Seth Stohs

Edited... it should have been three stolen bases, which is good for a week. He had 6 hits. I don't know what I did there. That said, I agree that Urbina is quite exciting.

No. No they didn't. The current Saints roster would probably win 65+% of games between the two teams. Probably more like 80%

While we all hope that the Minnesota Twins find some way to turn their 2021 season around, and soon, it sure is nice to have the Twins minor league games as a distraction. Let's take a look back at Week 2 of the minor league season and highlight some deserving players. What have your early-season stories been as you’ve watched the Twins minor league games or box scores? It’s great having the four full-season affiliates back to playing, and the consistency of the six-game series has been noticeable. Let's start with a question of the week. Leave your answers in the Comments. Question of the Week: Which under-the-radar Twins prospect are you most intrigued by? As a reminder, my plan is to do a weekly Twins Minor League Week in Review. It will be similar to Nick’s Twins Week in Review, but I will instead be highlighting the goings-on in the Twins farm system. My intent is to show top performers for the week as well as discuss some storylines developing in the system. As always, I welcome your feedback on what you would like to see from these Week in Review articles, so let me know in the comments below. With that, let’s look at Week 2 in the Twins minor leagues: RESULTS Triple-A: St. Paul Saints: Week (3-3 hosting Iowa), overall (5-7) Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge: Week (3-3 hosting Amarillo), overall (8-4) High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels: Week (1-5, at Quad Cities), overall (6-6) Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: Week (3-3, hosting Clearwater), overall (6-6) IN CASE YOU MISSED IT With the Twins struggles early this season, we have had a lot of minor league articles including articles on players who could be promoted and the daily minor league reports. Twins Minor League Week in Review: Six Down, 114 To Go ERA to MBA: The Many Talents of Griffin Jax Tuesday: A Night of Inaugural Home Openers… and Losses A Night to Remember: Five Positives from the Saints Home Opener Wednesday: Pair of Firsts on the Farm 3 Twins Prospects That Have Stood Out So Far Thursday: Tornado Warning of Bats in Wichita Scouting the Cedar Rapids Kernels Hitters Internal Relief Friday: Pitchers Have Their Way Familiar Faces are Putting the WIN in Wind Surge Saturday: Double Duds and Double Walk-Offs Highlights: 4 Twins Prospects Off to Hot Starts Sunday: Late Inning Terrors News & Notes The Saints will remain at home for a second straight week. There are tickets are still available at CHS Field this week.. Check out their website for ticket availability and information. Earlier in the week, Wichita catcher David Banuelos and his wife Jessica welcomed their first child, Ezekiel David, into the world. Congratulations! Coming into Sunday’s game, 50% of their runs this season came via the home run. On Sunday, the Saints scored three runs without the benefit of a homer, so their percentage dropped just below 50% On Sunday, Tomas Telis threw out a would-be base stealer. It was the first runner that the Saints had caught stealing all season. They had been 0-for-13 through the team’s first 11 games. Also on Sunday, the Saints turned four double plays. That number equals the total number of double plays they had turned in the previous 11 games. Three of Sunday’s double plays were turned in the first five innings while Randy Dobnak was on the mound. The other came with Lewis Thorpe on the mound. That said, Nick Gordon and Yeltsin Encarnacion turned arguably the prettiest double play of the week. Hearing that LHP Zarion Sharpe has been promoted to the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels. Following the five-round MLB draft in 2020, Sharpe signed with the Twins. Get to know him here. Highlights It’s always nice to start the season on a good note. We are all paying attention early in the season, and then we start looking at season numbers. It’s also a fun time to see players making their professional debuts, or returning from injury, or switching positions, and those are fun to cover as well. This week, we’ll start with something that is always fun… a walk off home run, courtesy of Ryan Jeffers! Earlier in the week, Jose Miranda provided a walk off sacrifice fly to give the Wind Surge their first win at Riverfront Stadium. We will start with the Twins choices for Hitter and Pitcher of the Week (which is announced on Sunday mornings). Twins Player of the Week: Spencer Steer, Cedar Rapids Kernels Last Sunday, Spencer Steer had a minor injury and did not play in the Kernels second game of a doubleheader. He missed Tuesday’s game as well. He returned to action on Wednesday and was fantastic the rest of the week. In five games, he hit .375/.542/.563 (1.104) with a home run. He also had seven walks with just two strikeouts. In his first ten games this season, he is hitting .361/.489/.444 (.934) with a homer. Manager Brian Dinkelman pointed out, “Spencer can play all three infield positions for us. I think we’re comfortable with him at any infield position as long as we can get his bat in the lineup. He has good AB’s. He takes good at bats all the time and