Twins Minor League Report (8/15): Ryan Gallagher Delivers Another Quality Start

[Tom Froemming]

FRIDAY’S RESULTS
St. Paul 10, Omaha 2
Wichita 7, Springfield 2
Cedar Rapids vs. Quand Cities: Postponed (rain)
Daytona 8, Fort Myers 7
DSL Tigers 2 7, DSL Twins 4

TRANSACTIONS
RHP Simeon Woods Richardson sent on rehab assignment to St. Paul. He last pitched for the Twins on July 28 and underwent surgery requiring a parasite to be removed from his digestive tract. He pitched two shutout innings for the Saints tonight while striking out four of the eight batters he faced.

RHP Leonardo Rondon was released from the FCL Twins.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY 
Pitcher of the Day: Ryan Gallagher, Wichita (6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)
Gallagher had a rough intro to the org, giving up six runs in his first start after the trade deadline, but he’s been excellent in back-to-back starts since. The 22-year-old right-hander who came over from the Cubs in the Willi Castro trade delivered a quality start for Wichita tonight. He went six innings for the ninth time this season, and the only two runs he surrendered were unearned.

Gallagher didn’t dominate the Springfield lineup, striking out only three of the 22 batters he faced (13.6 K%), but he pounded the strike zone all night. Of his 79 pitches, Gallagher threw 56 strikes (70.9 strike%). 

Carrying a shutout into the sixth inning, Gallagher retired the leadoff man before shortstop Kaelen Culpepper committed a throwing error that allowed a man to reach. Gallagher managed to retire the next batter, but the third out was elusive. Springfield strung together an RBI single and a run-scoring double before Gallagher could record the final out.

Over his last two outings, Gallagher has not yielded an earned run over 11 innings pitched. He’s struck out 10 batters and issued just one walk over that stretch.

Hitter of the Day: Ben Ross, Wichita (3-for-5, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI, K)

Ross’ first hit of the evening came in the top of the third inning. He singled into right field, but Andrew Cossetti couldn’t manage to score from second base, recording the final out of the inning at the plate. Ross clubbed his 10th home run of the season in the sixth inning, putting Wichita up 4-0.

Up with runners on once again in the ninth inning, Ross hit a line drive to the warning track to plate two insurance runs. The 2022 fifth rounder is more known for his defense and defensive versatility, but when Ross is contributing at the plate this Wind Surge lineup is especially dangerous. Both Kaelen Culpepper and Hendry Mendez also reached safely three times tonight while Kala’i Rosario hit his 19th home run and stole his 25th base of the season.

STARTING PITCHING LINES
St. Paul: Simeon Woods Richardson (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 34 pitches, 58.8% strikes)
Wichita: Ryan Gallagher (6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 79 pitches, 70.9% strikes)
Fort Myers: Michael Carpenter (4 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 71 pitches, 66.2% strikes)
DSL Twins: Juan Quinones (2 1/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K)

HOME RUNS
St. Paul: James Outman (3 w/STP, 23 total), Jonah Bride (2)
Wichita: Kala’i Rosario (19), Ben Ross (10), 
Fort Myers: Enrique Jimenez, (2 w/FTM, 8 total)

MULTI-HIT GAMES
St. Paul: Johnny Pereda (3-for-3, BB), James Outman (2-for-5, HR), Carson McCusker (2-for-5, 2B), Jonah Bride (2-for-4, HR, BB)
Wichita: Ben Ross (3-for-5, 2B, HR), Kaelen Culpepper (2-for-4, 2B, BB), Nate Baez (2-for-5)
Fort Myers: JP Smith II (3-for-5), Marek Houston (2-for-5, 2B, SB), Dameury Pena (2-for-5), Yasser Mercedes (2-for-4, BB), Peyton Carr (2-for-3)
DSL Twins: Yovanny Duran (2-for-4), Dencer Diaz (2-for-3)

ADDITIONAL NOTES
Andrew Morris made his second appearance since being activated off the IL for the Saints. He followed Woods Richardson and threw a pair of innings, giving up a run on three hits while also striking out three of the nine men he faced.

