Minnesota Twins Minor League Starting Pitchers of the Month - August 2025

[Steven Trefz]

Image courtesy of David Malamut (photo of Ty Langenberg)

No part of the Twins roster failed its post-deadline stress test worse than the starting pitching staff. Short starts, piggybacks, and call-ups ruled the month at the major-league level, and the results weren’t great. It’s been difficult to classify what a starter even means in the Twins system lately. For the purposes of this article, averaging close to four innings of work per outing (or higher) classified the pitcher as a starter.

Mick Abel excelled in his starts at Triple-A, but has already found his way back to St. Paul after mighty struggles for the Twins. Some new stars have begun to rise within the organization. Some fell off this list when they struggled at the next rung up the ladder, while others have further cemented their place in the Twins’ future plans to steady the rotation. Here are the top performers among Twins minor-league starting pitchers in August.

Honorable Mentions
- RHP Christian Becerra (Fort Myers): 5.25 ERA, 3 G, 12.0 IP, 13 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1.25 WHIP, .277 BA
- LHP Kendry Rojas (St. Paul): 3.78 ERA, 4 G, 16.2 IP, 16 H, 7 ER, 10 BB, 18 K, 1.56 WHIP, .242 BA

#5 - RHP Mick Abel –St. Paul Saints
1.76 ERA, 3 G, 15.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 23 K, 0.85 WHIP, .140 BA
The former 2020 1st-round (15th overall) selection of the Philadelphia Phillies was part of the bounty received for Jhoan Duran. Abel had a terrific July across the Phillies' and Twins' Triple-A clubs, but crashed and burned in his big-league appearances. He's a lanky 6-foot-5, 190-pound righty who is only 24 years old and is trying to establish himself at the game's highest levels. He can miss bats, and hopefully, he will continue to develop the ability to perform under the big lights. Until then, he remains a dominant minor-league starter.

#4 – LHP Dasan Hill – Fort Myers Mighty Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels
3.57 ERA, 5 G, 17.2 IP, 13 H, 7 ER, 9 BB, 21 K, 1.25 WHIP, .203 BA
After two starts at Fort Myers in August, Dasan Hill got the call to high-A Cedar Rapids for another three starts. His first game for the Kernels on August 16 was rough, surrendering four runs in only 2 2/3 innings. The rest of Hill’s month was lights-out, though. Granted, he barely managed around three innings per start, so time will tell if that number ever rises. For now, his left-handed strikeout prowess is worth recognizing, and he becomes a prospect on the rise.

#3 – RHP Adrian Bohorquez – Cedar Rapids Kernels
4.00 ERA, 4 G, 18.0 IP, 17 H, 8 ER, 5 BB, 23 K, 1.22 WHIP, .250 BA
Bohorquez refuses to leave the list. After two straight months in the fifth spot, he climbs slightly due to sheer consistency in both strikeouts and appearances. The Twins signed Bohorquez in 2023 out of his native Venezuela, and he bounced between the FCL Twins and the Mighty Mussels before taking the next step up this summer. Bohorquez continues to climb Twins prospect rankings, too, and I still wouldn’t be surprised if the 20-year-old is pitching at Wichita to start 2026.

#2 - RHP C.J. Culpepper – Wichita Wind Surge
1.17 ERA, 5 G, 23 IP, 15 H, 3 ER, 11 BB, 16 K, 1.13 WHIP, 183 BA
The 6-foot-3, 193-pound Culpepper isn’t even the best prospect named Culpepper in the system, but he’s one of the top arms after surviving injuries and setbacks the past few seasons. A 13th-round draft pick from California Baptist in 2022, he's heated up as the season progresses, giving hope that his success is a trend and not a mirage. The .174 opponent batting average gives testament to weak contact, and while the strikeout rate isn’t too impressive, the ERA will play at any level. However the starting rotation shakes out in early 2026, Culpepper looks to sneak onto a St. Paul mound sooner, rather than later.

Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month – Ty Langenberg – Cedar Rapids Kernels
1.37 ERA, 4 G, 26.1 IP, 16 H, 4 ER, 7 BB, 22 K, 0.87 WHIP, .174 BA
How does a 23-year-old, 2023 11th-round draft pick still in High A make his way to the top of this list? Well, a 0.87 WHIP and 22 strikeouts doesn’t hurt, but more importantly, Langenberg continues to pitch—a lot. While other Twins prospects are going three to four innings a night, Langenberg pushes into the sixth and seventh innings. The only question that remains is how his stuff will continue to play as he ascends to Wichita and all stops north.

August has come and gone, but several starting pitchers in the Twins organization made their mark and hope to continue that success into the dwindling days of the minor-league campaign. How would your ballot look for the Twins Minor League Starting Pitchers of the Month? Let us know in the comments.

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[mikelink45]

When looking at the stats this is not an overwhelming list - only the top two really look like they are ascending.  

How does Abel rise from AAAA?

[bunsen82]

13 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

When looking at the stats this is not an overwhelming list - only the top two really look like they are ascending.  

How does Abel rise from AAAA?

Pretty easy.   

1. Not tip his offspeed pitches.  Currently they seem to know when throwing a fastball and when throwing an offspeed at the MLB level.  

2.  Needs to find a little more control.  

3.  The fastball in its current format is fast but seems to not have a lot of movement and is not missing a lot of bats.  Would be curious if they will work on improving the swing and miss on this pitch.  

4.  Let the kid continue to work on his craft. 

2024  AAA  ERA  7.29      2025 AAA ERA 2.2 

2025 MLB ERA   7.76       2026  MLB ERA  ?

 

If he can get to 4 or less ERA that would be great progress.  

 

[bunsen82]

As to quality of pitching and where do we go moving forward.  We have got a ton of arms, thats not the issue its sifting though all of it and seeing what rises to the top.  

Raya -  had figured some things out in early to mid summer but has struggled again.  I think there is some reliever risk or failed prospect hype - but honestly he was never that high on my lists due to lack of durability and innings. 

Priellip -  Great stuff.  Seems to be wearing out a bit in AAA logging 67 innings.   Honestly pretty happy with this and would be fine if they shut him down for the year.  His stuff looks good enough for the MLB.  May be until 2027 until he can handle the pitching load.  

Culpepper - Looks like a stud since coming back.  he looks ready for the jump to AAA.  

Morris -  still not sure the stuff is good enough for the MLB level.  4 ERA for the year.   Not terrible. 

Adams -  I would switch to bullpen in the offseason

Rojas - has some elite stuff - I am not sure AAA is the right level to be working on it.  He is 21, overally probably 2 years away.   

Hill has shown great stuff this year,  as did Soto.  I am actually surprised how low Soto is on the ranking lists.  3 starts though and 1.38 ERA at high A.   

Gallagher and Horn both have decent stuff could legitimately get to the big leagues.  

The draft brought in 4 high powered arms.   Quick, Ellwanger, Barr, and Reitz is the best quality of arms we have drafted.  I would put them on similar level as Priellip, Matthews, Lewis and Culpepper (2022 draft) with possibly a little higher upside.  I could see 2 arms from each of those classes being permanent pitchers on the MLB roster.    You still have flyers in Mitrovich, Smith, Fang, Jones and Stevens - and a couple other arms thrown into the mix from the bottom of the draft.  You never know when you will hit another Varland.  Langenberg and Bragg  are both looking pretty solid from the 2023 draft.  

Then we are still sifting through SWR, Matthews, Abel, Bradley and Festa to see who locks down 2 or 3 or more of the starting positions for next year.  That is some high end talent.  We just need to see it perform and be productive.  

 

 

 

 

[LA Vikes Fan]

We may get the chance to see how these guys perform at the MLB level sooner than we anticipate given that we will need at least 1 or 2 in the bullpen next year. I agree that Raya's highest and best use may be as a bullpen arm, same for Adams and Morris. I also wonder if Festa's recurring shoulder issues presage a switch to the bullpen ala' Duran. Finally, SWR can't seem to go more than 5 innings and is usually better suited to 4 or less so it does make one wonder if he isn't better suited to a 2 inning at a time kind of bullpen role.  

i hope they use the offseason and ST to sort this out. I'm glad the brought up Adams, let's see if he can be a BP weapon. We need at least 2 of the MiLB "starters" in the bullpen for next year and 3 would be better. Let's try to find them now. 

