Seth Stohs

I should wait to watch the whole thing before commenting... you made the above comment about 2 minutes after I sent the above. I went with John Klein as my #1 as well.

You mentioned me agreeing that it was a difficult year of voting. For me, it was difficult because the top four hitters all were very deserving of it (Gonzalez, Rosario, Fedko, Culpepper). However, on the pitcher side, there weren't really any obvious choices, in part because of how they used pitchers in the minor leagues.

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (graphic by Thieres Rabelo) The categories have become blurred. What is the role of a starter? What is the role of a reliever? In the Twins system, they have several pitchers who started but usually worked just three or four innings. There were several relievers that would frequently pitch three to four innings when they worked. And in many cases, those pitchers flipped roles. So, distinguishing whether a pitcher is a starter or a reliever is more difficult. We decided that to be considered a starting pitcher, the pitcher had to make at least nine starts. Then some common sense was needed. If a pitcher played in eight games and all eight of them were starts, that guy is a starter. Of course, if a guy made just eight appearances all season, it’s hard to imagine that pitcher finishing in the top five or six in the organization. Today we are highlighting the top performing relief pitchers in the Minnesota Twins organization in 2025. We will help you get to know the top four performers, but let’s start with some Honorable Mentions. Honorable Mentions RHP Cody Laweryson (27), Wichita/St. Paul: 34 G, 2-4, 6 Saves, 2.86 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 44 IP, 42 H, 14 BB, 45 K. RHP Ruddy Gomez (25), Ft. Myers/Cedar Rapids: 27 G, 1-3, 12 Saves, 1.69 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 37 1/3 IP, 25 H, 10 BB, 51 K. Others Receiving Votes: RHP Jacob Kisting, LHP Samuel Perez, LHP Zander Sechrist Here are the top four players for the Twins Daily Relief Pitcher of the Year, leading up to the choice for the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. 4. RHP Hunter Hoopes (25), Ft. Myers/Cedar Rapids/Wichita 42 G, 6-5, 2 Saves, 3.27 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 52 1/3 IP, 25 H, 23 BB, 64 K. Hoopes grew up in Fairfax, Virginia, where he starred on the basketball court and on the baseball diamond at WT Woodson High School. A top prospect in the state, he headed to UNC Asheville for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. In 2021, he pitched at John A. Logan Community College. From there, he went to the University of Alabama where he pitched in 2022 and 2023. He went undrafted and pitched for Schaumburg in the independent Frontier League that summer. He began working as a trainer at Tread Athletics in Charlotte, North Carolina. It might just be the video below, posted on all of the company’s social media, of him throwing 107.5 mph, that got the Twins interested. (Note: When you see those videos, the balls being thrown are lighter than regular baseballs, so it doesn’t mean that is how hard he throws all the time. But, it certainly will get you noticed.) data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== In July of 2024, he signed a minor-league contract with the Twins and was assigned to the FCL Twins. Like players drafted, he didn’t pitch in games. He began this season in Fort Myers and pitched 21 innings and 16 games. He had a 2.14 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, and nine walks to 32 strikeouts. He quickly moved up to Cedar Rapids and worked 17 1/3 innings over 14 games. He posted a 1.56 ERA, a 0.64 WHIP, and he had five walks to 20 strikeouts. The Twins moved him up quickly to Double-A Wichita where he found his first struggles. In 12 games and 14 innings, he had an ERA of 7.07. However, there is no reason whatsoever to focus the attention on that last quarter of his season, especially since he hadn’t pitched this much in two years. Early in the season, he was averaging about 93-94 mph with his fastball. He frequently hit 95, 96 and even 97 a few times. He also throws a changeup which can be really good. At times he has shown an ability to throw the changeup 15 mph slower than his fastball. But it is going to be his fastball, as well as his ability to throw strikes that will keep him potentially moving up. 3. LHP Kade Bragg (24), LHP, Ft. Myers/Cedar Rapids/Wichita 42 G, 8-2, 5 Saves, 2.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 67 1/3 IP, 45 H, 31 BB, 82 K. Bragg grew up in Ennis, Texas, a city with a population approaching 25,000. Technically, it is part of the Dallas-Ft. Worth market, but it is approximately a 35 mile drive south on Highway 45. He went to Weatherford College out of high school, a Community College about 60 miles west of downtown Dallas. In 2023, he went to Division II Angelo State in San Angelo, Texas, a four-hour drive west of Texas. He pitched in 18 games including 16 starts. He went 15-1 with a 1.20 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. In 104 2/3 innings, he gave up just 63 hits, walked 39 and had 124 strikeouts. The Twins made him their 17th round pick in 2023. He began his pro career in 2024 in Fort Myers, but after just six innings, he missed the rest of the season. However, he was able to pitch in the Arizona Fall League after the season. He had 13 walks and 13 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings. He began this season with nine games in Fort Myers where he had four walks and 18 strikeouts in nine appearances and 12 innings. He moved up to Cedar Rapids where he pitched in 33 innings over 18 games. He had 18 walks and 43 strikeouts. He then was promoted to Double-A Wichita. He pitched in 22 1/3 innings over 15 games. He had nine walks and 21 strikeouts. