Seth Stohs

If you ever want or need a pick-me-up. If you need a reminder about how great baseball can be. If you enjoy listening to people who have a passion for baseball. If you want a fun story about a player overcoming the odds and getting to the big leagues, I really think you will enjoy this conversation with Outfielder Ian Miller, and you’ll want to bookmark the 9-Hole Podcast. We talk all the time about how prospect or player development is not linear. One of the other clichés around baseball is that it takes all types. Not everyone has to look like Aaron Judge. Not everyone has to have an arm like Jhoan Duran. Baseball players can succeed in all shapes and sizes. Ian Miller noted, “(The scouts) are looking for Tools. I’m not just going to just snap my fingers and magically figure out how to hit .400 with pop and drive the ball out of the yard. I think my junior year, I had three or four extra base hits in 50 games or something like that in Division I baseball. That’s very not good. So I needed to showcase the defense. I needed to showcase the range, the arm, and especially the stolen bases.” He’s from the northeast. Wagner is a small Division I up north. They don’t have a stadium on campus. They play where the Staten Island Yankees play, so they didn’t get very many fans to watch them. However, by his junior season, the scouts had found him. The Mariners drafted him in the 14th-round of the 2013 draft, just seven picks after the Twins selected Staten Island native and Seton Hall grad Zack Granite. “Man, I looked up to a dude like that, tried to be that guy. We were always kind of neck and neck, in terms of how we played the game, how we went about our business, our skill sets. I just always tried to be like that guy.” . In fact, Granite has been a two-time guest on the 9-Hole Podcast. Hungry Dogs Run Faster. A Masterclass in the Art of Small Ball. He was in Double-A within two years of being drafted. He got to Triple-A in 2017. He continued to bat in or near the 9-Hole, and he continued to play great defense and hit enough, get on base and steal bases. He played in just 136 combined games between two levels of rookie ball and two levels of Class A ball. He played 284 games at Double-A. He played a total of 383 Triple-A games. On August 10, 2019, Miller was traded to the Twins. Twins fans certainly remember the record-setting home run season for the Bomba Squad. Understandably, Derek Falvey wanted an element of speed for the bench late in the season and potentially in the playoffs. He spent about 20 days with the Rochester Red Wings. Manager Joel Skinner let him know that he was headed to the big leagues for September. He said that the team made him feel very comfortable when he got to the big-league clubhouse. Derek Falvey: “I gave him a hug when he called me up. I gave him a huge hug.” Nelson Cruz: “I spent a whole lot of time with Nelson Cruz over with the Mariners, so that was kind of my in. Nelson knew me. He gave me a big hug when I was there, like on the bus, and said, ‘ What’s up, bro? Good to see you. Finally you’re up here.’ One of the best guys ever!” He made his MLB debut at Fenway Park. It’s a hilarious story of being heckled, then fans learning about his debut, and then one of the funnier lines you’ll hear. His first hit came in his first start off of Jordan Zimmerman. The Twins had clinched a playoff spot the night before. Miller played in 12 games with the Twins. Mostly, he came off the bench to play defense. He wasn’t there to hit. He was there for his speed game, defense and arm. Following the season, the Twins allowed him to become a free agent. He signed with the Cubs. In the shortened-Covid season, he was with the team for a few games but only got to play in one game. He spent the 2021 season with the Iowa Cubs. That offseason, he got married, went on his honeymoon, and then went to play in Mexico. The team was good, but when the season was over, he knew it was probably the last time he would play. “My down time went from watching video, getting scouting reports on who’s pitching tonight. Watching swings from Mike Trout and Aaron Judge and trying to be in all-the-know of baseball. My time then was reading investment journals, reading about stocks. That’s the stuff that was interesting to me. I’d be up when the markets opened, listening to podcasts. Learned. That’s the stuff that was interesting to me.” He enjoyed watching Stuart Varney on Fox Business. He enjoyed the business and economic conversations, but he also just liked Varney’s voice. In fact, he contacted the British-American journalist and ended up working for a while. . If you think that hearing Ian Miller talk about baseball was passion-filled, you should hear him talk about his current business, Rellimnai Enterprises. He used his baseball knowledge and his story and his background in economics and investments to start his own business. It’s a coaching and consulting business, but he also started The 9-Hole podcast which has really taken off. Follow him on Instagram at @ianmiller14, Twitter at @8rellimnai, and TikTok at @the9holepodcast as well. “I’m just trying to lead, and inspire and show kids that are in the 9-Hole, like I was, from Little League to the big leagues, from the classroom to the business world. You can literally do anything you want regardless of if you’re leading off or in the 9-Hole.” It’s always fun to see what former players are up to after their playing careers. It’s really great to see former players giving back to the game, and to the next generations of players. It is especially fun to see when they are so passionate about it. Please check out Ian MIller’s webpages and podcast. View full article

They've got quite the long line of Day 3 guys pushing through the minors. Festa. Ohl. Varland, Culpepper. Several Day 2 guys too, like Matthews, Lewis, Jones, etc.

There was a similar call for Elly de la Cruz to make it last year. When they announce the teams in a couple weeks, maybe Royce will earn a shot.

