Seth Stohs

probably because they're both shorter than 5-8.

I don't know which ones you'd be referring to as "do not seem to be major league talent." Larnach, Wallner, Lewis, Miranda, Jeffers, SWR, Duran all seem to be MLB talent. Julien and Kirilloff have more question marks now, but both have shown MLB talent. Sometimes it takes a little longer, a new role, and some ups and downs, like Sands and Jax. And I think that both Zebby Matthews and David Festa have shown MLB talent, but like others, they'll need to keep improving. Again, this isn't a list to show future major-league success. It's not a prospect ranking. It's just kind of honoring players on a great season.

The Twins major-league season came to an abrupt end last weekend, and we’ve had to watch the Royals and Tigers not only pass them, but move past the Wild Card series to the Division Series. A week earlier, the minor-league season came to an end. Over the past week, we have handed out our year-end awards, and over the course of today and tomorrow, we will announce our 2024 Twins Minor League All Stars. Twins Daily’s minor-league writers voted for the awards and for an all-star team of Twins prospects. This isn’t a Top Prospect ranking or list, but just which players in the Twins system had the best seasons. We’ll vote for Twins top prospects again here soon. Each writer chose a catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, three outfielders, a DH and a Utility player. Tomorrow, we’ll finalize the All Star team with the pitchers. Before we get to the All Stars, here are our 2024 Twins Daily Award winners (and links to the articles to see who else received votes). Short-Season Hitter of the Year: Eduardo Beltre Short-Season Pitcher of the Year: Melvin Rodriguez Minor League Hitter of the Year: Luke Keaschall Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year: Zebby Matthews Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year: Spencer Bengard Read through our choices for each position. And then discuss and cast your votes as well. Let’s get started. Catcher: Ricardo Olivar (23) - Cedar Rapids Kernels, Wichita Wind Surge. Acquired: International signing out of the Dominican Republic on July 2, 2019 2024 Stats: .275/.381/.441 (.823) with 19 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, and 51 RBI Signed in 2019, Olivar didn’t debut until the 2021 season. He posted a 1.046 OPS with 20 extra base hits in 40 games. He really broke out in 2023 with the Mighty Mussels. In 100 games, he hit .285/.403/.452 (.855) with 28 doubles and 10 homers. Behind the plate, he’s got work to do, but he’s a good athlete with a strong arm. He still spends time in the outfield, and makes the plays that he gets to, but his future is likely behind the plate. It is his bat that will get him noticed, and likely placed on the Twins 40-man roster this offseason. In 81 games with Cedar Rapids, he hit .287/.393/.473 (.867) with 17 doubles and 11 homers. He earned a late-season promotion to Double-A Wichita. That’s where he’ll start the 2025 season. ETA - June 2026 First Base: Yunior Severino (25) - St. Paul Saints Acquired: International signing out of the Dominican Republic on December 8, 2017 2024 Stats: .254/.342/.434 (.775) with 21 doubles, two triples, 21 home runs and 79 RBI After leading all of minor-league baseball with 35 home runs last year, Severino was added to the Twins’ 40-man roster last offseason. He struggled very early in the 2024 season at the plate. Through April, he was hitting just .134 (.556) with 30 strikeouts in 98 plate appearances. He had improvements in May (.221, .717), but in June, he hit .425/.544/.688 (1.231) with six homers. He even had 21 walks to go with 19 strikeouts. He hit .288 in July before slowing down as the season came to an end. By season’s end, he set the Saints’ franchise record with 21 home runs, and he had 79 RBI which would have been a franchise record if not for a teammate. Will he remain on the 40-man roster? Under what scenario would he be promoted? ETA - May 2025 Second Base: Luke Keaschall (22) - Cedar Rapids Kernels, Wichita Wind Surge. Acquired: Twins 2nd round pick in 2023 out of Arizona State University. 2024 Stats: .303/.420/.483 (.903) with 21 doubles, 1 triple, 15 home runs and 48 RBI. Hard to believe that Keaschall put up the offensive numbers that he did, and played as much defense as he did, knowing that at some point late in the season, it was likely he would need Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Batting leadoff for the Kernels, he began the season by going 1-for-11 with a walk. And then he started crushing baseballs and didn’t stop until his season came to an end. In 41 more games with the Kernels, he hit .354/.476/.578 (1.054) with 12 doubles and seven home runs. He also had 29 walks to just 24 strikeouts. He was hit by seven pitches, and went 14-for-14 on stolen base attempts. In late May, he was promoted to Double-A. In his first 18 Wind Surge games, he hit .353 (.959) with six doubles, a triple and a home run. He represented the Twins in the Futures Game and upon his return, he only played first base and DH. He played for the Surge on August 8th and then went on the Injured List. It was quickly announced that he would have Tommy John surgery with the goal of being ready for spring training or opening day or 2025. ETA: April 2026 Third Base: Rubel Cespedes (24) - Cedar Rapids Kernels Acquired: International signing out of the Dominican Republic on April 29, 2019 2024 Stats: .282/.346/.431 (.777) with 22 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 72 RBI. Cespedes had a nice breakout in 2023, showing some power in Fort Myers. He saw a lot of time with the Twins big-league club in spring training. In his first home game of the season, he went 3-for-4 with a double and a homer. The next night, he was 4-for-5 with a home run and seven RBI. He had two more multi-hit games in that series on his way to a Twins Daily Hitter of the Month award for April. He ended the first month hitting .373/.447/.657 (1.104) with seven doubles, four homers and 22 RBI. Over the rest of the season, he hit .265 (.714) with 15 doubles, eight homers and 50 RBI. He struck