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== The southpaw has a solid pitch mix and a delivery that can be a bit deceptive. He has a low-to-mid-90s fastball with significant run in on a left-hander. He’s also got a strong slider with sink and slide. He also has a mid-90s changeup and a cutter. He will need to continue working on improving his control and command, but his 11.0 K/9 tells us he has a strong ability to miss bats. 2. RHP Mike Paredes, 25, Wichita/St. Paul 38 G, 11-0, 7 Saves, 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 105 2/3 IP, 79 H, 28 BB, 92 K. Paredes grew up in San Diego and attended San Diego High School. He pitched on the varsity for four years. After his prep career, he didn’t go too far. He made the 11 mile drive from his high school to San Diego State University. His freshman season (2019), he made five starts and 12 relief appearances. He went 3-3 with a 5.29 ERA. He made four starts in 2020 before Covid ended the season. He was 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA in 20 innings. He came back in 2021 and pitched in 14 games (11 starts). He was 4-0 with a 5.59 ERA. In 77 1/3 innings. He had 65 strikeouts. The Twins drafted him in the 18th round of the 2021 draft and pitched twice for the FCL Twins that summer. He was 7-4 with a 3.27 ERA with 16 walks and 63 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings for Fort Myers in 2022. In 2023, he moved up to Cedar Rapids where he went 7-1 with a 3.14 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 63 innings. He split that season between Cedar Rapids and Wichita. Paredes began the 2025 season in Wichita. He pitched in 37 games (2 starts), and in 103 2/3 innings, he went 11-0 with seven saves. He had a 2.43 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He was 2-3 with a 3.02 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings. He had 28 walks and had 91 strikeouts. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== And following his fantastic season in Wichita, he ended the season by spending the final week with the Saints. He pitched in one game. He needed just 17 pitches to throw two scoreless innings. In those 17 pitches, he threw five different types of pitches. He threw just two fastballs, two curveballs, four cutters, four changeups, and five sliders. Despite it being the final game of his longest season, his fastball topped out at 94 mph. His other pitches were all in the mid-80s. The slow curve has a significant drop. The cutter and slider kind of run together. I’d assume that most of them are cutters, although once in a while it may break more, like a slider. His fastball has a little tail on it, and the changeup has a lot of tail and drops. 1. RHP Pierson Ohl, 25, Ft. Myers/Wichita/St. Paul 24 G, 5-3, 2 Saves, 2.40 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 71 1/3 IP, 58 H, 11 BB, 86 K. Raise your hand if you knew the name Pierson Ohl before he was called up to the Minnesota Twins in late July. Those of you who follow Twins Daily’s minor-league content, he has certainly been referenced often. Ohl grew up in Simi Valley, California. He went to Grace Brethren High School. He went 22-3 over his four years of varsity baseball there. His senior year, he posted a 0.54 ERA in 64 2/3 innings. He was the league’s MVP, all-county and second team all-state. He chose to attend Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. He immediately jumped into their starting rotation and made 16 starts as a freshman. He went 7-5 with a 3.45 ERA in 91 1/3 innings. In 2020, he made four starts before Covid ended the season. He was 1-2 with a 2.89 ERA over 28 innings. Over 119 1/3 innings those two seasons, he had 20 walks and just 83 strikeouts. In his junior season, he went 10-2 with a 2.60 ERA. In 100 1/3 innings, he had 12 walks and 103 strikeouts. The Twins saw enough to make him their 14th round pick in the 2021 draft and pitched in one FCL game that summer. He had 101 strikeouts and 13 walks over 91 2/3 innings in Fort Myers in 2022. He split the 2023 season between Cedar Rapids and Wichita. In 127 1/3 innings, he had just 18 walks and 115 strikeouts. He spent the full 2024 season with the Wind Surge and went 4-7 with a 4.68 ERA. That brings us to 2025. With so much pitching depth and prospects in St. Paul, he began the season back in Wichita. He also started a new role. He had primarily pitched as a starter but got some relief appearances in the past. For Ohl, he was used in the same type of role that several Twins minor league pitchers, including Travis Adams, Marco Raya, Darren Bowen, were used. He pitched in 13 games for the Surge. He worked between two and four innings in each outing but one (went 1 2/3 innings). Most of the time, that meant between 40 and 55 pitches. He went 4-1 with a 2.08 ERA. In 39 innings, he had just four walks and 46 strikeouts. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== In late June, he was promoted to Triple-A St. Paul. He made seven appearances, all between two and four innings and between 31 and 68 pitches. Late in July, the Twins needed someone to make a spot start in a bullpen game. On July 29th, he made his debut against the Red Sox. His first inning included a strikeout by Roman Anthony, a strikeout by Alex Bregman, a double to Jarren Duran, and he ended it by strikeout in Trevor Story. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== He tossed a 1-2-3 second inning with two fly outs and a pop out. Then came the third inning. It started with a ground out. However, he gave up a triple, a single, and a double that made it 2-0 Red Sox. Next, he struck out Duran. Unfortunately, Story followed with a two-run home run to make it 4-0. After a walk, he got the third out. Michael Tonkin came in for the fourth inning. In his debut, Ohl gave up four runs on five hits and a walk over three innings. He certainly struggled in four of five big-league games. However, in a game against the A’s, he gave up one run over four innings and then tossed three scoreless innings against the White Sox. Again, his role was to pitch between two and four innings. And he tossed between 36 and 72 pitches. He went down to St. Paul where he pitched twice. The Twins called him back up a week into September. He gave up four runs in 1 1/3 innings in his first outing, but he has now pitched four straight games without giving up a run. Baby steps. And, hey, this is the minor-league award, and Ohl was terrific this year. The fact that he got a big-league opportunity this season may have come because of what happened at the trade deadline, but he earned that opportunity. And, frankly, he has shown enough stuff to find success in a big-league role. How would your ballot look for the Twins' top relief pitchers in 2025? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View full article

On Tuesday morning, the Twins announced their minor league awards winners: Sherry Robertson Award (Minor League Player of the Year): Kaelen Culpepper Jim Rantz Award (Minor League Pitcher of the Year): Connor Prielipp The rest of the week, we will be naming the Twins Daily Minor League Award winners (Hitter, Starting Pitcher, Relief Pitcher) and soon after, our Twins Minor League All Stars. Will the voting align with the Twins? What do you think?

