Steve Lein

I think re-signing Kenta Maeda should be a priority. I love Sonny Gray, and maybe my idea of the price it will be and what he wants to do is wrong. Accepting the qualifying offer would be a great deal for him if retirement is something he's thinking about, but I don't see him getting that amount per season in a longer-term contract. It would be the total guarantee for the twilight of his career that pushes that needle. Trading for another starter also interesting to think about. But it took Luis Arraez to get Pablo last season, and who would be the player to be traded this time? I don't know if I see them. I'd be perfectly fine with Lopez, Ryan, Maeda, Ober, Paddack as the rotation to start next season. Lacking the same high-end they had this year with Lopez and Gray, but it also has a very high floor. Depth pieces would likely be necessary to go out and get. Only have Headrick, Varland, maybe Keuchel, Dobnak, SWR...Festa... I'd like to keep Varland in the bullpen, personally. I'd be interested in Pete Alonso. Wonder what that would take, and an extension would certainly need to be a part of it. He easily can be the DH as well, or Kirilloff. The elephant in the room is Buxton. In my opinion, most of the lineup problems the Twins experienced this year were because of him and his health, and how it affected everything else down the line. If you didn't notice, when he was removed from the equation is when the Twins offense turned things around. Splitting the season into half's, in which Buxton essentially played the first, the Twins hit .232/.309/.400, or 6% below average overall, and .257/.346/.462 in the second, or 18% above league average. If he's healthy, play him. If he's not, make sure to get him right before you do. It's unfortunate, and I hate that it's come to this, but that's what the Twins have to work with him now, and the quicker they accept that reality the better off they'll be.

I read the same thing, and you reminded me to go nab this note he mentioned, and I would be all for: "What I would love to see, and have suggested before (as have others), is for teams to use the AFL as a rehab spot for big-league pitchers who need more innings after the regular season has ended. [...] Given the sheer number of pitchers we have recovering from Tommy John surgery at any given time, the AFL’s spot in the calendar could allow some of those guys to pitch in games when the alternative is waiting until March. It would help the league, and help the pitchers and their teams as well."

It is certainly a different group from what they sent a year ago! Though I don't really know whom would have been equivalent to Julien or Martin this season. Julien inexplicably spent all of 2022 in double-A, but almost all the players who had success with Wichita this year ended up playing with the Saints. Seems to be triple-A is not a place the Twins tap for players to send. I liked the choices of Sabato and Cossetti based on their 2022 seasons or where they were at on the ladder. The challenge for Rosario was also a good idea, hopefully he can find his stroke.

