Steve Lein

I've been doing these reports since 2014, ouch! ....Haha 🤣

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Emmanuel Rodriguez) TRANSACTIONS In advance of their series with the Iowa Cubs, there were multiple moves in St. Paul RHP Ryan Gallagher was promoted from Wichita and will make his triple-A debut with the Saints on Wednesday. Gallagher was 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA and 20 K’s in 18 total innings in four starts with the Wind Surge. LHP Aaron Rozek was sent down to Wichita in a one-for-one swap and also started Tuesday’s game for the Wind Surge. The Minnesota Twins also selected the contract of RHP Luis Garcia from the Saints. To make room for Garcia on the 40-man roster, Zak Kent was DFAd. Wichita was also assigned RHP Paulshawn Pasqualotto from the Cedar Rapids Kernels to fill out their pitching staff. With the Kernels, RHP Nick McAuliffe was assigned to the FCL Twins and RHP Brent Francisco was sent down to Fort Myers. Taking their places was exciting RHP Riley Quick, who will make his first start in the Midwest League on Wednesday. Quick made three starts with the Mighty Mussels pitching eight total innings, allowing just one hit, no runs, walking three, and striking out 13. Not to be left out of the week’s transactions, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels placed OF Eduardo Beltre on the 7-day injured list with a right knee contusion. RHP Matthew Becker was assigned from the FCL Twins to take Quick’s place, and SS Bruin Agbayani was activated from the injured list. SAINTS SENTINEL Iowa 5, St. Paul 9 Box Score The Saints offense wasted little time getting this one going. After a one-two-three top of the first from starting pitcher John Klein, the offense sent every batter in the lineup to the plate in the bottom half. Kaelen Culpepper led off with a 106.7 MPH home run to center field. Walker Jenkins followed with a 107.2 MPH double to center. Gabriel Gonzalez drove him in for their second run with a single into center. Ryan Kreidler followed with a single of his own before Emmanuel Rodriguez grounded out for the first out of the inning but moved both runners up. Kyler Fedko then blasted his sixth home run of the season; a 105.4 MPH shot to left center over the bullpen to make it 5-0 Saints. Orlando Arcia joined the 100+ MPH hit parade with a sharp single to left, but the next two batters went down to end the inning. In the bottom of the second Gonzalez joined the Conga line with a 104 MPH, 402-foot home run to center to make it 6-0. Klein kept the Cubs off the scoreboard for the first two innings but ran into some trouble in the top of the third. A pair of home runs around a single closed the lead to 6-3, but that’s as close as the Cubs would get. Klein went on to finish four innings and was charged with three earned runs on those three hits while striking out five. In the bottom of the fourth Culpepper hit his second home run of the game, a 103 MPH blast the other way. Not to be outdone by all of his teammates, Emmanuel Rodriguez decided to hit the second hardest ball in all of professional baseball in the bottom of the fifth. His 118.3 MPH laser to right was his fifth blast of the season. His next time up, Rodriguez ho-hummed a 110.2 MPH shot to right-center for his second of the game, making it 9-4 Saints. In relief of Klein, Andrew Bash (W, 2 IP, H, ER, BB, 2 K), Christian Roa (1 IP, K), Trent Baker (1 IP, BB, K), and Zak Kent (1 IP, H, ER, 3 K) finished off the final five innings. Culpepper (3-for-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI), Gonzalez (2-for-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K), and Rodriguez (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI) had multiple hits. Fedko led the way with three RBI. Jenkins finished 1-for-3 with a double and two walks. WIND SURGE WISDOM Arkansas 4, Wichita 3 Box Score A later power surge from Wichita got them close, but the home team wasn’t able to complete a comeback on Tuesday as baserunners were hard to find all game. Taking the bump in Wichita was right-hander Jose Olivares, and he was able to complete the first three innings. He was charged with just one earned run on two hits, striking out four, but also issued three free passes. Of his 50 pitches, 31 went for strikes (62%). Ricky Castro started the fourth inning and recorded five outs, giving up a single run in each of the fourth and fifth for a 3-0 Travelers lead. He gave up four hits, walked one, and struck out one. Jaylen Nowlin went 2 1/3 innings, allowing a single run on a solo homer and striking out one. Sam Ryan went the final two innings, keeping Arkansas off the board by surrendering just one hit and striking out two. Down 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth the Wind Surge had managed just one hit so far in the game, a single from Billy Amick to lead off the fifth inning. Garrett Spain got them their second, and first run, with his sixth home run of the season to right field. In the bottom of the seventh Kala’i Rosario led off with a walk, and Amick followed with his sixth home run of the year, an opposite field shot into the bullpen in right. Rosario got on base as the tying runner in the bottom of the ninth with a single but would be left stranded to end the game. Amick finished 2-for-4 with the home run and two RBI to lead the way. As a team they finished just 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left only three men on base. KERNELS NUGGETS West Michigan 2, Cedar Rapids 3 Box Score Much like their friends in Kansas, the Kernels had trouble producing baserunners at home in Iowa. Would they follow suit and be unable to make anything happen by finishing the game 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position? Top pitching prospect Dasan Hill made the start and worked around a walk and a single in the first by striking out three. He retired them in order in the second including a strikeout, before escaping another jam in the third by inducing a double play ball and picking up his fifth K of the night. Finally in the fourth a pair of singles and a walk led to the first run of the game for the Visiting team and put an end to Hill’s start after four frames. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks but struck out seven. 42 of his 72 pitches went for strikes (58%) and he notched 10 whiffs in the outing. The Kernels took the lead in the bottom of the fifth thanks in part to an error to put a man on base, but it was Jaime Ferrer’s third home run of the season that put them up 2-1. Reliever Jason Doktorczyk gave that run back in the top of the sixth after a leadoff triple but otherwise held the Whitecaps in check for the next three innings. He allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out three. Jacob Wosinski finished off the final two innings, allowing one hit, walking one, and striking out two. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, Danny De Andrade had an eight-pitch battle as the leadoff man. He won. De Andrade sent that eighth pitch over the wall in left to walk it off for the Kernels. Despite just three hits and four walks in the game, both those homers were enough to overcome seven hits and five walks from the Whitecaps. The Kernels struck out just five times, while their opponents racked up 12. I guess it doesn’t matter if your batting-average-on-balls-in-play for the game is .050 compared to .350 if pitches end up over the fence for you instead of into the catcher's mitt. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 11, Daytona 10 Box Score The Mighty Mussels blew this one open in the top of the fourth inning, scoring seven runs to take a 8-1 lead at the time. Bruin Agbayani got the game’s scoring started in the top of the third with an RBI double. The Tortugas matched that in the bottom half before Fort Myers went off in the fourth. JP Smith led off with a solo homer. Quentin Young added a one-out single. After a strikeout, their next six runs were scored with two outs. Two more singles, four walks, and a two-run double from Yasser Mercedes put the Mighty Mussels out front 8-1. In the top of the fifth they stretched that lead to 10-1 thanks to a sacrifice fly from Dameury Pena and bases-loaded walk from Smith. They would end up needing all of those runs to maintain their lead. Right-hander Kolten Smith made the start and was excellent through his three innings. He gave up just one earned run on three hits and a walk, while striking out six. A leadoff single in the fourth put an end to his outing, bringing on Matthew DesMarets from the bullpen. He escaped the fourth with no damage but got bludgeoned by the Tortugas in the fifth. They scored eight runs to make 10-9 before the inning was over, including a pair of home runs. DesMarets was only charged with two earned runs (out of seven total) thanks to a pair of errors, but he also allowed five total hits and a walk. Brian Zeldin did his best to stabilize the game, going the next 2 1/3 innings. He was charged with two unearned runs on five hits but racked up six strikeouts or it could have gone the other way. Michael Hilker (1 IP, 3 BB, 2 K), and Mike McKenna (1 IP, BB, 2 K) also made it a little interesting in the eighth and ninth frames but locked it down when it mattered. The Mighty Mussels got the final run they needed in the top of the sixth when Young led off with a walk and scored on a double from Jayson Bass. Smith (2-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K) and Young (2-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2 K) each had multiple hits. Mercedes drove in two and drew a walk. Harry Genth drew three free passes and scored three runs from the nine-spot in the lineup. This was the Mighty Mussels sixth win in a row. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Dasan Hill, Cedar Rapids Kernels (4 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 BB, 7 K) Hitter of the Day – Kaelen Culpepper, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Gabriel Gonzalez, and Kyler Fedko; St. Paul Saints (8-for-18, 7 R, 6 HR, 9 RBI, some ridiculous average exit velocity) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they performed on Tuesday. #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul): 1-for-3, R, 2B (3), 2 BB #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR (5), 2 RBI #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR (6), 2 RBI #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4, 2 K #6 – Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids): 4 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 BB, 7 K #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 2-for-5, 2 R, HR (7), 2 RBI, 2 K #9 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-3, BB, SB (7) #13 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-3, K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers): 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2 K #16 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita): 1-for-3, BB #17 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita): 0-for-4, K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - RHP Ryan Gallagher (0-0, -.-- ERA, Triple-A debut) Arkansas @ Wichita (11:05AM CDT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (2-0, 3.86 ERA) West Michigan @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Riley Quick (0-0, -.-- ERA, High-A debut) Fort Myers @ Daytona (5:35 PM CDT) - RHP Eric Hammond (0-0, 3.38 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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Haha, I mused in an article earlier in the season about how if you were building a #3 hitter (or baseball player) in a lab, Jenkins could be the blueprint. 😉