Jose Miranda reached base four times for the Saints without recording a hit. He drew three walks and was hit by a pitch.

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for more. 

3. Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita): 2-for-4, 2B, BB, R
11. Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 0-for-3, BB, HBP, R, K
13. Marek Houston (Fort Myers): 2-for-5, 2B, SB (3), 2 R, 2 RBI, K
15. Andrew Morris (St. Paul): 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 28 pitches 71.4% strikes)
20. Hendry Mendez (Wichita): 1-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R

CURRENT W-L Records
St. Paul Saints: 54-62
Wichita Wind Surge: 58-54
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 61-50 
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 45-64
FCL Twins: 39-20 (season over)
DSL Twins: 22-31

TOMORROW’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul at Omaha, 6:05 pm CT: Mick Abel
Wichita at Springfield, 6:35 pm CT: Sam Armstrong
Cedar Rapids vs. Quad Cities, 5 pm CT: Dasan Hill
Cedar Rapids vs. Quad Cities, Game 2: TBD
DSL Twins at DSL Nationals, 9 am CT: TBD

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[mikelink45]

I would still love to see some of the better prospects given a long look in Minneapolis.  We need something to help us forget the Pohlads.

[Dman]

Gallagher is impressive.  Handling AA in his first full pro year is a good sign.  He seems a fair bit like Morris.  It would be nice for him to hunt a few more K's other than that what's not to like?

Speaking of Morris nice to him back and pitching well. Will be interesting to see how he does the rest of the way.  SWR looked really good too.

I know he is not a top prospect, but Smith went 3 for 5.  So far he has been making good contact.  It will be interesting to see how he does as he moves up levels since contact is supposedly not his forte and the Breaking stuff gets much better High A and AA.  Still nice to see him doing well and always nice to see pick 17 making some noise early.

While I had written Ross off for next year I might have to change my tune.  It's been the same low batting average and low slugging for Ross for pretty much a full two years at AA.  While the K and Walk rates are good it hasn't been enough for him to make solid contact with the ball.  Until of course the last month of the season where he carries a .994 OPS heading into today.  August isn't over and he could still slump to the end, but he also might find enough momentum to see if one more year will help him get over the hump.  He had a brutal July and hasn't had an OPS over .700 in any month this year until of course August.  Hopefully he has figured something out, but he is on the precipice of being out of pro ball. 

Outman with another home run and two more K's.  With his OPS rebounding in St. Paul it won't be much longer before we see him at the MLB level.

I start talking about Fedko and he goes and has an 0 for 6 night with 2 K's.  Hopefully he gets back on track soon. And it better be soon as Rosario is right there with him having hit 19 HR's with 25 stolen bases.  Those numbers would likely be much better if he hadn't gotten off to such terrible start to the season.  Fedko has the edge with the walk to K ratio and ability to play all three outfield spots, but Rosario has done well this year.  He could stand to cut the K rate even more, but he is on track to be an option next year with a bit more polish.

My man Jimenez with another Home Run.  Seems the Twins have him trying to hit the ball harder?  2 K's and no walks though which is uncharacteristic for him. Love that .900 OPS though.

 

[twinstalker]

Your link for Gallagher is wrong.  Here's the right one:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=gallag002rya

[nclahammer]

Connor Prielipp moving up to the St. Paul Saints according to Sports illustrated and Bring Me the Sports.  He's already tossed as many innings this season as he did from 2020 - 2024.  Good to see him healthy and showing what he can do.

[madtowntwin]

I'm really beginning to wonder if Marek Houston has consciously attempted a "Hit To Contact" approach with the belief that occasional power will naturally evolve. He was an "RBI Machine" his last year and a half in college via that modality. That duality should pair more than adequately with the performance of his glove. So far - So good....

Still think Simeon is going to be a valuable component long term to the Twin's pitching staff given better culinary habits...

