Seth Stohs

And Ross Dunn and Jack Nobel being placed on the IL after pitching on Tuesday. On Thursday, it was Jakob Hall, along with Martin. They've being cautious with Jenkins and Culpepper.

DBo did toss 5 scoreless innings in his double-a debut on Tuesday night.

Fair question, but it seems to work for him. Each pitcher is different. The Twins would be wise to do a similar path with Prielipp. However, it's also noteable that there is value in having a reliever that can look really good for 3 innings at a time. Could be piggy backing. Could be long relief. Could be once through the order. As he continues to grow and mature, this can always change. By the end of last year, he was throwing 5.

He hits the ball so hard!

Might I recommend that you grab a cup of coffee and then come back and read this. It's long, but there are tons of notes on the Twins minor league action from Thursday night. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (Kyler Fedko, John Klein) It became official following the Twins loss in Kansas City on Thursday afternoon. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli acknowledged the rumors that Pablo Lopez is going on the Injured List with his hamstring strain. David Festa, who was scheduled to start on Friday night in St. Paul, will instead start for the Twins at Target Field against the Tigers. The other Twins starters will be pushed back one day. While nothing official, there have been rumors that Zebby Matthews could make a start for the big league club within the next series or two. That is certainly one way to take advantage of the Twins perceived starting pitcher depth. It may be best for the Twins both long-term and short-term. There was another day of games, and another injury to worry about. CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 4-9 St. Paul Saints: 4-5 Wichita Wind Surge: 3-3 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 3-3 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 2-4 TRANSACTIONS On Thursday afternoon, the Cedar Rapids Kernels announced that RHP Jack Noble has been placed on the 7-Day IL with a right biceps strain. In addition, LHP Ross Dunn was placed on the 7-Day IL with a strained forearm. A couple of Wind Surge pitchers began their rehab assignments in Fort Myers. Lefty Christian MacLeod and right-hander Pierson Ohl each threw two innings for the Mighty Mussels. RHP Darren McCaughan cleared waivers on Thursday. He was outrighted to the Saints but elected to become a free agent. He can, of course, still re-sign with the Twins, but for a few days, he can chat with 29 other teams too. I was personally impressed with the movement he got on all of his pitches. Hopefully he comes back to the Twins. Friday morning update: SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 13, Omaha 4 Box Score The Saints had a six-run second inning and kept adding on as they scored a season-high 13 runs in the win. There were some strong performances, but it wasn’t all good news. Let’s start on the mound. Marco Raya started and gave up one run on three hits and two walks in two innings. He had four strikeouts. He likely would have started the third inning, but the combination of a very long bottom of the second inning and the fact that he was already at 50 pitches made a move make sense. Huascar Ynoa came out of the bullpen and tossed a 1-2-3 third inning. Travis Adams came in for the fourth and he took the team to the seventh inning. He gave up three runs on four hits (including a home run), but in a blowout, most importantly, he issued no walks. Anthony Misiewicz came on and issued a walk before ending the seventh frame with a strikeout. Kody Funderburk struck out two batters in a perfect eighth inning, and Jacob Bosiokovic duplicated that performance in the ninth. The Saints got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Austin Martin doubled and went to third base on an infield single by Emmanuel Rodriguez. Martin scored on a ground-rule double by Jeferson Morales. The Saints took advantage of some wildness in their big inning. Carson McCusker was hit by a pitch and went to second when Diego Cartaya walked. With one out, Luke Keaschall walked to load the bases. Martin came up and singled on a ball that Nick Gordon dove for but could only knock down. With two outs, Armando Alvarez walked to drive in Cartaya. Morales reached on an error that scored Keaschall and Martin. After a pitching change, Yunior Severino doubled to drive in Alvarez and Morales to make it 7-1 Saints. ith one out in the bottom of the third, Ryan Fitzgerald had an infield single and stole second base. With two outs, Martin lined a single to center to drive in the team’s eighth run. He followed with a stolen base. Singles by Morales and Severino started the fourth. The bases were loaded with nobody out after Carson McCusker walked. After a strikeout and a pitching change, Fitzgerald singled in a run and Keaschall hit a deep sacrifice fly to score the second run and put the Saints in double digits. Martin flew out to the warning track in center to end the inning. Here’s where there is some negative info to go with the position. At this point, Austin Martin was 3-for-4 with a double and several more at-bats. However, in the top of the fifth, Royals minor leaguer John Rave ripped a shot to the right-center field gap. Martin took off for it, but halfway there he grabbed at his right hamstring and went to the ground. It was a triple, which ultimately isn’t important. Martin left the game with help from the trainer and Toby Gardenhire. No word yet on severity, but it didn’t look real good. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== The Saints scored two more runs in the bottom of the eighth on an Emmanuel Rodriguez RBI double and an Armando Alvarez RBI single. Along with Martin, Severino had three hits and a walk. Fitzgerald, McCusker, Morales, Rodriguez all had two hits. Rodriguez and Keaschall each had two walks. The Saints had 16 hits and nine walks in the game. Not that it matters when you score 13 runs, but the Saints were 10-for-28 with runners in scoring position. Yes, 28! They left 14 runners on base. Also of note, Brooks Lee did not play. It was a scheduled off day on his rehab schedule. Defensive Play of the Game comes from the Sire of Fort Myers, the versatile Jeferson Morales. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Midland 2 Box Score Minor-league veteran Chase Chaney started for Wichita. He gave up two runs on five hits in three innings. (Actually both runs scored in the first inning.) He walked two and had three strikeouts. Fortunately the bullpen provided much-needed relief the rest of the game. Brooklyn Park’s John Klein came in and tossed three scoreless inningsIn fact, he gave up just one walk and had five strikeouts to earn his first Double-A win. “My mindset was just go out and attack every hitter and keep the game close for our offense,” noted the Iowa CC alum. “I was able to get ahead of guys early which opened up more pitch options with two strikes. My fastball had good life tonight, and that was my main focus this offseason… continuing to build velocity.” John Stankiewicz came on and struck out two batters over two perfect innings. Cody Laweryson earned his second save of the season. That’s eight shutout innings to earn the win. Wichita had opportunities to score more runs. They left two runners on base each of the first two innings. They had a runner thrown out at third base for the third out in the