Twins Minor League Report (8/2): Ohl, Winkel Power Wind Surge; Rodriguez, Rosario Lead Kernels

It was really a good day overall in the Twins organizations. The Saints got a big win in Ohio. The Wind Surge got a tremendous pitching performance, and a great all-around game from their catcher. Two Top 20 prospects on the Kernels powered the Kernels to another win. A 2023 draft pick helped lead the Mussels to another win, and a lefty signed from the independent leagues tossed six great innings in his fifth pro start. And there was a rarity in the FCL game played on Wednesday, something you likely will never see again... a complete game from a 17-year-old. 

Here are the records of the Twins and their six affiliates through games on Wednesday. 

     Minnesota Twins: 55-54
     St. Paul Saints: 60-43 
     Wichita Wind Surge: 41-56
     Cedar Rapids Kernels: 60-38
     Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 47-51
     FCL Twins: 17-22
     DSL Twins: 9-30 

Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. 

TRANSACTIONS
Lots of players were added to the FCL Twins roster for procedural purposes. 

When a player is signed, the organization has 15 days to add them to a roster. Several 2023 draft picks and non-drafted free agents were added to the FCL Twins roster on Wednesday. Some of them may start getting into game action soon. One name that you will notice has not been assigned is Walker Jenkins. He just signed a week ago, so they still have time to add him to the FCL Twins roster.

Here is a look at the 2023 Twins draft picks, and players signed as undrafted free agents since then. 

1st Round: OF Walker Jenkins (signed last week)
Comp A: RHP Charlee Soto (will be assigned soon)
2nd Round: IF Luke Keaschall (assigned to FCL Twins on 7/27, promoted to Fort Myers on Monday)
3rd Round: OF Brandon Winokur (assigned to FCL Twins on 7/27)
4th Round: RHP Tanner Hall (assigned to FCL Twins)
5th Round: RHP Dylan Questad (assigned to FCL Twins) 
6th Round: SS Jay Harry (assigned to FCL Twins on 7/27, promoted to Fort Myers on Monday)
7th Round: RHP Nolan Santos (assigned to FCL Twins)  
8th Round: RHP Jace Stoffal (assigned to FCL Twins)
9th Round: RHP Jack Dougherty (assigned to FCL Twins)  
10th Round: LHP Ross Dunn (assigned to FCL Twins) 
11th Round: RHP Ty Langenberg (assigned to FCL Twins) 
12th Round: RHP Paulshawn Pasqualotto (assigned to FCL Twins) 
13th Round: RHP Jeremy Lee (assigned to FCL Twins) 
14th Round: RHP Xander Hamilton (assigned to FCL Twins)  
15th Round: RHP Spencer Bengard (assigned to FCL Twins) 
16th Round: RHP Anthony Silvas (assigned to FCL Twins) 
17th Round: LHP Kade Bragg (assigned to FCL Twins)
18th Round: RHP Hector Garcia Jr (assigned to FCL Twins) 
19th Round: 1B Sam Parker - Did not sign. Heading to Chipola which means he could be a draft-and-follow before next year’s draft.
20th Round: OF Ashton Larson - Did not sign. He’s headed to LSU. 

Undrafted Free Agents
RHP Devin Kirby (assigned to FCL Twins)
RHP Jacob King (assigned to FCL Twins)
RHP Liam Rocha (assigned to FCL Twins)
C Cole Elvis
C Ildefonso Poncho Ruiz (assigned to FCL Twins on Monday) 

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 5, Columbus 3
Box Score
Depending on how you choose to look at it, you could see Simeon Woods Richardson’s start through a positive or negative lens. On one level, he was charged with only an unearned run on just one hit in four innings. He had four strikeouts. However, he went just four innings because he walked six batters. So, how about we just say he did a very nice job of limiting any damage. 

The bullpen did a nice job too and the offense came up with enough big hits. Kody Funderburk came on and tossed a very strong 2 2/3 innings. He gave up no runs and no hits. He walked one and struck out five.

Oliver Ortega got the next four outs, but he was charged with two unearned runs on just one hit. He had two strikeouts. Cole Sands struck out the side in the ninth for his first Save. 

The Saints got on the scoreboard first. Mark Contreras singled in Anthony Prato with the first run. It was followed by a Gilberto Celestino single that scored Trevor Larnach. The Clippers scored a run in the bottom of the inning. But Chris Williams responded in the top of the second with his 18th homer. 

The Saints added a run in the fourth when Austin Martin scored on an Ernie Yake double. In the fifth, they added their fifth (and final) run when Celestino “drove in” Trevor Larnach with a bases-loaded walk. 

Gilberto Celestino led the way. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBI. Trevor Larnach walked twice. Austin Martin walked twice and then stole two bases. Anthony Prato added his 17th double. 

By the way, if you missed @Theo Tollefson's profile on Anthony Prato this week, please click here. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 4, Tulsa 0
Box Score
The Wind Surge received a fantastic start from Pierson Ohl on Wednesday night. The right-hander from Grand Canyon University tossed six shutout innings. He gave up just three hits, walked one and struck out five batters. Not a bad outing considering he didn't think he had his best stuff. 

Following the outing, he said, "In all honesty, the stuff I was working with didn't feel that great, but I was able to make a few high-quality pitches in big spots." 

From his perspective, the best seat in the house, Patrick Winkel played a role in Ohl's performance, but gives the credit to his pitcher. "Oh was great. he knew how he wanted to attack each hitter and execute his plans. That's the biggest thing. He wasn't falling behind and was putting his pitches where he wanted to. When he does that, he's really, really tough on hitters."  

