Seth Stohs

The June schedule is now complete. It is hard to believe that three months of the season are already complete. The draft is just over a week away, and there are just a little over two months to go. The Saints reached double digits again. Big innings really helped both Wichita and Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints The Twins offense showed up in Baltimore, ending a three-game losing streak. The Saints used another double-digit run scoring game with an interesting pitching performance. Wichita had a big first inning and held on for another win. Cedar Rapids just continues to find ways to win games, and they did so again on Friday. Things didn't go well for the Mussels, particularly their starting pitcher, but a rehabbing prospect had a strong game. The FCL Twins split a game at JetBlue Park, and the DSL Twins used a strong start and some power to win. It was a good day in the organization. Keep reading to find out more specifics, and please feel free to fill up the Comments section with questions for me. I'll be happy to answer as many as I can. Here are the records of the six Twins affiliates through games on Friday. St. Paul Saints: 46-31 Wichita Wind Surge: 31-40 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 44-28 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 37-35 FCL Twins: 10-9 DSL Twins: 6-13 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins sent LHP Zach Neff to a rehab in the FCL on Saturday. Catcher Duncan Hewitt was assigned to the FCL Twins. OF Carson McCusker was assigned to the Mighty Mussels. LHP Denny Bentley was activated from the Wichita injured list. RHP Alex Phillips was released by the Twins. . SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 10, Gwinnett 3 Box Score The Saints scored early, and then the game went quiet, but then they added six runs in the sixth inning and later to have an easy win. But let’s start with Blayne Enlow. The right-hander tossed five innings of no-hit, no-run ball. He struck out three batters. The only negative was that he walked five batters. Just 44 of his 85 pitches went for strikes. It was his second straight solid outing following his rough Triple-A debut. Aaron Sanchez came on and gave up two runs on three hits and four walks over three innings. He struck out three. Finally Cody Laweryson gave up a solo homer in the ninth inning. It will likely surprise no one that Matt Wallner led the offense. He went 3-for-5 with his 19th double and third triple. Jair Camargo went 3-for-4 with his seventh double. Kyle Garlick went 2-for-4 with a walk and his fifth double. Anthony Prato had two singles. Gilberto Celestino went 1-for-2 with three walks. Andrew Stevenson had one hit and one walk. He also stole his 27th and 28th bases. The top eight hitters in the Saints lineup had at least one hit. Six different players drove in runs. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, NW Arkansas 4 Box Score The Wind Surge scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and really held on from there. The lead was cut to 4-3 in the fifth. Wichita added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning which proved necessary because NW Arkansas scored one in the top of the ninth. In the first inning, Patrick Winkel singled to center to drive in Brooks Lee. Soon after, Aaron Sabato singled in Winkel. Seth Gray singled in Sabato eventually. Yoyner Fajardo scored the fourth run courtesy of a passed ball. No one had a huge game, but the Wind Surge got contributions from almost everyone. In the bottom of the eighth frame, Yunior Severino singled to center to drive in DaShawn Keirsey with what proved to be a very important run. The top seven batters had at least one hit. Fajardo went 2-for-4, the only multi-hit game for Wichita. Brooks Lee hit his 25th double, and that was the team’s lone extra base hit. No surprise. Keirsey stole his 26th base, and Fajardo stole his 22nd bag of the year. On the mound, it was Carlos Luna who made the start. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on three hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four batters. Alex Scherff came on with the bases loaded and allowed two inherited runners to score before getting the third out of the fifth inning. He worked a scoreless sixth inning. Taylor Floyd struck out three batters over 1 2/3 one-hit innings. Jordan Brink got the final out of the eighth inning. He gave up a solo homer in the ninth, but that was it, and he recorded his fifth save of the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 1 Box Score Marco Raya gave up an unearned run on four hits and two walks over 2 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts. 35 of his 53 pitches were strikeouts. Kyle Jones came on and left two runners stranded to get out of the third inning. He went five more innings as well. Combined, he tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out five batters. Malik Barrington gave up two hits but no runs in the ninth inning to record his first save of the season. The Kernels only had five hits and three walks in the game. But it was just enough. In the top of the seventh inning, Jorel Ortega singled to score Tanner Schobel with the game-tying run. Next up was Noah Miller who singled to right that scored Ben Ross with the go-ahead, and eventually winning run. The Kernels had no extra base hits. No one had more than one hit. The only player to reach twice was Noah Cardenas with two walks. But as they have done all year, the Kernels just found another way to win a game. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Lakeland 7 Box Score Fair to say that Develson Aria’s 2023 season has been rather inconsistent. He’s either been really good and looked almost dominant, or he has had a forgettable performance. This game fits into the latter category. The southpaw faced six batters. He gave up a single and five walks. Four eventually came around to score. Without getting an out, he threw 31 pitches and just 10 of them were strikes. Jarret Whorff came on and completed four innings. He was charged with an unearned run on one hit and one walk. He struck out four batters. Wilker Reyes gave up one run on four hits over 2 1/3 innings. He struck out five batters. Zach Veen gave up a run on a hit and a walk in 1 1/3 innings. He struck out two batters. Johnathan Lavallee gave up two hits over 1 1/3 scoreless innings, though an inherited runner scored. Austin Martin’s rehab continued. He batted second and DHd in this game. He went 3-for-5 with an RBI, and he stole a base. Ricardo Olivar led off. He went 1-for-3 with two walks and his 10th double. Kamron Willman had the other hit and drove in the other run. Maddux Houghton walked twice and stole his 10th base. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA Game 1: FCL Twins 6, Red Sox 1 Box Score In the first game of this doubleheader, the Red Sox were the home team. The Twins scored five runs in the second inning and that was all they really needed thanks to some really strong pitching. And that’s where we will start. Brayan Medina gave up only an unearned run on three hits over the first six innings. He struck out three and didn’t hurt himself with any walks. He did hit one batter. Zach Neff came on and worked a perfect inning including one strikeout. In that second frame, Andres Centeno started the scoring with his second homer of the season. Omari Daniel drove in Bryan Acuna and Anderson Nova on a bases-loaded ground-rule double. Isaac Pena grounded out to shortstop, but both Frank Nigro and Daniel scored on an error. Pena grounded out to third base in the sixth inning to drive in the team’s sixth run. Nova was the lone Twins batter with multiple hits. He was 2-for-3 and hit his third double. Game 2: FCL Twins 2, Red Sox 8 Box Score Despite the second game also being played at JetBlue Park, the Twins were the home team. They actually took a 1-0 lead after one, but then the Sox scored six runs in the second and that was about it. Matt Gabbert made the start. He was charged with those six, second-inning runs. He completed four innings and gave up ‘just’ those six runs on 11 hits and a walk. He struck out four batters. Cleiber Maldonado came on and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk in two innings. Yon Landaeta struck out two batters in a scoreless seventh frame. The Twins managed just two hits in the second game. Andres Centeno had a single and a walk. Jankel Ortiz had a single and a walk and scored one of the two runs. Nova had two walks, and he had an outfield assist. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins 10, DSL Yankees 7 Box Score The Twins jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first. They increased that lead to 8-0 with a four-run fourth. The Yankees tried to come back, but the Twins added single runs in the eighth and the ninth innings. After a sacrifice fly by Jayson Bass scored Ariel Castro with the game’s first run, Carlos Silva singled to score Dameury Pena. Moises Lopez then launched his first home run of the season to give them a 4-0 lead. In the fourth frame, it was Castro who doubled to score Juan Hernandez and Angel Trinidad. Yilber Herrera then hit his first homer, another two-run shot. Miguel Cordero earned his first Win of the season with five solid innings. He gave up two runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out five batters. Juan Cota came on and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. Joel Garcia came in and went the final 2 1/3 innings. He gave up two runs on two solo homers. He had five strikeouts. Herrera went 2-for-3 with the homer and two RBI. Dameury Pena went 2-for-4 with a walk. In addition to his home run, Lopez also walked twice. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitters of the Day – Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 3-for-5, 2B(19), 3B(3), 3 R, 2 RBI, K. Co-Pitcher of the Day – Blayne Enlow (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 3 K, 85 pitches, 44 strikes (62.5%). Co-Pitcher of the Day – Kyle Jones (Cedar Rapids) - 5 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 64 pitches, 40 strikes (62.5%). Co-Pitcher of the Day – Brayan Medina (FCL Twins) - 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 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. (Note - our next prospect rankings update will come after the draft.) #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-for-3, BB, 2B(25), BB, K. #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 3-for-5, RBI, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K. #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 0-for-2, 2 K #6 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 53 pitches, 35 strikes (66.0%) #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 3-for-5, 2B(19), 3B(3), 3 R, 2 RBI, K. #11 - Austin Martin (Rehab Ft. Myers) - 3-for-5, RBI, SB(1) #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, K, SB(14), CS(7) #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, RBI, 3 K #14 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 9 pitches, 6 strikes (66.7%). #17 - Blayne Enlow (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 3 K, 85 pitches, 44 strikes (51.8%) #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 0-for-6, R, BB, 5 K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K. SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Gwinnett @ St. Paul (6:07 PM CST) - LHP Dallas Keuchel (0-0, 2.25 ERA) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Jose Bravo (2-3, 6.46 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 PM CST) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (first MWL start) Lakeland @ Fort Myers (5:00 PM CST) - RHP Jack Noble (first FSL start) FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (9:00 AM CST) - TBD DSL Angels @ DSL Twins (10:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

