Minor League Report (4/15): Ben Ross and Emmanuel Rodriguez Rake in a Dismal Minor-League Day

TRANSACTIONS
OF Matt Wallner optioned from Minnesota to AAA St. Paul
C David Bañuelos moved to development list

Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 2, Indianapolis 9
Box Score
Simeon Woods Richardson: 3 1/3 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Andrew Bechtold (2-for-4, 2B, R)

The Saints were blown out on Saturday.

It was not Simeon Woods Richardson’s day; the Sugar Land native couldn’t find the right answers against Indianapolis' lineup, allowing 10 hits—the most he’s relinquished in his minor-league career. Randy Dobnak relieved Woods Richardson—probably emotionally as well as physically—after the starter allowed a pair of hits in the 4th. Dobnak quickly learned that Indianapolis’ hitters didn’t mind the pitcher, though, and he subsequently saw four runs score against him.

St. Paul’s hitters faced a Quinn Priester that was sharp and effective, punching out nine times against the top prospect; a pair of runs blemished his stat line but make no mistake: this was a dominating performance from Priester. 

And Indianapolis' bullpen continued the trend, adding 4 1/3 scoreless frames with seven extra strikeouts; the Saints only collected one extra-base hit off Indianapolis relievers. 

Andrew Bechtold and Connor Sadzeck served as the two bright spots, with the former adding two more hits—a double included—to his early-season stash; the latter pitched 2 1/3 innings without allowing a run. He struck out three.

Beyond Priester, Indianapolis boasts a talented squad, enjoying the unique talents of catcher/infielder/outfielder Endy Rodriguez and the piranha-ish Nick Gonzales. Rodriguez earned three hits while Gonzales collected four; they totaled four extra-base hits. 

Joey Gallo struck out all four times he stepped to the plate; Chris Williams pinch-hit for him in the 9th inning and walked. 

Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 3, NW Arkansas 12
Box Score
Aaron Rozek: 2 1/3 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
HR: Yunior Severino (2), Alerick Soularie (1)
Multi-hit games: Brooks Lee (2-for-3), Yoyner Fajardo (2-for-4)

The Wind Surge experienced a good old-fashioned butt-kicking on Saturday.

It started out bad and only got uglier. The Naturals pounced on Aaron Rozek for two runs in the 1st before coming back with vigor in the 2nd, smacking three extra runs onto his ledger. That would normally be enough to punish a pitcher—five runs wins you most ballgames—but NW Arkansas felt especially spicy on Saturday; they plated five more runs in the 3rd, this time splitting the damage between Rozek and reliever Seth Nordlin. 

Wichita’s offensive burst, while soft in comparison, was admirable, as both Yunior Severino and Alerick Soularie blasted homers in support of their ailing pitchers. 

Severino’s shot was a classic pulled meteor; but Soularie’s was incredible: he somehow pushed a casual fly ball deep enough to clear the fences the other way. You don’t see that every day.

Unfortunately, the good news ends there. Wichita’s offense set a season-high for strikeouts with 16 and have now struck out at least 12 times in five consecutive games. 

The NW Arkansas Naturals are typically led by catcher Luca Tresh, the Royals’ 13th-best prospect according to MLB.com, but since he had the day off, Andrew Hoffmann—the starter who mowed down seven batters over five innings—served as their finest prospect representative. 

Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 5
Box Score
Alejandro Hidalgo: 1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, 3 K
HR: Emmanuel Rodriguez (3)
Multi-hit games: Ben Ross (4-for-4, 2 2B, R)

The Kernels could not get out of their way on Saturday.

Alejandro Hidalgo—fresh-faced, still just a teenager—took the mound for the first time in the Twins’ system. The Venezuelan change-up specialist found no fortune with command; walking six and hitting one in a curt, ineffective start. Strangely, all of his walks came with two outs. Hopefully, Hidalgo, who joined the Twins following an off-season deal with the Angels that sent Gio Urshela out west, will find more fruitful days in his future. 

The short start placed Cedar Rapids’ bullpen in a tough spot, needing 7 1/3 frames of work to finish the game, but they nearly pulled it off. Regi Grace established order by ending the 2nd and pushing the effort to the 5th, making Miguel Rodriguez the next crucial cog. He faltered. The Kernels’ second Venezuelan hurler of the night breezed through the 5th, but stepped into a 6th-inning ambush, leading to three runs and a burned ego; Cedar Rapids never recovered.

But they put up a solid fight: Noah Cardenas bounced into a run-scoring double play in the 2nd and Emmanuel Rodriguez continued his habit of only hitting homers to the deepest parts of the ballpark. He now leads the Midwest league in RBIs with 12. That was all, though, and a run-scoring balk in the 8th nailed the Kernels into their coffin.

Ben Ross, Minnesota’s 5th-round pick in 2022 out of Notre Dame College—no, the other one—collected four hits, doubling twice in an effective day from the cleanup spot.

The River Bandits are led by outfielder Gavin Cross—the Royals’ best prospect and the 56th-best prospect according to MLB.com. He tripled and walked in five plate appearances. 

Mussel Matters
Fort Myers 1, Clearwater 3
Box Score
Jose Olivares: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: None

The Mighty Mussels lost an offensive-deficient game on Saturday.

Jose Olivares owned the mound; the Venezuelan righty worked five efficient innings, striking out a trio of batters while allowing a lonely run to score off a solo homer in the 4th. Not bad for the first start of the season at an elevated level.

The bats, though, were locked up, evidently tossed away or hidden as the Mighty Mussels only collected three hits—all singles—on top of five walks; a Jorge Polanco sacrifice fly in the 3rd served as the only run they could muster. Catcher Ricardo Olivar caught the worst of it, striking out all four times he stepped up to the plate; left-fielder Dalton Shuffield punched out three times. 

Josh Winder tossed 1 2/3 innings in relief of Olivares, allowing one run and three hits while striking out three. 

Alex Kirilloff drew two walks and played seven innings in the field at first base; Polanco played the full game at second base, drawing a walk on top of his sacrifice fly in four trips to the plate. 

The Threshers are led by outfielder Justin Crawford—son of Carl, and the fourth best prospect in the Phillies system; he tripled, singled, and scored a pair of runs from the lead-off spot. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jose Olivares
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ben Ross

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-3
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, 3 K
#5 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 0-4, 2 K
#6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 3 1/3 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
#8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, K
#11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-5, 2B, 2 K 
#14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R, BB
#18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, K
#20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2 K

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Indianapolis (12:35 PM) - LHP Brent Headrick
NW Arkansas @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - RHP Chad Donato
Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM) - RHP Orlando Rodriguez
Fort Myers @ Clearwater (11:00 AM) - RHP Zebby Matthews

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!