Twins hitters continued to struggle as whole in the second week of baseball out in the desert, but one of them did at least show a pulse while another clubbed his first AFL home run. A pitcher also delivered his second excellent outing in as many starts. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Aaron Sabato) Game Results: Monday, 10/9 | Glendale 2, Mesa 0 Tuesday, 10/10 | Peoria 17, Glendale 4 Wednesday, 10/11 | Glendale 1, Surprise 16 Thursday, 10/12 | Scottsdale 9, Glendale 6 Friday, 10/13 | Glendale 7, Scottsdale 8 (10 innings) Saturday, 10/14 | Glendale 2, Salt River 7 Runs continued to be hard to come by for Glendale, as they again finished the week 1-5 and were outscored by a total of 57-to-22. The pitchers were very hit-and-miss after a strong first week, and the hitters continued looking for their breakout. The Desert Dogs enter week 3 with a record of 2-10, and need to get significantly more run production to turn their AFL fortunes around. C Andrew Cossetti Week: 0-for-10, R, BB, 5 K (3 games) Overall: .059/.200/.235 (.435 OPS) Cossetti played in three games during the week, serving as the catcher in two of them and as the DH in the other. He batted cleanup in one game, and eighth twice. In Monday’s game against the Mesa Solar Sox, he was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning and scored on a triple from the next batter to put Glendale ahead 2-0 in their lone win of the week. In Wednesday’s contest, he drew a walk in the eighth and ended up stranded on third base, though not that it would have mattered with his team down 14-1 at the time. In his final game of the week, he was 0-for-4 with a strikeout in their extra-inning loss to Scottsdale. In his two games as the catcher, teams continued to run on him and were 6-for-6 on the week in their stolen base attempts. He also had a throwing error on one of those attempts. OF Kala’i Rosario Week: 1-for-15, R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K (4 games) Overall: .063/.189/.188 (.377 OPS) Perhaps the Twins highest rated prospect playing in Arizona this season, Rosario continued to try and find his footing in week 2. His batting line won’t impress anyone again, but he at least made his lone hit of the week count, with it going for his first home run in Thursday’s loss to Scottsdale. It came with his teammate Aaron Sabato on base, and brought the Desert Dogs within one run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Rosario continued to split time in the corner outfield spots, playing three games in left field, and one in right. Besides the game with his home run, Rosario was 0-for-11 in his other three games, drawing two walks and striking out four times. 1B Aaron Sabato Week: 5-for-19, R, 3 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K (5 games) Overall: .182/.289/.364 (.653 OPS) The Twins big righty actually had a decent week in comparison, collecting multiple hits in two of his five games on the week. He played first base three times, and DHd twice while batting in the middle of the Glendale lineup. He was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in each of Tuesday's and Wednesday's games, providing the only RBI for the Desert Dogs on Wednesday when he doubled in the third inning. This hit put his team ahead 1-0 at the time, but that would be it in a game they lost 16-1. So he again was the sole reason his team wasn’t shut out in a game for the second consecutive week. Sabato added his third double of the season in Saturday’s loss to Salt River and will continue to try and cut down the K’s and turn a double or two into home runs in week 3. LHP Jordan Carr Week: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (1 start) Overall: 0-0, 1.13 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, .222 BAA, 0 BB, 4 K (8 IP) The lefty made his second start of the AFL season in Thursday’s home game against the Scottsdale Scorpions. While it wasn’t another shutout effort, it was another excellent outing in which he completed four innings. His lone run allowed came on a solo home run in the third inning, which made the score 4-1 Desert Dogs at the time. He retired the side one-two-three in the first, worked around a leadoff single in the second by getting three consecutive groundouts, and stranded a pair of hitters he hit with pitches in the fourth. He was again very efficient, needing just 48 pitches to complete four innings, with 32 of them going for strikes (66%). Just one inning after his day was done, the Desert Dogs fell behind for good 7-4, so another win eluded him for his efforts. RHP Malik Barrington Week: 1/3 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 33.75 ERA, 3.75 WHIP, .333 BAA, 3 BB, 2 K (1 1/3 IP) Barrington saw action in just one game during the week, and it’s an outing I’m sure he would rather forget as quickly as possible. but he wasn’t the only pitcher at fault in a brutal 17-4 loss, and 11-run sixth inning for the league-leading Peoria Javelinas. With the score 6-2 heading into the sixth inning, Barrington got the call from the bullpen after the first four hitters of the inning were walked by his teammate. Not wanting to make that teammate feel too bad, Barrington proceeded to walk the first three of his own hitters, before picking up a strikeout for the first out of the frame. He then allowed a two-run double and two-run single before the manager could get another Twins arm ready. Hopefully, Barrington is back on the mound early this week to wash this one off, and possibly get a couple of appearances on his ledger with better results. RHP A.J. Labas Week: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (2 appearances) Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, .182 BAA, 2 BB, 4 K (3 IP) Labas got the call from the bullpen in two games on the week, picking up a hold in Monday’s shutout win over Mesa, and finished the game on Thursday against Scottsdale. He was the first reliever summoned on Monday and pitched a scoreless inning. Getting the ball to start the fifth inning, he allowed a leadoff single but worked around any further damage by picking up a pair of strikeouts. He threw 13 pitches, with 12 going for strikes, including four swinging. Against Scottsdale, he pitched the top of the ninth inning with his team down 9-6. He did allow a two-out single but again limited any damage by picking up a strikeout with the runner in scoring position. He threw just two called balls in this nine-pitch inning, so pounding the strike zone was his calling card this week after a less-than-efficient (but scoreless) outing in his first appearance. RHP Ben Ethridge Week: 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 10.80 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, .167 BAA, 0 BB, 1 K (1 2/3 IP) Ethridge got into action in just one game this week, and it came in relief of Barrington in their big loss to Peoria on Tuesday. The Javelinas had built a 14-2 lead when he entered with a runner on base and one out. He hit his first batter and coaxed a flyout before surrendering a three-run homer to account for all of Peoria’s scoring. After another hit batter, he finally stopped all the bleeding by getting a lineout, but this one was over. LHP Zach Veen Week: 2 1/3 IP, 6 H, 7 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 1 K (2 appearances) Overall: 0-0, 10.80 ERA, 2.70 WHIP, .444 BAA, 1 BB, 2 K (3 1/3 IP) Veen’s first appearance of the week corresponded with Barrington and Labas’ as he was the first of Glendale’s relief corps to enter that would turn into the lopsided loss. He came on in the middle of the fourth inning after Glendale’s starter had allowed a homer and a single that made the score 2-0. Veen allowed a single of his own before inducing a double-play ball to keep the score there. Back out for the fifth inning, his defense let him down, and perhaps started the rest of the collapse, when the right fielder dropped a fly ball. This error led to none of the four runs he was charged with being earned but also caused the inning to be extended in time for Peoria to break it open with a three-run homer to end his outing. Called upon on Saturday for the fifth inning of a 3-2 game, Veen got two quick outs on infield pop-ups, before a single, double, and another three-run homer turned into a 6-2 lead for Salt River. He at least closed his week with a strikeout to end on a positive note. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

You're welcome! I love following this league, so am happy to keep us all updated! The rules around players that could be sent were changed a few years ago. It used to be you could only send one player out of the single-A levels, unless you got an exception for more. That is not the case specifically anymore, but I would still say most of the guys have double-A experience, and that's generally where your comparison comes from. I would actually say the hitters are slightly above double-A level overall, while pitching is slightly below. Generally speaking, big pitching prospects do not go here unless they are making up innings. That is the case with both the top 100 pitchers that are there this year (Ricky Tiedemann and Jackson Jobe). The Twins went extremely young this year, with 6 of their 8 players coming out of the single-A leagues. Last year as a comparison, only 2 of the 7 came out of single-A.

