Matt Braun

The Twins’ minor league teams won more than they lost on Saturday, and most teams did better on offense than the Twins. Of course, that isn’t much of a bar to clear, but I digress. Read all about that and more in this edition of the minor league report. TRANSACTIONS INF Tzu-Wei Lin transferred from 7-day IL to 60-day IL Saints Sentinel St. Paul 3, Omaha 1 Box Score Andrew Albers: 5 ⅔ IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K HR: Drew Maggi (11) Multi-hit games: Tomás Telis (2-for-4, 2 RBI) The Saints took down the Omaha powerhouse on Saturday. Andrew Albers was brilliant in his start. The 35-year-old lefty almost completely shut down an offense powered by some serious prospect talent. I hope that some grateful teammates took him out for a nice steak dinner afterwards. Drew Maggi continued his power surge as he blasted his 11th homer of the year in the 6th inning. The blast gave him a new career high in home runs in any given season over his extensive minor league career. He may end up with the Twins if (when) Andrelton Simmons is traded. The big hit of the night came off the bat of Tomás Telis. His 7th inning single added two extra-crucial runs for the Saints. Jovani Moran threw a pair of scoreless innings with three strikeouts. It’s difficult to imagine a scenario where he is not pitching for the Twins by September at the latest. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 5, Arkansas 4 Box Score Adam Lau: 3 ⅔ IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K HR: Jermaine Palacios (12) Multi-hit games: Roy Morales (2-for-5, R, RBI), Andrew Bechtold (2-for-4), D.J. Burt (2-for-4) Wichita played an absolute dog fight of a game on Saturday. Adam Lau kicked off the game with an impressive start. He was not meant to get many outs, but the ones he got were efficient. It’s hard to criticize a guy who allowed just two baserunners over 11 outs. The offense was there for Wichita early as Roy Morales singled home the first run of the game in the 3rd inning and Jermaine Palacios bashed a three-run homer in the 5th. If Palacios is not the outright most surprising minor leaguer of the year, he’s at least in the conversation. He quietly returned to the Twins after the Rays were unable to work their magic on him. 2021 has been nothing but a rake fest as he came into Saturday with a 120 wRC+. It has been a good year for Palacios. It was looking like Wichita could set the game to cruise control on their way to an easy W, but things did not shake out that way. Some shenanigans in the 7th inning by Arkansas knotted the game and suddenly upped the stakes. The game went into extras where the Wind Surge were able to take advantage of Manfredball an honest runner in scoring position with a sacrifice fly by Aaron Whitefield. Zach Neff and Ryan Mason combined forces to hold the Travelers scoreless in the bottom of the inning, and Wichita was able to walk away with a win. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 10, Beloit 4 Box Score Ben Gross: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K HR: Michael Helman (9), Matt Wallner (6) Multi-hit games: Matt Wallner (3-for-5, HR, 2 R, RBI), Michael Helman (3-for-4, HR, 2B, 4 R, RBI, BB), Kyle Schmidt (3-for-5, R), Gabriel Maciel (3-for-4, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB), Daniel Ozoria (2-for-5, RBI) Something, something, beware the 7th inning, something, something. Ben Gross, was, uhh, gross in his start on Saturday. The righty struck out eight batters over five shutout innings and was generally the man in charge. I mean, how can a pitcher not succeed when he has such an appropriate last name? He proves the theory of nominative determinism. The Kernels supported Gross early as Gabriel Maciel knocked home the first run of the game in the 2nd inning, and Michael Helman added on in the 5th frame with a solo shot. Oh, but did things ever get wacky after that. The Snappers responded in the 7th inning with four runs off a sacrifice fly and a bases-clearing double. Suddenly, the game was tilted four to two in favor of Beloit. The Kernels were having none of it. In the bottom half of the inning, a wild pitch brought the game to within a run. Maciel then doubled home two runs to gain the lead before Edouard Julien doubled home two more runs for posterity sake. Matt Wallner homered in the 8th inning just for giggles (and for scoring, I guess). Daniel Ozoria singled home yet another run, and Julien walked in the tenth (and final) run for good measure. Eight hitters for the Kernels reached base multiple times on Saturday. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 1, Daytona 4 Box Score Orlando Rodriguez: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Yunior Severino (2-for-3, RBI, BB) Fort Myers attempted a tribute to the Twins on Saturday, as they also could not find much offense on the day. Starter Orlando Rodriguez did his job well as he allowed just a pair of earned runs over his five innings of work. He walked three, which is a bit much, but he also struck out seven batters, which is also a bit much. So it evened out in the end. The offense just could not find anything, however. Will Holland and Nick Anderson were both able to work a pair of walks, and Yunior Severino got on base three times. Outside of them, the box score is quite dusty. Aaron Sabato and Misael Urbina both had especially rough games as they combined for seven strikeouts without a hit. You tend not to win many games when your three and four hitters put up lines like that. Matthew Swain and Steven Cruz combined for three shutout innings in relief of Rodriguez. Complex Chronicles FCL Twins 4, FCL Red Sox 7 Box Score Juan Mendez: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K HR: Kala’i Rosario (2) Multi-hit games: None The FCL Twins lost on Saturday, but not without a vicious comeback attempt. The game was even through four as Juan Mendez did his best to support his team on the mound. He would end with the best line of any FCL Twins pitcher on Saturday. A double by what I can only assume is someone’s superhero alter-ego, a man named Blaze Jordan, kicked off a run of, well, runs for the Red Sox. They would plate seven over three innings in what ended up being the dagger. The FCL Twins did not go gentle into that good night. Kala’i Rosario blasted a 9th inning grand slam that, while awesome, was not enough to turn the game around. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ben Gross Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Michael Helman PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Royce Lewis (Rehab) – Out for season (torn ACL) #2 – Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List (elbow strain) #3 – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #4 – Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #5 – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 1-5, R, K #6 – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 0-4 #7 – Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 0-3, 3 K #8 – Josh Winder (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #9 – Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 0-3, BB, 3 K #10 – Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 3-5, HR, 2 R, RBI #11 – Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery) #12 – Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch #13 – Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #14 – Brent Rooker (Minnesota) – 1-4, 3 K #15 – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 0-4, 4 K #16 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 0-1, K #17 – Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – Did not play #18 – Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (foot injury) #19 – Edwar Colina (Rehab) – Injured List (elbow) #20 – Chris Vallimont (Wichita) – Did not pitch SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Daytona @ Fort Myers (10:00 AM) LHP Zarion Sharpe Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM) RHP Cody Laweryson Wichita @ Arkansas (1:10 PM) RHP Jordan Balazovic St. Paul @ Omaha (4:05 PM) RHP Griffin Jax View full article

One of the best prospects in the Twins system showcased his dominance in yet another great performance. Read all about that and more in this edition of the Twins minor league report. TRANSACTIONS C Nick Garland transferred from FCL Twins to Low-A Fort Myers C Charles Mack placed on the temporary inactive list with Low-A Fort Myers. The Twins are allowing him to be with his family, specifically his brother Joe, for the MLB Draft on Sunday night. Joe Mack could go as early as the mid-first round. Saints Sentinel The Saints were rained out on Saturday in Iowa. The game will be made up Sunday as part of a double-header against the Cubs. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 5, NW Arkansas 4 Box Score Jordan Balazovic: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K HR: B.J. Boyd (4), Andrew Bechtold (9) Multi-hit games: B.J. Boyd (2-for-4, HR, R, 4 RBI), Andrew Bechtold (2-for-4, HR, R, RBI) Jordan Balazovic is everything that he has been promised to be. The de-facto top active prospect in the Twins’ system was dominant in yet another start. He completely shut down the NW Arkansas lineup over six masterful innings in which he proved why he is held in such high regard as a prospect. This author specifically was impressed by his consistent ability to miss bats at the top of the strike zone with his fastball. Such a skill is crucial in today’s baseball landscape and Balazovic’s command over the pitch is pristine. Alright, but what about the rest of the team? The Wind Surge were in a 0-0 deadlock for the majority of the game before the levee finally broke in the 8th inning. Wichita loaded the bases for B.J. Boyd who promptly sent everyone home with a blast over the right-centerfield wall. Andrew Bechtold followed up Boyd’s grand slam with a solo shot of his own. Normally, this would be seen as showing off, but the run was actually crucial for Wichita. The Naturals thundered back in the ninth inning off of Alex Phillips with four runs of their own before finally retiring for the night. Had Bechtold been more modest with his 8th inning at-bat, this game may have ended in a completely different fashion. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 8, Peoria 2 Box Score Jon Olsen: 5 ⅔ IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K HR: Max Smith (3) Multi-hit games: Alex Isola (2-for-5, R), Seth Gray (2-for-4, RBI, BB), Max Smith (2-for-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB) It was a late-bloomer of a game for the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Saturday. Jon Olsen made quick work of Peoria’s lineup in the second-longest start of the day by a Twins prospect. His ERA now sits at 3.59 on the season. Most of the fun did not occur until later into the game, though. The Kernels headed into the 5th inning looking at a 2-0 deficit and tied the game with a Wander Javier sacrifice fly and a DaShawn Kiersey groundout. Who says that you need hits to score runs? They were not yet finished scoring as the next inning saw a Gabriel Maciel triple that brought home a run and an Edouard Julien groundout that plated the fourth run of the game. But they were still not done terrorizing Chiefs’ pitchers as Max Smith broke the game open in the 7th inning with a two-run bomb. This came after a run-scoring wild pitch earlier in the inning in what became a five-run lead for Cedar Rapids. BUT THEY WERE STILL NOT DONE as Seth Gray singled home one more run in the 8th frame. Ok, then they were done scoring. Erik Manoah, Jr. tossed 2 1/3 scoreless, one-hit innings in relief of Olsen. He struck out three batters. Jordan Gore struck out three batters in the ninth inning to end the game. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 1, St. Lucie 2 Box Score Bobby Milacki: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Aaron Sabato (2-for-3, BB) The Mighty Mussels lost an odd one on Saturday. Teams often find themselves as the victors when they can limit the other team to just three hits, but that was not the case in this matchup. Bobby Milacki served honorably by allowing two runs over his five innings of work before Osiris German took the game to the finish line. Normally, just two runs would be good enough but Milacki got deGromed. Fort Myers’ offense actually performed pretty well based on the box score. They knocked out seven hits and walked three times. What gives? Well, the "LOBsters" were out in full force as they grounded into two double plays while leaving entirely too many runners on base. Willie Joe Garry Jr. brought in the only run of the game for the Mighty Mussels with his 7th inning double. Aaron Sabato reached base three times in the game. He has not yet flashed the power that the team was expecting when they drafted him in the 1st round in 2020, but his on-base ability has been a pleasant plus. Hopefully he can harness his power soon. Complex Chronicles FCL Twins 3, FCL Red Sox 4 Box Score Elpidio Perez: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Alexander Pena (3-for-4, 2B, R) The FCL Twins lost a heart-breaker on Saturday. Twins starter Elpidio Perez sailed through some rough waters in his start that proved to be too much to navigate through. Juan Mendez and John Wilson were able to right the boat as they combined for four shutout innings in relief of Perez. The Twins bats were dead silent to begin the game but were jolted to life thanks to a Breilin Ramirez double in the 5th inning. Kala’i Rosario added to the fun with a triple in the following inning, and he came around to score a few pitches later as the opposing Red Sox pitcher unleashed a pitch that was too wild to handle. The Red Sox had the last laugh, though, as a clutch 9th inning double severed the tie and lead the Red Sox to victory. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jordan Balazovic Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – B.J. Boyd PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Royce Lewis (Rehab) – Out for season (torn ACL) #2 – Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List (elbow strain) #3 – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K #4 – Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #5 – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – Rained Out #6 – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 0-3, BB, 3 K #7 – Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – Did not play #8 – Josh Winder (St. Paul) – Traveled to Denver for the Futures Game. #9 – Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 2-3, BB, K #10 – Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (hamate bone surgery) #11 – Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery) #12 – Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – 3 1/3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K #13 – Cole Sands (Wichita) – Injured List #14 – Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – Rained Out #15 – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 1-4, 2B, 2 K #16 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 0-3, BB, R #17 – Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 1-3, RBI, 2 K #18 – Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (foot injury) #19 – Edwar Colina (Rehab) – Injured List (elbow) #20 – Chris Vallimont (Wichita) – Did not pitch SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Fort Myers @ St. Lucie (11:10 AM) - RHP Miguel Rodriguez St. Paul @ Iowa (12:08 PM) - RHP Beau Burrows St. Paul @ Iowa (Game Two) - LHP Andrew Albers NW Arkansas @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - LHP Bryan Sammons Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 PM) - LHP Tyler Watson View full article

There was an epidemic of the offensive kind on Saturday. Almost every Twins affiliate caught a nasty case of “no runs” (no constipation jokes please) and hitters were confounded at every turn. Read all about that and more in this edition of the minor league report. TRANSACTIONS None Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Omaha 2 Box Score Charlie Barnes: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K HR: Brent Rooker (14), Drew Maggi (5) Multi-hit games: Willians Astudillo (2-for-4) It was a brief and relatively easy win for the Saints on Saturday. Charlie Barnes Did The Darn Thing and essentially shut down Omaha over seven great innings of work. Barnes has made some noise all season in AAA while the major league rotation has struggled and this start will especially aid his bid for the Twins’ rotation. At this point it seems like it is a matter of “when” and not “if”. On the offensive side of things, Brent Rooker went deep (what else is new?) and Drew Maggi supplied a homer of his own. Rooker now holds an OPS of .920 on the season. Believe it or not, St. Paul actually failed to get a hit with runners in scoring position but if you can hit homers then you are always in scoring position (taps head). Also, for those that find these things interesting, José Miranda played first base in this game. Fans have been even more restless than usual about Miguel Sanó and Miranda may present the team with their best long-term replacement for him. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 1, Springfield 4 Box Score Austin Schulfer: 4 ⅔ IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: Spencer Steer (3) Multi-hit games: Spencer Steer (2-for-3, HR, R, RBI, BB) Spencer Steer has done it again. One would think that a promotion would slow down the blitzkrieg offensive that has been the infielder from Oregon but no, that has not happened. Steer obliterated his third homer since joining the Wind Surge while also adding a single and a walk for good measure. Good lord. Unfortunately, the good news ends there. Austin Schulfer was uncharacteristically shaky, the rest of the lineup went cool, and some other third thing happened. Just three batters not named Spencer Steer were able to land a hit and well, that is not a recipe for success. If there is some sort of positive to find, Alex Phillips and Zach Neff combined to finish the game scoreless in relief of Schulfer. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 1, Quad Cities 6 Box Score Kody Funderburk: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K HR: Michael Helman (7) Multi-hit games: Michael Helman (2-for-4, HR, R, RBI), Edouard Julien (2-for-4) It started out well for Cedar Rapids on Saturday before things came crashing down. All this author can say is that he has had golf outings that played out in a similar fashion. Michael Helman wasted no time by blasting a lead-off homer. Even more impressive was the fact that it came off top prospect Asa Lacy. Lacy quickly settled in, though, and proved why he is considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Yeah, this isn’t Royalsdaily but his start must be touched on. Lacy ended up going six innings with nine strikeouts and just a single earned run. The start was not imitated by Kody Funderburk. He was mowing through the lineup before some trouble in the 5th plated two runs. Normally this would not be too much to worry about but again, Asa Lacy was the other starter. Helman’s partner in crime, Edouard Julien, did what he always does and reached base twice. Really, this should not require its own paragraph because such a thing is expected but here it is anyways. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 0, Bradenton 1 Box Score Louie Varland: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Charles Mack (2-for-4) It was a pretty empty game for the Mighty Mussels on Saturday. Louie Varland pulled a Charles Barnes by also Doing The Darn Thing in an excellent six inning start. Unfortunately, he caught a bad case of deGrom-itis and took the loss in a game where he gave up just a lone run. Tough luck indeed. If there is any consolation prize, he was just placed on the honorable mentions list for Twinsdaily’s latest prospect re-ranking. Silver linings and all that. In total, Fort Myers pitchers on the night struck out 13 batters without issuing a single walk. For those wondering at home, that is quite good. Fort Myers’ offense was blanked on the day. Avant-garde modern paintings have more to look at than their box score on the night. Charles Mack, to his credit, earned a pair of knocks in his effort. Hopefully Sunday will prove to be a more fruitful day than Saturday. Complex Chronicles FCL Twins 4, FCL Red Sox 3 Box Score Donny Breek: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K HR: Emmanuel Rodriguez Multi-hit games: Jesus Feliz (2-for-4, 2B, R), Yonardy Soto (2-for-4, R) It was a close one for the FCL Twins on Saturday. Donny Breek proved to be a false starter as he threw just one inning before Aaron Rozek took over, and did he ever take over. Rozek demoralized hitters to the tune of 11 punchouts over five innings. With great certainty, it can be assumed that the FCL Red Sox hitters celebrated when Rozek finally exited the game. In total, FCL Twins’ pitchers struck out 14 batters. But, there must be an offense as well as a pitching staff. The FCL Twins backed up their pitching with just enough offense. The highly-touted international signing, Emmanuel Rodriguez, blasted his first homer of the season in the 3rd inning. It is great to finally see him play in professional games for the Twins. Wilfri Castro provided the other big hit of the game as he scored two with his 6th inning single. A wild pitch later in the inning would plate the fourth and most crucial run of the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Charlie Barnes Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Michael Helman PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 0-4 #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 2-2, HR, R, RBI #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 0-3, R, BB #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – IL (elbow strain) #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – Did not play #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-4 #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – IL (right elbow strain) #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – IL (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 1-2, 2B, R #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, 3 K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – IL (wrist sprain) #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 1-4 #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 1-3, R, BB, K #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (5:00 PM) - RHP Jon Olsen Bradenton @ Fort Myers (5:00 PM) - RHP Bobby Milacki Omaha @ St. Paul (5:05 PM) - RHP Chandler Shephard Wichita @ Amarillo (6:05 PM) - RHP Jason García View full article

It is once again a great time for the good folks at Twins Daily (and myself) to re-evaluate our prospect lists. The minor league season often surprises just as much as its major-league counterpart and this calls for prospects to rise and fall accordingly. The Twins may be in all sorts of disarray but the farm system continues to breed bountiful harvests. Some of the riper prospects (Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Ryan Jeffers, Nick Gordon, and Ben Rortvedt) are no longer considered eligible for this list, so do not expect to see them anytime over the next few days. With all that being said, this author will reveal our 20-16 rankings along with a handful of honorable mentions who just narrowly missed the cut. Honorable Mentions: Louie Varland Varland turned heads in the off-season when he started to throw absolute heat. He owns a K rate of 37% over 36 ⅓ innings at Fort Myers. Seth Gray Gray was a 4th round pick out of Wright State in the 2019 draft who possesses 60 raw power according to Fangraphs. He has since flipped a successful 2019 campaign into a respectable 112 wRC+ with Cedar Rapids. Jermaine Palacios Palacios was previously a long-time Twins prospect before he was dealt to Tampa Bay for Jake Odorizzi in 2018. The Rays surprisingly did not turn him into a perennial All-Star, and he re-joined the Twins this past offseason. He has a .376 OBP over 210 plate appearances with Wichita. Jovani Moran Moran has been fighting for a shot in the majors for a while now, and his 2021 effort has been impressive so far. Armed with a 70 grade changeup, Moran has dominated AA hitters to the tune of a 1.88 ERA over 28 2/3 innings. Edouard Julien I’ll be blunt here. Julien has been absolutely incredible in 2021. He reached base at a .490 clip with Fort Myers before recently receiving the call to pester pitchers with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Now, onto the list. 20. Chris Vallimont - RHSP Age: 24 ETA: 2023 2021 Stats (A/AA): 34 1/3 IP, 3.41 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 2.64 FIP, 38.2 K%, 9.0 BB% 2021 Ranking: n/a Vallimont was acquired by the Twins almost as an afterthought in the same trade that brought the electric and eclectic Sergio Romo to the franchise. He should no longer be seen in this context. Vallimont has not only performed well since joining the organization, but his background as a modern arm that trains along the Driveline method of thinking reflects a pitcher who is both effective and methodical. Outside of a bad start on the 1st of June, Vallimont has struck out at least six hitters in every start he has made in 2021. He stands to be an arm that never receives the proper attention he deserves for whatever reason. You, the good reader, should not make this mistake. 19. Edwar Colina - RHSP Age: 24 ETA: n/a 2021 Stats: n/a (IL) 2021 Ranking: 16 Moving from one arm to another, it is now time to talk about Colina. He sits in the mid-to-high 90s with the hot stuff before wiping the hitter away with a short but effectively-commanded slider. He may have been able to stick as a starter but the Twins moved him to the bullpen midway through August in 2019. Perhaps that was an anticipatory move as the bullpen at the time was looking shady but questions always persist when talking about whether a pitching prospect can stick as a starter. Colina also already owns the makeup most teams currently covet when it comes to young relievers. It was looking like 2021 would be the year for Colina to truly prove himself after he netted just a single out in his major league debut in 2020 but it has not gone that way so far. A right elbow injury (had surgery to remove bone chips) has sidelined Colina but recent chatter points to him beginning a throwing program soon. At any rate, young arms that can throw hard with command will always hang around and Colina will most certainly carve out some sort of major league role when he is eventually healthy. 18. Alerick Soularie - 2B/OF Age: 21 ETA: 2024 2021 Stats: n/a 2021 Ranking: 18 I suppose it seems appropriate that Soularie stayed put in the ranking considering the fact that he has not yet played a minor league game. This is not because he is in the doghouse but merely a result of a foot injury. Soularie might arguably be the best pure athlete in the Twins system which is what drew the team to draft him in the 2nd round in 2020. His unusual combination of raw power, speed, and on-base ability puts him in a rarified category of prospect that can really break the game. Soularie has played a number of different positions, but it appears that the Twins are interested in him at 2nd base to start with. Whether he fulfills this destiny is yet to be seen but Soularie is undoubtedly talented. 17. Wander Javier - SS Age: 22 ETA: 2022 2021 Stats (A+): .230 BA, .291 OBP, .427 SLG, 92 wRC+ 2021 Ranking: n/a It feels a bit weird to see a 22-year-old on the list and think “man, this guy has been around forever”. Certainly it has been quite the ride for the former top 100 prospect who bottomed out after a poor 2019 season and was left open for the taking in the Rule 5 draft the past two offseasons. He was signed way back in 2015 with the idea that his tools would carry him into becoming a Fernando Tatís Jr.-type of player. Obviously that has not happened yet, but hope is not lost for Javier. 2021 has been somewhat of a resurgence for the 22-year-old. He slashed .260/.324/.510 in the month of June and it is exactly that type of upside that makes Javier impossible to give up on quite yet. 16. Spencer Steer - 2B/3B Age: 23 ETA: 2022 2021 Stats (A+/AA): .273 BA, .406 OBP, .511 SLG, 150 wRC+ 2021 Ranking: n/a One of the defining characteristics of the players around this part of the list has been their “rocket potential”. That is not to say that they go off to aid Elon Musk in their free time but instead that they were previously unranked players who have since shot up the list due to great play in 2021. Steer is no exception. The 3rd round pick in 2019 impressed in his first season in the system but has taken his game to a completely different planet in 2021. He walked more than he struck out with the Kernels while slugging over .500. That is terrifying. That sort of ability is unheard of for a second baseman and would put him in company with players like Justin Turner, Alex Bregman, and José Ramírez for third basemen. I do not need to tell you that those names should excite you immensely. Steer, along with some other names, represents a recent crop of infielders throughout the system who all bring an intriguing and dynamic skill set that could very well translate to major league success. View full article

Depends on who you ask. I have him back in the top 20 but he fell off the map the last few years.

