Seth Stohs

The Twins announced on Friday afternoon that a partial tear was found on Royce Lewis's right ACL in an MRI he took on Thursday. He is headed for a second ACL surgery and will likely be out for 12 months. It's just not fair! Why can't we have nice things? When did this start anyway? Joe Mauer was hurt in his second game, hurting his knee sliding on the Metrodome turf. That was April 2004. Since then, Jason Kubel missed over a year when he tore up his knee playing in the Arizona Fall League. Miguel Sano and Alex Kirilloff had Tommy John surgery when they were in the minor leagues. Of course, several pitchers have lost development time due to Tommy John, including Francisco Liriano, maybe the best pitcher over any two-month stretch in Twins history, is the toughest example. The list goes on and on, and we haven't even mentioned the concussions that altered the career trajectories of Mauer, Justin Morneau, Denard Span, and others. And Byron Buxton. Like Buxton, Royce Lewis works incredibly hard. He is well-liked by everyone around him, especially their teammates. They want to play. They want to play well. They want to win. But unfortunately, staying on the field Players get hurt. That's part of the game. We know that. But it certainly seems the Twins have had way more of their fair share. Lewis told reporters, "It sucks!" The initial report was a bone bruise, but there was so much swelling, another MRI was needed. Encouraged to get a second opinion, Lewis saw the MRI. "I love my teammates, and I'd love to be out there as much as I can, but I don't want to be out there halfway." He also said that this time, they will also take steps to brace the knee so it has a little less give to make any further similar injuries less likely. "It basically tightens your right side and makes it more stable." Maybe the most frustrating part is he doesn't know exactly how it happened. "All I remember was I was about to make a really cool play," he said, laughing. "You can just tell when you're about to make a catch. Lewis is expected to miss 12 months again after the complete reconstruction of his ACL again. "Yeah, I'm not afraid of the surgery. That's for sure. The first time, if I told you I wasn't, I was definitely hiding it." "It's just another pause in my life here." Lewis hit over .300 in his 11 games with the Twins. He showed off his power, speed, arm, and defense in his short stint. Lewis knows he can and will come back, and be able to play in the big leagues. The Catch? "Yeah, I just mistimed my jump. I'm not familiar with the outfield, in general. So that's probably why. I'm very happy I made the catch, though." But he certainly is taking lessons from the incident. "So, yeah, I'm afraid of the wall." But he definitely does not regret playing the outfield. "I'm a baseball player. I want to help my team and compete. It's unfortunate I got hurt. It's a freak injury. Nothing we could have done. Truly wouldn't have done anything different." His manager, Rocco Baldelli, feels the same way. The organization had a need, and Lewis had some experience in center field, including a couple years ago in the Arizona Fall League. "On my end, and on the organization's end, I don't think we would say we regret any part it. I regret that he has to go through this right now." Baldelli, who struggled with his own health issues throughout his playing career, is impressed with what he sees from Lewis, even as he faces this frustration head on. "He's handling is as well as I think any young person could handle something like this. Or anyone at all. He is, as we know, a very upbeat and positive individual," Needless to say, the mood was pretty somber in the Twins clubhouse as the news was digested. "It's one of those things that it's almost hard to wrap your head around, that fact that this is going to happen again," Baldelli reflected. "But I fully expect him to come back and do exactly what he did this time around. I see no reason why he won't. And he's one of the best young players in baseball." View full article

When players move up levels, the game speeds up, and the competition gets stronger. Through his first two weeks at Triple-A St. Paul, Spencer Steer is defying that logic. The game appears to be coming to him at a proper pace, and despite facing a lot of pitchers that have big-league experience, Steer has quickly adjusted to his new team. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== On Tuesday night, Spencer Steer had two hits including his seventh home run since joining the Saints. In 14 games, he has gone 16-for-59 and is hitting .271/.368/.678 (1.046) with three doubles and seven home runs. That is after starting the season with 35 games in Wichita where he hit .307/.385/.591 (.976) with 13 doubles and eight home runs. “It’s pretty much the same game. The biggest difference that I’ve noticed is that almost everyone you’re surrounded by has had time in the big leagues. It’s pretty cool to play with all these guys who have played at the highest level, and then obviously face pitching that’s been at the highest level too. It’s been fun so far to kind of have myself be challenged and see how these guys go about their business. It’s been a fun transition so far.” data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== He watched veterans before and during batting practice to see how they prepare, how they get into a routine. He asks questions. Teammates discuss hitting, pitchers and more. He specifically talked about watching Tim Beckham who just joined the Saints last week after starting the season on the Injured List. He and Alex Kirilloff talk hitting. And veteran Elliot Soto, who has been in professional baseball for a dozen years and even had a three-game stint with the Angels in 2020, has talked to him about a variety of aspects of the game over the past two weeks. In 2021, Steer spent 45 games in Cedar Rapids and he walked 35 times and struck out just 32 times. He moved up to Double-A Wichita, and in 65 games, he walked 20 times and struck out 73 times. Jump ahead to 2022. He began the season with 35 games in Wichita. He had 14 walks to go with 23 strikeouts, a massive improvement. He said, “Going back to that levels and having that prior experience, and obviously failing at that level, and learning from what went wrong. And also learning more about my swing and trusting that I don’t have to do more. I can just focus on hitting the baseball and hitting it on the barrel. If you hit the ball consistently, good things are going to happen.” He summarized, “Just finding a way to put the bat on the ball, and then on the barrel as much as you can. As simple as that sounds, the more you can hit the ball on the barrel, the better off you’re going to be. I think it was that simple mind set.” He also mentioned “plate discipline” and “swinging less with two strikes” when pitchers are trying to expand the strike zone. “Just kind of simple stuff like that.” Side note - While Steer is making it look simple right now, it isn’t simple. It is actually very difficult. In a Twins Daily article from late in the 2019 season, just two months after the Twins made him their 3rd round pick, the 90th overall selection in that year’s draft, I chatted with Steer about the type of hitter he was and could become. He said, “At this level, I’m not the most powerful guy, but I think I can be a guy who drives in runs. For that reason you can stick me at the top of the order and I’ll find ways on base and draw a lot of walks. I think at this level, I’m more of a top of the order guy, but that can always change as I get older and put on more weight.” The 2020 minor-league season was canceled due to the pandemic, but Steer put in the time both in the batting cage and in the weight room. He returned in 2021 and in 110 total games, split between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita, he hit .254/.348/.484 (.833) with 18 doubles, three triples, and 24 home runs. Only Jose Miranda (30) and Trey Cabbage (27) hit more homers than Steer in the Twins minor leagues last year. In 2022, he leads the Twins minor league system with 16 doubles, 15 homers, and 46 RBI. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== He’s looking like a guy who can drive in runs! And he is quick to credit others as well. He mentioned that Bryce Berg for helping him with the mentality and approach in leverage situations and counts. He’d take two rounds of BP with nice and easy swings, and then the last two rounds “for lack of better words, swing out of my butt.” It was a concerted effort in batting practice that he has been able to incorporate into his approach and learning how to do that in batting practice and transitioning that into the game. He learned his swing. He worked to refine his approach. He’s stuck with it, and it’s continued to this year. Bryce Berg was the Cedar Rapids hitting coach in 2021. This year, he has been named the minor league hitting coordinator. He worked with Ryan Smith in Wichita in 2021 and with the Saints now. He credited the new Wind Surge hitting coach Derek Shomon for the work he put in, but also the communication between coaches at each level, making sure everyone is on the same page with each player’s individual path and plan. As we have seen with the Twins in 2022, having some position flexibility is important. Jose Miranda put in time at both corner infield positions. Luis Arraez and Nick Gordon have additional value because they can play all over. Royce Lewis illustrates perfectly the value of being able to play multiple positions so that when there is a need in the big leagues, he can be available. Spencer Steer has been playing multiple infield positions his whole career. At the University of Oregon, he played third base his first two years before spending more time at shortstop as a junior. In his three professional seasons, he has played 89 games at third base, 75 games at second base, and 41 games at shortstop. Looking specifically at 2022, he has played 22 games at third base, 13 games at second base, and 12 games at shortstop. He certainly understands the value of being versatile. He said, “The more positions you can play, the better because there’s just more opportunity going forward. If you can play the left side of the infield and the right side of the infield, I just think the more versatility you have, just opens up more doors for you. I feel comfortable at all three spots. I’ve been playing them all fairly consistently. That’s what I hope to do going forward.” He’s only been in St. Paul for a couple of weeks, but he’s seen many teammates already getting The Call to the big leagues. He is now just one step and one call away from the big league dream. “It hasn’t really hit me that it could happen at any time. You’re just doing what you can control and that’s going out there and playing well every day. That’s all you can control. It’s awesome to see guys get that call and that opportunity. It’s something that doesn’t get old, seeing your teammates getting that call to the big leagues.” Spencer Steer was a non-roster invite to big-league spring training. While there isn’t necessarily a clear path to a big-league spot in the 2022 season, Steer has done everything in his power, and with his power, to put himself in position to be called up if and when needed. View full article

