Lucas Seehafer PT

The Minnesota Twins signed former Houston Astros catcher Christian Vazquez to a three-year, $30 million deal Monday evening to serve as one of the team's primary backstops. Here's a breakdown of some of his pitch framing metrics. Image courtesy of Troy Taormina, USA Today Christian Vazquez has developed a reputation for being strong behind the plate, though the majority is due to his lightning quick ball exchange speed—0.67 seconds, tied for the second fastest in MLB in 2022—and solid pop time to second base—1.94 seconds, ranking in the 71st percentile. What he isn’t as well-known for, though, is his pitch framing. The ability to steal strikes is a valuable asset for modern baseball teams. Stolen strikes add up over the course of a season and can contribute to opposing team’s scoring fewer runs. The median catcher framing runs saved last season was 0, an intuitive figure. (New York Yankees catcher Jose Trevino was the best pitch framer in baseball saving his team 17 runs. In contrast, Baltimore Orioles catcher Robinson Chirinos placed 60th out of 60 as he cost his team 14 runs.) For the bulk of his career, Vazquez has graded out as a solidly above average pitch framer, with one season of elite performance. The last couple, however, he’s only been average. But there’s a reason. Below is an image depicting Vazquez’s framing performance since 2016. (Red squares are good, blue are bad.) What stands out is that over the past four seasons, Vazquez has displayed good ability to steal strikes at the top of the zone; this is shown by the presence of red boxes in the columns corresponding to Zones 11, 12, and 13. This is good news for the likes of Joe Ryan, Tyler Mahle, and Bailey Ober, all of whom love to pound the upper zone with their fastballs. However, Vazquez isn’t as strong at stealing strikes on the corners; Zones 14 and 16, and to a less extent Zones 17 and 19. Although he started out strong early in his career, his ability to convert balls to strikes on the outer edges has fallen multiple seasons in a row and reached their nadir last summer. Bad news for Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda, who tend to work more on the outer half of the plate. Interestingly, though perhaps unsurprisingly, Ryan Jeffers has traditionally been slightly better at snagging the corners, but is by no means elite. (See the chart below.) Therefore, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Vazquez catch Ryan, Mahle, and Ober while Jeffers gets Gray and Maeda. In this respect, Vazquez is a great platoon match with Jeffers despite both hitting from the right side of the plate. What will be interesting to following during the 2023 season is how much of Vazquez's drop in production on the corners is something that can be adjusted. Is the difference between Jeffers and Vazquez simply rooted in organizational philosophy or is it something that is inherent in their skill sets? Regardless, even if Vasquez remains simply slightly above average in the pitch framing department, his other defensive attributes and ability to put the ball in play regularly at the plate should provide a boon for the Twins. At $10 million annually, bringing on Vazquez was a prudent move by the front office. View full article

For now, Luis Arraez is a Minnesota Twin, but coming off his best season to date—one in which he won the American League batting title for the first time—the Venezuelan’s name has become a hot commodity in the trade market. That begs the question: Should the Twins trade Arraez? And THAT begs the question: Has Arraez already peaked? Image courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski Okay, so maybe the premise of this story as portrayed above is a little click-baity and very off-seasony, but, at the very least, it’s worth considering, particularly as the rumor mill churns. Arraez’s exploits during the 2022 season are well-known among Twins fans. He won the team’s first A.L. batting title since Joe Mauer in 2009 and was named to his first All-Star team. He was also third on the team in fWAR trailing only Carlos Correa (4.4) and Byron Buxton (4.0), the two bona fide franchise cornerstone level players on the roster. If you look up “Contact Hitter” in your nearest Merriam-Webster or dictionary of choice, the definition you’ll find is “Luis Arraez.” The Twins atypical first baseman/DH ranked in the 100th percentile in K% and Whiff% last summer according to Baseball Savant. For the analytically disinclined, essentially, Arraez is the corporeal form of “see ball, hit ball.” But what Arraez is *not* is “see ball, hit ball hard and far.” He ranked in the 7th percentile in HardHit%, 11th in barrel rate, and 48th in average exit velocity in 2022. Add in his height (5’10” according to Baseball Savant, which is…kind…at best) and Outs Above Average (15th percentile) and Arraez’s fit at first base long term should come into question. That, of course, isn’t a new discussion. When Arraez was first moved to first base out of necessity due to the calamity of injuries the team suffered all that was talked about was how weird it was to see him playing there and that it wasn’t likely his long term home. The issue, though, is that this conversation was happening *after* he had been ruled out as a second baseman (Polanco is the stronger option at the position and Arraez’s knees struggled to handle the load during his first three seasons), third baseman (*remembers that one series in Oakland*), or outfielder (WOOF). In all reality, the Twins’ only option to keep Arraez’s bat in the lineup everyday was to either place him at first base or DH, which ultimately accounted for nearly 75% of his plate appearances. Despite his ability to rack up hits, Arraez graded out as a merely above average first baseman and a top-tier DH in many important statistical categories. Below is how he ranked among qualified position players—both A.L. and N.L.