Seth Stohs

Do you want him as the right-handed, fourth outfielder? Honestly, I think if Keirsey hit right-handed (or switch-hit), he'd be up now. But he's left-handed, just like Kepler and Larnach and Kirilloff and Wallner (and Castro is a switch-hitter). He deserves to be up with someone.

In general, it was a pretty disappointing day in the Twins organization, especially on offense. However, a couple of Kernels really put up some great at-bats on Saturday. And a lefty starter continues to be incredibly intriguing. There were some transactions to go with reports from six games. Find out all that happened in the Twins Minor League Report. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily As you likely noticed, on Friday night and Saturday, we had some rather annoying and frustrating website issues. Fortunately, we believe those have been resolved, and we won’t have any issues for a long time. Because of that, I’m going to encourage you to check out Friday’s Minor League Report because it was written and ready to post on Friday night but didn’t get published until Saturday afternoon. . CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 24-18 St. Paul Saints: 18-24 Wichita Wind Surge: 16-21 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 23-14 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 15-23 FCL Twins: 7-3 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins activated OF Byron Buxton from the Injured List and optioned OF Austin Martin to St. Paul. The Twins released RHP A.J. Alexy . Wichita activated RHP Travis Adams from the 7-Day IL. Fort Myers placed OF Jose Rodriguez on the 7-Day IL and activated infielder Yohander Martinez. SAINTS SENTINEL Resumed Game: St. Paul 4, Omaha 2 Box Score This game started on Friday night but in the middle of the fourth inning, it was tied 2-2 at that time so the game was suspended and started again on Saturday afternoon. On Friday, David Festa gave up two runs on four hits and two walks over four innings. He had four strikeouts. When play resumed on Saturday, Ronny Henriquez came in and struck out three batters over two scoreless, one-hit innings. Scott Blewett faced six batters over two perfect innings. He had two strikeouts. Jorge Alcala came on and threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his first Saints save of the season. The Saints got their two runs on Friday in the second inning when Tony Kemp hit his second homers since joining the team last month. Alex Isola scored on it. Isola reached on a double. With the score still tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth, Michael Helman’s sixth homer of the season scored DaShawn Keirsey ahead of him and gave the team a 4-2 lead. Helman played the hero. He had two of the team’s four hits including the game-winning homer. Keirsey reached base on a walk and was hit by a pitch. Game 2: St. Paul 2, Omaha 4 Box Score Earlier this week, we learned that the Twins signed veteran left-handed pitcher Caleb Baragar to a minor-league deal and assigned him to St. Paul. He made his first start in the regularly-scheduled game on Saturday. An error cost him a bit in a three-run second inning. He was charged with three runs (1 earned) on six hits over 3 2/3 innings. He had six strikeouts and no walks. Austin Schulfer came on and got the final out of the fourth inning, stranding two baserunners. Nick Wittgren gave up a hit and issued a walk in a scoreless sixth inning. Hobie Harris worked the seventh inning and gave up one run on a solo homer. Down 3-0, Chris Williams put the Saints on the board when he hit his third home run of the season. In the bottom of the third frame, Michael Helman hit a solo home run to make it 3-2. That was it for the Twins scoring. Again, they had just two runs, and Michael Helman had two of the team’s four total hits (including another homer). WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Tulsa 4 Box Score The Surge certainly put themselves in a good position to steal a win in Oklahoma, but the ninth-inning threat came up just short. The teams exchanged runs in the second inning. Jake Rucker drove in Kala’i Rosario with a line drive single to left field. Tulsa scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Wind Surge responded in the top of the seventh frame with two runs of their own. Jorel Ortega’s first home run of the season drove in Rucker and tied the game at 3-3. However, Tulsa added a run in the bottom of the seventh on a bases-loaded walk to make it 4-3. Yes, I will get to that final play… But first… Travis Adams came off of the IL to make the start. He gave up one run on three hits over three innings. He had two strikeouts and no walks. Regi Grace gave up two hits and a walk, but he struck out two batters over his two scoreless innings. Jarret Whorff came in for the sixth inning. A walk, an RBI double, and an RBI single gave Tulsa that 3-1 lead. Ortega tied it, and Whorff went back out for the seventh inning. The right-hander walked the bases loaded. Miguel Rodriguez came in. He walked the first batter he faced to force in the go-ahead run for Tulsa. But Rodriguez settled in. He got a ground out to third, an out recorded at home. He got a strikeout for the second out and a fly out for the third out. Holding them to one run here was a very impressive feat. Alright, let’s go to the bottom of the ninth. Resetting the table, the Wind Surge were down 4-3. Jake Rucker led off with a walk, and Alerick Soularie came on to pinch run. Ortega singled with Soularie going to third. Ortega moved up to second on the throw. Runners on second and third, no out, down a run. The pitcher left the game with an injury. Emmanuel Rodriguez pinch hit for Ben Ross. Unfortunately, he struck out. Carson McCusker pinch hit for Kyler Fedko, and he struck out. Finally, Jeferson Morales struck out to end the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Quad Cities 6 Box Score The Kernels jumped ahead early. Through four innings, they had a 6-0 lead. However, Quad Cities scored four runs in the top of the eighth and two runs in the top of the ninth to tie it. Of course, that allowed the Kernels to win in a walk off! Luke Keaschall gave the Kernels the very early lead with a home run to lead off the bottom of the