Seth Stohs

From the Dominican to Fort Myers to Iowa. From Cedar Rapids to Wichita. Then up to Minnesota where the Saints are just 10 miles from fulfilling their dreams at Target Field. At Twins Daily, we love promoting these great athletes who are reaching for the stars from the time they sign through their individual journeys in pro ball. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Maddux Houghton) In my opinion, the players in the Dominican Summer League don't get talked about enough. Understandably so. The league is comprised of players who are 16-22 years old (most of the "prospects" are 17-18), and they are six promotions from the big leagues. It is a long-term game, but the players still deserve to be discussed when they do well. That's what we want these reports to be. So along with their normal "Game Recap," I have also posted the hitting statistical leaders so you can see which players are performing there. Here are the records of the Twins and their six affiliates through games on Wednesday. Minnesota Twins: 60-55 St. Paul Saints: 63-46 Wichita Wind Surge: 45-58 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 63-41 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 50-54 FCL Twins: 19-25 DSL Twins: 10-32 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS After getting a couple of games with the FCL Twins, Jose Salas returned to Cedar Rapids. Former Saints and Twins pitcher Aaron Sanchez, who was released about a month ago, signed a minor-league deal with the Diamondbacks. In more former Twins prospect news, it has been a wild couple of months for Chris Vallimont. The Twins DFAd him in the offseason, and he was claimed by the Orioles. On July 1st, his contract was purchased by the Orioles. Dream come True! He made his MLB debut and the next day he was optioned to Triple-A. The following day, he was DFAd by the O's. The Guardians acquired him and he went to Triple-A. Days ago, Vallimont was DFAd to make room for Ramon Laureano on the Cleveland 40-man roster. On Wednesday, he was outrighted to Columbus. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Louisville 3 Box Score Solid pitching and a big inning helped the Saints to a matinee win on Wednesday. Randy Dobnak got the call for St. Paul. He needed 86 pitches to get through four innings, but he gave up no runs and just two hits. He walked three and struck out four batters. Andrew Bechtold came in and pitched a scoreless fifth inning despite a hit and two walks. Austin Brice was charged with two runs on three hits in the sixth inning. But Jovani Moran pitched a scoreless, walkless seventh frame. Oliver Ortega earned his third Saints save with two innings of one-run ball. The Saints got solid contributions in this game from their newbies. Brooks Lee went 2-for-4 and had two RBI. DaShawn Keirsey went 2-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. He had an RBI, and he stole a base. Yunior Severino added a triple, high off of the wall in the team’s four-run fourth inning. He scored on a line-drive single by Keirsey for the first run of that inning. Jair Camargo took the next pitch and drilled a two-run homer to center field, his 17th long ball of the season. Later in the inning, Lee drove in Andrew Stevenson with a single as he had done in the first inning to get the Saints on the scoreboard. The Saints added an insurance run in the eighth inning when Austin Martin’s sacrifice fly to right field scored Keirsey. Stevenson went 1-for-2 with two walks, his seventh triple, and his 35th and 36th stolen bases. Congratulations to Andrew Bechtold on his first Win as a professional. —------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Again, a reminder that you should head to CHS Field on Friday for that game. You may have seen him on MLB Network and on MLB.com’s draft coverage. He certainly knows prospects. Jonathan Mayo will be at the ballpark that night signing copies of his new book, Smart, Wrong, and Lucky; The Origin Stories of Baseball’s Unexpected Stars. I got my copy on Amazon a few weeks ago, and I will tell you it is fantastic. In addition, Jonathan is a terrific person who clearly loves what he is doing and has a strong passion for writing about, talking about, and really promoting prospects and the minor leagues and the scouts who found them. Get to meet him at CHS Field on Friday (August 11th). And on Thursday night (TONIGHT!!), watch as Blayne Enlow takes on the rehabbing Hunter Greene in a matchup of Team USA teammates. In addition, Austin Martin and Royce Lewis were teammates with Greene when they were 14-15 years old. Royce Lewis (JSerra HS) and Hunter Greene (Notre Dame HS) were high school opponents and friends, and then Team USA teammates. Then in 2017, Lewis and Greene went 1-2 in the draft. Lots of reasons to head to CHS Field this week! Tickets Available! Click here. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, NW Arkansas 1 (5 innings) Box Score Since losing their top three hitters last week, the Wind Surge offense has struggled. But on this night, they scored just enough to win in this rain-shortened, five-inning game. In the second inning, the recently-promoted Dalton Shuffield hit a two-run homer. That was it for the Wichita offense. They had just four hits. Jake Rucker’s 15th double was the only other extra base hit. Tanner Schobel went 1-for-1 with a walk. Isaac Mattson started and tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up no hits, walked two and struck out one batter. Regi Grace came in for the final 2 2/3 innings. He gave up one run on two hits and two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Quad Cities 4 Box Score Kyle Jones started and gave up three runs on five hits. In four innings, he walked four and struck out four batters. Jarret Whorff came on for his first High-A appearance. He gave up an unearned run on two hits over two innings. He struck out two batters and walked none. Mike Paredes tossed two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out four batters. Unfortunately, it was a rare day when the Kernels offense didn’t have a big game. In fact, they had just three hits and were shut out. Misael Urbina hit his third triple of the year. Ben Ross was the only Kernel hitter to get on base more than once. He had two walks. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 10, Bradenton 5 Box Score The Mighty Mussels scored a touchdown (with the extra point) in the first inning and held on the rest of the way. The inning started with a walk and two singles to load the bases. Rubel Cespedes drove in two runners with his 24th double. Jay Harry grounded out, but the third run scored. After a pitching change, Gregory Duran welcomed him with a single that drove in a fourth run. Then with two runners on, Maddux Houghton’s three-run homer made it 7-0. Jose Mercedes started and gave up three runs on five hits in just two innings. He walked two, hit two, and struck out four batters. Danny Moreno came in and gave up two runs on one hit in 1 2/3 innings. However, he walked four and struck out two batters. Juan Mendez got the next four outs and struck out two. Jackson Hicks then walked two and struck out three batters over two scoreless, hitless innings. Ricardo Velez and Zach Veen each tossed a scoreless inning. Maddux Houghton went 2-for-4 with a walk and his third homer and five RBI. Along with the first-inning three-run homer, he had a two-run single in the eighth frame. Oh, and he had an outfield assist too. Danny De Andrade went 2-for-5. Kamron Willman was 2-for-4 with a walk. 2023 draft picks Luke Keaschall and Jay Harry both went 1-for-3 with two walks. Alec Sayre had four walks in the game. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins 10, DSL Reds 3 (7 innings) Box Score For about the 37th straight day, the DSL Twins’ game was shortened due to rain. OK, I think it’s just three straight days, but that’s plenty. This one was deemed a final when it ended in the 7th inning. The Reds took the early lead with three runs in the second inning, but the Twins clawed their way back. They scored in five of the six innings they came to bat including a big, five-run fifth inning that created comfortable separation. The Twins got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Hendry Chivilli walked, stole second, and then scored on a Yilber Herrera double. They added nine more unanswered runs. The same duo combined to give the Twins their second run as well. In the third inning, Chivilli walked, stole second and went to third on an error. He scored on a Herrera sacrifice fly. Their second run in that third inning came when Junior Del Valle was caught in a run-down between first and second base. He remained un-tagged long enough for Dameury Pena to score. Ewing Matos scored the fourth-inning run on a triple by Juan Hernandez. The five-run fifth inning started with a walk and two singles. Del Valle drove in Herrera with a sacrifice fly. Then Ewing Matos doubled to plate Jayson Bass and Denyerbe Gervis. After a pitching change, Javier Roman doubled in another run. Juan Hernandez drove in the fifth run on a sacrifice fly. There was a lightning delay before the bottom of the sixth inning. When they returned, Herrera and Bass walked. Gervis singled to drive in the Twins 10th and final run. The game was called after the top of the seventh inning. Jose Vasquez started and gave up three runs in the first but followed it with two scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out two batters. Eider Machuca tossed two scoreless innings despite two walks and two hits. Luis Rincon worked 2/3 of an inning and gave up a hit and a walk. Jose Betancourt came on and got the final out of the sixth inning. Alejandro Crisostomo worked a perfect seventh inning. Gervis went 2-for-2. Matos went 2-for-4. Herrera was 1-for-1 with two walks. Here are the stats leaders of the DSL Twins: AVG: Dameury Pena (.414), Jayson Bass (.322), Junior Del Valle (.278) OBP: Dameury Pena (.476), Jayson Bass (.413), Jesus Peraza, Yilber Herrera (.389) SLG: Dameury Pena (.541), Moises Lopez (.435), Yilber Herrera (.412) OPS: Dameury Pena (1.017), Moises Lopez (.809), Yilber Herrera (.801) 2B: Yilber Herrera (11), Dameury Pena (8), Ewing Matos (6).. 3B: Ariel Castro, Moises Lopez, Dameury Pena (3) HR: Ariel Castro, Moises Lopez (3), Javier Roman (2). BB: Ariel Castro (24), Yilber Herrera (23), Moises Lopez (19) R: Ariel Castro (26), Jayson Bass, Yilber Herrera, Dameury Pena (22). RBI: Moises Lopez (26), Ariel Castro, Yilber Herrera (19) SB: Jayson Bass (12), Dameury Pena (11), Yilber Herrera, Moises Lopez (8) G: Jayson Bass (37), Ariel Castro, Moises Lopez (36), Yilber Herrera (35) PA: Ariel Castro (158), Jayson Bass (143), Moises Lopez (139), Yilber Herrera (126). TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Maddux Houghton (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-3, BB, HR(3), R, 5 RBI Pitcher of the Day – Michael Paredes (Cedar Rapids) - 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, 2 RBI. #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, 3 K #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-for-3, HBP, R, K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, RBI, SF, SB(8) #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-for-1, BB. #12 - Luke Keaschall (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-3, 2 BB, R, K #15 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, K, WP, 39 pitches, 25 strikeouts (64.1%) #17 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 3B(1), R #18 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4. THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Louisville @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (2-5, 9.99 ERA) vs Hunter Greene. Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams (2-7, 5.88 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CST) - LHP Christian MacLeod (3-0,3.69 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - RHP Ben Ethridge (2-5, 2.18 ERA) FCL Twins @ FCL Pirates (11:00 AM CST) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Giants Black (10:00 AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