—last season. I can hear many of you saying, “Uh, isn’t being 'merely above average and top tier' a good thing?” and, rest assured, it is! But here’s the crux of my argument: There’s a good chance that Luis Arraez’s 2022 campaign was the embodiment of the peak of his powers. Arraez is young and possesses elite bat to ball skills. He will likely grade out as an above average hitter for the bulk of his career. But his ceiling can only be so high as long as he’s chained to either first base defensively or DH and/or not winning batting titles. Any negative deviation from his 2022 output and Arraez will likely only grade out as average offensively at either position. For instance, here is how Arraez ranked among the positions listed above during 2021, a merely good season by his standards. Oofda. (While Arraez's DH numbers look alright, it should be noted that only 12 players qualified as full-time DHs in 2021 compared to 16 in 2022, according to FanGraphs.) One potential mitigation strategy Arraez could employ is trying to hit for more power. As shown in the charts above, his ISO falls well below average among qualified players at all four positions over the last two seasons. More home runs would not only lead to a better ISO but also to greater statistical values across the board, except for batting average, in all likelihood. (This can be seen in how much better Arraez graded out in 2022 compared to 2021. His jump from six career dingers to eight in one season was *the* reason why he was so valuable last summer.) But hitting for more power—which would be an even greater increase than the increase he showed in 2022 (his 8 dingers brought him to 14 for his career)—would require a massive overhaul of Arraez’s approach at the plate, which isn’t impossible but highly unlikely. As such, now may be the perfect time for the Twins to move the fan favorite, especially to a team like the Miami Marlins. Swapping him for higher-end starting pitching would not only bolster the Twins already deep, but low throttle starting rotation but also free up more space at DH for the likes of Buxton and first base for Alex Kirilloff. The big winner of an Arraez trade could be Royce Lewis—who may need a graded return following his second ACL reconstruction—or Edouard Julien—who may very well just be a French Canadian clone of Arraez with more pop. Of course, holding onto Arraez is an entirely defensible position as well. But if there were ever a time to trade a reigning batting champ, now may just be the time for the Twins. At the very least, I’m sure Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are thinking real hard about whether or not doing so would be prudent. View full article

Agreed and then he should give me a contract as well :)

Entering the 2022 season, Minnesota Twins minor league starting pitcher was considered by many to be a borderline top 100 prospect and by most to be the top pitcher in the team’s farm system. However, a brutal campaign—which was delayed until mid-May due to a left knee strain—has dulled the Canadian’s once glistening sheen. Image courtesy of Theo Tollefson, Twins Daily Jordan Balazovic was held to a mere 70 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level where he posted a mind-numbingly poor 7.39 ERA, by far the worst of his career. His peripheral numbers weren’t much better. Below is a comparison of how Balazovic has performed in many key stats over his last three seasons. (He didn’t pitch in 2020 due to the pandemic.) Like many young arms with natural talent, Balazovic crushed the lower minors. However, as he ascended through the ranks, his performance has dipped, culminating in his forgettable 2022 season at Triple-A. It’s not uncommon for an individual’s stats to decline as he moves up the minor league ladder—each level consists of better and better players, after all—but Balazovic’s represent a relatively steep decline. What stands out the most is the increase in hard contact he has surrendered, particularly last season. As he has only appeared in the minors, we don’t have publicly available Statcast data for Balazovic, but at a certain point average exit velocities and hard-hit percentages aren’t needed. His BABIP against has increased nearly 40%, while his line drive percentage has gone up 81% and his home runs per fly ball by a staggering 471% from High-A to Triple-A. In short, his pitches are getting hit harder and harder by better and better hitters. Additionally, his walk rates have increased while his strikeout rates have simultaneously dropped from 2019 to 2022. Balazovic has never been one to have pinpoint command despite respectable strikeout numbers (see his K-BB%), and that lack of command has become more troublesome as the opposing batters’ patience has improved at each level. It would be interesting to see his opposing batter chase and whiff rates at all three levels—almost assuredly they would both decrease—but that data isn’t publicly available. So that belies the question: What can Balazovic due to improve his stuff and get back on the top prospect hype train? Well, I don’t know. At least not entirely. Pitching is a complex endeavor, both mentally and physically, so rarely is there a simple answer. But I do have a few ideas that my be helpful. Potential Option #1: Increase elbow flexion at foot plant This is something that the team of biomechanics wizards at Driveline has looked into quite a bit. Elbow flexion is measured by the degree of bend at the elbow. A fully extended elbow would have 0 degrees of flexion while a fully flexed elbow—biomechanically impossible—would be 180 degrees. Driveline has found that, on average, their most elite pitchers (i.e. fastest throwers) achieve 107 