Steve Lein

The big story from a minor league perspective on Wednesday night, was perhaps the MLB debut of Joe Ryan for the Minnesota Twins. But since that is not actually the minor leagues, you’ll have to settle for a 1-3 night on the farm for Twins affiliates. Besides the St. Paul Saints, it was tough sledding for the lineups throughout the organization on Wednesday as they were unable to reward most of their pitchers for some solid efforts. TRANSACTIONS RHP Joe Ryan was officially promoted to the Twins, and made his MLB debut Wednesday night against the Chicago Cubs. Ryan was excellent besides a one inning blip, as he set the Cubs down in order in four of his five innings, striking out five and walking just one in the process. RHP Vinny Nittoli was assigned to the St. Paul Saints, rejoining them after pitching with the Saints during the 2017-18 season while in the American Association. He joins infielder Drew Stankiewicz and LHP Chris Nunn as players to suit up for the Saints as independent and affiliated players. C Stevie Berman was assigned to the Wichita Wind Surge roster after being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for reliever LHP Andrew Vasquez. SS Ruben Santana was released from the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels roster. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 9, Columbus 2 Box Score St. Paul's lineup jumped all over Columbus starter Kirk McCarty with a five-run first inning that would prove to be more than enough for Bryan Sammons and the Saints bullpen on Wednesday night. Jose Miranda and Trevor Larnach got a rally started from the jump, with both delivering a single on the first pitches of their at bats. Mark Contreras got the first run on the board with a sac fly to score Miranda two batters later, then Gilberto Celestino made it 2-0 with a double to score Larnach from first. Jimmy Kerrigan then reached on an error and a Drew Maggi walk loaded the bases before Damek Tomscha and JT Riddle delivered back-to-back singles to score three more for the 5-0 lead. Sammons recorded 1-2-3 innings in the first and third, sandwiching the second inning where he struck out three and walked one, before facing his first challenge in the fourth. A walk, and two one-out singles loaded the bases before an awkward swinging bunt resulted in a force out at home, but a throwing error from catcher Tomas Telis to third then allowed two unearned runs to score. Sammons dusted himself off and struck out the next batter to keep the score at 5-2. Sammons would finish five innings on the night to pick up his first triple-A win, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out four Clippers. The bullpen trio of Luke Farrell, Derek Law, and Robinson Leyer then finished the game with a combined four scoreless innings. Farrell walked one in his one inning, Law allowed two hits and two walks in two frames, and Leyer walked one and struck out one in the ninth inning. The Saints added two runs to their final total in each of the third and seventh innings. Drew Maggi hit his 13th home run of the season in the third, a two-run shot, and in the seventh Celestino delivered an RBI double that was followed by a sac fly from Kerrigan. In all the good guys collected ten hits and four walks on the night, with Miranda (2-for-5, R) and Celestino (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K) collecting multiple hits. Maggi and Tomscha also added two RBI to the effort. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Arkansas 4 Box Score The Wind Surge were able to build a 2-0 lead for starter Chris Vallimont after four innings, thanks to an RBI double from Roy Morales in the third to score Aaron Whitefield, and an RBI groundout from Jermaine Palacios in the top of the fourth. Vallimont was solid in his five innings, allowing only a single run on three hits and four walks, while striking out nine Travelers. He worked around some walks over the first four innings with some big strikeouts, and struck out the side in the fourth inning. Evan Sisk was brought on to start the sixth inning, and struck out three in the frame although one of those reached base as his pitch got past the catcher. Back out for the seventh, a single and a walk put an end to Sisk’s outing, and Erik Manaoh gave up a two-run double to the first hitter he faced allowing Arkansas to tie the game at three. He would then escape that inning with the game still tied after inducing a double-play ball and a pop out to the next two hitters. Wichita had taken a 3-1 lead in the top of the sixth thanks to a sacrifice fly from Spencer Steer to score Morales, who had singled to lead off the inning, before Arkansas was able to tie it up. Manoah remained in the game for the bottom of the eighth and after a one-out double, he sent an errant throw toward second base on a comebacker that allowed the go-ahead run to score. Trey Cabbage and Aaron Whitefield drew walks in the ninth to put the tying run in scoring position, but Caleb Hamilton’s 103 MPH line drive with two outs found the shortstop’s glove to end the game. Both teams collected six hits on the game, but the Travelers drew seven walks compared to three from the Wind Surge, and had three hits with runners in scoring position while the good guys were 0-for-8. Morales led the way for Wichita with three hits out of the leadoff spot, including a double. He scored a run and drove in one. Spencer Steer also added a triple to the effort and scored a run. Wichita still remains the top dog in the Double-A Central Texas League, with a four game lead over Arkansas in their division. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 4, Cedar Rapids 0 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels and their second best record in the High-A Central Midwest League faced off against the team ahead of them in the standings in the West Division, the Quad Cities River Bandits on Wednesday night. While there’s very little hope for them to catch the River Bandits in the division standings over the last three weeks of the season (11.0 games behind entering play tonight), the series is still big in terms of securing a playoff matchup with them as the Kernels hold a one game lead over the next team in the league standings, the Great Lakes Loons of the East Division. Cedar Rapids had right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long on the mound for his fourth start with the team, and he did as much as he could to keep his team in second place in the standings. Over six total innings he allowed just one hit, but it was a big one for Quad Cities as it left the yard for a two-run shot in the fifth frame. He also walked three and struck out four on the night and retired the first twelve men he faced, including three K’s in the second inning. Unfortunately, he was bettered by his opposing starter, Christian Cosby, who held the Kernels lineup to just two hits and struck out six over six shutout innings. The home team got leadoff hits from Edouard Julien (single) and Michael Helman (double) in the fourth and fifth innings but were unable to make anything else happen afterward. Reliever Denny Bentley was the first man up from the bullpen to start the seventh inning and worked around a pair of walks for a scoreless inning. Back out for the eighth he immediately ran into trouble however, loading the bases with one out before a single made the score 3-0 and Osiris German was summoned. He escaped that jam without allowing another run, but in the ninth also allowed a run of his own. Bentley went 1 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks, while German finished the final 1 2/3 innings, allowing one run on one hit and a walk along with picking up one strikeout. Alex Isola tried to get a two-out rally started in the bottom of the ninth with a double, but Matt Wallner would swing-and-miss on three straight pitches to end the game. In all, the Kernels managed just three hits, were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and left only three men-on-base for the game. They also did not draw a single walk compared to seven for the River Bandits. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Daytona 3 Box Score The Mighty Mussels went with a bit of a bullpen game on Wednesday night, with right-hander Matthew Swain making his first start of the 2021 season. He went the first three innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks, while punching out six Tortugas hitters. Matt Mullenbach went the next three innings and was just as good, allowing only one run on four hits and a walk while striking out four. Zaquiel Puentes got the final two innings, and allowed just an unearned run on three walks while striking out four more Daytona hitters, while being saddled with the loss. That was because the Mighty Mussels were unable to put any further runs on the board outside of the third inning, when Christian Encarnacion-Strand delivered a two-run home run that scored Alerick Soularie, who had doubled to lead off the inning. Jake Rucker added another double to the effort, but Fort Myers had just six hits as a team, were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, and left seven men on base for the game. They drew just one walk compared to 16 strikeouts on the night, with six of their nine hitters striking out two or more times on the night. Soularie, out of the leadoff spot, was the only hitter in the lineup not to be sent walking back to the dugout on the game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Chris Vallimont, Wichita Wind Surge (5 IP, 3 H, ER, 4 BB, 9 K) Hitter of the Day - Gilberto Celestino, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Royce Lewis (rehab) - Out for season (torn ACL) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-for-4 #3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) - Did not pitch #4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - Did not pitch #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (elbow strain) #6 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, R #7 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - MLB Debut: L, 5 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, 5 K #8 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (right elbow strain) #9 - Chase Petty (Complex) - Did not pitch #10 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, 2 K #11 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Injured List (right shoulder impingement) #12 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K #13 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K) #14 - Drew Strotman (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #15 - Noah Miller (Complex) - No game #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - 2-for-2, HBP #17 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for season (Tommy John surgery) #18 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, 2 K #19 - Cole Sands (Wichita) - Did not pitch #20 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 1-for-3, R, 3B, RBI, 2 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (11:05 AM CST) - RHP Chandler Shepherd (6-5, 5.56 ERA) Wichita @ Arkansas (7:10 PM CST) - RHP Cole Sands (2-1, 2.93 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Cody Laweryson (1-4, 4.75 ERA) Fort Myers @ Daytona (6:05 PM CST) - RHP John Stankiewicz (0-0, 2.45 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! 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Yes there will be! https://www.mlb.com/news/arizona-fall-league-returning-for-2022?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage And I'll be excited to bring you weekly recaps again on how the Twins prospects perform. If I was putting together a wish list of possible guys I'd like to see, it'd be something like this: Pitchers: Jordan Balazovic Simeon Woods Richardson Jhoan Duran Matt Canterino Chris Vallimont Sawyer Gipson-Long Hitters: Austin Martin Matt Wallner Spencer Steer Trey Cabbage Mark Contreras Aaron Sabato Alerick Soularie Edouard Julien

