Twins Minor League Report (8/8): Kyler Fedko Keeps Raking, JP Smith Off to a Great Pro Start

[Seth Stohs]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photo of Kyler Fedko)

 

On Friday, the DSL Twins got a nice, late-inning win. That was, by far, the best game in the organization, well, other than the Twins big win over the Royals in their return to Target Field. 

TRANSACTIONS
The Twins placed catcher Christian Vazquez on the Injured List with a shoulder infection. We certainly wish him a successful recovery. 

Recently claimed Jhonny Pereda was called up from St. Paul. The 29-year-old from Venezuela. He has played in six games with the Saints. His last game played for St. Paul was on Tuesday night. He went 4-for-4 with a walk, a double and a home run. He had three runs and three RBI.    

The Minnesota Twins signed LHP Jake Murray, an undrafted free agent from the Campbell Camels He made 15 starts for them and went 4-2 with a 6.49 ERA. However, in 59 2/3 innings, he had 34 walks and hit 16 batters, but he also struck out 82 batters. He was assigned to the FCL Twins and will likely pitch in the Bridge League the rest of the summer unless there is a need in Fort Myers. He will turn 25 later this month. 

RHP Anthony Narvaez was assigned to the FCL Twins from the Mighty Mussels. Jonathan Stevens was assigned to the Mussels.  

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 5, Iowa 10
Box Score
As the game started, the great Joey Chestnut and Notorious BOB began eating the six-foot loaded hot dog at CHS Field, affectionately called the "Land of 10,000 Calories."  The two finished it completely in 29 minutes!   

 

And if you are going to Saturday's Saints game, you can guarantee a special Joe Mauer bobblehead by purchasing a ticket here.  

Marco Raya made the start for the Saints. He gave up a single run in the second and third innings and then gave up three runs in the fourth inning. He gave up five (4 earned) on seven hits. He walked three and had two strikeouts. 

That’s where the pitching situation went a little weird. Lefty Christian MacLeod came in to start the fifth and really struggled with his control and command. He got two outs in the inning and gave up four runs on three walks and two hits. He threw 39 pitches and the team’s deficit reached eight runs. That meant a position player could pitch. But the Saints have a limited number of pitchers available. Anthony Prato came in from second base. MacLeod went out to right field. Gabriel Gonzalez came out of the game. Kyler Fedko was the DH, but he entered the game at first base which moved Jonah Bride to second base. Prato needed just five pitches to get the final out. Of course, it came on a fly out to the right fielder, Christian MacLeod. 

MacLeod returned to the mound to start the sixth inning. The first batter he faced was Carlos Perez who hit his 21st homer of the season. Kevin Alcantara singled to right field (now occupied by Fedko). However, MacLeod settled in. He got a double play ball and a fly out. 

The seventh inning started with a walk and a single, but again MacLeod responded. He struck out Cubs top prospect Owen Caissie. Rehabbing catcher Miguel Amaya flew out to left. He then struck out Jonathon Long to end the inning. 

MacLeod’s final line was five runs on five hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings. He also went 0-for-1 and watched three pitches right down the middle of the plate. 

Jarret Whorff came in to pitch the eighth inning and tossed two scoreless innings. In the middle, he took a strike, then fouled off two pitches, took a ball and then flew out to right field. 0-for-1, but a nice effort. 

The Saints got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning on back-to-back, two-out doubles by James Outman and Kyler Fedko. 

In the sixth inning, Fedko walked and Payton Eeles was hit by a pitch. After the MacLeod strikeout, DaShawn Keirsey Jr singled to drive in Fedko, and Eeles scored on a fielding error. 

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Fedko absolutely crushed his first Saints home run. 

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Jonah Bride led off with a walk and went to third base on a double by Anthony Prato. He scored on a ground out by Will Holland. 

Fedko’s magical season continues to impress. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, his third double and his first Saints homer. Payton Eeles went 1-for-2 and was hit by a pitch twice.   

 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 5, NW Arkansas 9
Box Score
With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Kala’i Rosario hit his 17th home run of the season. 

 

Alejandro Hidalgo put a zero on the board in the first inning. Unfortunately, he gave up five runs on three hits and three walks in the second inning. Michael Martinez walked one, hit one, and had one strikeout in a scoreless inning. Ricky Castro gave up four runs on six hits (including two homers). He had five strikeouts and no walks. Hunter Hoopes struck out four batters over the final two innings. He gave up no runs and one hit. 

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Rubel Cespedes walked with one out. Ben Ross followed with his ninth home run of the year which cut the deficit to 5-3. 

