Matt Braun

Joe Ryan’s run support strikes again!

Or: it's strange to see the hitter and pitcher of the day come from an 8-2 loss. Image courtesy of Tim Grubbs TRANSACTIONS RHP Austin Brice signed to a Minor League contract and assigned to St. Paul INF Edouard Julien recalled by Twins Saints Sentinel St. Paul 3, Columbus 5 Box Score Connor Sadzeck: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Andrew Stevenson (2-for-5, 2B), Mark Contreras (2-for-5, R) The Saints suffered a close loss on Saturday. Used intermittently since the 2018 season, the Twins brought back the opener, just for one day, sending reliever Connor Sedzeck out first ahead of Jordan Balazovic. Sadzeck was perfect, striking out the side in order, but Balazovic wasn’t as decisive, allowing a duo of runs to score over four frames of work. Still, his command—typically unavailable or as missing as the Vikings’ Ed Thorp trophy—was solid; he didn’t allow a walk for the first time since April 25th. St. Paul’s bats couldn’t find similar fortune, though. Facing rehabbing big leaguer Triston McKenzie, the Saints spun themselves into knots, never cracking his code for the three innings he was on the mound. But there were 18 more outs to avoid once he left. Could they attack the Clippers’ bullpen with enough ferocity to win? No, but they did try. The effort reached its apex in the 6th when a sudden attack plated a trio of runs, leading to a one-run lead with three frames remaining. It appeared that favor had moved to their advantage. And yet it disappeared just as quickly. Josh Winder’s opening four-pitch walk prophesied the rest of the inning—a grueling, tragic showing emblematic of the fleeting nature of luck in baseball. Or, in less flowery language, the Clippers scored twice. That sealed the match. Columbus scored a final unnecessary run as the Saints attempted to claw their way from the depths without success. Jose Miranda walked three times on Saturday; he has never walked more than twice in a game in his professional career. Brayan Rocchio was the Clippers’ best prospect on Saturday, and he singled and walked in four plate appearances. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 2, Arkansas 8 Box Score Aaron Rozek: 5 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Yoyner Fajardo (4-for-5, 2 2B, 2 R), Jake Rucker (2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB), Alex Isola (2-for-4) An explosive 10th inning sank Wichita’s chances of winning on Saturday. Once a pitcher’s duel, eventually a blowout, the Wind Surge started with almost six brilliant innings of pitching from Aaron Rozek before a deeply unusual 10th inning ended any potential they had to escape with a victory. But first, the great success: Rozek. The 27-year-old Burnsville native entered the game with ghastly numbers—truly scary amounts of earned runs—but shook off any pressure one could feel from such negativity. He was brilliant. His eight strikeouts were the most he achieved in an outing since May 12th of last season. His two hits allowed were the lowest of all his starts in 2023. Arkansas brought pitching to the ballpark as well, though. An early Wichita run did not phase the Travelers, and the following innings of ball slowly melted the game to an equilibrium stalemate. It all fell apart in the 10th. Reliever Curtis Taylor hit two, walked another, allowed a batter to reach on a fielder’s choice, struck out a batter, and waved goodbye to the match with unusual flair: Denny Bentley then allowed four runs to score, giving Taylor the rare zero hits/four earned runs stat line. The top of the Wind Surge lineup did their job marvelously, earning eight of Wichita’s 10 hits; Yoyner Fajardo alone collected four. The issue: no one south of Anthony Prato could earn a knock, forcing the Wind Surge to end rallies before they could become runs. The Travelers’ best prospect in the game was outfielder Jonatan Clase, who tripled in five plate appearances. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 1, Peoria 5 Box Score Jordan Carr: 4 ⅓ IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Jefferson Morales (2-for-3, R) Ineffective bats burned the Kernels on Saturday. Three hits were all Cedar Rapids could offer to support their pitching staff. Two came from Jeferson Morales. They did add three walks—silver linings especially dull—but this was a shockingly weak effort from a team with the third-worst OPS in the Midwest League. It didn’t matter too much: the Chiefs blitzed starter Jordan Carr for one run in the second and two in the third to hand their pitchers a lead that remained well-sealed and protected. The closest the Kernels got to affecting the lock was in the sixth, following a run-scoring fielder’s choice that placed two on with one out. Tanner Schobel then flew out, Kala’i Rosario struck out, and the rally vanquished into nothingness. Victor Scott II of Peoria stole his 30th ****ing base of the season (I know I can’t say that, but good lord, that’s insane). Catcher and definitely-not-a-thief, Jimmy Crooks, was the best prospect playing for the Chiefs on Saturday; he singled and walked in five trips to the plate. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 3 (7 Innings) Box Score Cory Lewis: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Andrew Cossetti (3-for-4, 2B, RBI) The Mighty Mussels exited victorious on Saturday in a weather-shortened match. Cory Lewis was tremendous again, effectively dicing through Lakeland’s offense with the precision of a hurler well-seasoned and wise. His fastball/slider combo proved confounding, mysterious, leading to 22 total swinging strikes out of just 80 pitches—an absurd 28% swinging strike rate usually only reserved for the Josh Haders of the world. His only mistakes were the common errors of man: two runs scored via two separate throwing blunders from catcher Andrew Cossetti . Fortunately, Cossetti could translate his defensive miscues into an offensive force. The catcher continued his terror at the plate, knocking around three hits—one nearly 400-foot double—to push his season OPS to 1.036. The Florida State League is supposed to favor pitchers. It’s very likely that last month’s Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month could repeat the honor. Unsavory weather paused the game following the top of the 7th, and the umps soon ended the night, handing the Mighty Mussels their 22nd win of the season. Lakeland is an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and their best prospect—shortstop Peyton Graham—collected a pair of hits and scored a run. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Rozek Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Yoyner Fajardo PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-0, 2 BB #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-5, 3 K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #14 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-5 K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (12:05 PM) - RHP Randy Dobnak Arkansas @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - RHP Travis Adams Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo Fort Myers @ Lakeland (12:00 PM) - TBD\ View full article

