Twins Minor League Report (6/28): Jenkins Goes Yard, Cardenas Walks It Off, Fedko & DeBarge Stay Hot

[Parker Hageman]

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 40-43
St. Paul Saints: 36-42
Wichita Wind Surge: 40-34
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 42-32
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 31-41
FCL Twins: 25-13
DSL Twins: 5-14

TRANSACTIONS
Cedar Rapids Kernels activated RHP Logan Whitaker from the 7-day injured list.
St. Paul Saints activated C Diego Cartaya.
St. Paul Saints placed 2B Ryan Fitzgerald on the 7-day injured list. Right hamstring strain.

SAINTS SENTINEL
Game 1: St. Paul 3, Louisville 7
Box Score

What looked like a promising afternoon unraveled fast for the Saints in the sixth, undone by a Blake Dunn no-doubt grand slam that punctuated a five-run frame and flipped the script at CHS Field.

Marco Raya looked sharp through five, limiting the Louisville Bats to two runs and giving St. Paul a chance to settle in. But the baton passed to Anthony Misiewicz in the sixth, and the inning went sideways quickly: two singles, a sac bunt, a walk, a sac fly, another walk—and then Dunn unloaded on a first-pitch fastball, sending it over the left-field wall and sucking the air out of the ballpark.

Yunior Severino did what he could to keep things close, launching a 450-foot missile to straightaway center for a two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning. He drove in all three of St. Paul’s runs on the night, but the damage had been done.

Peyton Eeles and Jeferson Morales each tallied a pair of hits, while Royce Lewis, continuing his rehab assignment, led off and went 0-for-2 with a walk. Not much to show in the box score, but the timing and health continue to trend in the right direction.

The Saints fall, but Severino’s power show remains a highlight—and a reminder of what could be waiting in the wings.

Game 2: St Paul 5, Louisville 4
Box Score

Anthony Prato, better known for his uncanny ability to wear pitches than to launch them, flipped the script in the nightcap of the Saints’ double-header. The franchise’s resident hit-by-pitch magnet turned enforcer in the sixth, unloading a two-run shot that put St. Paul momentarily in front. 

 

But the good vibes were short-lived. Jarrett Whorff, called upon to close it down, served up a game-tying two-run homer in the top of the seventh. Of course, baseball being baseball, Whorff would ultimately be rewarded with the win after backup catcher Noah Cardenas—hitting below the Mendoza Line entering the night—turned on a 99 mph fastball and parked it in the bullpen to walk it off.

Pitcher wins? Still irrelevant.

Peyton Eeles stayed hot, tacking on two more singles, while Pierson Ohl gave the Saints four solid innings (3H, 2ER, 6K) and now carries a shiny 1.95 ERA across three levels.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Springfield 12, Wichita 6
Box Score

The bats showed up late for the Wind Surge, and by the time they did, Springfield had already built an 8-0 cushion. Wichita clawed back to 9-5 before the Cardinals tacked on insurance in the 8th, sealing a 12-6 loss.

Kyler Fedko—currently leading the Texas League in slugging—continued his wrecking ball ways, lacing a ground-rule double with the bases loaded. Kaelen Culpepper racked up a three-hit day, and Walker Jenkins launched his first Double-A home run: a 386-foot rocket into the bullpen off a 96 mph heater. Since his promotion, Jenkins has reached safely in 9 of 10 games and continues to look every bit the fast-tracked future piece.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 4, South Bend 5
Box Score

The Kernels held a narrow 4-3 lead into the seventh, powered by a clutch ground-rule double from Kyle Hess that brought home Billy Amick and Misael Urbina. But the edge didn’t last. Jacob Kistling surrendered a two-run homer in the bottom half, and just like that, South Bend flipped the script.