out just over 20% of his plate appearances, down one-percent from the previous year. A left-handed hitter, lefty-righty splits were interesting this season. His batting average is .007 apart (.284 vs RHP, .277 vs LHP). His on-base percentage was also close (.343 vs RHP, .354 vs LHP). It’s the power, the slugging percentage, where the splits make a difference (.461 vs RHP, .348 vs LHP). His power numbers come primarily off of the traditional splits. Cespedes primarily played third base where he has a very strong arm. He also played some second base and a bit at first base too. ETA: April 2020 Shortstop: Brandon Winokur (19) - Fort Myers Miracle Acquired: Twins 3rd round draft pick in 2023 out of high school in California 2024 Stats: .249/.327/.434 (.761) with 19 doubles, three triples, 14 homers and 54 RBI Winokur is one of the best athletes in the organization. At 6-6, he may have people thinking about Dave Winfield comps, but hey, he’s 19, let’s give him a little time. While none of the specific numbers jump off of your screen, the body of work is impressive nonetheless. Consider, nearly 97% of his plate appearances came against pitchers older than him. Consider that he played a solid shortstop (61 games) but also played in center field (20 games), third base (10 games) and had two games in right field. Winokur is long and lanky, but he’s got good speed. He was 23-for-29 in stolen base attempts this season. And despite his youth, he showed a bit of power too, especially for a young hitter in the traditionally pitcher-friendly Florida State League. He had a three-homer game late in the season. Overall, Winokur more than held his own in his first full season as a pro, and with his athleticism, he has a chance to really take off at some point. ETA: June 2027 Outfielder: Emmanuel Rodriguez (21) - Wichita Wind Surge, St. Paul Saints Acquired: International signing out of the Dominican Republic on July 2, 2019 2024 Stats: .280/.459/.567 (1.026) with 14 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 27 RBI. Rodriguez made this list despite playing in just 44 non-rehab games this season. He was added to the Twins 40-man roster a year ago and made the jump to Double-A Wichita. In his 37 games there, he showed why he is a Top 30 prospect in all of baseball. He hit .298/.479/.621 (1.100) with 12 doubles and eight home runs. He was also 9-for-12 in stolen base attempts. However, it was on a steal attempt that he jammed his thumb and wrist and had to miss significant time. Twice he tried to come back and within a game or two went back on the IL. Late in the season, he came back but was promoted to the Saints. He played just seven more games before re-injuring the wrist. However, even within that time, he showed off his talent. The exciting play was his inside-the-park grand slam. Even in the shortened season, we continued to see E-Rod being E-Rod. Hit for a decent average. Take a TON of walks and get on base often. Immense power potential. Great speed and really solid defense. Hopefully the offseason will provide rest and healing so that he can play a full season in 2025. If he does, it’s very likely we see him at Target Field. ETA: June 2025 Outfielder: DaShawn Keirsey (27) - St. Paul Saints Acquired: Twins 4th round draft pick in 2018 out of Utah 2024 MILB Stats: .300/.368/.476 (.845) with 22 doubles, seven triples, 14 homers and 81 RBI. 2024 MLB Stats: .154/.214/.385 (.599) with one home run and one RBI. Keirsey is a tremendous athlete and arguably the fastest player in the organization. Early in his career, he struggled to get on the field. He played in 36 games in 2019, there was no season in 2020, and he played in 45 games in 2021. However, since then, he has been able to stay on the field, and with that opportunity, he has performed. He was a Twins Daily All Star in 2023 and ended the season with 39 games in St. Paul. That’s where he spent the 2024 season and had a tremendous season. He hit for average. He set Saints franchise records with 133 hits and 81 RBI. He stole 36 bases. He turned 27 in the season, and in September, he was called up to the big leagues and made his MLB debut. He was up for about 10 days, ended his season with the Saints, and then was called up to the Twins for their final two games. In the final game, he crushed his first MLB home run. Defensively, Keirsey is as good as any center fielder in the organization. He has tremendous range and a strong, accurate arm. Keirsey can play all three outfield positions, play great defense, and while he hits better against right-handers (.859 OPS), he more than held his own against southpaws too (.793 OPS). He can be a fourth outfielder in the big leagues today, given the opportunity, and a team could feel comfortable playing him every day for an extended period of time if needed. ETA: September 2024 Outfielder - Walker Jenkins (19) - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, Cedar Rapids Kernels Acquired: Twins 1st round draft pick in 2023 out of High School in North Carolina. 2024 Stats: .282/.394/.439 (.833) with 22 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 58 RBI. The Twins top pick in the 2023 draft finds himself as a Top 5 prospect in all of baseball still despite missing significant time. He started the season with Fort Myers. He batted in the top of the first inning. He went out to center field. On a deep fly ball, Jenkins ran back to the wall, jumped and was unable to bring back a home run. He came out of the game and didn’t return to game action until late May when he began a rehab stint in the FCL. He was there for about two weeks before rejoining the Mussels. In his first 10 games back, he hit just .200 (.583). However, even in that time, he had more walks than strikeouts. Over 22 more games, he hit .306/.439/.482 (.922) with four doubles and three homers. He also walked 21 times with just 11 strikeouts. He moved up to Cedar Rapids for the final six weeks of their season. In 34 games, he hit .290/.382/.481 (.863) with 12 doubles, two triples and three home runs. Wichita still had one week remaining on their schedule. In six games, he went 4-for-25 with a double. That’s the season. The scouting report