Twins Minor League Report (8/19): Quick! Somebody Call the Fire Department...

[Steve Lein]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Kyler Fedko)

TRANSACTIONS

• With the St. Paul Saints RHP John Stankiewicz was sent back down to the Wichita Wind Surge, and SS Tanner Schobel was sent on a rehab assignment with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.
• Down in Double-A, the Wind Surge activated RHP Tanner Andrews from the 7-day injured list, received OF Maddux Houghton from the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and placed RHP Kyle Bischoff on the 7-day IL.
• In the Midwest League, the Kernels activated 3B Rayne Doncon from the temporary inactive list and RHP Spencer Bengard from the 60-day injured list. In addition, 2025 first round pick SS Marek Houston was promoted from Fort Myers to play shortstop and lead off for the Kernels in his league debut.
• The Mighty Mussels received some reinforcements to start the week. OF Jacob McCombs and RHP Xavier Kolhosser were bumped up from the FCL Twins roster. OF Jayson Bass was moved down in a corresponding move.

SAINTS SENTINEL
Round Rock 4, St. Paul 11
Box Score

For the first time in franchise history, the St. Paul Saints were facing a team from the Pacific Coast League. To coincide with that first, this one also saw the Triple-A debut of top left-handed pitching prospect, Connor Prielipp.

He needed just nine pitches to retire the Express in order to start the game, and he punctuated it by striking out the last batter with a 98 MPH fastball for his first K.

It would be a bit of a mixed bag from there, as Prielipp ended up with 81 pitches (53 strikes, including 10 swinging) in just 3 ⅓ total innings, but that number is also a career high. He was charged with two earned runs on three hits, and a career high four walks, but did strike out five. The 98 MPH fastball is where he topped out, averaged nearly 96, and got swings and misses on all three of his offerings.

The Saints offense certainly had his back, as they scored six runs in the first two innings to put this one in the rearview mirror early, and it was mostly thanks to Kyler Fedko. His double in the first put runners in scoring position for DaShawn Keirsey, who drove them both in with an RBI single. In the bottom of the second his double bounced off and over the wall in left-center for an RBI after Payton Eeles drove in the first run of the inning with a single. Keirsey then delivered another RBI single that scored two thanks to an error to make it 6-1.

From there, the power of the Saints showed up. Aaron Sabato obliterated a ball 433 feet to center field for a two-run shot in the fifth. Fedko then launched his 25th home run of the year over the bullpen in left-center in the sixth. Carson McCusker, on a bit of a home run drought, blasted one 429 feet in the seventh for his 20th of the season, one shy of the Saints record.

After Prielipp’s debut was over, Jarret Whorff went the next 2 ⅓ innings to pick up the win. He walked one and struck out three. Aaron Rozek (1 IP, H, K), Noah Davis (1 IP, H, BB), and Trent Baker (1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, K) each pitched an inning of relief to close it out.

Fedko finished this game 5-for-5 with two doubles, the home run, four runs scored, and two RBI. If not for the odd bounce to send his second double out of play, he probably would have hit for the cycle, and the five hits tied the Saints franchise record. In addition to his outburst, Keirsey (3-for-5, R, 2B, 3 RBI, K), and Patrick Winkel (2-for-4, R, 2B) each had multiple hits.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 10, Midland 4
Box Score

In a battle of top prospects, Walker Jenkins and the Wind Surge face off against the just promoted Leo De Vries and the RockHounds this week. 

Give round one to Captain America… Well, actually we’ll give it to another Wind Surge player making his own Double-A debut…

The Wind Surge jumped all over RockHounds starter James Gonzalez, starting with Jenkins, who hit the first pitch of the game on a line into right field for a single. Before the frame was over, Jenkins was hit by a pitch in his second at-bat against a new pitcher. Wichita sent 11 hitters to the plate in the opening frame, and in-between those two Jenkins at-bats Ben Ross hit a two-run homer, Jake Rucker a two-run double, and they had six total runs on the scoreboard.

They added two more in the second after Maddux Houghton led off with a double. A Nate Baez single and walk to Andrew Cossetti loaded the bases. Ross scored the first run with a sac fly, and Rubel Cespedes followed with an RBI single. They extended their lead to 9-0 in the third after another Houghton double, and then three consecutive two-out walks.

