Seth Stohs

I can't imagine bringing Rodriguez up at this point. He's had like 4 games at St. Paul after not having a great rehab. Give him another week of health and some production and then let him take Roden's spot, playing right field against right-handers and giving Buxton a day out of CF here and there. I'm find with Jenkins coming up as long as he'll pay 4-6 games per week. He did play a second game in left field this week. What's the move? Play him in LF every day? Larnach DH most every day? Caratini strictly a backup catcher. C: Jeffers, Caratini 1B: Lewis, Caratini 2B: Clemens, Kreidler 3B: Lee, Kreidler s SS: Culpepper, Kreidler LF: Larnach, Martin CF: Buxton/Kreidler/Keaschall RF: Roden/Keaschall DH: Bell/Larnach

Yes, they do that well. Caleb Durbin and Isaac Collins were top 3 in Rookie of the Year voting last year, and they traded both of them.

Such a great question, and something I've thought about a little bit, but it's likely a little bit of everything. International signings have been a huge part of it when you consider Chourio, Lara. They've been really good in trades. That William Contreras deal was amazing. Willie Adames was a great acquisition. They've drafted well, including taking a lot of high school kids and being very creative. The interesting long-term contracts for Chourio, Pratt, Lara. They have like 9 Top 100 worthy prospects... Andrew Fischer, their top pick in the 2025 draft, has 37 home runs this year between High-A and Double-A... and he's NOT in a top 100 list. They traded Corbin Burnes at the right time. They traded Freddy Peralta at the right time. They didn't even get back big returns for them, but they got out from under some big, long-term contracts. Signing flyers like Trevor Megill and turning him into an All Star is great. (The Twins kinda started that trend). Turning Aaron Ashby from a soft-throwing lefty starter to a late-inning reliever who touches triple digits. They also play really good defense. Gold Glove talent all around the outfield. Turang is tremendous. They don't hit for a ton of power, but they put together terrific at-bats. It'd be interesting to put this into a chart or something and compare to the Twins or other teams.

Yeah, he can play all three outfield spots. He's got good speed, not a burner. He's got a good arm. He's probably immensely underrated. He was a 5th round pick. It's not like he was a signing out of an indy league or something. There's a lot of talent there. Same thing with Ben Ross. We forget that he was also a 5th round pick.

Just trying to keep you all on your toes... I spend WAY too much time on these reports. Uggh!

Love it. I really think they're just trying to extend him just a little bit. They're really going to need some innings down the stretch.

There just aren't any moves to make. Wallner could come up for Martin if he's going to be out for a while. He could also switch places with Roden. Sabato probably deserves it, but they don't need a DH or 1B and doesn't make sense to have a pinch hitter only on this roster. Kendry Rojas is really good and could certainly be in the big leagues. I also understand them wanting him to go 4 or 5 innings instead of 2 or3 innings. Could switch out Ryan Kreidler for Ben Ross, but would that be an improvement? Not necessarily. The bullpen is kind of set at this point. Could drop Rogers, I guess, but would Orze, Raya, Bowman, Go, Anderson, Acton be an improvement?

