Twins Minor League Report (8/28): Kala’i Rosario Walk-Off Grand Slam Caps 2-Homer Night

[Tom Froemming]

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey (photo of Kala'i Rosario), William Parmeter (photo of Enrique Jimenez)

TRANSACTIONS
RHP David Festa joined St. Paul on a rehab assignment. RHP Erasmo Ramírez was outrighted to St. Paul. RHP Pierson Ohl was optioned to St. Paul. 

Cedar Rapids transferred RHP Cole Peschl, RHP Tanner Hall and C Khadim Diaw all from the 7-day IL to the 60-day IL.

SAINTS SENTINEL 
St. Paul 5, Toledo 4
Box Score
David Festa made his first rehab outing with the Saints and looked mostly great. He threw 2 2/3 no-hit innings, struck out five of the 11 batters he faced and topped out at 94.9 mph. As to be expected, there was a bit of rust, though. He walked three batters and only threw 60% of his pitches for strikes. 

Festa last pitched on July 21. He was dealing with right shoulder inflammation and received two anti-inflammatory injections. Assuming Festa rejoins the Twins before too much longer, it’ll be interesting to see how things shake out. The big club already has a six-man rotation at the moment (Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews, Mick Abel and Taj Bradley). On top of that, Pablo López is already two starts into his own rehab assignment with the Saints.

This game was tied 4-4 entering the ninth inning. Aaron Sabato hit the first pitch of the top of the frame for a single with a 105 mph exit velocity, then Jose Miranda ripped a double at 104.9 mph that put two men in scoring position with no outs.

Kyler Fedko wasn’t able to overcome a poor first strike call, eventually expanding the zone and going down chasing on a pitch that was in a similar spot to the missed call earlier in his at-bat. Luckily, Payton Eeles managed to pick up his teammate by hitting a sacrifice fly to center field that scored pinch runner Will Holland. The Saints took the lead, but it was the only run they could scratch across in what appeared to have the potential to be a big inning.

Trent Baker was tasked with protecting the one-run lead. He gave up a one-out single, then that runner advanced to second on a wild pitch I thought looked more like a passed ball. The count ran full to the next batter, but Baker eventually won the battle and the hitter lined out. Baker fell behind the next hitter 2-0 but rallied back to strike him out to end the game. It ended on a 97.7 mph sinker down the batter swung through. 

Andrew Morris was excellent in four innings of relief for the Saints. He struck out eight of the 13 batters he faced, did not issue a walk and surrendered one run on one hit. Since returning from the IL, Morris has a 2.45 ERA, 0.55 WHIP and 13.1 K/9 in 11 innings while walking just one batter.

Walker Jenkins recorded his first Triple-A hit, a double, and drew a walk. He also made a nice leaping catch at the wall in center field.

Gabriel Gonzalez hit a two-run home run, his third in 18 games since joining the Saints. In addition to the go-ahead sac fly, Eeles also had a hit, a walk and stole his 20th base in 69 games with the Saints this season. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 7, Arkansas 4
Box Score
Kala’i Rosario, the 2023 Midwest League MVP, might need to make some more room in his trophy case. The 23-year-old entered tonight leading the Texas League in home runs, runs, walks and was second in RBIs. And that was before he went off tonight.

In the third inning, Rosario hit a game-tying two-run homer into left-center. Per the broadcast, it was hit 421 feet and had an exit velocity of 109 mph. He wasn’t done.

Arkansas broke the tie and tallied a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning. Wichita trailed 4-2 entering the bottom of the ninth, but put together a scrappy rally. Andrew Cossetti reached on a throwing error to lead things off, then Jake Rucker singled. After Ben Ross filed out, Jose Salas singled to load the bases.

Maddux Houghton sent what looked like it might be a game-ending double play ball to the second baseman, but Arkansas shortstop Colt Emerson both missed the bag on the force at second and lost his balance and fell on the turn before he could get off his throw to first. Instead of two outs potentially being recorded, everybody was safe. Emerson, who also committed the inning-opening error, furiously argued with the umpire, but replays were clear he definitely did not touch second base and it did not appear Salas did anything illegal on the slide. 

