Twins Minor League Report (8/14): Marco Raya, Payton Eeles Lead Saints to Big Win, Jenkins Leaves Game in Wichita

[Seth Stohs]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photo of Marco Raya)

TRANSACTIONS
For the first time in quite some time, there were no Twins minor-league transactions on Thursday.  

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 14, Omaha 5
Box Score
Saints Stampede Royals Affiliate with 14-Run Barrage Based by Raya’s Strong Start

Marco Raya put together a quality start and got some serious run support down in Omaha.

The Saints scored three runs before the Royals affiliate even came to the plate. They added another run in the top of the second. Raya gave up a double to Jac Caglianone to start the second which was followed by a two-run homer by Drew Waters. Harold Castro led off the bottom of the third inning with a homer that cut the Saints lead to 4-3. 

The Saints responded with 10 runs over the next three innings. The big hit in the four-run fourth inning was a two-run single by Aaron Sabato. Noah Cardenas scored on Will Holland’s seventh home run of the year in the fifth inning. 

 

DaShawn Keirsey Jr led off the sixth inning with his second homer since joining the Saints. 

 

Later in the inning, Payton Eeles hit a bases-clearing double to put the Saints up 14-3. 

 

Raya gave up three runs on five hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out five batters. Aaron Rozek gave up one run over the next two innings. He gave up one hit, walked two, and hit one batter. He had a strikeout. Genesis Cabrera made his first appearance in the Twins organization. In one innings, he gave up one run on two hits (including a Bobby Dalbec homer).  

All nine Saints hitters had at least one hit, and six of them had at least one walk. Payton Eeles led the way. He went 3-for-6 with his sixth double, two runs, and three RBI. He also stole his 17th bag. James Outman went 2-for-5 with a walk. Sabato also had three RBI. Outman, Keirsey, and Holland each drove in two runs. Holland led the team with three runs scored. Eeles, Kyler Fedko, Carson McCusker, and Cardenas each scored twice. Anthony Prato had a single and walked twice. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 1, Springfield 8
Box Score
Wind Surge Weather a Stormy Night: Culpepper Homers, Jenkins Injured in Tough Loss 

It was a rough night on several levels for the Wind Surge. The offense managed just one run on two hits (though they had five walks). Fortunately, one of the hits was Kaelen Culpepper’s ninth home run with the Wind Surge. It was his 18th overall this season. 

 

Alejandro Hidalgo started. He gave up six runs on seven hits (including four home runs) in 3 1/3 innings. He had three strikeouts. Mike Paredes gave up only an unearned run on two hits over 3 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts. Jaylen Nowlin gave up a run on two hits and a walk in his inning. 

The worst news of the game was that after Culpepper’s third-inning home run, Walker Jenkins was hit by a tailing fastball right on top of his right hand. Clearly in pain, he went to first base, and after several tests by the trainer, he remained in the game. He even played some more defense. But I have to assume it swelled up like crazy so gripping a bat may not have been in the cards. Jorel Ortega pinch hit for him. I’d guess they treated it after he came out to try to reduce swelling. When the swelling goes down, I’m sure they’ll want to get it x-rayed. I’m guessing he’ll miss a few games, assuming nothing was broken. 

Kala’i Rosario went 0-for-1 and walked three times. He also stole his 24th base. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 8
Box Score
Kernels Can’t Overcome Early Deficit in Tough Loss

The Kernels fell behind early. Jose Olivares started with two scoreless innings. He gave up three runs in the third inning and two more in the fourth before being replaced. He was charged with five runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out four batters. Matt Gabbert came on and gave up one run on two hits and a walk in 4 1/3 innings. He had three strikeouts. Paulshawn Pasqualotto gave up two runs on four hits in the ninth inning. 

Down 5-1 in the bottom of the fifth, the Kernels got on the board. Jefferson Valladares led off with a walk. Caden Kendle singled him to second. With one out, Kyle DeBarge walked to load the bases. With two outs, Danny De Andrade walked and Valladares crossed home plate with the first run. 