Image courtesy of Lexi Ashcraft, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Jake Rucker) TRANSACTIONS Two straight days with no transactions in the organization? Inconceivable! SAINTS SENTINEL Game 1: St. Paul 6, Iowa 0 Box Score In the first game on Saturday afternoon, the Saints and the Cubs each had six hits. Yet when the seventh inning was complete, the Saints had a nice, 6-0 shoutout win. Lefty Kendry Rojas made his second start of the week for the Saints. He also started the Saints Field of Dreams game on Tuesday night. On Saturday, he threw four scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and had five strikeouts. What is the most important thing for Rojas in his development? Throwing strikes, right? On this night, 40 of his 52 pitches were strikes (76.9%). Jack Anderson came and had five strikeouts over three scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked one. The starter for Iowa was North Side Baseball’s #16 prospect, RHP Grant Kipp. He worked three scoreless, hitless innings. He walked three and had four strikeouts. NSBB’s #4 Cubs Prospect is catcher Owen Ayers. He went 0-for-3 in this game. Veteran Hoby Milner came out of the Cubs bullpen in the fourth inning and started by hitting Emmanuel Rodriguez. Next, he gave up a single to Matt Wallner. With two outs, Tristan Gray singled to drive in Rodriguez with the game’s first run. Cody Morissette followed with an RBI double to make it 2-0. In the sixth inning, the Saints added a run when Tristan Gray stole second and an Ayers throwing error allowed Hendry Mendez to score from third. Then Morissette came to the plate again. This time, he crushed a long home run to give the Saints a 5-0 lead. The Saints added one more in the top of the seventh. Walker Jenkins walked and went to second on a Ben Ross single. Jenkins went to third base on a fly out and then scored on a Matt Wallner sacrifice fly. Morissette went 2-for-3 with his 13th double and 10th Saints home run. He drove in half of the Saints' runs. He was the lone Saints hitter with a multi-hit game or an extra base hit. Aaron Sabato had a single and a walk. Walker Jenkins walked twice. Game 2: St. Paul 5, Iowa 4 Box Score The second game started out a bit different. The Cubs scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning, but the Saints worked their way back with a couple of crooked numbers and came away with a doubleheader sweep in Des Moines. Trent Baker started for the Saints. He gave up four runs (1 earned) in four innings, all in the first inning. He gave up five hits (2 homers), walked none and had six strikeouts. The Saints started to cut into the deficit in the top of the third. Noah Cardenas was hit by a pitch and scored on a Ben Ross double. Emmanuel Rodriguez followed with a double of his own to make it 4-2. Woo-Suk Go walked two batters in a scoreless fifth inning. With two outs in the top of the sixth frame, Kala’i Rosarios singled. He went to second on an infield single by Cory Morissette. Tanner Schobel walked to load the bases. Noah Cardenas came through with a huge, clutch hit. He doubled to left field which cleared the bases and gave the Saints a 5-4 lead. Eric Orze and Julian Merryweather each had two outs in a scoreless inning to give the Saints the sweep. Aaron Sabato went 2-for-4, the lone multi-hit game for the Saints. Ross hit his 21st Saints double, and Rodriguez and Cardenas both doubled for the fourth time. Rodriguez also walked and stole a base. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Corpus Christi 10 Box Score A six-run sixth inning for the Hooks was something that the Surge were unable to overcome. Cory Lewis made the start. He gave up two runs on two hits over 3 2/3 innings. He walked three and had four strikeouts. Darren Bowen came on to get the final four outs of the fourth inning. He pitched a scoreless fifth inning. However, he gave up three runs in the sixth, and Jaylen Nowlin came in and gave up three more before the inning ended. Mitch Mueller struck out two batters in a one-hit inning. William Fleming gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits over the final two innings. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Wind Surge tied the game at 2-2, but it was an inning with a couple of big What Ifs. Brandon Winokur led off with a single, but he was caught stealing. Caden Kendle followed with a single. Garrett Spain hit the third straight single. Kendle advanced to third base, but Spain was thrown out at second base for the inning’s second out. Fortunately, Jake Rucker came through with a line drive home run that tied the game at two. When the Surge came up in the bottom of the eighth, they were behind 10-2. They sure attempted a comeback but fell well shy. Jaime Ferrer and Jay Thomason started the innings with singles. The next two batters got out, but Caden Kendle drove in Ferrer with a single. Spain then walked to load the bases. Jake Rucker came up again and came through again. He lined an opposite-field double to clear the bases and cut the deficit to 10-6, but that was as close as they got. Rucker went 2-for-3 with his eighth doubles, his seventh home run, and five RBI. Kendle was 2-for-4. Kyle DeBarge was 1-for-2 with two walks and his 27th stolen base. Andrew Cossetti and Garrett Spain each had a single and a walk. KERNEL NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Wisconsin 15 Box Score The Brewers organization is loaded, and even though the Rattlers roster is missing many of the top prospects that began the season in Wisconsin, but as this game shows, there are more terrific players on the way up. Another rough start for Cesar Lares in his return from Tommy John surgery. In this game, he went one inning and gave up three runs (1 earned) on one hit and three walks. He struck out three. He needed 38 pitches to get through the inning, so that was it for him. Christian Becerra came on and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out two batters. Ross Dunn came in and got two outs. He was charged with three runs on four hits. Both outs were on strikeouts. Cleiber Maldonado walked one and struck out one in his inning. Cody Peschl gave up four runs on five hits (2 homers) and a walk. He struck out two. Brian Zeldin gave up three runs on two hits (1 homer). He walked two and had three strikeouts. It may not have made a difference since the Kernels were down, but they went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base. The Kernels had eight hits and four walks. Yasser Mercedes went 2-for-3 with a walk, his 19th stolen base, and his 34th stolen base. JP Smith went 1-for-2 with a walk and his fourth Kernels homer before being ejected after a strikeout in the sixth inning. Jose Salas hit his fifth double and was hit by a pitch. Irvin Nunez hit his first double with the