Steve Lein

Yeah, there isn't a single guy in any of these deals who is a good enough prospect to get a conversation on Ryan started. Is there even a top 50? Absurd these are "can't refuse" offers. I think they are all far more on the "can" side of refuse than "can't." Ford maybe is top 50 guy? I know that's a need position for the Twins, but any conversation with Ryan needs to start with someone who is a consensus top 25 guy, in my opinion.

Definitely. As the center-fielder was nowhere to be found I think they were shifting him quite a bit the opposite way, but that's still is a long run!

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Walker Jenkins) TRANSACTIONS There was significant roster shuffling in the system on Monday and Tuesday. For the sake of brevity here, they’re coming at you rapid fire, but you can also take a look at the full list here: With the Saints, RHP Michael Tonkin had his contract selected by the Twins while optioning RHP Pierson Ohl, and RHP Cole Percival and LHP Aaron Rozek were assigned to St. Paul from Wichita. The Wind Surge received RHP Hunter Hoopes and RHP Alejandro Hidalgo from the Kernels. In Cedar Rapids OF Justin Connell and RHP Jeremy Lee were released, while LHP Brennen Oxford, RHP Matt Gabbert, and RHP Ruddy Gomez were assigned from the Mighty Mussels. In addition RHP Xander Hamilton was activated from the 60-day injured list, and 3B Jay Thomason and 3B Rayne Doncon were activated from the 7-day. Down in Florida with the FCL season coming to a close, there was some player swapping between the two leagues. SS Yohander Martinez and OF Jose Rodriguez were released from the Mighty Mussels. OF Angel Del Rosario was placed on the full-season injured list. Coming to the Florida State League from the FCL are OF Eduardo Beltre and SS Harry Genth. The Mighty Mussels also activated the just acquired in trade C Enrique Jimenez. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Toledo 6 Box Score Trent Baker got the starting nod for the Saints in Toledo and scattered three hits and three walks in his three innings. He was charged with one earned run and struck out four. The Saints' offense, on the other hand, ambushed Mud Hens starter and #OldFriend Devin Smeltzer. Three straight singles from Austin Martin, Luke Keaschall, and Edouard Julien preceded a double from Carson McCusker to put them up early 2-1. Payton Eeles then added an RBI single, and an error off the bat of Ryan Fitzgerald made it 4-1. Smeltzer left the game in the second after taking a liner from McCusker off his elbow, and then the Saints bats went quiet for the next six innings. Jarret Whorff came on to start the fourth inning and delivered a scoreless frame, but allowed three runs in the fifth to tie the game at four. He finished 1 2/3, allowing two hits and four walks, while striking out two. Kyle Bischoff came on to finish the fifth and completed two more innings with no runs allowed. He gave up two hits and two walks, and struck out one. In the top of the eighth, Fitzgerald gave the Saints some spark with a leadoff double. Jose Miranda then drew a walk and Martin a one-out single to load the bases. Keaschall gave them the lead 5-4 with a sac fly, but that would be all the insurance they could get. It wouldn’t be enough. Newcomer Cole Percival came on for the bottom of the eighth inning and retired the Mud Hens one-two-three, but a leadoff single and walk to start the ninth spelled doom. A one-out double tied the game at five and was followed by a walk-off single to give Toledo the win in the series opener. The Saints got multiple hits from Martin (2-for-5, R, K), Julien (3-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB, SB), and McCusker (2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI, 2 K). Keaschall was 1-for-4 with a run scored and RBI, playing second base. Aaron Sabato had a rough night with a golden sombrero out of the ninth spot in the lineup. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 8, Amarillo 10 Box Score This game was all about Walker Jenkins, until it wasn’t… Big lefty Christian MacLeod got the starting nod and was effectively wild for most of his outing. In four innings he was charged with two earned runs on three hits and four walks, while striking out three. Of his 70 pitches, just 38 went for strikes (54%), but 11 of those were swings and misses. But back to Jenkins. In the top of the first, he smoked a liner to dead center that burned the outfielder and hit off the wall for a double. In his second at-bat, he opened the scoring with his third home run of the season with Wichita. Gabriel Gonzalez followed with a blast of his own and Witchita took a 2-0 lead. Up for the third time in the fifth, he sent a solid line drive into center field for a single to put himself a triple shy of the cycle. It’s always the most difficult to get that one out of the way, but oddly enough the Sod Poodles home stadium is specifically dimensioned for that… In his fourth at-bat in the sixth, he sent another well-hit ball toward the “triple-triangle” of Hodgetown Stadium, an odd cutout in center field exactly like that of Fenway Park. Ten feet to the left, it would have bounced on the warning track, and I’m certain Jenkins would have gotten that triple. Ten feet to the right and it was likely his second home run of the game. Instead, the right fielder made a running catch in that triangle cutout to end the inning. Jenkins would get a few more chances, but it wasn’t meant to be on this night. The Wind Surge, however, came out the next inning and turned a tie game into an 8-3 lead. Five singles and a big two-run double from Kaelen Culpepper seemingly swung the momentum started by Jenkins fully in their favor. But just like those chances for a cycle… Ricky Castro had came on in relief of MacLeod to start the fifth and struck out three hitters in a row. A solo home run in the sixth tied the game at three, but Castro was only able to record just one out in the bottom half after the Wind Surge’s outburst, and allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks in his 2 1/3 total innings. He struck out four. Jacob Wosinski recorded one out before leaving the game with an injury. Kade Bragg got the final out of the seventh and added a scoreless eighth, but it was now a one-run game. Still up by one heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Wind Surge summoned Joel Cesar to try and close it out. A leadoff walk and two-wild pitches put the tying run on third base with just one out. Then a double brought him in and put the game-winning run in scoring position. While the Wind Surge boasts the Texas League’s home run leader in Kyler Fedko, the man who ranks second in that category belongs to the Sod Poodles, and Ivan Melendez is that man who next stepped into the batter's box. He sent the first pitch he saw deep into the night sky, and well over the fence to walk it off for the home team. The Wind Surge got multiple hits from Jenkins (3-for-5, 2B, HR, RBI, BB), Gonzalez (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB, K), and Ricardo Olivar (2-for-5, K), and had plenty of opportunities with 17 at-bats with runners in scoring position. The Sod Poodles just got the last one and didn’t waste it. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Lansing 6 Box Score The Kernels offense was only able to muster two runs on five hits in the game, while the Lugnuts were able to manufacture six of their own on seven hits. Brandon Winokur got the scoring started in this one by blasting his 13th home run of the season in the top of the second, but that would be it for Cedar Rapids until the ninth. Right-hander Jacob Kisting took the mound for the Kernels and went the first three innings. He gave up two runs in the third, and in total allowed two hits and walked one. He struck out three. All three relievers the Lugnuts faced also got hit for at least one earned run. Wilker Reyes allowed one run on one hit in two innings, striking out one. Nick Trabacchi pitched one inning and allowed one run on one hit and two walks, while striking out two. Xander Hamilton finished the final two innings, and gave up two earned runs on three hits and one walk, striking out one. The Kernels were able to score one run in the top of the ninth, but left some more on the basepaths as well. Billy Amick, Andy Lugo, and Jay Thomason hit back-to-back singles to load the bases with nobody out, but a double-play ball killed the momentum despite scoring that run. In addition to his single, Thomason drew two walks. Winokur added a walk to his early home run. The team finished just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and left only four men on base. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 4 (10 innings) Box Score The Mighty Mussels got a solid effort from starting pitcher Chris Becerra, who threw five scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits and two walks, though he didn’t strike out any Marauders. Fort Myers took a lead before Becerra ever toed the rubber, after Dameury Pena led off the game with a single, and was promptly brought in on a double from Yasser Mercedes. In the top of the third Peyton Carr delivered a one-out single, and two batters later Caleb McNeely sent his fourth home run of the season over the wall in left to make it 3-0. They would add one more run in the seventh after Daniel Pena drew a leadoff walk, and Blaze O’Saben added a out single in front of a sac fly from Jefferson Valladeres. Dylan Questad took over for Becerra in the sixth, but wouldn’t get through the seventh. Before it was over, he was charged with four earned runs on three hits and a walk. He struck out one and was responsible for two additional runners on base. Ivran Romero came on and, although he wouldn’t get charged with any of the runs, did give up the two-run single to tie the game at four. That gave him a blown save, but he would go on to add two more scoreless frames to get it into extras. He allowed three hits and struck out six in his 2 2/3 innings. In the top of the tenth, O’Saben promptly scored the Manfred-Man with an RBI single and advanced to second on the throw home. He moved up another base on a fly ball to center field, before Harry Genth scored him to make it 6-4 good guys. Julio Bonilla was called upon to shut down the Marauders in the bottom half, and did so in spectacular fashion. Immaculate even. Those nine pitches gave Romero his fourth win of the season, and it was Bonilla’s first save with the Mighty Mussels. The offense got multi-hit efforts from Carr (2-for-5, R, K) and O’Saben (2-for-5, R, RBI, SB). COMPLEX CHRONICLES Monday - FCL Championship Series: FCL Blue Jays 7, FCL Twins 5 Box Score Down 1-0 in their best-of-three championship series with the Blue Jays, the Twins needed a victory to keep their hopes alive on Monday. In order to do so, they sent out arguably their best regular season starting pitcher in right-hander Joel Garcia who finished the year with a 3.35 ERA in his 11 starts. He held the Blue Jays scoreless for the first three innings, working around a baserunner in each frame. In the top of the fourth, the visitors finally made him work a bit harder. A leadoff single and pair of walks around a pair of outs led to him being pulled with the bases loaded. Andrew Huffman came on and promptly surrendered a bases-clearing double to put the Blue Jays up 3-0. Garcia finished 3 2/3 innings and was charged with those three earned runs on two hits and four walks. He struck out three. The Twins' lineup answered in the bottom of the fourth after Ricardo Paez and Ramiro Dominguez delivered back-to-back singles to lead it off. Jayson Bass followed with a walk to load the bases before an error led to their first run. A bases-loaded walk to Isaac Pena brought them within one, and the guaranteed-Twingo winning “sacrifice-fly-double-play” entry tied the game at three before Irvin Nunez was doubled-up rounding third base. Huffman delivered a scoreless fifth and finished with 1 2/3 innings, allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out one. Brent Francisco delivered a scoreless sixth but got into trouble with two outs in the seventh. A single, hit batter, double steal, and two-run single put the Blue Jays back in front 5-3. Francisco was charged with two earned runs on two hits, a walk, and struck out two. Xavier Kolhosser got the final out of the seventh, but had trouble of his own in the eighth as well. He recorded just two outs, and was charged with two earned runs of his own on one hit. Anderson Ramos finished off the final 1 2/3, allowing two inherited runners to score, but none of his own. He gave up one hit, walked two, and struck out three. Down 7-3 in the bottom of the ninth, the Twins needed a miracle to keep their season alive. Irvin Nunez delivered a one-out single, and Pena drew a two-out walk to put some runners on base. A pair of wild pitches made it 7-5 and the tying run did reach base, but Eduardo Beltre’s fly ball into right field fell short of the wall, and the Twins went down in the series 2-0. Beltre led off for the Twins and finished 1-for-5 with the Twins' only extra-base hit of the game, a double. Isaac Pena drew three walks. As a team, the Twins went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. DOMINICAN DAILIES Monday: DSL Nationals 5, DSL Twins 0 (6 innings) Box Score The Twins lineup was only able to muster a single baserunner in the game, and Nationals pitchers faced the minimum number of hitters as that baserunner was erased by a double-play ball. After the first 12 hitters of the game had been retired, Joyner Perez led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to break up the perfect game attempt. It was a good thing as well, as this one didn’t last another half-inning, being called in the top of the sixth with the Nationals comfortably in front. Omar Montano made the start and took the loss. He completed 1 2/3 innings and was charged with four earned runs on two hits, a walk, and a pair of hit batters. He struck out three. Relievers Juan Quinones (1 1/3 IP, H, K), Eli Urena (2 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, K), and Agustin Campusano (2/3 IP, H, K) finished out the rest of the game. Tuesday: DSL Twins 10, DSL NYY Yankees 11 (10 innings) Box Score A back-and-forth affair with the Yankees on Tuesday went to extra innings. The Twins jumped out to a 3-0 in the top of the first thanks to a pair of errors to score the first two, and a Yovanny Duran RBI single. In the bottom half, which would be an omen for the rest of the game, the Yankees answered with three of their own. Starter Jeicol Surumay wasn’t able to get out of the first inning. He gave up three earned runs on two hits and three walks, striking out one in 2/3 of an inning. Yordi Jose went the next 2 1/3, giving up his lone run on a solo homer. Rey Pacheco then delivered three scoreless innings, scattering four hits and striking out three. Brandy Ceballos added a scoreless seventh (H, BB, 2 K). By that time, the Twins had pulled ahead 7-4. A double from Haritzon Castillo in the third led to him scoring on a wild pitch. Teilon Serrano hit his fourth home run of the season in the fourth. Then Dencer Diaz delivered a two-out, two-run single in the fifth to put the Twins up by three. It would stay that way until the bottom of the eighth, with Marlon Mirabal coming into the game. Like Surumay before him, he was only able to get two outs, and gave up four runs (two earned) in doing so on four hits. The Twins weren’t about to lay down, however. Down one in the top of the ninth, Duran led off with a double to put the tying run in scoring position. Two batters later Jose Barrios added a double of his own to score Duran. A throwing error on a pickoff play then allowed Barrios to scamper home and put the Twins up by one. Jensi Infante recorded the final out of the eighth, and was back out for the ninth. Unfortunately, he was greeted with a leadoff triple, and a one-out single tied the game at nine. After an intentional walk to load the bases, Infante struck out the final two hitters he faced to send it to extras. The extra-base runner scored for the Twins in the top half with little effort, as a wild pitch and throwing error combo allowed the runner to score before any ball was put in play. But that would be it. Juan Figaro came out from the bullpen for the bottom half but two walks and a single led to the game being tied yet again, before a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded sent the game winner strolling home. Castillo (2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, BB), Duran (2-for-3, R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, K), and Diaz (2-for-5, 2 RBI) led the way with multiple hits. Teilon Serrano scored three runs, drew two walks, and stole three bases in addition to his home run. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Ivran Romero, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (2 2/3 IP, 3 H, 6 K) Hitter of the Day – Walker Jenkins, Wichita Wind Surge (3-for-5, R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they performed on Tuesday. #1 – Walker Jenkins (Wichita): 3-for-5, R, 2B, HR (3), RBI, BB #2 – Luke Keaschall (Rehab w/St. Paul): 1-for-4, R, RBI #3 – Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita): 1-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, BB #8 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita): 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (4), RBI, BB, K #11 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-3, R, HR (13), RBI, BB #14 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4 #16 – Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, R, K #20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 2-for-5, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Darren McCaughan (5-4, 5.40 ERA) Wichita @ Amarillo (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (0-0, 1.83 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Chase Chaney (6-3, 3.44 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Adrian Bohorquez (2-3, 4.67 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

Also, Alejandro Hidalgo was just announced as being promoted to Wichita!