first. With one out, Rubel Cespedes hit a triple and scored on a single to left by Jay Harry. The Kernels added two more in the third inning. Ricardo Olivar hit a one-out, solo home run to make it 3-0. With two outs, the Kernels got singles from Harry and Kevin Maitan. Misael Urbina followed with a single to center to drive in Harry with the fourth run. In the fourth frame, the Kernels powered their way to two more runs. With two outs, Keaschall hit another solo homer, his fifth of the season. Olivar followed with his second homer of the game and fifth home run of the season. Let’s jump over to the Kernels’ pitching on Saturday. Lefty Christian MacLeod made the start. He tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, issued a walk, hit a batter and had one strikeout. He reached the 50 pitch count, with 30 strikes. Jordan Carr came on and had a very nice appearance. He worked the next 4 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out five batters. That brings us to the eighth inning, the Kernels still holding that 6-0 lead. Sheldon Reed came into the game. He gave up four runs on three hits and a walk in 1/3 of an inning. Following a three-run homer off the bat of Kale Emshoff, Juan Mercedes came into the game. He got an infield pop out and a strikeout to end the eighth inning. Mercedes came back out for the ninth inning. He got two outs, but he gave up two singles. With two runners on, Brian Dinkelman went to his best bullpen arm, Ricardo Velez. He gave up a single to load the bases. Then Brett Squires then hit a two-run single to tie the game at 6-6. After a walk, Velez got the final out of the inning. That brings us to the bottom of the ninth inning. Rubel Cespedes lined a single to right. After a fly out The New Guy - aka Kevin Maitan - lined a triple to left field that drove in Cespedes with the winner. The Kernels scored their seven runs on 14 hits and three walks. Eight of the nine Kernels batters had at least one hit. The top five hitters each had at least two hits. Leadoff man Luke Keaschall led the way with a 3-for-5 day which included his fourth and fifth home runs. He also stole his 13th base. Olivar was 2-for-5 with his fourth and fifth homers of the year. Rubel Cespedes went 2-for-4 with a walk and his second triple. Jay Harry went 2-for-5 with a stolen base. Kevin Maitan went 2-for-5 with the walk-off triple. Check out David Malamut's photos from the Kernels game on Saturday. Follow him on X at @MWLArchives. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Lakeland 5 Box Score A four-run seventh inning for Lakeland made all the difference in this game. Other than that inning, the Mussels got some very good pitching. Frankly, the offense just didn’t do enough. So let's start with the pitching. Left Cesar Lares was on the mound and he was very, very good again. Lares went the first six innings. He was charged with an unearned run on five hits, two walks, and two hit batters. He had three strikeouts. Xander Hamilton came in to start the seventh inning, but he was charged with four runs on two hits and three walks without recording an out. He left the game with the bases loaded. Sam Perez came in and allowed two inherited runners to score, but otherwise gave up no runs on just one hit in his two innings. Byron Chourio had one of the team’s three hits and drove in a sixth-inning run with a ground out. In the seventh innings, Poncho Ruiz singled to center to drive in Brandon Winokur who worked two walks in this game. Gregory Duran had the other hit for Fort Myers. Rayne Doncon also had two walks in the game. In addition to lack of hits, the Mussels had three caught stealing. Because of that, the team was just 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left just two runners on base. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 1, FCL Red Sox 7 Box Score A five-run second inning by the Red Sox proved to be well more than enough to take down the FCL Twins on Saturday. 19-year-old Dylan Questad was the Twins fifth round pick a year ago out of high school in Wisconsin. On Saturday, he made his third professional appearance and his first start. He went 1 2/3 innings and gave up five runs on two hits and four walks. He had three strikeouts. He left the game with two runners on base. Liam Rocha came in and allowed both to score before getting that third out of the second inning. Rocha settled in and ended up giving up one run on five hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings. He had four strikeouts. Alejandro Crisostomo struck out four batters over two innings. He gave up one run on no hits. He walked two and hit a batter. Similar to several of the above games, the FCL Twins offense just did very little. Ricardo Pena had two of the team’s three hits. Dameury Pena had the other one. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, 2-HR(5), 2 R, 2 RBI. Pitcher of the Day – Cesar Lares (Cedar Rapids) - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 82 pitches, 52 strikes (63.4%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Saturday. Also, our Top 20 rankings will be updated on Monday, so be sure to check back and see how different it looks. #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) - 0-for-1, K #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, R, CS #11 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-for-4, K #12 – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, 2-HR(5), 2 R, 2 RBI, SB(13) #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) - 1-for-3, BB, 2B(12), R #16 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - Game 1: 0-for-4, 2K, Game 2: 0-for-3, K. #19 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2-HR(5), 2 R, 2 RBI, K SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Omaha @ St. Paul (2:07 PM CST) - RHP Caleb Boushley (4-1, 4.54 ERA) (likely to change) Wichita @ Tulsa (1:00 PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl (2-2, 3.65 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM CST) - RHP Darren Bowen (2-2, 4.43 ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (11:00 AM CST) - LHP Ross Dunn (0-3, 2.37 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Saturday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

