Twins Minor League Report (4/9): James Ellwanger, Reed Moring Lead Mussels to Sweep

[Seth Stohs]

On a day when the Minnesota Twins completed a sweep of the Detroit Tigers, things went quite well for the Fort Myers Might Mussels too. A Top 2025 draft pick tossed four scoreless innings on Thursday. On Friday, prospect fans will be excited to see the top pitchers selected by the Twins in the 2025 draft. 

TRANSACTIONS
LHP Aaron Rozek signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Thursday and was assigned to Double-A Wichita. The Mets selected Rozek in the Minor-League portion of the Rule 5 draft in December. He went to spring training in St. Lucie but was released in late March.  

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 3, Toledo 5
Box Score
John Klein made the start for the Saints and had a really nice start. He gave up only a solo home run in four innings. He struck out three and walked none. 

Grant Hartwig came on and gave up three runs in the fifth inning and another run in the sixth. It could have been worse. Walker Jenkins threw out a runner at home to cut off one run. The four runs came on five hits and a walk. Eduardo Salazar came on and got the next five outs, issuing only a walk. Zak Kent gave up two hits and a walk in the eighth, but no more runs crossed the plate.

The Saints got on the scoreboard first. With one out in the top of the second inning, Orlando Arcia hit his second double of the season. Two batters later, he scored on a single by Eric Wagaman. 

Down 4-1, Kaelen Culpepper led off the top of the sixth inning with a single. With two outs, Alan Roden doubled to drive him in and cut the deficit in half. 

Alex Jackson hit his first home run of the season in the seventh inning. 

The Saints had seven hits and three walks. Culpepper went 2-for-3 with a walk and his first double. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 2, Arkansas 5
Box Score
Wichita began the game by taking the lead in the top of the first inning. Kyle DeBarge led off with a single. He stole second base (his fifth steal of the year). Two ground balls later, he scored to give the Surge a 1-0 lead. 

C.J. Culpepper tossed four scoreless, no-hit innings. On Thursday night, he got the first two batters out, but two walks, two hits, and two runs later, the first inning ended. In total, Culpepper gave up three runs on three hits in four innings. He walked four and had three strikeouts. 

Ricky Castro and Jarret Whorff each gave up one run on one hit over two innings. Both walked none and had two strikeouts. 

Down 4-1 through six innings, Garrett Spain hit his first homer in the Twins organization. But that was it for the Surge run scoring.     

Wichita had six hits and two walks in the game. They also had 13 strikeouts. Andrew Cossetti went 2-for-4 in the game. Ben Ross added his third double. 

KERNELS CHRONICLE 
Cedar Rapids, Beloit (Postponed)
Box Score
Rain and wet weather conditions caused the postponement of Thursday night’s game in Beloit. The teams will hope to play two games on Friday.  

MIGHTY MATTERS
Game 1: Ft. Myers 2, Jupiter 0
Box Score  
There wasn’t much offense in this game, but fortunately, James Ellwanger and Kolten Smith didn’t need more than one run of support to win Thursday’s first game. 

Ellwanger started and tossed four scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one, and had five strikeouts. Control has typically been his issue. In this game, he needed just 50 pitches to complete four innings. 64% of those pitches were strikes. 

Kolten Smith pitched a perfect fifth inning, so he gets credit for his first pro Win. Adam Falinski struck out three over the final two innings to record his first pro Save. Smith likely would have gone longer, but there was a 50-minute rain delay. 

Jorel Ortega and Dameury Pena started the game with back-to-back walks off of the Marlins top prospect Thomas White. Quentin Young grounded into fielder’s choice, and a throwing error allowed Ortega to score.  

The score remained 1-0 through five innings. In the sixth inning, Ian Daugherty led off with a single. He stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. With one out Bryan Acuna walked. Byron Chourio turned a double play into just a fielder’s choice, allowing the Mussels second run to score.  

In Game 1, the Mussels had four hits and walked eight times. Rehabbing Jorel Ortega went 1-for-2 with two walks. Dameury Pena was 2-for-2 with a walk. Yilber Herrera walked twice. The team was 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left nine one base. 

Game 2: Ft. Myers 7, Jupiter 2
Box Score  
Game 2 was another close game until the Mussels broke it open with a four-run seventh inning. 

The Mussels took the first lead in the top of the third frame. Bryan Acuna led off with a slow roller to third base. He went to second on a throwing error. With one out, Quentin Young lined a single to left but it was hit too hard so Acuna could only advance to third base. Ryan Sprock singled to center to drive in Acuna with the first run. 

Reed Moring started for Ft. Myers. He tossed four scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked three, and struck out five batters.   

Jake Murray came on to start the fifth inning. Nine pitches later, he had walked the first two batters. He then struck out PJ Morlando, a top Marlins prospect. That was followed with a third walk. Xavier Kolhosser came on with the bases loaded. He gave up a sacrifice fly that tied the game before ending the inning with a strikeout. 

