Twins Minor League Report (6/7): Southpaw Saturday Night!

[Tom Froemming]

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Dasan Hill)

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 34-30
St. Paul Saints: 30-29
Wichita Wind Surge: 29-27
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 32-23
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 26-30
FCL Twins: 15-10
DSL Twins: 1-4

TRANSACTIONS
There were a ton of moves today, so let’s break things down by affiliate.

St. Paul: The Twins sent Michael Tonkin back on a rehab assignment with the Saints. He was already on rehab assignment with the Saints from late-April through early-May, but things weren’t going so well (9.39 ERA in 7 2/3 innings). Here’s hoping Tonkin looks refreshed after taking about a month off. 

The Saints also received Maddux Houghton, who is coming up all the way from down in Fort Myers. Houghton, 26, also made the jump from Low A to Triple A at one point last year. 

Wichita: RHP Cole Percival was assigned to the Wind Surge. He had a 2.70 ERA in nine games with Cedar Rapids. Yes, he is the son of former All-Star closer Troy Percival. He surfaced with the Twins after being released by the Yankees in late-April, where he had been pitching for their Double-A affiliate. Also, LHP Christian MacLeod was placed on the 7-day IL.

Cedar Rapids: RHP Jacob Kisting was assigned to the Kernels. The Twins 14th-round pick from last year’s draft, Kisting hasn’t pitched to a very impressive ERA for Fort Myers (3.97) but has been missing bats. The 6-foot-5 right-hander has 41 strikeouts in 34 innings of relief this season.

Fort Myers: RHP Matt Gabbert, who is rehabbing his way to Cedar Rapids, has been assigned to the Mighty Mussels. He had a 3.86 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 14 innings with the FCL Twins.

FCL Twins: New signee Sam Rochard was assigned to the FCL Twins. He had a 1.17 ERA in 23 innings for the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League. Also, OF Byron Chourio started a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins.

SAINTS SENTINEL 
St. Paul 4, Scranton/WIlkes-Barre 1
Box Score
SP: Darren McCaughan (5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K)
HR: Maddux Houghton (1)

Sean Aronson, Saints Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations, asked manager Toby Gardenhire about Houghton before today’s game.

“You don’t get to come from A-ball all the way up to Triple-A unless you’re a polished player, unless everybody really likes you,” Gardenhire told Aronson. “We love having him here, he’s a really good defender in center field. Hopefully he’ll go out there and get a couple hits for us tonight. ”

Houghton didn’t quite meet those hopes, but I think his manager will still be pleased. While Houghton fell shy of collecting a couple hits, the one hit he had was a big one. He got the Saints on the board in the fifth inning by blasting his first Triple-A homer.

The Saints then grinded out a single run in each of the next three innings. Edouard Julien plated a run in the sixth inning with a two-out single, they scored on an RBI groundout by Payton Eeles in the seventh inning and Anthony Prato hit a sac fly in the eighth.

Darren McCaughan picked up the win after throwing five shutout innings. Michael Tonkin was the first man out of the Saints bullpen. He’s back on a rehab assignment after taking the last month off. He pitched a scoreless sixth inning, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out a batter. He topped out at 94.5 mph and sat 93.2 mph with his four-seamer, which basically where that pitch was last season. That’s a great sign, since last time around Tonkin’s velo was consistently not reaching those 2024 levels.

Kyle Bischoff covered the seventh and eighth innings before Richard Lovelady earned his fifth save of the season for the Saints.  Miranda was the only St. Paul hitter with multiple hits. He was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Carson McCusker was 0-for-3 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts at the plate, but he threw out a runner at the plate in the top of the fifth inning when the score was still tied 0-0.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Northwest Arkansas 6, Wichita 4
Box Score
SP: Connor Prielipp (4 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K)
HR: None

Connor Prielipp took a big step this evening. For the first time in 21 career pro starts, Prielipp recorded outs in the fifth inning. In fact, he was inches away from completing five innings for the first time. The final batter he faced hit a grounder that Aaron Sabato had to go to his right to get. He made the toss to Prielipp, but the speedy runner barely beat him to the bag.

Prielipp was in attack mode, pounding the strike zone and working quickly. He threw 44 of his 60 pitches for strikes, an eye-popping 73.3%. For reference, the MLB average strike rate is 63.8% this season. He struck out five batters, did not issue a walk and the only run he surrendered was unearned. Preilipp’s ERA is down to 3.13 and he’s struck out 40 batters in 31 2 /3 innings.

Jacob Wosinski , the first man out of Wichita’s bullpen, gave up five runs over an inning of work and the lineup couldn’t mount enough of a rally to come back from that. Ricardo Olivar was the only Wind Surge hitter to reach safely twice, as he was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Kyler Fedko, Aaron Sabato and Rubel Cespedes all hit doubles. Kala'i Rosario also stole his ninth base of the season.