[LambchoP]

Hopefully Abel has a strong outing tonight. Rather than 2 spots of the Twins' rotation going to "bullpen" games, they should be giving starts to some of the upcoming young SP arms they are going to eventually be forced to rely on. Guys like Abel and Bradley. Getting some MLB innings under their belts and possibly auditioning for a SP role next year. Our rotation could have some complications to it in 2026. If nobody is traded away, we could be looking at a decent SP crop.

1 - Lopez

2 - Ryan

3 - Ober

4 - Zebby/Festa

5 - SWR/Abel/Bradley/Morris

SP that could or maybe should move to the bullpen...

Adams, Ohl, Raya, Prelipp, Urena. After the deadline the Twins now need to rebuild the pen from scratch. Best way to do this would be signing 3 legit RP and filling the rest with failed SP and internal arms.

[LambchoP]

Also, Outman should get a shot with the big league club. It's pretty clear Roden can't hit big league pitching. He's also another LH OF. With his thumb Injury, they should see if Outman can give them anything and get a look at whether or not he could have a role with the team next year. Gasper clearly needs to go to. Guy can't hit, can't bunt, can't throw out base stealers and his defense sucks. Give innings to some of our younger catchers. Might as well audition a few to see if any have a shot at the backup catcher role next year or if we need to sign one in FA.

[FlyingFinn]

2 hours ago, Dman said:

I start talking about Fedko and he goes and has an 0 for 6 night with 2 K's.  Hopefully he gets back on track soon. And it better be soon as Rosario is right there with him having hit 19 HR's with 25 stolen bases.  Those numbers would likely be much better if he hadn't gotten off to such terrible start to the season.  Fedko has the edge with the walk to K ratio and ability to play all three outfield spots, but Rosario has done well this year.  He could stand to cut the K rate even more, but he is on track to be an option next year with a bit more polish.

How do you compare Fedko, Gonzalez, and Rosario? Am I correct in putting Gonzalez and Rosario in the same bucket - they can hit but defense isn't going to be good (though I'm seeing some posts that Gonzalez D is getting better - of course he's now struggling a little in his start with the Saints). Fedko is different right? Better defense and speed? But is he a one year wonder who can beat the label of "career minor leaguer?" Of course, Fedko turning 26 soon really doesn't help him. That and Gonzalez passing up Rosario, going from A ball to AAA while Rosario stays at AA, tells me Gonzalez is the guy the Twins think is most likely to be in MLB.

With Jenkins arriving for sure by 2027 and Buxton still there, Rodriguez probably up if he's ever healthy, sure doesn't leave a lot of future room for these three. Things happen though.

[Major League Ready]

32 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

Also, Outman should get a shot with the big league club. It's pretty clear Roden can't hit big league pitching. He's also another LH OF. With his thumb Injury, they should see if Outman can give them anything and get a look at whether or not he could have a role with the team next year. Gasper clearly needs to go to. Guy can't hit, can't bunt, can't throw out base stealers and his defense sucks. Give innings to some of our younger catchers. Might as well audition a few to see if any have a shot at the backup catcher role next year or if we need to sign one in FA.

I remember seeing similar assessments here about Brent Rooker at the end of 2021 and the 2022 off-season.

[twinstalker]

30 minutes ago, madtowntwin said:

I'm really beginning to wonder if Marek Houston has consciously attempted a "Hit To Contact" approach with the belief that occasional power will naturally evolve. He was an "RBI Machine" his last year and a half in college via that modality. That duality should pair more than adequately with the performance of his glove. So far - So good....

He's going to be lucky to hit anything.  With his profile, striking out at 24.5% (12 K in 49 PA) thus far probably won't translate batting avg to A+.  There's some variability from the smallish sample size and bias from new-ness to pro ball, but K rate is more steady than you'd think.  But low A shouldn't even be a speed bump for top college draft pick.

For comparison, Kaelen Culpepper struck out 2 times in 41 PAs in low A, and he's no sure thing.  That's <5%.  He's around 16% at higher levels, which is good, and for Houston it's absolutely necessary.  Kyle DeBarge also struck out at the same rate as Houston at low A, and it's one of the reason I have nearly zero hope for him, the other being the pre-draft chatter.

