Twins Daily Minor League Report (5/17): Surge Power Past Travelers

[Seth Stohs]

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

Baseball sometimes helps write its own storylines. This week, two such stories have presented themselves to the Twins. Out of bad, comes good. Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton went on the concussion list. Ryan Fitzgerald was called up on Friday. Carson McCusker will be called up on Sunday. 

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 26-20
St. Paul Saints: 21-20
Wichita Wind Surge: 21-17
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 22-15
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 18-20
FCL Twins: 6-4
DSL Twins: Scheduled to start on June 2.  

TRANSACTIONS
Late last week, the Minnesota Twins signed 26-year-old right-handed relief pitcher Eston Stull. A native of Indiana, Stull spent four years at NAIA Indiana-Kokomo where 28 of his 68 appearances were starts. In 2022, he was a graduate student player and worked on his masters at Southeastern University, an NAIA school in Lakeland, Florida. He spent the 2022-2024 seasons with Sussex County in the independent Frontier League, though he pitched just two innings in 2023. He returned in 2024 and in 49 1/3 innings, he had 16 walks and 77 strikeouts. This year, he had signed to play for the Sioux Falls Canaries in the American Association. He had four strikeouts in three scoreless innings to start the season. The Twins signed him and sent him straight to Cedar Rapids. As a starter, he was in the 89-91 range. As a reliever, he is more consistently 93 and 94 mph. He also has a curveball, slider and changeup.

A day after joining the Saints, Jaylen Nowlin returned to Wichita. Lefty Christian MacLeod was promoted to St. Paul and made the Saturday start.    

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 9, Iowa 10 
Box Score
Saints grab huge lead and still get walked off. 

Down in Des Moines, the Saints started out fast start against new Cubs starter, Kenta Maeda. Edouard Julien led off by being hit by a pitch. He moved to second on a Mickey Gasper single. Julien scored on a Jose Miranda double. Mike Ford walked. A Jeferson Morales sacrifice fly to give the Saints the 2-0 lead. Emmanuel Rodriguez walked to load the bases. Jair Camargo drove in two with a double and gave the Saints a 4-0 lead. 

In the top of the fourth inning, Armando Alvarez led off with a home run. Will Holland walked and went to second on a wild pitch. He scored on a Julien single. With two outs, Ford singled Julien to third base, and the French Canadian scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-0 Saints.

Christian MacLeod started and threw three zeroes on the board. In the fourth inning, he got the first two outs but was charged with an unearned run. He had four walks to go with his five strikeouts. Ryan Jensen came in and after a walk, he got a strikeout. He gave up two runs in the fifth inning largely due to three walks. Brady Feigl got the sixth and gave up four runs on four hits and a walk. Jacob Bosiokovic then gave up two eighth inning runs on two hits and a walk. Through eight, the Saints were now down by a score of 9-7. 

With one out Rodriguez and Camargo had back-to-back singles and Alvarez walked to load the bases. Will Holland singled to score two and tie the game at 9-9. The I-Cubs walked it off in the bottom of the ninth. 

Camargo went 3- for-5 with his sixth double and two RBI. Armando Alvarez was 3-for-4 with a walk and his third homer. Holland was 2-for-4 with a walk. Julien went 2-for-5 and stole a base. Jose Miranda hit his second and third doubles. 

The Iowa Cubs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. This roster is filled with top prospects despite recent promotions of RHP Cade Horton and C/1B Moises Ballesteros to the big leagues. For more on the Cubs, check out our sister site, North Side Baseball. Here are their Top 20 Cubs prospects.   

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 11, Arkansas 2
Box Score
Back-to-back, three-run innings trend this from a 2-2 game to an 8-2 game, and then they kept adding on. 

Darren Bowen started and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks over four innings. He struck out four batters. Mike Paredes struck out five over three scoreless innings to improve to 5-0. Jarret Whorff tossed two more innings with a couple of zeroes going on the board to hold the Saints large lead. 

With one out in the bottom of the first inning, Ricardo Olivar walked and scored on a Kyler Fedko double. After a walk by Kala’i Rosario, Aaron Sabato singled in Fedko. 

The score was 2-2 going into the bottom of the fifth. Jake Rucker and Tyler Dearden walked, but with two outs hadn’t moved. Fedko came up and drilled his seventh home run to make it 5-2. 

Then in the bottom of the sixth inning, Sabato led off with a walk and advanced to second on a single by Ben Ross. Andrew Cossetti got an RBI on a fielder’s choice. With two outs, Dearden doubled to drive in Cossetti, and then scored on a Tanner Schobel single.  

Kala’i Rosario led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a walk. He stole second. With two outs, he scored on Andrew Cossetti’s third homer of the season. The Wind Surge led 10-2 after seven innings. Tanner Schobel led off the bottom of the eighth inning with his fifth home run. 

Fedko went 2-for-5 with his sixth double and seventh home run of the season. He had four RBI. Schobel was 2-for-5 with his fifth homer. Rucker and Rosario each had two walks. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 5, Peoria 6 
Box Score
They had a chance, right to the end, but the Kernels were unable to make the full comeback.    