 

Going to the bottom of the seventh, the Wind Surge were down 9-3. Jake Rucker led off with a single and scored on Kaelen Culpepper’s eight Wichita home run. 

 

Rosario went 2-for-4 with a walk and the home run. Walker Jenkins went 2-for-4. Hendry Mendez was 1-for-3 and walked twice. 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 2, West Michigan 13
Box Score
The Kernels led 1-0 after one-half inning thanks to a Brandon Winokur single that drove in Kyle DeBarge. That was the high point of the game for Cedar Rapids. West Michigan took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third. They scored two more in the bottom of the fifth inning. And then an eight-run seventh inning for the Whitecaps put the game well out of reach. 

The Kernels scored a second run in the top of the ninth to cut their deficit to 13-2 when Jefferson Valladares hit his first Kernels homer. 

 

The Kernels had 10 hits in the game, but they went 1-for-10 and left 11 runners on base. Kyle DeBarge went 1-for-3 with two walks. He stole his 58th and 59th stolen bases. Maddux Houghton went 2-for-3 with a walk. He also stole two bases. Winokur went 3-for-4 and stole his 22nd base of the season. 

Jose Olivares started and gave up three runs on three hits. In three innings, he had four walks and struck out three batters. Chase Chaney came in and gave up five runs on five hits over 3 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three batters. Ivran Romero came in and gave up five runs on four hits and a walk. He recorded just one out. Matt Mikulski got the final out of the seventh inning, but not before walking three batters. Wilker Reyes struck out two batters in a perfect inning. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 2, Clearwater 5
Box Score
In a way, the Mussels played this game a little short-handed. First-round pick Marek Houston was in Minneapolis. Normally the top draft pick comes to Target Field to sign, but the Twins were out of town and Houston wanted to get started. He signed in Fort Myers, along with the other 2025 draft picks and non-drafted free agents. He has played in six games for Fort Myers. But on Friday night, Houston was brought to the Twin Cities and Target Field to meet front office personnel, players and coaches, take some batting practice with the team, and meet with the media. He spent time in the radio and TV booths as well.  

 

While not perfect, this was a really well-pitched game. Through seven innings, the Mussels were down 2-1. A three-run eighth inning for the Threshers provided plenty of run support and Fort Myers wasn’t able to mount a comeback.

Lefty Michael Carpenter started for the Mussels and went the first four innings. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits and a walk. He struck out five batters. Eli Jones came on and worked the final five innings. He gave up three runs in the eighth, though just one run was earned. He gave up four hits, walked one and had four strikeouts. 

The Mussels got on the board with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Harry Genth and Dameury Pena started the inning with walks. Then they were successful on a double steal. With one out, JP Smith singled to center to drive in Genth with the first run. 

Down 5-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Eduardo Beltre led off with a double and then stole third. He scored on a ground out by Bryan Acuna. 

Acuna had three hits in the game, all singles. JP Smith, the Twins 17th-round pick last month had another three-hit game. He was 3-for-5 and has at least one hit in all five games he has played since going 0-for-4 in his first professional game. He ends the game hitting a robust .370 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run. 

 

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 7, DSL Mariners 5
Box Score
It was a back-and-forth game in the DSL on Friday afternoon. The Twins jumped ahead and didn’t give up the lead. But when the Mariners tied it back up, the Twins showed resolve and jumped back ahead to secure the win. 

Juan Quinones made the start and tossed three scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked two, and had five strikeouts. 

The Twins grabbed the lead in the bottom of the third. With one out, Teilon Serrano reached on an error. Santiago Leon walked. A double steal with a throwing error allowed the first run to score. After the second out, Joyner Perez singled to drive in Leon with the second run. Yovanny Duran walked. Jose Barrios followed with a single that drove in Perez with the third run. 

Nestor Cafe came on for the Twins and gave up two runs in the top of the fourth inning. In total, he went two innings and gave up two runs on one hit and two walks. 

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Twins got those two runs back. With one out, Duran walked and stole second. Barrios reached on a fielder’s choice and then stole second base. Jamesson Val singled in Duran, and then he stole second while Barrios stole third. He scored on a throwing error to make it 5-2. 

Aaron Carranza came on to start the sixth inning, but he gave up three runs on two hits and three walks and recorded just two outs. Marlon Mirabal came in and got the final out without further damage, but the score was tied at five. 

Mirabal, a lefty from Cuba, signed with the Twins in December. He worked the final 3 1/3 innings and didn’t allow a run. He gave up four hits, walked one and had four strikeouts. 

Still tied in the bottom of the eighth, Jhomnardo Reyes led off with a pinch-hit walk. With one out, Darwin Almanzar reached on a fielding error which allowed Reyes to score the go-ahead run. Perez followed with a double to make it 7-5. 