third inning. In the fifth inning, the Surge finally got on the scoreboard. Kyler Fedko led off with a double. Ricardo Olivar reached on a fielder’s choice that didn’t record an out. Tanner Schobel then grounded toward shortstop. The out was made at second base, but Fedko scored when the throw to first base was errant. With two outs, Ben Ross lined a single to right field to drive in Schobel with the second run, tying the game. In the sixth inning, Jake Rucker singled with one out. Fedko followed with a line-drive double down the third base line that drove in Rucker with the go-ahead run. Fedko led the offense from the nine-hole in the lineup. He went 3-for-4 with his first two doubles of the season. It was a great performance for Fedko, taking advantage of his opportunity in the lineup. Thursday was just his second start of the season. Following the game, the 25-year-old from UConn said, “(I’m) just so, so, so happy to be on the field. Trying to enjoy every second of it and get some swings off!” In his previous start, he was 0-for-1 but walked three times and scored three runs. Eighth-hitter Jake Rucker was 2-for-4. Ben Ross, who made the start in center field, went 2-for-4 with a double. The team did have some clutch moments in the fifth and sixth innings, but overall, the Surge were 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Beloit 8 Box Score It was a tale of two halves. In the first half of this game, Beloit hitters beat the Kernels pitchers. In the second half of the game, the Kernels hitters beat the Sky Carp pitchers. But, in baseball, there is only one winner, so which team’s half was a little better than the others? Were the Kernels able to complete the comeback? Iowa native, and University of Iowa alum, Ty Langenberg made his first start of the season for the Kernels. He had to work, but somehow managed to only give up three runs (2 earned) on five hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings. He had three strikeouts. Jeremy Lee came on and was charged with five runs on four hits (including a homer) and three walks. Switch! Jose Mercedes came on and tossed two scoreless, hitless innings. Paulshawn Pasqualotto gave up one hit over two scoreless innings. He had three strikeouts. Believe it or not, the Kenrels actually grabbed the first lead of the game. Billy Amick singled in Brandon Winokur on a single up the middle in the bottom of the first inning. Then in the bottom of the second inning, Nate Baez hit a long home run through the wind which tied the game at 2-2. Beloit scored the next six runs and heading into the bottom of the fifth inning held an 8-2 lead. Switch! The Kernels started to claw back. In the fifth inning, Khadim Diaw scored on a Baez ground out. In the sixth inning, Gabriel Gonzalez doubled to drive in Amick. Then Diaw singled to score Gonzalez and make it 8-5. In the seventh inning, Brandon Winokur lined a single to right field to drive in Baez and make it 8-6 Sky Carp. Winokur excitedly ran down the first-base line, arms in the air. Not only had he cut the team’s deficit, but he ended a personal 0-for-21 streak at the plate. It got very interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Amick singled off the pitcher to drive in Baez to make it 8-7. A new pitcher came in and got the final out on a force out. Amick and Gonzalez, the team’s third and fourth place hitters, remain red hot. Amick was 3-for-4 with two walks and two RBI. Gonzalez went 3-for-5 with a walk and an RBI. Kyle DeBarge went 2-for-5 with a walk out of the leadoff spot. Diaw went 2-for-5. Baez went 1-for-3 with three walks and a homer. He scored three times. Still, the Kernels had chances. They went 5-for-19 (19!) with runners in scoring position and left 15 runners on base. My suggestion, keep getting that many on base! Good things will happen. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Tampa 4 Box Score This was certainly a game of surprise and adjustments for Mussels manager Seth Feldman. First, the Twins had two Double-A pitchers work the first four scoreless innings. Lefty Christian MacLeod walked two and struck out four batters over two hitless innings. Pierson Ohl gave up one hit and one walk, and struck out two batters, in his two innings. That’s when 2024 draft pick Jakob Hall came in. He was expected to provide the bulk innings. Instead, he gave up one run on two hits and a walk before leaving the field with an unknown injury. Non-drafted 2024 signee Hunter Hoopes came on and did a nice job. He was able to eat the next 2 1/3 innings without giving up a base runner. Liam Rocha worked the eighth inning and gave up two runs on one hit (a homer) which put the Mussels down 3-1. With pitching somewhat limited and usually “designed” in advance, someone needed to take the ninth inning. Feldman turned to right-handed pitcher/outfielder Maddux Houghton. He came in and threw some nice 42-45 mph “sinkers”, but he gave up one run on a hit batter and a couple of singles. Offensively, the Mussels managed a not-so-mighty one run on five hits. They did walk five times as well but were unable to come up with a big hit. They went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base. Fort Myers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Dameury Pena scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Aaron Sabato. Minor-league Rule 5 pick Miguel Briceno played shortstop. He went 2-for-4 with his first double. Byron Chourio, Dameury Pena each had a single and a walk in the game. Those two also combined on a great defensive play that kept the Tarpons off the scoreboard. Defensive Play of the Day (Part 2): With a runner on first base, the batter lined a ball off of the right field wall over Chourio’s head. He played it perfectly, fired the ball into Pena who turned and threw home. Poncho Ruiz made the catch, mini-dive, and tag to record the out. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Kyler Fedko (Wichita): 3-for-4, 2-2B(2), R, RBI Pitcher of the Day - John Klein (Wichita): 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 50 pitches, 31 strikes (62%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our recently-updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. #2 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, 2 BB, 2B(2), 2 R, RBI, 2 K, SB(1) #3 - Luke Keaschall (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, R, SF, RBI, K #6 - Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 50 pitches, 28 strikes (56%) #8 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, BB, R, RBI, 2 K, E, played SS. #13 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, BB, K, played LF. #15 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, 2 K #17 - Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-4, 2 BB, R, 2 RBI #18 - Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 3 K #19 - Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, BB, 2B(4), R, RBI, #20 - Ricardo Olivar (Wichita) - 1-for-4 FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CST) – TBD (Festa was the probable, but he’s starting for the Twins on Friday night instead.) Midland @ Wichita (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Trent Baker (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Charlee Soto (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) - Eli Jones (0-1, 6.23 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the roster, and discuss Thursday’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View full article

