Twins Minor League Report (9/6): Kernels and Mighty Mussels End 2026 on High Notes

[Matt Braun]

TRANSACTIONS
RHP Billy Oldham released (A Fort Myers)

Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 12, Omaha 5
Box Score
Ryan Gallagher: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
HR: Noah Cardenas (13), Alan Roden (9)
Multi-hit games: Emmanuel Rodriguez (3-for-5, 3 R, RBI, BB), Alan Roden (4-for-6, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI), Kala’i Rosario (2-for-5, R, RBI), Cody Morissette (2-for-3, R, RBI, BB), Noah Cardenas (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI)

The Saints smoked their opponent on Sunday.

Scoring in six separate innings isn’t just impressive; it’s a sign of an uncommonly potent offense perfectly ok with pushing a boulder up a hill every time they got knocked down. It started with three in the first, then two came in the second, and another pair arrived in the third. A 1-2-3 fourth cooled nothing: St. Paul returned with vitality in the fifth, plating three more off an Alan Roden launch to a barren berm.

Top-offs in the sixth and seventh pushed the Saints’ run total on the day to 12, a significant explosion in any context, made even more notable given that they had totaled just four runs across their previous three games. 

Ryan Gallagher likely appreciated the support. The UC Santa Barbara product tossed six innings for the second time in 2026, striking out three while allowing two earned runs. It wasn’t the sexiest outing a pitcher can have, but it was effective, workmanlike, which Gallagher will certainly take as he nears the end of a challenging season.. 

The win secured St. Paul’s first road winning season since becoming a Twins affiliate. Previously, their best mark was a 37-37 showing in 2023. 

Emmanuel Rodriguez continues to argue that he deserves a promotion as well. He slashed .306/.462/.514 in August and is now slashing .308/.419/.538 in his first six games of September. 

And maybe Alan Roden deserves a second look. He’s off to an incinerating .429/.538/.619 line in September and has a hit in every Saints game since being optioned.

Storm Chaser Lucas Braun—presumably no relation to this author—ranks as the 16th-best prospect in the Royals system. A starter, he surrendered six earned runs in two innings. 

Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 13, Tulsa 7 (10 Innings)
Box Score
Adrian Bohorquez: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
HR: Graham Brown (4)
Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (2-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Caden Kendle (2-for-5, R, 2 RBI), Khadiam Diaw (2-for-5, 2B, R, RBI, BB), Andrew Cossetti (2-for-6, 2B, RBI), Luis Hernandez (2-for-5, 2 R), Graham Brown (2-for-3, HR, 4 R, 2 RBI, BB), Danny De Andrade (4-for-5, R, 2 RBI)

The Wind Surge broke through in the 10th to win on Sunday.

Little was clean and obvious early; probably a fair reason why this game needed more time to determine a winner. The melee was messy and favored none—when Wichita rallied, so did Tulsa. The result was a 7-5 game favoring the Drillers after four. A Marek Houston walk, and Caden Kendle sacrifice fly started the Wind Surge scoring. A Graham Brown single and Houston knock the following frame concluded the initial attack. 

Then, Brown homered in the sixth. Finally, a wild pitch tied matters in the ninth. 

The Manfred Man is one hell of a shot in the arm, eh? Wichita took their free runner and made the most of it, plating six to take a thorough and convincing lead over the Drillers. Danny De Andrade singled to score two and Houston walked. Next up, Caden Kendle split the middle infield with a single, Khadim Diaw shot a double into right field, and Brandon Winokur coaxed a run home on a groundout. Five was already in. That was probably plenty. No. Andrew Cossetti doubled in another. There we are. 

Chris Vallimont provided four critical innings in relief, entering after seven tumultuous runs had already been scored (only three of them earned), and held Wichita at bay with three strikeouts. 

Seven Wichita batters netted multiple hits. They earned 17 in total. 

Superstar prospect Josue De Paula is ranked as the sixth overall prospect in MLB. He singled twice and walked once in six plate appearances. 

Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 10, South Bend 5
Box Score
Kolten Smith: 3 ⅔ IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
HR: JP Smith II (7), Andy Lugo 2 (4, 5)
Multi-hit games: Eduardo Tait (2-for-6, 2B, 2 R), Andy Lugo (2-for-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI), Luis Fragoza (2-for-4, 2B, R, BB)

The Kernels end their season on a high note, belting three homers in a victory.

Andy Lugo homered twice. Andy Lugo was not even in the starting lineup. He replaced JP Smith II—who had bombed in the third—and smoked a two-run shot in sixth.

 

 

 

 

Perhaps feeling an enhanced sense of power, Lugo encountered a soft-tossing position player in the eighth, and treated him with a respect appropriate of one throwing eephuses (eephusi?) in a three-run game.

Every batter in the Kernels lineup, starting or not, earned a hit on Sunday. 

South Bend’s tandems on Sunday evidently was not up to base-running halting snuff, as Cedar Rapids swiped a base safely six times, with even Eduardo Tait getting in on the action for his second steal of the season. His first came on Tuesday against these same Cubs. 

The Kernels had never had a losing season as a Twins’ affiliate, and they made their initial foray into losing a doozy, finishing 2026 with a woeful 48-82 record. Hopefully they can right the ship next year. 

Cubs’ first baseman Josiah Hartshorn ranks as the 39th-best prospect in baseball according to MLB.com. He doubled twice and walked once in five plate appearances. 
 

Mussel Matters
Fort Myers 6, Clearwater 4 (10 Innings)
Box Score
Eric Hammond: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
HR: Carson Tinney (8)
Multi-hit games: None

The Mighty Mussels exploded in extras to win on Sunday.

Eric Hammond continued his post-July brilliance, hurling four shutout innings with five strikeouts. He allowed two hits. The righty entered August with an ERA of 5.27, and pitched well enough down the stretch to lower it to 4.17, a fine showing in his debut professional season.

 

 

A Quentin Young single in the fourth gave Fort Myers their first run. A double-steal/wild pitch combo in the eighth knotted the game. 

There’s something about a free runner that sparks and inspires. Hell, Fort Myers even got out twice before revealing their rally. Jimmy Keenan singled, then Merphy Hernandez walked, and Carson Tinney muscled a three-run homer out the other way, showing off the raw pop that coaxed the Twins into taking him in the second round just a few months ago. 

The Mighty Mussels went 68-60 yet missed the postseason. That didn’t stop them from setting multiple franchise records; in OBP (.365); in OPS (.769); in homers (129); and in stolen bases (288). The steals total lead the entire FSL, too. Overall, it was a dynamic year for offense in Fort Myers, the likes of which they had never seen in their team’s history. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Eric Hammond
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Alan Roden? Andy Lugo? Take your pick. 

PROSPECT SUMMARY

Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#1 – Walker Jenkins (Twins) - 0-3, 2 K
#2 – Vahn Lackey (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, 2 R, RBI, BB
#3 – Kaelen Culpepper (Twins) - 0-3, K
#4 – Marek Houston (Wichita) - 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB
#6 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 3-5, 3 R, RBI, BB
#7 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-4, R, RBI, K
#8 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 2-6, 2 R
#9 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Twins) - 1-1
#11 – Carson Tinney (Fort Myers) - 1-5, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB, 2 K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 0-6, RBI, 2 K
#13 – Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 2-5, 2B, R, RBI, BB, 2 K
#15 – Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
#18 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 1-5, RBI, 3 K
#19 – Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, 3 K

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

No games in the Twins’ organization are scheduled for Monday.

 

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[Coach]

Alan Roden, "How do you like me now?!"

[DJL44]

14 minutes ago, Coach said:

Alan Roden, "How do you like me now?!"

He doesn’t belong in AAA.

[Yoke]

Houston has come on strong again the last few days.

[DJL44]

Quentin Young finishes the season with 197 strikeouts in 105 games. Elijah Green leads MiLB with 206 Ks but Young has a great chance to end the year in 2nd place.