Twins Minor League Report (6/9): Khadim Diaw Homers Twice, But Kernels Fall to Lugnuts

[Steve Lein]

Image courtesy of Malamut Photography (Photo of Khadim Diaw)

TRANSACTIONS

• OF Alan Roden is close to returning to Triple-A, as the St. Paul Saints sent him on a rehab assignment with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.
• The Wichita Turbo Tubs…ahem…Wind Surge were assigned SS Cody Morissette and placed IF Jose Salas on the 7-day injured list. Morissette had played 14 games with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in 2026, the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, hitting .216/.293/.360.
• Down in the Dominican Republic, the DSL Twins were assigned IF Nolwer Barboza.

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 4, Toledo 12
Box Score
In his last two turns right-hander Ryan Gallagher picked up two wins by putting zeros up in every inning, finishing five frames in each. 

He was not as fortunate in this one.

His first five pitches were called balls, then in his next four he allowed a single and a three-run homer to allow the Mud Hens to jump out to a 3-0 lead. He did recover to retire the next nine hitters in a row, but Toledo got to him again in the fourth. A single, pair of doubles, and another home run put the Mud Hens in front 7-2 and they never looked back.

Gallagher did again finish five innings, but was charged with seven earned runs on eight hits and a walk. He struck out three.

The Saints closed the Mud Hens early lead to one run after a bases loaded groundout off the bat of Kyler Fedko scored one in the third, and Aaron Sabato delivered a sac fly in the top of the fourth. They added two more in the seventh thanks to Tanner Schobel’s second home run of the season with the Saints, but the Mud Hens immediately answered again in the bottom half to extend their leads.

Relievers Andrew Bash (1 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB), Alejandro Hidalgo (2/3 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, K), and Jake Higginbotham (1 1/3 IP, H, K) finished off the rest of the game for St. Paul’s bullpen.

The Saints were outhit 14-4 on the night, with Kaelen Culpepper (2-for-4, 2B) and Schobel (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI) the only batters to collect a hit. Gabriel Gonzalez and Ben Ross each scored a run thanks to drawing walks.

Tigers top prospect Max Clark led off for the Mud Hens and finished 0-for-3 with a run scored, a pair of walks, and a strikeout.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 0, Tulsa 5
Box Score
Wichita’s lineup was unable to buy any hits on Tuesday, and their tubs took a drilling from Tulsa as a result in their series opener.

Preston Johnson made his second start for the Wind Surge and was solid over his four frames. He scattered five hits and a walk, allowing only one earned run while striking out six. 42 of his 67 pitches went for strikes (63%), including 11 swinging.

Darren Bowen was the first arm summoned from the bullpen to start the fifth, and he delivered a one-two-three inning to keep the game within one.  In the bottom of the sixth however, a single, walk, and three-run homer put Tulsa in control at 4-0. 

Jarret Whorff (1 IP, H) and Hunter Gregory (1 IP, 2 H, ER, K) pitched an inning apiece to finish the game for the Wichita pitching staff.

The Wind Surge lineup was never able to put anything together, advancing a runner to third base only one time, and that was thanks to an errant pickoff throw from the catcher trying to back-pick a runner at first base. They went just 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven men on base.

Andrew Cossetti led the way by going 2-for-3 with a walk. Kyle DeBarge and Jaime Ferrer collected the other two hits.

In statistical oddities that annoy me, the Wind Surge lead the Texas League in home runs with 80 on the season in 56 games, but rank last in batting average at an abysmal .208.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 4, Lansing 5
Box Score
Top lefty pitching prospect Dasan Hill was on the mound for the Kernels, looking to turn around his recent fortunes. After a three-start run in early May where he allowed no earned runs in 10 2/3 innings, his last two turns had gone the other way. He allowed four earned runs on six walks on May 28th, then two earned runs on four hits and three walks on June 3rd.

He went a bit further in this start finishing three innings, but similar inconsistency reared its head along the way. His six strikeouts were a nice notch in the pitching line, but they came with five runs (four earned on six hits and three walks. Of Hill’s 77 pitches, just 46 went for strikes (60%). In the top of the first the first three hitters loaded the bases, but he was able to recover and strike out the next three for a scoreless inning. The Lugnuts erupted for four runs in the second, and another in the third to end his outing.

Before that Cedar Rapids had taken a 2-0 lead thanks to a home run from Khadim Diaw in the top of the first. His blast drove in Brandon Winokur who had drawn a two-out walk in front of him.

