Twins Minor League Report (4/12): Kyler Fedko Powers Saints Offense

[Seth Stohs]

Image courtesy of Braeden Botts (photo of Ty Langenberg), Rob Thompson (photo of Kyler Fedko)

The minor-league season is filled with a series of ups and downs. That's normal in development, and then it's not unusual in the big leagues because the development continues. Look only at Sunday's Saints game to see an extreme high and an extreme low. It's going to happen. 

TRANSACTIONS
Not transactions on Sunday.  

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 8, Toledo 11
Box Score
Kyler Fedko had an amazing day, powering the Saints to an early lead and helped build upon it. The Saints held an 8-4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. 

Marco Raya came on to protect the lead. In 5 2/3 innings before Sunday, he had given up three runs (2 earned) on six hits and two walks. On Sunday, he just didn’t have control or command of any of his pitches. He recorded just one out and gave up six runs on three hits and three walks. It started with a home run by Ben Malgeri. Then a walk, a double, a single, a walk. Raya made one of the more athletic plays by a pitcher, fielding a bunch, turning and throwing a strike to third base for the first out. It was followed by a walk to load the bases. That’s when Dan Altavilla came into the game. On a 2-1 pitch, Cal Stevenson crushed a 96 mph fastball for a walkoff grand slam. That’s a tough way to end a week on the road. 

Let’s go back in the game. Lefty Kendry Rojas made his first Saints start. He tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and had three strikeouts. Altavilla was the seventh reliever used in the game. 

Yeah, let’s just jump to the offense. In the top of the third, Eric Wagaman singled to lead off the inning. Kyler Fedko followed with his first home run of the season (429 feet).     

 David Banuelos followed with a walk. With one out, Walker Jenkins singled to drive in Banuelos. Gabriel Gonzalez doubled Jenkins to third. Alan Roden drove in both of them with a double to make it 5-0. 

With one out in the top of the fourth, Kyler Fedko hit his second home run of the game (437 feet) and of the season. That made it 6-0 Saints.   

In the top of the sixth inning, the first two batters got out. Kyler Fedko hit his third home run of the game (397 feet), his third home run of the season. It was big because it gave the Saints a 7-4 lead. As noted in the below tweet, Fedko is the fifth player in Saints franchise history to hit three home runs in a game. The others are Jose Miranda, Brent Rooker, Spencer Steer, and Chris Williams. 

With two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Eric Wagaman walked. Kyler Fedko came up and tripled to center field (411 feet) to drive in the Saints eighth run. 

Fedko went 4-for-4 with a triple and three home runs. He scored three runs and drove in five runs. Walker Jenkins went 3-for-4 with a walk and two stolen bases. Alan Roden went 1-for-3 with two walks and his third double. Gabriel Gonzalez, who made his first start at first base, added this third double of the season.   

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 5, Arkansas 3 (11 innings)
Box Score
This game was really a well-pitched game. In fact, there was no score through the first six innings. 

Ty Langenberg started and struck out eight batters over five shutout innings. He gave up four hits and walked none. 48 of his 65 pitches were strikes (73.8%)  It was impressive as he was pitching on three days' rest.  

William Fleming made his first appearance since joining the Twins organization earlier in the week. The 6-6, 220 pound, 27-year-old, right-hander struck out one in a scoreless sixth inning. 

Jarret Whorff came on for the seventh inning and gave up two runs on two hits. He walked two and had two strikeouts. 

With one out in the top of the eighth, Billy Amick singled. With two outs, he moved to second on a single by Andrew Cossetti. Ricardo Olivar followed with a single to center to drive in Amick and make it 2-1.     

In the top of the ninth, Kyle DeBarge led off with a walk. Ben Ross singled to left. Hendry Mendez grounded to first. Ross was out at second, but Mendez beat the relay throw. With two outs, Amick singled to left to drive in DeBarge with the tying run and make it 2-2.   

Extra Innings! Garrett Spain started the inning as the Manfred Man at second base. With two outs, Spain was still on second. Jose Salas picked up his teammates. He lined a single to right to drive in Spain with the go-ahead run. 

Jaylen Nowlin struck out three batters over two scoreless innings. Ricky Castro came in for the 10th inning. The tying run scored quickly, and after an intentional walk to load the bases, he coaxed a ground ball back to the mound, starting a 1-2-3 double play and sending the game to the 11th inning. 

DeBarge started the inning at second base. Ben Ross singled to left and moved DeBarge to third base. Ross stole second. Hendry Mendez followed with a ground-rule double to make it 5-3. 