Seth chatted with Twins infielder prospect Spencer Steer about his transition to Triple-A, his approach at the plate, his power at the plate, and his ability to play each position around the infield. View full video

I am a big believer that ultimately athleticism and talent with baseball IQ wins out, so I have really little concern about him long-term. But yeah, it would be nice and more fun to talk about if he was putting up bigger numbers. It also just reminds me of Levi Michael... and no, I'm not putting them into the same bucket... Michael was a back-end of the first-round guy compared to Austin Martin who is a top of the first-round guy. But Michael went right to High A and struggled, and I've always wondered if they had just let him progress "normally"... (in that case, 3 weeks in E-Town, jump up to Low-A for the rest of that draft season, and then slowly get to High A... I never understand the push to move guys up and skip levels. It's fun when it works and the player can succeed, but there are probably more that don't than do... There are lots of examples of guys that panned out by being rushed. But I bet there are also a lot of Levi Michael's in other organizations too that we just don't know. I don't get why Toronto felt the need to push him (and Simeon Woods Richardson) so quickly to AA last year. Made little sense. It's like back during the Johan trade... The Mets prospects were almost all guys who were pushed too quickly. Kevin Mulvey went right from college to AA. Gomez was very young for the big leagues and clearly not ready. Fernando Martinez was the name people wanted at that time because he was so young but he got pushed and never made it. Guerra was in High A as a 19-year-old. Why? What good did it do them short or long term.