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Kyler Fedko) Earlier this week, the St. Paul Saints announced their 2025 award winners. Outfielder Carson McCusker was named the team’s MVP. Travis Adams was named the team’s pitcher of the year. Congratulations to each of them! On Sunday, the Saints played their final game of the 2025 season. (I’m not crying… you are!) This also marks the end of the Twins Daily Minor League Reports for the 2025 season (seriously, not crying!), but we’ll be back in 2026. Don’t worry! Of course, we will also again have a weekly update on how the Twins prospects are doing in the Arizona Fall League. We'll be watching those winter league box scores to see how any Twins are doing. Did You Know? RHP Ruddy Gomez and IF Dameury Pena were drafted last week in the Dominican Winter League draft. Gomez was the seventh-round pick by Tigres de Licey. Pena was the 13th-round pick of the Gigantes del Cibao. Last week, we announced the 2025 Twins Daily Short-Season Minor League Hitters and Pitchers of the Week. Our votes are in for the full season awards, and we’ll get those articles posted this week. FCL Twins Hitter of the Year FCL Twins Pitcher of the Year DSL Twins Hitter of the Year DSL Twins Pitcher of the Year As you know, the daily minor-league reports are a staple at Twins Daily. You’ve come to expect it and we sure enjoy writing it. There is a great group of commenters who read the report daily, discuss fun topics (or not-so-fun topics), and ask questions. We really do appreciate you, and your input. If you have any questions or comments, let us know in the comments or DM me. What are your favorite parts of it, and are there parts that seem unnecessary? We welcome your suggestions and look to continue making it a Must Read for fans. TRANSACTIONS None. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Memphis 8 Box Score A few solo home runs were not enough to earn a win for the Saints on Sunday. In fact, it wasn’t enough to reach the number of runs that they gave up in the first inning. After two straight wins, the Saints dropped their final game of the 2025 season. Andrew Morris made the start for the Saints, and he’s been good since returning from the injured list, but on Sunday he was hurt by the long ball a couple of times. He gave up four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Two runs came on a Matt Lloyd homer. In the fourth inning, he gave up a solo homer to JJ Wetherholt. In total, Morris gave up six runs on seven hits and a hit batter over the first 4 1/3 innings. A rehabbing Anthony Misiewicz got the final two outs of the fifth inning. Noah Davis and Brooks Kriske each threw a scoreless inning in relief. Trent Baker gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in his inning. On offense, the Saints had just five hits. Jose Miranda had the lone single. He ends the year hitting just .195 with a sub-.600 OPS with the Saints. Walker Jenkins had the lone double, his sixth since joining the Saints. The team went just 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. However, the Saints had three solo home runs on the day. With two outs in the second inning, Aaron Sabato hit his 14th Saints homer of the year. He ends his season with 23 total homers. That marks his career-high, topping the 22 he hit in 2022. Jonah Bride led off the seventh inning with his fifth Saints home run. Leading off the Saints ninth inning, Kyler Fedko hit his eighth home run for St. Paul. It is his 28th overall home run of the season. He also had 38 stolen bases. It is also notable that it is his first career home run on his birthday. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Kyler Fedko (St. Paul): 1-for-4, HR(8), R, RBI, and it’s his birthday. Pitcher of the Day Brooks Kriske, I guess? (St. Paul): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 14 pitches, 10 strikes (71.4%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1– Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 2B(6), K (played CF) #2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - 1-for-4, 2B(14), R, 2 K (DHd) #5 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, 2 K, (played RF) #16 - Andrew Morris (St. Paul) - 4 1/3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 4 K, 76 pitches, 54 strikes (71.1%) #19 - Kyler Fedko (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, HR(8), R, RBI (played LF) UPCOMING PITCHING PROBABLES All Twins minor-league seasons complete. CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 67-89 St. Paul Saints: 62-86 Wichita Wind Surge: 76-62 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 72-60 (finished 2nd in Midwest League playoffs) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 52-73 FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs) DSL Twins: 24-32 Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View full article

Image courtesy of Greta Riedl / St. Paul Saints (photo of Will Holland) Penultimate… such a fun word! That’s right. On Saturday afternoon the Saints played the penultimate game of the Twins 2025 minor league schedule. The other affiliates have each been done for about a week, but the Saints got one more week of games. Sunday will be the final one. TRANSACTIONS Before the second Twins game on Saturday, the Twins placed Pablo Lopez on the Injured List and recalled Mick Abel. Hear me out. What do you think of this idea? A few weeks ago, I wrote about five Twins minor leaguers who will become free agents at the conclusion of the World Series. One of them, RHP Cody Laweryson, was called up recently to take Justin Topa’s roster spot. Will Holland is another player on that list, and he is finishing out the season with the Saints. What do you think about the idea of calling up Will Holland for the final week of the season? Give him an extra $18-20,000 for that week as a thank you for what you’ve done in our organization since they signed him in 2019. There are several players on the IL currently that could be pushed to the 60-Day Injured List. There are a couple of guys that could be DFAd. Would a team do that in a pennant-chasing season? Of course not. Would it be potentially great for good will? Possibly. Consider the Twins have a Top 3 pick in next summer’s MLB draft. They convince a top talent in the draft to sign for a few million dollars under slot. But there are now agents that see that if the Twins draft a guy and he produces and stays in the organization for six full seasons without a big-league promotion, they just might find players in later rounds will to tell other teams that they won’t sign unless they get a certain bonus because they want to be drafted by the Twins, an organization that treats its players well and respects their work and longevity. A human-centered organization. Oh wait! They traded Louis Varland with five years of service time remaining. No one is buying that human-centered stuff anymore. But I would love to see Will Holland get one week in the big leagues. Call him up! SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 11, Memphis 3 Box Score In his final start of the season, lefty Kendry Rojas started and gave up just one run over 3 1/3 innings. He gave up for hits and walked just two, but he had five strikeouts to help him out of some situations. In the fourth inning, Christian MacLeod got the final two on and two outs, but he kept the score at 3-1 Saints. Oh yeah, the Saints. They scored three runs in the top of the third inning. Noah Cardenas hit a one-out single. Will Holland (Call Him Up!) signed him to second. Next, Walker Jenkins singled which drove in Cardenas with the team’s first run. A rehabbing Christian Vazquez grounded out, but Holland scored the second run. Kyler Fedko and Jonah Bride reached on walks. With