I'm a Jomboy fan, I admit. Fun stuff. Here, an analysis of Simeon Woods Richardson's most recent start in Kansas City. Also includes MJ Melendez and Kyle Isbel. This is fun... love this stuff! Here is the full 9+ minute video which includes manager Rocco Baldelli's ejection. Hilarious!

A veteran deserves more than 2-3 starts to turn things around. Also, if he can be good for a month, maybe they can get an A-ball prospect for him. Jenkins injury at this point sounds like it's just a nagging issue as opposed to anything serious or structural. And Winokur and Doncon have played 4 or 5 games. Zero reason for concern.

Hill and Carpenter should have absolutely nothing to do with what they decide on Prielipp. Those two are 3-5 years from the big leagues if they get there. Prielipp is an option for 2025 (later in the year). I'd like to see them come up with a multi-year plan... Have him make 10-12 starts (about half the season), throwing 50-60 pitches each time out. If things are going well, move him to the bullpen in mid-June. At that point, have him pitch twice a week, two days rest in between, 30 pitches. Now you're to mid-July, assuming things are going well, move him up to St. Paul with the same pattern for 2 weeks. If things are going well, try every other day. Call him up around mid-August if the Twins are still in contention. If they're not, go back to the twice a week pattern. In 2026, have him go to St. Paul with an opportunity to start. Start with a month of 50 pitch limits. Then do a month of 65-70 pitches. Evaluate and prep to call him up in the bullpen. By 2027, could he be ready to start without the limitations? He would have an option left to build up. OR - just do the 2025 plan, and then have him in the bullpen going forward (probably the best plan and probably the most likely).

Martin's fine. Just game 2 off. E-Rod just played the 2nd game. Toby's got a tough job of keeping everyone happy while still meeting the organization's expectations. For more on Spencer Bengard, check here. He was the Twins Daily MILB Reliever of the Year in 2024.