Right-hander Ricky Castro got the start and with all that run support, didn’t stay in the game long. He went the first 2 2/3 innings. The first two of which were scoreless, but ended up with two earned runs on three hits and two walks in his outing, striking out two. Jaylen Nowlin got the last out of the third and finished the fourth. He gave up one earned run on two hits and a walk. Jacob Wosinski (2 IP, 2 H, 3 K) and Mike Paredes (2 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, K) finished the game off from there.

The Wind Surge added a run in the seventh after three straight singles from Jenkins, Kala’i Rosario, and Houghton to make the final score. Houghton finished 4-for-5 with three runs scored, two doubles, and an RBI in first taste of double-A, but did not even start the game. He entered after Hendry Mendez got tangled up at third base on a tag-up play, and had to exit.

Jenkins (2-for-5, 2 R, K), Rosario (2-for-5, BB, 3 K), Baez (2-for-4, R, RBI, BB), and Cespedes (2-for-5, R, RBI, BB, 2) each had multiple hits.

Leo De Vries finished 0-for-4 with a walk in his Double-A debut.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 2, South Bend 3
Box Score

The Kernels got a strong effort from reigning Midwest League Pitcher of the Week, Ty Langenberg in this one. He completed seven innings, allowing just two earned runs on five hits and one walk, while striking out six. He threw 89 pitches, with 59 going for strikes (66%).

Unfortunately for him and the Kernels, their offense wasn’t able to ever give him any breathing room. The Cubs plated one in the first on a double-play ball, then their second run against Langenberg in the sixth after a leadoff walk scored on a double.

The Kernels tied the game at one in the top of the fourth with a minor two-out rally. Caden Kendle singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a throwing error. They took a 2-1 lead in the fifth after Marek Houston collected his first hit in the Midwest League. After his single he stole second base, then came home on an RBI knock from Eduardo Tait. But that was all the offense would get.

Nick Trabacchi came on in relief of Langenberg to start the eighth and worked a one-two-three inning. Back out for the ninth, it immediately went the wrong way. He walked the first two hitters before a sac bunt put the winning run 90-feet away. A liner into right was caught, but the throw home was not in time and the Kernels were walked-off.

Kendle led the way with two hits in four trips to the plate. He doubled, scored a run, drew a walk, and struck out once. Marek Houston finished his Midwest League debut 1-for-4 with a run scored, walk, stolen base, and pair of strikeouts.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Tampa @ Fort Myers (Postponed, rain)

The series opening tilt between the Mighty Mussels and Tarpons at Hammond Stadium was postponed by persistent rain on the gulf coast of Florida on Tuesday. They will try to play a doubleheader tomorrow, with game one starting around 3:30 PM CDT in the afternoon.

DOMINICAN DAILIES
Monday: DSL Phillies Red 7, DSL Twins 8
Box Score

The Twins rallied from a three-run deficit to take this one late as the bullpen kept them close enough over the final five innings.

Omar Montano took the hill and went the first three innings. He was charged with three earned runs on five hits, while striking out three. Juan Figaro pitched the fourth inning and allowed two earned runs on one hit and four walks. Aaron Carranzo (1 IP, H, K), Agustin Campusano (1 IP, BB), Brandy Ceballos (1/3 IP, 2 R, 3 BB), Marlon Mirabel (2/3 IP, 2 H, BB), and Nestor Cafe (2 IP, BB, K) kept the Phillies in check enough the rest of the way.

Joyner Perez tied the game at three in the third with a two-run single. Jose Barrios hit a solo home run in the fourth. Down by three in the seventh the Twins took advantage of an error and a double-steal to pull within one. In the bottom of the eighth Jamesson Val tied the game at seven with a triple, and another error put them up by one for good. Jhomnardo Reyes (2-for-4, 2B, K) was the only hitter with multiple knocks.

Tuesday: DSL Mets Orange 9, DSL Twins 8
Box Score

The Twins held a lead through most of this one, but weren’t able to hold on in the end as the Mets scored seven runs over the final four innings to come back.