Emmanuel Rodriguez batting, Memphis starter Zach Plesac balked to score the Saints third run. Rodriguez’s plate appearance ended with a walk, but after a pitching change the half-inning ended. MacLeod gave up a run of his own in the fifth inning which made it 3-2, but the Saints responded right away in the top of the sixth inning. Jonah Bride led off with a single to center. Rodriguez delivered an opposite-field home run. It marked just his sixth home run of the season. Also, later in the innings, the Saints got singles from Tanner Schobel and Will (Call Him Up!) Holland! On the day, MacLeod went 2 2/3 innings and gave up the one run on two total hits. Erasmo Ramirez gave up a hit and a walk but got out of the seventh inning unscathed. At that point, the Saints just added on. In the top of the seventh, Kyler Fedko walked and stole second. Bride singled him to third, and Fedko scored on a fielders’ choice off the bat of Rodriguez. Rodriguez stole second and then scored on a Schobel single to make it 7-2. With one out in the eighth, Will (Call Him Up!) Holland walked and stole second. He scored on a Walker Jenkins single to center. Christian Vazquez followed with a two-run homer that made it 10-2 Saints. The Saints added on more in the ninth inning when Will (Call Him Up!) Holland walked with the bases loaded to drive in Rodriguez. Marco Raya tossed the final two innings. He gave up one run on two hits. Blaze Jordan hit a homer with two outs in the ninth. Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with a walk, his sixth homer and his ninth stolen base. He also threw out a runner at the plate. Jenkins went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Bride was 2-for-4 with a walk. Schobel was 2-for-5. Vazquez went just 1-for-5 with a walk, but he drove in three runs. Also, Will (Call Him Up!) Holland was 2-for-3 with two walks and his 11th stolen base. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 3-for-4, BB, HR(6), 3 RBI, 3 R, SB(9), Pitcher of the Day Christian MacLeod (St. Paul): 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 45 pitches, 26 strikes (57.8%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1– Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, HBP, 2 R, 2 RBI, K (played CF) #2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - Game 1: 1-for-3, 2B(13), Game 2: #5 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 3-for-4, BB, HR(6), 3 RBI, 3 R, SB(9), (played LF) #6 - Mick Abel (Minnesota) - 4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K, 71 pitches, 39 strikes (54.9%) #9 - Kendry Rojas (St. Paul) - 3 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 68 pitches, 45 strikes (66.2%) #15 - Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 22 pitches, 15 strikes (68.2%) #19 - Kyler Fedko (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, 2 BB, R, SB(12) K (played RF) SUNDAY PROBABLES St. Paul @ Memphis (1:05 PM CT) - RHP Andrew Morris (4-5, 3.69 ERA) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 66-89 St. Paul Saints: 62-85 Wichita Wind Surge: 76-62 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 72-60 (finished 2nd in Midwest League playoffs) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 52-73 FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs) DSL Twins: 24-32 Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! 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This week, we've been handing out awards to the Twins short-season teams, the Florida Complex League and the Dominican Summer League. In the past, we had lumped these two teams together for "short season" awards. However, the FCL Twins schedule started a couple of weeks sooner, and they finished a few weeks before the DSL Twins did. These are different leagues. FCL Twins Hitter of the Year FCL Twins Pitcher of the Year DSL Twins Hitter of the Year Let's get to our fourth minor-league award, the Dominican Summer League Pitcher of the Year. Let's start with a couple of honorable mentions before getting to the top guys. Honorable Mention Eliezer Lucena (17): 3-0, 3.35 ERA, 11 G, 1 GS, 37 2/3 IP, 38 H, 19 BB, 31 K Yordi Jose (18): 0-1, 2.08 ERA, 7 G, 0 GS, 8 2/3 IP, 7 H, 5 BB, 11 K (video) Honorably Honorable Mention Geremy Villoria (17): 0-1, 3.68 ERA, 8 G, 8 GS, 22 IP, 20 H, 7 BB, 24 K The Twins acquired the then-16-year-old Villoria from the Phillies in the Harrison Bader trade. He is one of the youngest players in the league, the Phillies signed him for $425,000. In fact, he didn’t turn 17 until after the season was complete. Already 6-3 and 180 pounds, Villoria has room to grow, but he’s already hitting the mid-90s with his fastball. He also has the makings of a solid changeup and breaking ball. He had made five starts and thrown 14 innings. In his time with the Twins, he made three starts and threw just eight innings. But combined, he posted a 3.68 ERA, and in his 22 innings, he gave up 20 hits, walked just seven and had 24 strikeouts. #3: Jensi Infante (18): 2-0, 1 save, 3.47 ERA, 16 G, 2 GS, 23 1/3 IP, 17 H, 17 BB, 17 K. Infante was already 18 when he signed with the Twins in January. The Astros have had some success signing older pitchers in the international market (yes, “older” meaning 18…). They typically sign for less, and scouts know a little more about what that pitcher can be. Infante was solid, but unspectacular. Too many walks. Not enough strikeouts. But he did alright at limiting runs against him. He’s 6-3 and still quite thin. Can he gain size and strength? If so, he can take strides. #2: Rey Pacheco (18): 5-2, 1 save, 3.00 ERA, 16 G, 3 GS, 33 IP, 32 H, 7 BB, 31 K. Pacheco had just turned 18 when he signed with the Twins in January out of Mexico. He was the DSL team’s reliable pitcher throughout their season. He came in in a variety of situations. Early in the season, he was brought into the games late just to finish a long game. Later in the season, he started coming into the middle innings in key situations. He ended the season with three starts. He threw three or more innings in his final five outings. Nothing overly spectacular, but he generally threw strikes which, if you follow the Dominican Summer League, isn’t always a given. #1 RHP Santiago Castellanos (17): 1-2, 2.79 ERA, 9 G, 8 GS, 29 IP, 23 H, 9 BB, 36 K Like Villoria, Castellanos was one of the youngest players in the Dominican Summer League, and hence, in professional baseball. He didn’t turn 17 until halfway through July. In January, Castellanos was one of the top pitchers in Venezuela in the 2025 class. The Twins signed him for $247,500. Castellanos is 5-11, and tiny, maybe 160 pounds, but he is young and has room to grow. However, even before signing he was hitting 97 mph on the radar gun with his fastball. Again, he was just 16. He also has a curveball that spins well and produces a sharp break. He’s also been working on a changeup. Now, with his youth, he’s got a long way to go, and plenty to improve upon. And that will happen. He also just needs to be more consistent (that is true of many big-league pitchers too). For me, what impressed me most, as much as his ability to throw so hard at such a young age, is his control. Of 24 players who pitched for the DSL Twins in 2025, 10 of them had more walks than strikeouts. Two others had the same number of walks as strikeouts. Meanwhile, in his 29 innings, Castellanos had just nine walks to go with 36 strikeouts. There are several Twins pitching and development coaches in the Dominican Summer League. One of those coaches said of the young hurler, “Santiago has a natural ability to throw strikes with all of his pitches and pairs that with a really clean delivery that allows him to produce good velocity for his age.” He continued, “We’re really excited to see him continue to work on the consistency of his shapes and command of all his pitches, as well as add more velocity as he gets older.” Congratulations to Castellanos and these other pitchers on a strong debut pro season, and best of luck and health to each of them! View full article