Perez had two of the team’s four hits including his fourth double. Santiago Leon, Yovanny Duran and Cristian Bonifacio each had two walks. The team had 10 walks in the game. They also had eight stolen bases with Jamesson Val and Jose Barrios each stealing two bags. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Kyler Fedko (St. Paul):  2-for-3, BB, 2B(3), HR(1), 2 R, 2 RBI.

Pitcher of the Day 
Marlon Mirabal (DSL Twins): 3 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K. 

 

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

#1– Walker Jenkins (Wichita) - 2-for-4, HBP, K (played DH)
#2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - 2-for-4, 2 RBI (played 2B)
#3 - Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - 1-for-5, HR(8), R, 2 RBI, 2 K (played SS)
#5 - Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2 K 

#11 - Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-for-2 (played RF)
#12 - Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 94 pitches, 60 strikes (63.8%)
#13 - Marek Houston (Fort Myers) - Traveled to Minnesota, met Twins personnel and Twin Cities media. 
#14 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-4, RBI, SB(22) (played SS)
#17 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 2 BB, R, 2 SB(59)
#20 - Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 1-for-3, 2 BB (played LF)

 

SATURDAY PITCHING PROBABLES
Iowa @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CT) - TBD
NW Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05 PM CT) - RHP Ryan Gallagher (0-0, 10.80 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ West Michigan (6:05 PM CT) - LHP Garrett Horn (1st start in Twins organization)
Clearwater @ Fort Myers (5:05 PM CT) - LHP Dasan Hill (0-1, 2.79 ERA)
DSL Rangers @ DSL Twins (9:00 AM CT) - TBD 

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 57-60
St. Paul Saints: 49-61
Wichita Wind Surge: 56-50
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 59-46
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 45-59
FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs)
DSL Twins: 20-28

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

 

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[High heat]

What’s the prospect status or outlook for Kyle Fedko?  21 Hr and 30 SB on August 8th is nothing to scoff at.  At 25 yrs old and not much of a minor league track record but looks like he has played all 3 OF spots and 1B.

 

This a minor leaguer or AAAA just having a good season or is he become a legit prospect?

[FlyingFinn]

1 hour ago, High heat said:

This a minor leaguer or AAAA just having a good season or is he become a legit prospect?

Yes.

Seriously, he certainly was viewed as a career minor leaguer to start this year. I still don't think he is in any national Twins top 20 prospect lists. He is trying to do one of the toughest things in baseball - make it to the big leagues after receiving the label "career minor leaguer.'

[Wedman13]

Jake Murray of the Campbell Camels!  Love it.  Harness that control young man!

[terrydactyls]

Three comments.  1)  Tait has an arm.  That throw to second was a rocket.  2)  I am astounded by the number of rallies that included multiple walks and errors.  A team with a few hits but 10 or 12 walks is not uncommon.  It's difficult to determine the abilities of players.  3)  The Twins either have a lot of speed in the minors or minor league catchers are awful.

[jmlease1]

2 hours ago, High heat said:

What’s the prospect status or outlook for Kyle Fedko?  21 Hr and 30 SB on August 8th is nothing to scoff at.  At 25 yrs old and not much of a minor league track record but looks like he has played all 3 OF spots and 1B.

 

This a minor leaguer or AAAA just having a good season or is he become a legit prospect?

Fedko has the kind of track record that will keep him from ever appearing on any national prospect lists. He's needed to repeat levels to figure them out (it will be interesting if he can keep his roll on this season after earning his promotion to AAA) which is why he's not getting his first crack at AAA until 25. He's not really a CF, but does fine in the corners. Just not sure he's going to be a good enough hitter to make the leap. But he earned the chance in AAA.

Walker Jenkins looks great. Just want him to finish off the season healthy. The power seems to be developing and he's a very tough out. Not bad at 20 years old!

Rosario has had an interesting season. Brutal start in April where he looked almost unplayable, followed by very good output in May & June (very nice K/BB numbers with good power), a bit of a lull in July where he was swinging too much and not making enough contact, but the power kept him above water, and now he looks locked in again in August. I wonder what the organization thinks of him at this point? If he finishes off this season well, he should be tracked to go to Saint Paul next season, and he's just barely turned 23...

[BSLinPA]

Raya throws 94 pitches in latest start.  Kleenex sales down 90% in Twin Cities.   😥

[chpettit19]

32 minutes ago, terrydactyls said:

Three comments.  1)  Tait has an arm.  That throw to second was a rocket.  2)  I am astounded by the number of rallies that included multiple walks and errors.  A team with a few hits but 10 or 12 walks is not uncommon.  It's difficult to determine the abilities of players.  3)  The Twins either have a lot of speed in the minors or minor league catchers are awful.