With the game tied in the top of the sixth, Yilber Herrera led off with a walk, stole second and went to third on a throwing error. After Harry Genth was hit by a pitch, again, Herrera scored on a fielding error. Irvin Nunez followed and was also hit by a pitch to lead the bases. Acuna drove in Genth with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. 

Ryan Sprock was hit by a pitch to start the top of the seventh inning. Herrera struck out, but he challenged the pitch and it was overturned and instead he walked. Ricardo Pena singled, and Sprock scored. Herrera scored on a Harry Genth double. Genth stole third base. After Byron Chourio walked, both runners scored on a single to center by Irvin Nunez to make it 7-1. Mitch Mueller tossed the final two innings. He gave up one run on two hits. He had three strikeouts and walked none. 

The Mussels had 10 hits, five walks, and were hit by a pitch four times in this game. Eduardo Beltre went 2-for-3 with a walk. Acuna was 2-for-4. Harry Genth went 1-for-2. He was hit by a pitch twice, doubles, and stole three bases. Sprock, Chourio and Nunez each had a single and a walk. Herrera walked twice. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 2-for-3, BB, R

Pitcher of the Day 
James Ellwanger (Fort Myers): 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, BB, 5 K, 50 pitches, 32 strikes (64.0%)

 

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

#1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, Assist (batted second, played CF, all 9 innings)
#2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B(1), R (batted first, DHd)
#3 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Did Not Play
#4 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - No Game.
#5 - LHP Connor Prielipp (St.Paul) - Did Not Pitch
#6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - No Game
#7 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, BB (batted third, played LF)
#8 - LHP Kendry Rojas (St. Paul) -
#9 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - No Game.
#10 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List
#11 - RHP Riley Quick (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch, scheduled to make pro debut on Friday. 
#12 - RHP Andrew Morris (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch
#13 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - No Game.
#14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - Game 1: 0-for-4, 3 K (batted third, played 3B), Game 2: 1-for-4, 3 K (batted third, played SS) - CS(2,3), E(5). s
#15 - RHP Marco Raya (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch
#16 - OF Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, RBI, K (batted third, played LF)
#17 - 2B/OF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-for-4, R, K, SB(5) (led off, played 2B)
#18 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) - 4 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 71 pitches, 44 strikes (62.0%)
#19 - C Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) -No Game.
#20 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, BB, 5 K, 50 pitches, 32 strikes (64.0%)

UPCOMING PROBABLES
Friday:
St. Paul @ Toledo (12:37 pm CT) - LHP Connor Prielipp (0-0, 1.23 ERA)
Wichita @ Arkansas (7:05 pm CT) - RHP Sam Armstrong (0-1, 6.00 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (DH @ 4:00 pm CT) - RHP Adrian Bohorquez (0-0, 7.36 ERA), LHP Dasan Hill
Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 CT) - RHP Riley Quick (first pro start)

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 7-6
St. Paul Saints: 4-7
Wichita Wind Surge: 2-4
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 3-2
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 4-2

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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[jmlease1]

well, the green light still appears to be on for DeBarge? That will be fun all season.

Nice job by Ellwanger. Curious to see how is control looks in this first season. He's got a live arm!

Need to get some guys on track in Saint Paul.

[Twinsrtheworst]

I am loving watching these games. Being able to stream them all at the same time does give the remote a workout though.

[rdehring]

Recall seeing Ellwanger in the prospects game versus the Phillies.  Thought he was impressive, very impressive.  Didn't see the game, but last night appeared to be another impressive game.  Would love to see him move up to Cedar Rapids to see how he does at a higher level.  Think that will happen soon?

I know a lot of people commented in the past whenever discussing DeBarge that the catchers in High-A don't necessarily have great arms.  Sure seems to be off and running now in AA.  The catchers at this level may not be Johnny Bench, but have to believe their arms are better than High-A.  Aren't they, Seth?

Loved the Twins game the other night when they had Buxton, Martin and Keaschall at the top of their lineup.  That speed made a difference and is the most speed I recall the Twins having in a long, long time.  Crossing my fingers that DeBarge could be a fourth pair of legs joining that group next year.

[Dman]

Ellwanger and Moring have yet to give up a run to start the season and their stats are pretty similar.  Moring with the better K rate and Ellwanger with the better ground ball rate. Ellwanger can sling it no doubt about that at 96\97 and looks like a fast mover as long as he keeps the walks under control.

I have come away very impressed with Moring.  He doesn't throw that hard, at least not yet, but he gets good movement on his pitches and works all over the zone.  It is just a few games in and dominating A ball doesn't mean much for these college starters, but he looks like an arm that could be a difference maker.

Nice to see Beltre making more contact to start the year.  Very small sample, but if he takes off that would really help as the Twins don't have much for high end outfielders in the lower levels.