The Saints managed to get two games completed in between rain storms in Ohio. The Wind Surge were in Missouri and weren't as lucky. The Kernels were in Appleton, and despite the cold, played a really good, hard-fought game. The Mighty Mussels saw a couple of people make their professional debuts. Image courtesy of Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Abby Haling The Saints and Twins opened their seasons a week ago. Friday was Opening Day for the three other Twins affiliates. Unfortunately, rain pushed one game back a day. As always, we encourage you to check back every day for the best Minnesota Twins minor-league coverage. See how the teams are doing, but more important, see how the players are doing. CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 2-5 St. Paul Saints: 2-3 Wichita Wind Surge: 0-0 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 1-0 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 0-1 TRANSACTIONS No transactions on Friday that hadn't already been announced. Several players officially placed on the Injured List by Fort Myers (Rafael Escalante, Christian Becerra, Logan Whitaker) and Wichita (Christian MacLeod, Kyle Jones, CJ Culpepper, Aaron Sabato, Pierson Ohl), and Wichita also put Tyler Dearden. SAINTS SENTINEL Game 1: St. Paul 2, Columbus 3 Box Score These teams were rained out on Thursday night, so the plan was to play two games on Friday. There was more rain in Ohio during the day so instead of starting Game 1 at 4:05 pm, it started at 5:40 pm. The game started well for the Saints. Austin Martin led off with a single to center. Luke Keaschall followed with a lined single to left off of the third baseman’s glove. Mike Ford singled to center field to drive in the game’s first run. Cleanup man Armando Alvarez singled to left which drove in Keaschall from second base to give the team a 2-0 lead. That was it for the Saints scoring in this game. In their first three games, the starting pitcher provided five scoreless innings. Could Marco Raya repeat the feat? Knowing that the pitchers all start the year with limits, it wasn’t likely. Raya threw 48 pitches. He gave up five hits and a walk, and he had five strikeouts. However, he also gave up no runs. Kody Funderburk came into the game with the bases loaded and just one out in the bottom of the third inning. He got Dom Nunez to ground into an inning-ending double play. Funderburk followed with two more scoreless innings. So, the combination of Marco Raya and Kody Funderburk gave the Saints their fourth straight game that started with five shutout frames. Ryan Jensen struck out two batters in a scoreless sixth innings. It wasn’t easy. He got the first two batters out before giving up a triple and a walk. A stolen base put the tying run on second base, but Jensen got a strikeout to end the threat. Manager Toby Gardenhire turned things over to Scott Blewett for the bottom of the seventh inning, looking for three outs to end the ballgame. It started out well, with a strikeout. However, a walk and a double put runners on second and third with one out. Angel Martinez singled to center which scored both runs and made the score 2-2. Will Wilson followed with a double to end the game. Austin Martin and Mike Ford each went 2-for-3 with a walk. Carson McCusker had the lone extra-base hit, his second double of the season. Game 2: St. Paul 1, Columbus 11 (6 innings) Box Score Game 1 started way late. Game 2 was over not long after it started. And when it rains it pours. The final innings were played in wet, miserable conditions. David Festa made his second start of the year, and it was a struggle. He gave up an unearned run in the first inning. He gave up an earned run in the second, two more in the third, and two more in the fourth inning before a home run ended his night. In total, he gave up six runs (5 earned) on 10 hits and two walks. He struck out four batters. Huascar Ynoa came on. He was charged with four runs (2 earned) on two hits and walked two batters. Kyle Bischoff came on and got two outs to complete the fifth inning but not before he gave up an unearned run. Luke Keaschall had two of the team’s four hits in this game. He had a double. Jair Camargo’s third double drove in the team’s lone run. Not sure it mattered in a blowout like this, but the Saints were also 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita, Springfield Box Score The rains came to the middle of Missouri on Friday which unfortunately meant that the Wind Surge will need to wait another day to play their season-opening game. It is expected that Connor Prielipp will make the start. He was scheduled to pitch on Friday night. The plan is to play the regularly-scheduled game on Saturday as the new Opening Day. Then they will make up Friday night’s game as part of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 0 Box Score You look at the score and think, that must have been a nice, easy win for the Kernels in the Timber Rattlers’ home opener. But it was anything but easy. Let’s start with the starting pitcher, Charlee Soto. His final line shows four shutout innings, two hits, three walks and five strikeouts. But he really had to work out of tough situation in each of the first two innings. The bases were loaded with one out in the bottom of the first, but he got a ground ball the ended up about an inch in front of home plate. Khadim Diaw picked it up, stepped on home plate and threw to first base to end the threat. After getting the first two batters out in the second inning, Soto walked two straight batters (although I would argue one of them should have been a strikeout on a check swing). But Soto got a strikeout to end that threat. Soto followed with two quick frames in which he added three more strikeouts and ended his outing with a soft groundball to the mound. Soto was showing a good fastball that touched triple digits several times. He showed the makings of a good breaking ball, although I’m sure the 46-degree temps made that a bit more difficult to throw. He got a couple of strikeouts on a changeup. He didn’t throw many, but they were good when he threw it. Manuel Rodriguez was the Wisconsin starter, and he was tough. In 4 1/3 innings, he gave up only an unearned run on three