Kyle DeBarge continues to be a one-man wrecking crew. The infielder went 2-for-5, swiped his league-leading 42nd base of the season, and added his 47th RBI for good measure. The stat line keeps stacking, and so does his case as one of the most dynamic players in the Midwest League.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Tampa 7, Fort Myers 4
Box Score

The day’s spotlight was on Dasan Hill, the lean, left-handed arm with upside and velocity to match. He navigated traffic through his first two innings before running into trouble in the third, allowing a pair of runs. That frame had everything: Brian Sanchez swiped two bags, there was a wild pitch, a balk, and—just for good measure—a pickoff/caught stealing to end the inning. Hill threw 65 pitches in total, the most of his pro career.

The Mussels got some help from the Tarpons’ infield circus in the fifth. What looked like a routine Dameury Peña grounder turned into two runs after airmail throws from both corners of Tampa’s defense—first from third, then first—and Peña ended up standing on third without needing to flash any wheels.

Caleb McNeely put together a solid day at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with a double. But Tampa’s running game ran wild, swiping eight bags against the Fort Myers battery in what became a track meet on dirt.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 6, FCL Red Sox 5
Box Score

Trailing 5-0 and facing win probability odds that screamed “not your day,” the FCL Twins rallied back behind a flurry of timely hits and bullpen dominance.

Rafael Escalante knocked in two with a single in the sixth, while Ricardo Paez’s sac fly in the seventh evened things up. Carlos Silva drove home the eventual winning run in the eighth on a fielder’s choice, completing the comeback.

Teague Conrad tossed three scoreless frames to slam the door and grab the win.

Yes, Daiber De Los Santos struck out three times. Yes, he still leads the league with 57 punchouts. 

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Marlins 6, DSL Twins 3
Box Score

It was a shaky start on the mound for the DSL Twins. Starter Rainer Marin and reliever Aaron Carranza combined to issue eight walks over 4.2 innings, and as is often the case, those freebies came back to bite—four of them eventually came around to score.

Still, there were bright spots. Teilon Serrano stayed locked in at the plate, collecting two hits and crossing home for one of the Twins’ only two runs. Haritzon Castillo continues to be one of the most consistent bats in the DSL, roping an RBI single—his 14th run driven in this season.

Castillo’s line now sits at a scorching .346/.453/.558 through 64 plate appearances, good for second in the league in RBIs. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day: Pierson Ohl, 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 6 K
Hitter of the Day: Walker Jenkins, 2-for-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for more. 

1. Walker Jenkins (Wichita): 2-for-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB
4. Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita): 3-for-5, R, RBI
6. Dasan Hill (Fort Myers): 3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K
9. Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-5
10. Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-5, RBI
11. Marco Raya (St. Paul): 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K
12. Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-3, R, BB
19. Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-3, BB
20. Payton Eeles (St. Paul): 4-for-6, 3 R

TOMORROW’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul vs. Louisville, 2:07 pm CT: Randy Dobnak
Wichita vs. Springfield, 1:05 pm CT: Christian MacLeod
Cedar Rapids vs. South Bend, 1:05 pm CT: Alejandro Hidalgo
Fort Myers at Tampa, 11:00 am CT: Christian Becerra

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[DJL44]

My wife and I attended the Saints doubleheader tonight. Raya has nasty stuff but it is good Louisville was chasing because he is still inconsistent with command. Ohl looked okay as well.

Sabato looks very happy to be in AAA and Miranda looks very unhappy to be in AAA - the attitude is obvious. Miranda is playing like he's hoping to be released so he can find a different organization to play for. Sabato doesn't have a ton of range at 1B but he can catch a thrown ball.

Eeles is fun as hell to watch in person, hustle, aggressive baserunning, charging plays on defense. Julien - OTOH is as passive as ever at the plate and in the field. He laid back on an easy grounder and booted it, then was slow on the turn and didn't get the lead runner on the following play, instead choosing to go to first base. Eeles put the ball in play and made things happen; Julien walked.

Royce still looks like he's not right. He wants to make explosive, athletic moves but is hesitant and throttles back.

Austin Martin did not play, despite the doubleheader.

