Seth Stohs

It's looking like another Tommy John, from what I've heard.

I love the HS picks. Says a lot about Falvey/Levine/Johnson/Scouts, etc... Who knows if they'll even be around when these kids get to the big leagues, but they're going with the young'ns, and that's awesome. Wickonur is tall, tons of power! Like it!

Baseball is really hard. Getting to the big leagues means that you're incredibly amazing at the game and it's an incredible accomplishment by an organization. but it's not easy, so while we end up expecting so much from the 1st and 2nd round picks, they need to develop at their own pace, and play a lot, and learn from everything, and then we hope.

First, thank you so much for the kind words. Second, while I am very excited about at least 2 of their 3 picks, we should hope that they are excited about these early picks and believe they can all make the big leagues. Of course, they need to sign them and then the work begins of slowly moving up the ladder and development.

Day 1 of the draft is always a lot of fun. When your favorite team has a top-five pick, it's even better. The Minnesota Twins had three of the first 49 picks in the draft. In other words, after a tough afternoon at the ballpark, Sunday was a fun night for Twins fans. Image courtesy of Stephen Brashear, USA Today "It's been a long wait to be able to acquire and draft a player like Walker (Jenkins). It was a thrilling night, and we're super excited to be able to select him," Twins Director of Scouting Sean Johnson said at the end of a long first day of the draft. The general thought heading into the MLB Draft was that there were five elite talents. At that point, there were still a lot of excellent players, but those five were clearly at the top. Rumors, or even conversations, hinting that the Twins might draft a college bat if only a high school player remained from that top five. The strategy is logical. Pick a guy a few spots above where he would likely be picked and sign him for under the slot value. Then, use the saved money to go well above the slot on a player or two in the second or third rounds. A source I trust told me that was never really considered. Of course, it's always necessary to have contingency plans and think through what could happen. Michael Cuddyer has been very active with USA Baseball since his retirement, giving back to an organization that helped his development as a young player. Cuddyer coached the North Carolina native when he was 15 years old and in years since then. Denny Hocking was the manager of Team USA a year ago and coached Jenkins as well. He tweeted, "Twins got a great one in Walker. The fan base is going to fall in love with him." Doug Mientkiewicz tweeted, "Congrats Twins! You just got an ABSOLUTE STUD! Walker Jenkins is the best kid you will ever be around!! Plays with heart and he gets it! You just got a number one pick overall in any other draft!!" The Twins area scout for North Carolina is Ty Dawson. Of Jenkins, Sean Johnson said, "He's a five-tool player. We love his swing. We think he's got a chance for real power. He's a big kid, but he moves pretty well. He can really throw, and we think that he can really defend. You can't ask for much more than that when you're looking for a high school prospect. He's just a well-rounded player and a phenomenal person off the field. We asked a lot of people, and really no one had anything negative to say about Walker, his personality, his character, and his family. Just a great group of people and an awesome kid." Johnson added, "Just to have the opportunity to select a player like that who can do it all and impact the game on both sides is rare and something our group didn't want to pass up on. Another person who is incredibly impressed after spending time with Walker Jenkins is the Twins second draft pick of the night, Charlee Soto. Both players were participating in a Team USA event. Soto said, "I met him last summer at PDP (Player Development Pipeline). Unfortunately, he got injured there and couldn't finish it. He got injured and went to the hospital, but the next day he was at the field to support us. He was always supportive. He was always a leader. He was always getting us stuff in the dugout. He was a very, very humble kid, and I can't wait to get to work with him because I know we're going to bring a lot to Minnesota." In addition to Jenkins, Soto will have another friend in the Twins organization. He knows 2022 draft pick Omari Daniel. "I talk to him every now and then. He loves the process. He's developing every single day. He's told me a lot. Having someone inside the organization helps me a lot." Several players received invitations to attend the draft in Seattle. Asked why it was important for him to be in Seattle, he noted, "Last year, I played in a high school all-star game, and I actually attended the draft in LA. So, seeing all of those guys walk up on the stage after they got drafted, it just showed me that I want to be there one day. I want to be at the draft in person. I saw all the fans that were there cheering. That's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. When I got that email invite, I instantly said 'Yes.'" Charlee Soto stands 6-5. He's already got a big fastball in the mid-90s and has even touched triple-digits. He's worked on a slider and a circle changeup as well. Hocking mentioned to me after Day 1 of the draft was complete that Soto just missed making the National Team last summer. He "didn't feel he threw enough strikes at the time." (Hocking's added comment to me on the Twins first pick, "Walker Jenkins is amazing.”) Johnson said they saw Jenkins a lot in 2022 at events such as the East Coast Pro Challenge, Team USA, etc. "Really sound delivery. He's got three nice pitches now. Obviously, the velocity's there. He's been up to the upper-90s already. He's got a fantastic slider. He's got a really good feel for a changeup, and he throws strikes. Put all those things together, and we think he's got a chance to be a major-league starter. (He's an) awesome kid. (I) Got a