This is great. Thank you for sharing your experience... and some photos!

The Twins were shutout by the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday afternoon and scored just three runs in the three-game series. The Twins full-season minor-league affiliates got one extra day off this week, and when they returned on Wednesday, all three teams scored at least a dozen runs. There were great performances for all three teams, and Jair Camargo had his biggest hit of the season. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photos of Jair Camargo) While the Minnesota Twins offense completely sputtered in Atlanta this week, their three minor-league affiliates that returned to action on Wednesday all scored at least a dozen runs. Like the big-league schedule, the minor league affiliates are now in their second halves. So, they got an extra day, but it's really not that simple. It was an extra day off, but instead of playing Tuesday through Sunday this week, the series will be played Wednesday through Monday. They won't get a day off at all next week as they will all play on Tuesday, July 4th. So again, the big-league club has been struggling, but thankfully we've got the minor leagues to talk about too... and I'm sure you're enjoying the great 2023 MLB Draft coverage that @Jeremy Nygaard and @Jamie Cameron have been providing. Finally, before we get started, if you missed yesterday's First-Half Awards article, click here to see who we voted the top hitter, starting pitcher, and relief pitcher in the Twins minor leagues in the first half. And if you missed the interview with DaShawn Keirsey, Jr, click here. Here are the records of the six Twins affiliates through games on Wednesday. St. Paul Saints: 44-31 Wichita Wind Surge: 29-40 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 42-27 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 36-34 FCL Twins: 9-7 DSL Twins: 5-12 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins had RHP Cole Sands begin his rehab assignment with the Saints. RHP Ronny Henriquez was also activated from the 7-Day IL and back in the Saints bullpen. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 12, Gwinnett 9 Box Score It wasn’t a great game for the Saints as they began their season’s second half, but in the end, it couldn’t have ended any better. Louie Varland was the Saints starter in a matinee game at CHS Field. It would be fair to say that it didn’t go really well. The St. Paul native was charged with six runs on six hits (including two homers) and five walks. He had four strikeouts. Just 52 of his 95 pitches were strikes (54.7%). However, when he left the game, the Saints were ahead 8-6 that’s to a five-run third inning. Left Michael Boyle came on and got four outs. Then Cole Sands tossed a perfect inning. Patrick Murphy came on and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in the eighth inning and suddenly the Saints were down 9-8. Fortunately, Kody Funderburk struck out two batters in the top of the ninth inning to set things up. But let's go back to the beginning. The Saints took the early lead when Jose Miranda crushed his third Saints home run. However, in the top of the second, Gwinnett scored four runs. But the Saints came back with two in the bottom of the season thanks to a single from Anthony Prato and a fielder’s choice off the bat of Elliot Soto. In the top of the third, Braden Shewmake hit a solo homer to make it 5-3. The Saints responded with a five-run third inning. The scoring started with a bases-loaded walk by Chris Williams. Jair Camargo then drove a two-run single. Prato drove in Williams with a force out before Soto singled in Prato to give the Saints the 8-5 lead. Alright, let’s jump back to the ninth inning. Matt Wallner led off with a groundout. Kyle Garlick singled, but Gilberto Celestino grounded out for the inning’s second out. However, Trevor Larnach and Andrew Bechtold walked to load the bases and bring up Camargo. On the first pitch, Camargo crushed his third grand slam of the season to give the Saints a 12-9, walkoff win. The ball left his bat at 109.6 mph and traveled 442 feet. Jair Camargo went 2-for-5 in the game and drove in six big runs. The home run was his 12th of the season. Kyle Garlick and Gilberto Celestino both went 2-5 as well. Trevor Larnach was 0-for-2 but walked three times. Chris Williams was 1-for-2 and walked twice. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 15, NW Arkansas 8 Box Score An extra day off at home was maybe just what the Wind Surge needed as their offense broke out in this one, scoring 15 runs with 18 hits. All nine Wichita batters had at least one hit. Seven of the nine had two hits in the game, and Brooks Lee led the way with three hits and a walk in the game. The team scored in five of the first six innings, but it was an eight-run fifth inning that broke it open. David Festa made the start and was charged three runs on five hits over four innings. He had four strikeouts. Francis Peguero tossed a scoreless fifth inning. Regi Grace gave up three runs on three hits (including two homers) and a walk in 2 1/3 innings. Alex Phillips gave up two runs on five hits, but he got the final five outs. The game time temperature in Wichita was 102 degrees, and there was a 15 mph wind blowing out to left field. The Wind Surge bats were hot, in at least some part due to the wind. Lee went 3-for-4 with a walk and his 24th double. He hit his sixth home run on the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning. Alex Isola went 2-for-5 with his 12th double. Aaron Sabato hit his eighth double and his first triple. DaShawn Keirsey went 2-for-4. Will Holland hit his sixth and seventh doubles and walked. He also stole two bases to give him a dozen on the year. Yoyner Fajardo went 2-for-4 and stole his 21st bag of the season. David Banuelos batted ninth and went 2-for-4 with a walk and his sixth home run since joining the Wind Surge. Yunior Severino drilled his 14th and 15th home runs of the season and drove in four runs. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids, Peoria The Kernels traveled to Peoria to start a new series. However, due to poor air quality, the game was postponed. It will be made up on Thursday as part of a doubleheader, starting at 5:00. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 16, Lakeland 2 Box Score Apparently the extra day off was just what all three of the Twins full-season affiliates that played on Wednesday needed. St. Paul scored 12 runs. Wichita scored 15 runs, and Fort Myers was on top of the leaderboard with 16 runs scored. As an aside, you may have heard that the Twins offense was shutout on Wednesday in Atlanta. Maybe they all need a two-day break! Anyway, this is the minor-league report. Let’s keep it positive. Back to the Mighty Mussels… you might be surprised to learn that the score of this game was 2-2 going into the bottom of the sixth. That’s when Fort Myers put up an 11-spot in that inning. Gregory Duran has only been up with the Mussels for three weeks. He had a breakout game on Wednesday. He went 3-for-3 with two walks, his fourth double, and his second home run. He scored four runs and drove in five runs. He batted eighth for Fort Myers in this game. The nine hitter, Maddux Houghton, went 4-for-5 with his second double and third triple. He scored twice and knocked in four runs. That is some pretty strong offensive performance from the bottom of the lineup. They were helped because sixth hitter, Kyle Schmidt, went 1-for-3 and walked twice and scored twice. Seven hitting, Dylan Neuse, went 1-for-2 with two walks and three runs scored. Ricardo Olivar was leading off. He went 2-for-4 with a walk and his ninth double. Danny De Andrade batted second and went 2-for-6 with his ninth double and his sixth home run. He drove in four runs and scored twice. Andrew Morris made the start for Fort Myers. He was charged with one run on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out two batters. Unfortunately, a nearly two hour rain delay ended his outing. Samuel Perez improved to 4-1 thanks to tossing 3 1/3 innings in which he gave up only an unearned run on three hits. The soft-tosser struck out five batters and issued no walks. Danny Moreno threw two scoreless innings and Johnathan Lavallee struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Samuel Perez (Fort Myers) - 3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K Hitters of the Day – Gregory Duran (Fort Myers) - 3-for-3, 2 BB, 2B(4), HR(2), 4 R, 5 RBI 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) - 3-for-4, BB, 2B(24), HR(6), 2 R, 4 RBI. #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 0-for-4, 3 K #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 0-for-1 #8 - David Festa (Wichita) - 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 69 pitches, 47 strikes. #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, R, K. #14 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 18 pitches, 12 strikes. #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 2-for-5, 2-HR(15), 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 K. THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Gwinnett (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (3-3, 5.02 ERA) vs RHP Dereck Rodriguez NW Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl (0-2, 6.61 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (DH starting at 5:00 PM CST) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin (2-4, 5.15 ERA), TBD Lakeland @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - RHP Ben Ethridge (0-4, 2.97 ERA) FCL Twins @ FCL Pirates (11:00 AM CST) - TBD DSL Giants Black @ DSL Twins (10:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

