Steve Lein

I don't think the Padres are a perfect comparison. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but the Padres did not have the issue of not having a broadcast/cable/satellite/etc... provider that wouldn't have them, because when MLB took them over they kept them intact. So the headroom in their market to add subscribers is/was not the same as what it is going to be here, from my understanding. If they hit 4% of households in just the metro area (which is the consensus for amount of people who subscribe to MLB streaming, across all age groups), that's 60K subscribers. If they hit 4% of all households in Minnesota, that's 90K subscribers. Add in their range shown in the graphic that's been shared with the announcement, and you start approaching 150K subscribers at 4% of households. I don't actually believe it will be that many, but I also think 100K+ isn't out of the question eventually. If we do use the Padres subscriber count as a baseline, they got 40K subs out of 2.13 Million households they added reach to, or about 2% give or take. The Twins are expanding their reach to 3.32 Million more households, so that 2% would give them 60K. Now, neither of these predictions is going to be anything close to revenues they were getting with the sweetheart TV deals of years past, but saying they won't get even 40K subscribers I think is misunderstanding what's been the overall issue, which is availability, here in our market.

Oh, I agree 100%. But we know that's the minimum pricing structure anything will be. It will get more eyes on the games than now, and you are correct, the idea of bringing more "casual" fans has been baseball's problem for quite a while now, and this won't address that.

If you give consumers the two options of: A: $20/month to be able to stream Twins games, or B: $100+/month to have whatever cable package carries Bally's to watch Twins games... I can guarantee you're going to have more people paying for that streaming option than the full cable package when the product in question is only Twins games. The major issue on this is Option A didn't even get put on the table. As Riverbrian has pointed out, Cable TV as a product is rolling it's death saving throws at this point, at disadvantage because of it's user's demographics. Just put it out of it's misery already. Certainly don't blame the consumer base that is rejecting them for obvious reasons like you are here.

Nice. The top 5 matched my voting exactly! Keaschall was awesome while he was around. Eeles was just unreal, and super fun to watch. What Jenkins did as a 19-year old was *chefs kiss*! McCusker is an absolute unit, and Keirsey just was excellent and steady when healthy.

Just stay miles and miles away from SKOR North and we're good.

Christian MacLeod not being included in this list is kind of a travesty 😉 3 levels, 21 games (20 starts), 92 1/3 IP, 4-4, 3.41 ERA, 107 K, 46 BB, 1.30 WHIP

I would guess they're worried Rodriguez will hurt himself again, because he obviously wasn't good enough at any point this year to not injure himself again. So the rest and reset route. I don't think you could find a more ideal time to send a guy like Jenkins. He's not even 20, but already touched double-A. And that's despite missing time, which is another reason for him to go. I kind of expected to be disappointed, but they were both perfect candidates IMO.

Max Kepler went there twice. So did Mitch Garver. Pretty sure I'm missing someone else off the top of my head, too.

To play devil's advocate... Cory Lewis is the perfect amount of AFL starts away from reaching 100 IP on the season. C.J. Culpepper wouldn't even come close to that with 5 or 6 AFL starts. Both of them have already thrown more innings in a season than they will this year. 😉

Payton Eeles. Big thanks to Matt and all of our wonderful MiLB Report writers for another great season. These can take a lot more effort than you might think, and I'll speak for all of us in saying the support is greatly appreciated! This marks the end of year 10 doing them for me! Off the top of my head I don't remember having a season without any playoff games, which makes me sad.

It shouldn't have been, and your assumptions are wrong. Randy Dobnak was literally the best pitcher in the minors for a period of 200+ innings before he was called up to the majors. Then, he was pretty good with the Twins, too. I thought it was a great deal at the time, one that just didn't work out fully. And lets be honest, it's hardly any money. Here is the history leading up to that contract: Dobnak gave up 8 ER in a start for Cedar Rapids on May 16th, 2018. He didn't give up more than 4 ER in any start or appearance (51 games) through the end of the 2019 season when he was pitching with the Twins (We know the playoff start vs the Yankees didn't go well, but it was 4 ER's). In that timeframe, he threw 262 2/3 innings, went 21-8 with a 2.02 ERA, gave up just 11 home runs, and allowed a sub .600 OPS to opposing hitters. The Twins aren't the only ones who would have gave him that contract, and he most certainly earned it.

"If Severino walked one time on Sunday, he would set the single-season record with 68 walks." Just thought I'd throw in here, that the player Severino would have moved ahead of is Anthony Prato. They both finished with 67 walks on the season.