After Kaelen Culpepper struck out, it all came down to Kala’i. He fell behind in the count 1-2, putting the Wind Surge down to their final strike. Rosario hit the next pitch into the bullpen for a walk-off grand slam, not only adding to his own MVP resume, but also helping keep his team's postseason dreams alive.

There are some other Texas League hitters with more flashy rate stats than Rosario, but as we saw with his 2023 Midwest League MVP campaign, it’s often bulk performance and counting stats that carry a player’s case in these minor leagues award races. If he’s not the favorite, Rosario is at the very least in the thick of the race for that award.

The Wind Surge are now just a game and a half back of Tulsa in the standings with 15 games to play. Springfield currently leads the Texas League North, but being the first-half winners they're already postseason bound, so the next best team in the second half will advance should Springfield maintain their lead. 

This was a gutsy win on an evening where things got off to a concerning start for Sam Armstrong. His first pitch hit a batter, his second pitch was hit for a two-run homer. The 24-year-old dialed in from there, throwing six shutout innings while allowing just three more hits and striking out seven batters.

Armstrong, who came over in the Willi Castro trade, remained confident despite that ugly start and threw 69 percent of his pitches for strikes (49 of 71). He only issued one free pass. The seven strikeouts are the most he’s recorded in five outings since the trade and one off from his overall season high.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Beloit 3, Cedar Rapids 1
Box Score
The Kernels consistently put the ball in play tonight but had next to nothing to show for it. Despite only striking out five times, the lineup combined for six hits — all singles — and the only run they scored was the result of a fielding error. Cedar Rapids combined to go 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. 

Garrett Horn, the lefty acquired in the Danny Coulombe deal, pitched four innings and surrendered two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five batters. He threw a season-high 81 pitches. 

Kernels manager Brian Meyer was ejected in the bottom of the ninth inning for arguing balls and strikes. The ump had a quick hook, tossing Meyer without him even having left his third base coaching box. Meyer took issue with a low strike called on a 0-0 pitch with one out. I’m not sure I’ve seen an ejection in that game situation before. It also may have been the least dramatic, least entertaining ejections I’ve ever witnessed. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 5. Dunedin 2
Box Score
Fort Myers had a 2-0 lead before the first out was recorded in this one. Eduardo Beltre led things off with a single he hit 101.9 mph, then Enrique Jimenez hit a home run that bounced off the top of the wall and out.

There was much less doubt about Jimenez’s second homer.

Despite that quick start, the Mussels couldn’t muster any more offense over the next five frames. Fort Myers carried a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh when Jimenez went deep for another two-run homer. He turned on this one, blasting it about 50 feet beyond the right field wall.

This two-homer night just adds to the eye-opening first impression Jimenez has made. Some players have difficulties adjusting to a new org after being traded in the middle of a season, but he’s found another level. The 19-year-old catcher acquired in the Chris Paddack deal has a .302/.486/.642 batting line (1.128 OPS) in his first 16 games in the Twins system.

On the mound, starter Eli Jones delivered four shutout innings for the second time this season and racked up five strikeouts. It hasn’t been the smoothest of transitions for pro ball for Jones, a seventh-round pick from 2024, but on a positive note he is approaching the 100-inning mark on the season.

Crafty righty Brent Francsico provided 1 2/3 perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts. Sam Rochard struck out the side in the ninth inning to earn his first career save. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY 
Pitcher of the Day: Sam Armstrong, Wichita (6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K)
Hitter of the Day: Kala’i Rosario, Wichita (2-for-5, 2 HRs, 2 R, 6 RBI)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for more. 

