Twins Minor League Report (8/20): You Can't Get Kyler Fedko Out

TRANSACTIONS
LHP Connor Prielipp transferred to Development List (St. Paul)
RHP Cody Laweryson activated from 7-day IL (St. Paul)
RHP John Klein activated from Development List (St. Paul)

Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 5, Round Rock 7
Box Score
Kendry Rojas: 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
HR: Jhonny Pereda (2)
Multi-hit games: None

The Saints came up short on Wednesday.

Kendry Rojas continued his tepid introduction to the Twins organization. The talented lefty struggled to find the zone, and got hit when his offerings crossed the plate, resulting in far too many “fours” in his stat line than one would care for. His Saints’ ERA sits at 4.97 with a WHIP of 1.66, inflated largely by nine walks issued across 12 2/3 innings. Hopefully, he can find his groove with his next start.

The Saints’ offense was… condensed. They scored two in the fourth off a Jhonny Pereda home run and then returned the following frame for three runs off a run-scoring groundout, an Aaron Sabato flop shot, and a wild pitch. 

With a hit and two walks, Kyler Fedko is now slashing .357/.439/.671 in 17 games since being promoted to the Saints. 

Old friend Michael Helman played center field for the Express and homered once in five at-bats.

Craig Kimbrel—he of 440 MLB saves—closed out this affair with a 1-2-3 inning and two strikeouts.

No member of the Rangers’ top 30 prospects played in this game. 

Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 5, Midland 7
Box Score
Darren Bowen: ⅔ IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
HR: Kala’i Rosario (20)
Multi-hit games: Kala’i Rosario (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI), Maddux Houghton (2-for-4, 2 2B, K)

A late-inning scrap did not favor the Wind Surge on Wednesday.

Starter Darren Bowen failed to net a third out in the game’s opening frame—though not necessarily for performance reasons. With two on and two out, Bowen balked, allegedly, which ushered in two events: a run scoring, and Bowen to argue with the umpire, likely uttering one of George Carlin’s famous seven words on his way to an ejection from the game. This was now an impromptu bullpen game.

The results were reasonably acceptable given the circumstances until John Stankiewicz took the mound in the eighth. What was once tied became untied thanks to a flurry of walks, hits, and steals. The carnage resulted in a three-run lead for the Rockhounds.

The game was only tied at the point, though, thanks to Kala’i Rosario doubling in a run in the third, a second run scoring off a wild pitch, and a balk that called home the hero mentioned earlier in this sentence. Then Rosario stepped up to the plate in the eighth and bashed a homer down the left field line.

Jake Rucker smacked in another run in the ninth, but it was all window dressing: Kaelen Culpepper lined out to end the game one batter later. 

Athletics’ new uber prospect Leo De Vries—ranked 3rd in all of baseball—singled once in five at-bats.

Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 6, South Bend 4
Box Score
Jacob Kisting: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Danny De Andrade (2-for-3, R, 2 BB), Poncho Ruiz (2-for-3, 2 RBI)

A sixth-inning explosion carried the Kernels to victory on Wednesday.

Laying the foundation for that game-winning frame was a pair of scores in the second. The Kernels loaded the bases with no one out before nearly squandering their crooked number opportunity when Misael Urbina lined out to short, which then turned into a double play when an overly excited Danny De Andrade took off for third. A walk reloaded the bases for Poncho Ruiz, who wisely placed his line drive in the safe outfield oasis, scoring two on the play. 

Then, the sixth. Again, the Kernels loaded the bases, and they quickly took advantage with a two-run swinging bunt from Misael Urbina, a sacrifice fly, and three consecutive base on balls to give Cedar Rapids a sixth and final run.

Matt Gabbert worked 3 1/3 unnings with one earned run out of the bullpen.

South Bend, as you can imagine, is an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Their best prospect to play on Wednesday was Cristian Hernandez, an infielder ranked 10th in their system. He doubled once in four at-bats. 

Mussel Matters
Game One: Fort Myers 4, Tampa 15 (7 Innings)
Box Score 
Joel Garcia: 1 ⅓ IP, 8 H, 10 ER, 5 BB, 1 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Dameury Pena (2-for-3, R, BB)

Last Wednesday, the Mighty Mussels lost 15-4. This is not an ideal pattern.

As it was the first game of a doubleheader, Joel Garcia’s early struggles couldn’t be spelled by a reliever; he had to eat it. So he devoured: 61 terrible pitches with eight hits, 10 earned runs, five walks, and just four outs. Go get them next time, Garcia.

Though they accrued just five hits, the Mighty Mussels took eight walks, and—in fact—the Tarpons found themselves in a walking mood as well. All told, there were 15 free passes and three hit by pitches, a gentle reminder of the frayed relationship low-minors pitchers often have with the strike zone. 

Dameury Pena, with his two hits, walk, and stolen base, put forth the best offensive effort of any Mighty Mussel. The 19-year-old is reaching base at a .413 clip in August. 

Tanner Schobel walked twice in four plate appearances on a minor league rehab assignment.

Tampa is a member of the juggernaut Yankees farm system. Their eighth-ranked prospect—shortstop Dax Kilby—picked up a pair of hits and walked once in five trips to the plate.

Game Two: Fort Myers 0, Tampa 4 (7 Innings)
Box Score
Michael Ross: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, 1 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: None

Fort Myers lost the second game of their doubleheader on Wednesday.

At least the previous match possessed some intrigue; game two was a desolate, uneventful slog. The Mighty Mussels reached base five times all game. The Tarpons reached base five times before their first trip through the lineup concluded.

Bryan Acuna earned the team’s only extra-base hit with a second inning double.

The aforementioned Kilby DH’d and walked twice in four plate appearances. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Matt Gabbert
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kala’i Rosario

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#1 – Walker Jenkins (Wichita) - 1-3, R, BB
#2 – Luke Keaschall (Twins) - 2-4, 2B, BB
#3 – Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - 0-5, K
#5 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2B, 2 R, BB
#9 – Kendry Rojas (St. Paul) - 3 ⅔ IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
#13 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, RBI, BB
#17 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 0-5, K

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Round Rock @ St. Paul (7:07 PM) - TBD
Wichita @ Midland (7:05 PM) - RHP Ryan Gallagher
Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 PM) - RHP Jose Olivares
Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM) - RHP Jonathan Stevens

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!