We have been covering four full-season Twins affiliates for the past two months now. From this point until September, we will be covering six Twins affiliates as the short-season affiliates in Florida and the Dominican Republic started their seasons. It was a good week for the affiliates. All four finished with a 4-2 record for the week. A few hitters put up crazy, monster numbers that you just have to see to believe. Find out more below. In the past, the beginning of the short-season, rookie leagues was right near the time of the MLB Draft. However, now that the draft has been pushed back to July, Opening Day of the short-season leagues came up in a hurry. On Monday, the Florida Complex League and the Dominican Summer League seasons began. At Twins Daily, we will be providing reports on those teams in our daily Minor League Reports. Below you can see how the two Twins affiliates played on Monday. 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: RHP Ian Hamilton, RHP Jharel Cotton and OF Mark Contreras back to St. Paul. IF Daniel Robertson began rehab stint with FCL Twins. Twins signed RHP Aaron Sanchez to minor-league deal and assigned him to St. Paul. IF Ernie Yake was placed on the Wichita Injured List. RESULTS Previous Week in Review (5/24-5/30):Mighty Mussels Out-Muscle Marauders Tuesday: Another No-No in Ft. Myers and Stranger Things for St. Paul Wednesday: Offensive Fireworks in Cedar Rapids and Emmanuel Rodriguez is On Fire Thursday: Rodriguez Rakes as Mussels Mount Comeback Friday: Prato Paces the Kernels, Strong Pitching Turned In Saturday: Alerick Soularie Hits For the Cycle! Wind Surge Win in Walk-off! Sunday: Steer, Kirilloff, Hamilton Power Home Run Record for Saints MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT Prospect Retrospective: Jermaine Palacios Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month - May 2022 Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month - May 2022 Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month - May 2022 Reviewing the Jose Berrios Trade SHORT-SEASON RESULTS It was opening day in the short-season leagues on Monday as both the Dominican Summer League Twins and the Florida Complex League Twins played the first game of their seasons. We are going to include these teams in our daily Minor League Reports. FCL Twins 2, FCL Pirates 7 Box Score Starting Pitcher: Develson Aria (3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) Multi-Hit Games: Alexander Pena (2-for-2, R, 2 RBI), Ismael Perez (2-for-3, R, SB) 2B: Alexander Pena (1) HR: Alexander Pena (1) Rehab Players: Daniel Robertson (0-for-2, K) Top Prospects: Danny De Andrade (0-for-4), Fredy Michel (0-for-3, 1 BB, 2 K, SB). DSL Twins 5, DSL Rockies 6 Box Score Starting Pitcher: Julio Bonilla (3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) Multi-Hit Games: Anderson Nova (2-for-4, RBI, K), Daniel Pena (2-for-4, R, RBI, K), Javier Roman (2-for-2, HBP) XBH: None. Top Prospects: Bryan Acuna (0-4) WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints: Week: 4-2, @ Iowa Season: 24-29 overall, 9th place out of ten teams in the International League West. They are 10 games behind Nashville. After putting up 49 runs in seven games the previous week, the Saints scored 57 runs in six games. Three times the Saints scored more than a dozen runs in a game. The Saints pitching staff gave up 50 runs in seven games the previous week. Last week, they gave up 41 runs in the six games. The Saints hit 18 home runs including a franchise-record seven homers on Sunday afternoon. Seven hitters had an OPS over .960. It was a good week for the Saints, and now they head home to take on the former Twins Triple-A affiliate, the best team in the whole International League. Get your tickets here! Alex Kirilloff was named the Twins Minor League Player of the Week and the International League Hitter of the Week. In four games, he went 8-for-17 and hit .471/.571/1.353 (1.924) with three doubles, four homers, and eight RBI. He walked four times with just three strikeouts. Caleb Hamilton played in three games and went 4-for-8. He hit .500/.667/1.375 (2.042) with a double, two home runs, and six RBI. He also had four walks. Tim Beckham finally made his way to St. Paul. He played in four games and went 8-for-17. He hit .471/.526/.882 (1.408) with a double, two homers, and seven RBI. Spencer Steer was one of two Saints to play in all six games. He went 7-for-30 and hit .233/.303/.700 (1.003) with two doubles, four homers, and 11 RBI. Jake Cave played in five games and went 8-for-22. He hit .364/.440/.682 (1.122) with two doubles, a triple, a homer, and three RBI. Elliot Soto went 4-for-16 in five games. He hit .250/.400/.563 (.963) with two doubles and a home run. He also walked four times. Michael Helman was the second Saint who played in all six games. He went 7-for-26 and hit .269/.367/.462 (.829) with two doubles, a home run and three RBI. The best start for a Saints pitcher last week came from Mario Sanchez. He gave up two runs on five hits over an impressive 7 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two and deserves bonus points from the whole team and front office for getting through that many innings. Tyler Viza pitched in three games, and finished two of them. He gave up one run on two hits over five innings. He struck out six batters without a walk. Austin Schulfer worked 3 2/3 innings over two appearances. He allowed an unearned run on two hits. He walked two and struck out four batters. What’s Next? #OldFriend ALERT! The Rochester Red Wings, the long-time Twins Triple-A affiliate, will be making their first appearance at CHS FIeld to take on the Saints this week. The 35-19 Red Wings are managed by former Twins C/DH Matthew LeCroy. Pitching Probables (RHP Daniel Gossett, RHP Aaron Sanchez, RHP Ronny Henriquez, TBD, TBD, TBD) Double-A Wichita Wind Surge Week: 4-2, hosting Frisco Season: 30-19 overall, 1st place in the Texas League North Division. They remain just 1 1/2 game ahead of Tulsa (28-20). The Wind Surge continue to win and find different ways to do it. Sometimes they score. Sometimes they pitch. This week, the games were mostly low scoring, but Wichita had another winning week. Over the six games, they outscored Frisco 23-17. The pitching staff was fantastic. They gave up more than three runs only once during the week. Here are some of the top performances for the Wind Surge this past week: Matt Canterino tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked four and struck out four. Steven Cruz and Osiris German each pitched twice and worked 3 1/3 innings. German gave up just one hit and struck out five batters. Cruz gave up two unearned runs and struck out four batters. Kody Funderburk pitched twice, including one start. In six innings, he gave up just one run on four hits. He walked two and struck out six bases. Matt Wallner played in all six games. He went 8-for-22 and hit .364/.417/.545 (.962) with a double and a home run. He stole two bases. Jair Camargo played in three games before going on the IL. He went 3-for-12 (.250) with a double, two homers and five RBI. Likewise, Alex Isola went on the IL after just one game last week. He had a double and a homer, and he walked once. Chris Williams had just three hits and batted .188, but he had a double and two homers. 2021 draft pick Ernie Yake went 3-for-9 (.333) and hit two doubles, including a huge bases-clearing double on Sunday against Frisco. What’s Next? The Wind Surge travel to Arkansas for six games against the Mariners’ affiliate. The Travelers are 27-24 and in third place in the North Division. Pitching Probables (RHP Blayne Enlow, RHP Matt Canterino, RHP Casey Legumina, RHP Louie Varland, RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Blayne Enlow) High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Week: 4-2, @ Lansing Season: 33-18 overall, 1st place in the Midwest League West Division, 2.0 games ahead of Wisconsin (31-20). They are 5.0 games ahead of South Bend (28-23). In the first half of the week, the Kernels went 1-2, though their win was by a score of 10-2. They went on to win the final three games of the series and scored eight or more runs in each game. Overall, they outscored the Lugnuts 39-28 and were able to increase their division lead by a game. Several Kernels’ hitters had big weeks. Pitching wasn’t quite as strong, but you just have to see what Sean Mooney did. Alerick Soularie has had a tough start to his 2022 season, but he had a big week last week. In five games, he went 6-for-17 and hit .353/.560/.882 (1.442) with a double, a triple, two homers, and six RBI. He also walked eight times. He hit for the cycle on Saturday. Aaron Sabato was named the Midwest League Hitter of the Week. He played in five games and went 8-for-16. He hit .500/.619/.813 (1.432) with two doubles, a homer, and five RBI. He also walked four times. Christian Encarnacion-Strand played in all six games. He went 8-for-27 and hit .296/.387/.704 (1.091) with five doubles, two homers, and four RBI. Yunior Severino returned to the field from the IL. In four games, he went 6-for-16 and hit .375/.474/.563 (.1.037) with a double and a triple. He also walked three times. Anthony Prato played in three games for the Kernels before being promoted to Wichita. In that time, he went 4-for-15 (.267) and had a double, triple, home run and four RBI. He also stole two bases. Sawyer Gipson-Long had the top start of the week for the Kernels. He gave up one run on three hits with two walks over six innings. He struck out three batters. Sean Mooney was the piggyback arm in one game. He tossed four shutout innings. He did not give up a hit. He walked one and struck out ten batters. Cody Laweryson also worked once out of the bullpen. In 2 2/3 scoreless innings, he gave up one hit, walked two and struck out three batters. What’s Next? The Kernels will travel to South Bend to take on the Cubs. Pitching Probables (RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long, RHP John Stankiewicz, RHP David Festa, LHP Brent Headrick, LHP Aaron Rozek, LHP Cade Povich) Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Week: 4-2, hosting Tampa Season: 34-16 overall, 1st place in the Florida State League West, 8.0 games ahead of Clearwater (26-24). Ft. Myers was able to increase their lead in the division with a 4-2 week. The Mussel bats outscored the Tarpons 33-17 on the week. It was a terrific week for the pitchers as well, with the team’s second no-hitter of the season on Tuesday. And Emmanuel Rodriguez put together