chance to spend some time with him at the Combine. He came to a workout we had in Ft. Myers before the Combine. So we've had a lot of different punch points with Charlee. We were super excited that he made it down to our pick, and we're really glad to select him." "I look a lot at Gerrit Cole. Just the way he pitches, the way he does things. I feel like he pitches so calmly, so (passionately). And also, being born in Philly, I looked a lot at Roy Halladay. He was a great arm as well. I was always watching him on YouTube. Anywhere I could, I watched him and learned a lot from those two guys." Born in Philadelphia, the Soto family moved to Kissimmee, Florida, when he was young. He has been to the Twins facilities in Ft. Myers. That's where some of the Team USA trials took place. He said he was impressed by the weight rooms, the facilities, and the cafeteria. He graduated recently from Reborn Christian Academy, and faith is something he says has helped him along the way, particularly in recent days. "Today, I was leaving everything in God's hands because I knew he was going to choose the best route for me, and He did. Being a part of the Twins organization, He put that for me. He was the man in control. I was stressing a little bit, but I wasn't stressing a whole lot because I knew he had big plans for me." A friend of his recently moved to Minnesota. On Saturday, he sent Soto a photo of him in a boat in the middle of the lake and asked him when he was going to join him. "I think it was a sign that I just didn't see." The Twins area scout for central Florida is Brett Dowdy. He and other Twins evaluators saw a lot of Soto over the past couple of years, but he took significant steps forward this spring. Johnson noted, "Early in the spring, our guys were buzzing about how good he was and just how much they loved his pitches, his mound presence, and his ability to manage the game. That was all really positive signals for a group. He was a guy we kind of had circled with our second pick. We didn't know if he would make it, obviously, but we were certainly hopeful going into the night." After drafting two high-ceiling high school players with their first two picks, the Twins went to the college ranks for their second-round pick. Luke Keaschall was the 49th overall pick. He spent two seasons at the University of San Francisco, hitting over .300 in both years and developing his game. He then transferred to Arizona State this past year. In 55 games, he hit .353/.443/.725 (1.168) with 25 doubles and 18 home runs. He also was 18-for-20 in stolen base attempts. Johnson on Keaschall "A wrestling background in high school. A guy who did really well at the University of San Francisco, and then we got to see him a lot more this spring at Arizona State. We were really drawn to him. He's just a dynamic athlete. I think he's got a chance to play a lot of different positions. Offensively, he controls the strike zone. I think he had 18 home runs this spring. He takes good at-bats and has a chance to play all over the diamond. We'll figure out where he fits in eventually. And a terrific kid. One of our favorites that we connected with at the Combine. We think the makeup is a separator. It's special, which is rare. Most guys are more in the middle. We really fell in love with Luke." The "Four Corners" area scout for the Twins is Chandler Wagoner. Arguably, the night's best moment came after the Twins third pick. Television cameras finally showed the Twins draft room. In it, there was a jersey with the name Radcliff on it. All of the scouts were wearing a white visor, just like the one Mike Radcliff wore to ballparks all over the country, all over the globe. It was a really nice, emotional moment and was important to many in the organization. Johnson said they were hoping it would happen earlier in the night, but they were thrilled it happened. "We wanted to have the jersey in the shot, and we all came up with the idea. It was for our scouting brethren. The scouts that knew Mike well, they always saw him in a visor. That was his look pretty much every game he went to. That was our way of paying tribute to him so that other people in the industry would understand right away. We finally got the shot. It was a beautiful moment." Johnson tried to recall his thoughts on Jenkins and the other picks. "The last time we saw him together was at the Perfect Game All-American Game in Phoenix in late August. That's when he put the highest 'follow' he could on Walker. I remember reading that report when it came in. Maybe this is Mike saying this is who he wants if he's not here when the draft gets here. He was a big Walker Jenkins fan; I'll say that. And he saw Charlee Soto as well. He was right in line with how we thought about him. He thought he was a first-day talent. I know he's smiling. We thought about him a lot after we took Walker Jenkins." The scouts headed to their hotel rooms after the draft was complete. Hopefully, they can all get some good rest. But more work will be done on Monday afternoon when the draft resumes. Starting at 1:00 central time, teams will make their Rounds 3 through 10 picks. "We'll resume in the morning before we get going. We'll just kind of stare at the board and kind of map out a plan for the next few rounds. (Day 2) is seemingly always the most hectic day because you're constantly pivoting, as your board falls apart, to different scenarios and ideas. Signabilities change overnight and into tomorrow. We collect as much information as we can on where agents are with players and how to proceed after that. We'll get going a few hours before the draft starts and try to prepare as best we can." There is reason for excitement about the Twins first day of the draft. All three players are exciting, as you would hope from Top 50 picks. Be sure to stop by Twins Daily all afternoon to find out who the next seven players will become members of the Twins organization. Discuss in the comments below what you think of the Twins choices, what you might have done differently and more. View full article