Interesting comments on Triple-A playoffs, fellas. It appears I have been misreading what they were doing at the level as far as a postseason goes (probably got it confused with double-A). They did a lot of weird stuff with realignment and what not before the season, but another item that got forgotten about, is this year only players from a triple-A roster can be called up to the big leagues (This is why Gilberto Celestino was promoted to the Saints, but never played a game for them before being called up to the Twins). The start of the triple-A season also had a delayed start, and what was supposed to be a 142 game schedule turned into a 120 game one. Then they pivoted earlier in the summer (and I think this is one of the stupidest ideas ever), and created the "Triple-A Final Stretch." They partly want triple-A players to continue playing while MLB teams are as a way to kind of mimic the old September call-up rules where you could bring up your entire 40-man roster, if you wanted to, because of that must be at triple-A rule. This "Final Stretch" is now sort of an end-of-the-year crapshoot. Division winners will be crowned based on the records before these extra 10 games, but every single Triple-A team is part of the Final Stretch, and it doesn't matter if you had the worst record in the regular season, if you go 10-0 in those final 10 games, you'll be crowned the "Final Stretch" champion or whatever. it's essentially a home-and-home 10 game series against the same team. Very odd for me, and I have no idea how they are going to determine which teams play against each other for those 10 games. So thanks for the clarifications!