The only way to beat the Dodgers: have their old players on your team. Image courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Bailey Ober: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (102 pitches, 65 strikes) Home Run: Kyle Farmer (3) Top 3 WPA: Bailey Ober (.259), Jovani Moran (.165), Kyle Farmer (.135) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Even the gruffest amongst us could not fault him if he did it. Clayton Kershaw lost his mother on Saturday. Suffering a painful Mother’s Day and coming to terms with life without one his most crucial supporters, Kershaw insisted on making his scheduled start, hopefully using baseball as the emotional crutch so many others before have done. Heartless—and cruel—the Twins allowed no time for grievance: a leadoff double by Donovan Solano begat a Kyle Farmer single beyond the infield, plating a rare early run off the future Hall-of-Famer. And so the game stayed during its first act. Bailey Ober found similar challenges in his time on the mound—hits, general chicanery—while his command swayed in the gentle California breeze. Perhaps fortune or gumption aided him, but in any case, Ober was able to avoid the damaging blow Minnesota earned against their opponent. It wasn’t from a lack of trying by the Dodgers: they placed two runners on in the opening frame before flailing meekly to end the inning. Things got crazier in the 4th, however; Max Muncy attempted to swipe home on a double steal; a wise Solano anticipated his move and promptly threw him out by many feet. The Dodgers likely felt the need to press because the Twins again jumped on Kershaw. A walk and two singles added a second run to Minnesota’s total, with Willi Castro providing the clutch hit on a slicing single into left. Underpinning all the offense was a truly bizarre inability by Austin Barnes to throw the baseball to second base. The catcher has struggled with baserunners all season, and—despite their stagnant nature—the Twins pushed firmly on that pressure point at all times, leading to four total steals and a disengagement violation when Kershaw tried to save his backstop from embarrassment in the 4th. The opportunity for small-ball shenanigans was great, and Minnesota embraced it fully in the 5th, earning a run off a walk, steal, groundout, hit by pitch, and safety squeeze bunt. And Ober held up his end of the bargain. A shaky opening to his start gave way to solid, effective, normal Bailey Ober proceedings; the big right-hander ended his night after six innings with one earned run to his name and more than a few warning track threats. The Twins could avoid it no longer, though, and the game shifted to a battle between the bullpens. Both exhausted after a nightmare game on Monday, the onerous was on Minnesota to defend the lead, placing their relief arms in a much more precarious position. Brock Stewart was the first hero, and he could only muster two outs after his 28 pitches last night. Jovani Moran then stepped up the mound, immediately walked Freddie Freeman on four pitches, and coaxed a soft fly out from Chris Taylor on the only strike he threw in the inning. The Twins needed six more outs. Yet, somehow, as if the forces surrounding the game joined together in one miraculous effort, Moran made it through a clean 8th inning, eliciting three outs with relative ease. And the same forces grew from a quiet grin to a shining smile in the 9th, observing the Twins’ lost work from the previous night and realizing that a correction was in order: Farmer extended the lead with a relieving two-run shot just above the outfield wall. Dodgers fans left their seats in frustration. It finally ended. Minnesota’s 18-year drought of winning at Dodgers’ stadium, Clayton Kershaw’s nearly two-year grip on winning on his home turf, and whatever demons have cursed Griffin Jax in 2023 all came to an end. Post-Game Interview What’s Next? The Twins and Dodgers will partake in a day game on Wednesday as Sonny Gray will face off opposite Dustin May. The game starts at 2:10 PM central time. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Insanity has not yet set in, but it may be close. Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Sonny Gray: 5 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Griffin Jax (-.356), Carlos Correa (-.217), Joey Gallo (-.091) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Sonny Gray had his sinker; the Cubs had no chance. Armed with his plethora of offerings and deliveries, Sonny Gray was in pristine form, stealing strikes with breakers while catching the zone with late two-seamers. Thus is Sonny’s magic. Moving, dancing in his unique fashion, Gray carried his early-season success through Friday’s action—and the Cubs felt the full impact of his mastery. The opening plate appearance defined his start; Christopher Morel whiffed on two straight bending pitches before stoically observing enough balls to work a full count. Fully anticipating an off-speed pitch, Morel stared with grief at Gray’s back-door sinker, finally understanding what makes Gray so difficult to hit. 16 outs later, and all the Cubs could claim was one earned run, with nine strikeouts coming as the piece of doing business. Drew Smyly—left-handed, harnessing far fewer selections than Gray—was also effective—but not dominant. His defense didn’t help. Kyle Farmer rocketed an infield single off Morel’s glove, then Willi Castro shot a double down the left-field line. With a squirrelly grounder to third base, Michael A Taylor was able to coax Farmer home—owing some thanks to Patrick Wisdom and Yan Gomes’ off-set chemistry leading to a dropped ball; Christian Vázquez’s ensuing sacrifice fly extended Minnesota’s score to 2. Smyly delivered enough lethargic curves to carry his outing to the 6th, out-dueling his counterpart who wore down his pitch count with extended strikeouts. So began the great reliever movement, and less exciting: Griffin Jax’s fortune. Jax is a good reliever. He’s probably even a great reliever. But some evil force—some diabolical demon unphased in his cursing of the right-hander—continues to wreck his outings and stomp on Minnesota’s chance of winning. His location does not matter; the beings lording over baseball refuse to allow normality. Tonight was death by sequencing, batted balls; an unassuming grounder by Wisdom slipped through the defense before a smoked Matt Mervis double