Kernels. Quinn McDaniel and Miguel Briceno each had a single and a walk. None of the Brewer Fanatic Top 20 prospects played in this game. #2 Prospect Luis Pena and #16 Prospect Sawyer Strosnider didn’t even play in this game. MIGHTY MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Clearwater 8 Box Score The final score is not at all indicative to how this game played out. The score was 1-0 through seven innings. However, the Thrashers scored seven runs in the top of the eighth inning. With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Luis Fragoza homered to give the team a 1-0 lead. The Mussels didn’t score again until the bottom of the eighth, after they were behind 8-1. With two outs, Fragoza walked and went to second on defensive indifference. Aidan Teel had an infield single which advanced Fragoza to third. Quentin Young walked to load the bases. Bryce Fowler followed with another walk to drive in the team’s second and final run. Ramiro Villanueva started and gave up one run on three hits over three innings. He had four strikeouts with no walks. Matt Dalquist tossed three scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked three and had three strikeouts. Nick McAuliffe pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Then came the eighth inning. McAuliffe faced three batters. All three reached base. Michael Hilker came on and combined they gave up seven runs in the inning. Melvin Rodriguez struck out two in a perfect ninth inning. Fragoza went 2-for-3 with a walk and his 14th home run. He also stole his 13th base. Fowler was 1-for-3 with a walk and his first pro double. Teel was 1-for-3 with a walk. Young walked twice. COMPLEX CHRONICLES DSL Twins 4, DSL Tigers 6 Box Score This was a fantastic game for the Twins… until it wasn’t. Adrian Martinez made the start and gave up one run on three hits and two walks and a hit batter over three innings. He had four strikeouts. The Twins got on the scoreboard in the third inning. Fabian Ulloa singled to start the inning. He stole second. Luis Suarez walked. With one out, Jendy Martinez singled to drive in Ulloa and tie the game at 1-1. The Twins scored twice more, both on wild pitches. The Twins added a fourth run in the fifth inning on a couple of walks and a balk. Sebastian Echevarria walked two and had two strikeouts over two scoreless, hitless innings. Juan Quinones pitched a scoreless sixth inning. He also started the top of the seventh. He gave up three runs and Wisarly Reinoso gave up two more and abruptly the Twins were losing 6-5. They were unable to score in the bottom of the inning to take the loss. Jendy Martinez went 2-for-3 with a walk. Fabian Ulloa was 2-for-3 and stole his seventh base. Jhon Gonzalez was 0-for-1, but he walked three times. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Jake Rucker (Wichita): 2-for-3, HBP, 2B(8), HR(7), R, 5 RBI Cody Morissette (St. Paul): Game 1: 2-for-3, 2B(13), HR(10), R, 3 RBI, Game 2: 1-for-3, R. Luis Fragoza (Fort Myers): 2-for-3, BB, HR (14), 2 R, RBI Pitcher(s) of the Day Kendry Rojas (St. Paul): 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 52 pitches, 40 strikes (76.9%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects. See how they did today. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - Game 1: 0-for-2, 2 BB, R, K (batted first, played LF) #3 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (Minnesota) - 2-for-4, 2B(1), K (batted ninth, played SS) #6 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Game 1: 0-for-3, HBP, R, K (batted third, played CF); Game 2: 1-for-3, BB, 2B(4), RBI, SB(3), K (batted second, DHd) #7 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, BB, K, R (batted sixth, played DH) #8 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K (batted third, played DH) #9 - 1B/OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - Game 2: 0-for-3, BB (batted fourth, played RF) #11 - C Carson Tinney (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, K (batted second, played catcher) #12 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 1-for-5 (batted second, played SS) #18 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K (batted fifth, played 3B) #19 - OF Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B(19), R, SB(34) (batted fourth, played CF) UPCOMING PROBABLES Sunday, August 16 St. Paul @ Iowa (1:08 pm CT) - RHP German Marquez (First Saints start) Corpus Christi @ Wichita (1:05 pm CT) - RHP Ty Langenberg (1-4, 3.58 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 pm CT) - RHP Kolten Smith (0-3, 3.32 ERA) Clearwater @ Ft. Myers (11:05 am CT) - RHP Callan Fang (3-3, 4.02 ERA) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 60-64 St. Paul Saints: 68-50 Wichita Wind Surge: 45-66 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 44-67 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 61-50 FCL Twins: 33-26 DSL Twins: 17-34 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 William Parmeter (photo of Merphy Hernandez) TRANSACTIONS It’s a rarity, but on Friday, there were no transactions in the organization. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul, Iowa (Postponed by rain) Box Score I feel like I haven’t seen any rain for a month. But over the past 24 hours in Des Moines, they have had more than two inches of rain and it’s still coming down. So, Friday night’s game has been postponed, and the teams will attempt to play two games on Saturday. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 1, Corpus Christi 0 Box Score It was a little cooler in Wichita on Friday than it was on Thursday. At game time on Thursday, the temperature was 104. On Friday night at first pitch, it was down to just 103 degrees. Wisely, the two teams decided to play a quick game. Wind Surge pitchers were fantastic. Preston Johnson made the start and tossed five shutout innings. He gave up just one hit, walked none, and had five strikeouts. Sam Armstrong came in next and struck out three batters over three scoreless innings. He gave up three hits. Hanging on to a 1-0 lead, Paulshawn Pasqualotto earned the save with a perfect ninth inning. Wichita pitchers gave up just four hits in the game. Wichita hitters recorded just four hits in the game. They also walked four times and twice were hit by pitches. In the fourth inning, Brandon Winokur and Garrett Spain walked. With two outs, Jake Rucker came through with a line-drive single to center field. Rucker went 2-for-2 with a walk and the lone RBI. Spain had a single and a walk. KERNEL NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Wisconsin 6 Box Score One night after the Kernels shut out the Timber Rattlers, Wisconsin returned the favor by shutting out Cedar Rapids. Justin Mitrovich started and gave up one run on four hits over four innings. He walked three and had seven