On Tuesday night the St. Paul Saints kicked off their biggest series of the season, facing off against the division-leading Toledo MudHens with big-time playoff implications. A couple of games were also rained out in the system, so it was a slow news night when it comes to prospect performances. To see if the Saints were able to take over the division lead, and how the rest of your favorite Minnesota Twins prospects who were able to play on Tuesday fared in Tuesday nights action, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS After a flurry of transactions on the MiLB off-day yesterday, there was even more movement before today’s games: RHP Randy Dobnak was sent on a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints. OF BJ Boyd was officially promoted from Wichita to St. Paul. The Wichita Wind Surge placed OF Leobaldo Cabrera on the temporary inactive list. 1B Gabe Snyder was sent on a rehab assignment with Fort Myers from Cedar Rapids. The Mighty Mussels were assigned RHP Logan Campbell and RHP A.J. Labas from the FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 0, Toledo 2 Box Score In a battle of the top two teams in the Midwest Division of Triple-A, the Toledo MudHens used a dominating performance from their pitching staff, including a rehabbing Matthew Boyd, to take the series opener and increase their division lead to 1.5 games over the Saints. St. Paul’s pitchers were pretty good too, as they actually held Toledo to less hits than they managed, but the MudHens got the big one in the form of a two-run home run in the first inning off starting pitcher Beau Burrows. That was it for the entire game when it came to runs scored, as the teams combined to go 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position on the night. Burrows went the first four innings, and allowed those two runs on two hits and four walks, while striking out four hitters. Ian Gibaut got the fifth inning and delivered a scoreless frame, walking one and striking out two. Andrew Vasquez then went the next two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and sitting down two MudHen hitters. Chris Nunn finished off the game with a scoreless inning, walking two and striking out one. On the offensive side, Jose Miranda led off the game with a single, but the next fourteen hitters in a row (including 7 K’s) were retired before Ben Rortvedt drew a walk in the fifth inning. Byron Buxton lined a two-out double to left-center in the sixth but the Saints never could get a rally going. They struck out 11 times on the night, including three each from Trevor Larnach and Jimmy Kerrigan. They left only four men on base for the game and had just two at-bats with runners in scoring position. Gilberto Celestino and Drew Maggi each had a single. The Saints will look to trim the division lead back to a half-game tomorrow with Joe Ryan on the mound. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 4, Wichita 6 Box Score Starting pitcher Austin Schulfer didn’t begin the game as well as he’d like, allowing four singles and a walk in the first inning, but thanks to a strike-’em-out-throw-’em-out-double-play, was able to limit the damage to just a single run. He settled in from there, holding Tulsa scoreless for the rest of his outing, including retiring the last seven batters he faced and allowing only a walk to his last twelve. In total Schulfer went five innings, allowing just the one run on five hits and two walks, while punching out six Drillers. The Wind Surge offense got the run back for him immediately in the first inning, after Jermaine Palacios singled with two outs, reached second on a balk, and scampered home on a Trey Cabbage single. Austin Martin had led off the game with a double, but was doubled-up at second base on a line drive to second base from the following hitter, Roy Morales. Wichita would extend their lead to 4-1 through five innings thanks to an RBI double from Ernie De La Trinidad in the second, then an Aaron Whitefield RBI single and RBI walk from Martin in the fourth. Zach Neff was summoned from the bullpen to start the sixth inning but immediately put himself in trouble by hitting the first batter with a pitch, which was followed by a double and a single that cut their lead to two. After a mound visit Neff was able to get out of the inning without any further damage, but he ran into trouble again in the seventh, with his night ending with two outs after a two-run homer cut the Wichita lead to one. In their half of the sixth, Wichita got a needed insurance run thanks to a sacrifice fly from Caleb Hamilton, and they got another in the seventh when Andrew Bechtold clubbed a double to score Jermaine Palacios, who had reached base earlier in the inning with his third single of the game. After Neff had given up the home run in the seventh, Jordan Gore came on from the bullpen and shut the Drillers down for the final 2 1/3 innings, picking up his third save in the process. He allowed no hits, no walks, and struck out two to lower his ERA in double-A to 1.89 on the season. The Wind Surge got multiple hits on the night from Palacios (3-for-4, 2 R, K, SB), Cabbage (2-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB, K), Whitefield (2-for-3, 2 R, RBI) and Ernie De La Trinidad (3-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB, K) in the win and extended their division lead to six games over the Drillers and Arkansas Travelers. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids @ Beloit, Postponed: Rain The Kernels game against the Snappers was postponed due to the rain we experienced across the midwest on Tuesday. They will play a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 4:30 PM. MUSSEL MATTERS Bradenton @ Fort Myers, Postponed: Rain Just like their High-A friends, the Marauders versus Mighty Mussels was also postponed due to rain yesterday. They’ll have multiple doubleheaders this week as they are already making up a postponement from August 13th tomorrow. COMPLEX CHRONICLES Game 1: FCL Twins 1, FCL Orioles Black 0 (Completion of game suspended on July 26th) Box Score Way back on July 26th this game was suspended in the bottom of the first inning. They resumed in the morning with Juan Mendez on the mound instead of Giovahniey German, who had gotten two outs, including a strikeout, before the lightning came into play. Mendez was fantastic on Tuesday, fanning six in 4 1/3 innings pitched and allowing no runs on just one hit and zero walks allowed to pick up his first win. Develson Aria pitched a scoreless inning to pick up a hold, striking out one, before Malik Barrington finished the final three scoreless innings for the save. Barrington allowed one hit and struck out five. In all the pitchers allowed just two hits, walked none, and struck out 13 Orioles. The Twins lineup got their lone run in the third inning after an error put a baserunner on third base, and Carlos Aguiar beat out a double-play turn at first to allow him to score. Luis Baez (2-for-4, K) and Rubel Cespedes (2-for-3, R, K) each had two hits in the win. Game 2: FCL Twins 10, FCL Orioles Black 6 (7 innings) Box Score The regularly scheduled game on the day was much different than the first, as the teams combined for 18 hits and 16 runs compared to just seven and one. Luckily the Twins did most of the damage as they got two home runs from catcher Wilfri Castro, including a grand slam in the fourth inning, and another off the bat of Emmanuel Rodriguez. In addition to Castro (2-for-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI) and Rodriguez (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, K, SB), shortstop Noah Miller (2-for-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB) also had multiple hits on the night, including his first double as a pro. Left-hander Wilker Reyes got the start for the Twins in this one and held the Orioles scoreless for his first four innings. He lost his control in the fifth however and left the game with the bases loaded and one out after two walks, a hit-by-pitch, and a couple of wild pitches. Rafael Feliz was summoned and allowed all three of those runners to score and another three of his own after giving up a three-run homer later in the frame. He got just one out, on a K, before Samuel Perez finished off the final 2 1/3 innings to pick up his fourth win. Perez allowed no runs on two hits and struck out two batters. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Malik Barrington, FCL Twins (S, 3 IP, H, 0 R, 5 K) Hitter of the Day - Wilfri Castro, FCL Twins, 2 games (2-for-7, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Royce Lewis (rehab) - Out for season (torn ACL) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB, 3 K #3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) - Did not pitch #4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - Did not pitch #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (elbow strain) #6 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, K #7 - Joe Ryan (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #8 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (right elbow strain) #9 - Chase Petty (Complex) - Did not pitch #10 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - Game postponed #11 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Injured List #12 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - Game postponed #13 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, K #14 - Drew Strotman (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #15 - Noah Miller (Complex) - 2-for-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - 0-for-3, R, BB, 2 K #17 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for season (Tommy John surgery) #18 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - Game postponed #19 - Cole Sands (Wichita) - Did not pitch #20 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - Did not play WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (5:35 PM CST) - RHP Joe Ryan (4-3, 3.54 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Tyler Beck (1-1, 2.79 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (Game 1: 4:30 PM CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (2-3, 4.13 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (Game 2: 30 min after game 1) - TBD Bradenton @ Fort Myers (Game 1: 3:30 PM CST) - TBD Fort Myers @ Bradenton (Game 2, at Hammond Stadium: 30 min after game 1) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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Good catch! He is definitely back. Edited now to reflect that. Had to make a new list with our update to the prospect rankings and just didn't think about it, hah!