degrees of elbow flexion when the foot of their lead leg hits the ground. As seen in the picture above, Balazovic frequently fails to reach beyond 90 degrees of flexion, and at times seemingly doesn’t even reach 90 degrees. (Granted, it’s difficult to say with 100 percent certainty from the behind-the-mound camera angle, but this is the best option available to the public.) Potential Option #2: Decrease posterior trunk lean (i.e. extension) at foot plant Another Driveline favorite. They have found that most elite pitchers that train with them have, on average, negative 10 degrees of anterior trunk lean at foot plant. In English, that means that the best-of-the-best pitchers generally bend backwards slightly when their foot hits the ground. It’s difficult to put an angle on Balazovic without biomechanics tracking software, but eyeballing it, it seems as though he frequently leans too far back at foot plant. This can contribute to a number of flaws during the throwing motion, particularly making the arm “drag” behind, decreasing command. Potential Option #3: Increase knee extension power throughout arm swing All pitchers land with a certain degree of knee flexion (i.e. knee bend) at foot plant. The pitchers who through hardest are able to forcefully extend (i.e. straighten) the knee as they thrust their pitching arm forward. This creates a rigid lever that increases torque and, thus, pitch velocity. Last season, Balazovic seemingly struggled with this. Perhaps of note, his lead leg is his left and he was reportedly dealing with left knee discomfort all season. It’s possible that the lingering pain caused him to diminish his knee extension after foot plant, impacting his velocity and command. Potential Option #4: Increase efficient separation between his trunk and pelvis Watch the video below. The first frame resulted in a ball while the next three were strikes. See if you can parse a difference between Balazovic’s trunk and pelvis between the three pictures. balazovic 1.mov Ok, now here’s a video with my notes. balazovic 2.mov When Balazovic is able to get his hips pointing toward the plate at foot plant, he’s able to efficiently rotate his torso and throw strikes. When he isn’t his arm lags behind and the result is more often than not a ball. In short, in order for Balazovic to improve and become a solid MLB pitcher, I would argue that he needs to not only tighten up his mechanics but improve his motion's consistency. His windup consists of many long levers and moving parts, both of which serve to reduce consistency (and, theoretically increase strain on the low back; he's struggled with back pain at time during his brief career). The options I've laid out above may help accomplish the opposite. View full article

That's definitely a component. The key now is finding ways to maintain peak performance while reducing the strain placed on the body. Biomechanical analysis plays a role here. Basically, athletes may be toeing the line of the upper limit, but may be doing so inefficiently on the whole. Improved efficiency may reduce injuries.

In short, no. The longer version: days missed due to injury actually decreased from 2021 (44,516) to 2022 (42,925), but that's still a lot of injuries. In 2018, team's missed a combined 30,344. So while things trended in the right direction this year, there's still a massive problem going on.

The Minnesota Twins hired new athletic trainer Nick Paparesta to lead the team to more healthy waters. But how much impact can one athletic trainer have? Image courtesy of Lance Iversen, USA Today Forgive me for beating a dead horse, but the Minnesota Twins were among the most injured teams in MLB during the 2022 regular season. In total, Twins players missed a staggering 2,332 days due to injury, the second-most in baseball and the fifth-most since Baseball Prospectus began tracking injury data following the 2018 season. As a result, the team parted ways with head athletic trainer Michael Salazar, who had served in the position since 2020. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes cited the number of soft tissue injuries suffered by the Twins as well as questionable rehabilitation practices, particularly that starting pitcher Tyler Mahle had not been participating in a shoulder strengthening regimen despite landing on the IL three times with shoulder fatigue, played a large role in the team’s decision to move on. This past Thursday the team announced that they had hired former Oakland A’s head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta to fill the hole left by Salazar. Paparesta spent the last 12 years with Oakland and was named to the 2018 Major League Athletic Training Staff of the Year. (For what it’s worth, Salazar was also named to the team in 2016.) According to Baseball Prospectus, the A’s have been among the league’s healthiest teams over the last five seasons, though it should also be noted that the Twins weren’t far behind. Below is how the two team’s have stacked up as of late: While both teams overall have been well-managed, there is a noticeable trend over the past three seasons with the A’s ranking among MLB’s healthiest squads and the Twins falling down a well. Minnesota is hoping that the arrival of Paparesta will help right the ship, but the question is: How much can one athletic trainer impact a team’s injury rates? The unsatisfactory answer is that it’s difficult to know. Injuries and re-injuries are complex, multifactorial, and often random events, making it difficult, at times, to determine direct cause and effect. Nutrition, genetics, anatomical makeup, sleep hygiene, chronic workload, acute workload, and past injury history are all critical variables in determining an athlete’s injury risk and not all of them can be treated or modified, particularly by a single