I would have loved to see the Twins get Max Meyer, but he had Tommy John last year at this time. But I think Pablo was the right guy. Young. great intangibles (from what he read and hear). Willing to sign the extension. Miami had just traded for Lazardo near last year's deadline and gave up a bunch, so they may not have wanted to deal him. Perez and Alcantara were definitely not available. They have a ton of pitching prospects that would have been good in a year or so too.

Twins top pick Walker Jenkins had a bit of a breakout game. And, there are a lot of exciting things happening at CHS Field. If you're able, you will definitely want to see some games there this week. Walker Jenkins is an incredibly exciting prospect for the Twins and he had a big day in the FCL today. But there are some exciting prospects who finally made their way to the Saints last week and will be playing their first games at CHS Field this week. In addition, the organization's most electric player begins his rehab with the Saints and may have an opportunity on Wednesday to face a high school opponent and Team USA teammate who is rehabbing as well. In addition, there are some really, really cool events planned for the fans at the stadium. And one of the premiere prospect gurus will be at CHS Field on Friday night to sign copies of his new book. So much more below, so check out today's Minor League Report. And check out @Jeremy Nygaard's Minor League Week in Review as well. Here are the records of the Twins and their six affiliates through games on Monday. Minnesota Twins: 60-54 St. Paul Saints: 61-46 Wichita Wind Surge: 43-58 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 63-39 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 49-53 FCL Twins: 18-25 DSL Twins: 9-32 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Kernels closer Miguel Rodriguez was promoted to Double-A Wichita. LHP Jarret Whorff was promoted from Fort Myers to Cedar Rapids. The Mighty Mussels have added RHP John Klein from the FCL Twins. RHP and 2022 Competitive Balance Pick Charlee Soto has been assigned to the FCL Twins. Infielder Cole Tate decided to retire. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul, Louisville The Saints are back at home for the next two weeks with another exciting week of event and ball games. Of course, I’m guessing the #1 reason to get to CHS Field just might be because Brooks Lee, Yunior Severino, and DaShawn Keirsey were promoted to the Saints last week and will be playing their first games at home. Oh, and Royce Lewis is set to begin his rehab assignment with the Saints. For sure, you'll want to see that pitching matchup on Wednesday. (also, be sure to "Like" Twins Daily on Facebook) But I want to encourage you to head to CHS Field on Friday for that game (and the others too, of course). You may have seen him on MLB Network, and on MLB.com’s draft coverage, he certainly knows prospects. Jonathan Mayo will be at the ballpark that night signing copies of his new book, Smart, Wrong, and Lucky; The Origin Stories of Baseball’s Unexpected Stars. I got my copy on Amazon a few weeks ago, and I will tell you it is fantastic. In addition, Jonathan is a terrific person who clearly loves what he is doing and has a strong passion for writing about, talking about, and really promoting prospects and the minor leagues and the scouts who found them. Get to meet him at CHS Field on Friday (August 11th). In addition, Harvey Kuenn III will be recognized for being named to the Roland Hemond Scouts Hall of Fame. And hey, there will be some really good baseball being played with some really intriguing players. Tuesday: Simeon Woods Richardson Wednesday: Randy Dobnak Thursday: Blayne Enlow vs. a rehabbing Hunter Greene (with a rehabbing Royce Lewis… that’s three Team USA teammates from their high school days) Friday: Louie Varland Saturday: TBD Sunday: Simeon Woods Richardson Tickets Available! Click here. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids , Quad Cities If you happen to be in eastern Iowa or western Illinois, head to the Quad Cities this week and check out one of the most photogenic stadiums in minor-league baseball, and see a really good, really young Kernels team take on the River Bandits. Here are the pitching probables: Tuesday: Zebby Matthews Wednesday: Kyle Jones Thursday: Christian MacLeod Friday: Andrew Morris Saturday: Cory Lewis Sunday: C.J. Culpepper COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA FCL Twins 9, FCL Rays 7 Box Score Walker Jenkins had a pretty big role in the Twins win on Monday afternoon. It was quite the breakout. He came to the plate with two outs in the top of the first inning and rippled a double to left field. With no score, Jenkins came to the plate in the top of the third inning. The bases were loaded. Jenkins crushed the first home run of his professional career, a grand slam that gave the team a 4-0 lead. The Twins scored another four runs in the fourth inning to take an 8-0 lead. First, Isaac Pena singled in Wilfri Castro. Pena stole a base, and when Daniel Pena walked on a pitch that went to the backstop which brought in another run. Soon after, Jenkins walked to load the bases. That was followed by a Brandon Winokur walk that allowed Daniel Pena to score. Jose Salas scored on a wild pitch, the Twins eighth run of the game. In the ninth inning, Harold Grant scored the team’s ninth run on a wild pitch. When it was 8-0, one would have been surprised to know that it was a nice insurance run. Jacob Wosinski made the start. He was charged with two runs on four hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out five batters. Kyle Bischoff came on and was charged with four runs (2 earned) on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out just one batter. Yon Landaeta came on and went the final 2 1/3 innings. He gave up an unearned run on one hit. He walked two and struck out two to record his third save. Along with his first pro homer, he added his second double. He was 2-for-5 with a walk. Jose Rodriguez went 2-for-4 and hit his ninth double. Isaac Pena was 2-for-3 with his third triple. He also stole his eighth base. Byron Chourio led off and reached three times via walk. Jose Salas was in a lineup for the first time since July 16th when the Kernels were playing in Cedar Rapids. He was first placed on the Kernels’ development list, but recently he was activated and assigned to the FCL Twins. Monday was his first game. He went 1-for-5 with a walk and two runs scored. He played second base and had an error. He just turned 20 years old. The average age of players in the FCL is 19.5. The average age in the Florida State League is 21.1. He was in Cedar Rapids and the average Midwest League player is 22.2. As you can see, this “reset” should not damper his ceiling in the eyes of fans. Maybe the Marlins pushed him way too fast a year ago by getting him to High-A so quickly. At the same time, it also lowers his potential floor. That said, I’m a big believer in taking that step back, just playing, working on things and then getting back. As we often say, “prospect development is rarely linear.” COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins 1, DSL Phillies White 0 (suspended bottom 2) Box Score This game was over almost before it started. I mean, they got through about 1 1/2 innings before the rains came. Yilber Herrera led off the game with a triple and scored soon after on a sacrifice fly by Denyerbe Gervis. Juan Cota started for the Twins. He struck out every single batter he faced in the outing - I mean, all three of them. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Walker Jenkins (FCL Twins) - 2-for-5, BB, 2B(2), HR(1), R, 4 RBI Pitcher of the Day – Yon Landaeta (FCL Twins) - 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Monday. #2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL Twins) - 2-for-5, BB, 2B(2), HR/GS(1), R, 4 RBI #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-for-0, PR #6 - Charlee Soto (FCL Twins) - assigned to FCL Twins #13 - Brandon Winokur (FCL Twins) - 0-for-3, 2 BB, RBI, 2 K #18 - Jose Salas (FCL Twins ) - 1-for-5, BB, 2 R, 2 K. #19 - Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 42 pitches, 28 strikes (66.7%) #20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 2-for-4, BB, 2B(9), K. TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Louisville @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (3-5, 5.62 ERA) Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CST) - RHP Zebby Matthews (3-1,4.81 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - RHP Jose Olivares (2-3, 5.86 ERA) FCL Pirates @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CST) - TBD DSL Giants Orange @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Monday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