Castro went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 11th to finish off the Wind Surge win. 

Ben Ross went 2-for-5. He has at least one hit in all nine games. He’s hitting .444 with an OPS of 1.139. He also now has five stolen bases. Billy Amick went 2-for-4 with a walk. 

KERNELS CHRONICLE 
Cedar Rapids 5, Beloit 15
Box Score
This was a rough one for the Kernels. They gave up three runs in the second, five runs in the fourth, and six more runs in the seventh inning. Three big innings for a team, and there’s a good chance that team will win. 

It might even surprise you to know that the Kernels had a 3-0 lead after one-and-a-half innings. Eduardo Tait scored on a balk in the top of the first inning. Then in the top of the second, with Andy Lugo on base, Miguel Briceno hit his first home run of the season to make it 3-0.     

Michael Ross made the start. In two innings, he gave up three runs on four hits. Brent Francisco came on and gave up six runs on four hits (including 2 homers) and two walks. Christian Becerra walked two but got the final two outs of the fourth inning. Cody Peschl and Nick Trabacchi. Ivran Romero came in for the top of the seventh. He got one out and was charged with six runs on five hits and a walk. Eston Stull got the final five outs. 

The Kernels added a run in the fifth inning. Miguel Briceno singled, went to third on a Jacob McCombs doubled him to third, and Tait drove him in with a sacrifice fly. 

In the top of the eighth, Briceno lined a single to left to drive in Danny De Andrade with the fifth run. 

Tait went 2-for-5. Miguel Briceno led the offense by going 4-for-4 with two runs scored and three driven in. 

We haven’t written much about Miguel Briceno yet this season, so here is a quick background. He signed in July of 2019 with the Milwaukee Brewers and made his pro debut in 2021. The Twins selected him in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft. He played in 59 games for Fort Myers in 2025. Unfortunately, in early July his season ended when he was placed on the 60-Day Injured List. He hasn’t had much opportunity this season with the Kernels. Last Sunday, he got one pitch hit at-bat. On Friday, he pinch ran and scored a run. Sunday was his first start of the season. 

MIGHTY MATTERS
Ft. Myers 9, Jupiter 3
Box Score  
The Mighty Mussels took an early lead. They gave it back in the middle innings, but then the bats jumped back to life late in the game. 

Eric Hammond made the start for the Mussels. He was drafted by the Diamondbacks late in the 2021 draft but chose to pitch at Georgia. Four seasons later, he went undrafted, but the Twins signed him in early August as a non-drafted free agent. His first appearance was on Tuesday with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen. On Sunday, he started and tossed three scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked on and had four strikeouts. 

The Mussels provided him with some run support in the second inning. Jayson Bass and Ryan Sprock started the inning with singles. Bryan Acuna followed with an RBI single to center. With one out, Jorel Ortega was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Dameury Pena’s hot start continued. He drove a single to right to drive in a second run. Quentin Young flew out to right field. On the play, Ortega was thrown out trying to advance to second. However, Acuna crossed the plate first to make it 3-0. 

Jake Murray, a non-drafted free agent in 2025 out of Campbell, came in to start the fourth inning. He faced three batters in the fourth. He walked the leadoff man in the bottom of the fifth inning, but he got an infield pop out followed by a pair of strikeouts. The lefty came out to start the sixth inning, but the leadoff man reached on an error. 

At that point, Jordan Smith brought Mitch Mueller into the game. Mueller signed as a non-drafted free agent from Utah Valley in March of 2025. He was greeted by a single and then issued a walk to load the bases. Mueller got a ground ball to first base for the out, but a throwing error allowed two runners to score on the play. After a walk, the tying run scored on a sacrifice fly. He got a strikeout to end that inning, but the score was now 3-3. 

How would the young Mussel hitters respond? Jorel Ortega led off the top of the seventh with a single. Pena was hit by a pitch. After a pitching change and a strikeout, JP Smith walked to load the bases. Ortega scored on a wild pitch to give the Mussels a lead. Eduardo Beltre walked to re-load the bases. The runners all moved up a base, and Dameury Pena scored on a balk. The chance for a grand slam was gone, but Jayson Bass hit a ball 100 mph and 400 feet, beyond the fence in right-center field and settled for a three-run homer. It was his first of the season and gave his team an 8-3 lead. 

Adam Falinski, who signed as a minor-league free agent in July of 2025, worked the final three innings for Fort Myers. He walked three and gave up three hits but gave up no runs and recorded his second save.  