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Emmanuel Rodriguez) TRANSACTIONS Christian Vazquez joined the Saints on a rehab assignment. He DHd and batted second. RHP Mike Paredes joined the Saints from the Wind Surge roster. John Klein was placed on the Development List. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Memphis 10 Box Score On Thursday, the Saints played an afternoon game in Memphis. Darren McCaughan made the start. He went four innings and gave up four runs on five hits. He had five strikeouts and walked none. The Saints got on the scoreboard first. In the top of the third inning, Tanner Schobel led off with a double. He moved up to third base on a fly out. DaShawn Keirsey singled to drive in Schobel. Cory Lewis came in to start the fifth inning. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on three hits and two walks. He recorded just two outs. Lefty Aaron Rozek came in with the bases loaded and kept the game close by not allowing the inherited runners to score. Rozek went 2 1/3 innings and gave up one run on two hits. He walked two and had four strikeouts. Brooks Kriske pitched the eighth inning and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk. Down 8-1 going to the eighth inning, the Saints attempted a comeback. Christian Vazquez led off with a walk. Payton Eeles was hit by a pitch. Kyler Fedko followed with a three-run homer to cut the team’s deficit to 8-4, but that’s as close as the team got. Fedko now has 27 home runs to go with 36 stolen bases combined on the season. Can he reach 30-30, needing three home runs over the team’s final three games? Keirsey was the lone Saints batter with two hits. He also had two stolen bases. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Kyler Fedko (St. Paul): 1-for-4, HR(7), R, 3 RBI Pitcher of the Day Aaron Rozek (St. Paul): 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 44 pitches, 25 strikes (56.8%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #5 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, BB, K, SB(9) #19 - Kyler Fedko (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, HR(7), R, 3 RBI, 2 K (played LF) FRIDAY PROBABLES St. Paul @ Memphis (7:05 PM CT) - LHP Connor Prielipp (5.40 ERA) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 66-86 St. Paul Saints: 60-85 Wichita Wind Surge: 76-62 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 72-60 (finished 2nd in Midwest League playoffs) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 52-73 FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs) DSL Twins: 24-32 Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View full article

TV: Awful Announcing's 2025 MLB local broadcaster rankings Radio: Awful Announcing's 2025 MLB local radio booth rankings Awful Announcing ran several polls around the country, Fans were asked to grade their team's TV and Radio. I know I don't listen to many of the other team's announcers, so I don't know if the rankings are right or wrong, but it is interesting to see where Cory Provus and Justin Morneau compare to other TV teams, or how Kris Atteberry and Dan Gladden compare to radio broadcasters.

They're learning everything. They're high school age. Far from finished product. And again, gotta be careful with these numbers. Just check out stats in the DSL from Eduardo Beltre last year, or Yasser Mercedes and Jose Rodriguez in recent years. Then check out their FCL and eventually Ft. Myers...

The 2025 DSL season started out very slowly, but by season’s end they were competing with anyone who lined up against them. Manager Rafael Martinez’s club finished the season at 24-32. The DSL roster was filled with interesting prospects in 2025. The Twins decided to spread their international money around. Santiago Leon is the son of one of the Twins top international scouts. The talented youngster signed for $1,697,500. He played in 50 games and hit .223 with a .391 on-base percentage. Another Top international prospect in January was OF Carlos Taveras who received a bonus of $1,097,500. His season ended due to injury after just 18 games, but in that stretch he hit .246 with a .389 on-base percentage. He had three doubles, a triple and two home runs. Haritzon Castillo signed for $947,500. The infielder was the Twins lone representative in the DSL All Star game. He played in 39 games and hit .283/.395/.428 (.823) with eight doubles, three triples, two homers and 12 RBI. He also had 24 walks to just 22 strikeouts. It was a surprise in the industry when the Twins signed outfielder Teilon Serrano. He was rumored to be heading to the Dodgers. However, in their efforts to sign Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers had to back out. The Twins jumped in and signed him for $847,500. He played in 41 games and hit .258/.386/.426 (.812) with seven doubles, two triples, five home runs, and 21 stolen bases. Jose Barrios was signed for $422,500. In 37 games, he hit .254/.352/.361 (.713) with three doubles, two triples, two homers, and 10 stolen bases. As the saying goes, the further away from the big leagues, the less important the statistics are. Players in the Dominican Summer League are six promotions away from the big leagues. Most of them are 16 or 17 years old and still growing, still developing, and still learning. So it is always important to take the performances on the field with a bit of a grain of salt. But it’s also important to celebrate successes, and that’s what we’re doing today. Below, you will see how Twins Daily writers ranked the DSL Hitters in terms of 2025 on-field performances. Just one of the players mentioned above Honorable Mention Yovanny Duran - 46 games, .296/.452/.382 (.833), 7-2B, 3-3B, 31 SB. Teillon Serrano - 41 games, .258/.386/.426 (.812), 7-2B, 2-3B, 5-HR, 21-SB. #3: Joyner Perez Perez played in just under half of the team’s games, but he impressed with some impressive numbers. The Twins signed Perez for $397,500 in January. At 16, he was 5-11 and 215 pounds, he may not be your typical, athletic player, but if he can hit like this as he moves up, he will continue to move up. In his pro debut, he hit for average, got on base, and slugged. He had 18 walks to just 17 strikeouts, showing a good approach at the plate which can be unusual in the lower levels. He has doubles power that can certainly turn into home run power as he grows, sees more pitching and makes adjustments. #2: Jhomnardo Reyes Reyes certainly looks the part of a powerful ballplayer. At 6-3 and 190 pounds, the 17-year-old has tremendous power, and even more power potential. Signed out of the Dominican Republic for $332,500, Reyes had a very solid showing in his first pro season. In 50 games, he hit .291/.386/.469 (.855) with 10 doubles, nine triples, and one home run. He had 33 runs. He struck out a lot, but he also walked a lot for such a young player. While he logged just one home run, he showed the power and speed potential that he has with the 10 doubles and nine triples. #1: 3B Darwin Almanzar While Almanzar had the lowest signing bonus of those players written about today, a quarter-million-dollar bonus says that he was a well-known, well-respected prospect. The 17-year-old switch-hitter put together a very solid, well-rounded season. He played in 44 games and hit .252/.347/.497 (.843). He hit 17 doubles, one triple, and six home runs. He showed a good approach at the plate with 20 walks. He played all over the infield, though primarily at third base. At 5-10 and 180 pounds, he has the potential to grow, add strength and continue to improve. If we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that the stats in the DSL don’t necessarily transfer. Most of these players mentioned in today’s article will move up to the Florida Complex League next year. That transition comes with its own issues including coming to the States for the first time. Congratulations to these players on a successful first professional season. View full article

