Seth Stohs

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

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

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??

10-game winning streak and we're taling about getting rid of guys, eh? Jackson could be this year's Jharel Cotton because of the guaranteed contract. He could likely be sent down, clear waivers and get outrighted several times throughout the season as needed. Margot's fine in the corners. Can hit lefties. But yeah, he's susceptible if there are roster crunches.

No-hitters are pretty cool. In the minor leagues, even near no-hitters can get some players' names on the watch lists of prospect fans. Tonight's name to know is Cesar Lares. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Cesar Lares) The Mighty Mussels have completed a couple of no-hitters in recent years. On Wednesday night, lefty Cesar Lares and gave them another shot, but they had to settle for a one-hitter. St. Paul and Wichita made big comebacks and held on for wins. Cedar Rapids got an early homer and held on thanks to some strong pitching CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 17-13 St. Paul Saints: 11-16 Wichita Wind Surge: 8-15 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 11-11 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 8-12 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS On Wednesday morning, the Twins announced that they had purchased the contract of Caleb Boushley from the Saints. To make room for Boushley on the active roster, LHP Kody Funderburk was optioned to St. Paul. St. Paul also placed catcher Jair Camargo on the 7-Day IL with a right forearm strain. Chris Williams, who was placed on the development list on Tuesday, was activated on Wednesday. Saints infielder Tanner Morris decided to retire. The Kernels placed RHP C.J. Culpepper on the temporarily inactive list. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 8, Nashville 5 Box Score The Saints used a big-inning to take the mid-innings lead and the bullpen came through with six straight scoreless innings to end the game. Joe Gunkel got the start for St. Paul. He gave up five runs (4 earned) on seven hits (2 homers) and a walk. Down 5-0 already, and with two runners on base, Jordan Balazovic came into the game. He got out of that third inning and threw a scoreless fourth inning too. Austin Schulfer gave up two hits and walked two batters, but he also struck out two hitters over two scoreless innings. Ryan Jenson walked two and struck out two batters over two scoreless innings. Diego Castillo struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to record his second save since joining the Saints. Down 5-0 going into the bottom of the fourth inning, the Saints put together a huge inning. It all began with two outs. Anthony Prato was hit by a pitch. Diego A. Castillo walked. Prato scored on a DaShawn Keirsey single. Austin Martin followed with an RBI ground-rule double. A fielding error allowed Keirsey and Martin to score. The Saints were still down 5-4. Michael Helman came to the plate and launched a two-run home run that gave the Saints a 6-5 lead. With one out in the seventh inning, Yunior Severino singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He moved up to third base on a ground out. Chris Williams and Prato worked out walks to load the bases. Then Diego Castillo walked which scored the team’s seventh run. After a pitching change, a Keirsey walk scored Williams with the eighth run. Martin had two doubles in five at-bats. Helman was 2-for-4 with a walk and his third home run. Severino went 2-for-4 with a walk. Castillo walked three times. For Louisville, right-hander Casey Legumina worked 2 1/3 innings of no-run, no-hit ball. He walked two and struck out two batters. Legumina was traded to the Reds in the Kyle Farmer deal. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Northwest Arkansas 5 Box Score Let’s start with the good news of the day. Emmanuel Rodriguez was back in the lineup, leading off and playing center field. He went 1-for-5 with two RBI. The Wind Surge fell behind 5-0 after four innings thanks to some poor defense. Pierson Ohl made the start and went the first six innings. He was charged with five runs, though just one run was earned. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out four batters. Always a strike thrower, 61 of Ohl’s 81 pitchers were strikes, 75.3%. In the top of the fifth inning, the Wind Surge started their slow and gradual comeback. Carson McCusker doubles and scored on a Jake Rucker triple. Rucker scored on a ground out by Rodriguez. Down 5-2 in the seventh inning, Rodriguez came to the plate with runners on first and second. He hit a ground-rule double that scored Jeferson Morales. Tanner Schobel walked to load the bases, and Noah Cardenas walked to score Rucker and make the score 5-4. Nick Wittgren struck out two batters in a scoreless seventh inning. With two on and two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Jake Rucker doubled to drive in Alerick Soularie and Carson McCusker and give the Surge their first lead of the game. Miguel Rodriguez came on in the eight to protect a 6-5 lead. He pitched two perfect innings with one strikeout to record his first save of the season. Morales went 2-for-3. Rucker went 2-for-3 with a walk, his fifth double and his first triple. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 1 Box Score The Kernels have been getting some good pitching of late. Brooklyn Park’s John Klein made the start on Wednesday against Peoria. He gave up one run on four hits and a walk over five innings. He had five strikeouts. He was a strike-throwing machine. 54 of his 76 pitches were strikes, an impressive 71%. Jordan Carr came on and tossed a scoreless inning. Kyle Bischoff gave up one hit over two scoreless innings. With a 2-1 lead, the Kernels turned to Ricardo Velez and he came through. He struck out two batters in a perfect ninth to record his fifth save. It’s a good thing that the pitching was so strong because the offense really wasn’t. In fact, the Kernels took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Following a leadoff walk by Agustin Ruiz, Keoni Cavaco drilled his second home run of the season. The only other hit that the Kernels had in this game was a fifth-inning double by Luke Keaschall . The 2023 second-round pick was also hit by a pitch and stole his 10th bag. Gabriel Gonzalez, who left Tuesday night’s game with back spasms, did not play in this game, though had it gone longer, he was going to enter the game as DH. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Bradenton 0 Box Score Fort Myers likes throwing no-hitters. Over the past couple of years, they have thrown a couple of combined no hitters. Wednesday was nearly another no-no for the Mussels. Lefty Cesar Lares started and tossed six scoreless, no-hit innings. He had no walks and struck out two batters. There was a second-inning error that allowed a baserunner, but he was quickly retired on a double play ball. He did hit one batter in the bottom of the fourth inning, but Lares proceeded to pick him off of first. In his six innings of work, just one ball even left the infield, a line out to left field. He got groundouts and infield pop ups in a dominating outing. Danny Moreno came in for the seventh inning. After a fly out to right field, Moreno committed a fielding error. After a strikeout, he hit a batter. But he got another ground out to end the inning. Shutout and no-hitter still intact. Moreno came back out for the eighth inning and was throwing gas, sitting 94-95 mph. He struck out the first two batters of the inning. However, with two outs, Javier Rivas lined a single to center to end the no-hit bid. Julio Bonillo came on and got a groundout to end that inning. He got a grounder and two strikeouts in the ninth to secure the first Win of the season for Cesar Lares. It was his third Save of the year, and he’s only been with the Mussels for two weeks. The game was always close, so there was always no-hit drama, but also maintain-a-small-lead drama too. In the top of the third inning, Brandon Winokur singled to center that scored Omari Daniel (who reached on a ground-rule double) with the game’s first run. Fast-forward to the top of the sixth inning, and with one out, Jose Rodriguez lined a homer over the wall in left field. It was his third home run of the season and gave the team a 2-0 lead. Eight out of nine Mussels had at least one hit in the game. Poncho Ruiz went 2-for-3 with a walk and his fourth double. A rehabbing Aaron Sabato went 1-for-3 with two walks. They certainly had more opportunities to expand the lead, but they went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base. On the other side, the Marauders went 0-for-1 with a runner in scoring position and left just three runners on base in the game. Lares, a 20-year-old from Venezuela has been really good of late. In his previous start, he gave up zero earned runs over five innings. In the start before that, he tossed four innings of one-hit ball. In 19 2/3 total innings, opponents are hitting just .174 off of him. The Twins signed him in May of 2022. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Jake Rucker (Wichita) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B(5), 3B(1), 2 R, 3 RBI, SB(5). Pitcher of the Day – Cesar Lares (Fort Myers) - 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, HB, 69 strikes, 41 pitches (59.4%). 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) - 1-for-5, 2B(7), 2 RBI #7 – Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 2-2B(2), R, RBI, 2 K. #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 1-for-5, RBI, 2 K #11 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-for-4, BB, 3 K. #12 – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-3, HBP, 2B(6), SB(10). #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 2 K. #15 – Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-3, BB #16 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 2-for-4, BB, R, 2 RBI, 2 K #19 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-2, 2 BB, K. WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Rochester @ St. Paul (2:07 PM CST) - TBD Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CST) - RHP A.J. Alexy (1-1, 4.40 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Miguelangel Boadas (1-2, 5.14 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM CST) - RHP Charlee Soto (0-1, 2.08 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