Keynan Middleton was traded by the White Sox to the Yankees at the deadline. The Yankees reporters got him talking about the mess that is going on with the Sox. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38147621 On Monday, Middleton returns to Chicago for a three-game series against his former team, happy to be in a new setting.

But... Ramirez made contact... Buh-dump-bump...

Unable to acquire a right-handed hitting outfielder at the trade deadline, the Twins claimed outfielder Jordan Luplow from the Blue Jays. Image courtesy of Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports Well, this move certainly won't excite the Twins fan base. However, looking for offense against left-handed pitching, Jordan Luplow certainly fits the bill. The 29-year-old was DFAd by the Blue Jays following Toronto's deadline day acquisitions. He had played just seven games with the Jays including three just before the deadline. To make room for Luplow on the 40-man roster, Brock Stewart was moved to the 60-Day Injured List. When he gets into a game with the Twins, it will mark his sixth big-league club that he has played for. He was originally a third-round draft pick by the Pirates in 2014 out of Fresno State. At 23, he made his MLB debut with 27 games in 2017. He played 37 games for the Pirates in 2018. Twins fans will likely mostly remember Jordan Luplow from his years with Cleveland. In parts of three seasons, he played in 150 games and hit .234/.348/.486 (834) with 25 doubles and 24 homers. Since then, he has become a journeyman. He's played for the Rays, the Diamondbacks, and the Blue Jays. In total, he has played in 329 big-league games and hit .213/.314/.428 (.742) with 37 doubles and 45 homers. In his career, he has hit just .199/.289/.354 (.644) with 16 doubles, three triples and 14 home runs off of right-handed pitching. However, against southpaws, he is a different player. He has hit .226/.337/.497 (.833). Not great numbers, by any means, but for a Twins team struggling mightily against lefties, the move is certainly understandable. He's not going to hit for batting average, but how many do at this point? He gets on base at a decent clip against lefties. He does have much more power and drives the ball against left-handers. In his career, he has mostly played the two corner outfield positions. He has also played 53 games at first base, mostly the last couple of years. He has played in 29 games against the Twins in his career, second only to the Detroit Tigers. In those games, he hit just .164 but did hit six home runs. Since 2018, he has played primarily in the big leagues. He has missed time with injury the last few years. In 48 games this year at Triple-A Buffalo, he hit .239/.341/.438 (.779). Against right-handers, he has a .653 OPS. Against lefties, his OPS is .914. If he spends the rest of the season with the Twins and they like him so much, he has one more arbitration season remaining, and he only signed for $1.4 million for 2023. This is definitely not a difference-maker, but it's a sneaky solid little pickup. Of course, the Twins still need to make a roster move to get Luplow onto the 26-man roster. That could be interesting. Share your thoughts below. View full article