Valladares homered in the bottom of the ninth, his second since joining the Kernels. 

 

De Andrade went 2-for-3 with a walk and his 22nd double of the season. Valladares was also 2-for-3 with a walk and a homer. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 4, Daytona 6
Box Score
Sprock Shines Early, Daugherty Hits First Pro Homer, but Tortugas Sink Mussels

The Mussels got things going early with three runs in the second inning. Unfortunately, they only added one more run, and a four-run seventh inning by the home town Tortugas was enough for them to take the lead and hang on. 

 

Ryan Sprock led off the second inning with his first pro triple. He scored on an infield single by Bryan Acuna. Undrafted catcher Ian Daugherty came up with one out and launched his first professional home run, a two-run shot that made it 3-0. Daugherty went undrafted out of Oklahoma State, but the Twins acted very quickly in signing him very shortly after the draft’s completion. 

 

In the top of the sixth, Jayson Bass got things started with a one-out single to right field. Ryan Sprock connected for his first double to drive in the team’s fourth run of the game. 

Michael Ross made the start for Fort Myers. He was very good again. He gave up one run on five hits and a walk in 5 2/3 innings. He had eight strikeouts. Sam Rochard came on and was charged with five runs (just one earned) on three hits. He walked two and had three strikeouts. 

Sprock went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and a triple. Bryan Acuna was 2-for-4. JP Smith went 1-for-3 with a walk. 

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 0, DSL Rockies 5
Box Score
Castellanos Returns to the Mound, but Offense Falters in Loss.

Santiago Castellanos had not pitched in almost two weeks when he took the mound on Thursday. The now-17-year-old gave up a first-inning run. He went two innings and gave up one run on one hit. He walked one, hit two, and struck out three batters. 

Eliezer Lucena came on and worked the next four innings. He gave up three runs on five hits. He walked one and had two strikeouts. Aaron Carranza started the seventh inning. He had already given up a run on three hits when the game was called. 

The offense was shut down and had just four hits and three walks. Yovanny Duran went 1-for-2 with a walk. Darwin Almanzar knocked his 17th double. Jhomnardo Reyes walked twice.  

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Payton Eeles (St. Paul): 3-for-6, 2B(6), 2 R, 3 RBI, SB(17)
Ryan Sprock (Fort Myers): 2-for-3, BB, 2B(1), 3B(1), R, RBI.

Pitcher of the Day 
Michael Ross (Fort Myers): 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 95 pitches, 64 strikes (67.4%) 

 

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) - 0-for-1, HBP, K (played RF)
#2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - 1-for-5, RBI, SB(6)  (played 2B)
#3 - Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - 1-for-4, HR(9), R, RBI, K (played SS)
#5 - Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, BB, 2 K (catcher)
#12 - Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 77 pitches, 50 strikes (64.9%)
#13 - Marek Houston (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, BB, K (played SS)
#14 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, BB, 3 K (played 3B)
#17 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, BB, 2 K (played SS)

 

FRIDAY PITCHING PROBABLES
Detroit @ Minnesota (7:05 PM CT) - TBD
St. Paul @ Omaha (6:35 PM CT) - RHP Andrew Morris (2-4, 4.27 ERA)
Wichita @ Springfield (6:35 PM CT) - RHP Ryan Gallagher (1-0, 5.40 ERA)
Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CT) - LHP Garrett Horn (0-0, 7.36 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Daytona (5:35 PM CT) - LHP Michael Carpenter (0-5, 3.89 ERA)
DSL Tigers @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CT) - TBD

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 57-64
St. Paul Saints: 53-62
Wichita Wind Surge: 57-54
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 61-50
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 45-63
FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs)
DSL Twins: 22-30

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

View full article

[Patzky]

Hope Walker can finish the season off and the injury isn't too severe. It's fatalistic to look at the Twins missed chances last night and then see all the O/4s isn't it.. 😁

[Doctor Wu]

Every time I see a photo of Raya on TD he has the look of utter determination and fearlessness. Look at that scowl: he looks like he wants to mow down your grandmother! I hope that fierceness ultimately translates to better performances. Go get 'em, kid!