Anyway, most teams had no interest in Houston and were moving on.  Why would you do that with a great fielder presumably close to the majors because college?  Because you're convinced he can't hit.  Twins, for whatever reason, have no clue what they're looking for in a hitter.  I'm sure he looked fine to them, which is scary.

[Chembry]

30 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

Also, Outman should get a shot with the big league club. It's pretty clear Roden can't hit big league pitching. He's also another LH OF. With his thumb Injury, they should see if Outman can give them anything and get a look at whether or not he could have a role with the team next year. Gasper clearly needs to go to. Guy can't hit, can't bunt, can't throw out base stealers and his defense sucks. Give innings to some of our younger catchers. Might as well audition a few to see if any have a shot at the backup catcher role next year or if we need to sign one in FA.

Not sure you can make that judgement on Roden yet.  He has a total of 150 plate appearances.  He is a career .302 hitter in the minors and was hitting .331 in AAA this year.  He won the starting LF in Toronto out of spring training hitting over .400 with >200 wRC+.  He is a plus defender.  The guy can obviously hit.  I am not saying he will be a great major league hitter, but he should be given every chance the rest of this year to adjust.  
Outman has struggled for the better part of 2 seasons at the major league level.  Why should he be given the opportunity over Roden?  I understand that may be the move if Roden goes on the IL after his thumb injury.

[twinstalker]

4 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

How do you compare Fedko, Gonzalez, and Rosario? Am I correct in putting Gonzalez and Rosario in the same bucket - they can hit but defense isn't going to be good (though I'm seeing some posts that Gonzalez D is getting better - of course he's now struggling a little in his start with the Saints). Fedko is different right? Better defense and speed? But is he a one year wonder who can beat the label of "career minor leaguer?" Of course, Fedko turning 26 soon really doesn't help him. That and Gonzalez passing up Rosario, going from A ball to AAA while Rosario stays at AA, tells me Gonzalez is the guy the Twins think is most likely to be in MLB.

With Jenkins arriving for sure by 2027 and Buxton still there, Rodriguez probably up if he's ever healthy, sure doesn't leave a lot of future room for these three. Things happen though.

Fedko and Rosario are organization guys.  Fedko could get a cup of coffee due to fielding, running, and trooper status.  Gonzalez is more Jose Miranda than we'd like to think, probably better with the bat, but he's a 4th OF rh platoon type who sucks in the OF -- he has a chance to be good, but it's slight.  Rosario is nothing, well, he's Yunior Severino..

Meanwhile Emmanuel Rodriguez may glow for a moment, but he's not going to hit in MLB.  Jenkins will be great when injury-free.  As a Boras client, he will never sign an extension and will need to be traded early, so enjoy the 4-5 years.

I don't think the Twins system OF looks very solid after Jenkins. 

[twinstalker]

1 hour ago, LambchoP said:

Also, Outman should get a shot with the big league club. It's pretty clear Roden can't hit big league pitching. He's also another LH OF. With his thumb Injury, they should see if Outman can give them anything and get a look at whether or not he could have a role with the team next year. Gasper clearly needs to go to. Guy can't hit, can't bunt, can't throw out base stealers and his defense sucks. Give innings to some of our younger catchers. Might as well audition a few to see if any have a shot at the backup catcher role next year or if we need to sign one in FA.

Actually it's pretty clear that Outman can't hit  Roden is a question.  It's very clear he can hit minor league pitching.  Good for him.  His minor league predictors for major league success, though, are muddled.  Guys who hit in AAA/AA but not the majors are in one of two buckets.  Either they strike out a lot or they swing at and hit most everything (Miranda-like). 