Right-hander Rey Pacheco got the start and went the first four-plus innings. He scattered two six hits to the tune of two earned runs, and struck out four in 4 2/3. Jensi Infante came in for the final out of the fifth and started the sixth as well. He only recorded one other out, allowing two earned runs on two hits and a walk in 2/3 of an inning.  Jeicol Surumay then came on, and went the next 1 2/3. He was charged with three earned runs on three hits and one walk, while striking out two. Still up by one to start the eighth, Jesus Gomez (1 IP, H ER, 2 BB, 2 K) and Yordi Jose (1 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 K) weren’t able to close it out.

The Twins took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third on a two-run single from Santiago Leon. They stretched their early lead to 5-1 in the fourth thanks to RBI singles from Dencer Diaz and Gerardo Cardona, as well as a wild pitch. Joyner Perez capped the Twins scoring in the sixth with a two-run double.

Darwin Almanzar (2-for-5, R) and Diaz (2-for-5, 2 R, RBI) led the way with two hits apiece.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Ty Langenberg, Cedar Rapids Kernels (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 6 K)
Hitter of the Day – Kyler Fedko, St. Paul Saints (5-for-5, 4 R, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI)

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

#1 – Walker Jenkins (Wichita): 2-for-5, 2 R, K
#2 – Luke Keaschall (Minnesota): 1-for-4, 3 K
#5 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, RBI, K
#6 – Connor Prielipp (St. Paul): 3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
#13 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 K, SB (1)
#14 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4, 2 K
#17 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-5, 3 K
#20 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita): 1-for-1 (had to leave game in top of the first)

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Round Rock @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CDT) - LHP Kendry Rojas (1-1, 5.79 ERA)
Wichita @ Midland (6:30 PM CDT) - RHP Darren Bowen (3-7, 5.33 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Jacob Kisting (2-3, 2.28 ERA)
Tampa @ Fort Myers, Game 1 (3:30 PM CDT) - RHP Michael Ross (4-4, 3.00 ERA)
Tampa @ Fort Myers, Game 2 (30 min after game 1) - TBD

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 

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[Dman]

We've all been talking about him and he hasn't slowed down much.  Man Fedko is on a heater.  I watched a couple of his at bats and he is just dialed in and that bat on the home run moved so fast it was just a blur, bang, bang and gone.  It's a short hard stroke.  25 Home Runs already this year more than McCusker granted Fedko got most of his at AA.  Still 5 for 5 is rare.  The kid can hit.

Didn't get to watch Prielipp, but for a AAA Debut I'd say he did well.  He's got great stuff, but it also can get squared up too often IMO.  Glad they have him in AAA.

Langenburg with a couple of nice outings in a row. He should be ready for AA next year.  I was starting to get worried he wasn't going to improve, but it looks like he's got his groove back. Nice to see him doing well.

Bat's were hot all over.  Too many to name this time out.

[FlyingFinn]

Interesting that Culpepper didn't play after an off day on Monday.

[mrguy]

Fedko might actually be legit. I don't know what deal he made, but he's just exploded this year. Genuinely wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being a call up at this point.

[Connor Gould]

Prielipp this year has gone from a career high of 23.1 innings to now 65, reaching AAA in the process and putting up 10.8 K/9. Some ups and downs, but if you look at the big picture this is definitely a successful year for him. Hopefully he can finish the year healthy and around 80 innings, would put him on track to try to hit maybe 125 innings in 2026 and hopefully have some of them in the MLB.

[pierre75275]

Its really too bad we have so many right handed outfielders already. Otherwise maybe Fedko coukd get the call

[Doctor Wu]

6 hours ago, Connor Gould said:

Prielipp this year has gone from a career high of 23.1 innings to now 65, reaching AAA in the process and putting up 10.8 K/9. Some ups and downs, but if you look at the big picture this is definitely a successful year for him. Hopefully he can finish the year healthy and around 80 innings, would put him on track to try to hit maybe 125 innings in 2026 and hopefully have some of them in the MLB.

If he isn't called up at some point next season I will be very disappointed. Granted, he's had health issues to deal with in the past few seasons, but at this point, it's time to take the kid's gloves off and see how he does at the higher levels. 

[jmlease1]

Very impressed with Fedko this season. Right now it's looks like he's broken his development pattern where he's struggled in his first taste of a new level, and that's good to see. Saint Paul may be a hitter's environment, but the fact remains that he's actually doing better than he was at AA. Still a fairly small sample, but very encouraging. He's making a real case for himself to get added to the 40-man in the offseason.