plated the runner, tying the game. Trey Mancini blooped a single—why not—and Yan Gomes’ line drive single seemed only inevitable. Jorge Alcala warming up assured no one. Minnesota’s offense was in no position to fight back, sputtering and tepid as they have been all season. Their prolonged rest following their 2nd-inning attack continued well after Smyly retired for the night. Even a lead-off walk in the 8th could only result in action deferred as Carlos Correa grounded into a double play to end the frame. So it goes. If there were to be such a thing as irony, it showed up to the stadium in the bottom of the inning: Morel socked a two-run blast off Alcala, extending the Cubs’ lead to three. And so the Twins came to a slithering, broken crash. The offense fell easily once more in the 9th, making everyone forget that this was once a 2-0 lead with MLB’s ERA leader on the mound. Notes: Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? Joe Ryan will take the mound opposite Hayden Wesneski; first pitch is at 1:10 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Unfortunately the good news just about ends there. Image courtesy of Tim Grubbs TRANSACTIONS INF Alex De Gotti activated from Development List RHP Josh Winder optioned from Twins to AAA St. Paul RHP Jorge Alcala recalled by Twins INF Andrew Bechtold placed on temporary inactive list OF Emmanuel Rodriguez activated from 7-day IL OF Kyler Fedko placed on Development List Saints Sentinel St. Paul 10, Nashville 7 Box Score Simeon Woods Richardson: 3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: Chris Williams (2), Andrew Bechtold (3), Kyle Garlick (5), Jair Camargo (2) Multi-hit games: Edouard Julien (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, BB), Kyle Farmer (3-for-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI), Mark Contreras (2-for-5, R) Jair Camargo (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI) The Saints completed their regularly scheduled program on Saturday. Called early due to Mother Nature’s intervention, the Saints and Sounds re-took the field in the bottom of the third, hoping to squeeze in the rest of Friday’s match, and the seven innings constituting Saturday’s battle. That did not happen; the second game experienced the same issues as Friday’s, but they were able to finish what they started in the opening game. The slop evidently fueled St. Paul’s bats—messy and grueling it was, indeed—as they found life in the middle innings, following up a 5th inning three spot with four in the following frame. It was the kind of dynamic offense that would make any baseball fan happy: the Saints racked up walks, steals and extra-base hits in a glorious display capped by Kyle Garlick’s two-run shot in the 6th. They came back to add a cherry-on-top score in the 7th, just for fun. St. Paul’s pitching could also be described as sloppy, though, as each pitcher—each arm desperately hurled into the game to ensure a relatively healthy stable of pitchers—offered two walks in their outing. From Jose Bravo’s admirable three-inning escapade to Patrick Murphy’s game-ending appearance, command was not available. But they found a way to limit damage, and that was enough to allow the Saints to draw victory from the match. Kyle Farmer picked up three hits in the game, including a pair of doubles. Very recent old friend Trevor Megill pitched a scoreless inning for the Sounds. The Saints swiped four bases; Mark Contreras now has seven steals on the season. Sounds pitcher Robert Gasser was the best prospect represented by their squad; he allowed four runs over 3 ⅓ innings while striking out eight. In an unusual event, Andrew Bechtold hit a homer in a game he could not play in, as he was placed on the Development List today while his homer came yesterday. As mentioned earlier, game two was canceled and will be made up in an (alleged) doubleheader on Sunday. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 1, NW Arkansas 5 Box Score Blayne Enlow: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K HR: DaShawn Kiersey Jr. (4) Multi-hit games: Alex Isola (2-for-4) The Wind Surge couldn’t capitalize on an excellent pitching performance on Saturday. Blayne Enlow was masterful, brilliant. When hitters expected the fastball, he delivered them a squirrelly breaker, always finding a way to miss the barrel in his second 6 frame start of the season. He’s apparently jumped on the hype train and added a sweeper to his arsenal, potentially giving him another out-pitch weapon to use against batters. It sure seemed effective tonight. Wichita’s offense was less exciting. Naturals’ lefty Anthony Veneziano ceased any effort to score against him, scattering a smattering of singles across his six impressive innings. Only once did the Wing Surge reach second base against him. But they finally broke free against his teammate. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. sized up his new enemy and found him hittable—the following solo homer was inevitable. Yet, the surge ended as soon as it began, and Wichita scored no more runs while the Naturals ran away with the victory. Luca Tresh—NW Arkansas’ catcher—was their best prospect on Saturday. Ranked 16th in the Royals’ system by MLB.com, Tresh walked and scored in four plate appearances. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 1, South Bend 6 Box Score Jaylen Nowlin: 4 ⅓ IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: Ben Ross (3) Multi-hit games: Kala’i Rosario (2-for-4, 2B) The Kernels offered little fight on Saturday. Almost entirely stymied by the Cubs’ pitching, Cedar Rapids turned in a dreadful hitting performance, earning just six hits and one walk over the 9-inning affair; Ben Ross’ last minute homer saved them from being shut out. Outside a disaster outing by Miguel Rodriguez, the Kernels’ pitchers performed fairly well. Jaylen Nowlin put forth a solid start, allowing a lone earned run over 4 ⅓ innings with five strikeouts and two walks—a free pass total much lower than usual. He also hit three batters, evening out his low walk total. Matt Mullenbach and Charlie Neuweiler did their jobs as well, combining for three frames of work and a single earned run. But Miguel Rodriguez’s outing… did not go well. He allowed five straight singles before eliciting a fly out and leaving the game via stage right. Better things will be on the horizon. Emmanuel Rodriguez made his return from the IL on Saturday; he walked and struck out twice. Cedar Rapids’ defense turned three double plays; they also allowed six stolen bases. No player from MLB.com’s top 30 prospect list for the Cubs played in Saturday’s game. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 2, Dunedin 3 (5 innings) Box Score C.J. Culpepper: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Alec Sayre (2) Multi-hit games: Carlos Aguiar (2-for-2) The Mighty Mussels lost a quick game on Saturday. Called following the 5th for rain, the match wasn’t much of an offensive display for Fort Myers, as—outside of Carlo Agiuar’s two hits and Alec Sayre’s homer—the Mighty Mussels earned one knock and three free bases from a walk and two hit by pitches. C.J. Culpepper was mostly effective, but a flurry of singles in the 3rd flipped Fort Myers’ lead and stuck him with a tough loss he couldn’t recover from. He does technically earn the complete game for his work, re-emphasizing Monty Python’s message to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. Fort Myers found the time to steal two bases on Saturday. Dunedin’s shortstop, Adrian Pinto, was their best prospect in the game according to MLB.com; he singled and scored in three at-bats. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Blayne Enlow Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kyle Farmer PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-4, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, 2 K #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 2-4, 2B, 2 R, BB, K #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 3B, K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Nashville @ St. Paul (12:07 PM) - RHP Aaron Sanchez Nashville @ St. Paul (30 minutes following game one) - TBD Wichita @ NW Arkansas (2:05 PM) - RHP David Festa Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (1:05 PM) - RHP Kyle Jones Dunedin @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM) - RHP Tomas Cleto View full article

Sometimes all you need is one knock. Image courtesy of © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Bailey Ober: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K Home Run: Max Kepler (4) Top 3 WPA: Bailey Ober (.427), Max Kepler (.226), Jhoan Duran (.087) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) If you successfully navigated the complex superhighway of streaming services, or perhaps sheepishly asked one of your younger, hipper relatives to assist you in the journey, then the Twins vs Guardians on Apple TV+ awaited you as your award. Well-protected and shielded by valuable paywall, the resulting content, the 18-14 Twins—led by Bailey Ober—taking on the 14-17 Guardians—led by Peyton Battenfield—proved a surprisingly wise selection. It was a pitcher’s duel, nearly completely barren of offensive ability for the first five frames as Ober and Battenfield served zeroes. A 4th-inning Josh Naylor double was the only hit for awhile; Battenfield’s no-hitter bid reached the 6th. Ober’s success was not altogether shocking, but for Battenfield—a rookie making his 4th career start—the outing was magnificent. His cutter deftly alluded Minnesota’s bats, leading to whiffs and weak contact as the Twins could not understand Battenfield’s movement; many batters walked back to the dugout in confusion. But fortune changed quickly. After Christian Vázquez singled to break Battenfield’s perfect game, Max Kepler worked a full count, sat on one of those aforementioned cutters, and blasted the pitch 440 feet out to right field, suddenly catapulting the Twins ahead with a 2-0 advantage. This author’s loud father would like the people of Twins Daily to know that he predicted the homer. He was insufferable. With renewed vigor, and a lead for once, Ober continued his mission to mow down the Guardians. José Ramírez singled to apply some pressure, but two straight outs neutered his hit. With Ramírez on second, Oscar Gonzalez shot a grounder off the plate, sending a high, lazy fly ball to the pitcher’s mound; Ober needed to make a play. He did, catching the ball and firing to Donovan Solano off his back foot with not enough juice to catch Gonzalez. Ramírez—sensing an opportunity—scrambled home to try and score Cleveland’s first run, but Solano—quick-witted and aware—fired a throw to Vázquez, and nailed the runner at the plate. And so Ober’s night came to a close. The results were astounding: 7 innings, 3 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 walks, and 6 strikeouts constituted one of the finest starts of his career; Minnesota will need more of that going forward as they look to patch their rotation following two critical injuries. Jorge López worked a breezy 8th inning to set up Jhoan Duran in the 9th. With maybe a desire for some drama, or because of elusive command, Duran kept the game interesting. A lead-off walk of Steven Kwan sunk the pit in Twins’ fans stomachs deeper; a blown lead felt inevitable. But Duran disagreed, and three unceasing outs capped by a strikeout of Josh Naylor ended the game in favor of the Twins. Notes: Bailey Ober's seven-inning start was the second-longest of his career. Max Kepler has now hit 15 homers at Progressive Field—the most non-Target Field total of his career. Jhoan Duran's seven saves ties him for sixth in MLB. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? Sonny Gray will face off against Logan Allen (the new one) in game two of the series; first pitch is at 5:10 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

With hitters and starters covered, come read about the relief arms that crushed the month of April. Image courtesy of William Parmeter Relief pitching in the minors is weird. Not only are pitchers often shuffled between the rotation and bullpen, leaving the designation of titles obsolete and confusing, but their broad lack of command can lead to bizarre peripherals and misleading ERAs. It is far from uncommon to see a relief outing with three or more walks. Knowing this, let us cut through the fray, hopefully striking at a few names that rose from the control muck and grime, making themselves undeniable in their excellence. But first, a few honorable mentions: RHP Juan Mendez I really wanted to put Mendez on the list given his respectable peripherals, but there's something about the crudeness of a 6.35 ERA that turned me off from doing that. Still, he struck out 32.7% of hitters he faced; a commendable achievement. RHP Brock Stewart Now a Twin, Stewart smoked AAA with a 48.6% (yes a 48.6%) strikeout rate. His most recent MLB outing was shaky, but he could potentially contribute to the team as they look to settle their middle relief situation. LHP Gabriel Yanez 41.9 K-BB%. Who cares about ERA? RHP Jackson Hicks Hicks' low innings total—just 7 1/3 frames—kept him off the list, but he was tremendous by every other metric. Get him some playing time! 5. RHP Connor Sadzeck - AAA St. Paul Saints, 12 2/3 IP, 25.5 K%, 3.55 ERA, 3.44 FIP It’s been a long and winding road for Sadzeck. The member of six separate franchises, Sadzeck owns 36 career MLB innings, often finding injuries halting his effort to hone his craft. He re-entered the minors cycle after signing with Minnesota in the 11th hour on a minor league deal—this time finding himself in St. Paul. The early returns have been excellent. Often used as a two-inning stopper, Sadzeck has only allowed more than one earned run once, cultivating a respectable 3.55 ERA with a 25.5 % strikeout rate. With the unpredictability surrounding relievers and pitching injuries, Sadzeck could join the Twins at some time this season in another effort to prove himself to MLB teams. 