Holy crap! Every team in the system popped off for an absurd amount of runs. Someone was apparently passing around some hitting magic on Saturday because the bats were on fire. Read all about that and more in this edition of the minor league report. TRANSACTIONS None Saints Sentinel St. Paul 8, Iowa 1 Box Score Charlie Barnes: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 7 K HR: Drew Maggi (2), Brent Rooker (10) Multi-hit games: Sherman Johnson (2-for-3, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB), Tomás Telis (3-for-5, 2 R, RBI), Brent Rooker (2-for-4, HR, 2B, R, 4 RBI), Damek Tomscha (2-for-4, RBI), Drew Maggi (3-for-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB) Let us kick off the offensive explosions with the game in St. Paul. Before we get to that, though, we should discuss the start made by Charlie Barnes. There has been some chatter regarding calling up Barnes to replace a certain ineffective starter in the Twins rotation. Barnes did his part to aid the conversation by tossing five shutout innings on Saturday. The four walks are ugly but Barnes possesses the ability to get both righties and lefties out thanks to his ability to command both an effective changeup and a slider. He will likely be in the majors at some point in 2021. Alright, now we can talk about the bats. The Saints wasted no time as Brent Rooker doubled home a run in the first before Damek Tomscha singled home a second run to give Barnes a quick lead to work with. Drew Maggi tacked on another run in the 2nd with his second homer of the season. Things got out of hand pretty quickly in the 4th inning. Sherman Johnson singled, Tomás Telis singled, and Rooker hit a three-run bomb to give St. Paul an immense 8-0 lead. The Saints would end their scoring for the night there but that would not matter. Juan Minaya, Ian Hamilton, and Yennier Cano were able to hold the Cubs in check the rest of the way and the Saints walked away victorious. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 7, Springfield 4 Box Score Jason García: 3 ⅓ IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Ernie De La Trinidad (2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI), B.J. Boyd (2-for-4, 2 R), Aaron Whitefield (3-for-3, 2B, 3 R, RBI, BB) The Wichita Wind Surge won a come-from-behind game on Saturday. Springfield sprung first in the run scoring department. A Luken Baker double in the 3rd broke the ice before an Aaron Antonini homer in the following inning doubled the lead to two. Springfield then nearly scored again in the 6th but Yeltsin Encarnacion had other plans: But this is the Wind Surge offense we are talking about here. Two runs is nothing. Ernie De La Trinidad made sure that the Cardinals lead was to be short lived as he plated two runs with a single in the 5th inning. Encarnacion would end the stalemate with a 7th inning double before De La Trinidad doubled him home. Oh, did you think that was all? Nope, that is not how Wichita does things (I have never been to Wichita so I cannot confirm this statement). Aaron Whitefield and Encarnacion knocked in two more runners in the following inning and those seven Wind Surge runs would prove to be more than enough. While Jason García was unable to go deep into the game, the triumvirate of Calvin Faucher, Zach Neff, and Jovani Moran combined to fulfill the deed. In a shocking turn of events, Moran actually gave up a pair of runs which pushed his season ERA all the way to… 1.37? 1.37?!?! That is ridiculous. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 10, South Bend 2 Box Score Cody Laweryson: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K HR: Jair Camargo 2 (6, 7), Spencer Steer (10) Multi-hit games: Seth Gray (2-for-4, R, RBI, BB), Jair Camargo (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI), Gabriel Maciel (2-for-4, 3B, R, 2 RBI) I do not advertise myself as a baseball expert but I can say with a good deal of certainty that hitting three home runs will take you a good way towards winning a baseball game. Hot take, I know. Cedar Rapids took the first lead thanks to a Jair Camargo homer. This is what screenwriters would call “foreshadowing”. The Cubs would actually momentarily take the lead after some runs in the 3rd and the 4th but this would not be nearly enough to stop the Kernels’ leviathan offense. The next six instances of a run being scored in this game would occur thanks to a Cedar Rapids player instigating the fact. This gets pretty fun. Seth Gray and Wander Javier singled home some runners in the 6th but Camargo once again brought the lumber and blasted his second homer of the game. Spencer Steer homered for the 10th time of the season, Gabriel Maciel singled home another run, and a Gray groundout followed by some fielding shenanigans plated the final handful of runs for the Kernels. Were they needed? Of course not. Was it fun to do? Absolutely. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 10, Lakeland 4 Box Score Bobby Milacki: 4 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K HR: Will Holland (2) Multi-hit games: Jefferson Morales (2-for-5, 2 2B, R, BB), Edouard Julien (2-for-3, 3 R, BB), Charles Mack (2-for-4, R, RBI, BB), Will Holland (2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 5 RBI), Willie Joe Garry Jr. (2-for-5, RBI) Last week I apparently wrote that the Mighty Mussels were involved in an offensive struggle. Such a statement would not accurately apply to the game played this Saturday. Fort Myers actually only ended up scoring in three separate innings but they made sure that those innings were absolute backbreakers. A 1-2-3 punch of Yunior Severino, Will Holland, and Willie Joe Garry Jr. plated four runs in the 3rd. This would just be a warning shot, however. Lakeland would add another run but to no avail. Misael Urbina and Charles Mack both knocked in runs in the bottom of the 4th to make sure that it would be a “1 step forward 2 steps back” situation for Lakeland. Then, the kicker. With the bases loaded in the 6th inning, Holland stepped up to the plate and bashed a monstrous grand slam to put the game away. Holland would end the game with an impressive five runs batted in. The underrated Edouard Julien proved to be the main catalyst for the offense. He did not knock in any runs but he set the table for the guys behind him and he personally crossed home plate three times. His season OBP was already nearing .500 before the game and his effort tonight will only serve to push that ridiculous number even higher. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Charlie Barnes Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jair Camargo PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – Did not play #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-3, BB, K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 0-4, K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – IL (concussion) #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-2, R, 3 BB, K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – IL (right elbow strain) #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – IL (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) – Did not play #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 2-4, HR, 2B, R, 4 RBI #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – IL (wrist sprain) #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 1-2, R, RBI, 2 BB #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 1-5, K #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lakeland @ Fort Myers (10:00 AM) - RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long Springfield @ Wichita (12:05 PM) - RHP Jordan Balazovic South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM) - RHP Tyler Beck Iowa @ St. Paul (1:05 PM) - RHP Griffin Jax View full article

Byron Buxton and Luis Arraez both continued their rehab assignments as the teams in the Twins’ system took care of business on Saturday. Read all about it and more in this edition of the minor league report. TRANSACTIONS None Saints Sentinel St. Paul 9, Omaha, 5 Box Score Andrew Albers: 5 ⅓ IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K HR: Tomás Telis (4) Multi-hit games: Tomás Telis (3-for-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI) Omaha had been a juggernaut squad coming into Saturday but evidently no one told the Saints. St. Paul kicked off the scoring quickly thanks to a J.T. Riddle double in the 1st that plated two. Tomás Telis then provided the next three runs off of a 3rd inning single and a 5th inning two-run bomb. Omaha made it a game with some shenanigans in the 6th that brought them within a run but some minor defensive errors in the bottom half of the inning gave St. Paul a comfortable lead again. Oh, and Byron Buxton absolutely clobbered a two-run double. Ian Hamilton continued to be an absolute menace to hitters as he threw 1 ⅔ shutout innings with three punchies. It seems inevitable at this point that he will join the Twins at some point in 2021. Buxton in total went 1-4 with a double, two runs, two RBIs, and a walk. Luis Arraez went 1-4 with a single, two runs, an RBI, and a walk. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 4, Tulsa 2 Box Score Austin Schulfer: 4 ⅔ IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K HR: Peter Monney (2) Multi-hit games: None It was a close game between the Wind Surge and the Drillers but the ways both teams reached their run totals were completely different. The Drillers took a 2-0 lead thanks to runs in back-to-back innings starting with a 4th inning double and concluding with a 5th inning single. Two runs is typically nothing to be impressed by but the Wichita bats were stifled for most of the night. In fact, The Wind Surge were no-hit until Ernie De La Trinidad dropped a single in the 7th inning. That would not be the only hit of the inning. Aaron Whitefield found green with the bases loaded and knotted the game at two. The recently written about Jovani Moran pitched two easy shutout innings in relief of Shulfer and punched out four in his effort. His season ERA is now down to a blasphemous 0.77. The game marched on to extra-innings and the Wind Surge were able to score a run thanks to some Manfredball a well-earned grounder and a sacrifice fly by Whitefield. Although, they were apparently unimpressed with scoring solely through that manner so Peter Mooney launched a solo shot to give them a second, more legitimate extra-innings run. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 5, Beloit 1 Box Score Ben Gross: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K HR: Wander Javier (4) Multi-hit games: Seth Gray (3-for-4, R), Wander Javier (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI), Trey Cabbage (2-for-5, R, RBI), Alex Isola (2-for-4, RBI), Michael Helman (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) Is it a good thing when your 2-6 hitters all have multi-hit games? I’m asking for a friend. It was a 0-0 stalemate for three innings before the Kernels reached their tipping point and decided to try this “scoring runs” thing. I don’t know, it might be just a fad. Trey Cabbage singled home Wander Javier before Michael Helman singled home Cabbage in return. But the scoring was not over yet. Javier continued his streak of destruction with a two-run homer in the 5th that gave Cedar Rapids a 4-0 lead. There has been much said about Javier’s status as a prospect but it certainly seems as if he has figured out something recently. Or, at the very least, he has selectively chosen to destroy the ball on the day this writer covers the minors. Why limit all the talk to the batters, though? Ben Gross saw more traffic than I-5 in Los Angeles during the day as he allowed seven baserunners over his four innings of work. Still, he was able to stop any runners from crossing the plate. The trifecta of Jordan Gore, Zach Featherstone, and Melvi Acosta allowed just one run over the final five innings of the game. One more win and the Kernels will reach .500. I’ll let the Kernels’ Twitter account describe where they are as a team. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 1, Jupiter 0 Box Score Brent Headrick: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None It was the definition of an offensive struggle for both Fort Myers and Jupiter on Saturday. Miracle starter Brent Headrick dropped the metaphorical hammer on Jupiter all night. The lefty struck out eight hitters over his five innings of work while holding a clean WHIP of just 1.00. That is what we in the business like to refer to as a “good start” (note: I am in no business where this is true but I thought it sounded snazzy so). After Headrick, Osiris German and Denny Bentley combined for four shutout innings of their own to keep the Hammerheads bats at bay. In total, Fort Myers pitchers combined to allow seven baserunners against 14 strikeouts. Fort Myers was finally able to plate a run in the 9th. A Charles Mack walk was followed by a Nick Anderson double and a Ruben Santana grounder provided the only run of the ballgame. Hey, why waste runs that you don’t need? TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Brent Headrick Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tomás Telis PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 0-3, BB #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 1-3, R, K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – Did not play #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – IL (concussion) #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 1-2, 2 BB, K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – IL (right elbow strain) #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – IL (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – Did not play #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-5, 2B, 4 K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – IL (wrist sprain) #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 1-3, BB, K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – 1-3, 2B, R, RBI #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 0-4 #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Fort Myers @ Jupiter (10:00 AM) - TBD Wichita @ Tulsa (12:05 PM) - RHP Josh Winder Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (1:05 PM) - RHP Luis Rijo Omaha @ St. Paul (1:05 PM) - LHP Charlie Barnes View full article

Top pitching prospect Jordan Balazovic made his much anticipated 2021 debut for the Wichita Wind Surge on Saturday and it came not a day too soon. Read all about that and more in this edition of the minor league report. TRANSACTIONS RHP Griffin Jax promoted to the Twins. RHP Juan Minaya DFAd. LHP Bryan Sammons promoted to AAA St. Paul RHP Matt Mullenbach promoted to AAA St. Paul from the Ft. Myers complex. (He was just signed on Friday from an independent league) RHP Bailey Ober promoted to Twins from AAA St. Paul RHP Matt Canterino placed on the 7-day IL for A+ Cedar Rapids (right elbow strain) LHP Lewis Thorpe placed on the 7-day IL for AAA St. Paul (left shoulder strain) Saints Sentinel St. Paul 3, Louisville 6 Box Score Bryan Sammons 4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K HR: Brent Rooker (7), Mark Contreras (1) Multi-hit games: Mark Contreras (2-for-4, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI) Bryan Sammons' AAA debut did not go exactly as he likely would have preferred. The lefty struggled to throw strikes consistently over his four innings of work as he was worked for four walks on top of six hits. Hopefully this is an example of a pitcher getting a stinker outing out of the way before settling into a groove. The night started off hopeful as Brent Rooker launched a solo blast in the first inning to kick off the scoring. The notoriously snarky Saints twitter account claims the ball went 449 feet and who am I to call them liars? If you want to try to measure for yourself, here is the video: I wish the good news could continue but it does not. The appropriately named Bats came back to score two in the first inning. Although, one of the runs came via a walk, so maybe the name is not quite as appropriate as I thought (petition to create a team named the “Walkers” can be created by someone else who is less lazy). A Mark Contreras homer in the sixth inning put the game in reach for the Saints but the Bats fortified their lead with runs in the bottom half of the inning as well as the eighth. A rehabbing Joey Votto went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple. Naturally, the only way to beat the Saints is to have an MLB All-Star play for your team. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 6, Arkansas 4 Box Score Jordan Balazovic: 3 ⅓ IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: Caleb Hamilton (1, 2), Andrew Bechtold (2) Multi-hit games: Jose Miranda (2-for-3, R, BB), Jermaine Palacios (2-for-4, R), Roy Morales (2-for-4, R), Caleb Hamilton (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI) The big news of the day in Wichita was the debut of Jordan Balazovic. The righty, along with Jhoan Duran, creates what most consider a future 1-2 punch that will lock down the Twins rotation for a number of years. That might be looking too far forward, how did he do today? Balazovic threw 62 pitches to nab 10 outs. Half of them came via the strikeout. That’s just how he does things. Unfortunately, this also came with two walks and two hit batters. That’s not how he does things. But this start was just an effort in shaking off any potential rust that Balazovic may have had and to that point he was quite successful. That was the main story on the mound, what about in the box? That belonged to Caleb Hamilton who blasted not just his first homer of the season for Wichita, but also his second. Good things do come in bunches. Not to be overshadowed, Andrew Bechtold had a home run of his own sandwiched in between Hamilton’s vulgar display of power. I should also point out that Jose Miranda dropped two hits in the game along with a walk and now is up to a terrifying .950 OPS. I cannot imagine trying to be a pitcher against Miranda during his incendiary start to the season. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 11, Fort Wayne 5 Box Score Andrew Cabezas: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K HR: Alex Isola (1) Multi-hit games: Wander Javier (4-for-6, 3B, 2B, 4 R, 2 RBI), Trey Cabbage (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB), Alex Isola (2-for-3, HR, 2B, R, 4 RBI, BB), Max Smith (2-for-5) Remember all those snarky things that I said last week about the Kernels offense? Well, evidently they were not too pleased by them because they gave the TinCaps the business on Saturday. Cedar Rapids wasted no time getting the scoring started on Saturday as they burst out of the gates with three runs in the first. Gabe Snyder grounded out to plate the first run before Wander Javier decided that triples are cooler than nerdy outs. While ground outs are nerdy, scoring on passed balls are what all the popular kids do and no kid was more popular today than Javier as he waltzed home later in the inning. Things were relatively silent on the Western front in the game until the fifth inning. Trey Cabbage blasted an opposite field double that plated Javier for the second time in the game (he would score an absurd four times). The Kernels offense decided to give the TinCaps pitching staff a short breather before storming back in the 7th and 8th innings with an almost insulting amount of runs. The seventh inning saw a Cabbage single, a wild pitch, and an Alex Isola double to add three runs to their total. The eighth inning was more efficient as far as run scoring went. Javier doubled home Snyder before Alex Isola delivered his first homer of the year over the left-center field fence. While the entire focus is on the offense (as it typically will be in an 11-5 game), Andrew Cabezas deserves a shout out as well. He fired off five quiet innings with just four baserunners allowed. His season ERA now sits at an impressive 2.42. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 9, St. Lucie 4 Box Score Miguel Rodriguez: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Yunior Severino (2-for-5, R, RBI) Normally I would talk about something great that happened in the game or would say something vague like “the Mighty Mussels lost a close one on Saturday” but I wanted to start out by mentioning that the St. Lucie Mets committed seven (!!!) errors. Seven. How is that even possible? The Mighty Mussels took full advantage of those errors by plating nine runs during a comfortable win. Six players nabbed an RBI while all but two scored a run. That kind of consistently great output can only be matched by David Bowie. Oddly enough, only two times did the Mighty Mussels score a run off of a hit. Yunior Severino’s first inning single and Kyle Schmidt’s seventh inning triple were the sole culprits. Every other run was scored via a sacrifice fly, a ground out, or an error. Truly an unusual way to win a ballgame but hey, a win is a win. If the other team is handing you runs, then all you can do is thank them. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Cabezas, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Wander Javier, Cedar Rapids Kernels PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 1-4, R #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – Did not play #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 3 ⅓ IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 1-5, RBI, K #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 1-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – IL (right elbow strain) #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – IL (right elbow strain) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 0-3, K #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – IL (wrist/hand) #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, RBI, K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow surgery - not Tommy John) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 2-3, R, BB, K #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (11:00 AM) - TBD Arkansas @ Wichita (12:05 PM) - RHP Chris Vallimont Cedar Rapids @ Fort Wayne (11:05 AM) - RHP Ben Gross St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (10:00 AM) - LHP Brent Headrick View full article

