Steve Lein

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Game Results: Tuesday, 10/28 | Salt River 1, Peoria 9 Wednesday, 10/29 | Peoria 10, Salt River 1 (7 innings) Thursday, 10/30 | Surprise 0, Peoria 0 Friday, 10/31 | Peoria 3, Glendale 6 (7 innings) Saturday, 11/1 | Peoria 4, Surprise 6 Sunday, 11/2 | Peoria 1, Scottsdale 4 The Peoria Javelinas and some of your favorite Minnesota Twins prospects opened week four of the Arizona Fall League season by blowing the Salt River Rafters out in two straight games. Their momentum quickly hit a wall, however, as a nil-nil tie on Thursday gave way to three consecutive losses to end the week. They sit at 10-11-1 after week four, in fourth place in the standings, a half-game back of third. It was a light week for Twins prospects as a whole, outside of Brandon Winokur, who got the start in four of six games. Each of the Twins pitchers made only a single appearance, and Billy Amick made just one start, though it included getting off the schneid. Once again, there is no Twins player among the standout performers of the AFL in week 4, but there were still some notable moments—good and bad—from the Twins contingent. OF Hendry Mendez Week (did not play) Overall: .300/.391/.500 (.891 OPS) While there is some good news (in that Mendez has not been missing AFL games due to an injury, but instead a personal matter), he has not yet returned to Arizona. It's unclear whether he will be able to do so. Mendez had collected a hit in each of his five games, including the first home run of the season across the league, so even if he doesn’t get back, it was a successful small sample for the outfielder. IF Brandon Winokur Week (4 games): 3-for-14, 2 R, HR (2), 2 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K Overall: .203/.284/.322 (.606 OPS) Winokur continues to get the most run of any of the Twins prospects, as he played in two-thirds of the Javelinas' games on the week, splitting his time between third base and shortstop. He even moved himself up into the “middle” of their lineup, batting sixth in his last two games. After hitting his first AFL home run last week, Winokur started this one by hitting his second bomb in his first at-bat on Tuesday against Salt River. That was his only hit of the game, and he also grounded into two double plays, but his homer was the initial spark to lead Peoria to a 9-1 win. In a near-repeat the following day, the Javelinas beat the Rafters again, this time by a score of 10-1. It was largely because of a big first inning that included five walks, three singles, a double, and a sac fly for an early 6-0 lead. Winokur drew one of those walks, and was the final run of the inning to score. In Friday’s loss to Glendale, Winokur led off the fourth inning with a single and was on third base with nobody out, but ended up being stranded. He finished 1-for-3. He finished his week on Saturday, playing a part in the Javelinas taking a 1-0 lead after the top of the first. With the bases loaded and two outs, he drew a walk to push that run across. Peoria was behind 6-2 when the ninth inning started, but three more walks and a two-run single got them within two. Winokur then delivered a two-out single to load the bases, but the next batter grounded out to end the game. IF Billy Amick Week (1 game): 1-for-3, BB, 2 K Overall: .040/.314/.040 (.354 OPS) I’m going to admit something about my amateur baseball playing career, in an effort to make Billy Amick’s AFL season seem a bit less disastrous than it actually has been: I once started a Minnesota Town Ball season 0-for-40-something. I think it was 47, but I like to forget that fact. Anyway, I also finished the rest of that season something like 10-for-20. Once I got that first hit out of the way, they came in bunches. So I guess what I’m saying is, don’t put too much stock into Amick’s numbers in the AFL after the great regular season he had with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, hitting .310/.418/.455 in 56 games. Besides, he got that first hit out of the way this week! Amick got the start at first base in Thursday’s 0-0 tie against the Surprise Saguaros. The matchup was a pitching duel, as the teams combined to finish 10-for-60 (hey, pretty close to my bad season…) in the game. In case you’re wondering, Amick’s single to lead off the bottom of the third meant he finished 1-for-3. He also added a walk, so he reached base in half of his plate appearances for the week. Let's hope he can keep that momentum in week five! RHP Miguelangel Boadas Week (1 appearance): 1 2/3 IP, R (0 ER), 3 BB, 2 K Overall: 1-0, 1.54 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .158 BAA, 9 BB, 8 K (11 2/3 IP) Boadas has perhaps been the top story among Twins prospects playing in the AFL, as he hadn’t pitched in a game since the middle of the 2024 season before coming to Arizona. He has been working as a “bulk” reliever for the Javelinas, and that was likely the plan again when he came on to begin the fourth inning on Saturday against the Saguaros. The score was 3-1 Surprise at the time, and after a leadoff walk, he retired the next three hitters for a scoreless frame. In the bottom of the fifth, he struck out the first two hitters, before throwing eight straight balls for a pair of walks that ended his outing. One of those runners would end up scoring for an unearned run on his ledger, as a double-steal attempt included an error at third base, allowing the runner to scamper home. Boadas topped out at 97.6 MPH in this appearance, with 23 of his 43 pitches going for strikes (53%) (including four whiffs), but he wasn’t particularly close to the strike zone on those last eight pitches. LHP Zander Sechrist Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, BB, K Overall: 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, .211 BAA, 3 BB, 5 K (6 IP) The soft-tossing lefty’s lone appearance of the week came in Thursday’s scoreless tie against Surprise. He was the first reliever summoned by Peoria for the top of the fourth inning. While he issued a one-out walk, he worked with his catcher to get a strike-’em-out, throw-’em-out double-play to end his inning in scoreless fashion. RHP Dylan Questad Week (1 appearance): 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB Overall: 0-1, 24.30 ERA, 4.20 WHIP, .286 BAA, 10 BB, 4 K (3 1/3 IP) Whether Questad was slotted in as the starter on Friday, or just the opener of a bullpen game, it wouldn’t have mattered too much. Peoria had scored a run in the top of the first for the early lead, but Questad wasn’t able to get out of the bottom half. He walked the leadoff man (who then stole second and third) before a groundout tied the game at 1-1. The next three hitters went single, single, walk, to load the bases before Questad was lifted. Of his 22 pitches, only eight went for strikes (36%). A sacrifice fly followed his exit, resulting in the two earned runs allowed. In positive news, the Wisconsin native celebrated his 21st birthday on Sunday, so happy birthday, Dylan! RHP Jakob Hall Week (1 appearance): 1 2/3 IP, H, 2 K Overall: 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .350 BAA (5 1/3 IP) Hall was the pitcher to come on and take over in the first inning after Questad’s start on Friday. He gave up the sac fly that put Glendale in front 2-1, but got the next hitter on a grounder to end the inning. Back out for the second, he struck out the first batter and worked around a two-out single with another punchout, to finish a solid 1 2/3 innings. He needed just 23 pitches to record his five outs, with 14 of them going for strikes (61%), including five swinging. RHP Hunter Hoopes Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, BB, K Overall: 0-2, 12.00 ERA, 2.33 WHIP, .333 BAA, 5 BB, 7 K (6 IP) After being saddled with a loss last week, Hoopes had the same fate this week, with his lone appearance coming in Friday’s 6-3 loss to Glendale. After Questad and Hall had gone the first two innings, Hoopes came on to start the third with the score tied 2-2. The first three hitters reached base (walk, single, single) to load the bases before he got his first out with a called third strike. But that was followed by a bases-clearing double to put the Desert Dogs in control, 5-2. He got a groundout and a flyout to end the inning, but in between, he allowed another RBI single to account for Glendale’s sixth and final run that would hold up. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

