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Pump the brakes on Brooks Lee. For that matter, the same applies to Austin Martin, Yunior Severino, Jair Camargo, Chris Williams, and DaShawn Keirsey. Lee is the third baseman of the future, hopefully. Martin, Severino, Camargo, Williams, and Keirsey will all likely appear in games for the Twins at some point during 2024, but we don’t need to put the cart before the horse. The Twins have a number of decisions to make with an already crowded infield, a questionable mix at first base, a backup catcher making $10 million in both 2024 and 2025, a hole in centerfield, and an unclear budget for making additions. Many of the aforementioned names could be written in as key contributors in those spots. However, none of those players are beating down the hatches. Lee has 60 games at AAA with a mediocre August and a solid September. Martin similarly has 59 games and one outstanding month in St. Paul. Severino and Keirsey have even less than that. Williams and Camargo are both in their mid-20s coming off great offensive years, but they still haven’t gotten a single plate appearance in MLB. None should be the answer to any question at the beginning of 2024. It would put the Twins in a very difficult spot. If Martin or Keirsey are your personal long-term answer in center field, you’re welcome to that. You might see Camargo as a long-term backup catcher, replacing Vazquez. Forcing that to happen in March is a problem. The recent success of rookies Royce Lewis, Edouard Julien, and Matt Wallner has been incredible, but it’s important not to expect that level of production to be the norm, even for prospects at the top of organizational rankings. It’s not normal. Their success was exceptional. They themselves may struggle to find the same level of success going forward. So often prospects, even those who are hyped and go on to have great careers, struggle in their early stints. Names like Torii Hunter or Michael Cuddyer come to mind, struggling for years to find their footings before becoming mainstays in the Twins lineup for a decade. Other prospects don’t manage to get their footing at all, such as more recent examples like Stephen Gonsalves, Alex Meyer, Oswaldo Arcia, or Joe Benson. It’s difficult to project success, even in players at the upper levels of the minor leagues. Both Jose Miranda and Trevor Larnach have shown flashes of being very good players, but they have also gone through extended stretches that cast a cloud over their long-term outlook—and both were Opening Day starter in 2023. If that’s not the organization showing a reliance on them, I’m not sure what is. Fortunately, Miranda and Larnach were able to be replaced by Lewis and Wallner, respectively, but it would be foolish to assume that that outcome was always a given. What if the team didn’t open the season with Lewis and Wallner in reserve as alternative options? What if they were going to sink or swim with Miranda and Larnach? They would have been in trouble. Likewise, starting 2024 with upper minors depth in key roles is asking for the same. The Twins clearly have a philosophy in this type of situation, and it’s probably the right one—they want depth. That’s exposed in the acquisitions of players like Michael A. Taylor, Joey Gallo, and Donovan Solano. Granted, not all of these types of acquisitions are beneficial, but that’s kind of the point. They want options. Do those options sometimes block our favorite prospects on the depth chart? Sure. But it also allows those prospects to be a short-term backup plan, protecting them and the team. Blocking prospects is the cost of bringing in big league depth. Beginning the year with some sort of big leaguer in those roles ensures better talent is in the organization. Those same big leaguers wouldn’t take a minor league deal to serve as a backup to the prospects. The decision is effectively between bringing in an MLB veteran and having a top prospect as a backup or having a top prospect with a minor league veteran as a backup plan. One of those plans has a better rate of success. It’s risky business trusting a big league role to someone who’s never seen an MLB pitch, and it can go wrong in any number of ways, be it performance or injury. Sure, the MLB veteran could struggle or get injured too, but it’s much more comforting to be able to turn to a top prospect than a career minor leaguer in that event. If any of the aforementioned players do break camp with the team, it’s not the end of the world. They all have the potential to be competent pieces at minimum. It just shouldn’t be what any of us are clamoring for. They’ll be here when it’s time. Right now, the Twins have a division to win.

ST. PAUL – The Saints are in the midst of a playoff hunt right now. With three weeks left to go in the Triple-A regular season, they sit two-and-a-half games back of first place in the International League. One team has already clinched a spot for the first round of the division, the Norfolk Tides, the second spot is still up for grabs. That spot will be clinched by the team with the best record in the second half of the International League. The Durham Bulls are currently the team leading the International League in the second half with a 35-22 record. The Saints sit at 32-25. With three weeks left in the International League season, that last playoff spot will come down to the wire. September baseball in Triple-A is anything but consistent. There are always many transactions for every team, shuffling players to and from the big leagues in the final full month of the season. This time last year, these players didn’t have anything else to look forward to. If they were at Triple-A their seasons just ended, but this year everyone is playing for something more. One player in the Saints clubhouse who is helping the team focus on that playoff spot is catcher, first baseman, and DH, Chris Williams. Williams is part of a core of players that have spent their entire season at Triple-A including Randy Dobnak, Patrick Murphy, Jair Camargo, and Elliot Soto among others. They’ve seen many players go through the revolving door of transactions to and from the majors this season. Even if someone has been here for a day or all season. Williams and his teammates have done their best to keep them included in the clubhouse culture. “It’s been a really fun year and fun summer,” Williams said. “All the guys here are awesome. We were just actually reflecting on it the other day, on the kind of year we’ve had. It’s been kind of weird and crazy with the revolving door Triple-A is, but for us core guys, it’s been good.” As many players have gone through that revolving door, there’s been one consistent focus for the guys who’ve been with St. Paul all year. “Something that I’ve really enjoyed this year is just how much we’ve just bought into going to Vegas. ‘It’ll be fun, let’s win a championship. That’s been the message all year,” said Williams. Saints manager Toby Gardenhire has been coaching Williams at every level of the minors since the Twins drafted him in 2018. “He’s a great team guy and a great guy to have in the clubhouse,” said Gardenhire. “Coming out of college he was a really good player, and he’s always been able to hit a lot of home runs. But the best part about Chris is he’s just such a good teammate.” Williams’s teammates can attest to that. He and Austin Martin quickly became friends following Martin’s trade to the Twins organization for Jose Berrios in 2021. “Everyone goes through their highs and lows, and I think everyone on this team has experienced both sides of it. Two people who inspire me by watching them play are Austin Martin and Michael Helman. They’ve both faced a lot of injuries and adversities, and they’re two people that always have a smile on their face and are always working hard,” said Williams. Martin has gone through many trials and tribulations himself in the minors over the last two years, but having a teammate like Williams has made getting through it all much easier. “For him to even say that, given he’s seen both sides of my it [career ups and downs] for me. It means a lot because it shows how consistent I am with my behaviors every day. I don’t try to ride the highs too much or dwell on the lows. I just try to be as consistent of a human being as I can,” Martin said. Williams has kept positive motivation and fun in the dugout and clubhouse all year. The Saints players pick their own player of the game prior to each start, hand-selected by the player who was the guy the day before. It doesn’t matter where they play on the field, but if that player isn’t getting recognition elsewhere, he’s at least receiving it in the Saints clubhouse. “It’s a team comradery thing to honor someone who showed up the best that night. We do a really good job here lifting people up and have a lot of fun out there. It helps to be in St. Paul with everything going on here [in the stands],” Williams said. Williams's name has come up often this season as a solution to the Twins' dearth of right-handed hitters on the roster. He still hasn’t had the chance to make his MLB debut at age 26 and next year he does plan to continue to play on for that chance. That call up to the big leagues hangs over every minor leaguer, but Williams knows he’s needed with the Saints here and now to help their chances to Vegas. It’s something Gardenhire admires in his players like Williams. “Everybody in the clubhouse is in the same boat there. Everybody would love to go to the big leagues but if it doesn’t happen, what you got to do is work to be better so you can go to the big leagues. But here and now we’re lucky because we are in a playoff race, and it makes it a lot of fun. It’s a lot more fun being in a playoff race than it is just ending the season,” said Gardenhire. Williams, whose defensive versatility will be vital for the Saints playoff push, is always focusing on how he can help the team wherever he is on the field. He doesn’t find himself lost in the nuances of shuffling from left field to first base and behind the plate at catcher. His focus is on the here and now to get St. Paul to Vegas. “The big leagues are always on your mind. But the playoffs for Triple-A this year, It definitely keeps us grounded that we’re at Triple-A, so we should win here,” Williams said. Everything will come down to the wire for the Saints playoff push, and even as the revolving door of players continues to see players come and go before their regular season ends on September 24. Williams will do his part to keep himself and his teammates focused on the playoff push and making sure every Saint is recognized for the accolades on the field.