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Gabriel Gonzalez) TRANSACTIONS No transactions. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 11, Columbus 7 Box Score In their final home game of the season, the Saints offense used a big inning to claim the lead and then added more to earn the win. Lefty Kendry Rojas started and gave up two runs in the first and the second innings. But he responded with scoreless innings in the third and fourth frames. In four innings, he gave up four runs on seven hits. He walked three and had three strikeouts. The Saints were held scoreless in the first two innings. However, they scored two in the bottom of the third off of John Means. Will Holland led off with his eighth homer of the season. Gabriel Gonzalez hit his sixth Saints homer soon after. The Saints offense put together a six-run fourth inning thanks to a bit of patience. Emmanuel Rodriguez and Jonah Bride started the inning with walks. After a pop out, Noah Cardenas walked to load the bases. Holland followed with a two-run double to tie the game at 4-4. Cardenas scored on a balk. Following a pitching change, Gabriel Gonzalez singled to make it 6-4. Walker Jenkins followed with his second Triple-A home run to give the Saints the 8-4 lead. Cory Lewis came on for the fifth inning. He worked three innings and gave up three runs, all on a Kahlil Watson home run in the sixth. In the bottom of the seventh, Emmanuel Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Bride singled, and Payton Eeles walked to load the bases. Cardenas singled to drive in two runs. The third run scored on a groundout by DaShawn Keirsey. Marco Raya threw two scoreless innings to finish out a nice win and send the crowd home happy. Gabriel Gonzalez 3-for-5 with his sixth double and sixth home run. Will Holland was 2-for-4 with his eight double and eighth home run. Noah Cardenas was 2-for-3 with a walk. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Corpus Christi 8 Box Score Needing a win and a Tulsa loss to see their season continue, the Wind Surge fell just short of their goal on the final day of the season. Wichita took the early lead in the top of the second. Ben Ross led off with a single and stole second. Andrew Cossetti reached on an error. Jake Rucker followed with an RBI single to drive in Ross and make it 1-0. After a fielder’s choice, Jose Salas singled to right to drive in Cossetti and make it 2-0. A double play ended the inning. Sam Armstrong got the start for Wichita. He’s been terrific in his past two starts. In the bottom of the second inning, three singles led to a run and made it 2-1. In the top of the third, Hendry Mendez singled and Ricardo Olivar was hit by a pitch. Ben Ross followed with his 14th home run of the season, a three-run shot that made it 5-1. However, the Hooks matched the Surge with three runs in their half of the third inning. And then added two more in the top of the fourth. Armstrong gave up six runs on 10 hits and a walk over 3 2/3 innings. He had six strikeouts. Jaylen Nowlin came on and got the final out of the fourth inning. He also threw a scoreless fifth frame. Of his four outs, three came on strikeouts. Gabriel Yanez kept the deficit at just one run for the next two innings. He gave up two runs in the eighth inning to make it 8-5 Hooks. The Surge went scoreless in the top of the ninth. Unfortunately, after scoring five runs early, the Wind Surge bats went quiet. Mendez was 2-for-4 with a walk and a double. Ross was 2-for-4 with a walk and his home run. He also stole his 18th base. Jake Rucker was 2-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. Salas went 2-for-3 with a walk. Olivar had two walks and was hit by a pitch. KERNELS NUGGETS Midwest League Championship Series Game 1: Cedar Rapids 3, West Michigan 5 Box Score There wasn’t much offense for the Kernels in Game 1 on Sunday, but they were able to take the early lead. In the top of the second, Danny De Andrade doubled and scored on a Caden Kendle single to make it 1-0. Jaime Ferrer got things started in the top of the third with a walk. Kyle DeBarge was hit by a pitch. Marek Houston flew out to center with Ferrer advancing to third base. Eduardo Tait grounded into a fielder's choice, but Ferrer scored the second run of the game. Billy Amick followed with an RBI double. After a pitching change, two batters walked to load the bases, but the Kernels were unable to add on to their 3-0 lead. Garrett Horn made the start for the Kernels. The lefty tossed two scoreless, no-hit innings. However, he threw 57 pitches because of five walks and three strikeouts. Jacob Kisting came on. He was charged with four runs on five hits over 2 2/3 innings. He walked none and had five strikeouts. Nick Trabacchi gave up one run on three hits over 2 1/3 innings. He struck out three batters without issuing a walk. Brennen Oxford struck out two in one perfect inning. The Kernels were unable to make a comeback. They ended the game with three runs on four hits and five walks. They were just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base. De Andrade and Amick were both 1-for-3 with their doubles and a walk. Kendle had the RBI single. Houston had the only other hit in the game. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 3-for-5, 2B(6), HR(6), 2 R, 2 RBI Pitcher of the Day Jaylen Nowlin (Wichita): 1 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 15 pitches, 11 strikes (73.3%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1– Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, HR(2), R, 2 RBI (played LF-CF) #2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - 1-for-3B, SB(13), K (played 2B) #3 - Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - 0-for-5 (played SS) #4 - Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, R, RBI (DHd) #5 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, BB, HBP, 2 R (CF) #9 - Kendry Rojas (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 83 pitches, 53 strikes (63.9%) #10 - Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 3-for-5, 2B(6), HR(6), 2 R, 2 RBI (played RF) #12 - Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, 3 K (played SS) #15 - Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 19 pitches, 11 strikes (57.9%) #17 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 3 K (played 2B) #19 - Kyler Fedko (St. Paul) - 0-for-1 (PH-LF) TUESDAY PROBABLES St. Paul @ Memphis (6:45 PM CT) - TBD Midwest League Championship Series Game 2: West Michigan @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CT) - TBD CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 65-84 St. Paul Saints: 60-82 (27-42 second half) Wichita Wind Surge: 76-62 (39-30 second half) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 72-60 (30-33 second half, reg season complete, beat Beloit in MWLW Division series, playing in Midwest League Championship series)) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 52-73 (25-36 second half, season complete) FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs) DSL Twins: 24-32 (season complete) Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! 