Seth Stohs

Steer was Miranda last year, just overshadowed by Miranda. Last year was his breakout year. 100 games at AA... now with 100 games at AAA, they'll have him ready to go next spring or early next season. If Correa and Urshela are gone, Lewis can be at short, Miranda at third and Steer being available at all four infield positions.

There have been some very strong performances throughout the Twins organization this week and all season. The Twins have been playing well. The Saints have struggled of late, but the three lower affiliates are all making a run for the playoffs and a first-half spot. Find out which players are playing well, and consider how the affiliates are playing so well. It has been a struggle for the Saints on the road these past two weeks. They return home this week, hoping to turn things back around. Tickets still available! The other Twins affiliates are in a good place to make a first-half playoff run. Wichita is just 1/2 game out of first place. Cedar Rapids is a game ahead of Wisconsin, and those two teams will be playing in Iowa this week. Tickets still available! The Mighty Mussels have the biggest lead, with a four-game cushion coming into play this week. If you missed it, read Nick's Twins Week in Review after you've read about the minor league week. TRANSACTIONS With no Monday Minor League Report, here are the transactions from later on Sunday and on Monday. Infielder Spencer Steer was promoted from Wichita to St. Paul. Infielder Kevin Merrell was sent back down to Wichita. RHP Matt Mullenbach was added back to the Ft. Myers roster from the Florida Complex. RESULTS Previous Week in Review (5/10-5/16): Tuesday: Alex Isola Goes Off Wednesday: Steer Walks It Off for Wichita, Four Hits for Kirilloff Thursday: Kernels Krush, Larnach and Lewis Launch Friday: Fort Myers Carries the Day Saturday: Cave, Saints Slam Storm Chasers Sunday: Mussels Win in 13 Innings, Wind Surge Win in Walkoff MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT Despite Great First Impression, Royce Lewis Optioned to St. Paul After Tuesday’s Game Devin Smeltzer Deserves a Longer Look Three Questions With… Kernels RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (VIDEO) Three Questions With… former Kernels RHP (Current Wisconsin coach) Patrick McGuff (VIDEO) WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Week: 1-5, at Omaha Season: 16-24 overall, 9th place out of ten teams in the International League West. They are 12.5 games behind Nashville. The Saints are likely thrilled to get back to the friendly confines of CHS Field. They have been on the road the past two weeks and went 1-11. In Omaha, they ended their losing streak on Saturday with a 4-2 win, but that was it. They were outscored 25-45 by the Storm Chasers. Kevin Merrell was signed as a minor-league veteran after playing in the Royals organization since 2019. He played in 13 games with Omaha in 2021. He played all six games this week and went 7-for-17 and hit .412/.444/.765 (1.209) with two homers and four RBI. (and for his efforts, Merrell was sent down to Wichita on Monday) No one wanted to see Royce Lewis sent back to St. Paul, but he was, and he handled it well. He went 6-for-16, hitting .375/.444/.625 (1.069) with a double and a home run. He also stole bases. For those curious, he played two games at shortstop and one game at both third base and left field. Alex Kirilloff was the Twins' choice for hitter of the week. In six games, he went 9-for-25 and hit .360/.429/.520 (.949) with a double, a homer and five RBI. He also walked three times. Dereck Rodriguez made one start. In five innings, he gave up one run on three hits. He walked three and struck out nine batters. Chi Chi Gonzalez also went five innings in his start. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out six batters. It wasn’t a great week for all of the Saints starters. Jake Faria gave up four runs on four hits and three walks in three innings. Mario Sanchez gave up five runs (4 earned) on five hits and two walks in three innings. Ronny Henriquez made one start and one relief appearance. In 6 1/3 innings, he gave up nine runs on eight hits and four walks. Jordan Balazovic gave up six runs on six hits and a walk in four innings. What’s Next? The Saints return home for seven games against Indianapolis, starting at 11:07 on Tuesday morning with an Education Day special. The two teams will be playing two games on Wednesday night. Head to www.SaintsBaseball.com for tickets! Pitching Probables (RHP Cole Sands, (Wed DH: RHP Jordan Balazovic/LHP Devin Smeltzer ), RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez, RHP Dereck Rodriguez, RHP Ronny Henriquez, RHP Cole Sands) Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Week: 4-2, hosting Springfield Season: 23-14 overall, 2nd place in the Texas League North Division with Tulsa. They are just 1/2 game behind Tulsa (24-14). It was a tightly contested week of games at Riverfront Stadium last week against Springfield. The Wind Surge outscored the Cardinals 36-35 for the week. Three games were decided by two runs. Three games were decided by just one run. Here are some of the top performances for the Wind Surge this past week: Seven Wind Surge relievers did not allow an earned run last week. Five of them pitched twice. Austin Schulfer continues to make his case that he should be in Triple-A. In three innings, he gave up no runs and no hits. He walked one and struck out four batters. Lefty Bryan Sammons struck out four batters over 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits and walked none. Matt Canterino had 12 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. Chris Williams played in five games. He went 9-for-17 and hit .529/.652/.588 (1.240) with a double. He also walked six times. In five games, Spencer Steer went 6-for-17. He hit .353/.389/.824 (1.213) with two doubles and two home runs. Matt Wallner went 7-for-22 last week. He hit .318/.444/.500 (.944) with a double, a homer, and five RBI. He also walked five times, and he played a little defense too. Alex Isola went 6-for-20 in five games. He hit .300/.364/.550 (.944) with two doubles and a home run. Austin Martin went 6-for-18 in five games and hit .333/.500/.333 (.833) with three walks. Also, minor league uniforms can be fun, or something... What’s Next? The Wind Surge will be traveling down to Texas to take on Corpus Christi. . Pitching Probables (RHP Louie Varland, RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Blayne Enlow, RHP Matt Canterino, RHP Casey Legumina, RHP Louie Varland) High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Week: 