arguably the greatest week of production that I can recall! Emmanuel Rodriguez had a huge week. In five games, he went 7-for-12 and hit .583/.700/1.500 (2.200) with a double, two triples, two homers, and six RBI. He also had seven walks to go with just one strikeout! And he stole a base. No surprise he was named the Florida State League Hitter of the Week. Luis Baez played in five games. He went 4-for-9 and hit .444/.545/.444 (.989) with two walks. He also stole two bases. Kala’i Rosario played in five games and went 6-for-16. He hit .375/.474/.500 (.974) with two doubles and two walks. Mike Paredes was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week. In his start, he tossed six scoreless innings. He gave up no hits, walked two, and struck out five batters. Pierson Ohl made a start and threw three scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and walked two batters. All nine outs he recorded came on strikeouts. Ariel Jurado made his first start, a rehab appearance after having Tommy John surgery. He gave up no runs on one hit. He walked two and struck out four batters. Hunter McMahon pitched two games and three innings. He gave up just one hit, walked two and struck out seven batters. Juan Mendez pitched twice and threw two perfect innings. Five of the six outs came on strikeouts. Matt Swain made two appearances with the Mussels before his late-week promotion to Cedar Rapids. In two innings, he struck out four batters. Travis Adams gave up one run in five innings in his start. He struck out eight batters without issuing a walk. What’s Next? The Mighty Mussels make the long trek to Daytona (19-31) for a six-game series. Pitching Probables (LHP Steve Hajjar, TBD, LHP Jaylen Nowlin (vs Chase Petty), TBD, TBD, TBD) PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker will be updated on the first of each month throughout the season. Notice that these pages now include stats and splits, as well as past article links, video and more. #1 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - Did Not Play (Season: 34 G, .313/.405/.534 (.940), 12-2B, 1-3B, 5-HR, 30 R, 14 RBI, 18 BB, 32 K) #1 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - Did Not Play (.000), 0-2B, 0-HR, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K (Season: 12 G, .300/.317/.550 (.867), 4-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 5 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 6 G, 4-for-23 (.174), 0-2B, 1-3B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K (Season: 46 G, .247/.361/.324 (.685), 7-2B, 2-3B, 1-HR, 34 R, 14 RBI, 23 BB, 28 K, 21 SB, 2 CS) #3 - 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) #3 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - 5 G, 5-for-18 (.278), 1-2B, 2-HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 8 K (Season: 25 G, .202/.237/.405 (.641), 6-2B, 4-HR, 8 R, 11 RBI, 3 BB, 22 K) #4 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 3.1 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 5 K (Season: 5 GS, 16.1 IP, 21 R, 16 ER, 27 H, 12 BB, 17 K, 0-2, 8.82 ERA, 2.39 WHIP, 6.6 BB/9, 9.4 K/9) #5 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 2 GS, 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 8 K (Season: 10 GS, 48.0 IP, 17 R, 16 ER, 37 H, 17 BB, 50 K, 2-2, 3.00 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9, 9.4 K/9) #6 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - 1 GS, 3.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 4 BB, 4 K (Season: 11 G, 10 GS, 34.1 IP, 8 R, 7 ER, 17 H, 22 BB, 50 K, 0-1, 1.83 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 5.8 BB/9, 13.1 K/9) #7 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - (Season: 35 G, .307/.385/.591 (.976), 13-2B, 1-3B, 8-HR, 27 R, 30 RBI, 14 BB, 23 K) #7 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 6 G, 7-for-30 (.233), 2-2B, 4-HR, 11 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K (Season: 13 G, .255/.349/.636 (.986), 3-2B, 0-3B, 6-HR, 13 R, 15 RBI, 6 BB, 11 K) #8 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 5 G, 7-for-12 (.583), 1-2B, 2-3B, 2-HR, 6 RBI, 7 BB, 2 K (Season: 45 G, .280/.495/.568 (1.063), 5-2B, 3-3B, 9-HR, 35 R, 25 RBI, 54 BB, 51 K) #9 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 6 G, 1-for-22 (.045), 1-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K (Season: 45 G, .256/.387/.357 (.744), 7-2B, 2-3B, 2 HR, 33 R, 12 RBI, 34 BB, 51 K) #10 - Marco Raya (Ft. Myers) - 1 GS, 3.2 IP, 4 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K (Season: 8 G, 7 GS, 32.2 IP, 15 R, 12 ER, 26 H, 12 BB, 35 K, 3-1, 3.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9, 9.6 K/9) #11 - Cade Povich (Cedar Rapids) - 1 GS, 4.1 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 4 BB, 6 K (Season: 8 GS, 37.0 IP, 19 R, 17 ER, 30 H, 13 BB, 52 K, 3-4, 3.65 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9, 12.6 K/9) #12 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 9 K (Season: 10 G, 9 GS, 52.1 IP, 24 R, 21 ER, 43 H, 24 BB, 62 K, 4-1, 3.61 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9, 10.7 K/9) #13 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 4.1 IP, 5 ER, 10 H, 1 BB, 5 K (Season: 8 G, 6 GS, 29.0 IP, 26 R, 37 H, 13 BB, 30 K, 0-2, 8.07 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, 4.0 BB/9, 9.3 K/9) #14 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 1 G, 2.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 K (Season: 4 G, 3 GS, 13.1 IP, 10 R, 9 ER, 15 H, 7 BB, 19 K, 0-0, 6.08 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 4.7 BB/9, 12.8 K/9) #15 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 6 G, 8-for-22 (.364), 1-2B, 1-HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K (Season: 46 G, .273/.387/.527 (.914), 9-2B, 0-3B, 1-HR, 33 R, 39 RBI, 30 BB, 68 K) #16 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 5 G, 5-for-19 (.263), 0-2B, 1-HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K (Season: 29 G, .269/.417/.398 (.815), 4-2B, 1-3B, 2-HR, 17 R, 11 RBI, 25 BB, 28 K) #17 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch (Season: 6 G, 5 GS, 18.2 IP, 15 R, 23 H, 6 BB, 21 K, 0-4, 7.23 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.1 K/9) #17 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 4 R, 5 H, 4 BB, 4 K (Season: 3 G, 1 GS, 8.0 IP, 7 ER, 9 H, 4 BB, 10 K K, 0-1, 7.88 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 4.5 BB/9, 11.3 K/9) #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 6 G, 8-for-27 (.296), 5-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K (Season: 49 G, .303/.368/.551 (.919), 13-2B, 3-3B, 10-HR, 33 R, 43 RBI, 19 BB, 55 K) #19 - Steve Hajjar (Ft. Myers) - 1 GS, 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K (Season: 1 G, 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K, (Season: 8 GS, 33.1 IP, 10 R, 8 ER, 17 H, 19 BB, 57 K, 2-1, 2.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 5.1 BB/9, 15.4 K/9) #20 - David Festa (Ft. Myers) - (Season: 2 G, 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K, (Season: 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 0.0 BB/9, 13.5 K/9) #20 - David Festa (Cedar Rapids) - 1 GS, 5 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K (Season: 3 G, 1 GS, 13.2 IP, 4 ER, 10 H, 3 BB, 14 K, 3-0, 2.63 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9, 9.2 K/9) PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Hitter of the Week: Outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels This is the second consecutive, and third overall player of the week honor for Rodriguez this season. He was the choice for Hitter of the Month in April. He was solid again in May, and he has started June on fire. Two weeks ago, he went 0-for-12 for the week, but he walked 10 times, continuing to show his much-improved strike zone management. In the two weeks since then, he has played in ten games. He had gone 13-for-30 and hit .433/.591/1.000 (1.591) with a double, two triples, four home runs and 11 RBI. He has also walked 13 times and struck out ten times. Rodriguez played in five games last week at Hammond Stadium against Tampa. He went 7-for-12 and hit .583/.700/1.500 (2.200) with a doubles, two triples, two home runs, and six RBI. He also had seven walks to go with just two strikeouts. Those numbers are just crazy! Overall, he has played in 45 games for Ft. Myers in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. He has hit .280/.495/.568 (1.063) with five doubles, three triples, nine home runs, and 25 RBI. He is also 11-for-15 in stolen base attempts, and plays a solid center field. Rodriguez signed with the Twins in July 2019 for $2.5 million out of Santiago. He was unable to make his debut until 2021. Last year, in 37 FCL Twins games, he hit .214/346/.524 (.870) with five doubles, two triples, and 10 home runs. He also stole nine bases. Pitcher of the Week: RHP Mike Paredes, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Mike Paredes was the Twins 18th round draft pick in 2021 out of San Diego State University. He went to college about 10 miles from where he went to high school, San Diego High School where he was a strong two-way player. As a freshman, he worked mostly out of the bullpen and struck out 56 batters in 51 innings. He also went 1-for-2 with an RBI double. He made four starts in the shortened 2020 season. In 2021, he went 4-0. Upon signing, he pitched in two games for the FCL Twins. He gave up one run on one hit and one walk in four innings. He struck out six batters. This season, he began the season in the Ft. Myers bullpen. Gradually he got extended and then did some piggybacking before entering the team’s rotation. He has made four starts now. Overall, he is 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA. In 31 1/3 innings, he has walked just five batters while striking out 31 batters. In his start last week against Tampa, he struck out five batters over six scoreless, hitless innings. He walked two. Hunter McMahon got the final three outs to keep the no-hitter, the Mussels third no-no over the past nine months, and second this season. In his four starts, he has gradually worked more and more. In his first start, he threw three no-hit innings. In his second start, he threw four, one-hit innings. He went five innings in his third start (two runs on three hits). And, six innings of no-hit ball in his fourth start. What is next for the 21-year-old right-hander? Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the players and the teams in the COMMENTS below. View full article

