Twins Minor League Report (7/14): Minor League and Draft Links While Rehabbers Dominate in the FCL

[Steve Lein]

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo

 

TRANSACTIONS

• The Minnesota Twins sent RHP Garrett Acton and RHP Cole Sands on rehab assignments in the Florida Complex League.
• The St. Paul Saints also sent RHP Julian Merryweather on a rehab assignment in the FCL.

MINOR LEAGUE LINKS!
With the MLB All Star Break in session, all four of the Minnesota Twins full-season affiliates get the time off as well. The St. Paul Saints, Wichita Wind Surge (soon to be Turbo Tubs), Cedar Rapids Kernels, and Fort Myers Mighty Mussels all resume play on Friday with abbreviated weekend series. In the case of the Saints and Kernels however, fans will get bonus baseball on Saturday as they each have games being made up with doubleheaders.

In lieu of their recaps, let’s get you caught up on everything that’s been going on in the Twins minor league system and draft with a Twins Daily-centric Link-O-Rama! (Gleeman never renewed the trademark, I called the USPTO to check).

• Walker Jenkins was “Mic’d Up” during the Futures Game broadcast and spoke about something I could get behind…: “Saw Ken Griffey in the dugout. I’m like, I may have to, may have to pick his brain a little bit.”

•  …Even if that idea is more like Captain Obvious to this elder-millennial than Captain America…
   
• If you weren’t already lurking in the forums or following the excellent work of our resident draft guro Jamie Cameron, the MLB Draft was conducted over the weekend. The Twins took standout college catching performer Vahn Lackey #3 overall and followed that up with another powerful catching prospect in Carson Tinney, before kicking off a run of nine straight pitchers with Brett Renfrow out of Virginia Tech to finish the 10 bonus pool rounds.
  
  You can learn more about all of their 2026 selections as well as follow along with their signings here.
   
• In draftees out of their 2025 class, right-handed pitcher Riley Quick, my own “Dark-Horse” MLB Debut candidate from during spring training, has held up his end of the bargain. After dominating in three games with Fort Myers, he was bumped to Cedar Rapids, and now after 11 starts and 41 1/3 innings with the Kernels, he’s on his way to Wichita to surge through Double-A.
   
• Quick is also joining the only Twins selection who was picked by them earlier last season, in shortstop Marek Houston, who has already hit the ground running in the ICT along with fellow infielder Caden Kendle and pitcher Ruddy Gomez.
   
• While his start in Double-A wasn’t necessarily as “hot” as those above, Brandon Winokur has some of the loudest tools in the organization and is also now in Wichita.
• While the Major League roster flirts with .500 and a Wild Card spot coming out of the break, Sam Caulder sees multiple Culpepper’s and utility man Ben Ross are potential prospect options to help the Twins down the stretch. 

• Back to Vahn Lackey, the crown jewel of the 2026 draft class. While he is going to firmly reside at #2 in my own rankings, Cody Christie walks us through the arguments for #3, #2…or even #1.
   
• The oddest thing for me about their 2026 draft class, is surely the fact the Twins assembled an entire roster stable of battery mates only in the top 10 rounds. Those early catchers specifically, should allow the Twins to focus developmental efforts on the rest of their backstops.

Thanks for playing (and reading) along with all the excellent work over the busy weekend from our writers covering the draft and all other things Twins baseball. Now let's get to the rookie league action from Tuesday!

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Braves 3, FCL Twins 11 (7 innings)
Box Score
Fans of the Atlanta Braves farm system might argue their FCL squad got the short end of the stick in this one, as five pitchers from higher levels in the Twins system made “rehab” appearances at the Twins complex in Fort Myers.