2-4, hosting Lake County Season: 26-13 overall, 1st place in the Midwest League West Division, 1.0 games ahead of Wisconsin (25-14), who they play in Cedar Rapids this week. In the two games that the Kernels won last week, they outscored Lake County 18-3. However, in the four losses, they were outscored 8-26. Ten Kernels pitchers did not allow an earned run last week, including three starting pitchers. Cade Povich went 5 1/3 innings in his start. He gave up two hits, walked one, and struck out five batters. The Twins named him their pitcher of the week. Sean Mooney went five scoreless innings in his start. He gave up just one hit, walked three, and struck out six batters. On Sunday, Brent Headrick started and threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and walked one batter. He was replaced by David Festa, making his first Kernels appearance. He went the rest of the way. He gave up one run on three hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out six batters without issuing a walk. Brad Hanner has made big strides in 2022. The right-hander worked three innings over two games. He gave up no runs, just one hit, walked none, and struck out five batters. John Stankiewicz had his first rough start of the year. He gave up six runs on seven hits, two walks, and a hit batter in 3 2/3 innings. After a slow start, Will Holland has been much improved in the season’s second month. In five games, he went 5-for-16 and hit .313/.421/.688 (1.109) with a double, triple, home run, and four RBI. He walked three times and had two stolen bases. In five games, Willie Joe Garry, Jr., went 4-for-15 and hit .267/.353/.733 (1.086) with two triples and a home run. Christian Encarnacion-Strand had two doubles and two home runs. On the other side, Anthony Prato has been terrific atop the order for the Kernels, but last week, he went 2-for-20 (.100). Wander Javier went 2-for-18 (.111). What’s Next? The Kernels will be home for the second straight week. They will be hosting the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in a series of the top two teams in the division. The Rattlers have a development coach in former Kernels pitcher Patrick McGuff. In a Three Questions With… interview on Brewer Fanatic, I asked McGuff about his time with the Twins, his transition from player to coach, and about the very talented Wisconsin team that is coming to Memorial Stadium this week. Click here to watch. Pitching Probables (Aaron Rozek, LHP Cade Povich, RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long, RHP John Stankiewicz, LHP Brent Headrick, RHP Sean Mooney) Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Week: 5-3, hosting Clearwater Season: 25-13 overall, 1st place in the Florida State League West, 4.0 games ahead of Clearwater (21-17). The week began by completing a suspended game on Tuesday. They played eight games and had doubleheaders on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Ignoring the continuation of the suspended game, the Mighty Mussels outscored the Threshers 29-26. Lefty Steve Hajjar went five shutout innings in his start. He gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out six batters. Mike Paredes made another start and went four scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked none, and struck out three batters. Malik Barrington made his first start and went three innings. Then he came back a couple of days later and pitched up a save in the 13-inning game. In four innings, he gave up only an unearned run and two hits. He struck out three batters. Since returning from the Injured List, Niklas Rimmel pitched twice. He worked four relief innings over two games. He gave up an unearned run on two hits and two walks. He struck out five. Matthew Swain’s incredible season continued. In four innings over two games, he gave up one hit, walked two (both intentional), and struck out four. Lefty John Wilson worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings over two games. He gave up three hits and hit a batter. Regi Grace gave up one earned run over 3 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out eight batters. In five games, Noah Cardenas played in five games. He went 6-for-17 and hit .353/.476/.706 (1.182) with three doubles and a home run. He walked four times as well. Dylan Neuse played in six games. He went 6-for-16 and hit .375/.474/.625 (1.099) with a double and a home run. Mikey Perez played in seven games and went 6-for-24. He hit .250/.321/.583 (.904) with two doubles, two homers and seven RBI. Emmanuel Rodriguez played in six games. He went 0-for-12, but he walked ten times to post a .478 on-base percentage. What’s Next? The Mighty Mussels will travel to Bradenton (19-20) for a “normal” six-game series this week. Pitching Probables (RHP Pierson Ohl, RHP Mike Paredes, LHP Steve Hajjar, RHP Marco Raya, TB D, RHP Travis Adams) PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker was updated on May 1 and will be updated on the first of each month throughout the season. #1 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 4 G, 6-for-16 (.375), 1-2B, 1-HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K (Season: 28 G, .320/.432/.573 (1.005), 12-2B, 1-3B, 4-HR, 24 R, 12 RBI, 18 BB, 25 K) #1 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1 G, 2-for-4 (.500), 1-2B, 1-HR, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K (Season: 11 G, .308/.325/.564 (.889), 4-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 5 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 5 G, 6-for-18 (.333), 0-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K (Season: 35 G, .257/.386/.338 (.724), 6-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 26 R, 12 RBI, 20 BB, 22 K, 18 SB, 2 CS) #3 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - 1 GS, 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K (Season: 8 GS, 43.1 IP, 11 R, 29 H, 14 BB, 42 K, 5-2, 2.28 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 8.7 K/9) #4 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - In MLB (Season: 21 G, .256/.295/.442 (.737), 10-2B, 2-HR, 10 R, 12 RBI, 5 BB, 14 K) #4 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - Week: 4 G, 2-for-12 (.167), 1-2B, 0-HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 4 K (Season: 16 G, .117/.159/.217 (.375), 3-2B, 1-HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 13 K) #5 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K (Season: 3 GS, 9.2 IP, 13 R, 9 ER, 19 H, 5 BB, 9 K, 0-1, 8.38 ERA, 2.48 WHIP, 4.7 BB/9, 8.4 K/9) #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K (Season: 7 GS, 37.2 IP, 11 R, 10 ER, 23 H, 19 BB, 36 K, 2-1, 2.39 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, 8.6 K/9) #7 - Josh Winder (Minnesota) - 1 G, 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 1 K (Season: 7 G, 3 GS, 29.1 IP, 14 R, 12 ER, 27 H, 9 BB, 23 K, 2-2, 3.68 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 7.1 K/9) #8 - Jhoan Duran (Minnesota) - 3 G, 3.