Rule changes across Major League Baseball have drastically shifted how teams approach the month of September. While the active roster was expanded to 26 players in recent seasons, September adds just two spots as opposed to the previous 15. With an intention of keeping the game moving, there isn’t an opportunity for managers to mix and match as much throughout a game. Rocco Baldelli will look to keep his starters fresh, and supplementing with a key addition or two could make sense. How the Twins manage that with players returning remains to be seen, however. Although Byron Buxton, Alex Kirilloff, Willi Castro, and even Brock Stewart won’t be ready on September 1, they should command the priority for additions as the month goes on. Looking solely at the minor leagues, here are the five most likely options for Minnesota: 5. Ronny Henriquez After starting the season behind schedule, Henriquez has not pitched for the Twins this year. Acquired in the Mitch Garver trade with the Texas Rangers, Henriquez is still among the youngest players at Triple-A. Since giving up five runs to the Iowa Cubs in early June, he owns a 3.65 ERA with a .691 OPS against. The command is still an issue with a 5.8 BB/9, but he has strikeout stuff and brings it at a relatively strong velocity. As a right-handed arm, the Twins could take another look at him to cycle in among the Cole Sands, Josh Winder, and Jordan Balazovic bullpen spots. 4. Chris Williams If it seems like Williams made more sense prior to September, it’s because that would be the case. Williams is a catcher that has moved to first base, and he has done nothing but mash for the Saints. An eighth round pick back in 2018, Williams owns a .901 OPS in 2023 for St. Paul. He has hit for substantial power with 19 homers, and he’s done a good job taking walks as well. Batting from the right side, it seemed to make sense that he would be promoted once Alex Kirilloff went down. Not on the 40-man, the Twins would need to make a move, but that shouldn’t be hard to do if they really want to give him a look. 3. Michael Boyle Out of professional baseball since 2019, the Twins signed him as a free agent in 2022. Boyle worked just 11 1/3 innings last year before pitching at Double and Triple-A this year. He’s a lefty that has combined for a 2.53 ERA across 46 1/3 innings for Wichita and St. Paul this season. After posting a 29/9 K/BB at Double-A, he owns a 23/18 K/BB with the Saints. The walks are absolutely a problem and will be the reason he is overlooked, but he doesn’t give up hits and keeps the ball in the yard. Also in need of a 40-man spot, Boyle could give the Twins help from a southpaw not named Caleb Thielbar. 2. Austin Martin It has taken a while for Martin to find his footing with Minnesota, but we finally have appeared to reach that point. The former Blue Jays prospect that was at the center of the Jose Berrios trade, has come on strong for Triple-A St. Paul. He’s not a good infielder, but can play on the dirt. He may be an exceptional outfielder, and looks the part in center. He started slow after rehabbing an arm injury, but has been on fire over his last 23 games. He has posted a .347/.438/.547 slash line in those contests, and brings good speed on the base paths. It seems unlikely the Twins would allow Martin to take WIlli Castro’s spot, but he could probably accomplish the same results with a higher ceiling. 1. Kody Funderburk If not Boyle, then it’s absolutely Funderburk. Drafted in the 15th round back in 2018, Funderburk reached Triple-A for the first time this season. Across 47 1/3 innings he owns a 2.47 ERA along with a 70/19 K/BB. Why he hasn’t been promoted already is anyone’s guess, and it has been to the detriment of Minnesota by not doing so. Sands, Winder, and Balazovic have each been hit around from the right side in their brief time with the Twins. Funderburk would immediately give the Twins another lefty, and possibly emerge as a talent capable of sticking in the pen. He should be rostered in September, and keeping him around for the postseason should results warrant it, makes all the sense in the world. Recently Hans Birkeland took a look at many names on the Saints roster with an eye towards September. With some of them unmentioned here, there are a couple of others worth monitoring. Who would you like to see the Twins promote next month?

This winter the Twins “got their guy”, signing Joey Gallo to a one-year $11 million deal. As we’ve seen so many times, the veteran they brought in is likely making the last stop of his career in Minnesota, and they refuse to cut bait. Signing Joey Gallo was always a risky move, but an understandable one. Though the thought of parting with another left-handed bat to relieve the logjam never came to fruition, there was potential for a big bounce back. It hasn’t happened as we march into August, and the Twins appear content giving an out away every time through the lineup for the rest of the season as they desperately hope for the deal to not look like a complete flop. The stars seemingly aligned for Joey Gallo at the trade deadline. He was the most apparent cut candidate had they made an offensive addition, but luckily for Gallo, they did absolutely nothing. It’s possible he’d have survived any additions because of his price tag and the Twins' tendencies to hold onto veterans too long, but we’ll never know for sure. Things have gotten even better for Gallo since, as Alex Kirilloff and Donovan Solano have both hit the injured list. As the only remaining player who’s played a significant amount of first base this season, surely they can’t part with Gallo now, right? It should be simple: No amount of context at this point justifies Joey Gallo sticking to a competitive team’s roster. The hits have come less and less, naturally leading to fewer homers to make up for the lack of anything else. More importantly for the team on pace to break the all-time strikeout record, Gallo’s whiffs have become insurmountable. The Twins seem to value his defense at first base. He’s been exactly neutral with 0 Defensive Runs Saved, and 0 Outs Above Average. This is hardly a high bar to clear, and his ability to stand at first base should not justify a roster spot. Many have called for players such as Edouard Julien to diversify their defensive profiles and work some first base in, but the Twins' refusal to date leaves them with the current result. So what should the Twins do exactly? Anything else. In the past, the Twins keeping players such as Matt Wallner down was justified by the possibility that they’d perform worse than the incumbents. Unless we think whoever is called up can somehow undershoot a .130ish batting average and strike out more than half the time, that really shouldn’t be a concern here. The Twins' best players this season have been rookies called up from St. Paul. Right now Chris Williams plays a lot of first base for the Saints. He’s slashing .254/.371/.540 with 19 homers in Triple-A. There may not be much upside there at age 26, but it’s reached a point where it’s worth giving it a try. Anthony Prato has some first-base experience as well and has a 1.093 OPS. If the Twins are comfortable at all with him at first, the move should be a no-brainer. Both players perform better against lefties than righties, but so has Gallo this season. The first base depth may take a hit, but the Twins still have Kyle Farmer and Christian Vazquez with first-base experience, and they felt good enough about Solano to keep him off the IL. They have people who are technically capable of playing the position, which has seemingly been enough to justify Gallo keeping his roster spot for months now. There’s no rebound on the horizon for Joey Gallo. He’s averaging about one hit per week, and the walks aren’t valuable enough to justify his near everyday playing time. He’s rarely even putting balls over the fence anymore. Despite the remaining strength of schedule, the Twins are in a dogfight for the division, as evidenced by their 1-6 record against Detroit and Kansas City since the break. The time has come and gone to blindly trust the veterans. In the case of Joey Gallo, there are no worse options. Do you agree?

Despite all that action in St. Paul, the Wind Surge also got perhaps their best starting pitching performance of the season, The Mighty Mussels racked up a bunch of hits, and a high school draftee went yard again in the FCL to lead his team to victory. Also, Chris Williams loves hitting on Tuesday’s… TRANSACTIONS After the big promotions last week from Wichita, the St. Paul Saints got even more star power for their lineup in the form of a rehabbing Royce Lewis. He batted second and played third base on Tuesday. SAINTS SENTINEL Louisville 4, St. Paul 14 Box Score While the story for the home town fans was certainly Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee suiting up for the Saints on Tuesday, they had a tall order in front of them from an on-paper perspective. That’s because they were facing the 2023 minor league strikeout leader and Cincinnati Reds number five prospect (according to MLB Pipeline), Connor Phillips. Promoted to Triple-A before July, Phillips had been lights out with the Louisville Bats in six starts, compiling a 1.95 ERA in 27 2/3 IP, including 32 strikeouts. He didn’t even finish the second inning. That’s because St. Paul's lineup made him work, tossing 52 pitches in his 1 1/3 innings, with just 25 for strikes. He recorded strikeouts on the first two hitters of the game, but like my eyes peeped watching on MiLB.tv (highly recommend if you’re still looking for a baseball fix, and/or are not able to watch the Twins), the lineup figured out he could only throw a slider with two-strikes and didn’t have command of his fastball to make anything else work. He ended up walking three, and allowing five earned runs on three hits, including allowing his first home run at Triple-A to Trevor Larnach in the second inning. It was Larnach's 10th with the Saints. Yunior Severino also launched his first Triple-A home run, and 25th of the season, in the third inning which made it 7-0 Saints early. Both home runs cleared the home run porch in right field, flying 460+ feet. (of note, the next time he came up Bats pitcher Randy Wynne quite obviously plunked Severino in retaliation and was ejected for it) Royce Lewis also had no intention of going unnoticed in the first game of his rehab assignment, launching his fifth Triple-A home run of the season in the fourth after a sac fly in the second. He finished 1-for-4 with two RBI. The Saints really broke it open in the fifth inning after the Wynne ejection and the bases became loaded. Austin Martin delivered an RBI single for one, before Chris Williams delivered a grand slam to make it 13-1. The Saints even got a solid outing from Simeon Woods Richardson, keeping the top hitting team in the International League at bay for most of his outing. Through five innings, Woods Richardson had allowed just one run on two hits and three walks, and maybe should have been pulled at that point with the big lead. Back out for the sixth, he recorded two more outs, but got tagged with two home runs to dampen his stat line. He struck out three in his 5 2/3 innings, picking up his fourth win of the year. Austin Schulfer delivered 1 1/3 scoreless relief innings, walking one and striking out two. Cole Sands finished off the final two frames, allowing two hits and notching four strikeouts. Martin finished 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, a double, RBI, walk, and his seventh stolen base. Williams was 2-for-4 with a walk and five RBI. Larnach also collected multiple hits and finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in addition to the homer. Anthony Prato clubbed a double in two at-bats, drew three walks, scored three runs, and drove in one. Brooks Lee picked up his first hit at CHS Field in front of the home fans and finished 1-for-5. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, NW Arkansas 2 Box Score The Wind Surge got a dominant effort from their starting pitcher, Pierson Ohl, on Tuesday, who very well could have gone the distance with 84 pitches (61 strikes) after his eight innings. He allowed just one run in the first inning, scattered seven hits, and struck out four on the night. Wichita pounced for two runs in the top of the first to give almost all the run support he would need to pick up his fourth win. Yoyner Fajardo led off the game with a single, stole his 35th and 36th bases, and scored the first run on a groundout from Alex Isola. A Seth Gray RBI single later scored Tanner Schobel, who drew a walk, for the early 2-0 lead. Dalton Shuffield added a sacrifice fly in the sixth, Fajardo an RBI double in the seventh, and Willie Joe Garry Jr. RBI triple in the eighth accounted for all five of the Wind Surge runs. Fajardo (2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI, 3 K), Aaron Sabato (2-for-3, R, 2B, BB, K), and Garry Jr. (2-for-4, 2 3B, RBI, 2 K) had multiple hits in the win. Miguel Rodriguez pitched the ninth inning, and surrendered one earned run on one hit. He struck out two batters. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Quad Cities 7 Box Score Cedar Rapids hit the road eastward to the Quad Cities area, renewing the in-state rivalry for their series this week. While the Kernels sit atop the Midwest League West Division standings and the River Bandits the bottom, you can usually throw any of that info out when these teams face off. Case in point, Tuesday’s shutout of the visiting team. The Kernels drew seven walks as a team, but combined those with just two hits in the game. They were both doubles (from Ben Ross and Kyler Fedko), but came with nobody on base. As a team they were just 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and left nine men on base. Zebby Matthews made the start for Cedar Rapids and made it through 4 1/3 innings. He allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and a pair of walks. He struck out six batters. Two home runs allowed did most of that damage. The bullpen trio of Niklas Rimmel (1 IP, H, 2 ER, 3 BB, K), John Stankiewicz (1 2/3 IP, 3 K), and John Wilson (1 IP, H, K) worked the rest of the game. Emmanuel Rodriguez finished 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. Jorel Ortega was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. In addition to his double, Kyler Fedko also drew two walks. MUSSEL MATTERS Bradenton 13, Fort Myers 9 Box Score The Mighty Mussels got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first on Danny De Andrade’s eighth home run of the season that made it 2-0. They went up 4-2 in the second after an RBI-double from Maddux Houghton and a wild pitch that later allowed him to scamper home. Unfortunately, that was the last lead they held the rest of the game. Fort Myers starter Jose Olivares finished the first four innings and got a lot of swings and misses, but was tagged for five runs (four earned) in his time on the mound. He gave up four hits, walked two, and struck out nine. Samuel Perez was charged with three earned runs on two hits and three walks in his 2/3 of an inning. Johnathan Lavallee (1 1/3 IP, H, 3 BB, K), Wilker Reyes (2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 4 K), and Develson Aria (1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K) finished out the game for the Mighty Mussels, with the same type of results as Olivares. The 18 K’s from the staff pitching were impressive, but paired with 10 walks and 13 hits, you end up with a result like this. The lineup added a pair of runs in the eighth inning when De Andrade led off with a single and advanced to second on an error. A groundout from Rubel Cespedes brought him home before Jay Harry’s second double of the season gave them six on the scoreboard. In the bottom of the ninth down 13-6, they added a few more runs but fell short of an epic comeback. A pair of walks preceded put runners on for De Andrade, who drove them both in with a double. Rafael Cruz then scored De Andrade with a single for the final score. De Andrade (3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) and Cruz (4-for-5, 2B, RBI) had multiple hits to lead the offense. Each other hitter had one knock, and they totaled 14 hits as a team in the loss. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Pirates 2, FCL Twins 3 Box Score Twins starter Eduardo Soriano delivered a scoreless first inning, but some walks caught up with him in the second. He finished 1 2/3 innings and was charged with two runs (one earned) on one hit and four walks. He struck out three. In the bottom of the second, the Twins put together a two-out rally thanks to some walks of their own. After loading the bases, Andres Centeno delivered a two-RBI single to tie the game. In the third, Brandon Winokur raced around the bases for an inside-the-park home run to make it 3-2. It was his second home run in nine games. That would be all the Twins needed, as the bullpen shut down the Pirates from there. Julio Bonilla (W, 3 1/3 IP, H, BB, K), Jeferson Lopez (H, 3 1/3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K), and Miguel Olivares (2/3 IP, BB, 2 K) all delivered scoreless outings and as a staff the Twins held the Pirates to just two hits in the game. Walker Jenkins followed Winokur’s blast with a single in the third and finished 1-for-3. Daniel Pena added the Twins' only other hit. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Giants Orange 6, DSL Twins 6 (suspended in the bottom of the fifth) Box Score The Giants and Twins were only able to get through four-plus innings on Tuesday before the game was suspended, but in that time there was a lot of action. Starting pitcher Reynel Garcia got the short end of the stick because of his defense in the first, being charged with three unearned runs on only one hit. Oscar Paredes had a one-two-three second inning, before Adrian Bohorquez gave the bulk of the pitching work. In 2 2/3 innings, he allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits. He also struck out five. Jose Ojo got the final out of the fifth before the game was suspended. The Twins scored two in the first after loading the bases on a Junior Del Valle two-run single. They added three more in the third on a Moises Lopez double to score Dameury Pena, Jesus Peraza ground ball to score Lopez, and a wild pitch that allowed Carlos Silva to score. They scored their sixth run in the fourth when Pena and Del Valle each clubbed a double. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Pierson Ohl, Wichita Wind Surge (W, 8 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 4 K) Hitter of the Day - Chris Williams, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, 2 R, Grand Slam, 5 RBI, BB) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) -1-for-5, K #2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL) - 1-for-3 #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-for-4, 2 K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 3-for-3, 2 R, 2B (6), RBI, BB, SB (7) #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 K #12 - Luke Keaschall (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, R, BB, K #13 - Brandon Winokur (FCL) - 1-for-4, R, HR (2), RBI, K #14 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - W, 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 earned) 4 BB, 3 K #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, K #17 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 K #20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) - 0-for-3, 2 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - RHP Randy Dobnak (4-5, 4.33 ERA) Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Carlos Luna (1-7, 5.54 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CDT) - RHP Kyle Jones (5-4, 4.52 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CDT) - TBD DSL Reds @ DSL Twins (makeup of 7/26 postponement) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

Before jumping into the top five hitters of the month, here are some of the honorable mentions. I’ll be honest. I’ve been following the Twins minor leagues and done these types of monthly reports for more than 15 years. I honestly can’t remember a month when there were this many strong candidates for the monthly hitter award. Many months, an OPS of .900 would make you a strong candidate to win the award. This month, there were seven players with an OPS over 1.000 that were considered. Six more had an OPS over .900. What a great month for hitters in the Twins minor leagues! Unfortunately, it was one of the worst hitting months for the big league hitters. HONORABLE MENTIONS C Jair Camargo - St. Paul Saints - 20-63, .317/.353/.714 (1.067) with 4 doubles, 7 home runs, 4 BB, 16 K. OF Alerick Soularie - Wichita Wind Surge - 14-66, .390/.510/.634 (1.144) with 1 double, 3 home runs, 7 BB, 9 K. 1B Aaron Sabato - Wichita Wind Surge - 18-76, .237/.389/.487 (.876) with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 19 BB, 29 K. OF Emmanuel Rodriguez - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 23-83, .277/.425/.518 (.943) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 22 BB, 26 K. OF Kala’i Rosario - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 20-83, .241/.370/.530 (.900) with 3 doubles, 7 home runs, 17 BB, 25 K. IF Rubel Cespedes - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels - 26-89, .292/.393/.562 (.955) with 9 doubles, 5 home runs, 15 BB, 19 K. OF Andres Centeno - FCL Twins - 16-51, .314/.426/.490 (.916) with 1 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 9 BB, 23 K IF Harold Grant - FCL Twins - 15-45, .333/.404/.489 (.893) with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 6 BB, 12 K IF Isaac Pena - FCL Twins - 19-64, .297/.423/.422 (.845) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 14 BB, 12 K. IF Yilber Herrera - DSL Twins - 13-47, .277/.455/.611 (.966) with 8 doubles, 1 home run, 16 BB, 10 K. IF Dameury Pena - DSL Twins - 21-56, .375/.435/.482 (.917) with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 BB, 5 K. OF Jayson Bass - DSL Twins - 22-63, .349/.447/.429 (.876) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 11 BB, 14 K. THE TOP FIVE HITTERS Number 5 - Cedar Rapids Kernels - IF Tanner Schobel - 30-93, .323/.400/.613 (1.013), 2 doubles, 2 triples, 7 home runs, 11 BB, 16 K. Last July, the Twins made Tanner Schobel their second round draft pick out of Virginia Tech. In his junior season, he played in 59 games and hit .362/.445/.689 (1.134) with 18 doubles, 19 homers, and 74 RBI as the team’s shortstop. In his minor-league career, he has split his time between second base and third base. This year, he’s playing a little over 60% of his innings at the hot corner. Schobel has primarily batted out of the leadoff spot for the Kernels and has been able to provide early power for his offense. He had eight multi-hit games including three, three-hit games and one four-hit game. He ended the month on a nine-game hitting streak and had a stretch where he had five home runs in five games. For the season, the 22-year-old is now hitting .285/.362/.469 (.832) with seven doubles, four triples, and 11 home runs. He also has been successful on nine of ten stolen base attempts. Number 4 - St. Paul Saints - OF Matt Wallner - 31-97, .320/.432/.588 (1.020), 9 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 13 BB, 28 K. I’m not sure if Twins fans are aware of this, but Matt Wallner has been pretty good at hitting baseballs in June. He ended May with a handful of games in the big leagues. He went 7-for-11, including 6-for-6 with two walks and a homer in his final two games. However, he was optioned to St. Paul. Did he mope? Nope! Instead, he continued to mash. He hit for average, took his walks, struck out less than he has in the past, and still provided power near the top of the lineup. He returned to the Saints and had a double, triple and home run in his first game. He had eight hits over his first three games back. The Forest Lake native had 11 multi-hit games including three-hit games in the final two games of June. Ultimately, it’s just a matter of time before Wallner again finds himself in the Target Field outfield. Number 3 - Wichita Wind Surge - OF DaShawn Keirsey, Jr - 31-87, .356/.414/.609 (1.023), 3 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, 9 BB, 15 K. Keirsey is one of the more athletic and toolsy players in the Twins organization. He is the fastest player in the system. Along with the above stats, the former fourth-round draft pick from the University of Utah, went 7-for-7 on stolen base attempts last month. He can hit for average. He showed in June his power potential. He can hit at the top of the order and play an elite level of defense in center field. The key for Keirsey is being on the field. He stayed healthy in 2022, and he has remained healthy this season. In 66 games, he has hit .317/.368/.490 (.858) with 12 doubles, three triples, and nine home runs. He also has been successful on 26 of 30 steal attempts. He’s more than ready to move up to St. Paul. Number 2 - St. Paul Saints - OF Andrew Stevenson - 36-91, .396/.466/.659 (1.125), 6 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs, 10 BB, 16 K. The Twins signed Stevenson to a minor-league contract in early March. He had spent his entire professional career with the Washington Nationals. They selected him in the second round in 2015. He made his big-league debut two years later. In total, he hit .248 over 248 games with the Nationals between 2017 and 2021. He spent the full 2022 season at Triple-A Rochester. The Twins decided that they needed a left-handed hitting outfielder to play in St. Paul and added him. Stevenson has become the team’s primary leadoff hitter and did it all in June. He hits for average, takes his walks, and has extra base power. In 65 games this year, he is hitting .321/.396/.502 (.898) with 14 doubles, five triples, and seven home runs. He also has 28 steals in 31 attempts. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: St. Paul Saints- C/1B Chris Williams - 25-71, .352/.478/.789 (1.267), 1 double, 10 home runs, 17 BB, 26 K. If you’ve been paying attention to the Twins Minor League Reports here at Twins Daily in July, this choice for Hitter of the Month will come as no surprise to you. Many will point you to his three-homer game on June 13th in Louisville. However, by that time, he had hits in all nine games that he played during the month. He already had two homers, and he already had two, four-RBI games. But that Tuesday night game in Louisville was special. He hit three homers and drove in seven runs. The Saints played an afternoon game the next day, and he hit two more homers and drove in four runs. On Thursday, he added one more homer. He didn’t need doubles and triples in June. he just hit the ball well beyond the fencing in the outfield and got to jog around the bases. The 26-year-old former eighth-round pick out of Clemson led the Twins minor leagues in Home Runs, RBI, On-Base Percentage, Slugging Percentage, OPS. He was also third in batting average and walks. Overall, in 52 games, he has hit .286/.401/.600 (1.001) with eight doubles, a triples, and 15 home runs. He had mostly played at first base, but he has started six games behind the plate, and he’s done some DHing too. If the Twins have a need for a first baseman or DH, or even a second (or third) catcher, Williams has put himself into serious consideration for a call up. He’s earned it. Now it’s just about getting an opportunity. We want to congratulate Saints catcher and first baseman Chris Williams, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for June 2023. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions.