They included starter Ross Dunn (2 IP, K) and Cleiber Maldonado (1 IP, BB) from the Cedar Rapids Kernels: 2 IP, K), Cole Sands (1 IP, 2 K) and Garret Acton (2/3 IP, H, 3 ER, 3 BB, K) from the Minnesota Twins, and Julian Merryweather (1 IP, H, K) from St. Paul Saints. The Braves only runs came on a home run that Acton gave up in top of the fourth inning, and they had just one other hit in the contest. FCL regulars Geremy Villoria (1/3 IP) and Matthew DesMarets (1 IP, 2 K) recorded the four other outs.

Another rehabber on the offensive side of the ball, infielder Jake Rucker, provided the biggest knock of the game for the Twins, with a 2-run homer in the third inning that made the score 6-0 Twins. He finished 1-for-3 with three RBIs and two walks. 

Overall, while 11 runs looks a lot, it was a hitting clinic from the home lineup, it was actually walks that haunted the Braves pitchers. As a team the Twins drew 12 free passes, and despite finishing just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, still put up crooked numbers in the second, third, and fourth innings. 

Victor Leal finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two doubles. Yovanny Duran went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, a walk, and his 30th stolen base of the season (in 31 attempts).

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL Phillies 16, DSL Twins 0 (7 innings)
Box Score
On the opposite end of the spectrum from their Florida Complex League mates, the DSL Twins pitchers had trouble getting and of the Phillies out, and the lineup managed just four hits on the game. 

Luis Suarez had half of those, finishing 2-for-3 on the day turning over the lineup. Outfielders Abel Sosa and Jhon Gonzalez had the other two hits, with Gonzalez’s coming in the form of a double. Daiyer Barboza drew a pair of walks out of the leadoff spot and that was pretty much it on the hitting side. As a team they finished 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.

Right-hander Herkyn Taveras was the standout on the pitching side for the Twins, pitching three scoreless innings and allowing just two hits. Unfortunately, those three innings were the last of them, after this one was already well out-of-hand.

Yosangel Braffit got the start and took the brunt of the damage, though I have to admit I don’t know why you would send him out for a second inning after he had already surrendered 10 runs in the first. He was unceremoniously charged with 12 runs (10 earned) on 10 hits and two walks in his 1 2/3 innings to start the game, striking out one. Failin Placencio finished off the second inning, and got one out in the third, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk. Jesus Moreno went the next 1 2/3 innings, surrendering two earned runs of his own on three hits and a walk.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Cole Sands and Matthew DesMarets, FCL Twins (each with 1 IP and 2 K)
Hitter of the Day – Jake Rucker, FCL Twins (1-for-3, R, HR, 3 RBI 2 BB)

 

TOP 20 PROSPECT WEEK IN REVIEW

#1- Walker Jenkins (Saints)- .313/.389/.438, .826 OPS, 2 2B
#4- Eduardo Tait (Kernels)- .150/.227/.200, .427 OPS, 1 2B
#5- Marek Houston (Wind Surge)- .385/.448/.769, 1.218 OPS, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR
#6- Riley Quick (Kernels)- 4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
#7- Kendry Rojas (Twins)- 2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
#8- Hendry Mendez (Saints)- .222/.333/.333, .667 OPS, 2 2B
#9- Dasan Hill (Kernels)- 2 2/3 IP, 0 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
#10- Gabriel Gonzalez (Saints)- .222/.222/.222, .444 OPS
#12- Brandon Winokur (Kernels)- .217/.308/.435, .742 OPS, 1 3B, 1 HR
#13- Khadim Diaw (Wind Surge)- .200/.261/.250, .511 OPS, 1 2B
#14- Quentin Young (Mussels)- .071/.133/.071, .205 OPS
#15- Ryan Gallagher (Saints)- 3 2/3 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
#17-C.J. Culpepper (Saints)- 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
#18- Yasser Mercedes (Kernels)- .240/.296/.440, .736 OPS. 2 2B, 1 HR
#19- Billy Amick (Wind Surge)- .353/.381/.353, .734 OPS
#20- Kyle Debarge (Wind Surge)- .211/.318/.368, .687 OPS, 1 HR 

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
DSL Twins @ DSL Rangers Blue (10:00 AM CDT) - TBD

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

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