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Walker Jenkins) TRANSACTIONS The Minnesota Twins officially recalled LHP Kendry Rojas to the big leagues ahead of their series with the New York Mets. When he takes the mound, he will be making his MLB debut. With the St. Paul Saints so far this season he’s made two appearances, including one start, throwing six scoreless innings with 5 K’s and 2 BB’s. The Saints also were assigned RHP Mike Paredes and LHP Aaron Rozek from the Wichita Wind Surge to take the places of Rojas and LHP Connor Prielipp who was brought along to the Twins as their “taxi” player in New York. Prielipp will start for the Twins on Wednesday. In Double-A, the Wind Surge activated RHP Jose Olivares from the 7-day injured list. Yesterday the Cedar Rapids Kernels placed RHP Adrian Bohorquez on the 7-day injured list, activated OF Caden Kendle from the temporary inactive list, and were assigned SS Harry Genth from Fort Myers. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Indianapolis 7 Box Score With left-handers Kendry Rojas and Connor Prielipp joining the major league club, Mike Paredes joined the Saints from Wichita and made the start. He went the first 3 1/3 innings, but would end up charged with six earned runs on eight hits and a pair of walks. He struck out three, but also surrendered three home runs. The Saints got on the board in the top of the fourth thanks to the first home run of the season from Walker Jenkins. Despite the unimpressive numbers to begin the 2026 season (.649 OPS), the stat above shows Jenkins has been making plenty of loud contact as well as drawing walks (11) nearly as often as he has struck out (12). Perhaps this will be the start of a heater! In the top of the fifth Kyler Fedko and Gabriel Gonzalez joined him with two-run shots of their own to close the lead to 6-5. Relievers Raul Brito (2 2/3 IP, 4 H, R, BB, 3 K), Matt Bowman (1 IP, K), and Dan Altavilla (1 IP, 2 K) did their best to keep the Saints in striking distance for the last half of the game, but it wasn’t meant to be. In the top of the ninth Aaron Sabato mashed a double to give Jenkins a chance as the tying run, but his fly out to center field ended the game. Jenkins was the only hitter with multiple knocks, finishing 2-for-5 with the home run and a strike out. Emmanuel Rodriguez drew two walks. As a team the Saints were just 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position, and left only five men on base. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, NW Arkansas 7 Box Score Right-hander Ryan Gallagher made the start for the Wind Surge on the road against the Naturals and kept the home team off the scoreboard for the first three innings, including three strikeouts in the first. A pair of doubles in the fourth put the first run of the game on the board for the Travelers, and they added four more in the fifth to chase Gallagher. He finished 4 1/3 innings and was charged with three earned runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out six. He threw 77 pitches, with 52 going for strikes (68%). Spencer Bengard came on in the middle of the fifth and gave up two earned runs of his own. He allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out three in his 1 2/3 innings. Wichita’s offense finally put something together in the top of the sixth thanks to a Hendry Mendez single, and Ricardo Olivar’s first home run of the season. Garrett Spain added their third run of the game in the top of the seventh with his fourth home run of the season. Jaylin Nowlin gave that run back in the bottom half after a leadoff walk, a stolen base, and a wild-pitch to score a run without a ball leaving the infield. Kyle Bischoff had the same thing happen to him in the eighth to put the Travelers up 7-3. Nowlin walked two and struck out one in his inning, Bischoff walked one and struck out two in his. Down four in the top of the ninth, the Wind Surge put together a rally. Andrew Cossetti led off with a single. The next three hitters drew walks before Kyle DeBarge added an RBI single. With the bases loaded and still nobody out, the Travelers made a pitching change to slow down that momentum. Hendry Mendez got them within one with an RBI groundout. Kala’i Rosario went down looking for the second out before Olivar drew another walk to reload the bases. Jorel Ortega put a good swing on a 1-2 pitch, sending a liner deep to right that would have put them out front, but it was tracked down in front of the warning track to end the game. The offense was led by Spain (2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 BB, K), DeBarge (2-for-5, RBI, 2 K), and Cossetti (2-for-4, R, 2B, K). Ben Ross wasn’t able to start a new hit streak, but did draw three walks, including one with the bases loaded. In addition to his home run Olivar also drew two walks, as did Jake Rucker from the nine-hole. Despite the comeback effort, the Wind Surge still finished with just one hit in 11 at-bats with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 men on base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 7 Box Score The Chiefs took a 1-0 lead after one against Kernels starter Eli Jones but he worked around some traffic in the second and third innings to keep that score intact. Cedar Rapids tied it up at one in the top of the fourth when Jacob McCombs led off the inning with his first home run of the year. Things went off the rails for Jones in the bottom of the fourth, however. Three straight singles to start the inning loaded the bases, and after a fly out, they were cleared with a grand slam to put the Chiefs comfortable in front. After a pitching change a walk and double led to the fifth run of the inning, and the Kernels were down 6-1. Jones finished 3 2/3 innings and was charged with those six earned runs on eight hits and one walk. He struck out five. Christian Becerra got the final out of the fourth, allowing one hit and one walk. Michael Ross came on to begin the bottom of the fifth and went the next three innings. He allowed one earned run on three hits and a walk, while striking out two. Jacob Wosinski struck out the side in the eighth to finish the game for Cedar Rapids. The Kernels scored their second run in the top of the seventh when Andy Lugo drew a one-out walk. Jaime Ferrer followed with a single into center field that advanced Lugo toward third. Ferrer then got caught in a game of pickle between first and second base, allowing Lugo to scamper home. Marek Houston (2-for-4) and Ferrer (2-for-3, 2B, RBI) had multiple hits. As a team the Kernels went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. MUSSEL MATTERS Dunedin 3, Fort Myers 2 Box Score Taking the mound for the Mighty Mussels was right-hander Jonathan Stevens, the Twins 16th round pick of the 2025 draft out of Alabama. This was his first start of the season, as he had come out of the bullpen in his prior three appearances. In his three innings he was charged with two runs, but both were unearned thanks to a pair of errors from his defense in the top of the third. He allowed two hits, walked three, and struck out three. You could say he was a bit “effectively wild,” as 26 of his 52 pitches went for strikes (50%). Fort Myers made the score 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth when Yasser Mercedes singled, stole second base, and scored on a two-out double from JP Smith. Mercedes also scored their second run of the game in the sixth after he, Eduardo Beltre, and Quentin Young strung together singles. Mitch Mueller was the first reliever summoned from the bullpen to start the fourth and he retired the next seven hitters. A one-out error and a walk in the sixth put an end to his appearance, but he finished 2 1/3 scoreless innings, walking one and striking out three. Brian Zeldin finished off the sixth and pitched into the eighth, but a one-out double would come around to score and give the Blue Jays a one-run lead. He was charged with one earned run on three hits in his two innings. He struck out one. Michael Hilker finished off the final 1 2/3 innings, and allowed one hit and walked three, but was not charged with a run while striking out two. While it’s not a big hit or amazingly athletic defensive play, you still won’t see something like this happen very often: In the bottom of the ninth Jayson Bass reached as the tying runner with a two-out single, but pinch runner Yilber Herrera was picked off attempting to steal second base to end the game. Mercedes (2-for-4, 2 R, K, SB) and Smith (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, K) each had two hits to lead the offense. Smith’s double was their only extra-base hit among their seven, which was more than the six from the Blue Jays, but half of theirs went for doubles. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jacob Wosinski, Cedar Rapids Kernels (1 IP, 3 K) Hitter of the Day – Garrett Spain, Wichita Wind Surge (2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they performed on Tuesday. #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul): 2-for-5, R, HR (1), RBI, K #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4, K #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 1-for-3, R, HR (4), 2 RBI, BB #9 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4 #13 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4 #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers): 1-for-4, RBI, K #16 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita): 1-for-5, R, RBI, 2 K #17 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita): 2-for-5, RBI, 2 K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-3, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Indianapolis (5:05 PM CDT) - RHP Andrew Bash (0-1, 4.41 ERA) Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Ty Langenberg (0-1, 2.16 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (11:05 AM CDT) - LHP Dasan Hill (0-2, 12.38 ERA) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Riley Quick (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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One of the tweets embedded literally calls the home run an "oppo taco" as well as it being taco night at the ballpark, then the other guy happened to do the same exact thing. Taco Tuesday = 2(HR's)-for-1. Don't make something into racism that is nothing of the sort. Thanks.