Zebby Matthews and Andrew Morris started on Wednesday afternoon for the Wind Surge and Kernels, respectively. That alone makes it worthwhile for you to continue reading today's minor-league report! Image courtesy of David Malamut (@MWLArchives on X, photo of Morris), Ed Bailey (photo of Matthews) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 24-18 St. Paul Saints: 17-22 Wichita Wind Surge: 15-19 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 20-14 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 14-21 FCL Twins: 6-2 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Byron Buxton began a rehab stint with the Saints. . SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 0, Omaha 6 Box Score The up and down season of Louie Varland continued on Wednesday night in St. Paul. He gave up five runs in the second inning and another in the fifth frame. But in five innings, he gave up six runs (5 earned) on seven hits and a walk. He had six strikeouts. Ronny Henriquez came in and gave up one hit over two scoreless innings. Nick Wittgren walked one in a scoreless eighth inning. Ryan Jensen gave up one hit in a scoreless ninth. The big news heading into the game was that Byron Buxton began a rehab assignment. He batted second and played center field. He went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Yoyner Fajardo came into the game for him after the seventh inning. He went 1-for-1. DaShawn Keirsey went 2-for-3 with a walk. He stole his 11th base. That accounted for half of the Saints hits. Diego A. Castillo went 1-for-3 with a walk. The Saints 4th through 9th batters went a combined 0-for-21 with ninth strikeouts. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 7, Tulsa 1 Box Score At Twins Daily, we’re always trying to think ahead. What’s next? With that in mind, we recently purchased www.WillZebbyEverWalkAnotherBatter.com The URL. Another option is simply to rebrand the site and just call it Zebby Daily. For now, we’ll just write articles about him and follow his success during his starts in the Twins Minor League Reports. In his second Double-A start, Matthews gave up one run on three hits over five innings. He had six strikeouts and, you’ve got it, zero walks. Here are the updated numbers… Matthews has now thrown 34 1/3 innings this year. He has 43 strikeouts and ZERO walks. So, will he ever issue a walk? I mean, probably. As a professional, starting with two appearances after the 2022 draft, he has thrown 142 2/3 innings. He has 161 strikeouts to go with just 15 walks. But it’s one thing to not walk anyone. He is throwing a high percentage of strikes, pitches in the strike zone, and batters aren’t hitting him hard. His stuff has become very good as well, starting with a fastball that now touches 97 mph. Matthews gave up two hits and a run in the first inning. He responded by striking out the side in the second inning. Mike Paredes came on and tossed two perfect innings. He got five groundouts on a fly out. Regi Grace came in and got two outs. He gave up a hit, hit a batter, and issued a walk. John Stankiewicz came on and got the final out of the eighth inning and had a 1-2-3 ninth inning. After falling behind, the Wind Surge tied the game with a run in the third. Emmanuel Rodriguez hit a triple, and Jeferson Morales hit a double to drive him in. They broke it open in the fourth inning with five runs. With one out and the bases loaded, Kyler Fedko doubled to drive in two runs. Rodriguez walked to re-load the bases. After a pitching change, Morales and Noah Cardenas singled in a run each. Kala’i Rosario reached on a force out that scored the fifth run of the inning. The Surge scored one more in the seventh inning on a Jake Rucker opposite field homer. Morales led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with a walk, his sixth double and two RBI. Quietly Morales is now hitting .343 with a .911 OPS. Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a walk and his second triple. Rucker was also 2-for-4. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 0 Box Score Pitching wins, and a little-known fact, but if your team doesn’t give up any runs in a game, your team will win. That’s exactly what happened for the Kernels on Wednesday afternoon. Andrew Morris improved to 3-1 on the season with his best start of the year. The 22-year-old from Texas Tech tossed seven shutout innings. He gave up just one hit and issued no walks. He had six strikeouts. Morris was remarkably efficient. He needed just 73 pitches to get through seven innings. 54 were strikes. That’s an incredible 74%! Ricardo Velez came on and gave up two hits and a walk over two scoreless innings. He struck out four batters to earn his sixth save. With two outs in the bottom of the third inning, Luke Keaschall singled and stole second base. Rubel Cespedes walked. A wild pitch moved them up to second and third. Misael Urbina singled in the first two runs of the game. Urbina was not in the starting lineup. However, Danny De Andrade left the game early after fielding a ground ball. (photo from MWL Archives via Twitter) In the fifth inning, Willie Joe Garry led off with a single. Dillon Tatum followed with a walk. They advanced a base on a wild pitch. Keaschall drove in Garry with a sacrifice fly for the third run of the game. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Lakeland 16 Box Score It’s just one game. Just one loss. That’s all. Lakeland scored eight runs in the bottom of the first inning, and then added two runs in the second, the fourth, the fifth and the sixth innings. Paulshawn Pasqualotto was the Twins 12th round pick last summer out of Cal-Berkeley. In this game, he was charged with seven runs on five hits and two walks without recording an out. Samuel Perez allowed an inherited runner to score and another run in the first inning. He also gave up two runs in the second inning. He recorded six outs and gave up three runs on four hits and three walks. Ben Ethridge gave up two runs on one hit and one walk in two innings. He had three strikeouts. Juan Bonilla was charged with four runs on five hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. Aaron Holiday got the final out of the seventh inning and three more outs. He gave up one hit, walked three and struck out three batters. Brian Meyer went with a position player on the mound in the eighth inning. He had a 1-2-3 inning that included a strikeout. The Mussels managed just six hits and a walk in the game. Kyle Hess went 2-for-3. Jose Rodriguez was 1-for-3 with a walk. Payton Eeles went 1-for-2 and drove in the team’s only run with a sacrifice fly. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Jeferson Morales (Wichita) - 3-for-4, BB, 2B(6), 2 RBI, K, SB(2). Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Morris (Cedar Rapids) - 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 73 pitches, 54 strikes (74.0%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) - 2-for-4, BB, 3B(2), 2 R, K #11 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-for-4, BB, 2 K #12 – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, R, RBI, SB(12) #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) - 1-for-5, RBI, K #15 – Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-1 (left with leg injury) #16 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, 2 K THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Omaha @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (3-3, 4.42 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:00 PM CST) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin (2-2, 3.33 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Darren Bowen (2-2, 4.43 ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 PM CST) - RHP Ty Langenberg (0-3, 4.44 ERA) FCL Rays @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