And, Cam Johnson and Jack Hurley are still available. Johnson must be pretty set with his commitment to LSU. That has to be why he hasn't been taking. He even had Big Frank Thomas advocating for him tonight. I like the Tanner Schobel comp. Sean Johnson said that the scouts absolutely love him. I wonder if he might be a little under slot?

Horvath went to the Orioles with the #53 overall pick in the draft!

I mean, he was there and they took him, so ...

Heard they never even considered other guys assuming Jenkins was available.

Shocking! No, not shocking that he likes the Jenkins pick... shocking that he actually said something nice to and about the Twins!

How is this measured? Having a Top 10 prospect? Because Lewis and Kirilloff have been Top 10 global prospects in the past. Top 100 types? Jeffers, Larnach, Julien, Rodriguez, Miranda, Ryan, Balazovic were all Top 100 prospects at some point. The Twins minor-league system likely ranks in the bottom 3rd of organizations right now. It's definitely not a top system right now. It remains a deep organization, especially as it relates to pitching (which is so weird as a Twins fan). Not Top 100 guys, but definitely guys who can help in the big leagues with continued development.

Curious what you thought Lee would be hitting at AA? He leads the league in doubles. He's playing good defense. He's a good eye at the plate. If he was hitting .280/.364/.438 (.802), would he still be considered failure in your eyes? If he puts up those numbers in the big leagues that'd be fantastic. And that's 15 points of batting average, which is a few bloopers falling in.

It's a good point and one we probably don't think about enough. Getting through that first full season is a real grind, and I often hear from players who adjust their offseason workout schedule and strain to adapt for Year 2.