Ty Langenberg started the game and gave up five runs on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three. Wilker Reyes got the next four outs without any further damage. Jack Noble gave up an earned run in his inning. Jacob Wosinski gave up two hits over three shutout innings. He had two strikeouts. 

Kyle DeBarge had a big game. He went 2-for-3 with two walks. He knocked his seventh double and stole three bases, giving him 20 on the season. Khadim Diaw was 2-for-4 with his first triple of the year. Kaelen Culpepper hit a single and walked twice.   

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 6, Jupiter 5 (12 innings)
Box Score
After missing one start, lefty Dasan Hill returned to the mound for the Mussels on Saturday. 

Hill started and went the first 2 1/3 innings. He gave up no runs and no hits. He walked two and had two strikeouts. He had left his previous start early with some minor, non-arm-related tightness. On this night, he threw 41 total pitches, though just 21 were strikes. More importantly, he made a start and left the start healthy. 

Fellow starter Eli Jones came into the game out of the bullpen. He gave up three runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings. He had seven strikeouts and no walks. 

Brennan Oxford came on for his second outing. He struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth inning. In the 10th inning, he gave up a fly out that advanced the Manfred Man from second to third. He then got another fly out that drove in the run. He then got a ground ball. He faced six batters, got all six outs, and was charged with an unearned run.  

Ivran Romero pitched the 11th inning and also gave up the unearned run. He came back out for the 12th inning and kept the Manfred Man from scoring and protected the lead for his team. 

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the sixth innings when Jupiter put a three on the board. Down 3-0 going to the eighth inning, the Mussels responded. Angel Del Rosario started the inning with a bunt single. Rayne Doncon hit an infield single. The next two batters flew out. Trying to make something happen, a double steal put runners on second and third. Jose Rodriguez, hit his fourth home run of the season to tie the game at 3-3. 

Rodriguez hit .125 in April. He is now hitting .136 in May. However, he has hit in four of his past five games, and is 4-for-18 (.222) with two walks in that stretch.  

In the top of the 10th, Dameury Pena scored on a Jefferson Valladares sacrifice fly. In the top of the 11th, Yasser Mercedes scored from third when Rodriguez struck out but a throw had to be made to first base to record the out. In the top of the 12th inning, Maddux Houghton started at second base and then stole third base. With one out, Dameury Pena flew out to right field, deep enough to drive in Houghton with the go ahead run. 

Payton Eeles made another rehab start. He went 0-for-2 and had a walk before his day came to an end. Rayne Doncon was 2-for-4. 

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 7, FCL Red Sox 2
Box Score
A five-run fifth inning pushed the Twins to a win against their cross-town rivals. 

Joel Garcia made the Saturday morning start. He gave up one run on three hits over three innings. He had three strikeouts and no walks. Hendry Chivilli went the next two innings. He gave up no runs on one hit. He had no walks, struck out two, and improved to 2-0. Andrew Huffman had two strikeouts in a scoreless inning. It was his first outing of the season after pitching in just two games a season ago. Will Armbruester gave up a run on two hits in the seventh inning.

The Twins got on the board first in the top of the third. With two outs, Eduardo Beltre walked. He went to third base on a throwing error on a pickoff attempt. He then scored on a wild pitch. 

The fifth inning started with Carlos Silva being hit by a pitch. Then Ricardo Paez was hit by a pitch. Then, Eduardo Beltre walked to load the bases. Daiber De Los Santos flew out to drive in Silva, but Paez was thrown out at third base. After a throwing error, Bryan Acuna walked. Jayson Bass followed with a single to right that drove in Beltre and Acuna. Lis Fragoza doubled to drive in Bass. Following a Ramiro Dominguez walk, Irvin Nunez singled to drive in Fragoza and make it 6-1. In the sixth inning, Acuna singled in Paez (who walked and stole two bases) with the team’s seventh and final run of the game. 

The Twins scored their seven runs on six hits, seven walks and three hit batters. 

Luis Fragoza led the offense, going 2-for-4 with his second double of the season. He stole his fourth base. Beltre and Paez each walked twice. Dominguez hit his third double and also walked. Acuna was 1-for-2, was hit by a pitch, and walked. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Kyler Fedko (Wichita): 2-for-5, 2B(6), HR(7), 2 R, 4 RBI.
Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-3, 2 BB, 2B(7), 3-SB(20), 2 R,  

Pitcher of the Day 
Darren Oxford (Fort Myers): 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, OER, 0 BB, 3 K. 
Jacob Wosinski (Cedar Rapids): 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. 
Mike Paredes (Wichita): 3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K. 

 

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

#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, R, 3 K
#6 - Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2 BB, R, K. 
#9 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, BB, 2 RBI, 2 K  
#10 - Dasan Hill (Fort Myers) - 2 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 41 pitches, 21 strikes (51.2%)
#11 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, 2 BB, 2B(7), 2 R, K, 3-SB(20).
#14 - Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, 2 RBI, K
#16 - Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 R, K 
#17 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 2-for-5, HR (5), R, 2 RBI
#18 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - 0-for-6, R, 2 K.
#19 - Carson McCusker (Minnesota) - Did Not Play. Got The Call!
#20 - Ricardo Olivar (Wichita) - 1-for-4, BB, R, K.  