For the Saints, 10 Straight... That's great! For Wichita, it was a Marco Day and a Zebby Day. The Kernels won in a walkoff again. Fort Myers got some absolutely incredible pitching. Maybe we need t have a Bengard Day? The DSL got power from some youngsters to win. The lone loss in the Twins minor leagues was the FCL Twins, and that came in extra innings. And yes, Matt Wallner homered again! Image courtesy of William Parmeter CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 41-35 St. Paul Saints: 37-35 Wichita Wind Surge: 29-38 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 38-27 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 32-34 FCL Twins: 16-17 DSL Twins: 6-8 TRANSACTIONS LHP Kody Funderburk was officially recalled from the Saints after RHP Jay Jackson was DFAd on Thursday. Infielder Angel Del Rosario was activated from the Fort Myers Injured List. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Toledo 2 Box Score The Saints have found a variety ways to post wins of late. A lot has been due to the offense and power, but on Friday night at CHS, it was the pitching that got the job done and pushed them to their 10th straight win. In a bend-but-don't-break way. Kind of. Randy Dobnak made the start. He went five innings and despite five walks and three hits, he gave up just one run. He had four strikeouts. Ryan Jensen came in and in 1 2/3 innings, he gave up one run on zero hits. He had four walks and two strikeouts. Hobie Harris got four outs, gave up no runs and no hits, but he walked two. Ronny Henriquez came on to protect the lead in the ninth inning and earned his third save with a scoreless frame. So, yes, the Saints pitchers gave up just two runs on four hits, but they issued 12 walks and were able to get away with it in this game. They came through when needed. Toledo went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 12 on base. Frankly, the Saints weren’t a whole lot better in the clutch. In fact, they were just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. They certainly had chances. Down 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning, Diego A. Castillo and Patrick Winkel walked. Then Will Holland reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Anthony Prato walked to tie the game at 1-1. The Saints had bases loaded, nobody out and the top of the lineup coming up. However, Edouard Julien and Brooks Lee struck out and Matt Wallner flew out to end the inning. The Saints got a big hit in the fifth. With one out, Lee singled and then Matt Wallner hit his 18th homer to make it 3-1 Saints. Toledo scored one to cut the lead to 3-2, but the Saints added a run in the bottom of the eighth when Will Holland scored on a stolen base with a throwing error to make it 4-2. Castillo went 2-for-3 with a walk and his 10th double. Lee was 2-for-5. Holland went 2-for-4 with his 12th stolen base. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Arkansas 2 Box Score It was a Zebby Day for the Surge, but not in his normal role. Marco Raya made the start for Wichita. As per usual, he went three innings. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. He had four strikeouts. Cody Laweryson pitched a perfect fourth inning with three strikeouts. All 11 of his pitches were strikes. Then it was Zebby Time! The right-hander was fantastic. In five innings, he gave up no runs and just one hit. He did walk a batter, but he had six strikes as well. He improved to 2-1 while dropping his Double-A ERA to just 1.55. He struck out two batters in the ninth inning. The final batter of the game was ejected for his excessive disagreement. The Saints are watching... The Surge fell behind 1-0 after two innings. Wichita tied it up in the top of the third. Ben Ross walked with one out and stole second base. With two outs, Luke Keaschall grounded to shortstop, but a throwing error allowed Keaschall to reach and Ross to score. The Travels reclaimed the lead with a single run in the bottom of the third. Then came a bunch of zeroes. In the top of the seventh, Carson McCusker singled with one out. He advanced to second on a Dalton Shuffield walk. Ben Ross then drove him in with a single to left field that tied the game at two. Jorel Ortega drove a single to left that scored Shuffield and put the Surge ahead. The Surge had seven hits and four walks. Tanner Schobel had the lone extra base hit, his 10th double of the season. Shuffield went 2-for-3 with a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Peoria 5 Box Score Down a run heading into the bottom of the ninth, who played hero to help the Kernels to another win? Jeremy Lee made the start for the Kernels. He was charged with two runs on seven hits and two walks. He had five strikeouts. Both runs scored in the first inning. The Kernels responded with single runs in the second, third and fourth innings. In the second frame, Kevin Maitan’s third home run put the team on the scoreboard. In the third, it was a Rayne Doncon single that drove in Ricaro Olivar. In the fourth inning, it was Jay Harry’s turn. He launched his sixth home run of the season to put the Kenres ahead 3-2. Left Jordan Carr gave up three runs (2 earned) on two hits and two walks. He left with two runners on base. AJ Labas came in and allowed one of the two runners to score. He worked a scoreless seventh inning, but when the 7th Inning Stretch signing took place, the Kernels found themselves down by a score of 5-4. Then came Payton Eeles, and the legend continues. He knocked his first High-A homer to cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ricardo Velez has been fantastic all season. He worked two perfect innings and struck out three batters to send the game to the bottom of the ninth. Olivar led off with a walk. After one out, Doncon walked. After a pitching change, Nate Baez pinch hit for Agustin Ruiz. He singled to load the bases. Jay Harry came up and drove in Olivar with a sacrifice fly to tie the game. One batter later, Maitan reached on an error that allowed Doncon to score the walk-off, winning run. Maitan went 2-for-3 wth a walk and his third homer of the season. Doncon went 1-for-3 with two walks. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 8, St. Lucie 0 Box Score The Mussels showed their muscle offensively on their way to eight runs on 13 hits. However, when you throw a shutout, you guarantee a win and that we will write about you first! Spencer Bengard was the Twins 15th round pick in 2023 out of California Baptist. The 6-4, 220 pound right-hander has been nothing short of impressive this season with Fort Myers. In this one, he gave up just two singles over six scoreless innings. He hit a batter but walked none and struck out seven batters. He improves to 4-1 with a 1.23 ERA on the season. Paulshawn Pasqualotto, the team’s 12th round pick in 2023 out of California (Berkeley), came on and recorded the three-inning save. He gave up just one hit over those three innings, walked none and struck out six batters. Bengard threw 75 pitches. 55 were strikes. That’s 73.3% Pasqualotto threw strikes on 29 of 37 pitches. That’s 78.4% In total, of the 112 pitches thrown, 84 of them were strikes. That is 75.0% That is remarkable! OK, now to the offense. The Mussels got on the board in the top of the third inning. With two outs, Walker Jenkins and Poncho Ruiz singled. Rixon Wingrove followed with a ground-rule double to drive in Jenkins. In the fourth, they used some extra base hits to add to their lead. Carlos Aguiar led off with a double. With one out, Yohander Martinez’s first home of the season. Later, Ryan McCarthy and Jenkins scored on a Ruiz double. Just off the IL, Angel Del Rosario had a Little League homer. OK, it was a triple, but a throwing error allowed Del Rosario to race home with the sixth run of the game. In the eighth inning, Del Rosario and Jenkins each had an RBI single to make it 8-0. Poncho Ruiz was 2-for-4 with a walk and his 14th double. Walker Jenkins was 2-for-4 with a walk. Rixon Wingrove was 2-for-5 with his fifth and sixth doubles. Carlos Aguiar was 2-for-5 with his fifth double. Del Rosario was 2-for-4 with his first triple. Ryan McCarthy went 1-for-2 with two walks and his second double. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 3, FCL Red Sox 4 (10 innings) Box Score The Twins needed a big play to send the game to extra innings but then lost the game in the 10th inning. The key story from this game is that RHP Kyle Jones continued his rehab and looked really good. Scheduled to go to Wichita when deemed ready, Jones retired all nine batters he faced to cover three perfect innings. He had four strikeouts. Miguel Cordero came on and was charged with three runs on four hits and a walk over three innings. Yency De Jesus gave up three hits but no runs over two innings. Ezequiel Ventura pitched a scoreless ninth inning but allowed the Manfred Man to score in the top of the 10th inning to take a loss. He gave up zero hits and walked none. Down 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Yasser Mercedes hit a one-out single. After the second out, Hendry Chivilli walks. Jayson Bass followed with a single to score Mercedes. After a pitching change, Chivilli scored on a Wild Pitch. Down 3-2 going to the bottom of the ninth inning, Bass singled to lead off the inning. Next, Ricardo Pena drove him in with a double to tie the score. After an intentional walk, a single loaded the bases. Unfortunately a short fly out and a double play ended the threat. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Twins 9, DSL Diamondbacks Black 6 Box Score The Twins scored five runs in the fourth inning and single runs in four other innings and held on for the win. The big blow in the big inning came off of the bat of Daiber De Los Santos whose third home run of the season drove in three runs. Ricardo Paez went 2-for-3 in the game with a walk. He notched both his first double and his first professional home run in this one. Luis Fragoza went 2-for-3 with his first triple. He was also hit by a pitch and stole a base. Ruben Velazquez was 2-for-3 with a walk and his first two doubles. Eduardo Beltre walked three times. Christian Hernandez started the game for the Twins with four no-hit innings. He was charged with two runs (1 earned) on four walks and four strikeouts. Ramiro Villanueva pitched the fifth inning. He gave up three runs on four hits. Nestor Cafe recorded just two outs. He gave up a run as he walked four and struck out one. Fabian Herrera got a strikeout for the final out to earn the save in this rain-shortened game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Spencer Bengard (Fort Myers) - 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K; 75 pitches, 55 strikes (73.3%) Hitter of the Day – Ricardo Paez (DSL Twins) - 2-for-3, 2B(1), HR(1), 3 R, RBI. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. #1– Walker Jenkins (Fort Myers) – 2-for-4, BB, 2R, RBI, K #2 – Brooks Lee (St. Paul) – 2-for-5, R, K #5 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-5, CS (rehab FCL, DH) #6 – Marco Raya (Wichita) – 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; 58 pitches, 37 strikes (63.8%) #8 – Austin Martin (Minnesota) – 2-for-3, BB, R (played CF) #9 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 1-for-4, BB, 2K #13 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-for-5, 2B(10), K #14 – Zebby Matthews (Wichita) – 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K; 69 pitches, 49 strikes (71.0%) #20 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, BB, 2B(10), 2 R, K SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CST) – RHP Caleb Boushley (7-1, 3.90 ERA) Wichita @ Arkansas (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Jaylen Nowlin (4-3, 3.44 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Ty Langenberg (1-0, 5.40 ERA) Fort Myers @ St. Lucie (5:10 PM CST) – RHP Charlee Soto (0-2, 6.68 ERA) FCL Twins @ FCL Red Sox (9:00 AM CT) - TBD DSL Phillies White @ DSL Twins (9:00 AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games! 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The Saints just keep on winning. A former first-round pick is finding his swing in Wichita. Cedar Rapids... well, Payton Eeles continues to rake after his promotion. Fort Myers got a tremendous start from a guy the organization signed about three weeks ago. A jam-packed minor league report for Wednesday. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 41-33 St. Paul Saints: 35-35 Wichita Wind Surge: 28-37 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 37-27 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 30-34 FCL Twins: 16-15 DSL Twins: 5-7 TRANSACTIONS RHP Travis Adams was activated from the Development List. To make room, RHP Cory Lewis was transferred to the Development List. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 8, Toledo 7 Box Score A five-run third inning, and a three-run seventh inning provided just enough offense for the Saints to hang on for the afternoon win at CHS Field. Down 2-0 going into the bottom of the third inning, Will Holland started things with a one-out double. Edouard Julien walked. After a double steal put runners on second and third, Brook’s Lee doubled to drive in both runners. After a strikeout, Yunior Severino walked. Jair Camargo then crushed an opposite-field homer to give the Saints a 5-2 lead. It was a bullpen game for the Saints. Ronny Henriquez started and gave up one run on two hits. Ryan Vilade hit a first-inning homer off of him. Jordan Balazovic came on and in 1 2/3 innings, he was charged with four runs on four hits and a walk. He had three strikeouts. Jeff Brigham came in and allowed an inherited runner to score and one more run on three hits over two innings. Nick Wittgren worked two innings out of the bullpen. He gave up a run on three hits. After the crowd sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” the Saints again found themselves behind, this time by a score of 7-5 with the top of the lineup ready to hit. Julien started things with a walk. He went to third on Brooks Lee’s third double of the game. After a Matt Wallner walk, Severijno walked to drive in Julien. However, the next two batters got out without moving the runners. Fortunately, Diego A. Castillo came through with an infield single to score Brooks Lee and tie the game. The Saints took the lead when Wallner scored on a Wild Pitch. Now with the lead, Toby Gardenhire turned to Hobie Harris. He walked the first batter that he faced but then got three quick outs to end the eighth frame. In the ninth, Kody Funderburk came in. He got a strikeout, issued a walk, and then struck out the final two batters to end the game. Brooks Lee led the offense. He had three doubles in five at-bats. He had two RBI and scored two runs. Yunior Severino went 2-for-2 with two walks. Camargo’s home runs was his fifth of the season. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 9, Arkansas 2 Box Score The Wind Surge jumped to an early lead with a four-run third inning. They added on from there. They also got some great pitching in this one to put together a very nice team win. Pierson Ohl has struggled to find the consistency that made him so great late last season with the Surge, but he knows how to pitch. In this game, he gave up one run on five hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out two batters. From there, the bullpen took over. John Stankiewicz gave up one hit over two scoreless innings. Regi Grace got the three batters he faced. Travis Floyd gave up one run on two hits in the ninth inning. With one out in the top of the third, Ben Ross singled and advanced to third base on a Dalton Shuffield double. Luke Keaschall lined a single to left to score Ross. Jake Rucker followed with a sacrifice fly to score Shuffield. After Jeferson Morales reached on an error, Aaron Sabato doubled to drive in two more runs. In the fifth inning, Sabato hit his seventh homer of the season to make it 5-0. In the sixth frame, Tanner Schobel had a leadoff single. He stayed at first base until there were two outs. That’s when Shuffield hit his first Wind Surge homer of the season which made it 7-1. In the ninth inning, the first two hitters (Shuffield and Keaschall) were hit by a pitch. With one out, Morales’s 13th double drove in both to give the Surge the 9-1 lead. Sabato has been playing very well of late. In this one, he was 2-for-5 with his eighth double, seventh homer, and three RBI. His six June homers is second to Matt Wallner's nine for the Saints. In his last eight games, he has hit .258/.303/.710 (1.013) with two doubles, four homers and 10 RBI. The six extra-base hits have come in his past four games, starting with his walkoff blast on Saturday. Morales was 2-for-5 and drove in two. Shuffield was 2-for-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. He scored three runs. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Peoria 7 Box Score It was a bullpen game for the Kernels on Wednesday. Jacob Wosinski gave up three runs on four hits over the first two innings. Then Michael Paredes came on and struck out three batters over two scoreless innings. Juan Mendez gave up two runs on three hits in his inning. Rafael Marcano gave up two runs on four hits over two innings. He had two strikeouts. Juan Mercedes struck out three batters over the final two innings. Combined, they gave up seven runs on 14 hits. The offense was unable to tie things together in this game. They had seven hits in the game, but went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left eight batters on base. Payton Eeles went 3-for-4 in his second game with the Kernels. Kevin Maitan went 2-for-4. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, St. Lucie 7 Box Score The Minnesota Twins signed Ricky Castro to a minor-league contract on May 29th. That same day, the Purdue and Tulane alum was added to the Fort Myers roster. In his first three appearances, he came in out of the bullpen. In his first outing, he struck out four batters in two innings. Next, he earned a three-inning save with four strikeouts. In his previous outing, he tossed three scoreless innings. So on this night in St. Lucie, he made his first start. Keeping to the pattern, Castro was bumped up to four innings. He gave up just one hit, walked none and struck out nine batters. In nearly Zebby Matthews-like fashion, he has issued just one walk and struck out 19 batters over his first 12 innings as a pro. Danny Moreno came in to start the fifth innings. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on two hits and two walks and recorded just one out. Ben Ethridge came on with the bases loaded and allowed one inherited runner to score. He went two more innings and gave up three runs on five hits. Nolan Santos came on and stranded a runner in the seventh. He gave up one run on two hits. Of the four outs he recorded, three came on strikeouts. Nick Lucky manufactured a run in the third inning. He singled and stole second base. After a walk, Lucky stole third base and scored on a ground out by Walker Jenkins. The run gave the Mussels a 1-0 lead. They didn’t score again until the ninth when they scored two runs that gave the final score of 7-3. With one out, Isaac Pena lined a single to center. He moved up a base on defensive indifference. Lucky then singled to right to score Pena. With two outs and after a Maddux Houghton single and a Walker Jenkins walk, Lucky scored on a balk. Lucky went 2-for-4, as did Matthew Clayton and Houghton.. Rixon Wingrove was 2-for-3 with a walk and his fourth double. Byron Chourio went 2-for-5. The Mussels had 11 hits and three walks, but they went just 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Ricky Castro (Fort Myers) - 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, 53 pitches, 38 strikes (71.7%) Hitter of the Day – Aaron Sabato (Wichita) - 2-for-5, 2B(8), HR(7), R, 3 RBI. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. #1– Walker Jenkins (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, BB, RBI #2 – Brooks Lee (St. Paul) – 3-for-5, 3-2B(4), 2 R, 2 RBI, K #9 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 1-for-4, BB, 2 R, RBI, K #13 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-for-4, R . #18 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 2-for-2, 2 BB, R, RBI THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) – RHP David Festa (2-2, 3.50 ERA) Wichita @ Arkansas (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Andrew Morris (2-1, 1.61 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Jeremy Lee (0-3, 7.71 ERA) Fort Myers @ St. Lucie (5:05 PM CST) – RHP Tanner Hall (1-0, 2.63 ERA) FCL Twins @ FCL Rays (11:00 AM CT) - TBD DSL White Sox White@ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! View full article