strikeouts. Merit Jones came in and gave up four runs (2 earned) on three hits and two walks over 3 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts. Mike McKenna came in and gave up an unearned run on three hits over the final 1 1/3 innings. He also had a balk and a wild pitch. The Kernels had just five hits and two walks in the game. They also struck out 13 times, nine of them credited to Ethan Dorchies who tossed 6 2/3 innings for the Rattlers. Jayson Bass went 1-for-2 with two walks. The team was 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base. The Rattlers are the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. For more on the Brewers, Rattlers and the Milwaukee organization, check out fellow DiamondCentric site, Brewer Fanatic. Most of their Top 20 prospects have spent time in Wisconsin this season but are now up in Biloxi including outfielder Braylan Payne who played in Cedar Rapids on Thursday and was promoted to Biloxi on Friday. #2 Prospect Luis Pena is a Top 20 global prospect and 2026 draft pick, and #16 Prospect Sawyer Strosnider are with the Rattlers. MIGHTY MATTERS Fort Myers 10, Clearwater 12 Box Score First the game was delayed. They started 66 minutes after the scheduled start time. And then they played the longest, nine-inning game of the season, three hours and 26 minutes. When the Threshers scored seven runs in the top of the fifth, it gave them a 12-4 lead. To that point, they had scored in each of the first five innings. To the Mussels' credit, they didn’t give up. Even in the bottom of the ninth, there was a short time when the game-tying run was at the plate. But the comeback came up shy. The Mussels scored 10 runs on 12 hits and seven walks. They also were 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts. Merphy Hernandez has become an intriguing prospect. On Friday night, he went 3-for-4 with a walk and four stolen bases. He now has 39 steals this season. Ramiro Dominguez went 2-for-4 with two walks and his 23rd and 24th doubles. He stole his 23rd base. Isaiah Lane was 2-for-5 with his third double and third triple. Luis Fragoza went 1-for-2 with two walks and his 11th and 12th steals. Charlie Scholvin went 1-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base. The only other extra base hit was off the bat of Vahn Lackey, his second triple. He also accomplished his first Golden Sombrero, his first four-strikeout game. While he will shortly be making the move north to Cedar Rapids (and rightfully so), he has hit just .200/.365/.350 (.715) with two doubles, two triples and five RBI. Cristian Hernandez made his second Mussels start. The 21-year-old gave up three runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out one batter. Brent Francisco came on and gave up four runs on five hits and a walk over 2 2/3 innings. Brad Rudis gave up five runs on four hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. Adam Falinski came in and gave his team what they needed, three shutout innings. Of note, as I expected when the Twins traded Jhomnardo Reyes to the Orioles for Dean Kremer, the Twins promoted Yovanny Duran from the FCL Twins to the Mighty Mussels. In seven games, he has hit .231/.344/.423 (.767) with two doubles and a home run. He also has five walks to four strikeouts. Certainly not huge numbers, but having watched several of his plate appearances, he is holding his own. Jordan Smith has him hitting leadoff now, and he’s earned it with quality plate appearances. Defensively, he had two outfield assists on Friday night. And he won’t turn 19 until November 3rd. COMPLEX CHRONICLES DSL Twins 18, DSL Phillies 19 Box Score Most of the time when your offense starts the game with innings scoring three, three, five, and six, there’s a decent chance you’re going to win. Weird stuff can happen in the DSL. The DSL Phillies scored 11 runs in the first innings and then they scored four in the fifth inning and three more in the top of the sixth. The Phillies scored their 19 runs on 14 hits and 14 walks. The Twins scored 18 runs on 17 hits and five walks. Phillies defenders committed four errors. The Twins defense had five errors. Yosangel Braffit started and was charged with five runs in the first inning and got just one out. Aldwin Morillo came on and gave up six runs (5 earned) on three hits and three walks and he got just one out. Arthur de la Cruz came in and got the final out of the first inning. Braffit came back in for the second inning and went two scoreless innings. Like the rule or not, this is what it is meant for. And remember, the DSL players are six promotions from the big leagues. Stats are fairly meaningless. It’s all about development. Braffit could struggle, sit back down, think, get coached, overthink, and then go back on the mound and work on things. Miguel Martinez came in. He gave up one run on one hit and two walks and recorded just two outs. Jesus Moreno gave up four runs on three hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings. Herkyn Taveras came on and worked the final two innings. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on four hits and a walk. Jhon Gonzalez went 4-for-5 with his fifth triple. He scored twice and drove in five runs. Jeferson Abreu went 2-for-4 with a walk, his eighth double, and his fifth home run. Fabian Ulloa went 2-for-4 with three runs and three RBI. Daiyer Barboza was 2-for-5. Abel Sosa was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Enmanuel Merlo was 2-for-4. Luis Duarte went 1-for-2 with two walks. Jendy Martinez went 1-for-3 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. He scored three runs and drove in two runs. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Merphy Hernandez (Fort Myers): 3-for-4, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI, 4 SB (39) Jhon Gonzalez (DSL Twins): 4-for-5, 3B(5), 2 R, 5 RBI, Pitcher(s) of the Day Preston Johnson (Wichita): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 54 pitches, 42 strikes (77.8%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects. See how they did today. UPCOMING PROBABLES Saturday, August 15 St. Paul @ Iowa (DH @ 4:08 pm CT) - LHP Kendry Rojas (2-0, 3.72 ERA), RHP Trent Baker (3-3, 5.40 ERA) Corpus Christi @ Wichita (6:05 pm CT) - RHP Cory Lewis (1-7, 3.97 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm CT) - LHP Cesar Lares (0-5, 13.00 ERA) Clearwater @ Ft. Myers (5:05 pm CT) - RHP Ramiro Villanueva (0-4, 4.96 ERA) FCL Twins - Season Complete. DSL Tigers @ DSL Twins (9:00 am CT) - No Game CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 60-63 St. Paul Saints: 66-50 Wichita Wind Surge: 45-65 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 44-66 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 61-49 FCL Twins: 33-26 DSL Twins: 17-33 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

