Twins Minor League Week in Review (4/15): Settling In

Shuffling in St. Paul
Returning home from a weekend in Nashville, there was plenty of roster shuffling for the St. Paul Saints this week. The Twins needed a pitcher for their weekend doubleheader, and Simeon Woods Richardson was called upon. Grabbing his first big league win, Woods Richardson looked to be an entirely different pitcher, and the velocity uptick he showed this spring stayed with him.

In the wake of Carlos Correa injury news, Jair Camargo was also promoted to the majors for the first time, and Rocco Baldelli’s taxed bullpen saw Jorge Alcala go back to St. Paul with Matt Bowman getting his first chance of the season.

Similar to the big league club, it’s been a tough go of it for the Saints lineup out of the gate. Playing against the Iowa Cubs, St. Paul dropped four of the six home contests. The offensive exploding for 13 runs on Sunday was a highlight, and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. has been a consistent threat for Toby Gardenhire.

Winless for Wichita
A slow start has been the narrative for Wichita, and that didn’t get any easier with Springfield playing host for the past week of games. St. Louis’ Double-A affiliate has started the season strong, and after sweeping the six-game series against Wichita this week, they improved to 9-0. The Wind Surge return home to face Tulsa, and do so with just a 1-8 record.

Although the team results haven’t been great, there is no prospect across the system that has gotten off to a better start than Emmanuel Rodriguez. His 1.594 OPS is otherworldly, and he already has four home runs in just 26 at-bats. His process hasn’t changed at the dish either, and his 11/10 K/BB represents the same strong discipline we saw from him last season with Cedar Rapids.

The catching tandem of Noah Cardenas and Andrew Cossetti have also gotten out of the gate strong. They should be expected to be key pieces in the Wind Surge lineup well after Rodriguez ultimately earns a promotion. The Twins are still handling Marco Raya with kid gloves as he has thrown just six innings across two starts.

Cruising in Cedar Rapids
The reigning Midwest League Champions are looking to repeat this season, and while they started winless on the road in Beloit, all it took was some home cooking to get them going. Winning four of six against Dayton this week, the Kernels evened their record at .500 and can head out against the Timber Rattlers feeling good about themselves.

Luke Keaschall began the year only operating as a designated hitter, but progressed to playing the field on Sunday. His 1.015 OPS trails only Rubel Cespedes to start the season, and he has already launched a pair of home runs. Danny De Andrade went down with an injury this week, and the hope is that it won’t sideline him for too long.

On the mound it’s Andrew Morris that has turned heads. He has a ridiculous 15/1 K/BB across his first ten innings this season, and owns a 0.90 ERA in two starts. Zebby Matthews had a strong showing in his first turn, and John Klein has flashed well also.

Back to the Fort
After starting with a brief three-game set in Fort Myers that saw Walker Jenkins go down with an injury, we haven’t seen Minnesota’s top prospect yet return for the Mighty Mussels. On the round at Clearwater the past week, Fort Myers was able to come away with just two of the six games. Returning home this week against Jupiter, they’ll look to expand on the 2-1 start in Fort Myers.

Rayne Doncon, acquired with Manuel Margot in the Noah Miller trade to the Dodgers, has kicked off the season nicely as he owns a .900 OPS. Maddux Houghton and Brandon Winokur are the only other Mighty Mussels to join Doncon with home runs to this point. Byron Chourio, acquired in the Luis Arraez trade, has got off to a great start too as he owns a .303 average through his first nine games.

A significant amount of professional debuts have taken place in Fort Myers to start the year. Jeremy Lee, Ross Dunn, Charlee Soto, and Paulshawn Pasqualotto have all made impressive starts in the early going. The rotation should be among the highlights of this team as the season goes on.

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!