Steve Lein

The 1B hitter/body prototype is Wallner or Larnach. In the minors it's Billy Amick, and dare I say, Walker Jenkins. Before you yell at me, I said "1B hitter/body prototype." The only one of those who could ever end up there on defense is Amick. I think Lee would be a monumental waste at 1B unless a lot of other things were different on the roster.

I also am not a fan of putting experienced college bats in the rookie leagues or low-A after being drafted, as they are already beyond that level of competition. But there also is something to be said about just letting them finish off a couple months of an already long baseball season they have gone through at the best facility the organization has to offer them. They're not playing in the majors this year, or even the next one probably, so I get it. That doesn't mean we can't still be disappointed about it. 🙂

This one is weird for me. I think he looks leaner this year than he did last season.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (Photo of Kaelen Culpepper) TRANSACTIONS The Minnesota Twins system continues to be full of transaction activity as the fallout of trading 10 players on your Major League roster continues to be felt days later. In perhaps the biggest news, IF Luke Keaschall completed his rehab assignment and was returned to the Minnesota Twins where he certainly made his presence felt in Detroit. The Twins also selected the contract of RHP Darren McCaughan. OF DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and RHP Noah Davis were optioned back to Triple-A. The Saints assigned LHP Gabriel Yanez back to Wichita and received RHP John Klein in his place. Klein is a graduate of Burnsville high school, so he should bring some fans in when he pitches. Down in the ICT the Wind Surge released RHP Joel Cesar and received RHP Eston Stull from Cedar Rapids. They also activated RHP Michael Martinez from the 7-day injured list and sent RHP Kyle Jones on a rehab assignment with Fort Myers. Jones had not pitched in a game in over a year. On Monday the Kernels activated C Khadim Diaw from the 60-day injured list and received helium pitching prospect RHP Adrian Bohorquez from the Mighty Mussels. In the Florida State League, RHP Joel Garcia was promoted from the FCL, and 2B Ryan Daniels was placed on the 7-day injured list with a hip impingement. SAINTS SENTINEL Iowa 5, St. Paul 10 Box Score The Saints utilized two four-run innings and a four-hit night from one of their several new players (though not one from a trade…), to take game one of their series with the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday night at CHS Field. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second thanks to catcher Jhonny Pereda, who they claimed off waivers from the Athletics a few weeks ago. His first home run in a Saints uniform also scored Aaron Sabato, who had led off with a single. The home team tacked on four more in the fourth to take a 6-0 lead behind walks from Jonah Bride, Anthony Prato, and James Outman, as well as a single from Pereda to score one and keep the bases loaded. Kyler Fedko added a sac fly, Payton Eeles clubbed a ground-rule RBI double, and Gabriel Gonzalez an RBI single to account for all of those runs. Starter Aaron Rozek went the first four scoreless frames, scattering four hits and a walk, while striking out three. John Stankiewicz added two dominant innings of relief, striking out five of the seven hitters he faced. Cole Percival came on for the seventh and had some trouble finding the strike zone, leading to four runs allowed. He walked three and gave up two hits in 2/3 of an inning. Jarret Whorff cleaned up the rest of that mess, and finished the game with 2 1/3 scoreless. He gave up an unearned run, but no hits or walks, and struck out two. The Saints got all four of Percival’s runs back in the bottom of the seventh. Sabato reached on an error. Pereda delivered an RBI single. Prato added a single of his own as did Fedko to drive in their eighth run of the game. Eeles capped it off with a two-run single to make it 10-4 The Saints got multiple hits from Fedko (3-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 SB), Eeles (2-for-3, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB), Gonzalez (2-for-5, RBI, 2 K), and Prato (2-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K, SB). But Pereda led them all with a 4-for-4 night, falling a triple shy of the cycle. He had a double, home run, three RBI, and drew a walk. WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 7, Wichita 8 Box Score Pitching for the Naturals in the series opener in the ICT, was the rehabbing Michael Lorenzen who had pitched just shy of 100 innings for the Kansas City Royals so far in 2025. This meant top prospects Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper were going to see some MLB pitching experience to get the night started. They looked like minor leaguers in the bottom of the first, as Lorenzen struck them both out swinging. But they also learned quickly. In the bottom of the second Culpepper got the scoring started with a three-run shot to left on a 1-0 breaking ball from Lorenzen. Jenkins followed by blasting a 1-0 fastball deep into the right field seats for back-to-back bombs. The Wind Surge also had an organizational debut on the mound from the recently acquired Sam Armstrong, who came over in the Willi Castro trade with the Chicago Cubs. He struck out the first batter he faced with his new team and began with three scoreless innings. In the top of the fourth the Naturals scored one, then tied the game at four in the fifth to finish his debut. He was charged with four earned runs on five hits and two walks in his five innings. He struck out six. In the bottom of the fifth Wichita got him off the hook after Jenkins led off with a single. Kala’i Rosario then sent a liner into right, and Jenkins tried to go first-to-third. The throw hit him on his slide and got away from the third baseman, allowing him to get back up and beat the rushed throw home for a 5-4 lead. Rosario then scored on a wild pitch to put the home team up by two. Michael Martinez came on in relief for the sixth inning, and gave up one earned run on two hits, while striking out one. The minor leagues preeminent win-vulture then came on for the seventh, in Mike Paredes, and you should never doubt his ability to tack on another win. Though he gave up the lead in the seventh, he stayed in to finish the game and in doing so improved his record to 11-0 on the season, which ties him for all the MiLB lead and set the Wind Surge franchise record. He was able to do so, as three consecutive singles to start the eighth from Hendry Mendez, Nate Baez, and Rubel Cespedes loaded the bases, a passed ball tied the game back up, and they took the lead on an RBI groundout from Jake Rucker. In the win Wichita got multi-hit efforts from Jenkins (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, 2 K) and Mendez (2-for-4, R, 2 K). Despite their eight runs they finished just 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position, leaving five men on base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, West Michigan 6 Box Score The Kernels were held to just three hits in this one and they were all singles, with two of them not coming until the top of the ninth inning. If you are looking for