More background on the voting... Regarding the Starting Pitchers, Cory Lewis was the #1 choice for 6 of the 7 voters. Didn't show up in the top four of the other voter. Raya got the other #1 vote. On the reliever side, Grace received four first-place votes. The other first-place votes went to Murphy, John Stankiewicz and Miguel Rodriguez. Looking at Murphy's numbers... too many walks, but lots of Ks. Might need a shot, like Stewart got.

Just FYI - From a point perspective, Brooks Lee would have been next on the list (6th). Of the 7 "ballots," he only appeared on one. Yunior Severino was next. Keirsey and Cespedes after that. Williams was first on 3 ballots, and second on 3 more. Wallner, Cossetti, Rosario and Lee each had one first place vote.

Heading into Wednesday afternoon's game in Atlanta, the Twins have played 81 games. Officially, the season is now in its second half. So are the minor league teams. Today we’ll discuss who the top hitters and pitchers have been in the Twins minor leagues in the first half. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photos of Regi Grace, Chris Williams, Cory Lewis) The All-Star festivities are still over a week from now. David Festa will represent the Twins organization in Seattle for the Futures Game. Three of four Twins affiliates are over .500 at this point. Cedar Rapids won the Midwest League West Division first half title and earned a playoff berth. Several prospects have taken a step back, due to performance or injury. Others have had a breakout seasons so far. There have been MLB debuts. The Twins have signed several players to minor league deals, and there have been a lot of releases. The Florida State League and Dominican Summer League Twins have introduced us to more prospects to get to know. The 2023 draft is about 10 days away, and we will get to know another 15-21 players. But what we want to do here today is acknowledge some of the top performers through half of the season (full-season affiliates). At the end of the year, we will again announce our Minor League Hitter, Starting Pitcher, Relief Pitcher of the Year and name our Twins minor league All Stars. The players written about below are halfway there, but will they be the same candidates for the year-end awards? It certainly is possible, or more players may emerge in the second half. Let’s get to it. Seven Twins Daily minor-league writers voted on these first half awards. Each ranked their top 5 hitters, top 4 starting pitchers, and top 3 relief pitchers. Votes were tallied and below are the results. Top First Half Relief Pitcher Regi Grace, RP, 23 Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge 23 G, 32 2/3 IP, 2-2, 6 Saves, 1.38 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9, 11.0 K/9 The Twins drafted Regi Grace in the 10th round of the 2018 draft out of high school in Mississippi. Grace has become a reminder to all of us that players and people develop at different paces. He spent 2018, 2019 and began 2021 in the Florida Complex League before ending that season with the Mussels. He was moved to the bullpen in 2022. He pitched in 56 2/3 innings over 33 games and posted a 4.45 ERA. He ended the season with three games in Cedar Rapids. In the first half of 2023, Grace has been the top minor league reliever. He began the season in Cedar Rapids and in 17 games and 23 1/3 innings. He had 2-2 went five saves. He had a 1.16 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP. He walked five and struck out 30 batters. After a slow rise in his first five professional seasons, Grace was promoted to Double-A Wichita by mid-May. He has made six appearances and has a 1.93 ERA. He didn’t give up a run in his first five outings. #2: RHP Patrick Murphy, 28, St. Paul Saints: 24 G, 33 1/3 IP, 5-0, 1.62 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 5.7 BB/9, 11.1 K/9 #3: LHP Kody Funderburk, 26, Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints: 25 G, 34 2/3 IP, 1-0, 1.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 4.4 BB/9, 13.5 K/9. Top First Half Starting Pitcher Cory Lewis, SP, 22 Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels 12 GS, 54 1/3 IP, 7-3, 2.15 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 12.4 K/9 Just under a year ago, the Minnesota Twins made Cory Lewis their ninth-round draft pick out of UC-Santa Barbara. Over his two seasons in the Big West, he went 16-5 with ERAs of 3.38 ERA and 3.57. He became a popular draft prospect because of the fact that he throws a knuckleball as part of his regular pitch mix. After signing, he didn’t pitch in 2022. He began the 2023 season in Ft. Myers. He went 4-3 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP over nine starts. In 39 1/3 innings, he gave up 26 hits, walked 15 and struck out 55 batters. He earned his promotion to Cedar Rapids where he has made three starts. He is 3-0 with a 0.60 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP over 15 innings. He has walked four and struck out 20 batters. #2: RHP Marco Raya, 20, Cedar Rapids Kernels: 10 GS, 31 IP, 0-1, 3.19 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9, 10.2 K/9. #3: RHP C.J. Culpepper , 21, Fort Myers Mussels: 11 GS, 46 1/3 IP, 4-3, 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.3 K/9. #4: RHP Blayne Enlow, 24, Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints: 13 G, 11 GS, 61 1/3 IP, 4-2, 4.11 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 10.9 K/9 #5: RHP Zebby Matthews, 23, Fort Myers Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels: 12 G, 10 GS, 55 IP, 4-2, 3.76 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 1.0 BB/9, 10.6 K/9 Top First Half Hitter Chris Williams, 1B, 26 St. Paul Saints 49 G, 200 PA, 48-for-168, .286/.392/.607 (.999) with seven doubles, a triple, 15 homers, 45 RBI. 29 BB, 65 K. When the Twins drafted Chris Williams out of Clemson in the eighth round of the 2018 draft, it was because 1.) he was a senior sign, and 2.) he had shown massive power in college, and 3.) despite shoulder issues, there was some thought that he could become a catcher. At Clemson, he hit 40 home runs n three seasons, including 32 homers over his final two seasons. After signing, he was sent to Elizabethton and was named the Twins Daily Short-Season Minor League Hitter of the Year. He split 2019 between Low-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Fort Myers. After the missed 2020 season, he began the 2021 season at High-A Cedar Rapids where he hit .100 over 17 games. He was moved up to Double-A Wichita where he started making much better contact because he was playing more. Williams really broke out last year. In 75 games at Wichita, he hit .277 with 16 doubles and 18 homers. He ended the season with 42 games at St. Paul and added five doubles and 10 home runs. In 117 total games, he hit .246/.343/.500 (.843) with 21 doubles, 28 homers, and 89 RBI. In April, he hit .229 with one homer. In May, he hit .241 with four homers. However, since the start of June, he has been amazing. He has played in 18 games and has at least one hit in 16 of them. He is hitting .364/.469/833 (1.302) with 10 homers. He hit three homers in a game on a Tuesday, then hit two more on Wednesday, and then another on that Thursday. He’s been on fire, and our voters have made him the top Twins minor league hitter in the first half. #2: OF Matt Wallner, 25, St. Paul Saints: 55 G, 247 PA, 60-for-203, .296/.413/.537 (.950) with 18 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, and 38 RBI. 32 BB, 75 K. #3: C/1B Andrew Cossetti, 23, Ft. Myers Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels: 53 G, 216 PA, 51-for-173, .295/.421/.555 (.976) with 16 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, and 40 RBI. 30 BB. 37 K. #4: OF Kala’i Rosario, 20, Cedar Rapids Kernels: 62 G, 273 PA, 64-for-229, .280/.396/.515 (.911) with 14 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, and 46 RBI. 41 BB. 71 K. #5: 2B Jorel Ortega, 22, Ft. Myers Mussels, Cedar Rapids Kernels: 65 G, 294 PA, 72-for-294, .289/.398/.494 (.892), with 24 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 44 RBI. 42 BB. 64 K. 17 SB. View full article

They've played Ross at SS ... three times. Probably pretty similar. I just like the small college thing and think that he's got more room to grow... and he's already good.