Image courtesy of Tim Grubbs, Wichita Wind Surge TRANSACTIONS Yesterday the Wichita Wind Surge placed RHP Ruddy Gomez on the 7-day injured list with a right lat strain. Tuesday’s only move in the system was the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels activating OF Yasser Mercedes from the 7-day injured list. He DH’d and batted fifth in his first game of the season. SAINTS SENTINEL Lehigh Valley 11, St. Paul 7 Box Score The IronPigs jumped out to an early lead against starter Andrew Bash with a two-run first inning, and pushed that advantage to 4-1 in the third to end his start. Bash was charged with four earned runs on five hits and three walks in his three innings, and struck out one. Walker Jenkins led off the bottom of the first with a loud 112 MPH single into center field, and his groundout in the third scored their first run of the game, but it was an odd four-run fourth inning that put the Saints in the lead briefly. They hit only one ball out of the infield in the frame, but multiple misplays, deflections, and otherwise fortunate bounces allowed them to station-to-station advance and take a 5-4 lead. Matt Bowman was the first reliever from the bullpen to start the fourth inning and he pitched two frames. He gave up one hit, one walk, and struck out one. Trent Baker got saddled with the loss and blown save as he gave up three earned runs on four hits and a walk in his one inning. John Brebbia (1 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 2 K), Eduardo Salazar (1 IP, H, BB), and Zak Kent (1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, BB, K) completed the final three innings. The Saints closed the gap to one after homers from Alex Jackson in the sixth and Alan Roden in the eighth, but Lehigh Valley picked up three insurance runs in the top of the ninth to close the door on any comeback. Kaelen Culpepper put an end to an 0-for-12 skid with his second double of the year in the sixth inning, and Jackson finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored, his first double, and the homer to lead the way for the offense. WIND SURGE WISDOM Springfield 6, Wichita 18 Box Score The Wind Surge jumped all over Cardinals pitching and turned this one into a laugher early. They put up crooked numbers in each of the first and second innings, added a single run in the third, then batted around in the fourth to blow it fully open. Kyle DeBarge led off the bottom of the first with a double, and two batters later Kala’i Rosario put the first run on the board with an RBI single. Billy Amick added an RBI single before Garrett Spain made it 3-0 with an RBI triple. In the second Hendry Mendez came up with the bases loaded and clubbed a grand slam the opposite way for his first home run of the season to make it 7-0. Jose Salas contributed a sac fly in the third before the Wind Surge put this one on ice in the fourth. Rosario struck out as the second hitter of the inning with the score 8-0, but later in the frame made it 17-0 with his first home run of the year, a three-run shot for the innings exclamation point. In between Mendez delivered an RBI triple, Billy Amick an RBI double, and Ricardo Olivar a bases-clearing double. The hot-hitting Ben Ross led off the frame with a single and added an RBI version later. Mendez added his second home run of the game in the seventh to account for all the scoring. Right-hander C.J. Culpepper made the start and went the first four innings. He allowed zero runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out six. Of his 68 pitches, 45 went for strikes (66%) including nine swinging. Sam Ryan was the first reliever from Wichita and after a scoreless fifth gave up a big sixth inning to Springfield, but it didn’t matter. In 1 2/3 innings he was charged with six earned runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out three. Spencer Bengard (1 1/3 IP, K) and Alejandro Hidalgo (2 IP, H, 4 K) finished off the final three plus frames. Ross (2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, K, SB - 10 game hitting streak), Rosario (2-for-3, 3 R, HR, 4 RBI, BB, 2 K), Mendez (3-for-5, 3 R, 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 K), Amick (2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 K), and Olivar (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBI, BB) all collected multiple hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 10, Cedar Rapids 3 Box Score Taking the bump for the Kernels on Tuesday was right-hander Jason Doktorczyk who had picked up wins in both of his prior appearances on the season out of the bullpen. Things didn’t go quite the same as the starter in this one. A triple to start the game turned into a 1-0 lead after one, the River Bandits added three more in the second, and he exited the game in the third responsible for a runner on base that turned into a fifth earned run on the outing. In all he finished 2 1/3 innings, allowing those five runs on seven hits and a pair of walks, while striking out two. The Kernels offense did take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first as Marek Houston led off with a single, and Eduardo Tait followed with his first home run of the season. Sam Rochard was the first reliever summoned and finished off the third inning, allowing one hit. Nolan Santos did the bulk work from the bullpen, throwing 3 2/3 innings and being charged with four runs (two earned) on seven hits and three walks. He struck out two. Jacob Wosinski finished off the final 2 1/3, allowing one earned run on two hits while striking out two. Tait accounted for the Kernels final run, clubbing his second home run of the season and game in the seventh that made it 9-3 at the time. He obviously led the way but Houston (2-for-5, R, K, SB) and Jaime Ferrer (2-for-4) also collected multiple hits. MUSSEL MATTERS Lakeland 3, Fort Myers 0 Box Score Mighty Mussels starting pitcher Reed Moring began his professional career this season with two appearances (including one start) where he finished four scoreless frames. He kept his 0.00 ERA intact in this one with five scoreless frames against the Lakeland Flying Tigers. He scattered six hits and one walk, while striking out six. He threw 70 pitches, with 48 going for strikes (nice), including 16 swinging. That gives him 18 K’s compared to four walks on the season in his 13 total innings. Unfortunately for him and the Fort Myers faithful, the lineup wasn’t able to manage a single hit while he was on the mound. Flying Tigers pitching took the no-hitter into the sixth inning, and with two outs Dameury Pena finally broke it up with an infield single. But that was literally it for the lineup on the game. Relievers Kolten Smith (2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER), Xavier Kolhosser (1 2/3 IP, H, ER, BB, 3 K), Mike McKenna (1 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K), and Michael Hilker (1 IP, 2 K) finished off the final four innings. Quentin Young drew two walks, while Yasser Mercedes finished 0-for-4 in his season debut. Mighty Mussels hitters struck out 12 times and finished 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position, leaving only six men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Reed Moring, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (5 IP, 6 H, BB, 6 K) Hitter of the Day – Hendry Mendez, Wichita Wind Surge (3-for-5, 3 R, 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they performed on Tuesday. #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul): 1-for-5, RBI, 2 K #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 1-for-5, 2B (2), K #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 1-for-4, BB, K #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-2, 2 R, 2 HR (2), 3 RBI, BB #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 1-for-4, K #9 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-5, R, K, SB (2) #13 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-3, BB, K, SB (5) #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers): 0-for-2, 2 BB #16 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita): 3-for-5, 3 R, 3B (1), 2 HR (2), 6 RBI, 2 K #17 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita): 1-for-6, R, 2B (2), 2 K #18 – C.J. Culpepper (Wichita): 4 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4, 4 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - RHP John Klein (1-0, 7.88 ERA) Springfield @ Wichita (11:05 AM CDT) - RHP Ryan Gallagher (1-0, 1.93 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Eli Jones (0-0, 1.20 ERA) Lakeland @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP James Ellwanger (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