[Sjoski]

Nice article...but what about all the minors leaguers currently on the active roster? 

[DocBauer]

Nobody wants to hear this, including me, but it's POSSIBLE that Abel is a, more or less, replacement for the guy he was traded for in Duran. But while I've been disappointed in his initial appearances, I've been disappointed many times previously in rookie SP. Witness Berrios when he first came up, and more recently, Matthews, who looks like he's starting to settle in. And Abel is working on a new sweeper as well. It's a mistake to get worked up over a young arm not BLOWING UP in their debut. Pitching at the ML level is HARD!

BUT I do wonder if he might not turn out to be a stud reliever if he doesn't get his BB under control.

Rojas should probably be at AA Wichita based on age and IP. The Twins are being aggressive with him. He probably won't be ready until mid 2026, but the talent is there.

Can you imagine the CR rotation in 2026 with Olivares, Soto, Hill, and Bohorquez as the prime 4? And there are a couple other interesting arms to add before we even talk about 2025 picks who haven't even thrown and inning yet!

I've had a really good feeling about Langenberg since he was drafted. I initially thought he might move to AA this year based on a solid 2024 debut. Not only didn't he advance, he was pretty bad to begin this season back at CR. But whatever he's been working on seems to be "working" as he's been on a roll for a couple months now. He's definitely in AA to begin 2026.

CJ Culpepper is kind of a favorite prospect of mine as he tends to be in the background compared to fellow 2022 draftees like Matthews, Morris, and Lewis, prior to Lewis's struggles this season. CJ didn't throw a ton in college and was a bit of a late bloomer flier as a 13th round pick that season after a jump in his 3rd year at a non power program.

He's had a couple mild injuries that have slowed him a bit. But he's been very good when healthy. His numbers have been good across the board, even though you'd like to see a little better K per 9. I'm NO EXPERT, but it's been my understanding he throws 6 pitches. And while all of them are solid offerings, none of them are dominant. I've also heard his velocity dips a bit after a few IP. That's not to say he isn't a viable ML prospect as a backend starter. But he kind of reminds me of a young Jax. I wonder if he might not just be an excellent BP candidate who could get both sides out with his arsenal of pitches, and throw hard for 1-2 innings.

[DocBauer]

12 hours ago, bunsen82 said:

As to quality of pitching and where do we go moving forward.  We have got a ton of arms, thats not the issue its sifting though all of it and seeing what rises to the top.  

Raya -  had figured some things out in early to mid summer but has struggled again.  I think there is some reliever risk or failed prospect hype - but honestly he was never that high on my lists due to lack of durability and innings. 

Priellip -  Great stuff.  Seems to be wearing out a bit in AAA logging 67 innings.   Honestly pretty happy with this and would be fine if they shut him down for the year.  His stuff looks good enough for the MLB.  May be until 2027 until he can handle the pitching load.  

Culpepper - Looks like a stud since coming back.  he looks ready for the jump to AAA.  

Morris -  still not sure the stuff is good enough for the MLB level.  4 ERA for the year.   Not terrible. 

Adams -  I would switch to bullpen in the offseason

Rojas - has some elite stuff - I am not sure AAA is the right level to be working on it.  He is 21, overally probably 2 years away.   

Hill has shown great stuff this year,  as did Soto.  I am actually surprised how low Soto is on the ranking lists.  3 starts though and 1.38 ERA at high A.   

Gallagher and Horn both have decent stuff could legitimately get to the big leagues.  

The draft brought in 4 high powered arms.   Quick, Ellwanger, Barr, and Reitz is the best quality of arms we have drafted.  I would put them on similar level as Priellip, Matthews, Lewis and Culpepper (2022 draft) with possibly a little higher upside.  I could see 2 arms from each of those classes being permanent pitchers on the MLB roster.    You still have flyers in Mitrovich, Smith, Fang, Jones and Stevens - and a couple other arms thrown into the mix from the bottom of the draft.  You never know when you will hit another Varland.  Langenberg and Bragg  are both looking pretty solid from the 2023 draft.  