Mac Horvath honed his baseball skills in Rochester, Minnesota, where he became one of the better players in the state. He played at the University of North Carolina the past three years and become a very solid all-around player. It is quite possible that Horvath will hear his name on TV on Day 1 of the 2023 MLB Draft on Sunday. Get to know about the former Rochester Century student-athlete and let's support Minnesotans in professional baseball. Image courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications Mac Horvath grew up in southern Minnesota. Once he started playing in high school, he became one of the best players in the state of Minnesota. He went to Rochester Century through his junior season, and Perfect Game had him ranked #2 in the state behind only Burnsville's Max Carlson. Horvath attended the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, for his senior year. He received baseball instruction from top coaches, strength and conditioning, and even mental health coaching there. In the afternoons, they take their high school classes. It's a place that frequently hosts college recruiters and professional scouts. For Horvath, there was another good reason to go to IMG. "After being injured for a good chunk of the season my Sophomore and Junior years of high school, it only made sense to go to IMG and kind of get back that time I had missed to prepare me for college and pro ball." He joined the Rochester Century varsity team as a freshman and was part of a strong team. "That year, we were the Number 1 team going into our section tournament." He primarily played shortstop, but he had a huge fastball and found a ton of success on the mound too. In fact, he committed early to the University of North Carolina as a two-way player. He said, "I enjoyed pitching a lot. (However), playing every day is something I really wanted to do." For Mac, the decision to go to North Carolina became relatively easy after visiting the campus. "The program and culture there are incredible, and I just had that feeling of home when I was visiting there." He was joined by fellow Minnesotan Max Carlson with the Tar Heels. There has seemingly been a pipeline of top Minnesota players heading to Chapel Hill to play ball. Michael Busch went to Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights. He played for North Carolina from 2017 to 2019, when the Dodgers made him their first-round pick. He made his MLB debut earlier this season and has played 15 games in the big leagues. And hey, I bet you didn't know that the legendary Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, who famously became a doctor in the northern Minnesota town of Chisholm, played baseball at UNC. His brother Frank later became the president of the college and, after that, became a US Senator. According to his Baseball-Reference page, Graham is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Rochester. Rochester. Oh yes, let's get back to the star of our article today, North Carolina draft prospect from Rochester, Mac Horvath. Things didn't just get handed to him when he got to Carolina. He didn't immediately become a star. There is always some adjustment needed. He told Twins Daily, "I was the starting third baseman Opening Day my freshman year and through the next seven or so games struggled offensively pretty badly. I was taken out of the lineup, and I think the biggest change was just being confident in myself at all times and not letting a bad at-bat get to me and carry it into the next AB or game." As a freshman, he played 46 games and hit .227/.311/.387 (.698) with four doubles and five home runs. He found success that summer playing back at home for the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League. He played another 35 games and hit .287/.437/.434 (.871) with six doubles and four homers. When he returned to Chapel Hill for his sophomore season, he was a little more mature, physically and mentally prepared for the Division I college game. He played 63 games and hit .268/.390/.557 (.947) with 15 doubles and 18 home runs. In addition, he began using his impressive speed. He stole 19 bases in 22 attempts. He played 18 games in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2022. As a junior this spring, he put together some monster offensive numbers. In 60 games, he hit .305/.418/.711 (1.129) with 21 doubles and 24 home runs. He was 25-for-29 in stolen base attempts. And he's put himself into being a potential Day 1 pick when the MLB Draft starts on Sunday night. He hit for average. He was patient. He showed tremendous power and speed. How does he describe himself as a hitter? "I would say a patient power hitter with speed." I'd say that summarizes it quite well. And about his stolen base prowess the past two seasons, he said it is an integral part of his all-around game. "Speed is a big part of my game and something you can't teach. So I try to use it to my advantage to help the team." In high school, he primarily played shortstop. He primarily played third base in his first two seasons at North Carolina. He was the Tar Heels' primary right fielder, but he says he feels comfortable around the diamond. Horvath noted, "I feel comfortable at third base and every outfield spot, but when I think of myself in the big leagues, I see myself as center fielder." When a player of the caliber of Mac Horvath is draft-eligible, scouts are present frequently, especially at a big school like North Carolina. It can be challenging for many young players, trying to focus on the game and the team while thoughts of conversations with scouts and what might come of it are roaming in the back of their minds. It can be overwhelming, but Horvath continued to thrive and improve throughout the process. "I have enjoyed the process 100%. I didn't focus on it or talk to any scouts during the season. I talked to a good amount of the teams at the MLB Draft Combine." The MLB Draft Combine is a relatively new concept over the past couple of seasons, but it is a place where potential draft picks go and have the opportunity to work out, hit, throw, run, and talk to personnel from the big league clubs. "It was a very cool experience getting to meet up with players that I knew and getting to know some new guys as well. Meeting with a lot of the clubs was a fun experience, and just getting to know those people on a more personal level." So now, the past few weeks, it has just been time spent as he awaits the draft. He's enjoyed his time back home in Minnesota, though. "I have been taking it a little easier from the baseball side of things and spending time with my friends and hanging out by the pool." At this time, they have not finalized plans for where they will be or what they will be doing on Sunday night during the draft, but regardless, he'll be around many of the people who have helped him get to this point in his career. Specifically, he noted, "My Dad (Tony Horvath), my Mom (Marcia Carrigan), Jeff Milene, all of the UNC coaching staff, and Guye Senjem." So, where might Mac Horvath get drafted, and by which team? He said, "(I'm) excited to find out." What are evaluators saying? Twins Daily's JD Cameron's Consensus Big Board ranks him as the 74th-ranked draft-eligible player. Of Horvath, he writes, "The North Carolina outfielder has one of the more intriguing power/speed combinations of any college hitter and has improved every year for the Tar Heels." Cameron continued, "At the plate, it's a power-over-hit approach, and his strikeout rate is a concern, despite strong on-base numbers. Horvath has at least above-average speed and solid defensive chops. He's played third base and in the outfield for North Carolina, taking advantage of a great throwing arm in either spot. He'd be a great fit in right field long-term." Finally, Cameron summarized, "He's been consistently under-ranked all season, and I'd put money on him being closer to a top 40 pick." Baseball America has him ranked #67. They grade his Tools at: Hit (40), Power (55), Run (65), Field (50), and Arm (60). I've read reports that he could go anywhere from the back end of the first round to very early on Day 2 (third round). Horvath's earliest memories of playing ball are familiar to many of us. He remembers "playing wiffle ball in the backyard with my brothers or by myself." Growing up in Rochester, he noted that they did go to "a decent amount of Twins games; however, I am a Cubs fan. "Well, the Cubs pick 13th and then with the 68th pick, so be sure to follow the draft at North Side Baseball too! However, he also said that his favorite Twins players growing up were Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier. When looking at drafts from the last 10-15 years, when the Twins have drafted very late in the first round or early in the second round, they have taken several college hitters, including fellow Tar Heels Levi Michael and Aaron Sabato. But also included in that category would be Matt Wallner, Brent Rooker, and Ryan Jeffers. So what would it mean to Horvath and his family if the Twins used one of their Day 1 draft picks to select him? "That would be incredible, and to think I could be playing at Target Field, where it's just an hour's drive for my family to be there, it would definitely be special." —---------------------------------------------------------------- In addition to Mac Horvath, Tar Heel pitcher and Burnsville High School grad Max Carlson could be drafted this year. There are two Minnesota Gophers on JD Cameron's Consensus Big Board, pitcher George Klassen and outfielder Brett Bateman. Seth Halvorsen has had a long and winding road since the Twins drafted him out of Heritage Christian Academy in 2018. After three years at Missouri and two seasons at Tennessee, could he hear his name again? The 2023 Mr. Baseball Award recipient in Minnesota was Benilde St. Margaret High School outfielder Easton Breyfogle. Potentially, a team could select him on Day 2. If not, he'll head to college at the University of Arizona. Best wishes to each of these players from Minnesota. A big thank you to one of the best hitters in college baseball in 2023, UNC outfielder and Rochester native Mac Horvath, for taking the time to answer some questions. Be sure to keep refreshing Twins Daily over the next four or five days for lots and lots of draft coverage. View full article

