Matt Braun

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Eduardo Beltre) TRANSACTIONS OF Caden Kendle transferred to Temporarily Inactive List (Cedar Rapids) RHP Travis Adams added to Fort Myers on Major League rehab RHP Billy Oldham transferred from 7-day IL to 60-day IL (Fort Myers) INF Bryan Acuña placed on 7-day IL with left hamstring strain (Fort Myers) INF Ramiro Dominguez promoted to Fort Myers Saints Sentinel St. Paul 9, Lehigh Valley 7 Box Score John Klein: 3 ⅓ IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K HR: Gabriel Gonzalez (3), Emmanuel Rodriguez (3) Multi-hit games: Kaelen Culpepper (3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI), Alan Roden (3-for-5, R, RBI), Emmanuel Rodriguez (2-for-3, HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB), Tanner Schobel (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB) The Saints were victorious in a run-happy game on Wednesday. If John Klein was hoping to flush away the memories of the April 5th start that has bloated his early-season ERA, he’ll need to look towards next week for better luck. The Brooklyn Park native started powerfully, punching out five of the first six batters he saw. But the 96 that startled hitters at the start of the game slipped to the 94, 93 range—evidently the difference between dominance and hittability. Óscar Mercado took him yard in the third. Felix Reyes ended his night with a two-run bomb in the fourth. So it goes. St. Paul’s bats came to rumble, though, and fight they did: Tanner Schobel drew blood with an RBI double in the second, and Emmanuel Rodriguez drilled a frozen rope to left-center in the third to score a second run. Then, floodgates. Carnage. Schobel singled, Walker Jenkins wore a pitch, and Kaelen Culpepper doubled to score both men. Alan Roden dinked one between the wide swath of real estate between the third baseman and the shortstop, setting up Gabriel Gonzalez to hop all over a hanging curveball slapped with a sticky note that said “hit me” on it. Lehigh Valley clawed back with four runs stacked onto Dan Altavilla and Marco Raya—two hurlers who now have season ERAs above 10. But the IronPigs never took the lead. Rodriguez hammered a homer for insurance, and Drew Smith navigated around a few ninth-inning base runners to save the game. Nobody in Philadelphia’s top-30 prospect list played in the game. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 5, Springfield 3 Box Score Ryan Gallagher: 4 ⅓ IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: Ben Ross 2 (2, 3), Kala’i Rosario (2), Jose Salas (1) Multi-hit games: Ben Ross (2-for-2, 2 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB) Wichita bludgeoned four homers in a satisfactory win on Wednesday. Coming off a start where he was great, Ryan Gallagher was good. The righty surrendered a first-inning homer—perhaps setting the tone for the rest of the day—before settling into an even if not mildly inefficient rhythm. Runners reached in four of the five frames he appeared. He walked two. The UC Santa Barbara product walked off the mound needing 70 pitches to net 13 outs. The other pitcher netted in the Willi Castro trade, Sam Armstrong, relieved Gallagher, and was also acceptably, overwhelmingly competent. He allowed one run over 3 ⅔ frames, though matched walk and strikeout totals with two apiece. Now, the fun stuff: the homers. The Wind Surge were in a bopping mood on Wednesday. Ben Ross kicked off the slugfest with a lead-off shot, making sure a hanging slider landed where all lethargic breaking stuff should go to die. Then, Kala’i Rosario spotted an outside fastball that looked like it belonged in the opposing team’s bullpen; so that’s where he sent it. Ross returned in the third to smack an opposite-field shot in the direction of five fans who believed their minded business was safe in right field. They were wrong. Jose Salas also homered, but the mighty Powers That Be who control the Wichita Twitter account deemed his blast too boring to post. Poor guy. Aaron Rozek earned the save in his 126th career minor league game. He now has 465 ⅓ innings under his belt in the Twins organization, the 40th-most for the franchise dating back to 2006. Who’s the lucky hurler at the top of the mountain? Pat Dean with 866. Springfield sent the famous switch-pitcher, Jurrangelo Cijntje, to the mound on Wednesday. Ranked as baseball’s 82nd-best prospect—and standing as one of the only men we’ve ever seen who can capably throw with both hands, Cijntje pitched the entire game righty. The Cardinals should be tried for being boring sticks in the mud. Kernels Nuggets Weather intervened on the planned Kernels game; they will play a doubleheader on Thursday. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 3 (10 Innings) Box Score James Ellwanger: 4 ⅔ IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K HR: Eduardo Beltre (2) Multi-hit games: Dameury Pena (2-for-5), Quintin Young (2-for-5), Yasser Mercedes (2-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB), JP Smith II (2-for-5, R), Eduardo Beltre (2-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI) The Mighty Mussels won on a walk-off on Wednesday. One of these days, James Ellwanger will allow a run. Maybe. Perhaps not. The 3rd-round Dallas Baptist supernova has totaled 11 ⅔ pro innings now—not once has he seen a runner cross home. He may not know such a thing is possible. Wednesday also saw a no-hit outing, though at the expense of three walks. Unfortunately, the Mighty Mussels found Lakeland pitching to also be unfriendly. They racked up runners to no avail, only breaking through when their eighth man to reach base actually came around to score (a previous misadventure with Quinten Young and Yasser Mercedes resulted in the former being thrown out trying to score from second on an infield single.) That sixth inning score was your typical walk/steal/advance-on-a-flyball/run-plating wild pitch sequence. Mercedes was the protagonist. Lakeland realized that homers—especially with someone on base—are way more efficient than going to Station to Station with Bowie or a 21-year-old Latin ballplayer, so they crushed a two-run shot in the seventh. Fort Myers clawed back with an even more turgid progression, turning two singles, a walk, and a challenged (yet confirmed) walk into the game-tying score. In extras, Lakeland plated their customary Manfred Man, which would have won them the game if Eduardo Beltre didn’t sit on a 3-0 fastball and crush the offering out to left field to win the game. MLB’s 30th-ranked prospect, infielder Bryce Rainer, singled and walked in five plate appearances. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – James Ellwanger Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ben Ross PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 0-4, R, RBI #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 3-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 2-3, HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 2-5, 3 K #15 – Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K #16 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 1-4, 2B #20 – James Ellwanger (Fort Myers) - 4 ⅔ IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ St. Paul (6:37 PM) - LHP Connor Prielipp Springfield @ Wichita (6:35 PM) - RHP Mike Paredes Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (4:30 PM) - LHP Dasan Hill Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (Game Two) - TBD Lakeland @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM) - RHP Riley Quick View full article

Image courtesy of Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images Box Score Simeon Woods Richardson: 4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Home Runs: Ryan Jeffers, (1) Brooks Lee (1) Bottom 3 WPA: Simeon Woods Richardson (-0.37), Anthony Banda (-0.18), Josh Bell (-0.11) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Ah, the yearly foray into Canada. Everyone’s favorite trip. When the team travels to a strange and foreign land less than two hours away from Buffalo by car to play a squad also full of Americans and players of Latin descent. Apparently, their Heinz ketchup is made with Canadian tomatoes. That’s cool. Simeon Woods Richardson earned the start. His mound opponent, Patrick Corbin, was set to make his Blue Jays debut. The veteran—armed with a slew of off-speed tricks—labored lethargically in an unrelenting first. He surrendered singles to Austin Martin and Luke Keaschall before offering Ryan Jeffers a cookie: a cement-mixing cutter aimed directly down the middle of the plate. The catcher didn’t miss. His blast left the bat at 107.7 MPH and landed 419 feet away. Woods Richardson—in contrast—was effective. Not quite dominant, the righty nonetheless found outs as they came, limiting the Blue Jays to just a double and a walk in his first three innings of work. Brooks Lee homered to start the fourth. Minnesota’s win probability was nearly 90%. Martin slugged a double. Keaschall nearly blasted a home run out to dead center. Times were good. The team was in a rhythm tighter than Jeff Porcaro on Toto’s “Rosanna.” That groove dissipated immediately. Toronto slugged back-to-back doubles to start their half of the fourth, Davis Schneider struck yet another two-bagger (with help from a Matt Wallner misplay), and Andrés Giménez singled to bring the game within one. No matter. The backup catcher was hitting; certainly, he wouldn’t hit a go-ahead two-run homer, his first as a big-leaguer. Anthony Banda did little to stop the bleeding: Daulton Varsho cracked a solo shot off the reliever in the fifth, and even more doubles in the sixth pushed the Blue Jays’ run total to eight. Taylor Rogers came in; Toronto scored again. Justin Topa came in; Toronto scored again. All the while, Minnesota's once potent offense fell silent, as they only put a man in scoring position one time following their fourth and final run. Martin struck out looking to cap a loss that once appeared set to be a promising victory. Notes: Ryan Jeffers hit his 69th career home run, the fourth-most by a primary catcher in Twins history. He's seven behind Earl Battey. Taylor Rogers appeared in his 320th appearance as a Twin, the 11th-most in team history for a reliever. He's seven away from tying Al Worthington. Austin Martin's season OBP sits at .474. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Blue Jays return for a Saturday matinee, as Joe Ryan is scheduled to start opposite Eric Lauer. First pitch is at 2:07 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Yes, he is #7, I just erased him for some reason. Should be fixed now.

TRANSACTIONS No moves were made on Wednesday. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Toledo 3 (12 Innings) Box Score Matt Bowman: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: Gabriel Gonzalez (2) Multi-hit games: None It was a bullpen game for the Saints. Matt Bowman “started”—something he’s only done once in the big leagues—and passed the ball down the line after two shutout innings. Raul Brito covered the next three frames with cromulent professionalism; he allowed one run with four strikeouts. A remarkably beardless John Brebbia added a pair of scoreless innings to the mix, which begat Marco Raya who—wouldn’t you know—pitched two empty frames. By the time Dan Altavilla entered, the path from the bullpen to the mound was a trench. Despite the heroic efforts by the hodgepodge of relievers, Saints hitters couldn’t adequately support the cause. They slogged. Toledo pitchers earned whiffs in bunches. For about two turns of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” a Gabriel Gonzalez RBI groundout in the first stood as their only run. Early extras Manfred runners did nothing to incite offense in either team. Toledo loaded the bases with no one out in the 10th, but Altavilla wriggled out of the situation with the tie intact. The two squads exchanged runs in the 12th before Gabriel Gonzalez finally pushed forth a vigorous offense outburst, slamming a hanging breaker just inside the foul pole. The Mud Hens fired back with a run, but the single score was all they had left in them; Trent Baker allowed no further damage and locked down the victory for the Saints. Two former Twins farmhands pitched for the Mud Hens: Sawyer Gipson-Long, and Bryan Sammons. The Saints struck out 20 times and recorded just five hits. Max Clark—MLB’s eighth-best prospect—played center field for Toledo, collecting three hits and a walk. