of coffee? Dude is hitting over .300 with 5 homers. Maybe he provides a little pop for this wimpy lineup. Maybe Martin will be back soon too, he was hitting like .400. we need some kind of roster shake up. Clearly what we've been running out there so far isn't going to work.

[jorgenswest]

1 hour ago, LambchoP said:

It's awesome that Zebby and Morris are hitting 99 mph! Festa, Zebby and Morris all might be pitching in the majors this year, especially if we have a big sell off at the deadline like I think we might. With both Larnach and Keirsey struggling so much I think it's time they give Mccusker a chance. What's the harm in a cup of coffee? Dude is hitting over .300 with 5 homers. Maybe he provides a little pop for this wimpy lineup. Maybe Martin will be back soon too, he was hitting like .400. we need some kind of roster shake up. Clearly what we've been running out there so far isn't going to work.

For McCusker the risk is the 40 man spot. If he struggles in the majors and needs this full year of AAA either that 40 man spot is unavailable or they need to DFA McCusker to open it up. They really need to be pretty certain he is ready. The same would be true if they wanted to take a look at Morris or Eeles. It might be worth the risk.

[jmlease1]

Billy Amick...I'll admit I did not see this coming when he got his start last season in Ft. Myers. Anyone know how his defense looks at 3B? because dude just keeps on hitting. Only thing he hasn't done yet is hit homers, but I suspect he's got a few in him. How long do you keep him in A-ball if he keeps an OPS over 1.000?

[Mike Sixel]

16 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Billy Amick...I'll admit I did not see this coming when he got his start last season in Ft. Myers. Anyone know how his defense looks at 3B? because dude just keeps on hitting. Only thing he hasn't done yet is hit homers, but I suspect he's got a few in him. How long do you keep him in A-ball if he keeps an OPS over 1.000?

Me? I promote guys to AA and AAA faster. Test them. Find out what you have or not. But that's not their way.

[Dman]

1 hour ago, jmlease1 said:

Billy Amick...I'll admit I did not see this coming when he got his start last season in Ft. Myers. Anyone know how his defense looks at 3B? because dude just keeps on hitting. Only thing he hasn't done yet is hit homers, but I suspect he's got a few in him. How long do you keep him in A-ball if he keeps an OPS over 1.000?

I think they make him prove it through mid May if not through all of May to make sure it isn't just a hot streak.  His last game he had 3K's and back to some swing and miss in the zone.  Still his walk rate has been far, far better than I imagined it could ever be so I think he has a chance.  He has power and while not much for HR's I'd rather see contact than HR's at this point.  He was a HR hitter in college he has the bat speed they will come as long as he can hit the ball.  Gotta say is making my predictions of him look bad so far, but we'll see what happens when he hits AA.

[DocBauer]

As much as I follow the draft and the MILB system, it's still hard to follow everyone from 2024 when over half of them didn't play until 2025. Grrr! But I'm trying to follow as best as I can despite the season being so early. 

A couple of 2024 pitchers have looked solid so far, but I maintain that Doktorczyk should be paid attention to. He's a mix of Ober and Matthews.  

I'm still confused about AAA having Lewis as a piggyback over Dobnak, now hurt. He should be starting.

I understand the applause given to McCusker. He's interesting to be sure. He's a Lew Ford late development type of player who might be a really good 5th OF/DH type of bat. But he still does have to prove he's not just on a hot streak. 

I'm surprised by AA Wichita being as good as they are considering all the missing arms they have.