a silver lining, one of those singles in the ninth came from a new top prospect in the organization, as Eduardo Tait delivered a two-out single to right before the final out of the game was recorded. The other two hits came from Brandon Winokur and Kyle Hess. Tait also drew a walk among his four plate appearances. The only other perhaps notable thing on the offensive side of the ledger for Cedar Rapids, was Kyle DeBarge was caught stealing for only the fourth time on the season in 60 attempts. Starter Jacob Kisting went the first three innings and held the Whitecaps to just one run. He allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out three. Right-hander Matt Gabbert took on a “bulk” role and completed the next four innings, holding West Michigan scoreless in the middle frames. He gave up two hits and struck out two. Nick Trabacchi came on for the bottom of the eight with just a one run deficit, but it turned into the final six when he was done. He was charged with five earned runs on four hits and a walk. He struck out one. MUSSEL MATTERS Clearwater 7, Fort Myers 6 (10 innings) Box Score This matchup went back and forth throughout, with the Threshers scoring two in the first while the Mighty Mussels answered with one of their own and tied it up in the third. Christian Becerra got the starting nod in the series opener and completed the first four innings. He was charged with three earned runs on four hits and a walk, while striking out three. He left the game down by one but Fort Myers would tie it up at two in the bottom of the third. The home team got a leadoff single from Marek Houston in the bottom of the first, but was erased at second on a Dameury Pena grounder. Pena however, then stole second and third base, and scored on a Yasser Mercedes double to get them on the board. The 2025 first round pick led off the third with a single again, and Pena followed with a single of his own this time to move him into scoring position. Two batters later he came home on an Eduardo Beltre grounder to tie the game. Relievers Kyle Jones and Tyler Stasiowski each got an inning after Becerra's removal. Jones walked two and struck out one in a scoreless frame. Stasiowski gave up one run on three hits in the sixth to put the Threshers up 4-2. In the bottom half the Mighty Mussels tied it back up again. Enrique Jiminez drew a leadoff walk, and with two outs JP Smith II delivered his first home run as a professional to make it 4-4. Brent Francisco came on for the seventh inning and recorded the next five outs. He allowed two hits and struck out two. In the bottom of the seventh Houston again made his presence felt, this time by leading off the inning with a double the opposite way. He proceeded to steal third base and scored his second run of the game on an error to put the Mighty Mussels up 5-4. After two outs in the top of the eighth Julio Bonilla was brought in with runners on second and third, and got a groundout to end the inning. Back out for the ninth he got the first two outs, but then a single, walk, and RBI single tied the game back up at five and sent it to extras. Bonilla finished 1 1/3 innings and gave up one earned run on two hits and a walk. Anthony Narvaez got the top of the 10th, and a leadoff double put the Threshers up by one, and an RBI single that followed gave them a little breathing room. The first two hitters of the bottom half went down via strikeout, but the Mighty Mussels put up a fight with an RBI single from Ryan Sprock, and a walk to Shai Robinson that put the tying run in scoring position. Smith II went down swinging to end the game, however. Houston led the offense out of the leadoff spot finishing 3-for-5 with two runs scored, and a double. Smith added two hits in five plate appearances, including the home run. DOMINICAN DAILIES Monday: DSL Twins 7, DSL Miami 12 Box Score The Twins jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the top of the third inning, but the Miami squad responded with five runs in the bottom of the third, and four in the bottom of the sixth to win this one. Despite just five hits as a team, the Twins put up those seven runs thanks to home runs from Joyner Perez (two-run) and Jamesson Val (three-run), who actually entered the game for Perez to start the bottom of the second inning. They scored one run in the second inning thanks to a pair of errors, and their final run in the ninth after Yovanny Duran led off with a walk, stole his 22nd base of the season, and ended up on third after an errant throw. He came home on a groundout from Gerardo Cardona. Omar Montano started on the bump and was charged with five earned runs in 2 1/3 innings. He was clean for the first two until the Miami bats came alive in the third. He allowed five hits, walked one, and struck out one. Relievers Jensi Infante (2 2/3 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, K), Agustin Campusano (2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, K), and Brandy Ceballos (1 IP, BB, K) finished off the rest of this one for the Twins. Tuesday: DSL Miami 3, DSL Twins 4 Box Score The Twins got some revenge on Tuesday, as Miami took an early 3-0 lead only to fall late thanks to a four-run inning from the home team who had been held hitless to that point. Starting pitcher Rey Pacheco gave up four singles in the top of the first that led to those three Miami runs but went on to retire the final 10 hitters he faced to finish four innings. He struck out three. The bullpen trio of Nestor Cafe (1 IP, 3 BB), Juan Figaro (1 IP, BB, K), and Jeicol Surumay (3 IP, 2 BB) held Miami hitless the rest of the way as well. Without yet recording a hit through seven innings, the Twins finally got their first knock in the bottom of the eighth when Jose Barrios led off with a double. Christian Bonifacio got them on the scoreboard two batters later with an RBI single before two walks, an error, and multiple wild pitches allowed the Twins to take the 4-3 lead and steal the win. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – John Stankiewicz, St. Paul Saints (W, 2 IP, H, 5 K) Hitter of the Day – Jhonny Pereda, St. Paul Saints (4-for-4, 3 R, 2B, 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): 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (6), RBI, 2 K #2 – Luke Keaschall (Minnesota): 2-for-4, R, HR (1, first of career), 3 RBI #3 – Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita): 1-for-5, HR (7), 3 RBI, 2 K #8 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 2-for-5, RBI, 2 K #10 – Marek Houston (Fort Myers): 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, K, SB (2) #11 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4 #14 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-3, BB, K #17 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-3, K #19 – Eduardo Beltre (Fort Myers): 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB (1) #20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 1-for-4, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - RHP Taj Bradley (1-0, 0.00 ERA) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (0-1, 2.78 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ West Michigan (5:35 PM CDT) - RHP Adrian Bohorquez (0-0, -.-- ERA) Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Jason Doktorczyk (3-5, 5.25 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