John Vittas is the Radio Voice of the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. While the team's record is not great (13-20), the roster has some very interesting names. We spent a little time getting to know John and the typical day in his in-season life. Then we talked about the team, especially some of the hitters who have done a nice job so far this season or are very intriguing. What has Payton Eeles brought to the roster and lineup? What has made Poncho Ruiz so successful of late? How did the Twins get the Dodgers to send them Rayne Doncon in the Margot/Miller trade? How has young Brandon Winokur looked at the plate and all over the field defensively? How good can Charlee Soto be? What has made Cesar Lares so incredibly good his past three starts? And how long before Ty Langenberg heads back to Iowa? View full video

John Vittas has been the play-by-play voice of the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. We caught up with him on Tuesday to discuss his job responsibilities, but also some really young, talented prospects on the Mussels roster. Image courtesy of William Parmeter Fort Myers is a destination spot for Minnesota Twins fans in late February and March, as they flee the last rounds of winter weather and watch their favorite Twins players getting ready for the season on green grass. But baseball at the Twins facilities there does not stop. Right now, you can go there and watch an FCL Twins game in the afternoon, and then watch the Mighty Mussels play at night. Yesterday, we chatted with John Vittas, the Mighty Mussels' play-by-play guy. Can't get down to Fort Myers in-season? Well, this year, the Mussels - with a lot of work by Vittas - can be seen on MiLB.tv. But in this conversation, we spent time talking about some of the minor-league signings that have really contributed for the team, and some of the exciting young prospects on the roster. No update on Walker Jenkins, but you'll certainly want to hear the discussions on the likes of Brandon Winokur, Charlee Soto, Rayne Doncon, and much more. Hopefully you will be able to watch the full video, but if not, here is a quick timeline for if you need to come back a few times and watch it in pieces. 1:00: John Vittas discusses his background, from his time at the University of Maryland, to working at MLB Network, to joining the Charlotte Stone Crabs, to finally joining the Mighty Mussels in 2001. He also does a lot of Florida Gulf Coast University volleyball and basketball games for for ESPN, and more. 2:30: What is a typical day for him as the play-by-play guy? 4:30: John discussed what needed to be done to get their games on MiLB.tv, and how that's changed how he might call a game. 6:40: What advice would you give to a kid who thinks he or she wants a job in sports, or in sports broadcasting? 10:30: The impact of Payton Eeles in his first week in the organization. 12:05: Maddux Houghton had a huge April and has been one of the team's top performers. He joined the organization before the 2023 season and filled a utility role for the Mussels. This year, he's getting much more playing time. 13:40: The Twins signed Poncho Ruiz right after the draft in 2023. What a story! You'll definitely want to hear that, but now he has been one of the team's best players in May with the bat and behind the plate. 17:00: We learn how to pronounce the name Rayne Doncon, and I marvel at his tools. Vittas confirms that he is a guy that we should be following closely. 18:52: Minimal update on Walker Jenkins, but we discuss and marvel at the tools and athleticism of Brandon Winokur. He's split time between shortstop, third base, center and right field. Could he stick at shortstop? How quickly has he been able to make some adjustments? 22:00: Transition to pitching, starting with left-hander Cesar Lares who has been really, really good of late. He's got the pitches. He's gaining velocity. But find out which pitch has helped him take his performance to another level. Plus, he's fun to watch! 25:00: We have to talk about Charlee Soto, right? How has he looked in his first six starts? What is most impressive about him (and it's the same as Winokur and Jenkins)? He hits 98 and has "electric stuff", but Vittas talks about one of his other pitches that he didn't realize was so good. How are the Twins limiting him to attempt to build him up and keep him healthy and strong? 28:00: We briefly discuss the college pitchers that were drafted in 2023. Do they compare to the class from 2022? But I had to ask specifically about Ty Langenberg for the fans in Cedar Rapids who are excited to see him come back to Iowa. The Twins drafted him last summer out of the University of Iowa. Could he move up sometime this summer? 30:15: John volunteers the names of two relievers that he felt needed to be mentioned for how they've started the season. The goal is to catch up with John Vittas every two or three weeks to see what's going on with the Mighty Mussels and their prospects. In the weeks in between, we have discussed being able to bring in some of the team's players and/or members of the coaching staff, as well. I'm looking forward to that, but would love your feedback on it. The intent is for these to be a little shorter than the Twins Spotlight interviews that we do in the offseason. The initial conversation with the play-by-play voices might be 10 minutes longer, because I want them to be able to share their backgrounds, describe their day-to-day responsibilities and potentially give some advice to any kids who might be listening who are considering a career in sports or sports broadcasting. Let us know what you think? Which players/coaches would you like us to try to interview, and in general, what are your thoughts. If you are interested, I did another interview, Timber Rattlers Talk with Chris Mehring for Brewer Fanatic. He has been the play-by-play voice of the Brewers affiliate in Appleton/Grand Chute since 2000. Similar concept, but talking about the Brewers High-A prospects (which is a very intriguing group). I have more interviews set up this week and early next week for other play-by-play voices in the minor leagues for the Twins, Brewers and Cubs. View full article