The All-Star festivities are still over a week from now. David Festa will represent the Twins organization in Seattle for the Futures Game. Three of four Twins affiliates are over .500 at this point. Cedar Rapids won the Midwest League West Division first half title and earned a playoff berth. Several prospects have taken a step back, due to performance or injury. Others have had a breakout seasons so far. There have been MLB debuts. The Twins have signed several players to minor league deals, and there have been a lot of releases. The Florida State League and Dominican Summer League Twins have introduced us to more prospects to get to know. The 2023 draft is about 10 days away, and we will get to know another 15-21 players. But what we want to do here today is acknowledge some of the top performers through half of the season (full-season affiliates). At the end of the year, we will again announce our Minor League Hitter, Starting Pitcher, Relief Pitcher of the Year and name our Twins minor league All Stars. The players written about below are halfway there, but will they be the same candidates for the year-end awards? It certainly is possible, or more players may emerge in the second half. Let’s get to it. Seven Twins Daily minor-league writers voted on these first half awards. Each ranked their top 5 hitters, top 4 starting pitchers, and top 3 relief pitchers. Votes were tallied and below are the results. Top First Half Relief Pitcher Regi Grace, RP, 23 Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge 23 G, 32 2/3 IP, 2-2, 6 Saves, 1.38 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9, 11.0 K/9 The Twins drafted Regi Grace in the 10th round of the 2018 draft out of high school in Mississippi. Grace has become a reminder to all of us that players and people develop at different paces. He spent 2018, 2019 and began 2021 in the Florida Complex League before ending that season with the Mussels. He was moved to the bullpen in 2022. He pitched in 56 2/3 innings over 33 games and posted a 4.45 ERA. He ended the season with three games in Cedar Rapids. In the first half of 2023, Grace has been the top minor league reliever. He began the season in Cedar Rapids and in 17 games and 23 1/3 innings. He had 2-2 went five saves. He had a 1.16 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP. He walked five and struck out 30 batters. After a slow rise in his first five professional seasons, Grace was promoted to Double-A Wichita by mid-May. He has made six appearances and has a 1.93 ERA. He didn’t give up a run in his first five outings. #2: RHP Patrick Murphy, 28, St. Paul Saints: 24 G, 33 1/3 IP, 5-0, 1.62 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 5.7 BB/9, 11.1 K/9 #3: LHP Kody Funderburk, 26, Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints: 25 G, 34 2/3 IP, 1-0, 1.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 4.4 BB/9, 13.5 K/9. Top First Half Starting Pitcher Cory Lewis, SP, 22 Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels 12 GS, 54 1/3 IP, 7-3, 2.15 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 12.4 K/9 Just under a year ago, the Minnesota Twins made Cory Lewis their ninth-round draft pick out of UC-Santa Barbara. Over his two seasons in the Big West, he went 16-5 with ERAs of 3.38 ERA and 3.57. He became a popular draft prospect because of the fact that he throws a knuckleball as part of his regular pitch mix. After signing, he didn’t pitch in 2022. He began the 2023 season in Ft. Myers. He went 4-3 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP over nine starts. In 39 1/3 innings, he gave up 26 hits, walked 15 and struck out 55 batters. He earned his promotion to Cedar Rapids where he has made three starts. He is 3-0 with a 0.60 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP over 15 innings. He has walked four and struck out 20 batters. #2: RHP Marco Raya, 20, Cedar Rapids Kernels: 10 GS, 31 IP, 0-1, 3.19 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9, 10.2 K/9. #3: RHP C.J. Culpepper , 21, Fort Myers Mussels: 11 GS, 46 1/3 IP, 4-3, 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.3 K/9. #4: RHP Blayne Enlow, 24, Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints: 13 G, 11 GS, 61 1/3 IP, 4-2, 4.11 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 10.9 K/9 #5: RHP Zebby Matthews, 23, Fort Myers Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels: 12 G, 10 GS, 55 IP, 4-2, 3.76 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 1.0 BB/9, 10.6 K/9 Top First Half Hitter Chris Williams, 1B, 26 St. Paul Saints 49 G, 200 PA, 48-for-168, .286/.392/.607 (.999) with seven doubles, a triple, 15 homers, 45 RBI. 29 BB, 65 K. When the Twins drafted Chris Williams out of Clemson in the eighth round of the 2018 draft, it was because 1.) he was a senior sign, and 2.) he had shown massive power in college, and 3.) despite shoulder issues, there was some thought that he could become a catcher. At Clemson, he hit 40 home runs n three seasons, including 32 homers over his final two seasons. After signing, he was sent to Elizabethton and was named the Twins Daily Short-Season Minor League Hitter of the Year. He split 2019 between Low-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Fort Myers. After the missed 2020 season, he began the 2021 season at High-A Cedar Rapids where he hit .100 over 17 games. He was moved up to Double-A Wichita where he started making much better contact because he was playing more. Williams really broke out last year. In 75 games at Wichita, he hit .277 with 16 doubles and 18 homers. He ended the season with 42 games at St. Paul and added five doubles and 10 home runs. In 117 total games, he hit .246/.343/.500 (.843) with 21 doubles, 28 homers, and 89 RBI. In April, he hit .229 with one homer. In May, he hit .241 with four homers. However, since the start of June, he has been amazing. He has played in 18 games and has at least one hit in 16 of them. He is hitting .364/.469/833 (1.302) with 10 homers. He hit three homers in a game on a Tuesday, then hit two more on Wednesday, and then another on that Thursday. He’s been on fire, and our voters have made him the top Twins minor league hitter in the first half. #2: OF Matt Wallner, 25, St. Paul Saints: 55 G, 247 PA, 60-for-203, .296/.413/.537 (.950) with 18 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, and 38 RBI. 32 BB, 75 K. #3: C/1B Andrew Cossetti, 23, Ft. Myers Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels: 53 G, 216 PA, 51-for-173, .295/.421/.555 (.976) with 16 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, and 40 RBI. 30 BB. 37 K. #4: OF Kala’i Rosario, 20, Cedar Rapids Kernels: 62 G, 273 PA, 64-for-229, .280/.396/.515 (.911) with 14 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, and 46 RBI. 41 BB. 71 K. #5: 2B Jorel Ortega, 22, Ft. Myers Mussels, Cedar Rapids Kernels: 65 G, 294 PA, 72-for-294, .289/.398/.494 (.892), with 24 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 44 RBI. 42 BB. 64 K. 17 SB.