carries himself like a professional very well.” Twins Pitcher of the Week: Josh Winder, Wichita Wind Surge Winder was the Wind Surge opening day starter and made two starts in week 1. He went 4 2/3 innings in his first start, and then five innings in his second outing. In start number three, Winder tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out eight batters. On the season, he is now 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA over 15 1/3 innings. Winder was the Twins seventh round pick in 2018 out of Virginia Military Institute. In 2019, he went 7-2 with a 2.65 ERA in 21 starts for Low-A Cedar Rapids. Obviously he missed the 2020 season, but he clearly impressed at Fall Instructional Camp last October when he was suddenly hitting 97 mph with a fastball. He was invited to big league spring training, and now he has not only skipped High-A, but he’s succeeding in AA. His manager Ramon Borrego said, “I had a chance to see Josh Winder at Instructional League. We get our reports from the organization’s hitters. They say he throws a slider and the fastball was around 90-93. With the time off, we didn’t know what they worked on, but I saw that guy on the mound hitting 97-98. I was like ‘Oh my gawd!’ Really good frame. Strong guy. Really hard worker.” Other Strong Starts Nick Gordon, St. Paul Saints: Gordon returned to St. Paul from Minneapolis and was in the Saints lineup Wednesday. In five games, he hit .333/.429/.611 (1.040) with a triple and a big, three-run homer against Kohl Stewart. He also stole four bases. Ryan Jeffers, St. Paul Saints: .Jeffers was optioned to Triple-A so that he could play every day and get some consistent plate appearances. He has played in all 12 Saints games including the six against Iowa. He hit .273/.333/.636 (.970) with two doubles and two home runs, including a walk-off winner on Saturday night. Jose Miranda, Wichita Wind Surge: Week 1’s Twins hitter of the week, Miranda had another strong week. He hit .368/.381/.526 (.907) with a home run and five RBI. He was set to get a full day off but instead he came up and had a bases loaded walk in the 8th inning of a Wind Surge comeback. Jermaine Palacios, Wichita Wind Surge: In his return to the organization, Palacios has been really good. He has at least one hit in all 11 games he’s played in. In five games this past week, he hit .333/.400/.500 (.900) with a home run. Brent Rooker, St. Paul Saints: It wasn’t a great week for Rooker. I mean, he had just two hits in the five games he played. But, both hits were homers and he also walked four times (three strikeouts), and his slash line looks pretty solid. (.154/.353/.615 (.968)) Aaron Sabato, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: Last week, Sabato appeared on the Lowlights for a rough first week. Sabato still didn’t have a great week, but he improved and showed the skills that we like. He hit .250/.423/.500 (.923). No one saw more pitches this past week than Sabato (126). He still struck out 10 times, but he also walked six times. He also hit his first two doubles and his first professional home run. Kyle Schmidt, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: It’s hard for minor league catchers in the lower levels to make this type of list because of the time shares. Schmidt is known for his defense, but in three games this week, he hit .364/.417/.454 (.871). He went 4-for-11 with a double. Gabe Snyder, Cedar Rapids Kernels: Snyder started all six games for the Kernels this week, five at first base and once as DH. He hit.261/.320/.826 (1.146) with a double and an organization-leading four home runs. I Misael Urbina, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: A Twins top prospect, Urbina just turned 19 three weeks ago. He was called up to the Mussels a week into the season. He struck out in a pinch-hitting appearance on Tuesday night, then batted ninth the next night. By Thursday, he was leading off and had a huge, two-run single in a late-inning comeback. He ended the week with two multi-hit games. For the week, he hit. .353/.476/.353 (.829) with four walks and two strikeouts. He also stole three bases. PITCHERS Mighty Mussels Louie Varland continues to be a strikeout machine. In his appearance last week, he struck out seven batters in four scoreless innings. Ryan Shreve twice came out of the bullpen and gave up just two hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out nine and didn’t walk anyone. Miguel Rodriguez made his first start and tossed four scoreless innings. ‘Kernels The two Kernels starters that are not piggybacking are Matt Canterino and Blayne Enlow. In their Week 2 starts, both were good. Blayne Enlow was charged with one run on three hits over five innings. He struck out seven batters. Canterino also went five innings and gave up three hits. He was charged with two runs (1 earned) and struck out nine batters. Andrew Cabezas made one start and gave up one run on two hits over five innings. He struck out six batters. Derek Molina worked three innings and gave up only an unearned run and struck out five batters. Tyler Beck worked the final four innings in his appearance and did not give up a run, or a hit, or walk. He did strike out six batters. Wind Surge In his 2021 Double-A debut Austin Schulfer didn’t get out of the first inning. In his second start, he tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings and gave up just one hit. Jovani Moran gave up just one run over 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball. He struck out eight batters. Hector Lujan had just one appearance out of the bullpen this past week, but he tossed three hitless innings. Tom Hackimer also threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Yennier Cano worked in two games and tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings. The highlight was his Immaculate Inning. Saints Griffin Jax gave up one run on five hits over five innings to record his first Win of the season. Bailey Ober gave up just two hits over four scoreless innings in his start this week. Lewis Thorpe tossed five hitless, scoreless innings over two relief appearances. Another lefty, Daniel Coulombe tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings over two outings. He recorded the team’s lone Save of the week. Lowlights As those who have known me or have read what I’ve written over the last couple decades know, I generally tend to be positive. But for this report, I think having a small ‘Lowlights’ section makes sense. It is , in my mind, more of a reminder for all of us that even the top prospects are still developing. They’re still working on things. They aren’t finished products. So here are a few guys that had a rough week. The name that a lot of people seem to want called up this year is Keon Broxton. Last week, he went 2-for-19 (.105) with 14 strikeouts in 21 plate appearances. He wasn’t the only one who struck out a lot this week. Cedar Rapids outfielder Matt Wallner hit .200 with 14 strikeouts in 27 plate appearances. Willie Joe Garry, Jr., of the Mighty Mussels hit .111 with 12 strikeouts in 19 plate appearances. Edouard Julien hit .211 with nine strikeouts in 21 plate appearances. Others who struggled during the week included Caleb Hamilton (.071, 1-for-14), Andrew Bechtold (.150, 3-for-20), Wander Javier (.160, 4-25), and Yunior Severino (.118, 2-for-17). Dakota Chalmers had a tough start this past week. He was charged with seven earned runs on three hits and five walks over 2 1/3 innings. That was the game in which the Wind Surge came back from a 7-1 deficit to win 8-7. Two Saints pitchers had a rough week. On Sunday, Ian Gibaut entered the game in the ninth inning to try to protect a 3-0 lead. He gave up five hits, walked two and hit a batter and all eight came around to score. He got just one out . Earlier in the week, he had worked 1 2/3 perfect innings against Iowa. Ian Hamilton got into two games for the Saints. On Tuesday, he went one inning but gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. On Friday, he came into the eight inning and walked the three batters he faced before being lifted. Especially with pitchers, looking at a week of games means a very small sample size. It’s probably one start. A reliever may throw twice. So, be sure to take all of these numbers (good or bad) with the proper perspective. Trending Storyline When Randy Dobnak was optioned to St. Paul a little over two weeks ago, we wondered aloud if they were stretching him out to potentially take the rotation spot of Matt Shoemaker if he continues to struggle. At the same time, Lewis Thorpe went up to the big leagues and has been solid in two spot starts. Now both Dobnak and Thorpe are in St. Paul, and it has been interesting to see how each has been used. Dobnak made one start in Omaha, and he was the starter for the Saints home opener at CHS Field. That also meant that he started on Sunday. Meanwhile, Thorpe threw five innings for the Twins on Wednesday, May 5, against Texas. He started with five innings of one-run ball before being charged with two runs in the sixth inning that scored after he was removed from the game. This week, he worked three innings in relief of Griffin Jax on Tuesday night. On Sunday, he tossed two more innings in relief of Dobnak. Combined, he worked five innings without giving up a hit. (Lucas Seehafer was at Sunday’s game and wrote about Dobnak and Thorpe) So, while it is clear that Dobnak is being stretched out to start, is Thorpe now being groomed to work out of the bullpen? Maybe in multi-inning relief opportunities? It will be interesting to see how Thorpe is used the next month or two (and even in the next week) to try to see what the Twins might have planned for him as the season progresses, especially if the team sells impending free agents such as Michael Pineda and J.A. Happ. With Charlie Barnes, Griffin Jax and Bailey Ober starting their season pitching well too, and eventually Jhoan Duran and Jordan Balazovic becoming options, the Twins second half pitching situation could be very interesting. LOOKING AHEAD Ft. Myers @ Tampa (Regi Grace, Brent Hendrick, Steven Cruz, Sawyer Gipson-Long; TBD, TBD) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids: (Blayne Enlow, Tyler Beck, Kody Funderburk, Matt Canterino, Andrew Cabezas, Ben Gross) Wichita @ Tulsa: (Austin Schulfer, Josh Winder (vs Gus Varland), Bryan Sammons, Cole Sands, Chris Vallimont, Austin Schulfer) Indianapolis @ St. Paul (Griffin Jax, Bailey Ober, Andrew Albers, TBD, TBD, TBD) With this being just the second Week in Review for the Minor Leagues, feel free to provide some feedback below. What do you like to read? What types of information would you like added? And feel free to ask any questions you like. View full article