Image courtesy of Braden Botts (photo of Billy Amick) TRANSACTIONS IF Jorel Ortega was sent from Wichita to Fort Myers to begin a rehab assignment. He played second base and led off for the Mighty Mussels. The Wind Surge were also assigned RHP William Fleming, who the organization signed earlier in the day. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 0, Toledo 1 Box Score On the mound for the Saints was right-hander Andrew Bash, who put together a solid effort in Toledo. He allowed a single to top prospect Max Clark in the bottom of the first, and after stealing second base he was brought in with an RBI single to give the Mud Hens an early 1-0 lead. But that was it against him as he retired the next nine in a row and pitched into the fifth inning. In 4 2/3 innings, Bash gave up only the single run on three hits and two walks, while punching out six. Relievers Eduardo Salazar (1 2/3 IP, 2 H, BB, K) and Zak Kent (1 2/3 IP, H, BB) finished off the final 3 1/3 scoreless innings, doing their part to give the Saints lineup a chance. Except any offense from that lineup was non-existent. Perhaps Emmanuel Rodriguez being scratched from the lineup due to illness earlier in the day was a bad omen. The first 14 hitters of the game were retired before Ryan Kreidler drew a walk in the fifth inning for their first baserunner. Then the next eight went down before Kreidler and Kyler Fedko took back-to-back walks in the eighth. This gave them their first at-bat of the game with a runner in scoring position, but Alex Jackson and Aaron Sabato proceeded to go down swinging. With the Mud Hens no-hitter still intact Kaelen Culpepper led off the top of the ninth. He ended up called out on strikes on an overturned pitch. Walker Jenkins challenged a strike three call as the next hitter, earning a walk for his efforts. That brought up Gabriel Gonzalez, who did this: While they avoided being the victim of a no-hitter thanks to that bloop, Alan Roden and Orlando Arcia went down swinging to end the game with the 1-0 loss. As a team the Saints finished 1-for-28 with four walks and nine strikeouts. They were 0-for-4 with four strikeouts with runners in scoring position. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, Arkansas 4 Box Score Unlike their triple-A brethren, the Wind Surge offense was ready to strike in the top of the first inning. With two outs Hendry Mendez delivered a double, and Billy Amick followed with his second homer of the season, an opposite field shot to put them up 2-0. “All I do is win-win-win” pitcher Mike Paredes got the start for Wichita and was electric for four innings. He gave up a solo home run in the second but that was basically it. Of his 12 outs, seven came via the strikeout. He threw 62 pitches, with 39 of them going for strikes (63%) including an absurd 16 swinging strikes. It looked like he was getting them on multiple pitches as well, including his fastball, slider, and changeup. Jaylen Nowlin came on for the fifth inning and delivered a scoreless frame, allowing one hit and striking out three. Alejandro Hidalgo went the next two innings after that, striking out three but surrendering two home runs that put the Travelers in front for good. Darren Bowen struck out all three hitters he faced in the eighth, giving Wichita sixteen strikeouts as a pitching staff, the third highest total in franchise history. While they weren’t in danger of a no-hitter or a shutout after the top of the first, the Wind Surge lineup did go quiet for the final eight innings. They managed just four singles and a pair of walks after Amick’s blast, finishing 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leaving eight men on base for the game. The three, four, and five hitters Mendez (2-for-4, R, 2B, K), Amick (2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K) and Ben Ross (2-for-4, SB) all had two hits while the rest of the lineup was 0-for-22. Kyle DeBarge drew a walk and stole two bases in four at-bats. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Beloit 3 Box Score The Kernels took two of three games against the Peoria Chiefs at home to kick off their season, and hit the road to face the Beloit Sky Carp this week. Shortstop Marek Houston wasted little time getting Cedar Rapids on the scoreboard, taking the second pitch of the game out to left field for his second home run of the season. Eduardo Tait followed by drawing a walk and scored their second run on a triple from Jacob McCombs three batters later. Eli Jones made his first start of the year and went the first five innings. He gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out four. He threw 69 pitches, with 46 of them going for strikes (67%) as he efficiently pounded the strike zone. He exited the game in line for a win as Cedar Rapids took a 3-1 lead in the top of the fourth thanks to a two-out rally. Jaimie Ferrer drew a walk to get it started, Houston followed with a single to move him into scoring position, and Tait brought him in with a single of his own. Christian Becerra came on to start the sixth inning and went two innings. He gave up a solo home run that gave him a blown save, but also struck out three and got the win. Paulshawn Pasqualotto finished off the final two innings to pick up his first save of the year, retiring all six hitters he faced, including a pair of strikeouts. The Kernels added the needed runs for the win in the top of the seventh on a single from Danny De Andrade. His grounder up the middle was misplayed by the center fielder, allowing Khadim Diaw and Brandon Winokur to score. They had both reached base on walks earlier in the inning. Houston (2-for-5, R, HR, RBI, K) and McCombs (2-for-5, 3B, RBI, 2 K) led the way with two hits apiece. Diaw and Winokur each scored a run and drew three walks. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Jupiter 6 (10 innings) Box Score He wasn’t the first batter of the game like Marek Houston with the Kernels, but Quentin Young hit his first homer as a professional to also put the Mighty Mussels in the lead before taking the field on defense. Starting pitcher Merit Jones gave up two runs in the bottom of the first so that lead was short-lived, but he settled in from there to finish 3 2/3 total innings. He didn’t give up any other runs and allowed three hits and two walks in the outing, striking out two. Fort Myers got those two runs back in the top of the third as the rehabbing Jorel Ortega doubled with two outs, and Eduardo Beltre followed with his first home run of the season for the 3-2 lead. Ortega knocked in a run of his own with an RBI single in the fifth. The Mighty Mussels pushed their lead to 6-2 in the top of the seventh thanks to a sac fly from Byron Chourio and an RBI single from Beltre. Michael Hilker was the first reliever and pitched 1 1/3 innings after Jones' exit. He walked three but gave up no runs and struck out one. Eric Hammond added two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out one. In the middle of the eighth the weather became too much, with rain leading to a 40-minute delay. When the game resumed, reliever Brian Zeldin took over and had some issues with the mound. A solo homer, walk, wild pitch, and hit batter around multiple delays to fix the mound conditions ended his appearance before he could record an out. He was charged with three runs (two earned) and the dreaded infinite-ERA for his troubles. When play resumed again Xavier Kolhosser took over and was able to finish the long eighth frame. With his team still up 6-5 Kolhosser faced one hitter in the ninth, but gave up a single to end his outing. He would be charged with one earned run on two hits and a walk in one total inning. Mike McKenna was brought into the game and two singles later he had a blown save and the game was heading to extras tied at six. A sac fly from Ryan Sprock scored the ghost runner for Fort Myers in the top half, and McKenna retired all three hitters he faced in the bottom half to pick up the win for the good guys. The Mighty Mussels offense was led by Beltre who had three hits in five at-bats including the homer, and drove in three. Ortega finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI. Young (1-for-5, 2 R, HR, RBI, 3 K) and Dameury Pena (1-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 SB) each scored two runs. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Mike Paredes, Wichita Wind Surge (4 IP, 2 H, ER, 7 K) Hitter of the Day – Eduardo Beltre, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (3-for-5, R, HR, 3 RBI, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they performed on Tuesday. #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul): 0-for-3, BB, K #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 0-for-4, K #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, R, RBI, BB, K #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 1-for-4 #9 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-5, R, HR (2), RBI, K #13 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-2, R, 3 BB, 2 K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers): 1-for-5, 2 R, HR (1), RBI, 3 K #16 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita): 2-for-4, R, 2B (1), K #17 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita): 0-for-4, BB, 2 SB (3) #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-2, R, 3 BB, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (5:35 PM CDT) - RHP Matt Bowman (0-0, 3.86 ERA) Wichita @ Arkansas (11:05 AM CDT) - RHP Ryan Gallagher (0-0, 4.15 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Brent Francisco (0-0, 2.25 ERA) Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Kolten Smith (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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TRANSACTIONS Before their home opener the St. Paul Saints received C Ian Daugherty from the Wichita Wind Surge. SS Harry Genth was transferred from the Wind Surge roster to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. SAINTS SENTINEL Worcester 19, St. Paul 3 Box Score The St. Paul Saints swept a three-game series with Indianapolis to open their season on the road over the weekend and sent left-hander Christian MacLeod to the mound for their home opener at CHS Field on Tuesday. With the early season pitch counts being around 60, the Saints had three pitchers “scheduled” to throw, with Raul Brito and Dan Altavilla to follow MacLeod. Normally you would hope those three could get you through most, if not all, of the game. But that wasn’t in the cards with Twins CEO Tom Pohlad, Assistant GM Alex Hassan, and Director of Player Development Drew MacPhail on hand. I’m blaming this game all on them… MacLeod gave up a leadoff double to start the game, then got a strikeout for the first out. But a pair of walks, an error from catcher Noah Cardenas, an RBI single, and a three-run homer put the Saints down 5-0 before the lefty could even catch his breath. He picked up a second strikeout but followed it with a walk to put him at 38 pitches and an early call to the bullpen. Right-hander