Twins Minor League Report (7/5): Hitting with Runners in Scoring Position is a Good Thing in the Minor Leagues Too

[Seth Stohs]

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (image of Christian MacLeod)

Like their big-league counterparts, the Twins minor leaguers really struggled on Saturday once runners were on base. They got lots of runners on base, but were unable to do anything once they were there. 

RESULTS
St. Paul 3, Gwinnett 1
Wichita 2, Tulsa 3
Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities (Postponed)
Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 5  
Game 1: FCL Twins 4, FCL Red Sox 1
Game 2: FCL Twins 6, FCL Red Sox 5
DSL Twins 6, DSL 5 (8 innings)

 

TRANSACTIONS
Travis Adams was officially promoted to the Twins and made his MLB debut. The corresponding move was optioning Kody Funderburk.

Jonah Bride was activated by the Saints and played in his first game with the Twins Triple-A squad. 

The organization signed lefty Yordi Jose a couple of days ago. He was assigned to the DSL Twins. 

STARTING PITCHERS
Randy Dobnak (St. Paul): 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 K.
Christian MacLeod (Wichita): 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
(Cedar Rapids): Game Postponed
(Dasan Hill (Fort Myers): 3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
Game 1: Anthony Narvaez (FCL Twins): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.
Game 2: Hendry Chivilli (FCL Twins) - 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Rainer Marin (DSL Twins) - 3 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K

HOME RUNS
St. Paul: Edouard Julien (7)
FCL: Daiber De Los Santos (4)
FCL: Rafael Escalante (1)  

MULTI-HIT GAMES 
St. Paul:
Carson McCusker - 3-for-4, 2-2B(16), RBI
Fort Myers:
Angel Del Rosario - 2-for-4, 3B(3), R, 2 RBI,
FCL Game 1:
Ramiro Dominguez - 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, K, 2-SB(11)
FCL Game 2:
Luis Fragoza - 2-for-4, R, RBI, SB(11)
Daiber De Los Santos - 2-for-4, HR(4), 2 R, 2 RBI
Rafael Escalante - 2-for-3, HR(1), R, 2 RBI
Yovanny Duran (DSL) - 2-for-2, 2 BB, 2 RBI, R
Gerardo Cardona (DSL) - 2-for-2, BB, 2B(1), 2 RBI 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Carson McCusker (St. Paul):  3-for-4, 2-2B(16), RBI
It’s been a struggle for McCusker since he returned from his two weeks with the big-league club, but he had a strong game on Saturday. Before Saturday’s three-hit game, he was 17-for-105 (.162) with three doubles and six home runs over 29 games. Hopefully the three-hit game, including a couple of doubles and a couple of hard-hit balls, will get him going again.

Pitcher of the Day 
Christian MacLeod (Wichita): 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 73 pitches, 44 strikes (60.3%)
The southpaw from Mississippi State was really good again on Saturday, but he’s really pitched well throughout the season for Wichita. His season began a couple of weeks late. After two outings with four scoreless innings for Fort Myers, he tossed six scoreless innings over his first two outings and six innings for Wichita. In fact, he gave up zero earned runs in seven of his first eight starts. He has four more starts with one earned run allowed.

It’s no surprise that MacLeod has a nice 2.06 ERA over his 10 starts and 35 innings. In addition, he started with four scoreless innings in Fort Myers (rehab). He also made one start for the Saints. He gave up only an unearned run on one hit over 3 2/3 innings. He continues to work back from Tommy John surgery and coupled with the Twins strategy with several pitchers of having them throw three to four innings or 50-70 starts. It’s a strategy. It’s part of the plan. That said, five innings on Saturday was his season high. 

 

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

#1– Walker Jenkins (Wichita) - 1-for-4, BB, R, K (played CF)
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Rehab in Fort Myers, 1-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K.
#6 - Dasan Hill (Fort Myers) - 3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 79 pitches, 51 strikes (64.6%)
#13 - Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita) - 1-for-3, 2 HBP, (played LF)
#15 - Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins) - Game 1: 1-for-3, 2B(8), Game 2: 1-for-4, R, 2 K, SB(14) (DHd both games)
#20 - Payton Eeles (St. Paul) - 0-for-5, K

CURRENT W-L Records

Minnesota Twins: 45-46 (tied for 2nd in AL Central, 11.5 games behind Detroit.)
St. Paul Saints: 38-46
Wichita Wind Surge: 44-36
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 45-34
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 32-46
FCL Twins: 28-14
DSL Twins: 8-17 

SUNDAY PITCHING PROBABLES
Tampa Bay @ Minnesota (1:10 PM CT) - RHP Joe Ryan (8-4, 2.75 ERA)
St. Paul @ Gwinnett (12:05 PM CT) - Connor Gillispie (3-0, 4.91 ERA, first start in Twins organization.)
Tulsa @ Wichita (1:05 PM CT) - RHP John Klein (6-4, 3.00 ERA)   
Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM) - Ty Langenberg (1-4, 5.96 ERA)
Bradenton @ Fort Myers (11:05 AM) - RHP Jason Doktorczyk (2-4, 4.83 ERA)

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

And just for fun, here is a benches-clearing brawl in a minor-league game recently.  