It was an interesting day on the farm for Minnesota Twins affiliates, as multiple games went into extra innings and three of them ended in walk-off fashion. Was it the good guys who ended up celebrating at the end of those games? To find out if so, and how the rest of your favorite Minnesota Twins prospects fared during Tuesday’s games, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS In a rarity this season as the affiliates start another six-game series on Tuesdays, there were no transactions in the organization on the day. SAINTS SENTINEL Game 1: Iowa 5, St. Paul 6 (completion of suspended game from 6/20) Box Score The Saints and Cubs were suspended by rain all the way back on June 20th, and game one of the pseudo-doubleheader was resumed with the score tied at three in the fifth inning. When play commenced it was Andrew Vasquez on the mound to replace Bryan Sammons and immediately ran into some trouble. A hit-by-pitch, error, and walk loaded the bases with one out. Vasquez did his best to prevent any runs by inducing a double-play ball toward second base, but shortstop Drew Maggi threw the ball away on the turn, allowing two runs to score. The pitchers of both teams traded zeroes on the scoreboard until the bottom of the ninth inning, with the Saints getting there via 4 1/3 scoreless innings from the reliever duo of Ian Gibaut (2 1/3 IP, K) and Yennier Cano (2 IP, H, 2 BB, K). Up against former major league pitcher Tony Cingrani, the Saints lineup mounted a comeback threat thanks to a Jimmy Kerrigan single and a walk from Maggi to put the tying runs on base. Cingrani struck out Mark Contreras and Keon Broxton to leave the Saints with just one more chance. Luckily for them, a new weapon had been added to the team since this game was originally suspended, and Jose Miranda was called upon as a pinch hitter. He lined a double into left field that scored both runners to tie the game at five, and Cingrani also got himself ejected on the play. With a new pitcher on the mound, Sherman Johnson drew a walk before Tomas Telis singled up the middle to score Miranda and walk it off in St. Paul. Three hitters in the Saints lineup had multiple hits in the box score (Johnson, Brent Rooker, and Kerrigan) with Rooker finishing 2-for-2 with a home run before this game was suspended back in June. Game 2: Iowa 3, St. Paul 4 (8 innings) Box Score Right-hander Drew Strotman took the mound for his fourth start in his new organization and outside of one hiccup of an inning, was fantastic in the regularly scheduled game. In all he went 5 2/3 innings and was charged with three earned runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out three hitters. It was five singles in the fourth inning that accounted for all three of his runs allowed in the game, but otherwise held the Cubs lineup at bay. Ian Hamilton was summoned from the bullpen with two outs in the sixth inning and would finish the scheduled seven inning contest that ended up in extra innings. In 2 1/3 innings, he allowed no hits and struck out three. The Saints answered the Cubs three runs in the fourth with three of their own in the fifth. It was started by Drew Stankiewicz, who hit his first home run in a Saints uniform on the first pitch of the inning. This home run on that first pitch was especially noteworthy, as in his last at bat Stankiewicz ended up striking out despite the fact the count had already reached four balls. No, that’s not a mistake in my writing, but instead was an actual mistake in keeping the count by the home plate umpire. After some jawing from the Saints dugout after the fourth ball that came in low in that at-bat, the umpiring crew got together to discuss the issue, but they still came back saying the count was 3-2 instead of being a walk. I guess Stankiewicz didn’t want to give them the chance to screw up again this time. After that home run, the Saints kept a two-out rally going, with Trevor Larnach delivering an RBI double and Tomas Telis an RBI single to tie the game at three. It stayed tied until going into extra innings, where Hamilton held the Cubs to no runs, giving the Saints a chance to walk-off two games in one day. A single from Telis moved the runner to third base, before Gilberto Celestino stepped into the box with one out. It wasn’t the flashiest of winning hits, but Celestino’s high chopper over the pitcher's mound on the first pitch he saw was enough to score Keon Broxton and start another celebration for the home team. Telis (2-for-4, RBI) was the only Saints batter with multiple knocks in the game as they were outhit 8-6. But they made them count by going 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position and had two extra-base-hits to the Cubs zero. They also drew six walks as a team compared to one for their visitors. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Springfield 8 Box Score The Wind Surge struck early in this one as an Austin Martin double to lead off the game was followed by B.J. Boyd’s fifteenth home run of the season for a 2-0 lead. They extended that lead to 3-0 before an out was recorded as Jermaine Palacios followed with a double and came around to score on a Trey Cabbage single. Springfield was quick to respond against starting pitcher Chris Vallimont however, plating two runs in each of the first and second innings to take a 4-2 lead. If Vallimont’s good starts are his version Dr. Jekyll, this was one of his performances as Mr. Hyde. He was able to complete four innings, but allowed five earned runs on five hits and four walks, while punching out only one hitter. Two of his hits allowed were home runs and just 39 of his 76 pitches went for strikes (51.3%). Wichita was able to take back the lead in the top of the fourth when Spencer Steer launched a two-run missile of a home run, his 22nd of the season. They added another run in the fifth thanks to a single from Boyd to score Aaron Whitefield, but that would be all for the rest of the game. Out of the bullpen first for the Wind Surge was Evan Sisk to start the fifth inning and he would pitch into the sixth. He was charged with two earned runs and the loss by giving up four hits in 1 1/3 innings, striking out one Cardinals hitter. Mitchell Osnowitz got the next four outs, allowing two hits and striking out two. Erik Manoah Jr. finished the final 1 1/3 frames, giving up one run (on a home run) while walking two and striking out two. Boyd (2-for-6, R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K), Steer (2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K), and D.J. Burt (2-for-4, RBI, BB, 2 K) had multiple hits on the night, and Austin Martin finished the game 1-for-3 with a double, run scored, and two walks. Boyd extended his hitting streak to 12 games, Whitefield stole three bases and as a team the Wind Surge stole a season high six bases in total. It was a tough loss as Wichita had plenty of chances as they finished just 4-for-19 with runners in scoring position, and left a season-high 15 men-on-base for the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 2, Cedar Rapids 4 (10 innings) Box Score Cedar Rapids pitching was fantastic in this one, but despite that the game wasn’t decided until extra innings. Ben Gross took the mound for the Kernels and allowed just two hits on the game. In five total innings he surrendered two runs (one earned) on those hits and three walks, while striking out six batters. Two of those walks followed an error in the fourth inning and is what allowed the Timber Rattlers to scratch any runs across, as Gross and the bullpen held them hitless from there. Alex Isola got Cedar Rapids on the scoreboard with an RBI single in the third inning, and they tied the game at two in the fourth thanks to an RBI groundout from Matt Wallner. As mentioned, the Kernels bullpen made sure they’d have a chance to win late, as Melvi Acosta (2 2/3 IP, BB, 4 K), Zach Featherstone (1 1/3 IP, BB, 2 K), and Breckin Williams (W, 1 IP, 2 K) allowed no hits over the final five innings. It took little time for Cedar Rapids to reward that bullpen once it reached extra innings, as Alex Isola was the first batter in the bottom half, and deposited a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall for a walk-off win. Isola was the difference maker not just in the tenth either, as he finished the game 3-for-5 with three RBI and his winning home run was the only extra-base-hit on the game for either team. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Dunedin 3 Box Score The Mighty Mussels manufactured enough runs and a strong performance from their bullpen held off the Blue Jays to take the first game of their series. Landon Leach made the start for Fort Myers and battled through some command problems to allow just two runs in three innings pitched. He allowed three hits and walked six in those innings, and struck out three batters. The bullpen trio of Steven Cruz (W, 2 IP, H, 5 K), Carlos Suniaga (H, 2 IP, H, ER, 2 K), and Matthew Swain (S, 2 IP, H, 2 K) kept the Dunedin lineup at bay for the rest of the contest. The lineup for the Mussels pushed across single runs in each of the first, second, fourth, and seventh innings to give them enough for the win. RBI singles from Charles Mack and Patrick Wengel accounted for their first two runs, while a solo homer from Jesus Feliz and RBI double from Aaron Sabato accounted for those runs. Alerick Soularie (2-for-5, 2 R, 3B, SB) led the lineup with two hits out of the leadoff spot. Will Holland stole two bases and scored a run. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Rays 2, FCL Twins 5 Box Score The Twins utilized a four-run second inning and solid pitching throughout to take this one from the Rays early on Tuesday. Left-hander Wilker Reyes made the start and scattered five hits over the first five innings, picking up his first win of the season in the process. He allowed no runs, walked one, and struck out four hitters. Ramon Pineda went the next two innings, giving up one run on two hits through the seventh inning. Logan Campbell then finished the game by allowing one run on one hit and a walk, while striking out one in two innings pitched. In the four-run second inning Emmanuel Rodriguez started the rally with a triple and was followed by an infield single from Wander Valdez before Noah Miller brought in their first run of the game with a single. Carlos Aguiar then blew it open with his second home run of the season, a three-run shot for a 4-0 lead at the time. Aguiar added a second home run in the sixth inning to give the Twins their final tally of five runs in the game. Valdez (2-for-3, R, BB, K) and Aguiar (2-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 K) collected multiple hits in the win. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Wilker Reyes, FCL Twins (W, 5 IP, 0 R, 5 H, BB, 4 K) Hitter of the Day - Alex Isola, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-5, R, walk-off HR, 3 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Royce Lewis (rehab) - Out for season (torn ACL) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-for-3, R, 2B, 2 BB, 2 K, SB #3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) - Did not pitch #4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - Did not pitch #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (elbow strain) #6 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - (2 games) 1-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K #7 - Joe Ryan (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #8 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #9 - Chase Petty (Complex) - Did not pitch #10 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, 2 K #11 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #12 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, R, RBI, K #13 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, RBI, 2 BB, K #14 - Drew Strotman (St. Paul) - 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, BB, 3 K #15 - Noah Miller (Complex) - 1-for-4, R, RBI, 2 K #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - 0-for-3, BB, 3 K #17 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for season (Tommy John surgery) #18 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - 0-for-5 #19 - Cole Sands (Wichita) - Did not pitch #20 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe (1-2, 4.76 ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (6:35PM CST) - RHP Tyler Beck (0-1, 7.36 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Louie Varland (3-0, 1.69 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30PM CST) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-1, 2.05 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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I can't imagine how hard that would be to do on that project, even if one was hired!