1. Walker Jenkins (St. Paul): 1-for-4, 2B, BB, web gem
3. Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita): 0-for-4, K
5. Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, K
11. Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 1-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, K
13. Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5
14. Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-3, BB, R, K, SB (26)
15. Andrew Morris (St. Paul): 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 59 pitches, 64.4% strikes
20. Hendry Mendez (Wichita): 1-for-3. BB

TOMORROW’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul at Toledo, 6:05 pm CT: John Klein
Wichita vs. Arkansas, 7:05 pm CT: C.J. Culpepper
Cedar Rapids vs. Beloit, 6:35 pm CT: Adrian Bohorquez
Fort Myers at Dunedin, 5:30 pm CT: Michael Carpenter

View full article

[mark sills]

Andrew Morris was pitcher of the day. Looked awesome. two strike outs each inning. 

Edited August 29, 2025 by mark sills
added

[bunsen82]

Rosario is going to force himself onto the 40 man roster.  Not sure if the twins have long term plans, if not could definitely be a trade chip to help rebuild the bullpen. 
 

Wowzers on Jimenez. I know it’s A ball but the power looks legit and a great eye at the plate. For being a defensive backstop this offensive performance is drastically changing his outlook. Looks like we got a lot more back than a bag of balls for Paddack like some claimed. 

[jmlease1]

Rosario is absolutely locked in right now. Good for him! I love it when a player pushes the organization. Make them put you on the 40-man through sheer performance.

How do we feel about Winokur's season? He's been pretty inconsistent this season and has struggled to make contact in Cedar Rapids. He's also only 20 and been moved fairly aggressively. Time to move him off SS for good, maybe let him concentrate on 3B or CF while he works on his hitting?

I'm very high on Morris, but he needs to stay healthy.

[Mike Sixel]

6 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Rosario is absolutely locked in right now. Good for him! I love it when a player pushes the organization. Make them put you on the 40-man through sheer performance.

How do we feel about Winokur's season? He's been pretty inconsistent this season and has struggled to make contact in Cedar Rapids. He's also only 20 and been moved fairly aggressively. Time to move him off SS for good, maybe let him concentrate on 3B or CF while he works on his hitting?

I'm very high on Morris, but he needs to stay healthy.

Winokur should be off SS, yes. He's never going to play there for Minnesota, and has stated he's not as comfortable there. 

[Dman]

11 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

 

How do we feel about Winokur's season? He's been pretty inconsistent this season and has struggled to make contact in Cedar Rapids. He's also only 20 and been moved fairly aggressively. Time to move him off SS for good, maybe let him concentrate on 3B or CF while he works on his hitting?

 

For a minute there it looked like he was going to go on a heater the end of the year like last year and then he dropped back in August.  July he had an .800 OPS which seemed to indicate he might be ready to move up.  August he is below a .700 OPS with very little power.  His power stroke has left him this month and if you look as his body of work overall this year I don't see how they can promote him.

I don't think it matters where they play him in the field.  He must like being on the dirt or they wouldn't play him there. He's always had contact issues and we all knew hitting the ball consistently was likely going to be a problem for him. It looks like it is going to take time.  Hopefully this isn't another Miller type situation where he just can't identify pitches well enough\make good contact in zone.

[Dman]

Man Rosario with an 1,190 OPS almost 1.200 for August with 10 HR's this month.  Absolute monster level numbers as he passes McCusker (22) and looks to catch and Fedko (26) for the HR lead.  If you would have told me he would have an .860 OPS after he put up a .500 OPS the month of April I wouldn't have believed it.  Just shows you how good he has been since April. There isn't much separating him from Fedko other than one bad month early in the year.  There's going to be some tough 40 man decisions this year.

Morris must have heard me complaining about his K rate, lol. I guess he showed me.  That was elite stuff he had last night and the pitching line showed just how dominate he was 1 hit, no walks and 8K's in 4 innings work.  I might have to chew on my put him in the pen comments.  More of that and he is gonna be hanging with Matthews again.