remains the same and just as exciting. Jenkins is big and strong with a ton of power potential, but he’s also got great speed. He’s got a strong approach at the plate, knows the strike zone, and makes solid contact by using the whole field. A look at his swing and approach reminded many of us of a young Joe Mauer. That’s something to dream about! ETA: August 2026 Designated Hitter: Carson McCusker (26) - Wichita Wind Surge, St. Paul Saints Acquired: signed as undrafted free agent (June 29, 2023) 2024 Stats: .282/.353/.488 (.841) with 30 doubles, four triples, 19 home runs and 75 RBI In 2017, the Brewers drafted McCusker out of high school in California. He didn’t sign and spent the next four years playing at Oklahoma State. He spent 2021, 2022, and 37 games in 2023 playing for Tri-City in the independent Frontier League. At that time, he signed with the Twins. He played 25 games in Fort Myers before ending that 2023 season with 21 games in Cedar Rapids. He hit seven home runs for both teams. So this season, he was pushed up to Wichita. In 98 games, he hit .281/.357/.489 (.846) with 26 doubles and 15 homers. He finished with 24 games in St. Paul where he hit .286/.337/.484 (.820) with four doubles and four homers. At 6-8 and 250 pounds, McCusker is big and strong, but he’s got some sneaky speed and can handle left field adequately. When it comes to power, McCusker has as much as anyone in the organization. Drafted by the Brewers, he is reminiscent of former slugger Richie Sexson. And yes, that comes with the strikeouts. In his 50 games in 2023, he struck out 36.8% of his plate appearance. In his 98 games for Wichita this season, he struck out 27.9% of the time. In his 24 Saints games, he struck out 33.7% of the time. Players (and people) develop at their own pace and in their own time. McCusker is already 26, but he seems to be finding himself and coming into his own. He’s put himself into the range of “potential call up.” ETA: July 2025 Utility Player: Payton Eeles (24) - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, Cedar Rapids Kernels, St. Paul Saints Acquired: signed as undrafted free agent (May 7, 2024) 2024 Stats: .307/.435/.497 (.932) with 19 doubles, eight triples, 12 home runs and 60 RBI Most years, the McCusker Story would be top of mind for story of the year. However, Payton Eeles came to the organization this year and did incredible things on the season. Let’s very quickly look at the timeline and his story. Born in Scottsdale, Arizona, Eeles grew up in Acworth, Georgia, and went to high school in nearby Allatoona (NW of Atlanta) where he starred on the diamond and the gridiron. He headed north to Ohio where he attended Division II Cedarville University. The 5-5 middle infielder was one of the best Division II players. With the ability to play a fifth college season, he transferred to Division I Coastal Carolina. In 63 games, he hit .374/.500/.492 (.992) with 17 doubles and four homers. He also had 42 stolen bases. Whether it is about his size or the level he played at in college, Eeles went undrafted again. He spent the summer of 2023 with independent Chicago. He began this season with independent Southern Maryland of the Atlantic. League. After six games, the Twins called upon him, needing some help and depth in Fort Myers, given no signing bonus and no promises. Just an opportunity. In 34 games with Fort Myers, he hit .331/.448/.517 (.965). He moved up to Cedar Rapids for 13 games in which he hit .275/.473/.425 (.898). At that time, the Saints needed bodies due to call ups and injuries, so Eeles jumped over Double-A to join St. Paul. Instead of being a short-timer there, he performed at a very high level and ended up in the top of their lineup a lot later in the season. In 64 games, he hit .299/.419/.500 (.919). Combined, he had 19 doubles, eight triples and 12 home runs. He had 67 walks to 68 strikeouts. He also had 41 stolen bases in 51 attempts on the year. While he mostly played in the middle infield, he also got time at third base and all three outfield spots. Anything to keep his name in the lineup and make his value to the organization. As the season ended, he was added to the MLB Pipeline Top 30 Twins prospect rankings. ETA: June 2025. What do you think about this team? A lot of talent, and a lot of solid performances. We'll be back tomorrow with the pitchers. Previous Twins Daily Minor League All Stars Looking Back: 2016 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars C: Mitch Garver, 1B: Zander Wiel, 2B: Luis Arraez, 3B: Nelson Molina, SS: Nick Gordon, OF: LaMonte Wade, Zack Granite, Daniel Palka, DH: Adam Brett Walker. Looking Back: 2017 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars C: Mitch Garver, 1B: Jonathan Rodriguez, 2B: Travis Blankenhorn, 3B: TJ White, SS: Jermaine Palacios, OF: LaMonte Wade, Zack Granite, Akil Baddoo, DH: Brent Rooker. Looking Back: 2018 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars C: Taylor Grzelakowski, 1B: Zander Wiel, 2B: Luis Arraez, 3B: Jose Miranda, SS: Royce Lewis, OF: Alex Kirilloff, Jaylin Davis, Akil Baddoo, DH: Brent Rooker. Looking Back: 2019 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars C: Ryan Jeffers, 1B: Zander Wiel, 2B: Travis Blankenhorn, 3B: Spencer Steer, SS: Nick Gordon, OF: Trevor Larnach, Jaylin Davis, Brent Rooker, DH: Gabe Snyder. Looking Back: 2021 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars C: Jeferson Morales, 1B: Alex Isola, 2B: Spencer Steer, 3B: Jose Miranda, SS: Drew Maggi, OF: Trey Cabbage, BJ Boyd, Mark Contreras, DH: Edouard Julien, UT: Michael Helman. Looking Back: 2022 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars C: Noah Cardenas, 1B: Chris Williams, 2B: Edouard Julien, 3B: Yunior Severino, SS: Jermaine Palacios, OF: Anthony Prato, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Matt Wallner, DH: Christian Encarnacion-Strand, UT: Michael Helman. Looking Back: 2023 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars C: Andrew Cossetti, 1B: Chris Williams, 2B: Anthony Prato, 3B: Yunior Severino, SS: Brooks Lee, OF: Emmanuel Rodriguez, DaShawn Keirsey, Andrew Stevenson, DH: Kala’i Rosario, UT: Jorel Ortega. View full article

