Steve Lein

Said this in another thread, but just give up on starting pitching for him already. Let him loose in the bullpen and see if you can get anything out of him. I'm also a bit confused at the idea of him even being able to be a starter. He's had one outing over 5 innings in his professional career. He's thrown over 70 pitches just 3 times. I think this ship has sailed. His stuff is absolutely nasty and if you need to manage innings, and I think you obviously need to, the bullpen is the way.

I alluded to this some in the article. Catchers in general don't play a majority of games in the AFL. They get split relatively evenly, and there likely is "priority" given to one of them on each team. At this point there have been 24 games played by each team, and there is no catcher who has caught more than half of those as far as I can tell. The most games played by anybody listed as a catcher is 15, including the Desert Dogs' Kevin Parada, who is a top 100 prospect and has DH'd at least 3 times. I did expect Cossetti to get a little bit more hitting action as the DH than he has, which is disappointing. But I definitely know there is value on him working on his defense with a whole new set of coaches while he is there.

I was referring to his batting line trajectory during AFL play, hah.

Sabato is having a fun AFL campaign so far, but I still would like to see more than just home runs. His average needs to come up against this competition, but it is on that trajectory, so we will see!

After ending week three within shouting distance of the AFL leader in home runs, two Minnesota Twins prospects staked their claims to the top of that podium after week four with another pair of blasts from each. A lefty pitching prospect also continued to show that he belongs among the league leaders on the mound. Image courtesy of Tim Grubbs, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Aaron Sabato) Game Results: Monday, 10/23 | Glendale 9, Scottsdale 4 Wednesday, 10/25 | Salt River 7, Glendale 2 Thursday, 10/26 | Mesa 3, Glendale 2 Friday, 10/27 | Mesa 8, Glendale 2 Saturday, 10/28 | Salt River 5, Glendale 4 (7 innings) After pulling themselves out of the cellar of the Arizona Fall League standings with an undefeated effort last week, the Desert Dogs found themselves on the short end of the stick again in week four as a team. They were able to win their seventh game in a row, before losing the next four to head into week five with a 9-14 overall record, tied for last in the AFL standings. It was again their inability to hit with runners in scoring position that was to blame, as a 5-for-40 effort in that category (.125 average) isn’t going to help you win many games. So how did all your Minnesota Twins prospects fare on the week? C Andrew Cossetti Week: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K (1 game) Overall: .091/.310/.227 (.537 OPS) The 23-year old catching prospect saw action in just one game on the week, starting at catcher in Friday’s game with Mesa. He batted seventh in the lineup and drew a pair of walks to reach base in half of his plate appearances. He struck out in the second inning, and flew out to center in the fourth before drawing a walk in each of the sixth and ninth frames. After his free pass in the sixth he swiped his first base of the AFL season, but would be stranded on second base. His walk in the ninth came leading off the inning but was quickly erased on a double-play ball from the next batter. It appears the three catchers on Glendale’s roster are all splitting playing time pretty evenly, but with just five games this week Cossetti was the odd man out. OF Kala’i Rosario Week: 4-for-15, 3 R, 2 HR (6), 4 RBI, BB, 7 K, SB (4 games) Overall: .185/.284/.477 (.761 OPS) Rosario had a big week three, crushing three home runs in five games, and continued that trend with two more in four games this time. The prospect out of Hawaii continues his ascension and talked about the importance of representing that background for him to MLB.com's Jesús Cano. In Monday’s 9-4 win over Scottsdale, Rosario came up to bat in the seventh with his team leading 6-4, and he added some insurance with a two-run shot to left field. Teammate Tyler McDonough added a back-to-back shot for the final of 9-4. He also scored the tying run in a two-run fourth inning for the Desert Dogs, after drawing the second consecutive walk to start the inning. In Saturday’s loss to Salt River his solo shot in the fourth inning put Glendale in front 4-0, and gave him the AFL lead in home runs on the season, but the Rafters came storming back late to steal a win. Rosario added a single in the sixth and then was caught stealing second to end the frame. In between those blasts Rosario singled in Friday’s game and stole his first base of the season. He also was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Mesa, but picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice in the second inning for that game’s first run. 1B Aaron Sabato Week: 4-for-11, 3 R, 2 HR (5), 2 RBI, BB, 2 K (3 games) Overall: .200/.304/.500 (.804 OPS) Sabato got two starts at first base, and one as the