I’m sure some lengthy research project could be done to determine which Minnesota Twins minor leaguer is the most underrated. That sounds like a lot of work. So I’m just going to say it and let you debate it. DaShawn Keirsey, Jr., is the most underrated prospect in the Twins system. I chatted with him this week and discussed his season, his toolbox and more. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Toward the end of his sophomore season at the University of Utah, DaShawn Keirsey, Jr., was standing in center field in a game against Arizona State. The batter crushed a ball to dead center. Keirsey turned and sprinted, eye on the ball trying to outrun it. He was so intent on catching the ball that he ran full speed into the wall. He went down, writhing in pain. An ambulance came onto the field. Keirsey was places on the stretcher and gave the crowd the thumbs up. He had dislocated his hip and needed surgery and a lot of rehab. Almost inexplicably, he was able to return in time for his junior season, and he hadn’t missed a beat. In 50 games, he hit .386/.440/.609 (1.049) with 23 doubles, five triples, and four home runs. There were likely still question marks, but in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, the Twins selected Keirsey (rhymes with jersey) and gave him an opportunity. That summer, he hit .301 at Elizabethton. In 2019, he got hurt a couple of times in Cedar Rapids and was limited to just 36 games. It was impossible to get any sort of routine going. After the lost 2020 season, Keirsey returned to the Kernels, though they were now the High-A affiliate. Again, injuries limited him to just 45 games. The Twins kept pushing the toolsy, athletic outfielder anyway. In 2022, he moved up another level, to the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge. He was able to stay healthy for most of the season, and he performed much better. In 121 games, he hit .271/.329/395 (.724) with 26 doubles, three triples, and seven home runs. Just as impressive, he stole 42 bases in 49 attempts. With so many outfielders, and specifically left-handed hitting outfielders between the Twins and the Triple-A St. Paul Saints, Keirsey returned to the Wind Surge in 2023. He could have been disappointed, or even moped. Instead, he continued the process and has really shown a lot of progress. Through 63 games this season, he is hitting .312/.367/.494 (.861) with 12 doubles, three triples, and he’s already got nine home runs. He has been successful in 24 of 28 stolen base attempts. All the while, he has played great centerfield defense. He has made some spectacular diving plays but often catching balls that others might have to dive for look easy. In our conversation (see the video above), we spent time discussing each of his five tools In a way, I kind of ranked them to get his thoughts. Speed: Keirsey can fly, and that can be seen on the base paths and in the outfield. It can also be seen on the base paths where he’s obviously been given the green light. Defense: I lumped #2 and #3 together in my rankings, but here I’ll put his defense as the next strong tool. Again, not everyone can play defense well in centerfield, and Keirsey is very good. And, as you can hear from the interview, he’s working on a few things that can help him improve his first step. Hit: Fully healthy and finally getting consistent at-bats has really helped him improve upon his offensive statistics. While he may not hit .327 or .386 like he did in his final two seasons at Utah, he could hit for a batting average in the upper .200s. Hit for Power: Listed at 6-0 and 195 pounds, Keirsey doesn’t necessarily look the part of power hitter. However, he has nine homers in a half of a season this year and is just figuring some things out with the bat. He likely won’t be a 30-homer hitter, but with his other skills, if he can provide double-digit homers, he can be quite valuable. Arm: In honesty, it’s the most difficult tool to evaluate from a fans’ perspective. I’ve seen him show off a strong and accurate throw at times, but he also acknowledges that it may be his fifth tool at this stage, but it’s something he continues to work on. Sixth Tool? Plate Discipline: Keirsey tends to be an aggressive hitter, and he will strike out. This is also an area he’s working on. Recently, Wind Surge manager Ramon Borrego has been hitting Keirsey leadoff with Brooks Lee behind him. Keirsey says that as a leadoff man, at least in the first plate appearance, he usually is pretty patient knowing he can help his teammates that way. The Mental Game: Keirsey has been through a lot in life and with all of the injuries, but he has become quite strong mentally and isn’t afraid to discuss and acknowledge how he’s doing. This is such an important thing for, well, everyone, but certainly for athletes as well. While I have ranked Keirsey in my personal Top 30 Twins prospects, he is yet to appear among Twins Daily’s top prospects. Already 26, that may continue to be the case, but with his tools and ability to play centerfield, he just might get an opportunity at some point. And I would say that’s all he’s asking for. For much more Twins Daily content on DaShawn Keirsey, Jr., click here. To watch DaShawn’s Twins Spotlight episode from March 2021, click here. View full article

Yeah, if you read the Jeff Johnson article I linked to, he notes that it's one of the crazier things he's seen in all his years.