[Whitey333]

I always enjoy reading about all the prospects that never make it.  Jenkins looks like a young version of Royce Lewis by always being hurt.  It's the Twins way.

[Patzky]

1 hour ago, Doctor Wu said:

Every time I see a photo of Raya on TD he has the look of utter determination and fearlessness. Look at that scowl: he looks like he wants to mow down your grandmother! I hope that fierceness ultimately translates to better performances. Go get 'em, kid!

Yankee fans were not sure what to make of The Grunt Experience Wednesday. Hey whatever makes you find your A game.

[Patzky]

3 minutes ago, Whitey333 said:

I always enjoy reading about all the prospects that never make it.  Jenkins looks like a young version of Royce Lewis by always being hurt.  It's the Twins way.

Getting HBP isn't quite the same as the Royce thing. But say Ty France and Matt Wallner get hit daily and never miss a beat 

[MinnInPa]

from what i can see the hype on Raya needs to clam down a bit.. he's young...but i dont see a contributor until at least 2027.. certainly not next year.. he's still getting hit hard at AAA

[Omgbenji]

I like the headlines you’ve been putting with each affiliate Seth. 
 

I’m so tired of our guys getting HBP. We lose Keaschall for like three months and who knows on Jenkins. If EmRod could ever play a game and got hit, it would be like an assassination attempt. 

[Chembry]

1 hour ago, Patzky said:

Getting HBP isn't quite the same as the Royce thing. But say Ty France and Matt Wallner get hit daily and never miss a beat 

I didn't see the play, but getting hit in the hand with a 90+ mph fastball hurts like hell!  I have been there.  I was hit by a 94 mph fastball in college.  Xrays were negative, but it was a good week before I could grip a bat or ball with any confidence.

[Patzky]

8 minutes ago, Chembry said:

I didn't see the play, but getting hit in the hand with a 90+ mph fastball hurts like hell!  I have been there.  I was hit by a 94 mph fastball in college.  Xrays were negative, but it was a good week before I could grip a bat or ball with any confidence.

I think Keaschall had the similar experience against the Angels this spring. Hope the x-rays on Walker are negative.. we weren't calling him up this year but I get the concern about the injury bug, even if it's not of his body's own doing. 

Curious do you still have any repercussions from your injury? Gripping, cold sensitive, anything? Sounds terribly frustrating. Have a good weekend.

[Chembry]

19 minutes ago, Patzky said:

I think Keaschall had the similar experience against the Angels this spring. Hope the x-rays on Walker are negative.. we weren't calling him up this year but I get the concern about the injury bug, even if it's not of his body's own doing. 

Curious do you still have any repercussions from your injury? Gripping, cold sensitive, anything? Sounds terribly frustrating. Have a good weekend.

No lingering effects for me.  Immediate effects were pain, tingling, and swelling, but those went away as healing progressed.  Buxton had a similar issue earlier this year and people were jumping all over him for missing a few games. I had to come to his defense in that case.  It's different getting hit in the hand versus thigh or the backside of the body.  All those small bones in your hands can really impact grip.   

[jmlease1]

Hope Jenkins is ok. So frustrating when our best prospects get injured, because it's been such a trend. As long as it's not broken, all will be well I'm sure.

Nice to see Rosario draw 3 BB's in a game. He had a horrific start to the season before getting on track in May, and I got a little nervous about the wobble in July (he wasn't terrible, but the contact and patience vanished for a bit) but seems to be back on track again in august. Still have concerns about his ability to make consistent contact, and he's not much of a defender, but we do need more RH power...

[jkcarew]

Still waiting on any scrap of Em Rodriguez news.

[jkcarew]

3 hours ago, MinnInPa said:

from what i can see the hype on Raya needs to clam down a bit.. he's young...but i dont see a contributor until at least 2027.

