Twins AFL Report (Week 1): Mendez, Winokur, Boadas Make Good First Impressions

[Steve Lein]

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge

Game Results:
Monday, 10/6 | Peoria 4, Scottsdale 3
Wednesday, 10/8 | Peoria 8, Mesa 6 (10 innings)
Thursday, 10/9 | Surprise 7, Peoria 2
Friday, 10/10 | Salt River 1, Peoria 15
Saturday, 10/11 | All games postponed
Sunday, 10/12 | All games cancelled

Minnesota Twins prospects are playing for the Peoria Javelinas during the 2025 Arizona Fall League season, alongside fellow prospects from the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and San Diego Padres organizations. St. Paul Saints hitting (and first base) coach Danny Marcuzzo is also part of the coaching staff. Along with Brandon Winokur, other top prospects on the Javelina’s roster from these teams include outfielder Jonny Farmelo (Mariners), outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. (Orioles), catcher Alfredo Dunn (Reds), and catcher/first baseman Lamar King Jr. (Padres). Farmelo (#65) and Dunn (#42) reside in MLB.com’s top 100. Other big names in the circuit for the 2025 season include shortstop Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers (#2), shortstop Sebastian Walcott of the Texas Rangers (#6), and outfielder Josue De Paula of the Los Angeles Dodgers (#13). So, like nearly every year, there is plenty of hitting talent ready to step into batters' boxes out in the desert.

The Javelinas got off to a solid start, finishing 3-1 in their four games during the first week, good for second in the overall standings. They kicked off the entire AFL campaign last Monday, by defeating the Scottsdale Scorpions 7-1 thanks in part to the first home run in the league coming off the bat of a Twins prospect. They also took down the Mesa Solar Sox in extra innings before losing their first game on Thursday against the Surprise Saguaros, but rebounded in a big way to blow out the Salt River Rafters on Friday.

In quirks of mother nature, the weekend's games were either postponed or cancelled, as Hurricane Priscilla turned into tropical storm level rains as it made landfall and passed over parts of southern California, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.

While none of the Twins prospects got mentioned as “top performers” in Week 1, there were moments from a pair of hitters and nearly all of their pitching prospects took part in shutting down the Rafters to close the week.

OF Hendry Mendez
Week (3 games): 3-for-13, 5 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 BB, K, SB (1)
Overall: .231/.333/.462 (.795 OPS)
Mendez got the week started for the Javelinas in a big way, hitting the first home run from anyone during the AFL season in his first at-bat, to tie their Monday matchup against Scottsdale at 1-1 in the top of the second inning.

In his three games on the week, Mendez spent two of them in left field, and one of them in right, batting sixth in the lineup in the opener, then cleanup in his final two games. He collected a hit in each of those three games on the week, and along with that AFL opening salvo scored three runs, including a steal of home on a double-swipe, in Friday’s 15-1 blowout win over Salt River. He finished that one 1-for-4, also drawing a pair of walks and reaching base on an error that also gave him credit for an RBI.

IF Billy Amick
Week (2 games): 0-for-5, 2 BB, 5 K
Overall: .000/.375/.000 (.375 OPS)
Amick would probably like to forget his first week out in the desert, as each of his outs in two games came on strikeouts, but his second game was much better than the first despite that stat-line quirk.

In Monday’s league opener he batted fourth and played third base, but finished 0-for-4 with the dreaded golden sombrero. In Thursday’s loss to the Saguaros he played first base and batted eighth in the lineup, finishing 0-for-1 with a pair of walks compared to just one K.

IF Brandon Winokur
Week (3 games): 3-for-13, 4 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Overall: .231/.333/.231 (.564 OPS)
Like Amick, Winokur also had a rude introduction to competition in the AFL, finishing Monday’s win 0-for-4 with a regular sombrero, but rebounded in his next two games with three hits in nine at-bats while also walking twice. He played shortstop in two games and third base in the other, while batting sixth or seventh in the lineup.

In Wednesday’s extra-inning win over Mesa, his single in the top of the 10th loaded the bases, and he eventually came home from third on a sac fly that made it 8-5 in favor of Peoria.

His best game of the week came on Friday, as he finished 2-for-4 with two walks and matched Mendez by scoring three runs himself. Mariners top prospect Jonny Farmelo drove in him and two others with a bases clearing triple in the fifth that made the score 15-0.

LHP Zander Sechrist
Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, H, ER, 2 K
Overall: 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .250 BAA, 2 K (1 IP)
Sechrist was the first Twins pitcher to make an appearance on the week, as the first reliever summoned in Thursday’s tilt against Surprise. He was greeted quite rudely, as the third pitch of his outing was blasted out to right field by a fellow lefty, in Wuilfredo Antunez of the Cleveland Guardians. He didn’t let it affect him though, as he struck out the next two batters looking and got the other to ground out to finish strong. Of his 20 pitches, 15 went for strikes (75%) including a pair of swings and misses.

RHP Miguelangel Boadas
Week (1 appearance): 3 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K
Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .100 BAA, 2 BB, 3 K (3 IP)
Boadas kicked off a train of four Twins pitchers who would close out the final six innings of their blowout of Salt River on Friday. He pitched the bulk of the game, finishing a team leading three innings, beginning with the top of the fourth.