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Image courtesy of Vanessa Buentello, Wichita Wind Surge Individually, things can seem minor, but I enjoy following this game and this organization because there is always something to be happy about. First, congratulations to Cody Laweryson. He was the Twins 14th round pick in 2019 out of the University of Maine. He has put in his dues in the organization and had a very solid 2025 season. He earned his promotion to the big leagues when Justin Topa went on the Injured List. On Saturday night at Target Field, he made his MLB debut. He gave up a leadoff single, but that was erased by a double play. Another ground out meant that he had a seven-pitch, scoreless first inning in the big leagues. He earned a second inning. In it, he struck out the first two batters before getting a fly out to right field. Two scoreless innings in his big-league debut. Very nice! Wichita came into the week two games behind Tulsa for the final spot in the Texas League playoffs. They are helped by the fact that they have the tiebreaker. With their win on Saturday night, Wichita has gone 4-1 this week. But Tulsa won too, and they have gone 3-2 this week. That means that Sunday’s season finale will matter a lot. The Wind Surge need to win, but they also need Arkansas to beat Tulsa to put them in the playoffs. If both of those things don’t happen, the Wind Surge season will be complete. TRANSACTIONS The Kernels activated RHP Xander Hamilton from the 7-Day Injured List. To make room, LHP Dasan Hill was placed on the Development List. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Columbus 9 Box Score One day after ending their 12-game losing streak, the Saints started a new streak with a loss at CHS Field. The Saints got on the scoreboard first with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. DaShawn Keirsey led off with a single. With one out, he went to third on a single by Walker Jenkins. Aaron Sabato grounded to third but Keirsey scored on a fielding error. Emmanuel Rodriguez drove in Jenkins with the second run. Connor Prielipp made the start for the Saints. He was fantastic through the first three innings. He gave up only a single. However, the fourth inning happened quickly. He gave up a leadoff single. After getting one out, he walked the next two batters to load the bases. Catcher Kody Huff followed with a grand slam, and the Saints were down 4-2. Beyond that quick stretch, Prielipp was fantastic. He went five innings and gave up four runs on three hits and three walks. He also had six strikeouts. Aaron Rozek came in and gave up five runs on six hits (including 2 homers) over two innings. Brooks Kriske and Noah Davis each threw a scoreless inning. The Saints added a run in the sixth inning off of Triston McKenzie. Payton Eeles was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He went to third on a Jose Miranda single and scored on a Keirsey sacrifice fly. Keirsey went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and the sacrifice fly. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 7, Corpus Christi 5 Box Score A five-run fifth inning gave the Wind Surge a 7-3 lead. Were they able to hang on and keep their playoff hopes alive? Ryan Gallagher made the start. He gave up one run in each of the first three innings. He gave up three runs on five hits over the first four innings. He walked one and had seven strikeouts. The Surge got on the scoreboard in the third inning. With one out, Jose Salas hit his fifth homer with the Surge. With two outs, Kala’i Rosario and Hendry Mendez hit back-to-back singles. Ricardo Olivar drove in the second run with a single of his own. Jump ahead to the fifth inning. With one out, Kaelen Culpepper singled and stole second base. It was his first game back since being hit by a pitch last weekend. With two outs, Mendez walked. Olivar singled to drive in Culpepper and tie the score at 3-3. After a pitching change, Ben Ross and Andrew Cossetti walked. The latter drove in the second run of the inning. With the bases still loaded, Jake Rucker drilled a line drive to right field to clear the bases and give the Surge their 7-3 lead. Michael Martinez recorded two outs but gave up one run in the fifth inning. John Stankiewicz got the final out of that inning, but he gave up a single and two walks to load the bases with just one out in the sixth. Kade Bragg came in and got a ground ball, but they just missed a double-play. One batter later the inning was over. Bragg was huge. He not only got the team out of that sixth inning jam, but he went two more innings without any further damage. Kyle Bischoff came on for the ninth inning. He gave up a leadoff single but got two strikeouts and a ground out to end the game. Rucker went 2-for-3 and his second triple of the season drove in three huge runs. Olivar went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Hendry Mendez was 2-for-4 with a walk. The Wind Surge did their part, but so did Tulas. They won 10-8 at home against Arkansas. Both teams play on Sunday. If Tulsa wins or Wichita loses, they make the playoffs, and the Wind Surge go home. If Tulsa loses and Wichita wins, the Surge will head to the playoffs as they have the tiebreaker. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids - West Michigan Box Score The Midwest League championship series starts on Sunday. The Kernels will play Game 1 in West Michigan. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Jake Rucker (Wichita): 2-for-4, 3B(2), 3 RBI. Pitcher of the Day Kade Bragg (Wichita): 2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 38 pitches, 24 strikes (63.2%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1– Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, R, K (played CF) #2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - 1-for-4, R, BB (played 2B) #3 - Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - 1-for-4, BB, R, K, SB(10) (played SS) #5 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, BB, RBI, K (DHd) #7 - Connor Prielipp (St.Paul) - 5 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 77 pitches, 49 strikes (63.6%) #19 - Kyler Fedko (St. Paul) - 0-for-5, K (played LF) SUNDAY PROBABLES Columbus @ St. Paul (2:07 PM CT) - LHP Kendry Rojas (1-3, 7.56 ERA) Wichita @ Corpus Christi (2:05 PM CT) - RHP Sam Armstrong (2-1, 4.55 ERA) Midwest League Championship Series Game 1: Cedar Rapids @ West Michigan (2:05 PM CT) - LHP Garrett Horn CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 65-83 St. Paul Saints: 59-82 (26-42 second half) Wichita Wind Surge: 76-61 (39-29 second half) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 72-60 (30-33 second half, reg season complete, beat Beloit in MWLW Division series, playing in Midwest League Championship series)) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 52-73 (25-36 second half, season complete) FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs) DSL Twins: 24-32 (season complete) Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! 