I don't dislike the Derek Shelton hire. It's not really inspiring or all that exciting, but who exactly do we all think the Twins were going to be able to get given their very public ownership, front office, roster, and payroll preferences/issues? Did you really think Falvey was going to hire someone with a different philosophy or new-age opinions that didn't fit with his "Twins quality manual" of SOP's? This organization has been run like robot AI on and off the field ever since Falvey came here. There was never going to be a John Connor coming to upset that present or future reality, IMO. Haha.

Source? I have been looking for any news along these lines and haven't seen anything.

Image courtesy of David Malamut (photo of Brandon Winokur) Game Results: Tuesday, 10/21 | Game 1: Scottsdale 5, Peoria 1 (7 innings) Tuesday, 10/21 | Game 2: Scottsdale 4, Peoria 8 (7 innings) Wednesday, 10/22 | Glendale 6, Peoria 10 Thursday, 10/23 | Scottsdale 12, Peoria 3 (7 innings) Saturday, 10/25 | Peoria 11, Glendale 2 Sunday, 10/26 | Peoria 2, Surprise 3 Minnesota Twins prospects and the Peoria Javelinas continued week three of the Arizona Fall League by hovering around the .500 mark, sitting at 8-8 and in third place in the standings at the halfway point. They opened the week by splitting a doubleheader with the Scottsdale Scorpions, then traded wins and losses the rest of the week. It was a bit of a rough one for the Twins contingent when it came to overall performances, so again they won’t appear among the top performers in week 3. But one infielder played in five of their six games, hitting his first AFL home run, and a pitcher continued to take advantage of his opportunity with another strong outing. OF Hendry Mendez Week (did not play) Overall: .300/.391/.500 (.891 OPS) While there has been no news about if Hendry Mendez is injured or otherwise occupied, he did not appear in any games during the week after a strong start with at least one hit in all five of his games thus far. He was pinch hit for relatively early in a game last week after picking up a single in two at-bats, which seemed to point toward something physical, but it didn’t seem noteworthy when he was back in action two days later and played a full game. But that’s the last time he’s been seen for in-game action. If Twins Daily is able to verify any information on why he has been missing, we will be sure to pass it along! IF Brandon Winokur Week (5 games): 3-for-16, 3 R, 2B, HR (1), 4 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K Overall: .200/.275/.289 (.564 OPS) While he may not be picking up hits in bunches, Winokur sure seems to know how to make them count. In Wednesday’s 10-6 win over the Glendale Desert Dogs, Winokur got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning. The first two batters went down swinging, but luckily for the Javelinas the second one ended up on first base due to wild pitch. The 6-foot-6 slugger made them pay, turning on a low and inside fastball that made it 2-0. Later in the bottom of the fifth Winokur again put a good swing on the ball, but this one only was able to go far enough into center field for a sacrifice fly that put the Javelinas up by four. He finished this game 1-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored, the home run, and three RBI. Later in the week on Saturday Winokur’s two-out-RBI-double in the top of the fifth capped off a five-run inning that allowed Peoria to take control of the game. The infielder hit toward the bottom of the Javelinas lineup in every game of the week except the last one, where he moved up to fifth, and spent three games at shortstop and two at third base. IF Billy Amick Week (3 games): 0-for-8, R, 3 BB, 6 K Overall: .000/.290/.000 (.290 OPS) The quest for Amick’s first hit of the AFL season continues, but despite that he did have a nice line in the second game of their doubleheader on Tuesday. Batting eighth and playing third base, he drew two walks in three at-bats. One of those to led off the fourth inning, and he scored the first run of a five-run frame on a double from Ethan Anderson a few batters later. Amick played first base in his two other games during the week, but as you can see in the stat line, having trouble even putting the ball in play continues to hold him back. It’s frankly been a bit surprising, as it is the opposite of how he reshaped that image of him with the Cedar Rapids Kernels this season where he hit .310/.418/.455. RHP Miguelangel Boadas Week (1 appearance): W, 4 IP, H, 0 R, BB, K Overall: 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .182 BAA, 6 BB, 6 K (10 IP) The right-hander once again took the mound in the middle of the game for his lone appearance of the week but pitched a large chunk of it. He came into Saturday’s game for the bottom of the fourth inning with the score tied at one. By the time he was done his squad was up 11-1, and he took home his first win of the season for his four-inning effort. He had one-two-three frames in each of the fourth and seventh and induced a double-play ball in the fifth to only face three hitters after giving up a leadoff single. The Desert Dogs’ lone other baserunner against him was a two-out walk in the sixth. Boadas threw 53 pitches in the outing, with 34 going for strikes (64%), and he topped out at 97.2 MPH with his fastball. Boadas missed a large portion of the 2024 season and all of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, so his work in the AFL so far should be pretty eye opening as it is the first time back on the mound for him since then. HP Hunter Hoopes Week (2 appearances): 2 IP, 5 H, 5 R (4 ER), 2 BB, K Overall: 0-1, 7.20 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, .250 BAA, 4 BB, 6 K (5 IP) Hoopes finally ran into some trouble out in Arizona, and as a result his stat line which was full of zeroes last week now looks a bit more unsightly. In game one of their doubleheader on Tuesday, Hoopes began the top of the fourth with Peoria in front 1-0 after their starter went the first three innings. When it was over the Scorpions had taken a 4-1 lead. Before he was able to record an out, he had loaded the bases (single, walk, HBP) and allowed the Scorpions first run of the game on an RBI single. Another two-run single gave the Scorpions their four runs, but on a positive note he picked up his lone strikeout of the week against #2 overall prospect Kevin McGonigle, who whiffed at consecutive changeups to go down swinging. Back at it on Saturday to follow Boadas, Hoopes allowed one of the Desert Dogs two runs on a solo home run from the leadoff man in the eighth. He proceeded to walk one and allow a single but came out without any further damage by getting a pair of flyouts to end the inning. RHP Jakob Hall Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, H, K Overall: 0-0, 9.82 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, .333 BAA (3 2/3 IP) Hall’s lone appearance of the week also came in the Javelinas blowout of the Desert Dogs on Saturday, as the first reliever of the game in the third inning. He allowed a leadoff single, and his defense committed an error behind him, but he was able to work around it for a scoreless inning as they caught a runner stealing and he picked up a timely strikeout. LHP Zander Sechrist Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, 2 H, ER Overall: 0-0, 3.60 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .235 BAA, 2 BB, 4 K (5 IP) The lefty out of Tennessee made his lone appearance of the week in Wednesday’s 10-6 win over Glendale. After Peoria’s starter went the first three scoreless innings but then walked the first three batters of the fourth, Sechrist came on in a bad situation with the bases loaded and nobody out. He got the first out on a sacrifice fly, but then a three-run homer put the Desert Dogs in front and resulted in a blown save and earned run on his own ledger. He also gave up a two-out single before getting out of the inning, but thankfully his team was able to come back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth, and they wouldn’t look back. RHP Dylan Questad Week (1 appearance): 1 1/3 IP, H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K Overall: 0-1, 21.00 ERA, 3.33 WHIP, .182 BAA, 8 BB, 4 K (3 IP) Questad fared much the same as Hoopes and Sechrist recapped before him, as his lone outing of the week included a bunch of earned runs as he had some trouble finding the strike zone. The game was at least already out of hand for Peoria when he came on in the sixth inning with the score 8-2 in favor of Scottsdale. He worked around a single with a pair of strikeouts for a scoreless first inning, but four walks in the seventh pushed one run across before he was lifted. All of those runners would end up scoring to make the 12-3 final, so Questad will look to build on the three strikeouts he picked up heading into week four. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