With his team already in front 7-0, he worked around a one-out walk and two-out double with a pair of strikeouts to keep the Rafters off the scoreboard. After his teammates extended that lead to 11-0 he pitched a clean fifth, walking one before closing out his outing with a one-two-three sixth, including a three-pitch and swinging strikeout of 2024’s third overall draft pick, Charlie Condon of the Colorado Rockies.

Boades needed just 35 pitches to finish his three innings, with 20 of them going for strikes (57%), including six swings and misses, topping out at 96.2 MPH with his fastball.

RHP Dylan Questad
Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, H, BB
Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, .250 BAA, BB (1 IP)
Questad was the second Twins pitcher in Friday’s big win, coming on for the seventh against the bottom of the Rafters lineup. He got two quick outs before a walk and a single put a runner in scoring position, but induced a fly-ball to end his outing in scoreless fashion. He threw 26 pitches in the frame, with 14 going for strikes (54%), including a pair of swings and misses.

RHP Jakob Hall
Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, H, ER
Overall: 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .250 BAA (1 IP)
Hall was the next pitcher up in the top of the eighth, and with his team up by 15 runs was surely advised to just throw strikes. Unfortunately for him, the Rafters coaches probably told their hitters that would be the case, and the first pitch of his appearance was right down the middle, and subsequently taken deep for the Rafters lone run of the game. He remained committed to the plan however, retiring the next three hitters and needing just 10 pitches (six for strikes) to do so in his appearance.

RHP Hunter Hoopes
Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, BB, K
Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .000 BAA, BB, K (1 IP)
Twins Daily’s #4 MiLB Relief Pitcher of the Year came on to finish the Rafters off in the ninth on Friday to close out the Javelinas first week of the AFL season. His first four pitches resulted in two outs, including a strikeout, before he issued a two-out walk for his lone baserunner allowed in his AFL debut. He ended Salt River's misery by getting the final man to fly out to Mendez in left field, and put an exclamation point on week 1 of the AFL season. Hoopes threw 12 pitches, with seven of them going for strikes (59%) and his strikeout was the swinging variety on a 93 MPH fastball at the top of the zone.

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects playing in the AFL this week!

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[jmlease1]

It'll be interesting to see where Winokur, Mendez, and Amick are after a couple of weeks in the AFL. Feels like they all have some things to prove. And it should be a good test for Winokur & Amick in particular.

[Blyleven2011]

Nice to see a writer up on the AFL  , thanks ....

couple of rainouts but looks like the team is off to a good start and our players are contributing  ...

Are any of these players we sent to AFL going to contribute and be major league ready for the 40 man roster , years ago they use to send a prospect that they thought would help the team the next year , twins don't seem to do that anymore, do other teams send players that are major league ready  and are promoted to their 40 man roster .???

[rdehring]

Found it interesting that Mendez' home run came off a lefty.  Also liked him striking out only once in 15 PA.

Thanks for the report.  Had forgotten that the AFL was already under way.

 

[DocBauer]

Not a bad first week. But I was really expecting Mendez to get some action at 1B.

[Steve Lein]

3 hours ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Nice to see a writer up on the AFL  , thanks ....

couple of rainouts but looks like the team is off to a good start and our players are contributing  ...

Are any of these players we sent to AFL going to contribute and be major league ready for the 40 man roster , years ago they use to send a prospect that they thought would help the team the next year , twins don't seem to do that anymore, do other teams send players that are major league ready  and are promoted to their 40 man roster .???

I'm a veteran of this! Been doing this for 10+ years at Twins Daily, and many years elsewhere before then. I am a huge fan of the league!

But that plays a bit into your question as well. Mendez is the closest to the majors, and I believe would be Rule 5 eligible this year, but is almost certain to be protected I would think.

The Twins have definitely adopted a different approach to who they send to the league over the last few years, and specifically with the Falvey regime.

The top prospects close to the majors used to always be sent. Byron Buxton, Mitch Garver (twice), Max Kepler (twice), Royce Lewis... 5 years ago I would have thought Walker Jenkins would have been a lock after his 2025 season, but no longer. That being said, I like the group of hitters that is there this year.

The pitchers also have a chance to make a name for themselves, and make up some innings in some cases.

There are definitely a lot of teams who still act this way and treat the league as a bit of a proving ground. I mentioned a few of them.

That said, I would definitely say teams across the league have an aversion to sending such pitchers. Andrew Painter was in the league last year, but he was also needing to make up innings when finally healthy.

[weitz41]

I can't tell you why, but Mendez really has my attention. Amick and Winokur are good prospect as well. He (Mendez) just seems like a small adjustment (more loft) or a different voice is all he needs to take it to the next level. Hoping I'm right about that....

[Permanent Twins Fan]

Wow. Billy Amick is 0 for 5 with five strikeouts and two walks. That sounds like a little league stat line. Winokur also has five strikeouts. Hendry Mendez is an exciting bat. He has great contact skills. He has a high ground ball rate, but that could be one of the things that he is working on in the Fall League. 

[Mike Sixel]

7 hours ago, DocBauer said:

Not a bad first week. But I was really expecting Mendez to get some action at 1B.

Definitely hoped for that. Plus Winokur will never play SS for Minnesota. Put him at third or first or the OF. 

[Otaknam]

Appreciate the summary of Twins players in the AFL. 

[LambchoP]

Hopefully Mendez can keep on raking. The Twins need athletic players that can HIT!

[Doctor Wu]

AFL is back?! Thank you for these reports. Not much else to read about these days, so I really appreciate these updates.