All four full-season Minnesota Twins affiliates found ways to win on Wednesday, each in a unique way. There were certainly some big-time performances on the mound and at the plate. And a whole bunch of 2023 draft picks and non-drafted free agents were assigned to a roster. Click to continue for much, much more. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Pierson Ohl) It was really a good day overall in the Twins organizations. The Saints got a big win in Ohio. The Wind Surge got a tremendous pitching performance, and a great all-around game from their catcher. Two Top 20 prospects on the Kernels powered the Kernels to another win. A 2023 draft pick helped lead the Mussels to another win, and a lefty signed from the independent leagues tossed six great innings in his fifth pro start. And there was a rarity in the FCL game played on Wednesday, something you likely will never see again... a complete game from a 17-year-old. Here are the records of the Twins and their six affiliates through games on Wednesday. Minnesota Twins: 55-54 St. Paul Saints: 60-43 Wichita Wind Surge: 41-56 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 60-38 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 47-51 FCL Twins: 17-22 DSL Twins: 9-30 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Lots of players were added to the FCL Twins roster for procedural purposes. When a player is signed, the organization has 15 days to add them to a roster. Several 2023 draft picks and non-drafted free agents were added to the FCL Twins roster on Wednesday. Some of them may start getting into game action soon. One name that you will notice has not been assigned is Walker Jenkins. He just signed a week ago, so they still have time to add him to the FCL Twins roster. Here is a look at the 2023 Twins draft picks, and players signed as undrafted free agents since then. 1st Round: OF Walker Jenkins (signed last week) Comp A: RHP Charlee Soto (will be assigned soon) 2nd Round: IF Luke Keaschall (assigned to FCL Twins on 7/27, promoted to Fort Myers on Monday) 3rd Round: OF Brandon Winokur (assigned to FCL Twins on 7/27) 4th Round: RHP Tanner Hall (assigned to FCL Twins) 5th Round: RHP Dylan Questad (assigned to FCL Twins) 6th Round: SS Jay Harry (assigned to FCL Twins on 7/27, promoted to Fort Myers on Monday) 7th Round: RHP Nolan Santos (assigned to FCL Twins) 8th Round: RHP Jace Stoffal (assigned to FCL Twins) 9th Round: RHP Jack Dougherty (assigned to FCL Twins) 10th Round: LHP Ross Dunn (assigned to FCL Twins) 11th Round: RHP Ty Langenberg (assigned to FCL Twins) 12th Round: RHP Paulshawn Pasqualotto (assigned to FCL Twins) 13th Round: RHP Jeremy Lee (assigned to FCL Twins) 14th Round: RHP Xander Hamilton (assigned to FCL Twins) 15th Round: RHP Spencer Bengard (assigned to FCL Twins) 16th Round: RHP Anthony Silvas (assigned to FCL Twins) 17th Round: LHP Kade Bragg (assigned to FCL Twins) 18th Round: RHP Hector Garcia Jr (assigned to FCL Twins) 19th Round: 1B Sam Parker - Did not sign. Heading to Chipola which means he could be a draft-and-follow before next year’s draft. 20th Round: OF Ashton Larson - Did not sign. He’s headed to LSU. Undrafted Free Agents RHP Devin Kirby (assigned to FCL Twins) RHP Jacob King (assigned to FCL Twins) RHP Liam Rocha (assigned to FCL Twins) C Cole Elvis C Ildefonso Poncho Ruiz (assigned to FCL Twins on Monday) SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Columbus 3 Box Score Depending on how you choose to look at it, you could see Simeon Woods Richardson’s start through a positive or negative lens. On one level, he was charged with only an unearned run on just one hit in four innings. He had four strikeouts. However, he went just four innings because he walked six batters. So, how about we just say he did a very nice job of limiting any damage. The bullpen did a nice job too and the offense came up with enough big hits. Kody Funderburk came on and tossed a very strong 2 2/3 innings. He gave up no runs and no hits. He walked one and struck out five. Oliver Ortega got the next four outs, but he was charged with two unearned runs on just one hit. He had two strikeouts. Cole Sands struck out the side in the ninth for his first Save. The Saints got on the scoreboard first. Mark Contreras singled in Anthony Prato with the first run. It was followed by a Gilberto Celestino single that scored Trevor Larnach. The Clippers scored a run in the bottom of the inning. But Chris Williams responded in the top of the second with his 18th homer. The Saints added a run in the fourth when Austin Martin scored on an Ernie Yake double. In the fifth, they added their fifth (and final) run when Celestino “drove in” Trevor Larnach with a bases-loaded walk. Gilberto Celestino led the way. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBI. Trevor Larnach walked twice. Austin Martin walked twice and then stole two bases. Anthony Prato added his 17th double. By the way, if you missed @Theo Tollefson's profile on Anthony Prato this week, please click here. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 4, Tulsa 0 Box Score The Wind Surge received a fantastic start from Pierson Ohl on Wednesday night. The right-hander from Grand Canyon University tossed six shutout innings. He gave up just three hits, walked one and struck out five batters. Not a bad outing considering he didn't think he had his best stuff. Following the outing, he said, "In all honesty, the stuff I was working with didn't feel that great, but I was able to make a few high-quality pitches in big spots." From his perspective, the best seat in the house, Patrick Winkel played a role in Ohl's performance, but gives the credit to his pitcher. "Oh was great. he knew how he wanted to attack each hitter and execute his plans. That's the biggest thing. He wasn't falling behind and was putting his pitches where he wanted to. When he does that, he's really, really tough on hitters." Taylor Floyd came on and walked two, but gave up no runs, in 1 2/3 innings. Alex Scherff got the final four outs without any further damage. Wichita took the early lead in the first inning when DaShawn Keirsey singled in Brooks Lee. Lee had led off with a single and stole second base. Later in the inning, Keirsey