Twins Minor League Week in Review and Roster Rundown

Saints Start it Off
Over the weekend, the St. Paul Saints kicked off their 2024 season alongside the Minnesota Twins. Although Opening Day was pushed back until Saturday (and then delayed just a few hours), the grounds crew at CHS Field did an incredible job getting the playing surface ready to go. It was only two quick games before a road trip to Columbus, but it was good to have baseball back in Lowertown.

Pitching highlighted a 2-0 start for Toby Gardenhire’s squad. David Festa and Randy Dobnak combined to look great in game one, while Brent Headrick punched out eight in his start for game two. Austin Martin was originally slated to be on the roster, but instead was promoted to Minnesota as a replacement for Royce Lewis.

The unfortunate news for St. Paul is that both Brooks Lee and Trevor Larnach opened the year on the injured list. Lee is expected to be out a bit longer than Larnach, but both getting back to action soon would be ideal. Austin Schulfer, who also is on the injured list, is expected to join the club this week in Nashville.

On Monday, the Twins made a minor trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, acquiring infielder Tanner Morris for cash considerations. With that, the depth at St. Paul has been bolstered. A former fifth-round pick, Morris doesn’t hit for power or play with much speed, but walks a ton. He has played over 120 games at the Triple-A level, and the 26-year-old will join the Saints infield, and immediately raises their "guys who look like a slapdash fake ballplayer created via Photoshop" quotient.

Wichita Roster Unveiled
Pitchers: Travis Adams, A.J. Alexy, Scott Engler, Taylor Floyd, Regi Grace, Cody Laweryson, Rafael Marcano, Hunter McMahon, Jaylen Nowlin, Pierson Ohl, Marco Raya, Sheldon Reed, Miguel Rodriguez, Jared Solomon, Jarret Whorff

Catchers: Noah Cardenas, Andrew Cossetti, Jeferson Morales

Infielders: Jorel Ortega, Ben Ross, Jake Rucker, Tanner Schobel, Dalton Shuffield

Outfielders: Kyler Fedko, Carson McCusker, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Kala’i Rosario, Alerick Soularie

Fourteen players from last year's Wind Surge roster return to start the 2024 season. It is interesting that veteran pitcher Alexy is at Double-A, as opposed to being with the Saints. Raya is the top pitching prospect of the bunch, and will headline the rotation. Engler is a Wichita native, so a fun homecoming happens there.

Both Cardenas and Cossetti have turned heads as catching prospects, and the infield has some stars, too. Schobel logged 49 games at Double-A last season, following the promotion from Cedar Rapids. He'll look for stronger numbers this time around, and an eventual promotion to St. Paul should be in the cards if he shows well.

The outfield is home to one of Minnesota's best hitting prospects in Rodríguez, and Rosario led the Arizona Fall League in home runs in 2023 after being named the Midwest League Player of the Year. Soularie spent the season with Wichita last year and is a familiar face for manager Ramon Borrego.

Wichita hosts Frisco on Friday to begin their season.

Cedar Rapids Roster Unveiled
Pitchers: Kyle Bischoff, Miguelangel Boadas, Darren Bowen, Jordan Carr, C.J. Culpepper, John Klein, A.J. Labas, Christian MacLeod, Zebby Matthews, Juan Mendez, Juan Mercedes, Andrew Morris, Jack Noble, John Stankiewicz, Ricardo Velez, Jacob Wosinski, Gabriel Yanez, Alejandro Hidalgo (IL), Matt Gabbert (IL), Jose Olivares (IL), Connor Prielipp (IL)

Catchers: Nate Baez, Ricardo Olivar, Dillon Tatum.

Infielders: Keoni Cavaco, Rubel Cespedes, Danny De Andrade, Jay Harry, Luke Keaschall, Jose Salas.

Outfielders: Willie Joe Garry Jr., Gabriel Gonzalez, Agustin Ruiz, Misael Urbina. 

The Cedar Rapids Kernels return 15 players from their Midwest League championship roster. Graduations have taken place as players move throughout the system, but the High-A affiliate has plenty of big names. The squad is set to begin their title defense on Friday in Beloit.

On the pitching side of things, Prielipp begins the season on the 60-Day IL after a second elbow surgery last summer. Bowen was among the players acquired by Minnesota in the Jorge Polanco trade with the Seattle Mariners. MacLeod, Matthews, and Morris could be among the better rotation arms grouped together throughout the system.

Last season, Cavaco played just 63 games, as injuries held him back. He starts at Cedar Rapids again, and will be joined by notable prospects like De Andrade and Keaschall on the dirt. Minnesota is hoping for a bounce-back from Salas, who was a nice get in the Luis Arráez trade.

The Kernels outfield is where González will start, and as a fringe top-100 prospect, he could make it a quick stop. Last season in the Mariners organization, he played 43 games at High-A after earning a midseason promotion.

Fort Myers Roster Unveiled
Pitchers: Kade Bragg, Jack Dougherty, Ross Dunn, Ben Ethridge, Tanner Hall, Xander Hamilton, Aaron Holiday, Ty Langenberg, Cesar Lares, Jeremy Lee, Danny Moreno, Paulshawn Pasqualotto, Samuel Perez, Wilker Reyes, Nolan Santos, Charlee Soto

Catchers: Wilfri Castro, Cole Elvis, Poncho Ruiz

Infielders: Rafael Cruz, Angel Del Rosario, Rayne Doncon, Yohander Martinez, Isaac Pena, Brandon Winokur

Outfielders: Carlos Aguiar, Byron Chourio, Maddux Houghton, Walker Jenkins, Jose Rodriguez

The pitching staff has a bunch of 2023 draft picks on it, and Fort Myers is where top prospect Charlee Soto will make his professional debut. After throwing in the Spring Breakout game for the Twins, he has some familiarity with the mound on which he'll get going as a pro. The group doesn’t have a ton of professional experience, and will be exciting to watch.

It’s worth noting that the Mighty Mussels list Winokur as an infielder. Despite a possibility that he winds up as a corner outfielder, he has the ability to play shortstop and centerfield as well. The toolsy prep pick is one to watch, alongside Jenkins, out of the gate. Fort Myers has an impressive collection of outfielders as well. While Jenkins is the big name, Aguiar, Chourio, and Rodríguez all have garnered differing levels of prospect buzz.

Fort Myers kicks off its season on Friday at home against Tampa.

Which assignments interest or excite you most? What affiliate will have your attention most nights early in the season? Join the conversation with a comment below.

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!