Seth Stohs

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.

They can't find a way to keep Larnach and Wallner up in the big leagues... not sure how Stevenson would get there. He can play CF, so I guess if Taylor got hurt, they could justify bringing him up.

My Rankings: 1.) Royce Lewis 2.) Brooks Lee 3.) Trevor Larnach 4.) Brent Rooker 5.) Matt Wallner 6.) Chase Petty 7.) Noah Miller 8.) Aaron Sabato 9.) Keoni Cavaco

Yeah, that's not really it... though not completely wrong. First, in this case, Cavaco stays with the Kernels, keeps working with them, practicing, dressing for games, being a part of all they do, except can't play. The DL is kind of like a taxi squad with a couple of players at each level, ready to be activated when needed. But, you are right in the part about them wanting to play other prospects... They're going to play Ross, Miller, Salas, Schobel. They're all ahead of Cavaco. Ernie Yake is in a similar situation. He jumps around from level to level and has found himself on the Dev List several times.

I watched the last couple of innings of the Kernels game, so I didn't see the E-Rod error. However, I messaged Tom Froemming to see if he had watched the video of it. He said Rodriguez had to run quite a long ways to get to the ball and it was just an error, not so much due to the 'lollygagging'. I'm sure that's up to individual evaluation and opinion for everyone. Why would I have even asked that question to Tom?

I think he's fine defensively in CF.

Emmanuel Rodriguez? Or am I forgetting another Rodriguez? His timeline is likely 2025 sometime, and that would be impressive. Celestino is coming back from a broken thumb and missing 2+ months. He's so young still and talented.

