Twins Minor League Report (9/21): DaShawn Keirsey Continues to Rake and Break (Saints Records, that is)

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 81-73 (8 games to go)
St. Paul Saints: 70-78 (1 game to go)
Wichita Wind Surge: 58-80 (season complete)
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 67-63 (season complete)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 66-59 (season complete)
FCL Twins: 27-31 (season complete)
DSL Twins: 30-25 (season complete) 

TRANSACTIONS
On Saturday, the Twins optioned RHP Ronny Henriquez to the Saints. They recalled LHP Brent Headrick. Very nice for Headrick, who missed the majority of the season with a left forearm strain, to get back to the Twins for the last week of the season. 

In case you missed it, the Twins released DSL Twins infielders Ruben Velazquez and Luis Rodriguez a couple of days ago.

In addition, RHP Sean Mooney retired. The 2019 draft pick had Tommy John surgery that spring, and he just hasn’t been able to get healthy since them. He’s had more elbow surgery and injuries. He reached Double-A which is impressive with the time missed and for being a Day 3 draft pick. We certainly wish him the best in whatever is next for him.   

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 7, Indianapolis 8 
Box Score
There were a lot of runs scored early in this game. Unfortunately the Saints fell just shy in yet another one-run loss. 

Randy Dobnak was on the mound to start for the Saints. If nothing else, he was able to get through four innings for his team. He gave up five runs in the first inning and two more in the second inning. In four innings, he gave up seven runs on six hits and four walks. He had six strikeouts. Five of the runs scored on the two home run balls hit off of him. 

However, in the top of the second inning, the Saints responded and made it a game again. The rally started with two outs. Jair Camargo walked and moved up a base on a Carson McCusker single to center. Jeferson Morales, batting ninth, followed with his first Triple-A home run. 

Payton Eeles walked and scored on a double off the bat of Austin Martin. Martin scored when DaShawn Keirsey singled to center. The five-run inning cut their deficit to 7-5. 

Dobnak tossed two scoreless innings, and in the bottom of the fourth, the Saints put together another rally. Carson McCusker led off with a single. He was erased on a force out by Morales. Eeles followed with a triple that made it 7-6. He scored on Keirsey’s third hit of the game, a single off of the pitcher. 

Travis Adams came in to start the fifth inning. He worked three innings and gave up a run on three hits and a walk. He had one strikeout. Giovanny Gallegos gave up a hit and a walk, but no runs, in the eighth inning. Steven Okert struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning. 

The Saints tried to match Indianapolis. In the bottom of the eighth, the inning started with singles by Chris Williams and Jair Camargo, but Geronimo Franzua responded by striking out the next three batters. 

Camargo went 2-for-3 with a walk. McCusker went 2-for-4. Morales’s first homer with the Saints drove in three runs. Martin hit a double, and Eeles had a walk to go with his fourth Saints triple. 

DaShawn Keirsey went 3-for-5 in the game with his 22nd double and two RBI. It has been a tremendous 2024 season for the 26-year-old outfielder from southern California (via the University of Utah). His third hit in this game gave him 133 hits for the Saints this season which is a new single-season franchise record. He surpassed the 132 hits that Andrew Stephenson recorded in 2023. 

In addition, his 81 RBI this season is the Saints single-season franchise record. However, he is just two ahead of teammate Yunior Severino, so that distinction could still be up for grabs. 

He is the only International League player, and one of just four Triple-A players, with at least 100 hits, 10 home runs, and 30 steals. He is one of just three minor-league players, and the only Triple-A player, with at least 100 hits, 20 doubles, 10 homers, 30 steals and 70 RBI. In addition, only six MLB players have reached those totals this season. They are Elly De La Cruz, Jarren Duran, Zach Neto, Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez, and Bobby Witt Jr. Those are some pretty good names. 

(Hat tip to the game notes of Saints broadcaster and all-around good guy Sean Aronson. Also, a huge thank you to Rob Thompson, the Saints fantastic photographer, for letting us display some of his great work with our stories the last couple of seasons.) 

With one more Saints game to go, here are a couple of things to watch. 

• If Keirsey hits a triple, it will be his eighth of the season, a franchise single-season record.
• If Anthony Prato is activated from the Development List and hits a triple, it would tie Keirsey for the single-season single-season record. If he were to hit two triples, he would tie Keirsey for the career franchise record with nine. That is, of course, if Keirsey doesn’t triple too. 
• With one home run, Yunior Severino would set the new single-season record with 22 Saints home runs. 
• If Severino walked one time on Sunday, he would set the single-season record with 68 walks. 

Head out to CHS Field for the Saints final game of the season. Here’s the schedule, and where you can get your tickets. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
The Twins affiliate in Wichita had a few alternate uniforms and team names. Most minor-league teams do. At MILB.com, the Wichita Chili Buns are up for the award for Best Alternate Identity. Vote for them here, and see what other names were also considered for the award. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day - DaShawn Keirsey (St. Paul) - 3-for-4, 2B(22), 2 RBI.
Pitcher of the Day - Steven Okert (St. Paul) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our recently-updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing that none of them played on Saturday.

Be sure to frequently stop by Twins Daily throughout the offseason. Minor-League coverage does not stop with the end of their seasons. Starting next week, we'll start handing out our 2024 Minor League Awards and name the 2024 Twins Minor League All Stars. We will be sure to update the Twins Daily Top 20 prospect rankings. We will follow how the Twins prospects perform in the Arizona Fall League and see if any prospects play winter ball. Of course, I will try to connect with a ton of Twins prospects in a new (off)season of Twins Spotlight. 

There is no offseason in baseball writing! 

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Indianapolis @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CST) – RHP Caleb Boushley (9-5, 4.98 ERA)

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Saturday’s game, Keirsey’s great season, or anything else Twins minor-league related! 

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!