Also, Wicks was a Top 10 pick overall in 2021. Likewise, Brooks Lee was a Top 10 pick in the draft in 2022. Do we think he'll be up at Triple-A by this time next year? Some context needs to go into that. But from that 2021 draft, Christian Encarnacion-Strand is already at AAA (and would be there, at least, with the Twins). Cade Povich (3), Travis Adams (6), Jake Rucker (7), Patrick Winkel (8), Ernie Yake (10), David Festa (13), Pierson Ohl (14). This old narrative that the Twins are slow in promoting players is no longer even close to being accurate anymore. With hitters or pitchers. But people have to understand the context of where players are drafted.

2022 pick Dalton Shuffield played 14 games there last year and hit .271/.314/.542 (.855) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers. 2021 pick Mikey Perez played one game and got one pinch hit at-bat and hit a game-winning, three-run homer. 2021 pick Ernie Yake played in 6 games. Both are currently on the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels roster (Shuffield on the IL). Yake has played a game with the Saints this year too.

Yeah, he's played there 4-5 times in the last two weeks after pretty much never playing there before. But a good idea for him and the Twins.

The Twins had two 2022 draft picks in AAA in 2022. They had a 2021 draft pick in AAA in 2021.

I like how we all think that a consensus top 12 pick is just a terrible pick. It's the MLB draft, the guys projected to go at the top aren't all success stories, and overlooked players are in every draft. 1.) Gonzalez could become a better MLB player than any of those top 5 cuz that's just how baseball works, and 2.) to be able to acquire 2-3 players that rank higher than normal slot value guys might prove valuable too. I like the strategy a lot. If Sean Johnson and the Twins cross-checkers and the area scout aren't convicted that Jenkins (or whoever is left) is going to be a great player, then they should take someone else and work the system.

Schobel's been good. Enlow had a rough first start in St. Paul, and last night wasn't great (but he still got through 5)... the two games in between were terrific. I don't think he's hurt his stock at all. In fact, he's probably raised it back up a little bit.