They'll send Contreras down for Kepler... So when Kirilloff comes back, and then Lewis... there are going to be some really tough decisions.

The Kernels have been doing one piggyback game most weeks this season so far...

I know... I know... I caught that one on my sixth or seventh edit. UGGH! And, this is the first time I thought of the Roman Numeral factor. HA!

This point can not be forgotten and should not be minimized...

It was a tough news day on Friday when we officially heard the names of the four Twins players added to the restricted list, unable to join the team in Canada. The Twins struggling offense headed to Toronto short-handed and with a struggling offense and outpowered the mighty Blue Jays lineup on Friday night. Find out more below. Box Score SP: Chi Chi Gonzalez: 3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (45 pitches, 32 strikes (71.1%)) Home Runs: Kyle Garlick 2 (6), Jose Miranda 2 (4), Byron Buxton (12) Top 3 WPA: Kyle Garlick (.317), Jharel Cotton (.290), Jose Miranda (.273) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Pregame Notes Friday morning, news broke that four Twins players did not travel to Toronto because of their vaccination status. They were replaced on the roster by starting pitcher Chi Chi Gonzalez, relievers Jharel Cotton and Ian Hamilton, and outfielder Mark Contreras. Game Notes Game Recap in Video. Kyle Garlick got them going in the game. Batting third, he came to the plate with a runner on base and facing a left-hander. Yusei Kikuchi and launched a two-run homer. Chi Chi Gonzalez gave up a leadoff homer to George Springer (his sixth leadoff homer this year already), and a second first-inning run that tied the game. In the second inning, Jose Miranda came up and launched a solo home run to give the Twins a 3-2 lead.. Garlick did it again. In his second at-bat, he came to the plate and hit his second homer of the game and sixth of the season. After five innings, the Twins held a 4-3 lead. Jose Miranda came to the plate with Luis Arraez (entered game with Gio Urshela getting hurt on the base paths). The young Puerto Rican infielder got a hanger and crushed it for his second home of the game, his fourth with the Twins. In the top of the 8th inning, #OldFriday Andrew Vasquez came into the game for the Blue Jays, ideally to get left-handers out. Nick Gordon (who came into left for Garlick for defensive purposes) led off and on an 0-2 slider, he took a pitch to the back side. He was balked to second and then stole third base. Another lefty, Arraez came through with a soft line drive up the middle that glanced off of Vasquez's glove for an infield single to score Gordon. In the ninth inning, Byron Buxton launched his 12th home run of a the season, a two-run shot to give the Twins the final runs. Bullpen Phenomenal With veteran Chi Chi Gonzalez starting, the team had to know that the bullpen would be used tonight. Gonzalez finished three innings before being replaced by Jovani Moran. The lefty struck out the side in the fourth inning. In the fifth inning, Moran walked the first two batters. Jharel Cotton came in and facing the middle of the order, he got the team out of the inning with allowing a run. Cotton then pitched a perfect sixth inning too. Tyler Duffey worked a scoreless seventh inning. Joe Smith pitched the eighth, and Griffin Jax closed it out in the ninth inning. Three of the four players added to the Restricted List were bullpen arms. For this group to step up was very impressive! Combined, those five pitchers worked six innings and gave up zero runs and zero hits. They walked three batters but struck out six and were terrific. A Good Reminder Unlike many sports, in baseball, the underdog always has some chance. With several players on the IL, three more on the Covid-IL, and four players unable to be with the team because they are unvaccinated, the odds of a Twins win on Friday night were not good. But again, that's baseball. They got off to a quick start. They added on. Gonzalez kept them in it for three innings, and then several unlikely bullpen arms tossed six scoreless, hitless innings against one of baseball's best offenses. Just like you hate to lose four out of five games in Detroit, games like Friday are a good reminder that anything can happen in this game. What’s Next? The Twins will take on #OldFriend Jose Berrios on Saturday in Toronto, looking to win the series. Dylan Bundy will make the start for the Twins. Game Time is 1:07 central time. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUES WEDS THURS FRI TOT Megill 34 0 20 0 RL 54 Jax 0 33 0 0 14 47 Moran 0 12 0 0 27 39 Smith 16 0 0 0 15 31 Duran 0 0 0 28 0 28 Minaya 0 26 0 0 0 26 Cotton 0 0 0 0 23 23 Duffey 0 0 0 0 20 20 Pagán 0 0 0 15 RL 15 Thielbar 0 11 0 0 RL 11 View full article