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 2, Arkansas 1 Box Score Ryan Gallagher: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None Wichita squeaked out a win on Wednesday. Arkansas batters were putty in Ryan Gallagher’s hands; the UC Santa Barbara product surrendered just one hit across five shutout frames, punching out six in what was one of his finest starts since joining the Twins organization last July. The righty only allowed a runner to reach scoring position twice. Ty Langenberg followed suit with even more overwhelming stuff, earning six of his eight outs via the K. In total, Wichita hurlers earned 15 strikeouts on Wednesday. The Wind Surge plated their two runs with a fifth-inning rally. With one out, Maddux Houghton doubled, and Kyle DeBarge walked to set up Ben Ross with an opportunity to put Wichita on the board. He came through, singling to left to plate Houghton, as DeBarge scampered to third. Hendry Mendez then summoned DeBarge home with a sacrifice fly. Wichita stole three bases on Wednesday, pushing their season total to 12, good for the 2nd-most in the Texas League. Kyle DeBarge walked three times. His season OBP is .458. The Travelers are an affiliate in the juggernaut Mariners farm system. Always a talented group, Arkansas put forth a pair of top-100 prospects: Lazaro Montes, ranked 40th; and Michael Arroyo, ranked 63rd. Montes went 0-3, with a walk and three strikeouts, while Arroyo also fell hitless in three at-bats, though was hit by a pitch. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 6, Beloit 9 Box Score Brent Francisco: 2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K HR: Rayne Doncon (1), Jaime Ferrer (1) Multi-hit games: None Matters started poorly. Starlyn Caba clubbed a first-pitch homer off starter Brent Francisco, portending a trio of runs allowed in the second, and a ghastly five-run endeavor smeared on reliever Sam Rochard. That’s nine earned runs before some fans could even finish their first beer. Fortunately, Kernels hitters had some fight in them. Rayne Doncon pre-empted the five-run disaster with a three-run blast. Khadim Diaw singled in a run in the fourth, and Caden Kendle drove in another in the fifth. The bats started to lose juice, though, eventually tiring as a Jaime Ferrer solo shot in the eighth marked the team’s final run. Every hitter in the Kernels lineup outside of Marek Houston reached base at least once. The Sky Carp are an affiliate of the Miami Marlins. Their seventh-ranked prospect, Starlyn Caba, played shortstop, going 2-4 with a homer, two runs, two RBIs, and a walk. Mussel Matters The Mighty Mussels were postponed due to rain. They will play a doubleheader on Thursday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ryan Gallagher Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kyle DeBarge PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1-5, R, BB, K #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, R, BB #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-6, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 3 K #9 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 0-5, 3 K #13 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, R, BB, 2 K #15 – Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K #16 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 0-2, RBI, K #17 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-2, R, 3 BB, K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, RBI, 2 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (5:35 PM) - RHP John Klein Wichita @ Arkansas (6:35 PM) - RHP C.J. Culpepper Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:05 PM) - LHP Dasan Hill Fort Myers @ Jupiter (3:00 PM) - RHP James Ellwanger Fort Myers @ Jupiter (Game 2) - RHP Riley Quick View full article

Box Score Bailey Ober: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K Home Runs: Tristan Gray (1) Top 3 WPA: Trevor Larnach (.023), Josh Bell (.022), Eric Orze (.014) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) A power outage. Perhaps a bit on the nose, huh? The Twins, fresh off an encouraging getaway day victory in Kansas City, entered Friday looking to start their home residency with success. Matters so far had been unclear. Much as the Kansas City weather was foggy, the team hadn’t yet displayed brilliance, nor outright terribleness. Their quality was hazy. A positive vision existed only In bits and spurts, occasionally overwhelmed by some truly horrendous relief pitching and woeful hitting against southpaws. Would they reveal their true nature on Friday? Bailey Ober earned the nod. Between him and his piggyback-ee, Mick Abel, manager Derek Shelton preferred his veteran, even if his declining velocity exceeded ordinary concern. It appeared a mistake early: Ober ran into trouble early, eventually surrendering a pair of runs when Nick Fortes smacked a lethargic fastball just above Tristan Gray’s head, easily scoring the two runners who were already on base. Tampa Bay would later tack on with a Ben Williamson RBI double in the fourth. The Twins' offense lay dormant for a few frames, evidently vexed by starter Joe Boyle’s awesome stuff. The Missouri native standing just one inch shorter than his counterpart—a rarity for someone as tall as Jayson Tatum (Shelton joked pregame that the contest would begin with a jump ball to determine last ups)—hustled high-90s heat and dastardly sliders with cutting efficiency. He may have walked a man or two, but he didn’t care; he would simply strike out the next guy. The luxuries of a pitcher with swing-and-miss stuff. Minnesota finally found a rally in the fourth. Luke Keaschall singled and stole second. Josh Bell stepped to the plate and softly served a parachute double into right; the ball didn’t cross 70 MPH—safely below speeding ticket-territory on every highway in the union—but landed perfectly in no-man’s land, allowing Keaschall to score the team’s first run. The Twins weren’t done. Ryan Jeffers plopped another ducksnort into right to advance Bell to third, and Trevor Larnach walked to load the bases for Royce Lewis—perhaps the worst hitter to load the bases for. Armed with his Grand Slam aura, Lewis… grounded to short. Carson Williams muffed the ball, though. Every runner advanced a base, and a second run scored. The rally concluded with a Gray sacrifice fly. Two innings came and went. So began the seventh. The one inning to rule them all. Byron Buxton started the rally with a hit by pitch (he would be pinch-run for by James Outman). The new runner swiped second, and Keaschall singled. Bell—unsatisfied with