Seth Stohs

Image courtesy of Malamut Photography Tonight, we begin our look at the 2026 Twins Daily Top Prospects rankings series with a quick look at prospects 16-20. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll count down to our choice for Twins top prospect. With that said, the odds of an MLB future increase as we jump into the Top 20 of our list. In today’s group of five players, we find an intriguing group that includes players whose careers have been affected by injury. 20. James Ellwanger, RHP Age: 21 2025 Stats (NCAA): 63 1/3 IP, 3.98 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 13.5 K/9, 5.5 BB/9 Back in 2023, Ellwanger was completing his high school career in Texas. That senior season, he had a 1.30 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 76 1/3 (14.6 K/9). One of the top five prospects in Texas, he started receiving phone calls in the second and third rounds. However, his name wasn’t called until the Nationals made him their 19th round pick. That made the decision much easier to attend Dallas Baptist. He pitched in 17 2/3 innings over eight starts. In the first inning of his first college game, he hit 99 mph with his fastball. He did miss nearly two months with a flexor strain (which is noteworthy). He went to The Cape that summer and had 22 strikeouts and five walks over 13 innings. In 2025, 14 of his 16 appearances came as a starter. He went 4-2. In 63 1/3 innings, he had 95 strikeouts and 39 walks. The walks will clearly have to be decreased. However, his 13.5 K/9 ranked in the Top 10 of all Division I pitchers, one spot behind Kade Anderson, the third overall pick last year out of LSU. Along with the mid-to-upper-90s (with carry and run), Ellwanger has a good slider in the mid-80s and a low-80s curveball. Both have shown to be potentially plus pitches for the right-hander. He’s also thrown a mid-80s changeup, but it is still a work-in-progress. He has a strong, 6-5, 220 pound frame. The Twins development staff will work with him on the technical “stuff” in an attempt to throw more consistent strikes. It is likely he will begin his professional career as a starting pitcher 19. Khadim Diaw, C/CF Age: 22 2025 Stats (A+): 169 PA, .297/.450/.445, 5 2B, 4 HR, 24 RBI Khadim Diaw attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, the same school that current MLB stars Hunter Greene and Giancarlo Stanton attended. Many former MLB and NFL players went there and learned with dozens upon dozens of actors and actresses that we watch on our TVs. Jerry Matters and Ed Begley Jr went there, and so did Kirsten Dunst, Rami Malek, and one of my first teenage crushes, Staci Keanan. Hopefully within the next couple of years, Twins fans will have the opportunity to watch Diaw play on TV for several years. Sidenote: Diaw’s mom played softball at Yale in the 1980s. She’s now the department chair of anthropology at Cal State-Northridge. Isma Diaw, Khadim’s father, has been in the States for over 30 years as a post-graduate student and a product engineer. He began his own consulting company which has him splitting time between the US and his hometown of Dakar, Senegal. If Khadim gets to the big leagues, he will be the first player from Senegal. He would be the second player from the continent of Africa to play in the big leagues. For much more on the Diaw family, please take time to read Jeff Johnson’s fantastic article from last summer in The Gazette of Cedar Rapids. Diaw stayed close to home and played his college ball at Loyola Marymount. In 2018, he hit .364 (.985) over eight games, but he was able to use a redshirt season. The next year, he played in 52 games and hit .314 (.896) with 11 doubles and eight homers. In 2024, he played in just 20 games for Loyola, but he hit .432/.500/.716 (1.216) with eight doubles, three triples, and three homers. He spent a few weeks in the Cape before the Twins made him their third-round draft pick. He played in 24 games for the Mighty Mussels that summer which allowed him to jump straight to Cedar Rapids in 2025. Diaw is an exciting, unique catching prospect. At 6-1 and 215 pounds, he certainly does not fit the “pudge” nickname attributed to many shorter, bulkier backstops. He is a solid defensive backstop, and a really good athlete. In fact, he’s athletic enough that his secondary position is center field. He has the speed and instincts to play out there. That isn’t to say that he’d be an MLB center fielder, but the fact that he can handle the position means that he could find value around the diamond. Offensively, he has always hit for average and had the ability to get on base. He’s willing to take walks, and he’s also willing to be hit by a pitch. In 169 total plate appearances in 2025, he was hit by a pitch 18 games. That’s a lot, and one of those pitches cost him two full months with a broken thumb. He did return for one Kernels regular-season game. Back at full strength, Diaw is one of the most intriguing prospects heading into the 2026 season. 18. CJ Culpepper, RHP Age: 24 2025 Stats (AA): 54 1/3 IP, 2.65 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 5.0 BB/9 The Rancho Cucamonga native stayed near home and attended California Baptist. He made six appearances in the Covid-shortened 2020 season. In 2021, he worked in 22 games out of the bullpen and went 2-2 with 13 saves. He was named an All American. In 2022, he moved to the startingnd made 14 starts. He went 5-3 with a 3.26 ERA. The Twins used their 13th round pick in 2022 to select Culpepper. He split the 2023 season between Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids. Combined, he went 6-5 with a 3.56 ERA. He had 89 strikeouts in 86 innings. Unfortunately, due to arm issues the last two years, he hasn’t topped 60 innings since. His 2025 season started on the 60-Day Injured List with a pinched nerve. After rehab appearances in the FCL and with Fort Myers, he ended the season with 15 starts for the Wind Surge. When healthy, Culpepper is an interesting pitching prospect. When he first signed, he was known to throw seven or eight pitches. Some of that is arm angle or velocity differences. However, he has a very good fastball that sits in the mid-90s but has hit 98 mph. He gets lots of his swings-and-misses on a sharp slider and gets weak content from a cutter. He keeps hitters off balance with a slower curveball and a changeup. Culpepper has good, but not great, control, and with the lack of innings the past couple of years, he makes sense as a three-to-four-innings, twice-per-week pitcher that the Twins have employed the last couple of years. 17. Kyle DeBarge, 2B/SS/CF Age: 22 2025 Stats (A+): 542 PA, .237/.347/.362, 23 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR, 65 RBI, 66 SB DeBarge played high school ball for Barbe High in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Between 2008 and 2011, the Barbe Bowling team won three out of four state titles. The baseball program has won 11 state championships since 1998. They’ve been named the #1 team in the country a few times including DeBarge’s senior year when they went 39-2. The interesting thing is that in high school, he was a catcher. He went undrafted and attended Louisiana Lafayette and was a three-year starting shortstop for the Ragin’ Cajuns. As a sophomore, he hit .371/.448/.546 (.994) with 15 doubles and seven homers. In 2024, he hit .355/.418/.699 (1.117) with 19 doubles, three triples, and 21 home runs. In those three years, he stole 44 bases in 60 chances. With the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 draft, the Twins were thrilled to select and sign the diminutive infielder. He played in 25 games for Fort Myers after the draft. He was then pushed to High-A Cedar Rapids to start the 2025 season and that’s where he spent the full season in Iowa. The Twins selected Kaelen Culpepper earlier in the first round, so he got most of the starts at shortstop. DeBarge started 72 games at second base, 22 games at shortstop, 16 games in center field and four games in left field. Versatility will be an important part of his development, but he was named a minor league Gold Glove winner in 2025 for his work at second base. Offensively, it was a bit of a tale of two seasons for DeBarge. In April, his OPS was .864. In May, his OPS was .809. His OPS in June and July were .678 and .687, respectively. Then in August, his OPS was .552. In six games in September, his OPS was .569. This is not unusual. It’s one of those things that all pro players need to figure out for themselves. Presumably the Twins worked with him on an offseason plan to keep him stronger throughout the full season. DeBarge can fill out a state line. He does a solid job of getting on base. He has mostly doubles and gap-to-gap power. I can’t imagine many thought that he would have as many stolen bases as he did. He ended the season with 66 steals in 74 chances. He began the season with 31 straight steals. Through June, he was 43-for-44 in steal attempts. At the end of July, he was 55-for-58. 16. Hendry Mendez, OF Age: 22 2025 Stats (AA): 491 PA, .299/.399/.439, 16 2B, 4 3B, 11 HR, 62 RBI Just 22 years old, Hendry Mendez has been traded twice already in his young career. He originally signed with the Brewers back in 2021 and spent three seasons in the organization. Following the 2023 season, he was dealt with infielder Robert Moore to the Phillies in exchange for infielder Oliver Dunn. At the 2025 trade deadline, Mendez and right-hander Geremy Villoria came to the Twins in the Harrison Bader trade. There is a lot to like about Mendez on the baseball field. Physically, he stands at 6-3 and about 200 pounds. He has strength and the belief is that, in time, he will become more of a home run hitter. At this stage of his career, Mendez uses the whole field, puts the ball in play with line drives. In 142 plate appearances with the Wichita Wind Surge, he had 27 walks to just 21 strikeouts. Overall, in 2025, he had 67 walks and 65 strikeouts. In 2024, he had 52 walks and 52 strikeouts. His 11 Double-A home runs in 2025 was just one less than his total over his first four seasons. Yes, Mendez is another left-handed hitting outfielder, something the Twins have plenty of, but Mendez provides a contact-first approach at the plate as we await his power to arrive with more consistency. Defensively, he has played both corner spots, and he went to the Arizona Fall League after the 2025 season to, in part, get some work in at first base. Unfortunately a family situation meant he only played in five games before going home to the Dominican. He was added to the Twins 40-man roster and played in most early spring training games. Feel free to discuss these prospects and ask as many questions as you like in the COMMENTS below. I will try to get to as many of them as possible. For more Twins Daily content on these five Twins prospects, click on the link with their name here: Hendry Mendez, Kyle DeBarge, CJ Culpepper, Khadim Diaw, and James Ellwanger. View full article