Raul Brito fared slightly better, recording five total outs, but also surrendered back-to-back home runs before the first inning was over. Before the Saints lineup even got a chance, they were down 8-0. It would get worse. Second baseman Orlando Arcia did get the Saints on the board in the bottom of the second with his first home run of the season, a solo shot. Brito made it through the second inning, but Altavilla had to come on with one out in the third. He struck out three Red Sox and got the Saints into the fourth inning but was charged with one earned run because of two walks in his 1 1/3 innings when Matt Bowman allowed an RBI single after relieving him. Bowman would go on to finish the fifth and didn’t allow a run of his own but walked three in his 1 1/3 innings. In the bottom of the fourth the Saints loaded the bases with nobody out, giving themselves a chance to cut into the big Red Sox lead. Cardenas drew a walk to make it 8-2, bringing Kaelen Culpepper to the plate. He got one more run in, but it came on a double-play grounder that killed much of that momentum. Trent Baker came on to start the sixth inning and wasn’t able to change any of their pitching fortunes. He struck out one, but allowed two hits, and walked five before Eduardo Salazar became their sixth pitcher of the evening. Before the inning was over it was 19-3 Woo Sox, as Salazar was a victim of a grand slam. The 10 runs allowed in the inning was a franchise record, the first of two infamous ones they accomplished. Salazar was back out for the seventh and gave the Saints their first one-two-three inning. In the eighth, they turned to position player Tanner Schobel, and he delivered the highlight of the night in my opinion: He had a huge grin on his face the entire time and I don’t blame him. Got to have fun however you can during a game like this. Schobel pitched the final two innings, allowing no runs on one hit and two walks. The Saints pitching staff as a whole walked 20 hitters on the game, another franchise record, while striking out nine. Culpepper (2-for-5, K) and Emmanuel Rodriguez (2-for-4, R, K) each had two hits to lead the offense. Walker Jenkins finished 0-for-2 with a pair of walks. The two teams combined for 29 walks compared to only 13 strikeouts. The Saints committed four errors as a team, were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Throw this one in the dumpster, light it on fire, let the flames burn it from your memory, and then come back tomorrow. WIND SURGE WISDOM The Wichita Wind Surge season will kick off on Thursday, April 2nd at home in Equity Bank Park against the NW Arkansas Travelers at 6:35 PM CDT. The Wind Surge roster boasts three of Twins Daily’s Top 20 prospects to begin the year. KERNELS NUGGETS The Cedar Rapids Kernels season begins on Friday, April 3rd with them hosting the Peoria Chiefs at 6:05 PM CDT. Left-handed pitcher and Twins Daily’s #6 prospect Dasan Hill will lead the squad onto the field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. MUSSEL MATTERS The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels will also start their season on Thursday with a three-game series against the Clearwater Threshers at Hammond Stadium. First pitch in this one is scheduled for 6:05 PM CDT. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Tanner Schobel, St. Paul Saints (2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB) Hitter of the Day – Orlando Arcia, St. Paul Saints (1-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they performed on Tuesday. #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul): 0-for-2, 2 BB #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 2-for-5, K #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 2-for-4, R, K #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 0-for-4, BB WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Worcester @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - RHP Andrew Bash (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s game! Or, maybe not so much about that game, but the Saints or other Twins minor league questions. View full article

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Walker Jenkins) Those Twins debuts from last year included position players Carson McCusker, Luke Keaschall, and Ryan Fitzgerald, while Pierson Ohl, Cody Laweryson, and Travis Adams did so as pitchers. In a bit of an odd year as far as these predictions go, only Keaschall and Adams were detailed in this column before the start of last season. Keaschall was one of the standouts of spring training in 2026, and Cody Laweryson won one of the last Opening Day bullpen spots. Adams looks like he’ll start in St. Paul, Carson McCusker chose to continue his baseball career in Japan, Pierson Ohl was traded to the Colorado Rockies, and Ryan Fitzgerald latched on with the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. While the star power present in those 2025 debuts could be considered a little lacking, I have good news. Many of the Twins' top prospects sit at the top of their farm system heading into 2026 and could provide jolts of excitement into Target Field throughout the summer. So, who are some of the prospects who could make their MLB debuts this year and become the Next Minnesota Twins? ON THE 40-MAN ROSTER: After undertaking one of the largest sell-offs of major-league talent in MLB history at last year's trade deadline, the Twins' 40-man roster includes several new additions, all poised to contribute in the majors for the first time. There is a plethora of both pitching and hitting reinforcements, as well as potential star power included. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF (23 years old on Opening Day) - Twins Daily’s #3 Prospect Despite dealing with injuries that have kept him out of action for significant periods of time over the past two seasons, Rodriguez has been pushed up the ladder aggressively thanks to his loud tools. Those include almost unheard-of plate discipline (20.6% walk rate in 2025), light-tower power (peak exit velocity of 117 MPH), and athleticism to play center field at a high level in the majors. While all those walks have produced elite on-base percentages when he’s played (.429 with the Saints last year), he does have the caveat of it being tied to a strikeout rate that is worrisome (31.8%). Is he an Adam Dunn or Joey Gallo type player who can play solid outfield defense? Or more like Edouard Julien? The Twins likely will start finding out if he stays healthy in 2026. John Klein, RHP (23) The big right-hander and native of Brooklyn Park, Minn. put his name on the prospect map with a solid 2025 season, operating as a swing-man with the Wichita Wind Surge. In 24 double-A appearances that included 11 starts, he posted a 3.12 ERA and struck out 95 hitters over 80 2/3 total innings. After being promoted to the Saints, that ERA took a big hit, but some of the underlying metrics still stood out, including a 3.30 FIP and nearly 30% strikeout rate after moving up. His fastball sits in the 95 MPH range and his slider has shown improvement while in the system. There’s a solid reliever profile in here and perhaps even more velocity to be unlocked after settling fully into that role. Connor Prielipp, LHP (25) - TD’s #5 Prospect Prielipp made his MLB debut in a start against the New York Mets on 4/22. He finished four innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits, while striking out six. He threw 52 of his 82 pitches for strikes (63%) and induced 10 whiffs. Prielipp resided in the “Dark Horse” category of this list last year as he entered the season finally healthy after a second elbow procedure. While he didn’t reach the majors, the most important thing was that he didn’t miss a start and eclipsed his entire innings total since being a freshman at Alabama. While his numbers won’t pop out at you from his time in major-league camp this spring, the “stuff” I talked about in his prospect profile linked above is still the calling card. The addition of a curveball also sounds like another weapon that could push his ceiling further up. There will still be some form of innings limit on Prielipp in 2026, so unless he’s dominant from the jump in Triple-A, his debut is more likely to happen as a reliever. That’s also not a bad thing, if the outcome is another Glen Perkins. Gabriel Gonzalez, OF (22) - TD’s #7 Prospect If Twins fans were disappointed by the season Gonzalez put together in 2024 after coming over from the Seattle Mariners in the Jorge Polanco trade, they should be equally excited by what he did in 2025 when he took home Twins Daily’s Minor League Hitter of the Year award. Starting with Cedar Rapids, he improved his OPS by over 200 points from the prior year to earn a promotion to Wichita. Then he hit even better there to get bumped to St. Paul for the final 34 games of the season. He batted well over .300 at each stop, and tallied 38 doubles and 15 home runs in 123 total games, good for an OPS of .909 overall. It was a year-long hot streak and one of the standout hitting performances in all of the minor leagues. He is limited to the corner outfield and won’t impress any more there than current Twins options, but he is a right-handed hitter among the glut of lefties the Twins currently deploy. If he keeps hitting, he will find a role with the Twins in 2026. Andrew Morris, RHP (24) - TD’s #12 Prospect Morris made his debut on April 12th against the Toronto Blue Jays, coming on in relief of starter Taj Bradley to start the 6th inning. He allowed one earned run on six hits and struck out two in his three innings to pick up a hold in the Twins 8-2 win. Morris was a solid pick to make his debut last year after a breakout 2024 season, but was derailed early in the summer by a forearm strain. He came back and ended the season with a solid stretch in Triple-A, pitching to a 3.45 