2026 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars

All week, we have been handing out our Twins Daily Minor League Awards. This morning, take a look at our 2026 Twins Daily Minor-League All-Star selections. In the comments, let us know how we did. How would your ballot look? 

CATCHER: Khadim Diaw (23 years old), Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge

• 107 games, .306/.417/.452 (.868 OPS), 26 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 47 RBI, 56 BB, 71 K, 14 SB

Diaw was a unanimous selection among Twins Daily voters at the catcher position, and you don’t have to look much farther than his triple-slash-line to understand why. He hit for average, got on-base, and provided plenty of extra-base-hit power. The only caveat here from the catcher position is he split his time basically 50/50 between catcher and DH/CF, but his 50 games behind the dish also ranked fifth in the system.

FIRST BASE: Aaron Sabato (27), St. Paul Saints

• 113 games, .273/.349/.528 (.877 OPS), 29 2B, 1 3B, 25 HR, 75 RBI, 41 BB, 119 K, 5 SB

Another unanimous selection, as at a position of power, Sabato paced the entire Twins minor league system in home runs, tying only with Matt Wallner for the St. Paul Saints all-time, single-season record. He was rewarded with his MLB callup earlier this week after the Saints season concluded.

SECOND BASE: Cody Morissette (26), Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints

• 74 games, .259/.342/.513 (.856 OPS), 16 2B, 17 HR, 52 RBI, 32 BB, 68 K, 8 SB

Released from the Miami Marlins system in early June, Morissette joined the Twins as a free agent about a week later and turned into a steady power presence in the Saints lineup. His .513 slugging percentage rivaled the system's home run kings, Sabato and Wallner.

THIRD BASE: Brandon Winokur (21), Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge

• 127 games, .252/.337/.427 (.764 OPS), 16 2B, 4 3B, 21 HR, 81 RBI, 58 BB, 162 K, 30 SB

Winokur once again displayed the plethora of tools in his big frame by clubbing 20+ homers and stealing 20+ bases for a 20/20 season. He also led the system in RBI’s and ranked third in total bases.

SHORSTOP: Marek Houston (22), Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge

• 116 games, .312/.392/.455 (.847 OPS), 28 2B, 2 3B, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 61 BB, 108 K, 50 SB

Houston came out of the gates swinging a hot bat for the Kernels and earned a mid-season promotion to Wichita where he barely slowed down. Among hitters who played at least 70 games, his .312 batting average on the season ranked fourth in the system, while his 28 doubles ranked third among all hitters. His 50 stolen bases should not go unnoticed as well, as it helped him lead the system in runs scored. He did all this while being one of the top defensive players in the minors!

LEFT FIELD: Caden Kendle (24), Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge (rehab w/FCL)

• 82 games, .330/.407/.572 (.979 OPS), 24 2B, 16 HR, 70 RBI, 34 BB, 69 K, 19 SB

If not for missing a month-plus in the middle of the season, Kendle may have led the system in several counting categories. His breakout campaign will have to settle for the percentage ones, as he led in batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS. His enflamed bat earned a midseason promotion from Cedar Rapids to Wichita, where it then evolved into a Super Saiyan piece of lumber, as he hit .371/.430/.646 (1.076) in 45 games at Double-A. 

CENTER FIELD: Walker Jenkins (21), St. Paul Saints (rehab w/Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids)

• 73 games, .323/.417/.559 (.976 OPS), 18 2B, 3 3B, 14 HR, 31 RBI, 43 BB, 50 K, 17 SB

Jenkins ended his summer with a flourish, hitting .411/.488/.795 (1.283 OPS) with 8 home runs in 18 August games for the Saints to earn his promotion to the big leagues. He raised his overall OPS over .100 points in that timeframe to put an emphatic stamp on his Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Year season.

RIGHT FIELD: Yasser Mercedes (21), Fort Myers Mighty Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels

• 109 games, .249/.343/.453 (.797 OPS), 27 2B, 3 3B, 18 HR, 72 RBI, 56 BB, 127 K, 52 SB

Mercedes began the season by repeating the Florida State League but quickly lit the league on fire with a 1.081 OPS and six home runs in 21 games before being promoted to the Midwest League. While his numbers dipped considerably in High-A, they still included extra base power (23 2B, 12 HR) and a bunch of speed (41 stolen bases in 47 tries) as a table setter for the Kernels.