[bunsen82]

6 minutes ago, Dman said:

For a minute there it looked like he was going to go on a heater the end of the year like last year and then he dropped back in August.  July he had an .800 OPS which seemed to indicate he might be ready to move up.  August he is below a .700 OPS with very little power.  His power stroke has left him this month and if you look as his body of work overall this year I don't see how they can promote him.

I don't think it matters where they play him in the field.  He must like being on the dirt or they wouldn't play him there. He's always had contact issues and we all knew hitting the ball consistently was likely going to be a problem for him. It looks like it is going to take time.  Hopefully this isn't another Miller type situation where he just can't identify pitches well enough\make good contact in zone.

Dman -  Ignoring the horrific start he has been a pretty solid.  My baseline was ignoring the 1 month could he be above .250 BA.  He has,.  This month yes down a little on HR but only has 1/2 the walks he has averaged.  Still think thats the law of small numbers.  Honestly I am fine with either direction leave him in high A to start the year or send him up to AA.  His numbers are so much better than Millers.   I am fine with whichever direction they go.  He still has a ton of upside and I expect power numbers to start to increase in the next year or two.   This will all come down to can he make enough improvements on the contact side.  a .286/.360/.481 slash line last month says yes to me even if it is a small sample size (keeping with the Miller comparison in 5 professional years he has never had a month as good as that one).  

[Dman]

7 minutes ago, bunsen82 said:

Dman -  Ignoring the horrific start he has been a pretty solid.  My baseline was ignoring the 1 month could he be above .250 BA.  He has,.  This month yes down a little on HR but only has 1/2 the walks he has averaged.  Still think thats the law of small numbers.  Honestly I am fine with either direction leave him in high A to start the year or send him up to AA.  His numbers are so much better than Millers.   I am fine with whichever direction they go.  He still has a ton of upside and I expect power numbers to start to increase in the next year or two.   This will all come down to can he make enough improvements on the contact side.  a .286/.360/.481 slash line last month says yes to me even if it is a small sample size (keeping with the Miller comparison in 5 professional years he has never had a month as good as that one).  

Yeah probably a little harsh going with the Miller comments as he has better power for sure. Still the result could be the same unless he figures something out.  Even though he is young, the longer it takes the less likely it is to happen so that is my concern.

[bunsen82]

We really need a 40 man roster article.  

First look players who will be dropped -  Cabrera, Davis, Misiewicz, Gasper,  Miranda, Vazquez (IL)

Players at risk:  Tonkin, Ohl, Kriske, Hatch, Funderburk, Adams, Julien, Martin, McCusker, Outman, Keirsey

Players who need to be added -  Mendez, Rojas, Schobel, Gonzalez, Fedko, Priellip, Morris, Lewis, Olivar, Rosario, Culpepper 

Maybe Added - Sabato, Holland, Cardenas, Klein, Canterino, Nowlin, Lawyerson, Bowen, Jones

At minimum you need 11 new spots from what I can see.   Plus will need a few spots for new signees (1 to 2 RP and maybe a 1st baseman).  

This will be by far the toughest year on the 40 man.  I think they can manage but we need to start trading a few of the 40 man eligible players consolidate for either better prospect,  more time, or MLB players.  

[LambchoP]

Both Tait and Jimenez both have looked like the real deal since coming to MN. Small sample size of course, but we'll keep our fingers crossed they can keep this up and become our long term catching duo of the future. I think Rosario has more than earned himself a promotion to AAA. Maybe they call up Fedko to open a spot on the roster. Good to see Morris having success coming off his injury. I always thought he had way too good of stuff to be struggling as much as he had. We have so many SP now, it's going to be interesting to see how they evaluate and sort through everyone. They need to somehow decide who will be a true starter, who will pitch in the pen, who can be long relief. I think they will be doing some piggyback starts to get as many innings for as many starters as they can. 