Image courtesy of © Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images Charlotte Christian High School in North Carolina has some impressive alumni in the world of sports. If you want to start with basketball, Seth and Steph Curry went to the school. Daniel Bard and his younger brother, former Twins first-round pick Luke Bard, went to the private school. Former Vikings center Garrett Bradbury started on the gridiron and the baseball field for the Knights. He was a legit power-hitting catcher prospect. In 2013, he found himself catching future Twins starter Bailey Ober. And now the newest member of the Twins organization was a sophomore on that 2013 Charlotte Christian Knights baseball team. On Tuesday afternoon, the Twins claimed right-handed pitcher Jackson Kowar from the Seattle Mariners. They had DFAd him when they acquired Jhonny Pereda from the Twins last week. Bradbury went to North Carolina State and played football. Wise choice for him. Ober went to the College of Charleston where he was a freshman All American and a 2017 draft pick. Kowar was the top prospect of the group. In 2015, he was drafted by the Tigers but instead went to the University of Florida. In 2018, the Royals used their first five draft picks on college pitchers. Their first pick (18th overall) was fellow Gators starter Brady Singer. Kowar was the 33rd overall pick. One pick later, they took Daniel Lynch out of the University of Virginia. With the 40th pick (another Competitive Balance pick), the selected lefty Kris Bubic from Stanford. Their second-round pick (58th overall) was Jonathan Bowlan from the University of Memphis. Things haven't gone easily for any of those picks. Singer has had a solid career; He's been work at least 3.0 bWAR in three of the past four seasons. He spent five seasons with the Royals before getting traded to Cincinnati for Jonathan India. Lynch made 51 starts for the Royals between 2021 and 2023. The past two seasons, he has pitched in 68 games out of the Royals bullpen. Bubic has spent parts of the past six seasons with the Royals. He missed significant time in 2023 and 2024 due to Tommy John, but he's been really good since returning, a new pitcher. He made the All-Star team in 2025 and posted a 2.55 ERA over 116 1/3 innings. Bowlan pitched in three games for the Royals between 2023 and 2024. In 2025, he worked in 34 games, all but one out of the bullpen. In December, he was traded to the Phillies for Matt Strahm. While his upside and talent were as high as any college pitchers from that 2018 draft, Jackson Kowar has been unable to find any sustained success in the big leagues. He debuted with eight starts and a relief appearance in 2021. He went 0-6 with an 11.27 ERA. In 2022, he pitched in seven games out of the bullpen and posted a 9.77 ERA. In 23 games in 2023, he went 2-0 despite a 6.43 ERA. He missed the entire 2024 season after Tommy John surgery. He returned in 2025 with the Mariners. In 15 games, he posted a solid 4.24 ERA. Combined in 54 MLB games and 91 innings, he has an 8.21 ERA, a 1.93 WHIP. 8.9 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9. Kowar has always thrown hard. Before the injury, his fastball averaged 95-96 mph. That jumped to 96.9 mph in 2023. Upon his return in 2025, he averaged 97.3 mph with the fastball. He threw more fastballs in 2025, and he also threw more sliders where came in at an average of 86.2 mph. Previously, he had always thrown between 30 and 43% changeups. The Mariners had him nearly completely drop the pitch (threw it just 5% of the time). With the addition of Kowar, the Twins 40-man roster is full. View full article