Tyler Dearden was ejected from this game in the top of the fifth inning for arguing the strike zone from the dugout. He didn’t appreciate a call during his at-bat, then the next Wichita hitter also appeared to have a call go against him. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Wisconsin 3, Cedar Rapids 2
Box Score
SP: Alejandro Hidalgo (5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K)
HR: None

With the Kernels down to their last strike in the top of the ninth inning, Kyle DeBarge ripped a game-tying double past the third baseman. Wisconsin managed to answer in the bottom of the ninth to walk it off.

The game-winning rally started with a bloop single, followed by a walk and a sacrifice fly. Then Kernels pitcher Hunter Hoopes uncorked a walk-off wild pitch. Tough way to eventually lose after battling back. 

Alejandro Hidalgo is getting his feel for pitching back after missing the entire 2024 season due to a shoulder injury. It’s been a mixed bag in the early going, but he was great tonight. The 22-year-old right-hander struck out seven batters over five innings, and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk.

DeBarge had a pair of doubles and Rayne Doncon was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 1
Box Score
SP: Dasan Hill (4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K)
HR: None

Dasan Hill is off to an incredible start to his pro career. He turned in four innings of shutout ball tonight, surrendering just two hits and a walk. The 6-foot-5 lefty struck out seven of the 15 batters he faced tonight, topping out at 96.8 mph.

Among Hill’s 62 pitches, 19 were sinkers, 18 were changeups, 14 were curveballs, 10 were sliders and he threw one four-seamer (per Baseball Savant/Statcast data). He got 11 swinging strikes, six of which came on his curveball. Hill, 19, now has a 1.50 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 24 innings this season.

After Hill’s night was over, Adrian Bohorquez took over. It’s been a tough go for him this year, as he entered tonight with a 11.85 ERA in 13 2/3 innings, but maybe tonight will be a turning point. Bohorquez limited Palm Beach to one run over four innings and struck out five batters. He topped out at 96.5 mph and got a dozen swinging strikes. 

Yohander Martinez was involved in both of the Mussels' scoring plays. The first run of the game was scored when Martinez reached on an error with two outs in the fourth inning. He later broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth inning by hitting a two-out, two-run double.

Walker Jenkins was 1-for-3 and played center field for seven innings.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Red Sox 5, FCL Twins 1
Box Score
SP: Joel Garcia (3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K)
HR: None

There wasn’t much to highlight from this one, to be honest. The Twins only mustered three hits, struck out 12 times and committed three errors. Joel Garcia, the starting pitcher, racked up five Ks in just three innings, but he also surrendered three runs.

Brent Francisco, who the Twins signed from the Washington WildThings of the independent Frontier League, was the standout performer in this one. The 6-foot-7 right-hander struck out four batters in two scoreless innings of work. 

Byron Chourio, who had last played May 11, went 1-for-4 with a double in his first rehab game. He drove in the only run for the Twins

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 9, DSL Yankees 4
Box Score
SP: Angel Castillo (1/3 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 1 K)
HR: Jhomnardo Reyes (1), Teilon Serrano (1)

The DSL Twins are in the win column! The lineup made up for dud of a start from Angel Castillo by scoring four runs in each of the first two innings.

Three Twins runs in the first frame were scored without the benefit of a hit. There were a pair of bases loaded walks and a run scoring wild pitch. The big blow of the second inning came when 17-year-old Dominican center fielder and A+ name Jhomnardo Reyes hit a three-run homer. Teilon Serrano added a home run of his own in the third inning. It was the first professional home run for both Reyes and Serrano, who each have an OPS north of 1.500 in the very early goings for the DSL Twins. Serrano reached base three times and stole a base.

Castillo opened the game with a strikeout, but then walked each of the next three batters. Eliezer Lucena allowed two of those inherited runners to score, but the 17-year-old Venezuelan right-hander stabilized the game by throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY 
Pitcher of the Day: Dasan Hill, Fort Myers (4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K)
Hitter of the Day: Teilon Serrano, DSL Twins (2-for-3, HR, BB, SB, 3 R, RBI, K)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for more. 

1. Walker Jenkins (rehabbing with Fort Myers): 1-for-3
5. Connor Prielipp (Wichita): 4 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
6. Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5, K
9. Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4
10. Dasan Hill (Fort Myers): 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
11. Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-5, 2 2B, R, RBI, 2 K
17. Tanner Schobel (St. Paul): 1-for-2, 2B, BB, R, K
19. Carson McCusker (St. Paul): 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
20. Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 1-for-3, BB, R

TOMORROW’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, 2:07 pm CT: Simeon Woods Richardson
Wichita at Northwest Arkansas, 2:05 pm CT: Aaron Rozek
Cedar Rapids at Wisconsin, 1:10 pm CT: Tanner Hall
Fort Myers vs. Palm Beach, 11:05 am CT: Michael Carpenter

 

 

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[Doctor Gast]

Happy that Miranda is playing 1B, got 2 hits & scored 2X. Sad that Keirsey needs ABs & not getting them this year.

[FlyingFinn]

39 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Sad that Keirsey needs ABs & not getting them this year.

If Houghton is called up from low A to play CF, something is up with Keirsey (injury, personal reasons??).