4. RHP Ben Ethridge - A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, 10 IP, 27.5 K%, 0.90 ERA, 3.17 FIP Hot out of Southern Mississippi, the college where Brian Dozier set hitting records and Matt Wallner broke them, Ben Ethridge fits perfectly in the mold Minnesota prefers from their pitchers: command wizards with a potential for more. He slid into the Fort Myers bullpen to start 2023, potentially in order to better utilize his classic fastball/slider combo to its full effect. The results—a miniscule ERA with plenty of strikeouts; perhaps more walks than expected—have landed him here on this list. Certainly, the height of his career, this must be. He'll likely earn a promotion to Cedar Rapids soon if he continues to pitch like this. 3. LHP Kody Funderburk - AA/AAA Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints, 10 2/3 IP, 31.9 K%, 0.84 ERA, 3.10 FIP You cannot do it. Search your mind for days; interrogate Baseball Reference until it sputters and whines; stare at your screen until your eyes bleed red and your brain loses thought and ambition: you will not find a better name in the Twins’ system. A 15th round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft out Dallas Baptist University—the alma mater of Ben Zobrist and Lew Ford—Funderburk has trickled upwards through the years, finally receiving a promotion to AAA in April after spending parts of three seasons at AA. His April was nearly flawless; an outing on the 14th stood as the only run-allowing appearance of the month. The walks were a little high, holding Funderburk back from a better placement on this esteemed list. 2. LHP Zach Veen - A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, 10 IP, 26.3 K%, 1.80 ERA, 2.17 FIP Not to be confused with the “h” deficient Zac Veen drafted by the Rockies in the first round in 2020, Veen joined the Twins in 2022 from Point Loma Nazarene University (they’ve had two major leaguers in their history, don’t laugh), and is beginning to break out in 2023. With just one walk and as many strikeouts as innings pitched (10), Veen’s peripherals support the story his ERA tells: he’s been difficult to score against. Veen is in a similar boat as Ethridge, making him a possible fast-moving short-stint arm capable of impacting the major league roster if he continues his efficient ways. 1. RHP Regi Grace - A+ Cedar Rapids Kernels, 11 1/3 IP, 36.6 K%, 0.79 ERA, 2.40 FIP This was not a difficult choice. Grace was so dominant—better than any other choice—that deciding to place him first took seconds, not minutes. Pick a stat; Grace likely crushed it. He allowed just one earned run in April, striking out 36.6% of batters over his 11 1/3 frames of work; a single April 20th outing proved to be the lone stain on his resume. He suffered from a few streaks of wildness as some hit by pitches cloud an otherwise passable walk rate, The start likely comes as a great relief for Grace, who earned a 4.47 ERA across a trio of levels in 2022. Improved command—about a 3% drop in walks from the season prior—appears to be the positive force working in his favor. Maybe the fifth season in the system will prove to be the best for Grace. What are your thoughts on our choices for the top performing relievers in the Minnesota Twins organization in April? Congratulations to right-hander Regi Grace, this month's top reliever in the Twins farm system. View full article

Plus a solid start from Randy Dobnak and a massive performance from Yunior Severino. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Yunior Severino) TRANSACTIONS LHP Brent Headrick optioned to AAA St. Paul RHP Bailey Ober recalled by Twins Saints Sentinel St. Paul 1, Rochester 2 Box Score Randy Dobnak: 4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Andrew Stevenson (2-for-4, R), Elliot Soto (2-for-4) St. Paul lost on a walk-off on Saturday. It was a night of restrained offense and missed opportunities, where pitchers of all kinds found the sweet waters of fortune; at least, most of them did. Saints starter Randy Dobnak worked four efficient frames, allowing a lone run off a homer while striking out one. Most notably for Dobnak, he avoided the dreaded walk, surrendering no free bases during his time on the mound. St. Paul's offense could not support their arms, however, but their efforts were not entirely futile, weak. In every inning but one, they placed a runner on base, often finding multiple baserunners crawling around the infield: they just only brought one of them home. That run came when Ryan LaMarre smacked a double in the 8th inning, momentarily tying the game. But the effort was greeted with evil finality; Kevin Plawecki homered off of Jorge Alcala the following inning to end the game, handing the Saints a loss for their work. The Rochester Red Wings are a Who’s Who of Some Guys, boasting a roster of players like Matt Adams, Nomar Mazara, Chad Pinder, and old friend Ildemaro Vargas. Their best prospect—Jake Alu, the 27th ranked prospect, according to MLB.com—went hitless in four at-bats. Alex Kirilloff did not play on Saturday. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 10, Springfield 16 Box Score Carlos Luna: 3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K HR: Pat Winkel (1), Yunior Severino (6) Multi-hit games: Brooks Lee (2-for-5, BB), DaShawn Keirsey Jr. (2-for-6, 2 R), Jake Rucker (2-for-6, 2 R), Yunior Severino (4-for-6, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI), Seth Gray (3-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB), Will Holland (2-for-5, RBI) The Wind Surge lost an offensive bonanza on Saturday. With bats refusing to cease, sparking action and inspiring defensive conditioning, the two teams combined for 36 hits—somehow finding the most success with singles, as neither squad exceeded three extra-base hits in the match. Only one Wichita pitcher escaped the carnage without damage to their ERA; Osiris German stood alone amongst starters and relievers alike leaving the mound with hanged head and sorrow moods; two earned runs proved to be the lowest total allowed by any non-German hurler. The Wind Surge pitching staff has now given up 46 runs over their past four games. Yunior Severino commanded the charge offensively, cracking his sixth homer of the season on his way toward four hits, four RBIs, and two runs scored. He easily earned the title of “Hitter of the Day.” But others impressed as well, as every starting batter earned a hit, and every hitter outside of Yoyner Fajardo reached base safely at least twice. Extra credit goes to Patrick Winkel, who smoked a 114 MPH screamer for his first homer of the season. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. stole his eighth base of the season; only one player in the Texas League has swiped more bags. 34 more steals ties his total from 2022. The typically strong Cardinals system lacks an overwhelming supply of talent at AA, but Mike Antico holds the title of their 22nd best prospect: he collected two singles, stole two bases, and scored twice. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 0, West Michigan 4 Box Score Pierson Ohl: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Jose Salas (2-for-4) The Kernels lost quietly on Saturday. Lacking the pitching acumen of the Saints and the offensive display of the Wind Surge, the Kernels just kind of slid into defeat, almost never threatening Western Michigan’s lead and losing by, not a major margin, but enough to accurately reflect the quality of each team on Saturday. Pierson Ohl was fine, acceptable. He tossed four innings with two earned runs as some 2nd inning wildness killed his efficiency, stopping him from reaching the critical fifth frame. While John Wilson handed in two shutout innings, Malik Barrington and Matt Mullenbach surrendered a run each, putting the game well out of reach late. Outside of an 8th inning rally soiled by a double play, and a 9th inning spark knocked dead in its shoes, Cedar Rapids’ offense never threatened, offering four singles in support of their bats—two from Jose Salas. They did take six walks—a legitimate sign of good strike zone control—but the batted ball gods saw no need to bless their bats, and the Kernels fell silent when they could not take advantage of an error that loaded the bases in the 9th. Izaac Pacheco is the 12th-ranked prospect in the Tigers system, and he proved his worth, singling in a run in the 1st inning. Jose Salas stole his sixth base of the season. Mussel Matters Lightning ended Fort Myers’ match before it could begin and the game will be made up at a later date. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy Dobnak Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Yunior Severino PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-5, BB #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, SB #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, 2 BB #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4 #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 3 K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Rochester (1:05 PM) - RHP Aaron Sanchez Springfield @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - RHP Blayne Enlow Western Michigan @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin Fort Myers @ Daytona (4:00 PM) - RHP C.J. Culpepper View full article

Life is a little more fun with dramatic heroics. Image courtesy of William Parmeter TRANSACTIONS C David Bañuelos transferred from AAA St. Paul to AA Wichita Saints Sentinel St. Paul 11, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 6 Box Score Louie Varland: 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 8 K HR: Ryan LaMarre (2), Hernán Pérez (3) Multi-hit games: None The Saints overcame a 4-0 deficit to easily win on Saturday. A week and a day after starting against the Yankees, Louie Varland faced their Triple-A team—and performed a little worse. He still struck out eight, but was also touched for five runs as a 4th inning hit parade soiled his afternoon. Statcast clocked one of his fastballs at 98.7 MPH. Fortunately for Varland, his bats ensured that he would not leave with a loss on his ledger. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s pitchers were wild all day, handing out walks like Costco samples, and the Saints exploited the free runners with glee. The 4th frame was their masterpiece, as—working with just a trio of extra-base hits—they scraped together a five-spot, surging ahead of the RailRiders with one effective attack. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre tied the game quickly, but St. Paul piled on with three more two-run innings, eventually totaling 11 runs on the game—more than enough to best a RailRiders lineup stifled by the Saints’ bullpen. Jordan Balzovic was amongst the relief crew; he earned a 1-2-3 inning and lowered his season ERA to 1.59. It was a strange offensive day, as six of St. Paul’s seven hits went for extra bases and no player earned multiple hits. They also walked more than they struck out. Elijah Dunham was the best prospect for the RailRiders on Saturday. The 18th-ranked player in the Yankees farm system, Dunham doubled twice and walked while playing center field. Alex Kirilloff did not play in Saturday’s game and neither did Josh Winder, whose last appearance came on April 19th. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 4, Tulsa 3 Box Score Chad Donato: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Will Holland (1), Jake Rucker (3) Multi-hit games: Jake Rucker (2-for-4, HR, R, RBI), Yunior Severino (2-for-4, R), DaShawn Kiersey Jr. (2-for-4, R), Will Holland (2-for-4, HR, R, RBI) Wichita scrapped by their opponents on Saturday. Chad Donato set the tone, working four quality innings—and recovering well after allowing a home run on the first pitch of his night. His only other blemish came via another homer in the 3rd inning. Wichita’s bats had their hands full with Emmet Sheehan on the mound. The tall righty worked four frames as well, striking out eight batters to double his counterpart; his earned run total was half, as well. But fortunately, Sheehan burned out early, and the Drillers defense handed the Wind Surge plenty of chances to make up the difference. Will Holland’s solo homer in the 2nd was no fluke, but when he grounded a ball to Tulsa third baseman Brandon Lewis and came up safe with Yunior Severino scoring, it was apparent that fortune was on his side. Brooks Lee’s strikeout-to-reach-base-to-score-another-run—somehow not the only one in the system on Friday—gave Wichita their first lead of the ballgame. The Drillers added another homer to their collection in the bottom of the innings, but all they did was set up the grand finale: a dramatic Jake Rucker 9th inning shot to hand Wichita a slim 4-3 advantage. They held on. With outstanding relief pitching allowing just one run over five frames, the Wind Surge claimed victory over the Drillers, giving them their seventh win of the year. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 1, Beloit 7 Box Score Orlando Rodriguez: 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Jeferson Morales (2-for-3, R), Ernie Yake (2-for-3, 2B) The Kernels lost a decisive game on Saturday. With much of the action limited to two innings—particularly brutal 4th and 5th frames for the Kernels—this was a classic quick event; the entire game lasted less than two hours. Beloit starter Luis Palacios controlled Cedar Rapids’ offense, allowing just three singles while punching out six over seven strong innings. His win was well-deserved. The Kernels as a whole pitched better than their line suggests, only running into trouble when a Jose Salas error broke the dam in the 4th, plating the first of four runs that eventually drowned Cedar Rapids’ chance of winning. Iowa native Matt Mullenbach proved the most effective hurler of the day; he pitched a pair of scoreless frames with two strikeouts for his troubles. Charlie Neuweiler claimed an empty inning as well. Cedar Rapids’ bats were ineffective—tepid, if one were being mean. Outside of a strong back-end showing by Jeferson Morales and Ernie Yake, the lineup produced enough “1s” and “0s” to be mistaken as binary. Their lone run came in the 8th when Kala’i Rosario grounded out to plate Morales. The Sky Carp are led by Jacob Berry—a third baseman and the Marlins’ 2nd-best prospect according to MLB.com. He was drafted two spots before the Twins picked Brooks Lee. He singled and scored in four trips to the plate. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 9, Jupiter 7 Box Score Zebby Matthews: 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Carlos Aguiar (3), Dalton Shuffield (2) Multi-hit games: Dalton Shuffield (2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI) Fort Myers won on a walk-off on Saturday. The Mighty Mussels struck first, handing starter Zebby Matthews an early 3-0 lead off of four 3rd inning walks and a double; Andrew Cossetti added a sacrifice fly for good measure. They went on to walk nine times in the game. For Matthews—already cruising early, extending his scoreless streak to 13 frames—the runs seemed all he needed to carry the win. Jupiter did score in the 4th, finally snapping his record, but it appeared that Fort Myers was in good shape to hold their advantage. What they didn’t predict, though, was a four-run 5th, with a lead-off triple and back-breaking three-run homer that flipped a solid-looking lead the other way; Jupiter now commanded a two-run hold. And the Mighty Mussels were up to the challenge. Again forcing starter Jacob Miller to be his own enemy, Fort Myers hitters walked three times in the 5th, forcing a fresh arm to relieve the ineffective Miller from his post. With a new arm to target, Carlos Aguiar took aim and deposited a ball beyond the fence, handing his team a new one-run lead. It lasted half an inning. Although, this time there was no response; both teams settled into an extended siege. The tie broke in the 10th, as Jupiter plated their Manfred Man and placed pressure onto the Mighty Mussels to force an ultimatum. They did—but not in the way the Hammerheads wanted, nor in any way that could have been predicted. A wild pitch advanced Danny De Andrade—already gifted second base—to third with one out. As Aguiar struck out swinging, the ball bounded past the catcher’s reach, coaxing De Andrade home as Aguiar scampered to first, somehow eliciting a positive outcome from his actions. With hilarity, Dalton Shuffield swung at the second pitch he saw and blasted a 402 foot walk-off homer to end the game. So it goes. Credit must go to Fort Myers’ bullpen as well: the collection of Gabreil Yanez, Juan Mendez, and Zach Veen worked 5 ⅓ innings with just one earned run. Mendez was especially crucial, firing off 96 MPH darts over his three scoreless frames; he struck out a trio. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Juan Mendez, Fort Myers Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Dalton Shuffield, Fort Myers PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-5, 2 K #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-4, 2B, BB, K #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Minnesota) - 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #9 - Louie Varland (St. Paul) - 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 8 K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-3, R, 2 BB, K #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #20 - Miseal Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4 SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes-Barre @ St. Paul (2:07 PM) - TBD Wichita @ Tulsa (1:05 PM) - RHP Carlos Luna Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (1:05 PM) - RHP Pierson Ohl Jupiter @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM) - RHP Tomas Cleto View full article

Sometimes a few dribblers can be the death of you. Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Tyler Mahle: 6 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K Home Run: Joey Gallo (5) Bottom 3 WPA: Griffin Jax (-.467), Jose Miranda (-.370), Jorge Polanco (-.182) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) “It is snowing in Minneapolis on April 21st.” Bundled in whatever they could find around the house, fans and players alike trudged to the ballpark, eschewing both a Wild and Timberwolves playoff games to stir up the familiar lights of Target Field, this time with Jorge Polanco in the lineup for the first time all season. Tyler Mahle took the mound opposite Trevor Williams. Both veterans of a wily nature, the pitchers offered their low 90s fastballs and assorted mix of breaking balls to hitters who looked like they would rather be elsewhere—not that anyone could blame them. The game danced its usual refrain for the first two frames, exchanging zeroes as each team worked to get a feel on their opponent. Minnesota succeeded first once that movement ended: “when he hits it, it stays hit,” spoke Roy Smalley, unknowingly prophesying the first run of the ballgame. The batter—one Joey Gallo—evidently heard the saying, felt the words in his soul, and he almost immediately belted a screaming line drive that nearly took out an entire section of fans in right field. The ball left his bat at 113 MPH. It was his fifth homer of the season. The Twins felt like scoring a little more, though, as a Ryan Jeffers double—with some help from a poor play by Nationals right fielder Lane Thomas—begat a medium-deep sacrifice fly off the bat of Max Kepler. After just a few pitches, the Twins had a 2-0 lead. And it was all Tyler Mahle needed. The righty attacked the tepid Nationals lineup, coaxing fly balls that died in the crisp evening air while accepting strikeouts as they came. His fastball only occasionally tickled 94, but Washington saw it poorly all the same; they earned just three hits while Mahle stood on the mound. Unfortunately, the last of those hits was a solo homer from Joey Meneses