hits. He walked one and had 11 strikeouts. Through the first three innings, he faced 10 batters and had eight strikeouts. Fans in attendance got free Frosty’s thanks to his efforts. Kyle DeBarge led off the fourth inning with a solid single up the middle. He stroke second base. Brandon Winokur walked. Billy Amick then blooped a single to right field to score DeBarge. The right fielder may have had a play at the plate but dropped the ball. The Kernels doubled their lead in the sixth inning. With one out, DeBarge walked. Winokur lined a double down the third base line to drive him in. They doubled that lead with two more runs in the seventh inning. Khadim Diaw singled and went to second on a throwing error. Then Danny De Andrade reached on a throwing error. Gabriel Gonzalez lined a single to right to load the bases. Caden Kendle drove in two runs with his first double of the season. Spencer Bengard came in and calmed things down for four innings. He gave up no runs, no hits. He walked one and had six strikeouts. Jacob Wosinski came in for the ninth. Of course it wasn’t going to be easy. The first two batters singled. However, Wosinski got a fly out and a strikeout. But Tayden Hall (son of former MLB catcher Toby Hall) lined a single to left that drove in a run. But that was it. Wosinski got another strikeout to end the game. Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with a double. Winokur was 1-for-3 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. It was a nice hard-fought Opening Night win for the Kernels. The Kernels struck out 17 times in the game but their pitchers were able to get 13 strikeouts as well. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Palm Beach 8 Box Score Overall, the Mighty Mussels’ season opener was a bit of a clunker. Of course, it’s OK to let the home team and their fans enjoy their home opener. Just go out and beat them the next two days. OK, maybe not, but not a lot went right for the Mussels. Eli Jones, the Twins seventh-round pick last summer out of South Carolina, made his professional debut on Thursday night. The right-hander gave up four runs (3 earned) on seven hits and a walk over 4 1/3 innings. He had one strikeout. Kade Bragg came in with a runner on and one out in the fifth inning. He got two batters out, both on strikeouts. Jakob Hall was the Twins eighth-round pick last year out of Oral Roberts. This was also his professional debut. He worked the final three innings. He was charged with four runs on six hits (one homer) and two walks. (Side Note: On Saturday, the projected Mussels starter is a really exciting, intriguing prospect who is also making his professional debut.) If you’re looking for one positive offensive performance from this game, look to right field. Byron Chourio came to the Twins before the 2023 season with Pablo Lopez and Jose Salas in exchange for Luis Arraez. I was surprised to see him with the Mussels to start this season. For whatever reason, I feel like he’s been around a long time. However, he spent 2023 in the FCL and played in just 84 games last season for the Mussels. The other thing? He’s only 19! He won’t turn 20 for another six weeks. In this game, Chourio led off. He went 1-for-2 and walked three times. He also stole a base. Last season, Chourio was a bit overwhelmed, but prior to that, he has always shown a good eye at the plate and had big on-base percentages. A year ago, he had 104 strikeouts to 29 walks. In his two pro seasons before that, he had 45 walks and 46 strikeouts. That will be the way to determine his readiness for the Florida State League, and potentially for the Midwest League late in the season. The Mussels had just five hits. Veteran Kevin Maitan went 2-for-4 in the game. Minor League Rule 5 pick, catcher Jefferson Valladares, had a single and the team’s lone RBI. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Byron Chourio (Fort Myers) - 1-for-2, 3 BB, SB(1). Pitcher of the Day - Spencer Bengard (Cedar Rapids) - 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 56 pitches, 40 strikes (71.4%). PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our recently-updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Friday. #1– Walker Jenkins (Wichita) – Rained out. #2 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Game 2 (0-for-2, BB, R, K) #3 - Luke Keaschall (St. Paul) – Game 1 (1-for-3, R, K, played 2B), Game 2 (2-for-3, 2B(1). #4 - Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) – 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K, 62 pitches, 40 strikes (64.5%) #5 - Andrew Morris (St. Paul) - DNP #6 - Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 2.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 48 pitches, 29 strikes (60.4%) #7 - Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, played SS. #8 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, BB, HBP, 2B(1), RBI, 2 K (7 innings in CF, 2 innings at SS) #9 - Cory Lewis (St. Paul) – DNP #10 - Connor Prielipp (Wichita) – Rained out. #11 - Dasan Hill (Fort Myers) - pro debut on Saturday. #12 - C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) - Injured List #13 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, BB, 2 R, K, SB(1), E(1), played 2B. #14 - Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins) - No games yet. #15 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, E. #16 - Rayne Doncon (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K. #17 - Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, 3 K. #18 - Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) - Rained out. #19 - Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2B(1) #20 - Ricardo Olivar (Wichita) - Rained out. SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (3:05 PM CST) – RHP Randy Dobnak (0-0, -.-- ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Trent Baker (0-0, -.-- ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (1:10 PM CST) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-0, -.-- ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:00 PM CST) - LHP Dasan Hill (0-0, -.-- ERA) Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the roster, and discuss Friday’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View full article