In Major League Baseball history, there have been over 260 father/son combinations who both played in the big leagues. Multiply that number by three or four, and you get the number of fathers or sons who couldn't quite make The Show, the way their family member did. Arguably more than any other sport, baseball is generational; it’s intertwined with the family. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily Twins infield prospect José Salas comes from a baseball family. To this point, they have yet to make it to the big leagues, but that could change in the next couple of years. Even if it doesn’t, it doesn’t make this less of a baseball family. He signed with the Marlins as a 16-year-old in 2019. Let’s start with his grandpa. José Gregorio Salas played in the Royals and Astros organizations from 1970 through the 1973 season, which he spent at Double-A. He was primarily a catcher, but also played quite a bit of third base. The Twins' Salas is the eldest son of José Antonio Salas, who played in the Atlanta Braves organization from 1999 to 2004. He continued to play in various independent leagues around the country through 2008. He even made a brief comeback in the Atlantic League in 2013, when he was just 31. José’s uncle spent three seasons in the Blue Jays organization (2002-04), before playing some independent ball. His name, according to his nephew: “His name is José, too.” (José Gregorio Salas, Jr.) The current generation of Salas boys are all intriguing baseball prospects in their own right. José was a highly-touted international prospect in 2019. Just last week, he turned 21 years old. His brother Ethan Salas was the top international prospect in the January 2023 class. He signed with the San Diego Padres. In his first season, he played 48 games for Lake Elsinore, the Padres Low-A affiliate. He then played nine games with Ft. Wayne, their High-A Midwest League affiliate. He ended the season with nine games with Double-A San Antonio. Yes, Double-A ball at 17, more than seven years younger than the league’s average. He began this season as a consensus Top-10 prospect in baseball and returned to High-A Ft. Wayne. The youngest Salas brother is Andrew Salas. He will be eligible to sign on January 15, 2025. However, our friends at Fish on First tell us that the Miami Marlins are the favorites to sign the third baseman/outfielder. The Salas brothers were born in Kissimmee, Florida, and grew up in Orlando. Recently, the Kernels infielder looked back at his earliest baseball memories, including “being able to play, and watching my dad play, and watching a lot of my family members play, and my uncle and my grandpa. “At a really young age, (I) just kind of fell in love with that aspect of the game, being in the clubhouse, being able to have connections with these other guys and have fun with these guys," Salas continued. "It started at a really young age for me. It started with tee-ball in Orlando and then moved up to travel ball.” That’s when he started to think about eventually joining the family business, such as it is. “(Travel ball is) where I met one of my coaches that forever will be one of the main reasons I started playing," he said. "Ray Garcia. Really good friends with me and my dad. He’s basically my second dad. I have so many mentors in my life that I really do appreciate, and he’s one of them. There are so many more to count that have been there since I was a little kid, making sure I was following the right steps and playing the game the right way.” The boys traveled all over to watch their dad and uncle play, but as they got older, they supported each other by going to each other’s games and being each other’s biggest fans. One friend and teammate of theirs is a name that Twins fans are just getting to know: Charlee Soto. “We are from the same town. I got to watch him play. He is about the same age as my middle brother," Salas explained. "They grew up together. They played together on the same team. And I got to see him grow up and become who he is now. It’s crazy how much he’s grown and what he’s going to do in the game. “It leaves me speechless to see how much he’s grown. Same thing as my brother, how much he’s grown since they were little kids. You see pictures of them playing travel ball, and then you see them now. They’re bigger than me. It’s crazy how time flies, especially in the game of baseball.” While the baseball bloodline may focus most attention on the men in the family, José Salas knows who ran the show and deserves most of the credit for how the boys have grown up. “I’m a momma’s boy,” Salas said, with a big smile. “I love my dad too, and everything he’s done for me, but at the time, while he was playing and not home, it was just my mom. She pretty much held the fort down for me and the family. She has done nothing but provide for me and my brothers. I don’t think we’d be here without her.” She woke him up. She had breakfast ready. She got the boys to their baseball games and practices on time. “She’s done so much for us, especially when we were little kids, making sure we were able to go and play.” Salas’s mom is from Puerto Rico, a fact that José is very proud of. “A lot of