Since it’s a unique time of the season, full-season affiliates don’t play again until Wednesday and because we didn’t have the same recap last Monday, this week’s report will look a little bit different. Next week’s will be back to the normal report. Stats will be from the last 15 days. Don’t forget to read Nick’s Week in Review to catch up on the Twins week. WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Overall: 43-31 Overview: The Saints finished the season a half-game out in the International League West, but five games behind first-half IL champ Norfolk. Norfolk will advance to the IL best-of-three League Championship Series. The best second-half record - aside from Norfolk - will advance to play Norfolk. All teams start with a clean slate. 🔥: Chris Williams went on a run that was quite impressive. In his last two weeks, he’s hit eight home runs and driven in 18 runs, along with scoring 14 runs of his own. Only three teammates scored more runs than he had home runs. And only two teammates drove in more runs than he had home runs. He also managed nine walks, but did strike out 14 times. He’s seen a little time behind the plate this year, but has mostly played first base. 🔥: Randy Dobnak has battled injuries for quite some time, but his last three starts have been glimpses of the old Randy. In 12 innings, he’s struck out 13 while only walking one. Though he’s allowed 14 hits, he’s only allowed one earned run. 🔥: Andrew Stevenson’s been overshadowed by Williams, but has been on a nice run himself. Over his last 10 games, he has three home runs, two triples, a double and 12 singles. He’s also stolen four bases and has walked five times while only striking out four times. 🔥: Kody Funderburk ended out the first half with six performance spanning 7 1/3 innings. He struck out 12, walked two and only allowed a single run on four hits. 🔥: Matt Wallner has put up a .279/.439/.488 line while Jose Miranda hasn’t been as good at .268/.348/.439. 😉: Dallas Keuchel threw four innings of one-run ball in his organizational debut. 🥶: Aaron Sanchez struggled over his last three starts. He walked 13 and yielded 16 hits that resulted in 14 earned runs over 12 1/3 innings. 🥶: Trevor Larnach has struck out time 14 times in 30 at-bats since being sent down. His .639 OPS doesn’t have a great path to go anywhere but up. What's Next: The Saints will kick off their second half against Gwinnett on Wednesday. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Overall: 28-40 Overview: Wichita finished with the lowest winning percentage in the Texas League. 🔥: DaShawn Keirsey slashed .319/.396/.596 over his last 12 games and 47 at-bats. He homered three times, stole three bases and both walked and struck out six times. He’s more than deserving of a promotion, but there’s a logjam of outfielders at St. Paul, so he’ll have to remain in Wichita until there’s room. 🔥: Aaron Rozek struck out 11 in 10 2/3 innings. He allowed only two runs on four hits and two walks (and two hit batters). 🔥: When Alerick Soularie is healthy, he’s very good. He hit three home runs and added a double in 32 at-bats the last two weeks. He also stole three bases with more walks (7) than strikeouts (5). 🤔: Regi Grace is something. He’s got serious stuff, but he walked four in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven. 🤔: Yunior Severino gets a lot of hits (12 in 43 at-bats), but also strikes out a ton (14 in 42 at-bats). 🤔: Pierson Ohl completed 12 innings in his two starts. He only allowed 10 hits and a walk for a WHIP of 0.92, but he struggled keeping the ball in the yard, surrendering three home runs and having an ERA of 5.25. 🥶: David Festa allowed seven runs on 10 hits and four walks in 11 1/3 innings. He did strike out 15 though. 🥶: Yoyner Fajardo’s season started with a bang, but he’s cooled off. In his last 10 games, he’s got an OPS of .512. What's Next: Wichita’s second-half will start at home against Northwest Arkansas. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Overall: 2-1 in the second half. Overview: The Kernels clinched a post-season berth on account of winning the Midwest League Western Division with a 40-26 record. 🔥: Emmanuel Rodriguez is the team’s top prospect and he’s starting to play like it. Sixteen hits in 46 at-bats over his last 12 games, including three doubles, a triple and three home runs. He drove in nine, scored 14 and stole four bases. He still struck out a lot (12 times), but drew nine walks. 🔥: Cory Lewis has made three starts since his promotion. In the last two weeks, he made two of those starts and allowed five hits and three walks in 10 innings. He struck out 12 and allowed a single earned run. 🔥: Kala’i Rosario continues to tear up High-A. Three more home runs, two more doubles, double-digit runs and RBI in his last 11 games… and more walks (12) than strikeouts (8). 😉: Newly-promoted Jorel Ortega only has 20 at-bats, but he has an OPS north of 1.000 so far. 🥶: Keoni Cavaco ended his half 1-for-11 and was placed on the Development List. 🥶: Jaylen Nowlin allowed 11 runs on 15 hits and seven walks in 8 2/3 innings. He struck out 11. What's Next: The Kernels will visit Peoria this week. Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Overall: 1-1 in the second half. Overview: Fort Myers finished 34-32 in the first half, but missed the playoffs by 10.5 games. 🔥: Rubel Cespedes has three home runs in his last 12 games. He also leads the team with nine RBI, five doubles and 13 total hits. 🔥: Ben Ethridge (12 2/3 innings, six hits, two walks, eight strikeouts), C.J. Culpepper (11 innings, six hits, three walks, 12 strikeouts), Andrew Morris (11 innings, six hits, three walks, eight strikeouts) all started multiple games and had WHIPs below 1.00 and opponent batting averages under .170. 🔥: Jorel Ortega (before promotion), Maddux Houghton and Danny De Andrade all had 10 hits over the last 12 games. 🥶: Rafael Cruz and Dylan Neuse both had sub-.200 batting averages over the last 12 games. 🥶: Develson Aria allowed seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings over two starts. What's Next: Fort Myers will host Lakeland. Rookie: FCL Twins Overall: 9-5, 1.5 games behind the FCL Pirates in the FCL South. Overview: Riding a four-game winning streak and being tied for least runs allowed are two signs of a good baseball team. It’s hard to look at individuals even over a two-week period because they’re given so much time off. Only three players played nine games, so we’ll focus on those three hitters. 🔥: Jose Rodriguez and Isaac Pena both had 11 hits and are hit .297 and .314, respectively. 🔥: Luis De Leon struck out 20 in 14 innings. He allowed nine hits and seven walks. 🤔: Bryan Acuna was brutal in his first handful of games but has rebounded nicely with eight hits in his last eight games. He did strike out 10 times though. Rookie: DSL Twins Overall: 5-10, 6-5 games back in the DSL South. Overview: Going .500 for 10 games is considerably better than the 0-5 start. The filter isn’t working properly, so I can only see full-season stats. 🔥: Dameury Pena has 18 hits in his first 12 games. He’s batting .391 and has four walks and four strikeouts. He’s listed as a second baseman. Is that enough to make a really early player comparison? 🔥: Yilber Herrera has walked 15 times already. He’s only struck out seven times and despite only having eight hits on the year, he’s scored 13 runs. 🔥: Miguel Cordero has 19 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings and WHIP of 1.11. 🥶: Cristian Hernandez has made three starts spanning 9 1/3 innings. He’s allowed 15 earned runs on 16 hits and eight walks. 🥶: Ariel Castro and Moises Lopez both have 22 strikeouts and sub-.200 batting averages. PROSPECT SUMMARY will return next week as will the PLAYERS OF THE WEEK as we will go in-depth with half-season awards later this week.

St. Paul got a terrific start from Randy Dobnak, and three home runs, but they coughed up the lead late. Were they able to record a win? And the Cedar Rapids Kernels just keep rolling along with different heroes most every night. We will update this article throughout the evening during and after the Wichita and Fort Myers games. We'll also update the standings as games go final. St. Paul Saints: 41-29 Wichita Wind Surge: 28-36 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 39-26 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 32-32 FCL Twins: 6-5 DSL Twins: 3-9 Let’s get to the report. Please remember to check back throughout the night for updates, especially when the Fort Myers and Wichita games go final. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Fort Myers placed RHP Miguelangel Boadas on the Development List. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Toledo 5 Box Score Randy Dobnak was in 2019 form in this game. He was throwing two-seamers and sliders that were darting in or just outside of the strike zone. This game was played with the electronic strike zone, and he was living near the corners. He gave up one run on five hits over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out six batters and didn’t issue a walk. “Dobber” threw 84 pitches and 61 of them were strikes. He also got nine ground outs. Very encouraging outing. With a runner on and two outs in the seventh, Kody Funderburk came on and got an inning-ending strikeout. Andrew Stevenson got the Saints on the scoreboard in the third inning with a two-run homer that also drove in Anthony Prato (who walked twice and stole two bases during the game). It was the former Nationals’ sixth home run of the year. An inning later, Matt Wallner drilled his ninth Saints’ homer of the season, a 109 mph blast to centerfield that made it 3-0. Wallner went 2-for-4 in the game and is now hitting .296 with a .960 OPS. The Mudhens got on the board with a run in the bottom of the sixth inning. However, Chris Williams came to the plate in the top of the seventh inning. He got a hanger from Sam Clay, and he destroyed it to make it 4-1. After hitting six home runs last week, the reigning International League Player of the Week has homered in each of the first two games of this series. He now has 15 homers this season. He is now hitting .289 with an OPS of 1.025 after going 1-for-3 with a walk in this game. That’s where the game turned. In the eighth inning, Funderburk got another strikeout, but he also gave up a double. Austin Schulfer came in and walked the first batter he faced. With two on, Justyn-Henry Malloy crushed his 11th home run of the season to tie the game at four. The Saints went 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth. Schulfer started the bottom of the ninth with a 3-2 walk. That was followed with a single that put runners on first and third. Corey Joyce came up and hit a deep fly ball down the right field line. Wallner caught it but had no chance to throw out the runner at home. The Mudhens win on a walkoff. The Saints had more opportunities, but they went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left six on base. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 1, Arkansas 5 Box Score Pierson Ohl made his third Double-A start. He gave up three runs on four hits and a walk over 5 2/3 innings. He had three strikeouts. 55 of his 79 pitches were strikes. Unfortunately, the Wind Surge offense was unable to generate much offense on this night. Hunter McMahon completed the sixth and worked two more innings. He gave up only a solo home run. Francis Peguero gave up a run on three hits in the ninth. The Wind Surge did have base runners in this game. The first eight batters in their lineup had at least one hit. Pat Winkel led the way with three hits. Seth Gray had two hits. Alerick Soularie went 1-for-2 and walked twice. However, all hits were singles, and the team went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position to strand 12 runners. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Beloit 2 Box Score Tanner Schobel’s season started out slow, but he has seen his batting average, OPS and power production increase over the past month. After Beloit scored one in the top of the first inning, Schobel led off the bottom of the first with his seventh home run. Then, down 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Schobel came to the plate with Andrew Cossetti on base and crushed another homer well beyond the wall in left field that gave the Kernels a 3-2 lead. Schobel went 2-for-4 on the day. He is now hitting .276 with an OPS at .800 for the season. Lefty Christian MacLeod continues his return from March 2022 Tommy John surgery. In this game, the former Mississippi State start gave up two runs (1 earned) on five hits in four innings. He walked two and struck out three batters. The bullpen really pitched great on Wednesday. Orlando Rodriguez came on and was really good. Through three innings, he gave up no runs and no hits. He walked two and struck out two. John Wilson came on to start the eighth inning. He gave up a walk and a single, but got out of the inning unscathed. Miguel Rodriguez got the ninth inning. He gave up one hit, but had a relatively easy inning to pick up his seventh save. Emmanuel Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a walk. He stole his eighth base. Jeferson Morales went 2-for-3 MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers @ Tampa Box Score The Mighty Mussels game in Tampa was postponed due to wet conditions. The game will be made up Thursday as part of a doubleheader. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA No Games in the Florida Complex Leagues on Wednesdays. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA No Games in the Dominican Summer League on Wednesdays. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Randy Dobnak (St. Paul Saints) - 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6K, 84 pitches, 61 strikes. Hitter of the Day – Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, 2-HR (8), 2 R, 3 RBI, K PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-for-5, K. #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-for-4, 2B(2), R, PO #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, BB, SB(8). #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 2-for-3, R, 2B(7) #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, HR(9), R, RBI. #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K, E(9) #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-5, RBI, K. THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (0-1, 24.00 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP David Festa (2-2, 5.09 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Zebby Matthews (1-1, 6.39 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (DH @ 5:30 PM CST) - RHP Andrew Morris and RHP Jose Olivares FCL Rays @ FCL Twins (11:00AM CST) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Cardinals (10:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games!