stole his sixth base. Things stayed quiet until the bottom of the fourth inning when Patrick Winkel drilled his sixth homer of the season. An inning later, Alerick Soularie crushed his seventh home run to give the Surge a 3-0 lead. Soularie went 2-for-3 with the homer. He also stole his 11th bag. Keirsey went 2-for-4 with his 17th double. Winkel led the offense. He went 3-for-3 in the game with a walk, his ninth and tenth doubles, and his sixth homer. Plus, he caught a shutout. What a night! Winkel says that he has been working a lot on his swing and timing. "Trying to eliminate the soft contact has been a big focus. I feel confident, and I think the swing and approach is in a really god place. We have a great coaching staff and having their input has helped a ton as well." His battery mate (Ohl) noted, "Winkel and I have found a great connection this year, and we really love working together. He is very easy to throw to because he does his homework, and he's a guy you can trust back there. Almost feels like he's on the mound with me." KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Lansing 3 Box Score Emmanuel Rodriguez was not traded at the deadline, and on Wednesday, he put together a great game. This game was scoreless through the first three innings. Lancaster got on the board with two runs in the fourth and a solo homer in the fifth frame. Zebby Matthews was very solid. He was charged with those three runs over five innings. He gave up six hits in total and had five strikeouts with any walks. The Kernels powered their way back into the game in the bottom of the fifth. With Noah Miller on base, Rodriguez hit his 12th homer of the season. Kala’i Rosario followed with his 16th homer to tie the game and 3-3. The Kernels added a run in the sixth inning to take the lead. Jeferson Morales scored on a Kyler Fedko single. Then Rodriguez finished the night’s scoring with his second homer of the game and 13th of the season. The bullpen came up big for the Kernels Malik Barrington improved to 5-0 by tossing two scoreless, one-hit innings. Then Jordan Carr earned a two-inning save with two scoreless, hitless innings. Emmanuel Rodriguez and Kala’i Rosario each had two hits. Rosario added his 23rd double to go with his 16th home run. Rodriguez also threw out a baserunner trying to advance to third base. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Dunedin 2 Box Score The Mussels scored two runs in the first and again in the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. They added one more insurance run in the eighth inning and held on to a 5-2 win. Jarret Whorff made the start. The southpaw provided a very strong six innings of one-run ball. He gave up two hits, walked none and struck out a career-high nine batters. Wilker Reyes recorded four outs, two of them on strikeouts. Danny Moreno also got four outs, but he was charged with one run on one hit and two walks. He also had two strikeouts. Gabriel Yanez recorded his second save by striking out the one batter he faced to end the game. In the first inning, with a rehabbing-Hernan Perez at third base, Danny De Andrade grounded out but drove in the first run. Two batters later, a Nate Baez single drove in Luke Keaschall. In the third inning, Perez scored on Ricardo Olivar’s ninth home run. Olivar then scored the final run in the eighth inning on a wild pitch. In his second Mighty Mussels game, Keaschall went 2-for-3 with a walk with his second double. He also stole his second base in as many games. Ricardo Olivar went 2-for-3 with a walkalong with the home run. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA No Game Scheduled. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins 0, DSL O’s 2 Box Score So the first thing you notice when looking through the DSL Twins box score is that a Twins pitcher tossed a complete game. Miguel Cordero, a 17-year-old from the Dominican Republic, is a really decent prospect. He pitched at the end of the DSL All-Star game on Sunday. How many pitches did he throw? It’s not like pitchers at this level are known for their control and limiting their pitch counts. The I saw it. This was the completion of a game that started on July 17th but was suspended by rain. Cordero started that game and worked until the game was suspended. Then on Wednesday, he came back and finished the rest of the game, and pitched well. In the game, he is credited with giving up two runs (1 earned) on nine hits in nine innings. He walked two and struck out seven batters. The two runs scored in the sixth inning which was in the transition. For the offense, well, there was no offense. Yilber Herrera had the team’s lone hit, a triple. I know I tweeted it on Sunday night, but the DSL All Star Game was on Sunday and three Twins prospects participated in the game. On Wednesday, the Twins Player Development account provided pictures. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Pat Winkel (Wichita) - 3-for-3, 2-2B(10), HR(6), BB, R, RBI Pitcher of the Day – Pierson Ohl (Wichita) - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 80 pitches, 49 strikes (61.3%). PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-for-4, R, RBI, SB(6) #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2-HR(13), 2 R, 3 RBI, K #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, BB, HR(6), R, 3 RBI, 2 K. #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, R, 2-SB(5). #12 - Luke Keaschall (Ft. Myers) - 3-for-4, 2B(2), R. #14 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 4 K, 76 pitches, 35 strikes (46.0%) #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B(23), HR(16), R, RBI, K #17 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 2 K THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Columbus (11:05 AM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (4-4, 4.26 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Carlos Luna (1-6, 5.50 ERA) Lansing @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Kyle Jones (5-4,4.28 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CST) - RHP Juan Mercedes (1-1, 11.12 ERA) FCL Rays @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CST) - TBD DSL Cardinals @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