This was part of my summary for Prielipp in the Top Prospect Vote that finished last week: "Has been giving up hits, but also is a buzzsaw. That's a command issue (as opposed to control, where he's doing just fine with a sub 2.5/9IP walk rate) I will attribute to returning from so many injuries and basically re-learning how to pitch with a new arm." June was a "bad" month, as he had a near 2.00 WHIP in his four starts, but also had only a 2.45 ERA to go with that. I do not worry about the hits at this point as mentioned above, because he isn't giving up a bunch of runs along with them. I like the idea to get him up to the Saints and take some of the Dobnak innings.

I am fully aware of Jim Bowden's overall nonsense, guys! 🤣 I started writing about baseball when he was actually still a GM... Anyway, yeah. Every single one of these proposals in each article is universally hated in comments, so I know I'm not putting anything "new" out here. Just wanted to see anyone else's reaction, because my own were very "WTF?!" 🤣

I am honestly flabbergasted that a former GM now writer for The Athletic has put out these two pieces of Twins related nonsense in the past week (paywall, obviously): 1. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6515156/2025/07/25/mlb-trade-deadline-scenarios-yankees-dodgers/ Twins get: Josue De Paula, Jackson Ferris, Bobby Miller, Jaron Elkins Dodgers get: Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Willi Castro "In return, the Twins would land a haul." (I'm not that sure Bowden understands what a "haul" is. I might take De Paula and Ferris for Jax or Duran, but certainly not all three of them.) 2. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6518481/2025/07/28/mlb-trade-deadline-scenarios-teams-targets/ Twins proposals are number 19 and 20: Twins get: C Harry Ford and RHP Logan Evans Mariners get: Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax or Willi Castro "Both teams say yes." (I can't hit myself in the forehead with my palm hard enough) Twins get: Bryce Eldridge and Carson Whisenhunt Giants get: Joe Ryan "The Giants say no." (Eldridge: potentially great. But that doesn't make it enough for a top 10 pitcher in baseball with 2+ years of control left)

This framework of a deal is what I'd expect to get for Jax. Not quite enough for Duran in my opinion, and not even close to enough for Ryan. When the Twins traded Jose Berrios, a worse pitcher than Ryan, they received the at the time #22 Prospect in baseball (Austin Martin) and the #86 Prospect (Simeon Woods Richardson), per MLBPipeline. Bellesteros currently ranks #49, and Wiggins #93. My framework to trade Ryan to the Cubs would be Owen Cassie (#38), Wiggins (#93), and either Ryan Gallagher or Brandon Birdsell (who the Twins had actually drafted, but didn't sign), at a MINIMUM. Edit: Heck, now that I think even more about it, Ryan has an extra year of control than Berrios did. So it's now Cassie, Bellesteros, Wiggins, and Gallagher or Birdsell. So I guess what I'm saying is I doubt Ryan gets traded. The team I'd be looking into if they did want to trade Ryan, would be the Philadelphia Phillies. I'd want Andrew Painter the most, but one of Aiden Miller or Justin Crawford, Eduardo Tait, and Mick Abel is a good framework, too.

Walker Jenkins Jenkins is still #1, based on elite contact skills, athleticism, and 5-tool potential. But I caution that he's looking more like a late-career Joe Mauer as a hitter, compared to a prime Justin Morneau that many may be hoping for. Still plenty of time for man-muscles to develop, and I absolutely still expect it too, but there has been no power showing up in his game. It's all contact at this point in his development. Not a bad thing, just noteworthy.Luke Keaschall Can't come back to the Twins soon enough. Emmanuel Rodriguez Has more than enough chops for center field in the major leagues. Contact, strikeouts, and passivity still an issue. After returning from injury came out hot with the Saints before the All Star break, so I'll be continuing to watch for the true breakout. Elite exit velocities highlight his power potential.Kaelen Culpepper In addition to looking quite slick at SS, Culpepper is showing more as a hitter than anticipated. He has been arguably the biggest riser and one of the most exciting players to watch in the Twins system this season.Connor Prielipp Has been giving up hits, but also is a buzzsaw. That's a command issue (as opposed to control, where he's doing just fine with a sub 2.5/9IP walk rate) I will attribute to returning from so many injuries and basically re-learning how to pitch with a new arm. Best raw stuff since Johan and Liriano. I expect him to be bumped to triple-A in the second half, and personally hope he then pitches out of the bullpen to both limit innings, and audition for such a role with the Twins down the stretch.Dasan Hill A lefty throwing 98 MPH? Sign me up! Striking out over 13 hitters per 9 innings (elite), but walking close to half that amount (not so elite). Doesn't give up hits though, so as a 19-year old I expect control to be improved. Front-line starter potential if that happens.Gabriel Gonzalez You know the Undertaker from WWE? How he'd always snap back to life from near death while seemingly unconscious on the mat? That's Gabriel Gonzalez this season. Incredible turn-around from posting in .707 OPS in 2024, to a .947 one thus far in 2025. He is not a good outfielder, but this years version of a bat will definitely play. Ranked 20th in my last vote.Charlee Soto I don't like to drop guys too far for missing time to injury, but the fact of the matter here is several people above him have balled out while he's been on the sidelines, so fall he does (from #4 back in April for me). Can hit 100 MPH as a starter, so there's nothing for him to feel bad about here. Easily can climb back up when he gets back on the mound.Marek Houston Limited exposure to Houston for me, but a mid-1st round pick who plays high-level shortstop belongs in this range. Same spot around where Culpepper debuted for me last season after being drafted. Will need to prove the bat skills from his 2025 college season are legitimate, much like Culpeper has done this year.Brandon Winokur Freak of nature athletically who seems to like big moments. Stats this season won't jump off the page, but they hide big power potential and the fact that at 6'6" (or greater...) he can actually play shortstop. Has also swiped 20 bags in 23 attempts, so there's a comparison to Oneil Cruz of the Pirates here.Riley Quick The 36th overall pick in June's MLB draft. Like Prielipp, comes out of Alabama and has had Tommy John surgery. Has a big starter's frame and four-pitch mix, with a fastball up to 99 MPH post-surgery.Marco Raya Has turned his season around a bit in the last month, but will need to maintain that performance. Demeanor on the mound has reminded me of former top prospect and Twins pitcher, Chris Archer, which is not a compliment. Needs confidence.Kyle DeBarge DeBarge is a fun player to watch, and is a menace on the basepaths with 46 steals in 49 attempts on the year, in 78 games. In a fun stat I like to put out there with speedsters, is if you include those swipes and basepath outs (43 gross bases) in his total bases number, his slugging percentage on the season jumps from a mediocre .397 to an excellent .542.Quentin Young I'm amused by the fact Quintin is the nephew of Dmitri and Delmon Young. In his favor is he has the loud tools of former Twin Delmon, when he was arguably the #1 prospect in baseball back in the mid-2000's. There's a huge arm and huge power in his bat. There is risk the Twins aren't able to sign him away from a commitment to LSU, but I also don't believe they would have selected him if they didn't the have confidence to do so.Andrew Morris Morris pitched at three levels during the 2024 season, following closely behind the meteoric rise of Zebby Matthews. He's not the same control artist and was mediocre this season before hitting the injured list, hence his fall here. But there is a back-end starter here, with potential for mid-rotation upside if he can throw strikes consistently.CJ Culpepper Began the season on the injured list, but made it back to Wichita in June and has been excellent in limited innings ramping back up. Has allowed just one earned run in five appearances, and struck out 15 in 13 2/3 innings with the Wind Surge.Billy Amick Amick may have taken criticisms of his game to extreme levels coming into the 2025 season, but he may also be better off for it. Big power potential with limited contact was the rub, but this years he's hitting for average with limited power. There's still a lot of strikeouts, but is also getting on base at a .420 clip.Ricardo Olivar Olivar has finally creeped into my own list, as I can no longer ignore the consistency as a hitter. But he still lacks a position and that consistency is born out of average outputs across the board, and nothing that is truly plus.Eduardo Beltre Is having a bit of a rough exposure stateside in the FCL this season after dominating the DSL last year, but also is just 18-years old and has loud tools.Payton Eeles The fact he's returning from a knee injury is showing up in the early going for Eeles upon his return, but as a guy who tore an ACL on a baseball field I know how a knee recovery process can play out back on it. Will pick up hits in bunches, is lightning in a bottle in everything he does on the diamond, and will be a fan-favorite when he makes the majors. And he will make the majors. Eeles is my favorite prospect in the system, always love the underdogs!

