Twins Minor League Report (8/23): Carson McCusker Powers His Way to Saints Record Book

[Seth Stohs]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photo of Carson McCusker)

TRANSACTIONS
On Saturday, the Twins announced that RHP Mick Abel was being promoted to the big leagues to make his first Twins start. 

He is taking RHP Jose Urena’s spot on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters as the veteran hurler was DFA’d. 

SAINTS SENTINEL 
St. Paul 9, Round Rock 10
Box Score
Saints Fall Short in Another Round Rock Rollercaster  

The Saints have played some crazy, high-scoring, inter-league games against the Pacific League’s Round Rock Express this week. This was definitely another one. 

The Saints scored first in the bottom of the second inning when Carson McCusker knocked his 21st home run of the season to make it 1-0. 

Round Rock scored the next five runs. Christian MacLeod gave up five runs on six hits and two walks in three innings. He gave up three runs in the third inning. He also was charged with the two runs in the top of the fourth without recording a 10th out. Darren McCaughan came in and allowed one inherited runner to score. He gave up two more runs over his four innings. He gave up three hits, walked one, and struck out four batters. 

In the bottom of the fourth, the Saints scored two runs to cut their deficit to 5-3. Aaron Sabato led off with a single. With two outs, he advanced to third base on Anthony Prato’s ninth double. Patrick Winkel singled to drive in both runners. 

The Express scored two runs off of McCaughan in the top of the seventh, but the Saints responded after the 7th Inning Stretch with three runs to make it a one-run game (7-6). 

Prato led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk and went to second on a passed ball. Payton Eeles walked. Kyler Fedko walked to load the bases. With two outs, Johnny Pereda drove in all three with a double. 

Travis Adams pitched a scoreless top of the eighth inning. In the bottom of that inning, Carson McCusker led off with his 22nd home run of the year which tied the game at 7-7. 

Adams came out for the top of the ninth and gave up a leadoff home run. After a single, he recorded a strikeout. After a second single, Jarret Whorff came into the game. After a stolen base, an Omar Narvaez single drove in both inherited runners and gave the Express a three-run lead. 

But again, it’s been a crazy week of games, so what happened in the bottom of the ninth? Could the Twins tie it up and send it to extra frames, or could they score four runs and walk it off?

Well, it started out with an Eeles walk. With one out, Gonzalez singled. Next, Pereda doubled to drive in Eeles. Will Holland pinch ran for the DH. Down two runs, Aaron Sabato flew out to right field, deep enough for both runners to advance. Down one run with the game-tying runner 90 feet from home plate, McCusker walked up to the plate. Maybe looking fastball, he got a changeup over the middle of the plate and just missed it, flying out to center field to end the game. Round Rock 10, Saints 9. 

McCusker went 2-for-5 with his 21st and 22nd homers. The first homer tied the Saints franchise record for homers in a season. He set the record with the second homer. In case you were wondering Chris Williams and Jair Camargo hit 21 Saints homers, and Yunior Severino reached that number in 2024. 

Pereda went 2-for-4 with a walk, his fifth and sixth doubles, and four RBI. Sabato went 2-for-4 with a sac fly. Winkel was 2-for-4. Gonzalez went 2-for-5. Eeles walked twice. Prato hit his ninth double and walked.  

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 7, Midland 3
Box Score
Wichita Surges Ahead while CJ Culpepper’s Scoreless Start Sets the Tone 

C.J. Culpepper’s season started late, and he has eased back quite slowly. However, on Saturday, Culpepper tossed five scoreless innings for the Surge. It was the second straight start in which he completed five innings. He gave up three hits, walked four and had six strikeouts. With Wichita, he now has a 2.21 ERA over 12 starts and 40 2/3 innings. He earned his first Double-A win. 

The Surge scored first in the second inning when Ben Ross knocked in Hendry Mendez with a sacrifice fly. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fifth when Wichita added some insurance. 

With one out, Jose Salas hit his seventh Surge double and then stole his eighth base. . Kaelen Culpepper walked, and Walker Jenkins was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After a pitching change, Kala’i Rosario drove in two runs with a double. 

Tanner Andrews entered the game and gave up one run on three hits in the sixth inning. The Wind Surge responded by adding four more insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning. With one out, Rosario doubled, Mendez walked, and Cossetti was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Following a strikeout, Nate Baez cleared the bases with a triple. He scored the fourth run of the inning on a Ross single. 