Yeah, this is a fairly important point to make... Dude is a moron. Rocco and Falvey and the team and the clubhouse must have cared the year before he got there when they won 101 games.

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Luis Fragoza) TRANSACTIONS The Twins activated Byron Buxton as their 27th man for the Field of Dreams Game in Dyersville, Iowa. After the game, it was announced that catcher Alex Jackson was DFAd. Hopefully he will clear waivers and remain in the organization. The Saints released RHP Eduardo Salazar, and RHP Alejandro Hidalgo was placed on the Development List. The Twins signed RHP German Marquez to a minor-league deal. The 31-year-old former All Star had been released by the San Diego Padres last week. When he debuted with the Rockies in 2016, he was one of the youngest players in the big leagues. Pitching in Colorado makes it difficult to know just how good he was. From 2017-2022, he was worth 15.8 bWAR. Since then, he has fought injuries and the struggles of returning from a major injury. Over the past four seasons, he has been worth a total of -1.3 bWAR. Between 2023-2024, he pitched in just five total games. He was 3-16 with a 6.70 ERA in 126 1/3 innings in Colorado. He signed a deal with the Padres this spring and went 4-2 with a 5.26 ERA in 13 games (53 innings). Side Note: This is the type of signing that the Twins should consider over the next three weeks. While there can’t be any more trades of players on 40-man rosters, teams can make trades of minor leaguers for minor leaguers. They can also sign players to minor league deals. Is Marquez good? Not really. Can he eat innings in St. Paul and in Minnesota if needed? Sure. And if he turns out good? By having him in the organization before September 1st, he can be eligible for the playoffs. If he’s really bad? He costs them pretty much nothing. If he’s somewhere in the middle, he can opt out. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Iowa 10 Box Score I would guess that a lot of Twins fans, especially those who follow prospects, were hoping that Walker Jenkins would have just stayed in Dyersville, Iowa. So, on Thursday night, when Walker Jenkins led off a game in Iowa with an opposite field home run, maybe a few people thought that he had received The Call. He hadn’t. He was with the Saints in Des Moines. Unfortunately, the Iowa Cubs scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning and ran away with this one. Down 10-1 in the eight, Hendry Mendez lined a homer over the wall in right field to cut the deficit to a touchdown with an extra point. The Saints were unable to get any closer. Ricky Castro started and was charged with six runs on five hits and a walk. He gave up three home runs and only got two outs in the first inning. C.J. Culpepper came in to get out of the first inning. He gave up one run in 2 1/3 innings. He had five strikeouts. Matt Bowman gave up two solo home runs over two innings of work. Garrett Acton gave up a run on three walks in the sixth. Marco Raya and Julian Merryweather each had 1-2-3 innings. Jenkins led the Saints offense. He went 3-for-5 with his seventh home run. Cody Morissette went 2-for-4. Mendez went 1-for-3 with a walk and his seventh homer. Gabriel Gonzalez walked twice. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Corpus Christi 1 Box Score The Caden Kendle train continues to role. On Thursday night, he got the scoring started with a two-out, first-inning home run. In the second inning, Kyle DeBarge and Graham Brown walked. With two outs, Marek Houston drove in DeBarge with a single. Brandon Winokur walked to load the bases. That brought Kendle to the plate, and he came through again with a two-run single to give his team a 4-0 lead. Riley Quick made the start, and it was easily his best start since joining the Wind Surge. He gave up one run on four hits in four innings. He walked two and had four strikeouts. Chris Vallimont came on and struck out six batters over four scoreless, hitless innings. He walked two batters. Hunter Gregory struck out one batter in a perfect ninth. Garrett Spain homered for the third time in his last two games in the seventh inning to give the team a 5-1 lead. That gives the minor-league Rule 5 pick 21 homers this season. Kendle went 2-for-4 with his sixth Surge homer and three RBI. In 26 Double-A games, the former fifth-round pick is hitting .400/.469/.674 (1.143) with eight doubles and six home runs. Houston went 2-for-5 and stole his 23rd base. Andrew Cossetti walked three times. Graham Brown walked twice. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 0 Box Score More high-quality pitching for the Kernels and specifically another tremendous outing for Adrian Bohorquez. The young right-hander tossed five shutout innings. He gave up one hit, walked two, and he had four strikeouts. Michael Ross came on and got a four-inning save. He gave up two hits, walked none and had three strikeouts. The Kernels didn’t score until the fifth inning. Quinn McDaniel led off the inning with his seventh Kernels double. With two outs, Byron Chourio switched places with him, recording his first Kernels double. Chourio scored on a Jacob McCombs single to center to make it 2-0. Jump to the eighth inning. With one out, Yasser Mercedes doubled. With two outs, JP Smith walked and stole second. Danny De Andrade walked to load the bases. McDaniel came up and drove a single past a diving second baseman. Mercedes and Smith scored to make it a 4-0 game. The Kernels scored their four runs on seven hits and four walks. McDaniels was 2-for-4 with his seventh double and sixth stolen base. McCombs was 2-for-4 with his 16th stolen base. Smith went 1-for-2 with two walks and his second steal. Yasser Mercedes went 1-for-3 with his 18th double and 33rd stolen base. MIGHTY MATTERS Fort Myers 10, Clearwater 4 Box Score After two scoreless innings, the Mussels scored in each of the next six innings. This was a solid all-around game for the Mussels, power, speed and some pitching in key moments. Matt Barr started and gave up three runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three batters. Lefty Matthew Becker came in and struck out four batters over 1 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked a batter. Jake Covey came on and gave up a hit, hit a batter, and recorded a strikeout. Hendry Chivilli came in for the ninth inning. He gave up one run on two hits and a hit batter. The Mussels scoring started with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the third inning. Colby Turner and Carson Tinney hit singles. Luis Fragoza came up and drilled his 12th home run of the season to give the team a 3-2 lead. With two outs in the fourth, Merphy Hernandez walked, stole second and scored when the throw went into the outfield. Yes, he is that fast. The Mussels loaded the bases in the fifth inning with nobody out. With two outs, Isaiah Lane picked up his teammates with a line-drive single to center to drive in two runs and give the team a 6-3 lead. In the sixth inning, it was all Merphy Hernandez again. With one out, he hit his third home run. The team doubled the Mussel in the seventh inning. Luis Fragoza hit his second home run of the game, and two batters later, Quentin Young hit a homer to make it 9-3. The Mussels added one more run in the eighth inning. Hernandez doubled and went to third on a passed ball. He scored the 10th run on a groundout. Fragoza went 2-for-2 with two walks, his 12th and 13th home runs, three runs scored and four RBI. He is now hitting .314/.377/.588 (.965) with 17 doubles, 13 homers and 50 RBI in 56 Mussels games. Hernandez went 2-for-3 with a walk, his fifth double, his third home run. He also stole his 35th base in 47 games for Fort Myers. Both players started their seasons with 10 games with the FCL Twins. Quentin Young went 2-for-4 with his 15th home run. Carson Tinney went 1-for-3 with two walks. Colby Turner and Isaiah Lane each had a single and a walk. COMPLEX CHRONICLES DSL Twins 9, DSL Rockies 13 Box Score If only the game would have ended after the top of the 7th… The DSL Twins had worked their way to a 7-2 lead. Unfortunately, the Phillies scored six in the seventh and fifth in the eighth. Yolcar Garcia started for the Twins. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in three innings. He had one strikeout. Alam Soriano came on and tossed three scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out three batters. Jeremy Jimenez came in to start the seventh. He recorded just one out and was charged with six runs (4 earned) on two hits, two walks, and a hit batter. Failin Placencio came on with the bases loaded and allowed all three runners to score. And, he gave up two of his own runs on one hit andfour walks. He recorded three outs. Wisarly Reinoso came in with two runners on in the eighth inning and allowed both inherited runners to score. Before getting two outs, he gave up another three runs on four hits and a walk. The Twins did a nice job of putting up crooked numbers. They scored two runs in the third inning, both on wild pitches. The top of the fourth inning began with a walk, a hit batter, and a walk, but even despite a double play the Twins were able to score two more runs, both on RBI singles. Jhon Gonzalez hit his first home run as a professional leading off the top of the fifth. That gave the team a 5-2 lead. Then in the top of the seventh, Gonzalez led off with his 11th double. After a walk and a wild pitch, he scored on a sacrifice fly. They added one more to make it 7-2. Daiyer Barboza led off wand went 2-for-4 with two walks and three RBI. Gonzalez was 2-for-4 with a walk, his first homer and his 11th double. Misael Rodriguez went 2-for-3, and he stole his 10th base. Jefferson Abreu was 1-for-2 with two walks. Jendy Martinez stole his 20th base of the year. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Luis Fragoza (Fort Myers): 2-for-2, 2 BB, 2-HR(13), 3 R, 4 RBI Walker Jenkins (St. Paul): 3-for-5, HR(7), R, RBI, K Merphy Hernandez (Fort Myers): 2-for-3, BB, 2B(5), HR(3), 3 R, RBI, K, SB(35) Pitcher(s) of the Day Adrian Bohorquez (Cedar Rapids): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 63 pitches, 38 strikes (60.3%) Riley Quick (Wichita): 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, HBP, 4 K, 68 pitches, 41 strikes (60.3%) Chris Vallimont (Wichita): 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K, 64 pitches, 41 strikes (64.0%) Michael Ross (Cedar Rapids): 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 40 pitches, 28 strikes (70.0%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects. See how they did today. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 3-for-5, HR(7), R, RBI, K (batted first, played CF) #3 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (Minnesota) -1-for-4, 2 K (batted ninth, played SS) #4 - SS Marek Houston (Wichita) - 2-for-5, R, RBI, K, SB(23) (batted first, played SS) #5 - RHP Riley Quick (Wichita) - 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 K, 68 pitches, 41 strikes (60.3%) #7 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, BB, HR(7), R, 2 RBI, K. (Batted fifth, played LF) #8 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4 (batted third, played catcher) #9 - 1B/OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, 2 BB (batted sixth, played 1B) #11 - C Carson Tinney (Fort Myers) - 1-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R, K (batted third, DH) #12 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 0-for-4, BB, 2 K, (batted second, played 3B) #18 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, HR(15), R, RBI, K (batted sixth, played SS), #19 - OF Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, BB, 2B(18), R, SB(33), K (batted second, played CF) UPCOMING PROBABLES Friday, August 14 St. Paul @ Iowa (7:08 pm CT) - RHP Trent Baker (3-3, 5.40 ERA) Corpus Christi @ Wichita (6:35 pm CT) - TBD Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm CT) - RHP Justin Mitrovich (2-0, 2.41 ERA) Clearwater @ Ft. Myers (6:05 pm CT) - RHP Cristian Hernandez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) FCL Twins - Season Complete. DSL Phillies @ DSL Twins (10:00 am CT) - No Game CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 60-63 St. Paul Saints: 66-50 Wichita Wind Surge: 44-65 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 44-65 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 61-48 FCL Twins: 33-26 DSL Twins: 17-32 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