designated hitter in the middle of the week’s games, again batting at various spots in the middle of the lineup for the Desert Dogs. On Wednesday he was 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout, before ending his week with two multi-hit games on Thursday and Friday. Those each included a home run, giving him five on the season to trail only Rosario in that category. On Thursday he was 2-for-4 and scored both of his teams two runs in the game against Mesa, including the home run, which came in the sixth inning and pulled his team within one. In Friday’s rematch against Mesa his blast put Glendale on the scoreboard in the sixth inning, and two batters later Damon Keith sent one out to even the game at two. He added a two-out single in the third. LHP Jordan Carr Week: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, .208 BAA, 1 BB, 8 K (15 IP) Carr didn’t get a starting nod this week, but continued his excellent performance on the season thus far in Wednesday’s loss to the Rafters. He came on to start the fourth inning with the game still scoreless, and went the next three innings, keeping the game tied until the top of the sixth, when Detroit Tigers top prospect Jace Jung caught him for a solo homer. He went one-two-three in the fourth, worked around a hit batter and a single in the fifth with a big strikeout to end the inning, and retired the other three hitters besides Jung in the sixth. He again pounded the strike zone and was efficient, needing just 41 pitches to complete his three innings, with 28 going for strikes (68%). He currently is tied for the team lead in innings pitched with 15, and ranks second among “qualified” pitchers in the AFL in ERA (1.80) and WHIP (0.80). RHP Malik Barrington Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 10.38 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, .133 BAA, 4 BB, 7 K (4 1/3 IP) The big right-hander made his lone appearance of the week in Friday’s loss, coming in as the first reliever for his team in the fifth inning, with the score 1-0 Mesa. He faced just three hitters, getting a pair of flyouts and some help from an opposing baserunner, who tried to stretch a ground ball that was misplayed by the shortstop into an extra base, and ended up thrown out at second for his efforts. Ignoring the ERA due to one bad outing, Barrington has strong numbers in the strikeout and batting average against categories, and scoreless outings in four of five appearances thus far. RHP A.J. Labas Week: Did not pitch Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, .214 BAA, 4 BB, 5 K (4 IP) Labas did not see the mound during a week with one less game, which hopefully means he’s due for a pair of appearances in week 5! RHP Ben Ethridge Week: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0K (1 appearance) Overall: 1-0, 11.57 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .300 BAA, 1 BB, 2 K (4 2/3 IP) Ethridge came on for the eighth inning in Friday’s matchup with Mesa, who was leading the game by three runs at the time. A leadoff walk was followed by a double to put runners on second and third before he got a pop out to Sabato at first for the inning’s first out. The next batter delivered a two-run single to make it 7-2 Solar Sox, before retiring the final two hitters of his outing. LHP Zach Veen Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 6.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .308 BAA, 1 BB, 5 K (6 IP) The resident lefty for Twins bullpen prospects saw action in Wednesday’s loss to Salt River, but that outcome didn’t have anything to do with him. With his team down 1-0, he set the Rafters down in order, including a strikeout, and in the bottom half the Glendale lineup took the lead to put him in line for a win. Unfortunately, the next two men up for the Desert Dogs bullpen gave up six runs in the top of the eighth, and they’d go on to lose 7-2. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

I hate to say it, but I never understood Salas being a part of the deal for Pablo in the first place. I didn't really have any interest in a 19-year old A-ball infielder being some valuable part of that trade. I think the Twins fell for some misguided hype there, probably due to his age. In that way he is still young, but definitely will need to add something else to his narrative moving forward. Still have a lot of hope for Prielipp, if he can ever get healthy! I also still expect something out of SWR. His stuff this season didn't ever really make sense to me watching him, like he wasn't ever 100%. Next year is a big one for him for sure.

Love to hear from Matt! I wouldn't count him out because the stuff is so good when he's healthy! But while it's a good thing to say that starting is still a possibility and maybe even the plan, I think that ship has sailed (happy to be proven wrong). I'd go into the year with him in the bullpen and not look back at this point. One or two appearances a week, maybe multiple innings if just one. That way you don't worry about innings and should have no reservations about calling him up if he's got all that bat-missing stuff back.