With the Major League playoffs now in full swing, and the Minnesota Twins getting the “win a playoff game” and “A SERIES!” monkey off their backs, prospects looking to make their marks for the 2024 season got going in the Arizona Fall League. The Twins sent eight prospects to the circuit, and they are again playing on the roster of the Glendale Desert Dogs, where Edouard Julien and Austin Martin led them to the championship game last year. Image courtesy of William Parmeter, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (photo of Andrew Cossetti) Game Results: Monday, 10/2 | Glendale 1, Salt River 3 Tuesday, 10/3 | Glendale 0, Scottsdale 1 Wednesday, 10/4 | Surprise 1, Glendale 7 Thursday, 10/5 | Scottsdale 3, Glendale 2 Friday, 10/6 | Glendale 3, Peoria 8 Saturday, 10/7 | Surprise 7, Glendale 2 It was a bit of a rough start for the Desert Dogs in Week 1, as runs were hard to come by as a team and they finished with just one win and five losses. A couple of Twins hitters had big blasts, and their pitchers for the most part got their jobs done, but it didn’t translate to much success as a team. That could largely be attributed to Glendale’s lineup finishing a paltry 7-for-60 (.117) with runners in scoring position, something they will need to change significantly in Week 2. C Andrew Cossetti Week: 1-for-7, R, HR (1), RBI, BB, 2 K (2 games) Overall: .143/.250/.571 (.821 OPS) Cossetti got one start at catcher, and one at DH, in his two games. He served as the cleanup hitter in both contests. He was the catalyst for Glendale’s lone win on the week, leading off a four-run fourth inning in Wednesday’s 7-1 victory over Surprise with his first AFL home run. As the catcher in Wednesday’s win, the Saguaros did go 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts, but the pitching staff allowed just one run on six hits in the game. As the DH on Thursday, he finished 0-for-4 with a pair of K’s. OF Kala’i Rosario Week: 1-for-17, 2B, 2 BB, 8 K (5 games) Overall: .059/.200/.118 (.318 OPS) The reigning Midwest League MVP got the most run of any Twins prospect in week 1, starting in five of six games and splitting his time in the outfield corners (3 games in RF, 2 in LF). He batted seventh in the lineup three times, and second and fifth once each. While he managed only one hit in his 17 at-bats, it was a double that came in Friday’s loss to Peoria. With how the Desert Dogs offense fared as a whole on the week, he was predictably left stranded at second and will look to cut down the K’s and make some more contact in week two. 1B Aaron Sabato Week: 1-for-14, 2 R, HR (1), RBI, 3 BB, 8 K (4 games) Overall: .071/.235/.286 (.521 OPS) Sabato saw action in four games on the week, getting the start at first base in three contests while DH-ing in the other. He batted fifth in his first two games of the week, and was slotted up to third in his final two. In the season opener on Monday, with his team down 3-0 heading into the ninth inning, he provided their only offense, and his only hit on the week, with his first home run out in the desert. It was just the teams' fourth hit in the game, but did prevent them from getting shut out. In his next two games, he ended up striking out in three of his four at-bats in each but finished the week with a better effort in Friday’s loss to Peoria, where he drew three walks and scored another run. LHP Jordan Carr Week: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K W (1 start) Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, .231 BAA, 0 BB, 1 K (4 IP) Carr got the starting nod in Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Scottsdale Scorpions. He took care of his business, finishing four strong innings by allowing zero runs. He scattered just three hits, walked none, and struck out one. He needed just 49 pitches to get through his four innings, and 35 of them went for strikes (71%). The game was still scoreless when his time on the mound was over, so he would end up with a no-decision (just as a note: pitching wins and losses in the AFL are not awarded like you’re used to seeing. As an example, if Glendale had been up 1-0 when he was done and gone on to win, he likely would have been credited with the ). It was a great outing for the southpaw, who functioned as somewhat of a swingman with Cedar Rapids and Wichita this year, so it was good to see him get a starting nod and I’ll be curious to see if that continues. RHP Malik Barrington Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, .000 BAA, 0 BB, 1 K (1 IP) The big right-hander was the first reliever summoned from the bullpen in Glendale’s lone win of the week on Wednesday. After four one-run innings from their starter, Barrington got the fifth inning and made quick work of the Saguaros, retiring them one-two-three including a strikeout. He threw 12 pitches, with seven of them going for strikes, and the K was of the swing-and-miss variety. RHP A.J. Labas Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, .000 BAA, 2 BB, 1 K (1 IP) Labas followed Barrington in Wednesday’s win by pitching the sixth inning. While it wasn’t as efficient of an outing as his counterpart, needing 26 pitches with just 12 going for strikes (46%), he did deliver another scoreless frame. He struck out the first hitter he faced before allowing a pair of two-out walks. He was able to escape by coaxing a groundout and kept Glendale out front comfortably at 5-1. RHP Ben Ethridge Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, .000 BAA, 0 BB, 1 K (1 IP) Ethridge made his lone appearance in Thursday’s contest against the Scottsdale Scorpions. With his team down 2-0 at the time, he delivered a one-two-three inning on 12 pitches (seven for strikes). He got a groundout, strikeout, and a flyout from the bottom of the Scorpions lineup. His offense would go on to tie the game in the bottom of the inning before the next man up from the Glendale bullpen got tagged for the loss by allowing one run in the eighth. LHP Zach Veen Week: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 1-1, 2.45 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, .227 BAA, 8 BB, 9 K (11 IP) Veen was the first reliever to follow teammate Jordan Carr in Thursday’s close loss to Scottsdale and was the only Twins pitcher of the week to allow any damage on the scoreboard. He got the first two outs, including a strikeout, before consecutive doubles led to the first run of the game from either team, but that would be it as he got a groundout to keep the score 1-0. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