Michael Martinez walked two but tossed a scoreless seventh. Mike Paredes came on and gave up two runs over two innings, both scoring in the eighth inning. 

Kala’i Rosario went 2-for-4 with a walk and his 24th and 25th doubles of the season. He now has 49 extra base hits this year. Baez went 2-for-4 with a walk, his seventh double and fourth triple, and three runs driven in that proved important. 

Defensive Play of the Day
Speaking of setting the tone, Culpepper was helped by a huge double play ball in the bottom of the first inning. The bases were loaded. Culpepper got the ground ball, and his infield completed a 3-6-3 double play. You've seen in happen before, but this one came with a couple of nice plays thanks to a couple of tough throws. 

Nate Baez was the first baseman. Andrew Cossetti was behind the plate. Both were drafted as catchers in 2022, in large part for their bats. Both have played behind the plate much of their minor-league careers, but they have both played quite a bit at first base and DHd. Cossetti was the Twins 11th round pick out of St. Josephs. Nate Baez was the Twins 12th round pick out of Arizona State. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 0, South Bend 2
Box Score
Tait Doubles Up, but Kernels Shutout in South Bend  

It’s like the calm before the storm. As you would expect in South Bend, Indiana, in late August, offenses were quiet, and there weren’t a lot of big hits. Give it a couple of weeks. Notre Dame football’s season begins next weekend with a Sunday night game against fellow preseason Top 10 Miami in southeast Florida. Their first game at home in South Bend is September 13th when they welcome fellow preseason Top 20 Texas A&M. 

Alright, let’s head a bit south and west. It’s an 11-12 minute drive from Notre Dame Stadium to Four Winds Stadium.

The Kernels did have a few hits, they just didn’t get a big hit in a timely situation. They were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base. Eduardo Tait went 2-for-4 with his third and fourth Cedar Rapids doubles. Brandon Winokur knocked his third triple. 

In the first inning, Tait doubled, but it came right after Kyle DeBarge was caught stealing. Winokur’s triple came with two outs. 

Their biggest threat came in the top of the eighth. Jefferson Valladares and Marek Houston started the inning with back-to-back singles, but the next two hitters popped up in the infield. So when a wild pitch was thrown, runners got to second and third base.

Young lefty Dasan Hill made the start for the Kernels. He gave up one run on three hits. Over 3 2/3 innings, he walked three and had four strikeouts. Julio Bonilla got the final out of the fourth inning. 

Adrian Bohorquez tossed the final four innings. He gave up only an unearned run on three hits. He walked two and had five strikeouts. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers/Tampa (PPD)
Saturday’s game was postponed due to “unplayable field conditions and persistent weather.”  The plan is for the two teams to play a doubleheader on Sunday. Here is a look at the forecast for Sunday in Fort Myers (scheduled Game 1 game time is 12:05 pm).

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Jhonny Perada (St. Paul): 2-for-4, BB, 2-2B(6), 4 RBI, 2 K.
Carson McCusker (St. Paul): 2-for-5, 2-HR(22), 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 K
Kala’i Rosario (Wichita): 2-for-4, BB, 2-2B(25), R, 2 RBI, 2 K
Nate Baez (Wichita): 2-for-4, BB, 2B(7), 3B(4), R, 3 RBI.
Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, 2-2B(4), K

Pitcher of the Day 
CJ Culpepper (Wichita): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 K, 80 pitches, 44 strikes (55.0%)

 

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-3, BB, HBP, 2 K, SB(11) (played CF)
#2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - 1-for-4 (played 2B)
#3 - Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - 0-for-4, BB, R, 3 K (played SS)
#5 - Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2-2B(4), K (catcher)
#7 - Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 70 pitches, 40 strikes (57.1%)
#8 - Mick Abel (Minnesota) - 3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 63 pitches, 42 strikes (66.7%)
#11 - Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, R
#13 - Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, E (played SS)
#14 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 3B(3), K (played CF)
#17 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, CS(7) (played 2B)
#18 - C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) - 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 K, 80 pitches, 44 strikes (55.0%)
#20 - Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, HBP, 2 R, 2 K (DHd)
NOTE: The hyperlinks in the Top Prospect section will take you to a page with articles that they have been tagged in. Click on a couple of see what happens. 