Taylor Floyd came on and walked two, but gave up no runs, in 1 2/3 innings. Alex Scherff got the final four outs without any further damage. 

Wichita took the early lead in the first inning when DaShawn Keirsey singled in Brooks Lee. Lee had led off with a single and stole second base. Later in the inning, Keirsey stole his sixth base. Things stayed quiet until the bottom of the fourth inning when Patrick Winkel drilled his sixth homer of the season.

An inning later, Alerick Soularie crushed his seventh home run to give the Surge a 3-0 lead. Soularie went 2-for-3 with the homer. He also stole his 11th bag. Keirsey went 2-for-4 with his 17th double.

Winkel led the offense. He went 3-for-3 in the game with a walk, his ninth and tenth doubles, and his sixth homer. Plus, he caught a shutout. What a night! 

Winkel says that he has been working a lot on his swing and timing. "Trying to eliminate the soft contact has been a big focus. I feel confident, and I think the swing and approach is in a really god place. We have a great coaching staff and having their input has helped a ton as well."

His battery mate (Ohl) noted, "Winkel and I have found a great connection this year, and we really love working together. He is very easy to throw to because he does his homework, and he's a guy you can trust back there. Almost feels like he's on the mound with me." 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 5, Lansing 3
Box Score
Emmanuel Rodriguez was not traded at the deadline, and on Wednesday, he put together a great game. 

This game was scoreless through the first three innings. Lancaster got on the board with two runs in the fourth and a solo homer in the fifth frame. Zebby Matthews was very solid. He was charged with those three runs over five innings. He gave up six hits in total and had five strikeouts with any walks. 

The Kernels powered their way back into the game in the bottom of the fifth. With Noah Miller on base, Rodriguez hit his 12th homer of the season. Kala’i Rosario followed with his 16th homer to tie the game and 3-3. 

The Kernels added a run in the sixth inning to take the lead. Jeferson Morales scored on a Kyler Fedko single. Then Rodriguez finished the night’s scoring with his second homer of the game and 13th of the season. 

The bullpen came up big for the Kernels Malik Barrington improved to 5-0 by tossing two scoreless, one-hit innings. Then Jordan Carr earned a two-inning save with two scoreless, hitless innings. 

Emmanuel Rodriguez and Kala’i Rosario each had two hits. Rosario added his 23rd double to go with his 16th home run. Rodriguez also threw out a baserunner trying to advance to third base. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 5, Dunedin 2
Box Score 
The Mussels scored two runs in the first and again in the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. They added one more insurance run in the eighth inning and held on to a 5-2 win. 

Jarret Whorff made the start. The southpaw provided a very strong six innings of one-run ball. He gave up two hits, walked none and struck out a career-high nine batters. Wilker Reyes recorded four outs, two of them on strikeouts. Danny Moreno also got four outs, but he was charged with one run on one hit and two walks. He also had two strikeouts. Gabriel Yanez recorded his second save by striking out the one batter he faced to end the game. 

In the first inning, with a rehabbing-Hernan Perez at third base, Danny De Andrade grounded out but drove in the first run. Two batters later, a Nate Baez single drove in Luke Keaschall. 

In the third inning, Perez scored on Ricardo Olivar’s ninth home run. Olivar then scored the final run in the eighth inning on a wild pitch. 

In his second Mighty Mussels game, Keaschall went 2-for-3 with a walk with his second double. He also stole his second base in as many games. Ricardo Olivar went 2-for-3 with a walkalong with the home run. 

COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA

No Game Scheduled. 

COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA
DSL Twins 0, DSL O’s 2
Box Score
So the first thing you notice when looking through the DSL Twins box score is that a Twins pitcher tossed a complete game. Miguel Cordero, a 17-year-old from the Dominican Republic, is a really decent prospect. He pitched at the end of the DSL All-Star game on Sunday. How many pitches did he throw? It’s not like pitchers at this level are known for their control and limiting their pitch counts. 

The I saw it. This was the completion of a game that started on July 17th but was suspended by rain. Cordero started that game and worked until the game was suspended. Then on Wednesday, he came back and finished the rest of the game, and pitched well. In the game, he is credited with giving up two runs (1 earned) on nine hits in nine innings. He walked two and struck out seven batters. The two runs scored in the sixth inning which was in the transition. 

For the offense, well, there was no offense. Yilber Herrera had the team’s lone hit, a triple. 

I know I tweeted it on Sunday night, but the DSL All Star Game was on Sunday and three Twins prospects participated in the game. On Wednesday, the Twins Player Development account provided pictures. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day – Pat Winkel (Wichita) - 3-for-3, 2-2B(10), HR(6), BB, R, RBI 
Pitcher of the Day – Pierson Ohl (Wichita) - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 80 pitches, 49 strikes (61.3%). 

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

#1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-for-4, R, RBI, SB(6)
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2-HR(13), 2 R, 3 RBI, K
#5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, BB, HR(6), R, 3 RBI, 2 K.
#8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, R, 2-SB(5).
#12 - Luke Keaschall (Ft. Myers) - 3-for-4, 2B(2), R.
#14 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 4 K, 76 pitches, 35 strikes (46.0%)
#16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B(23), HR(16), R, RBI, K
#17 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 2 K

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES
St. Paul @ Columbus (11:05 AM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (4-4, 4.26 ERA)
Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Carlos Luna (1-6, 5.50 ERA)
Lansing @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Kyle Jones (5-4,4.28 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CST) - RHP Juan Mercedes (1-1, 11.12 ERA) 
FCL Rays @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CST) - TBD 
DSL Cardinals @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CST) - TBD

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! 

Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!