I don't think that's necessarily true. And him being dropped isn't necessarily an indication of his ability to coach. The reality is that he was the #3 hitting coach. Who knows if they'll even keep 3 hitting coaches. It's also possible that because he's young and inexperienced, they may think he needs more time, or that currently he isn't reaching some of the veterans. That doesn't mean he can't coach or isn't capable of reaching younger players. I don't know Shomon, and I don't know if he's a good coach or not. I know he came to the Twins out of the indy leagues and didnt' spend much time coaching in the minors before being named the #3.

I'd have to say Yes.... I don't have a real memory of 1984, so since then, I think 2011 was previously the most disappointing. I just kept thinking that at some point "reality" would set in and the team would start playing better, and it never happened. More injuries and it just got worse. Uggh! It's just hard to know how much to say expectations are altered by injury or other facts. In 1992, they had a better regular season record than 1991, so I don't see that as disappointing at all. And, 2001, I don't think the expectations were there. They were such a surprise in the first half that I think most assumed there would be a return the center.

Looks like the Hayes article has been updated to note that Derek Shoman won't return to the MLB staff. I assume he'll be reassigned to the minor leagues somewhere.

This weekend, the Twins will welcome the Baltimore Orioles to Target Field for the final series of the regular season. As disappointing as the past six weeks have been, there are several reasons to head to the ballpark for some Twins games this weekend. Maybe especially on Friday night. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports After such a major collapse, and a series loss to the Marlins at home, and arguably the worst loss of the season on Thursday night, I’m trying hard to think of reasons to get to the ballpark this weekend. The biggest reason, in my opinion, is because you won’t be able to watch the Twins again until spring training. That’s four-and-a-half months away. However, I have not been able to stop thinking that Friday night could be the last Pablo Day with the Twins. Am I overthinking this, or is this a realistic concern? Let’s go back and just remember Pablo Lopez’s time with the Twins. It started in January of 2023 when the Twins traded the popular Luis Arraez to the Marlins in exchange for Lopez (along with minor leaguers Jose Salas and Byron Chourio). Acquiring a potential top of the rotation starting pitcher was just what the Twins needed. Lopez got off to a strong start for the Twins and soon after the season started, he agreed to a four-year, $73 million contract extension to remain with the Twins through the 2027 season. Without that deal, he would be a free agent at the end of this season's World Series. Lopez made his first All Star game in 2023. He made 32 starts for the Twins and tossed 194 innings. He went 11-8 with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He had 234 strikeouts which was 10.9 K/9, some of the biggest strikeout numbers since Johan Santana. After the regular season, he etched his name in Twins lore by ending their 0-for-18 playoff game losing streak, two decades in the making. Before Game 1 of the Wild Card series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Lopez walked into Target Field wearing a Johan Santana jersey, a tribute of sorts to the Twins Hall of Famer. More important, he tossed 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball on his way to the Win. Sonny Gray was strong in Game 2 and the Twins won their first series in more than 20 years. Twins fans were excited about the series win, and excited to have a true ace in Lopez. But that took one further step when he threw seven shutout innings in Game 2 against the Houston Astros in the ALDS, improving to 2-0 in the playoffs. Then the two generations came together. Before Game 3 against the Astros, Johan Santana was set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch to Joe Mauer. The Twins asked Lopez to bring out the first-pitch ball and present it to Santana, his childhood hero. Before Lopez got to the mound, Santana stopped him, pulled off his jacket, and showed that he was wearing a Lopez jersey under it. That’s as far as it went for the Twins as they fell in four games to the Astros. Early this season, the Twins and Lopez began Pablo Day. Every time Lopez makes a start at Target Field. Proceeds are spread between three local non-profits. They are Children’s Minnesota, Ruff Start Rescue, and Project Success. He is active with the University of Minnesota’s Children’s hospital and often visits patients facing childhood cancer. In other words, he has ingrained himself and given a lot back to the community. That’s why he is the Twins 2024 Roberto Clemente Award nominee. Lopez hasn’t been quite as good in 2024 as he was last year, but he still had a really solid season. Coming into Friday night’s game, he is 15-9 with a 4.11 ERA (3.63 FIP) in 31 starts. In 179 2/3 innings, he has 190 strikeouts to just 38 walks. Last offseason, Twins fandom was at a high it hadn’t felt since probably 2002. It’s possible that the excitement level among Twins fans hadn’t been as high since 1991. The playoff losing streak was over. Pablo Lopez would be the anchor of the pitching staff, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran were stalwarts in the bullpen. They have two $100 million players, and they have several high-ceiling young players (Royce Lewis, Edouard Julien, Matt Wallner) who were incredible down the stretch for the Twins. Larnach, Jeffers, Varland, Ryan, and Ober were continuing to show improvement. And Brooks Lee was looking ready. Spring Training. A time for excitement and belief. The grass is green and hope springs eternal. Except there was a cloud over everything. We heard that the Twins were hoping to cut $30 million in payroll from last year, but we kept wanting to believe that all it would take is Blake Snell being able to take a Correa-like deal and the Twins could jump on it. No. They didn’t. And then came the Joe Pohlad interview with WCCO in which he insisted that they weren’t spending any more. “Right-sizing” is the term he used. They were not going to be adding Snell, or Bellinger, or really anyone else. The trade deadline illustrated that the Twins were not going to spend. That’s how you end up with Trevor Richards. And, the lone options at the point in bringing in more players was via waiver claims. That’s how you end up with Cole Irvin. And now as this frustrating season is coming to an end, we are already hearing that payroll will be about what it was last year, maybe even a little less. There are questions around their TV contract again. I believe radio rights are up for grabs again. The team went from being one of the top teams in baseball from mid-April until mid-August, but the complete collapse down the stretch meant that attendance stayed down all year. A little thinking tells us that means that revenues will end up being lower, and that will potentially tell ownership that payroll should maybe come down again. So it is going to be a very interesting offseason. Sure, Max Kepler and his $10 million 2024 contract will come off the budget. Carlos Santana, Manuel Margot, and Kyle Farmer might mean another $15-16 million off the books. But then we start going the other way. Alex Kirilloff ($1.7M), Willi Castro ($5M), Ryan Jeffers ($5M), Jorge Alcala ($1.8M), Justin Topa ($1.6M), and Michael Tonkin will all be arbitration-eligible again. Certainly Castro, Jeffers, and Alcala are due for decent raises. In addition, Joe Ryan ($3M), Brock Stewart ($1M), Griffin Jax ($2.5M), Jhoan Duran ($2.75M), Bailey Ober ($3M), and Trevor Larnach ($2.25M) will be first-time arbitration-eligible players. And, Royce Lewis ($3.2M) is likely to be a Super-2 arbitration case this offseason. Jose Miranda will be close, but I would guess he’ll fall just short of Super-2 eligibility. By my very rough calculations, the Twins will likely offer 2025 contracts to 11 of these players and their increase from nearly-league minimum to Year 1 arbitration and the other arbitration eligibles will be about $20 million. In other words, losing Kepler, Santana and Margot from the books will basically be offset by these arbitration increases. Which brings me back to reasons for going to Target Field on Friday night? Is it possible that it will mark the final Twins start of Pablo Lopez’s career? I want to say No. I want to think that Lopez is a building block that they would want to keep around for a number of reasons. However, after making $8 million in 2024. Lopez is scheduled to receive $21.5 million each of the next three seasons. That’s a $13.5 million increase in salary. Can the Twins afford to keep Lopez with his contract while maintaining the same payroll? What about a small decrease to the payroll? The Twins front office has their work cut out for them this offseason. It should be interesting to see what the plan might be and if Lopez fits into that plan. But for Friday night, the Twins have not been officially eliminated, and they are sending their best pitcher to the mound against the Orioles. Don’t spread the word, but depending on where the Twins set their 2025 payroll and what their offseason needs are, it’s very possible that Pablo Lopez will be making his final start in a Twins uniform on Friday night. But let’s hope not. View full article