There wasn't a lot of offense, but there were a lot of close games. Find out which affiliates won, and which hitters and pitchers came up big for their teams on Wednesday. Image courtesy of Steve Buhr (photo of Jaylen Nowlin) The Twins got a great start from Pablo Lopez. Jose Salas had a couple of key hits in a Kernels run. Hopefully Byron Chourio had a great day and got a little better on a non-game day in the FCL. Here are the records of the six Twins affiliates through games on Wednesday. St. Paul Saints: 49-33 Wichita Wind Surge: 32-44 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 47-30 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 39-38 FCL Twins: 10-12 DSL Twins: 6-15 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins concluded the rehab assignment of RHP Cole Sands. In bringing him back up, Josh Winder was optioned to St. Paul. The Twins released RHP Connor Sadzeck. He had been pitching with the Saints. RHP Chad Donato was activated by the Wind Surge. RHP Pierson Ohl has been moved to the Wichita Development List. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 2, Iowa 3 Box Score This was a bit of a back-and-forth, low-scoring game in Des Moines. The Saints fell behind 1-0 in the second, but they tied it up in the fourth inning. Iowa re-took the lead 2-1 after five innings. The Saints tied it again in the top of the seventh. Unfortunately, the Cubs scored their third run in the bottom of the seventh inning and held on for the 3-2 win. After a record-setting performance last week in St. Paul against Gwinnett, the Saints lineup was a bit quiet on Wednesday. In fact, they had just four hits, though they walked five times. Kyle Garlick put the Saints on the board with his seventh double. It scored Matt Wallner who hit his 20th Saints double of the season in this game. The game was tied again in the seventh inning when Anthony Prato drove in Chris Williams with a sacrifice fly. Williams had left off the inning with his second triple of the season. Veteran Aaron Sanchez was on the mound in this one for St. Paul. He was charged with two runs on six hits and a walk over the first five innings. He struck out five batters. Andrew Bechtold came in for his third relief pitching appearance. He had a 1-2-3 sixth inning. He recorded an infield pop out, a strikeout and a groundout in the inning. Austin Schulfer entered the game in the seventh inning. He gave up the go-ahead run on two walks and a hit. Austin Brice worked a perfect ninth inning. It marked the second straight one-run loss for the Saints. They are two games over .500 in such games. Unfortunately, the Iowa Cubs are now 19-3 in one-run contests. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 1, Tulsa 4 Box Score The Surge fell behind 4-0 after just two innings. That was all. Unfortunately, the Wichita offense wasn’t able to do much against the Drillers on Wednesday. Carlos Luna gave up four runs (2 earned) on just four hits over four innings. He walked one batter and had seven strikeouts. Alex Scherff came on and struck out four batters over two scoreless innings. Isaac Mattson then had a walk and a strikeout over the final two, scoreless innings. Unfortunately, the Wind Surge were only able to muster two hits in the game. Alex Isola hit his 13th double and was walked once. Jake Rucker had the other hit. Seth Gray reached base twice via walks. DaShawn Keirsey scored the team’s lone run in the ninth inning on a wild pitch after reaching via an error. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 2 Box Score Speaking of close, one-run games, the Kernels have continued to find ways to win games, and that was the case on Wednesday. The story of the game was the performance of lefty Jaylen Nowlin. He started and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out 10 batters in the game. As if usually key for him (and most pitchers), throwing strikes is very important. Of his 76 pitches in this one, 51 of them were strikes (67%). Nowlin’s blemish came in the fifth inning when he gave up a two-run homer that put the River Bandits ahead 2-1. Fortunately, the Kernels responded with two runs over their own in the bottom of the fifth and then the bullpens took over and kept the score at 3-2 for the home team. The Kernels scored their first run in the third inning when Noah Cardenas scored on a wild pitch. In the fifth, Jose Salas drilled a first-pitch homer to tie the game. Later, Ben Ross singled to score Jeferson Morales with the go-ahead (and winning) run). Malik Barrington replaced Nowlin to start the seventh inning. He gave up two hits over two scoreless innings. He had four strikeouts and no walks. Miguel Rodriguez came in and tossed a perfect ninth inning for his 10th Save of the season. Salas led the way with his first triple of the season to go with his third home run of the year. He also had a sacrifice bunt in the game. Doubles were hit by Cardenas (13th) and Morales (5th). MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Jupiter 3 (10) Box Score And yes, another one-run game on Wednesday night. This one had the added bonus of an extra inning. The score was tied 2-2 heading to the 10th frame. The Mussels began the top of the inning with Kamron Willman pinch running at second base for Gregory Duran. Mikey Perez laid down a nice sacrifice bunt, but a throwing error allowed not only Willman to score, but Perez was able to advance to third base. After an out, Maddux Houghton drove in Perez with a double. In the bottom of the inning, the Hammerheads had two singles and one run. But fortunately for the Mussels, it wasn’t enough and Fort Myers got another win. Ben Ethridge dropped his season ERA to 2.49 after giving up two runs (1 earned) on five hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out two batters. Gabriel Yanez came on and struck out five batters over three, one-hit innings. Ricardo Velez pitched a scoreless ninth and held onto the lead in the 10th to record his first Win. Dillon Tatum led the offense. He went 2-for-4 with a walk. Gregory Duran went 2-for-5. Ricardo Olivar went 1-for-3 with two walks. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitters of the Day – Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-2, SH, 3B(1), HR(3), R, RBI. Pitcher of the Day – Jaylen Nowlin (Cedar Rapids) - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, BB, 10 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.) #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, HBP, 3 K. #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 1-for-2, BB, HR(6), R, RBI, K. #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, BB, 2B(20), R #11 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, K. (2B, batted second) #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-2, SH, 3B(1), HR(3), R, RBI. #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3. THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Iowa (6:38 PM CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (2-1, 6.57 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Chad Donato (1-5, 10.73 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Kyle Jones (4-4, 4.02 ERA) Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 PM CST) - LHP Jarret Whorff (2-0, 1.63 ERA) FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CST) - TBD DSL Rockies @ 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