Varland's Return to Triple-A. Saints Mount Comeback After #OldFriend Leaves Game. Lee Reaches Base Four Times. Kernels Late Comeback Attempt Falls Short. FCL Twins Top Red Sox Twice. Gran Juego Para Una Beisbolista de Barcelona. El Informe de Ligas Menores de hoy está repleto de información sobre siete juegos, transacciones y mucho más. (Today's Minor League Report is filled with information on seven games, transactions, and much more.) Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints Here are the records of the six Twins affiliates through games played on Friday. St. Paul Saints: 42-30 Wichita Wind Surge: 28-38 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 40-27 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 34-33 FCL Twins: 9-5 DSL Twins: 5-9 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS With Kenta Maeda being activated from the IL on Friday, the Twins optioned RHP Oliver Ortega to St. Paul. RHP Owen Griffith, who was activated from the IL earlier this week and promoted to Wichita, has been placed on the Injured List. He pitched on Thursday night and faced three batters. He gave up a walk, hit a batter and allowed a home run. After not pitching in a non-rehab assignment game since early July of 2021, I’m sure it was great to get back, and hopefully this IL stint is short and goes smoothly. Fort Myers activated RHP C.J. Culpepper from the IL. They also re-assigned OF Andres Centeno to the FCL after spending about a week with the Mussels. Catcher Austin Schell signed with the Twins in mid-January to provide depth behind the plate during spring training and extended spring training. He had played his college ball at Cal State-Fullerton. On Friday, he made the decision to retire. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 10, Toledo 6 Box Score Louie Varland made his first start since returning to the Saints. He and his teammates faced an #OldFriend for the Mudhens in lefty Bryan Sammons. Sammons was the Twins eighth-round draft pick in 2017 out of Western Carolina. The 28-year-old spent most of the past two seasons in Wichita but also pitched for St. Paul in 2021. The Twins released him very late last season. He began this year pitching for Gastonia in the independent Atlantic League before the Tigers recently signed him. Friday night was his fourth appearance with the Mudhens. Sammons had a very Sammons-like start in this game. He gave up two runs on five hits over five innings. He had two walks and six strikeouts. Varland’s night didn’t go as well. The right-hander from St. Paul gave up five runs on six hits and two walks and a hit batter over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four batters. Blayne Enlow came out of the pen and immediately got the final out of the fifth inning to strand two runners. Through the fifth inning, the Saints were down 5-2, but they just kept plugging away. They scored two in the sixth inning thanks to an RBI double from Anthony Prato (who homered in the third inning) who then scored on an Elliot Soto single. The Saints scored four runs in the seventh inning. Chris Williams drove in Matt Wallner on a sacrifice fly. Then Mark Contreras doubled, his 14th, to score Gilberto Celestino and Trevor Larnach. That put the Saints on top 7-6. Andrew Bechtold drove in Contreras with a sacrifice fly to make it 8-6. The Saints added two more in the eighth inning. Jose Miranda scored from third on a Celestino ground out. Later, Celestino scored on a Williams single. Blayne Enlow gave up a run in the sixth inning, but was excellent on the way to his first Triple-A Win. The right-hander gave up one run on two hits and a walk in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out four batters. All nine Saints batters had at least one hit. Prato led the way. He went 3-for-4 with his fifth and sixth doubles and his second Saints homer. He also stole his third base in his short time with St. Paul. Wallner went 2-for-4 with a walk, and he was hit by a pitch. Celestino was 2-for-5 with a walk. Contreras went 1-for-3 with two walks, his 14th double, and two RBI. First baseman/Third Baseman/Catcher/Pitcher Andrew Bechtold drove in two runs and knocked his 12th double. (And just for fun, here is his first pro game in which he pitched as a pitcher - and not a position-player-pitching.) WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, Arkansas 5 Box Score The Wind Surge got to see the Arkansas Travelers celebrate on Riverfront Stadium. The Travelers clinched a playoff berth by clinching the first half title. Carlos Luna made the start. He was charged with three runs on nine hits (including two homers). He struck out three batters and walked none. Alex Phillips finished the fifth inning and worked a scoreless sixth inning as well. Regi Grace had his first tough Double-A outing. In 1 2/3 innings, he gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. Those were the first runs he has allowed since joining the Surge and bumps his ERA up to 1.93. Francis Peguero gave up one hit and recorded the final four outs. Brooks Lee got the Surge on the scoreboard in the third inning when he connected for his fifth home run of the season. Lee went 2-for-2 with two walks in the game and is now hitting .266 with a .765 OPS this season. Seth Gray went 2-for-4 and knocked his sixth double. He scored later on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Will Holland. Jake Rucker was also 2-for-4. Aaron Sabato went 0-for-3 in the game. He was pinch hit for late by Ernie Yake. Earlier, he had been involved in what appeared to be a minor collision on a pop up. Are the two things related? Not sure at this point, but something to check in on when Saturday’s lineup comes out. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Beloit 10 Box Score Marco Raya made the start for the Kernels in this game. He started with two scoreless innings. He then gave up two unearned runs in the third. However, his pitch count was in a good spot, so he was sent out for the fourth inning. Unfortunately, he got just one more out. After a flyout, he gave up three straight singles, none of them hard-hit, to load the bases. That’s when Brian Dinkelman came to the mound and replaced Raya with Charlie Neuweiler. He struck out the first batter he faced for the second out. However, a walk and a single later, all three inherited runners scored. In total, Raya was charged with five runs (3 earned) on four hits and a walk. He had two strikeouts. Neuweiler’s line looks OK with 2/3 of an inning, no runs, one hit and one walk. Jaylen Nowlin came on next and really struggled with his control and command. Of his 60 pitches thrown, just 31 were strikes. He went two innings but was charged with five runs (4 earned) on five hits and three walks. German Niklas Rimmel came on and tossed two scoreless innings to slow the burn The Kernels were held off the scoreboard until the fourth inning when Tanner Schobel and Emmanuel Rodriguez hit back-to-back homers. It was Schobel’s ninth of the season and Rodriguez’s 10th homer. Down 10-2 going to the bottom of the seventh inning, the Kernels tried to mount a comeback. The scored one run in that inning on a Jose Salas sacrifice fly that drove in Misael Urbina. Then in the eighth inning, they scored four runs. With two on, Noah Miller singled to drive in Rodriguez. Then Kala’i Rosario scored on a Noah Cardenas ground out. Next, Urbina knocked in Miller with his 11th double. After a pitching change, Jorel Ortega followed with a single to score Urbina. And then Salas’s eighth double drove in Ortega. Schobel grounded out, but the five-run inning cut the Kernels’ deficit to 10-8 heading to the ninth inning. In the top of the ninth, Rimmel gave up one run that pushed the score to 11-8, but the Kernels had the middle of their lineup coming up in the bottom of the inning. Rodriguez struck out to start the inning, but Rosario worked a walk. Ben Ross struck out. Rosario advanced to second on Defensive Indifference (which is a dumb thing). That helped because Noah Miller bounced a single up the middle to drive in Rosario. Miller stole second, but that was it for the Kernels. Misael Urbina went 3-for-4 with his 10th and 11th doubles. Ortega went 2-for-4. Miller went 2-for-5 and stole his eighth base. Along with his 10th homer, Rodriguez also walked twice. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Tampa 5 Box Score The Mighty Mussels fell behind 2-0, but they clawed their way back to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth frame. Unfortunately, they gave up three runs in the bottom of that inning and fell 5-3. Ben Ethridge got the start and gave up two runs on three hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out two batters. An impressive 42 of his 61 pitches were strikes. Danny Moreno came on and struck out three batters over two innings of one-hit ball. Down 2-0, Rubel Cespedes put the Mussels on the board with a solo homer, his seventh long ball of the season. Cespedes went 1-for-2 in the game with two walks. In the seventh inning, Dylan Neuse drove in Kyle Schmidt with a sacrifice fly .Schmidt had reached on a double. Neuse doubled earlier in the game. Then in the top of the eighth, Cespedes drove in Maddux Houghton to give Ft. Myers their first lead of the game… their only lead of the game. Jackson Hicks came in for the bottom of the eighth inning. He got the first two batters to ground out. Then Jared Serna doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Anthony Hall singled off of Hicks… literally off of Hicks, so Serna remained at third. With two on and two outs, Agustin Ramirez launched a three-run homer to give the Tarpons the 5-3 lead. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA Game 1: FCL Twins 5, FCL Red Sox 2 Box Score It was a long, hot day for the Red Sox and Twins Florida Complex teams on Friday in Fort Myers. Because of a rain-out, they had to play two games in 87-degree humidity. Third baseman Harold Grant missed about a week of the FCL season. The Barcelona native went 3-for-3 in Game 1 to raise his average to .455. He hit his first home run of the season. Isaac Pena went 2-for-4 to raise his average to .340. He hit his third double. Bryan Acuna and Fredy Michel each hit their first doubles of the season and drove in a run. On the mound, Matt Gabbert made the start. He was charged with one run on three hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out two batters. Then Yon Landaeta came in and gave up one run on just one hit and two walks in 2 1/3 innings. He also struck out two batters. Kyle Bischoff came on and struck out five batters in two scoreless innings to record his first pro save in his second pro appearance. Game 2: FCL Twins 5, FCL Red Sox 1 Box Score Harold Grant played second base in Game 2. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI to raise his average just a little more, to .462. He got the team on the board with an RBI single in the three-run fourth inning. It was followed by an RBI double off the bat of Bryan Acuna. Grant then scored the third run on a wild pitch. Andres Centeno singled in Omari Daniel in the fifth, and then Acuna walked with the bases loaded to score the second run of the inning and the fifth and final run of the game. Brayan Medina worked around some self-inflicted tough situations. He gave up just one run on one hit over five innings. He also walked five batters and struck out three. Miguel Olivares came on and struck out two in a scoreless innings. Cleiber Maldonado got the final three outs of the game. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins 11, DSL Yankees 6 Box Score The Twins got an early lead, and then they used a seven-run sixth inning to take control of this game. They scored one in the second inning when Yilber Herrera singled in Ricardo Pena. They added three runs in the fourth inning. The first scored on a wild pitch which was followed by a two-run double by Ariel Castro. Cordero made the start and was really good. He tossed four scoreless, hitless innings. He struck out eight batters. The only “blemish” in his box score line was a two-out walk in the fourth inning. This was his third appearance of the season. In 11 2/3 innings, he has 19 strikeouts. Cordero is very interesting as he signed in January but won’t turn 17 until mid-August. In the top of the fourth inning, the Twins broke it open with a seven-run inning. The team hit for the cycle in the inning. They had three walks and stole a couple of bases. There were two pitching changes during the inning. Yilber Herrera got the scoring started with an RBI double. Later, Dameury Pena knocked in three with a bases-loaded triple. A few batters later, Angel Trinidad came on as a pinch hitter and drilled his first professional home run, a three-run shot to put a cap on the inning. Despite Cordero’s dominance, Juan Cota got the win. He was charged with two unearned runs on one hit over two innings. Joel Garcia then gave up four runs on three hits and two walks in the seventh inning. Jose Ojo walked two and struck out two batters over two scoreless innings. We’ll finish with the offense. The team scored 11 runs on 10 hits, seven walks, and two hit batters. Ricardo Pena went 3-for-5 with a double. Yilber Herrera went 2-for-2 with a walk and his fourth double. Castro went 1-for-2 two two walks and his first double. Dameury Pena’s triple was his first, and Trinidad’s homer was the first of his career. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Miguel Cordero (DSL Twins) - 4 IP, 0H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K, 71 pitches, 52 strikes. Co-Hitters of the Day – Anthony Prato (Saints) - 3-for-4, 2-2B(6), HR(2), 2 R, 2 RBI, K, SB(3) Co-Hitters of the Day – Brooks Lee (Wind Surge) - 2-for-2, 2 BB, HR(5), R, RBI. Co-Hitters of the Day – Misael Urbina (Kernels) - 3-for-4, 2-2B(11), 2 R, RBI, K, OF Assist Co-Hitters of the Day – Harold Grant (FCL Twins) - 5-for-7, HR(1), 4 R, 2 RBI, 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 (Wichita) - 2-for-2, 2 BB, HR(5), R, RBI #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-for-4, HR(4), R, RBI, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 2 BB, HR(10), 2 R, RBI, K, E #6 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - 3 1/3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 54 pitches, 36 strikes #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, HBP, R, 3 K. #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 2B(8), SF, RBI, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, 3 K, SB(8) #17 - Blayne Enlow (St. Paul) - 4 1/3 IP, 2 H, R, BB, 4 K, 59 pitches, 38 strikes. #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 1-for-8, K SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Aaron Sanchez (4-4, 5.12 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Jose Bravo (2-2, 6.16 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Kyle Jones (3-4, 4.47 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30 PM CST) - LHP Develson Aria (2-3, 6.75 ERA) FCL Twins - No Game Scheduled. 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