Walker Jenkins Jenkins is still #1, based on elite contact skills, athleticism, and 5-tool potential. But I caution that he's looking more like a late-career Joe Mauer as a hitter, compared to a prime Justin Morneau that many may be hoping for. Still plenty of time for man-muscles to develop, and I absolutely still expect it too, but there has been no power showing up in his game. It's all contact at this point in his development. Not a bad thing, just noteworthy.Luke Keaschall Can't come back to the Twins soon enough. Emmanuel Rodriguez Has more than enough chops for center field in the major leagues. Contact, strikeouts, and passivity still an issue. After returning from injury came out hot with the Saints before the All Star break, so I'll be continuing to watch for the true breakout. Elite exit velocities highlight his power potential.Kaelen Culpepper In addition to looking quite slick at SS, Culpepper is showing more as a hitter than anticipated. He has been arguably the biggest riser and one of the most exciting players to watch in the Twins system this season.Connor Prielipp Has been giving up hits, but also is a buzzsaw. That's a command issue (as opposed to control, where he's doing just fine with a sub 2.5/9IP walk rate) I will attribute to returning from so many injuries and basically re-learning how to pitch with a new arm. Best raw stuff since Johan and Liriano. I expect him to be bumped to triple-A in the second half, and personally hope he then pitches out of the bullpen to both limit innings, and audition for such a role with the Twins down the stretch.Dasan Hill A lefty throwing 98 MPH? Sign me up! Striking out over 13 hitters per 9 innings (elite), but walking close to half that amount (not so elite). Doesn't give up hits though, so as a 19-year old I expect control to be improved. Front-line starter potential if that happens.Gabriel Gonzalez You know the Undertaker from WWE? How he'd always snap back to life from near death while seemingly unconscious on the mat? That's Gabriel Gonzalez this season. Incredible turn-around from posting in .707 OPS in 2024, to a .947 one thus far in 2025. He is not a good outfielder, but this years version of a bat will definitely play. Ranked 20th in my last vote.Charlee Soto I don't like to drop guys too far for missing time to injury, but the fact of the matter here is several people above him have balled out while he's been on the sidelines, so fall he does (from #4 back in April for me). Can hit 100 MPH as a starter, so there's nothing for him to feel bad about here. Easily can climb back up when he gets back on the mound.Marek Houston Limited exposure to Houston for me, but a mid-1st round pick who plays high-level shortstop belongs in this range. Same spot around where Culpepper debuted for me last season after being drafted. Will need to prove the bat skills from his 2025 college season are legitimate, much like Culpeper has done this year.Brandon Winokur Freak of nature athletically who seems to like big moments. Stats this season won't jump off the page, but they hide big power potential and the fact that at 6'6" (or greater...) he can actually play shortstop. Has also swiped 20 bags in 23 attempts, so there's a comparison to Oneil Cruz of the Pirates here.Riley Quick The 36th overall pick in June's MLB draft. Like Prielipp, comes out of Alabama and has had Tommy John surgery. Has a big starter's frame and four-pitch mix, with a fastball up to 99 MPH post-surgery.Marco Raya Has turned his season around a bit in the last month, but will need to maintain that performance. Demeanor on the mound has reminded me of former top prospect and Twins pitcher, Chris Archer, which is not a compliment. Needs confidence.Kyle DeBarge DeBarge is a fun player to watch, and is a menace on the basepaths with 46 steals in 49 attempts on the year, in 78 games. In a fun stat I like to put out there with speedsters, is if you include those swipes and basepath outs (43 gross bases) in his total bases number, his slugging percentage on the season jumps from a mediocre .397 to an excellent .542.Quentin Young I'm amused by the fact Quintin is the nephew of Dmitri and Delmon Young. In his favor is he has the loud tools of former Twin Delmon, when he was arguably the #1 prospect in baseball back in the mid-2000's. There's a huge arm and huge power in his bat. There is risk the Twins aren't able to sign him away from a commitment to LSU, but I also don't believe they would have selected him if they didn't the have confidence to do so.Andrew Morris Morris pitched at three levels during the 2024 season, following closely behind the meteoric rise of Zebby Matthews. He's not the same control artist and was mediocre this season before hitting the injured list, hence his fall here. But there is a back-end starter here, with potential for mid-rotation upside if he can throw strikes consistently.CJ Culpepper Began the season on the injured list, but made it back to Wichita in June and has been excellent in limited innings ramping back up. Has allowed just one earned run in five appearances, and struck out 15 in 13 2/3 innings with the Wind Surge.Billy Amick Amick may have taken criticisms of his game to extreme levels coming into the 2025 season, but he may also be better off for it. Big power potential with limited contact was the rub, but this years he's hitting for average with limited power. There's still a lot of strikeouts, but is also getting on base at a .420 clip.Ricardo Olivar Olivar has finally creeped into my own list, as I can no longer ignore the consistency as a hitter. But he still lacks a position and that consistency is born out of average outputs across the board, and nothing that is truly plus.Eduardo Beltre Is having a bit of a rough exposure stateside in the FCL this season after dominating the DSL last year, but also is just 18-years old and has loud tools.Payton Eeles The fact he's returning from a knee injury is showing up in the early going for Eeles upon his return, but as a guy who tore an ACL on a baseball field I know how a knee recovery process can play out back on it. Will pick up hits in bunches, is lightning in a bottle in everything he does on the diamond, and will be a fan-favorite when he makes the majors. And he will make the majors. Eeles is my favorite prospect in the system, always love the underdogs!

Danny De Andrade is certainly a better shortstop prospect and one that might be able to stick there in comparison, but both are just getting moved around for experience I would think. Winokur has played the most games this year in center field. Culpepper got basically all the work at shortstop while he was with the Kernels, now they're spreading it out a bit I think.

They took second in their division in the first half, at 37-32, which was six games behind the 1st half winners, the Springfield Cardinals. They are now 11-11 in the second half, four games back of first and in a jumble with three of the four other teams in their division at the bottom. Gonzalez and Culpepper are kind of on a timeline where they could get bumped to triple-A for a week when Wichita's season is over, or stay if they make the playoffs. Not really a big deal to do one or the other in the grand scheme, but you are right that those hitters are doing very well!

