Steve Lein

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!