I know I wrote that "I could make an argument for three of them making the opening day roster." I think that the only one that is truly "likely" to make the OD roster is probably Arcia, at least if he can hit at all. It just depends, I think, on how many of the young starters they are willing to move to the bullpen right away.

Two years ago, the Twins signed a 32-year-old Matt Bowman to a minor-league contract. He began the season with the Saints, but after a handful of games, he was called up to the Twins. He pitched in five games for the Twins and gave up two runs over 7 2/3 innings. In a numbers game, he was DFAd by the Twins before the end of April and claimed by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He worked in five games for them before again being DFAd. The Mariners claimed him, and he pitched in one game for Seattle. He was released. Early in July, the Twins re-signed him and he spent the next five weeks with the Saints. In mid-August, he was released and signed with the Baltimore Orioles. He pitched well in 15 games down the stretch for the O's. Four teams in one season. A wanted man! He struggled in 20 games with Baltimore in 2025 and ended the season in the Astros minor leagues. Now 34, Bowman signed a minor-league contract this week to pitch in the Twins organization in 2026. He will report to Fort Myers next week as a non-roster invitee to spring training. He will certainly have an opportunity to compete for a spot in the Twins bullpen on Opening Day. A graduate of Princeton, he was drafted by the Mets in the 13th round of the 2012 MLB Draft. He made the Opening Day roster of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016. Over the next three seasons, he pitched in 156 games out of the Cards bullpen. He spent most of 2019 with the Reds and then didn't pitch at all in 2020. However, in September of 2020, he had Tommy John surgery and didn't pitch again until 2023 when he worked in three games for the Yankees. The Twins have been quieter than usual in terms of minor-league free agent signings. However, I could make a case that three minor-league free agents could make the Twins roster. Veteran infielder Orlando Arcia signed with the Twins last month. It would be surprising if he isn't on the Opening Day roster. The 31-year-old infielder debuted in 2016. He had some decent years in Milwaukee, and a couple of solid seasons in Atlanta where he played in his lone All-Star game. Dan Altavilla is a 33-year-old right-handed pitcher who, you might be surprised to learn, made his big-league debut in 2016. He's mixed in some good years with some bad years. He's had some injuries. Last year with the White Sox, he had a 2.48 ERA over 25 games and 29 innings. The peripherals weren't great (or even particularly good), but if the Twins wanted another veteran in the bullpen, he could see time there. 29-year-old Andrew Bash signed with the Twins earlier this month. He was the Angels 30th round pick in 2019 out of California Baptist. The Angels released him in 2020, and he signed with the Blue Jays. He spent the past six seasons working his way up the Jays' ladder. Last year in Triple-A Buffalo, he went 6-2 with a 2.57 ERA. He made five starts but came out of the bullpen 35 times. He has jumped back-and-forth between Double-A and Triple-A and hasn't had an ERA over 3.00 at either level since the 2022 season. The Twins signed right-hander Luis Quinones to a minor-league deal in December. Originally drafted in the 34th round by the Blue Jays in 2019, he's slowly worked his way up the ladder showing glimpses of really good stuff. He has also missed a lot time with injuries. In fact, in 2025, he pitched in just three rehab games, rehabbing in the FCL. However, he played winter ball in Puerto Rico and went 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA, a 0.69 WHIP, and two Saves. In 26 innings, he gave up nine hits, walked nine and had 36 strikeouts. After five years at Miami (Ohio), Grant Hartwig signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Mets in 2021. Two years later, he debuted and pitched in 28 games for the Mets. In 2024, he made just four appearances. He joined Hanshin in Japan during the 2025 season. His season ended a little early with an oblique injury. The 28-year-old returned to the States and signed with the Twins just a couple weeks later. View full rumor