A lot of it is minor league pitchers and catchers are both not very good at controlling the running game. Minor league stolen base numbers should be taken very lightly. Julien had a 34 steal season, for example. I don't think any of us look at him as a guy we'd expect to steal 30 bags in the bigs. The Twins have more athleticism in the minors (by far) than the majors, but they aren't loaded with Chandler Simpson type players. If you have halfway decent speed and just take off like crazy you can steal a bunch of bags down there.

[bunsen82]

That Pereda pickup could be a godsend and helping us get through the remainder of the season. Plus can give him enough run at the MLB level to see if he can get comfortable. His numbers in the minors aren’t bad. 
 

JP Smith hasn’t been discussed much. It’s A ball but he has done very very well. He is one of the few true 1st base type prospects in the minor leagues. It could allow him to move up pretty quickly if he continues to perform. 
 

Winokur continues to battle at A+ ball. His 2nd half has been pretty good. I still don’t see SS as his long term position. However taking all these shortstops allows us to either move them to other positions or use as a trade chip. We starting to get a bit of a glut. Winokur is likely one a decision will need to be made. If he ends the season strong a position change or trade may be necessary. 
 

The pitching in the minors has been rough since the trade deadline. 
 

I hope Fedko can keep this up. I always love rooting for the players that outperform their expectations. 

[AceWrigley]

39 minutes ago, bunsen82 said:

JP Smith hasn’t been discussed much. It’s A ball but he has done very very well. He is one of the few true 1st base type prospects in the minor leagues. It could allow him to move up pretty quickly if he continues to perform.

I haven't seen JP Smith play but in that clip above he showed really good bat to ball skill on that pitch. Looks like he had decided he was going to swing and the pitch was very low; he went down and somehow poked it into CF for a hit. Who does he think he is, Luis Arraez? Will have to watch his progress.

[LewFordLives]

A very small sample, but Houston has been impressive thus far. Maybe he can help sooner rather than later, like when the Twins drafted Knoblauch.

[Dman]

JP Smith came in as a pretty unheralded player.  I thought the profile was a lot of swing and miss even in the zone IIRC.  The one game I watched him he seemed like a tough out and he hit everything hard. He is a very solid muscular guy that can take big swings.  Hard to gain much knowledge at A ball but he seems to be passing the first test which see the ball hit the ball and in his case hit the ball hard.  I wouldn't be surprised if they move him up at the end of next week.

We'll have to see how Fedko does as at AAA, but a spot on the 40 man seems to be between him and McCusker IMO. McCusker has cooled off considerably since his MLB debut.  This past month I think he had a .600 OPS.  He has a career 30% or more K rate and under 10% walk rate with a really powerful home run stroke.  Fedko has been around a 15% walk rate and 20% K rate for his minor league career and has just recently shown the HR power that makes players difference makers in the high minors. 

Fedko has a really nice batting line runs well and led AA in Home runs with 20 of them. We'll have to see how well that translates to AAA, but right now he looks like the better bat and overall player than McCusker.  Not sure if he would be rule V'd, but if he keeps this up they might not want to take that chance. Especially with so few right handed outfield bats in the system.  It's so hard to know with guys like this as Prato had a huge year, one year only to turn back into a pumpkin. Now McCusker seems to be doing the same thing. Really hard to know, but there is a lot to like about Fedko's profile right now.

[Major League Ready]

I am starting to see a path for Fedko.  He is a RH bat that plays all three OF positions and 1B.   The added ability to play 1B could make the difference in him getting a shot.  He is more versatile and has more power than Austin Martin.  I might be over thinking this but if Clemmens continues to play well, Fedko and Clemmens are an interesting pair in that they would provide coverage for a lot of positions.

[jkcarew]

3 hours ago, BSLinPA said:

Raya throws 94 pitches in latest start.  Kleenex sales down 90% in Twin Cities.   😥

He’s proving that his arm won’t fall off if he’s asked to throw 90+ pitches.

He’s also doing a pretty good job of proving 90+ pitches gets about 10 outs.

[rdehring]

Thanks for the report, Seth.  And how bout them Twins?

See that DeBarge got two steals last night.  What is it, four more for the organizational record?  What I found more interesting was the Winokur got his 22nd.  Didn't realize he had that type of speed?  

Always interested in Carpenter's starts.  Wasn't his best, but 4 hits, a walk, 5 K's and one earned run in 4 innings is solid.

Enjoy your weekend!!