Morris would be toward the top of my list for pitchers to transition into the bullpen. While I agree there was some "unlucky" in his outings this year, he was also very hittable at times and things went bad quickly when they did. His WHIP was outstanding in 2024, but backed up considerably in 2025 at the higher levels. I view him very similarly to how I did Louie Varland, for an off-hand comparison.

Probably a waste of his overall athleticism, but I personally wouldn't rule it out based only on that, either.

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (Photo of Hunter Hoopes) Game Results: Monday, 10/14 | Scottsdale 9, Peoria 5 Wednesday, 10/15 | Glendale 6, Peoria 4 Thursday, 10/16 | Peoria 6, Mesa 2 Friday, 10/17 | Peoria 11, Salt River 4 Saturday, 10/18 | Salt River 7, Peoria 5 (7 innings) Sunday, 10/19 | Mesa 12, Peoria 6 After finishing week one with a 3-1 record, the Peoria Javelinas looked to continue their early success as a team in week two, but the wins were harder to come by. They lost the first two games of the week to fall to .500, before bouncing back with a pair of convincing wins by a combined score of 17-6. But as is common out in the desert, that was followed by another two-game losing streak. They finished week two with an even 5-5 record. They're now tied for third in the standings, first in ERA as a pitching staff (4.75), and fourth in OPS (.767) out of the six teams. Before getting to the Twins prospects, take a look at the top performers of the week according to MLB.com and get to know a few of the standouts that are your favorite prospect’s competition out in Arizona. While none of the Twins players show up on that list, one of them has collected at least one hit in each of his games so far; another came up with a timely knock in multiple clutch situations; and one pitcher put together a dominating multi-inning relief appearance. OF Hendry Mendez Week (2 games): 3-for-7, R, 2B (1), RBI, BB, K Overall: .300/.391/.500 While Mendez only got action in two games during the week, he continued his successes of Week 1 by extending his AFL hitting streak to his first five games. He made one start in right field, and one in left. In Wednesday’s loss to Glendale, Mendez batted third in the lineup. His single in the bottom of the third put a runner in scoring position who would later score to make it 3-1 in favor of Peoria. For unknown reasons, Mendez would end up being pinch-hit for in the bottom of the fifth, so he finished 1-for-2. His only other action of the week came in Friday’s win over Salt River. Taking over the leadoff spot, Mendez picked up two hits and a walk in five plate appearances, including his first AFL double. His RBI single in the fifth made the score 8-3 Javelinas. IF Billy Amick Week (3 games): 0-for-9, BB, 3 K Overall: .000/.300/.000 Amick is still looking for his first hit in AFL play and has continued to split his time at the infield corners, playing two games at first and one at third in Week 2. He batted at the bottom of the Peoria lineup. In addition to the one walk he drew in Friday’s win, Amick was also hit by pitches multiple times. So despite the “0-fer” in his three games, he did reach base three times in 12 total plate appearances. While I’m sure this has been a frustrating first two weeks for the slugger, things can turn around quickly in this small-sample-size season. No reason to write anything off yet. IF Brandon Winokur Week (4 games): 3-for-16, R, 4 RBI, BB, 2 K, SB (1) Overall: .207/.281/.207 Winokur made the start in four of the Javelinas' six games on the week, spending three of them at shortstop and one of them at third base. He’s been batting in the back half of the lineup, but finished the week hitting fifth on Sunday. While the three hits in 16 at-bats on the week don’t scream greatness, Winokur did make them count in the clutch. He racked up four RBIs with them. In Tuesday’s loss against Scottsdale, his two-out single in the bottom of the first made the score 5-4 Scorpions. In Friday’s win over Salt River, another two-out single scored Mendez (who had led off with his double) and Cam Collier to put the Javelinas up 4-0. In addition to those big hits, Winokur stole his first base of the season, but also committed three errors on defense during the week. LHP Zander Sechrist Week (2 appearances): 3 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K Overall: 0-0, 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .143 BAA, 2 BB, 4 K (4 IP) Sechrist pitched in two games last week, making his first appearance in the seventh inning on Wednesday with his team down 6-3. He held up his end of the bargain, pitching two scoreless innings, including a 1-2-3 seventh. His two-out walk in the eighth was his only baserunner allowed, while 12 of his 21 pitches went for strikes (57%). In Sunday’s loss to Mesa, Sechrist again came on for the seventh inning, with his team down 10-6. He got a pair of groundouts before a single and a walk got him into some trouble, but struck out the final hitter he faced to keep his week scoreless. Just like his first appearance, 12 of his 21 pitches in this one went for strikes (57%), while topping out at 87.6 MPH with the “unorthodox” pitching arsenal that made him a legend at Tennessee. RHP Miguelangel Boadas Week (1 appearance): 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K Overall: 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, .238 BAA, 5 BB, 5 K (6 IP) Boadas again worked as the “bulk” reliever in his lone appearance on the week, which came in Saturday’s loss to the Salt River Rafters. With the game tied 1-1, Boadas came on in the top of the third and would finish the fifth. In addition to three walks in his three innings, he also hit a pair of batters and allowed lone runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but the score was 5-3 going into the sixth. On the bright side, he did strike out top prospect Charlie Condon and induced a pair of double-play balls. Of his 44 total pitches, 25 went for strikes (57%). He induced seven swings and misses, and topped out at 96 MPH with his fastball. RHP Dylan Questad Week (1 appearance): 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 BB, K Overall: 0-1, 16.20 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, .167 BAA, 4 BB, K (1 2/3 IP) Questad came on for the final inning of Peoria’s matchup with Salt River on Saturday, with his team up 5-3. He got the first two outs, including a strikeout, before catastrophe happened. Twelve of his next 16 pitches went for balls, and the bases were suddenly loaded for the Rafters. With the game on the line, Questad was removed while responsible for all of them. They would all score, as two consecutive singles put the Rafters in front, and they’d add another insurance run to make the final in the game’s seven innings. RHP Jakob Hall Week (2 appearances): 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, K Overall: 0-0, 13.50 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, .364 BAA (2 2/3 IP) Hall’s first appearance of the week came out of nowhere, as he was the reliever summoned after starting pitcher Luis De Leon suffered an injury in the fifth inning of Thursday’s win over Mesa. Coming on cold and with runners on first and second, Hall gave up a sac fly to score Mesa’s first run of the game, but then picked up a groundout to escape any other damage. In Sunday’s blowout loss to Mesa, Hall came on for the fourth inning and worked around a one-out walk to deliver a scoreless frame. Back out for the fifth, it didn’t go nearly as well. Back-to-back singles to start it off were followed by a three-run home run to put the Javelinas down by five and end Hall’s outing. In an inning plus, he was charged with three earned runs on three hits and one walk, while striking out one. RHP Hunter Hoopes Week (1 appearance): 2 IP, BB, 4 K Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, .000 BAA, 2 BB, 5 K (3 IP) Hoopes was called upon for just one appearance on the week, but it was a multi-inning outing. With Peoria up 8-4 on Friday, Hoopes came on to begin the bottom of the seventh and capsized the Rafters for his two frames. He issued a one-out walk in the seventh, but followed it up by striking out the next two hitters to end his first inning. It was much of the same in the eighth, minus a free pass, as he retired all three hitters—including another two strikeouts—to punctuate his outing. Of his 31 pitches, 20 went for strikes (65%), with six of those being the swinging variety. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