Then we are still sifting through SWR, Matthews, Abel, Bradley and Festa to see who locks down 2 or 3 or more of the starting positions for next year.  That is some high end talent.  We just need to see it perform and be productive.  

 

 

 

 

Just to add...and I'm repeating myself for the umpteenth time here...it's my belief that Raya was added to the 40 man because of risk of losing him. I've NEVER believed the Twins expected him to debut this season. It's always been a slow play with him for various reasons. (Watch them promote him and prove me wrong, LOL).

I'm still uncertain whether or not his future lies in the rotation or the pen. But regardless of his future role, a 4th round pick out of HS in the crazy 2020 draft, overcoming a missed season due to covid, and another one due to shoulder issues, to become even a good BP arm would be a success story. But I would still have him as a SP for 2026 to begin the season.

I agree with you 100% on Prielipp. IDK that he might be a dominate BP arm for 2026. And I GET the idea of bullets in the gun mantra and not using them when you can. But his 2nd surgery WASN'T a 2nd TJ. It was adding the mesh brace to his elbow that was rather new when he had his 1st TJ surgery. I still believe he needs a 4th offering...rumors have it they are working on one...his biggest issue is just LEARNING how to be a PITCHER and not just a thrower. Despite some very good numbers this season, he's a little like Matthews, in regard to setting up batters. His BABIP numbers indicate that.

Should we care if he's a really good looking SP late in 2026 as a 25yo? Should we even care if he turns in to a potential top of the rotation arm in 2027 as a 26yo? He can always be moved to the pen at any time.

Adams and Ohl should BOTH be in the pen ASAP to see about 2026. PERIOD. The whole 1-2 IP development of them during this season every 3-4 days is right in front for everyone to see. They should be up and throwing as hard and best as they can for 1-2 innings. That should already being part of the plan. I think we're in agreement there.

I like Morris more than you do. His 2024 season was only a half step behind Matthews. I still think SWR has another level to reach at a still really young age...another pitch or just learning how to set up batters better...but I think Morris might just overtake SWR really soon as a viable SP candidate. 

Rojas should probably be in AA right now, but I can't disagree with challenging a kid with his stuff.

But what do we do with Culpepper? When healthy, he just keeps getting guys out and doing a great job. If it weren't for a ST injury holding him back, he'd probably be at AAA weeks or months ago. 

I'd argue that Lewis...former MILB pitcher of the year...who had an injury in 2024 that set him back somewhat, and who has been working on sequencing differently this season and has only recently been looking better, might be in the same boat as CJ. 

What's your thoughts? 

I'm thinking CJ and 6 pitches with max velocity makes him a Jax type replacement soon. And I'm imagining Lewis throwing hard for 1 inning with his other offerings and then throwing that crazy, hard knuckleball on 0-2 or 1-2 counts.

I understand some of what I've stated is a bit off topic in regards to MILB SP. But there is some overlay presented here. 

[LA Vikes Fan]

I like the thoughts DocBauer. I tend to agree that Prielipp should be given more rope as a starter first before moving to the bullpen. Where I realy agree is that some of these guys should be tried in the MLB bullpen now, given that the rest of the is year's games don't really matter AND that a lot of the guys we now have in the Twins bullpen STINK and won't be around next year. Adams is already up, give him some high leverage shots. Get Ohl back up as a 1-2 inning guy. I'd like to see Lawyerson, Baker and/or MacLeod up in the bullpen. Any 40 man issues are simple to solve - release or waive Cabrera, Davis, and/or Kriske. Davis is an easy release candidate for sure. He has an  18.90 ERA and was just as bad in Colorado, with a 9.54 ERA in 61 MLB innings - how much more do we need to see to know he's isn't an MLB pitcher? Let's make these moves now to see for 2026.

By the way, making the moves now might have the added advantage of helping the attitude of the current club so they can see at least the team is trying to get better now and for next year. They can't watch bullpen melt downs like the last 3 days for long before they all simply give up. 

[mark sills]

big miss not including Andrew Morris had a great month