Twins Minor League Report (7/23): Walk-Off Among DeBarge's Greatest Hits: Oooh and I Like It

[Seth Stohs]

Image courtesy of David Malamut (photos of Kyle DeBarge)

The Twins and all four of their affiliates played on Saturday Lots of good content for you below. 

TRANSACTIONS
On Wednesday morning, the Twins announced the RHP David Festa was being placed on the Injured List with shoulder inflammation. RHP Travis Adams was again added to the big-league roster to take the spot. 

A day after claiming catcher Jhonny Pereda off of waivers, the Twins released Diego Cartaya from the Saints roster. The 23-year-old from Venezuela was a consensus Top 100 prospect before the 2022 and 2023 seasons Before the 2023 season, Baseball Prospectus ranked him #19 overall, Baseball American ranked him #18 overall, and MLB Pipeline ranked him the #14 prospect in baseball.

This offseason, the Dodgers were signing everyone again, as they are wont to do. On January 3, Cartaya became a roster casualty when the Dodgers DFAd him. Six days later, the Twins sent a DSL pitcher to the Dodgers and took a shot on a guy coming off of a rough age 22 season but just one year removed from being a Top 20 global prospect. As fans, I think we would encourage the front office to do the same thing the next time a similar situation happens.

Cartaya started the season by going 2-for-25 (.080) with 18 strikeouts, and before April was complete, the Twins DFAd the backstop, he cleared waivers, and was outrighted to the Saints. In 13 games since coming off of the 40-man roster, he went 3-for-34 (.088) with 22 strikeouts. He has spent most of his time on the Development List which is unfortunate since Jair Camargo got injured early this season and had Tommy John surgery. 

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul, Worcester
Box Score
Postponed by Rain. The plan is to play two games on Thursday. It marked their 14th rainout of the season, tops in both minor-league baseball and MLB.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 0, Springfield 3
Box Score
A reminder that baseball can be a very humbling sport. On Tuesday night, the Wind Surge scored 12 runs on 18 hits (including seven home runs). On Wednesday night, the Wind Surge were shutout and managed just three hits, all singles. They struck out 11 times. Rubel Cespedes went 1-for-2 with a walk. Kyler Fedko went 1-for-3 with a walk. Nate Baez had the other hit. 

Christian MacLeod started and had six strikeouts in four innings of work. He gave up two runs on three hits and a hit batter. MacLeod threw 50 strikes in 57 pitches, an impressive 70.2%

Jaylen Nowlin came on and gave up one run on two hits and a walk. In 1 2/3 innings, he had three strikeouts. Aaron Rozek came on and kept an inherited runner from scoring. The southpaw tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked none and had three strikeouts. 

Unfortunately, this game marks the end of Gabriel Gonzalez’s 13-game hitting streak and 24-game on-base streak. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 5, Ft. Wayne 4
Box Score
The Kernels played a matinee game in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday. They fell behind early but stayed in striking distance so that they could walk it off in the bottom of the ninth.

Tanner Hall started and gave up two runs on one hit and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. He hit a batter and had three strikeouts. Lefty Wilker Reyes went the next 2 1/3 innings and gave up one run on four hits. He had two strikeouts. Jeremy Lee worked the next two innings and gave up one run on three hits. He struck out three batters without walking anyone. Samuel Perez came on and tossed two scoreless innings… while the Kernels mounted their comeback. 

Down 3-0 going into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Kernels started their comeback. Caden Kendle led off the inning with a walk. Maddux Houghton singled to right and advanced to second on the throw to third base. Justin Connell walked to load the bases. Kyle DeBarge lined a single to left field to drive in two runs.   

Fast-forward to the bottom of the eighth. The Kernels were down 4-2. Billy Amick led off with a single to left. Brandon Winokur followed with his 18th double to drive in Amick and make it 4-3. However, they were unable to drive in Winokur from second base. 

Perez was terrific, keeping the Kernels in the game. Heading to the bottom of the ninth down by a run, it was Kendle who got things started with a leadoff double. Houghton walked. Poncho Ruiz grounded out, but the runners were able to advance to second and third with one out. The lineup turned back over to the top, and Kyle DeBarge stepped to the plate. He lined a single to right field that drove in Kendle with the tying run, and Houghton crossed the plate as the winning run.   

Things haven’t seemingly come as easy for DeBarge in the second half, but on this day, he went 3-for-4 and drove in four of the team’s five runs including that walk-off winner. Kendle went 1-for-3 with a walk and his 17th double. Jaime Ferrer donned the catcher’s gear behind the plate. After twice getting hit by pitches, he may have been thinking of just wearing the gear to the plate too. Justin Connell walked twice and stole a base. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 1, Lakeland 4
Box Score
Christian Becerra started for the Mussels and gave up two unearned runs on two hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts. Matt Gabbert came in and gave up one run on three hits in 1 1/3 innings. Ruddy Gomez worked the final two innings. He gave up one run on two hits. He hit a batter and had four strikeouts.