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K (Season: 15 G, 20.1 IP, 6 R, 12 H, 3 BB, 31 K, 0-1, 3 Saves, 2.66 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 1.3 BB/9, 13.7 K/9) #9 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - 2 G, 1 GS, 7.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 12 K (Season: 9 G, 8 GS, 28.1 IP, 7 R, 14 H, 14 BB, 40 K, 0-1, 2.22 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 4.4 BB/9, 12.7 K/9) #10 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 6 G, 0-for-12 (.00), 0-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 10 BB, 6 K (Season: 35 G, .235/.466/.441 (.907), 5-2B, 2-3B, 10-HR, 26 R, 14 RBI, 41 BB, 41 K) #11 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 6 G, 5-for-25 (.200), 1-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 2 BB, 7 K (Season: 34 G, .279/.410/.381 (.791), 4-2B, 2-3B, 2 HR, 25 R, 8 RBI, 28 BB, 39 K) #12 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 1 GS, 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 8 K (Season: 7 G, 6 GS, 37.2 IP, 18 R, 15 ER, 30 H, 13 BB, 43 K, 4-1, 3.58 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 10.3K/9) #13 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - Injured List (Season: 5 G, 4 GS, 15.2 IP, 15 R, 22 H, 5 BB, 18 K, 0-4, 8.62 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.3 K/9) #13 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - (Season: 2 G, 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 0.0 BB/9, 13.5 K/9) #14 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 2 G, 1 GS, 6.1 IP, 9 ER, 8 H, 4 BB, 4 K (Season: 6 G, 4 GS, 20.0 IP, 16 R, 20 H, 11 BB, 17 K, 0-1, 7.20 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 5.0 BB/9, 7.7 K/9) #15 - Marco Raya (Ft. Myers) - 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K, (Season: 6 G, 5 GS, 24.0 IP, 9 R, 7 ER, 19 H, 8 BB, 24 K, 2-1, 2.63 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9, 9.0 K/9) #16 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 5 G, 6-for-17 (.353), 2-2B, 2-HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K (Season: 35 G, .307/.385/.558 (.976), 13-2B, 1-3B, 8-HR, 27 R, 30 RBI, 14 BB, 23 K) #17 - Cade Povich (Cedar Rapids) - 1 GS, 5.1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K (Season: 6 GS, 27.2 IP, 14 R, 10 ER, 24 H, 7 BB, 37 K, 3-2, 3.25 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9, 12.0 K/9) #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 6 G, 5-for-22 (.227), 2-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K (Season: 37 G, .320/.384/.544 (.928), 8-2B, 2-3B, 7-HR, 23 R, 34 RBI, 15 BB, 42 K) #19 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1 G, 1-for-2 (.500), 0-2B, 0-HR, 1 BB, 1 K (Season: 23 G, .274/.439/.397 (.836), 4-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 14 R, 10 RBI, 23 BB, 21 K) #20 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 6 K (Season: 2 GS, 7.2 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 12 K, 0-0, 4.70 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 0.00 BB/9, 14.1 K/9) PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Hitter of the Week: Infielder Spencer Steer, Wichita Wind Surge Steer just hasn’t found himself touted on prospect lists over his still-young career, but he clearly is highly regarded within the Twins organization. Now after exactly 100 games at Double-A Wichita, he is heading to St. Paul and will make his Triple-A debut this week at CHS Field. In five games last week, Steer went 6-for-17 and hit .353/.389/.824 (1.213) with two doubles, two homers, and five RBI. He missed one game after fouling a ball off of his lower leg. On Wednesday, the Surge were down by one in the 11th inning. Two runners were on base. Steer did this... In 35 games with the Wind Surge this year, he has hit .307/.385/.591(.976) with 13 doubles, eight homers, and 30 RBI. Steer was the Twins' third-round pick in 2019 out of the University of Oregon where he was a three-year starter. He spent a little time in Elizabethton before joining the Kernels late that season. After the lost 2020 season, he split 2021 between now-High-A Kernels and Wichita. Combined, he hit .254/.348/.484 (.833) with 18 doubles, three triples, and 24 home runs. Defensively, Steer is solid all around the infield. He’s mostly played third base the last couple of seasons. This year, he has started at third base 16 times, shortstop nine times, and second base six times. With the Twins wanting Royce Lewis to play all over, Steer may do the same thing, giving the Saints plenty of defensive flexibility, and also giving them another prospect to be excited about. Pitcher of the Week: LHP Cade Povich, Cedar Rapids Kernels Povich is certainly one of the top young Twins pitching prospects. The hard-throwing lefty had a strong start last week. He tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits, walked one, and struck out five batters. Reports showed that he was hitting 97 consistently with his fastball and his other pitches are coming along very well too. Povich was the Twins' third-round pick in 2021 out of the University of Nebraska where he had gone 6-1 with a 3.11 ERA over 15 starts. After signing, he pitched in one game in the FCL and three games with the Mighty Mussels. Combined, he worked ten innings. He gave up one earned run on seven hits. He walked two and struck out 19 batters. Reports of his increased velocity were frequent coming out of Instructional League after the season. The Twins have pushed Povich, challenging him by having him jump up to Cedar Rapids to start this season. In total, he has made six starts so far. He is 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA. In 27 2/3 innings, he has seven walks and 37 strikeouts. ---------------------------------------------------- It was an exciting week throughout the Twins organization, from the big leagues to the eight-game series for the Low-A Mighty Mussels. The coming week will present more storylines, the most exciting at this point could take place in Cedar Rapids where there’ll be a battle for positioning atop the Midwest League West Division. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the players and the teams in the COMMENTS below. View full article