Oh geez, two Wisconsin guys on this roster for ya, Roger!! Questad really struggled in the FCL last year (his pro debut). But I would agree that Carpenter is probably the bigger prospect today. The Twins were very excited to go get him to start Day 3 in the draft. The Twins gave him $508,500 for a signing bonus (anything over $150K on Day 3 goes against the team's overall draft allotment).

We all will learn a lot about them this year, hopefully. While individually none of them stands out as a top prospect today, we've seen that pattern. Which Day 2 or Day 3 pitcher will step up this year and jump into the top ten prospects? Will be fun to watch.

What has Cerda done that would have him start in AAA? Just curious.

Fitzgerald is pretty good defensively. Prato can play several spots. The evaluators will see if plays aren't made behind pitchers.

Correct. I had him going to AA to start the year, ready to move up quickly when needed. But yes, he is on this list. I missed him. My bad.

The Saints start their 2025 season with three games this weekend at CHS Field in St. Paul. Let’s take a quick look at their Opening Day roster. Image courtesy of William Parmeter While the Twins made their way to St. Louis on Tuesday evening, members of the 2025 St. Paul Saints roster had an early-morning flight to St. Paul. One of the biggest reasons for optimism for Twins fans is that they do have a deep roster. That is especially true in terms of arms who are (nearly) ready to contribute. Manager Toby Gardenhire has some new help on his coaching staff. Jonas Lovin, who has done a terrific job in Cedar Rapids the last two seasons, makes the move to St. Paul, where he and former big leaguer Carlos Hernandez (who has been in Wichita the last two seasons) will be tasked with the continued development of young pitchers. Shawn Schlecter is back as the lead hitting coach. Danny Marcuzzo is new to the organization, and will be a hitting and development coach. “A team is only as good as its next day’s starting pitcher.” Starting Pitchers: David Festa (RHP), Zebby Matthews (RHP), Travis Adams (RHP), Marco Raya (RHP), Andrew Morris (RHP). Festa and Matthews made their big-league debuts in the final months of the 2025 season. They took some lumps, but they also showed why the organization is so excited about them. Matthews showed increased velocity this spring, and fans should be very excited about him. These two are ready if needed, and yet more development time at Triple-A is far from a bad thing for them. Also on the 40-man roster are Marco Raya and Travis Adams. Raya was a fourth-round pick in 2020 out of high school in Texas. Adams was the Twins' sixth-round pick in 2021 out of Sacramento State. Both have moved up the system steadily, though in very different ways. Adams is a horse: an innings eater with good control and improving stuff. Raya has been handled a bit, well, cautiously. However, he has had shoulder issues since signing, and he was able to make all of his starts in 2024—finishing the season with five shutout innings for the Saints. Andrew Morris was a non-roster invitee at Twins big-league camp this spring, and was quite impressive in the innings he threw. Like Matthews, he began the 2024 season at Cedar Rapids and flew up to St. Paul. At this point, he is pretty much ready when needed. Relief Pitchers: Kody Funderburk (LHP), Anthony Misiewicz (LHP), Huascar Ynoa (RHP), Scott Blewett (RHP), Darren McCaughan (RHP), Ryan Jensen (RHP), Alex Speas (RHP), Kyle Bischoff (RHP), Jacob Bosiokovic (RHP). This group is a fairly typical Triple-A bullpen corps. Funderburk is the one in the group who is on the 40-man roster and has spent quite a bit of time with the Twins in the past two seasons. Misiewicz is the other lefty reliever. He has spent time in the big leagues each season since 2020. The rest of the bullpen arms are right-handed. Scott Blewett, frankly, should be in the big leagues. He did a really nice job when called upon by the Twins in 2024. Darren McCaughan has been primarily a starter in his career. He has spent time with the Mariners, Marlins and pitched some for the Guardians last year. Ryan Jensen throws hard, and once in a while, he’s got some control. Same with Alex Speas. Jensen’s still looking to debut. Speas has made four big-league appearances over the past two seasons. Bosiokovic might be the more intriguing story to follow. The 31-year-old is yet to make his big-league debut. He’s pitched in Triple A three of the past four years, but was in independent ball for the 2023 season. He’s impressed in camp with some improved velocity. Huascar Ynoa was traded by the Twins to Atlanta in the infamous Jaime Garcia trade. He was still in rookie ball at the time. However, he debuted in 2019, pitched a bit more in 2020, and in 2021 became a fairly reliable starter. Then came the arm issues. He hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since April of 2022. But unlike others in this bullpen, Ynoa is still just 26 years old. Kyle Bischoff is another relatively young guy. He’s 25, and after going undrafted, he went to the United Shores Baseball League and the Twins signed him in 2023 from the Westside Wooly Mammoths. Last season, he began in Cedar Rapids and ended the year with the Saints. Another interesting story, to be sure. But interesting stories that are coupled with a fastball at 96 are even better!! The hardest thing to do in sports is to hit a round ball with a round bat... and hit it squarely. (Addendum: Now try it when starters are throwing in the mid 90s, relievers throw in the upper 90s, and they all get a bunch of movement.) Catchers: Jair Camargo (25), Diego Cartaya (23), Patrick Winkel (25) Over the past two seasons, Camargo has played in 164 games for the Saints. He has posted a .765 OPS with 32 doubles, 33 homers and 114 RBIs in that stretch. He debuted briefly in 2024. Cartaya was generally viewed as a top-25 global prospect before