One team had a dramatic walk-off homer while another was no-hit, kind of. I explain it all in this edition of the minor league report. TRANSACTIONS OF Trey Cabbage transferred from AA Wichita to A+ Cedar Rapids RHP Juan Minaya selected by the Twins (from AAA St. Paul) RHP Cody Stashak optioned by Twins to AAA St. Paul Saints Sentinel St. Paul 6, Iowa 5 Box Score Chandler Shepherd: 3 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K HR: Ben Rortvedt (1), Damek Tomscha (2, 3) Multi-hit games: Drew Maggi (2-for-5, 3B, R), J.T. Riddle (2-for-4, R), Damek Tomscha (4-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) The Saints played an interesting game on Saturday. They held a comfortable lead heading into the 9th. The reason for this lead? Two homers by Damek Tomscha and another by Ben Rortvedt. Well, there were other reasons but those were the major ones. A combination of arms led by Robinson Leyer and Danny Coulombe kept the Iowa offense in check after Chandler Shepherd’s start. Leyer and Coulombe combined to punch out seven batters over four innings of work. Their lead looked safe with Andrew Vasquez coming in to close the game in the 9th but things went awry. He walked the bases loaded and walked one more batter for good measure before Derek Law relieved him. While Law allowed another run, that would be it for Iowa and the Saints were able to walk away victorious. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 10, Springfield 9 Box Score Josh Winder: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K HR: Jose Miranda (6), Gilberto Celestino (2) Multi-hit games: Jose Miranda (2-for-5, HR, R, 4 RBI), B.J. Boyd (4-for-4, 2 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI) The Wind Surge played an absolute slugfest on Saturday. Josh Winder stopped Springfield cold in their tracks for the first five innings. He struck out seven while just walking one batter and somehow actually raised his ERA 1.48. He may find himself in St. Paul much sooner than later. The Wind Surge offense supported Winder early. B.J. Boyd and Jose Miranda dropped back-to-back knocks to plate two runs quickly in the 3rd inning. The offense was not finished, though. A 4th inning attack again led by Boyd and Miranda plated five more runs to give Wichita a cool 7-0 lead. This would not last. The Cardinals chipped away at this lead over the next handful of innings before taking the outright lead in the top of the 9th thanks to a two-run bomb by Juan Yepez. It seemed like this was set to be the end of the night for Wichita. Their 7-0 lead had been lost to the sands of time and the Cardinals had successfully completed an impressive comeback against all odds. Yet it was not the end. Boyd singled to top off his perfect night at the plate before Jose Miranda blasted a game-tying two-run shot. Unsatisfied with just a tie game, Gilberto Celestino stepped to the plate and sent a ball deep into right field to end the game and send the Wind Surge home with a hard-earned W in the books. Kernels Nuggets Game one: Cedar Rapids 1, Wisconsin 8 Box Score Andrew Cabezas: 4 ⅔ IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None The Kernels were no-hit* by Wisconsin in game one of their doubleheader. *Apparently MLB has decided that while 7 inning games count, 7 inning no-hitters do not Oddly enough, the Kernels actually held the lead first in this game. A Jair Camargo groundout scored Michael Helman thanks to some walks and a previous Wander Javier groundball that moved Helman to 3rd base. This lead did not last long. The Timber Rattlers jumped all over Andrew Cabezas in the 5th inning thanks to four straight hits. A duo of singles followed by a David Hamilton triple gave the Timber Rattlers the outright lead. This would not be the last time Wisconsin scored. The following inning saw an even bigger ambush, this time of Derek Molina who walked away with five earned runs on his ledger. Game two: Cedar Rapids 1, Wisconsin 5 Box Score Jon Olsen: 3 ⅔ IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: Trey Cabbage (3) Multi-hit games: None Well if game one could be considered an offensive struggle, game two was not much better. Kernels finally broke their hitless streak thanks to a 6th inning single by Seth Gray. I have to imagine that the hit was met with a large sarcastic applause by the Cedar Rapids faithful. Trey Cabbage decided that two straight shutouts was unacceptable and launched a solo shot in the 7th inning to save the team from this fate. Maybe there is some sort of sacrifice the Kernels could make in order to get their hits to actually fall in. I don’t know but at this point they should look into all options. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 1, Lakeland 2 Box Score Casey Legumina: 4 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None The Mighty Mussels lost a close one on Saturday. Casey Legumina navigated the first three innings of the game to perfection as a few baserunners were never allowed to come in to score. The luck broke in the 4th inning as a bases loaded ground-rule double scored the only two runs that would be needed to win the game. The Mighty Mussels offense only put up three hits in the game but that is somewhat misleading. Fort Myers hitters walked five times to add up to eight times in which a Mighty Mussels batter reached base safely. The offense was simply not able to score a run outside of a bases loaded walk by Charles Mack. Sean Mooney replaced Legumina as the first reliever out of the bullpen and continued to dominate. He struck out six over three innings while only allowing a single hit. His ERA is now down to 1.17 on the season. If there is such a thing as a “quality loss” in baseball, this game may best qualify for it. Fort Myers pitchers struck out 11 batters while only walking one with just two earned runs allowed. The offense gave themselves chances but were just unable to push across the runs needed to win the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Josh Winder Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – B.J. Boyd PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 1-3, 3 K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 1-2, HR, R, RBI, 2 BB #4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – 0-3, BB, R, K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – Did not play #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, 2 K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – 1-5, HR, R, RBI, 2 K #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-4, 3 K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Did not play #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – Did not play #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (St. Paul) – 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 2-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, K #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Fort Myers @ Lakeland (11:00 AM) - RHP Hunter McMahon Springfield @ Wichita (12:05 PM) - LHP Bryan Sammons St. Paul @ Iowa (12:08 PM) - RHP Bailey Ober Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM) - RHP Ben Gross View full article

Top pitching prospect Jhoan Duran made his 2021 debut for the St. Paul Saints this Saturday. Read all about how his start went along with all the other action in the Twins minor league system. TRANSACTIONS None. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 1, Indianapolis 5 Box Score Jhoan Duran: 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K HR: Jimmy Kerrigan (3) Multi-hit games: Nick Gordon (2-for-3, BB) Even if the Saints got blown out by 20 in this game, the story still would have been the 2021 debut of top prospect Jhoan Duran. The #86 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline possesses the kind of raw stuff that likely intimidates his own catchers. Duran pitched about as well as he was going to given his pitch limit. His six strikeouts over just nine total outs reflect exactly the sort of upside he can bring on the mound. The St. Paul radar gun had his fastball velocity consistently at 102 MPH with an occasional 103 in the mix. Toby Gardenhire himself all but confirms that the radar gun is juiced at higher velocities, however. It is more likely that Duran was only throwing 100. In any case, it is great to have Duran back on the mound and it seems as if it is only a matter of time before he finds himself in Minneapolis. Jimmy Kerrigan continued his power surge with his second homer in as many games. Old friend Chase De Jong threw a curveball that caught a bit too much of the plate and the righty did not miss it. That homer proved to be the only run the Saints could score. A barrage of assorted relievers followed Duran’s start on Saturday. Of note was Juan Minaya who allowed a run but struck out five over his three innings of work. The Saints pitching staff struck out 14 batters in total. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 5, Tulsa 1 Box Score Chris Vallimont: 4 ⅔ IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Mark Conteras (2-for-4, R), Jermaine Palacios (2-for-4, R, RBI), Ernie De La Trinidad (2-for-5, 2B, R, RBI), Aaron Whitefield (3-for-4, R, RBI) While all the attention was on Jhoan Duran, Chris Vallimont submitted his objection to such an isolated focus. Vallimont’s AA debut went smoothly as a solo homerun was the only blemish on his sheet for the night. The eight strikeouts were a nice touch as well. But games cannot solely be won by the pitcher. The Wind Surge offense provided all that was needed for a successful team effort. Jermaine Palacios knotted the game at one run with a single in the 2nd before Aaron Whitefield gave Wichita the outright lead with his own single in the 4th. Uncomfortable with just a one-run lead, the Wind Surge added on in the 6th inning as well. Ernie De La Trinidad doubled home a run, Sherman Johnson singled home yet another, and Jose Miranda brought in yet another one with a sacrifice fly. Calvin Faucher and Brandon Koch took over after Vallimont’s day was finished and they made sure his effort was not to be made in vain. Faucher and Koch combined for the final 13 outs with seven of those coming via the strikeout. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 5, Beloit 8 Box Score Andrew Cabezas: 3 ⅔ IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K HR: Spencer Steer (3), Gabe Synder (5) Multi-hit games: Gabe Synder (3-for-4, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI) It was another back-and-forth game for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Their penchant for such a battle is becoming quite clear (and likely quite tiring for them). It was looking to be all Snappers early as a homer by Griffin Conine (yes, he is the son of former MLB-er Jeff Conine) and a double by Thomas Jones gave Beloit the first lead. This would hold up until the 6th inning when the indomitable Spencer Steer launched a three-run homer to give Cedar Rapids the lead. Steer has cooled down somewhat since the author last wrote the minor league report but he is still hitting well over .300 on the season. It is looking like it may only be a matter of time before he is packing his bags for Kansas. The lead did not hold for long. Beloit struck back with two runs of their own in the top half of the 7th to ensure that the Kernels would not command the lead for long. The Snappers would add even more runs (four to be exact) in the following inning to all but end the game. Matt Wallner left the game in the 6th inning with an apparent injury. It is unclear exactly why he left but we hope that it was just a precautionary move. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 0, Tampa 13 Box Score Louie Varland: 3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Edouard Julien (2-for-4, 2B) It was a game that got ugly quick for the Mighty Mussels and never found its way back on the tracks. The game was so ugly, in fact, that you did not even realize that I mixed my sayings in the previous sentence. Starter Louie Varland found himself in trouble in the 2nd inning as a two-run homer off the bat of Chad Bell put the Mighty Mussels in a quick hole. A few more knocks by the Tarpons doubled the deficit before Varland could escape the inning. Four runs allowed would be a pleasant dream compared to the 13 that Tampa ended up with. The Tampa Tarpons took a “Earth Wind and Fire” offensive approach into the game. That is to say, they destroyed the competition with an unfathomable amount of great singles. The offense fared little better than the pitching for Ft. Myers. Edouard Julien supplied the sole extra-base hit of the game for the Mighty Mussels and the team was only able to scrape up six hits in total. Strikeouts, however, were plentiful. The platter of Tarpon arms were able to punch out Ft. Myers hitters a total of 16 times in the game. The best thing to be said is that Sunday is a new day with a clean slate. We shall see if the Mighty Mussels seize that opportunity. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Chris Vallimont Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Aaron Whitefield PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 1-3, RBI, BB #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-4, 2 K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – 0-4, K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, 3 K #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 1-4 #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – 1-5, K #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – Did not play #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 1-3, K (left game early) #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, 2 K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (St. Paul) – Did not play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 0-4, RBI, K #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Fort Myers @ Tampa (10:00 PM) - TBD Wichita @ Tulsa (12:05 PM) - RHP Austin Schulfer Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM) - RHP Ben Gross Indianapolis @ St. Paul (1:05 PM) - RHP Griffin Jax View full article

The games on Saturday were split into two groups; laughers that were finished before the game ended and nail-biters that ended in the final plate appearance. All of that and more in this edition of the minor league report. TRANSACTIONS C David Bañuelos activated from the temporary inactive roster (he is now the father of a baby boy. Congratulations to Bañuelos!) OF Rob Refsynder selected from AAA St. Paul by the Minnesota Twins Saints Sentinel St. Paul 2, Iowa 1 Box Score Charlie Barnes: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K HR: Ryan Jeffers (3) Multi-hit games: Ryan Jeffers (2-for-4, HR, R, RBI) The Saints and Cubs were locked into a pitching clinic for much of the game on Saturday. Both teams combined for just two runs over seven hits through the first seven innings of the game. Keon Broxton put the first run on the board with a 2nd inning single but was thrown out attempting to stretch the hit into a double. Broxton has struggled so far at AAA but he may find himself with the Twins due to injuries in the outfield (hey that sounds like a movie title). There was a scary moment in the top half of the 2nd inning as Brent Rooker crashed into the wall to make a great catch but was slow to get up. He eventually was able to walk off the field on his own but needed to leave the game. We hope that Rooker was not seriously hurt and can find the field again soon. Luke Farrell dominated out of the bullpen as he struck out five men over his two innings of work. He may end up joining the Twins soon if they cannot sort out their bullpen issues. Cody Stashak added four outs of his own and he looked much better in this outing compared to his 2021 performance in the majors. The game remained deadlocked at 1-1 heading into the 9th. The Cubs put together a quick rally thanks to a single and an error. They were undone, however, thanks to a clutch double play that kept the game knotted. In the bottom half of the inning, as it happens to occur in baseball, the Saints dunked home the remaining momentum as Ryan Jeffers sent a baseball deep into the night to walk it off for the Saints. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 0, Amarillo 8 Box Score Bryan Sammons: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Ernie De La Trinidad (2-for-3) The Wind Surge suffered a rare defeat on Saturday as the Amarillo Sod Poodles (yes, that is a real name) beat Wichita thanks to a “1000 paper cuts” attack method. The Sod Poodles scored what most would call a notable amount of times as they pounded out eight runs with five different innings seeing a run increase. Two of those scoring events came due to homers as both Luis Alejandro Basabe and Dominic Miroglio flexed some muscle and hit the ball out of the park. While eight runs will win you a good number of ball games, the Sod Poodles really just needed one as the Wind Surge offense was held completely in check. No Wichita hitter nabbed an extra-base hit and only one (Ernie De La Trinidad) found himself on base on more than one occasion. No Wichita pitcher was left unscathed as all three arms (Bryan Sammons, Rob Whalen, and Ryan Mason) allowed multiple runs to score. For Whalen, Saturday’s outing marked his first in the minors since 2018. Whalen had retired from baseball in 2019 due to depression and anxiety but came back in 2020 after signing a minor league deal with the Mets. Whalen was set to pitch for the Atlantic league this season but inked a minor league deal a handful of days ago with the Twins. It is great to see Whalen back in baseball and we wish him the best in his battle with mental health. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 7 Box Score Matt Canterino: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K HR: Gabe Snyder (3), Trey Cabbage (2), Michael Helman (1) Multi-hit games: Matt Wallner (2-for-4), Gabe Snyder (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI), Michael Helman (2-for-4, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI) The Kernels and River Bandits played an absolute dogfight of a game on Saturday. Matt Canterino shut things down for the Kernels to begin as he allowed just one earned run over five innings with a career-high nine strikeouts. His prospects of pitching with the Twins in 2021 are uncertain but it definitely seems as if he is primed for a strong 2021 debut. A barrage of extra base hits gave the Kernels a respectable lead during the first seven innings. Gabe Snyder and Trey Cabbage both sent solo shots out of the park in the 2nd inning and Michael Helman hit his own homer in the 4th. Helman decided that just hitting a homerun was not enough so he doubled home another run in the 6th to add a cherry on top of the lead. However, seven innings is not a complete ballgame (well, unless they are playing a doubleheader but you get what I mean). The River Bandits took advantage of poor defense in the 8th inning to tie the game before a Seuly Matias single walked-off the Kernels in the 9th. Cedar Rapids had been up by as much as four runs at one point. It is hard to blame the Kernels offense for this loss. Four different hitters reached base multiple times and they banged out five extra-base hits in total. Spencer Steer was especially effective as the leadoff hitter as he reached base three times. He is now hitting a cool .364 on the season. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 0, Clearwater 10 Box Score Sawyer Gipson-Long: 3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Miseal Urbina (2-for-4) The Fort Myers Mussels fell down early in this affair and were not able to dig themselves out. The game barely had begun before Miracle starter Sawyer Gipson-Long was in trouble. The first inning had everything. Numerous errors, extra-base hits, and base-running shenanigans had the Miracle down by five before they even realized what was going on. Much like the Wind Surge, this was too much for the Miracle offense to handle. No Miracle batter earned an extra-base hit, they did not walk once, and the Fort Myers offense whiffed 12 times on the day. It is fair to say that it was not their best performance. To find a silver lining (something we should all do), Ryan Schreve was lights out in relief of Gipson-Long. He punched out four batters over three innings and did not allow a single baserunner in his outing. If not for Canterino, Schreve may have taken home the title for our pitcher of the day. I’ll let the Might Mussels own Twitter account describe how the game went: TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Matt Canterino Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Michael Helman PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – Injured List (wrist) #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – Did not play #4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – 2-4, HR, R, RBI, #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 1-4, 2 K #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, 2 K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – Did not play #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-0, BB (left game early) #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 2-4, K #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 2-4, SB #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 0-3 #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Clearwater @ Fort Myers (10:00 PM) - RHP Louie Varland Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (12:00 PM) - RHP Andrew Cabezas Amarillo @ Wichita (12:05 PM) - RHP Cole Sands Iowa @ St. Paul (1:05 PM) - RHP Randy Dobnak View full article