athletic trainer. As such, it’s critical that the entire performance team—often comprised of the athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, and sports scientists—be in lockstep with each other and communicate with the athletes efficiently and effectively. The best rehabilitation and strength training techniques aren’t of much value if the athletes don’t buy into their individual management routines. From purely a treatment perspective, it’s unlikely that Paparesta will employ anything unique from what Salazar was performing. Most athletic trainers at the MLB level have similar skills and levels of knowledge. However, what may change are details around the margins, such as refined exercise prescription, soft tissue management frequency, sleep practices, interactions with the athletes, etc. It's impossible to know how the hiring of Paparesta will play in the clubhouse from the outside. By all accounts, Salazar was well-liked by the athletes and coaching staff and it's tough to stick around a team for over a decade in Paparesta's case if you aren't respected. While it's difficult to project how the transition from Salazar to Paparesta will impact the team's health, it isn't particularly difficult to make the following claim: Michael Salazar was not the lone reason why the Twins were depleted by injuries last season and Nick Paparesta won’t be the the lone reason why the team may be healthier next summer. It’s possible that Salazar did everything “right” and simply ran into bad luck. It’s also possible that Paparesta simply possesses intrinsic qualities that are difficult to describe and quantify, but simply lead to better outcomes. (There’s a lot of “soft science” in rehabilitation, such as psychology and personal skills in addition to the “hard science” of concrete data.) Regardless, there’s no way that the Twins can be more injury-plagued in 2023, right? View full article

St. Paul was the lone team in action on Friday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE AWARDS Starting Pitcher of the Year Relief Pitcher of the Year Hitter of the Year SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Indianapolis 1 Box Score The Saints were able to come away with a win Friday night in Indiana behind a stellar pitching performance by Dereck Rodriguez. Rodriguez tossed five scoreless innings and allowed only one hit while walking three and striking out four. At the plate, third baseman Andrew Bechtold led the way, going 2-for-4 with a home run. Michael Helman (1-for-5, RBI) and John Andreoli (1-for-3, 2 RBI) also hit home runs. PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #9 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-for-1 #12 - Louie Varland (Minnesota) - 5 2/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Indianapolis (5:35 PM CST) - RHP Ariel Jurado (2-2, 3.54 ERA) View full article

The Wind Surge won and Ryan Jeffers late inning heroics helped push the Saints over Louisville. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints TRANSACTIONS OF Matt Wallner was assigned to the Minnesota Twins Taxi Squad C Ryan Jeffers assigned to the St. Paul Saints on Major League rehab INF Jorge Polanco assigned to the St. Paul Saints on Major League rehab RHP Randy Dobnak cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to the St. Paul Saints RHP Bailey Ober has completed his Major League rehab and returned to Minnesota Twins OF Mark Contreras recalled by Minnesota Twins Austin Martin, Edouard Julien Alex Isola, Denny Bentley, Francis Peguero, Jon Olsen, and Ryan Shreve to participate in Arizona Fall League SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Louisville 6, F/10 Box Score The Saints took down the Bats in dramatic fashion Friday evening after trailing for the vast majority of the game. Down 5-2 in the bottom of the eighth, Ryan Jeffers three-run home run tied the game up at 5-5. After failing to score with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and surrendering a run in the top of the 10th, St. Paul filled the bags again following a Dalton Shuffield (2-for-3, 2B, BB) double and a Chris Williams (0-for-2, 3 BB, HBP) hit by pitch. Andrew Bechtold (0-for-4, RBI, 2 BB) tied the game with a walk and Nash Knight (3-for-3, RBI, 3 BB) brought home the winning run on a walk-off single. In less fun news, Jorge Polanco exited the game after five innings. He was originally slated to play seven innings. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, Midland 1 Box Score Daniel Gossett continued his strong season for the Wind Surge, shutting down the RockHounds to help his team pull off a close victory. He threw five innings and struck out seven while surrendering a single run. His ERA dropped to 2.26 on the year. Denny Bentley, Jordan Gore, Francis Peguero, and Alex Phillips pitched lights out from the pen, striking out two and allowing only a single Midland batter to reach base in four innings of work. Edouard Julien led the Wichita charge offensively, going 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI, and a walk. Austin Martin (2-for-4) was the only Wind Surge batter to register multiple hits. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== KERNELS NUGGETS South Bend 9, Cedar Rapids 3 Box Score The Kernels’ season came to a close Friday night as they fell to the Cubs, dropping the Division Series contest, 2-1. South Bend touched starter Orlando Rodriguez for four runs in the top of the first, a total that was ultimately enough to secure the win. Rodriguez recorded just one out in the game. He was followed by six more Kernels pitchers. Cedar Rapids managed only four hits on the night, all of them singles. Mikey Perez (1-for-3, 2 RBI) and Willie Joe Garry Jr. (1-for-3, RBI) plated the Kernels’ runs. MUSSEL MATTERS Game 3: Fort Myers vs. Dunedin, PPD Series tied 1-1 Darn rain. They plan to try to get it in on Saturday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Daniel Gossett (Wichita): 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Day – Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul): 2-for-6, HR, 3 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 2-for-4, R #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul vs. Louisville (7:07 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (7-4, 5.02 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (5:00 CST) - RHP Cody Laweryson (5-0, 0.82 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (TBD CST) - TBD Fort Myers vs. Dunedin (11:00 am CST) - TBD View full article

