Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month: June 2023

Before jumping into the top five hitters of the month, here are some of the honorable mentions. I’ll be honest. I’ve been following the Twins minor leagues and done these types of monthly reports for more than 15 years. I honestly can’t remember a month when there were this many strong candidates for the monthly hitter award. Many months, an OPS of .900 would make you a strong candidate to win the award. This month, there were seven players with an OPS over 1.000 that were considered. Six more had an OPS over .900. 

What a great month for hitters in the Twins minor leagues! Unfortunately, it was one of the worst hitting months for the big league hitters. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• C Jair Camargo - St. Paul Saints - 20-63, .317/.353/.714 (1.067) with 4 doubles, 7 home runs, 4 BB, 16 K.
• OF Alerick Soularie - Wichita Wind Surge - 14-66, .390/.510/.634 (1.144) with 1 double, 3 home runs, 7 BB, 9 K.
• 1B Aaron Sabato - Wichita Wind Surge - 18-76, .237/.389/.487 (.876) with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 19 BB, 29 K.
• OF Emmanuel Rodriguez - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 23-83, .277/.425/.518 (.943) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 22 BB, 26 K. 
• OF Kala’i Rosario - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 20-83, .241/.370/.530 (.900) with 3 doubles, 7 home runs, 17 BB, 25 K.
• IF Rubel Cespedes - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels - 26-89, .292/.393/.562 (.955) with 9 doubles, 5 home runs, 15 BB, 19 K. 
• OF Andres Centeno - FCL Twins - 16-51, .314/.426/.490 (.916) with 1 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 9 BB, 23 K
• IF Harold Grant - FCL Twins - 15-45, .333/.404/.489 (.893) with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 6 BB, 12 K 
• IF Isaac Pena - FCL Twins - 19-64, .297/.423/.422 (.845) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 14 BB, 12 K. 
• IF Yilber Herrera - DSL Twins - 13-47, .277/.455/.611 (.966) with 8 doubles, 1 home run, 16 BB, 10 K. 
• IF Dameury Pena - DSL Twins - 21-56, .375/.435/.482 (.917) with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 BB, 5 K. 
• OF Jayson Bass - DSL Twins - 22-63, .349/.447/.429 (.876) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 11 BB, 14 K. 

THE TOP FIVE HITTERS
Number 5 - Cedar Rapids Kernels - IF Tanner Schobel - 30-93, .323/.400/.613 (1.013), 2 doubles, 2 triples, 7 home runs, 11 BB, 16 K.
Last July, the Twins made Tanner Schobel their second round draft pick out of Virginia Tech. In his junior season, he played in 59 games and hit .362/.445/.689 (1.134) with 18 doubles, 19 homers, and 74 RBI as the team’s shortstop. In his minor-league career, he has split his time between second base and third base. This year, he’s playing a little over 60% of his innings at the hot corner. Schobel has primarily batted out of the leadoff spot for the Kernels and has been able to provide early power for his offense. He had eight multi-hit games including three, three-hit games and one four-hit game. He ended the month on a nine-game hitting streak and had a stretch where he had five home runs in five games. For the season, the 22-year-old is now hitting .285/.362/.469 (.832) with seven doubles, four triples, and 11 home runs. He also has been successful on nine of ten stolen base attempts. 

Number 4 - St. Paul Saints - OF Matt Wallner - 31-97, .320/.432/.588 (1.020), 9 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 13 BB, 28 K.
I’m not sure if Twins fans are aware of this, but Matt Wallner has been pretty good at hitting baseballs in June. He ended May with a handful of games in the big leagues. He went 7-for-11, including 6-for-6 with two walks and a homer in his final two games. However, he was optioned to St. Paul. Did he mope? Nope! Instead, he continued to mash. He hit for average, took his walks, struck out less than he has in the past, and still provided power near the top of the lineup. He returned to the Saints and had a double, triple and home run in his first game. He had eight hits over his first three games back. The Forest Lake native had 11 multi-hit games including three-hit games in the final two games of June. Ultimately, it’s just a matter of time before Wallner again finds himself in the Target Field outfield. 

Number 3 - Wichita Wind Surge - OF DaShawn Keirsey, Jr - 31-87, .356/.414/.609 (1.023), 3 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, 9 BB, 15 K.
Keirsey is one of the more athletic and toolsy players in the Twins organization. He is the fastest player in the system. Along with the above stats, the former fourth-round draft pick from the University of Utah, went 7-for-7 on stolen base attempts last month. He can hit for average. He showed in June his power potential. He can hit at the top of the order and play an elite level of defense in center field. The key for Keirsey is being on the field. He stayed healthy in 2022, and he has remained healthy this season. In 66 games, he has hit .317/.368/.490 (.858) with 12 doubles, three triples, and nine home runs. He also has been successful on 26 of 30 steal attempts. He’s more than ready to move up to St. Paul.  

Number 2 - St. Paul Saints - OF Andrew Stevenson - 36-91, .396/.466/.659 (1.125), 6 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs, 10 BB, 16 K.
The Twins signed Stevenson to a minor-league contract in early March. He had spent his entire professional career with the Washington Nationals. They selected him in the second round in 2015. He made his big-league debut two years later. In total, he hit .248 over 248 games with the Nationals between 2017 and 2021. He spent the full 2022 season at Triple-A Rochester. The Twins decided that they needed a left-handed hitting outfielder to play in St. Paul and added him. Stevenson has become the team’s primary leadoff hitter and did it all in June. He hits for average, takes his walks, and has extra base power. In 65 games this year, he is hitting .321/.396/.502 (.898) with 14 doubles, five triples, and seven home runs. He also has 28 steals in 31 attempts.

And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is:
St. Paul Saints- C/1B Chris Williams - 25-71, .352/.478/.789 (1.267), 1 double, 10 home runs, 17 BB, 26 K.
If you’ve been paying attention to the Twins Minor League Reports here at Twins Daily in July, this choice for Hitter of the Month will come as no surprise to you. Many will point you to his three-homer game on June 13th in Louisville. However, by that time, he had hits in all nine games that he played during the month. He already had two homers, and he already had two, four-RBI games. But that Tuesday night game in Louisville was special. He hit three homers and drove in seven runs. The Saints played an afternoon game the next day, and he hit two more homers and drove in four runs. On Thursday, he added one more homer. He didn’t need doubles and triples in June. he just hit the ball well beyond the fencing in the outfield and got to jog around the bases. 

The 26-year-old former eighth-round pick out of Clemson led the Twins minor leagues in Home Runs, RBI, On-Base Percentage, Slugging Percentage, OPS. He was also third in batting average and walks. 

Overall, in 52 games, he has hit .286/.401/.600 (1.001) with eight doubles, a triples, and 15 home runs. He had mostly played at first base, but he has started six games behind the plate, and he’s done some DHing too. 

If the Twins have a need for a first baseman or DH, or even a second (or third) catcher, Williams has put himself into serious consideration for a call up. He’s earned it. Now it’s just about getting an opportunity. 

We want to congratulate Saints catcher and first baseman Chris Williams, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for June 2023. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions.

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