A pair of starting pitchers on the 40-man roster were set to make their 2021 debuts on Saturday but only two games were able to be played in full due to rain. All of that and more in this edition of the minor league report. TRANSACTIONS RHP Donny Breek transferred to A Fort Myers RHP Anthony Escobar transferred to A Fort Myers RHP Sean Mooney of A Fort Myers placed on the 7-day IL (right shoulder strain), retroactive to May 7 OF Jimmy Kerrigan promoted to AAA St. Paul from AA Wichita RHP Derek Law of AAA St. Paul contract selected by Minnesota Twins RHP Cody Stashak optioned from Minnesota Twins to AAA St. Paul Saints Sentinel The St. Paul Saints game was suspended in the 5th inning due to rain. The club announced that the game will be continued at some point but that exact date is yet to be seen. The Saints were winning 8-1 when play was halted. It was not a completed game but the link to the box score can be found here. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 9, Springfield 3 Box Score Dakota Chalmers: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Aaron Whitefield (2-for-4, 2 R), Jose Miranda (3-for-5, 2 RBI), Mark Contreras (3-for-6, 3B, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI), Gilberto Celestino (2-for-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI) Dakota Chalmers made his 2021 debut in a way that best encapsulated his status as a prospect. His five strikeouts represented his upside while his four walks reflected an occasional lack of command. At any rate, Chalmers possesses the kind of arm that coaches dream on and it will be exciting to see what he can do the rest of the season. Here is a piece of the sort of knee-buckling stuff that Chalmers can unleash: An Ernie De La Trinidad double in the 2nd inning kicked off the scoring for the Wind Surge and he was later brought home thanks to a Damek Tomscha single. While De La Trinidad and Tomscha may have started the scoring, the bulk of the runs came from four other batters. The combination of Aaron Whitefield, Jose Miranda, Mark Contreras, and Gilberto Celestino proved to be too much to handle. Those four hitters totaled 10 hits, five runs, and six RBIs en route to the six run victory. 13 total hits were dropped by the Wind Surge with eight walks sprinkled around to supply a great number of men on base. Hector Lujan and Zach Neff made sure that the offense’s efforts would not go to waste. The two relievers combined for 4 2/3 shutout innings with just three total Cardinals finding their way on base during both relievers’ tenures on the mound. Neff would have likely finished the game but was pulled before the final out with an apparent injury. Hopefully all is well with Neff. Kernels Nuggets The Kernels were rained out on Saturday and will play a doubleheader on Sunday with game two starting 30 minutes after the final out of game one. Remember that all doubleheaders in the minors are seven inning affairs. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 2, Bradenton 7 Box Score Steven Cruz: 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K HR: Willie Joe Garry Jr. (2) Multi-hit games: Kyle Schmidt (2-for-4), Keoni Cavaco (2-for-4) Saturday was Steven Cruz’s first start for a full-season team. His debut for the Might Mussels was messy as he struck out five batters but also walked four and was unable to pitch beyond the 2nd inning. It was a rough start but Cruz flashed some high-velocity potential. Just check out these two pitches below (and how about that flow!): The Mighty Mussels were at risk of being shut out by the Bradenton Marauders before Willie Joe Garry Jr. decided that he had had enough of their shenanigans and he blasted a two-run homer in the 7th inning. The homer was Garry Jr’s. second of the year as the soon-to-be 21-year-old looks to get off to a hot start in 2021. The 7th inning as a whole nearly became the turning point of the game for the Mighty Mussels. Twin first-round picks Keoni Cavaco and Aaron Sabato both drew back-to-back walks to bring up the tying run to the plate but Edouard Julien struck out swinging to end the rally. Speaking of Cavaco, his walk was supported by two singles that moved his batting average on the season to .350. Yes, the sample is small, but it is great that Cavaco is starting the season off with a bang as his 2019 was relatively disappointing and he never got a proper 2020 season to prove his worth. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. The loss moved the Mighty Mussels to 3-2 on the season as they look to stay above .500 with a potential revenge victory on Sunday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Zach Neff Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Mark Contreras PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – Injured List (wrist) #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-4, HBP #4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – Suspended game #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Suspended game #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 2-4, BB, 2 K #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – No game #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – No game #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – 2-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB, K #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – Suspended game #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – No game #14 - Misael Urbina (Complex) – N/A #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – 0-3, BB, K #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 3-6, 2 RBI, K #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Suspended game SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Fort Myers @ Bradenton (12:05 PM) - RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long St. Paul @ Omaha (1:05 PM) - LHP Andrew Albers Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 PM) - RHP Matt Canterino Wichita @ Springfield (6:05 PM) - RHP Josh Winder View full article

There may not be any decision more difficult in baseball than determining what to do with a struggling All-Star closer. Their past performance argues that they will continue to be great but their present actions are actively hurting the team. The Twins are in this very situation. How should they act?It should have been all but a given on Sunday, April 11. The Twins had taken a commanding 6-0 lead over the docile Mariners after Byron Buxton annihilated his fifth homer of the season. Matt Shoemaker was dealing, the bats were electric, Max Kepler was doing Hot Girl ****, and the mood was nothing short of a college house party; the kind of which actually could exist before the pandemic. But, well, you all know how this story went. The Mariners slowly clawed back and before anyone could finish their Surly, eight unanswered runs were on the board. There is never a singular culprit when it comes to such an implosion. The offense had suddenly lost any ability to score in the later innings for yet another uncomfortable time. Shoemaker decided that hanging off-speed pitches might be a good idea against major league hitters (friends, it is not) and gave up four runs almost as quickly as I could make my sandwich that afternoon (the sandwich was pretty good). Perhaps his sins would have been more remembered if he was not immediately tossed from the game. I’m sure the umpire forced him to throw such terrible sliders. But no one player was the target of outrage more than Alex Colomé. The closer blew yet another lead by giving up the game-deciding three-run-homer to Kyle Seager. People were furious. Rightfully so, I suppose. The team had paid a not-insignificant amount of money for the righty with the idea that he would be capable of consistently netting late-inning outs; 6 ⅓ innings later and some Twins fans would rather see Kevin Jepsen or Matt Capps on the mound in the ninth inning. In his first few outings as a Twin, Colomé has given up four earned runs with three more unearned runs tacked on top of that total. Considering that those unearned runs came following an error by the man himself, it’s fair to say that Colomé has been personally responsible for an astonishing seven runs over just six-and-a-third innings pitched. Not good. Closers have failed before. Even the great Mariano Rivera blew over 40 regular season games over the course of his career. The act of bungling the end of the game is baked into the very nature and existence of the reliever role. The problem lies in how a team deals with someone in the middle of one of these cold streaks. The team must accept that the player is not up to his normal standards while still sending him out to play in his original role. Why? Because the only way for a struggling reliever to get out of one these funks is to unquestionably prove that he is still capable of performing at the most stressful level. Getting outs in the sixth inning of a blowout does not help. Nailing down a close game in the ninth does. There is more to the issue than just this, however. What if the reliever continues to fail? No team would keep sending out a struggling arm long after he has conclusively shown a lack of closing ability. That would be, quite literally, the definition of insanity. This is especially true on a team like the Twins that already possesses other relievers who are capable of filling the role of closer. There is no solid answer to this problem. Pitching is too abstract to set performance benchmarks one way or the other. Colomé is well on his way to losing his role but such a move should not be made anytime soon. His position as a late inning arm should be relinquished in favor of innings going towards a tandem of Taylor Rogers and Hansel Robles only if he continues to fail over a longer sample. If it has been adequately determined that Colomé can no longer net crucial late-inning outs, his role should look more like that of Cody Stashak-a useful bridge-type of arm who only pitches late in the game when all other options have been exhausted. I do think, knowing how the Twins have reacted to previous relievers such as Fernando Rodney and Blake Parker, that it will be a while until this happens. The team showed a great deal of patience with both arms as they faced similar trials as Colomé. That places any timeline regarding a change in use for the all-star in late May or June with any earlier movement coming only when his struggles go nuclear. Some may think that we are already at that place but that simply is not true. Just four relievers have thrown 10 or more innings. The sample is entirely too small. Colomé did somewhat get back on the horse the other day. He punched out a pair of batters in a scoreless inning of work but a ringing double off the bat of Christian Arroyo showed that he still had work to do. Patience will be the key word for the Twins. If they opt to react quickly and move Colomé out of a late-inning role, they will only be limiting the potential relief options they have for such an occasion. Such a show of no-confidence would also only disenfranchise the reliever who otherwise holds a strong track record of performance. Letting Colomé work through his struggles, as brutal as they may be, could potentially allow him to figure it out again and aid the team in the future as they try to win yet another division title. At the end of the day, the team needs to find out without any doubt whether or not Alex Colomé can continue to be an elite high-leverage arm and that will only come with sticking by his side through the mess. 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