I knew I'd read it somewhere, Seth! Unfortunately, it was in the 2020 Prospect Handbook, hah! ?

The update is currently in progress! Heres #15-11, including Strotman:

Heights/Weights you'll find on minor leaguers are always what they were when signed/drafted. They don't get updated anywhere except maybe local minor league team media guides until they get to the majors. I'd venture Palacios is closer to 200 lbs than he is 150 these days.

Yes he is! Thanks for correcting me.

Thank you! As for your questions, Wichita has their rotation fleshed out through Saturday in my latest update, so Sunday may be the first opportunity to see SWR. They could also be giving him a bit of an extended break or don't intend to start him right away coming off the Olympics. So, maybe out of the bullpen before then? It would be Balazovic's turn on Sunday again potentially, but the Twins have been using 6-man rotations in the system as well. Trey Cabbage has certainly been more impressive this season. The 19 HR's are a career high already, and that power is legitimate. In another MiLB report of mine earlier this year, he hit a bomb at 115 MPH (!) that went 460+ feet (!). But, he has also struck out in over 40% of his plate appearances with Wichita. Feast or famine, but has been pretty good besides that fact over the last month or so: Split G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Last 28 days 20 87 76 13 21 4 1 7 17 1 0 10 34 .276 .356 .632 .988 48 0 0 0 1 0

As I looked through the transactions for this report, I went "wait, what?!" when I saw that one. No offense to Nick, but the only way it makes sense to me is they consider him a guy they can discard easily if he doesn't perform, or that they know the guy they brought up wouldn't be around for long. Many other better options in St. Paul for a team that should be finding out what they have or getting some guys some experience, IMO.

Well, luckily for him he was recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2020 when the season was cancelled, so he hasn't actually missed any development time per se. As a 12th round pick in 2019 (while injured) I believe he also signed for more than the post 10-round $$ limit, so he counted against their pool of money. This means the Twins were pretty high on him despite being injured. [Right-handed]. Not necessarily known as having any plus pitches at draft time (low 90's FB) but good command and control. Is good to see him on the mound doing well!