Walker Jenkins is back. Just happy it wasn't something more serious. He's having a fine season.

[mikelink45]

Nice to have good news in the minors - I still want a lot of young players coming up to the Twins - I don't need to see the current BP, or Outman or Julien - this should be tryout season in Minneapolis. 

[bunsen82]

So honest question -  it seems like most of the prospects  even the lower level ones are having great numbers and stats this year.  When you see the scores though it seems like the other teams are putting up just as many hits as us.  Are the overall numbers up in the minors?  Our the prospects doing as well as we think they are.   

Fedko would be really nice if he were a decent piece to use.   Give another chance at finding a really good outfield.   

[Jasper]

whatever happened to the draft pick Quick? Is he hurt or shut down for the season? I have not seen anything on him.

[HrbieFan]

8 hours ago, mrguy said:

Fedko might actually be legit. I don't know what deal he made, but he's just exploded this year. Genuinely wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being a call up at this point.

Hope they actually give him a look! Tired of the whiff king that batted 9th for the big club, who cares that he grew up in MN. Let some other team put up with his lack of bat skills and plodding defense. 

[chpettit19]

57 minutes ago, bunsen82 said:

So honest question -  it seems like most of the prospects  even the lower level ones are having great numbers and stats this year.  When you see the scores though it seems like the other teams are putting up just as many hits as us.  Are the overall numbers up in the minors?  Our the prospects doing as well as we think they are.   

Fedko would be really nice if he were a decent piece to use.   Give another chance at finding a really good outfield.   

Depends what league you're talking about. Some leagues (like the International league the Saints are in) have very good hitting environments. Others (like the Florida State league) have much harder hitting environments. I find using wRC+ and the Fangraphs leader boards to sort through minor league numbers at each level to be pretty helpful in judging how well guys are doing. Fangraphs actually has quite a bit of data on minor league players. But just judging minor leaguers based on what we know to be good MLB numbers wouldn't get you a full picture read on how well guys are doing in the minors. 

[Steve Lein]

1 hour ago, bunsen82 said:

So honest question -  it seems like most of the prospects  even the lower level ones are having great numbers and stats this year.  When you see the scores though it seems like the other teams are putting up just as many hits as us.  Are the overall numbers up in the minors?  Our the prospects doing as well as we think they are.   

Fedko would be really nice if he were a decent piece to use.   Give another chance at finding a really good outfield.   

I always tend to look at the league average numbers, which are pretty easy to find on Baseball-Reference. The International League, as an example, has something like a .765 average OPS this year, while in the Florida State League it's probably well under .700.

[rdehring]

Most everyone is talking about Fedko, but really there is nothing left to say.  What I found interesting was that Keirsey had two nice RBI hits after Fedko got on base.  See that his numbers are getting much better.  Expect he was glad to be with the big club much of the year, but this kid may still be a good player if given a chance for regular at bats.

Great seeing Prielipp on the mound in AAA.  With the big increase in innings this year it is reasonable to expect him to tire a bit as he gets beyond the first couple innings.

[LambchoP]

This Fedko kid is having a monster year! I've heard people say he won't work out because he was never a "top prospect" and he's already too old. The kids only 25,! He bats RH which is exactly what we need on the MLB club. Maybe if he plays good enough corner OF and his bat translates to the majors, he could replace the big slow K prone lefties we have out there now. At least until Jenkins, E Rodriguez and Rosario are ready .... I'd also like to see Eeles get a call up. I know he hasn't been hitting for much power this year, but he makes contact and can steal bases. We are trying to get more athletic, seems like the exact guy we want. With Lewis struggling at the plate basically all year, I think we are going to need both a first baseman and a third baseman backup plan if Lewis sucks again next year. Pitching wise, why the heck are we doing these bs bullpen games when we just picked up like 4 minor league SP at the deadline. Let's see what we have in Abel, Bradley and Rojas. At least until Lopez, SWR and Festa are back. I also wouldn't mind trying out some of our younger SP in the pen. Raya, Morris, Prelipp. We're going to need to completely rebuild our bullpen and using some of our minor league SP could be a good start.

[DJL44]

52 minutes ago, rdehring said:

Most everyone is talking about Fedko, but really there is nothing left to say.  What I found interesting was that Keirsey had two nice RBI hits after Fedko got on base.  See that his numbers are getting much better.  Expect he was glad to be with the big club much of the year, but this kid may still be a good player if given a chance for regular at bats.