The Kernels didn’t score again until the sixth, but again it came off the bat of Diaw. His second home run of the game was of the solo variety, and later in the inning Jay Thomason clubbed one of his own to close the score to 5-4 Lansing.

In relief of Hill right-hander Cole Peschl kept the Lugnuts off the board for his two innings. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four. Nolan Santos got the next two frames, setting the opposition down in order in each, striking out two. Nick Trabacchi struck out one in a one-two-three bottom of the eighth.

The Kernels threatened in the top of the eighth after Yasser Mercedes reached base on a fielder’s choice, stole second, and advanced to third on an errant throw. But he wasn’t able to make it the final 90 feet. Rayne Doncon led off the top of the ninth with a single to put the tying run on base, but Danny De Andrade popped out and Marek Houston grounded into a doubleplay to end the game.

Diaw (3-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI) and Thomason (2-for-3, R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB, K) provided most of the hits, as the rest of the Kernels offense combined to go 2-for-25. The team went hitless in their four at-bats with runners in scoring position, and left only six men on base.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Dunedin 6, Fort Myers 5 (10 innings)
Box Score
Dunedin scored first against Fort Myers starter Jason Reitz in the top of the second inning. A leadoff walk, stolen base, and two-out RBI single made it 1-0. But that was all Reitz would allow. He finished 3 1/3 innings, reaching his pitch count in the fourth. He allowed just one hit and one walk, while striking out two.

In the bottom of the fourth the Mighty Mussels lineup finally figured out the Blue Jays starter. Ryan Sprock led off with a single, Graham Brown followed with one of his own, and after a pair of strikeouts Merphy Hernandez tied the game at one with an RBI double. Dameury Pena followed with a two-run single to give them the lead, and an error let another run score to make it 4-1 for the home team. They extended their lead to four in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a sac fly from Pena.

Matthew Dalquist relieved Reitz in the middle of the fourth and finished 2 2/3 innings of his own. But back out for the seventh frame he wasn’t able to record another out. Three consecutive singles and a passed ball brought the Blue Jays within two. After a pitching change to Jake Murray an error, double, and single led to a tie game. When the dust settled Dalquist was charged with three earned runs on six hits and a walk, striking out three. Murray completed the seventh allowing two hits, an unearned run, and struck out two.

The score remained tied in regulation thanks to two scoreless innings out of Michael Hilker, who walked three and struck out two, so to extra innings this one went.

Fort Myers went to right-hander Mike McKenna for the top of the tenth and after a leadoff single put runners on the corners, he struck out the next three hitters to complete the inning. Unfortunately, on the first of those the Blue Jays also executed a double-steal to take a one run lead.

In the bottom half Ryan Sprock drew a leadoff walk, but instead of moving the runners up a base the Mighty Mussels opted to let their lineup swing away. Graham Brown and Quentin Young went down swinging before Luis Fragoza broke his bat on a groundout to end the game.

Each team had 10 hits on the night, but Dunedin finished 6-for-18 with runners in scoring position while Fort Myers went 2-for-12.

Sprock led the way for the offense, reaching base in all five of his plate appearances. He finished 4-for-4 with a run scored and a walk. Brown was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Alan Roden was 2-for-5 with a double in his first rehab game with the Mighty Mussels.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Pirates 6, FCL Twins 10 (7 innings)
Box Score
The Twins and Pirates got the scoring started early, with each team putting up a crooked number in the first inning, but the Twins came out of it with a two-run lead.

Righty Callan Fang got the start and went the first 1 2/3 innings. He allowed two earned runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out two. Cristian Hernandez did the bulk work to pick up the win, finishing the next 4 1/3 innings. He was charged with three runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk, striking out six. Jack Walker took the final frame, giving up one earned run on one hit and two walks. He struck out one.

The Twins lineup scored four runs in the first and then again in the fifth to take control of the game. Yovanny Duran (3-for-4, 3 R, 3B, 3 RBI, SB) and Darwin Almanzar (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI) led the way with multiple knocks. Almanzar’s triple in the first scored two, and Duran’s in the fifth did the same.

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL NYY Yankees 10, DSL Twins 14
Box Score
While you might think this one was a slugfest based on the score, there were actually no home runs and most of the scoring was because of the number of walks. The Yankees had just five hits but drew thirteen walks in the game. The Twins had 13 hits and nine walks. In a strange disparity that is attributed to all those walks, the Yankees went just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, while the Twins finished 10-for-27. 