Oh, what a relief it is... I think we all understand that feeling of relief. And that's true in baseball. When a manager goes to his bullpen for a reliever, it sometimes can feel like an oxymoron. The job of a relief pitcher is often to come into the late innings of games and get the last outs of the game. There are a few relievers and situations when fans feel comfortable, but often the situations can cause some anxious moments. Which relief pitchers provided their teammates with great relief in May? Find out below. It is always fun giving credit where credit is due, and with our monthly awards, we certainly do just that. Today, you'll get to read about four Twins minor-league relievers. My guess is many of you haven't heard of as many as three of the top four. I've also included several Honorable Mentions who had strong May performances out of the bullpen and deserve to be noticed. This is our final award for May, so before we get started, you can see who the April Reliever of the Month was, and who all of the other May award winners are. Of course, we want these to be interactive. Feel free to tell us if we're wrong, or, more importantly, if others should have been mentioned too. How would you rank these performers. Let's get started. Previous Relief Pitchers of the Month: April – Tyler Viza, Wichita Wind Surge Previous Twins Daily May 2022 Awards: Minor League Hitter of the Month – Spencer Steer, Wichita/St. Paul Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month – Steve Hajjar, Ft. Myers Twins Hitter of the Month – Luis Arraez Twins Pitcher of the Month – Sonny Gray Honorable Mentions RHP Cody Laweryson (Cedar Rapids) – 6 G, 1 GS, 1.38 ERA, 0.62 WHIP, 13 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 14 K, .152 RHP Ian Hamilton (St. Paul) – 9 G, 0.77 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 11 2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 BB, 16 K, .146 LHP Evan Sisk (Wichita) – 8 G, 1.59 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 11 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 15 K, .195 RHP Andrew Cabezas (Cedar Rapids) – 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 9 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 14 K, .121 RHP Hunter McMahon (Ft. Myers) – 9 G, 1.35 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 13 1/3 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 15 K, .191 The Top Four Twins Minor League Relievers for May 2022 #4 RHP Malik Barrington (Ft. Myers) 8 G, 1 GS, 1.50 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 12 IP, 8 H, 1 B, 20 K, .186 A Jacksonville native, Barrington pitched at Albany State in Georgia. While he went undrafted, he signed to play in the United Shores Professional Baseball League, the same league the team signed Randy Dobnak from. He pitched in just five games for the FCL Twins last year. A burly 6-3 and 230 pounds, Barrington gets strength from his lower half and is able to throw hard. He also has a solid mix of pitches, though he has been inconsistent with them. While several relievers had strong Mays, Barrington is the choice here because of that fancy 20:1 K:BB ratio. Already 24, the Twins could push him, or they can keep working with him and let him develop at his own pace to see how far up the organizational ladder he can climb. #3 RHP Austin Schulfer (Wichita/St. Paul) 9 G, 1.32 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, 13 2/3 IP, 8 H, 1 BB, 18 K, .163 After working out of the Wind Surge rotation, and leading the Twins minor leagues in innings pitched last year, he returned to Wichita and pitched out of the bullpen. In 15 games and 23 innings, he gave up just one earned run (0.39 ERA) on 11 hits and four walks (0.65 WHIP). He struck out 30 batters (11.7 K/9). Late in May, he was finally promoted to the Saints and gave up one run on two hits over two innings in his Triple-A debut. Again, we like relievers who don’t walk many batters and miss a lot of bats. Schulfer was the Twins 19th round pick in 2018 from UW-Milwaukee. The 26-year-old is now just a phone call away from the big-league dream, in an organization that appears to need some more bullpen options. #2 RHP Bradley Hanner (Cedar Rapids) 8 G, 0.77 ERA, 0.51 WHIP, 11 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 16 K, .083 Hanner was the Twins 21st round pick in the 2019 draft out of Patrick & Henry Community College. In 2021, he pitched in Ft. Myers where he posted a 7.13 ERA in 26 games and 41 2/3 innings. However, he had 49 strikeouts (and 34 walks) and a big arm with a mid-90s fastball and a big slider that has emerged as a great pitch for him in 2022. It’s pretty clear that something has clicked for Hanner this season in Cedar Rapids, and the numbers have been fantastic. You see his numbers for May. Overall this season, he is 3-0 with a 0.45 ERA and a 0.60 WHIP. In 20 innings, he has struck out 22 batters and walked seven. That equates to a 3.2 BB/9 rate, which can surely come down a little more, but it is significantly better than the 7.3 BB/9 he posted in 2021. Most months, Hanner’s numbers would probably make him the pitcher of the month. Same is true of Schulfer. That tells you just how good the May… Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is… RHP Matthew Swain (Ft. Myers) 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.42 WHIP, 12.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB (2 IBB), 16 K, .081 BAA When the Twins selected Matthew Swain in the 23rd round of the 2019 draft out of Georgia Gwinnett College, they knew they had a talented pitcher with potential. Swain stands 6’7” and a sturdy 230 pounds. He possesses a strong arm with mid-to-high 90s fastball velocity. He’s got a couple of secondary pitches that still need some work but have come a long way. In 2021, he spent the season with the Mighty Mussels. In 35 games, he pitched 60 2/3 innings. He had a 4.60 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. He struck out 70 batters (10.4 K/9), but he walked 31 batters (4.6 BB/9). He went 6-2 with five saves last year with Ft. Myers. He returned in 2022, and he has been incredible. In 13 games, he is 2-1 with seven saves. In 19 innings, he has given up only an unearned run. He’s only allowed four hits (1.9 H/9), four walks (1.9 BB/9), and struck out 27 batters (12.8 K/9). In May, he walked two batters… both intentionally. Now that Schulfer has been promoted to St. Paul, if there is a pitcher who most deserves a promotion to the next level, it is the 24-year-old Swain. He could join the Cedar Rapids Kernels soon, one would think. ------------- This is an impressive group of relievers coming off of an incredible month of May. What do you think of the performances, the pitchers, and maybe how you would have ranked them? View full article