Roden is a true mystery to me.  His minors K rate is low, his walk rate is high but not too high (he's not passive).  He really hasn't gotten to his very average (or below) power, and MLB pitchers are taking advantage of that.  Some hitters just can't handle higher velocities that are common across MLB, and Roden might be that guy.  His bat speed looks like it's around 25th-30th %ile

Roden's first full-year ball was at age 23, and at 25 he was in the majors.  The sheer quickness of that ascent probably means he needs time to adjust.  His advanced age suggests maybe he should have adjusted by now, but maybe he needs the offseason.  If I had to choose one direction for him, I'd choose that 2026 will be an average season, but it could well be another bad one.  

[mikelink45]

When looking at Outman and Roden stats remember how well Gaspar hit in the minors - I am afraid it is not the test we think it should be. 

[Dman]

1 hour ago, FlyingFinn said:

How do you compare Fedko, Gonzalez, and Rosario? Am I correct in putting Gonzalez and Rosario in the same bucket - they can hit but defense isn't going to be good (though I'm seeing some posts that Gonzalez D is getting better - of course he's now struggling a little in his start with the Saints). Fedko is different right? Better defense and speed? But is he a one year wonder who can beat the label of "career minor leaguer?" Of course, Fedko turning 26 soon really doesn't help him. That and Gonzalez passing up Rosario, going from A ball to AAA while Rosario stays at AA, tells me Gonzalez is the guy the Twins think is most likely to be in MLB.

With Jenkins arriving for sure by 2027 and Buxton still there, Rodriguez probably up if he's ever healthy, sure doesn't leave a lot of future room for these three. Things happen though.

I'm just comparing the bat, not the defense with Rosario and Fedko.  If guys can hit they usually find spots for them.  They both seem to have good power and decent Onbase Skills even their number of steals is close. So offensively they don't seem too far apart to me.

Gonzalez is a slightly different bucket.  Only 21 and he hasn't shown the power those two have yet.  Doesn't mean it's not there.  He also hasn't stolen many bases like Fedko and Rosario have. He's more of a pure hitter though.  All three have a chance, but Fedko is the oldest so the least likely to get a shot.

I agree Gonzalez will be added for sure so he is the most likely to debut and you are right they have too many outfielder's on the 40 man right now. not really any room to add more.  It is very possible both Fedko and Rosario are not added. Still I can't shake that Fedko is almost exactly what they are looking for in a 4th outfielder.  A right handed bat with some power that can play center, left and right.  I mean they have the left handed version of that in Outman so maybe it doesn't matter, but Fedko looks like he might be able to handle the Bader role if he can hit MLB pitching which is no easy task.

I keep coming back to do I like Fedko better than Martin?  Who has really good plate discipline ,but not much power and is not that great defensively. Do I like him better than McCusker? Who has a ton of power but likely loses value defensively?  It's a tough call and hard to base on such a small sample size, but the better he does at AAA the more he makes me wonder if he could be a right handed 4th outfielder solution.

Maybe with Gonzalez there just is no room for Fedko.  Maybe this is the best year Fedko will ever have as a pro.  Hard to say.  If this is who he is though he really does fit a need IMO.

[Dman]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

When looking at Outman and Roden stats remember how well Gaspar hit in the minors - I am afraid it is not the test we think it should be. 

Yeah it's because the competition is so variable in the Minors.  Anyone who does well there moves up a level and then weakens that team.  At AAA anyone playing well gets moved to MLB and often times arms get picked over at that level because of injuries at the MLB level.  So if a team loses a lot of talent then when other teams face them they do well and can pad their stats.  At the MLB level you are playing against the best of the best every day. there is precious little padding of stats at that level.  So of course the numbers come down and of course like any other level some hitters won't be able to adjust or take a really long time to adjust to that level.

Still while stats aren't completely predictive in and of themselves they are the closest thing we have to determine when  a player is ready.  I'd still rather give a .900 to 1.000 OPS player a shot at MLB time versus someone at AAA with a .700 to .800 OPS.  We don't know which players will make it as their weaknesses get exploited at the MLB level, but you still have throw guys out there and see what they can do.