the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He showed a strong bat and some good power numbers. His batting average and power production have been down the last couple of years in the top two levels of minor-league ball, but the potential is there. Definitely a nice waiver claim/trade to acquire him. Patrick Winkel isn’t on the 40-man roster, but he was the Twins' ninth-round pick in 2021 from UConn. He has moved up one level each season, until 2025 when he will return to the Saints after hitting .228 with 16 doubles and seven homers. Also with some potential offense, this group is going to be relied upon to work with the organization’s top pitching prospects. It is definitely noteworthy that the Twins didn’t go out and sign a 32-year-old defense-first catcher in the offseason. They believe in all three of these guys. Infielders: Yunior Severino (25), Armando Alvarez (30), Ryan Fitzgerald (30), Mike Ford (32) Yunior Severino has seemingly been around a long time, and yet he is still just 25. In 2023, he ended the season in St. Paul, and led all of minor-league baseball with 35 total homers. He was added to the 40-man roster, but then 2024 was disappointing. He came on strong to hit .254 by season’s end, and he had 21 doubles and 21 home runs. However, he also struck out 154 times. He was taken off of the 40-man roster, became a free agent, but quickly returned to the Twins. The rest of this group is filled with minor-league free agents. Ford has been around a long time. He’s got at least some MLB service time all the way back to 2019 when he debuted with the Yankees. A 17th-round pick in 2016, Alvarez made his big-league debut in 2024 with 20 games with the A’s. Fitzgerald went undrafted out of Creighton and began his pro career in independent baseball. The Red Sox gave him an opportunity and he spent six seasons with that organization. Last year, he played for Omaha (Royals Triple-A). Outfielders: Carson McCusker (26), Emmanuel Rodriguez (22). Rodriguez came to spring training healthy this year after missing so much time last year with hand, thumb and wrist injuries. Unfortunately, he sprained his ankle early in camp so we didn’t get to see him play. We did get to see a lot of Carson McCusker in spring games. He was used frequently in late innings of big-league games. At 6-8 and 250 pounds, McCusker has a ton of power potential. Signed in 2023 after parts of three seasons in independent baseball, McCusker split 2024 between Wichita and St. Paul and hit .282 with 30 doubles, four triples and 19 home runs. Utility: Austin Martin (26), Jeferson Morales (25), Luke Keaschall (22), Anthony Prato (26) Martin was the final player optioned by the Twins this week. He just turned 26, and it appears that the Twins don’t feel excessively comfortable with him in the infield or in center field. He played 93 games with the Twins a year ago and will likely spend more time there this year. The best thing for his career might literally be to make him as versatile as possible. Play him at four infield positions and three outfield positions. He isn’t going to be a great defender, but he’s a great athlete and could be adequate anywhere on the field. But, how will he be utilized in St. Paul and prepare to get back to the big leagues. Luke Keaschall jumped up prospect rankings with a strong offensive game through four-and-a-half months. He hit for average, took quality plate appearances and took walks, and showed a lot of doubles and home run power. He had Tommy John surgery, but he is now back to getting some time in the field. He should get time at first base, second base and maybe even some center field. Jeferson Morales was recently named the 2025 Sire of Fort Myers after putting up an impressive showing throughout camp. He played 20 games and hit .375/.460/.531 (.991) with two doubles and a home run. He played quality defense in both corner outfield spots and at second base. He was invited as a catcher and caught bullpens before full squad workouts began. He ended 2024 with 17 games in St. Paul where he posted a 1.018 OPS with seven doubles, a triple, and a home run. Injured List: Payton Eeles (25), Will Holland (26) Payton Eeles was the tremendous story of the 2025 Twins minor league season. Unfortunately, he had what some have called ‘minor’ knee surgery. He had a cartilage issue that needed to be worked on. We know that the Twins will be conservative in bringing him back. Hopefully Eeles is able to not push too hard to speed up the timeline. Will Holland was off to a strong start with the Saints a year ago. He missed about a month with a hamstring strain in May. He came back and continued to rake, showing power and, as always, speed. Unfortunately, his season came to an abrupt end in late June with an ankle fracture. He did play in some spring, big-league games this year, but he will begin the season on the Injured List. Twins Daily’s 2025 Top Prospects in St. Paul #2: OF Emmanuel Rodriguez #3: IF Luke Keaschall #5: RHP Andrew Morris #6: RHP Marco Raya It is exciting to see a Triple-A starting rotation filled with homegrown talent especially since 60% of the big-league rotation developed in the organization. Add in two of the top three hitting prospects in the organization and you've got a lot of reasons to spend a lot of time at CHS Field in 2024. As the summer moves along and things that happen during a baseball season happen, players will move up and down. There are likely to be injuries. But if that happens, then it is likely that Saints fans will see more of Cory Lewis and Christian MacLeod who each made one late-season start in St. Paul in 2024. Connor Prielipp could arrive in St. Paul relatively quickly. Other recent draft picks such as Kyle Jones, C.J. Culpepper, Ty Langenberg, and Tanner Hall could arrive later in the season. And, Walker Jenkins spent the final week of the 2024 season at Double-A Wichita, so he could play in St. Paul this year too. Take me out to the ball game! View full article