just one RBI knock—stroked a single into center to give Minnesota their first lead of the day. The action did not end there. Jeffers reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. The next two batters moved the assembly line with walks. Then, Tristan Gray did the damn thing, shooting a screaming liner just above the elevated wall in right field, clearing the bases with a Grand Slam. Suddenly, the Twins led 10-3. Rain started to fall on the field after the slam. Even Mother Nature knows when a game is over. Tampa Bay scratched across a run for window-dressing; Cody Laweryson closed matters in a now pounding precipitation with an easy 1-2-3 frame, giving the Twins a win in their 2026 home debut. Notes: Byron Buxton exited the game with a right forearm contusion. X-rays were negative. Tristian Gray's five RBIs are a single-game career-high; he entered the game with 13 MLB RBIs. Minnesota's six steals on the season are the fifth-most amongst AL teams. Trevor Larnach has walked five times and struck out just once in 13 plate appearances. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Rays meet again for a Saturday evening match, with Mick Abel slated to start his first game of the year opposite the veteran southpaw, Steven Matz. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Kent 0 0 47 0 0 47 Laweryson 0 0 36 0 10 46 Funderburk 26 0 0 15 2 43 Topa 10 0 0 13 17 40 Orze 0 0 0 0 37 37 Banda 0 0 12 0 17 29 Rogers 14 0 0 4 0 18 Sands 0 0 0 11 0 11 Abel 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Mike Watters-Imagn Images TRANSACTIONS No moves were made on Wednesday. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Worcester 5 Box Score Andrew Bash: 4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K HR: Emmanuel Rodriguez (1) Multi-hit games: Orlando Arcia (2-for-3, BB), Alex Jackson (2-for-4, R) An early lead dissipated for the Saints on Wednesday. Walks need not appear: one day after walking a ghastly affiliate-record 20 men, the Saints found grace in the right shoulder and arm of Andrew Bash, who didn’t offer a free pass to the Red Sox in his four innings of work. His immediate relief—John Brebbia—didn’t walk a batter either. Manager Brian Dinkelman must have been euphoric in the dugout. Two scoreless innings begat a third-inning skirmish. Alex Jackson singled, Tanner Schobel struck out, Walker Jenkins cracked a hit to right, Kaelen Culpepper flew out, and Alan Roden walked to set up Emmanuel Rodriguez with the bases loaded and two men out. He spat on a slider in the dirt before unleashing a hellacious hack at a hanging breaker, crushing the offering deep to right-center for a grand slam, his first since 2024. Worcester responded with a run the following half-inning, a premonition of things to come. Two empty middle-inning frames melted into a shaky seventh inning, in which Grant Hartwig labored on his way towards allowing a run—a fine outcome given that the righty allowed three walks and a hit. Drew Smith wasn’t much better. He surrendered a third Red Sox run in a game that was suddenly uncomfortably close. Another quiet frame from St. Paul’s hitters ushered in Marco Raya in a critical save situation. He netted an easy first out before running into trouble. Allan Castro walked, and Matt Lloyd sent a single up the middle to send Castro to third. Sensing a chance to tie the game, Tsung-Che Cheng dropped a perfect bunt, far enough to force Raya to make the play, yet close enough to home to make the throw awkward. Castro slid home safely. Matt Thaiss sharply singled to right to give Worcester the lead. The Saints fell 1-2-3 in the ninth. Catcher Alex Jackson overturned three balls in the game. Alan Roden holds a .542 OBP through 24 plate appearances. Boston’s 13th-ranked prospect, Mikey Romero, collected three hits in five at-bats. Wind Surge Wisdom The Wind Surge will play their first game on Thursday, April 2nd. Kernels Nuggets The Kernels start their season on Friday, April 3rd. Mussel Matters The Mighty Mussels are scheduled to open their season on Thursday, April 2nd. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – John Brebbia Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Emmanuel Rodriguez PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-5 R, K #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 0-4, BB #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB #15 – Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K View full article

Image courtesy of Peyton Vogel/Peyton Pics TRANSACTIONS No moves were made on Wednesday. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Worcester 5 Box Score Andrew Bash: 4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K HR: Emmanuel Rodriguez (1) Multi-hit games: Orlando Arcia (2-for-3, BB), Alex Jackson (2-for-4, R) An early lead dissipated for the Saints on Wednesday. Walks need not appear: one day after walking a ghastly affiliate-record 20 men, the Saints found grace in the right shoulder and arm of Andrew Bash, who didn’t offer a free pass to the Red Sox in his four innings of work. His immediate relief—John Brebbia—didn’t walk a batter either. Manager Brian Dinkelman must have been euphoric in the dugout. Two scoreless innings begat a third-inning skirmish. Alex Jackson singled, Tanner Schobel struck out, Walker Jenkins cracked a hit to right, Kaelen Culpepper flew out, and Alan Roden walked to set up Emmanuel Rodriguez with the bases loaded and two men out. He spat on a slider in the dirt before unleashing a hellacious hack at a hanging breaker, crushing the offering deep to right-center for a grand slam, his first since 2024. Worcester responded with a run the following half-inning, a premonition of things to come. Two empty middle-inning frames melted into a shaky seventh inning, in which Grant Hartwig labored on his way towards allowing a run—a fine outcome given that the righty allowed three walks and a hit. Drew Smith wasn’t much better. He surrendered a third Red Sox run in a game that was suddenly uncomfortably close. Another quiet frame from St. Paul’s hitters ushered in Marco Raya in a critical save situation. He netted an easy first out before running into trouble. Allan Castro walked, and Matt Lloyd sent a single up the middle to send Castro to third. Sensing a chance to tie the game, Tsung-Che Cheng dropped a perfect bunt, far enough to force Raya to make the play, yet close enough to home to make the throw awkward. Castro slid home safely. Matt Thaiss sharply singled to right to give Worcester the lead. The Saints fell 1-2-3 in the ninth. Catcher Alex Jackson overturned three balls in the game. Alan Roden holds a .542 OBP through 24 plate appearances. Boston’s 13th-ranked prospect, Mikey Romero, collected three hits in five at-bats. Wind Surge Wisdom The Wind Surge will play their first game on Thursday, April 2nd. Kernels Nuggets The Kernels start their season on Friday, April 3rd. Mussel Matters The Mighty Mussels are scheduled to open their season on Thursday, April 2nd. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – John Brebbia Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Emmanuel Rodriguez PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-5 R, K #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 0-4, BB #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB #15 – Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K View full article

Close, but he went to Oregon State

Image courtesy of (L to R): Aaron Slegers (© Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images), Jason Reitz (© Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images), Connor Prielipp (© Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK) Football is at its apex. The NFL is closing in on the postseason, while the collegiate ranks play out their multitude of wacky, eccentric bowl games and new, expanded playoff system. You've probably already seen a million different analyses of the remaining matchups, so how about a new, entirely Twins-focused one? Here are the current and notable past Twins players with ties to teams in the College Football Playoffs. Indiana An upstart football powerhouse, the Hoosiers have consistently churned out MLB talent. Led by future fourth overall pick Kyle Schwarber, Indiana made the College World Series tournament in 2013 but fell to Mississippi State. Though Schwarber was the star of the team, the Twins had their eye on someone else: the 6’10” right-handed pitcher, Aaron Slegers, whom they drafted in the fifth round that year. Their most recent selection from the college—a 31st round third baseman named Luke Miller in 2017—did not sign with the team. Ohio State The Buckeyes are an oddly moribund program in terms of impact MLB talent: Nick Swisher and Dave Burba are the only two Ohio State products with a career rWAR over 3, though Dillon Dingler and Dominic Canzone could soon change that. Still, the Twins looked to Columbus for their 2010 first-round pick, right-handed pitcher Alex Wimmers. He labored in the minors before debuting in 2017, totaling 24 ⅔ innings in his Twins (and big-league) career. Georgia Minnesota claims a Bulldog in their system: 2025’s 12th-rounder, Kolten Smith. The righty served as a swingman for Georgia, striking out hitters at an impressive rate yet never holding an ERA below 5. He has yet to pitch for a Twins minor league team. Smith also broke a streak of 24 years between Georgia draftees by the Twins; the organization’s previous selection from Athens was fifth-round right-hander Jeremy Brown in 2001, who never pitched beyond rookie-ball. Recent Twin Kyle Farmer also played college ball with the Bulldogs. Texas Tech Eight of the top 10 Texas Tech products by rWAR are pitchers, which is perhaps unsurprising considering one of the greatest quarterbacks ever claims the college as his alma mater: this is the university for powerful arms. It’s fitting, then, that top Twins pitching prospect Andrew Morris was a fourth-round selection in 2022 from Lubbock. The 24-year-old broke out with a 2.88 ERA in 2023, split between A Fort Myers and A+ Cedar Rapids, before dominating for AA Wichita the following year. He’s now a Saint and a likely candidate to pitch for the big-league squad in 2026. Minnesota tried to add two Red Raiders in 2021 in Brandon Birdsell and Dylan Neuse, but only Neuse signed; he last played in the system in 2023. 2025 half-season relief ace and past, future one-that-got-away hurler, Danny Coulombe, also went to Texas Tech. Oregon Of all the teams in the CFP, the Twins have the greatest recent relationship with the Ducks. They selected the 6’11” pitcher Jason Reitz in the fourth round in June, likely hoping his awesome size augurs a unique look from the mound. 2023 eighth-rounder, Jace Stoffal, was also a Duck, although he retired before the 2024 season. Minnesota selected Jake Reed in the fifth round in 2014; he eventually debuted in 2021 and bounced around for three seasons before leaving baseball after 2023. Then, there are a pair of top 100 picks: right-hander (and Minnesota native) Madison Boer in 2011, who topped out at AA, and utility man Spencer Steer in 2019, who became a top prospect before his inclusion in the infamous Tyler Mahle deal in 2022. Ole Miss Lance Lynn is the Rebel with the best MLB career. That is the only mention he will get in this article. Minnesota looked to Oxford with their ninth-round selection in 2023, right-handed pitcher Jack Dougherty. He has yet to pitch in the system with what appears to be a nagging shoulder issue. The Ole Miss product you all know, though, is former piranha Matt Tolbert, who spent four deeply memorable seasons with the Twins as a gritty Nick Punto clone. Miami A four-time College World Series champion, the Hurricanes have been relatively eschewed by the Twins, who have only inked three Miami products since 2010, and haven’t looked to Coral Gables since taking pitcher Andrew Cabezas in 2018. Tertiary catcher Chris Hermann, who played for the Twins between 2012 and 2015, went to Miami, as did the team’s 2008 first-round pick, Carlos Gutierrez. But the most notable former Hurricane was a 19th-round diamond in the rough: Danny Valencia. The one-time third-place finisher in the rookie of the year vote could never match his 2010 season with the Twins, yet ended up playing in nine seasons as a journeyman bat who usually flashed enough slugging prowess to earn another contract. Alabama We conclude with what could be the most relevant college for Minnesota's future pitching staff. The Twins just selected Crimson Tide ace Riley Quick with the 36th overall pick in the 2025 draft. Ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the system by MLB.com, Quick’s bowling ball sinker could anchor a nasty east-west profile. Look for him to speed through the ranks in 2026. Minnesota double-dipped and handed nearly $200K to right-handed Alabama reliever Jonathan Stevens in the 16th-round; he’s already pitched in the system. The most MLB-imminent player with Tuscaloosa ties is lefty Connor Prielipp. The Twins made a rare aggressive play in 2022 with the Wisconsin native, handing him nearly $2 million despite a blown-out elbow, thanks to the strength of his wipeout slider. He finally stayed healthy in 2025 and should impact the big-league team in some capacity in 2026. View full article

Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Some 2,500 days ago, the Twins announced a pair of five-year pacts for two of their young stars, Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler. It was a shrewd and symbolic move: the pair—signed as international players in the same class, friends as they rose through the system together—served as complementary core players around Byron Buxton, Miguel Sanó, and José Berríos. They hadn’t yet broken out, but they each had arguably their best season in 2019, fueling a 101-win machine while giving the franchise cheap production for years. Polanco and Kepler’s success is an example of why teams have aggressively sought pre-arbitration extensions in recent years. The surplus value potential is sky-high. As Polanco averaged over 3 wins above replacement per season (according to Baseball Reference), the Twins paid him around the going rate for a mid-tier reliever. Kepler, though less valuable in an absolute sense, was still a tremendous bargain: a two-win player paid like someone expected to fill in the back end of a rotation or play only in a platoon role offensively. If a pre-arb player flops (like Scott Kingery or Evan White did for the Phillies and Mariners, respectively) after signing this kind of deal, the downside is far less than if a free agent does so. Both franchises “only” ran $24 million in the red, spread across six years. The Twins' savings on Polanco and Kepler were perhaps double that. With Royals breakout star Maikel García recently inking such a deal, a question arises: do the Twins have a pre-arb player they should lock up long-term? Serious Contenders Matt Wallner Wallner thundered his way through back-to-back seasons with a .370 OBP and .500 slugging in 2023 and 2024, before slogging through a far more tepid campaign in 2025. It’s easy to stomach his defensive butcherings when his OPS is nearly .900. At a slugging-forward .776, matters get much more murky. Nonetheless, Wallner possesses undeniable tools. Few can swing as hard as him, throw with such velocity, and impart pure, utter, game-altering damage onto a baseball. He even cleaned up the whiffs a little last year, striking out at a career-low (but still high) 29.1% while walking 11.7% of the time. He has obvious limitations, though, and the extreme nature of his profile would probably make the team nervous to guarantee a significant amount of money. His age may limit the desire to extend him. As a medium-bloomer, Wallner already celebrated his 28th birthday, meaning any free agent years bought out will come after he turns 30. Royce Lewis This offseason marked Lewis’s first year in arbitration, meaning he technically isn’t “pre-arb,” but the idea is the same: he’s a talent whom the team could choose to lock down before free agency. No one on this list has done the things Lewis has done. For a moment in 2023, he looked like a future MVP candidate, smacking homers at a historic rate while spearheading the late surge that helped lead the team to the playoffs. Then—while hobbled so badly he could only saunter to first base—Lewis cracked four homers in the postseason to lead the team to the ALDS. Much can change in two years. Those homers felt like a lifetime ago. Like Wallner, Lewis saw his play degraded to the point where—separated from the name and pedigree—there would have been a legitimate argument for him to be non-tendered this offseason. An 85 wRC+ from the hot corner excites no one. Extending Lewis would be a bet on his potential and an offered olive branch. Clearly, something has been up with his relationship with the franchise. He’s groused and grumbled about money, losing, and how he’s hesitated to make adjustments because of his apparently uncertain position on the team. Perhaps rewarding such behavior with multiple millions is unwise; maybe it would provide the foundation he needs to get his mentality right. Check Back in the Future Luke Keaschall The best recent performer of the bunch, Keaschall is probably a year or two away from being considered for a contract like this. Next year will be his age-23 season. It seems like the best time to start offering to buy out free agent years will be after that, assuming his play continues to impress. Dark Horses Taj Bradley Impossibly, Bradley is still just 24, making him younger than Zebby Matthews and Simeon Woods Richardson. He’s arbitration-eligible following the 2026 season. A strong showing could push the team to extend him long-term, especially as Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober inch towards free agency. Brooks Lee Guys with negative WAR nearly 200 games into their big-league careers don’t typically demand extensions. Lee needs to prove he can at least hold his own in MLB before the Twins entertain ideas of a multiple-year contract. The pedigree and prospect heritage are there, though. Of all these candidates, a Lewis extension brings the most intrigue. He’s at the perfect age where buying out free-agent years could be crucial, and it could provide the stability he apparently needs to make adjustments and not push himself through injury. What do you think? Is there someone else the Twins should extend? Or would you hold off until next offseason? View full article