The Twins needed to win. Instead, they lost a home series to the 100-loss Miami Marlins. Their playoff hopes are hanging by the thinnest of threads. Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: David Festa - 4.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (72 pitches, 53 strikes (73.6% strikes)) Home Runs: Carlos Correa (14) . Top 3 WPA: Brooks Lee (0.566), Jorge Alcala (0.310), Jhoan Duran (0.165) Bottom 3 WPA: Ryan Jeffers (-0.468), Royce Lewis (-0.425), Justin Topa (-0.252) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins Certainly Knew the Assignment The Marlins and Twins played a night game in their series finale at Target Field. Earlier in the day, they watched the Tigers come from behind to beat the Rays, and they saw the Royals score three runs in the top of the ninth to beat the Nationals. If the Twins won, they kept those team’s magic numbers at two with three games to play. If the Twins lost, they needed to win all three of their games against the Orioles this weekend and either Kansas City or Detroit to be swept. Festa, or Famine In such a big game, the Twins again turned to one of their rookie starters. For the third time in this series, the Twins fall behind in the top of the first frame. But David Festa worked out of that first inning giving up just one run. He then settled in and was very good in the second and third innings. Then after one out in the top of the fifth inning, Xavier Edwards went with a pitch and singled to left to score a run. Then Jake Burger added an RBI single. Caleb Thielbar came in for three batters and then Michael Tonkin came on to get the final out. But the Marlins held a 4-0 lead. It's clear Festa's goal was to throw more strikes. He threw 73% strikes in this game. He gave up one walk and had five strikeouts. No Offense, but… The Marlins threw soft-tossing Valente Bellozo to start the game, and he baffled Twins hitters through five innings. He may have topped out at 88 mph, but he kept hitters off balance. Until the bottom of the sixth inning when Carlos Correa was very balanced and crushed a long home run. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== All Hands on Deck We include the bullpen update every day in these game recaps. The purpose is to show fans and readers which pitchers might be available for the next game. Or, more important, who really should not be pitching that day. With that in mind, the Twins are in a must-win situation which means Griffin Jax in the seventh inning. It means Jhoan Duran for the eighth and the ninth innings. It means, despite a bum knee, Cole Sands is called on for the 10th inning. Unfortunately, some bad offensive baseball meant that pretty much the whole bullpen was needed again. Buxton’s Speed Gives Twins a Second Run Buxton hit a long homer run on Wednesday night. On Thursday, it was his speed that really helped the Twins. With two outs and two runners on base, Buxton hit a standard ground ball to shortstop. Xavier Edwards’ throw to first was strong, but the first baseman had to come off the base to make the catch. (though it took a review to prove it) Biggest Hit of His Life With Royce Lewis on third and Carlos Santana on first base and two outs, Brooks Lee came to the plate. It’s no secret Lee has struggled somewhat offensively since he rejoined the Twins after a IL stint. He got a pitch to his liking and went down and got it. He barreled it and crushed a line drive high off the wall in right field. It bounced hard and allowed Santana to score all the way from first to tie the game. The players were happy and rejoiced. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== The 10th Inning In the top of the 10th inning, Cole Sands entered the game. Griffin Conine entered the game as the Manfred Man at second base. A leadoff single pushed Conine to third, and Jonah Bride drove him in with a deep center field fly out. Sands struck out the next two batters, but the Twins had some work to do. In the bottom of the inning, Royce Lewis started the inning at second base. Michael Peterson came in for the Marlins. He tried to keep the Twins season alive. Carlos Santana led off with a walk. Brooks Lee followed by showing bunt for four pitches, but all four were balls. So, the Twins had the bases loaded with nobody out. Ryan Jeffers popped up to the catcher. But Willi Castro came up and lined a deep fly ball to dead center. Derek Hill, playing shallow due to the situation, had to go a long ways, straight back. He was able to twist and turn and somehow catch the fly ball. Royce Lewis scored the tying run from third base, and Santana and Lee each advanced a base. With two outs, Austin Martin got jammed and grounded out to third base. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Onto … The 11th Inning Jorge Alcala came in for the Twins. Derek Hill was the Manfred Man at second base. Alcala got a fly out to right field, short enough that Hill was unable to advance. Johnny Pereda, the backup catcher, making his first at-bat of the game, grounded out to shortstop. Hill remained at second base. A two-out walk to Xavier Edwards brought Brooklyn Park-born Connor Norby to the plate. Austin Martin started on second. Anthony Maldonado came on for the Marlins. Byron Buxton led off with a fly out to center. For the second time in the late innings, Carlos Correa was intentionally walked. Trevor Larnach came up and lined a low single to right, just past a diving first baseman. Not wanting to be doubled up, Martin was held at third base. With the bases loaded and one out, Royce Lewis came to the plate for the second time with a chance to win it. The first time, he hit a ball 18 inches. This time, on a 1-2 pitch, he grounded right to the fifth infielder who threw home to get Martin for the second out. Carlos Santana then flew out to center… Frustrating! Some bad baseball! 12th Inning… Scott Blewett came on to start the 12th inning with Norby on second base. Blewett struck out Griffin Conine to start the inning, but Jesus Sanchez lined a single to right. Inexplicably Norby froze and only got to third base. Blewett won a tough battle with Jonah Bride to strike him out, but Sanchez stole second. Willi Castro made a nice play on a slow roller to third base off the bat of Dane Myers to get the third out. While Scott Blewett didn’t blow it, check out the Twins bottom of the 12th. With Carlos Santana on second base, the Marlins intentionally walked Brooks Lee. Ryan Jeffers was asked to bunt, something he has been quite successful with in the past. Unfortunately this time, he popped the bunt to first base, maybe even lined out to first base it was hit so hard. That’s not the worst part. For whatever reason (obviously wanting to get to third base successfully on a good bunt), Santana got way too far off of second base and was doubled out. Two pitches later, Castro grounded out to end the inning. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Entertaining... or? That’s just bad baseball. 13th Inning… Blewett remained in the game. Myers was the runner at second base. The inning started with a strikeout, but Otto Lopez followed with a double, switching places with Myers and giving the Marlins a 6-5 lead. A ground out moved Lopez to third base with two outs. The Twins intentionally walked Xavier Edwards to bring up Norby who was 0-for-6 with five strikeouts coming into the plate appearance. He walked to load the bases. Rocco Baldelli turned to Justin Topa with the bases loaded and, as Cory Provus said, "the Twins season hanging in the balance." Griffin Conine swung early in the count and came through with a huge, two-run, bloop single to center to give the Marlins the 8-5 lead. The blooper had an exit velocity of just 73 mph, and that just makes a lot of sense for the way things have gone for the Twins of late. Other Notes 2-for-19 with Runners in Scoring Position. 15 runners left on base. The Twins finished the season with an 18-28 record against the National League in this first season under the new schedule. The Twins lost their fourth straight series. That is the first time that has happened all season. The Marlins won their first series in a month. Austin Martin wasn't in the original lineup. Jose Miranda was but was removed due to low back pain. Martin went 2-for-6 with a double. Carlos Correa went 3-for-5 and was twice intentionally walked. What’s Next? The Twins will hope to keep hope alive on Friday night. At 7:10, Pablo Lopez will take the mound, looking for his 16th win and even more, keeping his team alive. He will face #OldFriend, rookie lefty Cade Povich and the Baltimore Orioles. The Twins don’t have to worry about seeing the top Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes since the O’s spot in the playoffs is set. Friday (7:10 pm): RHP Pablo Lopez (15-9, 4.11 ERA) vs LHP Cade Povich (2-9, 5.59) Saturday (6:15 pm): RHP Zebby Matthews (1-3, 5.71) vs RHP Albert Suarez (8-7, 3.74) Sunday (1:10 pm): RHP Bailey Ober vs RHP Dean Kremer (8-10, 4.10) Postgame Interview Coming soon. Bullpen Availability Chart View full article

Just as a personal opinion... I WANT to see as many of the prospects keep playing. If I was a front office person, I also wouldn't want to send my top pitching prospects to the AFL... Several of them already hit 100 innings. That's enough.