The St. Paul Saints faced one of the top pitching prospects in all of the minor leagues to begin their last series of the 2024 season at CHS Field. It was a pitchers duel early, but one player who has proved himself all season, perhaps put himself over the top to lead his team to victory. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photo of Payton Eeles) TRANSACTIONS In addition to the roster shuffling announced yesterday to get lefty Cole Irvin on the Minnesota Twins roster, RHP Jorge Alcala was optioned to the Saints officially on Tuesday. SAINTS SENTINEL Indianapolis 2, St. Paul 4 Box Score The St. Paul Saints had a few big reinforcements sent their way for the final series of the season at CHS Field. In addition to Alcala from the Twins, they received highly regarded pitchers Marco Raya and Cory Lewis from the Wichita Wind Surge on Monday. Starting on the hill for them on Tuesday however, was right-hander Caleb Boushley, looking for his 10th Triple-A win of the season. He had a tall order in front of him as his lineup was facing Bubba Chandler, the top prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates system (according to MLB.com). They had faced each other already this season back on August 16th, and Boushley was fantastic in that one, matching Chandler for their six innings. The Saints ended up losing that one 3-2, could they come out on top in the rematch? Boushley gave up a one-out walk to the MLB rehabbing Endy Rodriguez in the first, but catcher Jair Camargo cut him down at second on a steal attempt for the second out. After a single, Boushley induced a groundout to complete a scoreless first inning. After Payton Eeles drew a leadoff walk against Chandler, the next three hitters went down in order, including a pair of strikeouts. Boushley then matched that output by going one-two-three in the second, including his first two strikeouts of the game. Carson McCusker got a threat going in the bottom of the second, lining a 97 MPH fastball up the middle past Chandler and a shift at 109 MPH. Jair Camargo was then hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second, but Diego Castillo and Chris Williams both went down swinging. Both pitchers worked around baserunners for the next two innings, but neither allowed any damage to the scoreboard through four. In the top of the fifth the Indianapolis lineup finally put something together against Boushley. A leadoff single and one-out double led to the first run of the game, and another RBI single followed to put the visitors up 2-0. Boushley then loaded the bases to prompt a mound visit, then got a popout to end any further threat. That’s as far as he would go, finishing five innings and allowing two earned runs on six hits and four walks, while striking out three. The Saints weren’t about to let Boushley be the only one to allow any runs. Specifically, Payton Eeles. He took Chandler deep for just his second home run allowed at Triple-A, going the opposite way for his seventh home run of the season with the Saints. Austin Martin followed with a single but Chandler struck out the next two hitters to keep his team in front. Reliever Jeff Brigham came on in the sixth and pitched a scoreless frame, allowing one hit and walking one. In the bottom half Yunior Severino and McCusker started the inning with back-to-back singles. Camargo was then hit by a pitch for the second time by Chandler to load the bases, but Camargo wasn’t happy about it as his helmet ended up in two pieces in the aftermath. After a strikeout Chandler’s outing was done, and Chris Williams drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game at two, but that’s all they would get. The rehabbing Kody Funderburk came in from the bullpen for the seventh, and delivered two scoreless innings. He allowed just one hit and struck out two. With Chandler out of the game the Saints took the lead in the bottom of the seventh, after Michael Helman delivered a one-out double and stole third base. An error off the bat of McCusker allowed him to score to put the home team ahead. They tacked on another run in the bottom of the eighth thanks to the overall baseball skill of Eeles. His picture perfect bunt for a two-out hit led to a throwing error on a pickoff attempt that put him in scoring position. After a walk to Martin, Dashawn Keirsey sent one through the infield for an RBI single to make it 4-2 Saints. The ninth inning went to Steven Okert, and he made it a bit more interesting than it needed to be. A leadoff single and an error put the tying run on base. He beared down and struck out the next two hitters before issuing a walk to load the bases. This situation may sound familiar to Twins fans, but Okert got the job done with another strikeout to end the game. Boushley once again matched the heralded Chandler, but this time his team came through with the victory. Eeles (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB), Martin (2-for-4, BB, K), Keirsey Jr. (2-for-5, RBI, 2 K), and McCusker (2-for-4, K) each had two hits to lead the way. The teams each had 10 hits on the night, combined to go 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position with one hit apiece, and left 25 total men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Kody Funderburk, St. Paul Saints (2 IP, H, 2 K) Hitter of the Day - Payton Eeles, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, 2 R, HR (7), RBI, BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 – Brooks Lee (Minnesota) – 0-for-4, K #5 – Zebby Matthews (Minnesota) – 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 5 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTER Indianapolis @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - RHP Andrew Morris (1-0, 3.14 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s game! View full article

I actually couldn't care less about his side of the story. If you didn't want to play anymore, let someone else who does and don't screw over the rest of your teammates. He's lucky there's not a story about the team having an internal brawl over this, at least not yet...