I'm a veteran of this! Been doing this for 10+ years at Twins Daily, and many years elsewhere before then. I am a huge fan of the league! But that plays a bit into your question as well. Mendez is the closest to the majors, and I believe would be Rule 5 eligible this year, but is almost certain to be protected I would think. The Twins have definitely adopted a different approach to who they send to the league over the last few years, and specifically with the Falvey regime. The top prospects close to the majors used to always be sent. Byron Buxton, Mitch Garver (twice), Max Kepler (twice), Royce Lewis... 5 years ago I would have thought Walker Jenkins would have been a lock after his 2025 season, but no longer. That being said, I like the group of hitters that is there this year. The pitchers also have a chance to make a name for themselves, and make up some innings in some cases. There are definitely a lot of teams who still act this way and treat the league as a bit of a proving ground. I mentioned a few of them. That said, I would definitely say teams across the league have an aversion to sending such pitchers. Andrew Painter was in the league last year, but he was also needing to make up innings when finally healthy.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Game Results: Monday, 10/6 | Peoria 4, Scottsdale 3 Wednesday, 10/8 | Peoria 8, Mesa 6 (10 innings) Thursday, 10/9 | Surprise 7, Peoria 2 Friday, 10/10 | Salt River 1, Peoria 15 Saturday, 10/11 | All games postponed Sunday, 10/12 | All games cancelled Minnesota Twins prospects are playing for the Peoria Javelinas during the 2025 Arizona Fall League season, alongside fellow prospects from the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and San Diego Padres organizations. St. Paul Saints hitting (and first base) coach Danny Marcuzzo is also part of the coaching staff. Along with Brandon Winokur, other top prospects on the Javelina’s roster from these teams include outfielder Jonny Farmelo (Mariners), outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. (Orioles), catcher Alfredo Dunn (Reds), and catcher/first baseman Lamar King Jr. (Padres). Farmelo (#65) and Dunn (#42) reside in MLB.com’s top 100. Other big names in the circuit for the 2025 season include shortstop Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers (#2), shortstop Sebastian Walcott of the Texas Rangers (#6), and outfielder Josue De Paula of the Los Angeles Dodgers (#13). So, like nearly every year, there is plenty of hitting talent ready to step into batters' boxes out in the desert. The Javelinas got off to a solid start, finishing 3-1 in their four games during the first week, good for second in the overall standings. They kicked off the entire AFL campaign last Monday, by defeating the Scottsdale Scorpions 7-1 thanks in part to the first home run in the league coming off the bat of a Twins prospect. They also took down the Mesa Solar Sox in extra innings before losing their first game on Thursday against the Surprise Saguaros, but rebounded in a big way to blow out the Salt River Rafters on Friday. In quirks of mother nature, the weekend's games were either postponed or cancelled, as Hurricane Priscilla turned into tropical storm level rains as it made landfall and passed over parts of southern California, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. While none of the Twins prospects got mentioned as “top performers” in Week 1, there were moments from a pair of hitters and nearly all of their pitching prospects took part in shutting down the Rafters to close the week. OF Hendry Mendez Week (3 games): 3-for-13, 5 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 BB, K, SB (1) Overall: .231/.333/.462 (.795 OPS) Mendez got the week started for the Javelinas in a big way, hitting the first home run from anyone during the AFL season in his first at-bat, to tie their Monday matchup against Scottsdale at 1-1 in the top of the second inning. In his three games on the week, Mendez spent two of them in left field, and one of them in right, batting sixth in the lineup in the opener, then cleanup in his final two games. He collected a hit in each of those three games on the week, and along with that AFL opening salvo scored three runs, including a steal of home on a double-swipe, in Friday’s 15-1 blowout win over Salt River. He finished that one 1-for-4, also drawing a pair of walks and reaching base on an error that also gave him credit for an RBI. IF Billy Amick Week (2 games): 0-for-5, 2 BB, 5 K Overall: .000/.375/.000 (.375 OPS) Amick would probably like to forget his first week out in the desert, as each of his outs in two games came on strikeouts, but his second game was much better than the first despite that stat-line quirk. In Monday’s league opener he batted fourth and played third base, but finished 0-for-4 with the dreaded golden sombrero. In Thursday’s loss to the Saguaros he played first base and batted eighth in the lineup, finishing 0-for-1 with a pair of walks compared to just one K. IF Brandon Winokur Week (3 games): 3-for-13, 4 R, 2 BB, 5 K Overall: .231/.333/.231 (.564 OPS) Like Amick, Winokur also had a rude introduction to competition in the AFL, finishing Monday’s win 0-for-4 with a regular sombrero, but rebounded in his next two games with three hits in nine at-bats while also walking twice. He played shortstop in two games and third base in the other, while batting sixth or seventh in the lineup. In Wednesday’s extra-inning win over Mesa, his single in the top of the 10th loaded the bases, and he eventually came home from third on a sac fly that made it 8-5 in favor of Peoria. His best game of the week came on Friday, as he finished 2-for-4 with two walks and matched Mendez by scoring three runs himself. Mariners top prospect Jonny Farmelo drove in him and two others with a bases clearing triple in the fifth that made the score 15-0. LHP Zander Sechrist Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, H, ER, 2 K Overall: 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .250 BAA, 2 K (1 IP) Sechrist was the first Twins pitcher to make an appearance on the week, as the first reliever summoned in Thursday’s tilt against Surprise. He was greeted quite rudely, as the third pitch of his outing was blasted out to right field by a fellow lefty, in Wuilfredo Antunez of the Cleveland Guardians. He didn’t let it affect him though, as he struck out the next two batters looking and got the other to ground out to finish strong. Of his 20 pitches, 15 went for strikes (75%) including a pair of swings and misses. RHP Miguelangel Boadas Week (1 appearance): 3 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .100 BAA, 2 BB, 3 K (3 IP) Boadas kicked off a train of four Twins pitchers who would close out the final six innings of their blowout of Salt River on Friday. He pitched the bulk of the game, finishing a team leading three innings, beginning with the top of the fourth. With his team already in front 7-0, he worked around a one-out walk and two-out double with a pair of strikeouts to keep the Rafters off the scoreboard. After his teammates extended that lead to 11-0 he pitched a clean fifth, walking one before closing out his outing with a one-two-three sixth, including a three-pitch and swinging strikeout of 2024’s third overall draft pick, Charlie Condon of the Colorado Rockies. Boades needed just 35 pitches to finish his three innings, with 20 of them going for strikes (57%), including six swings and misses, topping out at 96.2 MPH with his fastball. RHP Dylan Questad Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, H, BB Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, .250 BAA, BB (1 IP) Questad was the second Twins pitcher in Friday’s big win, coming on for the seventh against the bottom of the Rafters lineup. He got two quick outs before a walk and a single put a runner in scoring position, but induced a fly-ball to end his outing in scoreless fashion. He threw 26 pitches in the frame, with 14 going for strikes (54%), including a pair of swings and misses. RHP Jakob Hall Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, H, ER Overall: 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .250 BAA (1 IP) Hall was the next pitcher up in the top of the eighth, and with his team up by 15 runs was surely advised to just throw strikes. Unfortunately for him, the Rafters coaches probably told their hitters that would be the case, and the first pitch of his appearance was right down the middle, and subsequently taken deep for the Rafters lone run of the game. He remained committed to the plan however, retiring the next three hitters and needing just 10 pitches (six for strikes) to do so in his appearance. RHP Hunter Hoopes Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, BB, K Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .000 BAA, BB, K (1 IP) Twins Daily’s #4 MiLB Relief Pitcher of the Year came on to finish the Rafters off in the ninth on Friday to close out the Javelinas first week of the AFL season. His first four pitches resulted in two outs, including a strikeout, before he issued a two-out walk for his lone baserunner allowed in his AFL debut. He ended Salt River's misery by getting the final man to fly out to Mendez in left field, and put an exclamation point on week 1 of the AFL season. Hoopes threw 12 pitches, with seven of them going for strikes (59%) and his strikeout was the swinging variety on a 93 MPH fastball at the top of the zone. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