Totally worth it!

We finally have the rosters for the 2024 Arizona Fall League. The Twins' group is certainly not going to excite fans too much, but we'll still write about them here and follow them starting when the season begins Oct. 7. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge / Seth Stohs (photo of Danny De Andrade) The Arizona Fall League is often touted as a great place to find prospects after the season. The season begins October 7th and will conclude on November 16th with the championship games. The Twins players will play for the Salt River Rafters, along with the prospects of the Diamondbacks, Nationals, Rockies, and Yankees. Specifically, Tyler Smarslok (Saints Defensive Coach) will be the manager of the Rafters. Smarslok (MGR, 32) joined the Twins organization for the 2020 season. He was set to be a coach in the GCL before the season was canceled. Since 2021, he has been on the Saints coaching staff with Toby Gardenhire. The defense/infield coach was a four-year starter at Kean University. He went to three Division III World Series and won a Rawlings Gold Glove. If I'm being honest, the Twins aren't sending any pitching prospects. None of the five pitchers would be near a Top 50 Twins prospect list. That doesn't mean that they aren't intriguing, especially with the way that the Twins pitcher development has helped several pitchers reach their full potential. But these names aren't going to excite fans. That's normal. Teams hardly ever send high-end hurlers to that meat grinder of a showcase circuit. As it relates to position players, they are sending three players. Two of them are Top 25 Twins prospects who missed significant time this season due to injury. Let's take a look at the players representing the Twins in the AFL. Kade Bragg (LHP, 23) Bragg was the Twins 17th round pick in 2023 out of Angelo State University in Texas. He pitched in six games for the Mighty Mussels early in the year. He had a 1.08 ERA. He gave up five hits, five walks and nine strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings. Then he went on the Injured List and missed the rest of the season. After he was drafted, he was a guy that was very intriguing due to good stuff and the fact that he went 15-1 with a 1.20 ERA at Angelo State in 2023. He had 124 strikeouts in 104 2/3 innings. Jacob King (RHP, 22) King was signed by the Twins after the 2023 college season. He spent four years at UC-Irvine, pitching solely in relief. He pitched in two games and 1 2/3 innings that season in the FCL. This year, he pitched in just one game and recorded two outs and walked three. He missed the early part of the season, pitched in that game, and then was on the IL the rest of the season. Devin Kirby (RHP, 25) Kirby signed with the Twins after the 2023 college season. He had spent two seasons at U-Conn. The Twins saw that he threw a knuckleball, encouraged him to work on it and signed him. In 2023, he pitched in three games for the FCL Twins. This season, he pitched in 11 games for the FCL Twins before ending the season with six games at Fort Myers. Combined, he went 3-1 with a 3.55 ERA over 38 innings. He walked 18 and struck out 51 batters. Jack Noble (RHP, 24) Noble signed as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 season at Long Beach State. He pitched in just two games that year in the FCL. In 2023, he pitched three times in the FCL (1.72 ERA) and 10 games (9 starts) for Fort Myers (3.38 ERA). He began the 2024 season in Cedar Rapids, but by the first weekend, he moved up to Wichita where he pitched once and gave up one run in three innings. He spent most of the season in the Fort Myers bullpen where he went 8-2 with a 4.78 ERA over 58 1/3 innings. The highlight may have been his immaculate inning. Liam Rocha (RHP, 22) Rocha signed with the Twins after his 2023 season at California Baptist where he was teammates with fellow Twins prospects C.J. Culpepper and Spencer Bengard. He pitched twice for the FCL Twins in 2023. He made 10 appearances in the FCL this season, five starts and five relief appearances. He was 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA with a 1.71 WHIP in 29 1/3 innings. Danny De Andrade (SS, 20) De Andrade is a legit prospect. The youngster signed from Venezuela in January of 2021. He had a solid debut in the DSL that season. In 2022, he came to the States and posted a .704 OPS in 48 games in the FCL. He moved up to Fort Myers in 2023 where he posted a .750 OPS in 105 games. He showed some pop with 21 doubles and 11 homers. The Twins promoted him to Cedar Rapids this year. Unfortunately, he played in just 29 games before his season came to an end with an ankle injury. De Andrade is young and has all the tools to be good, so getting him ABs will be important. Ben Ross (UT, 23) Ross was the Twins fifth-round pick in 2022 out of Division II Notre Dame College in Ohio. He played 22 games in Fort Myers to end that season. In 2023, he played in 103 games for Cedar Rapids and hit .240 with 25 doubles and 19 home runs before ending the season with 10 games in Wichita. He spent the full season this year in Wichita and played 123 games. He struggled offensively the first half of the season, but was much improved as the season went along. He ended the year with a .212 batting average and a .626 OPS. He had 18 doubles, 11 homers and also stole 20 bases. Maybe as important, he is a really good defensive player, particularly in the infield. He remained in the lineup most days despite his offensive struggles, because of his defense. Kala'i Rosario (OF, 22) Rosario played in the AFL last year. In fact, he and Aaron Sabato tied for the league lead in Home Runs, and Rosario was the winner of the Home Run contest. The Twins fifth-round pick in 2020 out of high school in Hawaii was the Midwest League MVP and led the league with 21 homers and 94 RBI in 2023. He moved up to Wichita this season. In 67 games, he hit .235/.321/.405 (.726) with 19 doubles and eight homers. He missed about three months of this season due to a fractured elbow. Fortunately, he came back late in the season and looks to be back to himself. Feel free to share your thoughts on the Twins contingent to the Arizona Fall League. We'll provide updates on them once the season gets started. View full article

Who knows? Could be any number of things beyond baseball.