Image courtesy of Seth Stohs Location: A central Minnesota lake, frozen over by the cold condition. (a drone starts high, above the trees, showing an expansive, ice-covered lake. Slowly the drone flies over the lake until it reaches an ice fishing house, smoke coming out the pipe chimney.) Time of Day: A quiet winter morning between the Christmas and New Years holidays. Location 2: Inside the fish house. Big winter jackets hanging up on the wall, a wood floor with four holes drilled into the ice. People: a man just months shy of his 70th birthday. His wife. They have a son and a daughter. Each has their own chair and is responsible for watching one the bobber in one of the holes. While not wearing the heavy jackets any longer, all four are still dressed in layers, jeans, sweatshirts, gloves and stocking caps. The son is wearing a Pensacola Blue Wahoos stocking cap. The other three have Minnesota Twins stocking caps. They are eating breakfast and drinking coffee. Suddenly, a cell phone ringer goes offer (yes, playing Take Me Out to the Ballgame). All four reach for their phones. The matriarch of the family picks up his phone, looks down at it, puts it up to his ear. For the first time, the camera gets a direct shot at his face. He smiles as he says in one of the most recognizable voices in the Upper Midwest, "This is Dick Bremer." On the other side of the phone call are Dustin Morse (Twins VP of Communications and Public Affairs), Dave St. Peter (long-time Twins President). and Hall of Famer Rod Carew. After a few minutes, and a lot of Thank Yous, Bremer hung up the phone. With water droplets emerging, and starting to freeze, Bremer told his family he was elected to the Twins Hall of Fame. Bremer noted later, "It meant a lot to me to have the whole family there. They paid quite a price to let me chase that little white ball around the country." After hugs, the family celebrated with a champagne toast, "...with small Dixie cups. After all, it was in the fish house!" End Scene. On Saturday, July 11th, Bremer will be inducted as the 42nd member of the Twins Hall of Fame. He has been the emcee for many of the ceremonies. Bremer grew up in the small, west-central Minnesota town of Dumont where he began to love playing baseball. When he was about five years old, the Washington Senators relocated to Minnesota, and Bremer has been one of their biggest and most loyal fans. His family moved to Missouri for a couple of years, but he never allowed another team to become his favorite. The family returned to Minnesota, and Bremer graduated from Staples high school. He spent his college years at St. Cloud State. His first job was at a radio station in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (insert Duke After Dark note here) where he was a disc jockey but also called play-by-play for the University of Iowa's men's basketball team. In 1983, Bremer became the Twins television voice. on Spectrum Sports. He spent three years in the role but didn't work in 1986. He returned to the role in 1987 and held the role through 2023, his 40th season. After the year, he announced his retirement. On Opening Day 2024, the Twins presented him with a plague and named the home TV booth after Dick Bremer. Early in his career, he also called North Star games, Vikings preseason games, Gophers sports, and even some for the Minnesota State High School League. In his time working play-by-play, he had an impressive group of partners in the booth. The first was Harmon Killebrew. (Can you imagine how cool that would be for a kid from Minnesota?) He worked with Tommy John, Bert Blyleven, Jim Kaat, Torii Hunter, LaTroy Hawkins, Glen Perkins, Justin Morneau, Trevor Plouffe, Denard Span, and others. In the offseasons, he remained busy, representing the Twins at various functions such as the Diamond Awards, the Twins Winter Caravan, several Hot Stove events and more. In 2020, Bremer wrote his memoir in the book, Game Used, a story of his lif e and times around the Twins. It is broken into 108 "stitches," each a unique story to help explain the lessons he's learned over time. 108 stitches, of course, is the number stitches on a major-league baseball. You'd be hard pressed to find a bigger fan of the Twins, someone as knowledgeable in their history and who has seen so much of it from a really good view. We would be hard pressed to find someone who has been a bigger, more public ambassador for the Twins than Bremer. Congratulations on this well-deserved and well-earned honor! View full article

Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily The Twins affiliates announced their coaching staffs this morning. Without further ado, here are the 2026 Twins Minor League Coaching Staffs. St. Paul Saints Toby Gardenhire was the Saints manager during their first five seasons affiliated with the Twins organization. He joined the big-league coaching staff as the Major League Field Coordinator. Brian Dinkelman, 42, moves up to Triple-A from Double-A Wichita. He first managed in Cedar Rapids in 2019 and since then his teams have won 56% of their games (443-348). Drafted by the Twins in 2006, he spent eight seasons as a player including some big-league time in 2011. In his MLB career, he is a lifetime .301 hitter! After being the Kernels hitting coach for three seasons, he became the team’s manager in 2019. In 2023, he led the Kernels to the Midwest League championship and was named the Minor League Manager of the Year by Baseball America. Last year, he made the move up to Double-A. Shawn Schlecter, 35, is returning for his third season the Saints. He is the lead hitting coach. This is the Burnsville native’s seventh season in the Twins organization. He’s been a hitting coach in Cedar Rapids (2022) and Wichita (2023). He played ball at North Iowa Community College and then spent six years as a coach at the school. He joined the Twins organization in 2020. CJ Baker is entering his third season in the Twins organization after coaching nine seasons in the college ranks. Most recently, he was in charge of Video, Technology, and was the Analytics Coordinator at Stanford for two years. He has a master’s degree from the University of Washington. He will be the Hitting and Development Coach for the Saints this season. He’s been the hitting coach in Cedar Rapids the past two seasons. Carlos Hernandez is back for his second season as a Saints pitching coach. The 45-year-old former big leaguer is now in his ninth season in the Twins organization. You may recall that the southpaw pitched for the Astros in the early 2000s. Ryan Ricci, 29, has quickly moved up the Twins coaching ladder. He joined the organization in 2024 and coached pitchers in Fort Myers. In 2025, he was with the Wichita Wind Surge. And with Jonas Lovin moving into a coordinator role, Ricci grabs the open pitching coach spot with the Saints in 2026. Before joining the Twins, he was a pitching coach at George Mason University. Before that, he held that role at Lafayette College for two years. He pitched at George Mason and then spent a season in the Diamondbacks minor leagues. He returned to college as a graduate assistant. Wichita Wind Surge For the second straight season, the Wind Surge will have a new manager. Last year, Brian Dinkelman replaced Ramon Borrego after he was promoted to the big leagues. Dinkelman will manage in St. Paul. The Wind Surge manager in 2026 will be Nico Giarratano.This is his fourth season in the Twins organization. He was a development coach his first two seasons with the Twins organization, and last season became the manager of the FCL Twins. He was drafted by the Giants in 2017 out of the University of San Francisco and played through the 2021 season. He spent one year as the Mariners DSL manager. Andrew Cresci is back for his second season in the Twins organization, and his second season as the Wind Surge hitting coach. Prior to joining the Twins, he coached for three years in the Houston Astros organization. In the spring of 2021, he was the hitting coach for Central Lakes College in Brainerd, MN, and then joined Driveline for a short stint before the Astros hired him. He played club baseball at Sacred Heart University and graduated in 2014. He then went to Rome (yes, the one in Italy) to continue his education at John Cabot University. In 2017, he played for S.S. Lazio Baseball Club in Italy. He also serves as the hitting coordinator for the Italian Softball Federation. Julian Gonzalez is also in this second season with the Twins organization. Last year, he was a hitting and development coach in Cedar Rapids. He spent the past two seasons in the Orioles organization, spending a year in the DSL and then 2024 in the FCL. Before joining the O’s, he had spent the previous two years as a high school hitting and outfielder coordinator in Jacksonville, Florida. While studying at the University of North Florida, he was a volunteer assistant on the softball team. Jesus Sanchez returns to Wichita for the second straight season. It is his fourth season in the organization. A native of Venezuela, Sanchez pitched 15 years in minor-league baseball, reaching Triple-A. Stephen Ridings is not only new to the Wind Surge staff and the Twins organization. 2026 also marks his coaching debut season. He spent the 2025 season with Oklahoma City, the Triple-A affiliate of the Dodgers though he pitched in just one game. Originally, he was drafted by the Cubs out of, you guessed it, Haverford College. He spent time in the Cubs, Royals, Yankees, Mets and Dodgers organization as well as spending 2024 with Frank Viola’s High Point Rockers of the independent Atlantic League. The highlight of his career likely came in 2021 when he pitched in five big league games for the Yankees. In his MLB debut, he struck out DJ Stewart and Pedro Severino before giving up a hit. He responded by striking out Pat Valaika. His second game was a bullpen game. He entered with two runners on and two outs. He got the final out and then had a one-two-three inning. In his third outing, he went one inning and struck out the side, just like in his debut. He started by striking out Cal Raleigh and Jake Fraley. Dylan Moore singled, and then Ridings struck out Jake Bauers to end the inning. Cedar Rapids Kernels Brian Meyer was the manager in Fort Myers for his first four years in the organization. Last season, he moved up to Cedar Rapids as their manager. 2026 will be his second season with the Kernels. He had spent 13 years coaching in college before joining the Twins organization, including five seasons at Tulane and three seasons as an assistant at Butler. Hunter Townsend joined the Twins organization last offseason and will again be a pitching coach of the Kernels. He pitched at the University of Charleston in West Virginia from 2016 through 2020. He transferred to East Tennessee State for the 2021 season. He began working as a Performance Coach at Tread Athletics in Charlotte, North Carolina. Erick Julio has been with the organization since the 2022 season. He worked in the DSL in 2023 and 2024. Last year, he came to the States as a pitching coach for the FCL Twins. The 29-year-old from Colombia played professionally from 2014 through the 2021 season.That year, he pitched for Team Colombia in the Olympic Qualifiers. Danny Marcuzzo joined the Twins organization last offseason. He was the hitting and development coach for the Saints in 2025. This season, he will be working with the Kernels hitters. He coached in the Arizona Fall League earlier this offseason. A native of Omaha, Marcuzzo spent two seasons at Coffeyville Community College before playing two seasons at Western Illinois. He later earned his Masters Degree at Central Oklahoma where he also helped the baseball program. He returned to Coffeyville as the assistant coach in 2019. In 2020, he started a four-year stint as an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska. Most recently, he was the assistant coach at the University of Akron. He is touted for his defensive coaching as well as hitting. Yeison Perez will return for his second season as the Hitting and Development Coach for the Surge. Perez played for the DSL Twins in 2016 and 2017 and in the GCL in 2018. He spent two seasons as a coach in the FCL before joining Cedar Rapids in 2023. Fort Myers Mighty Mussels New to the organization in 2026 is Jordan Smith, and he will manage the Mighty Mussels. He has spent the past 14 seasons in the Guardians’ organization. The last three, he’s been the team’s High-A manager. Smith grew up in Willmar, Minnesota, and went to St. Cloud State for two years. He was the league’s Freshman of the Year his first season, and the league’s Player of the Year his second season. He was a ninth-round pick in that 2011 draft and played eight seasons of minor-league ball, seven with Cleveland. He reached Triple-A. His final pro season, he spent a little time with the St. Paul Saints. A former outfielder, Smith will be helped by a veteran pitching coach. Richard Salazar returns to the Mussels for the fourth straight season. He’s been in the organization for the past nine years. He coached in Cedar Rapids the two previous seasons. He came to the States to attend Miami Dade College, got drafted by the Orioles in 2001, and then spent 17 years playing pro baseball. Dylan Hawley will be the second pitching coach. Hawley is in his third season with the organization. He worked with Dominican Summer League pitchers the past two seasons. He is from Minnesota and had been working at Driveline the previous three years. In 2022, he was the pitching coach for the Excelsior Legion Baseball team. Carlos Lara will be the Mussels hitting coach. He has been the DSL Twins hitting coach the past two seasons. Lara has also with the Twins' baseball technology group in the past. FCL/FTM Complex Tristan Toorie will be taking on the role of FCL Twins manager. He spent the past two seasons in the FCL as a hitting and development coach. Previously, he had been an assistant coach at some small colleges, and he worked for MLB helping scouts and coaches. He played ball at Augusta State University and made his coaching debut in 2013 with the St. Cloud Rox of the Northwoods League. There will be three pitching coaches for the FCL Twins: Dan Urbina returns to his roots, working with pitchers in the lower levels of the minor leagues. He was a pitching coach with the Saints a year ago. It is his seventh season in the Twins system. He was a pitching coach in Wichita for three seasons before joining the Saints last year. He came to the Twins from the Pirates organization. He was the pitching coach for their Venezuelan Summer League team for 11 seasons and then for seven more seasons with their Dominican Summer League team. Before that, he pitched for three seasons in the Dodgers organization. Matthew Hartshorn joined the Twins organization in November. Prior to working with the Twins, he worked as a pitching coordinator at Rockland Peak Performance in New Jersey. He also had an internship as a Pitcher Development intern at Cressey Sports Performance. He pitched for Rider University in 2020 and 2021 but then took on the role of Student Manager and Director of Baseball Analytics. Ryan Meisinger Carter Kessinger will again be the Twins Rehab Pitching Coach after joining the organization before the 2025 season. He pitched at Yale for five years and spent a lot of time as the team's Director of Analytics. Steven Cardona joins the FCL group as a hitting coach. He held the same role for the DSL Twins the past two seasons. Cardona previously was working as a hitting instructor at Infinite Hitting. He has worked in a variety of roles, from sales, to data entry, to ESL instructor in the Mets, Marlins, Rays, and Blue Jays organizations. Emilio Guerrero is starting his fifth season with the FCL Twins as a hitting coach. He signed as an infielder with the Blue Jays in 2011 and played in their organization through the 2019 season. He actually attempted pitching the last couple of seasons. From 2006 through 2016 (11 seasons), Jairo Rodriguez represented the Minnesota Twins organization as a player. He was usually the #2 (or #3) catcher on whichever roster he was on. He topped out at Triple-A. He has been coaching in the organization since the end of his playing career. He was with the Kernels in 2021 and 2022. He went back to the DSL for the 2023 season and came back to the Kernels in 2024. Last year, he worked with the FCL Twins and will do so again in 2026. DSL/Dominican Complex For the fifth season in a row, Rafael Martinez will manage the DSL Twins. Two new coaches in the organization will be working with the DSL Twins hitters. Ozney Guillen, the son of the White Sox legend Ozzie Guillen, has held a ton of roles in Venezuela, Colombia and elsewhere. Also new to the Twins is Zach Simmons. He comes to the Twins from Driveline. Former Twins minor leaguer Ruben Santana returns for his fifth season coaching in the DSL. He originally signed with the Twins in September of 2015 and was a player in the organization through the 2021 season. He has been responsible for hitting, base running and infield work through his tenure. Alex Wright joined the Twins organization last offseason and will be in his second season as a pitching coach in the Dominican Summer League. He was a student at the University of South Carolina from 2016-2020. As a freshman, he applied for an internship with the Gamecocks as a video analyst. He became a student manager as well. His second year, the school invested in Trackman, Rapsodo and other technology and he dove in head first. After school, he joined Ascent Athlete, a sports performance facility in Pennsylvania that focuses on baseball and softball player development. Gabriel Garcia will be the other DSL Twins pitching coach. This is his first season in the organization. Player Development Staff: Jeremy Zoll: VP, General Manager Alex Hassan: Assistant GM Drew MacPhail: Director of Player Development Brian Maloney: Director, Minor League and High Performance Operations Amanda Daley: Director of Player Education Tommy Bergjans: Director, Minor League Pitching Development Frankie Padulo: Assistant Director, Player Development Josh Ruffin: Director, Applied Analytics Jason Davila: Senior Manager, Minor League Operations Lisa Maria Tolentino: Coordinator of Minor League Operations Chad Raines: Coordinator, Player Development Coordinators: Kevin Morgan: Minor League Field Coordinator Seth Feldman: Complex Coordinator Ehire Adrianza: Assistant, Player Development. Nat Ballenberg: Pitching Coordinator Jonas Lovin: Assistant Pitching Coordinator Argenis Angulo: Complex Pitching Coordinator Bryce Berg: Director, Minor League Hitting Development Ryan Smith: Assistant Hitting Coordinator Tucker Frawley: Catching Coordinator View full article