Seth chats with Cedar Rapids Kernels starting pitcher Sawyer Gipson-Long about his 2022 season, pitching for a winning team with several strong starters, goals for the season and so much more... 23 Questions, maybe? View full video

I'm sure they'd consider Rodriguez in that role... No Twins reliever has pitched in more than 17 out of 40 games. Baldelli and Johnson are doing a great job of managing the bullpen. Hanner is intriguing. Something has clicked with him. He'd struggled with control in the past, but the hard thrower has worked that out this year, it appears.

Bechtold is working hard behind the plate, and he's a good athlete with a strong arm. He isn't 100% catching. Still playing 1B and a little 3B too. He's got work to do, but he's improving his odds of getting to the big leagues by at least having catching as something he is capable of. Holland is just such a great athlete with great speed. But, he does have some power. Another Georgia high school player, si am very much intrigued by him.

In 16 games in Cedar Rapids in May, he's hitting .217/314/.367 (.681) with 4 doubles, a triple and a home run. That is 8th among Kernels batters... He had a great April and a Meh May (so far)... So I think he can prove that he can readjust to a league that has seemingly adjusted to him.

No... and when we update the Top prospect rankings on June 1st, a few more will have lost their prospect status.

He had surgery on June 9th last year. So, it was just shy of 11 months. He had the new version of Tommy John, so that's a 9-12 month recovery whereas the previous Tommy John was 12-18 month recovery. All of the Twins minor leaguers that I've talked to that have had it the past year have had the new version.

He fouled a ball off of his ankle/foot... got really sore before his next AB.

Seth was a guest on Hot Mic with Dom Izzo on WDAY Extra TV (Fargo) on Friday, May 20th. The two discussed the Royce Lewis situation, Byron Buxton, Chris Paddack, some Twins prospects and much more. View full video

I would hope not... Also nice to have a top four in the lineup of Buxton, Arraez, Correa and Polanco, and to get a strong start.

In a move that will likely surprise many when you wake up on Wednesday morning, the Twins announced after last night's loss that Carlos Correa will be activated on Wednesday. To make room, Royce Lewis will be optioned to St. Paul. So many thoughts role through my mind as I think about the news that the Twins are optioning shortstop Royce Lewis to Triple-A St. Paul and will activate Carlos Correa before the Wednesday afternoon's game. So I thought I'd just start jotting them down. *** Click here to listen to @Seth Stohs and @Dave Overlund discuss the Lewis option decision on WJON Radio in St. Cloud. What more could Lewis have done? Nothing. He did everything the Twins could have hoped during that 11-game stretch, and more. Put another way, he likely made this decision incredibly difficult. After going 2-for-4 with a double and a home run on Tuesday night, he is hitting .308/.325/.564 (.889) with four doubles and two home runs. In 11 games. As impressive as he was at the plate, he was equally impressive at shortstop. Yes, he had a couple of errors, but he also made some plays that were tough and showed that he absolutely can play the position. His arm is plenty strong. He's got good range. His instincts at the position have come a long way. Stick to the Plan We speak so often of not being swayed too much by a small sample. While 11 games is a nice little stretch, it is still less than 40 plate appearances. When Carlos Correa was injured, the plan was for Royce Lewis to come up and play shortstop until Correa returned, whether that was two months (as initially feared) or two weeks (as became the reality). When Correa returned, Lewis would be returned to St. Paul and continue to get everyday playing time and at-bats and reps at shortstop and such. Royce Lewis looked the part of Big Leaguer Despite spending the Covid-shortened 2020 season at the alternate site and missing all of the 2021 season after surgery for a torn ACL, Lewis got off to a terrific start in St. Paul. And, as mentioned above, Lewis was immensely impressive during his time with the Twins. Forget about the numbers for a minute (and that's not easy to do), Lewis looked like a future star. He looked comfortable at the plate. He looked confident. He looked relaxed. He was clearly having the time of his life as evidenced by frequent big smiles and conversations on the field with teammates and opponents. He showed his great speed. How showed his power potential. He showed his willingness to use the whole field. He looked comfortable at shortstop. He never looked overwhelmed. And while he had just one walk in his time with the Twins, he seemed to control his plate appearances quite well. If you're a chemistry person, seeing how well he fit into the dugout was certainly encouraging. Smiling with teammates. Congratulating teammates. The hugs we saw him get from Ryan Jeffers, Byron Buxton, and others. Sitting on the bench, observing the game, often sitting between Correa and Buxton. Lewis also shows leadership skills. Lewis is not one to take over a locker room, and yet, you'd be hard-pressed to find any former teammates who didn't love him. Again, even with him being the new guy on the roster, he showed that he can lead on the field. The Role Moving Forward Clearly, the plan would still be for Lewis to be the team's primary shortstop of the future (much depending on what Correa decides in the offseason. However, because Lewis is a special talent and just made a great first impression, the team will want him in the big leagues more. To do so, it appears that he is going to play around the diamond for St. Paul. Remember, Lewis played shortstop only during his senior season of high school. He played third base his first three years of high school ball because J Serra had Chase Stumpf as their shortstop. But that's been six or seven years since he's had any regular time there. He has played some second base in the past, on Team USA rosters, and in the 2019 Arizona Fall League. During his MVP AFL stint, he also played a bunch of centerfield, and he made highlight-reel plays there. Can he play left field or right field? Presumably yes, but he hasn't spent a lot of time in those spots. Could he play first base? Of course. So, the question becomes, should he get a little bit of time at these other positions in the big leagues, or should it happen in a less stressful minor-league situation? I think a case could be made for either side. I certainly don't disagree with Glen Perkins' thoughts. However, they have made that decision, to have Lewis get a little time at those positions in the minor leagues. My thought is that doesn't need to take real long, maybe two or three weeks. Get him two or three starts at each position that they can envision him playing, and then get him back up to the big-league club. Summary This is going to be made into a huge talker and topic among Twins fans. While I would love to see Lewis remain in the big leagues, I can certainly see the value of letting him play some other positions at Triple-A before bringing him back. I do think that making too much out of an 11-game stretch is never a good idea, and sticking to a plan makes sense. It especially makes sense with a guy who has missed so much time the last couple of years and just wants to and needs to play. The Big Picture The future of Royce Lewis is incredibly bright. The talent is immense. The charisma and intelligence are there. The confidence and the drive to not only succeed but to thrive, is something that Lewis has always possessed. Regardless of this decision and whatever timeline the Twins front office puts on his return, I can't wait. *** Click here to listen to @Seth Stohs and @Dave Overlund discuss the Lewis option decision on WJON Radio in St. Cloud. Feel free to discuss, but please be civil with each other. View full article

Regarding 6-game series... I think they actually really like it, at least when they're home. Amount of time on buses is nearly cut in half. Julien is so intriguing because of his approach. He knows the strike zone well and doesn't want to give away at bats or even swings. And when he does swing, he's got power. And when he's on base, he's got good speed. The concern is that he hasn't hit for average much yet, and it's hard to have a .400 OBP in the big leagues with a .240 BA. Miller, Raya and Rodriguez are all really legit prospects. I think all three are in my personal top 10.

By the way, I've also started writing a similar report at Brewer Fanatic if anyone is interested. To be honest, I've enjoyed kind of following a second organization. "Follow" is probably too strong, but more just getting to know the names, seeing how things are done elsewhere, has been great. I like to think that from that I'll be able to know more about the Twins system too. If y'all wouldn't mind checking that out, click here... and encourage others to leave comments... https://brewerfanatic.com/news-rumors/brewers-minor-league/brewers-minor-league-week-in-review-510-516-wiemer-powers-shuckers-r137/?do=getNewComment&d=1&id=137

Thank you so much for sharing this experience. Very cool! Sounds like a great time, and yes, those back field 'extended spring' games do not get a huge crowd. I'm sure they're very appreciative.