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Kyler Fedko) The Minnesota Twins made what one might classify in an alternate universe as a… [t]elling move… about intentions heading into the trade deadline, by claiming off waivers C Jhonny Pereda from the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday. He was immediately optioned to the Saints and gives the Twins a catcher with some recent MLB experience in reserve. To make room on the 40-man roster, fellow catcher Jair Camargo was designated for assignment. Or maybe for some reason they just wanted a guy who has proven he can strike out Shohei Ohtani?! (shrug) On Monday the Wichita Wind Surge placed RHP Tanner Andrews on the 7-day injured list, and in his place received LHP Kade Bragg from the Cedar Rapids Kernels. In Fort Myers, the Mighty Mussels activated RHP Anthony Narvaez from the 60-day injured list where he had resided the entire season thus far, and after multiple rehab assignments in the FCL. SAINTS SENTINEL Worcester 11, St. Paul 2 Box Score The Red Sox came to CHS Field and blew the Saints out of their own building on Tuesday night. Veteran Randy Dobnak made the start and certainly got his work in, but it was under duress. He finished four innings, but Worcester got him for two runs in each of the first, second, and third innings before he finished his night with a one-two-three fourth. He allowed five hits, including two home runs, and walked three while striking out none. Trent Baker came on in relief and had it even worse allowing five earned runs on six hits, including two more home runs, and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. He managed to strike out three. Mop up duty came from Kyle Bischoff (1 1/3 IP, 2 K), newcomer Noah Davis (1 IP, BB, K), and Michael Tonkin (1 IP, K). The Saints four hits in the game came from Luke Keaschall (single), Austin Martin (single), Edouard Julien (single) and Noah Cardenas (double). Martin scored on an error in the bottom of the first after his single, and Cardenas' double in the second drove in Anthony Prato, who had drawn a walk. As a team the Saints had only two at-bats with runners in scoring position, and left five men on base. Luke Keaschall served as the designated hitter in the leadoff spot, and finished 1-for-4 with a strikeout. WIND SURGE WISDOM Frisco 5, Wichita 12 Box Score In a reverse of fortune from their triple-A club, the Wind Surge put on a home run derby against the Roughriders at home. They had a season-high 18 hits, tied their franchise high with seven home runs, and added five doubles among that hit tally for an impressive display of power. The only batters to not collect a hit, or multiple for that matter, were Walker Jenkins (0-for-4, HBP) and Rubel Cespedes (0-for-5, 4 K). Kaelen Culpepper was the leadoff man and finished 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBI. His blast was his 5th in 20 games with the Wind Surge and for the month of July has 22 hits in 50 at-bats (.440). The also scorching-hot Gabriel Gonzalez finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored, an opposite-field home run, and two RBI. Texas League home run leader Kyler Fedko clubbed his 19th and 20th bombs of the season, giving him the first 20-20 season in Wind Surge history. Kala’i Rosario also hit two out of the park, giving him 12 on the season and he and Fedko sit atop the league leaderboard for RBI’s on the year. Jake Rucker accounted for the seventh home run of the game and added a double for good measure. Not to be outdone, Ricardo Olivar finished 3-for-4 with three doubles. It was an absolute onslaught with two separate back-to-back jack sequences. As far as the pitching went, if Mike Paredes enters the game you know you’re going to win anyway, but the offense left little doubt. Darren Bowen went the first four innings. He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out five. Jacob Wosinski gave up three earned runs on two hits and three walks in his lone inning. Then came Paredes, who pitched three scoreless to improve to 10-0 on the season, which is tied for the lead in wins in all of minor league baseball despite him making the start in only 2 of his 25 appearances. John Stankiewicz then got the final three outs. KERNELS NUGGETS Fort Wayne 4, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score Chase Chaney was the starting pitcher for the Kernels on Tuesday and finished the first three innings in Cedar Rapids. He allowed one run on three hits while striking out four. The TinCaps tacked on two more runs against Gabriel Yanez, who pitched the next 1 1/3 innings. He gave up two hits, two walks, and struck out three. Down 4-0 in the bottom of the seventh, the Kernels offense finally put together a rally. Danny De Andrade led off with a double. Kyle Hess drew a one-out walk. With two outs, Maddux Houghton delivered an RBI single to get them on the board. After a pitching change, the Kernels executed a double-steal to make it 4-2, but Houghton also was caught for the third out in a rundown on the play. That would be it for their scoring. Relievers Logan Whitaker (1 2/3 IP, H, K), Nick Trabacchi (1 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, K), and Paulshawn Pasqualotto (2 IP, BB, K) finished off the game for the Kernels. Billy Amick (2-for-4, 2B, K) and De Andrade (2-for-4, R, 2B, K) each had two hits. The Kernels managed just six hits as a team, finished 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and left only four men on base. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Lakeland 7 Box Score The Mighty Mussels got on the scoreboard first in this one after Angel Del Rosario delivered a one-out single in the top of the second. Blaze O’Saben followed with an RBI double for a 1-0 lead. Right-hander Eli Jones made the start, and pitched into the third inning. Before reaching his pitch count, he finished 2 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit, walking two, and striking out three. Jakob Hall came on in relief and managed to strand the runner who led off with a triple against Jones in the third but had some two-out trouble in the fourth. The Flying Tigers strung together a double and two singles to go up 2-1 and added another in the fifth to go up by two. Hall finished 1 2/3 innings and was charged with two earned runs on three hits while striking out two. In his 2025 Florida State League debut, Anthony Narvaez went two innings, allowing one run on one hit and one walk, along with striking out one. Fort Myers was able to tie the game at three in the top of the sixth, thanks to a two-run homer from Peyton Carr, but that would be all of their offense for the game. I’ll note that Carr has quite the unique timing setup: After Narvaez was done, Ivran Romero finished off the final two innings, but in the process took the loss. He was charged with four runs (two earned) on five hits. Carr led the way for the offense with two hits in four at-bats, including the home run. Yasser Mercedes stole his 28th base of the season. COMPLEX CHRONICLES Monday: FCL Pirates 0, FCL Twins 4 (7 innings) Box Score The teams combined for just seven hits in the game, but the Twins were able to finish 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position while the Pirates went 0-for-9. Juan Cota made the start for the home team and was excellent over four innings. He allowed just one hit, walked none, and struck out five. Andrew Huffman added two scoreless innings after Cota’s exit, giving up one hit, one walk, and striking out three to pick up his fifth FCL win of the season. Aiberson Ventura got the final inning and gave up a leadoff double, but retired the next three in order, including a strikeout, to close out the