2019 debut season... He made three non-opener starts... Completed five innings in three out of three starts. 2020 season... He completed five innings in 6 of his 10 starts. He went four inning in his first start of the Covid season in late July. And his final two starts he didn't go five innings (though pitched into the 5th in his final start). And, what did the deal hurt them? Through the first four years of the deal, it cost $5.25 million... in 2025, it'll cost $3 million, and after the year, they'll give him another $1 million to buyout his contract. If he would have been healthy those first couple of years, the deal would have paid for itself... Good deal for him. Good job by his agent. Well worth the risk for the Twins.

100% correct. For a role player type, who cares what age they get called up? Geez, or a starter, who cares what age they get called up? Like you said, the Twins would get his ages 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 (or as much of it as they want). Age only matters on prospect lists.

Was there any reason to assume that I was writing that Keirsey is to be compared with those big leaguers?? That list simply shows how rare it is at any level.

26-year-old DaShawn Keirsey Jr. had an incredible 2024 season. Certainly the highlight was the 7-10 days he spent in the big leagues, but he put up some of the best offensive numbers in minor-league baseball this season. And to think, he has always been touted for his great defense (which is elite, by the way). Keirsey had three more hits on Saturday to break another single-season franchise record, and he could add more on Sunday. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of DaShawn Keirsey) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 81-73 (8 games to go) St. Paul Saints: 70-78 (1 game to go) Wichita Wind Surge: 58-80 (season complete) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 67-63 (season complete) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 66-59 (season complete) FCL Twins: 27-31 (season complete) DSL Twins: 30-25 (season complete) TRANSACTIONS On Saturday, the Twins optioned RHP Ronny Henriquez to the Saints. They recalled LHP Brent Headrick. Very nice for Headrick, who missed the majority of the season with a left forearm strain, to get back to the Twins for the last week of the season. In case you missed it, the Twins released DSL Twins infielders Ruben Velazquez and Luis Rodriguez a couple of days ago. In addition, RHP Sean Mooney retired. The 2019 draft pick had Tommy John surgery that spring, and he just hasn’t been able to get healthy since them. He’s had more elbow surgery and injuries. He reached Double-A which is impressive with the time missed and for being a Day 3 draft pick. We certainly wish him the best in whatever is next for him. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Indianapolis 8 Box Score There were a lot of runs scored early in this game. Unfortunately the Saints fell just shy in yet another one-run loss. Randy Dobnak was on the mound to start for the Saints. If nothing else, he was able to get through four innings for his team. He gave up five runs in the first inning and two more in the second inning. In four innings, he gave up seven runs on six hits and four walks. He had six strikeouts. Five of the runs scored on the two home run balls hit off of him. However, in the top of the second inning, the Saints responded and made it a game again. The rally started with two outs. Jair Camargo walked and moved up a base on a Carson McCusker single to center. Jeferson Morales, batting ninth, followed with his first Triple-A home run. Payton Eeles walked and scored on a double off the bat of Austin Martin. Martin scored when DaShawn Keirsey singled to center. The five-run inning cut their deficit to 7-5. Dobnak tossed two scoreless innings, and in the bottom of the fourth, the Saints put together another rally. Carson McCusker led off with a single. He was erased on a force out by Morales. Eeles followed with a triple that made it 7-6. He scored on Keirsey’s third hit of the game, a single off of the pitcher. Travis Adams came in to start the fifth inning. He worked three innings and gave up a run on three hits and a walk. He had one strikeout. Giovanny Gallegos gave up a hit and a walk, but no runs, in the eighth inning. Steven Okert struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning. The Saints tried to match Indianapolis. In the bottom of the eighth, the inning started with singles by Chris Williams and Jair Camargo, but Geronimo Franzua responded by striking out the next three batters. Camargo went 2-for-3 with a walk. McCusker went 2-for-4. Morales’s first homer with the Saints drove in three runs. Martin hit a double, and Eeles had a walk to go with his fourth Saints triple. DaShawn Keirsey went 3-for-5 in the game with his 22nd double and two RBI. It has been a tremendous 2024 season for the 26-year-old outfielder from southern California (via the University of Utah). His third hit in this game gave him 133 hits for the Saints this season which is a new single-season franchise record. He surpassed the 132 hits that Andrew Stephenson recorded in 2023. In addition, his 81 RBI this season is the Saints single-season franchise record. However, he is just two ahead of teammate Yunior Severino, so that distinction could still be up for grabs. He is the only International League player, and one of just four Triple-A players, with at least 100 hits, 10 home runs, and 30 steals. He is one of just three minor-league players, and the only Triple-A player, with at least 100 hits, 20 doubles, 10 homers, 30 steals and 70 RBI. In addition, only six MLB players have reached those totals this season. They are Elly De La Cruz, Jarren Duran, Zach Neto, Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez, and Bobby Witt Jr. Those are some pretty good names. (Hat tip to the game notes of Saints broadcaster and all-around good guy Sean Aronson. Also, a huge thank you to Rob Thompson, the Saints fantastic photographer, for letting us display some of his great work with our stories the last couple of seasons.) With one more Saints game to go, here are a couple of things to watch. If Keirsey hits a triple, it will be his eighth of the season, a franchise single-season record. If Anthony Prato is activated from the Development List and hits a triple, it would tie Keirsey for the single-season single-season record. If he were to hit two triples, he would tie Keirsey for the career franchise record with nine. That is, of course, if Keirsey doesn’t triple too. With one home run, Yunior Severino would set the new single-season record with 22 Saints home runs. If Severino walked one time on Sunday, he would set the single-season record with 68 walks. Head out to CHS Field for the Saints final game of the season. Here’s the schedule, and where you can get your tickets. WIND SURGE WISDOM The Twins affiliate in Wichita had a few alternate uniforms and team names. Most minor-league teams do. At MILB.com, the Wichita Chili Buns are up for the award for Best Alternate Identity. Vote for them here, and see what other names were also considered for the award. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - DaShawn Keirsey (St. Paul) - 3-for-4, 2B(22), 2 RBI. Pitcher of the Day - Steven Okert (St. Paul) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our recently-updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing that none of them played on Saturday. Be sure to frequently stop by Twins Daily throughout the offseason. Minor-League coverage does not stop with the end of their seasons. Starting next week, we'll start handing out our 2024 Minor League Awards and name the 2024 Twins Minor League All Stars. We will be sure to update the Twins Daily Top 20 prospect rankings. We will follow how the Twins prospects perform in the Arizona Fall League and see if any prospects play winter ball. Of course, I will try to connect with a ton of Twins prospects in a new (off)season of Twins Spotlight. There is no offseason in baseball writing! SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CST) – RHP Caleb Boushley (9-5, 4.98 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Saturday’s game, Keirsey’s great season, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View full article

To be fair, the combined signing bonuses of these four players is less than $290,000... and $250K of that was Rucker's as a sixth-round pick two years ago. And even though MILB players are finally making halfway decent money, it's not much more than $2000 per month for the lower levels and no more than $3-4,000 for the upper levels. That's not to take away from the classiness of the players. I've met a ton of Twins minor leaguers and big leaguers over the past 15-20 years and 90% of them are really good people, down to earth, just 'regular' people... And I've met some that have made some big money and for the most part they are good people as well.