Why would we, as fans, need to judge coaches? We don't see what they do? They often go un-talked-about. A coach can be great, technically knowledgeable, great communicator, patient, all those things, and the player still isn't guaranteed to find success. So, the only thing that really matters is the opinion of the coaching staff and the players. Rocco is a very good manager of people. He's created a very good culture in the clubhouse, players appreciate him, coaches like working with him, the communication is great. That's about what he can control. I don't think Nick is necessarily saying that he should win the Manager of the Year award> I think he's mostly just saying that he is a good manager, not the terrible, awful manager that so many people seem to think. I think he's done a great job at the things in the previous paragraph. I think he's been great with the bullpen. Agree or not, his managing of injuries and days off is something that is appreciated by the players. He treats them like people, not like things to be used. Lots talking about the schedule. First, you can only play the games that you're scheduled to play. Second, I think we can all agree that the Astros, probably the Yankees, and teams like the Dodgers are the class of baseball. Did anyone think that after last season the Twins would suddenly jump to being the top team in baseball? No. But, for them to be right there in that next tier, maybe in that 8-12 range in terms of rankings among the 30 teams, is a big step forward. Whether he wins the award again... who cares? Rocco is the right guy for this team... in my opinion.

The Twins have really had a lot of injuries and many of the prospects who were meant to be in St. Paul are now with the Twins, leaving the Saints a little short. They were swept on the road in Columbus. On the other side of the coin, the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels had a dominant week and swept the six-game series against Palm Beach, including a no-hitter. Cedar Rapids went 5-1 as well. Three of the Twins affiliates are currently in first place. Continue for much more detail. So be sure to use these weekly reports for what they are. A look at the week. We want to highlight deserving prospects. They have earned it. Celebrate the successes throughout the whole season. But this week at Twins Daily, we have had a lot of minor-league coverage. As players are starting to step up and put together strong seasons, we want to dig into them a little further, so you'll find a lot this week. If you missed it, read Nick's Twins Week in Review after you've read about the minor league week. TRANSACTIONS With no Monday Minor League Report, here are the transactions from later on Sunday and on Monday. Following Sunday's Twins game, OF Mark Contreras was optioned to St. Paul. OF Kyle Garlick was activated from the Injured List. RHP Ryan Shreve has been activated from the IL by Cedar Rapids. RHP David Festa was promoted from Ft. Myers to Cedar Rapids. RHP Matt Mullenbach was sent back to the Florida Complex. RESULTS Previous Week in Review (5/3-5/9): Wallner, Miller, Steer, Headrick, Stankiewicz Star Tuesday: Mighty Mussels No-Hitter! Wednesday: Gonzalez Dominates, Kernels Shuck the Opposition Thursday: Kernels Krush, Wichita Rakes Friday: Mighty Mussels Sweep, Fedko Homers in Kernels Debut Saturday: A Denied Rehab Start and a Clean Franchise Sweep Sunday: Mussels Sweep! Kernels Keep Winning! MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT Prospect Retrospective: OF Mark Contreras Prospect Retrospective: RHP Yennier Cano “It felt great.” Balazovic Reflects on First Start of 2022 and What’s Ahead Matt Canterino Continues to Dominate Minor League Hitters It’s Time to Start Noticing Brent Headrick From Lee to Limestone: One Prospect Who Needs More Attention (Video) From Lee to Limestone: Three Questions with Brent Headrick (Video) WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints: Week: 0-6, at Columbus Season: 15-19 overall, 9th place out of ten teams in the International League West. They are 8.0 games behind Nashville. A week ago, they were in third place. The Saints were swept in a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon, and that finished out a six-game sweep at the hands of the Columbus Clippers. It was also the Saints' seventh straight loss. It was also their eighth straight loss on the road. In his series, the Saints lost three times by one run, and once by two, three, and four runs. Three of the games went to extra innings. The Saints scored 30 runs last week, but they gave up 41 runs. Caleb Hamilton played in all six games. The utility man went 9-for-18 and hit .500/.609/.667 (1.276) with a home run. He also walked five times. Alex Kirilloff returned to the Saints on Sunday and had two hits in both games of the doubleheader. Chi Chi Gonzalez made one start and tossed six scoreless, hitless innings. He did walk four batters, but he struck out seven batters. He was named the International League's pitcher of the week. What’s Next? The Saints travel to Omaha to take on the Storm Chasers. Pitching Probables (RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez, RHP Jake Faria, RHP Jordan Balazovic, RHP Mario Sanchez, RHP Dereck Rodriguez, RHP Ronny Henriquez) Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Week: 3-2, @ NW Arkansas Season: 19-12 overall, 1st place in the Texas League North Division with Tulsa. They are just 1/2 game ahead of Tulsa (19-13). The Wind Surge were outscored 25-27 on the week but managed to take a 3-2 series win. Sunday’s game was rained out and officially canceled. Why canceled instead of postponed? The two teams are not scheduled to play each other again in the season’s first half so there is no opportunity to make it up. Here are some of the top performances for the Wind Surge this past week: Matt Canterino continues to dominate hitters in the Texas League. In his outing this week, he tossed four scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and struck out six batters without issuing a walk. Austin Schulfer pitched twice and recorded a save each time. In four innings, he gave up one earned run on three hits. He struck out six batters. Maybe not a great performance, but Blayne Enlow made his return to the mound (not in a rehab outing) 11 months after Tommy John surgery. That is a highlight! He went 3 2/3 innings. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on five hits. He struck out six batters and issued no walks. It took him a while to get his first hit, but in four games this past week, Leobaldo Cabrera went 3-for-9 with two home runs. Andrew Bechtold played four games. He went 6-for-15 (.400) with four doubles and a home run. Alex Isola went 5-for-15 (.333) with three walks and a home run. Spencer Steer went 4-for-20 (.200), but two of the hits were home runs. Edouard Julien went 3-for-14 (.214), but he walked ten times for a .542 on-base percentage. What’s Next? The Wind Surge will be hosting the Springfield Cardinals. Pitching Probables (RHP Matt Canterino, RHP Louie Varland, RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Blayne Enlow, RHP Casey Legumina, RHP Matt Canterino) High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels: Week: 5-1, at Peoria Season: 24-9 overall, 1st place in the Midwest League West Division, 2.0 games ahead of Wisconsin (22-11), who also went 5-1 last week as well. In April, the Kernels hosted Peoria and won five of six games. This past week, they did it again, this time on the road in Peoria. The Kernels outscored the Chiefs 47-12. In four of the six games, Cedar Rapids gave up just one run. Of 17 pitchers who pitched in at least one game last week, 13 of them didn’t allow an earned run. What a week of pitching for the Kernels. Over the first five games of the week, the team allowed just nine total runs, and only five of them were earned. Brent Headrick continues to impress. The lefty struck out seven batters over five scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked none. Fellow lefty Aaron Rozek also tossed five scoreless innings in his start. He gave up three hits, walked none, and struck out nine batters. Sawyer Gipson-Long went five scoreless innings in his start. He gave up two hits, walked none, and struck out seven batters. Sean Mooney gave up an unearned run over five innings in his start. He gave up five hits and struck out four batters without allowing a walk. John Stankiewicz started on Sunday and gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out five batters. Cody Laweryson came out of the bullpen twice. In five innings, he gave up only an unearned run on one hit and no walks. He struck out five batters. As pointed out above, the Kernels bats showed up too. Alerick Soularie led the way. In five games, he went 6-for-19 and hit .316/.409/.842 (1.251) with two triples, two homers, and seven RBI. He also walked three times and stole two bases. Will Holland played in four games. He went 5-for-14 and hit .357/.438/.714 (1.152) with a triple and a home run. Jair Camargo played in three games and went 5-for-14 (.357) with two home runs and five RBI. Wander Javier played in five games and went 4-for-19. He hit .211/.318/.526 (.844) with two home runs and five RBI. What’s Next? The Kernels will be starting a 12-game homestand starting on Tuesday with six games against Lake County. Pitching Probables (RHP Sean Mooney, LHP Aaron Rozek, LHP Cade Povich, RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long, RHP John Stankiewicz, LHP Brent Headrick) Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Week: 6-0, hosting Palm Beach Season: 20-10 overall, 1st place in the Florida State League West, 2.0 games ahead of Clearwater (18-12). For the first time, the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels swept a six-game series. Why? As usual, it all comes down to pitching. 16 pitchers threw for Ft. Myers during the week. 12 of them didn’t allow a run (earned or unearned). In six games, the pitchers allowed a total of six runs. The team threw shutouts in the first three games of the series and again on Sunday. Of course, the highlight of the week was the combined no-hitter. The Mussels offense was solid too. They scored 28 runs. David Festa struck out 11 batters over six innings in his start this week. He walked two batters, but he gave up no hits. Jaylen Nowlin and Hunter McMahon completed the final three innings of the no-hitter. Travis Adams had another very good start. In five shutout innings, he gave up two hits, walked two, and struck out six batters. Marco Raya made the start on Sunday. He tossed four no-hit innings. He walked one and struck out two batters. Matthew Swain pitched two and recorded two saves. In two innings, he gave up one hit, no walks, and struck out five batters. Malik Barrington struck out ten batters over four innings over his two relief appearances. He recorded his first save on Sunday. He gave up just three hits and one walk on the week. Hunter McMahon threw four scoreless innings over two games. He recorded one save. He gave up three hits, walked one, and recorded two strikeouts. Jaylen Nowlin worked five total innings during the week. He did not allow a run. He gave up one hit, walked one, hit one, and struck out seven batters. Mike Paredes made a spot start and tossed three scoreless, hitless innings. He walked one and struck out three batters. The offense was good too, and this week they were led by infielder Mikey Perez. In five games, he went 8-for-18 and hit .444/.524/.944 (1.468) with three doubles and two home runs. He also went 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts. Emmanuel Rodriguez had a strong week. He played all six games and went 8-for-19. He hit .421/.542/.579 (1.121) with a double, and a triple. He also walked four times. Catcher Dillon Tatum played in four games and went 3-for-3. He had a home run and walked four times. Oh, and he caught a no-hitter. Jake Rucker played in six games. He went 8-for-23 and hit .348/.400/.478 (.878) with three doubles. Noah Miller hit .308 (4-for-13) with seven walks for a .550 on-base percentage. What’s Next? The Mighty Mussels will head to Clearwater for a big, eight-game series against the Threshers. They will play two games on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. The beauty of rainouts in Florida, eh? Pitching Probables Tuesday: Bullpen to complete suspended game. RHP Travis Adams in the regular game. Wednesday: RHP Pierson Ohl, RHP Mike Paredes Thursday: No Game Friday: LHP Steve Hajjar, Bullpen Game Saturday: Marco Raya Sunday: TBD PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. You may have noticed, the Prospect Tracker has been updated, and will be updated on the first of each month throughout the season. #1 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 3 G, 3-for-12 (.250), 2-2B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K (Season: 24 G, .310/.430/.563 (.993), 11-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 21 R, 11 RBI, 17 BB, 20 K) #1 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 6 G, 6-for-22 (.273), 1-2B, 1-HR, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K (Season: 9 G, .281/.281/.438 (.719), 2-2B, 0-3B, 1-HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 4 K) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 5 