Willie Mays is the greatest player ever to play the game...

Do we want Lee called up to fill the Kyle Farmer role, playing twice per week, mostly partial games? And, I like Eeles, great story so far... but hasn't it been one game. CR won. FM lost. But I'm not sure that is all about Eeles. He is a sparkplug though.

Ricardo Velez has been named the Minnesota Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month in both April and May this year. What does he throw? What has made him so successful this season? Seth caught up with the 25-year-old from Puerto Rico about the start to his season, going to college in Oklahoma, going to the USPBL, and finally signing with the Twins. View full video

I don't think there's anything to say formally who can or can't play there. But it is primarily for players signed from Spanish-speaking counties. 95% of the players there are from the DR or Venezuela, but they have players from other spanish-speaking countries. Looking back at players the Twins have signed from other places, I believe they're all gone to the FCL in Florida. Australia. Germany. South Africa. That's tough because players in the FCL are typically a little older, a little stronger and more advanced. High school draft picks are generally 18, compared to the international players who sign at 16 or 17, and they're listed at 6-1 and 145 pounds. It's a good transition level before going to the States. They take classes most afternoons, basic English

Saturday provided us with several impressive highlights. Randy Dobnak had his best start. Matt Wallner stayed hot. Zebby Matthews was on the mound again. Would he issue any walks? The Wind Surge were powered to a huge walkoff homer in extra innings. Kevin Maitan and Jay Harry led the Kernels, for whom good things came in threes. Spencer Bengard was treat for the Mighty Mussels. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Twins Minor League Report (6/13): CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 38-32 St. Paul Saints: 32-35 Wichita Wind Surge: 26-36 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 35-26 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 30-30 FCL Twins: 14-12 DSL Twins: 4-5 TRANSACTIONS Kyle Jones was set to begin his rehab assignment in the FCL. However, the game was postponed. Sebastian Pulido, a RHP in the Dominican Summer League, was activated from the Restricted List. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Louisville 1 Box Score Randy Dobnak had easily his best start of the 2024 season. He’s been pitching well enough of late that it’s again fair to wonder aloud if he has a potential path back to the big leagues. On Saturday afternoon, “Dobber” gave up just two hits over six shutout innings. He walked one and had 10 strikeouts. Josh Winder came on and tossed two scoreless innings. Kody Funderburk got the ninth frame. He gave up a run on a hit and a hit batter. He had two strikeouts and earned his second save. Offensively, the Saints were again led by Matt Wallner. He put the Saints on the scoreboard in the fourth inning when he launched a 403-foot shot, at 109-mph to left-center field to make it a 1-0 lead. The Forest Lake native singled to lead off the top of the seventh inning and scored on a double by Jair Camargo. After a pitching change brought fellow 2019 Twins draft pick Casey Legumina into the game. He was greeted by a Tony Kemp sacrifice fly that drove in Yunior Severino with the third run. Wallner was 4-for-4 in the game and the homer was his 14th of the season. The Saints had just six hits in the game. Camargo’s double was his fifth of the season. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Midland 3 (11 innings) Box Score These teams were having so much fun in Wichita on Saturday night that they decided to play a couple of extra innings. The Surge broke through with three runs in the 11th to grab the win. Down 1-0 in the second inning, Luke Keaschall put the Wind Surge on the scoreboard with a double that drove in Jorel Ortega. Keaschall then scored on a Jake Rucker double. Midland reclaimed the lead with two runs in the top of the sixth, but a Jeferson Morales homer tied things at three in the bottom of the inning. That’s how the score remained until the 11th inning. Morales started the 11th inning as the Manfred Man on second base. With one out, Carson McCusker was hit by a pitch. That brought up Aaron Sabato who abruptly ended the ballgame with a three-run, walk-off homer. Sabato played hero, but the Surge gave up just three runs over 11 innings. Zebby Matthews started and gave up three runs on seven hits (including a home run) in six innings. He had seven strikeouts and - of course - no walks. The quick update? Matthews now has 70 strikeouts and just two walks over 58 1/3 innings. In that time, he has a combined 1.70 ERA (1.77 in AA, 1.59 in High-A). The team then got five innings of one-hit, shutout baseball from the bullpen. Miguel Rodriguez and Scott Engler each tossed two innings. Engler had four strikeouts. Jared Solomon walked two and struck out two in a scoreless 11th inning. Sabato and Morales were both 2-for-5 in the game. Morales’s homer was his fourth, and Sabato’s was his fifth of the season. Sabato also stole his fourth base this season. Keaschall went 2-for-4 with a walk and his sixth double since joining Wind Surge. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 10, Lansing 6 Box Score The Kernels jumped ahead early in this game. They had a 4-0 lead after two innings. However, the Lugnuts scored five in the bottom of the fourth inning. However, the Kernels responded with three runs in the top of the fifth and the top of the eighth innings and held on for the 10-6. The Kernels scored one in the first inning. With two outs, Jay Harry doubled to drive in Ricardo Olivar with the first run. They scored three quick runs in the second inning. Kevin Maitan singled and scored on a Jose Salas triple. Nate Baez stayed hot and hit a two-run homer. Lefty Jordan Carr made the start for the Kernels. He tossed three scoreless innings to start the game. He got the first out in the fourth inning but then gave up four straight hits, a fielder’s choice and another hit to tie the game at 4-4. Michael Paredes came on and allowed an inherited runner to score before the end of the inning. The Kernels quickly responded in the top of the fifth inning, with patience. Rayne Doncon, Olivar and Agustin Ruiz walked. With two outs, Maitan cleared the bases with a double. Again, the Kernels came up big with two outs. This time in the eighth inning. Rubel Cespedes singled, and Olivar followed with another walk. Harry tripled to drive them both in and then scored on a Ruiz single. Aside from the inherited runner scoring, Paredes was charged with no runs on two hits over 2 1/3 innings. Kyle Bischoff tossed two scoreless frames. The ninth inning was covered by Juan Mendez who gave up a run on two hits. Maitan led the way with a 4-for-5 game. He hit his third triple and drove in three runs. Harry drove in three runs with his 12th double and first triple. Kyle Hess had two hits. Olivar went 1-for-3 with two walks. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 11, Lakeland 3 Box Score The Mussels jumped out to an early lead with five runs over the game’s first two innings and then put the game out of reach with a five-run bottom of the seventh. The team fell behind 2-0 after one-half inning. The Mussels manufactured a run and then used some power to add on. Payton Eeles led off and was hit by a pitch. With one out, he stole second and then advanced to third on a fly out. He scored the first run on a single by Poncho Ruiz. Rixon Wingrove followed with a long home run to the right center field gap to give them a 3-2 lead. With two outs in the second inning, Matthew Clayton was hit by a pitch and Eeles walked. Walker Jenkins then drove in two runs with a single. Honestly, it’s a play you have to see to believe. Charlee Soto made the start for Fort Myers and completed the first four innings, a season high. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on four hits and a walk. He had five strikeouts. Spencer Bengard came in and continued to pitch as he has all season. He completed the final five innings without giving up another run. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out five batters. With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, Brandon Winokur was hit by a pitch. Ruiz and Wingrove followed with singles to lead the bases. A run scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Byron Chourio. Then with two outs, Carlos Aguiar doubled in two runs.Clayton, who was twice hit by a pitch in this game, followed with a two-run single. The Mussels added one more in the eighth inning. Winokur singled and scored on a Ruiz double. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins, FCL Red Sox Box Score This game was postponed due to inclement weather in Fort Myers. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader next Friday. It’s been a rough weather week in south Florida. Most of the games this week were postponed DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Twins 4, DSL Diamondbacks 6 Box Score The Twins took the early lead in this one. In the bottom of the first inning, a Yandro Hernandez single drove in Merphy Hernandez. Santiago Rojas started the game with four scoreless innings. He hit a batter in the third inning and gave up an infield single in the fourth frame. In the fifth, he gave up a leadoff walk. The runner stole second and after two outs, he scored on another single. Nestor Cafe came in and issued a walk and a stolen base, followed by a single that scored the second run off of Rojas and another run. By the time the third out occurred, the Twins trailed by a score of 4-1. Rojas’s final line included giving up two runs on two hits. He walked one, hit one and struck out six batters. Cafe went 1 1/3 innings. He gave up four runs (2 earned) on just one hit. He walked four and had two strikeouts. Cafe started the seventh inning but walked both batters he faced. Fabian Herrera came in and after a wild pitch, he recorded back-to-back strikeouts. However, a bloop single scored both of Cafe’s runners. In the bottom of the sixth inning, an infield single by Davirik Fuenmayor drove in a run. Down 6-2 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, Daiber De Los Santos led off with a solo homer, the first of his pro career. The Twins kept fighting and scored a second run on an error. In fact, they had the tying run on second base when the game ended. Yandro Hernandez went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases. Murphy Hernandez was 2-for-3 with a walk and three stolen bases. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – a) Randy Dobnak (St. Paul) - 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, 100 pitches, 67 strikes (67.0%) b) Spencer Bengard (Fort Myers) - 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 74 pitches, 53 strikes (71.6%) Hitter of the Day – Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 4-for-4, HR(14), 2 R, RBI. Kevin Maitan (Cedar Rapids) - 4-for-5, 2B(3), R, 3 RBI, SB(2). PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. #1– Walker Jenkins (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, 2 RBI #2 – Brooks Lee (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, K #7 – Charlee Soto (Fort Myers) – 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 68 pitches, 46 strikes (67.6%) #9 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 2-for-4, BB, 2B(6), R, RBI, SB(3). #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 2-for-3, 2 R, #14 – Zebby Matthews (Wichita) – 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 81 pitches, 60 strikes (74.1%) #18 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 0-for-3, 2 BB, RBI #20 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-3, 2 BB, 3 R, RBI, K. SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul vs Louisville (12:05 PM CST) – RHP Caleb Boushley (6-1, 3.88 ERA) Midland @ Wichita (1:05 PM CST) – LHP Jaylen Nowlin (4-6, 4.06 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Ty Langenberg (first Kernels start) Lakeland @ Fort Myers (DH @ 11:05 AM CST) – RHP Jose Olivares (1-0, 1.80 ERA), TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Saturday’s games View full article