game. The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning thanks to an RBI double from Jayson Bass to drive in Eduardo Beltre, who led off with a single and then stole his 18th base of the season. They added three more in the fourth behind an RBI double from Ricardo Paez and bases-loaded walks from Jay Thomason and Ramiro Dominguez. Tuesday: Game 1: FCL Twins 1, FCL Orioles 0 (8 innings) Box Score With a doubleheader on the docket on Tuesday, this one actually remained scoreless through the scheduled seven innings. Joel Garcia made the start for the Twins, and held the Orioles in check for the first 5 1/3 innings. It was a little odd as Garcia faced just one hitter in the sixth, so it wasn’t because he finally got into some trouble, but in total he allowed no runs on just three hits and one walk, while striking out two. Will Armbruester would finish the final 2 2/3 innings, including the “extra” eighth inning, where he retired all three hitters he faced to earn the win. The Twins got that victory thanks to the extra runner to begin the top of the eighth. With Merphy Hernandez starting the inning on second base, two groundouts were able to get him to third before Ricardo Paez delivered what would be the game-winning RBI double. Each team had just four hits, but because of that the Twins were the only one able to get a base-knock with runners in scoring position. Game 2: FCL Twins 3, FCL Orioles 9 (7 innings) Box Score The Orioles got a bit of revenge in game two, which was a makeup of their postponement from last Wednesday. They jumped out to a 7-0 lead before the Twins were able to put together any offense of their own. Liam Roque started on the mound and made it through just 1 1/3 innings. He was charged with four earned runs on two hits and three walks. He struck out two. Teague Conrad went the next three innings, but had trouble of his own. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out just one. Leonardo Rondon finished off the final 1 2/3 frames, and gave up two earned runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out two. The Twins scored all three of their runs in the top of the sixth, with Irvin Nunez’s RBI double driving in two to get them on the board. Isaac Pena later added a sac fly to make it 7-3, but that was it for the Twins offense. Ramiro Dominguez chipped in his 15th double of the season, which ranks top three in the Florida Complex League. DOMINICAN DAILIES Monday: DSL Twins 14, DSL Rangers Red 13 (10 innings) Box Score A beer-league softball game broke out in the DSL on Monday, with each team scoring three or more runs in a frame twice, and the game ultimately going into extra innings thanks to a Twins comeback. The Rangers were ahead 10-5 after the fourth, as Twins pitching had trouble recording outs early. Starter Omar Montano was charged with five earned runs in 2 2/3 innings thanks to four hits and five walks. He struck out two. Marlon Mirabal didn’t have any better luck, allowing five earned runs himself in 1 1/3 innings on five hits and one walk, while striking out one. But the Twins lineup fought back and took an 11-10 lead after the top of the sixth where they plated five runs. Three singles, an error, a double, and a triple led to that lead change, and the game went into the final three innings within one run. Reliever Agustin Campusano stabilized the game for the Twins, putting up four middle innings of one-run ball. He gave up two hits, one walk, and struck out four. Brandy Ceballos took them into the extra innings, and did just enough to get the infamous blown-save-and-win scenario. Tied at 12 after nine innings, the Twins almost went down without a fight in extras. The first two hitters of the inning struck out, before Jose Barrios delivered an RBI single to put them up by one. Teilon Serrano followed with an RBI single of his own to give them the needed breathing room. The Rangers scored the ghost runner in the bottom half, but weren’t able to tie it back up. Every batter in the Twins lineup reached base multiple times in the game, with five of nine batters picking up two or more hits. Their 16 hits on the game included just two extra-base hits, with Aaron Salazar delivering a double, and Barrios a triple. They also stole eight bases as a team and finished 9-for-22 with runners in scoring position. Tuesday: DSL Twins 12, DSL NYY Yankees 7 Box Score The Twins started the ninth inning of this one down 7-6 but exercised the parent club's demons to the tune of six runs to steal this one from the empire. Jeicol Surumay got the starting nod and completed the first three innings. He allowed four earned runs on five hits and two walks, while punching out four. Juan Quinones was the first reliever, and allowed three of his own on two hits and two walks, striking out three in 1 1/3 innings. The bullpen trio of Juan Figaro (2/3 IP, 2 BB), Rey Pacheco (3 IP, H, BB, 5 K), and Nestor Cafe (1 IP, H, BB, K) combined to shut the Yankees down the final four-plus innings to give the lineup a chance. Down 7-4 to start the eighth, the Twins closed it to a one run lead after Yovanny Duran led off with a single. He advanced to second on a balk before an RBI double from Darwin Almanzar, and a couple of wild pitches allowed him to scamper home to make it 7-6. In the top of the ninth a pair of singles put the go-ahead runs on base, but a strikeout and flyout put the Twins down to their last out. Almanzar delivered another double to put them out front and it cascaded into three consecutive errors along with a walk and RBI single from Santiago Leon to put the Twins ahead 12-7. Teilon Serrano (2-for-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB), Haritzon Castillo (4-for-5, R, 2B, BB), and Almanzar (3-for-5, 3 R, 3 2B, 3 RBI) all had multiple hits to key the comeback win. Jamesson Val added a triple, stolen base, and scored three runs. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Mike Paredes, Wichita Wind Surge (W, 3 IP, 2 H, 3 K) Hitter of the Day – Kyler Fedko, Wichita Wind Surge (2-for-3, 4 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they performed on Tuesday. #1 – Walker Jenkins (Wichita): 0-for-4, HBP #2 – Luke Keaschall (Rehab w/St. Paul): 1-for-4, K #4 – Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita): 4-for-5, R, HR (5), 2 RBI #9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4, 2 K #10 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-3, BB, K #12 – Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, 2B, K #13 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita): 2-for-5, 2 R, HR (3), 2 RBI #15 – Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins): 1-for-9, R, 3 BB, 2 K, SB (3 games) #18 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 3-for-4, 3 2B, BB #19 – Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, R, 2B, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Worcester @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - RHP Connor Gillispie (4-1, 6.35 ERA) Frisco @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - LHP Christian MacLeod (0-2, 2.25 ERA) Fort Wayne @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Tanner Hall (3-3, 5.05 ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Christian Becerra (2-1, 2.63 ERA) FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CDT) - TBD (makeup of 7/3 postponement) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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Oh, I know. 🤣 I just seem to have a far better understanding of what actually happened with this "renaming" than you do. HINT: There is nothing that makes it "legally called that" in existence (i.e.: there is no law, only federal executive branch guidance via an Executive Order). And with that, lets stop this nonsense right here.