G, 6-for-23 (.261), 0-2B, 1-3B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K (Season: 30 G, .246/.366/.339 (.705), 6-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 23 R, 10 RBI, 17 BB, 20 K, 17 SB, 0 CS) #3 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - 2 GS, 10.0 IP, 5 R, 8 H, 5 BB, 8 K (Season: 7 GS, 37.2 IP, 10 R, 24 H, 12 BB, 36 K, 4-2, 2.39 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 8.6 K/9) #4 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 5 G, 6-for-18 (.333), 2-2B, 1-HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1K (Season: 21 G, .256/.295/.442 (.737), 10-2B, 2-HR, 10 R, 12 RBI, 5 BB, 14 K) #4 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - Week: 4 G, 1-for-18 (.056), 0-2B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 6 K (Season: 11 G, .114/.152/.227 (.379), 2-2B, 1-HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K) #5 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 2.0 IP, 7 R, 3 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 1 K (Season: 2 GS, 5.2 IP, 7 R, 3 ER, 13 H, 4 BB, 5 K. #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 1 GS, 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 8 K (Season: 6 GS, 32.2 IP, 9 R, 8 ER, 17 H, 9 BB, 32 K, 2-1, 2.20 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 8.8 K/9) #7 - Josh Winder (Minnesota) - 1 GS, 3.1 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 2 K (Season: 6 G, 3 GS, 25.2 IP, 9 R, 7 ER, 18 H, 7 BB, 22 K, 2-1, 2.45 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 7.7 K/9) #8 - Jhoan Duran (Minnesota) - 2 G, 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K (Season: 12 G, 16.2 IP, 6 R, 10 H, 3 BB, 25 K, 0-1, 2 Saves, 3.24 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9, 13.5 K/9) #9 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K (Season: 7 GS, 20.2 IP, 3 R, 9 H, 11 BB, 28 K, 0-1, 1.31 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 4.8 BB/9, 12.2 K/9) #10 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 6 G, 8-for-19 (.421) , 1-2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 6 K (Season: 28 G, .270/.468/.506 (.974), 4-2B, 1-3B, 5-HR, 22 R, 14 RBI, 31 BB, 34 K) #11 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 5 G, 4-for-13 (.308), 0-2B, 0-HR, 7 BB, 4 K (Season: 27 G, .278/.431/.361 (.792), 3-2B, 1-3B, 1 HR, 19 R, 6 RBI, 24 BB, 32 K) #12 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 1 GS, 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 7 K (Season: 6 G, 5 GS, 31.2 IP, 16 R, 13 ER, 25 H, 11 BB, 35 K, 4-1, 3.69 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 9.9 K/9) #13 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 3.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 6 K (Season: 5 G, 4 GS, 15.2 IP, 15 R, 22 H, 5 BB, 18 K, 0-4, 8.62 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.3 K/9) #13 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - 1 G, 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 4 K (Season: 2 G, 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 0.0 BB/9, 13.5 K/9) #14 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 4.2 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K (Season: 4 G, 3 GS, 13.2 IP, 7 R, 12 H, 7 BB, 13 K, 0-1, 4.61 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 4.6 BB/9, 8.6 K/9) #15 - Marco Raya (Ft. Myers) - 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, (Season: 5 G, 4 GS, 19.0 IP, 6 R, 4 ER, 11 H, 5 BB, 21 K, 2-1, 1.89 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, 9.9 K/9) #16 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 5 G, 4-for-20 (.200), 0-2B, 2-HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K (Season: 30 G, .300/.384/.558 (.942), 11-2B, 1-3B, 6-HR, 22 R, 25 RBI, 13 BB, 22 K) #17 - Cade Povich (Cedar Rapids) - 1 GS, 3.1 IP, 5 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 K (Season: 5 GS, 22.1 IP, 14 R, 10 ER, 22 H, 6 BB, 32 K, 2-2, 4.03 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, 12.9 K/9) #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 6 G, 6-for-26 (.231), 1-2B, 1-3B, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K (Season: 31 G, .336/.396/.536 (.932), 6-2B, 2-3B, 5-HR, 19 R, 29 RBI, 12 BB, 34 K) #19 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 5 G, 3-for-14 (.214), 0-2B, 0-HR, 10 BB, 5 K (Season: 22 G, .268/.432/.394 (.826), 4-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 14 R, 10 RBI, 22 BB, 20 K) #20 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - Week/Season: 1 GS, 3.2 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 0-0, 4.91 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 0.00 BB/9, 14.7 K/9) PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Hitter of the Week: Infielder Mikey Perez, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Finally finding his name in the lineup nearly every day sure did wonders for Mikey Perez. Last week, he played in five games. He went 8-for-18 and hit .444/.524/.944 (1.468) with three doubles, two homers, and six RBI. He walked twice, and he went 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts. On the season, he has played in 23 games. He is 18-for-73 and hitting .247/.382/.452 (.834) with six doubles, three homers, and 13 RBI. He is also 8-for-9 on stolen base attempts. Perez was the Twins 15th round pick in 2021 out of UCLA where his mom is one of the top college softball coaches in the country. Perez can play all over the field, but he has played mostly at second base in college and so far as a pro. He’s played some third base as well. He also is a solid shortstop, though with Noah Miller getting most of the playing time there. Pitcher of the Week: RHP David Festa, Ft. Myers Might Mussels David Festa worked the first six innings of the Mighty Mussels combined no-hitter this week. In those six innings, he walked two batters and struck out 11 batters. Festa was the Twins 13th round pick in 2021 out of Seton Hall University. As a junior, he went 6-4 with a 2.00 ERA. After signing, he pitched in two FCL games and two games with the Mighty Mussels. He impressed at Instructs by posting some impressive velocities on his fastball and slider. Through his first five starts of 2022, he is now 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA. In 24 innings, he has struck out 33 batters and walked just six batters. In his most recent start, he hit 99.1 mph. He not only should rocket up prospect rankings, but it’s very possible he moves up to Cedar Rapids in the near future. On Monday, Festa was promoted to Cedar Rapids. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments on the teams and players. View full article