[rdehring]

Everyone has to be excited about those two catchers the Twins got last month.  Not certain who we should be most excited about.  Tait turned 19 two days ago and is performing well at Hi-A.  But Jiminez is tearing the cover off the ball at Fort Myers although I guess we have to consider him a bit old at 19.  [Don't know how to do the smiley face as that comment was tongue in cheek.]  Only problem is that neither will join the Twins until 2027 at the earliest.  That's assuming there is baseball in 2027.

In response to your question regarding the Twins soon having seven starting pitchers, I will refer to something I think Tom Kelly once said.  "You can never have enough starting pitching." 

[bunsen82]

2 hours ago, rdehring said:

Everyone has to be excited about those two catchers the Twins got last month.  Not certain who we should be most excited about.  Tait turned 19 two days ago and is performing well at Hi-A.  But Jiminez is tearing the cover off the ball at Fort Myers although I guess we have to consider him a bit old at 19.  [Don't know how to do the smiley face as that comment was tongue in cheek.]  Only problem is that neither will join the Twins until 2027 at the earliest.  That's assuming there is baseball in 2027.

In response to your question regarding the Twins soon having seven starting pitchers, I will refer to something I think Tom Kelly once said.  "You can never have enough starting pitching." 

I fully agree.  The Twins now have 3 high ceiling young catchers. 

You have Tait  (19) who has a swing that has the potential to be generational.  A true power bat playing catcher.  There is a few questions on hit hit tool, and more questions on his defense.  You then have Jimenez (21) who is considered a strong defensive catcher with questionable power and hit tool . . . who suddenly morphs into a power hitting, great plate discipline middle of the order player in A ball (Twins can't develop anyone).    Then you have the one most forget about Diaw.  An extremely athletic player with a good bat - questionable D skills but who hit the cover off the ball at high A ball.  He is also 21.  He has a little more injury risk.  

During drafts I have continually stated that the Twins punt on Catcher either thinking they can take someone in the mid to late rounds and make them useable,  or when they do spend decent capital on 1 (like Jeffers) they hit on them they just spend capital on the position very rarely.  Here we spent a 3rd round pick on Diaw, Tait was a major piece in the Duran deal (the highest investment), and Jimenez you found as what was considered a flyer pick and that most on this board balked at as not enough and the Twins shouldn't have got money they should have gotten a better prospect.  Other than Tait they have not spent or used a lot of assets to acquire this depth.  It also takes a lot of risk off the Tait pick.  If he flames out you still have 2 legit other option.    

For me Tait is a top 4 prospect,  Jimenez I think I would slot right around Winokur 15-ish (if he replicates next year easily top 10), and Diaw is around 20 and that is primarily due to his injuries.   

 

[Tom Froemming]

4 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

How do we feel about Winokur's season?

I love that he’s played a ton. I think he leads the system in games played. There’s so much attention paid to the guys who can’t stay healthy, but I don’t think we all (myself included) give enough love to the guys who stay on the field.

[DJL44]

3 hours ago, bunsen82 said:

We really need a 40 man roster article.  

First look players who will be dropped -  Cabrera, Davis, Misiewicz, Gasper,  Miranda, Vazquez (IL)

Players at risk:  Tonkin, Ohl, Kriske, Hatch, Funderburk, Adams, Julien, Martin, McCusker, Outman, Keirsey

Players who need to be added -  Mendez, Rojas, Schobel, Gonzalez, Fedko, Priellip, Morris, Lewis, Olivar, Rosario, Culpepper 

Maybe Added - Sabato, Holland, Cardenas, Klein, Canterino, Nowlin, Lawyerson, Bowen, Jones

At minimum you need 11 new spots from what I can see.   Plus will need a few spots for new signees (1 to 2 RP and maybe a 1st baseman).  

This will be by far the toughest year on the 40 man.  I think they can manage but we need to start trading a few of the 40 man eligible players consolidate for either better prospect,  more time, or MLB players.  

I'm sure we'll get one (or a dozen) in about a month. There's still all of September to consider.

Drops don't usually happen unless there is an add so I'd group them by priority.