It is rare the full-season minor-league affiliates play on Mondays. They did this week. Find out about a couple of exciting transactions, and six ballgames. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Yoyner Fajardo) A couple of top Twins prospects were movin’ on up on Monday. The Saints offense was playing in a bizarro world through the first five innings on Sunday, but a couple of big leaguers powered them to another win, their sixth straight. The organization’s home run leader is now in Wichita. Cedar Rapids finished a series filled with nothing but one-run games in Peoria. Here are the records of the six Twins affiliates through games on Monday. St. Paul Saints: 49-31 Wichita Wind Surge: 32-42 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 45-30 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 37-38 FCL Twins: 10-11 DSL Twins: 6-15 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Austin Martin was activated from the 7-day injured list and joined the Saints. RHP Marco Raya has been assigned to the Wichita Wind Surge. To make room, Jose Bravo has been placed on the Wind Surge Development List. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Gwinnett 4 Box Score Things were looking a little bleak on Monday night in St. Paul. The team had scored ten or more runs in five consecutive games. In this game, the Saints did not have a hit through the first five innings and found themselves down 4-0. However, Alex De Goti led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a single which was followed by a bunt single by Andrew Stevenson. After a strikeout and a fielder’s choice, Trevor Larnach singled in De Goti to put the Saints on the board. Kyle Garlick followed with his eighth homer, a three-run shot that tied the game at four. That’s how the score remained until the bottom of the eighth. With no one on and two outs, Matt Wallner walked. It was followed by a long home run off the bat of Trevor Larnach. A no-doubter. Louie Varland made his second start of the week. He gave up three runs on seven hits over five innings. He walked none and struck out five batters. He also kept the ball in the ballpark. Cody Laweryson came on to start the sixth inning,and he gave up a leadoff homer. He got Jesus Aguilar out, but then the rains came. It began again about an hour later with Michael Boyle on the mound. He gave up two hits and two walks over 1 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out three batters. Kody Funderburk came on and struck out two batters over two perfect innings to take the Win. The Saints had just six hits in the game. Trevor Larnach and Kyle Garlick were both 2-for-4 with three RBI each. In his Triple-A debut, Austin Martin played second base and batted second. He went 0-for-3 with a walk. He was also caught stealing. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, NW Arkansas 7 Box Score This game went back-and-forth with teams exchanging runs. Through seven innings, the game was tied 2-2. Lefty Aaron Rozek was on the mound for the Surge. He gave up two runs on five hits. Both runs scored on solo homers. He walked one and struck out three batters. Hunter McMahon came on and tossed scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh innings. However, he was charged with three runs on two hits and a walk (intentional). Francis Peguero came in and allowed an inherited runner to score the third run of the inning. Down 5-2 going to the bottom of the eighth, Wichita’s offense “Surged” ahead and scored four runs to take a 6-5 lead. With one out, DaShawn Keirsey, Brooks Lee and Alex Isola hit back-to-back-to-back singles to score the first run. Will Holland came in to pinch run for Isola, but I’m pretty sure Isola could have jogged around the bases along with Lee on Yunior Severino’s three-run blast that gave the Wind Surge the 6-5 lead. To the ninth inning… Peguero was able to get the first two batters out. Unfortunately, he gave up a double which was quickly followed by a two-run homer by Tyler Tolbert that gave NW Arkansas the 7-6 lead. After another double, Alex Scherff came on and got a strikeout to end the half-inning. The Wind Surge tried to put together one more comeback in the bottom of the ninth. Jake Rucker readed on an error and stole second base. Yoyner Fajardo walked. But then #OldFriend Steven Cruz got a strikeout and two infield pop outs to end the game. Severino had a walk to go with his 17th home run. In the third inning, Fajardo hit his third homer of the season. Aaron Sabato hit his ninth double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 3 Box Score In this series with a lot of close, low-scoring game, it’s only appropriate that the final game was a one-run game in extra innings. The only negative was that the Kernels came up on the short end this time. This time, it was the Kernels who had to mount a comeback. They were down 2-0 heading into the ninth inning. Tanner Schobel led off the inning with a double. With one out, Kala’i Rosario drove in Schobel with a single. Noah Miller pinch ran for Rosario. Two batters later, Jose Salas singled to score Miller and tie the game at two a piece. It sent the game to extra innings. Back to the mound. Lefty Christian MacLeod gave up two runs on four hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out seven batters. Niklas Rimmel came on with the bases loaded and got out of the inning without another run scoring. He struck out two batters over 1 1/3 perfect innings. Lefty John Wilson struck out two batters over two perfect innings. In the 10th inning, three Kernels batters each struck out. Miguel Rodriguez came into the game for the Kernels. He has been terrific this season. After a fly out, the Kernels decided to walk a batter to set up a potential inning-ending double play. Unfortunately, the man who knows the strike zone best, Alex Iadisernia, singled to center which scored the winning run for Peoria. Overall, the offense was pretty quiet. They had six hits in total, just three before the ninth inning, and