people don’t know that I’m half-Puerto Rican. A lot know that I’m from Venezuela. That is half of me. I am half-Venezuelan. I love that side. I love Venezuela and what Venezuela has done for me as a person and as a ballplayer. I want to do the same for Puerto Rico. A lot of people don’t know that I’m Puerto Rican, and I want to express that side of me and express that side of my family as much as I can.” The Salas family moved back to Caracas, Venezuela, when José was about 13 years old. Before and even since then, he would go there for a couple of months, maybe a year, and then go back and forth. Salas isn’t just a baseball player. He loves baseball. “I’m one of those guys that doesn’t ever get tired of watching baseball. I love watching baseball. Ever since I was little, it was always my dad and people in my life who have helped me, they’ve always been role models.” One of his favorite players was Yankees Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter. “I remember liking Jeter. My mom really loves Jeter.” You may recall that Jeter was the Chief Executive Officer, under principal owner Bruce Sherman, who bought the Marlins franchise from Jeffrey Loria in 2017. Before the 2022 season, Jeter gave up his Marlins’ ownership stake and stepped down as the team’s CEO. “I got to meet him when he was there,” Salas said with a big smile. The interviewer notes the obvious, “That has to be pretty cool, right?” Salas said, “The coolest! We had a couple of good conversations when I got signed in 2019. It’s pretty crazy when (one of) your team's owners is Derek Jeter, especially your hometown team. You see him, and you glow. I imagine it’s like seeing Michael Jordan for big basketball fans.” Salas signed in 2019, but didn’t make his official professional debut until 2021. He split that season between the FCL and Low-A Jupiter. He began 2022 with Jupiter, before ending the season at High-A Beloit. He then participated in the Arizona Fall League after the season. Then, on Jan. 20, 2023, the long-rumored trade sent Luis Arráez to the Marlins in exchange for right-hander Pablo Lápez. In addition, the Twins received Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio. Salas was surprised by the trade and left with several questions. “The trade was very shocking for me. I know in baseball, you hear of trades and stuff going on. You never know if it’s going to happen to you, and then it does. Whoa! What happens now? Where do I go? Who do I talk to?” Half the equation of being traded is leaving the only organization you’ve been a part of. “The relationships that you have with the past team, especially your first team. It’s something you can’t really wrap your head around when you get the call, and that’s pretty much what happened to me," Salas said. "I just couldn’t really wrap my head around it. What’s going on right now? You never really think it could be me out of all people.” The other side is a new organization, with people who see something in you and like your potential. “At the same time, it’s a blessing. You have to think about the good stuff, not the bad stuff. Being traded for a superstar like Luis Arráez, a two-time batting champ with a couple of All-Star games under his belt, is crazy. And the caliber of Pablo, and being with him. Just my name being in there is pretty crazy.” In joining a new organization, there are certain things he wants to do. "I am trying to get comfortable as a team and finding my old ways. That’s what I’m doing right now, trying to go back to what worked for me in the past. I know last year wasn’t a good year for me, but I’m putting in the effort to go back to the old me. I know who I am, who I’ve been, and what I can become. Every day is a process. I'm getting comfortable with these guys. Go out there and have fun, like in past seasons. Focus on winning. That’s pretty much the goal for this year and other years. Being able to help any club that I’m on. Being able to put a jersey on and give my 100%." In 2022, Salas was 19 and played in 48 games in the Midwest League, hitting .230/.319/. 340 (.660). The Twins decided to send Salas back to the Midwest League, where he was still nearly 2 1/2 years younger than the league average. In 93 games, he hit .190/.265/.272 (.537) with 13 doubles and four home runs. Indeed, it wasn’t the numbers he hoped for, and it was not the first impression he wanted to give the new organization. “This game is really mental," Salas said, by way of reflection. "A lot of people think it’s physical, and the physical part is important. In my case, I have the physical part. I need to lock it in mentally and make the adjustments mentally. And if I make the adjustments mentally, I know the physical side will be good.” It was a time when he leaned on his family and his support group. "I talk with my brothers almost every day just to see how they are. They do the same with me. They check up on me to see how I’m doing. We lift each other up. In baseball, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows, but we’ll always be there for each other. At the same time, we’ll hold each other accountable. At the end of the day, bring each other up. That’s what we’ve been taught since we were little kids. I feel that’s the best way