This is exactly what I've been saying about Jenkins, almost exactly the comment about Mauer. There has been a bit of the change you are talking about. I've thought his swing looked lazy last year and early after his return this year. Like there was no effort behind it, purely contact oriented. Some might refer to that as having an "effortless swing," but where that became a term known to people in my generation was Ken Griffey Jr., and Jenkins absolutely was not driving the ball like he did. I definitely think Jenkins swing has gotten faster, but it is still very controlled. He hits a lot of balls well, but I would highly doubt he has high max exit velocity numbers at this point. He hit the homer yesterday pretty hard though, didn't have much of a launch angle and got out. All that said, the dude is 20-years old, and I think he actually looks pretty lean this year. There's certainly still power potential.

In my corporate R&D world, it's "you can make a good product, get it to market fast, or make it cheap. If you want it fast, it won't be good or cheap. If you want it cheap, it won't be good. If you want it good, it definitely won't be fast." I'm with you 100% on this one.

Yeah... This was a "vision" in so far as the Pohlad's told the Front Office to save them every single penny they possibly could. I agree with selling a lot of what they did, including Correa... But this was not just selling. This was dropping off all the stuff you didn't have room for at the local Goodwill.

Yeah I wasn't saying the guys they got were world beaters, but it was still two top 15 prospects from the organization. That's why I framed it as an overpay.

Well... 34-year old rental Tyler Rogers was just dealt for what I'd call a massive overpay... so I'm not so sure Painter is off any tables for Duran 👀

Yeah, Painter is too big of an ask for Duran or Jax. Maybe Juran and Dax, but I don't think Painter is actually on the table, even if it were for Joe Ryan. I like Mick Abel, but a deal needs Crawford or Miller then, too. Maybe Tait, but he's so far away I wouldn't target him. Miller should be much lower than he is on some lists right now too, because he has hit the double-A wall and has now played almost a full season's worth of games there. Jean Cabrera is another pitcher in their system I'd have some interest in. I'd be happy with Jax for Abel and Crawford/Miller. Not for Duran.

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!