That was 2019, right?

Javier will become a free agent after this season. I was a little surprised that Balazovic didn't at least get a second rehab start in Ft. Myers because the one he did have didn't go well. In some ways... same with Enlow. He made the one rehab appearance in Ft. Myers. It didn't go well. I assumed that he would get another rehab start.

While the Twins' top prospect was putting on an incredible display of his potential at Target Field, several lesser-known minor leaguers had very nice games on Friday as well. The Twins' top three affiliates all lost their Friday the 13th games, but Ft. Myers was able to sweep their doubleheader against Palm Beach. Check out the goings-on in the Twins minor leagues. Balazovic, Woods Richardson, and Povich were on the mound on Friday night, Friday the 13th. How did they do? Ft. Myers played two games and got terrific pitching in both games. Before jumping into how the teams did on Friday, here are a couple more minor league articles to check out: Matt Canterino Continues To Dominate Minor League Hitters, from @Nash Walker. From Lee to Limestone: One Prospect Who  Needs More Attention (Video), from @Matthew Lenz. Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Following their 12-8 win on Friday night against Cleveland, the Twins announced that lefty Devin Smeltzer will be promoted and start on Saturday. That will require a 40-man roster move. More to come tomorrow. The Twins sent OF Kyle Garlick to the Saints for a rehab assignment. RHP Cole Sands placed on the 7-Day IL (groin strain). RHP Tyler Viza promoted from Wichita to St. Paul. Don’t be surprised if you see Blayne Enlow activated by the Wind Surge on Saturday. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Columbus 11 Box Score Jordan Balazovic was back for his second Saints start. It didn’t go well for him, unfortunately. He gave up three runs in the first inning. That was followed by allowing four unearned runs in the second inning. It was his error that allowed the runs to score. In his two innings, he gave up seven runs (3 earned) on eight hits (2 HR) and two walks. He struck out one batter. In the top of the third inning, the Saints put up seven runs to tie the game. It started with a bases-clearing triple by Jake Cave. That was followed by a two-run homer by Kyle Garlick. Finally, Cole Sturgeon hit a double to score two more runs. Big hits create a big inning. Mario Sanchez came on and put up four straight zeroes. He then gave up two runs in the seventh inning. Juan Minaya got the final four outs but gave up two runs thanks to a hit and two hit batters. Jake Cave went 2-for-4 with a walk. Curtis Terry went 2-for-5. David Banuelos walked three times in the game. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 0, NW Arkansas 7 Box Score Simeon Woods Richardson was back on the mound, and he was cruising through four scoreless innings. However, in the fifth inning, a single to left, a bunt single and a walk loaded the bases. Tucker Bradley followed with a grand slam to break the scoreless game. That was really it. Woods Richardson went 5 2/3 innings. He gave up those four runs on five hits and a walk. He also struck out eight batters. Argenis Angulo came on and got out of the sixth, but he was charged with three runs in the seventh inning. Steven Klimek finished the game for the Surge. He gave up one hit but no more runs over the final 1 1/3 innings. Wichita managed just five hits in the game. Edouard Julien led the way. He went 2-for-4 in the game. Andrew Bechtold had the lone extra base hit, his fifth double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 5 Box Score There’s offense, and then there is pitching-and-defense. The two have to be tied together because you can’t have one without the other. I mean, you could, but it would be weird. Anyway, that was illustrated in the third inning on Friday night. Cade Povich started the night with two scoreless innings. After a strikeout started the third inning, he hit a batter and that was followed by a double. The next batter also doubled and went to third on an error. The next batter reached on an error. After a ground ball to Wander Javier for the second out, there was another error allowing a fourth run to score. Three errors, a passed ball and four runs were on the board. Overall, Povich gave up five runs (3 earned) on four hits and a walk. Andrew Cabezas came on and tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Bradley Hanner continues his resurgence with two perfect innings, dropping his season ERA to 0.60. Orlando Rodriguez struck out three batters in the ninth inning. Outfielder Kyler Fedko made his first appearance since being promoted to the Kernels. He hit a single in his first at-bat. In the seventh inning, he hit a solo homer. Jeferson Morales went 2-for-4. Willie Joe Garry hit two doubles, his sixth and seventh of the season. Hope was high for a couple of Twins minor leaguers. Would Wander Javier repeating with the Kernels help his offense start to shine? And, with a solid performance in the final weeks with the Kernels, could Aaron Sabato take off in 2022? Well, Javier is now hitting .186 with a .585 OPS. Sabato is now hitting .165 with a .627 OPS. MUSSEL MATTERS Game 1: Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 0 Box Score Game 2: Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 2 Box Score It was a good day for the Mighty Mussels, especially their pitching staff. Pierson Ohl started the first game. He gave up just a single in one scoreless inning. He was replaced by Hunter McMahon who gave up three hits over three scoreless innings. He struck out two batters. Juan Mendez struck out three batters over two scoreless innings. Matthew Swain pitched a perfect seventh inning, striking out all three batters. He recorded his sixth save and is yet to give up a run this season. Mike Paredes was on the mound to start the second game. The 2021 18th-round draft pick from San Diego State has been terrific out of the Ft. Myers bullpen. He was really good in this spot start. He tossed three scoreless, hitless innings. He walked one and struck out three batters. Jackson Hicks came on and struck out four batters over two perfect innings. Lefty John Wilson came on and gave up the first hit of the game in the sixth inning. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits over the final two innings to earn his first save. He struck out three batters and issued no walks. The Mussels scored three runs in each game. In the first inning of the first game, Keoni Cavaco singled to score both Noah Miller and Emmanuel Rodriguez. In the fifth frame, Rodriguez singled to score Jake Rucker. Rodriguez went 2-for-2 with a walk in the first game. Kyle Schmidt had the lone extra-base hit, his second double. The team scored early in the second game as well. In the first inning, Noah Cardenas singled to score Rucker. Then in the second inning, a Dillon Tatum sacrifice fly scored Mikey Perez, and then Rucker singled to score Daniel Ozoria. Perez went 2-for-2 in Game 2. Both of his hits were doubles. He was also hit by a pitch and stole three bases in the game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Mike Paredes (Ft. Myers) - 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K Hitter of the Day – Kyler Fedko (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, HR in High-A debut PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 2-for-4, 2B (2), HR (1), 2 R, 4 RBI. #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-for-4 (played RF) #5 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (58 pitches, 37 strikes) #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (95 pitches, 64 strikes) #8 - Jhoan Duran (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, (10 pitches, 8 strikes) #10 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - Game 1: 2-for-2, BB, R, RBI #10 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - Game 2: 0-for-3, 2 K #11 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - Game 1: 1-for-3, R #11 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - Game 2: 0-2, BB, 2 K #16 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 0-for-3, HBP, K #17 - Cade Povich (Cedar Rapids) - 3 1/3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (75 pitches, 48 strikes) #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, HBP, K, 2 E #19 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 2-for-4, K SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (6:05PM CST) - TBD Wichita @ NW Arkansas (6:05PM CST) - RHP Chris Vallimont (0-2, 9.87 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (1-1, 2.01 ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (3:00 PM CST) - LHP Steve Hajjar (0-1, 3.77 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games! View full article