Correct, And, an argument could be made that all teams - maybe with some examples as I've never really quantified it - should be more willing to 'tinker' at the bottom of the 40-man roster.

Image courtesy of © Jim Rassol-Imagn Images On Wednesday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins announced that they claimed utilityman Vidal Brujan from the Braves organization. To make room on their 40-man roster, the Twins Designated Mickey Gasper for assignment. In 2025, Vidal Brujan played 61 games in the big leagues. He got time with the Cubs, the Orioles, and then the Atlanta Braves. Prior to 2025, he spent three seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, and he played in 102 games for the Miami Marlins in 2024. In his big-league career, he has hit .199/.267/.276 (.543) with 26 doubles, two triples, and five home runs. He has some speed. He's stolen 16 bases, but he's been caught 15 times. His "value" comes from his ability to play all over the diamond. In the big leagues, he has played 84 games at second base, 41 games in right field, 56 games at shortstop, 36 games at third base, 17 games in center field, and 10 games in left field. He's played one game at first base (1/3 of an inning). He's also pitched 3 2/3 innings over four appearances. Brujan will turn 28 next month. The Twins acquired utilityman/catcher Mickey Gasper last offseason in a Christmas Eve trade from the Red Sox (for Jovani Moran). He went 0-for-18 with the Red Sox over 13 games late in the 2024 season. He spent the majority of the 2025 season with the Twins, though he played in just 45 games. He hit .158/.257/.232 (.488) with a double and two home runs. In 47 games with the Saints, he hit .285/.385/.531 (.915) with 14 doubles and 10 home runs. View full article

Him not going to Twins Fest likely has nothing to do with arbitration. They're so close, and teams go to arbitration all the time. This tells me that the likelihood of a trade is much higher. Some team just made it interesting enough to Falvey/Zoll...