The Mussels did very little with their bats on Wednesday. The top player was “Mussels Batter #7.” Byron Chourio started the game in left field and batting seventh. He went 2-for-2 with a double. He was later pinch run for by Angel Del Rosario who went 1-for-1 with a triple. Later, Yohander Martinez came on and went 1-for-1 with a double and the lone RBI. 

That spot went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a triple and the RBI. The rest of the Mussels lineup combined to go 2-for-29 (.069). Rayne Doncon hit a double. 

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins, FCL Orioles
Box Score
Postponed by Rain. The plan is to play two games on Thursday. It is the final day of the FCL regular season. So why are they playing a doubleheader? Here are the top of the standings in the FCL South Division going into Thursday:

                                     FCL Twins           37-20
                                     FCL Orioles         35-22 (2 games back).

I wonder if the Twins won the first game if they would still play the second game. I would suspect that they still will have to play it. The playoffs are made up of four teams, the three division winners and one wild card team. In the East division, the Astros already claimed that title. In the North division, the Tigers hold a one-game lead over the Blue Jays with one more game to play. They don’t play each other. One of them will win the division. Going into Thursday, the Blue Jays and Orioles both have 35 wins. 

If the Twins lost both of the games, it’s possible that they would lose the tiebreaker to the Orioles. However, if they lose two games, they will have a record of 37-22. If the Jays win, they will have a record of 36-23. So, I believe that the Twins have clinched a playoff spot, it’s just a matter of if it’s as the Division winner and #1 seed (based on best record in the league) or they will be the wild card and be the #4 seed. (If you’re reading into this like me, it likely means that it is very likely that the Twins and Orioles will play a semi-final game on Saturday. 

Regardless, they will have Friday  off and begin the playoffs on Saturday. If they win on Saturday, they would play the other semi-finals winner on Monday and again on Tuesday. If needed, a Game 3 would also take place on Tuesday. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids):  3-for-5, 4 RBI, K (game-winner)

Pitcher of the Day 
Aaron Rozek (Wichita): 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 34 pitches, 23 strikes (67.6%)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. (By the way, we have a new Top 20 which will be unveiled here tomorrow.)

#1– Walker Jenkins (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 3 K (played CF).
#4 - Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - 0-for-4, K (played 2B)
#9 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2B(18), RBI (played 3B)
#10 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, 4 RBI, GW RBI, K (played SS)
#12 - Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, R, K (played 1B)
#13 - Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 2 K (played LF) 
#18 - Ricardo Olivar (Wichita) - 0-for-3 (catcher) 
#19 - Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K (played 2B)

THURSDAY PITCHING PROBABLES
The Minnesota Twins have an off day on Thursday before heading back to Target Field to take on the Washington Nationals this weekend and the Boston Red Sox early next week.

Worcester @ St. Paul (DH at 5:07 PM CT) - RHP Darren McCaughan (5-3, 5.17 ERA), RHP Pierson Ohl (0-1, 3.44 ERA)
Frisco @ Wichita (7:05 PM CT) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (0-0, 1.62 ERA)
Fort Wayne @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CT) - RHP Cole Peschl (4-1, 3.48 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Lakeland (4:00 PM CT) - RHP Adrian Bohorquez (2-3, 5.13 ERA)
FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (DH @ 9:00 AM CT) - TBD
DSL Rangers @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CT) - TBD

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 49-53
St. Paul Saints: 44-51
Wichita Wind Surge: 48-44
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 54-37
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 39-51
FCL Twins: 37-20
DSL Twins: 14-22

DRAFT and NDFA PICKS
On Wednesday morning, the Twins took the below photo of their 2025 draft class and non-drafted free agent signings. How many can you name? As of Wednesday night, the Twins had signed 19 of their 21 draft picks (and five non-drafted free agents). The two players who are yet to sign are Bruin Agbayani, their sixth-round pick out of high school in Hawaii. He's committed to Michigan. The other player is 17th round pick Jonathan Stevens, a guy who never did pitch at Alabama. He was cut a couple of times. He impressed at the Cape Cod League this summer. Two players that do have some leverage and who both are likely to sign for more than their slot values. I anticipate that both players will sign, but until they do, it's OK to be a little nervous. (Think you can pick Jason Reitz out of the group?)

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

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[FlyingFinn]

2 Twins minor league teams in the playoffs. Nice!

[thelanges5]

Like that you added what position the top prospects played. Jenkins at CF, Amick at 1B, and Culpepper at 2B are notable. 

[Linus]

1 hour ago, thelanges5 said:

Like that you added what position the top prospects played. Jenkins at CF, Amick at 1B, and Culpepper at 2B are notable. 

Second this. 

[Jeff K]

That play Winokur made from 3rd base...looks like a plus plus arm!