The Twins are moving guys faster through the system than 8-10 years ago, for sure. But I don't think anyone other than maybe the Angels actually plans for it. They have a pitcher who hasn't thrown a single pitch in the minor leagues since being drafted last summer and he made their team. It's still a pretty rare exception to find these examples.

If it's controversial to rank a guy in the Top 20, then we've got nothing to worry about. 17 isn't even far down the list. Is the ceiling on a #5 player like borderline hall of famer, and the ceiling for a #17 player is a borderline MVP candidate and multi-time All Star? Both spots could equally bust. Prospect rankings are for fun and to try to evaluate and create discussion.

They invested $2.75 million on Aaron Sabato in 2020. I have to wonder about this though... A taller 1B is going to catch the throws and be able to stay on the base an extra 5-6 inches. Comes in handy once in a while. A "shorter" 1B has a lower center of gravity. Would a shorter player be better at scooping balls in the dirt? Carlos Santana was so good at that last year. Comes in handy at least once a game, probably more. And, obviously there is some middle ground there, just depends on the individual.

The Twins have talked about their relative health this spring. Unfortunately on Sunday afternoon, Twins third baseman Royce Lewis left the game with a leg injury. Image courtesy of William Parmeter Twins fans were excited for finally get to see the first broadcast on Twins TV. Cory Provus and Justin Morneau are in the booth. Audra Martin is in the camera well, interviewing players. In the second inning, Rocco Baldelli was happy to spend a second half-inning with the Twins broadcast, answering questions on ABS, the spring training adjustments after the collapse late in the 2024 season. Royce Lewis was at the plate and hit a bounding ground ball down the third base line. It was the type of contact in which a runner can bet out the throw. Lewis put his head down and ran toward first base. About halfway down the line, he hopped and grabbed his left hamstring as he tried to slow himself down. He was out at first base, but that is obviously not what was important. Baldelli apologized and said he had to go out on the field. He jogged to first base where he talked with Lewis and first base coach Ramon Borrego and head trainer Nick Paparesta. No surprise, but Lewis was removed from the game. In the top of the third inning, Tanner Schobel took over at third base. Unfortunately Lewis is not unfamiliar with injury. He missed the entire 2021 season after right ACL surgery. He came back in 2022 and soon after, he re-tore his ACL and missed another season. In 2023, he missed July and half of August with an oblique injury. He returned and then missed the final week of the season with a left hamstring injury. In 2024, he pulled his quad on Opening Day and missed about two months. He played for a month in June, but in early July he missed three weeks with an adductor strain. The team announced that Lewis, in fact, did injure his hamstring but nothing more at this point. With about 10 days until Opening Day, it would seem likely that Lewis will open the season on the Injured List. Updates to come when news becomes available. View full article

Fourth round pick two years ago. Debuted in 2024, but he wasn't at 100% health-wise. He was the 2023 draft pick that people thought/think could move up quickly.