Walker JenkinsBrooks LeeEmmanuel RodriguezMarco RayaCharlee SotoAustin MartinDavid FestaTanner SchobelConnor PrielippLuke KeaschallKala'i RosarioBrandon WinokurYunior SeverinoYasser MercedesSimeon Woods RichardsonAndrew CossettiCory LewisJordan BalazovicMatt CanterinoDanny De Andrade

Walker JenkinsBrooks LeeEmmanuel RodriguezMarco RayaCharlee SotoAustin MartinDavid FestaTanner SchobelConnor PrielippLuke KeaschallKala'i RosarioBrandon WinokurYunior SeverinoYasser MercedesSimeon Woods RichardsonAndrew CossettiCory LewisJordan BalazovicMatt CanterinoDanny De Andrade

Yunior Severino is certainly deserving! Have to love all the bombs. But I agree with you here. On my ballot, Cossetti was #1, and I had Severino at #4 (makes me wonder if I had him the lowest, hah!). The strikeouts are a concern for me too, and in comparisons that led to my decisions, Cossetti still beat him in OPS by 62 points with far fewer home runs. Super excited to follow Cossetti in the AFL!

As your resident "AFL-reporter," this years list is a little bit of a "down" year as far as name recognition goes, but Rosario and Cossetti coming from A-ball shouldn't be overlooked. That's a big feather in their caps and says more than you think about their perceived potentials from inside the Twins organization. I'd expect Ethridge and Carr to potentially makes some starts, probably around 15-20 total innings. Veen, Barrington, and Labas should all pitch around 10 innings. Sabato will be interesting to me. I'd like to see him be a bit more aggressive and see what happens.

It's a fair opinion on him rehabbing, but these stats are a bit misleading. I watched him pitch with Wichita last week and St. Paul last night. He's throwing a ton of strikes (72% in those two games), and getting swings and misses in bunches (17 total in those 7 innings, or 16.5%, which matches his strikeout rate like it should so not a mirage). The velocity is up from where he's been in the shorter bursts. I definitely think he can be a weapon. Especially if the Twins have to pull a starter early, he can potentially lengthen the bullpen to their studs.

Curious why you have this opinion? He has been fantastic in his rehab, and was excellent last night. Fastball velocity is great, changeup basically unhittable. I think he could be a great ace in the hole for the bullpen. My intent in that first sentence about him was not to diminish his outing, because it was again fantastic!