After watching this for multiple years in the minors, I am all for it. I am 100% against full robot umpires, as I think that takes some of the soul out of the game, but love the challenge stuff. It's entertaining for players, fans, and broadcasts. It is also very quick. I'd say the graphic is up within 5 seconds of challenging. There was a Saints game I went to last year, where in the final few innings both teams were challenging everything because the umpire was so bad. And they were able to, because the calls kept getting overturned. There was like 8 challenges in one inning between the teams, and only one was correct. It was hilarious. The fans and teams were just laughing at the ump, and you could tell he started to be embarrassed.

You are most welcome!!! As always, thanks for reading!!!

TRANSACTIONS With most of the affiliates season’s over, there were no transactions in the Twins system over the last two days. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Memphis 7 Box Score The last time Saints starter Andrew Morris had given up more than two runs in a game, is all the while back on June 12th. In his seven games since (including five starts), Morris has pitched to a 2.42 ERA with 32 K’s in 26 total innings. You can add another five innings with just a lone earned run to that streak as Morris continued to be excellent in this one. He retired the first nine he faced in this one before a leadoff single in the fourth finally gave the Redbirds a baserunner. A stolen base and a couple of fly balls got them their first run of the game to pull within one. The Saints were ahead at that point as DaShawn Keirsey Jr. led off the game with a double, and came around to score after singles from Gabriel Gonzalez and Kyler Fedko in the first. They added a second run in the fourth when Kyler Fedko and Jonah Bride each doubled. In the top of the sixth the Saints seemed to break it open. Walker Jenkins got it started with a one-out single, stole second bases, and then advanced to third on the error throw. Fedko and Payton Eeles followed with walks to load the bases, before Bride brought in the first run of the inning with an RBI single. Jose Miranda followed with a grounder toward third but the throw went awry allowing two to score for a 5-1 lead. Morris finished a scoreless fifth inning to end his outing. The Redbirds got just the one run against him, on just one hit and one walk. He struck out two and 48 of his 76 pitches went for strikes (63%). Big left-hander Christian MacLeod came on to start the sixth inning, but it quickly went pear-shaped. A leadoff walk and pair singles loaded the bases before he got an out on an RBI groundout. A sac fly made it 5-3, before Blaze Jordan clubbed his 27th home run of the season to tie it at five. A double and second home run followed for a 7-5 Memphis lead before MacLeod got out of the inning. In the top of the eighth Jenkins reached base as the leadoff man on an error, and Fedko followed with a single to put the tying runs on base. A wild pitch and a stolen base put them both in scoring position, but only Jenkins made it home on a grounder from Bride to make the final of 7-6. Jarret Whorff finished the final two innings for the Saints bullpen, allowing one hit and striking out two. On the hitting front Gonzalez (2-for-5, R, K), Fedko (3-for-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 SB), and Bride (2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI) each had a pair of hits. Jenkins finished 1-for-4 out of the third spot in the lineup, scored two runs, and stole his third base with the Saints. KERNELS NUGGETS Midwest League Championship Series Game 2: West Michigan 3, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score After going with Garrett Horn in game one against the Whitecaps, the Kernels sent out right-hander Ty Langenberg to keep their championship hopes alive. Langenberg pitched the entire season in the Midwest League, making 21 starts and pitching over 100 innings. He faced West Michigan once during the regular season, taking the loss in a 3-2 game where he pitched into the seventh inning. He had to do a bit of work in every of his innings in this one, as the Whitecaps had runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings. West Michigan used a leadoff walk and a single in the third to put up their biggest threat. But thanks to a big strikeout and a double-play ball, Langenberg limited the damage to just a single run. In the top of the fifth he gave up a leadoff single, then the baserunner stole West Michigan’s fourth base of the game to put another runner in scoring position. Langeberg retired the next two hitters, but with that runner on third the Kernels went to the bullpen and Brennen Oxford, who struck out the final batter of the inning to keep the score 1-0. Langenberg finished 4 2/3 innings, allowing the one earned run on five hits and three walks, while striking out four. He threw 81 pitches, with 51 of them going for strikes (63%). The Kernels offense got a good start to the game from Kyle DeBarge, who led off the bottom of the first with a triple. Unfortunately, a grounder from Eduardo Tait two batters later ended with him being thrown out at home. A leadoff double from Poncho Ruiz ended with the same scoreless result, as Cedar Rapids couldn’t string any hits together early. Spencer Bengard came on from the bullpen to start the sixth inning, and he quickly retired the first two hitters, including a strikeout. But the next batter clubbed a triple over the head of Misael Urbina in left field to give the Whitecaps another threat. A walk put a second runner on bases, before an RBI double was sent into right-center field. It took a bit for the ball to get back to the infield, so the trailing runner got sent home as well, where an awkward relay throw and athletic tag play from Ruiz was ruled as an out to end the inning. But West Michigan still had a 2-0 lead. In the bottom half the Kernels finally put some things together. A one-out single from Tait, a two-out single from Danny De Andrade, and a walk to Urbina loaded the bases and chased the Whitecaps starter from the game. Unfortunately, the home team still didn’t get the clutch hit as Caden Kendle went down swinging. Bengard retired the side in order in the seventh, but found himself in trouble again in the eighth after a single and double to start the frame. He struck out his third batter before the Kernels went to the bullpen and Ruddy Gomez. Gomez also got a strikeout on his first batter, but the strikeout pitch was buried in the dirt and got past Ruiz, allowing the Whitecaps third run of the game to score. Gomez got out of the inning without any more damage, but the Kernels had work to do. In the bottom of the eighth Billy Amick and De Andrade got the rally started that they needed, opening with back-to-back singles to bring a tying run to the plate. A groundout moved them both into scoring position before Kendle was hit-by-a-pitch to load the bases. A wild-pitch finally got the Kernels on the scoreboard and they had life with one out. A walk from Ruiz again loaded the bases for Jaime Ferrer, but his grounder turned into a double-play to end the inning, and any of the Kernels chances. Gomez struck out two in a one-two-three top of the ninth, but the same fate awaited the top of the order for the home team in the bottom-half, and they fell 3-1 to the Midwest League Champion, West Michigan Whitecaps of the Detroit Tigers organization. The Kernels had their opportunities to force a deciding game, but as a team finished 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position, and left 11 men on base in the contest. De Andrade (2-for-4) and Ruiz (2-for-3, 2B) each had two hits. While they weren’t able to hoist the trophy in the end, it’s no small feat to reach the Championship Series and challenge a team that finished with a winning percentage over .700 on the season, which equated to a 20.5 game lead over the Kernels in the standings. The Whitecaps led the league in runs per game (almost one run more per game than the Kernels, who finished third), OPS from their lineup (Kernels were second), and ERA (over a full run better). Congrats to Cedar Rapids on another great season! TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Morris, St. Paul Saints (5 IP, H, ER, BB, 2 K) Hitter of the Day – Kyler Fedko, St. Paul Saints (3-for-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 SB) 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-4, 2 R, SB (3) (played CF) #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5, 2 K (played DH) #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 2-for-5, R, K (played DH) #12 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4, BB, 2 K (played SS) #16 – Andrew Morris (St. Paul): 5 IP, H, ER, BB, 2 K #17 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, 3B, BB, 2 K (played 2B) #19 – Kyler Fedko (St. Paul): 3-for-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 SB (10) (played LF) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Memphis (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP John Klein (0-4, 5.82 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games, and the end of the season for the Cedar Rapids Kernels! View full article

The Arizona Fall League rosters for 2025 are out. Twins prospects are playing on the Peoria Javelina's roster this year: https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/2025-arizona-fall-league-rosters?t=arizona-fall-league-coverage After a couple very disappointing years as far as who's been sent, I'm pleasantly surprised this go 'round. Pitching in the AFL is always lacking as far as "Top prospects" go unless there are innings being made up (Andrew Painter did pitch in the league last year), but there are some arms that have shown glimpses for the Twins: RHP Miguelangel Boadas RHP Jakob Hall RHP Hunter Hoopes RHP Dylan Questad LHP Zander Sechrist The "big" names are the position players: 3B Billy Amick IF Brandon Winokur OF Hendry Mendez The AFL Season begins on October 6th with Peoria facing Scottsdale in the kickoff game.