Rain continued to be the winner in Southwest Florida, not allowing the Mighty Mussels to play for a second straight day. The Saints got a strong start from a former adversary. The Wind Surge hit three home runs, and last year's Minor League Pitcher of the Year made his Double-A debut after missing the first two months of the season with shoulder issues. Cedar Rapids' offense showed up in Michigan yet again. Ad, you're going to want to catch up on all of the day's transactions. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Prospect and Player Development are not Linear! Prospect and Player Development are not Linear! Prospect and Player Development are not Linear! CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 36-32 St. Paul Saints: 29-35 Wichita Wind Surge: 24-35 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 34-24 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 28-29 FCL Twins: 14-12 DSL Twins: 3-3 TRANSACTIONS As we knew, Louie Varland was going to be optioned to St. Paul after his terrific spot start on Tuesday night at Target Field. The other side of that transaction is what might cause some surprise. The Twins re-purchased Jay Jackson’s contract from the Saints and called him up. To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Diego Castillo was DFAd. Wichita had several transactions as well. First, LHP Jaylen Nowlin was activated from the Development List. RHP Travis Adams was moved to the Development list. And, outfielder Kala’i Rosario was placed on the 7-Day IL. In addition, Dalton Shuffield was transferred from Cedar Rapids to Wichita. Down in Fort Myers, RHP Jose Olivares was activated from the Development List. Unfortunately, LHP Kade Bragg, a 2023 draft pick, was moved from the 7-Day IL to the 60-Day IL. Later in the evening, we learned that Alex Kirilloff was optioned to St. Paul after Wednesday’s afternoon game. And even later, we learned that Austin Martin will be the player promoted to the Twins ahead of the series against Oakland. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Louisville 2 Box Score Leading 3-1 through six innings, the Saints busted it open with a four-run seventh inning to take a 7-1 lead that they were able to hang onto. The Saints grabbed an early run in the second inning. Tony Kemp tripled with one out and scored on a Diego A. Castillo single. In the third frame, Matt Wallner drove in two runs with his ninth Saints double. Adam Plutko made another start for the Saints. The 32-year-old with 140 big-league appearances (including 128 starts) pitched well. In 5 2/3 innings, he gave up one run on five hits. He had five strikeouts without issuing a walk. He started with five scoreless innings. In the sixth inning, he had two strikeouts that surrounded a single. That’s why Ryan Jensen came into the game and things quickly got a bit scary. Jensen gave up a single and then hit a batter to load the bases. He then walked in a run to make it 3-1. However, that was it as he got a groundout to end the threat. The Saints responded very well. Patrick Winkel led off the top of the seventh with a double. After a strikeout, Austin Martin walked. Another strikeout was followed by a walk by Michael Helman to load the bases. Wallner and Yunior Severino followed with back-to-back RBI walks. After a pitching change, Tony Kemp hit a two-run single to give the team a 7-1 lead. Jeff Brigham gave up a solo home run and three hits, but struck out three batters in the eighth inning. Josh Winder came on for the ninth and got out of the inning unscathed. Kemp led the way with a 3-for-5 day. He had a triple and two RBI. Castillo was 2-for-4. Wallner was 1-for-4 with a walk, double and three RBI. Winkel was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks. Helman was 1-for-3 with two walks. In case you were wondering, Edouard Julien went 1-for-3 with two walks and a triple off fellow 2019 Twins draft pick Casey Legumina. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 10, Midland 5 Box Score Reigning minor-league starting pitcher of the year Cory Lewis made his first Double-A start after a handful of rehab appearances. The right-hander worked four innings. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out five batters. Lefty Aaron Rozek came on in the fifth inning and pitched much better than his final line would tell us. After three scoreless innings, he gave up a run in the eighth. He then was charged with two more in the bottom of the ninth. In total, he went 4 2/3 innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out four batters. Cody Laweryson came on and got the final out. Kyler Fedko got the scoring started in the second inning when he launched a line drive over the center field wall. In the third inning, Ben Ross hit a long homer over the wall in left field, his first long ball of the year. The power “Surge” continued in the bottom of the fifth inning when Jorel Ortega’s third homer of the season drove in Noah Cardenas and gave Wichita a 4-2 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, the team added on when Fedko scored on a Tanner Schobel sacrifice fly. In the seventh inning, Luke Keaschall singled to drive in Ross with the sixth run. With two outs in the inning, Carson McCusker drilled a hard grounder to third base. It was misplayed into two runs and the Surge had an 8-2 lead. The Surge scored two more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Ortega scored on a Keaschall ground out. Later Fedko was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Ben Ross led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with his seventh double and fourth home run. Keaschall was 2-for-4 with a walk. Jake Rucker went 2-for-5. Ortega went 2-for-4 with his third homer. Jeferson Morales went 1-for-3 with two walks. Fedko had a walk and was hit by a pitch to go with his second homer. He also stole a base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Lansing 3 Box Score The Kernels scored two in the first innings and then single runs in three of the next five innings. Lansing made things close late in the game, but the Kernels responded with two runs in the ninth to give them some breathing room. Things couldn’t have started any better for the Kernels. On the game’s very first pitch, Jay Harry launched his fifth home run of the season. Later in the inning, the Kernels had bases loaded and Agustin Ruiz grounded into a force out that scored Rubel Cespedes with the second run. In the top of the third, Ruiz drove in Cespedes again, this time with a sacrifice fly. Ruiz, who signed with the Twins as a minor-league free agent this past offseason, was just getting started. The “hits” portion of his game was yet to come. In the top of the fifth inning, he tripled to center and scored on a sacrifice fly by Nate Baez. Ruiz had a single in the sixth inning. Finally in the top of the ninth inning, his 13th double of the season drove in Kevin Maitan and Rayne Doncon for the Kernels final runs of the game. Ruiz finished the day 3-for-4 with four RBI. He was a home run shy of the cycle. Doncon was 2-for-4 with a walk. Kyle Hess had two doubles in four at-bats. Cespedes went 2-for-5. Christian MacLeod made the start for the Kernels. The lefty gave up two runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. He had three walks, hit a batter and recorded six strikeouts. AJ Labas came on and got the next four batters out. Mike Paredes gave up one run over the next two innings. Ricardo Velez got the game’s final three outs. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers, Lakeland (DH PPD) Box Score On Monday, these teams were postponed by weather in Fort Myers. Things didn’t improve enough on Wednesday to play either game of a double header. The updated plan is to make up the two games. They hope to play one doubleheader on Thursday and another doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins Box Score No scheduled FCL games on Wednesdays. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Twins Box Score No scheduled DSL games on Wednesdays. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Adam Plutko (St. Paul) - 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 79 pitches, 56 strikes (70.9%) Hitter of the Day – Agustin Ruiz (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-4, 2B(13), 3B(1), SF, R, 4 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. #8 – Austin Martin (St. Paul) – 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R #9 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 2-for-4, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB(2) (DHd) #13 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 0-for-3, RBI, SF, 2 K. (played 3B) #15 – Cory Lewis (Wichita) – 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. 60 pitches, 38 strikes (63.3%) #18 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 0-for-3, 2 BB, RBI #20 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, BB THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul vs Louisville (5:35 PM CST) – RHP Scott Blewett (3-2, 2.64 ERA) Midland @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) – RHP Pierson Ohl (3-4, 4.99 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Jacob Wosinski (0-1, 3.77 ERA) Lakeland @ Fort Myers (DH @ 3:35 PM CST) – LHP Cesar Lares (2-2, 3.02 ERA), RHP Spencer Bengard (2-0, 1.19 ERA) FCL Twins @ FCL Pirates (DH @ 9:00 AM CST) - TBD DSL Yankees @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! View full article

Good day for a 5-hit game!!