Game 2 of the Midwest League Championship Series between the Cedar Rapids Kernels and Great Lakes Loons wasn’t able to be completed on Tuesday night, but it was a great game until the rain moved in. The Saints game in St. Paul saw a plethora of rehabbers play a role, including a couple fantastic outings from rehabbing pitchers you may be interested in. Image courtesy of William Parmeter, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (photo of Andrew Morris) TRANSACTIONS The Saints had an active day in transactions, with a bunch of major league rehabbers joining the team across the river in St. Paul. RHP Chris Paddack, RHP Jorge Alcala, and LF Joey Gallo were all sent on rehab assignments with Saints. RHP Carlos Luna was transferred to the development list. RHP Curtis Taylor was promoted from the Wichita Wind Surge to the Saints. SAINTS SENTINEL Toledo 2, St. Paul 4 Box Score With the plethora of major league rehabbers joining the roster, the St. Paul Saints went with a bullpen game of sorts on Tuesday. The entire staff of seven who made an appearance was basically lights out against the Mud Hens. Hunter McMahon served as the opener and delivered a scoreless inning, working around one hit and two walks by inducing an inning-ending double-play. That would be a theme for the night, as the Saints completed four of them in total, while Toledo added three more. Austin Schulfer was the next man up and walked one and struck out one in a scoreless second inning. In the bottom half of the frame the Saints got their scoring started. Yunior Severino led off with a walk, and two-batters later Jair Camargo clubbed his 20th home run of the season for a 2-0 lead. The home team then turned the ball over to their first rehabber, in right-hander Chris Paddack. It didn’t go so well after a strikeout to his first batter, as a walk and two singles loaded the bases with one out, but Paddack bore down and struck out the next two hitters to keep the Mud Hens scoreless in the third. He went on to retire the final eight hitters he faced, picking up another strikeout in each inning to finish with five in his outing. Overall he allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out five while topping out above 98 MPH with his fastball. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Saints extended their lead to 4-0 when DaShawn Keirsey Jr. led off with a single, rehabber Nick Gordon was hit by a pitch, and rehabber Joey Gallo delivered an RBI single. Trevor Larnach followed with a single of his own to complete their two-run inning and add insurance. After Paddack’s exit Michael Boyle (1 IP, 2 K) delivered a scoreless inning before giving way to Brock Stewart. Stewart ratcheted his fastball up to 99 MPH in his inning of work, walking one in striking out one in another scoreless frame for the pitching staff. Another rehabber, Jorge Alcala then did the same in the eighth, giving up one hit but inducing another double-play ball. In the ninth, Jordan Balazovic allowed two walks to start the inning, but got a big double-play grounder himself to keep this one from going sideways. It could have done that, because the next batter slugged a two-run homer for Toledo’s only runs of the game. Balazovic struck out the final hitter to close out the win. Nick Gordon (2-for-3, R, 2B, K) and Trevor Larnach (3-for-4, RBI, K) led the way with multiple hits. Joey Gallo finished 1-for-3 with a walk, RBI, and no strikeouts. Yunior Severino drew two walks and scored a run. KERNELS NUGGETS Great Lakes 1, Cedar Rapids 0 (Suspended in the 5th inning - Rain) Box Score Well, I’m not going to be able to crown the Cedar Rapids Kernels the Midwest League Champions tonight, as their game with the Great Lakes Loons was suspended in the fifth inning. The Kernels came into the game with a 1-0 lead in the three-game series, and sent right-handed pitcher Andrew Morris to the mound. He was excellent in his five innings before the suspension, with his only blemish being a solo home run in the fourth inning. He set the Loons down in order in each of the first and third innings, needing just five pitches in the third to do so. He finished with the one run allowed on three hits, no walks, and struck out seven. Both teams have just three hits to this point, with Emmanuel Rodriguez, Jorel Ortega, and Luke Keaschall all delivering singles. Rodriguez also stole a base but the Kernels are only 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position thus far. Game two of this championship series will resume tomorrow at 5:30 PM, with the Kernels up to bat in the bottom of the fifth, and Luke Keaschall due up. If Cedar Rapids is unable to make a comeback, game three will be a seven inning contest after this one’s completion. Right-hander Cory Lewis is the scheduled starter for game three, but there could be some shuffling of that due to this suspension. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Andrew Morris, Cedar Rapids Kernels (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K) Hitter of the Day - Jair Camargo, St. Paul Saints (1-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out our full top 20 list here and how they performed on Tuesday below! #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 0-for-4 #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-2, K (game suspended) #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-3 #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-1 (game suspended) #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2 (game suspended) #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, R, 2 BB, K #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 IP, H, 2 BB, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ St. Paul (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (6-6, 4.92 ERA) Great Lakes @ Cedar Rapids, Game 3 (if necessary) - RHP Cory Lewis (0-0, 2.25 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

Agree. The entire format is different in Triple-A than any other level. Most likely because of the roster changes at MLB level and how triple-A is now utilized (players have to be rostered in triple-A before promoted to big leagues, you can't call up your entire 40-man in September, etc...) Each league (International and Pacific Coast) just plays a single League Championship Series (3 games), then those winners face off in a single game to crown the Triple-A National Champion.