Walker JenkinsVahn LackeyKaelen CulpepperMarek HoustonEduardo TaitEmmanuel RodriguezHendry MendezRiley QuickBrandon WinokurGabriel GonzalezYasser MercedesCarson TinneyKhadim DiawEthan WachsmannEnrique JimenezCharlee SotoYovanny DuranRyan GallagherBrett RenfrowMiguel Caraballo

Walker JenkinsVahn LackeyKaelen CulpepperMarek HoustonEduardo TaitEmmanuel RodriguezHendry MendezRiley QuickBrandon WinokurGabriel GonzalezYasser MercedesCarson TinneyKhadim DiawEthan WachsmannEnrique JimenezCharlee SotoYovanny DuranRyan GallagherBrett RenfrowMiguel Caraballo

That's true... so in reality, maybe they should have just traded Jenkins for Minter since he's unproven and Minter is proven.

Skenes, Crews, and Langford were college guys, and Max Clark hasn't been hurt nearly as much as Jenkins. He'll get up here

It wouldn't have. The Angels made Neto available only in an attempt to get a top, top prospect. It wasn't to trade Neto, it was to see if they could get a team to give up a top, top prospect. Of course, they asked for Walker Jenkins. Every team would. Geez, the Mets probably asked for Jenkins in the initial AJ Minter conversations.

On his Instagram account, Twins outfielder Kyler Fedko announced that his season has come to an end. He recently tore his ACL and had surgery in the Twin Cities. Fedko was the Twins 12th round draft pick in 2021 out of the University of Connecticut. He had a breakout season in 2025 between Double-A and Triple-A. In 130 games, he hit .258/.368/.487 (.855) with 25 doubles, 28 homers and 38 stolen bases. He has played all three outfield spots and even quite a bit of time at first base. In 75 games this year for St. Paul, he hit .274/.362/.545 (.907) with 17 doubles, 17 homers and 10 stolen bases. In mid-June, the Twins DFAd James Outman, Fedko was given an opportunity for the role. It isn't an easy role. Maybe one start every 10 games, late inning defense and pinch running. Fedko made some nice plays defensively and his baserunning literally led to a couple of wins. he got 16 at-bats and was not able to get a hit. In 19 plate appearances, he walked twice and had a sacrifice RBI. He was optioned to the Saints on July 10th. Last Sunday (8/2), he was 1-for-4 with a walk, his 17th double and two RBI in a game. In the bottom of the ninth, he moved from center to left field. With two outs, the Storm Chaser batter slapped a ball down the left-field line. Fedko ran toward the ball. As he started slowing down to grab the ball in the corner, he went down. The camera angle did not allow viewers to see what happened or a replay or anything. Ben Ross ran over to the ball from center and threw it in. Kaelen Culpepper raced out from shortstop, and Walker Jenkins rushed over from right field. Brian Dinkelman and a trainer hurried. Fortunately, there is an opening in left field. A couple of field maintenance vehicles came out before an amped-up golf cart backed up to Fedko and drove him off the field. Fedko is a man of deep faith, something that will certainly help him through the long process. Join us in wishing Kyler Fedko a successful recovery. View full rumor