DESIGNATED HITTER: Luis Fragoza (19), FCL Twins/Fort Myers Mighty Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels

• 83 games, .313/.408/.542 (.951 OPS), 23 2B, 14 HR, 53 RBI, 33 BB, 91 K, 24 SB

Fragoza made his stateside debut during the 2025 season with the FCL Twins with forgettable numbers, then spent his offseason maturing and developing into a gale force that could not be contained in the state of Florida. After a quick refresher in the FCL to begin the year, he blasted an insane 14 home runs with 51 RBI for the Mighty Mussels in just 59 games to earn a promotion to Cedar Rapids in August.

UTILITY:  Ben Ross (25), Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints

• 121 games, .273/.379/.500 (.879 OPS), 30 2B, 3 3B, 20 HR, 71 RBI, 70 BB, 126 K, 20 SB

After spending two straight seasons with the Wind Surge, Ross decided he had had enough of the Texas League in 2026, quickly bruising his way to Triple-A behind a 1.324 OPS in 16 games for Wichita. He continued that excellence for the Saints in enough fashion to post a 20/20 season and earn his call to the major leagues on September 1st.

STARTING PITCHER: LHP Aaron Rozek (31), Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints

• 24 starts (34 total appearances), 124 2/3 IP, 4.19 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 104 K, 18.9 K%, 49 BB, 8.9 BB%

Rozek continues to be a mainstay in the Twins system and for the St. Paul Saints. He’s spent portions of the last three seasons in St. Paul, and at 30+ years old continues to anchor their staff. Rozek led the system in innings pitched and took on whatever role the team needed, also appearing 10 times in relief.

STARTING PITCHER: RHP Preston Johnson (26), Wichita Wind Surge

• 18 starts (24 total appearances), 88 2/3 IP, 4.26 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 106 K, 29.0 K%, 33 BB, 9.0 BB%

Johnson came to the Twins system this year out of the independent leagues after spending three seasons in the Baltimore Orioles system, reaching Triple-A last year. He struck out 10.8/9IP with Wichita and had stretches of dominance. From August 4th through September 9th, he pitched to a 1.91 ERA in eight games and 33 innings, striking out 40 and walking just nine.

STARTING PITCHER: RHP Adrian Bohorquez (21), Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge (rehab w/FCL Twins)

• 18 starts (19 total appearances), 59 2/3 IP, 3.02 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 69 K, 27.3 K%, 32 BB, 12.6 BB%

Bohorquez had a bit of a rough start to the 2026 season, making just three starts with Cedar Rapids in which he had an ERA of 11.25 before hitting the injured list. When he returned, it was lights out for opposing lineups. Over his final 16 games to close the season with the Kernels and Wind Surge, he carried a 1.74 ERA and .520 OPS against, striking out 56 hitters and allowing just 29 hits in 51 2/3 innings.

STARTING PITCHER: RHP Riley Quick (22), Fort Myers Mighty Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge

• 23 starts, 81 2/3 IP, 4.74 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 110 K, 30.6 K%, 48 BB, 13.4 BB%

Quick gets the final All-Star nod for starting pitchers as he is Twins Daily’s 2026 MiLB Pitcher of the Year. He began the season with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, and finished it with Wichita Wind Surge, never missing time after coming back from surgery.

RELIEF PITCHER: RHP Paulshawn Pasqualotto (25), Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints

• 42 appearances, 70 IP, 3.73 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 95 K, 32.9 K%, 26 BB, 9.0 BB%

Like Quick above, Pasqualotto made stops at three levels during the 2026 season, with his final six appearances coming for the St. Paul Saints. In 18 innings with Cedar Rapids, he struck out 30. In 41 1/3 with the Wind Surge, he tacked on 48 more. Then with St. Paul added 17 in 10 1/3 IP to close out his year. This all resulted in him leading the system with a 12.2K/9IP rate among pitchers with at least 60 innings on the season.

RELIEF PITCHER: RHP Michael Hilker (22), Fort Myers Mighty Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels

• 41 appearances, 63 IP, 2.86 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 73 K, 26.9 K%, 27 BB, 10.0 BB%

With the Mighty Mussels to begin the season, Hilker worked himself into a high-leverage and closing role very quickly, finishing the game in 18 of his 34 appearances in Single-A. His sub 3.00 ERA and 11.0K/9IP rate earned him a bump to the Kernels to end the season. He continued that trend there, with four of his seven appearances ending the game.

Congrats to all of our 2026 Minor League All Stars, and may 2027 be even better!

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