[DocBauer]

5 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

How do you compare Fedko, Gonzalez, and Rosario? Am I correct in putting Gonzalez and Rosario in the same bucket - they can hit but defense isn't going to be good (though I'm seeing some posts that Gonzalez D is getting better - of course he's now struggling a little in his start with the Saints). Fedko is different right? Better defense and speed? But is he a one year wonder who can beat the label of "career minor leaguer?" Of course, Fedko turning 26 soon really doesn't help him. That and Gonzalez passing up Rosario, going from A ball to AAA while Rosario stays at AA, tells me Gonzalez is the guy the Twins think is most likely to be in MLB.

With Jenkins arriving for sure by 2027 and Buxton still there, Rodriguez probably up if he's ever healthy, sure doesn't leave a lot of future room for these three. Things happen though.

I know this wasn't directed at me, but just have to throw my $.02 in. And I'm glad @Dman brought up McCusker as he fits in to the discussion somewhat as well.

FEDKO: I thought he was organizational filler until this season. But I found him a little more interesting when I took a longer look at his career to this point. He seems to have decent contact skills and has always maintained a solid OB% even in poorer seasons. I'm guessing he was injured for part of 2023 as he only had 211 PA. But it was 2024 where he bottomed out for whatever reason. He hasn't shown great HIT ability and that gives me pause. But the contact and OB ability and developed power makes him interesting. When you compare him to someone like McCusker, the biggest concern is he ability to make contact. Fedko seems to have that. He could be a really solid 4th OF option if the HIT ability is there. And the Twins have real need for another RH OF. Fedko is actually a year younger than Martin I believe.

The younger GONZALEZ is the better prospect in my mind. So far, he's stopped swinging at ERVYTHING and it's really changed his game. The power should keep coming, but the bat has been almost unstoppable in 2025. Guess that's why he was a top 100 prospect when the Twins got him. Average speed, questionable reads/routes and a strong arm. How much his reads and routes have improved IDK. The biggest difference might be Fedko's better speed and ability to play a little CF where Gonzalez is only a corner OF.

Personally, I think Rosario is being a little undersold. I don't know if he's got a ML future or not, but he had a really good 2023 and was the Midwest League MVP at 20yo. Then he went to AA as a 21yo last season and was injured for a little under half the season. His AFL performance was solid at the end of the year. After a really bad beginning to 2025, he's rebounded to have a really solid year with power, speed, a solid OB% in the .360's, and an OPS in the .830's. Never heard he's a poor athlete. Always had he has a good arm. From what I've heard, much like Gonzalez, he's got a good arm and isn’t a bad athlete, but there have been questions about reads and routes. He's got to HIT better, but he's still only 22yo. 

I'm seeing more of any every day role for Gonzalez at DH/OF. I see Fedko as maybe more of a classic 4th OF with a varied skill set. Rosario is more of a RH platoon bat? 

[DocBauer]

5 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

How do you compare Fedko, Gonzalez, and Rosario? Am I correct in putting Gonzalez and Rosario in the same bucket - they can hit but defense isn't going to be good (though I'm seeing some posts that Gonzalez D is getting better - of course he's now struggling a little in his start with the Saints). Fedko is different right? Better defense and speed? But is he a one year wonder who can beat the label of "career minor leaguer?" Of course, Fedko turning 26 soon really doesn't help him. That and Gonzalez passing up Rosario, going from A ball to AAA while Rosario stays at AA, tells me Gonzalez is the guy the Twins think is most likely to be in MLB.

With Jenkins arriving for sure by 2027 and Buxton still there, Rodriguez probably up if he's ever healthy, sure doesn't leave a lot of future room for these three. Things happen though.

I know this wasn't directed at me, but just have to throw my $.02 in. And I'm glad @Dman brought up McCusker as he fits in to the discussion somewhat as well.