That stinks!

So, what does this look like? People say it all the time, but what does it mean? "Held Accountable." What does that mean for Falvey? What does that mean for Levine? What does that mean for Baldelli and his coaches? What does that mean for the players? There has to be a way to hold people accountable without always jumping to firing people Falvey has completely altered the thinking of the organization. THey have focused on pitching. They've been to the playoffs half the time. Their records have been better overall than the previous years. The manager is an extension fof the manger and only can play the roster he's given. The manager can make all the right decisions and the coaches can say all the right things and the players still have to do it. Obviously they can't fire all the players... but what does holding players accountable mean? Benching them for not performing? Buxton was shutdown for a few games in a row. Last year, Celestino was benched for a couple of poor decisions. Playing time is about the only option, and when you've got 4 bench options, who are you going to play ahead of Correa when he doesn't hit?

We don't know what happened behind closed doors and over phone calls and messages, but with news that the Twins did nothing at the trade deadline, it's impossible not to have an opinion. Here is mine. Image courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports News came shortly after the 5:00 Central Time trade deadline that the Twins had done nothing. Made no moves. There were rumors about wanting a right-handed hitter, preferably an outfielder. When news broken that Tommy Pham had been traded, Twins fans had about a 10-minute window to get excited... ultimately learning he was traded to the Diamondbacks. Then we heard that the Twins and Cardinals were exchanging medical records on some players, so there was some thought that maybe the Twins would soon acquire Dylan Carlson or maybe even Jack Flaherty. Well, soon after, we learned that Flaherty was going to the Orioles. And then Twins beat reporters announced that they were told that the Twins didn't make a move. Deflating, right? I wasn't even excited about anyone that was being rumored to potentially be of interest to the Twins, probably other than David Bednar. But even I just had this weird sinking feeling when I read Do's tweet. But ultimately, I'm not upset. I'm not angry. I don't actually have a big problem with it at all. Yes, it would have been fun to add a player, and it's not like they sold. Is there a player that the Twins could have acquired that would have given the team or the fans confidence that they could truly be a competitive contender in a playoff series. The Twins team isn't one piece away. They aren't a journeyman right-handed outfielder who is considered bad in the clubhouse away. Not even adding a couple of veteran bullpen arms that other teams are trying to give away was going to do that. The reality is that this is a flawed team. If they want to truly be a contender for more than an AL Central title, today wasn't going to be the game changer. They weren't getting Verlander or Scherzer. They weren't going to get Goldschmidt. No, what this team needs (whether they added bit pieces or not) is for their own players to start playing like we know that they can. Or, that we know that they have in the past. They need Byron Buxton to hit like Byron Buxton did most of 2022. They need Carlos Correa to hit like Carlos Correa did most of his entire career. They need Sonny Gray to pitch like he did the first two or three months. They need their veteran starters to pitch like they did early. And they need their young players to keep playing. They have, in general, been the players to not only meet expectations but in many cases exceed them and be really good (see Edouardo Julien). The need Alex Kirilloff to only miss 10 days and then get back to his Player of the Week performance. They need Matt Wallner. They need Trevor Larnach. They need Royce Lewis. They need Joe Ryan to turn things back around. They need guys like Jordan Balazovic and Josh Winder to come up big out of the bullpen. They need to get Brock Stewart back... Oh wait, now this came out. Oh, and Alex Kirilloff had an MRI on his shoulder today too. And if all that goes well, the team should coast to the AL Central Division championship, and if all that happens, they should feel "OK" about playing the #3 Wild Card team. And most important, they can hopefully help us remove the 0-18 narrative. (PLEASE!) Oh, and if all those things would have happened up to this point in the season, the front office and ownership would have (and should have) felt much more obligated to make moves. Cleveland was a seller. They traded their best, healthy pitcher (Aaron Civale) and their DH (Josh Bell). Detroit tried to trade Edouardo Rodriguez. The Royals traded most of their bullpen. And the White Sox made all kinds of trades over the past week. What the Twins did at the Trade Deadline - which ultimate amounts to dealing Jorge Lopez for Dylan Floro - will have almost not impact on whether or not the team will win the division, or even run away with the division. We can be as upset as we want at the front office, and that's fair - sometimes trying to add something to breathe new life is good - but the focus needs to go to the players, especially the veterans that have been there and done that to step up. They don't - or shouldn't - need another player's only meeting. But, I get it, Twins fans. Trade Deadline Day is so much more fun when the team you follow is a buyer. Geez, it's more fun when they are a seller because you've likely accepted that decision being correct. Standing Pat is never exciting. That said, I personally don't have a huge problem with it. I mean, they were buyers last year, right? (insert comment here about Tyler Mahle and Jorge Lopez trades) Share your thoughts, y'all. We can listen. View full article

Sebastian Walcott not a part of this deal. He is out of today's lineup for disciplinary reasons, so for the trade. But, now they are just waiting on Scherzer's approval.

I thought this was an interesting one. It has to be relatively close. It sounds like the Mets just have to get Scherzer to waive his no-trade clause. A few minutes before the news broke that the Rangers and Mets were close, Rangers beat writer Evan Grant tweeted the following: Someone else tweeted that if Scherzer's getting dealt, then the White Sox aren't doing a service to themselves if they don't make Dylan Cease available. And, maybe it should mean that the Twins consider dealing a starter? View full rumor

Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Dodgers and White Sox are nearing a deal that would send Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Dodgers. If that deal would happen, it would be the second such deal where they traded one of their starters and a triple-digit reliever. They dealt Lucas Giolito and Renaldo Lopez to the Angels last week. The White Sox doing their part for the Los Angeles baseball market. Also, for those interested, it presumably means no need to worry about a Joe Kelly/Carlos Correa issue! (Presumably because obviously a deal is not yet complete and may or may not be imminent as Jon Heyman tweeted.) Who else do you think the White Sox will deal? View full rumor

Can absolutely call guys up from AA if they're deemed ready and better than the options playing there now. I don't know that I see a 40-man roster player that I would drop to add Prato. I'm sure there are pitchers or something, but not position players. I'm not saying Farmer is 'the right guy' there. He's a very nice utility guy. Same with Castro. Both are better than Lee defensively there now. Offensively, It's probably close. But we also assume Lewis will come back. Maybe Miranda's still in the picture. I'd be fine with them calling up Lee. I'd be very excited. Would be fun to see what he could do. I'm just not sure why that would be the move right now.

Martin has played 2B, LF and CF this year.

Absolutely, but St. Paul currently has Larnach, Contreras, Garlick, Stevenson in the Outfield.

Prato in 2023: Games Played by Position (can be more than one position per game): 1B: 2 (both in AA) 2B: 36 3B: 11 (10 in AAA) SS: 13 LF: 12 (all in AA) RF: 5 (all in AA) Prato is a nice player, a potential utility guy in the big leagues (assuming he hits like he has in AAA, not AA this year). But as for a trade piece, he's the third or fourth chip in any deal.

What? We want Prato at 3B instead of Castro or Farmer? Which position players on the 40-man roster would you drop to add Prato? And Larnach was up because of paternity listing Buxton. Now he'll head back down. Larnach is a future piece. Prato is maybe a utility guy going forward. (which isn't a bad thing) And Lee has only been crushing Double-A pitching for about two weeks. I can definitely see moving Lee and Severino to Triple-A, but not the big leagues yet.