TRANSACTIONS RHP Oliver Ortega had his contract selected by the Minnesota Twins, and pitched against the Red Sox. In a corresponding move, Louie Varland was optioned to St. Paul. The Twins signed veteran catcher Mark Kolozsvary to a minor-league deal and assigned him to the Saints. He takes the roster spot of catcher Tony Wolters, who was placed on the injured list with a right MCL sprain. SS Alex De Goti was also activated from the Development List. The Minnesota Twins released Wind Surge RHP Osiris German to make room for RHP Owen Griffith, who was promoted from the Cedar Rapids Kernels after completing his rehab stint. The Surge also transferred outfielder Armani Smith to the Development List, and received infielder Ernie Yake from the Kernels. In the Midwest League, the Kernels transferred first baseman Keoni Cavaco to the Development List, and received second baseman Jorel Ortega from Fort Myers. At the Spring Training complex and Hammond Stadium, the Mighty Mussels added OF Andres Centeno and placed RHP Juan Mendez on the injured list with a right forearm strain. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Toledo 2 Box Score Another Tuesday, and another home run for Chris Williams. His 14th of the season came in his first at-bat as the reigning International League Player of the Week in the second inning. Jair Camargo followed with a solo shot of his own for back-to-back bombs that made it 2-0 Saints early. Simeon Woods Richardson was on the bump for St. Paul looking to course-correct his season. He pitched into the fifth inning but ran up his pitch count so he was only able to complete 4 2/3 innings. It was much better than his last time out (6 ER in 3 1/3), however, as he allowed just one earned run on three hits and a pair of walks, while picking up four strikeouts. Josh Winder came out of the bullpen to relieve him, and besides giving up a solo home run, kept the Saints out front. He gave up two hits, one walk, and struck out four in his two innings. St. Paul’s wrecking crew added a pair of runs in the fourth inning to extend their lead to 4-1 when Winder took the mound. Anthony Prato had an RBI single and a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt allowed Camargo to scamper home. Left-hander Kody Funderburk got a strikeout for the final out of the seventh inning, but he did not come out for the eighth after allowing a hit and a walk. Patrick Murphy closed out the final two innings for the save, allowing two hits, striking out four, and consistently hitting 98 MPH with his fastball. Jose Miranda tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth with a two-run single, and finished the game 2-for-5. Andrew Stevenson (2-for-5, R, 2B, K), Miranda, and Williams (2-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB) had multiple hits. Camargo and Williams each scored two runs. Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach were each 0-for-4 with a walk. WIND SURGE WISDOM Arkansas 4, Wichita 12 Box Score The Wind Surge took an early lead with a big inning, and piled on another one late to blow out the Travelers at Riverfront Stadium. A bases-clearing double from Alerick Soularie and two-run sac fly from Brooks Lee in the second gave Wichita an early 5-0 lead. If you had to read that sentence again, I don’t blame you. Because yes, Lee drove in two with his flyout as DaShawn Keirsey Jr. made the savvy and speedy play to score from second. Soularie and Aaron Sabato added solo home runs in the fourth and fifth innings respectively, with Sabato’s blast extending his on-base streak to 15 games. Wichita starter Aaron Rozek pitched into the fifth inning, but wasn’t able to complete it as a solo home run, double, single, and sac fly put an end to his outing. In all he was charged with two runs on three hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings, striking out six. Relievers Alex Phillips (1 1/3 IP, H, ER, 2 BB) and Taylor Floyd (1 2/3 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, K) pitched the next three innings, giving way to Regi Grace with two outs in the eighth. Grace closed it out, allowing one hit, one walk, a hit-batter, and striking out two. The lineup poured it on again in the seventh thanks to a two-run double off the bat of Jake Rucker that was followed by a Keirsey Jr. three-run home run, his ninth of the season, later in the inning to make it the final of 12-4. Pat Winkel (2-for-5, 2B, K), Rucker (2-for-3, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K), Yoyner Fajardo (2-for-4, R, 2 K), and Soularie (2-for-3, 3 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, BB) all had multiple hits. In addition to the home run, Sabato drew three walks and scored three runs. In the 15 games of his on-base streak, Sabato has drawn 18 total walks (.454 OBP) along with 13 runs scored, seven doubles, and two home runs. KERNELS NUGGETS Beloit 3, Cedar Rapids 11 Box Score “Pitcher who also throws a knuckleball”-Cory Lewis took to the hill for the Kernels, and continued to shove, holding the former Minnesota Twins affiliate to just one unearned run on three hits and a walk in his five innings. He struck out three, picked up his third win, and lowered his ERA to 0.60 in three High-A starts. While the final score ended up being a blowout, when Lewis exited it was just 3-1 Cedar Rapids. The lineup scored those runs on a two-run double from Kala’i Rosario in the third, and an RBI groundout from Jose Salas in the fourth. Matthew Swain was the first reliever summoned for the sixth inning, and the Snappers got him for one earned run on a pair of hits in his lone inning. He struck out one. Alejandro Hidalgo came on for the seventh and went the next 2 1/3 innings, allowing just one run of his own despite five walks. He also gave up one hit and struck out three. Niklas Rimmel got the final two outs and allowed one hit. The Kernels blew this one open in the bottom of the seventh, batting around and plating six runs. The big hits were a two-run double from Ben Ross, and consecutive RBI doubles from Noah Miller and Salas. In the eighth, Emmanuel Rodriguez added on two more with his eighth home run of the season. Leading the way with multiple hits in the game were Tanner Schobel (2-for-3, 3 R, 3B, 2 BB, SB), Rodriguez (2-for-4, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K), and Miller (2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI). Making his High-A debut, Jorel Ortega was 1-for-4 with a run scored. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Tampa 8 Box Score Toeing the rubber for the Mighty Mussels was Miguelangel Boadas, and he was solid for the first four innings. In the fifth, he ran into some trouble after an error and was lifted with just one out. In all, he finished 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks, while striking out two. Fort Myers got on the scoreboard first in the second inning, when Mikey Perez hit his third home run of the season, a solo shot to left field. Rubel Cespedes made it 2-0 Mighty Mussels in the third with an RBI double. Zach Veen came on in relief of Boadas in the fifth, and got the next four outs. He was charged with one earned run on two hits and two walks in his 1 1/3 innings. He struck out one. In the top of the sixth Fort Myers took a 4-2 lead thanks to a two-run single from Kyle Schmidt, but then the bullpen continued to have some trouble. Johnathan Lavallee got the final out of the sixth, but the Tarpons jumped on him in the seventh. Before it was over they had taken a 6-4 lead, with Lavallee getting hit with the blown save and three earned runs allowed on four hits and two walks, striking out one. The Mighty Mussels offense again battled back, tying it at six in the eighth thanks to another two-run single from Schmidt, but the Tarpons were determined to get off their hook. Wilker Reyes delivered a one-two-three eighth inning and got two quick outs in the ninth, but a walk led to a two-run homer to walk it off in Tampa. Schmidt (3-for-4, 4 RBI, K, SB), Cespedes (2-for-5, R, 2 2B, RBI), and Perez (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, K) collected multiple hits in the loss. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Orioles 1, FCL Twins 6 Box Score The Twins scored one run in each of the first four innings, and the pitching staff held the Orioles in check for the entire game to pick up the win. Cesar Lares started on the mound and completed the first three innings. He allowed just one hit and struck out five. Ricardo Velez was credited with the win after a scoreless fourth inning, where he struck out two. Juan Mercedes (2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 K), Carlos Gutierrez (IP, 2 H, BB, K), and Jacob Wosinski (2 IP, H, 2 BB, K) finished out the dominating pitching performance, as the staff struck out 14 Orioles in total. The Twins drew eight walks as a team, but had some trouble bringing the runners in as they had just one extra base hit, a double from Frank Nigro, and were 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Isaac Pena was 1-for-4 with a run scored, RBI, walk, and stole two bases out of the leadoff spot. Harold Grant and Anderson Nova collected the teams other two RBI’s. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Phillies Red 7, DSL Twins 2 Box Score The Phillies Red squad utilized a four-run third inning, to put the Twins away early. Right-hander Adrian Bohorquez made the start for the Twins and was on the receiving end of that scoring. In his 2 1/3 innings pitched, he was charged with five earned runs on four hits and four walks. He also struck out four. The bullpen trio of Leonardo Lugo (3 2/3 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 4 K), Jeicol Surumuy (2 IP, H, R, 3 K), and Jose Betancourt (IP, 2 BB) finished out the game for the home team. As an offense, the Twins managed just three singles in the loss but did collect seven walks. Jayson Bass was 1-for-3 with an RBI, walk, and his fourth stolen base. Ewing Matos was 1-for-4 with a run scored. Ariel Castro (0-for-2, R, 2 BB) and Dameury Pena (0-for-2, 2 BB) each drew a pair of walks from the top two spots in the lineup. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Cory Lewis, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 5 IP, 3 H, R, BB, 3 K) Hitter of the Day - Alerick Soularie, Wichita Wind Surge (2-for-3, BB, 2B, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-for-4, SF, 2 RBI #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 3-for-4, R, HR, RBI #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 1-for-5, R, K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, BB, K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2 RBI, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI #15 - Brent Headrick (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, BB #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) - 0-for-5, R, 2 K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-5, 2 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (11:05 AM CDT) - RHP Randy Dobnak (3-3, 5.51 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Pierson Ohl (0-1, 7.59 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - LHP Christian MacLeod (1-0, 3.86 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Andrew Morris (1-1, 4.15 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