Americans have got to be the best in the world at eating. I was impressed. People were stuffing their faces the entire game, and then ran to the outfield to get more food from food trucks between the game and post-game fireworks.

[jkcarew]

Should I be worried that Em Rodriguez struck out in 3 of 4 at-bats in the Florida Complex League on Thursday, and then has disappeared again for a couple of days?

I mean, the 3 of 4 K’s in the Florida Complex League is one thing…but it’s the disappearing that I’m wondering about.

[jkcarew]

Fun with really weird numbers…

I noticed today that Gabby Gonzalez already has 43 hits in 31 games with Wichita. And 5 RBI. That’s right…FIVE. The hits include 14 XBH, although no HR. That’s a full-season pace of about 215 hits and 25 RBI. 

For context, in 1972, Carew won his first batting title without hitting a home run. He accumulated 170 hits, with 50 RBI. That’s with a PITCHER batting in front of him.

It’s not like Wichita can’t score runs, either. I don’t know how 5 RBI on 43 hits is even possible. Some combination of leading off an inordinate number of innings (he’s typically 2 or 3 in the lineup)…and having really really bad luck with RISP. He rarely strikes out making it even more odd that he hasn’t stumbled into more than 5 RBI simply on sac flies and fielder’s choices.

[Doctor Gast]

6 hours ago, DJL44 said:

My wife and I attended the Saints doubleheader tonight. Raya has nasty stuff but it is good Louisville was chasing because he is still inconsistent with command. Ohl looked okay as well.

Sabato looks very happy to be in AAA and Miranda looks very unhappy to be in AAA - the attitude is obvious. Miranda is playing like he's hoping to be released so he can find a different organization to play for. Sabato doesn't have a ton of range at 1B but he can catch a thrown ball.

Eeles is fun as hell to watch in person, hustle, aggressive baserunning, charging plays on defense. Julien - OTOH is as passive as ever at the plate and in the field. He laid back on an easy grounder and booted it, then was slow on the turn and didn't get the lead runner on the following play, instead choosing to go to first base. Eeles put the ball in play and made things happen; Julien walked.

Royce still looks like he's not right. He wants to make explosive, athletic moves but is hesitant and throttles back.

Austin Martin did not play, despite the doubleheader.

Thanks DJL for your on field report. Was pretty much what I expected but always nice to get confirmation. Crazy that Martin didn't play, Martin news are hard to come by. Ohl doesn't look impressive but he gets the job done.

[Doctor Wu]

7 hours ago, DJL44 said:

My wife and I attended the Saints doubleheader tonight. Raya has nasty stuff but it is good Louisville was chasing because he is still inconsistent with command. Ohl looked okay as well.

Sabato looks very happy to be in AAA and Miranda looks very unhappy to be in AAA - the attitude is obvious. Miranda is playing like he's hoping to be released so he can find a different organization to play for. Sabato doesn't have a ton of range at 1B but he can catch a thrown ball.

Eeles is fun as hell to watch in person, hustle, aggressive baserunning, charging plays on defense. Julien - OTOH is as passive as ever at the plate and in the field. He laid back on an easy grounder and booted it, then was slow on the turn and didn't get the lead runner on the following play, instead choosing to go to first base. Eeles put the ball in play and made things happen; Julien walked.

Royce still looks like he's not right. He wants to make explosive, athletic moves but is hesitant and throttles back.

Austin Martin did not play, despite the doubleheader.

Americans have got to be the best in the world at eating. I was impressed. People were stuffing their faces the entire game, and then ran to the outfield to get more food from food trucks between the game and post-game fireworks.

Very interesting and helpful to read those observations of the players. Nothing beats those first-hand takes. Thank you!

[Doctor Wu]

DeBarge continues to impress. At this point he looks like a legit prospect, but once he reaches Minnesota where in the infield will he end up?

[mikelink45]

Has Ohl become the next man up?  It is an important question because it is time to rest Ober.  And as the trade deadline gets closer we may lose Paddock.