ERA and 29-to-4 strikeout to walk ratio over his final 31 1/3 innings. There may be a better relief pitcher here than a starter. He reminds me a lot of Louis Varland, who made his debut as a starter before evolving into a legitimate relief option in the majors. However, Pablo López's and other starter injuries opened a bigger door for opportunity in the rotation, and Morris should begin the season high on the pecking order for rotation reinforcements. Marco Raya, RHP (23) - TD’s #15 Prospect Poised to be unleashed as a reliever after spending almost all of his time in the farm system as an innings-limited starter, Raya will look to thrive in a new role this year. He has always shown glimpses, with a mid 90s fastball that could tick up further in shorter stints and an excellent breaking ball to fool hitters. The issue, like many young hurlers, has been controlling it consistently. He will need to cut down the walks to truly break through, but the hope is that being able to focus on his best pitches as a reliever will assist in that department. Kendry Rojas, LHP (23) - TD’s #8 Prospect Rojas followed Prielipp's debut against the Mets on 4/22 by making his own. He wasn't as sharp, allowing two hits and walking three, but did not surrender any runs. He threw 19 of his 35 pitches for strikes (54%) and was optioned back down to triple-A a day later. The Twins targeted the talented lefty as the main part of their return for Varland at the 2025 trade deadline, but got mixed results after he came over. He was perhaps pushed to Triple-A too early by both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Twins after coming over, but there is a lot to like about the 23-year-old. He has demonstrated an increase in velocity this spring (averaging 96+ MPH), and his slider and changeup show signs of being above-average offerings. He will start the year among a potentially solid Saints pitching rotation, giving him the chance for spot-start opportunities from day one. Hendry Mendez, OF/1B (22) - TD’s #16 Prospect Mendez was having a solid season in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system before being traded to the Twins for Harrison Bader. Then he turned it up to 11 after joining the Wind Surge. In 33 games for Wichita, he slashed .324/.461/.450, good for a 159 wRC+ that rivaled the aforementioned Gonzalez in the Texas League. For his career, he has walked nearly as often as he has struck out, displaying a plus hitting aptitude. He also had an excellent, albeit brief, appearance in the Arizona Fall League last year, collecting six hits, including the first home run of the AFL season. While he has been a corner outfielder, the intent in 2026 appears to be to give him time at first base and some potential position flexibility. TOP PROSPECTS: While I’ve already written about seven players who reside in Twins Daily’s Top 20 Prospect Rankings because they are on the 40-man roster, it is the two names below that sit atop that list at number one and two. Fans of the St. Paul Saints will see them both starting the season at CHS Field in 2026. Walker Jenkins, OF (21) - TD’s #1 Prospect Jenkins is the obvious crown jewel of the Twins farm system, ranking universally in the top 20 of national rankings and as high as fifth heading into 2026. The only thing holding him back has been the familiar injury bug, which again has reared its head during spring training with a hamstring issue. When he is on the field, he is a special talent. Jenkins is built for the game of baseball, standing at a listed 6-foot-3 and a strong and lean 210 pounds. He has the speed, instincts, and arm to stick in center field, but would also profile as a plus defender in a corner. But that’s not why he is so highly regarded. It’s the smooth left-handed swing, natural power, and contact profile that put him into elite prospect territory. If you were building a No. 3 hitter in a lab, Jenkins could be the blueprint. Those are lofty expectations and the power potential does have legitimate questions, but a hitter is a hitter. That would be my best explanation for what I have seen from Jenkins. In a purely Twins comparison, he is more of a pure hitter mold of Joe Mauer than the power potential of a Justin Morneau. A bit of a middle-ground there is where I think Jenkins can end up, which is a cornerstone player to usher in this next wave of players. Kaelen Culpepper, SS (23) - TD’s #2 Prospect Culpepper began last year with some questions to answer as the 21st pick of the 2024 MLB draft. Could he stick at shortstop? Could he hit for power? Would the athleticism carry him? Consider those questions answered. Starting in Cedar Rapids, he posted a 147 wRC+ that ranked in the top five in the Midwest League among players with at least 240 plate appearances, before being promoted to the Wind Surge. He barely slowed down, posting a 129 wRC+ mark in his 59 games there, batting .285/.367/.460. That performance pushed him into national top 100 lists heading into this season. In addition to the hitting, his defense also took a step forward and quieted any concerns about his ability to stick at shortstop. If he wasn’t impacting a game with a big home run, he was probably doing something slick on defense. TRIPLE-A DEPTH: If you haven’t already gotten the gist by now, there is a ton of prospective talent sitting at the top of the farm system heading into this season. The St. Paul Saints could truly have a special Triple-A roster in the early going. But there are plenty of other names filling out their lineup and pitching staff that are one call away as well. Christian MacLeod, LHP (25) MacLeod's tenure with Twins organization came to an unceremonious end after just one appearance with the St. Paul Saints in 2026. He was released on April 4th and has yet to latch on with another squad. This big left-hander has been a favorite of mine since shoving for the Kernels and Wind Surge during the 2024 season. Zebby Matthews (and Andrew Morris) got most of the hype for pitching at the top three levels of the farm system that year, but that is also something MacLeod accomplished. During the 2025 season he continued that dominance with Wichita for half the year (2.63 ERA), before finally being promoted to St. Paul. He pitched mostly in a bullpen role there, and that looks like the plan for 2026, which gives him a good opportunity as the Twins look to build a new bullpen from scratch. Kyler Fedko, OF (26) A late bloomer who had a true breakout season last year, finishing second in Twins Daily’s 2025 Minor League Hitter of the Year voting. No matter who you are, 28 home runs in a season will get you noticed, and that tally ranked seventh in all of the minor leagues. In addition to the power, Fedko also displayed great patience (14.2% walk rate) and surprising speed on the basepaths (38 steals in 46 attempts). DARK HORSE: The best recent example of a true “Dark Horse” I can provide is Zebby Matthews, from the 2024 season. He rose all the way from Cedar Rapids to pitch for the Twins late in the year behind a massive uptick in performance from prior seasons. It’s certainly a long shot that anybody in this section makes their debut, but there always seems to be a surprise or two. Riley Quick, RHP (21) - TD’s #11 Prospect Following the footsteps of Connor Prielipp as a prospect from the University of Alabama who has had Tommy John surgery, Quick was selected by the Twins in the first round of the 2025 draft. Like his lefty counterpart, Quick has big “stuff”, including a high-90s fastball and a plus slider. He is a “helium” type prospect who, if nothing else, could rise a lot higher on prospect lists as the season goes on if things fall into place. DON’T FORGET ABOUT: This section is for prospects that may have been lost in the shuffle. They were perhaps highly regarded at one point, missed time due to injury, or lost some of their luster for whatever reason. Despite any of that, they have shown flashes and could be an option to fill in gaps during the long MLB season. Kala’i Rosario, OF (23) A former Midwest League MVP and AFL Home Run Derby champion, Rosario finished second in the Twins system to Fedko with 25 homers during the 2025 season. The month of August was an especially high note, where he slugged 11 home runs in 27 games, good for a 1.135 OPS over that timeframe. Aaron Sabato, 1B/DH (26) Former first-round pick hit .305 with nearly a 1.000 OPS in Wichita to earn promotion to Triple-A in 2025. However, a path to major-league playing time is severely limited as a pure first baseman or designated hitter. Tanner Schobel, IF (24) Schobel was the Twins’ 2nd-round draft pick in 2022 after a breakout performance with Virginia Tech, where he hit .362 with 19 home runs. That type of power hasn’t translated to pro-ball, but he can play multiple positions and posted an OPS of .837 in Wichita before finishing the 2025 season with the Saints. Cory Lewis, RHP (25) A prospect darling in prior seasons, thanks in part to his unique knuckleball, Lewis had a rough introduction to Triple-A last year and is dealing with a shoulder injury this spring. Perhaps the two were connected, but if he can come back healthy and rediscover his form, he could find himself in the mix for bullpen or spot-start roles. These names are all part of the next wave of Twins prospects that fans could see at Target Field for the first time during the 2026 season. When do you think the top prospects could make their debuts? Who are some other names that I may have missed? Let’s go Twins! View full article

One comment I have made on Jenkins multiple times, is there is a lot more Joe Mauer in him than Justin Morneau when it comes to his hitting. He's still young so he can grow into more power for sure, and he's built for it, but a dangerous power hitter is not the guy I see when I watch him. He's hunting hits, not homers. Nothing wrong with that.