It was an interesting week in the Twins farm system. With the big-league team still in first place and struggling to find any consistency, there were several players who moved up and down this past week. Brent Headrick came back to the Twins and earned his first big-league Win. Jordan Balazovic pitched well in his MLB debut on Sunday. The Twins had two minor-leaguers earn Player of the Week honors from their leagues. Another affiliate clinched a playoff spot. And then the Twins FCL and DSL teams each had a game on Monday morning, so we'll update you on how they did. There was an 11-strikeout game (by a Twins minor league pitcher, not a Twins big-league hitter). Let's start today with a look at the current records of each of the six Twins affiliates. St. Paul Saints: 40-28 Wichita Wind Surge: 27-35 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 37-26 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 32-31 FCL Twins: 5-5 DSL Twins: 3-8 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Fort Myers played infielder Yohander Martinez on the 7-day IL with a thigh strain. In addition, Mussels outfielder Alex Sayre was placed on the 7-day IL with a fractured right thumb. SAINTS SENTINEL No surprise here, but Saints first baseman Chris Williams was named the International League Hitter of the Week. Williams played in five of the six Saints games and went 7-for-19. He hit .368/.500/1.316 (1.816) with six home runs and 14 RBI. In addition, he was willing to take five walks. On Tuesday, he hit three home runs in Louisville. In a morning game on Wednesday, he hit two more long balls. Then on Thursday, he had one more. Overall this year, Williams is hitting .281/.386/.595 (.980) with seven doubles, 13 homers and 41 RBI in 44 games. The 26-year-old was the Twins eighth-round pick in 2018 out of Clemson. He has been a catcher at various times in his career. This year, he has played just three games behind the plate this year. Others in St. Paul who had solid weeks last week include: Andrew Stevenson hit .400/.455/.800 (1.255) with a triple and two homers (plus three SBs) Anthony Prato played in five games and hit .391/.440/.652 (1.092) with three doubles and a homer. Matt Wallner played in five games and hit .294/.480/.529 (1.009) with a double, a homer and six walks. In three games, Trevor Larnach hit .333/.357/.583 (.940) with a homer. Randy Dobnak made a start and was charged with three unearned runs over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven batters. Kody Funderburk struck out five batters over 3 1/3 scoreless, hitless, walkless innings. Should I mention that he did hit a batter? WIND SURGE WISDOM The Wind Surge had a player of the week as well. Lefty Aaron Rozek was named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week. The southpaw made one start in Midland and tossed six shutout innings. He gave up one hit, walked one, and he hit a batter. He struck out five batters. The 27-year-old from Burnsville and Minnesota State-Mankato has had an up and down season for the Wind Surge so far. He struggled early in the season, but then in May he was selected the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month. So overall, he is 1-3 with a 6.14 ERA over 10 starts and 44 innings. Regi Grace’s season has continued to go well since his promotion to Wichita. He worked twice last week and worked 3 1/3 innings of scoreless ball. He gave up one hit, walked two and struck out three batters. He recorded the save in one of the games. Hunter McMahon was back in 2022 form last week. In 3 2/3 innings, he gave up no runs, no hits, no walks, and he struck out four batters. I tweeted it over the weekend, and a couple of times earlier this season, but DaShawn Keirsey might be the most underrated prospect in the organization. He played all six games last week. He went 10-for-24 and hit .417/.440/.833 (1.273) with two triples and two home runs. Yunior Severino played in five games and hit .400/.478/.550 (1.028) with a double and a triple. Aaron Sabato was a doubles machine last week. The burly first baseman played in five games and hit .316/.435/.632 (1.067) with six doubles and four walks. He had six hits during the week, and each was a double. Seth Gray hit .333/.455/.611 (1.066) with two doubles, a homer, and four walks in five games. Will Holland hit .308/.412/.538 (.950) with a homer. Brooks Lee hit .333 with four doubles. KERNELS NUGGETS The Twins moved their Low-A affiliate to Cedar Rapids in 2012. In 2021, the Midwest League was bumped up to the High-A level. They have been managed by Jake Mauer, Tommy Watkins, and now Brian Dinkelman. The constant through all of those seasons has been providing the Kernels fans wins and playoff berths. This week, the Kernels clinched the first-half Western Division title which means they will continue their streak of making the playoffs every year since they’ve been a Twins affiliate. Misael Urbina played in five games and hit .412/.474/.529 (1.003) with two doubles. Andrew Cossetti hit .267/.294/.733 (1.027). He had four hits including a double and two home runs. Kala’i Rosario went 4-for-15 (.267) in five games, but he walked seven times so his on-base percentage was .500. Noah Cardenas hit .313 over four games. It is fair to say that the Kernels got great starting pitching last week. So much so that Zebby Matthews was used in long relief as a bulk pitcher. He worked the final six innings of a game started by Marco Raya and gave up five hits and walked none while striking out four. Jordan Carr earned a win in his start. The lefty worked five scoreless innings and gave up just one hit. He walked three and struck out three batters. Kyle Jones tossed four scoreless innings in his start. He gave up just two hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Cory Lewis gave up one run on two hits over five innings in his start last week. He had nine strikeouts. Christian MacLeod struck out six batters over four innings of one-run ball. Raya again went three innings in his start. He gave up one run on two hits and struck out six batters. MUSSEL MATTERS Jackson Hicks pitched twice and gave up a walk and hit a batter over three scoreless, hitless innings last week. Ben Ethridge gave up just one run on two hits and a walk over four innings. It was a 2-4 week for the Mussels, so no surprise that the pitching struggled. Two position players got to work on the mound during the week. Yohander Martinez returned from the IL and went 6-for-12 (.500) with a double and a homer in his three games played. Unfortunately, as you saw above in the transactions section, he is now on the IL. Jorel Ortega continues to hit really well in Fort Myers. The Tennessee alum played in all six games. He went 10-for-29 and hit .345/.367/.690 (1.057) with four doubles and two home runs. Maddux Houghton got a chance to play. In five games, he hit .353/.476/.412 (.888) with a double and four walks. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA FCL Twins 0, FCL Orioles 1 Box Score As you can see from the score, there was not much offense in this game for either team. Or, if you choose, we can credit the pitching of both squads. The difference in this game is that the Orioles had no errors while the Twins committed four. The O’s lone run came in the eighth inning, and it was unearned. So let’s start with the positive, the pitching. John Klein started and gave up just one hit over three scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out three batters. Owen Griffith continued his rehab assignment with two scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, but walked none. Jeferson Lopez worked the final three innings. The 18-year-old from Caracas gave up the unearned run on three hits. He had two strikeouts. The Twins batters managed just five hits in the game, and they walked four times. Omari Daniel went 1-for-2 with a walk and his first double. Bryan Acuna walked twice and stole his second base of the season. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins 9, DSL Mariners 2 Box Score The Twins Dominican Complex team scored five runs in the first inning and added more throughout the game to capture their third win of the season. Dameury Pena and Jayson Bass pulled off a double steal and thanks to a throwing error, Pena scored the first run of the game. Then with two outs in the top of the first, Ricardo Pena singled in Bass for the second run. Yilber Herrera and Carlos Silva walked to load the bases. Then Javier Roman walked to score Ricardo Pena. At that point, there was a pitching change. Angel Trinidad hit an infield single to score Herrera. And finally, Silva scored on a wild pitch. That is an inning that happens fairly often in the DSL. The Twins managed just five hits in the game, but they also added 11 walks and took advantage of wild pitches, a couple of errors, three hit batters, six stolen bases (in seven attempts) and more. Bass led the way with a single and two walks. Dameury Pena, Herrera and Silva each walked twice. Ledwin Taveras started and struck out five batters over the first three innings. He gave up two runs on four hits and didn’t issue a walk. Eduardo Soriano came on and worked the next five innings. The 20-year-old gave up just one hit, no walks, and he struck out 11 batters. He now has 19 strikeouts and just one walk in 11 innings this season. Jose Ojo, a 22-year-old just signed a year ago, worked a scoreless ninth and struck out two batters. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Eduardo Soriano (DSL Twins) - 5 IP, 1H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 K, 71 pitches, 52 strikes. Hitter of the Day – Omari Daniel (FCL Twins) - 1-for-2, 2B(1), BB, CS PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Monday. #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 0-for-4, 2 K, E(2) #10 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL Twins) - 0-for-4, 2 K, E #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 1-for-4 TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (0-5, 8.08 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - LHP Aaron Rozek (1-3, 6.14 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis (2-0, 0.90 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30 PM CST) - RHP Miguelangel Boadas (0-2, 5.63 ERA) FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (11:00AM CST) - TBD DSL Phillies Reds @ DSL Twins (10:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Monday’s games!