David Festa continues to get better most every time out, and Saturday may have been his best start. Fort Myers had 24 baserunners in their game on Saturday night. What are the records of the Twins affiliates? Which players are the youngest at each level? Find out those answers and more in today's Twins Minor League Report. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Payton Eeles) Here are the up-to-date team records through Saturday's games. CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 23-16 St. Paul Saints: 15-21 Wichita Wind Surge: 12-19 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 17-14 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 13-19 FCL Twins: 4-2 Ever wonder who the youngest players are at each of the Twins affiliates? With new rules, age is becoming far less important to future time in the big leagues. However, it will always play a key role in prospect rankings. So, I went through the rosters today and tweeted out the youngest players at each level. Here they are: Youngest Players (by Roster) Minnesota Twins St. Paul Saints Wichita Wind Surge Cedar Rapids Kernels Fort Myers Mighty Mussels FCL Twins Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The FCL Twins placed RHP Anthony Silvas, the team’s 16th round pick in 2023 out of Riverside CC, was moved to the 60-Day Injured List. Fort Myers had catcher Daniel Pena to the FCL for some rehab. RHP Nestor Cafe was assigned to the DSL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 0, Toledo 1 Box Score David Festa and the Saints pitching staff was strong. Unfortunately, the Saints bats managed just two hits in the game and they fell again in Ohio. Festa was the story. For the second straight start, he tied a franchise-record with 10 strikeouts. He tossed six scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and walked three batters. Jordan Balazovic came on for the seventh inning. He gave up a run on two hits, though he struck out two batters. Jorge Alcala pitched the eighth frame. He gave up a hit and walked two batters, but he struck out three batters. He needed 34 pitches, but he did not give up a run. Anthony Prato and Matt Wallner had the lone Saints hits. Wallner’s double left his bat at just over 114 mph. Alex Isola had two of the five walks in the game. The Saints left six runners on base, but they were just 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position. Sauk Rapids veteran catcher Anthony Bemboom went 1-for-3. He also threw out DaShawn Keirsey attempting to steal third base in the sixth inning. By the way, be sure to read Theo’s feature on Caleb Boushley’s one day with the Twins. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 1, Arkansas 5 Box Score The Surge fell behind early and were unable to put enough offense together to really challenge in this one. Recently-signed Nick Wittgren started and gave up one run on three hits over two innings. Mike Paredes came on and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. Lefty Aaron Rozek came on to settle things down. He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk, but he was able to complete the final 5 1/3 innings. And he got a little help from his hacky sack skills and Aaron Sabato. Even the Surge score wasn’t exactly exciting. With one out in the fourth inning, Carlson McCusker and Jake Rucker singled. McCusker advanced to third on a fielding error. Next, Aaron Sabato grounded out to second base to drive in the team’s lone run of the game. McCusker led the offense by going 2-for-4. He is now hitting .327 with a .936 OPS. He has really had a big week. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, South Bend 4 Box Score Down 4-1 going to the top of the ninth inning, the Kernels scored two runs and had the bases loaded with two outs but fell just shy of the comeback. The Kernels again scored first in this game. With one out in the top of the first, Ricardo Olivar walked. He advanced to third base on a Rubel Cespedes double. Danny De Andrade followed with a line drive single to center field that drove in Olivar, but former Gopher and Minnesota native Brett Bateman threw out Cespedes at the plate. C.J. Culpepper returned to the mound. He gave up one run on five hits and two walks over four innings. He had five strikeouts. AJ Labas came in for the fifth inning and gave up two runs on three hits in the inning. Rafael Marcano came in. The lefty gave up an unearned run on two hits and a walk over two innings. He struck out three batters. Sheldon Reed worked a scoreless frame. The Kernels had a few chances but were unable to come up with just one more big hit. In the eighth inning, Cespedes walked and De Andrade singled. With two outs, they advanced to 2nd and 3rd on a wild pitch. Misael Urbina walked to load the bases, but the inning ended on a strikeout. Then in the top of the ninth, with one out, Luke Keaschall and Olivar singled. Cespedes singled to drive in Keaschall to cut the deficit to 4-2. Cespedes advanced to third base on a wild pitch. After a strikeout for the second out, Jay Harry walked to load the bases. Agustin Ruiz was hit by a pitch which scored Olivar with the third run. Unfortunately, a groundout ended the game. De Andrade went 3-for-5. Keaschall was 2-for-4 with a walk. Cespedes was 2-for-4 with a walk and his double was his 10th of the season. Harry went 2-for-4 with a walk. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 12, Dunedin 2 Box Score Through five innings, the Twins affiliate had an 8-1 lead over the Blue Jays affiliate. Sound familiar? Well, in the Florida State League, the Mussels added on with two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth inning while the pitching staff did not allow the Jays to comeback at all. The Mussels got on the board in the first inning. Byron Chourio singled, and with two outs stole second base. On a passed ball, Chourio advanced to third and scored on a wild throw. The game was tied at one when Fort Myers came to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning. Rafael Cruz led off with a double and scored when Isaac Pena singled to left field. Matthew Clayton was hit by a pitch, and Payton Eeles walked to load the bases. Pena scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Chourio. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Mussels had a big inning to turn a two-run lead into a seven-run lead. Brandon Winokur got things started by being hit by a pitch, but he stole second right away. He advanced to third on a Maddux Houghton single. Houghton immediately stole second. Rafael Cruz walked to load the bases. Then Pena walked to score Winokur. Then Clayton was hit by a pitch to score Houghton. Then Eeles walked to score Cruz. Pena scored on a Chourio double play. Rayne Doncon drove in Clayton with a single to give the Mussels an 8-1 lead. Let’s take a moment to credit the pitchers who had a really solid day. Jeremy Lee came off the Injured List and threw two perfect innings on just 15 pitches. Ben Ethridge came in and gave up only a solo home run over three innings. Jack Noble was charged with an unearned run on three hits over 2 2/3 innings. Samuel Perezk got the final four outs, two on strikeouts. The Mussels had 12 hits and 11 walks in this game, plus three hit batters (well, Clayton was hit twice and Winokur was hit one). Eight of the nine starters had at least one hit. Poncho Ruiz was 0-for-2, but he had three walks. Payton Eeles was the lone batter with multiple hits. He was 2-for-4 with two walks and his first triple. Cruz’s fifth double of the season was the only other extra base hit. He had two weeks as well. Clayton was 1-for-2 with a walk and those two hit-by-pitches. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 10, FCL Red Sox 5 Box Score The FCL Twins were looking to end their week on a high note. A six-run fifth inning was enough to give them their fourth win of the season. It was a hectic first inning for the Twins. Yasser Mercedes led off the game with a walk. He stole second but was thrown out trying to steal third base. Right after that, Dameury Pena hit a double. He scored on a Daniel Pena single to put the Twins in the lead. In the third inning, Anderson Nova led off with a triple and scored on a wild pitch when Mercedes walked. He later scored on an Ariel Castro single. That tied the game at three. That’s how the score remained until the fifth inning. Dameury Pena walked and scored on a Daniel Pena double. Castro and Hendry Chivilli walked to load the bases. After a pitching change, Jayson Bass singled in a run. Ricardo Pena followed with a bases-clearing double. Two outs later, Mercedes singled home Pena with the sixth run of the inning. Mercedes added another RBI single in the seventh inning to drive in Pena with the team’s 10th run. 21-year-old Jose Olivares made a second rehab start. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. He had one strikeout. Alejandro Crisostomo came in and faced one batter to get out of that second inning. 2023 draft pick Dylan Questad came on and worked the next four innings. He gave up two runs on four hits (1 homer). He had seven strikeouts without issuing a walk. Cleiber Maldonado pitched a scoreless seventh. Mercedes did a nice job as the table setter. Batting leadoff, he went 2-for-3 with two walks. Dameury Pena was 1-for-3 with two walks. Daniel Pena went 2-for-3 in the game. Both D Pena’s, along with Ricardo Pena had a double in this game. Anderson Nova was 2-for-3 with a walk and his first triple. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Payton Eeles (Fort Myers) - 2-for-4, 2 BB, 3B(1), R, 2 RBI, K, SB(2). Pitcher of the Day – David Festa (St. Paul) - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K, 86 pitches, 53 strikes (61.6%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 3 K #6 - David Festa (St. Paul) - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K, 86 pitches, 53 strikes (61.6%) #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 1-for-3, BB, HBP, 2 R, K, SB(7) #12 – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-4, BB, R, K #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) - 0-for-4, #14 - C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 76 pitches, 47 strikes (61.8%) #15 – Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids) – 3-for-5, RBI, K, CS(2) #16 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, 2 K. #19 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, BB, 2 R #20 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Minnesota) - 4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 91 pitches, 61 strikes (67.0%) SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Toledo (1:05 PM CST) - RHP Joe Gunkel (0-3, 9.15 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (1:05 PM CST) - RHP Jarret Whorff (0-1, 3.52 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (1:05 PM CST) - LHP Christian MacLeod (0-0, 4.50 ERA) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) - LHP Cesar Lares (1-0, 1.37 ERA) FCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Saturday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