SUNDAY PITCHING PROBABLES
Minnesota @ Chicago (1:10 PM CT) - RHP Taj Bradley (6-6, 4.61 ERA)
Round Rock @ St. Paul (2:07 PM CT) - RHP Cory Lewis (3-5, 6.55 ERA)
Wichita @ Midland (1:00 PM CT) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-2, 15.12 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (1:05 PM CT) - RHP Jacob Kisting (2-3, 2.84 ERA)
Tampa @ Fort Myers (DH @ 11:05 AM CT) - RHP Jason Doktorczyk (3-6, 5.18 ERA)

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 59-70
St. Paul Saints: 55-68 (22-28 second half, T-6th in IL West, 13 GB)
Wichita Wind Surge: 63-56 (26-24 second half, T-3rd in Texas Lg North, 4 GB)
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 66-53 (26-27 second half, T-3rd in MWL West, 3.5 GB, first half winner)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 46-69 (19-32 second half 6th in FSL West, 11.5 GB)
FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs)
DSL Twins: 24-32 (season complete)

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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[FlyingFinn]

Does CJ Culpepper have to be added to the 40 man this winter not to be left open to selection in the Rule 5 draft? Seems like he hasn't done enough to make it but someone that a team would take a flyer on with his potential.  With all the dead weight on the 40 man roster, if he has to, I'm adding him if asked today.

[LambchoP]

CJ Culpeper has looked really good this year. Dadan Hill has some real strikeout potential. Seemingly all our top pitching prospects have the same issue of command and control though. Seems like the same kind of lines every day. 3-4 innings pitched. 3-5 BB's with a few K's. I know this is typical with young arms but guys like Mathews, Festa, SWR, and Abel have all had MLB experience. We've got to find a way to harness their stuff better because walking 10 or more batters per game is not going to be sustainable.

[rdehring]

Both Culpepper's caught my eye in today's report, Seth.

The pitcher seems to be back to what we expected before his injury and time off.  Although the number of walks he is issuing is a bit of a concern.  The shortstop seems to be tiring during what I expect is the most baseball he has ever played.  Is that a fair understanding of his situation?

Tait hasn't turned 19 yet, has he?  To be hitting as well as he has in Hi-A while also playing catcher has to be encouraging.

[Seth Stohs]

Yes, CJ Culpepper is Rule 5 eligible this offseason if not added to the 40-man. There are a bunch of players that need to be added this year. They will likely have some pretty tough decisions. 

I could make a case for at least 12 players... And that doesn't include Sabato.

[Dman]

2 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

Yes, CJ Culpepper is Rule 5 eligible this offseason if not added to the 40-man. There are a bunch of players that need to be added this year. They will likely have some pretty tough decisions. 

I could make a case for at least 12 players... And that doesn't include Sabato.

I have 7 pretty solid adds in:

Connor Prielipp
Kendry Rojas
Andrew Morris
CJ Culpepper
Christian MacLeod
John Klein
Gabriel Gonzalez

Depending on how you feel about Fedko maybe 8,  I have Hendry Mendez, Kyler Fedko, Kala'I Rosario in the next bucket as bats generally aren't taken in Rule V especially older ones in Fedko's case, but being that he is at AAA with a potential 30-30 season I am guess another team could just take a chance and see how he looks at the MLB level. Also the Twins are looking for players with his exact skillset so he has a case to be added, but I wouldn't say it is for sure yet.

Mendez is young and a very good hitter but not much of a defender.  Hard to say if he would be taken or not.  He hits a lot of stuff on the ground but being young for AA could make him a target.  I don't think he gets added, but potentially losing him after trading for him might make them think twice.

Rosario has really come on and is a better defender than he gets credit for IMO.  There's a fair bit of in zone swing and miss though and the K rate is high I don't see them adding him, but we'll see.

Next group is wild cards that I don't see being added, but don't have enough inside information to know.

Jose Olivaros
Noah Cardenas
Ricardo Olivar
 

Oliveros has major league pitches, but can't control them. Is Cardenas's defense good enough to interest another team despite the weak bat? Is Olivar even considered a real catcher? I think the odds are low they get added.   I can't think of anyone else.