The Yankees scored first against Twins starter Yosangel Braffit, hitting him for four earned runs in 2 1/3 innings. He allowed three hits, walked five, and struck out two.

The Twins offense scored at least one run in six of their eight at-bats, including five in the bottom of the sixth that made the score 11-7 at the time.

Right-hander Failin Placencio finished off the third inning, striking out one. Other relievers Emmanuel Mena (2 IP, H, ER, BB, K), Jeremy Jimenez (W, BS, 3IP, H, 5 R (4 ER), 5 BB, 3 K), and Juan Germosen (1 IP, 2 BB, 2 K) finished off the rest of the game for the pitching staff.

Six of the nine Twins hitters had multiple knocks, led by leadoff man Jendy Martinez who finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a walk, a pair of doubles, four runs batted in, and a stolen base. Enmanuel Merlo (3-for-6, 3 R, 2 RBI, K) and Luis Duarte (3-for-5, R, 2 RBI) each hit three hits. Fabian Ulloa drew three walks in addition to two singles, two runs scored, two RBI, and two stolen bases.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Preston Johnson, Wichita Wind Surge (4 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 6 K)
Hitter of the Day – Khadim Diaw, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI)

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

#2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 2-for-4, 2B
#5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4, K
#6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids): 3 IP, 6 H 5 R (4 ER), 3 BB, 6 K
#7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-3, BB
#10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 0-for-3, R, BB, 2 K
#13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul): 0-for-3, BB, K
#14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Fort Myers): 0-for-5, 3 K
#15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-3, R, BB, K
#16 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul): L, 5 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, BB, 3 K
#19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR (4), 3 RBI
#20 - 2B/OF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita): 1-for-4

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Mick Abel (0-0, -.--, rehab assignment. Will face the also rehabbing Justin Verlander)
Wichita @ Tulsa (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Jose Olivares (0-4, 5.88 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Michael Ross (4-3, 6.97 ERA)
Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Charlee Soto (0-0, 27.00 ERA, rehab assignment)

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

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[thelanges5]

Abel vs Verlander

[Bangkok Twins Fan]

Another impressive game for Khadim Diaw. Which position is he playing more this season? Catcher or in the outfield? Or will he end up being another DH type?

[Omgbenji]

Oooook, I haven't seen anyone talking about Quintin Young. I can't even remember the last time I saw him with a hit in the prospect rundown.  He should get sent down to like the complex league or T-ball or something. He's awful.

[Danchat]

I think it's time for Culpepper to get a shot in the majors.

[jmlease1]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Twins Fan said:

Another impressive game for Khadim Diaw. Which position is he playing more this season? Catcher or in the outfield? Or will he end up being another DH type?

It's a pretty even split between CF and C right now, so I really don't think we have to worry about him being "another DH type".

Diaw seems to be lining himself up for a promotion to Wichita, who could use his bat.

Not an exciting day for the prospects down on the farm, but it goes like that some days. 

[rdehring]

Like what the Twins are doing during rain delays.  Enjoyed watching the first X innings of the Saints game in Toledo.  Unfortunately, other than Culpepper there wasn't a lot to like about the Saints last night.  KC sure looks like the complete ballplayer that does everything very well.  Gotta believe we will see him with the Twins, soon.

Like many, have a couple questions about Diaw.  Is he a legitimate catching prospect?  Or is he more of a utility guy who can be very valuable being able to be that third catcher?  Do those of you who have seen him play believe he can be a solid big-league player?  Seems like an unusual prospect seeing there aren't a lot of catchers with the speed to play center field.

[Steve Lein]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Twins Fan said:

Another impressive game for Khadim Diaw. Which position is he playing more this season? Catcher or in the outfield? Or will he end up being another DH type?

He's been in the outfield for more games than at catcher, but pretty even split. Then DH appearances mixed in about once a week.

As an observation, the Lugnuts were running on the combination of him and Hill pretty much every chance they got in this one. Diaw threw out 1 of 8 attempts (the one out was to 3B). I think I put the blame a bit more on Hill in this instance, but Diaw also has never eclipsed even a 20% caught stealing percentage.

[Steve Lein]

29 minutes ago, Danchat said:

I think it's time for Culpepper to get a shot in the majors.