Some of the players on the list are probably gone. If someone needs to be removed, just tag me with the name and I'll get rid of it. 1. You must have an account and be logged in to vote. If you don't have an account, click here. It literally requires 60 seconds to create an account. 2. Review our current top 20 prospect list, catch up on stats, rankings, etc. (you can do so from the voting page link below) 3. Have your prospect list in your dirty little paws? Then flip on over to the new prospect voting page (after reading the rest of this, please). https://twinsdaily.com/prospect-voting 4. Voting is super simple, you drag and drop players in the order you wish them to be. After you move a prospect, the list automatically renumbers so you don't lose track of the order. This works on mobile devices but it's a *vastly* better experience on desktop. Sorry, that's just how this kind of thing works. There's no great way to make something like this be as awesome on a phone screen. 5. Each prospect has a comment section where you can add any commentary you have on that player. At the bottom of the list, there is a general comment section to explain over-arching things you wish to mention. 6. Don't see a prospect you want to put on the list? Just pop back here and give me a mention (in a comment, start typing @Brock Beauchamp or @Seth Stohs and then select the correct name when it appears). Mention the prospect you want added and I will do that asap. 7. Once you're done with all of it, click Save. You've now voted! 8. When the voting closes, a new thread will automatically generate in this forum with all of your rankings and comments for everyone to read and talk about. 9. You can only vote once. If you have voted in error, pop back here and again tag me, asking to have your vote deleted. I will remove it and you can vote again. Voting will close at end of day Wednesday, May 15!

It's fair to say that Manuel Margot needed a day like Thursday. The utility outfielder has struggled this season - no denying that - but he came up with a huge hit early in the game that set the tone for yet another Twins win against the terrific pitching staff of the Mariners. Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Pablo Lopez - 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K (100 pitches, 61 strikes (61.0%), 15 whiffs) Home Runs: Max Kepler (3), Ryan Jeffers (8) Top 3 WPA: Manuel Margot (.185), Pablo Lopez (.096), Max Kepler (0.70) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Twins Score Early… There is nothing like getting some early offense! Start the game out well. Give your pitcher some breathing room. And honestly, when you’re playing a get-away day afternoon game, it might just be more important. On Thursday, the Twins did just that. Just as important, it was nice to see some of the players who have really struggled of late contribute right away. Twins Daily's winning "Make It Official!" game recaps are sponsored by Official Fried Chicken, which you can find in center field of Target Field. With a name like "Official," we know we have to be the best in the game every day, and from your first bite, you'll know thats a promise we make good on. Edouard Julien has been in a big slump, but he led off the bottom of the first inning with a walk. He stole second. After a pop-out, Trevor Larnach lined a single to center that pushed Julien to third. Max Kepler came up and lined a single to right field that drove in Julien with the first run. Jose Miranda bled a shallow single to center that loaded the bases. Willi Castro flew out. However, Manuel Margot came up and picked up his teammate in nearly-grand style. He cleared the bases with a double to make it 4-0. Margot has been the subject of much scrutiny early this season since he has not hit or played the kind of defense I’d think the Twins expected. Coming into the game, he was hitting just .164/.240/.224 (.464) with one double and one home run in 75 plate appearances. Since April 16, he had played in 18 games, and he had a hit in just three of those games. Over that stretch, he was just 4-for-33 (.121). Whether you want to look at any of the slash-line stats, WPA, anything, it has not been good. Granted, it’s not like the slump is over. In the game, that was his only hit in four at-bats. So instead of being in a 4-for-33 slump, he’s in a 5-for-37 (.135). But he was productive and can feel good about helping the team win on Thursday. He had five RBI in the game. Carlos Santana followed with an RBI single and the Twins had a 5-0 lead. … And Often Over the past couple of seasons, the Twins have had several big innings early and then did little with the bat after that. However, in this game, they kept adding on. They scored one run in the second inning. They added two runs in the fourth and another in the fifth. They then scored two more runs in the seventh inning. Max Kepler continues to rank. He went 2-for-4 with a long home run in the seventh inning. Jose Miranda went 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored. He’s been playing well again. Clearly he’s healthy and he’s regained not only his confidence, but a little more selective eye at the plate. Carlos Santana went 2-for-4 in the game. Santana had a very nice run late in April that really sparked the Twins during the early parts of their long winning streak, but he has struggled of late. On Wednesday night, he wasn’t in the starting lineup for just the second time this season. Both times, he has entered the game late. However, in seven May games, he was just 3-for-21 coming into this game. Ryan Jeffers went 1-for-2 with a walk, was hit by a pitch and his eighth homer of the season. Pablo Day! Concerns about Pablo Lopez’s April seem to now be well on the backburner as he was fantastic again on Thursday. He had 10 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. It was his second start on Pablo Day since its recent introduction. In those two starts, he has given up two runs on nine hits in 12 1/3 innings. He has walked one and struck out 18 batters. He has always been a guy who uses his various pitches, but in this game, he really mixed it up well. Of his 100 pitches, he threw 26 four-seam fastballs, 25 changeups, 17 sweepers, 17 curveballs, and 15 sinkers. That is a pretty good way of keeping the opposition off balanced. He did so while being incredibly consistent with his release point. He had really good spin on each of his pitches which helped create a lot of movement. So, not only did he had 15 whiffs in the game, but he gave up very little hard contact. Team Defense Now this is how teammates work together on defense. What’s Next? The Twins will head to Canada and take on the Blue Jays for three games. Think anyone will show up to watch Edouard Julien? Fri 6:07 pm: RHP Joe Ryan (1-2, 3.54 ERA) vs LHP Yusei Kikuchi (2-2, 2.72 ERA) Sat 2:07 pm: RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (1-0, 1.74 ERA) vs RHP Kevin Gausman (2-3, 3.78 ERA) Sun 12:37 pm: RHP Bailey Ober (3-1, 4.42 ERA) vs RHP Alek Manoah (0-0, 13.50 ERA) The Twins will get a day off on Monday before coming back to Target Field. Postgame Interviews SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Funderburk 42 0 0 0 27 69 Jax 0 31 0 26 0 57 Jackson 35 0 17 0 0 52 Staumont 14 0 0 0 26 40 Durán 0 12 0 18 0 30 Thielbar 0 13 0 14 0 27 Okert 0 0 19 0 0 19 Sands 0 0 13 0 0 13 View full article