No. 🤣

TRANSACTIONS After the Los Angeles Dodgers designated RHP Noah Davis for assignment, the Minnesota Twins came calling and a trade was completed to bring the 28-year-old to the organization. The Twins then assigned him to the St. Paul Saints. Davis made his MLB debut during the 2022 season with the Colorado Rockies, and has pitched 57 1/3 major league innings over the past four seasons. With the Dodgers this year he had made five appearances, allowing 13 earned runs and 14 hits in six total innings, while striking out eight and walking five. He primarily deploys a slider and sinker combination that the Twins appear to like, but will need to harness to unlock any potential they see. In the Midwest League on Monday the Cedar Rapids Kernels sent IF Rayne Doncon on a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins and he played in one game of their doubleheader on Tuesday. COMPLEX CHRONICLES Monday: FCL Braves @ FCL Twins (postponed, rain) The Twins weren’t able to avoid the wet weather on the Gulf of Mexico side of Florida on Monday, and instead played a doubleheader on Tuesday. Tuesday: Game 1: FCL Twins 2, FCL Braves 0 (7 innings) Box Score Twins pitching shut out the Braves in the regularly scheduled contest, with Joel Garcia dominating for the first 5 2/3 innings, and Xander Hamilton cleaning up the sixth and holding it down in the seventh to record the save. The Braves did have plenty of baserunners, leaving eight of them on base in the game, but each time Garcia was able to work around it, including by inducing two inning-ending double plays. He allowed five hits and two walks, while striking out five and left the game with runners on first and third in the sixth. Hamilton struck out the next hitter to keep the shutout intact, and added a scoreless seventh to close it out. He struck out one. The Twins scored both of their runs in the top of the third, with Ricardo Paez getting it started with a leadoff single. Yilber Herrera drew a walk one-out later, and Eduardo Beltre followed with an RBI single for the game's first run. Herrera proceeded to steal third base, and then scored the second on a passed ball. Both teams collected only five hits on the game, and they were all singles. The rehabbing Rayne Doncon went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts, playing first base and batting second in the lineup. Game 2: FCL Braves 0, FCL Twins 1 (7 innings) Box Score Twins pitching kept up the theme of the day in the makeup game, holding the Braves to just two hits, and no runs, for a scoreless twin bill. Right-hander Yoel Roque got the nod in this one and went the first three innings, allowing just one hit and walking one, along with picking up two strikeouts. Teague Conrad came on in the fourth and retired nine of the ten hitters he faced, including four on strikeouts. He allowed one hit and walked one to pick up his second win of the season. The game remained tied at zero until the bottom of the sixth inning, as the Twins got some help from the Braves. Ramiro Dominguez led off with a single, and a throwing error on a pickoff attempt allowed him to move to third base. Jayson Bass then brought him in with a sac fly to account for all the scoring action of the game. Dominguez led the way with two hits in three at-bats. Yandro Hernandez chipped in a double, while Luis Fragoza went 1-for-3 and stole his 13th base. The Twins went 2-for-15 on the day with runners in scoring position, while the Braves finished a paltry 0-for-8. DOMINICAN DAILIES If you are at all interested in going this deep down in the rabbit hole of the Minnesota Twins farm system, their Dominican Republic Academy is now streaming their games over on their new Youtube channel. Monday: DSL Twins 3, DSL Tigers 5 (5 innings) Box Score The Twins got the scoring started in this one, when Santiago Leon clubbed his third double of the season in the top of the first. Haritzon Castillo traded places with him for his fifth double, and it was 1-0. That didn’t last long, as Twins starting pitcher Omar Montano gave that back and more in the bottom half. Five consecutive singles started his outing, then a one-out double broke it open for the Tigers to make it 4-1. Montano recovered to finish three innings, including a one-two-three third with a pair of strikeouts, but the damage had already been done. Montano was charged with all five Tigers runs (four earned) on seven hits, but did strike out five. Agustin Campusano pitched the final one-plus innings of this one for the Twins, allowing two hits before weather moved in during the bottom of the fifth, and resulted in it being called a final. The Twins offense scored single runs in the third and fourth innings to close within two, but weren’t afforded the opportunity to complete the comeback. Aaron Salazar led off the third with a walk, and later scored on a sac fly from Castillo. In the fourth Jamesson Val launched his first professional home run to make the final of 5-3. Leon led the way with two hits, including the double, in three at-bats. Tuesday: DSL Twins 12, DSL Phillies White 1 Box Score This game was a tale of one inning, as the Twins scored all twelve of their runs in the seventh, after being behind all game to that point 1-0. Twins starter Jeicol Surumay went the first five innings, allowing a lone run in the first, but only four hits and a walk in total. He struck out five. Rey Pacheco came on for the sixth inning and got credited for the win with a scoreless frame, allowing one hit and striking out one. That win came because the Twins demolished Phillies pitching in the seventh, sending 17 hitters to the plate before it was over. The first 15 of those hitters all reached base, with the lone Phillies out coming due to a relay throw that caught a runner rounding third base too far. There were four singles, two doubles, three walks, four hit batters, and three errors on the Phillies to turn an otherwise solid game to that point, into a laugher. Twins relievers Marlon Mirabal (2 IP, 2 BB, 3 K) and Brandy Ceballos (IP, K) finished off the game against a defeated Phillies lineup. Despite the huge run total, only Jose Barrios (2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, 2 K) and Aaron Salazar (3-for-5, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, K) had multiple hits. Yovanny Duran was 1-for-2 with a run scored, drew four walks, and stole three bases. Dencer Diaz finished 1-for-2 with a pair of runs scored and three walks. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Teague Conrad, FCL Twins (W, 4 IP, H, BB, 4 K) Hitter of the Day – Aaron Salazar, DSL Twins (2 games: 3-for-6, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they performed on Tuesday. #15 – Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins): 1-for-6, RBI, 4 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CDT) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! The full-season affiliates resume play on Friday, July 18th. View full article

Yeah, to be quite honest this time was run out before they actually switched him to a reliever... I don't know why this article keeps getting put out every 6 months. His stuff improved because of the switch. It will do the opposite in reverse.

Jenkins really starting to come around. Still needs to add some more power to his game, but he'll get his man muscles eventually! Culpepper and Gonzalez have been really exciting. I am a huge Eeles fan. I will tell anybody who doubts him to stop doing that 😅 He is a sparkplug, lightning in a bottle table setter, and the idea that he needs to hit for "power," or specifically home runs, is drastically overstated. He's a havoc creator. Utility role like Willi Castro is exactly where he fits. People will fall in love with his effort and enthusiasm immediately. Sabato is also a completely different guy so far this year. I've seen his batted ball slider graph from someone recently, and it's a whole lot of red, including 100% average exit velocity.