He will only be at big-league spring training for a couple of weeks. I believe he will be the Twins minor league outfield coordinator... I have heard but haven't been able to verify that Mike Quade, who had been in the MILB OF Coordinator role since 2019 when he managed the Rochester Red Wings (Then the Twins AAA affiliate), is no longer in the organization. I don't know if he was let go, retired, or something in the middle. So that job was open. Will he be able to help Larnach/Wallner? He won't make them Gold Glovers, but what if he can get them a half-second better jump, that's worth it. He will be good for the guys like Alan Roden, Austin Martin, Walker Jenkins, Gabriel Gonzalez, etc.

There isn't an international draft. The Twins have made a bunch of hires over the past decade, and because they have been poached so many times, they've had to hire more.... As for the international scouting group, it's hard to know... but Fred Guerrero was let got a few years ago... Kevin Goldstein has taken over the international scouting group. They have several scouts in Venezuela and the Dominican. This week, they are expected to sign a guy from Colombia and one from Nicaragua. You'll also notice, they haven't signed anyone from Australia or Europe for a long time. Definitely seems to be a change. And, it makes sense.

On Friday afternoon, Major League Baseball announced that former Twins and Phillies outfielder Max Kepler has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for Epitrenbolone, a performance-enhancing substance. It is an item that violates MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Max Kepler will turn 33 years old in a little more than a month. He is currently a free agent looking for his next home. After signing with the Twins in 2009 out of Germany, he spent parts of the 2015-2024 seasons in a Twins uniform. Over those 10 seasons, he was worth 20.5 bWAR. In 1,072 games, he hit .237/.318/.429 (.746) with 205 doubles, 161 homers and 508 RBI. His best season came in 2019 when he hit .252/.336/.519 (.855) with 32 doubles and he led the Bomba Squad with 36 home runs. He was never able to replicate those numbers. He became a free agent for the first time last offseason. He signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Phillies. In 127 games, he hit .216/.300/.391 (.691) with 19 doubles and 18 home runs. Free agency just became more difficult for Kepler. Some team will sign him and not have to pay him for the first half of the season. He can come back for the final 82 games of the season, but because of the suspension, he will be unable to play in the playoffs should the team make it. Share your thoughts. View full rumor

I'm not worried about getting a top, top international prospect. There are several strategies. The primary two are 1.) spend a ton on one prospect and fill however else, or 2.) sign a bunch for between $400K and $1.5M. The Twins have done both over the years. So have other teams. I'd much prefer the Twins go with strategy #2. Even the top, top 16-year-olds international are a mixed bag of future success. In 2024, the Twins signed Santiago Leon ($1.7M), Carlos Taveras ($1.1M), Haritzon Castillo ($950K), Teilon Serrano ($850K), Santiago Castellanos ($850K), Jose Barrios ($425K), Joyner Perez ($400K), Jhomnardo Reyes ($335K), and Darwin Almanzar ($250K). Then they traded for Geromy Villoria (Phillies, Bader trade) who was signed a year ago for about $425K. In recent years, they've signed Ariel Castro ($2.4M), Hendry Chivilli ($2.1M), Carlos Silva ($1.1M), Miguel Sano ($3.15M), Amaurys Minier ($1.4M), Lewin Diaz ($1.4M), Max Kepler ($800K), Jorge Polanco ($725K), Huascar Ynoa ($800K).