Prospect-wise, I don't think people should rank Schobel ahead of Miller or Salas, just because they are two or more year younger and playing at the same level. He's playing well, and that's terrific. He's adding the power more of late, seems to take good plate appearances. He's probably put himself in a spot where if there is a need at 2B or 3B at Wichita (injury, or maybe Severino gets promoted), he could get the call instead of going back to Yake. And no, I don't think there was ever any thought about Schobel playing SS. He did in college, but I think they moved him to 2B right after the draft. Miller is so good there, and Salas could play there, and I think that Ross has even spent some time there. I rank Ross higher than Schobel... but they're close.

That'll teach me to try to work ahead! I wrote ahead, assuming two because that's pretty normal... Missed that one with my post-announcement note.

DaShawn Keirsey, Jr., just might be the most underrated prospect in the Minnesota Twins organization. Listen as he discusses his goals coming into the season, what has helped him breakout, discussion on his five tools, his offseason job, and much more. View full video

Way too early to decide that. They have another 6 weeks or so to see where they're at. And while I want to see something more, we've seen them be generally very competitive against good teams. And, I'd rather see them win the division than not... and just take their chances in the playoffs. They'd be the 3 seed and play the 6 seed, and maybe they can just get a win and end old narratives.

@jharaldson - This is a terrific blog post. I think you laid out your points just fine. Yes, we all want to watch him play CF. Yes, the Twins have tried to answer when asked about it, and at any given time, those answers can change. I'd be fine with them strategically ILing him around the All Star break to try to not have him do anything for those 10 days. I don't think there's any sort of sinister plan that they're holding back from fans, and if there is something more serious than a knee surgery (remember all the dumb theories Twins fans had when Bill Smith deemed Joe Mauer's knee injury as bi-lateral leg weakness... which basically meant it was both knees... some people said he had some pretty major diseases. I know I don't have time to think like that.), then I would hope people would respect his privacy! Knowing Buxton the little bit that I do. Seeing and hearing about his work ethic, I have no doubt he's doing what he can. Having seen and heard what Mauer had to do to just get himself ready to play every day. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, and like I said, I wouldn't assume anything sinister. No organization is or should be "too" transparent. Like @jorgenswest wrote above... if he could play CF, he would be playing CF. I want him in the lineup.

That's because their top players and top prospects are all where they should be. With the pitchers, it's not unusual to let a previous-year draft pick start in Low A, get his feet wet, dominate and then move up when the Twins start releasing players and AAA players. Festa's going to be good. I have no problem with him representing the Twins. I'm only disappointed that the Twins only have one player going. The Brewers have three.

