Twins Minor League Report (8/23): Walker Jenkins is Superhuman

TRANSACTIONS
No moves were made on Sunday.

Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 5, Columbus 8
Box Score
Ryan Gallagher: 4 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
HR: Walker Jenkins 2 (10, 11), Tanner Schobel 2 (4, 5)
Multi-hit games: Walker Jenkins (3-for-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Ben Ross (2-for-5, 2B), Tanner Schobel (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI)

A disastrous first inning sunk the Saints on Sunday.

Oh, Ryan Gallagher, you poor thing. First, he suffered a nine-run blowup on the 18th, then, he couldn't escape Sunday’s inaugural frame without enduring five earned runs. All of this after a three-start run of allowing three earned runs across 17 1/3 IP. So it goes. 

Anyways, on to the home run barrage. Tanner Schobel and Walker Jenkins exchanged blasts like Joe Walsh and Don Felder trading guitar solos on Hotel California. Schobel’s first was a pallet whetter: a perfectly solid shot out to left that traveled 394 feet.

Then, a Jenkins swat with a touch more mustard, but a lower launch angle, more of a line drive that refused to return to the ground than a proper home run. 

Penultimately, the centerpiece. Jenkins hit a ball that was never seen again. It left the field, the stadium. The state? The planet? None may know its current whereabouts. The D.B. Cooper of long balls. All anyone knows is that it counted for two runs and helped fuel what has been a tremendous stretch for the youngster. He’s slashing .415/.493/.800 in August. 

Well, if awe and majesty is what we’re doing now, then Schobel is perfectly capable of matching his teammate. His second crack took off immediately and flew with the sky-scraping power of a Patrick Mahomes deep ball. 

MLB’s 31st-overall prospect played for the Clippers on Sunday. First baseman Ralphy Velazquez went 1-3 with a pair of RBIs.

Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 8, Frisco 12
Box Score
Sam Armstrong: 3 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
HR: Graham Brown (2), Caden Kendle (9)
Multi-hit games: Brandon Winokur (2-for-5, R), Graham Brown (3-for-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI), Jaime Ferrer (2-for-4, 2B, RBI)

The Wind Surge fell in a high-scoring game on Sunday.

Despite the end score, matters seemed to favor the Wind Surge during the match’s early stages. Graham Brown stepped up to the plate in the second and smoked a three-run homer to center; Wichita added on with a run-scoring groundout by Caden Kendle the following frame. 

Unfortunately, the good vibes ended there. Though strong in arm, Sam was not powerful in pitching acumen on Sunday. Frisco roughed up Armstrong with 10 hits in three innings, scoring six runs (five earned), as they overtook Wichita and slingshot into the lead.

Staring at a 6-4 disadvantage in the sixth, the Wind Surge knotted the score, plating one with a Jaime Ferrer double and another with a Luis Hernandez RBI grounder.

Tied once more, in a fleeting way. Lasting four pitches. A solo homer. A flurry of action. Suddenly, three runs. Two innings later, three more. Wichita hurlers found no rest or respite. No place to relax. Their ERAs speak for themselves. 

And, yet Wichita made it uncomfortable in the ninth. Caden Kendle carried a two-run homer out to left to bring the game within four. A walk and a hit by pitch sent reliever Eric Loomis from the game, with the incoming hurler one batter away from bringing the tying run to the plate. It didn’t happen. Kyle DeBarge struck out to end the game. 

The RoughRiders enjoy the work of MLB’s ninth-best prospect, infielder Sebastian Walcott. DH-ing, he singled and walked thrice, scoring four of Frisco’s 12 runs on the day. 

Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 7, Beloit 1 
Box Score
Cesar Lares: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Byron Chourio (2-for-4, R, RBI, BB)

The Kernels thumped their opponent on Sunday.

We start in the fourth, when—with the bases loaded—Jose Salas lined out softly to the first baseman. He caught the ball, and then fired to third, unintentionally imparting the ball with wings that sported and soared way beyond the third baseman’s grasp and into a massive inside-jutted foul territory the infielder might still be digging around in.

Beloit responded with a more ordinary RBI single stroked down the left field line.

Then, the fifth. Do you like watching batters take walks? Yes? So did Beloit pitcher Peyton Fosher. He surrendered five of them, with a Salas pop out and an Eduardo Tait serving as the two lone respites in the outing. Still, two runs scored under his watch, and the Kernels tacked on three more after he left thanks to a two-run single by JP Smith II, and a double by Yasser Mercedes. 

Danny De Andrade scored on a wild pitch in the seventh to cap the scoring.

Cesar Lares provided five workman-like innings, allowing one run in what was easily his finest start as a Kernel. His Cedar Rapids ERA started the day at 13.18. It ended at 11.45. 

The two Ross(es), Dunn, and Michael, who employs it as his surname, combined for four shutout innings out of the bullpen, striking out five with one base runner allowed. 

Beloit shortstop Starlyn Caba ranks as the seventh-best prospect in the Marlins system. He went 0-for-3, with a walk. 

Mussel Matters
Fort Myers 1, Palm Beach 3
Box Score
Eric Hammond: 4 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Quentin Young (2-for-4)

The Mighty Mussels were meager on Sunday.

You couldn’t blame Eric Hammond for the shortcomings. The starter was excellent: he pitched 4 2/3 innings—the longest he’s gone all season—and didn’t allow an earned run. A runner reached base just twice against the righty. It was the culmination of a brilliant month for the Georgia product, as he now holds a 2.41 ERA across 18 2/3 frames in August.

“Walk this way?” Perhaps. But Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were vague and unclear on what to do on the topic of hits, leading to Fort Myers batters earning just three of them while taking eight free passes on the day (plus two hit by pitches.) Vahn Lackey was especially patient, trotting to first three times with every BB coming on four pitches. Given that he has already racked up 14 walks in 15 games, the pitching at Low-A might not offer him the kind of challenge he needs. 

Quentin Young found hitting conditions just fine, singling twice to account for 2/3 of the team’s hits on the day. Charlie Scholvin earned the other knock.

Hendry Chivilli struck out the side in an inning of work. The appearance continued a successful month for the former top international signee, as he holds a 3.46 ERA in August with as many strikeouts as frames (13).

Fourth-ranked Cardinals prospect, outfielder Alexander Frias, went 1-4 with a homer. He came to the Cardinals organization at the trade deadline from the Brewers. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Eric Hammond
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Walker Jenkins

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:

#1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 3-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB
#2 – Vahn Lackey (Fort Myers) - 0-2, 3 BB
#3 – Kaelen Culpepper (Twins) - 1-3
#4 – Marek Houston (Wichita) - 0-2
#6 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-5, 2 K
#8 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, BB, K
#9 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-4, K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 2-5, R, 3 K
#15 – Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
#18 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 2-4, K
#19 – Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, 2B, RBI, K

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
No games for teams in the Twins’ system are scheduled for Monday.

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!