"#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 0-for-1, K (left game in 2nd inning) " Could tell he re-injured his hand again. 😕 Is now confirmed it's back to the IL with a right-thumb sprain.

Personally, I think they've already waited too long on moving Nowlin to the bullpen. I agree the stuff is definitely there, but he needs to eliminate a pitch or two to reach that consistency we all want to see, I think. He has improved that some this year, but it is still always the walks that get him. That can be somewhat minimized in the bullpen if he's also striking out a bunch of guys, and I definitely think the stuff will play up. Rodriguez I hope goes on to play in the Arizona Fall League. I think he would benefit a lot from it, even if he's technically now at Triple-A (he played less than 40 games at Double-A). I think Jenkins is a great candidate for that, too. I'm personally hoping for a banner year there after the last one, hah! I would think of McCusker and Eeles, if they both come back to the organization, as a start to next years batch of Quadruple-A players. Both are great finds for the system! I love watching Eeles play and McCusker is a unit.

No. Joe Mauer and Byron Buxton for sure have had that distinction. Royce may have appeared there at some publications. Liriano was pretty high at one point. That's who I can come up with off the top of my head. I think Funderburk will definitely be seen with the Twins again.

You are correct. However, this is our Top Prospect list, which was last updated in early August. We have not ever made changes to this list on the fly for graduating players. Perhaps this is a suggestion for us? Probably a little more complicated for us and our writers to implement than you think.