Minnesota Twins affiliates had just one victory on the night, but that was a good sign for one of their top prospects as that meant he was back to his dominating ways on the mound. A former first round pick also led his offense with a pair of home runs on the evening, and another team lost in walk-off fashion with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Keep reading to find out how all your favorite Minnesota Twins prospects fared in Tuesday nights series opening action! TRANSACTIONS The Minnesota Twins selected the contract of 35-year old RHP Nick Vincent from the St. Paul Saints, and optioned RHP Beau Burrows back to triple-A. St. Paul released 1B Roberto Pena and RHP Rob Whalen, while calling up LHP Chris Nunn from Wichita and activating RHP Joe Ryan, fresh off his stint with the United States Olympic team. In double-A, the Wind Surge released RHP Joe Kuzia and activated RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, also recently returned from the Olympics in Tokyo. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 8, Indianapolis 9 Box Score St. Paul and Indianapolis traded leads a few times on Tuesday with big innings, but the Saints came out on the losing end with two-outs in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a walk-off blast. Starting for the Saints was left-hander Andrew Albers, and while he finished five frames, one of those big innings for Indy was the fifth, where they scored five to take a 7-4 lead. In all, Albers allowed seven runs (three earned) on six hits while striking out four on the game. After Indianapolis took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third thanks to a home run, St. Paul answered with a three-run top of the fourth behind back-to-back jacks from Gilberto Celestino and Ben Rortvedt. Celestino’s was of the two-run variety to tie the game. Nick Gordon added an RBI single in the fourth to give the good guys a 4-2 lead before the big five-run inning for the bad guys. The recently claimed Ralph Garza Jr. also made his second appearance with the organization to start the sixth inning and went two scoreless frames. He hit one batter and struck out two. The Saints offense tied the game at seven in the seventh inning with another three-run frame. Three straight singles from JT Riddle, Jose Miranda, and Nick Gordon plated the first run of the inning. That was followed by a hit-batter to load the bases, then a walk to Celestino and another hit batter to score the other two runs. St. Paul took the lead 8-7 in the eighth frame thanks to a Tomas Telis RBI single. Yennier Cano was summoned from the bullpen to start the eighth inning and recorded five outs, including three strikeouts, until major leaguer Michael Chavis stepped to the plate with a runner on and two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Chavis didn’t miss the first pitch he saw, sending a middle-out fastball over the fence in left-center for the walk-off win. Cano was charged with the blown save and loss in allowing the two runs on three hits and two walks in his 1 2/3 innings pitched. The Saints got multiple hits on the night from six hitters in their lineup, including Miranda (2-for-5, R, K), Gordon (2-for-5, R, RBI, 2 K, SB), Telis (2-for-5, R, RBI), Celestino (2-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K), Drew Maggi (2-for-4, 2B, BB, SB), and Riddle (2-for-4, 3 R, 2B). WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Tulsa 1 Box Score Coming off a pair of outings where he allowed six earned runs in each, starting pitching Jordan Balazovic was looking to get back on track like he’d been when he delivered 25 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings earlier in the year. Mission accomplished. Balazovic started a new streak with six shutout innings, scattering five singles and zero walks, along with punching out four Drillers. He finished his game after 87 pitches, with 59 going for strikes (67.8%), including thirteen swinging. He was up to 97 MPH on the radar gun with his fastball during the game in picking up his fourth win of the season. After a pair of singles in the first, he faced one batter over the minimum through the fifth inning, retiring six men in a row before an error in the third, and then seven in a row after a leadoff single in the fourth. The Wind Surge offense spotted Balazovic a nice lead before he even took the mound, when cleanup hitter Trey Cabbage clubbed 19th home run of the season (10th in double-A) in the top of first, a three-run shot that left the stadium. That was it for the offenses on both teams until the late innings, when Wichita added a couple of insurance runs thanks to an errant throw on a steal attempt in the seventh, and an Ernie De La Trinidad solo home run in the ninth. Jason Garcia was the first man out of the bullpen to start the seventh, but recorded only one out before being lifted as he loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batter. Jordan Gore escaped that jam by inducing a double play ball to end the inning with the shutout still intact. Back out for the eighth, the Drillers finally got on the board with a solo homer, but Gore also struck out two in the frame. Erik Manoah Jr. came on in the ninth for his Double-A and Wichita debut and delivered a scoreless frame. He gave up one walk and struck out two. While there were no hitters to collect more than one hit in the game, there were five different batters who scored a run for the Wind Surge and four who reached base twice via a walk or hit-by-pitch (Austin Martin, Roy Morales, Cabbage, Aaron Whitefield). Spencer Steer added a double to the effort and Whitefield stole his 22nd base of the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 7 Box Score The Kernels offense was outhit 10-3 by the Chiefs in this one, and the final scoreboard reflected that disparity. Starter Tyler Watson was roughed up in the third inning for five earned runs before his night came to an early end with one out. In 2 1/3 innings, he allowed six hits, walked two, and struck out four. Andrew Cabezas came on from the bullpen and allowed two inherited runners to score in addition to one of his own in the fourth to put Peoria out front 6-1 after four innings. Cabezas allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out two in 1 2/3 innings. Relievers Melvi Acosta and Tyler Palm then steadied the ship for the final four innings. Acosta allowed one hit and struck out one in his two frames, and Palm surrendered an unearned run on one hit while striking out four Chiefs in his two innings. Edouard Julien (single), Yunior Severino (home run), and Matt Wallner (double) accounted for the Kernels three hits. Wallner drove in the other Kernels run. As a team they managed just three at-bats with runners in scoring position on the game and left only three men on base. Julien also stole his fifth base with the Kernels, and 26th on the season. Julien also drew a walk and continues to lead the minors in that category this season. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Bradenton 8 Box Score The Mighty Mussels built a 5-0 lead after the top of the sixth inning behind a slugger who has been struggling most of the year, but the rest of the lineup and bullpen was unable to hold it on Tuesday. Starter Sean Mooney was fantastic for the first three innings in this one, allowing no hits and striking out six Marauders. He was extremely efficient as well, throwing just 38 pitches, with 29 going for strikes and falling behind in a count only once among the nine batters he faced. In the top of the fourth, Aaron Sabato got Fort Myers on the board with his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot to open the game’s scoring. He added another home run in the sixth, this one of the two-run variety, to extend the Mussels lead to 5-0. Misael Urbina drove in two others earlier in the inning with his eighth double of the season. Unfortunately, the offense had just one other hit on the game, a single from Will Holland. The team had just three at-bats with runners in scoring position in the game and drew only two walks. Not much you can do beyond home runs when other opportunities never surface. The bullpen duo of Orlando Rodriguez (2 2/3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, BB, 4 K) and Matthew Swain (1 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, K) combined to allow eight runs in the sixth and seventh innings that put the game well out of reach. Denny Bentley finished off the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing four hits but being charged with no runs. He walked one and struck out one as the Mussels fell to the team in front of them in the standings by 5.0 games. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 2, FCL Braves 3 Box Score The Twins jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to consecutive walks to start the game that were followed by a balk, a Wander Valdez RBI single, and a successful double-steal attempt. Unfortunately for the offense they were unable to scratch any more runs across the plate the rest of the game. Valdez (2-for-4, RBI, K) collected two of the team's five hits, Argenis Jiminez had the only extra-base-hit with a triple, and Alerick Soularie drew two walks out of the leadoff spot, but also struck out three times. As a team they were just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, left seven men on base, and struck out 18 times. Left-hander Wilker Reyes made the start for the Twins and went the first four innings. He scattered six hits and allowed two earned runs while striking out four batters. Matt Mullenbach came on for the next three innings and kept the game tied, surrendering two hits while also striking out four Braves. Ramon Pineda finished the game with two-plus innings, but allowed the Braves to easily get the winning run in the 10th inning after a pair of wild pitches to the leadoff man. He gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out three in taking the loss. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Jordan Balazovic, Wichita Wind Surge (W, 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K) Hitter of the Day - Aaron Sabato, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Royce Lewis (rehab) - Out for season (torn ACL) #2 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (elbow strain) #3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) - W, 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K #4 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (right elbow strain) #5 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, R, K #6 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, 3 K #7 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K #8 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Injured List #9 - Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) - 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, K #10 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, K #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for season (Tommy John surgery) #12 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) - Did not pitch #13 - Cole Sands (Wichita) - Did not pitch #14 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - 0-for-3, K #15 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI #16 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 1-for-4, 2B #17 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 3 K #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) - 0-for-3, R, BB, 3 K #19 - Edwar Colina (rehab) - Injured List (elbow) #20 - Chris Vallimont (Wichita) - Did not pitch WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Indianapolis (6:05PM CST) - RHP Drew Strotman (7-3, 3.59 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05PM CST) - LHP Bryan Sammons (2-4, 7.18 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35PM CST) - RHP Ben Gross (4-1, 3.27 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:05PM CST) - RHP Landon Leach (0-1, 4.85 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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No he wasn't, maybe average. So big power was never the expectation for him the way I look at it. I find the disappointment with that aspect while he's dealing with whatever hand thing he's got going on in his first professional season to be an overreaction. The allure with him was always his hit-tool, which is still the case. He looks like a great option as a future leadoff hitter at this point, and no reason to think there still can't be more than that.

He had an hand injury which he appears to be playing through this season, and has been noted to have affected his swing compared to college. I'd say it's a pretty good sign he's still hitting this well (average wise) if it is. Time will tell!

Like all the options to try and replace Berrios. However, I don't think any of them are going to come cheaper than he would have so put the odds of the Twins being able to get one of them at virtually zero. I shoot for Stroman as I think he's the one you'd have the best chance at if you're willing to overpay, and they will have to overpay.

I agree because I actually struggled to pick anyone on this night. But the 6 K's for Sands in his short time was a much higher bar than anyone else. I also watched the Wichita game, and he made some big pitches and was great until the 4th inning. Olson was also good for 5 innings, but then hit a big wall. Nunn has merit on picking up a clean save but really hard for me to give it to a one inning guy in any circumstance.

Yes there is! It's not a single person's list, so it takes a little time to compile with everyone. It will be updated (again) very soon!