Twins celebrated Mental Health Awareness Day throughout organization, and they won a lot of baseball games too. Two of the Twins affiliates won on walkoffs. and DaShawn Keirsey just keeps raking. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Bigger than Baseball The Twins, and many other organizations in sports and other walks of life, have done a really great job in recent years of opening up opportunities for conversations on Mental Health. On Wednesday, Twins players from the big leagues down to the Dominican Summery League wore "Powered by Mental Health" shirts. I have to think that it is such an important conversation, for everyone, but even for athletes. The pressure can get very high. Expectations can weigh very heavily. Fans and social media certainly aren't always a beacon of positivity. And the game itself is so often about failure. Very few players at any level get on base in more than 40% of their plate appearances. It can feel like a game of failure. Whatever the reasons, the individual stories and backgrounds, ending the stigma of mental health and simply being more and more aware of it, and how it may manifest itself in people differently. As an aside, I personally was struggling with major anxiety going back to 2018-2020. Finally on New Years Eve of 2020, I made an appointment to address it. It took awhile to adjust medication amounts and such, but things have improved tremendously. There are still tough days. The mind races from time to time. I can't even finish a thought in my head when I think about what could have or would have happened had I not addressed the issue almost three-and-a-half years ago. Maybe someday I'll write a lot more about my personal mental health journey. Not today. My only purpose in adding this paragraph is just to let people know that a ton of people suffer from various forms of mental health. Most of them are really, really good at hiding what they're really going for. But know that it is important to accept and address. If the Twins having a special day where they talk about it, or if me typing this paragraph can help anyone, it is completely worthwhile. OK, to baseball! CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 21-15 St. Paul Saints: 14-19 Wichita Wind Surge: 11-17 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 16-12 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 11-18 FCL Twins: 2-1 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins optioned RHP Jorge Alcala and recalled RHP Josh Staumont. The Kernels finally placed OF Gabriel Gonzalez on the 7-Day IL on Wednesday, eight days after he left a game in the bottom of the first inning with back spasms. LHP Rafael Marcano, a minor-league Rule 5 pick in December, is being transferred from Wichita to Cedar Rapids. In addition, the Twins signed RHP Aaron Carranza and assigned him to the DSL Twins. Earlier, the Twins had released RHPs Reynel Garcia and Leonardo Lugo and outfielder Angel Trinidad from the DSL Twins roster. Twins Sign Two Stones with One Pen? Finally, earlier this week, the Twins signed RHP Mitch Stone to a minor-league contract and assigned him to the FCL. He is a 23-year-old who played college at El Paso CC and Grayson College in Texas. He’s been working with Lincoln of the independent American Association. But then a day later, the Twins left LHP Mitchell Stone to a minor-league contract and assigned him to the FCL Twins. Duplication? A Correction? Data entry error? No. These are two separate people. Mitchell Stone is a 6-9 left-handed pitcher who spent his college years at Oklahoma State where, at times, he was a weekend starter. He will turn 26 later this month. Twins Sign Electric Eeles Earlier this week, the Twins signed Payton Eeles out of the independent leagues. The second baseman had a terrific four years at Division II Cedarville University, he went to Coastal Carolina and was their leader, their instigator. Eeles stands just 5-7, but he has been an offensive instigator wherever he has played. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 11, Toledo 6 Box Score The Saints jumped out to an early lead and added on late. St. Paul plated five runs in the second inning. A Yoyner Fajardo single put the team on the scoreboard as he drove in Chris Williams. DaShawn Keirsey followed with a two-run triple. Two batters later, Matt Wallner tripled to drive in Keirsey and Anthony Prato and make it 5-0. They added a sixth run in the third inning when Yunior Severino scored on a Diego Castillo season. Old Friend Akil Baddoo singled in Parker Meadows to put the Mudhens on the scoreboard. Then an RBI single from Keston Hiura was followed by a two-run single by Justice Bigby to make it 6-4. That’s when the Saints offense started to add on. In the seventh inning, Alex Isola hit a solo home run. In the eighth frame, Wallner drove in Keirsey with a single. Prato scored on a wild pitch, and then Wallner and Michael Helman scored on an Isola single to make it 11-4. Caleb Boushley was solid again. He gave up one run on five hits over five innings. He had three strikeouts with no free passes. He improved to 4-1 on the season. Josh Winder made his first Saints rehab appearance. In 1 2/3 innings, he gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits, a walk,and a hit batter. Ryan Jensen came on and gave up one run on two hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings. Ronny Henriquez came on for the ninth and gave up one run on two hits. Chris Williams went 3-for-4 with a walk and his fifth double. Matt Wallner was 3-for-6 with a triple and three RBI. After hitting two homers on Tuesday night, DaShawn Keirsey went 2-for-5 with a walk, his eighth double, and his fourth triple. He also stole his ninth base. Alex Isola went 2-for-5 with a walk, his third home run, and three RBI. Anthony Prato was 2-for-4, with a walk and his sixth double. He was hit by a pitch. Diego Castillo went 2-for-5 and stole his fourth bag. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Arkansas 4 Box Score Down 4-3 going to the bottom of the ninth, Andrew Cossetti and Aaron Sabato started the inning with singles. Alerick Soularie pinch ran for Cossetti. Carson McCusker walked to load the bases. Ben Ross came up and dribbled a ball back to the pitch. He fielded it and threw home, but the ball clanked off of the catcher’s mitt and got away. Soularie scored, and Sabato scurried around third and scored the winning run on the same play. Not as pretty as a walkoff single, or a walkoff grand slam, but a win is a win. Pierson Ohl started for the Surge and went the first five innings. He gave up two runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out three batters. A.J. Alexy struck out two batters in a scoreless sixth frame. Nick Wittgren came in and was charged with two runs (1 earned) on four hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. Both runs scored after he left. Miguel Rodriguez gave up one hit and both runs scored. However, Rodriguez got the final out of the eighth and then worked a perfect ninth inning. Jeferson Morales went 3-for-4 with an RBI. He notched his fourth and fifth doubles of the season. Jorel Ortega was 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base. After homering three times the night before, Carson McCusker walked twice and stole a bag. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, South Bend 7 Box Score The Kernels fell behind early and their comeback attempt came up just short. Cedar Rapids actually took the first lead of the game as quickly as possible. Luke Keaschall led off the game with his third home run of the season. However, South Bend responded in the bottom of the first when Felix Stevens hit a grand slam to put the team up 4-1. However, in the top of the third inning, Keoni Cavaco hit his third homer of the year, a solo shot that made the deficit two. Then the Cubs scored two more in the bottom of the third to make their lead 6-2. Miguelangel Boadas started for Cedar Rapids. He was charged with six runs on four hits and two walks. He walked two and hit three batters, and struck out three batters. The bullpen kept the Kernels in the game the rest of the way. Jacob Wosinski gave up one run on two hits over 2 2/3 innings. Gabriel Yanez gave up one hit (which allowed Wosinski’s runner to score) but nothing else over 1 1/3 innings. Kyle Bischoff struck out two batters in the eighth inning. In the top of the fourth, the Kernels loaded the bases. Willie Joe Garry grounded out to second, but all three runners moved up. Next, Cavaco grounded out to third base but that drove in a second run of the inning. The deficit was back down to two. Down 7-4 going to the ninth, the Kernels didn’t give up. Willie Joe Garry hit his second homer of the season, and later Danny De Andrade singled to score Cavaco and cut the deficit to one run, but a base running error ended the threat and the game. Cavaco went 2-for-4 with his fourth double and third home run. He scored and drove in two runs. Rubel Cespedes was 2-for-4 with a walk. Former Gophers outfielder Brett Bateman did not play. In 24 games for South Bend, the 22-year-old is hitting .361/.495/.465 (.961) with seven doubles, a triple, and nine stolen bases. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Dunedin 4 (11 innings) Box Score There was a second walkoff in the organization on Wednesday night. The game was tied at four after nine innings. Neither team scored in the 10th inning, and the Blue Jays went scoreless in the 11th. Maddux Houghton started the 11th inning as the Manfred Man on second base. Rafael Cruz was hit by a pitch, and then Omari Daniel had a bunt single down the first base line. With the bases loaded, Byron Chourio flew out to center field, deep enough to score Houghton from third base with the winning run. Charlee Soto was on the mound to start this game. The youngster gave up two runs on just one hit over 3 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out four batters. Soto left the game with two outs in the fourth inning with two runners on base, and both runners came around to score after Jack Nobel came on in relief. He allowed both inherited runners to score and a third run that inning. Samuel Perez came in and tossed two scoreless innings. Julio Bonilla gave up one run on three hits and two walks over his two innings. Xander Hamilton came on for extra innings, and did a great job to work out of those situations. Two innings, no runs, no hits. He had one walk and three strikeouts. Rayne Doncon went 2-for-4 with a walk, his ninth double, and three RBI. Payton Eeles went 2-for-4 with his first double. He was also hit by a pitch. Houghton was 2-for-5. Along with the game-winning sacrifice fly, Chourio hit his fourth triple and drove in another run. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Keoni Cavaco (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2B(4), HR(3), 2 R, 2 RBI, SB(5). Pitcher of the Day – Xander Hamilton (Fort Myers) - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 2 K, OF Assist #9 - Charlee Soto (Fort Myers) - 3.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 4 B, 4 K, WP, 68 pitches, 37 strikes (54.4%) #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, BB, 2B(8), K #11 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, CS(1), #12 – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-5, HR(3), R, RBI, K #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) - 1-for-4, K #15 – Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, BB, RBI, #16 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 0-for-5, BB, R, 5 K. THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Toledo (5:35 PM CST) - RHP Louie Varland (1-0, 0.75 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Zebby Matthews (first AA start) Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Andrew Morris (1-1, 2.81 ERA) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Paulshawn Pasqualotto (0-2, 3.57 ERA) FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