For the second time this season, the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels have thrown a no-hitter. The pitching and fielding were masterful, and they used a big inning to gain an ‘easy’ win. Nothing has been easy for the Saints of late, and Tuesday might have been one of their stranger games of the season. All this and much more in today’s Minor League Report. Of course, the big news has to be that the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels, coming home after a 5-1 road trip, got a combined no-hitter on Tuesday night. It is their second no-no of the season, and their third since last September. The Saints roster has been decimated by the Twins injuries and Covid situations (IL spots and upcoming Toronto series) that it has hurt the Saints roster immensely. They get it. Their job is to play players and have them ready when needed, but Tuesday was beyond that. The Saints started four catchers in the game, and ultimately, two of them played positions that they haven’t played before. When one of them was drilled by a line drive in foul territory, the team lost the DH and four pitchers came to the plate. Oh, by the way, the Saints won by 10 runs! Wichita’s game was suspended in the second inning. Cedar Rapids played a morning game in Lansing, and they may wish it had been rained out. But, Anthony Prato just keeps getting the job done. Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS With Carlos Correa placed on the Covid-IL, the Twins selected the contract of infielder Jermaine Palacios. RHP Jorge Alcala was set to begin a rehab assignment with the Mighty Mussels on Tuesday, but with a long rain delay, they pushed it back a day. IF/OF Michael Helman was promoted from Wichita to St. Paul Cole Sands was the Twins' 27th man for Tuesday’s doubleheader. He started Game 2 and was returned to the Saints. IF Tim Beckham was activated by the Saints, good news after watching him limp off the field on Sunday. The Twins acquired OF John Andreoli from the Phillies in a trade. Andreoli is a veteran with time in the big leagues with three organizations including the Padres in 2021. He played for the Rochester Red Wings in 2019's second half. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 13, Iowa 3 Box Score Jermaine Palacios was called up to the Twins. Alex Kirilloff, Mark Contreras, and Yennier Cano are traveling with the Twins as part of their ‘taxi squad.’ That put Toby Gardenhire in a tough position while trying to figure out a lineup for Tuesday night in Iowa. As the Saints Twitter pointed out, they started four catchers at various positions. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Caleb Hamilton started at third base. Roy Morales started in left field. David Banuelos started out as the DH but moved to second base. And, Jose Godoy was actually behind the plate. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Hamilton left the game and the Saints lost their DH. Dereck Rodriguez pinch ran and got one at-bat. JC Ramirez, Tyler Viza, and Austin Schulfer each got an at-bat too. Spencer Steer went 3-for-5 with a walk and two doubles and three RBI. Jake Cave went 3-for-6 with a double and two RBI. More catchers… David Banuelos went 2-for-3 with two walks and a two-run homer, and Jose Godoy added a three run homer. Jordan Balazovic started and was charged with three runs (2 earned) on five hits (including two homers) in 3 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out five batters. JC Ramirez threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out three. Tyler Viza, Jharel Cotton, and Ian Hamilton each pitched a scoreless innings to close out the game. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita, Frisco (Suspended in the 2nd inning due to weather) data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== The Wind Surge returned from Corpus Christi to start a series against Frisco. Well, the series started, but in the second inning, the game was suspended by weather. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Lansing 6 Box Score In the third inning, Anthony Prato hit his seventh home run of the season to give the Kernels the first lead of the game, 1-0. From there on, however, it was all Lugnuts! Cade Povich made the start. He was charged with two runs on three hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out six batters. Derek Molina came on and allowed both of Povich’s runs to score, plus two of his own before getting out of the fifth. He was charged with two runs on three hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. Tyler Palm worked the final two innings. He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk. The Kernels had just four hits, and the Prato homer was the long extra base hit. The team actually struck out 15 times in the game. Alerick Soularie went 1-for-2 with two walks. Kyler Fedko also walked twice. In his first plate appearance, Aaron Sabato was hit on the arm with a pitch and removed for precautionary reasons. He should return to the line up in the next day or two. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Tampa 0 Box Score If you’re wanting to beat the Yankees… Low-A affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons, the best way to do that might be to not allow any runs. The Mighty Mussels did one better on Tuesday night. They didn’t give up a hit either! After a 2-hour and 16-minute rain delay, it was determined that the teams would play a seven-inning game. Mike Paredes made the start. He went the first six innings. He gave up no runs and no hits. He walked two and struck out five batters. Hunter McMahon pitched the seventh inning and struck out three batters to give the Mussels the second no-hitter of their season already. It is also the third no-hitter for Ft. Myers in less than nine months. Paredes, the team’s 18th round pick in 2021 out of San Diego State started the season in the Mussels bullpen. This was just his fifth start of the season. He hit career-highs in innings (6) and pitches (69). Paredes noted following the game, “I was just mixing pitches pretty well with (Dillon) Tatum behind the dish, putting down the right fingers at the right times and keeping them off balance.” McMahon got the final outs of the Mussels no-hitter earlier this season, and did so again on this night. He walked the first batter he faced, but then followed by striking out the next three batters. And Dillon Tatum has been the catcher in both games, which absolutely needs to be noted. Following the game, the backstop said, “We’ve been trying to get our guys to be aggressive in the zone with all of their stuff. Mike and Hunter both did a really good job of all of that. They have some good pop in the middle of the order. Hats off to them.” Pitching coach and former big-leaguers Carlos Hernandez is the one (along with manager Brian Meyer) who was there for all three no-hitters. After Tuesday’s game, he said, “We are always trying to push guys to attack the strike zone,” pitching coach Carlos Hernandez said. “It’s always fun to watch them do their thing. We are here to guide them, but at the end of the day, it’s them making their own decisions out there.” Paredes wanted to get the seventh inning, but as pitching coach Jared Gaynor said, “At this level, we’re about developing them to become big-league pitchers. It’s not worth pushing their pitch counts for the sake of throwing a no-hitter in Low-A,” He continued, “Our goal is for these guys to move up. We’re always worrying about their workload and where they’re building up. I know it’s tough to take a guy out with a no-hitter at 69 pitches, but with where he’s at at this stage of the season, it was the right time to take him out.” Oh, that’s right, the Mussels used hitters in this game too, and those hitters provided some run support to the tune of five runs. All five runs came in the fifth inning. Jake Rucker started things out with his eighth double which drove in Tatum and Dylan Neuse. Emmanuel Rodriguez followed with his fifth double which drove in Rucker. And Noah Cardenas followed with his fourth double which scored Rodriguez. Cardenas scored later on a wild pitch. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Mike Paredes (Ft. Myers) - 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Day – Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 3-5, BB, 2-2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 K PROSPECT SUMMARY Shhhh… don’t tell anyone… you get a sneak peek… It’s June 1st, so today the Twins Daily Prospect Report is changing today. Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Tuesday. Of note, Joe Ryan, Josh Winder and Jhoan Duran - All Top 10 Prospects in May - are no longer deemed “prospects” as they have passed those thresholds. #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-for-1 (played SS) - Game Suspended in 2nd) #3 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - Game 2: 0-for-3 #4 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 3.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K (87 pitches, 53 strikes) #5 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (24 pitches, 11 strikes - Game Suspended in 2nd) #7 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 3-5, BB, 2-2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 K (played 2B/SS) #8 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-1, 2 BB, 2B(6), R, RBI #9 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, K #11 - Cade Povich (Cedar Rapids) - 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K (84 pitches, 45 strikes) #15 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 0-1 - Game suspended in 2nd) #16 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-1 - Game suspended in 2nd) #17 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K (91 pitches, 54 strikes) #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (12:08 PM CST) - RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez (2-2, 3.44 ERA) Frisco @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (0-0, 7.59 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (3-2, 2.15 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - LHP Steve Hajjar (2-1, 2.17 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

Martin Perez in his first 11 games (8 starts and 3 long-relief as they didn't need a 5th starter early) with the Twins in 2019: 7-1, 2.95 ERA... 56 K in 58 IP. 21 more starts: 3-6, 6.29 ERA in 107.1 IP. Martin Perez first 11 starts with Red Sox in 2021: 4-2, 3.09 ERA... 52 K in 58 1/3 innings. In other words, I think this is just his thing... Good for 6-7 weeks, then teams start prepping for him again.