Image courtesy of Kason Huckabay, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Chris Vallimont) TRANSACTIONS There were no announced transactions in the Twins organization on Saturday. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 9, Louisville 4 Box Score The Saints jumped out to an early lead thanks to two big innings. They led 9-1 after three innings. Their offense did nothing more, but it was more than enough to hang on for another Saints win. The Saints took the lead in the bottom of the second inning. Hendry Mendez and Kala’i Rosario started the inning with walks. Then Cody Morissette drove an inside-the-park home run to make it 3-0 Saints. After two outs, Walker Jenkins came to the plate and hit a triple. Ben Ross immediately followed by launching his 11th home run with the Saints. With one out in the bottom of the third inning, Mendez doubled and Rosario walked. Morissette flew out this time for the inning’s second out. However, Tanner Schobel drove a single to center to drive in Mendez with the sixth run. David Banuelos followed with his fifth home run of the season to make it a 9-1 game. Trent Baker went 3 2/3 innings and gave up only an unearned run. He gave up one hit, walked one and had seven strikeouts. Alejandro Hidalgo came on and gave up one run on one (solo homer) over 1 1/3 innings. He struck out three batters. Ruddy Gomez gave up two runs on three hits in two innings. He had four strikeouts. Woo-Suk Go struck out two batters over two perfect innings. The Saints scored their nine runs on eight hits and seven walks. Ben Ross went 2-for-5 with his third triple and 11th homer. Walker Jenkins also had two hits in five at-bats, including his third triple. Mendez was 1-for-3 with a walk and his 10th double. David Banuelos was 1-for-3 with a walk and fifth homer. Morissette’s home run was his ninth homer with the team (first inside-the-parker, I believe.). WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, NW Arkansas 2 Box Score The Surge jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings. From that point, the game was 2-2, but that means that Wichita won. With one out in the top of the first, Khadim Diaw got things started with a double. Brandon Winokur was hit by a pitch. Garrett Spain singled to left field to drive in Diaw with the first run. Winokur scored the second run on a ground out by Caden Kendle. Wichita added a third run in the top of the second. With one out, Jaime Ferrer singled and scored on a Jorel Ortega double. Chris Vallimont started and tossed four shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and had four strikeouts. Darren Bowen pitched the fifth inning. He gave up one run on one hit and one walk. Spencer Bengard gave up one run on three hits in the sixth inning. Jaylen Nowlin pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Mitch Mueller tossed two scoreless innings to record his second Surge save. The Surge maintained the multi-run lead throughout thanks to adding on later in the game. In the sixth inning, Garrett Spain hit a solo homer, and in the eighth inning, Caden Kendle homered. Khadim Diaw went 2-for-3 with a walk and his sixth and seventh Surge doubles. Spain was 2-for-4 with his 17th home run. Ortega’s double was his first this season. Caden Kendle’s homer was his third since joining the Surge. Marek Houston went 0-for-2 but walked three times and stole his 21st base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Peoria 0 Box Score Justin Mitrovich put together arguably his best start of the season. The 2025 draft pick tossed six shutout innings. He gave up two runs on one hit while striking out four batters. Lefty Cleiber Maldonado struck out two in a perfect seventh inning. Brian Zeldin tossed two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, one walk, and struck out two batters. Emmanuel Rodriguez had his best game during his rehab stint. He went 3-for-5 with a double. Jose Salas added his third double. Quinn McDaniel had a huge game. He went 3-for-4 with his fourth and fifth doubles and his third home run. Byron Chourio went 2-for-4 with his second Kernels homer and four RBI. MIGHTY MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 1 Box Score The Mussels scored four runs in the third inning and two more in the fifth frame and that proved more than enough to grab the Saturday night win. With one out in the top of the third, Bryce Fowler was hit by a pitch. Next, Carson Tinney and Ramiro Dominguez walked. With two outs, Yovanny Duran doubled to left to drive in two runs Quentin Young followed with another two-run double and the Mussels led 4-0. In the fifth, Tinney led off with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Dominguez walked. Aidan Teel followed with an RBI double to make it 5-0. Quentin Young drove in the sixth run with a sacrifice fly. Fort Myers scored their six runs on seven hits and eight walks. Aidan Teel went 2-for-5 with his third and fourth doubles. Ramiro Dominguez was 1-for-2 with three walks. Carson Tinney went 1-for-3 with two walks. Duran’s double was his first with the Mussels. Young’s double was his 10th of the season, and he drove in half of the team’s runs. Charlie Scholvin was hit by a pitch twice. Ramiro Villanueva started and tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings despite giving up two hits and walking three batters. He had one strikeout. Eric Hammond came in and gave up one run on three hits and a walk over the next 3 1/3 innings. He struck out four batters. Nick McAuliffe struck out four and walked one over two scoreless, hitless innings. Michael Hilker gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning. COMPLEX CHRONICLES Game 1: DSL Twins 7, DSL Rockies 6 (9 innings) Box Score These DSL games are normally seven innings, and obviously doubleheader games are both seven innings, so note that this game had a couple of extra innings. The Rockies scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a 6-4 lead. Jendy Martinez started the inning at second base as the “Manfred Man.” With one out, Abel Sosa ripped a double to left to put runners on second and third. After an infield pop out, Jeferson Abreu crushed a three-run homer over the wall in left field to give his team a 7-6 walkoff win. The Twins scored their seven runs on 14 hits and just two walks. All nine batters had at least one hit in the game. Martinez went 2-for-5 with his second triple and three RBI. Sosa went 2-for-5 with his fifth and sixth doubles. Enmanuel Merlo was 2-for-4 with a walk and his fourth double. Luis Suarez was 2-for-4 with his fourth double. And the game’s hero, Jeferson Abreu was 2-for-5 with his third home run and three big RBI. Yosangle Braffit started and gave up only an unearned run on three hits and a walk over four innings. He had four strikeouts. Miguel Martinez gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in the fifth inning. Failin Placencio recorded two outs in the sixth, one on a strikeout, but he walked three and was replaced by Jeremy Jimenez. He tossed 2 1/3 innings, facing the minimum seven batters. Jesus Moreno came in for the ninth and gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits. He had three strikeouts. Game 2: DSL Twins 8, DSL Rockies 5 Box Score The second game was also played at the Twins/Phillies complex in Boca Chica, but the Rockies were the home team in it as it was a makeup game. Regardless, the Twins found a way to sweep the team. In this game, the Twins offense was scoreless the first two innings and then scored in each of the next five innings to take an 8-5 win. The Twins scored their eight runs on nine hits and five walks. Also, two batters were hit and the Rockies committed three errors. Jendy Martinez led the offense from the top of the order. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, was hit by a pitch, and hit his 11th double. Luis Suarez had the other multi-hit game. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, his fifth double, and his first triple. In the sixth inning, Misael Rodriguez connected for his first professional home run. Enmanuel Merlo went 1-for-3 with a walk and his fifth double. Luis Duarte also hit his third double. Angel Martinez went the first three innings. He gave up no runs on one hit and one walk and one hit batter. He added three strikeouts. Sebastian Echavarria gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in the fourth inning. Wisarly Reinosa gave up a hit in a scoreless inning. Aldwin Morillo gave up three runs (2 earned) on one hit and three walks in his inning. Herkyn Taveras recorded his third save. He walked one but struck out the three other batters he faced. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Jendy Martinez (DSL Twins): 4-for-8, BB, 2B(11), 3B (2), R, 3 RBI, SB(18) Quinn McDaniel (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-4, 2-2B(5), HR(3), 3 R, 1 RBI, K Pitcher(s) of the Day Justin Mitrovich (Cedar Rapids): 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 77 pitches, 51 strikes (66.2%) Chris Vallimont (Wichita): 4 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 65 pitches, 46 pitches (70.8%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. Help us update the Top 20 prospects list now that the trade deadline is passed. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 3B(3), R, 2 K, SB(11) (batted first, played CF) #3 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (Minnesota) - 0-for-1, BB, HBP, R, K (batted seventh, played SS) #4 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Rehab in Cedar Rapids: 3-for-5, K (batted second, DH) #5 - SS Marek Houston (Wichita) - 0-for-2, 3 BB, 2 K, SB(21), 2 CS(4), (batted first, played SS) #10 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, BB, 2B(10), K (Batted fifth, played LF) . #13 - C Carson Tinney (Fort Myers) - 1-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R, K (batted second, Catcher) #14 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B(7), (batted second, DH) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 0-for-3, R, K (batted third, played CF) #17 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, 2B(10), 3 RBI, K (batted sixth, played SS), UPCOMING PROBABLES Sunday, August 9 Louisville @ St. Paul (2:07 pm CT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (2-1, 3.22 ERA) Wichita @ NW Arkansas (2:05 pm CT) - RHP Preston Johnson (0-3, 4.76 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 pm CT) - LHP Cesar Lares (0-4, 12.95 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (11:00 am CT) - TBD FCL Twins - Season Complete. DSL Twins (9:00 am CT) - No Game CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 58-60 St. Paul Saints: 66-46 Wichita Wind Surge: 41-64 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 41-64 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 57-48 FCL Twins: 33-26 DSL Twins: 13-31 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