Not that this doesn't still happen a...vast majority...of the time with prospects ready to be major leaguers, but there actually was a rule change in the last CBA that has helped to incentive teams to not do it with guys they might consider "can't miss" and are ready for the majors to start a new season (debatable on if this is or will be the case with Jenkins). It's called the "Prospect Promotion Incentive" and is meant "to encourage teams to promote their best young players to the big leagues as early as possible" by dangling a draft pick to be awarded based on the prospects performance (FAQ: https://www.mlb.com/news/prospect-promotion-incentive-faq). It is still pretty hard to qualify for, as a "prospect" has to accrue a full year of service time and factor into a major league award (i.e.: Rookie of the Year, MVP, Cy Young). If they don't as a rookie, but still accrue a full year of service, they remain eligible to earn a PPI draft pick by factoring into the major awards before becoming arbitration eligible. Bobby Witt Jr. did this for the Royals. Julio Rodriguez, Corbin Carrol, and Gunnar Henderson are the other three players that have. Could Walker Jenkins be the next? Some of the leading contenders for Rookie of the Year in 2025 are probably Nick Kurtz in the AL, and Isaac Collins and Drake Baldwin in the NL. Kurtz would not be eligible to earn a PPI draft pick because the Athletics kept him down for service time, but I think Collins and Baldwin would be.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Sam Armstrong) TRANSACTIONS Over in St. Paul, the Saints activated OF Emmanuel Rodriguez from the 7-day injured list and his rehab assignment. RHP Noah Davis was also activated, while RHP Brooks Kriske was outrighted to St. Paul from the Twins. With the Wind Surge, catcher Ian Daugherty was promoted from Fort Myers. In advance of their Midwest League Playoff series, the Cedar Rapids Kernels activated OF Caden Kendle from the 7-day injured list and transferred RHP Julio Bonilla to the Development List. Despite their season being over, the DSL Twins joined in on the transaction action, activating RHP Fernando Hernandez from the restricted list. SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 2, St. Paul 1 Box Score The Saints got a quality start from right-hander Andrew Morris, who lowered his ERA to 3.80 on the season, but hits were hard to come by for both teams, with the Clippers pitching matching his efforts. He gave up both of the Columbus runs, but they were of the unearned variety in the second inning after an error from Tanner Schobel at second base. After a leadoff double in the third, Morris retired nine in a row to keep the Saints within one in the middle innings. He finished six frames, allowing three hits and two walks, while striking out two. The Saints lineup scored their lone run of the game in the bottom of the second. Emmanuel Rodriguez drew a leadoff walk in his first at-bat back with the Saints. A wild pitch and two groundouts later he was able to score to make it 2-1. There were obviously nothing but zeroes over the final seven innings, as each team mustered only three apiece, and they combined to go 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Relievers Aaron Rozek (2 2/3 IP, 3 BB, 3 K) and Erasmo Ramirez (1/3 IP) finished off the final three innings for the Saints. Gabriel Gonzalez had two of the Saints three hits, finishing 2-for-4 with two strikeouts. Jonah Bride picked up their other single. Will Holland drew two walks to turn the lineup over to Jenkins, who went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in his CHS Field debut. The Saints have now infamously lost 10 in a row, with the franchise record of 11 staring them down. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 4, Corpus Christi 0 Box Score The Wichita Wind Surge began their final series of the regular season on Tuesday against the Corpus Christi Hooks. They still have a chance at securing a Texas League playoff spot, as they sit two games back of the Tulsa Drillers for second place in the North Division. The Springfield Cardinals won the first half, so despite leading the division comfortably in the second half as well, the playoff spot will go to the second place finisher. Right-hander Sam Armstrong took to the mound for this one, and he held the Hooks scoreless over his five innings. He allowed just two hits, walked two, and struck out three to lower his ERA since coming over to the Wind Surge to 3.93. In his last three starts he’s thrown 16 innings, allowing just two earned runs on seven hits and four walks, while striking out 14. Those two earned runs also came in the first inning of the first game in that sequence, so his last 15 innings with the Wind Surge have been of the scoreless variety. His offense put him in line for the win in this one by scoring in three of the first six innings. Ricardo Olivar delivered the first run of the game in the third with an RBI single. An error in the fifth allowed their second run to scamper home before the Wind Surge's power came out in the sixth. Ben Ross led off the inning with his 13th home run on the season. Three batters later, Maddux Houghton launched his second of the year to put them in front 4-0 Logan Whitaker came on from the bullpen for the sixth and