FEDKO: I thought he was organizational filler until this season. But I found him a little more interesting when I took a longer look at his career to this point. He seems to have decent contact skills and has always maintained a solid OB% even in poorer seasons. I'm guessing he was injured for part of 2023 as he only had 211 PA. But it was 2024 where he bottomed out for whatever reason. He hasn't shown great HIT ability and that gives me pause. But the contact and OB ability and developed power makes him interesting. When you compare him to someone like McCusker, the biggest concern is he ability to make contact. Fedko seems to have that. He could be a really solid 4th OF option if the HIT ability is there. And the Twins have real need for another RH OF. Fedko is actually a year younger than Martin I believe.

The younger GONZALEZ is the better prospect in my mind. So far, he's stopped swinging at ERVYTHING and it's really changed his game. The power should keep coming, but the bat has been almost unstoppable in 2025. Guess that's why he was a top 100 prospect when the Twins got him. Average speed, questionable reads/routes and a strong arm. How much his reads and routes have improved IDK. The biggest difference might be Fedko's better speed and ability to play a little CF where Gonzalez is only a corner OF.

Personally, I think Rosario is being a little undersold. I don't know if he's got a ML future or not, but he had a really good 2023 and was the Midwest League MVP at 20yo. Then he went to AA as a 21yo last season and was injured for a little under half the season. His AFL performance was solid at the end of the year. After a really bad beginning to 2025, he's rebounded to have a really solid year with power, speed, a solid OB% in the .360's, and an OPS in the .830's. Never heard he's a poor athlete. Always had he has a good arm. From what I've heard, much like Gonzalez, he's got a good arm and isn’t a bad athlete, but there have been questions about reads and routes. He's got to HIT better, but he's still only 22yo. 

I'm seeing more of any every day role for Gonzalez at DH/OF. I see Fedko as maybe more of a classic 4th OF with a varied skill set. Rosario is more of a RH platoon bat? 

[stringer bell]

Really good conversation here. It seems to me that Fedko has inserted himself into the conversation for a possible spot on the major league team next barring any major league free agent signings. I think he's a better OF than Martin with more power and enough speed (he's stolen over 30 bases this year). Gonzales has had a fine year as well and he's much younger Rosario is also young, has hit for power and has some speed.

I think McCusker is considered less of a prospect than any of the three guys. He's been pretty bad since his first cup of coffee in the majors. He doesn't provide any value besides slugging and he is older. 

[Chembry]

On 8/16/2025 at 9:57 AM, twinstalker said:

He's going to be lucky to hit anything.  With his profile, striking out at 24.5% (12 K in 49 PA) thus far probably's  won't translate batting avg to A+.  There's some variability from the smallish sample size and bias from new-ness to pro ball, but K rate is more steady than you'd think.  But low A shouldn't even be a speed bump for top college draft pick.

For comparison, Kaelen Culpepper struck out 2 times in 41 PAs in low A, and he's no sure thing.  That's <5%.  He's around 16% at higher levels, which is good, and for Houston it's absolutely necessary.  Kyle DeBarge also struck out at the same rate as Houston at low A, and it's one of the reason I have nearly zero hope for him, the other being the pre-draft chatter.

Anyway, most teams had no interest in Houston and were moving on.  Why would you do that with a great fielder presumably close to the majors because college?  Because you're convinced he can't hit.  Twins, for whatever reason, have no clue what they're looking for in a hitter.  I'm sure he looked fine to them, which is scary.

Your judging Houston on 12 games in low A?  Nobody "backed away" from Houston.  He was the 15th rated prospect by MLB, 22nd by ESPN and was drafted 16th.  The scouting report stated he is a plus defender and contact over power profile.  That has held true through his first 12 games in low A. I am quite surprised he hasn't been promoted to A+ yet.

1. You are ignoring the fact that he is hitting .370,  .868 OPS, and .488 BABIP...That's pretty strong.  Yes, his K rate is up a bit from college (16% at WF vs 22% in A (13K in 59 PA)), but very small sample size creates significant variability.

2. You are using Kaelen Culpepper as a comparison for K rate, but his BA and BABIP numbers are worse than Houston's. (.297, .907 OPS, .273 BABIP)  

Again, I am not saying he is going to ever be a fantastic hitter in MLB, but let's not judge someone in 10-12 games using only K% as a metric.