Image courtesy of © Chris Tilley-Imagn Images The starter-to-reliever conversion is a Twins specialty. We saw it with Griffin Jax, Jhoan Duran, and Cole Sands in years past: at some point, it becomes clear that someone just may not be cut out for the rotation. That’s no insult: relievers are critical parts of any team, and the job requires a mentality that suits some hurlers better than the one needed to thrive as a starter. Today, we’ll talk about two players who have yet to pitch for the Twins, who may find themselves in the bullpen. Connor Prielipp Let’s start with the Wisconsin native. His bullpen case rests on a simple premise: he’s barely pitched. As a pro, the lefty has tossed 112 ⅔ frames, with 82 ⅔ of those coming this season, his first fully healthy year in the Twins system. Even in this era of diminished inning totals from starters, that’s not a lot of work. Assuming a conservative yearly frames increase, it would take Prielipp two more seasons to build up to 150 innings, even if everything goes well. The Twins can’t afford to wait that long: he had to be added to the 40-man roster this week. Minnesota did so, but will they want to burn precious option years on a slow buildup? Could they stomach having an in-his-prime lefty attempting to develop at St. Paul when the major-league roster demands pitching talent today? I don’t believe so. At some point, a team wants to see a return on their investment, and moving to a relief role accelerates that process. Plus, his play in 2025 wasn’t so dominant that it demands an extended run as a starter: he posted a 4.03 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. Place him in the bullpen, pump up the fastball velocity, and let the already elite slider continue to dominate. A lefty gets an especially big bump from that move, because he can go from facing fellow lefties 25% of the time or less to anywhere from 33% to 40% of the time. He could be the team’s best left-handed weapon since peak Taylor Rogers. Marco Raya Raya is a different case. He’s already on the 40-man roster; one of his options is gone. The Twins treated him with contradictory carefulness as a prospect. For years, he was rarely allowed to go past three innings, yet he was also promoted so aggressively that he was always at least three years younger than the level he pitched at. The result? Underwhelming stats, but a sense that his play was more impressive than it appeared. That changed this year. He was dreadful with the Saints. Headed into August 15, his season ERA sat at 6.27 across 80 ⅓ innings, and his WHIP was 1.71—each figure bloated by a ghastly 12.9% walk rate. No qualified MLB starter walked hitters at a rate that high in 2025 (or 2024). Perhaps sensing that this was more than an ordinary case of a youngster struggling against elevated talent, the Twins moved him to the Saints’ bullpen. His final nine appearances were all in relief, though the results were mixed. His ERA and WHIP fell (to 4.91 and 1.25, respectively), but his peripherals remained largely unchanged. The walks dropped a little, but so did the strikeouts. He had outings like September 3, when he whiffed five over three innings, displaying the kind of whizzing sweeper that appears capable of corkscrewing big-league hitters, but he also allowed multiple runs in three of those appearances. A 33% chance of implosion is untenable. The sample was small, this adjustment was made on the fly, he’s (impossibly) still just 23, and I believe an offseason spent preparing as a reliever should sharpen his skills. Like Prielipp, he has a breaking ball that can succeed at the major-league level. That alone could carry a relief profile. Overall, according to Baseball Prospectus, the raw quality of his pitches (release point, trajectory, velocity, movement and location, adjusted for count and batter handedness) was much better after the switch. His stuff was 0.5 runs worse than average per 100 pitches during his time as a starter, and 0.1 runs better than average per 100 as a reliever. Minnesota has a lot to sort through this offseason. They have an abundance of young pitchers, but only a small number of them can claim big-league success in any capacity. Someone will need to move to the bullpen; several will likely make that transition this spring. If you're looking for high-impact arms who may be among that group, Raya and Prielipp are two players to keep your eyes on. They just might be pitching in late-game situations sooner than you think. View full article

Definitely was supposed to be “dower” haha

Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-Imagn Images 3B Royce Lewis Age on Opening Day 2026: 26 Service Time: 3 years, 142 days 2023 Salary: League Minimum 2024 Salary: $745,700 2025 Salary: $1,625,000 2026 Salary (Projection): $3,000,000 Background: You know who Royce Lewis is. The Twins selected him 1st overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, and waited patiently through rocky development and dower injuries before he arrived on the big-league squad in 2022. He was a revelation—for exactly 12 games. A second torn ACL ended his season and moved him to the infield dirt full-time. He crushed everything he saw in a truncated 2023, which started a three-year playing time buildup. This season finally proved that he can stay healthy for a prolonged period, as Lewis took 403 plate appearances, the most in a season in his Twins career. 2025 Season: Now, just how good were those plate appearances? Unfortunately, this year saw a continuation of the 2024 second-half malaise that cursed the talented infielder. He missed time with a hamstring injury and posted the worst OPS+ of his career (83). He also flipped his clutch reputation, turning in a negative WPA for the second season in a row. His defense graded out as above-average—a great example of player development at the big-league level, as his defensive home was an open question for some time. Yet, his sudden, dramatic loss of sprint speed continued. All in all, Lewis was decidedly below average, but his promise is never far from the surface. 