seventh innings, and did a perfect Armstrong imitation. His only baserunner was a walk, and he struck out two to lower his ERA below 2.00 with Wichita. Mike Paredes finished the shutout with two scoreless innings of his own. He allowed no hits, walked one, and struck out two to close it out. The Wind Surge offense only outhit the Hooks 5-2 on the game and also struck out fifteen times as a team, but took advantage with some timely stolen bases and the two homers to push them to the victory. Kala’i Rosario finished 0-for-4 but also stole two bases, giving him 28 on the season. Harry Genth went 1-for-2, scored two runs, and stole his fourth base out of the nine-hole. Elsewhere in the Texas League, the Arkansas Travelers fell to the Tulsa Drillers in 13 innings by a score of 4-3. The Wind Surge remain two games behind the Drillers with five games to play. KERNELS NUGGETS Midwest League Playoffs, Game 1: Cedar Rapids 1, Beloit 7 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels punched their ticket to the Midwest League playoffs by winning the West Division in the first half with a 40-26 record. Their opponents, the Beloit Sky Carp won the second half with a 38-27 record while the Kernels finished 32-34. Getting the game one starting nod for the Kernels, was righty Jose Olivares who was coming off a one-hit, six-inning effort his last time out, where he also set a career high for strikeouts with 10. He was on point again early in this one. He allowed a leadoff double in the bottom of the first but got a double-play and a pop-out to escape. There was a two-out single and a walk in the second, but he picked up his second strikeout to end the frame. In the third there was a single, but another strikeout to keep the game 0-0 through three. In the bottom of the fourth he made his first big mistake, leaving a pitch over the middle of the plate that was sent over the fence in right field by Beloit’s Wilfredo Lara for a 1-0 lead. Olivares did strike out all three other hitters in the inning, but the Sky Carp had struck first. In the top of the fifth the Kernels finally answered despite chances in every inning to that point. Kyle DeBarge led off the inning with a walk, their seventh free pass so far. As he does, he would steal second base to put himself in scoring position, and Danny De Andrade drove him in with a two-out single to tie it at one. In the bottom half, Olivares got two outs, but three walks also loaded the bases to end his start. Chase Chaney came on in relief and it almost turned into a disaster. DeBarge misplayed a ball at second, allowing one run to score, but Marek Houston was in the right spot to get to it and fire it home to catch the third out before he could score. Olivares finished 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks, while striking out seven. 53 of his 85 pitches went for strikes (63%), including 15 swings and misses. Chase Chaney got the final out of the fifth and the first two of the sixth before disaster struck. A pair of singles, then two walks scored the first run of the inning and loaded the bases. Then two more singles finished a four-run two-out rally to give Beloit a 6-1 lead. Paulshawn Pasqualotto got a grounder to stop the bleeding, but the Kernels lineup would have a lot more work to do. Pasqualotto would get the first two outs of the seventh, but a single and a pair of walks loaded the bases again to end his appearance. Ruddy Gomez then came on and walked his first batter making it 7-1, before striking out the next to end the inning. Pasqualotto was charged with one earned run on one hit, two walks, and struck out two. Jacob Kising pitched the eighth, striking out one. The Kernels weren’t able to muster any comeback attempt, and their last 10 hitters of the game were retired by the Sky Carp bullpen. They were outhit 9-4 in the game and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine men on base. Houston (1-for-4, BB, 2 K), DeBarge (1-for-2, R, 2 BB, K), De Andrade (1-for-4, RBI, K) and Misael Urbina (1-for-4) collected the hits, all singles. The Sky Carp lead the three-game Division series 1-0, and they will head to Cedar Rapids for the final two games (if necessary). TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Sam Armstrong, Wichita Wind Surge (W, 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K) Hitter of the Day – Harry Genth, Wichita Wind Surge (2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, 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-4, 2 K (played CF) #2 – Luke Keaschall (Minnesota): game in progress #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-2, 2 BB (played C) #5 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 0-for-3, R, BB, 3 K (played RF) #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 2-for-4, 2 K (DH) #12 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, BB, 2 K (played SS) #16 – Andrew Morris (St. Paul): W, 6 IP, 2 R (0 earned), 2 BB, 2 K #17 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-2, R, 2 BB, K, SB #19 – Kyler Fedko (St. Paul): 0-for-3, BB, 2 K (played 1B) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - RHP John Klein (0-3, 5.60 ERA) Wichita @ Corpus Christi (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (2-2, 2.92 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