Why I included such a note, and why not likely. 🤣

If Sano is healthy and gotten himself into shape, I wouldn't be against an MiLB deal, provided other things check out. He would have a very short leash. No on Odorizzi. Hicks could fill that Garlick/Luplow role just fine, maybe push Larnach and Wallner a little. All that being said, none of these guys would be anywhere near a top target list I'd put together. Heck, probably not on the top target list of former Twins.

To a similar post last week, this was my answer: "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." To add on, the pitching is especially weak this season across the league. Only two MLB.com top 100 prospects, and both guys who missed time due to injury being the reason they are there.

Minnesota Twins prospects played a big part in turning around the Glendale Desert Dogs fortunes in Week 3. A reigning MVP broke out in a big way, another hitter joined him in the bomb parade, and a starting pitcher continued to dominate the desert. Image courtesy of Steve Buhr, Twins Daily Game Results: Monday, 10/16 | Peoria 4, Glendale 6 Tuesday, 10/17 | Glendale 7, Peoria 6 (10 innings) Wednesday, 10/18 | Glendale 6, Mesa 2 Thursday, 10/19 | Glendale 10, Salt River 9 Friday, 10/20 | Mesa 4, Glendale 11 Saturday, 10/21 | Glendale 7, Mesa 6 (10 innings) Coming into the week with a 2-10 record and sitting in last place in the AFL standings, the Glendale Desert Dogs reversed their fortunes in week three in undefeated fashion. Their 6-0 record on the week pushed them out of the cellar and improved their run differential by 16 in the process. When it comes to the Twins' prospects contributing, pretty much everybody improved their small-sample-size numbers across the board. Things were definitely looking up in Week 3! C Andrew Cossetti Week: 1-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB (1 game) Overall: .100/.280/.250 (.530 OPS) Cossetti saw action in just one game during the week, in Thursday’s win over the Mesa Solar Sox. He was the catcher and batted eighth in the lineup, and reached base three times. Down 9-3 heading into the sixth inning, Cossetti was in the middle of a five-run rally for the Desert Dogs, contributing an RBI single to make it 9-5 after a pair of doubles in front of him. He later would score on a bases-loaded ground-rule double that gave his team seven runs at the time. He later drew walks in each of the seventh and ninth innings, but by that time his team had already put their runs on the board and he would end up stranded both times. The Solar Sox were 3-for-3 stealing bases in the game, and Cossetti also had his second throwing error. In things that don’t really mean much, he has yet to throw out a base stealer in 12 chances (Glendale teammate and top prospect, Kevin Parada, has also been abysmal in this statistic, throwing out just 2 of 21 runners). OF Kala’i Rosario Week: 6-for-18, 6 R, 3 HR (4), 4 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K (5 games) Overall: .160/.276/.420 (.696 OPS) Hits had been hard to come by for Rosario in the season’s first two weeks, but his lone hit of week two left the yard so I had some optimism moving forward. That was rewarded by a big week from the reigning Midwest League MVP. He went deep in each of his first two games, and added a third in their last one, giving him four home runs on the season to lead the Desert Dogs and rank second in the league after week three. His home run in Monday’s win came in the third inning and put Glendale on the scoreboard for the first time against Peoria. The Javelinas hadn’t seen enough on Tuesday, as his blast made it 3-2 in the top of the sixth inning. In the 10th inning, Rosario also added the needed insurance run with an RBI single that made the score 7-4 in a game they’d win by one. He finished this one 3-for-5. His third homer came on Saturday in another extra-inning affair against Mesa, and was fun because it was the third of back-to-back-to-back blasts from his teammates that gave them a 4-0 lead after two innings. He also drew two walks in this contest and scored a second run of the game on another Desert Dogs home run. As a team, they hit five homers in the game, including one from Rosario’s teammate who is up next. 1B Aaron Sabato Week: 2-for-16, 2 R, 2 HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K (4 games) Overall: .163/.268/.408 (.676 OPS) Sabato had a decent run with a bunch of doubles last week, and although he didn’t collect as many hits this time, he did turn both the ones he got into homers. He again batted in the middle of the Glendale lineup in each game, and his first blast came in Wednesday’s win over Mesa. With the score tied at one in the fifth inning, Sabato’s two-run shot gave the Desert Dogs the lead for good. He joined Rosario and the rest of his team with another blast on Saturday, and he is