On Monday evening, the MLB Futures Game rosters were named and just one Minnesota Twins prospect will represent the organization in Seattle on July 8th. Wind Surge right-handed starting pitcher David Festa will wear a Twins cap and play in the All Star event. In addition, the DSL and FCL Twins played on Monday morning/afternoon. Find out how they did and more. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of David Festa) A year ago, the Twins were represented at the Futures Game by infielder Spencer Steer and outfielder Matt Wallner, two members of their talented 2019 draft. In 2023, the Minnesota Twins will be represented in the July 8th, pre-All Star game festivities by right-hander David Festa of the Wichita Wind Surge. Festa is a deserving candidate and a strong prospect for the Twins. The only disappointment is that he is the lone representative for the Twins. It really is an honor to get the opportunity to represent your organization, but also a unique opportunity to play with and against some of the best minor-league talents in the game. Nick Gordon got to take a picture with Christina Milian. Alex Meyer, Kennys Vargas and Jose Berrios got to represent the Twins when the 2014 All Star event was held at Target Field. Royce Lewis was mic'd up when he played in the game in 2019. And, it's hard to forget Matt Wallner's blast in last year's game... off a lefty. Here is a list of the Twins players to be named to the Futures Game in years past, since it began in 1999. 1999: Michael Cuddyer, J.C. Romero , 2000: Luis Rivas, Brad Thomas, 2001: Grant Balfour, 2002: Michael Restovich, Justin Morneau, 2003: Joe Mauer, J.D. Durbin , 2004: Jason Kubel, Justin Morneau, 2005: Francisco Liriano, Travis Bowyer, 2006: Trent Oeltjen, 2007: Matt Garza, Matt Tolbert, 2008: Luke Hughes, Denard Span (called up), 2009: Rene Tosoni, 2010: Anthony Slama, Ben Revere, Liam Hendriks, 2011: Liam Hendriks, Kyle Gibson, 2012: Oswaldo Arcia, 2013: Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, 2014: Trevor May (called up), Jose Berrios, Alex Meyer, Kennys Vargas, 2015: Max Kepler, Jose Berrios, 2016: JT Chargois, 2017: Nick Gordon, 2018: Alex Kirilloff, Lewis Thorpe, 2019: Royce Lewis, 2020: No Game, 2021: Josh Winder, 2022: Spencer Steer, Matt Wallner. Alright, back to our regularly-scheduled program/report. Here are the records of the six Twins affiliates through games on Monday. St. Paul Saints: 43-31 Wichita Wind Surge: 28-40 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 42-27 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 35-34 FCL Twins: 9-6 DSL Twins: 5-11 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins released RHPs Orlando Rodriguez and Charlie Neuweiler. They were with Cedar Rapids. Taking their spots are RHPs AJ Labas and CJ Culpepper. (First reported by Jeff Johnson). The Minnesota Twins also signed OF Francis Florentino and assigned him to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. He signed from the USPBL. The Dominican outfielder had played 14 games for the Westside Woolly Mammoths. He got on base, hit for power, and ended his time with a 13-game hitting streak. The 23-year-old spent his ages 17-19 years old seasons in the Brewers organization but didn't get out of the rookie leagues. His manager in the USPBL was former Twins catching prospect Taylor Grzelakowski . He told The Oakland Press, "Francis was the top player in our league from the very first day he arrived at the USPBL. He has an electric arm that is fun to watch. He led all offensive categories at one point during the season thanks to his big league approach. He can hit the ball anywhere on the field. He will be missed, but we wish him the best of luck and I know he’ll do great things at the next level.” Florentino becomes the 49th player signed out of the USPBL since it began in 2016, and the Twins have probably signed at least 35% of them including Randy Dobnak and Grzelakowski. (Side Note: I had to check... the Twins have now signed 16 players from the USPBL, or 32%) Florentino was the 49th player... Catcher Duncan Hewitt is the 50th. He has signed with the Twins after some time in the USPBL with Grzelakowski's Woolly Mammoths. Hewitt spent five years playing at Butler University. He's played some independent ball, primarily in the USPBL, since 2021. Based on his college and pro numbers, he must be an incredible defensive catcher. Just a few weeks ago, the Twins also signed pitcher Kyle Bischoff from the Woolly Mammoths. SAINTS SENTINEL Louie Varland will take the mound for the Saints when their season resumes on Wednesday afternoon at CHS Field. They will be playing Gwinnett, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, the Twins opponent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. WIND SURGE WISDOM They will remain at home this coming week. KERNELS NUGGETS Infielder Tanner Schobel was named the Midwest League Player of the Week. MUSSEL MATTERS Right-hander C.J. Culpepper was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA FCL Twins 3, FCL Rays 6 Box Score The Twins fell behind 2-0 after two innings, but they scored single runs in third, fourth and fifth innings to take the lead. However, the Rays scored three runs in the fifth to take the lead and didn’t look back. Lefty Cesar Lares gave up five runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four and issued no walks. However, he hit two batters. Ricardo Velez came in and got the final out of the fifth inning. Juan Mercedes gave up one run on three hits and a walk over the final three innings. He struck out four batters. Austin Martin’s rehab stint had stalled for nearly three weeks. He returned on Monday and went 1-for-2 with a walk in this game. He played second base and batted second. He had an error as well. Outfielders Andres Centeno and Fredy Michel each went 2-for-4. Bryan Acuna went 1-for-3 with a walk. Since we have some space, here are the FCL Twins on the Injured Lists: 7-Day IL: P Anthony Narvaez, IF Yonardy Soto, IF Cole Tate, OF Argenis Jimenez 60-Day IL: C Wilfri Castro, Injured-Full Season: 1B Alexander Pena, COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins 3, DSL Rockies 13 Box Score The Rockies scored three runs in the second inning, and then had two four-run innings to run away with this game. Reynel Garcia started and gave up three runs (1 earned) on four hits and two walks. Eduardo Soriano came on and went the next 4 1/3 innings. He was charged with five runs (3 earned) on seven hits and four walks. Oscar Paredes then gave up four runs (3 earned) on four hits and a walk. Jose Ojo was charged with an unearned run on two hits in the ninth inning. Ariel Castro went 2-for-4 with his second and third doubles. Jayson Bass went 2-for-4 and drove in a run. Yilber Herrera drove in a run with his sixth double. Since we have some space, here are the DSL Twins on the Injured Lists: 7-Day IL: SS Hendry Chivilli, 60-Day IL: P Edgardo Chaviel, P Orlando Rubio, TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Juan Mercedes (FCL Twins) - 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K Hitters of the Day – Ariel Castro (DSL Twins) - 2-for-4, 2-2B(3), 2 R, K, SB(3) 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 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - Night Game. Not in starting lineup. #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - Night Game. Leading off. #11 - Austin Martin (Rehab FCL Twins) - 1-for-2, BB, E. #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 0-for-4, RBI, BB, 2 K. TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Full-season affiliates get an extra day off this week. There are two reasons for that. First, it is approximately the midpoint of their seasons, and secondly, many will play next week because of the Fourth of July and All Star festivities taking place. FCL Pirates @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CST) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Pirates Gold (10:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Monday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

Just moving this back up the list. Any more names of Minnesotans who are playing pro ball currently? Adding Joey Stock from Cold Spring and St. John's (MN). He's with the Red Sox.

All that sounds good... but is anyone putting the Twins in the same category as Atlanta? The goal is always said to be to win series at home, and try to go .500 on the road. Wow, they would need to play very well to go .500 on the road against two of the top 4 teams in baseball. Of course, weird things happen in baseball. The Twins have actually generally played better against the better teams this year, but to 'expect' them to go into Atlanta and win 2 out of 3.