on Mahle’s final pitch of the ballgame. The 6 1/3 innings of work were deeply appreciated by Rocco Baldelli—a manager juggling a bullpen low on gas following a draining Boston series. And thus entered the reliever battle. Caleb Thielbar brought the 7th to a close, allowing Griffin Jax to claim the 8th. The first two outs came easy, but a lethargic grounder found open grass, allowing C.J. Abrams to take second base. With a bit more gusto—a respectable exit velocity—Lane Thomas tied the game on a ground ball beyond two diving infielders. Suddenly, a Keibert Ruiz single gave the Nationals a lead unthinkable if you had watched any of the previous frames. The Twins fell silently against Hunter Harvey in the 8th, striking out thrice against the flowing hard-thrower; Washington was equally weak against Jorge López. At this point—with Gallo’s homer coming seemingly four days ago—Minnesota found themselves in the crucial situation: down a run in the bottom of the 9th. Byron Buxton singled and Trevor Larnach walked; life appeared quickly. Polanco lined out, unfortunately unable to turn his process into a hit, and Jose Miranda stepped up as the potential hero. With a wild Kyle Finnegan on the mound, seemingly vulnerable, Miranda swung at his opening offering, grounding a ball directly at Jeimer Candelario; the ensuing double play was as easy as it looked. With a 2-0 lead on one of the worst teams in MLB, the Twins found a way to extract a loss from their fortunes. Notes: Joey Gallo is slugging .889 on the year. Tyler Mahle lowered his season ERA to 3.32. Griffin Jax is the 6th most valuable reliever in MLB by fWAR, holding a 0.4 mark over 10 outings. Post-Game Interview: Pablo López will take on Chad Kuhl on Saturday; the game starts at 1:10 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Episode two of Matt's variety show focuses on some more eclectic choices. Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports Right on Right Changeups to Judge Quick scenario for you guys: you are Joe Ryan facing Aaron Judge with a 2-2 count. Do you: Throw a slider down and away Throw a high fastball Either pitch should do just fine. In this era of pitching, the dominant strategy has tightened its focus to these two pitches being the go-to for a pitcher in need of a whiff. Plot twist, though: Ryan did neither. Sorry for tricking you like that. That pitch selection—a low splitter, easily Ryan’s third-best offering—intrigued me. Ryan is your prototypical four-seam/sweeper guy—the two pitches you would expect most in a situation against a hulking slugger like Judge. But, rather than select those pitches, Ryan tossed a split and elicited a strikeout from possibly the most dangerous hitter on the planet. If you noticed carefully, the Twins actually threw Judge a lot of changeups—all of them right-on-right—and darn it, I want to talk about it. Since the start of 2022, Judge has seen changeups from righties 9.8% of the time (splitters included; I will be calling them “off-speed” pitches for the rest of this article). During the four-game series against the Twins, Judge saw 40% of off-speed pitches from righties. That’s a big difference, one that seems to point towards a specific plan of attack for the reigning MVP. And it’s weird, at least on the surface. Long the ire of baseball people, same-handed off-speed pitches have a reputation for being ineffective—or, at least, not as effective as other selections. I don’t have any data to conclude whether that’s good thinking generally, but the splits bear out that pitchers generally avoid same-handed off-speed pitches unless theirs happens to be elite. Judge from the start of 2019 has performed terribly against right-handed off-speed offerings: his xwOBA against splitters is .309 and .289 against changeups. His numbers looked better in 2022, but that was true for everything across the board; he set the AL homerun record after all. Did it work? Well, Judge slashed .167/.333/.500, walked 20.0% of the time, and struck out in 33.3% of his plate appearances. Throw all his numbers together and you get a 130 wRC+. The only off-speed pitch he put into play was a pulverised 105 MPH double against Tyler Mahle that was a few points of launch angle away from becoming a souvenir. The call is up to you, but I would say the Twins limited him about as well as any team can expect; the process seemed solid, at any rate, and that’s all you can ask for. Zebby Matthews and The Kitchen Sink If you habitually skip following the minor leagues, then you may not yet know about Zebby Matthews . The Western Carolina product — a school that claims just 10 big-leaguers, and a former winner of Big Brother — has thrown 10 straight scoreless innings across two starts to begin his 2023 season with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. That’s the sort of thing that draws attention, especially in a system now known for elevating under-the-radar college arms. Matthews doesn’t quite fit the bill of the David Festas of the world, though; his velocity is a perfectly healthy 93 MPH on average, but he will legitimately toss six different pitches, making hitters jitter and guess — so far, incorrectly — at the forthcoming pitch. It’s been just two starts, but it appears that he favors his cutter (26.1% usage on April 8th; 20.8% on April 16th) and fills in the cracks with four-seamers and whatever breaking pitch the situation calls for. I think it’s cool that Matthews is succeeding not based on a dominant pitch or two, but with an abundance of selections — not quite Darvish-like — that likely causes a lot of guesswork for the hitters. We shall see how he continues to pitch and whether this approach carries him further through the minors. Nick Gordon’s Discipline Nick Gordon is off to a putrid start. Pick any stat you want to measure it: his slashline is .109/.128/.152; his wRC+ is -31 (yes, negative); and the guy doesn’t even have a stray RBI to make up for it. But, somehow, he’s running a 2.1% walk rate and a 6.4% strikeout rate. 6.4! Nick Gordon! He’s not suddenly Juan Soto, but he has lopped off four points from his O-Swing rate (38.0%, down from 42.4%), while adding five points of Z-Contact (up to 88.7%), making him look the part of a more selective hitter. He’s even swinging and missing at a below-average rate (in a good way). The strikeouts will return, but maybe at a more stomachable level than before. The quality of his contact has dropped completely off the planet, though, as the surprisingly excellent exit velocity master we saw in 2022 has been replaced by Astudillo-ian sluggish hits. We shall see if this is a concerted effort to become a more well-rounded batter — it’s only been 47 plate appearances, after all — but it certainly seems that something is going on in the background. View full article