The Twins have started the season well, but the injuries are piling up, and the organization’s depth is being tested. The Saints won a series at home last week, but the team of the week has to be the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels who went 5-1 and thoroughly dominated their opponent. All teams sign minor-league veterans each offseason, hoping they help the Triple-A team, but knowing more of them than they would have guessed will have to come up to the big leagues. The Twins are currently in a position to have to do that again this week with all the injuries, Covid, and a trip to Canada creating issues. On the positive side of that, we get stories like Jermaine Palacios who signed with the Twins way back in 2013. He made himself into a quality prospect and was traded to the Rays before the 2018 season in the Jake Odorizzi deal. He became a minor-league free agent after the 2020 season. Despite offers from other organizations, Palacios returned to the Twins. He spent 2021 in Wichita. He has been solid in a utility role in St. Paul this year. And on Tuesday, he is making his MLB debut at shortstop for the Twins in Detroit. What a story! 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. Royce Lewis was placed on the IL. Jose Miranda was recalled from St. Paul. LHP Denny Bentley and C Jair Camargo were promoted from Cedar Rapids to Wichita. OF Kennie Taylor was sent back to the Kernels. Cole Sands is the 27th man for the Twins today. Jermaine Palacios called up to the Twins. The Twins have signed John Andreoli and assigned him to the Saints. With Alex Kirilloff and Mark Contreras with the Twins on the taxi squad, the Saints need outfield help. Andreoli has MLB time with the Orioles and Mariners in 2018 and with the Padres in 2021. He was recently released by the Phillies organization. You may recall, the UConn alum played for the Rochester Red Wings in 2019. Michael Helman was also promoted from Wichita to St. Paul RESULTS Previous Week in Review (5/17-5/23):Steer Navigates Wichita, Sent to Saints Tuesday: Offenses Explode in Series Openers Wednesday: Cavaco Carries Mussels to Big Win Thursday: Stars Shine in St. Paul, Schmidt Goes Off in Florida Friday: Saints Walk it Off Saturday: Tons of Offense Sunday: Saints Walk Off, Wind Surge Split Series in Corpus Christi MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT Spencer Steer Closing in on the Twins Twins Prospects Being Slept On One Twins Pitching Prospect on the Rise All Arms on Deck: Should the Twins Accelerate Matt Canterino? Royce Lewis vs. Alex Kirilloff: Who’s Next in Line? Royce Lewis is Grateful to be Playing Again Everyday After Missing Two Seasons Royce Lewis Suffers a Bone Bruise in his Knee Schulfer Finally Promoted to St. Paul WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Week: 4-3, hosting Indianapolis Season: 20-27 overall, 9th place out of ten teams in the International League West. They are 12 1/2 games behind Nashville. It was a rough couple of weeks on the road for the Saints. They came into last week having lost 11 games on their 12-game road trip. They returned to CHS Field for a seven-game series against the Pirates Triple-A affiliate. They actually lost the first two games of the series. But they won the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader and then their next two as well. A winning week is a good thing and hopefully can propel them going forward. The challenge is the big-league club has been decimated by injuries, Covid, and a trip to Canada this weekend which tears up the Saints’ roster. The Saints’ bats put up 49 runs in the seven games. The pitchers gave up 50 runs. Spencer Steer made a strong first impression in his first week in Triple-A. He played all seven games and went 7-for-25, hitting .280/.400/.550 (.950) with a double and two home runs. He walked four times (even once intentionally), and struck out just three times. Jermaine Palacios played in six games. He went 8-for-23 and hit .348/.400/.609 (1.009) with three doubles, a homer, and seven RBI. He walked twice and stole a base. Jake Cave played in six games. He went 8-for-27 and hit .296/.296/.630 (.926) with a double, a triple, two home runs, and eight RBI. He ended the week by providing a walk-off hit for the Saints. Ian Hamilton pitched in three games. He tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings and gave up just one hit. He hit one batter, walked none and struck out three batters. Jordan Gore worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings over three appearances. He gave up three hits and walked three batters, but was able to work out of it. Mario Sanchez gave up one run on four hits in six innings during his start last week. He struck out five batters without a walk. Cole Sands came off the IL last Tuesday and tossed three scoreless, one-hit innings. He was scheduled to start again on Sunday, but he was pulled from that start so that he can start Game 2 for the Twins in their doubleheader on Tuesday in Detroit. What’s Next? The Saints head down to Des Moines to take on the Iowa Cubs (23-24). Pitching Probables (RHP Jordan Balazovic, RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez, RHP Mario Sanchez, RHP Ronny Henriquez, RHP Dereck Rodriguez, TBD) Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Week: 3-3, at Corpus Christi Season: 26-17 overall, 2nd place in the Texas League North Division. They remain just 1/2 game behind Tulsa (27-17). The Wind Surge made the long trek south to Corpus Christi and split the six-game series. Wichita scored 44 runs in the six games and gave up 42 runs. Two of their losses came in one-run games while just one of their wins did. They also had a two-run win. Here are some of the top performances for the Wind Surge this past week: Evan Sisk provided some great work out of the bullpen. Over three appearances, he threw five scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out seven batters. He had a Win and two Holds. Austin Schulfer made two more appearances for the Wind Surge. He gave up two hits over 2 1/3 scoreless innings before being promoted to St. Paul finally. But not before posting a 0.39 ERA for Wichita this season. Matt Canterino’s start this past week was a bit of a microcosm of his season to this point. He showed dominant stuff, striking out six batters over 2 1/3 innings. He gave up only an unearned run. He is wisely being limited with pitches and up-downs. This week, he fought his control with four walks. Kody Funderburk worked 4 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. He gave up one run on two hits. He walked two and struck out three batters. Chris Williams ended the week on a 12-game hitting streak. In four games last week, the catcher went 5-for-15 and hit .333/.444/.857 (1.311) with two doubles, two homers, and six RBI. He added three walks. Another week, another Matt Wallner sighting. The Forest Lake alum played in all six games. He went 7-for-22 and hit .318/.464/.773 (1.237 with a double, three home runs, and nine RBI. He also walked five times and had a stolen base for good measure. Leobaldo Cabrera played all six games. He went 6-for-23 and hit .261/.346/.522 (.868) with two homers and nine RBI. What’s Next? The Wind Surge return home for six games against Frisco. . . Pitching Probables (RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Blayne Enlow, RHP Matt Canterino, RHP Casey Legumina, RHP Louie Varland, RHP Simeon Woods Richardson) High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Week: 3-3, hosting Wisconsin Season: 29-16 overall, 1st place in the Midwest League West Division, 1.0 games ahead of Wisconsin (28-17). They are two games ahead of South Bend (27-18) It was a highly competitive week of games between the top two teams in the division. The two teams split the six-game series. Only one of the games was decided by less than four runs. The Kernels had wins of 13-2 and 9-0 among the first three games. Cedar Rapids would win a game and take a two-game division lead, but the Rattlers followed with a win to bring it back to a one-game difference. The Kernels outscored Wisconsin 38-23. He is playing all over the diamond, but that is certainly not hurting Anthony Prato at the plate. In six games last week, he went 10-for-25 and hit .400/.483/.720 (1.203) with a double, two triples, and a home run. The table-setter at the top of the order walked four times and scored nine runs in the six-game series. Aaron Sabato brought back a bit of a leg kick and closed his stance a little, and the results were positive last week. In six games, he went 8-for-25 and hit .320/.393/.640 (1.033) with two doubles, two homers and eight RBI. Will Holland has had a very solid May. In five games last week, he went 6-for-18 and hit .333/.429/.500 (.929) with a double, a triple, and three RBI. He also went 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts. Aaron Rozek got the Kernels off to a good start for the week. The lefty tossed five shutout innings in his start. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out two batters. Sawyer Gipson-Long had a strong start on Thursday. He gave up just two hits over six scoreless innings. While he walked four, he also struck out seven batters. David Festa pitched four innings, piggybacking after Brent Headrick, on Saturday. He gave up just one run on a solo homer. Seven Kernels relievers pitched without allowing a run. Miguel Rodriguez and Andrew Cabezas tossed three scoreless, hitless innings. Bradley Hanner, Derek Molina, and Ryan Shreve each tossed two scoreless innings. What’s Next? The Kernels will travel to Lansing for six games this week. . Pitching Probables (LHP Cade Povich, RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long, RHP John Stankiewicz, RHPDavid Festa, LHP Brent Headrick, RHP Sean Mooney/LHP Aaron Rozek) Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Week: 5-1, @ Bradenton Season: 30-14 overall, 1st place in the Florida State League West, 7.0 games ahead of Clearwater (23-21). Ft. Myers certainly flexed their Mussels last week on the road in Bradenton. They won the first five games of the series before a 4-2 loss on Sunday. They outscored the Marauders 45-15 during the week with their five wins being by an average of more than six runs. They scored nine or more runs four times, and there were some impressive performances from the hitters, and the pitchers too. For the second straight week, 2021 second-round pick Steve Hajjar did not allow a run. He gave up two hits and walked a batter over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He had one walk and ten strikeouts. Pierson Ohl has improved each time he’s pitched this season. Last week, he gave up only one hit over five shutout innings. He walked one and struck out seven batters. Marco Raya gave up two runs (1 earned) over five innings. He walked one and struck out seven. Mike Paredes gave up two runs on three hits in five innings. He struck out seven batters without issuing a walk. Seven Mussels relievers did not allow an earned run last week. Matt Mullenbach returned to the roster. He gave up only an unearned run over four innings in two outings. Kyle Schmidt continues to do a nice job with the young, talented pitching staff, and he’s provided some pop every now and then too. In three games last week, he went 4-for-12 (.333) with a double, two homers and five RBI. Emmanuel Rodriguez played in five games. He went 6-for-18 and hit .333/.500/.667 (1.167) with two home runs and five RBI. He also walked six times. Keoni Cavaco had another strong week. The 20-year-old played in all six games. He went 8-for-24 and hit .333/.407/.625 (1.032) with two doubles, a triple, a homer, and seven RBI. Noah Miller played in five games. He went 6-for-20 and hit .400/.478/.600 (.978) with two doubles. He walked three times, and he stole three more bases. Kala’i Rosario went 6-for-19 and hit .316/.381/.579 (.960) with two doubles, a homer and five RBI. What’s Next? The Mighty Mussels will return home to take on Tampa. Never too early to start beating the Yankees! Pitching Probables (RHP Mike Paredes, LHP Steve Hajjar, RHP Marco Raya, LHP Jaylen Nowlin,, RHP Travis Adams, RHP Pierson Ohl) PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker will be updated on the first of each month throughout the season. #1 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 6 G, 8-for-28 (.286), 0-2B, 1-HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 7 K (Season: 34 G, .313/.405/.534 (.940), 12-2B, 1-3B, 5-HR, 30 R, 14 RBI, 18 BB, 32 K) #1 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1 G, 0-for-1 (.000), 0-2B, 0-HR, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K (Season: 12 G, .300/.317/.550 (.867), 4-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 5 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 5 G, 6-for-23 (.261), 1-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K (Season: 40 G, .258/.377/.333 (.710), 7-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 31 R, 14 RBI, 22 BB, 25 K, 20 SB, 2 CS) #3 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - Covid IL (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, 6-for-11 (.545), 2-2B, 1-HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K (Season: 20 G, .183/.216/.338 (.554), 5-2B, 2-HR, 5 R, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 14 K) #5 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 3.1 IP, 5 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 K (Season: 4 GS, 13.0 IP, 18 R, 14 ER, 22 H, 8 BB, 12 K, 0-2, 9.69 ERA, 2.31 WHIP, 5.5 BB/9, 8.3 K/9) #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 6 K (Season: 8 GS, 41.2 IP, 15 R, 14 ER, 29 H, 14 BB, 42 K, 2-2, 3.02 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9, 9.1 K/9) #7 - Josh Winder (Minnesota) - Covid IL (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) - 2 G, 2.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K (Season: 17 G, 22.1 IP, 6 R, 14 H, 4 BB, 32 K, 0-1, 4 Saves, 2.42 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9, 12.9 K/9) #9 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - 1 GS, 2.1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 4 BB, 6 K (Season: 10 G, 9 GS, 30.2 IP, 8 R, 7 ER, 14 H, 18 BB, 46 K, 0-1, 2.05 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 5.3 BB/9, 13.5 K/9) #10 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 5 G, 6-for-18 (.333), 0-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 5 RBI, 6 BB, 8 K (Season: 40 G, .250/.471/.475 (.946), 4-2B, 1-3B, 7-HR, 30 R, 19 RBI, 47 BB, 49 K) #11 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 5 G, 8-for-20 (.400), 2-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K (Season: 39 G, .288/.419/.397 (.816), 6-2B, 2-3B, 2 HR, 31 R, 11 RBI, 31 BB, 44 K) #12 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 2 GS, 9.2 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 9 BB, 10 K (Season: 9 G, 8 GS, 47.1 IP, 22 R, 19 ER, 38 H, 22 BB, 53 K, 4-1, 3.61 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 4.2 BB/9, 10.1 K/9) #13 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 3.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K (Season: 6 G, 5 GS, 18.2 IP, 15 R, 23 H, 6 BB, 21 K, 0-4, 7.23 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.1 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) - 1 GS, 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 8 K (Season: 7 G, 5 GS, 24.2 IP, 21 R, 27 H, 12 BB, 25 K, 0-2, 7.66 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 4.4 BB/9, 9.1 K/9) #15 - Marco Raya (Ft. Myers) - 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (Season: 7 G, 6 GS, 29.0 IP, 11 R, 8 ER, 23 H, 9 BB, 31 K, 3-1, 2.48 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 9.6 K/9) #16 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - (Season: 35 G, .307/.385/.558 (.976), 13-2B, 1-3B, 8-HR, 27 R, 30 RBI, 14 BB, 23 K) #16 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 7 G, 7-for-25 (.280), 1-2B, 2-HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K (Season: 7 G, .280/.400/.560 (.960), 1-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 5 R, 4 RBI, 14 BB, 23 K) #17 - Cade Povich (Cedar Rapids) - 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 9 K (Season: 7 GS, 32.2 IP, 17 R, 13 ER, 27 H, 9 BB, 46 K, 3-3, 3.58 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 12.9 K/9) #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 6 G, 5-for-24 (.208), 0-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K (Season: 43 G, .304/.365/.526 (.891), 8-2B, 3-3B, 8-HR, 26 R, 39 RBI, 16 BB, 48 K) #19 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1 G, 0-for-1 (.000), 0-2B, 0-HR, 0 BB, 0 K (Season: 24 G, .270/.434/.392 (.826), 4-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 14 R, 10 RBI, 23 BB, 21 K) #20 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 1 GS, 3.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 3 K (Season: 3 GS, 10.2 IP, 10 R, 9 ER, 13 H, 4 BB, 15 K, 0-0, 7.59 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 5.4 BB/9, 5.4 K/9) PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Hitter of the Week: Outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels This is the second player of the week honor for Rodriguez. He was the choice for Hitter of the Month in April, and he’s been solid again in May. A week ago he went 0-for-12 for the week, but he walked 10 times, continuing to show a much better strike zone management. And, the Florida State Leagues is typically not beneficial for hitters, but he has performed and shown his immense power. Rodriguez played in five games last week in Bradenton. He went 6-for-18 and hit .333/.500/.667 (1.167) for the week. In 40 games this season, he is hitting .250/.471/.475 (.946) with four doubles, a triple, and seven home runs. He has 49 strikeouts, but he also has 47 walks. And for good measure, he’s got ten stole bases. Rodriguez signed with the Twins in July 2019 for $2.5 million out of Santiago. He was unable to make his debut until 2021. Last year, in 37 FCL Twins games, he hit .214/346/.524 (.870) with five doubles, two triples, and 10 home runs. He also stole nine bases. Pitcher of the Week: RHP Pierson Ohl, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Pierson Ohl was the Twins 14th round draft pick in 2021 out of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. He had gone to a small high school in Simi Valley, California, and decided to join his brother Carson in college. As a junior last year, he went 10-2 with a 2.60 ERA over 16 games (15 starts). He had 103 strikeouts to go with just 12 walks in 100 1/3 innings. After signing, he pitched in one game in the FCL. He made his full-season debut in 2022 on the Mighty Mussels Opening Day roster. He has experienced ups and downs already. Twice In three of his seven starts, he has given up four or five runs. In his four other starts, he’s given up one run or less. Last Tuesday, he had the best start of the season. He tossed five scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out seven batters. Overall, Ohl is 2-2 with a 5.33 ERA. In 27 innings, he has walked just six and struck out 25 batters. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the players and the teams in the COMMENTS below. View full article

And apparently had a verbal agreement with Juan Soto.