[jmlease1]

7 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

I am starting to see a path for Fedko.  He is a RH bat that plays all three OF positions and 1B.   The added ability to play 1B could make the difference in him getting a shot.  He is more versatile and has more power than Austin Martin.  I might be over thinking this but if Clemens continues to play well, Fedko and Clemens are an interesting pair in that they would provide coverage for a lot of positions.

I suspect people would sour on him quickly in CF. As a corner OF who can also play 1B, he might get a chance, but I'm still not sure about his bat. He had a very nice run in AA and earned his promotion, and while BA isn't everything, it's a little concerning that even in a good season he was hitting .253 and hasn't always hit for much power. He does seems to have good judgment on the strike zone, so we'll see how it translates. If he can hit, he'll get a look, I think because a RH who can play 1B and the OF is a need for the Twins right now. But he'll need that bat.

[DocBauer]

Personally, I have to admit I've not paid a great deal of attention to Fedko until this past offseason, and during this season. And the reason is because he was a 12th round pick who's never really had a defining season in his MILB career thus far. And after he had a poor 2024 at AA, I thought he was a depth piece only.

But I've recently looked harder at his MILB in total, and I think he's been undersold by most of us, not just myself.

As is typical, position players get a month or month plus after being drafted to make their debut. He only had 23 GP and 81 PA with poor/mediocre numbers that don't mean much really.

However, in his 1st full season in 2022 he was actually pretty solid and well rounded. He began the season at A Ft Myers initially before spending the majority of the year at A+ CR. His COMBINED numbers were 21 Dbls, 4 Trips, 10 HR, and 13 SB out of 16 attempts. While he only HIT .250, he had a .345 OB%, a .395 SLG%, and a .740 OPS. NOT eye catching production to be sure, but solid across the board.

In 2023 he was sent back to CR to repeat. He only had 59 G and 211 PA. There must have been an injury in his 2023 season at some point, but damned if I recall what or for how long. But he still had 14 XBH in his limited time, was 5 for 7 in SB, and had a .398 OB%, and .810 OPS in his limited year.

And then he was moved to AA in 2024 where he basically tanked in 294 PA...still not a full season of playing time for whatever reason(s).

And so I saw him as a player of little interest, but didn't look closely at 2 consecutive years of limited playing time, his career OB%, or his .810 OPS in 2023.

While he has started seasons at 1 level from the previous season...not uncommon...his only real long term repeat was going back to AA to begin 2025. Otherwise, it was begin at a level, but spend most or all at the next level.

And then came this season. 

While he's off to a great start at St Paul so far, it's a SSSS to be sure. But so far in 2025...

18 Dbls, 21 HR, 68 Runs, 64 RBI, and 30 out of 36 SB attempts. His quad slash line is .261/ .379/ .501/ and .880.

Those are numbers to at least ponder if not be excited about for a 25yo...26 in September...who has always had good zone control and a solid OB%. A late bloomer who appears to have missed some time earlier in his development? 20/20 guys with bat control and a good OB% just shouldn't be ignored, IMO.

SOMEONE has to be in LF for 2026. IDEALLY it would be a healthy Rodriguez taking the next step immediately, if not the near future. If Roden can take the next step, he's also a strong option. Roden also does have some experience at 1B, and DH is also going to need to be filled by someone. And I think Larnach is going to be traded in the offseason, or part of a package, for additional help somewhere. But unless the Twins want to sign a RH OF on a 1yr deal, the door is wide open for Gonzalez or Fedko to take a spot in the OF as well.

Sorry to those Martin believers...and I'm not dismissing him totally...but Gonzalez and Fedko offer up a lot more upside. Fedko seems to match Martin's speed, is probably a better defender, and has more power. 

Can Fedko hit enough to go along with his OB% ability and other solid traits? IDK at this point. But can Martin hit? 

Defensively, Fedko has primarily played RF, followed by LF, then CF, and 27 games at 1B. Does it matter if he can't cover 2B once in a while like Martin can if he's the better defender and offensive player? (Martin is actually slightly older, FWIW).

The whole point is, with everything in his MILB career looked at with a better eye now, have we slept on Fedko a bit? Right now, I'm much more excited about him and Gonzalez battling it out for a spot in 2026 than Martin as a RH OF.

 

 

[DocBauer]

Separately, I still think Rosario is being slept on as well after an injured 2024, a 2nd good AFL performance, and a really nice rebound this season after a horrendous start.

Olivar gets a lot of love and follow because he's a decent hitter who MIGHT be able to be a 4th catcher. But I really don't know if he's the better prospect.

Great start by Carpenter! That might be his best overall start on the season?

That throw by Tait was a great hilight!