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, rdehring said:

Recall seeing Ellwanger in the prospects game versus the Phillies.  Thought he was impressive, very impressive.  Didn't see the game, but last night appeared to be another impressive game.  Would love to see him move up to Cedar Rapids to see how he does at a higher level.  Think that will happen soon?

Seems unlikely in his first pro season, especially since he didn't pitch a lot in college only 81 innings in 2 seasons!). I suspect the Twins will want to keep him in FL where they have additional staff and facilities for most if not all of this season. They'll probably monitor his workload carefully. I could see him rise very fast in year 2 if he shows he can keep the free passes off the board, though.

[DataNerd]

1 hour ago, Dman said:

I have come away very impressed with Moring.  He doesn't throw that hard, at least not yet, but he gets good movement on his pitches and works all over the zone.  It is just a few games in and dominating A ball doesn't mean much for these college starters, but he looks like an arm that could be a difference maker.

It means a lot for Moring, since he never showed this in college.  5.49 ERA, 61BB/94K in 100IP, and the Big West isn't the pinnacle of college baseball either.  I'm assuming that along with better control, he made some improvements to the stuff over the offseason.

[twinstalker]

As I mentioned before and will again...Ellwanger won't be in Fort Myers for long.  Guessing Quick will take longer, but as soon as he's gets it together in Fort Myers, he'll be in Iowa, hopefully.  Crushing low A hitters doesn't help the best college pitchers, but they need to crush first to move on.

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, twinstalker said:

As I mentioned before and will again...Ellwanger won't be in Fort Myers for long.  Guessing Quick will take longer, but as soon as he's gets it together in Fort Myers, he'll be in Iowa, hopefully.  Crushing low A hitters doesn't help the best college pitchers, but they need to crush first to move on.

I'm not sure why Ellwanger moves faster than Quick. Neither one is particularly old, neither one threw a lot of innings in college, both have some development ahead of them, especially in showing that can pitch more than 4 innings and hold up over a full professional season.

I suspect both will be spending a decent chunk of the season in Ft. Myers and if they are really looking good and have stayed healthy, they might get a bump to Cedar Rapids at midseason. But I wouldn't be shocked at all if they spend their first professional season in Ft. Myers.

[nova_twins]

I'd be shocked if Ellwanger or Quick stayed in Fort Myers all season, unless they're not pitching well. 

Moring has really interesting statcast data. The system so far can't tell apart his slider and changeup even though the changeup is coming in at like 1,000 rpm. 

[Dman]

1 hour ago, nova_twins said:

I'd be shocked if Ellwanger or Quick stayed in Fort Myers all season, unless they're not pitching well. 

Moring has really interesting statcast data. The system so far can't tell apart his slider and changeup even though the changeup is coming in at like 1,000 rpm. 

I think I'd be pretty disappointed if Quick and Ellwanger weren't at High A sometime in June.  I'd probably include Moring and Reitz in there as well.

I'm just looking at Gallagher from last year and the Cubs started him at High A.  He skipped low A completely and made it to AA in his first pro season and he was a 6th round draft pick.

I'm not saying the Twins need to be super aggressive with Quick or Ellwanger, but if they have decent control I don't think the competition at Low A is better than High for their development.  I do agree the facilities at Fort Meyers are likely the best in the Twins system and I would keep them there through at least the cold month of April but would expect by mid May to June they get moved up. 

With Barr, Fang and Kaminska on the 60 day IL hopefully they would be ready to step in around June when those guys move on. 

So yeah for the college guys that are pitching well I'd move them up as fast as it makes sense.  Gallagher made it AA his first full pro season.  That is the bar I would be looking for from our top picks.  Not saying they have to be pushed to AA, but that if things go well that is where they should be by the end of the year IMO.

[DataNerd]

Lots to like with some of the new talent, but on the other side I am panic-selling my Quentin Young stock.  15K in 24PA is extremely concerning, and he doesn't have a single game without 2Ks.

[Dman]

7 minutes ago, DataNerd said:

Lots to like with some of the new talent, but on the other side I am panic-selling my Quentin Young stock.  15K in 24PA is extremely concerning, and he doesn't have a single game without 2Ks.

He looks too slow to the ball in some of those at bats IMO.  Man does he have some serious power though.  The ball comes off his bat like a rocket.  Given what I am seeing it is going to take quite a while to get that bat going.

He's looked pretty good at short as well. The arm is strong as advertised.  Still I just don't see that hand eye coordination in the batters box that gets him to MLB.  He has time to improve, but it looks like a long road to me.

[Dman]

4 hours ago, DataNerd said:

Lots to like with some of the new talent, but on the other side I am panic-selling my Quentin Young stock.  15K in 24PA is extremely concerning, and he doesn't have a single game without 2Ks.

Just when I said he couldn't hit he is hitting like crazy tonight.  I guess he wanted to shut me up.