Since Dobnak started on Sunday and threw almost 90 pitches, I would assume he won't start on Thursday. Maybe that's why Thorpe has been working less but consistently? Whitefield just missed Sunday's game. he's fine. Just a day off. I'd be shocked of Urbina jumped up to Cedar Rapids this summer, but he had a really nice week in Ft. Myers.

2016 draft pick out of high school, just like Kirilloff, Rortvedt and Baddoo.

Good! I'm not the only one who didn't know... I had to ask. Apparently ICT is their airport's code, like Minneapolis is MSP, or Chicago is ORD.

Both corrected... thank you!

He was hit by a pitch two nights ago... left the game. Had x-rays. They came back negative. Ramon Borrego thought he'd probably just miss 2-3 games. He acknowledged that they were a little scared for awhile.

On Friday night, the Wichita Wind Surge topped the Amarillo Sod Poodles 4-2 to claim a share of the best record in minor league baseball at 8-2. Familiar faces and the return of a former Twins prospect have helped Wichita to their fast start. Wichita was all set to be the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins over a year ago. They had a new $90 million stadium right on the river, ready to debut. Instead, as we all know, a global pandemic canceled the 2020 season. Then MLB decided to re-align minor league baseball and the Wind Surge ended up being the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. After beginning their season with a series in Springfield, Missouri, the Wind Surge were finally able to open Riverfront Stadium. In addition to a beautiful ballpark, Wichita fans are also able to watch a really good, really exciting baseball team. Long-time Twins minor league manager Ramon Borrego has some familiar faces on his roster, and they have helped the team to their fast start. Aaron Whitefield is known primarily for his great speed and defense. Those traits are what put him on the Twins 2020 Opening Day expanded roster. This year, he began the season by batting ninth for Wichita, but it didn’t take long for him to earn a spot right at the top of the order. Whitefield began the season with six straight multi-hit games on his way to the AA Central Player of the Week honors, very well deserved. More important, he was able to gain confidence by getting off to a fast start. Whitefield, “Confidence and keeping with my routine that I built over the offseason. I had plenty of time to get ready for this season. Being in the minor leagues for the last five to six years, you kind of figure out what you need and what not to do in the season.” Maybe to summarize where he’s at, he noted, “I’m a baseball player now, if you’d have asked me five years ago, I’d have been like Yeah, I’m just an athlete playing another sport.” Borrego said, “I was just really impressed. I have to give credit to Whitey and the way he’s been working. I’m so happy for him. He’s really excited right now. You’re going to have some good days and some bad days, but I think if you stick with your routine like I have been, the good days are more than the bad days.” Borrego noted that for Whitefield to succeed, he just needs to make contact. “You put a lot of pressure when you get on base. He’s a really smart guy. He’s got a chance to steal second and to steal third.” Whitefield spent this past offseason in North Carolina rather than going back to Australia. He worked out with a high school team and helped coached kids as well. He found the opportunity to be very beneficial to his own career. “I definitely understood why some of the hitting coaches have looked at me like (makes a confused look with his face). The mental part was a big thing that I learned from the hitting side of things. Defense and baserunning, I’ve been kind of good at that from the start, but it was the mental side of hitting. Some high school kids taught me that. I’m telling them, ‘Don’t give any at-bats away’, whether it’s the fourth at bat or the fifth at bat. That could mean something at the end of the week, whether you get four extra hits or no extra hits. That’s something that I took in myself. If I’m teaching it, I better live it. You don’t get many pitches right over the middle of the plate, so if you do get it, don’t miss it.” Jose Miranda also is off to a strong start. He is hitting .380 and hit three home runs in the season’s first week. He was responsible for a walkoff win earlier this week and has the full confidence of his manager. “Miranda is a good hitter. He takes a really good at bat.” One key for Miranda is swinging at strikes. He doesn’t strike out much, puts the ball in play. “I’m trying to be more patient and lower my chase percentage. That’s one of my goals this season. I know if my chase percentage goes down, I’m going to have better numbers. If I start swinging at better pitches, I’m going to start getting more hits, doubles, home runs.” Miranda, as you will recall, was the third of four high school hitters that the Twins drafted in the first 74 picks of the 2016 