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Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Hendry Mendez) On Wednesday afternoon, Major League Baseball announced which players will be participating in the 2025 Arizona Fall League. The Twins are sending eight players and a coach. Twins prospects will be playing for the Peoria Javelinas along with prospects from the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, and Cincinnati Reds. The Javelinas will play in the first game of the season. It will take place on Monday night, October 6, in Scottsdale. The four other teams will open their season the following day. They will play games until November 12. As per usual, the Twins are sending some quality hitting prospects to the Fall League IF/OF Brandon Winokur: The 20-year-old is Twins Daily's #13 prospect. Drafted in the third round in 2023 out of high school in California, Winokur has steadily performed, playing one level each season. He spent 2024 with the Mighty Mussels. In 122 games for the Kernels in 2025, he hit .226/.304/.388 (.683). He filled out the stat sheet well, with 20 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs, and 26 stolen bases in 30 chances. At 6-6, Winokur is a terrific athlete. This season, he played 48 games in center field, 46 games at shortstop, and 30 games at third base. IF Billy Amick: Amick spent two seasons at Clemson before transferring to Tennessee for his junior season. In July 2024, the Twins used their second-round pick (60th overall) to select this corner infielder. He began the season hitting well for the Kernels. In 21 games in April, he was hitting .342/.475/.447 (.922) with six doubles and a triple. Unfortunately, he went on the IL with an oblique injury and didn't return to Iowa for two months. He played in 29 games and hit .283/.376/.396 (.772) with six doubles and two homers. But he went back on the IL and missed another month before returning just a week ago. In those four games, he had six hits including three doubles and two home runs. He is playing in the Fall League to try to get another 100 plate appearances or so. OF Hendry Mendez: The 21-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic came to the Twins from the Phillies at the trade deadline in the Harrison Bader trade. Of the transition to his new organization, Mendez told Twins Daily, "It's been really positive. Everyone has been very supportive, and I feel like I've adjusted well. I thank God for putting me in this organization and I'm excited about the opportunity to keep growing here." In 29 games with Wichita, he has hit .320/.451/.423 (.874) with two doubles, a triple, and two home runs. As you can see from his on-base percentage, he's got a tremendous approach at the plate. In fact, he has 22 walks to just 17 strikeouts since joining the Surge. Mendez was originally signed as a 16-year-old by the Brewers. He remained in the organization until a November 2023 trade sent him to the Phillies for Oliver Dunn. The trade came about a month after Mendez first played in the Fall League. "I haven't been there as a fan, but I did play there, and it was a great experience. I learned a lot, and I'm excited to go back." Regarding the opportunity, Mendez said, "I'm really looking forward to competing at a high level again and making the most of the opportunity. The AFL has great talent, so it's exciting to challenge myself and keep learning. I thank God for this opportunity. " "I want to keep working on my consistency and building on the progress I've made this season. It's a chance to sharpen my skills and prepare for next year." RHP Miguelangel Boadas: The 22-year-old has not thrown a pitch in a game since June 8th of 2024. He had made 11 appearances for Cedar Rapids when he was shut down and later had Tommy John surgery. He has spent the entire 2025 season on the 60-Day Injured List. Clearly the hope here is to get him into some game innings so that when he goes home for the offseason, he can say that he's done it. Originally signed by the Twins in July of 2019 from Venezuela, he slowly worked his way up the Twins system, one level each year. While his numbers don't look great, he has the size and stuff to potentially figure out things like throwing strikes. RHP Jakob Hall: The 23-year-old was the Twins eighth round pick in 2024 out of Oral Roberts University. While he worked as a starter in his final two seasons of college, the Twins had him work primarily out of the bullpen. He made three starts among his 28 appearances. In 54 innings, he went 3-1 with a 6.83 ERA with a 1.56 WHIP. He had 22 walks and just 45 strikeouts. RHP Hunter Hoopes: Hoopes spent two years at UNC Asheville before spending 2022 and 2023 at the University of Alabama. He went undrafted and spent the rest of that summer in the independent leagues. The Twins signed him in June of 2024, and he didn't pitch at all that season. This year, he pitched in 16 games in Fort Myers (2.14 ERA) before posting a 1.56 ERA over 14 games in Cedar Rapids. He ended the season with the Wind Surge. Combined, he has 64 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings. And following the Wind Surge season, he'll head to the Arizona Fall League. He recently told Twins Daily that he is "really looking forward to playing against the talent and getting to play more baseball." He added, "It's been three years since I had a full season. The Twins seeing something in me and sending me is the biggest blessing and the greatest opportunity to start the offseason." He said that the biggest things he wants to work on in the AFL are attacking hitters and throwing his pitches with more conviction. "Getting into the competitive mindset outing after outing without my stuff taking a dip in bullpens or warming up compared to the game. Overall confidence is where I'm at and where the Lord has placed me! Fine tuning my pitches as well as I think they're in a good spot right now as well." RHP Dylan Questad: The Twins drafted the right-harder out of Waterford High School in Wisconsin with their fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft. Easily the youngest Twins player headed to the AFL this year, he will turn 21 on November 2nd in Arizona. Maybre that is what he is most looking forward two for his AFL experience. Following the draft last year, he pitched in 12 games in the FCL. It didn't go well. He was 2-4 with a 10.48 ERA. In 28 1/3 innings, he gave up 35 hits and 29 walks, but he also struck out 39 batters. He spent the entire 2025 season with the Mighty Mussels. Overall, the numbers don't look great. He went 4-7 with a 6.87 ERA. He went 74 2/3 innings and gave up 64 hits. He also had 62 walks. However, he had 83 strikeouts. He has good stuff. He throws hard. He has the makings of solid secondary pitches. Hopefully he can get to the Fall League and either talk to another coach or one of his teammates might show how he throws a certain pitch, and Questad will try it and if it works, great. LHP Zander Sechrist: Like Hoopes, the 23-year-old southpaw signed with the Twins in July of 2024 after four seasons at the University of Tennessee. Undrafted, he signed with the Twins. He made his professional debut this season and threw 69 innings over 36 games for the Mighty Mussels. He was 4-5 and had two saves. Sechrist told Twins Daily recently that he has never been to an AFL game. "It'll be a great experience seeing not only the high-level competition but also the different parks we play in." He's looking forward to the work he'll be able to do as well. He wants to see that competitive level "to see what I am capable of as well as what I need to work on in order to get better for next spring training." Specially, he's looking to do a couple of things. "Being able to execute pitches at a high rate and get my change up where it used to be. Just working on becoming a better pitcher every single day." In addition, Danny Marcuzzo will be the team's hitting coach. He is the hitting coach (and usually the first base coach) for the St. Paul Saints this year. This was his first year in the Twins organization. Marcuzzo played two years at Coffeyville Community College before playing two seasons at Western Illinois. He went to Central Oklahoma to earn a Master's Degree and help with the baseball program. Since then, he has coached at Coffeyville CC and spent the previous four seasons at the University of Nebraska. As we have for all of our years at Twins Daily, we will again be posting weekly updates from the AFL on how the TWins prospects are performing. Be sure to check back throughout the offseason for tons of Twins content. View full article

Are there actually doubters??

Nope...