Or, counterpoint, the average runs allowed in the PCL is 6 and Round Rock is giving up 5.7 runs per game. Their starting pitcher last evening has an ERA of 7.16.

You have to be very careful when looking at AAA stats to adjust for the run environment.

[AKTwinsFan]

With our needs of  righty bats why haven't we called him up to try out at the major league level?

[Steve Lein]

2 hours ago, Jasper said:

whatever happened to the draft pick Quick? Is he hurt or shut down for the season? I have not seen anything on him.

I'm sure he's doing plenty of stuff at the facility and other developmental work, but I'd guess he doesn't debut in the system with any affiliate until next year. The Twins have done that with a few of their recent college drafted pitchers, whether they had injuries to worry about or not.

[Patzky]

3 hours ago, LambchoP said:

This Fedko kid is having a monster year! I've heard people say he won't work out because he was never a "top prospect" and he's already too old. The kids only 25,! He bats RH which is exactly what we need on the MLB club. Maybe if he plays good enough corner OF and his bat translates to the majors, he could replace the big slow K prone lefties we have out there now. At least until Jenkins, E Rodriguez and Rosario are ready .... I'd also like to see Eeles get a call up. I know he hasn't been hitting for much power this year, but he makes contact and can steal bases. We are trying to get more athletic, seems like the exact guy we want. With Lewis struggling at the plate basically all year, I think we are going to need both a first baseman and a third baseman backup plan if Lewis sucks again next year. Pitching wise, why the heck are we doing these bs bullpen games when we just picked up like 4 minor league SP at the deadline. Let's see what we have in Abel, Bradley and Rojas. At least until Lopez, SWR and Festa are back. I also wouldn't mind trying out some of our younger SP in the pen. Raya, Morris, Prelipp. We're going to need to completely rebuild our bullpen and using some of our minor league SP could be a good start.

Saw one report indicating Pablo will be starting for the Saints in a rehab game Thursday evening.

[jmlease1]

5 hours ago, HrbieFan said:

Hope they actually give him a look! Tired of the whiff king that batted 9th for the big club, who cares that he grew up in MN. Let some other team put up with his lack of bat skills and plodding defense. 

You're tired of a player with a career OPS+ of 131? You're acting like Wallner is some scrub just because you don't like strikeouts. Would he actually be a better player if he hit a bunch more lazy flies and easy grounders instead of striking out? (the answer is: not particularly)

Also, Fedko is almost certainly going to strike out a lot if/when he makes it to MLB. Sure, it probably will be less than Wallner, but Fedko's also never had Wallner's power production.

[Mike Sixel]

10 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

You're tired of a player with a career OPS+ of 131? You're acting like Wallner is some scrub just because you don't like strikeouts. Would he actually be a better player if he hit a bunch more lazy flies and easy grounders instead of striking out? (the answer is: not particularly)

Also, Fedko is almost certainly going to strike out a lot if/when he makes it to MLB. Sure, it probably will be less than Wallner, but Fedko's also never had Wallner's power production.

There was recently an article on Fangraphs that it is better to swing hard and miss (because when you hit you do more damage), than to not strikeout more than they used to. Math. It's pretty clearly the better strategy for a guy with power.

[rdehring]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

There was recently an article on Fangraphs that it is better to swing hard and miss (because when you hit you do more damage), than to not strikeout more than they used to. Math. It's pretty clearly the better strategy for a guy with power.

Got a good smile out of that comment, Mike.  Thanks.

[DocBauer]

"Free Kyler Fedko! Free Kyler Fedko!"

But seriously, he's always done a good job of keeping his OB% about 80-100 points higher than his AVG. So he's got some plate discipline. With a little over a month left for AAA ball, he's got a shot at a 30/30 season. And he's still only 25yo! The Twins need a solid RH OF bat for 2026. Having a mix of speed and power and the ability to play a couple different spots is valuable. Why not Fedko?

Prielipp just needs to stay healthy and keep throwing. Considering how little he's thrown to this point...something like a combined 58 IP between college and professional ball COMBINED...he's really still learning how to pitch. I wonder sometimes if he's too much in the zone? Might explain his BABIP being so crazy high. 