 

SAINTS SENTINEL
The Saints went just 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position on Saturday. They left 11 runners on base. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM 
Kyler Fedko had an RBI on Saturday, giving him 51 on the season. Fedko leads the Texas League leader in RBI and Home Runs (17). His 21 stolen bases rank fifth in the league. He is tied for the league lead in Total Bases (128). His 28 Extra Base Hits ranks second, behind teammate Kala'i Rosario's 29. 

Ben Ross extended his on-base streak to 14 games. Gabriel Gonzalez is at 13 games. 

Jaylin Nowlen has given up zero earned runs over his past six appearances and 11 innings. 

On Saturday, the Surge went just 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 14 runners on base. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Brandon Winokur leads the Midwest League in At-Bats (298) and Plate Appearances (338). 

Kyle DeBarge has now been caught three times, but his 45 stolen bases are 10 more than anyone else in the Midwest League. He is also Top 10 in the league in Runs and RBI. 

It's been a really terrific redemption season for Danny De Andrade. He was 19 when the Kernels season started in 2024. Less than two months into the season, he was injured and never returned. He hasn't played shortstop, but he has been really strong defensively at second base and third base. He also is tied for third in the Midwest League in Extra Base Hits with 30. He is top 10 in the league with 17 doubles and is tied for the league lead with six triples. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Like the Saints and Wind Surge,, the Mussels struggled with driving in runs. They went 1-for-10 with Runners in Scoring Position and left nine on base. 

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Please provide feedback on this minor league report format, particularly compared to the previously-used one. I have my thoughts, but your thoughts are more important. 

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[FlyingFinn]

Nice to see consistency from Nowlin. Keep it up as his history is a mixture of great and terrible outings. He's got the arm to be in MLB.

[Doctor Wu]

Jaylin Nowlen has given up zero earned runs over his past six appearances and 11 innings. 

That's a very encouraging stretch. How is his control lately? Has he been walking many batters?

[Doctor Wu]

It's been a really terrific redemption season for Danny De Andrade. He was 19 when the Kernels season started in 2024. Less than two months into the season, he was injured and never returned. He hasn't played shortstop, but he has been really strong defensively at second base and third base. He also is tied for third in the Midwest League in Extra Base Hits with 30. He is top 10 in the league with 17 doubles and is tied for the league lead with six triples. 

Great to see that De Andrade has come back strong. Honestly, I had almost forgotten about him after his lengthy IL stint last season. He's still quite young, so the future seems bright. 

[jmlease1]

I'd almost forgotten about Christian Macleod (there can be only one?), would not mind at all seeing a LHP move up the ranks and maybe be a rotation option going forward. It does feel like the Twins have a lot of "maybes" in the rotations at the higher levels in the minors, but no one who is really stepping forwards and dominating with consistency. But LHP has a lot of utility, so many this gets Macleod moving again.

De Andrade is having a fine season and seems to have himself back on track after a lost season from injury. Great to see. A little surprised he's not playing SS, as I thought the Twins liked his defense there, but it seems that he's behind several players now on the pecking order there and looks like he's shifting over. But he's still a fine prospect.

[rdehring]

Thanks for the report, Seth.  Was good seeing the DSL Twins get a win.  There haven't been a lot of W's for that squad.

Whereas Hill has been dealing with some growing pains early in his professional career, MacLeod might be going to the head of the class as the next Twins lefty to graduate from the system.  Probably not this year.  But we could see both he and Prielipp sometime in 2026.  Either, or both would be the first lefties to come up with real starting potential in I can't remember how long.

Thanks again, Seth.  Trust you are enjoying your Holiday weekend.

[LambchoP]

Not sure how I feel about this new way of handling these young arms. Having them try to be hybrid guys, throwing 3-4 innings every few days. Wouldn't it be better to get guys on a true starters routine, at least the few arms we know we want to develop as starting pitchers? McLeod and Klein are both pitching well. Hill looks to be a K machine. Both him and Prelipp. If Prelipp and Hill can lower the walk rate, go a bit deeper into games we could find them both in the rotation in a few years, bringing back memories of Santana and Liriano ;)

[Dman]

I am with @jmlease1 I have seen enough of MaCleod at AA.  A lefty with his potential and the Teams need for left handed arms that are possibly MLB quality should make for a quick move.  I will say his K rate is a tad low and his xFIP is two runs higher than his current 2.00 ERA.  So the underlying numbers are not as dominant as you would like. With those numbers he look a bit like Morris.  I have not really seen him pitch all year so no idea what he looks like other than the numbers. Still he is a seasoned lefty and it would be nice to have an arm beyond Funderburk that they could potentially call up.