The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels season may be over, but the rest of the Twins full-season affiliates are still in action. That includes the Cedar Rapids Kernels, who began their West Division playoff series against the Peoria Chiefs on Tuesday. A slugger in triple-A also added to his tremendous home run total on the season, while the Wind Surge fans enjoyed some pitching from rehabbing major league players. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge TRANSACTIONS RHP Carlos Luna was assigned to the St. Paul Saints from Wichita, and in his place RHP Alex Scherff was sent back down to the Wind Surge. The Minnesota Twins sent RHPs Jorge Alcala and Chris Paddack on a rehab assignment with Wichita. The Twins signed 17-year-old Venezuelan catcher Irvin Nunez. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Iowa 1 Box Score The St. Paul Saints trail the International League second-half leaders, the Durham Bulls, by four games heading into their penultimate week of play. While they lead the West division by one-and-a-half games, only the first- and second-half league winners advance to the postseason in Triple-A play. The Saints wasted little time putting runs on the board, scoring one in the top of the first and two in the second for an early 3-0 lead. In the first, Trevor Larnach drew a two-out walk before Austin Martin drove him in with a double down the left field line. In the second Yunior Severino led off with his 33rd home run of the season, which is good for second in all of the minor leagues. Later in the frame, Jair Camargo clubbed his first triple of the season, and two batters later Michael Helman drove him in with a single. St. Paul went with a bullpen game on Tuesday, with Hunter McMahon working as the opener. He pitched the first two scoreless innings, allowing two hits, walking two, and striking out two. Austin Schulfer then pitched into the fourth inning. In 1 2/3 innings, he gave up one run on three hits and a walk. He struck out two and picked up his sixth win of the season. In the fourth the Saints tacked on an insurance run thanks in part to an error on the Cubs defense. Camargo reached on that error and then stole his first base of the season to get into scoring position. Helman brought him home again with another single and a 4-1 lead. Gotta love those “firsts” on the season for the sturdy backstop in this one! Austin Brice went the next 2 1/3 from the bullpen, getting the Saints through the sixth inning. He allowed just one hit and struck out three. Ronny Henriquez went the next two innings, retiring all six hitters he faced, including a pair of strikeouts. Cole Sands finished out the victory with a scoreless ninth for his third save of the season. He walked one and struck out two. Helman (2-for-5, 2 RBI, SB) and Larnach (2-for-4, R, BB, K, SB) led the way with two hits apiece. Brooks Lee finished 0-for-5. WIND SURGE WISDOM Midland 5, Wichita 2 Box Score After pitching 2 2/3 innings for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels last week, the rehabbing Chris Paddack made the start for Wichita on Tuesday night. He set the RockHounds down in order in each of the first two innings, collecting three strikeouts along the way. After a pair of strikeouts around a single in the third inning, a wild pitch put a runner in scoring position, and another single brought him home for a 1-0 Midland lead. The leadoff man took him deep to start the fourth, but Paddack made it through down 2-0. In four innings, Paddack was charged with two earned runs on four hits and zero walks. He struck out six in total while pounding the strike zone, with 44 of his 58 pitches going for strikes (76%), including nine swinging. The Wind Surge threatened in the bottom of the second with runners on the corners and nobody out, but the pair of strikeouts and a groundout that followed led to no runs on the scoreboard. Another major league rehabber, Jorge Alcala, came on to start the fifth inning, but he did not make it out of it. The first batter lined a single into center field, stole second base, then advanced to third on a balk. After a groundout, Alcala served up a homer for a 4-0 Midland lead before a second groundout finished his outing after 16 pitches. Taylor Floyd got the final out of the fifth and added a scoreless sixth. In 1 1/3 innings, he allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out three. Regi Grace (2 IP, H, R, BB, 3 K) and Francis Peguero (1 IP, H, BB) finished the final three innings for Wichita, keeping it close to give their lineup a chance. That lineup scored their first run of the game in the sixth inning, when singles from Patrick Winkel, Alex Isola, and Aaron Sabato loaded the bases with one out. Ben Ross delivered a sac fly to make it 4-1 at the time, but they couldn’t get a big knock to make it any closer. In the bottom of the ninth they again showed some spark, with Willie Joe Garry Jr., Alerick Soularie, and Yoyner Fajardo hitting consecutive one out singles to make it 5-2. But just as quick as the rally started, it was ended by a double-play ball to end the game. The Wind Surge outhit the RockHounds 11-10 on the game, but each of those 11 knocks were all singles, while the visitors had three go for extra-bases, including a pair of home runs. Fajardo (2-for-5, RBI), Isola (2-for-3, BB, K), and Rucker (2-for-4) all collected two singles to pace the offense. Sabato finished 1-for-3 with a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 4 (Chiefs lead series 1-0) Box Score After finishing the regular season with a Midwest League-leading record of 82-50, and winning both the first and second half West Division titles, the Cedar Rapids Kernels drew the Peoria Chiefs as their Division Series opponents. The Chiefs finished six games back of the Kernels in the second-half, and 13 games back overall on the season, with a record of 69-63. Right-hander Andrew Morris got the starting nod for the Kernels and retired six in a row after allowing a double to his first hitter of the game. Cedar Rapids loaded the bases with one out in the second inning, but were only able to score one on a Jose Salas fielder's choice for an early lead. To start the third inning Morris gave up a solo home run to tie the game at one, then three consecutive singles in the fourth led to a 2-1 lead for the Chiefs. After retiring the first two hitters in the fifth, an infield single was followed by another homer, and it was 4-1 Peoria. Morris finished five total innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out five. After Morris’ exit, the Kernels relief duo of Mike Paredes and John Stankiewicz was lights out. Paredes went two innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four. Stankiewicz set the Chiefs down in order in the eighth, needing just eight pitches to do so. Down 4-1 in the top of the eighth inning, the Kernels finally were able to close the gap, and it took the Midwest League home run king to do so. After a Noah Miller single to put a man on base, Kala’i Rosario launched a two-run homer to dead center that traveled 416 feet to make it 4-3. In the ninth, the Kernels got their chances. Luke Keaschall and Noah Cardenas started the inning with a pair of walks. Jose Salas was then given the task of bunting them over, which was a questionable choice at that point, as just one of the nine pitches to that point was a strike. Unfortunately he not only failed to do so, but also seemed to swap the momentum. The first pitch was in the dirt, but he stabbed an attempt at it anyway. Then the next pitch he nearly bunted into a double play to the catcher, but it was ruled foul. He then watched strike three go by for the innings first out. Kyler Fedko went down swinging next, and it was up to leadoff man Noah Miller. His grounder to third base looked like it would end the game, but almost inexplicably the third baseman went for the tag instead of stepping on third base. In the fray, the ball popped out of his glove for an error, and the bases were loaded for Emmanuel Rodriguez. On a 1-1 count, Rodriguez made contact, chopping one toward first base. He hustled out of the box but the throw to the pitcher at first just beat him. The Kernels head back to Cedar Rapids down 1-0 in the series, needing to win both games at home to advance in the playoffs. Of note for this series, is that the Chiefs and Kernels played a total of 21 times during the regular season, and 12 of those matchups were decided by one run. Another three had just two runs between them, so the final score shouldn’t be surprising to either squad. The Kernels will send right-hander Cory Lewis to the mound looking to even the series at home on Thursday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Mike Paredes, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2 IP, H, 4 K) Hitter of the Day - Yunior Severino, St. Paul Saints (1-for-2, R, HR, RBI, BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out our full top 20 list here and how they performed on Tuesday below! #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 0-for-5, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-5, 3 K #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K #8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-for-5, K #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-1, 2 BB #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, R, HR (9), RBI, BB, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (12:08 PM CDT) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (6-6, 5.07 ERA) Midland @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Pierson Ohl (7-3, 2.87 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