The Twins former top pitching prospect is returning to his old form. Plus, Wichita explodes offensively and Marco Raya stays hot. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints TRANSACTIONS - Jake Jewell, who was DFAd when the Twins added Louie Varland to the 40-man roster on Wednesday, cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Saints. - The Cedar Rapids Kernels also announced the 2B/LF Alerick Soularie has been placed on the Suspended List. SAINTS SENTINEL Toledo 3, St. Paul 2 (F/10) Box Score Runs were hard to come by as the Saints fell to the Mud Hens in extra innings on Friday night. Jordan Balazovic put together yet another fine start, striking out nine and not allowing an earned run in five innings of work. Although the 2022 campaign has been a lost one for the former top pitching prospect, Balazovic has thrown nine innings in September and surrendered only one earned run while picking up 15 strikeouts. For comparison, the most strikeouts he had accumulated in a single month this season prior to September was way back in May when K’d 17 in 16 1/3 innings. (He posted an 8.82 ERA.) Matt Wallner led the Saints offensively, going 2-for-5 with a double and triple. Elliot Soto also contributed two hits, including his 18th double of the summer. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 13, Northwest Arkansas 7 Box Score The Wind Surge resisted a late Naturals rally to overcome Northwest Arkansas on Friday evening. The Naturals’ five runs in the top of the eighth inning were offset by two innings of three runs and one of five by the Wind Surge. Wichita added two more in the bottom of the eighth for good measure. Brent Headrick started on the hill for the Wind Surge and struck out six in 3 2/3 innings. He surrendered one run on a solo home run. Jordan Brink was awarded the win after tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, striking out three and keeping his Double-A ERA at 0.00 (through two outings and 2 1/3 innings).. Wichita had a great day at the plate, tallying 16 hits, six of which went for extra bases. All Wind Surge players reached base at least one time. Will Holland (3-for-4, 3 RBI), Anthony Prato (3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI), Yunior Severino (2-for-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), Edouard Julien (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB), and Leobaldo Cabrera (2-for-4) all contributed multiple hits. KERNELS NUGGETS South Bend 4, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score The Kernels’ bats went silent against the Cubs while the pitching staff underwent a bullpen day as Cedar Rapids dropped their game to South Bend. No Kernel contributed multiple hits. Jeferson Morales (1-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB) drove in the team’s only run and hit their lone extra-base hit. Righty Ryan Shreve tossed a succinct two innings, striking out three and allowing only two runners to reach base on 25 pitches, 19 of which were strikes. He lowered his ERA to 3.08 on the season. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 4, St. Lucie 0 Box Score The Mighty Mussels and Mets were slated for two games Friday evening, but Mother Nature struck once again, pushing the second contest to Saturday. However, the inclement weather didn’t stop Marco Raya from feasting on the mound. The 20-year-old continued his hot summer by striking out seven in four shutout innings of work. He has now struck out 76 batters in 65 innings with the Mussels and owns a 3.05 ERA. Keoni Cavaco (1-for-2, RBI) and Ben Ross (2-for-3, RBI) each clobbered solo home runs while Tanner Schobel (1-for-2, 2 BB) added a double. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul): 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K Hitter of the Day – Yunior Severino (Wichita): 2-for-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4 #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-for-5 #7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4 #8 - Marco Raya (Fort Myers) - 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 1 BB, 7 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 2B, 3B #11 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 1-for-2, 2B, 2 BB #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 1-for-3, RBI SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (4:05 CST) - RHP Josh Winder (0-0, 3.38 ERA) Wichita vs. Northwest Arkansas (6:05 CST) - RHP Daniel Gossett (2-1, 2.34 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. South Bend (6:35 CST) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin (1-1, 4.40 ERA) Fort Myers vs. St. Lucie (3:30 CST) - TBD Fort Myers vs. St. Lucie (TBD CST) - TBD View full article