Players who need to be added - Gonzalez, Prielipp, Rojas, Morris, Mendez, Culpepper. Don't dump your top 30 prospects, especially when they're in AA/AAA.

Maybe added - Schobel, Fedko, Rosario, Cardenas, Olivar. I think they could find a trade partner for Fedko (someone who wants to be able to option him) and add Rosario. I doubt they add Cardenas or Olivar or one would be catching right now instead of Mickey Gasper. Schobel and Rosario could get drafted, but can they stick on a roster for a whole season?

Free agents: Christian Vazquez, Genesis Cabrera

Marginal out-of-options relievers - Hatch, Kriske, Tonkin, Misiewicz, Davis

Marginal out-of-options position players - Julien, Miranda, Outman

That's 10 open spots.

Could be non-tendered/cut without worrying: Keirsey, McCusker, Fitzgerald, Gasper

Trade bait: Larnach

That's 15 open spots without even thinking about marginal relievers with options (Ohl, Adams, Funderburk), Kody Clemens or Austin Martin. They have 2 players on the 60-day IL which will reduce that to 13 spots.

[bunsen82]

4 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I'm sure we'll get one (or a dozen) in about a month. There's still all of September to consider.

Drops don't usually happen unless there is an add so I'd group them by priority.

Players who need to be added - Gonzalez, Prielipp, Rojas, Morris, Mendez, Culpepper. Don't dump your top 30 prospects, especially when they're in AA/AAA.

Maybe added - Schobel, Fedko, Rosario, Cardenas, Olivar. I think they could find a trade partner for Fedko (someone who wants to be able to option him) and add Rosario. I doubt they add Cardenas or Olivar or one would be catching right now instead of Mickey Gasper. Schobel and Rosario could get drafted, but can they stick on a roster for a whole season?

Free agents: Christian Vazquez, Genesis Cabrera

Marginal out-of-options relievers - Hatch, Kriske, Tonkin, Misiewicz, Davis

Marginal out-of-options position players - Julien, Miranda, Outman

That's 10 open spots.

Could be non-tendered/cut without worrying: Keirsey, McCusker, Fitzgerald, Gasper

Trade bait: Larnach

That's 15 open spots without even thinking about marginal relievers with options (Ohl, Adams, Funderburk), Kody Clemens or Austin Martin. They have 2 players on the 60-day IL which will reduce that to 13 spots.

True,  but you just cut 6 RP  in your scenario LOL.  4 who are currently on the team.  You would have to replace those either internally, through acquisition or off season signings.  

[cheeseheadgophfan]

4 hours ago, Dman said:

Man Rosario with an 1,190 OPS almost 1.200 for August with 10 HR's this month.  Absolute monster level numbers as he passes McCusker (22) and looks to catch and Fedko (26) for the HR lead.  If you would have told me he would have an .860 OPS after he put up a .500 OPS the month of April I wouldn't have believed it.  Just shows you how good he has been since April. There isn't much separating him from Fedko other than one bad month early in the year.  There's going to be some tough 40 man decisions this year.

Morris must have heard me complaining about his K rate, lol. I guess he showed me.  That was elite stuff he had last night and the pitching line showed just how dominate he was 1 hit, no walks and 8K's in 4 innings work.  I might have to chew on my put him in the pen comments.  More of that and he is gonna be hanging with Matthews again.

To me Morris looks like a perfect candidate to turn into a power bullpen arm

[DJL44]

23 minutes ago, bunsen82 said:

True,  but you just cut 6 RP  in your scenario LOL.  4 who are currently on the team.  You would have to replace those either internally, through acquisition or off season signings.  

Go get some minor league free agents and pick the best ones. Move a couple of the SP prospects who can't make the rotation into the bullpen.