OPS is definitely up in triple-A. The average across the league is basically .800, whereas it was .750 last year.

While a former top prospect has been rewriting the rules around grand slams in the majors, a current top prospect in Triple-A added to their team's baseball-leading-total on the season on Tuesday. It was also the first of his career as a professional. The Cedar Rapids Kernels also clinched the second half Midwest League division title with a win, after doing the same in the first half of the season. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee) TRANSACTIONS With the affiliates off on Monday, there were multiple transactions to catch up with on Tuesday: RHP Louie Varland was recalled by the Minnesota Twins to pitch out of their bullpen. In a corresponding move, RHP Cole Sands was sent back to the Saints. UT Michael Helman was assigned to the St. Paul Saints, making his return to Triple-A. Replacing Helman in Wichita, was IF Ben Ross from the Kernels. The Wind Surge activated RHP Isaac Mattson. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 11, Louisville 3 Box Score The Saints got on the board first in the second inning when DaShawn Keirsey Jr., Yunior Severino, and Austin Martin all drew walks to load the bases. Jair Camargo brought in one with a sac fly, but Hernan Perez then lined out to keep them to just one run. Right-hander Blayne Enlow got the starting nod for the Saints and was solid through the first three innings. He scattered four hits, allowed one earned run, and struck out three. In the top of the fourth inning, the good guys broke through with a two-out rally. Martin, Camargo, and Perez all drew walks to prompt a move to the bullpen for the Bats, and Michael Helman brought them all in with a double. Alex Kirilloff followed with a run-scoring single, and it was 5-1 St. Paul. They tacked on two more runs in the fifth when Trevor Larnach led off with a single. Two batters later, Severino launched his sixth home run with the Saints, and 30th of the season to make it 7-1. Hunter McMahon was the first reliever summoned from the Saints bullpen and pitched into the fifth inning. He allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out two. He gave way to Austin Schulfer who went the next 1 2/3 innings, allowing one walk and striking out one. Jordan Balazovic started the seventh and worked around a single and a walk for a scoreless frame. In the eighth, a walk was followed by an RBI double before he was lifted for Austin Brice. In 1 2/3 innings, Balazovic was charged with one earned run on two hits and three walks. Brice finished off the final 1 1/3 innings, giving up one run on one hit and a walk. He struck out two. With the score still 7-1 in the top of the eighth, the Saints put it even farther out of reach as the first four hitters of the inning reached base, with Brooks Lee putting an explanation point on the game by slugging a grand slam the opposite way. Kirilloff (3-for-5, R, 2B, RBI) and Trevor Larnach (2-for-5, R, 2B) led the way with multiple hits for the St. Paul offense. Every hitter in the lineup scored at least one run, and Helman (1-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBI, K), Lee (1-for-4, R, HR, 4 RBI, BB, K), and Severino (1-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K) each drove in multiple runners. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 1, Corpus Christi 5 Box Score The Wind Surge were held to just five hits on Tuesday and were never able to mount a rally against the Hooks’ pitching, so not a whole lot to recap here. Their lone run came on Alex Isola’s 19th home run of the season in the fourth inning to give them a 1-0 lead, but it did not hold up. Starter Jaylen Nowlin was excellent in five innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits. He also walked three, but was able to work around them by punching out six. The bullpen duo of Francis Peguero (2 IP, 2 H, ER, K) and Denny Bentley (1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 K) was not able to keep that going however, allowing four runs over the final three innings. Yoyner Fajardo led the way out of the leadoff spot with two hits and a walk. As a team the Wind Surge were just 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position, and left only three men on base in a game that took just two hours to complete. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Wisconsin 3 Box Score The Kernels hit the ground running early in this one, with an Emmanuel Rodriguez triple being followed by a Kala’i Rosario home run for a 2-0 lead before their starting pitcher stepped on the mound. That was righty Andrew Morris, who was excellent in the month of August, going 5-0 with a 2.00 ERA in five starts. He wasn’t able to make it to the fifth in this one, but it also could have been a lot worse. In 3 2/3 innings he gave up eight hits (all singles) and walked three, but managed to allow only three runs. He also struck out three. When he left the game in the fourth inning, his team was still in the lead thanks to a three-run third inning from his lineup. Kyler Fedko led off with his sixth home run, before consecutive walks to Noah Miller and Rodriguez put more ducks on the pond. An error led to the second run of the