Image courtesy of William Parmeter Age: 25 (DOB: 1/10/2001) 2025 Stats (Double-A and Triple-A): 24 GS (24 G), 1-9, 4.03 ERA, .288 BAA, 1.51 WHIP, 98 K, 31 BB, 82 2/3 IP ETA: 2026 2025 Ranking: 10 National Top 100 Rankings: BA: 94 | FAN: NR | MLB: NR | ATH: NR | TJ: 75 | ESPN: 54 What’s to Like? Since bursting onto the college baseball scene as a 19-year-old true freshman with Alabama, Prielipp’s “stuff” has always been something to dream on. He debuted with four starts in the SEC that year facing 75 hitters over 21 innings. He struck out 35 of them (47%) and allowed just five hits and zero runs in those games. That was good for a 0.52 WHIP and 15.0/9IP strikeout rate that vaulted him into future #1 overall pick conversations. We all know how that came crashing down the next season via Tommy John surgery, but it was still enough for the Minnesota Twins to bet their second-round pick on that “stuff” in the 2022 draft as he recovered. His arsenal includes a mid 90’s fastball that topped out at 98 MPH in pitches tracked with the St. Paul Saints in 2025, a plus slider that can touch 90 and has elite spin rates, and a changeup that generated a 62% whiff rate. He also mixes in a sinker and is toying with a new curveball this spring, but it’s those three plus-pitches coming from a lefty that could remind Twins fans of names like Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano. What’s Left to Work On? In addition to the elbow work Prielipp went through in college, he also had to have a second surgery during the 2023 season after making just a pair of appearances to kick off his professional career. He returned in time to pitch 23 1/3 innings at the end of the 2024 season, but simply staying healthy has been a monumental hurdle for him to overcome. The good news is Prielipp did so during the 2025 season, to the tune of 82 2/3 innings with Wichita and St. Paul. Those were 24 more than his total from all five of his college and pro seasons combined before then. He simply still needs innings to develop and re-harness those electric pitches. His walk rate with the Saints last year more than doubled what he had done with the Wind Surge, and he did give up plenty of hits in between the strikeouts. While his ERA landed above 4.00 on the year, his FIP came in about a half-run lower, suggesting some further improved command can pay dividends on the results. What to Look For in 2026? Prielipp has commented this spring that he’s going to be built up as a starter, so while it was fun to think of him as a possibility among the bullpen competition, he looks set to open the year in the Saints rotation. This is the right call for his future and where he is at his development. Going every five days and throwing plenty of pitches is how he’ll get to where the Twins and fans want to see. But I’ve also said in the past because of his injury history, he might just be a prime candidate to start his professional career much like one of those guys I made the “stuff” comparison to earlier. It is very likely Prielipp could be starting games on the mound at Target Field this season with the Twins. But the further into the summer any debut is pushed, the more likely it becomes he breaks into the majors in a reliever role as there will likely still be a clear limit to his innings. Getting his feet wet in the majors the same way Johan Santana did could allow him to both impact more major league games and provide him some runway to be unleashed as an impact starter in future seasons. Blossoming into a closer like another lefty in Glen Perkins is an appealing outcome, too. When you have the pure “stuff” that Prielipp does, you certainly have options. View full article

I'm not too worried about Houston adding any power. If he can get on base and put up an OPS around .700 or league-average-ish, there will be plenty of value via his defense. Let him be who he is.

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Game Results: Monday, 11/10 | Peoria 2, Surprise 1 (7 innings) Tuesday, 11/11 | Peoria 3, Mesa 5 (7 innings) Wednesday, 11/12 - Division Series Playoff Game | Glendale 7, Peoria 8 Thursday, 11/13 - AFL Play-in Semifinals | Peoria 9, Scottsdale 4 Friday, 11/14 - AFL Championship | Peoria 4, Surprise 9 While Peoria finished the season with a 12-15 record that was good for fourth in the overall standings, with the changes to how the AFL playoffs function, they still had a chance—just like everybody else. They took advantage of it. Peoria scored four runs late in Wednesday's playoff opener to steal the game from the Glendale Desert Dogs. On Thursday, against the league-leading Scottsdale Scorpions, they kept that momentum going, building a 4-0 lead early and pulling away in the middle frames to reach the AFL Championship. Twins farmhand Miguelangel Boadas took the mound for Peoria against Surprise on Friday, with the coveted AFL banner on the line. He did his part and then some over the first three innings. The team took a 4-2 lead into the eighth inning, but that’s where it fell apart for the rest of their pitching staff. Maybe one or two more of the Twins players should have gotten the ball. The Saguaros stormed into the lead with a 7-run inning, and the title hopes of your Twins prospects were dashed. (I will note that the “overall” numbers shown below do not include the Javelinas' three playoff games, but they are included in the weekly numbers.) OF Hendry Mendez Week (did not play) Overall: .300/.391/.500 Outfielder Hendry Mendez had to leave the AFL to attend to a personal matter all the way back in week 2, and was not able to return. He had made the start in the outfield in five games for the Javelinas, and had at least one hit in all of them. He also hit the first home run in the league, all the way back on Opening Day. While many speculated that Mendez would see time at first base during the AFL season, that opportunity never came up. He hit .299/.399/.439 in Double A with the Phillies and Twins organizations in 2025, and with 118 games under his belt at that level, he should debut with the St. Paul Saints to start 2026. IF Brandon Winokur Week (5 games): 5-for-18, 2 R, 3 2B, RBI, BB, 6 K Overall (21 games): .192/.277/.315, 10 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 9 BB, 19 K, 2 SB Winokur played in all five of Peoria's games in the final week, and did some damage with the balls he put in play. He played third base in every game, batting in the bottom third of the lineup. His lone RBI came on Tuesday, when he drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning that put the Javelinas up by one. In their first-round playoff matchup, he finished 2-for-4 with a double and scored two runs. He added another double in their semifinal win on Thursday, helping them to jump out to a 4-0 lead after two innings. In the championship game, his single in the top of the sixth loaded the bases, and a groundout from the next batter put them ahead 4-0 at the time. While Winokur’s overall numbers may not jump off the page in the AFL or at the lower levels of the minors thus far, I’ve been impressed by his abilities in big moments. He has every athletic tool imaginable as well, so I wouldn’t count out a breakout in 2026 with the Wind Surge. IF Billy Amick Week (1 game): 0-for-3, 2 K Overall (11 games): .033/.293/.033, R, 8 BB, 20 K Amick got his final action of the season in the Javelinas' final game of the regular season, batting ninth and playing first base on Tuesday. He was called out on strikes in his first at-bat and flew out to right in his second. After Winokur had drawn his bases-loaded walk to put Peoria in front, Amick had a chance to break the game open in the top of the sixth. Instead, he went down looking again. While I’m sure Amick never wants to see the playing fields of Arizona again, his 2025 season was a very successful one with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. His WRC+ of 152 ranked fourth in the Midwest League among players with at least 240 plate appearances. You might also be surprised to learn that he sits right ahead of breakout shortstop prospect Kaelen Culpepper on that leaderboard, who finished at 147 with the Kernels. RHP Miguel Boadas Week (1 start): 3 IP, 2 H, 4 K Overall (4 appearances): 1-0, 1.54 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .158 BAA, 9 BB, 8 K (11 2/3 IP) Boadas finished a very successful return to the mound in the AFL by making the start for the Javelinas in the AFL Championship game. He delivered. After Peoria had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Boadas took the mound and struck out the side in the bottom half, inducing seven swings and misses in the frame. With a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second, he got the first two outs (including another strikeout) before allowing a pair of singles. He induced a grounder to escape that rally unscathed. In his final frame, he got all three hitters to ground out for another 1-2-3 inning. He breezed through the Saguaros on 45 pitches, with 30 going for strikes (67%) and 10 total whiffs. He topped out at 97.8 MPH with his fastball and had the Javelinas in great position for an upset after three frames. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. Boadas was definitely the star of the AFL when it comes to Twins prospects. While you might look at the strikeout-to-walk ratio and say “hold on,” these were stats from a guy who had not been on a mound in well over a year. Boadas showed excellent stuff, with a sinking fastball in the 95-98 MPH range, a cutter that got weak contact, and a slider that picked up whiffs at a good clip. He should be on everyone’s radar going into the 2026 season, and I’m sure he was on the short list of candidates to take home the Breakout Player of the Year award. LHP Zander Sechrist Week (1 appearance): 1/3 IP, H Overall (7 appearances): 0-0, 2.45 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, .240 BAA, 4 BB, 6 K (7 1/3 IP) Sechrist was given a hard assignment in his lone appearance during the week, coming in with runners on second and third base with two outs after the Solar Sox had just taken a 4-3 lead. Although they added one more run on the infield single he gave up, they also caught the other runner napping around third, so he got out of the inning by facing just one batter. The undrafted lefty may not have the big fastball that gets pitching prospects noticed, but he is also a legend at the University of Tennessee. His dominant pitching throughout the College World Series helped propel them to the national title in 2024, and I love guys who succeed by throwing nothing but “junk” that gives hitters fits. RHP Dylan Questad Week (did not pitch) Overall (5 appearances): 0-1, 15.19 ERA, 3.38 WHIP, .238 BAA, 13 BB, 5 K (5 1/3 IP) The right-hander was not called upon to pitch during the season's final week, including during any of the Javelinas' playoff games. It’s a bit hard to be trusted while walking nearly three hitters per inning, which is something the Wisconsin native will have to work on. With the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels in 2025, Questad had a nice strikeout rate of 10.0 per nine innings, but paired that with 7.5 walks per nine. RHP Jakob Hall Week (1 appearance): 1 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 K Overall (7 appearances): 0-2, 10.13 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, .400 BAA, BB, 6 K (8 IP) While Sechrist was the pitcher who had to clean up a mess on Tuesday against the Solar Sox, it was Hall who had gotten them into it. He came into the game to begin the fifth inning with the score 2-2, and set Mesa down in order, needing just eight pitches to do so. Back out for the sixth, he gave up a leadoff single, but struck out the next two hitters to put himself back in control. But then a single, a single, and a double put the Solar Sox in front for good and ended his outing. The Twins' 8th-round pick in the 2024 draft from Oral Roberts University, Hall also isn’t known for big velocity, but he does get some swings and misses on his breaking stuff and limits walks. He pitched 54 innings with the Mighty Mussels in 2025, but will need to put away more hitters while moving up, as that came with a 6.83 ERA. RHP Hunter Hoopes Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, 3 K Overall (7 appearances): 0-2, 10.13 ERA, 2.13 WHIP, .273 BAA, 8 BB, 10 K (8 IP) Hoopes’s one appearance during the final week was electric, as he came on to protect a 2-1 Javelinas lead in the bottom of the sixth inning of a seven-inning contest. He struck out all three hitters he faced swinging, inducing four swings and misses total among his 15 pitches (10 for strikes). All three of the knockout pitches were changeups. After signing with the Twins midsummer in 2024, Hoopes pitched in relief at three different levels during the 2025 season. He was barely hittable with the Mighty Mussels (0.95 WHIP) and even less hittable with the Kernels (0.64 WHIP), before finally having some trouble in Double A with the Wind Surge (1.21 WHIP). He should be a big piece of the Wichita bullpen to begin the 2026 season. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

Definitely some command problems to work through in there. But that is also almost always an issue for guys returning from TJ surgery and the long layoff that he had. What I am more impressed by, is the limiting of damage when the command has been off, because of the "stuff" he has been throwing. 94-98 MPH with his heavy sinker. 87-91 Cutter. Lower 80's slider. I think the Twins believe in the stuff.

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Game Results: Tuesday, 11/4 | Peoria 0, Glendale 7 Wednesday, 11/5 | Peoria 3, Salt River 4 Thursday, 11/6 | Glendale 11, Peoria 0 Friday, 11/7 | Mesa 0, Peoria 3 Sunday, 11/9 | Fall Stars Game: National League 4, American League 5 Minnesota Twins prospects and the Peoria Javelinas had a bit of a rough go in week 5, finishing 1-3 in their four games, and being shut out in two of them. That means they headed into the “Fall Stars” weekend with an 11-14 overall record, good for fourth in the standings. The all-star weekend in this circuit includes a home run derby, which Kala’i Rosario of the Twins has won in the past, as well as the NL vs. AL game for which the top prospects on lists get showcased along with some of the league’s best performers. Royce Lewis was also named the MVP of this game in the past, before taking home the same honor for the league as a whole all the way back in 2019. The Twins did have a participant in this year’s showcase game, but once again none of their players appeared amongst the top performers of the week. Twins prospects will have one more week to make their mark before the AFL playoffs commence next weekend. Unlike prior years, all six teams will be participating in the playoff tournament, with the top two teams receiving a first round bye week. OF Hendry Mendez Week (did not play) Overall: .300/.391/.500 (.891 OPS) Outfielder Hendry Mendez has not been playing in AFL games since week two due to a personal matter, and it is uncertain if he will be able to come back before the season is over. Mendez had appeared in five games for the Javelinas and had at least one hit in each of them, including a home run. IF Brandon Winokur Week (3 games): 1-for-9, 2B, RBI, BB, K, SB (2) Overall: .191/.273/.309 (.582 OPS) Winokur once again led the way for Twins prospects during the week, getting the start in three games. He played shortstop twice and third base once, batting seventh in the lineup each time. While being shutout by Glendale on Tuesday, Peoria managed just two hits and five walks as a team, finishing 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Winokur drew one of those walks after challenging a pitch, then also stole his second base of the season. A few batters later, he was forced out at home and the Javelinas wouldn’t get another chance the rest of the game. The lone hit of the week for the big right-hander came in Thursday’s second shutout of the Javelinas by the Desert Dogs on the week, as his double to lead off the fifth inning was his second of the season, and the last hit Peoria would muster on the day. Though he finished 0-for-4 on Friday, he drove in one of his team's runs with a groundout in the bottom of the sixth that made the 3-0 final in Peoria’s lone win. IF Billy Amick Week (1 game): 0-for-2, BB, 2 K Overall: .037/.316/.037 (.353 OPS) Amick served as the designated hitter in Thursday’s 11-0 loss to the Desert Dogs, batting ninth, and finished 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts. On the positive side, he drew one of the team’s four walks on the day after Winokur’s double in the sixth and would end up in scoring position, but got left stranded. RHP Miguelangel Boadas Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, BB, 2 K Overall: 1-0, 1.54 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .158 BAA, 9 BB, 8 K (11 2/3 IP) Boadas’ lone appearance of the week came in the Fall Star’s game on Saturday. So while his outing won’t be included in his season long numbers shown above, he continued to perform admirably. With the score 4-1 in favor of the American League team, Boadas came on to pitch the top of the seventh inning. While he walked the leadoff man on just four pitches, he came right back and struck out the next hitter on a slider at the top of the zone. After four pitches were fouled back on the next hitter, including a 98.2 MPH fastball, he buried a slider away for a swing-and-miss and another strikeout. His catcher then threw a runner out a second to end the inning with a double-play. LHP Zander Sechrist Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, H, R (0 ER), BB, K Overall: 0-0, 2.57 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .208 BAA, 4 BB, 6 K (7 IP) Sechrist got in one inning of work in Tuesday’s loss to Glendale, pitching the seventh inning in a game already out of reach for his team. An error from Winokur at shortstop put the leadoff man on base who would come around to score after a walk and a single. With two outs and runners on second and third, Sechrist got out of the inning without any further damage by picking up a swinging strikeout. RHP Dylan Questad Week (1 appearance): 2 IP, H, 3 BB, K Overall: 0-1, 15.19 ERA, 3.38 WHIP, .238 BAA, 13 BB, 5 K (5 1/3 IP) Questad was the first reliever summoned for the Javelinas in Friday’s 3-0 win over Mesa. He began the top of the third inning and worked around a two-out single and a walk for a scoreless inning. Back out for the fourth he again had a couple baserunners after issuing a pair of two-out walks, but recovered to finish his scoreless outing with a three-pitch strikeout. RHP Jakob Hall Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER Overall: 0-1, 8.53 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, .385 BAA, BB, 4 K (6 1/3 IP) After two scoreless innings from their starting pitching on Tuesday, Hall came on to start the third and ended up being charged with the loss as he gave up a pair of runs. His frame went groundout, single, single, double and also had a couple of wild pitches that lead to a 2-0 Desert Dogs lead. He got the final two hitters on a groundout and strikeout to end his appearance. RHP Hunter Hoopes Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, ER, 3 BB Overall: 0-2, 11.57 ERA, 2.43 WHIP, .300 BAA, 8 BB, 7 K (7 IP) Hoopes finished off the first of the Javelinas shutout losses on Tuesday, pitching the eighth inning. For Twins pitchers, it was again a “walks will haunt” scenario as his three free passes allowed a Glendale run to come home on a groundout to make the final score. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

By results yes I agree, but at least there is some relative talent there from the Twins this season. Last few years were severely lacking in that regard. Mendez being away has definitely been a bummer.