Pitchers sorted oldest to youngest (numbers from Fangraphs, may not be up to date as of 8/29)

David Festa 25.5

Zebby Matthews 25.3

Simeon Woods Richardson 24.9 (out of options 2026)

Connor Prielipp 24.6

Taj Bradley 24.4

Mick Abel 24.0

Andrew Morris 24.0

CJ Culpepper 23.8

Marco Raya 23.1

Kendry Rojas 22.8

The Twins need some minor league depth with options, but do they need 8 starters in the minors?

[bunsen82]

1 minute ago, DJL44 said:

Go get some minor league free agents and pick the best ones. Move a couple of the SP prospects who can't make the rotation into the bullpen.

Pitchers sorted oldest to youngest (numbers from Fangraphs, may not be up to date as of 8/29)

David Festa 25.5

Zebby Matthews 25.3

Simeon Woods Richardson 24.9 (out of options 2026)

Connor Prielipp 24.6

Taj Bradley 24.4

Mick Abel 24.0

Andrew Morris 24.0

CJ Culpepper 23.8

Marco Raya 23.1

Kendry Rojas 22.8

The Twins need some minor league depth with options, but do they need 8 starters in the minors?

There is lots of moving parts and 8 starting pitching options is to much.  Need to move to bullpen,  trade them . . . or open mor starting pitching spots (ie. trading Lopez and/or Ryan).  I am really struggling to envision how it would work trading a Ryan.  

[DocBauer]

A pair of great performances from Armstrong and Morris. Morris helps lead what should be a great St Paul staff. But is he the #8, #9 depth piece? Does he push himself to be in consideration for the #5-#6 spot? He's got the potential. Guess we'll see depending on what theownership/FO do.

Could we have asked for a better start to Tait's and Jimenez's Twins careers?

Rosario leading the league in Runs, HR, BB, and now probably RBI? And to think a few weeks ago I asked if I was the only one who still saw him as a prospect and some responded no. He's starting to look more like a 40 man add all the time.

Regarding Winokur? He's still high on my prospect list. I'm just not worried about his recent slump. He started a little slow and might be finishing a little slow. But he's done some really good stuff in between and is still only 20yo at A+. I think whether he starts 2026 at AA vs CR again really just depends on offseason work/improvement and ST. But the talent is undeniable. Begining at A+ as a 21yo next season doesn't mean his shine dims. It just means a little more time to work on the contact portion of his game.

From what little I've seen of him at SS...not much to be sure...he's surprisingly nimble for the position and has a tremendous arm. But if 3B and CF really are his future positions, then I agree he should focus on those 2 spots.

 

[tony&rodney]

17 hours ago, mark sills said:

Andrew Morris was pitcher of the day. Looked awesome. two strike outs each inning. 

Morris may need a little more movement on his pitches and a great changeup would help, but he should have already used up all of the ****** broken bat hits allowed in one career. He has consistently been 96-98 mph with well placed FB, so there is a path for him as a solid pitcher. The run yesterday scored on a hit just beyond the second baseman and the WP was a low pitch the catcher simply missed, it never hit the dirt; an easy call for a PB. In any event, despite too many hits given up this year Morris remains a very impressive prospect. I do not place anyone above him.

[Seth Stohs]

9 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

Rosario is absolutely locked in right now. Good for him! I love it when a player pushes the organization. Make them put you on the 40-man through sheer performance.

How do we feel about Winokur's season? He's been pretty inconsistent this season and has struggled to make contact in Cedar Rapids. He's also only 20 and been moved fairly aggressively. Time to move him off SS for good, maybe let him concentrate on 3B or CF while he works on his hitting?

I'm very high on Morris, but he needs to stay healthy.

I think Winokur's performance has been pretty solid. We knew he was drafted as a great athlete and that he was raw, but to this point, he's more than held his own. He's not maybe as smooth/natural as Walker Jenkins, so him moving one level per season is fast enough. He's filled out the stat sheet nicely. 

He did say recently that he prefers 3B to SS, but he's done a very nice job at SS and I think they need to keep playing him there and keep him athletic enough to do it. He's pretty smooth. And he's fine in CF too. But offensively, I'm very encouraged. And he's just getting better. 