Maybe the Twins don't or won't have much of a choice, but I'm in the camp that Culpepper needs a bit more baking in the oven as a hitter.

Edited 20 hours ago by Steve Lein

[SF Twins Fan]

Culpepper needs to be promoted. Anyone know if there is some service time manipulation going on? Does keeping him down in AAA for a few more weeks give the team more control or he won’t get enough at bats to lose his rookie status?

[SF Twins Fan]

1 minute ago, Steve Lein said:

Maybe the Twins don't or won't have much of a choice, but I'm in the camp that Culpepper is needs a bit more baking in the oven as a hitter.

Just curious. Why do you think he needs more time?

[Steve Lein]

47 minutes ago, SF Twins Fan said:

Just curious. Why do you think he needs more time?

I think there is still a bit too much chase in his swing. Some of the time I think he's guessing. Which there's nothing wrong with if you're picking and choosing those spots to try and do damage, but there's a lot more pitchers in MLB who will bend one in the spot you're used to locking in on velocity. It's an overall minor gripe, but he's a guy I want ready to stick and not be yo-yo'd when he does get the call.

[Steve Lein]

1 hour ago, SF Twins Fan said:

Culpepper needs to be promoted. Anyone know if there is some service time manipulation going on? Does keeping him down in AAA for a few more weeks give the team more control or he won’t get enough at bats to lose his rookie status?

No service time considerations at this point. He wouldn't accrue a year of service at this point (unless he turns into a Rookie of the Year contender), but he could lose rookie eligibility.

I'll note there have been some rule changes that not many people seem to be aware of where this type of thing is less of a concern:

1. The RotY thing I mentioned. Top finishers in this award voting are granted 1 year of service time no matter how many days they spent on an active MLB roster. 172 days is the normal threshold (of 187), so if they spent 171 or 50 and win this award, they get a year of service.

2. The Prospect Promotion Incentive. Rookies who factor into awards at the end of the season can earn their team a pretty good draft pick.

Some good info: https://www.mlb.com/news/prospect-promotion-incentive-faq

[LambchoP]

I know it's really common nowadays for young pitchers to struggle with command, but Hill seems to have no idea where his pitches are going. Hopefully the coaches can find a way to reign him in. With his stuff he could be a K machine, but he needs to find a way to hit his spots. Anyone heard or read anything about Matt Canterino? Did he retire or get released?

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, rdehring said:

Like many, have a couple questions about Diaw.  Is he a legitimate catching prospect?  Or is he more of a utility guy who can be very valuable being able to be that third catcher?  Do those of you who have seen him play believe he can be a solid big-league player?  Seems like an unusual prospect seeing there aren't a lot of catchers with the speed to play center field.

He seems to have the ability to stick at catcher; part of the reason he's only splitting time there is he's on the same team as Tait (who also needs the developmental time) and I think the Twins are careful not to hammer their catching prospects with too much of a load. The fact that he's playing so much CF as his second position says a lot about his athletic ability. Whether or not he's a future MLB player or not...well, he's still in A-ball so who knows?

I'm not going to start predicting Diaw is the next Biggio or anything, but he's showing something so far. I'm hoping he gets moved up to AA soon and gets more of a challenge. 

[Steve Lein]

19 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

I know it's really common nowadays for young pitchers to struggle with command, but Hill seems to have no idea where his pitches are going. Hopefully the coaches can find a way to reign him in. With his stuff he could be a K machine, but he needs to find a way to hit his spots. Anyone heard or read anything about Matt Canterino? Did he retire or get released?

I've been trying to find any info I can on Canterino, but there isn't anything new.

He's on a two-year Minor League deal, but I'm more worried about the shoulder procedure he had and isn't back from yet. If it gets into July/August and there isn't anything out there about him I'd expect nothing until 2027.

[Danchat]

1 hour ago, Steve Lein said:

I think there is still a bit too much chase in his swing. Some of the time I think he's guessing. Which there's nothing wrong with if you're picking and choosing those spots to try and do damage, but there's a lot more pitchers in MLB who will bend one in the spot you're used to locking in on velocity. It's an overall minor gripe, but he's a guy I want ready to stick and not be yo-yo'd when he does get the call.

Perhaps it could be beneficial for him to get a cup of coffee for a couple weeks in the majors and then have him go back down and work on his swing until he comes back post trade deadline? I don't think there's any worry that he'd get yo-yoed like a utility guy or a reliever, they don't treat their top prospects like that.