My thoughts: 1.) Jenkins is the only truly untouchable (unless you get the Yankees to send Judge and Cole while eating the remainders of their contracts). 2.) Lee could be a part of getting you an ace-like pitcher. I think he's expendable, but I think Lee, E-Rod, Festa, Soto, Morris and Zebby all fit into that category at this point. Unless you get a controllable Ace, I'm not dealing any of them. 3.) Raya is pretty close to that same level. 4.) I'm not dealing Winokur at this point either. Or Keaschall. Again, unless overwhelmed. 5.) DeAndrade is a legit shortstop prospect. Olivar is a very legit catching prospect. Those two could get a very nice return, but from the Twins perspective, they should feel a clear winner in any trade involving these two. 6.) Nature of pitching, but I wouldn't deal Lewis, Prielipp or Culpepper (or Kyle Jones) when they're hurt or returning from being hurt. You won't get anything for four guys who do have big-league potential. I'd much rather get them healthy and see what you can get from them

He missed 7 games, came back last Wednesday, had a single and a double. On the double, he slid headfirst into second base and jammed his wrist/hand/thumb which was already bandaged/taped up pretty good. Came out after that half inning. Went on the IL.

No reason to rush him to Cedar Rapids. Granted, Cedar Rapids could probably use him. But I'd say let him just play for awhile. I'd say continue playing him four games per week for a couple of weeks, and then five for a couple of weeks, and then all six a couple of weeks. If he gets to Cedar Rapids in August, great. Honestly, if not, it doesn't really alter where he starts next next season. Be healthy. Work on quality ABs. The rest will take care of itself.

Manuel Margot and Rayne Doncon.

Walker Jenkins has plenty to prove, but the first thing is he just needs to be healthy and play. That's all. There is no rush to move him up, and there shouldn't be. He's young, immensely talented, has a good head on his shoulders, etc. Soto may fall a little bit, but you can't teach all the stuff/tools he has, so he's going to stay highly ranked for awhile.