In 2013, the Twins used their fourth-round draft pick to select Stephen Gonsalves. Not to be confused with one of the paranormal investigators on Ghost Hunters. This Gonsalves was a 6-6 left-handed pitcher from San Diego's Cathedral Catholic High School. He was an All-American who represented USA baseball in several competitions. After signing with the Twins, he had 39 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings split between the GCL and Elizabethton. While many prospects start each season at a new level. Gonsalves seemingly was always on the opposite schedule. He would earn a mid-season promotion to a new level. While at times it may have felt like a slow-play, it seemed to work. He continued to put up numbers up and down the minor league system. From 2013-2019, Gonsalves was frequently written about on the pages of Twins Daily. At year's end, he was always up for consideration for Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. In 2014, he was Honorable Mention: Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels (4-3, 3.02 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 65.2 IP, 54 H, 21 BB, 70 K) In 2015, he finished second to Jose Berrios (who also won in 2014): Cedar Rapids Kernels/Fort Myers Miracle: 24 GS, 13-3, 2.01 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 134.1 IP, 95 H’s, 53 BB’s, 132 K’s. In 2016, he was the Starting Pitcher of the Year: Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts: 24 GS, 13-5, 2.06 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 140.0 IP, 86 H, 57 BB, 155 K. In 2017, he was again named the Starting Pitcher of the Year: Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings 3.27 ERA, 110.0 IP (19 starts), 9.7 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 1.136 WHIP In mid-August of 2018, Gonsalves got The Call.. His first two games were on the road. I was able to attend his first Target Field start. Before the game, media is not allowed to talk to the day's starting pitcher. He was sitting at his locker, headphones in., listening to music. He looked up once and saw me in a group talking to another player. A nod of acknowledgement was plenty. During the game, I talked to his parents for a little while. They were so proud. His mom said, I wish I could go to the clubhouse after the game and give him a big hug. His dad looked at me and said, "Well, you can do that for us, right?" Eh? After the game, I was part of the media scrum chatting with Gonsalves about his start at his locker. When that was done, I shook his hand and told him about the hug comment. I chuckled, and then he said, "Ah, come on Seth, bring it in." So, we did an awkward bro-hug. Gonsalves was always willing to do a podcast interview or a story quote. He enjoyed being at the ballpark, and I think he always appreciated those who took the time to promote the minor leaguers, and interview minor leaguers, and make them people instead of just stat lines and box scores. He appreciated the opportunity and the fans that cheered him on. One year after he was named minor league starting pitcher of the year, we invited him and Mitch Garver to come to the Twins Daily Winter Meltdown. They showed up with their significant others. We didn't promote that they had shown up, but there were people who went up to them, and they understood the importance of the fans and being fans. Gonsalves was a Top 100 prospect before his debut. He pitched in the Arizona Fall League. He's gone through Tommy John surgery. Almost literally, he has gone through everything that a ballplayer can go through He got seven appearances with the Twins in 2018. Then he didn't get back to the big leagues until 2021 when he pitched in three late-season games for the Red Sox. That was his last big-league game. Along the Twins, he spent time in the Red Sox, Cubs and Rockies organizations. He also spent time the last few years playing in Mexico. If you look at his minor league baseball reference page, you'll see that Gonsalves ended his career with 20 MLB strikeouts. He accumulated 871 strikeouts in the minor leagues. And, he had seven strikeouts in the Fall League. And in Mexico, he ended with 103 strikeouts. Add them up, and he ended his career with 1,001 strikeouts. One final story that my brother reminded me of when I mentioned that Gonsalves had retired. We talked about how he just got it, he understood the role of the fans, and he wanted them to have a positive experience. One year at the Diamond Awards, my brother and I spent a little time chatting with the Gonsalves family. My brother is an outdoorsman and enjoyed talking to Stephen about spear fishing in the ocean when he was younger. At one point, a couple came up to Gonsalves and excitedly asked if they could get their picture taken with him. Moments later, the couple got their picture, thanked him and walked back to a nearby group. My brother asked him, "What's that like?" Gonsalves responded, "That is pretty cool. It never really gets old." At that point, they heard the couple who just had their photo taken with the lanky lefty telling their group, "Oh, this is so great. Where else could we go and get our picture taken with Max Kepler." Gonsalves put his head down, smiled and shook his head. Stephen, congratulations on the career, the good and the not-so good, and all the milestones. To the next phase, raising the three kids with your lovely bride. View full rumor