[tony&rodney]

41 minutes ago, Seth Stohs said:

I think Winokur's performance has been pretty solid. We knew he was drafted as a great athlete and that he was raw, but to this point, he's more than held his own. He's not maybe as smooth/natural as Walker Jenkins, so him moving one level per season is fast enough. He's filled out the stat sheet nicely. 

He did say recently that he prefers 3B to SS, but he's done a very nice job at SS and I think they need to keep playing him there and keep him athletic enough to do it. He's pretty smooth. And he's fine in CF too. But offensively, I'm very encouraged. And he's just getting better. 

I watch way too much minor league baseball and love Winokur. He is a classic one level per year advancement player. He has amazing physical skills and if he can harness the swing to create more consistent contact he is a star at shortstop, third base, centerfield, or wherever the manager places him. I cannot think of anyone more athletic. Patience will be necessary with Winokur .... 2028.

[purplesoldier4u]

5 hours ago, cheeseheadgophfan said:

To me Morris looks like a perfect candidate to turn into a power bullpen arm

Maybe even Sands, who hit 97 MPH on Wednesday. Curiously, SWR hit 96 in the same game. Though I'm not a Sands fan, when he stays ahead in the count, he's pretty impressive.

[DJL44]

16 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

I think Winokur's performance has been pretty solid. We knew he was drafted as a great athlete and that he was raw, but to this point, he's more than held his own. He's not maybe as smooth/natural as Walker Jenkins, so him moving one level per season is fast enough. He's filled out the stat sheet nicely. 

He did say recently that he prefers 3B to SS, but he's done a very nice job at SS and I think they need to keep playing him there and keep him athletic enough to do it. He's pretty smooth. And he's fine in CF too. But offensively, I'm very encouraged. And he's just getting better. 

I see Miguel Andujar as a possible future comp - 1B/3B/OF utility player.

[gman]

I like Winokur to stay in the infield. Although I would start playing him at first base next year 2-3 games a week. He's proven to be athletic enough to be a good infielder and  should be able to handle first base at a high level. I am in disagreement with those who think first base is reserved for players who can't play other positions well. A first baseman who can catch errant throws and turn them into outs, as well as having the speed to run deep down the lines to catch popups could make an extra 2-3 outs a game with his high level of play. This team has shown it needs good fielders all over the field and that includes first base.

[Major League Ready]

23 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

I watch way too much minor league baseball and love Winokur. He is a classic one level per year advancement player. He has amazing physical skills and if he can harness the swing to create more consistent contact he is a star at shortstop, third base, centerfield, or wherever the manager places him. I cannot think of anyone more athletic. Patience will be necessary with Winokur .... 2028.

He might end up being a better defensive version of Willi Castro.

[Fatbat]

On 8/29/2025 at 5:56 PM, tony&rodney said:

I watch way too much minor league baseball and love Winokur. He is a classic one level per year advancement player. He has amazing physical skills and if he can harness the swing to create more consistent contact he is a star at shortstop, third base, centerfield, or wherever the manager places him. I cannot think of anyone more athletic. Patience will be necessary with Winokur .... 2028.

All he has to do is take a leap to consistently contact pitches in the zone. He may do that in ‘26 or ‘27…. When he does, he will be in St.Paul and building his  resume. 

[Fatbat]

Winokur is so young but so athletically strong. Definitely a freak of nature so when he actually develops man strength, wow! Look out.  It makes sense to move him around the defensive spectrum when he is 20-22 years old so he can see the game from different perspectives. He will find a D-home and when(not if), when he finds his discerning eye at the plate, he will light up the minors and force his way to MLB. 
Playing his 21 yo season NEXT year in A+ ball to start, he will still be a year younger than the average guy in A+. He will and should stay there until he starts to crush his contract rate. He has 1k PA’s in pro ball so his sample size is still relatively small. He will develop. Like others have stated, just takes some time.