It was a very busy day in the Minnesota Twins minor-league system on Saturday. There were several positives in the organization; from Simeon Woods Richardson's fantastic start in Pittsburgh, to Davirik Fuenmayor's doubles in the Dominican, and more in between. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Eeles), Ed Bailey (photo of Rucker) The beauty of following the organization's minor-league system every day is that even when the Twins aren't playing well (they've lost five in a row and been very streaky all year), there's a chance that at least one of the six affiliates play well. And each of those teams have 24 to 30 players who can have a great day at any time. It's not just about the top prospects, and every individual has their own story. On Saturday, Fort Myers got a huge grand slam from Payton Eeles, a D2 standout who went to a top D1 school for a year, but was deemed undersized, so he had to go the independent route. He signed with the Twins just over a month ago and has been fantastic, and very appreciative. The Wind Surge got a big two homer game from Jake Rucker. He was the Twins seventh round pick in 2021 from an SEC powerhouse. Both players are 24 and flown a bit under the radar. Neither appears on a Twins Top 30 prospect list. Both are really good players and a reminder that all professional ballplayers are tremendous players and warrant a ton of respect. Also, player development is certainly not a linear path, and as long as a player still gets a uniform, they still have a chance. With that, let's take a look at what happened on Saturday in the minor-league ballparks. CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 33-31 St. Paul Saints: 27-34 Wichita Wind Surge: 23-33 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 31-24 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 28-28 FCL Twins: 14-12 DSL Twins: 1-3 TRANSACTIONS No minor-league transactions in the Twins farm system on Saturday. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Syracuse 8 Box Score This game started with three scoreless innings. However, Syracuse scored five runs in the fourth inning and another in the fifth. Randy Dobnak gave up five runs (4 earned) on six hits over 3 1/3 innings. He had six strikeouts without missing a walk. Nick Wittgren came into the game with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth inning and got the final two outs without further runs allowed. He went 2 2/3 innings and gave up one run on two hits. He had two strikeouts. Hobie Harris gave up two runs on five hits (including two home runs). He had four strikeouts. Jay Jackson pitched a clean ninth inning and had one strikeout. Down 8-0 going to the bottom of the seventh inning, Michael Helman and Diego A Castillo went back-to-back to put the Saints on the scoreboard. In the bottom of the eighth, Will Holland hit a solo home run. Holland went 2-for-3 with a walk and his fifth homer. Helman was 2-for-4 with his 10th double and ninth homer. Castillo was 2-for-3 with a walk and his third home run. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 7, NW Arkansas 2 Box Score Wichita jumped to an early lead in this game. With one out in the top of the first inning, Jake Rucker hit his third home run of the season. The game was tied after the fourth inning, but in the top of the fifth frame, the Wind Surge reclaimed the lead. With one out, Ben Ross walked. Luke Keaschall drove him in with a triple, and Rucker singled to drive in Keaschall. With a 3-1 lead through six innings, the Surge powered their way to a four-run inning. Keaschall walked, and Rucker hit his second homer of the night. Jeferson Morales doubled. Kala’i Rosario followed with his sixth home run of the season. Andrew Morris was on the mound for the first six innings and earned his first Double-A Win. He gave up one run on four hits. He walked one, hit one, and struck out eight batters. Regi Grace tossed two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and had a strikeout. Austin Brice was charged with an unearned run on a hit and two walks in the ninth inning. Rucker led the way. He went 3-for-5 with his third and fourth home runs and four RBI. He also stole his third base. After the game, Rucker told Twins Daily, “I’ve only had like two other multi-homer games in my life.” Rucker is a 24-year-old Nashville native who was the Twins seventh-round draft pick in 2021 out of the University of Tennessee. Asked how many gloves he brings to the ballpark each day, he said, “I have my everyday infield glove, an outfield glove, and a first base mitt as well.” He continued, “I’ve played a lot of third base since college, but I’m probably a little more comfortable at second base since I’ve played most of my games there this year.” With the recent promotion of Luke Keaschall to the Wind Surge, Rucker will likely get more time at third base. That said, Keaschall has also started several games in center field, so Rucker will still get time at second base. Morales went 2-for-5 with his ninth and 10th doubles. Keaschall went 1-for-3 with a walk and a triple. Rosario’s home run was his sixth of the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Great Lakes 11 Box Score It’s almost hard to believe that the Kernels grabbed a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth inning. Great Lakes scored five runs in the fifth inning and four more in the bottom of the sixth inning and won handily. Kernels pitchers gave up 11 runs on 11 hits and six walks and a hit batter. In addition, they committed five errors in the game which certainly didn’t help the cause. Miguelangel Boadas gave up two runs on four hits over the first four innings. He had six strikeouts and no walks. Juan Mercedes came on and was charged with five runs (3 earned) on four hits. Juan Mendez came in and got two outs, but not before he was charged with three runs (2 earned) on two hits and two walks. Sheldon Reed came on and gave up an unearned run on one hit and two walks in 1 1/3 innings. Rafael Marcano got the final four outs without issuing another run. Misael Urbina went 2-for-3 with a walk. Agustin Ruiz went 2-for-4. Jose Salas went 1-for-3 with a walk. Jay Harry walked twice and stole his fourth base. Noah Miller has seemingly enjoyed hosting some of his friends and former teammates in his new city. Since going 0-for-4 on Tuesday, he is 7-for-18 with a double and a home run in the past four games. He has scored five runs and driven in four more. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 8, Tampa 5 Box Score Sometimes one big inning is all it takes for a team. Down 4-1, a seven-run seventh inning gave the team an 8-4 lead that they held onto for the final innings. Fort Myers took the early lead. Payton Eeles led off the game with his third triple. He scored on a ground out by Walker Jenkins. Charlee Soto was on the mound to start for the Mussels. He gave up four runs on five hits over the first three innings. He walked two and struck out four. Two of the five hits were home runs. Ross Dunn came on and worked the next four innings. He gave up a solo home run in the seventh. He gave up one run on four hits to earn the win. Xander Hamilton recorded his fourth save of the season. He threw two scoreless, hitless innings. He had two walks and two strikeouts. Let’s get to the seventh inning. Rixon Wingrove singled to lead off the inning. Carlos Aguiar and Maddux Houghton walked to load the bases. Ryan McCarthy singled to score two runs. Yohander Martinez walked to reload the bases. After a pitching change, Payton Eeles got an 88 mph sinker and crushed it 106 mph at a 26-degree launch angle. 383 feet later, the ball landed beyond the wall for a grand slam. The Miracle led 7-4. Jenkins walked. After an out, Brandon Winokur was hit by a pitch. After a force out and a walk, the bases were again loaded. Maddux Houghton hit an infield single to score the team’s eighth run. Wingrove had a single and two walks. Winokur added his 13th double and stole his 12th base. Eeles went 2-for-5 with his third triple and third home run. Payton Eeles has been quite the find for the Twins pro scouting staff. After three years at a Division II school, he challenged himself and went to Division I Coastal Carolina. He put up massive numbers right away and was called a team leader. At just 5-7 and 180 pounds, the top-of-the-lineup spark plug went the independent ball direction, signing with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. On May 7th, he signed with the Twins and was assigned to the Mighty Mussels. In 28 games (and exactly 100 at-bats), Eeles has hit .350/.457/.560 (1.017) with six doubles, three triples, and three homers. He has 26 runs and 24 RBI. He’s also 12-for-15 in stolen base attempts. As he has everywhere else, he has taken advantage of the opportunity he has been given. Following Saturday night’s game, he told Twins Daily, “I absolutely love every day I’m here. It was a long journey to get here, filled with many rejections, doubts, and obstacles to climb through. However, I knew in the deepest part of me, my story wasn’t over.” As you might expect, he has persevered. He continued, “So, I put my head down, kept working, and consistently prayed to God for an opportunity. He delivered through the Twins, and I can’t thank them enough for giving me the shot.” And now, given that opportunity, he wants to reward the Twins' confidence. “I figured I’d pay them back by going out on the field and giving my all every day. It’s definitely a grind, but I get that little burst of energy when I need it, when I think about how far I’ve come, and the blessing of being able to play in affiliate ball. There are a lot of good players out there in indy ball that are hungry and deserving of a shot, just like I was.” So, Payton, which do you prefer? A.) A leadoff home run to give your team a quick start, or B.) a late-inning grand slam that alters the trajectory of the game for your team? Eeles’ response? “Both options are great. I hit a couple of lead off homers in college which was cool, but now experiencing a late-inning grand slam, I’d have to choose the latter. Here, on Saturday night in Tampa, I hit my first grand slam EVER. So, especially in that moment, when we needed it, makes it so much better.” COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Red Sox 5, FCL Twins 4 Box Score The Twins fell behind 2-0 after the first inning and then exchanged runs in the second and third. The Red Sox added one more in the sixth inning to take a 5-2 lead. The Twins scored two runs in the top of the seventh, but it wasn’t quite enough as they fell by a final of 5-4. Hendry Chivilli went 2-for-4 with his fifth double. Jayson Bass was 2-for-4 with his third double. Yasser Mercedes went 1-for-3 with a walk and his fifth double. Ariel Castro was 1-for-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. Juan Cota started for the Twins. He gave up two runs on three hits in the first inning. Alejandro Crisostomo went the next 1 2/3 innings. He gave up two runs on two hits. He struck out two batters. Ezequiel Ventura went the final 3 1/3 innings and gave up one run on four hits. He had four strikeouts. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Rangers Red 4, DSL Twins 2 Box Score The Twins fell behind 2-1 after one inning. Over the next four innings, the Rangers added two more runs and the Twins added just one more run. Starting for the Twins was Ramiro Villanueva. He pitched the first inning and gave up two runs on three hits. Santiago Rojas came in and gave up one run over the next three innings. He gave up one hit, hit one, walked three and struck out three batters. Leonardo Rondon was even better. He gave up one run on three hits, a walk and was hit by a pitch over four innings. He struck out four batters. Nestor Cafe came in and threw a scoreless inning despite giving up a hit, a walk and hitting a batter. The Twins had just four hits in the game but they added seven walks. All nine batters reached base at least once. Davirik Fuenmayor had two of the team’s four hits and both were doubles. He also was hit by a pitch and stole a base. Maybe you remember Fuenmayor, I mean, if you keep up with all rounds of the Little League World Series. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Morris (Wichita) - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 8 K, 90 pitches, 61 strikes (67.8%) Hitter of the Day – Jake Rucker (Wichita) - 3-for-5, 2 HR(4), 2 R, 4 RBI, SB(3) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. #1– Walker Jenkins (Fort Myers) – 0-for-3, 2 BB, R, RBI, K #2 – Brooks Lee (St. Paul) – 1-4, K, E(2) #7 – Charlee Soto (Fort Myers) – 3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 65 pitches, 40 strikes (61.5%) #9 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 1-for-3, BB, HBP, 3B(1), 2 R, RBI, #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, 2B(13), SB(12) #11 – Simeon Woods Richardson (Minnesota) – 6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 97 pitches, 69 strikes (71.1%) #12 – Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) – 1-for-5, HR(6), R, 2 RBI, 3 K #18 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 0-for-2, 2 BB SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul vs Syracuse (2:07 PM CST) – RHP Scott Blewett (3-2, 2.28 ERA) Wichita @ NW Arkansas (2:05 PM CST) – RHP Zebby Matthews (1-1, 1.59 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Great Lakes (12:05 PM CST) – LHP Jordan Carr (2-1, 3.67 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (11:00 AM CST) – RHP Spencer Bengard (2-0, 1.19 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Saturday’s games! 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