[FlyingFinn]

Listened to the Mussels radio broadcast for a while. Hill was great. Announcer said he pitches with the smarts of a AAA or major league pitcher at such a young age. Jenkins got one hit.

Houghton is the new Dalton Shuffield, filling a temporary hole wherever needed in the Twins minor league system. Not going to be in the majors ever and bounced from low A to AAA for the 2nd time (has never played high A or AA). Announcers were praising him as a great person with high baseball IQ. Said he believes, as do a number of other people, that he will be a future baseball coach.

[Doctor Wu]

Another very interesting roundup! I love reading these! Very satisfying to see excellent pitching from Prielipp and Hill. Plus DeBarge and Schobel keep hitting. Keep the momentum going! And now we have the son of Troy Percival in our system? Hmm ... we may soon be the home of the castoff sons of ex-MLB All-Stars (we had Dereck Rodriguez and now Clemens ... who is next?)

[Major League Ready]

Hill and Prielipp are the two most intriguing pitchers in the system right now if you consider Matthews as already having graduated.  Anyone know when Soto is supposed to be back?

[DJL44]

2 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

Houghton is the new Dalton Shuffield, filling a temporary hole wherever needed in the Twins minor league system. Not going to be in the majors ever and bounced from low A to AAA for the 2nd time (has never played high A or AA). Announcers were praising him as a great person with high baseball IQ. Said he believes, as do a number of other people, that he will be a future baseball coach.

I believe he gets a pay bump no matter what level he plays at now that he's played at AAA.

[Fatbat]

Hill and CP will be getting promoted if they keep up with the 4/5 inning close to ZERO ERA formula.  Lefty’s consistently sitting at 95/96 mph and wipeout off speed stuff. WOW.  So fun to watch these two kids.

[rdehring]

Exciting that Prielipp was at 62 pitches and 4+ innings.  Excellent night for this young leftie.  But Holy Cow, Hill was even better with 60 pitches, 4.0 shutout innings and only 2 hits. 

Don't know if many of you caught Glen Perkins comment on yesterday's broadcast about Jenkins.  Said he met him this winter in an elevator at a Twins event.  Commented on how big he was, said he "towered over me."  Didn't realize Jenkins was that big as Perkins is around 6'0? 

And what a night because the DSL Twins actually won for the first time.  I know they have been scoring lots of runs.  Checked and see that four hitters have averages close to or over .500.  Yes, it is a small sample, but that's still impressive.  Are any of the four big dollar signings this past winter?

[LambchoP]

I think Prelipp and Hill are the Twins pitchers to watch. If they can keep each of them healthy and keep getting better, eventually these guys could be an amazing 1-2 punch in the big league rotation! Anyone know when Soto is supposed to be back? He was another intriguing young pitcher. Been fun to follow these guys because Raya, Lewis and Morris have not looked good at all. Mccaghan has looked solid in AAA. If SWR struggles in the rotation or Adams struggles as the bulk guy they should give him a chance. Is he already on the 40 man?

[Ricky Vaughn]

I would be very careful projecting much for Prelipp. The man has pitched a total of 90 innings the last five years. 55 of those last year and this year. Only 28 innings in collage. He may have MLB caliber pitches but he still needs to learn HOW to pitch. Have some patience.

[Major League Ready]

1 hour ago, rdehring said:

And what a night because the DSL Twins actually won for the first time.  I know they have been scoring lots of runs.  Checked and see that four hitters have averages close to or over .500.  Yes, it is a small sample, but that's still impressive.  Are any of the four big dollar signings this past winter?

   1M    Teilon Serrano
1.2M    Carlos Taveras
1.7M    Haritzon Castillo

Could not find an amount for Jhomnardo Reyes

[tony&rodney]

2 hours ago, LambchoP said:

I think Prelipp and Hill are the Twins pitchers to watch. If they can keep each of them healthy and keep getting better, eventually these guys could be an amazing 1-2 punch in the big league rotation! Anyone know when Soto is supposed to be back? He was another intriguing young pitcher. Been fun to follow these guys because Raya, Lewis and Morris have not looked good at all. Mccaghan has looked solid in AAA. If SWR struggles in the rotation or Adams struggles as the bulk guy they should give him a chance. Is he already on the 40 man?

Raya has had some good games. He has struggled with consistency. Have you been watching the games because Morris has been fairly decent all season with only a few glitches along the way. I have caught most of his games on milb.com. He just needs experience with sequencing. 

Prielipp and Hill have looked dominant at times but they will also need to prove themselves at a higher level before we get too crazy with projections. I'm hoping Prielipp moves to St. Paul by July.

[DocBauer]

It would seem the Twins are still working with Prielipp on the nuances of pitching, mixing all 3 offerings in, etc. And that's to be expected with all the time he's missed. But if he keeps this up, he can toss 60 pitches at AAA come July, IMO. 

I'd bet Hill follows the same path as Soto and spends the whole season at low A, with a possible late look at CR. He's still very young. Most kids his age are at rookie ball in their 1st year. Still, it's not hard to be excited about him.