A Top 20 Twins prospect made his Triple-A debut with the Saints on Thursday night. He was strongly supported by the Saints offense and earned a win. Speaking of wins, help the Wichita Wind Surge to a win in a huge MILB award! Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Cory Lewis) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 80-73 (9 games to go) St. Paul Saints: 69-77 (3 games to go) Wichita Wind Surge: 58-80 (season complete) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 67-63 (season complete) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 66-59 (season complete) FCL Twins: 27-31 (season complete) DSL Twins: 30-25 (season complete) TRANSACTIONS Randy Dobnak has rejoined the Saints active roster after accepting his outright assignment after being DFAd. To make room on the roster, RHP Andrew Morris was placed on the Development List. Morris made his final start of the 2024 season on Wednesday, so that is really just a formality. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 8, Indianapolis 3 Box Score The big story from CHS Field on Thursday night was the Triple-A debut for right-hander Cory Lewis. He gave up two runs, one in the second inning and one in the fifth inning. He gave up seven hits, walked three and had two strikeouts. Lewis threw 86 pitches including 26 sliders, 26 four-seam fastballs, 15 changeups, 10 curveballs, and nine knuckleballs. He had just four Whiffs, all on his slider. His fastball velocity averaged 89.8 mph with a max of 91.5. His slider came in at an average of 81 mph. The changeup average was at 80.7 mph, about nine less than the fastball which is where one would like to be. The slow curveball came in at 79.1 mph on average. And, the pitch you’re most curious about, the knuckleball averaged 83.3 mph with a maximum of 85.8 mph. I think with Lewis’s pitch mix, it has to be somewhat difficult to differentiate the various pitches without seeing the data, the movement, the spin and the break. The one pitch that should be easiest to differentiate is the knuckleball. That is the fifth row in the above chart. As you can see, the spin on his knuckleball was between 114 and 419 RPM, an average of 243 on the nine pitches that were coded as a knuckleball. However, as you can see, that 213 wasn’t a slider, and that 153 wasn’t a slider. Those were obviously knuckleballs. Add those two pitches to the knuckleball category, and removed them from the other two categories and those averages will change significantly. So, the Twins minor-league staff has a little postgame work to do to just verify some of these numbers (as they always do). Lefty Aaron Rozek came on in relief and tossed two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits. Rozek was terrific and only needed 24 pitches. He threw just one four-seam fastball. It was his fastest pitch at 89.6 mph. He threw nine cutters. Diego Castillo pitched the eighth inning, and as he tends to do, he struggled quite a bit. He gave up one run on one hit and two walks Jorge Alcala came in for the bottom of the ninth to hold onto a five-run lead. He gave up a leadoff single before getting a groundout and two strikeouts to end it. He was consistently touching triple digits with the fastball but the second strikeout came on a very nice slider. The Saints had a three-run, fifth inning, but as impressive, they scored in five of their eight innings at the plate. In the bottom of the first inning, Payton Eeles led off the game with his eighth home run since joining the Saints. The game was tied by Indianapolis in the top of the second. The Saints reclaimed the lead in the third when DaShawn Keirsey led off with a double and came in to score on a Michael Helman double. In the fourth inning, 2024 Killebrew Award recipient Chris Williams crushed his 15th home run of the season. Lewis gave up a run in the top of the fifth inning which cut the team’s lead to 3-2. But the Saints batters must have sensed Lewis’s will to get a win in his Triple-A debut. They added three runs in the bottom of the inning to provide some cushion. Keirsey led off with a single. With one out, Yunior Severino went to the opposite field for his 21st home run of the season. That homer tied him with Williams and Jair Camargo, both from 2023, for the franchise single-season home run record. He will have three games remaining to break that record. Diego A. Castillo Followed with a walk and moved to second on a ground out. After a pitching change, Patrick Winkel singled to drive in Castillo with the third run of the inning. The Saints maintained that 6-2 lead until the eighth inning when Indianapolis scored a run to make it 6-3. However, in the bottom of the inning, the Saints responded. Jeferson Morales led off with a walk. He stole second. Winkel flew out to left, deep enough to allow Morales to tag and advance to third base. Chris Williams walked. Then Eeles singled to right field to drive in Morales. Williams then led a double steal to move runners to second and third with one out. Austin Martin walked to load the bases. Keirsey followed with a line drive toward center that Jack Suwinski dove and caught, but Williams scored the team’s eighth run on the play. Eeles led off and went 2-for-4 with a walk, the home run, and two RBI. He also stole two bases to give him 16 with the Saints. Keirsey went 2-for -4 with his 21st double and two RBI. He also had an outfield assist from right field to third base that you’ll want to see. Williams went 1-for-2 with two walks and his 15th homer. He also joined the 5-15 club when he stole his fifth base of the season. Three more games remain in the Saints season. Head on out to CHS Field for some quality, Triple-A baseball and see some big leaguers and much more. Here’s the schedule, and where you can get your tickets. Friday, 6:37 pm: Teacher Appreciation Night with post-game fireworks. (You’ve got to love the theme for the fireworks display, the music will feature prom night ballads!) Saturday, 5:07 pm: Fan Appreciation Night with post-game Monster Food Truck Rally and Fireworks Super Show! Sunday, 12:07 pm: Last Game of the Season. WIND SURGE WISDOM The Twins affiliate in Wichita had a few alternate uniforms and team names. Most minor-league teams do. At MILB.com, the Wichita Chili Buns are up for the award for Best Alternate Identity. Vote for them here, and see what other names were also considered for the award. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Payton Eeles (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, BB, HR(8), R, 2 RBI, K, 2 SB(16). Pitcher of the Day - Cory Lewis (St. Paul) – 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 85 pitches, 50 strikes (58.8%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our recently-updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. #13 – Cory Lewis (St. Paul) – 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 85 pitches, 50 strikes (58.8%) FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CST) – RHP Marco Raya (first Triple-A start) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday night’s game! View full article