St. Paul's failed near comeback was the only loss in the Twins farm system Friday night. SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 11, St. Paul 9 Box Score The Saints’ late charge fell just short Friday night. St. Paul scored seven of their nine runs in the bottom of the eighth inning after surrendering nine in the seventh and eighth combined. Jermaine Palacios (2-for-5, RBI) and Mark Contreras (3-for-5, RBI) each hit two doubles, which account for all of St. Paul’s extra-base hits. Michael Helman (2-for-6) and Chris Williams (1-for-5) each drove in two runs. Simeon Woods Richardson performed admirably on the mound, striking out three and not surrendering an earned run in five innings. He now has a 3.29 ERA in 13 2/3 Triple-A innings. Devin Smeltzer and Brad Peacock surrendered nine runs in 2 2/3 innings of relief. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Springfield 2 Box Score The Wind Surge brought home all six of their runs in the top half of the sixth inning to earn the win over the Cardinals. Edouard Julien (1-for-3) and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. (1-for-3) each picked up two RBI. All five of Wichita’s hits were singles, and as a team, they drew 10 walks. Five Wind Surge pitchers combined to throw nine innings with Alex Phillips earning the win. Aaron Rozek started and struck out six in 3 2/3 innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Dayton 4 Box Score The Kernels clinched the win early as their bats drove in all six runs in the top of the first inning. The Dragons scored three in the bottom of the ninth when the game was already out of reach. Eighth hitter Charles Mack went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Wander Javier (1-for-4) also contributed two RBI. Travis Adams threw the first six innings and struck out six while giving up only one run. Bradley Hanner and Tyler Palm combined to throw the final three innings, striking out four and not allowing an earned run. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 0 Box Score Keoni Cavaco’s three-run home run in the top of the second inning was all the Mighty Mussels need to pick up the win over the Marauders on Friday. Cavaco (2-for-4, 2B, HR) was the lone Fort Myers batter to contribute multiple hits. Kala’i Rosario (1-for-3) also doubled. Marco Raya tossed the first three innings and struck out five while ushering two walks and a hit. Regi Grace was awarded the win after throwing three hitless innings in relief, striking out five and walking none. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Travis Adams (Cedar Rapids): 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers): 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, 2 BB #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-for-3, RBI, BB #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3K #7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, BB #8 - Marco Raya (Fort Myers) - 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, 5 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, BB #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-for-3, 2 RBI #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3 #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 1-for-3, 2B SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul vs. Omaha (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-6, 9.06 ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (6:05 PM CST) - LHP Brent Headrick (2-2, 4.75 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:05 PM CST) - LHP Jaylin Nowlin (1-1, 3.27 ERA) Fort Myers (6:30 PM CST) - TBD View full article

Wichita's Daniel Gossett tossed a no-no, while the Saints, Wind Surge, and Mighty Mussels all picked up wins. TRANSACTIONS None SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 3 Box Score Louie Varland had yet another solid outing for the Saints on Friday, striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings. Although he did surrender seven hits and three runs—only two earned—the RailRiders struggled to make consistent hard contact. Varland has now struck out 15 batters and walked two in 11 Triple-A innings. While two starts hardly provides definitive proof for upcoming sustained success, Varland’s immediate impact at the highest level of Minor League Baseball has to be appealing to the Minnesota Twins. He possesses a fastball that sits in the mid-90s with good ride and a slider with strong bite that would play well out of the Twins’ bullpen right now. His changeup remains a work in progress but when on, it has very similar shape to his fastball. He likely isn’t quite ready to make starts for the big-league club, but he could provide value out of the pen, particularly if Emilio Pagan continues to struggle or Trevor Megill turns into a pumpkin. Jermaine Palacios (3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) and Chris Williams (1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI) led the Saints offensively. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Tulsa 0 Box Score The home crowd was witness to history on Friday evening as righty Daniel Gossett tossed the first no-hitter in Wind Surge history. He needed 120 pitches to do so, striking out 10 and walking three (two in the 9th inning). The only other Driller to reach base did so via error. Gossett is a 29-year-old journeyman who was a second-round pick in 2014 out of Clemson and last appeared in the Majors in 2018 as a member of the Oakland Athletics; he started in 23 games across two seasons in the Bay and posted a 5.91 ERA. He entered the game with a 3.48 ERA and had not struck out more than seven batters in a game this season before shutting down Tulsa. Gossett was clearly fatigued in the final inning as he walked two straight batters with two outs before getting Andy Pages to bite on a curveball in the dirt. He was caught on camera shouting, “One more. One more.” into the Wind Surge dugout just prior to the strikeout, seemingly trying to convince manager Ramon Borrego to leave him in. Gossett’s accomplishment won’t make headlines around the internet nor will it likely make SportsCenter, but throwing a no-hitter at any level is a monumental task and his effort should be recognized. Anthony Prato (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and Alex Isola (1-for-3, RBI) each hit home runs to lead Wichita’s offense. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 5, Cedar Rapids 0 (Suspended) Box Score The Timber Rattlers jumped out to an early lead on the Kernels before the game was suspended in the bottom of the fourth inning due to rain. The two will resume play on Saturday. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 1 Box Score Fort Myers 8, Palm Beach 1 Box Score The Mighty Mussels offense could not be contained and their pitching staff was lights out on Friday evening against the Cardinals as they swept the double-header to improve their record to 61-47. Pierson Ohl glimmered on the mound in Game 1, striking out seven and allowing only two Palm Beach batters to reach base across seven shutout innings. The game had been suspended after two innings on Thursday night, so Ohl started the third frame and finished the game In Game 2, Jonathan Lavallee was awarded the win with four shutout innings out of the pen. Overall, the Fort Myers pitching staff struck out 19 batters, walked one, and surrendered two runs in 18 innings. Misael Urbina led the Mighty Mussels offensively, going 5-for-8 with a double and three RBI. Some of the former top prospect’s shine has faded this season, but the 20-year-old is suddenly hitting .301 with an .886 OPS in 31 games at Low-A. He hasn’t produced much in the way of home runs, but he has hit a whopping 14 doubles, suggesting a power boom is right around the corner. Mix in his defensive tools and it’s easy to see why many around baseball think highly of his long-term prospects. Unfortunately, visa issues meant that he was unable to come to the States until June. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 4, FCL Red Sox 3 Box Score Old friend Randy Dobnak started on the bound for the FCL Twins, striking out three and allowing four hits across two innings of work. Dobnak has missed the entire 2022 season to date as he rehabs from a finger injury suffered last season. Wilfri Castro had a great afternoon at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, home run, and two RBI. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Cubs Blue 3, DSL Twins 2 Box Score Yasser Mercedes continued to rain terror on the DSL on Friday, going 3-for-4 with a double and RBI. Mercedes—who is just 17 years old—is hitting .361 with a .990 OPS in 39 games. The Twins will keep their burgeoning prospect at the DSL level for the remainder of the season, but it will be interesting to see what they do with him next summer. He’s proven to be advanced for his age and could likely succeed at the FCL level right now. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Daniel Gossett (Wichita): 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 3 BB, 10 K Hitter of the Day – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers): 5-for-8, 2B, 3 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, R, SB (25) #7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, RBI #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-for-1, 2 BB, R #12 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 5 2/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-for-2 #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 1-for-7, RBI #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, 2B, RBI SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (DH at 5:07 PM CST) - LHP Devin Smeltzer, RHP Juan Minaya in Game 2 Wichita vs. Tulsa (7:05 PM CST) - LHP Kody Funderburk Cedar Rapids vs. Wisconsin (DH at 5:15 PM CST) - Completion of Friday game, followed by regularly-scheduled game. Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:00 PM CST) - TBD View full article

A graduate of North St. Paul High School, and Concordia University in St. Paul, Louie Varland made his first Triple-A start for his hometown S.t Paul Saints. Plus wins by Wichita and Cedar Rapids and a big night for the Twins 10th round pick. TRANSACTIONS 2B Jorel Ortega placed on the 7-Day IL (wrist). SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Columbus 1 Box Score St. Paul native Louie Varland dominated during his Triple-A debut in front of the home crowd. Varland—Twins Daily’s number 12 Twins prospect—struck out eight and allowed only three Clipper batters to reach base across 5 ⅓ innings, marking arguably his best start of the season. While the Twins are developing Varland as a starter and have ever since he signed out of Concordia University, some talent evaluators believe he is best suited for the bullpen long-term. An athlete is only ever a couple of good outings away from the Majors once they reach Triple-A and should the Twins continue to need pitching help as the season winds down Varland’s name may begin to seriously come up in conversations. At the plate, Mark Contreras went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Roy Morales drove in the Saints other three runs, going 1-for-4 with a double. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 7, Corpus Christi 3 Box Score The Wind Surge got tremendous production from the bottom of their lineup on Friday as they took down the Hooks with relative ease. Will Holland, Anthony Prato, and Leobaldo Cabrera—Wichita’s 7-8-9 hitters—combined to go 5-for-8 with four RBI, three runs scored, and four walks; Prato led the charge by contributing a double and triple to raise his average to .307. Alex Isola also brought the boom, driving in two with his seventh home run of the season. Brent Headrick put together five solid innings, striking out six and allowing one earned run. Alex Phillips and Denny Bentley each struck out the side during the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 0 Box Score Kyler Fedko (1-for-4, RBI, R) contributed Cedar Rapids’ lone extra-base hit on the night, but although offense was at a bit of a premium in Iowa, the Kernels ultimately came out on top with ease. Mikey Perez added the team’s lone multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 with two RBI. Brooks Lee went 0-for-3 but drew two walks. David Festa started on the bump for the Kernels but was removed after three shutout innings. Hunter McMahon was awarded the win after throwing 3 1/3 innings of hitless ball in relief. He struck out three and his ERA dropped to 0.65. MUSSEL MATTERS Jupiter 3, Fort Myers 1 Box Score It was a quiet night in Jupiter with no offensive hurricanes to be found. Noah Cardenas led the Mighty Mussels at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double. Dillon Tatum (1-for-4) also contributed a double. The Fort Myers pitching staff also had a quiet night as they managed to strike out a meager two batters while walking four and surrendering three earned runs. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Red Sox 1, FCL Twins 0 Box Score The FCL Twins managed to pick up eight hits against the FCL Red Sox on Friday, but unfortunately, none were able to drive in any runs. Dalton Shuffield—the Twins 10th round pick out of Texas State—went 3-for-4 and picked up his first professional hits. Five pitchers—led by Pierce Banks—saw action for the Twins and struck out 12 while surrendering only a single run. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Twins 3, DSL Mariners 0 Box Score Bryan Acuna’s RBI double in the sixth inning gave the DSL Twins a 1-0 lead, an advantage they would never surrender. Jesus Peraza singled home two more in the seventh to extend the Twins lead. DSL Twins pitchers struck out eight while only walking two to earn the shutout. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Louie Varland (St. Paul): 5 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day – Anthony Prato (Wichita): 2-for-3, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 R PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, 2 BB #7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, BB #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, 2 BB #12 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 5 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, 8 K #13 - David Festa (Cedar Rapids) - 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R/ER, 3 BB, 3 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-for-4 #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4 #20 - Kala'i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4 SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul vs. Columbus (7:07 PM CST) - LHP Devin Smeltzer (2-2, 4.98 ERA) Wichita vs. Corpus Christi (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Daniel Gossett (1-1, 2.59 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CST) - RHP Luis Rijo (0-1, 11,81 ERA) Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:00 PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl (4-6, 4.13 ERA) View full article

The Minnesota Twins announced Sunday morning that promising first baseman Alex Kirilloff will be undergoing his second wrist surgery in as many seasons later next week in California and will miss the remainder of the season. The Pioneer Press’s Betsy Helfand—among others—relayed that Alex Kirilloff will have his ulna bone shortened during the procedure. The ulna is one of the two bones of the forearm and sits on the inner side when your palms are facing forward and hands are at your side. Kirilloff recently received a cortisone injection into his right wrist in an effort to reduce the pain he experienced while swinging and underwent surgery last summer to “separate a bone” from his ulna due to the forearm bone being atypically long as well as the presence of cartilage damage. The Twins and Kirilloff had been adamant since Spring Training that there has been no evidence of damage in his wrist since he underwent his first procedure despite lingering pain. As such, he was likely dealing with ideopathic ulnar impaction syndrome, a condition in which an individual experiences ulnar-sided wrist pain and reduced wrist range of motion despite a lack of anatomical damage. As a left-handed batter, Kirilloff’s right wrist undergoes ulnar deviation during each swing. This action pushes the bones of the wrist—specifically the lunate and triquetrum—against the ulna. Additionally, a structure known as the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC)—a mix of dense cartilage and ligaments—sits between the lunate, triquetrum, and ulna. In essence, the TFCC gets sandwiched between the three bones and is subjected to shearing and torsional forces during each swing, which increases the odds of tearing. An abnormally long ulna would only serve to increase the force placed on the TFCC, at least in theory. The most likely procedure that Kirilloff will have is known as ulnar shortening osteotomy, during which the ulna is fractured, manually shortened, and re-connected with plates and screws. (He will likely also have the TFCC either repaired or shaved.) This procedure reduces pressure on the TFCC and should, again theoretically, reduce the pain Kirilloff experiences with each swing. Ulnar shortening osteotomies have shown good promise in the general population, but there exists a dearth of evidence among athletes. As such, it’s unclear how long Kirilloff will remain sidelined, though the Twins are reportedly hopefully he will be ready by Spring Training 2023. Kirilloff joins Royce Lewis as top Twins prospects who have had back-to-back seasons compromised by season-ending surgery. Kirilloff also missed the 2017 season with Tommy John surgery and the 2020 campaign due to the Covid-19 pandemic. View full article