According to his Twitter profile, the Twins have hired Ozney Guillen as a minor-league hitting coach. On his LinkedIn page, Guillen wrote, "I'm excited and grateful to share that I've accepted a position as a Minor League Hitting Coach with the Minnesota Twins organization. Thankful for the opportunity and for everyone who has supported and believed in me along the way. I'm looking forward to continuing to learn, grow, and help develop players at the next level. Ready to get to work." La Vida Baseball. That includes the administrators, the coordinators, and of course, the minor-league coaching and managing assignments. We don't know what level Guillen will be coaching, but Ozney's track record is pretty impressive. But let's go back a little bit. Ozney Guillen is the youngest of White Sox legend Ozzie Guillen's three sons. He just turned 34 years old this week. Most Twins fans remember Ozzie Guillen as the White Sox manager from 2004 through 2011. Over that stretch, he had a record of 678-617 (.524). His club finished second in the division twice, and they won the AL Central in 2005 and 2008. That 2005 team went 11-1 in the playoffs and became World Series champions. He led the White Sox to two 90-win seasons, but to four 88+ win seasons. And, of course, there was the time in 2006 when Ozzie Guillen said of the Twins, "All those piranhas - blooper here, blooper here, beat out a ground ball, hit a home run, they're up by four. They get up by four with that bullpen? See you at the national anthem tomorrow. When I sit down and look at the lineup, give me the New York Yankees. Give me those guys because they've got holes. You can pitch around them, you can pitch to them. These little guys? (Luis) Casillo and all of them? People worry about the catcher, what's his name, Mauer? Fine, yeah, a good hitter, but worry about the little guys, they're on base all the time." And at that time, there truly was a rivalry between the Twins and the White Sox. During that same stretch between 2004 and 2011, Ron Gardenhire led the Twins to four division titles and finished second one other time. He had a record of 682-616 (.525), and that's counting a 99-loss 2011 season. There were moments such as Torii Hunter slamming into Jamie Burke, a move that Guillen praised later that night. In Game 163 of the 2008 season, White Sox slugger Jim Thome homered in the 7th inning of what turned into a 1-0 ballgame that sent the White Sox to the playoffs. Then, while only an August walk-off, Twins slugger Jim Thome hit a monster home run off his former teammates to add to the Twins division lead. The Guillen-Gardenhire years were so fun. That was a true rivalry, but it was a rivalry based on respect. Guillen wasn't bashing the Twins hitters for being 'wimpy.' Instead, he was praising the team for battling every pitch, putting the ball in play, hustling on everything. Guys like Luis Castillo, Jason Bartlett, Nick Punto and Jason Tyner were unsung heroes on the 2006 team in which Justin Morneau won the MVP, Joe Mauer won his first batting title, Torii Hunter's 31 homers were second to Morneau's, and Michael Cuddyer's 109 RBI was behind only the Canadian MVP. Both teams usually had strong hitters, good overall hitters, strong starting pitching, and dominant bullpens. Both managers were fiery, and in the days before replay, they were guys whose players knew they had their backs. Those were the days! Then again, Guillen referred to the 99-loss 2011 Twins hitters as "sardines", and in 2021, he called the Twins "guppies." By the way, some of us that are my age and older are also likely to remember him as a really solid big-league shortstop over his 16-season career. He broke into the big leagues as a 21-year-old in 1985 and was named Rookie of the Year. He was a three-time All-Star and won a Gold Glove. He spent 13 seasons with the White Sox and then played with the Orioles, Braves and Rays over the final three seasons of his playing career (2000). Alright, let's get back to the Twins new player development hire, Ozney Guillen. Eldest son, Ozzie Jr., hosted a radio show in Chicago for four-plus seasons during his dad's managerial tenure. He also worked as a translator for the White Sox and was the team's Spanish Radio Broadcaster. He fulfilled the same role with the Chicago Bulls for a year. He has worked in the public sector for about the past 15 years. Middle son, Oney, has worked for a few companies since he finished college a dozen years ago. He spent some time playing baseball. He was the White Sox 36th round pick in 2007 out of North Park University in Chicago. He played that summer and in 2008. He played 17 games in Class A ball and actually got one game in for the Sox Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte. He went 1-for-3 with a double in the one game he played. Ozzie Jr and Oney had a baseball podcast/show called Being Guillen, or La Vida Baseball. Ozney is the son that, at least to this point, has made a career in baseball. He played his high school baseball at Monsignor Edward Pace High School in Miami Gardens, Florida, where he was a teammate of former Twins pitcher (and minor league outfielder too) Dereck Rodriguez. Ozney was the 22nd round pick of the White Sox in 2010. Instead of signing, he went to Miami-Dade College where he would have played with the likes of former Twins pitcher Jharel Cotton, long-time big-league catcher Victor Caratini, After his college eligibility ended, he took a tour around various independent baseball leagues. He spent 2014 and 2015 in the Frontier League. In 2016, he played for Sioux Falls in the American Association. In 2017 and 2018, he played in the Atlantic League. He also played briefly in the Canadian-American Association. He spent three winters playing in Venezuela for Tiburones de La Guaira. He spent a lot of time working with their Baseball Operations department, player development and even signing players. He returned to school, now at St. Thomas University in Miami where he earned his Bachelor of Business. Administration and Sports Administration. All the while, he has worked in a variety of roles and jobs in baseball. Since he stopped playing, he has been a minor-league manager, a hitting instructor, worked for a sports management agency, earned a degree, was an assistant coach in college, has been a manager and general manager in Colombia. Since last June, he has taken on new roles for the team in Colombia, joined Tigres de Aragua as a third base coach and Quality Control Coach. And, last month, he joined the Twins organization full time. He has a really solid resume, but he's also got relationships around the game, in affiliated ball, in independent leagues, and throughout central and South America. He is bilingual which is clearly helpful. It will be fun to see how the Twins utilize him within the organization since he's got such a variety of experiences in and around the game. View full rumor

Ryan Daniels, the Twins 11th round pick in 2025 out of UConn, has decided to retire from the game of baseball. As @Jamie Cameron wrote at Limestone Pipeline, Daniels has a history of hip injuries and surgeries. Before joining the Huskies, Daniels was a four-year letterwinner in baseball at St. Paul Catholic in Bristol, Connecticut. He was twice named an All-State player. Upon graduation, he made a 44-mile drive from Bristol to Storrs. He made 25 starts and played in 42 games as a freshman in 2023. He hit .273/.401/.409 (.810) with eight doubles, two triples and a home run. He also had 16 steals in 17 attempts. In 2024, he was limited to just 20 games (18 starts) because he had season-ending hip surgery. He came back at full strength in 2025 and had an incredible season. He started 53 of the 54 games he played. He hit .365/.476/.744 (1.220) with 15 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs and 75 RBI. He was named the BIG EAST Player of the Year, first-team all-conference, and was named second-team All American by a few outlets. The Twins made him their 11th-round pick in July and signed him with a $150,000. Unfortunately, he played in two games for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels and went on the Injured List with a hip injury. In mid-December, he made the decision to retire from baseball. Best wishes, Ryan, in whatever is next for you! View full rumor

I am not a fan of this trade, unless the plan is for Wagaman to be the platoon 1B with Clemens and Bell the full-time DH. I think Bragg is a future big leaguer for sure... but ultimately, he was an 18th round pick lottery ticket... But why give up a promising AA pitcher for a guy who was DFAd to make room for Esteury Ruiz? And, I get that Fitzgerald isn't a prospect as a 31-year-old, but he can play great defense. I'd rather have him as the backup IF than Kreidler. I just don't think this move does anything... It's like a move just to make a move.