Bryan Acuna went 3-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base. He is now hitting .389. Ortega went 1-for-3 and was hit by two pitches. Dameuery Pena went 2-for-4 and was hit by a pitch. His season average now sits at .476. Jayson Bass went 2-for-5 with the three-run homer. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Kyler Fedko (St. Paul): 4-for-4, 3B(1), 3-HR(3), 3 R, 5 RBI. 

Pitcher of the Day 
Ty Langenberg (Wichita): 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K, 65 pitches, 48 strikes (73.8%)     

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) - 3-for-4, BB, R, RBI, 2 SB(3) (batted second, DHd) 
#2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 0-for-5, K (led off, played 2B)
#3 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, 2 K (batted sixth, played CF)
#4 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, R, RBI, 2 K (batted second, catcher)   
#5 - LHP Connor Prielipp (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch
#6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch
#7 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, 2B(3), K (Batted fourth, played 1B)
#8 - LHP Kendry Rojas (St. Paul) - 2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 48 pitches, 30 strikes (62.5%)
#9 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Play.
#10 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List
#11 - RHP Riley Quick (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch
#12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota) - MLB Debut. 3 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 67 pitches, 50 strikes (74.6%)
#13 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, 2 K, E(4) (batted fourth, played SS).
#14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4, SF RBI, 2 K, E(6) (batted third, played SS)
#15 - RHP Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 0.1 IP, 3 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 29 pitches, 15 strikes (51.7%)
#16 - OF Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 1-for-5, 2B(2), 2 RBI (batted third, played LF)
#17 - 2B/OF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-for-4, BB, 2 R, 3 K (batted first, played 2B)
#18 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) - Did Not Pitch
#19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, 2 BB, K (batted third, LF, then CF) 

#20 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch

UPCOMING PROBABLES
Tuesday:
Lehigh Valley @ St. Paul (6:37 pm CT) - TBD
Springfield @ Wichita (6:05 pm CT) - TBD
Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:05 pm CT) - TBD
Lakeland @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CT) - TBD

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 9-7
St. Paul Saints: 5-9
Wichita Wind Surge: 4-5
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 5-4
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 6-3
FCL Twins: 0-0 (season begins Monday, May 4)
DSL Twins: 0-0 (season begins Monday, June 1) 

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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[Dman]

Three home runs and a triple in one game for Fedko.  What a game.  Hopefully he is back on the HR track.  If he finds some consistency maybe he could replace Outman?

Langenberg continues to impress.  He is looking like a legit arm. He has only given up one walk so far this year. 17 K's in just under 12 innings,  Just needs to stay consistent to move up.

[jkcarew]

15 total bases in 4 PA is good, right? 411 foot shot in the bid for number 4. Big tip of the hat to Fedko! Very very rare at any level.

Raya on the other hand. Sigh. He’s progressively had worse results every year of his professional career. Across the board. Strike %, K%, BB%, OPS against, ERA, pitches per inning…everything. Always being promoted…so, there’s that. Now, he may just need to bake at AAA for an extended period. Keep trotting him out there, though. See what happens with regular work. The command just continues to disappear on a recurring basis.

[jmlease1]

8 hours ago, jkcarew said:

Raya on the other hand. Sigh. He’s progressively had worse results every year of his professional career. Across the board. Strike %, K%, BB%, OPS against, ERA, pitches per inning…everything. Always being promoted…so, there’s that. Now, he may just need to bake at AAA for an extended period. Keep trotting him out there, though. See what happens with regular work. The command just continues to disappear on a recurring basis.

It's why they say There Is No Such Thing As A Pitching Prospect. Be a bummer is Raya flames out, but it happens all the time. Hopefully he can figure it out. But this is also why they traded for more starters at the deadline, because you can never have too many options coming out of the minors, because guys can and will continue to flame out.

[TopGunn#22]

It's April 13th and Outman is still hitless on the season.  Fedko going nearly 30-30 last year has to count for SOMETHING.  It's just time to cut the cord on Outman.  Why not give Fedko a shot and see what he does with it?  This provides additional time for E-Rod and Walker Jenkins as well as Gabe Gonzalez to continue to work on things at St. Paul.

Outman is doing NOTHING for the Twins.  Fedko at least has some positional versatility and gives the Twins a power/speed option in a platoon or off the bench. 

Come to think of it, now would be a good time to revisit Trevor Larnach trade possibilities.   

[Permanent Twins Fan]

That was the most disapointed I have ever heard a announcer be after a triple. Great job Fedko.