SUNDAY PITCHING PROBABLES
Minnesota @ Milwaukee (1:10 PM CDT) - RHP Zebby Matthews (FIrst MLB start of 2025)
St. Paul @ Iowa (1:08 PM CDT) - RHP Andrew Morris (0-1, 3.71 ERA)
Arkansas @ Wichita (1:05 PM CDT) - TBD
Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM CDT) - Chase Chaney (1-0, 3.18 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Jupiter (11:30 AM CDT) - RHP Jason Doktorczyk (2-1, 5.01 ERA)

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

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[thelanges5]

I thought I saw that Festa was starting Saturday. Got pushed back again? That’s not good. Saints BP getting shelled in Des Moines. 

[rdehring]

Thanks for the report, Seth.

Very nice start for Macleod with the Saints.  Expect I am not alone in being excited about what this young man might become for the Twins.  Your thoughts on how high his ceiling might be?  Also, he began the season at Fort Myers.  Was he coming off an injury and is he still on a pitch limit?  

See that Sabato is having a decent start to his season.  He is someone I gave up hope on about a month or two after he was drafted.  Do you think he will ever make it all the way?

Lastly, other than Beltre and Acuna, I don't recognize any of the kids playing for the Twins complex team.  Expect a few were big signings a year or two ago.  Anyone there you feel has the potential to make it big?

Thanks again, Seth.

[bean5302]

Went back and looked at Emma's last 5 games in detail pitch by pitch, and I just don't see how he's a legitimate top prospect. Fangraphs shows Emma at a 9.6% O-swing rate, but in the past 5 games, its been 28% by my count, not that it's helped him. His swinging strike rate (whiff rate) has been at 17.2% and he's had a 18.4% called strike rate. Both are terrible, and within tolerances for his season. He generally won't swing at absolute junk, but he almost never makes good contact, either. He does foul off a ton of balls in the zone, but many of those foul balls are going to be swinging strikes at the MLB level. The results he's getting have been good lately, but it appears to be heavily influenced by luck rather than skill to me.

Glad to see Miranda and Holland with a couple hits a piece, but it'd really be nice to have additional better bullpen options in St. Paul.

Further down the minors, it's great to see Dasan Hill back on the mound and DeBarge clearly not missing a beat after his brief few days off from being HBP.


 

[D.C Twins]

6 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Went back and looked at Emma's last 5 games in detail pitch by pitch, and I just don't see how he's a legitimate top prospect. Fangraphs shows Emma at a 9.6% O-swing rate, but in the past 5 games, its been 28% by my count, not that it's helped him. His swinging strike rate (whiff rate) has been at 17.2% and he's had a 18.4% called strike rate. Both are terrible, and within tolerances for his season. He generally won't swing at absolute junk, but he almost never makes good contact, either. He does foul off a ton of balls in the zone, but many of those foul balls are going to be swinging strikes at the MLB level. The results he's getting have been good lately, but it appears to be heavily influenced by luck rather than skill to me.

Glad to see Miranda and Holland with a couple hits a piece, but it'd really be nice to have additional better bullpen options in St. Paul.

Further down the minors, it's great to see Dasan Hill back on the mound and DeBarge clearly not missing a beat after his brief few days off from being HBP.


 

Totally agree..... this has been a big concern of mine as well!

[Cory Engelhardt]

2 hours ago, thelanges5 said:

I thought I saw that Festa was starting Saturday. Got pushed back again? That’s not good. Saints BP getting shelled in Des Moines. 

Came here to ask the same thing. Hopefully Festa is ok

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, rdehring said:

See that Sabato is having a decent start to his season.  He is someone I gave up hope on about a month or two after he was drafted.  Do you think he will ever make it all the way?

He's 26 and just finally holding his own in Double-A. An all-bat prospect needs 1000 OPS in the minors and he's at 823. If he does make it, it will probably be a very short MLB career.

[Fatbat]

McCrusher and Sabato are about the same age but their pro ball journey are night and day different. 

[Steve Lein]

On 5/18/2025 at 10:51 AM, rdehring said:

Very nice start for Macleod with the Saints.  Expect I am not alone in being excited about what this young man might become for the Twins.  Your thoughts on how high his ceiling might be?  Also, he began the season at Fort Myers.  Was he coming off an injury and is he still on a pitch limit?  

MacLeod was injured to start the season, so his time in Fort Myers were rehab appearances. He made a spot start with the Saints last year, so he pitched at 3+ levels just like Matthews and Morris. Probably getting the bump here again to fill in for whatever is going on with Festa. I would expect he goes back to Wichita until at least the midsummer, unless he doesn't because of performance, haha. He's only thrown just over 50 innings in double-A.

I had him in my "Dark Horse" section for making an MLB debut this year. I like what I've seen of MacLeod a lot, but he doesn't necessarily have the "stuff" that other guys have. He's only 88-92 with his fastball,  which means he'll need to work a bit harder than others to improve his control and command where it needs to be.