[Major League Ready]

33 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Has Ohl become the next man up?  It is an important question because it is time to rest Ober.  And as the trade deadline gets closer we may lose Paddock.

I sure hope Pablo and Zebby get healthy so we don't have to find out.

[LambchoP]

Gonzalez, Culpeper and DeBarge all have looked great this year. I am seriously worried about our pitching though. Seems like nobody, SP or RP ever throws more than 3 or 4 innings. How are these guys supposed to go deep into games when they are being conditioned to only go a few innings. The numbers have not looked good either. Outside of maybe Adams and Ohl our upper level guys have been getting rocked all year. Hopefully we can acquire some decent AA or AAA starting pitchers at the trade deadline because I've lost a lot of confidence in guys like Raya, Morris and Lewis.

[DJL44]

2 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Has Ohl become the next man up? 

Ohl might be an option in the bullpen.

[tony&rodney]

11 hours ago, DJL44 said:

My wife and I attended the Saints doubleheader tonight. Raya has nasty stuff but it is good Louisville was chasing because he is still inconsistent with command. Ohl looked okay as well.

Sabato looks very happy to be in AAA and Miranda looks very unhappy to be in AAA - the attitude is obvious. Miranda is playing like he's hoping to be released so he can find a different organization to play for. Sabato doesn't have a ton of range at 1B but he can catch a thrown ball.

Eeles is fun as hell to watch in person, hustle, aggressive baserunning, charging plays on defense. Julien - OTOH is as passive as ever at the plate and in the field. He laid back on an easy grounder and booted it, then was slow on the turn and didn't get the lead runner on the following play, instead choosing to go to first base. Eeles put the ball in play and made things happen; Julien walked.

Royce still looks like he's not right. He wants to make explosive, athletic moves but is hesitant and throttles back.

Austin Martin did not play, despite the doubleheader.

Americans have got to be the best in the world at eating. I was impressed. People were stuffing their faces the entire game, and then ran to the outfield to get more food from food trucks between the game and post-game fireworks.

I'll join the chorus in saying thank you for the concise report of your observations.

While I did not watch any games yesterday I do watch a ton of minor league baseball via milb.com. This is not the same as attending games though. 

The way that Miranda and Julien approach/play baseball is more or less who they are at this point. I have had the exact same conclusions about efforts and style with those two guys. It might be that they are working hard but their mannerisms and sense of the game is off. Even at their best I struggle to watch them play and I attempted to defend them as learning last year. The bottom line on those two is that the optics of style magnifies their lack of talent. I doubt either resurfaces in MLB as anything other than 13th roster spot players for brief times here and there. I could see the Twins recalling Julien if France continues to plummet. Maybe he can provide a couple of weeks of play. Long term? No.

Sure hope the Twins allow Lewis to fully heal. Until he returns to health the Twins are better off with their current choices. 

[Patzky]

https://www.mlb.com/news/twins-walker-jenkins-cardinals-jj-wetherholt-homer-same-game-double-a

 

Up and comers share the field.

[Dman]

I guess I hadn't realized that Chivili is now a full time pitcher instead of a Shortstop.  I guess they think he just wasn't going to hit or he might be a better pitcher than hitter? Other than K rate the numbers look pretty good.  Would be awesome if he turned into a difference making arm.

Really happy to see Jenkins with a great game.  Seeing a little power was even nicer.  Sure hope he keeps it going.

[rdehring]

When a player is drafted in the first round, there is always hope he is the one.  Now a year later, is it time to start believing Culpepper might actually be the one?  Or is it still too soon?  If not now, when?

[tony&rodney]

2 hours ago, rdehring said:

When a player is drafted in the first round, there is always hope he is the one.  Now a year later, is it time to start believing Culpepper might actually be the one?  Or is it still too soon?  If not now, when?

Wail until the player has 1,000 plate appearances. Can I remind folks that Julien was 7th in AL ROY in 2023? Patience.

[ashbury]

Welcome back, Parker.

[twinstalker]

Rod Carew's first batting title wasn't in 1972.