Fun to see Bechtold get this opportunity to pitch too. He wanted to try catching to make himself more versatile, and pitching adds another layer to that. I remember in spring training in my 2018 or 2019, talked with Royce and Andrew outside of the Twins complex as they were waiting to board a bus for a minor league spring training game. Just yapping, I remember Bechtold mentioning that he was clocked at 102 throwing across the diamond, so fun to see him averaging almost 97 with his fastball but also having a slider/cutter.

But he hasn't really hit yet in Cedar Rapids. He's had a couple of good games. He can also work with pitchers in CR that he didn't work with in CR. I'd say Cardenas would be the catcher to move up if Wichita had a need. Cossetti is 23 and just got drafted a year ago. There's no rush. Vazquez and Jeffers aren't going anywhere. Camargo's at AAA, Winkel is at AA. He and Cardenas at High-A.

None of these guys were even competing with Kepler for playing time when they were let go. Cave was a 4th outfielder, and a fine 4th outfielder, but I don't care about his AAA numbers this year. Rooker wasn't going to play RF. Rosario hasn't been better than Kepler. Refsnyder was a career journeyman, and good for him for locking down two years with the Red Sox, but that's at utility man money. LaMonte Wade... That was a bad trade, we can all admit. That was a choice between him and Cave, and at the time, it was probably justifiable, and I'm always going to be biased toward Wade. He had a nice breakout in '21. Struggled in '22, and he's been an on-base machine this year again. If he was still around, I'd like to think he'd be playing over Kepler by now. But the bigger thing too was they already had Kirilloff, Larnach, Gordon, and now Wallner for the spot. Wade is the only question mark in the group.