2025 Stats: 106 G, 403 PA, .237/.283/.388, 13 HR, 18 2B, 0 3B, 52 RBI, 6.2 BB%, 19.9 K% Twins Depth at his Position (3rd Base): José Miranda - 40-man roster Brooks Lee - 40-man roster Ryan Fitzgerald - 40-man roster Triple-A: Tanner Schobel, Jake Rucker, Ben Ross, Will Holland Double-A: Rubel Cespedes, Jorel Ortega Summary: Sheesh. General Lee in 1865 probably had more depth in his reserves than this. Miranda is a dead man walking. Lee is the starting shortstop, out of necessity. The only top infield prospect near the majors is Kaelen Culpepper, who—while undeniably exciting—should be left at shortstop until he can no longer play there. That makes Lee another option at third, but he's an uninspiring one. Why the Twins Should Offer Him a Contract: It was just over two years ago that Lewis blasted four homers in the playoffs, making himself known as an up-and-coming force in the American League. For a time, he was the face of an exciting Twins team on the rise. At his best, Lewis has looked to be a lightning bolt—a superstar; someone like Julio Rodríguez, who can both energize a team and provide awesome value with his play on the field. That’s a rare combination, and one that can sell plenty of jerseys. Why the Twins Should Not Offer Him a Contract: A lot can happen in two years, though. His 2024 was incomplete and mediocre, a fact largely lost in the grand spectacle of the team’s complete collapse. His 2025 was even worse: an on-base percentage that starts with “.2” is unacceptable for any third baseman who doesn’t possess Brooks Robinsonian defense, which Lewis doesn’t. Also, what’s up with his demeanor? A few times a year, Lewis seems to make headlines with unusually snappy quotes, typically centered around money or on how the franchise operates. This atypical mercurialness has always come off badly, like a rich kid complaining his father picked him up from school in the Lexus, not the Mercedes-Benz. There’s a game to be played here, and Lewis doesn’t seem keen on doing so—or rather, strangely, he mostly does seem keen on it, and then suddenly doesn't in short, damaging bursts. Projection: There’s no chance the Twins non-tender Royce Lewis. Even if his play in 2025 arguably justifies it, Lewis is still a former 1st-overall pick not that far removed from doing some genuinely incredible stuff in critical games. I remember the two-homer game off Kevin Gausman. I know you remember it, too. That guy has to be around here somewhere. What do you think about Royce Lewis? His arbitration question is an easy one. If he muddles around in middlingness for another season, then next year's arbitration decision becomes more interesting. View full article

Image courtesy of © Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images RHP Justin Topa Age on Opening Day 2026: 35 Service Time: 5 years, 44 days 2023 Salary: League Minimum 2024 Salary: $1,250,000 2025 Salary: $1,000,000 2026 Salary: $2,000,000 team option ($225,000 buyout) Background: A wandering soul, Justin Topa was originally drafted back in 2012 by the Reds, but didn’t turn pro until the Pirates selected him in the 17th round the following year. Since then, he’s pitched everywhere, appearing with four organizations and the Independent Rockland Boulders before becoming a Twin before the 2024 season. His best year was in 2023, when he put up a 2.61 ERA in 75 games for the Seattle Mariners. He then landed with Minnesota in the Jorge Polanco trade that winter. 2025 Season: Topa entered 2025 as a wild card: his previous success in the Pacific Northwest made him an intriguing arm. Yet, he missed nearly all of 2024 with nagging ailments, only moonlighting with the Twins for three games at the end of the year. His 2025 was… fine. The cursory numbers hold up under scrutiny—a 3.90 ERA, with peripherals more or less in agreement that he was cromulent—but Topa was unreliable in situations that mattered. His -1.64 WPA was the fourth-worst among qualified relievers. FanGraphs credits him with 12 “shutdowns” and 12 “meltdowns”, outings in which a pitcher accrued or lost 0.06 WPA or more. As you'd guess, a good reliever has more of the former than the latter. 2025 Stats: 54 G, 60 IP, 68 H, 18 BB, 49 K, 3.90 ERA, 1.43 WHIP Twins Depth at his Position (Right-Handed Reliever): Cole Sands - 40-man roster Cody Laweryson - 40-man roster Pierson Ohl - 40-man roster Thomas Hatch - 40-man roster Michael Tonkin - Arbitration eligible Triple-A: Travis Adams, Cory Lewis Double-A: Darren Bowen, C.J. Culpepper Summary: There are certainly more names that could be here, but it’s unclear at the moment how the starting pitcher clog will play out. Marco Raya or John Klein could factor into the bullpen. So could David Festa, though mainly because of health concerns. Why the Twins Should Pick up His Option: Topa is a unique case, in that the Twins possess a team option for $2,000,000 with a $225,000 buyout. He’s the only arbitration-eligible player on the team in this boat. The onus is entirely on them to bring back Topa, although they could choose to decline the option and still tender him a deal for arbitration, if they so desire. Topa is more interesting than your average 34-year-old coming off a mediocre year. He throws from one of the lowest right-handed arm angles in the game (10 degrees), which allows him to potentially maximize a unique sinker/cutter/sweeper pitch mix. As such, his groundball rate in 2025 was high, his barrel rate was low, and he commanded his arsenal well enough to walk fewer batters than average. That’s a useful combination of skills. Why the Twins Should Not Pick up His Option: All of those stats are nice, but they’re only descriptive of style, not necessarily of effectiveness, and the sum of Topa’s parts add up to make a mediocre reliever. His 2023 was great, but his stuff has backed up since then, furthering a significant platoon struggle against lefties. We’re not talking about a youngster looking to figure it out. Unless something changes, Topa would be the second-oldest player on the 2026 Twins. For a team interrogating every aspect of their payroll to squeeze value out of every penny, $2,000,000 for a likely average reliever is too rich. There's a Third Option? The Twins could also choose to deny the option but retain Topa's rights and send him through the arbitration process. Now, that would be a very strange thing to do, and it's unclear whether it would save them money, but it is a possibility. Projection: I’m 50-50 on whether Topa stays. In ordinary times, $2,000,000 for a reliever with some interesting traits would be a worthwhile gamble. Minnesota once gave $1,800,000 to Blake Parker before the 2019 season. These are not ordinary times. Early indications point to a stingy offseason that could very well pick off the rest of the meat remaining on the rotting carcass referred to as the “Minnesota Twins.” If the team doesn’t have Griffin Jax money, then they sure as hell don’t have Justin Topa money. What do you think about Justin Topa? He’s one of the tougher arbitration decisions this year, and the known totals on the team option could alter how the Twins handle him. Does he stay? Or will he go? View full article