three walks. No one had more than one hit. Schobel’s double was his eighth of the season. Jorel Ortega added his third double since joining the Kernels. Earlier, I pointed out that this series was a matchup of two very closely-matched teams. Here’s how close: Game 1: Cedar Rapids 7, Peoria 6 Game 2: Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 3 Game 3: Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 1 Game 4: Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 1 Game 5: Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 3 Game 6: Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 3 Wins: Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 3 Runs: Cedar Rapids 17, Peoria 17 MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 5 Box Score Rains have wreaked havoc on a few Mussels games of late. In this game, Jose Olivares was only able to complete two innings before the rains caused a long rain delay. He gave up a run on three hits. Tigers prospect Jackson Jobe started for Lakeland. He gave up two hits in a scoreless first inning but the rains came before he could work a second frame. Lefty Wilker Reyes gave up two hits and two walks, but he struck out two batters over three shutout innings. Develson Aria came out of the bullpen and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings. He struck out… You guessed it, two. Johnathan Lavallee gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits and two walks over two innings. Zach Veen recorded the final two outs, one on a strikeout. It wasn’t a pretty game. The Mussels had three errors in the game. They also had seven hits and walked nine times. Unfortunately, they went just 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 13 runners on base. Frustrating when you look back, and the score and see a one-run loss. Dylan Neuse went 2-for-3 with two walks and stole his 10th base. Gregory Duran and Kamron Willman both walked twice. Danny De Andrade drove in two runs. He had a single and a walk. Dillon Tatum also had a single and a walk. Recently-signed Carson McCusker went 2-for-5, but he helped keep the game close by throwing out two runners at the plate. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA FCL Twins 2, FCL Braves 7 (6) Box Score The game had to be cut short after six innings because of lightning rolling into the Fort Myers area. Most likely, the Twins would have found a way to make up the five-run deficit over the final three innings and won, but that’s OK. Jose Rodriguez had two of the team’s six hits including his fifth double of the season. Jankel Ortiz came on as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning and hit his first professional home run. Andres Centeno had a single and a walk in the game. Cesar Lares made the start and it didn’t go well for the southpaw. In just 2/3 of an inning, he gave up four runs on four hits and two walks. Both outs he recorded were on strikeouts (gotta find the positives, right?). He also had two balks and a wild pitch before Yon Landaeta came in with two runners on and got out of that inning without any further damage. However, in the second inning, he was charged with three runs (2 earned) on five walks. He recorded just one out before Juan Mercedes came on with the bases loaded and somehow managed to allow only one inherited runner to score. Mercedes was quite good. In 4 1/3 innings, he gave up no runs and no hits. He walked one and struck out six batters. Miguel Olivares came on and got a strikeout to end the sixth inning. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins 2, DSL Cardinals 6 Box Score A couple of two-run homers led the Cardinals to a win against the Twins on Monday. Eduardo Soriano started for the Twins. He was charged with two unearned runs over four innings. He gave up six hits and struck out six batters without issuing a walk. Gerardo Abrego came on and gave up two runs on three hits in the fifth inning. He gave up a home run to Bracewell Taveras. Reynel Garcia worked the next three innings. He gave up a two-run homer to Hancel Almonte, but nothing more (though he did walk three batters. Oscar Paredes then struck out three batters in a scoreless ninth inning. Dameury Pena led the offense. He went 2-for-4 with his sixth double and the team’s lone RBI. Jayson Bass was also 2-for-4. He stole his 10th base of the year. Ariel Castro went 1-for-1 with three walks. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitters of the Day – Trevor Larnach (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 2B(13), HR(12), R, 3 RBI Pitcher of the Day – John Wilson (Cedar Rapids), Kody Funderburk (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 6 batters faced. 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-4, BB, R. #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 1-for-2, HR(5), R, RBI. #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) -0-for-3, 2 R, BB, K. #11 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, BB, K, CS(1) #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, RBI, K, E(10). #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - R #14 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 6 pitches, 4 strikes. #15 - Brent Headrick (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (W, 2-0), 12 pitches, 12 strikes. #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 2-for-3, 2B(5), R. #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-3, BB, HR(17), 2 R, 3 RBI. TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Iowa (7:08 PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (4-3, 4.62 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (6:35 PM CST) - RHP David Festa (2-2, 5.24 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Zebby Matthews (1-1, 6.33 ERA) Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:00 PM CST) - RHP Andrew Morris (2-1, 3.48 ERA) FCL Twins @ FCL Braves (9:00 AM CST) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Nationals (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