draft. Alex Kirilloff was their first round pick and he debuted with the Twins both in the 2020 playoffs and again in April. Ben Rortvedt was the team’s second round pick. He debuted two weeks ago. One pick after selecting Miranda, the Twins took outfielder Akil Baddoo. After not playing for nearly two years, Baddoo was a Rule 5 pick of the Tigers and made the team’s Opening Day roster. Miranda is happy for and motivated by his friends and teammates making their way to the big leagues. He hopes to join them soon. “That motivates me a lot. I see them there now. It motivates me because we were all in the same class. I want to have my best year and then get up there. That’s the main goal, to be there and then stay there.” Miranda also is motivated by his daughter who just turned one year old. “She just turned one, and that’s another thing. She motivates me to play hard. Do my work every day, I think about her during the game, after the game. They’re in Puerto Rico right now, so we FaceTime, and she sees me and starts laughing. Being a dad is super great. I didn’t think it was going to be like this. It’s way better than what I thought.” Miranda had a very strong Puerto Rico Winter League and had the opportunity to play in the Caribbean Series. “It was super important for me. It was great. It was a fun experience. The only bad thing was there were no fans so my family couldn’t be there, but they were watching the games on TV. It was great. Going to the Caribbean Series, there’s not a ton of guys that go there. It was one of my bigger experiences of my career. Playing against the Dominican. Playing against Robby Cano, Melky Cabrera, Carlos Martinez, other big-league guys.” He also was invited to participate in the depth camp at Twins big-league spring training. “It was a great experience just being around all those veteran guys, being around Nellie Cruz who has been around the league for 15 to 20 years almost. Hearing all the things that he says, all the things he knows, hitting-wise. All the work he puts in day in, day out. After the game, he keeps working out. JD (Donaldson) too. All those guys. They are super good, but you see what they do before the game and after the game. It’s pretty cool to watch them work that hard and seeing all the work pay off.” He is certainly happy with his start. “That was one of my struggles in the past. My starts to the season were cold, slow. This year was a hot start, and now I’ve got to keep going. My main goal is to get to the bigs and help the team in. In addition, former Twins top shortstop prospect Jermaine Palacios returned to the Twins as a free agent this offseason. He had spent the past few seasons in the Rays organization where he really struggled. While the Rays wanted him to come back but for less money, Palacios was excited to rejoin the Twins organization. Manager Ramon Borrega, who had managed Palacios earlier in their careers in the GCL, said that the original plan was for Royce Lewis to be the Wind Surge shortstop and Palacios was going to play all around the infield. With Lewis out for the 2021 season after ACL surgery, Palacios has been the mainstay at shortstop for Wichita. His season has begun with a ten-game hitting streak. “I was so happy. I know what he can do on offense and defense. I’m really happy having Jermaine on my team.” ------------------------------------------------------- A quick look at the position player leaders in the Twins organization through the first ten games of the season finds Jose Miranda leading the organization with a .385 batting average, sixth in on-base percentage at .419, second in slugging percentage at .641, and second in OPS at 1.060. He is also tied for the lead with three homers and second with nine RBI. Aaron Whitefield ranks second in batting average at .372, fifth in on-base percentage at .438, first in slugging percentage at .651 and first in OPS at 1.089. He leads the Twins minor leagues with 16 hits, two triples, six extra base hits, 28 total bases, nine runs and four stolen bases. Jermaine Palacios ranks fifth in batting average (.317), fifth in slugging percentage (.512) and tenth in OPS (.890). It’s early, so it’s hard to know what the rest of the season will look like for these three prospects and the Wind Surge. But getting off to a good start is always good for the confidence of the players and their managers, and their fan bases. View full article

Despite silly numbers, Ober doesn't rank higher because he doesn't top 90 often. I tweeted last night that the Saints broadcast had him as high as 92. But that's probably 2-3 mph fast. But... he's got size and extension, and his spin allows him to be successful with 88 up in the zone. Will that transfer to MLB? TBD.

I saw him pitch once last week in Cedar Rapids... I was watching from the 1B line, and he was throwing something that seemingly was baffling hitters because they were all swinging over it. Found out he's throwing a slider, a changeup and a low-90s fastball. He looked good.