Yes, they did. I had to double-check to make sure it wasn't the same guy 😁

The top Minnesota Twins prospect made his debut at a new level, while a couple of affiliate’s players enjoyed their first week off since back in March. The St. Paul Saints got contributions from up and down their lineup against a team fighting for a playoff spot. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Walker Jenkins) TRANSACTIONS In addition to the promotions announced yesterday to the Wichita Wind Surge that included top prospect OF Walker Jenkins and RHP Jacob Wosinski, there were a few moves in Triple-A in advance of Tuesday’s game in Columbus, Ohio. The Minnesota Twins sent LHP Kody Funderburk on a rehab assignment with the Saints. OF Maddux Houghton was also assigned to St. Paul from the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. RHP Kyle Bischoff was assigned from the Wind Surge. The seasons of the Cedar Rapids Kernels and Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are over, and for the first time since 2018, the Kernels won’t be in the Midwest League playoffs. The Kernels finished the second half 30-36, eight games back of the West Division winning Quad Cities River Bandits of the Kansas City Royals organization. They finished the first half of the season in second place at 37-27, four games behind the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Mighty Mussels finished their second half 35-25, just a half-game behind the Lakeland Flying Tigers, the Detroit Tigers Single-A affiliate, who took four of six games against Fort Myers last week to clinch the division. Fort Myers finished the first half with a 31-34 record, which was good for fourth place in the division. Their last playoff appearance was in 2022. Onto Tuesday’s games! SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Columbus 4 Box Score Taking the mound for the second time with the Saints since being placed on the injured list all the way back in April, was lefty Brent Headrick. He allowed a walk in the first inning, but erased it with a double-play ball for a scoreless inning. In the second he allowed a leadoff single, and two batters later a two-run home run for an early 2-0 Clippers lead. Headrick was back out for the third, but reached his pitch count after two batters and was relieved by Ryan Jensen. In all, Headrick threw 2 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on two hits and two walks. He threw 49 pitches, with 27 going for strikes (55%). The Saints got a one-out triple from Jeferson Morales in their second inning, but weren’t able to string anything together to bring him in. They made up for that, and then some, in the third. Diego Castillo got them on the scoreboard with a one-out solo home run to center, his eighth of the season. Yunior Severino followed with a single in front of consecutive walks to Emmanuel Rodriguez and Carson McCusker to load the bases. Chris Williams then tied the game at two with an RBI single. Morales then hit a liner at third base that was misplayed, allowing Rodriguez to score to take the lead, but the Clippers did record a force out at second. Rylan Bannon then delivered a double to make it 4-2, before Anthony Prato traded places with him to drive in two more and put the Saints out front by four. Payton Eeles then committed a cardinal sin, grounding out to first to end the inning, meaning he unfortunately made the first and final out of the frame in the same manner. I think we can forgive him. St. Paul’s lineup added a single run in the fourth after Severino clubbed his 19th double of the season. A hard single from McCusker drove him in, putting them out front 7-2. Out of the bullpen, Jensen recorded the final out of the third then gave way to the rehabbing Kody Funderburk for the fourth. Funderburk pitched a one-two-three inning, picking up a strikeout on his final hitter. Then Randy Dobnak took over the rest of the way. Over the final five innings Dobnak allowed two earned runs on four hits and a pair of walks. He struck out four. He retired the side in order in two of his innings, and allowed just a walk in another. Of his 76 pitches, 47 went for strikes (62%) and he improved his Triple-A record to 12-6 on the season. The Saints got multiple hits from Castillo (2-for-5, R, HR, RBI, K, SB), Severino (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, BB, K), and Morales (2-for-4, R, 3B, RBI, K). Six different hitters scored a run, and six different hitters had an RBI in the win. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 5, Wichita 4 Box Score Lefty Jaylen Nowlin toed the rubber for the Wind Surge on Tuesday, and delivered a strong outing, but the biggest storyline here was the Double-A debut of soon-to-be number one prospect in all of baseball, Walker Jenkins. He was in the leadoff spot playing center field, and in his first at-bat took a cut at the first pitch he saw…and popped it up to the third baseman. It was a really high pop-up, if that matters. One of those “had the height…” ones. In his second at-bat, he swung and missed at a couple of changeups, but laid off everything else and drew a walk. Nowlin completed the first five innings, being charged with two runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks, while striking out five. The Drillers scored single runs in each of the third and fourth innings while Nowlin was on the mound. In the third he was ambushed with a home run on the first pitch of the frame. In the fourth, a pair of leadoff walks preceded a two-out error from Nowlin that allowed a run to score. Of his 84 pitches in the game, 51 went for strikes (61%), including 12 swinging. Wichita matched Tulsa in each of the third and fourth frames, with single runs of their own. Their first run came after Jorel Ortega was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a passed ball, and scored on a single from Ben Ross. They tied the game back up at two in the fourth after Andrew Cossetti and Kyler Fedko each drew two-out walks. Ortega then brought in the run with an RBI single. Ross followed with a single that loaded the bases for Jenkins, but he would ground out to end the inning. The Wind Surge took a 3-2 lead in the sixth after Cossetti led off the inning with a booming double to left. Unfortunately, he got caught in no-man's land on a chopper back to the pitcher, and was tagged out. But he did give Kyler Fedko enough time to take his place at second base. After a fly out, Ross clubbed another double to score Fedko before Jenkins again grounded out to end the threat. The recently-promoted Jacob Wosinksi made his Double-A debut after Nowlin was done, pitching the sixth and seventh innings. He worked around a two-out single and a walk in the sixth, then delivered a one-two-three seventh, including a pair of strikeouts. Regi Grace came on for the eighth with the 3-2 lead, but after it was done the Wind Surge were down 5-3. A leadoff walk led to a two-run homer, and another walk would come around to score on a single after that. He struck out one. The Drillers brought in the 100 MPH throwing Juan Morillo to start the eighth inning, and the Wind Surge threatened with singles from Cossetti and Kyler Fedko, but a double-play ball shut it down just as quick as it started. Cody Laweryson pitched a one-two-three top of the ninth, keeping Wichita within two with the top of the lineup and Jenkins getting one more chance. While Jenkins couldn’t quite do enough with a 100 MPH fastball, grounding out to third, Kala’i Rosario turned one of the same pitches into a 110 MPH solo home run, pulling them within one. Unfortunately Jake Rucker flew out to end the game. It wasn’t flashy at the plate for Jenkins in his Double-A debut by any means, as he finished 0-for-4 with a walk and will look for his first hit tomorrow. Ross led the way out of the nine-hole, finishing 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Rucker added a double to the effort. As a team the Wind Surge finished 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and left eight men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Jaylen Nowlin, Wichita Wind Surge (5 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 5 K) Hitter of the Day - Ben Ross, Wichita Wind Surge (3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our recently-updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Tuesday. #1 – Walker Jenkins (Wichita) – 0-for-4, BB #2 – Brooks Lee (Minnesota) – 0-for-4, K #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) – 1-for-4, R, BB, K #15 – Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) – 1-for-5, R, HR (7), RBI, 3 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (5:15 PM CDT) - RHP Caleb Boushley (9-5, 4.95 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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To put this OPS number into context, the average age in the FSL this year is exactly 21.0 (Winokur is 100 days shy of 20.0), and the average OPS is .679. This line rates as non-adjusted 127 OPS+, and that .774 mark ranks 4th in the circuit among qualifiers.

The doubles number with Cedar Rapids has certainly climbed pretty quickly the last couple of weeks! In those last 17 games mentioned in that tweet, he has 12 XBH (8 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR), 8 walks, and just 11 Ks. I think beginning at Wichita next year is a little less than 50% likely at this point (he's just played so few games). If he goes to the Arizona Fall League (which I'm crossing fingers for!), that might creep it to over 50% likely for me.