[tony&rodney]

29 minutes ago, TopGunn#22 said:

It's April 13th and Outman is still hitless on the season.  Fedko going nearly 30-30 last year has to count for SOMETHING.  It's just time to cut the cord on Outman.  Why not give Fedko a shot and see what he does with it? 

April 13 is early. May 13 might mean more. Also, defense matters. Change is coming but it might be a few months.

[bean5302]

35 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

April 13 is early. May 13 might mean more. Also, defense matters. Change is coming but it might be a few months.

It's not just 0-18, it's 0-18 with 10 strikeouts, terrible exit velocity and terrible plate discipline coming off a year he hit .134 with 148 plate appearances. Outman is not MLB caliber. He should have been DFA'd before the season.

[bean5302]

Interesting to see Gabriel Gonzalez at 1B. He's on the shorter side so I'm not sure he's a great fit at 1B compared to other players. Just another reason to cast Outman off the roster. The logjam in the outfield being worsened by Outman makes no sense.

[tony&rodney]

44 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

It's not just 0-18, it's 0-18 with 10 strikeouts, terrible exit velocity and terrible plate discipline coming off a year he hit .134 with 148 plate appearances. Outman is not MLB caliber. He should have been DFA'd before the season.

I could see the Twins keeping Kreidler, who also cannot hit, and sending out Outman when Lewis returns. Kreidler is a far better fielder even in the outfield. However, Kreidler cannot hit a lick either but has a great glove.

I thought having an IL sitting pitcher (Brock Stewart) was a better choice than acquiring Outman. The guys like Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins are not really ready for MLB. Alan Roden is struggling at the plate and looks lost in the outfield. So, sadly, not good choices. Easy to agree that James Outman looks woeful at the dish but I will just appreciate the two plays he has made in the outfield for now. Choosing to see something positive.

[bean5302]

2 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

I could see the Twins keeping Kreidler, who also cannot hit, and sending out Outman when Lewis returns. Kreidler is a far better fielder even in the outfield. However, Kreidler cannot hit a lick either but has a great glove.

I thought having an IL sitting pitcher (Brock Stewart) was a better choice than acquiring Outman. The guys like Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins are not really ready for MLB. Alan Roden is struggling at the plate and looks lost in the outfield. So, sadly, not good choices. Easy to agree that James Outman looks woeful at the dish but I will just appreciate the two plays he has made in the outfield for now. Choosing to see something positive.

Kreidler is a joke on Twins fans. When the Twins claimed him, it was just trolling. Even at SS, Kreidler is a boat anchor on a ball club trying to even be a .500 team. Kreidler on the roster sealed the deal for me kicking around the idea of season ticket packages. A joke to see him on an MLB roster.

If Emma isn't ready, he likely never will be. The Twins just burned his 3rd option and he's entering his 8th year as a professional baseball player in 2026. For a guy who had a ton of trade value a year ago, the front office missed a great chance to capitalize.

Roden's OPS is over league average, and at age 26, it's time. Roden's ceiling is Austin Martin with a little more pop. He's a fine choice to replace Outman.

[tony&rodney]

26 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Kreidler is a joke on Twins fans. When the Twins claimed him, it was just trolling. Even at SS, Kreidler is a boat anchor on a ball club trying to even be a .500 team. Kreidler on the roster sealed the deal for me kicking around the idea of season ticket packages. A joke to see him on an MLB roster.

If Emma isn't ready, he likely never will be. The Twins just burned his 3rd option and he's entering his 8th year as a professional baseball player in 2026. For a guy who had a ton of trade value a year ago, the front office missed a great chance to capitalize.

Roden's OPS is over league average, and at age 26, it's time. Roden's ceiling is Austin Martin with a little more pop. He's a fine choice to replace Outman.

Many people would agree with you on Outman and Kreidler too. Pitchers would not agree with you on RK.  Joe Ryan actually called out his defensive play. The hope (for me) is that the Twins can get to a place where the gloves are at least average or better and that those guys hit as well. I'm ok with replacing Outman with Rodriguez if he gets to play 5 times a week. We will never know if any team had interest in trading for Emmanuel but I was ok with that for a fair return and I have been among those who are high on ER.

Roden cannot play centerfield. He has looked really weak in the corners for St. Paul. He takes walks but has a ton of swing and miss in his game. You might find yourself casting sideways glances at Roden. I think the outfield will sort itself out by June. Sadly, the discussion over 12th and 13th player is not too exciting at this time. We can only hope for the best. 

The unbalanced roster with weak reserves is a mark on the front office. There have been numerous opportunities to complete trades in the last three years. There should be this summer as well.