We can start calling it the “39-man roster and Raya”.

[Connor Gould]

Does anyone know anything about Mike Paredes and if he could have a future? Because I'm not familiar with him and while he is a 25 year old in AA with a low K rate, his last outing puts him at a 2.54 ERA in 88.2 innings.

[Nshore]

Free Payton Eeles!

[mrguy]

20 minutes ago, Connor Gould said:

Does anyone know anything about Mike Paredes and if he could have a future? Because I'm not familiar with him and while he is a 25 year old in AA with a low K rate, his last outing puts him at a 2.54 ERA in 88.2 innings.

He has both positives and negatives. Right now, I do see potential as a depth piece down the line coming into the next two seasons. His main positives are he is very good at limiting hard contact, and in general he pretty much never walks guys(he had one bad month in that regard, but since then he's maybe walked 1 guy a month and that's been pretty consistent in all levels). In general, he's been consistently alright. His strikeout rate is the only concerning stat of his and I know people value that a lot in player development, but I feel like with the amount of playing time they've given him compared to all the other wichita guys, they have to be seeing some potential in him down the line. I can assume they will at least let him sample AAA by the end of the season/start of next and if he can get solid results there, he could end up working as a solid 1-2 inning reliever. If he can get his K rate up/at least show it trending up in this last month of the season, I can see a real shot for him.

[stringer bell]

Fedko has been raking since he was promoted to St. Paul. Is he a prospect? 

Also, any news on Jenkins?

[mrguy]

22 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Fedko has been raking since he was promoted to St. Paul. Is he a prospect? 

Also, any news on Jenkins?

Hasn't been put on the IL or anything, I imagine he'll sit out a couple games though

[Dman]

6 hours ago, Connor Gould said:

Does anyone know anything about Mike Paredes and if he could have a future? Because I'm not familiar with him and while he is a 25 year old in AA with a low K rate, his last outing puts him at a 2.54 ERA in 88.2 innings.

Personally I have been impressed with what he has done his entire pro career.  He has been a good arm from the time he turned pro and kind of slow played given his result's IMO, It seems most any team he is on they use him as a stopper and when they run out of arms they use him as a long man too. 

I agree the K rate is somewhat concerning and I keep expecting him to fail as he moves up, but he hasn't had much trouble at AA this year.  Morris didn't really get exposed that way until AAA so maybe that is where Paredes levels off?  Hard to say.  All I know is lower velocity fastballs and  pitch to contact generally doesn't work very well at the MLB level.  He will need to find an out pitch at some point.

Personally I have been impressed with what he has done his entire pro career.  He has been a good arm from the time he turned pro and kind of slow played given his result's IMO, I hope he finds his way to MLB as he has worked hard and gotten good results to this point.

[jmlease1]

17 hours ago, Nshore said:

Free Payton Eeles!

Meh. Let's see him get his slugging % above his on-base % first. He's had like 1 1/2 good months this season, and August hasn't been one of them. He's been awful on the road this season, so how much of his decent overall numbers are inflated by the hitter's paradise that is CHS Field? He simply has not been the same guy coming off the injury...yet. I suspect he's still adjusting and recovering a bit. AAA is the right spot for him right now.

[Nshore]

3 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

Meh. Let's see him get his slugging % above his on-base % first. He's had like 1 1/2 good months this season, and August hasn't been one of them. He's been awful on the road this season, so how much of his decent overall numbers are inflated by the hitter's paradise that is CHS Field? He simply has not been the same guy coming off the injury...yet. I suspect he's still adjusting and recovering a bit. AAA is the right spot for him right now.

I'm sure you're right.  It's just that I root for small ball players - which probably puts me out of step with most fans.  He seems to fit the profile.  I like Ty Cobb ball (not the racist kind - the smart, skilled kind) rather than wait for the huge Babe Ruth guy to hit a HR.  Eeles is a great story and I hope he takes the next step.