the one who got the party started. In the top of the first, he stepped in with two outs and sent his third bomb of the season the opposite way. He also drew two walks in this one. In all four of his games on the week, Sabato played first base, and both of his games with home runs came with him batting third in the lineup. LHP Jordan Carr Week: W, 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Overall: 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, .214 BAA, 1 BB, 7 K (12 IP) Carr was finally rewarded with a win for his excellent and consistent efforts in the AFL so far, as his team gave him a 3-1 lead on Wednesday before he officially ended his start before the bottom of the fifth inning. He retired the side in order in the first, induced a double-play ball in the second, and picked up a pair of strikeouts in the third before the Solar Sox were able to manufacture a run against him in the fourth. A leadoff single and a walk was followed by a fielder’s choice to put runners on second and third, before a sac fly brought in Mesa’s only run against him. Of his 56 pitches, 36 went for strikes (64%), and his only walk issued thus far on the season came from a couple of questionable calls on the corners. Carr has been nothing short of brilliant thus far in his three starts. He’s been efficient, worked himself out of any jams, and kept runners off the bases at an extraordinary rate, ranking third in the league in WHIP among qualified players. His 1.50 ERA also ranks fourth. RHP Malik Barrington Week: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (2 appearances) Overall: 0-0, 13.50 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, .167 BAA, 4 BB, 7 K (3 1/3 IP) Barrington had a rough go in his lone appearance last week, but course corrected in complete opposite fashion in week three, dominating in both of his appearances. In Tuesday’s extra-inning win over Peoria he was the first reliever out of the bullpen to start the fifth inning, and put together a good old snapper-mow-em-down inning. He struck out the side in order, with 10 of his 16 pitches going for strikes, including five swinging. Back onto the mound for Saturday’s extra-inning game with Mesa, Barrington got the eighth inning with the score tied at six. He struck out the first hitter on three pitches and got the next on a flyout, before issuing a walk. He recovered and struck out the next batter to keep the game tied. 11 of his 18 pitches went for strikes in this one, including five more swinging. RHP A.J. Labas Week: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, .214 BAA, 4 BB, 5 K (4 IP) Labas came out of the bullpen just one time this week, but he picked up a hold in the process by pitching the seventh inning of the game started by Carr. He did have to work for a bit, as he threw 27 pitches and the Solar Sox loaded the bases against him, but he made a big pitch when he needed to and got a double-play ball to end the threat and keep his team out front 4-2. RHP Ben Ethridge Week: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (2 appearances) Overall: 1-0, 9.82 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, .267 BAA, 0 BB, 2 K (3 2/3 IP) Ethridge bookended the week for the Desert Dogs with appearances in Monday and Saturday’s wins. On Monday, despite allowing three hits and two earned runs, he was credited with the win after his lineup went off for four runs in the bottom of the seventh after his outing in the top half. He recovered nicely on Saturday from allowing traffic on the bases, as he pitched a one-two-three fourth inning while his team was up 4-2. He struck out one. LHP Zach Veen Week: 1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 7.20 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, .348 BAA, 1 BB, 4 K (5 IP) The lone appearance of the week for the southpaw came in Thursday’s comeback win over Salt River. After the Desert Dogs starter had given up four runs, and the first reliever five of his own, Veen was called upon to stabilize the game in the middle of the fourth inning after those five runs had already come across. With runners on first and second and one out, he got a big swinging strikeout on a splitter before ending the threat with a popout on the first pitch to the next batter. Back out for the fifth inning, he needed just seven pitches to retire the Rafters in order, including a strikeout of the leadoff man. He threw just 13 pitches total in the outing, with 9 going for strikes, and his offense began their comeback with a five-run sixth inning after his exit in game they would win 10-9 after being down 9-3 after four. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

Thank you for saying so! I have loved following this league closely for about 15 years now, and am happy to share my observations with you all!

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!