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Emmanuel Rodriguez) TRANSACTIONS There was some relatively big news in the transaction lists of the Minnesota Twins system before this week's games kicked off. In Triple-A with the Saints, 2023 minor-league home run champion, 1B Yunior Severino, was released. C Jeferson Morales was also placed on the Development List, while in their places IF Mickey Gasper and CF Emmanuel Rodriguez were activated from the injured list. In the Midwest League, there was unfortunate news as C Khadim Diaw was transferred from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day, essentially ending his season due to a broken thumb. Diaw was having a nice breakout season, hitting .302/.455/.431 in 38 games for the Kernels. With the Mighty Mussels on Monday, RHP Josh Bortka was released as they activated RHP Julio Bonilla from the 60-day injured list. SAINTS SENTINEL Iowa 5, St. Paul 11 Box Score The Cubs and Saints combined to rack up 24 hits in this one, but it was the power of the Saints that won out in the end. The teams traded single runs back and forth in the first two-and-a-half innings, before the Saints broke through for more. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the third an error and single from the just returned Emmanuel Rodriguez, put two runners on base for Patrick Winkel, who clubbed his seventh home run of the year with the Saints to make it 5-3. Darren McCaughan got the starting nod at CHS Field and battled through those first few innings to finish five in total. He was charged with three earned runs on six hits, including two homers, but worked around more damage by notching six punchouts. Trent Baker was charged with a blown save after allowing the Cubs to tie the game at five in the sixth, but tacked on scoreless seventh and eighth innings to give the Saints offense the runway they needed. Aaron Sabato put them in front for good with a three-run shot in the seventh, his fourth of the season, and Rodriguez did the same in the eighth to put them up by six. Rodreguez’s three-run blast was his fifth of the season in triple-A. It was a booming return to CHS Field for Rodriguez, who hadn’t necessarily been performing up to his prospect status before missing three weeks to start the month of June with a hip injury. He finished this one 3-for-4 with four runs scored, a walk, and the exclamation point three-run blast. He also made a phenomenal grab in the left-center gap running full-steam up against the wall to rob extra-bases in the top of the third (that highlight is further below…). Kody Funderburk closed out the game with a scoreless ninth to secure the win. In addition to Rodriguez’s outburst, Sabato (3-for-5, R, HR, 3 RBI, K) and Payton Eeles (4-for-5, 2 R) couldn’t be kept off the bases all night. WIND SURGE WISDOM San Antonio 2, Wichita 6 Box Score The Wind Surge pitching staff got the backing of home runs from Rubel Cespedes and Kala’i Rosario to take game one of the series against the Missions in Wichita. San Antonio struck first in the top of the second inning against starting pitcher Ricky Castro, thanks to an error with two outs. After the misplay, a double put the first run of the game across the plate. Castro finished three innings, and was charged with two runs (one earned) on four hits, striking out one. In the bottom of the second the Wind Surge got that first run back after Rosario led off the frame with a walk, stole second base (his 18th on the season), and Ricardo Olivar delivered an RBI single. In the bottom of the fourth Cespedes tied the game at two with a two-out RBI single, and it would stay that way until the seventh. Jacob Wosinski was the first reliever summoned to start the fourth inning, and went the next two. He allowed two hits and a walk, but no runs. Pitching win scavenger Mike Paredes came on to start the sixth inning, and worked his magic again. He went the next three innings, during which the Wind Surge took the lead for good, allowing two hits, striking out one, and improving to 9-0 on the season in 22 appearances. Tanner Andrews closed out the ninth with a scoreless frame, walking one and striking out one. Wichita got a solo home run from Cespedes in the bottom of the seventh, and Andrew Cossetti nearly went back-to-back, but was robbed just over the fence in left field, so it went to the eighth with the score 3-2 Wind Surge. Kaelen Culpepper led off the eighth with a single, Gabriel Gonzalez followed two batters later with one of his own, and after a wild pitch allowed Culpepper to score, Rosario sent his 10th home run of the season the opposite way to account for the final score. The home team was an efficient 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and left only three men on base for the game. Culpepper (2-for-4, R), Gonzalez (2-for-4, 2 R), and Cespedes (2-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI) each collected multiple hits. In addition to his home run, Rosario scored two runs and drew a walk. Walker Jenkins finished 1-for-4 and batted second in the lineup behind Culpepper. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (Postponed, rain) The Kernels series opening tilt with the Chiefs ran into bad weather on Tuesday, and was postponed. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Friday, July 11th, with game one starting at 4:30 PM. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Clearwater 1 Box Score Coming off of five hitless innings in his last appearance to earn the Florida State League pitcher of the week award, right-hander Adrian Bohorquez got the starting nod on Tuesday against the Threshers. He picked up right where he left off, retiring the first eight hitters in this one before issuing a walk in the third inning. A leadoff single in the fourth was his only hit allowed in this one, and he finished five innings to pick up his second win of the year. He struck out three, and threw 42 of his 68 pitches for strikes (62%). He topped out just over 97 MPH in this one and induced seven swings and misses. Fort Myers scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning giving Bohorquez a shot of confidence before even stepping on the mound. Yasser Mercedes drew a one-out walk, stole second base for his 22nd steal of the season (he added his 23rd later in the game), and scored on a Bryan Acuna RBI single. They added two in the fifth and four in the sixth to put this one well out of reach. Mercedes delivered an RBI double and Caleb McNeely a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0 after five. In the sixth Jefferson Valladares delivered the biggest knock of the game, a three-run homer that made it 6-0. A throwing error on a pickoff attempt and wild pitch led to the final run of the inning after Dameury Pena followed that blast with a single. Relievers Zander Sechrist (2 IP, H, BB, 3 K) and Ivran Romero (2 IP, ER, 2 BB, K) closed out the rest of the game with little resistance. The Mighty Mussels got multiple hits from Pena (2-for-4, 2 R, BB, SB), Peyton Carr (2-for-5, K), and Blaze O’Saben (2-for-5, R, 2B). Acuna drew three walks in five plate appearances and drove in one. COMPLEX CHRONICLES Monday: FCL Twins 2, FCL Orioles 6 Box Score The Orioles used a four-run second inning to put this one out of reach, as the Twins managed just five hits as a team, were 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, and left seve men on base. Joel Garcia pushed through that early onslaught, finishing four innings but was charged with five runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk. He struck out four. Andrew Huffman pitched the final two innings, being charged with another unearned run on one hit and a pair of walks, while also striking out four. Edouardo Beltre was responsible for two of the Twins five hits, finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored out of the leadoff spot. Luis Fragoza added a double, while Daiber De Los Santos stole his 12th base. Tuesday: FCL Twins 8, FCL Rays 7 (Suspended, to be completed 7/10) Box Score Eduardo Beltre clubbed a three-run homer, his fourth of the season, in the seventh inning to put the Twins up 7-2 at the time. The offense had put up three other runs in the third thanks to a rough inning on defense for the Rays, that included three errors and a wild pitch. The Twins have used seven pitchers in the game to this point, with Teague Conrad doing the most lifting in the middle frames with 2 1/3 innings. But he also was on the mound to start the seventh where the Rays stormed back with five runs to tie it at seven. Another error by the Rays in the eighth allowed a Victor Leal RBI single to put them back in front by one before the suspension. DOMINICAN DAILIES Monday: DSL Twins 4, DSL NYY Yankees 21 Box Score Twins pitchers issued 14 walks to go along with 14 Yankees hits, leading to the class-A vs class-C softball score in the DSL on Monday. Teilon Serrano finished 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot. Jamesson Val added a double, Jose Barrios a triple, and Darwin Almanzar a home run to at least give the team a cumulative cycle to hang any hat on. Six Twins pitchers made an appearance, with Gerardo Cardona’s 1 2/3 scoreless innings to end the game the only one to come out unscathed in the box score. Tuesday: DSL Rockies 3, DSL Twins 4 Box Score Down 3-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Twins got the first two batters of the inning on base with singles, before a pair of groundouts sucked out some of the energy. However, the next batter was hit by a pitch to load the bases, before Pablo Castillo came through with a single to right field to walk off the Rockies. The Twins got multiple hits out of Santiago Leon (2-for-4, R, K), Haritzon Castillo (2-for-4, 2 R, K), Yovanny Duran (3-for-4, R, RBI, 2 SB) and Pablo Castillo (3-for-4, RBI), and Darwin Almanzar added a double secure the win. Jeicol Surumay made the start and went the first three innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out three. The bullpen trio of Nestor Cafe (1 IP, BB, K), Diego Rosal (2 1/3 IP, 2 H, R, 2 BB, 3 K), and Rey Pacheco (2 2/3 IP, K) finished out the game for the Twins. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Adrian Bohorquez, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (W, 5 IP, H, BB, 3 K) Hitter of the Day – Emmanuel Rodriguez, St. Paul Saints (3-for-4, 4 R, HR, 3 RBI, BB) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they performed on Tuesday. #1 – Walker Jenkins (Wichita): 1-for-4, K #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 3-for-4, 4 R, HR (5), 3 RBI, BB #4 – Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita): 2-for-4, R #13 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita): 2-for-4, 2 R #15 – Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins): 3-for-8, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K (2 games) #18 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K #20 – Payton Eeles (St. Paul): 4-for-5, 2 R WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CDT) - RHP Jose Urena (0-1, 2.31 ERA) San Antonio @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - LHP Connor Prielipp (0-3, 3.38 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Tanner Hall (3-3, 4.79 ERA) Fort Myers @ Clearwater (5:30 PM CDT) - LHP Michael Carpenter (0-4, 4.81 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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I'll say honestly, in my opinion, this means you haven't watch enough of Eeles. This dude is a ballplayer, and the quicker we start thinking of him like that instead of the fact he's not a "top prospect," the better. I write an article at the start of every year picking the guys I think will make their MLB debut with the Twins. Even knowing he was going to miss at least 2 months to start this one, I commented on that article that he was one of the four I was most sure of to do so this season. That's because of what I've seen out of him. In small sample size terms, I'm giving him a lot of leeway right now in the fact he is currently returning from that knee injury, so needs some sample to ramp back up. 4-for-5 tonight, so maybe that is in motion!

64 games at AAA in 2024 is not a small sample size.