I wouldn't call him smooth to this extent. I've always seen him as an "out of control runner," mainly due to the speed at which he can move. This is how he's gotten himself into so much trouble, and injuries, in the outfield. He can get to basically anything, but there have always been plays he had no business even attempting because of it. I think maniacal is a good explanation of that trait, and this is one of the prime examples of what I'm talking about: https://www.mlb.com/news/byron-buxton-slams-into-wall-leaves-game

He definitely has kind of done a 180 on what was his "hitting profile" when drafted. I think it's great for his development! And while I agree with the under-rated comment to an extent, you may be pleasantly surprised by this link: https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/3b/

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey (photo of Kala'i Rosario) While a former prospect who came into the majors hot a few years ago claimed Twins Daily’s Minor League Hitter of the Month award in July, he has since found himself back in the majors after the drastic Twins trade deadline. As the calendar turned to August, it was some of those new prospects (and veterans) who staked their claim to the award mentions this month. While we will go into some further depth on the top four, first let's talk about a few honorable mentions. Honorable Mentions: Walker Jenkins was recently promoted to the St. Paul Saints and just had a bit of a breakout performance at his new level. To get there, he ended his final 21 games with Wichita on a tear, posting a 1.121 OPS including five doubles and five home runs. Multiple teammates at his new assignment also had strong months, as Payton Eeles (.415 OBP), DaShawn Keirsey Jr. (.500 SLUG), and Gabriel Gonzalez (.308 AVG) put up stand-out numbers. Down in the Dominican Summer League Joyner Perez, Darwin Almanzar, and Jamesson Val also closed out their seasons with OPS’s above .900 on the month. So, there were several strong contenders for this award in August, but let's see who rose above them all to take the top spots. 4. Enrique Jimenez, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels Stats: .298/.459/.632 (1.091), 11 R, 2 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 17 BB, 19 K, SB (16 games) Acquired in the trade of Chris Paddack to the Detroit Tigers, Jimenez is a 19-year-old switch-hitting catcher who began his season in the Rookie Leagues. Upon his arrival at the Lee County Sports Complex in Fort Myers, the Twins immediately bumped him to the Mighty Mussels, and he’s been one of the best hitters in the Florida State League since. His six home runs are tied for third on the team in just 19 games, while team leader Yasser Mercedes has 10 homers in 90+ games. Almost 90% of his plate appearances have come against older pitchers this year, and he could creep into top 20 Twins prospect lists heading into the 2026 season if he doesn’t slow down. 3. Jhonny Pereda, St. Paul Saints Stats: .348/.516/.630 (1.146), 10 R, 5 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 15 BB, 12 K (14 games) The Twins claimed Pereda off waivers from the Oakland Athletics back in July and while he has spent a few days on the MLB roster, he has only played with the Saints since then. He started as part of their catcher rotation but as his bat heated up in early August, he started getting a bulk of the work in the middle of the month. In his first 8 games with St. Paul, he hit .393/.500/.679, then drove in four with a pair of late doubles against the Round Rock Express on 8/23. While Pereda has yet to get any serious run at the major league level, he has hit .295/.392/.418 in 253 career games in Triple-A. 2. Kyler Fedko, St. Paul Saints Stats: .300/.377/.550 (.927), 21 R, 7 2B, 6 HR, 16 RBI, 12 BB, 27 K, 7 SB (25 games) The soon-to-be 26-year-old outfielder led Double-A in home runs with 20 before being promoted to St. Paul to start the month of August. He hasn’t missed a beat in the International league, posting his second highest monthly OPS on the year with a .927 mark in his first 25 games. He’s added six home runs to his Twins minor league leading total with 26 on the year. In his first 12 games with the Saints, Fedko did nothing but hit, batting .370/.455/.674 with five doubles and three homers. He punctuated his excellent debut at the new level with a 5-for-5, multi-home run, explosion on 8/19. Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month: 1. Kala’i Rosario, Wichita Wind Surge Stats: .305/.421/.714 (1.135), 27 R, 6 2B, 2 3B, 11 HR, 23 RBI, 20 BB, 30 K, 4 SB (27 games) Rosario took a 95-octane-soaked-flaming-torch-of-a-bat to the Texas League during the month of August. He comfortably led the circuit in homers on the month with 11, was second in RBI with 23, and trailed only Arizona Diamondbacks top 100 prospect Ryan Waldschmidt in OPS by .008 points. His 25 home runs and 81 RBI on the season (as of 9/2) with Wichita also leads the league. While the strikeouts may remain high (27.4% of plate appearances), his 69 walks (13.1%) also rank second overall, and he’s shown improvement as the year has gone on. His strikeout rate was 43.5% in April but checked in at 23.8% this past month. The former Midwest League MVP has had a resurgent season, and the month of August was on another level, eclipsing his prior month-best OPS on the year by nearly .200 points. 11 of his 27 games on the month had multiple hits, including a two-home run, six RBI outburst last Thursday against Arkansas where he walked it off with a grand slam to put an exclamation point on his summer with the Wind Surge. It is certain he will be in St. Paul to begin the 2026 season, but there remains a good chance he gets a taste of Triple-A to end the 2025 campaign as well. Who would have made it onto your ballot? What else was exciting about the hitters talked about above or anyone else in the Twins farm system in the last month? View full article