I think the book is out on Hill and he is going to need to adjust.  Nice to see fewer walks, but he also did give up seven hits. I imagine they are working on lot's of things so no real need for concern as he has already exceeded expectations for his first year. The seven K's in 3.2 innings shows he has the stuff to get guys out.  His 13.25 k rate per 9 and 34% K rate already puts him in elite territory especially considering his age and lack of experience.  He has been the most fun player to follow at A ball this year.

[DocBauer]

Seriously, they may have to make a move to get Julien up one of these days. I'm not fully convinced, but he's starting to look like the 2023 version we thought might be part of the future. There's even younger guys i like even more, but IF his bat and approach REALLY are back, you find room for a LH hitter of his POTENTIAL. 

McCusker has been suffering from the "I was so close to getting a chance" syndrom, IMO. Glad to see him doing better. I still have no idea if he has real ML potential or not. And there's a handful of guys behind him younger, and also filled with potential. Still, it's so hard to not want to see if he's POSSIBLY a late bloomer who might be good.

But speaking of RH OF, why is Fedko still at AA? His AVG is only OK, hovering around .260, but a .384 OB% and on track for a 20/20 season and amongst the league leaders in most categories, who is possibly blocking him at AAA? 

DeAndrade is a sleeper to a lot of people due to youth and a 2024 season mostly wiped out by injury. There's a ton of talent and potential there. But with Culpepper now at AA, he SHOULD be seeing a TON of work at SS. Come on Twins!

I have a soft spot for LHP. I'm pleased we have a couple good ones in the system, and I'm hoping for a couple more in the upcoming draft. But if someone asked me tomorrow who I want moved to the pen, I'd pick MaCleod all day over Prielipp, even though Prielipp could be in the Twins pen by September. That's a combination of Prielipp's ultimate potential, as well as Macleod's. 

Like many of the Twins drafted arms, MaCleod was drafted for potential, though I can't recall at the moment if it was before or after his TJ. Slowly but surely he's built himself up and added velocity. So far, his hits per 9 is good. But his BB per 9 is around 4. One good metric, one bad. His 9.8 K per 9 is solid, though not spectacular. Despite being drafted in the 5th round of 2021, he didn't really throw until 2023. So he's only in his 3rd pro season. And he keeps getting better.

I never dismiss any prospect going to the pen too early. But a good hit per 9 and not so great BB per 9, and a solid but not great K per 9 tells me he'd be a great candidate in the pen where his velocity and stuff might play up to make him a 10+K option with enough offerings to make him viable against RH bats as well.

Have to think LONG TERM, IMO.

Speaking of LONG TERM:

"Jaylin Nowlen has given up zero earned runs over his past six appearances and 11 innings."

I'm slightly embarrassed because I've been projecting this kid going back to last year even. You don't expect much from a 19th round pick. But when he's LH and flashes a mid 90's FB you pay attention. The 24yo is an inconsistent as you will ever find in an arm. He had a strange 3/4 ish "sling" delivery that should destroy LH batters but also hide the ball decently against RH batters. He allows less than a hit per 9, but has a BB of 4 per. But he also K's 10+ per 9. Imagine what he might do with better control?

He is one of those WILD CARD arms many don't follow in the system, or know about. As a SP, he'd have games of 5 hits in 5 IP with 5BB and 8 K and lose.. His next start would be 5IP, 3 hits, 2BB and 4K and win. Just all over the place where he'd K like crazy but have a bunch of hits and BB, and the next game he'd have 2-3K's and just a couple BB but few hits and dominate.

This kid is an absolute enigma. He wins without K anyone, and K's a ton but allows too many BB and loses. Which is why I've been screaming for everyone to watch this kid when he moves to the pen. And now he has.

He has some stuff that is just NASTY at times! And you can live with a little higher BB % in the pen when you have a high K% and allow less than a hit per. If he could ever take his BB% down to about 2.5-3 from 4 he could be dangerous. 

He's been a favorite follow of Seth and myself. If this still only 24yo gets any kind of real control/command, you could see him with the Twins in 2026.

"Jaylin Nowlen has given up zero earned runs over his past six appearances and 11 innings."

That isn't magical, but it's a something and a someone you might want to watch.

[RpR]

1 hour ago, DocBauer said:

Seriously, they may have to make a move to get Julien up one of these days. I'm not fully convinced, but he's starting to look like the 2023 version we thought might be part of the future. There's even younger guys i like even more, but IF his bat and approach REALLY are back, you find room for a LH hitter of his POTENTIAL. 

 

lAST 5 Games: 1 for 19 with 9 Ks, yep, he is ready for prime time.😵‍💫