Langenberg on a roll! Definitely on track for AA in 2026.

[Patzky]

7 hours ago, LambchoP said:

This Fedko kid is having a monster year! I've heard people say he won't work out because he was never a "top prospect" and he's already too old. The kids only 25,! He bats RH which is exactly what we need on the MLB club. Maybe if he plays good enough corner OF and his bat translates to the majors, he could replace the big slow K prone lefties we have out there now. At least until Jenkins, E Rodriguez and Rosario are ready .... I'd also like to see Eeles get a call up. I know he hasn't been hitting for much power this year, but he makes contact and can steal bases. We are trying to get more athletic, seems like the exact guy we want. With Lewis struggling at the plate basically all year, I think we are going to need both a first baseman and a third baseman backup plan if Lewis sucks again next year. Pitching wise, why the heck are we doing these bs bullpen games when we just picked up like 4 minor league SP at the deadline. Let's see what we have in Abel, Bradley and Rojas. At least until Lopez, SWR and Festa are back. I also wouldn't mind trying out some of our younger SP in the pen. Raya, Morris, Prelipp. We're going to need to completely rebuild our bullpen and using some of our minor league SP could be a good start.

https://www.si.com/mlb/twins/minnesota-twins-news/former-twins-12th-round-pick-making-strong-case-minor-league-poy-award

[jkcarew]

Before this year, the most innings Prielipp had pitched in a season since high school is 23 innings. It’s been 6 years since high school. Let that sink in. 21 innings another year, and not another year with even 10. There’s really no track record of excellence there, beyond Wisconsin high school…just very brief flashes. He’s probably the most raw 24 year old (highly-rated) professional pitching prospect we’ve ever seen or heard of. He’s simply still learning…just now learning…how to pitch at these levels.

Many acknowledged he was a high-ceiling lottery guy when drafted…he threw a grand total of 27 innings in his college career. He very much remains that, IMO. Can’t see a path to starter right now…certainly not in 2026. My hope is finish 2025 healthy, and focusing him on a bullpen role sometime in 2026.

[HrbieFan]

17 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

You're tired of a player with a career OPS+ of 131? You're acting like Wallner is some scrub just because you don't like strikeouts. Would he actually be a better player if he hit a bunch more lazy flies and easy grounders instead of striking out? (the answer is: not particularly)

Also, Fedko is almost certainly going to strike out a lot if/when he makes it to MLB. Sure, it probably will be less than Wallner, but Fedko's also never had Wallner's power production.

Power isnt the answer to winning, scoring runs is and Wallner is as clutch as any 4A player. Also a big fan of defense, Wallner is not good there either. Keep digging on mythical stats and you can probably find something that says Wallner is average OF too. 

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, HrbieFan said:

Power isnt the answer to winning, scoring runs is and Wallner is as clutch as any 4A player. Also a big fan of defense, Wallner is not good there either. Keep digging on mythical stats and you can probably find something that says Wallner is average OF too. 

Slugging percentage isn't mythical. I agree that they to winning is scoring runs, but one of the best ways to do that is with extra-base hits, aka power production. It's a lot easier to score runs, and score multiple runs when you don't have to do it one base per batter. Hells bells, one of the reasons your nym-sake was so good was his ability to hit for power while avoiding outs. (and please don't start on RBIs; was Hrbek a bad hitter because he only cleared 100 RBI's once in his career? One of his best seasons as a pro ('88) was one of his worst season for RBIs. RBI's simply don't correlate.)

I'm not going to pretend that Wallner is a good outfielder: he's not. He's below average because he's slow to get moving and doesn't always take the best routes to the ball. His arm makes up for it a little because he's hard to run on, but he's still below average defensively. No one has been arguing that. But the value from his bat makes it ok to run him out there in RF until we can find someone else who can hit out there and let Wallner DH more.

 

[Steve Lein]

20 hours ago, DocBauer said:

Prielipp just needs to stay healthy and keep throwing. Considering how little he's thrown to this point...something like a combined 58 IP between college and professional ball COMBINED...he's really still learning how to pitch. I wonder sometimes if he's too much in the zone? Might explain his BABIP being so crazy high. 

It's exactly this. 

Which is a command thing, and one that shouldn't be unexpected returning from his injury and surgery. So I'm not worrying too much about that for him when it comes to this season's performance.