Palindrome Bob

Great for him. As a longtime baseball fan, I love to see things like this. Sabato was starting to seem like the John Lindsay of the Twins organization, and now at least he gets the Lindsay cup of coffee, and perhaps more. I imagine they'll put Buxton on the 60 day to get him on the 40-man. The ML roster is a little trickier, but if Lewis can go on the IL, that'd be the best move for a number of reasons. The only other truly vulnerable spot I can discern is Alex Jackson's, and if they've held onto Jackson this long, they're not going to let him go now, especially given the potential issues with the ML catching corps next year. Also, let's please quit the calls for Josh Bell's spot. He's been one of the team's best hitters, and even purely as a DH, there was/is clearly no one else in the organization who could do what he did both at the plate and in the clubhouse this year. It'd hurt the team, be tremendously disrespectful, and he wouldn't qualify for another team's playoff roster anyway. That said, would I like some of his ABs to go to Sabato? Sure, but I'd prefer that Lewis and Clemens surrender theirs (in that order). This callup does seem too brief to be an honest assessment of whether Sabato could replace Bell next year, but to that end, it's better than nothing -- and wonderful to see a guy who'd both paid his dues *and* delivered a promotion-worthy AAA season get the call.

I know that Quentin Young is 19, has draft capital, and MLB bloodlines ... But after his second golden sombrero in a week, he's not looking like a player who's #18 on anyone's prospect list, especially when guys like JP Smith, Luis Fragoza, Caden Kendle, Isaiah Lane, and Colby Turner are exceeding expectations. Now, I'm not saying Young couldn't earn his way back into the top 20, and I hope he does -- I'm not getting Keoni Cavaco vibes yet -- but that strikeout rate of over 50% in low-A ball ain't pretty.

Last I heard, the Twins signed him to a two-year minor league deal in spring 2025, to keep him with the organization without having him on the 40-man or the major league IL. He's out for the remainder of 2026 after surgery this spring. Given that two-year deal, he'll ostensibly be back for one more shot next year -- and I hope health is finally on his side for once.

While it’s intuitive to suspect that an infielder coming in means one going out, there are more fringy AAA RHP relievers on the 40-man than depth infielders. Rashi doesn’t shock me, but it could’ve just as easily been Go or Orze.

Looks like AAA RHP Taylor Rashi, which makes a lot of sense, considering that he was extremely unlikely to receive a call up given his performance and the Twins’ deadline moves. Glad that Gray sticks around as organizational infield depth.

Just when he seemed to be turning it around!

Wrong Mike Gonzales -- the link in this article goes to the former Pirates pitcher. The Fort Myers Miracle Mike Gonzales was drafted in the 9th round out of junior college in 2008. He was a 26 year-old first baseman at the time of his hitting streak, and retired a year later after batting .218/.304/.328 for Chattanooga. Great article overall, though -- love to see a couple of international signings exceed expectations, and hope to see all three players keep it up and crack the top 30 prospect list next year.

Great to see JP Smith back from wherever he was (the development list? his manager's doghouse? undisclosed injury?) and mashing taters.

What happened to JP Smith? I haven't seen him in the Fort Myers lineup in a while. He's still apparently on the roster and not injured -- just doesn't seem to be playing.

Walker JenkinsKaelen CulpepperRiley QuickMarek HoustonEmmanuel RodriguezEduardo TaitHendry MendezKendry RojasDasan HillCharlee SotoGabriel GonzalezKhadim DiawBrandon WinokurQuentin YoungJames EllwangerRyan GallagherCJ CulpepperEnrique JimenezYasser MercedesMarco Raya

Maybe it's about who's filling similar roles on the MLB roster, and how long of a leash those players have. With Sabato, it's probably Bell. Bell very likely won't finish the year on the Twins for one reason or another, so that'll open a spot for a hitter like Sabato, who I imagine can't be worse than Bell at 1B defense. Sadly for Sabato, there's a good chance the Twins would promote Gabriel Gonzalez in the event of a Bell trade or release, given he's on the 40 already. Regarding Fedko -- probably Kreidler? He's on the Twins roster for his defense and versatility, and since by some measures he was the worst hitter in MLB going into the year, his offense has to be called a pleasant surprise. If Kreidler's hitting reverts to the mean, and if Kyler stays hot, it seems arguably more likely than a Sabato promotion, given how badly the Twins need people on their roster who can play CF, especially after the the Outman DFA. Last note -- I can't believe how bad the offense is in Wichita. Of course, they can't help that their three best hitters played well enough to get promoted to AAA, but it doesn't look like Amick or Rosario will be joining them anytime soon, barring injuries. Obviously Wichita is going to get a significant influx of talent next year, but folks like Sabato and Fedko may very well get a chance to get another year older at AAA and be an opportunistic phone call away. If they can keep their offense sharp into next year -- and not fade out like recent previous AAA repeats Yunior Severino, Will Holland, and Jeferson Morales -- I'd have to think they'd at least give the new GM less reason to look outside the system at journeymen role players. They also have to stay healthy -- I have to think Holland would have earned his cup of coffee last year if he hadn't been injured and forced the organization to reckon with Jonah Bride and Ryan Fitzgerald when infield injuries on the MLB squad piled up. Anyone here old enough to remember Bernardo Brito knows that it's possible. Stay healthy, stay good, you might get your shot.

To the OP — that makes two of us! I’m so tired of the infield defense costing games. Something’s gotta give; yesterday’s game was one of the worst, defense-wise, I’ve seen in my life as a Twins fan. I will agree that we should say good night to Bell (it’s the end for him) and Luke Keaschall should get back to AAA to find his bat. You won’t see me clamoring for Lee to move to 2B (because his defense won’t be getting better there) but with Lewis at DH, Culpepper at SS, and Fedko replacing Outman, the offense should be more high-flying, while simultaneously fixing a hole (or two) on defense. I don’t expect a revolution, but the Twins have a more exciting batch of ready and near-ready prospects than they’ve had in a long, long, long time, and tell me why we shouldn’t see them in 2026!

Kaelen CulpepperEmmanuel RodriguezWalker JenkinsConnor PrielippDasan HillRiley QuickEduardo TaitMarek HoustonKendry RojasCJ CulpepperHendry MendezCharlee SotoQuentin YoungGabriel GonzalezKhadim DiawBrandon WinokurRyan GallagherKyle DeBargeAndrew MorrisJames Ellwanger

I definitely wouldn’t call it hatred, at least in my case — I’m just disappointed with his performance this year. With the next crop of outfield prospects breathing down his neck, next year is the definition of make-or-break for him, at least with this organization.

I completely agree, on all of these points. These are not the three players I expected this article to feature, either. I was thinking Julien, Martin, and either Larnach or Wallner.

Indeed. Ian Daugherty's performance at C (11 SBs allowed, 3 errors on throws) makes me grateful they traded for a few catching prospects after they didn't draft any this summer. I thought Daugherty was a fine undrafted free agent pickup at the time -- college catcher and all -- but yikes, that's a nightmarish box score for him, on a day where's there's competition for that honor. And nice to see Holland get back above the Mendoza line. I've always liked him, and I can't help but think that he'd have made his major league debut by now if he'd been healthy during the earlier Gasper/Fitzgerald/Bride roster churn. At this point, I hope he's around in 2026 to audition for a Castro-style super utility role, and provide depth in St. Paul, if not.

I’d love to see Will Holland get a shot.

What happened to Jaylen Nowlin? He was a young (24) LH pitcher who seemed to be on the rise through the system last year, and had a scoreless spring, but now I don't see him on either the Saints or Wind Surge rosters.