[Guest]

A guy who was cut twice at Alabama has leverage?  For what?  Manager at an In-and-Out store?

[terrydactyls]

I think I recognize the 6'11" guy.  😉

[jmlease1]

24 minutes ago, Jeff K said:

That play Winokur made from 3rd base...looks like a plus plus arm!

I think Winokur is going to move off SS, but where he lands is going to be interesting. He's got the athleticism to be an excellent CF too. But maybe they prefer him on the dirt?

Not a lot of other highlights from the top prospects in this report. Nice to see DeBarge have a good game after scrabbling for a while. It'll be interesting to see how he finishes the season.

[LambchoP]

I don't know much about Mcclod or however he spells it, but just looking at his numbers it seems he's having a great season. Era close to 2, lot of K's. Is he old for AA? I do see he's only thrown like 52 innings this year, maybe he's on an innings limit this year? With all our SP injuries in the bigs and the struggles of our AAA arms, we sure could use someone who's pitching well to push the issue for a call up. 

[strumdatjag]

DeBarge is hitter if the day.   If he makes it to the Twins, he needs to be given Dan Ford’s nickname - Disco Kyle DeBarge.  For those who do not remember or were nit born yet, DeBarge was a middling Disco Era group (and I didn’t even like disco music).  

[rdehring]

Thanks for the update, Seth, on the draft and signings.  Had been wondering about that.

A quick calculation tells me they have around $25-$50k available and still remain within their draft pool.  It's doubtful, at least to me, that the infielder from Hawaii will get signed.  Also thought that what I read about the pitcher from SUNY would require their going over budget.  See that they did and really glad they got him signed.  

Thanks again for this information, Seth, and have a great day.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, jmlease1 said:

I think Winokur is going to move off SS, but where he lands is going to be interesting. He's got the athleticism to be an excellent CF too. But maybe they prefer him on the dirt?

Not a lot of other highlights from the top prospects in this report. Nice to see DeBarge have a good game after scrabbling for a while. It'll be interesting to see how he finishes the season.

I'd like him playing in the OF or first. If he ever plays SS for the Twins, something went incredibly wrong with the three guys ahead of him, not to mention CC. I could see third occasionally also, but this team refuses to move guys off SS even when we know they won't be one, and then wonder why they aren't good in the OF, see Martin. 

[Seth Stohs]

5 hours ago, LambchoP said:

I don't know much about Mcclod or however he spells it, but just looking at his numbers it seems he's having a great season. Era close to 2, lot of K's. Is he old for AA? I do see he's only thrown like 52 innings this year, maybe he's on an innings limit this year? With all our SP injuries in the bigs and the struggles of our AAA arms, we sure could use someone who's pitching well to push the issue for a call up. 

He's not too old for anything. He's probably 25. He missed 1 1/2 seasons due to Tommy John surgery, so the timetable has to look a little different. 

[Seth Stohs]

5 hours ago, rdehring said:

Thanks for the update, Seth, on the draft and signings.  Had been wondering about that.

A quick calculation tells me they have around $25-$50k available and still remain within their draft pool.  It's doubtful, at least to me, that the infielder from Hawaii will get signed.  Also thought that what I read about the pitcher from SUNY would require their going over budget.  See that they did and really glad they got him signed.  

Thanks again for this information, Seth, and have a great day.

They can also use the 5% overage if needed without penalty. They'll have to. But again, no doubt that they'll sign. 

[DasBat]

Any info on the non drafted signings?

[Seth Stohs]

14 hours ago, DasBat said:

Any info on the non drafted signings?

No change. Still fully expect both to sign. Probably just some logistical things, maybe travel schedule, etc?

[Seth Stohs]

23 hours ago, strumdatjag said:

DeBarge is hitter if the day.   If he makes it to the Twins, he needs to be given Dan Ford’s nickname - Disco Kyle DeBarge.  For those who do not remember or were nit born yet, DeBarge was a middling Disco Era group (and I didn’t even like disco music).  

Thank you for catching all my DeBarge and El DeBarge references. I thought I was a big fan in the mid-80s (of El DeBarge), but I think it was just one really good son. 

 

[tony&rodney]

On 7/24/2025 at 11:00 AM, Mike Sixel said:

I'd like him playing in the OF or first. If he ever plays SS for the Twins, something went incredibly wrong with the three guys ahead of him, not to mention CC. I could see third occasionally also, but this team refuses to move guys off SS even when we know they won't be one, and then wonder why they aren't good in the OF, see Martin. 

With Winokur it is all about the bat. His glove plays anywhere.

[strumdatjag]

13 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

Thank you for catching all my DeBarge and El DeBarge references. I thought I was a big fan in the mid-80s (of El DeBarge), but I think it was just one really good son. 

 

You are right.  But now you need to promote the potential first Klingon player in MLB - Whorff.