to go. Especially in baseball where there are so many highs and lows." Kernels manager Brian Dinkelman discussed that if he had come into pro baseball through the college path, he would just be entering his junior season and could be drafted this upcoming summer. Players drafted after their junior years in 2023 are already 22 or 23. The struggles need proper context. Dinkelman said, “You’ve got to have a short memory in baseball. Hopefully, those guys can turn around this year and forget about last season, keep working, get better, and learn from what happened last year. Hopefully, these guys can build off their early start and continue it throughout the year.” Salas said he returned to Venezuela this past offseason and went back to work. He believes playing winter ball helped him a lot. “This offseason was about backtracking on stuff that I can improve on. Winter ball really helped with that. I went to Venezuela this year and played for Aguilas del Zulia. I was out there for a month and a half. I got to feel how I wanted to feel and know I’ve felt in the past. That helped me a lot. To go out there and have fun and really let loose in that league. The league is so good. Be comfortable. Know who I am as a hitter and as a fielder. And make little adjustments throughout the way.” And no surprise, but he also spent his downtime with his favorite people during the offseason. “I’m a real family-oriented person. I love spending time with my family, girlfriend, mom and dad, brothers and grandparents.” They understand that baseball is in his heart and in his blood, but they also understand the value of being able to step away from the game to clear one's mind and rest one's body. “They really help me by taking me away from the game. When I do miss the game, I’m back at it. It makes the game more exciting when you step away from it and then go back to it. You need that.” He continued with some excellent advice for ballplayers. “A lot of people don’t know. Baseball will stop you from living. One piece of advice I have is ‘Live’. Don’t let the game stop you from living. Enjoy the game because it’s not there forever. That’s what I go by. Have fun. When you’re having fun, you’re having fun. When you’re on the field, you're on the field. Whatever happens at the field, leave it at the field. Work on things the next day.” On Tuesday night, the Kernels will begin a six-game home series against Peoria. The Kernels are 10-10 so far this year. Salas has made five starts at third base, four starts at shortstop, three starts at second base, and two games as the team’s DH. Coming into this week's series in Cedar Rapids, Salas has had at least one hit in 11 of his 14 starts. He is hitting .245/.302/.265 (.567) with a double. He has four steals in five attempts. Seth’s Scouting Report Disclaimer: I am not a scout. I have never taken a course on scouting. I have watched a ton of baseball, and over the last dozen years, I have watched several games each year in person and many more online especially over the course of the past few years as more and more games are on milb dot tv. So, note that these are simply my notes and my opinions based on limited in-person, some online viewing, and obviously some conversations. Jose Salas looks the part of a middle infielder or utility infielder. He’s just over six feet tall and around 180 pounds. Defensively, he looks smooth, especially on the left side of the infield. He has a good, strong arm, undoubtedly strong enough to remain on the left side. While not a burner, he does have good instincts in the infield. He certainly looks more natural at shortstop, which you would expect. On offense is where he has struggled the last couple of seasons. However, from when I have seen him play, he has a decent idea of what he is doing at the plate. In his good years, his Isolated Discipline was above 0.080 or so. That number has been closer to 0.040 in the last couple of seasons. That means fewer walks, and pitchers aren’t as worried about throwing strikes when he has struggled. It may sound strange, but I think his left-handed swing is really smooth. The stance is balanced. The swing is relatively quick. Sure, there is some swing-and-miss, particularly on good offspeed stuff. While we may not want to come up with excuses, we need to remember that he is much younger than the pitchers. The college pitchers are 22 to 24 years old and have three years of college ball and some pro time. Approximately 90% of his plate appearances this year have been against pitchers older than him. In 2023, just nine of his 382 plate appearances came against pitchers younger than him. He has the potential to develop into a 10 to 15-homer guy as he gains strength and confidence. He can (maybe should) be a line-drive, gap-to-gap hitter who can occasionally turn on a ball and crush it. I don’t think there is enough sample of him as a right-handed batter. He hasn’t hit much against southpaws, so I wouldn’t suggest giving it up, but that could be considered down the line. Current and Future Scouting Scores (20-80 scale) Hit: Current (30), Future (40) Power: Current (25), Future (40) Speed: Current (50), Future (45) Arm: Current (50), Future (55) Defense: Current (55), Future (50). View full article