He is on the 40-man roster, so it could happen ahead of, say, Griffin Jax. I would assume he is currently behind Thorpe and Dobnak for next-man-up.

Fun to see Urbina, Javier and Sabato doing well and helping the team toward a win. It's also a good reminder of how quickly things/stats can change really quickly this early in the season...

That is an important thing. Also, early in the year, teams keep those minor league veterans that they sign, but as the season goes on, those guys get released and there are injuries, so people will move up.

This is an interesting way to look at this. I hadn't done this, but I would think most would agree that the top three are the top three prospects. After that, you could move several around.

That is the reality. Baseball is really hard, and there are so many levels to "conquer" just to get a sniff of the big leagues. And, as they always say, it's hard to get to the big leagues. It's harder to stay in the big leagues.

I spent last week, Opening Week, in Cedar Rapids watching the first four Kernels games of their season. For today, I'm going to play amateur scout and give some of my observations of the Kernels hitters. Let’s take a look at that Cedar Rapids Kernels lineup and pretend I’m a scout. (note, I’m not a scout, but I am playing one on the internet today.) Spencer Steer - IF (23) Steer was the Twins third round pick in 2019 from the University of Oregon. He ended that season with the Low-A Kernels. This spring, he was added to the Twins development camp when Chris Williams was injured. In the four games I saw, Steer was the leadoff hitter each game and played second base, shortstop, third base and then shortstop. Steer is a guy who may not do anything that jumps out at a fan at a game, but when you watch him for a while, even just four games (and some online), you begin to see it. His at bats are very professional. He knows the strike zone. He attacks pitches in the zone and is willing to take walks. While he isn’t going to hit a lot of home runs, he gets the barrel to the ball pretty consistently and could develop more power in time. I think ultimately his best position may be second base, but he makes the routine plays at all three spots. It’s never fair to put comps out on players. They’re never really fair. But I do see a lot of Brian Dozier in his prospect days in Speer. That’s not to say that Speer will ever hit 42 homers in a season. It’s more that he just does everything pretty well. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit: 60, Hit for Power: 45, Run: 55, Defense: 60, Arm: 45, Approach: 65. Seth Gray - 3B (22) Gray was the Twins fourth round pick in 2019 from Wright State. He also ended his 2019 with a couple of games in Cedar Rapids. Gray is a third baseman. He is big and strong. While he isn’t swift, he does seem to have good agility at the hot corner and a strong arm. As he develops, he should add significant power. He’s got the strength. He also has a really good approach at the plate. He seems to have a pretty good idea of the strike zone and is willing to take walks. He also stays down on pitches well, which should help him over time, but it may also lead to him getting hit by pitches. He is a joy to watch in batting practice. Also, if you want to root for a guy with a great mullet, Gray is your guy! Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit: 55, Hit for Power: 60, Run: 40, Defense:55, Arm: 55, Approach: 55 Matt Wallner - OF (23) You know the Wallner story. Forest Lake grad. Drafted by the Twins in 32nd round as a pitcher. Was set to go to the University of North Dakota. They cut their baseball program. He winds up at Southern Mississippi and becomes a power-hitting, three-time All American outfielder. The Twins selected him in the Competitive Balance Round of the 2019 draft. He also ended the 2019 season in Cedar Rapids. Wallner is a big guy; tall (6-5), and very strong. Powerful. He has the ability to hit the ball a long way. And, frankly, he takes what his manager calls a “violent” swing at the ball. Yes, that means there will be some swing and miss, for sure, but he punishes the ball to all fields. Unlike Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach, whose natural power is to the opposite field, Wallner has the ability to pull the ball with authority. That’s not to say that he won’t hit the ball the other way. He will, and with authority. He is a joy to watch in batting practice. If I’m being honest, Wallner is also more athletic than I anticipated. While he had some adventures on a couple of plays in right field, he showed good range. He also had a triple and was moving really quickly once he got going. As a former pitcher, including some closing in his first two seasons in college, he hit upper-90s with a fastball, and he isn’t afraid to show off a big arm from right field. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit: 55, Hit for Power: 65, Run: 45, Defense: 50, Arm: 70, Approach: 55. Jair Camargo - C (21) Camargo came to the Twins as part of the Maeda/Graterol deal from the Dodgers. I didn’t know a lot about him so when I saw him hitting clean up in this lineup, it caught my attention. Now, some of that might be to break up the lefties, but Camargo does have some pop in his bat. It may not necessarily be home run power, but he can drive the ball a little. He may be a little pull-happy. Camargo is stocky, and he’s not fast, but he does appear to be a good athlete. He sets up well behind the plate and seems to work with pitchers well. I really didn’t get to see much of his arm, but it seemed fairly strong and accurate. It’s clear he’s still working on framing the ball as a couple of pitches got by him when he was trying to bring it back over the plate. The Colombian should produce and could move slowly up the ladder. He’s still just 21 years old, which may be most encouraging. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:45, Hit for Power: 45, Run: 35, Defense:50, Arm: 55, Approach: 45 Gabe Snyder - 1B (26) Snyder was a four-year college guy, so he is a little bit older than the other guys (turned 26 in March), but he’s intriguing. He put up power numbers with the Low-A Kernels in 2019, and he’s begun this season with some power. Let’s start with the defense. Snyder is a pretty solid first baseman. He is pretty agile, showed some range, scoops well. He looks like he’s been playing the position for a long time, and as a tall, left-hander, he probably has. He pitched in one game last week and threw most of his fastballs at 77 mph. He wasn’t totally airing it out, but clearly that’s plenty of arm for the position. Offensively, he shows a good approach and has a good eye. He isn’t afraid to use the whole field, and he also is a little more athletic than I had thought. On a triple on Opening Night, he was moving really well. But his tool that will need to be prevalent as he moves up will need to be his power. He’s got plenty of power, but will he be able to continue to hit for power as he moves up? He is a joy to watch in batting practice. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:45, Hit for Power: 55, Run: 40, Defense:50, Arm: 50, Approach: 50 Wander Javier - SS (22) We have been hearing and reading about Javier since he signed a big signing bonus with the Twins in 2015. Unfortunately, he played just nine games in 2016 before getting hurt. He missed the 2018 injury with a shoulder injury. He struggled in Cedar Rapids in a half-season in 2019. And, of course, he missed the 2020 season. All that, and Javier is still just 22 years old. He has gained a lot of strength. He is a great athlete with good speed. He is a good defender at shortstop with a strong arm. He has shown glimpses of power. He has just struggled in terms of batting average and contact. It almost looks like he is guessing at times. But he’s young. He does work hard. He is all those things that mean you don’t give up on him. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:40, Hit for Power: 45, Run: 50, Defense:55, Arm: 55, Approach: 40 Trey Cabbage - OF (24) Cabbage was the Twins 4th round pick in 2015 out of high school in Tennessee. Yes, this is his fourth season in Cedar Rapids, but that stat is a little (or more than a little) misleading. He spent the final six weeks of the 2017 season with the Kernels. He then spent the 2018 season in Cedar Rapids. Then he spent April in Cedar Rapids in 2019 before being promoted to High-A Ft. Myers. Of course, no one played in 2020, and Cedar Rapids became the High-A affiliate of the Twins. And, I would guess that he’s a candidate for a quick promotion to Wichita this year. Cabbage was drafted as a third baseman and played between there and third base most of his early years. He has primarily played in the corner outfield the last couple of seasons, though he still has that first baseman’s glove. Cabbage is big and strong, and takes a big cut. He rarely gets cheated and has the ability to hit the ball hard and far. When he makes contact, good things happen. That tends to be the issue, and there is quite a bit of swing-and-miss. He’s not a burner, but like Michael Cuddyer, once he gets going, he is pretty quick. By the way, he is a joy to watch in batting practice. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:45, Hit for Power: 60, Run: 50, Defense:45, Arm: 50, Approach: 45 Gabriel Maciel - OF (22) Maciel is a native of Brazil. He came to the Twins from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Eduardo Escobar trade. Maciel is a quiet player. In the outfield, he just makes all the plays. He’s got good range and can play all three positions pretty well. He’s got a good, probably average arm. Offensively, he is a switch hitter. While I didn’t see enough of him either right or left-handed, he takes pitches, seems to know the strike zone pretty well. He knows himself well. He takes walks, sprays line drives and then steals some bases. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:45, Hit for Power: 30, Run: 60, Defense:55, Arm: 45, Approach: 50 DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. - OF (24) Keirsey was the team’s fourth-round pick in 2018 out of the University of Utah. He spent 2019 in Cedar Rapids but was hurt much of the season. He has played in four games at the start of this season because he is nursing a hamstring strain. However, he was the team’s starting centerfielder in four of their first five games. Keirsey is really good in centerfield. He’s got very good instincts, speed and first step. He’s got a good arm. Offensively, he isn’t going to hit for a lot of power. He will (or should) hit for average and get some doubles and triples because of his speed and he can be a gap-to-gap hitter. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:40, Hit for Power: 35, Run: 60, Defense:60, Arm: 50, Approach: 50 Alex Isola - C (22) Isola was the Twins 29th round pick in 2019 out of TCU. He finished that season with the Kernels. This spring, he was invited to the Twins development camp for his work behind the plate. He is solid behind the plate with a strong, accurate arm. He sets up well behind the plate, blocks pretty well and continues to work on framing. Offensively, he has a good approach at the plate and seems to know the strike zone well. While he won’t hit a lot of homers, he is strong and should get some extra base hits. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:40, Hit for Power: 40, Run: 35, Defense:55, Arm: 55, Approach: 50 Chris Williams - C/1B (24) Williams was the Twins eighth round pick in 2018 out of Clemson. He was a catcher in college, though he played a lot at first base after a shoulder injury. This spring, he was invited to big-league camp as a catcher. He hurt his shoulder while playing in his first game with the Twins. Williams has got himself in really good shape over the past year, and he did so without giving up any of his power. That will be his calling card. He does have a good eye and is willing to take a walk too. For the Kernels, he will mostly DH and play first base, but he will also get some time behind the plate. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:45, Hit for Power: 55, Run: 40, Defense:40, Arm: 40, Approach: 50 Michael Helman - IF/OF (24) Helman was the Twins 11th round pick in 2018 out of Texas A&M. He had a strong showing that year including at Cedar Rapids. He moved up to Ft. Myers in 2019 and struggled before getting hurt. He returns to the High-A level this year with the Kernels. Now, he hasn’t hit muhc, but he has a really good approach at the plate. He knows the strike zone well and could be a leadoff hitter if needed. Defensively, he has mostly played in the middle infield and is a good defender with range. This year, he is going to get time in the outfield as well. He did a nice job in left field in a game last week and threw out a runner at home. In just watching him play and practice, I think he could be a really good center fielder too. He profiles as a utility guy who gets on base. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:40, Hit for Power: 40, Run: 55, Defense:55, Arm: 50, Approach: 60 Yeltsin Encarnacion - IF (22) I tweeted earlier this week that Encarnacion embodies probably my favorite type of baseball player. Encarnacion can play all three infield positions well, though he’s best in the middle infield where he has good range and a strong arm. Hey, he pitched one inning when I was in Cedar Rapids and he was hitting 86 and didn’t look like he was even trying to overthrow. Offensively, he’s a switch hitter who sprays the ball all over the field. He isn’t going to hit for much power, but he will hit a lot of line drives and turn singles into doubles either literally or with a stolen base. He knows the zone well, and he isn’t afraid to take a big swing. He also just has a presence of confidence, so it’s not surprising when the Triple-A Saints needed an infielder Encarnacion got the call and was thrown into their starting lineup. Ultimately, he’s a reliable utility player Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit: 45, Hit for Power: 35, Run: 55, Defense:55, Arm: 60, Approach: 55 Listen, I’m not a scout, so maybe I’m off, but I have watched most of these guys play in person here, or in spring training or on milb dot tv. I’d be very curious to hear what the Twins scouts and player evaluators would think about my Scouting stuff. Consider them one person’s opinion, mine, and I encourage you to agree or disagree with them. The Cedar Rapids lineup is fun. They do have some really solid hitters. They have quite a few hitters with power. Several of them can generally be relied upon for a quality plate appearance. And yes, there will be some players who will prove to be very versatile over the course of the year and their career, and that is valuable. I definitely recommend Twins fans to make that 4 ½ to five hour trek south to watch some Kernels games this summer! View full article

I was surprised he is starting the season in Rochester. Had a nice first start on Friday. I believe they are going to piggyback Chandler Shepherd with him tonight. Toby Gardenhire likes him and how he competes. They just really, really want to keep him healthy. It'd be nice if he'd be able to hit 90 in terms of long-term potential, but again, there are always exceptions. You never know.

He didn't get selected the year before either. Not enough strikeouts. Not an "electric" arm, just a solid pitcher. Tyler Wells have a bigger fastball and more strikeout stuff, so he does get drafted. But guys like Jax, that are just steady and generally throw strikes and have three pitches, tend to surface at some point.

I think that sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

He is on the Injured List. It does sound like he's getting pretty close. Balazovic has the oblique injury. He's a little behind Duran. He'll go to Wichita.

Enlow looked really good last night. Here is some video...