inning, and a sac fly from Jorel Ortega capped it off. The Kernels added an insurance run in the fifth thanks to an RBI double from Miller to score Fedko, who had walked to start the inning. The Cedar Rapids bullpen took it from there, shutting down the Timber Rattlers the rest of the way after Morris’ departure. Gabriel Yanez picked up his first win with the Kernels by completing 2 1/3 innings. He gave up two hits and struck out three. Malik Barrington (2 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K) and John Stankiewicz (S, 1 IP, H, K) held Wisconsin scoreless the rest of the way. Fedko led the way with multiple hits, collecting a double in addition to his home run, and also drew two walks. Rodriguez and Fedko each scored two runs. The Cedar Rapids Kernels are your second half, and undisputed full-season, Midwest League West Division Champions, with their record sitting at 81-46, the best in all of the minor leagues. MUSSEL MATTERS Bradenton 10, Fort Myers 5 Box Score Starting pitcher Juan Mercedes was ambushed for three runs in the first inning, but settled in pretty good from there. He was able to complete five innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits (two home runs accounting for most of the damage) and two walks. He struck out three. The Mighty Mussels got consecutive singles to the second inning, but it took a throwing error from the catcher for them to get a run across to cut the lead to two. In the fourth Rubel Cespedes led off with his thirteenth home run of the season, making the score 4-2 Bradenton. Wilker Reyes came on from the bullpen for Fort Myers to start the sixth inning and delivered a scoreless frame. Back out for the seventh however, he ran into trouble and was lifted after giving up a bases loaded double, allowing two runs to score. In 1 2/3 innings, Reyes was charged with two earned runs on three hits, one walk, and a hit batter, while striking out one. In the bottom of the eighth the Fort Myers lineup finally broke through for a crooked number on the scoreboard, closing the lead to just one run. The big hit came from Walker Jenkins, who delivered a two-run triple that made it 6-4. He then scored the third run of the inning on a groundout from Ricardo Olivar. Zach Veen came on after Reyes’ exit and got the next six outs. He did not allow a hit, but two walks led to two earned runs in the ninth inning. the next pitcher, Juan Mendez, wasn’t much better as he gave up a three-run home run and three walks before being lifted himself. Danny Moreno finally stopped the bleeding by getting a ground ball, but the score was now 10-5. The Mighty Mussels then went down in order to end the game. Jay Harry (2-for-4, R, 2B) and Cespedes (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, 2 K) had multiple hits in the loss. Jenkins finished 1-for-2 with a run scored, a pair of walks, and is now batting .441 with a 1.192 OPS in eight games with Fort Myers. Oh, and he’s also struck out only once. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Jaylen Nowlin, Wichita Wind Surge (5 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, 6 K) Hitter of the Day - Brooks Lee, St. Paul Saints (1-for-4, R, Grand Slam, 4 RBI, BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out our full top 20 list here and how they performed on Tuesday below! #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, R, GS HR (3), 4 RBI, BB, K #2 - Walker Jenkins (Fort Myers) - 1-for-2, R, 3B (2), 2 RBI, 2 BB #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 2 R, 3B (9), 2 BB, K #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, R, 2 BB #8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2B (2) #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, R, HR (20), 3 RBI, BB, K #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, R, HR (6), 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB #17 - Danny De Andrade (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3 WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (5:35 PM CDT) - RHP David Festa (1-0, 1.80 ERA) Wichita @ Corpus Christi (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Carlos Luna (2-8, 5.56 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (12:10 PM CDT) - RHP Cory Lewis (4-1, 2.53 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CDT) - RHP Chris Paddack (MLB Rehab Assignment) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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I'm not a fan of calling this type of behavior from the team a "classy" move. They can spin it as doing the guys a solid and perhaps letting them get into a playoff race, but it's actually the type of thing that will piss everyone else in the league off. This just might be the type of abuse of the rules that makes MLB shut the door completely on it.

He can remind you of Ramirez, sure! I wouldn't call it a fair comparison necessarily (Ramirez is a high expectation), but I can see similarities. Severino has been playing mostly 1B with the Saints, but some 2B, and 3B as well. Can fill in at some spots in a pinch. I thought he looked pretty good at first yesterday, made a nice pick. Fun stat, Severino ranks #7 in all of the minor leagues in home runs this season, with 29. The MiLB leader has 34.