Yes, the blackout rules would be the issue there... I don't watch must baseball beyond the Twins, so this option hasn't ever made sense for me.

I admit... I did the same... I scrolled down a few times, thinking maybe it had jumped or something....

That, or he will need to remind himself that he doesn't need to attack too much differently and that his stuff with his current location is really really good. I think a lot of times, pitchers move up and start to over think, and think that they need to change and adapt to the new level. And, of course there will need to be adjustments, that's part of baseball. But he needs to stay true to knowing that his pitches along with the command will work.

Injuries and Opportunities are sometimes the difference between being able to say "I'm a big leaguer" versus "I reached AAA." Unfortunately for Helman, he's been the one injured when there have been opportunities. He missed most of the 2023 season with a couple of different injuries. This year, I can't help but wonder if he would have been called up to take Correa spot on the roster (instead of Jair Camargo) if he hadn't been hurt that same day. (It would have made more sense from a roster-building standpoint)

Today we conclude our series of April minor league awards by recognizing the top relief pitchers in the Twins minor leagues during the month. Image courtesy of David Malamut (@MWLArchives on X) Being a minor league relief pitcher can be a very difficult job. Often, the role is different from day to day. At the same time, most relievers only pitch twice per week, so it can be hard to get into a routine. One day, a reliever could be used to get three outs in the ninth. Two days later, he could be asked to go 2 1/3 innings after a starter only got four outs in the game. Three days later, they could work the sixth and seventh innings. There isn't always a ton of glory for relief pitchers, and their names only get referenced when they have a bad outing. That's why it is important to recognize when relievers have a strong extended run of success. Today we celebrate the top relievers in the Twins organization during the season's first month. To begin, let's take a look at a couple of honorable mentions. RHP Diego Castillo - St. Paul Saints - 9 G, 2.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 9.0 IP, 4 H, 6 BB, 9 K LHP Kade Bragg - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels - 6 G, 1.08 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 9 K Top Five Relief Pitchers for April 2024 #5. RHP Jacob Wosinski - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 6 G, 4.91 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 11 H, 4 BB, 11 K A quick look at his numbers for the month of April, and you have to be wondering why I included him in this ranking. In all honesty, he is on this list because he is a good illustration of the volatility of this list. One bad outing can alter the perception of how the pitcher did. Through his first five outings, Wosinski had pitched in 10 1/3 innings and had not allowed an earned run. In fact, he had given up just six hits and three walks. There is a decent chance that he could have been #1 on this list with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. However, he came into an extra-inning game last weekend. He got two outs but was charged with seven runs (6 earned) on five hits and a walk. He gave up a double, a triple, and two, three-run homers. After going undrafted out of Oakland (MI) University, Wosinski headed to the USPBL. In May of 2023, he signed with the Twins and spent the summer in Fort Myers. The 25-year-old skipped Low-A and jumped to the Kernels to start this season. At 6-8, Wosinski has a really good fastball and a sharp slider. #4. RHP Nolan Santos - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels - 7 G, 1.64 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 11 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 15 K Nolan Santos was the Twins seventh-round draft pick in 2023 out of Bethune-Cookman University. As a junior, he made 16 starts. In 97 1/3 innings, he had 138 strikeouts and just 35 walks. He had another 21 strikeouts (to just four walks) in 20 innings in the MLB Draft League. After signing last year, he pitched in two games in the FCL before finishing the season with three games with the Mighty Mussels. That is where he began this 2023 season. In this first month, he was often used to come into a tough spot during the middle of an inning, get out of it, and then work another inning or so. With his past as a starter, Santos throws as many as five pitches. He throws a four-seam fastball, a changeup, a slow curveball, and then a cutter and slider. The four-seam fastball is currently thrown between 91 and 94 mph and gets a few inches of ride in on a right-handed batter.. The cutter and slider are both between 85 and 88 mph. There isn’t a lot of differentiation between those pitches at this point. When it is good, his changeup is in the low-to-mid 80s and often gets good fade. Then he throws his curveball anywhere from 70 to 77 mph. He often throws his curveball from a higher release point than his other pitchers. It is basically a 12-6 curveball, or maybe like 11:15-5:15, if you like. 3. RHP Scott Blewett - St. Paul Saints - 11 G, 0.69 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 13.0 IP, 11 H, 3 BB, 18 K Each team signs a bunch of minor-league free agents each offseason to provide organizational depth at positions of need. The Twins are no exception. The Twins actually signed far fewer minor-league free agents than normal, focusing on relief pitchers. Most we hear about, but the first signal that the Twins had signed the 28-year-old was when he was jogging into one of the early spring training games. Blewett spent parts of the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the Kansas City Royals. He was in the White Sox organization in 2022. Last year, he began the season in the Braves system before joining Uni-President in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Blewett has been quite reliable out of the Saints bullpen during the seasons’ first month. He is working one or two innings at a time. He’s limiting runs, and the 18 to 3 strikeout to walk ratio has played a big part of it. The Twins have an incredibly deep bullpen this season. There are several pitchers in the Saints ‘pen that could be up with the Twins but there isn’t room. While Blewett is down the list a bit in terms of a potential promotion, he has certainly seen his name be added to the list of those to be considered. 2. John Stankiewicz - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge - 7 G, 1.54 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 11.2 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 11 K Stankiewicz has seen his name in the Twins Daily monthly reliever awards articles frequently since signing with the Twins as a free agent after the Covid-shortened, five-round 2020 draft. Between 2019 and 2020 at Fordham, he had 123 strikeouts and just 26 walks over 113 innings. He spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as a starter before transitioning to the bullpen before the 2023 season. Last year in Cedar Rapids, he went 7-1 with a 3.11 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. In 66 2/3 innings, he walked 15 and struck out 66 batters. He was a vital part at the backend of the Midwest League champion Kernels’ bullpen. He began the 2024 season in Cedar Rapids, but after just one appearance, he moved up to Wichita where he has continued to pitch well. He’s been used late in games, and he’s been used for multiple innings. 1. RHP Ricardo Velez - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 8 G, 1.80 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 10.0 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 12 K Ricardo Velez grew up in Lajas, Puerto Rico. For college, he headed to the States and played in Chickasha, Oklahoma, at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. It isn’t exactly a baseball hotbed, but Velez thrived in his time there. He was a reliever his first three seasons at the NAIA school. However, before his 2021 senior season, injuries gave him a chance to join the Drovers rotation. He went 8-3 with a 2.38 ERA. He had 128 strikeouts in 79 1/3 innings. He even recorded a 15-strikeout, no-hitter that season. As you would expect, Velez went undrafted. However, he got an opportunity to play for the Eastside Diamond Hoppers in the United Shores Professional Baseball League. In mid-July of 2021, the Twins signed Velez to a minor-league contract. He signed the same day as fellow Kernels reliever Jordan Carr. He spent that summer and the 2022 season in the FCL. Last year, he pitched in 19 games for Fort Myers. He went 4-1 with a 3.81 ERA. In 28 1/3 innings, he had 12 walks and 36 strikeouts. He has also competed in the Puerto Rico Winter League each offseason as well as the Caribbean Series. This offseason for Caguas, he went 5-0 with a 1.52 ERA in 23 2/3 innings. Maybe that has helped him get off to a fast start this season. Already 25 years old, the Twins can afford to be patient with him and let him continue to develop. That said, if he’s putting up numbers, there’s no reason to slow-play him either. So far with the Kernels, he has been very good. Earlier in the season, he was working in the seventh and eighth innings, in a setup role. However, over the past two weeks, he has pitched in five games. He is 4-for-4 in save opportunities. In his fifth outing, he struck out three batters over two perfect innings. (He also recorded the Save for Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, May 1st, which isn't included in his April stats, of course.) Co-Pitching Coach Jonas Lovin said, "The biggest reason we trust Ricardo late in games is because he's done it. He's pitched in big games, in front of big crowds in Winter Ball and the Caribbean Series. No moment seems too big for him." Along with good stuff, including a mid-90s four-seam fastball, he has become a strike-throwing machine. Of 124 pitches this month, 68.5% of them have been strikes. He had just one walk to go with 12 strikeouts. Opponents hit just .171/.216/257 (.473) off of him in April. Velez also throws a sinker, a cutter, a sweeper and a change-up. The cutter and the sweeper are improving but still a work in progress. Congratulations to Ricardo Velez, the Twins Daily choice for Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month. Feel free to discuss Velez and the others in the comments below. View full article

This isn't a prospect ranking though... it's about April... E-Rod (someone slap me if I ever use "Emma" for him) probably would have won this "award" if he wouldn't have missed the final 5-6 games of the month.

This Rally Sausage thing is already annoying... but that Ryan Jeffers "quote" is pretty hilarious!

Hey @Theo Tollefson, where's Zebby??