The Twins drafted Chris Williams in the eighth round of the 2018 MLB Draft from Clemson University. In three collegiate seasons, he hit .264/.360/.519 (.879) with 72 extra-base hits in 169 games. During his first season at Clemson, he played 12 games or more at catcher, third base, and first base. By his final season, the team used him primarily at first base. College players that play primarily at first base need to hit for a lot of power to move through an organization. However, the Twins weren’t necessarily relegating him to one position. Shortly after signing, Williams made his professional debut with the Elizabethton Twins. In 62 games, he hit .252/.372/.500 (.872) with six doubles, one triple, and 15 home runs. All his defensive innings came at first base, but it was hard to ignore his offensive output. He had dealt with shoulder injuries in college, and the Twins wanted to get him into the system so they could work on his catching skills. Twins Daily named him the 2018 Short-Season Hitter of the Year after leading the Appalachian League in home runs and finishing in the top 10 for RBI, slugging percentage, and OPS. Williams split the 2019 season between Low-A and High-A. With Cedar Rapids, the Low-A affiliate at the time, he hit .218/.356/.473 (.830) with 12 doubles, three triples, and ten home runs. His batting average remained low, but he continued to get on base due to a 57-to-42 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Near the end of July, the Twins promoted Williams to Fort Myers, where he was younger than the average age of the competition for the first time in his career. Offensively, he struggled with the transition by going 3-for-41 with one home run and 20 strikeouts in 15 games. All but eight of his defensive appearances came at catcher, where he threw out 13-of-71 runners (18% CS%) at both levels. The Twins sent Williams to High-A coming out of the pandemic even though he was 1.5 years older than the average age of the competition at that level. Through 17 games, he went 5-for-50 (.100 BA) with three doubles and 27 strikeouts. Minnesota promoted him to Double-A at the end of June, and his offensive performance improved with the jump in competition. He posted a .725 OPS with nine extra-base hits in 28 games. Also, Williams continued to see most of his defensive starts at catcher, where he posted a career-best 34% CS%. Last season, Williams split time between the two highest levels in the farm system while making over 77% of his defensive appearances at first base. His powerful swing reemerged after getting out from behind the plate. At Double-A, he hit .277/.372/.542 (.915) with 16 doubles, one triple, and 18 home runs in 75 games. His OPS slipped a little after being promoted to Triple-A, but he continued to hit for power. In 42 games, he had a .714 OPS with five doubles and ten home runs. His 28 home runs led the entire system, even beating out Matt Wallner, the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year. Williams has struggled with midseason transitions to new minor league levels, but he seems to find his approach after repeating a level. The Twins sent him back to Triple-A this season, and that trend has continued to be true. His OPS has improved by over 250 points, and he is among the team leaders in multiple statistical categories. Through 42 games, he is hitting .290/.394/.621 (1.015) with seven doubles, one triple, and 13 home runs. Since the start of last season, Williams has hit 41 home runs in 159 games. Defensively, he spends minimal time behind the plate, with most of his starts coming at first base. It will likely take an injury for Williams to make his big-league debut during the 2023 season. The Twins have multiple first base options, and Byron Buxton has been getting the majority of playing time at DH. However, it’s easy to see why some might overlook Williams and the value he can provide an organization. Twins fans will see Williams over the next two seasons, and they can hope his powerful swing follows him from St. Paul to Minneapolis. What stands out to you about Williams’ professional career? What role can he play at the big-league level? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

The Twins completed their sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternoon. The St. Paul Saints continued to crush baseballs, especially first baseman Chris Williams. Wichita got a great start from a lefty from Minnesota. Cedar Rapids had another terrific start from a certain knuckleballer drafted in 2022. And, well, we won’t spend too much time talking about the Mighty Mussels game on Wednesday. And the Twins completed a trade with the Brewers while they were in town. STANDINGS St. Paul Saints: 38-26 Wichita Wind Surge: 25-33 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 34-25 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 31-28 FCL Twins: 3-4 DSL Twins: 1-6 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins optioned outfielder Trevor Larnach to St. Paul after the game on Wednesday afternoon. Presumably, he is making way for the return of Byron Buxton. In April, the Twins traded reliever Trevor Megill to the Brewers for a Player to be Named Later. On Wednesday, that player was named. The Twins received right-handed relief pitcher Taylor Floyd and assigned him to Double-A Wichita. He was that Brewers 10th-round pick out of Texas Tech. After a missed 2020 season, he spent most of 2021 at High-A Wisconsin before ending the season at Double-A Biloxi. Following the season, he went to the Arizona Fall League. He split the 2022 season pretty evenly between Wisconsin and Biloxi. This year, the 25-year-old has pitched in 23 2/3 innings over 15 appearances at Wisconsin. He has a 3.04 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. He has 32 strikeouts to go with just seven walks. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 11, Louisville 3 Box Score On Tuesday night, the Saints scored 18 runs on 21 hits. On Wednesday morning, they played again and the offense continued. They had 11 runs on 13 hits and eight walks in this game. Speaking of positive things that continued from the night before… Chris Williams knocked three home runs on Tuesday night. In his first at-bat on Wednesday, he hit a two-run homer that gave the Saints a 3-0 lead. Then in the sixth inning, he hit another two-run homer. He now has 12 homers on the season (and five homers over the past two days!). In this game, he went 2-for-3 with two walks, two homers and four RBI. Jair Camargo also continues to play well. The catcher went 2-for-5 with fifth double and 10th home run and three RBI. Andrew Stevenson went 2-for-6 with his fourth homer. He also stole his 24th base. Alex De Goti had two hits. Anthony Prato went 2-for-4 with a walk, his third double and first Triple-A home run, a solo shot against former Twins reliever Alan Busenitz in the ninth inning. Gilberto Celestino continued his rehab as the team’s DH today. He went 1-for-5 with two RBI. Randy Dobnak got the start and pitched well. He gave up three runs in the bottom of the first inning, but they were all unearned. He went 5 1/3 innings and gave up nine hits and a walk, and he struck out seven batters. Kody Funderburk finished the sixth and the seventh innings. He got all five batters out, three of them on strikeouts. Austin Schulfer struck out four batters over the final two scoreless innings. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 8,Midland 1 Box Score The Wind Surge got a strong start and plenty of offense in a really well-played game. Aaron Rozek was the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month for May. He was tremendous in this game. The southpaw tossed six shutout innings and had five strikeouts. He gave up just one hit and one walk. Hunter McMahon and Alex Scherff each threw a scoreless inning. Jordan Brink gave up a solo homer in the ninth. Will Holland played centerfield. He went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, his third of the season. Brooks Lee had two doubles over his five at-bats and drove in two runs. Alerick Soularie went 2-for-3 with a walk. Aaron Sabato had two doubles on Tuesday night and another on Wednesday. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, South Bend 2 Box Score Cory Lewis was great again in his second Kernels start. In this one, he gave up one run on two hits. He walked two and struck out nine batters. Over his two Kernels starters, he is 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA. In 10 innings, he’s given up one run on five hits. He has 17 strikeouts and just three walks. Alejandro Hidalgo gave up one hit over a scoreless innings. John Stankiewicz gave up one hit over two scoreless innings. Miguel Rodriguez was charged with an unearned run on one hit in the ninth inning. Fellow 2022 draft pick Andrew Cossetti was behind the plate again for the Lewis start. Not only did he catch another strong game, but he went 2-for-4 with his fourth double and second home runs since joining the Kernels. Emmanuel Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a walk. Ben Ross had the big hit of the game. In the fifth inning, he drilled a three-run homer. He now has 10 homers on the season. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 9, Bradenton 18 Box Score Former Gophers pitcher J.P. Massey made the start for the Pirates Low-A affiliate on Wednesday afternoon. The 23-year-old was the Pirates’ seventh-round pick a year ago after four seasons with the Gophers. Coming into the game, he was 2-3 with a 2.84 ERA. In this one, he struggled with control. However, he worked five innings. He gave up four runs on four hits and four walks. He struck out five batters. He was certainly helped by some run support and is now 3-3 with an ERA at 3.28. This section was started with a paragraph on a prospect who isn’t in the Twins organization in large part because it was not a good game for Mussels pitchers. Miguelangel Boadas started and gave up six runs (4 earned) on five hits over three innings. He had four strikeouts and no walks. Front here, it didn’t get better. Gabriel Yanez gave up three runs on two hits and a walk in his inning. He had two strikeouts. Juan Mendez then went 1 1/3 innings. He gave up two runs on one hit and three walks. Johnathan Lavallee gave up four runs on four hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings. I think it’s fair to assume that if a team needs to have two position players pitch, the game didn’t go too well. Mikey Perez came in and was charged with three runs on four walks. He didn’t record any outs. Yohander Martinez came on and allowed two of three inherited runners to score, but he issued only one walk and recorded two strikeouts. The Mussels offense did well in the game, but we’re still going to talk about a Pirates prospect who had a big game for Bradenton on Wednesday afternoon. Termarr Johnson was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft out of high school in Atlanta. To say he had a big, breakout game is probably a huge understatement. He went 4-for-4 with two walks, two doubles, and a long home run. Coming into the game, Johnson was hitting .230/394/.349 (.743). After this game, he was hitting .254 and his OPS jumped to .824. Alright, now to the Mighty Mussels’ offense. Jorel Ortega went 2-for-6 with his 20th double and sixth home run .He drove in four runs. Frank Nigro went 2-for-3 with two walks and a double. Danny De Andrade went 1-for-3. He was hit by a pitch twice, and drilled his fourth home run of the season. The Mussels had 10 walks to go with nine hits in the game. Outfielders Alec Sayre and Luis Baez each walked twice, as did infielders-turned-pitchers Mikey Perez and Yohander Martinez. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Rozek (Wichita) - 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 83 pitches, 52 strikes. Hitter of the Day – Chris Williams (St. Paul) - 2-for-3, 2 BB, 2 HR(12), 3 R, 4 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-for-5, 2-2B(21), R, 2 RBI, K #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 0-for-2, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, BB, R, RBI. #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, BB, R, K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, K, 2-R #11 - Austin Martin (Rehab Ft. Myers) - hasn’t played since last Thursday. #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-4, BB. THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Louisville (5:35 PM CST) - RHP Cody Laweryson (2-1, 4.45 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (7:00 PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl (0-1, 10.38 ERA) South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - LHP Christian MacLeod (1-0, 4.50 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM CST) - TBD FCL Braves @ FCL Twins (11:00AM CST) - TBD DSL Phillies Red @ DSL Twins (10:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games!

TRANSACTIONS With C Ricardo Olivar being activated from the 7-day injured list for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, they returned C Alex Rodriguez to the FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 18, Louisville 7 Box Score The pregame conversation for this one could have focused on current Saints players facing off against a former teammate many Twins fans have been fretting over trading away last year, in Christian Encarnacion-Strand. One of those current Saints players, Chris Williams, perhaps took issue with this idea, remembering that when he played with CES, it was him showing the young guy what a slugger is. They played 13 games together before Encarnacion-Strand was traded to the Cincinnati Reds organization, but in that time Williams hit seven home runs, drove in 20, and amassed a 1.319 OPS compared to just five homers, 17 RBI, and a 1.085 OPS for his former teammate. With that in mind, Williams reminded his brief teammate and the Bats who’s the real boss in this one. His first home run of the game came in the second inning, a two-run shot for the Saints first runs of the game. Elliot Soto added an RBI single later in the inning to make it 3-0 Saints. With two outs in the third, Williams again connected like Encarnacion-Strand only wished he could, hitting his ninth home run of the season to make it 5-3 Saints. Tony Wolters extended the lead to three with an RBI single later in the frame. The fourth inning started with a walk from Matt Wallner and a single from Kyle Garlick, before Williams stepped into the box for the third time with one out. Watch for yourself: His third bomb of the game made it 10-3 Saints, and despite the Bats drawing 13 walks and collecting 10 hits, couldn’t match Williams and the Saints' 21 total hits. So in case you’re counting, Williams wasn’t the only one who went off. In fact, all nine hitters in the Saints lineup reached base multiple times, scored at least one run, and only one didn’t collect at least two hits in the game. Rather than recounting this insanity in full, I invite you to please click that box score link above, and scroll the @StPaulSaints Twitter feed today for all the highlights. Adding to the comparison above in the Chris Williams and Christian Encarnacion-Strand history after this one, in 14 total games played with or against each other: Williams: 18-for-50, 11 R, 2 2B, 10 HR, 27 RBI, 14 BB, 10 K vs. CES: 19-for-57, 11 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 6 BB, 15 K That acronym guy was even pinch-hit for to end this game…Psshh…Pathetic… Polite (or infuriating) reminder Encarnacion-Strand is second in the International League with 17 HR’s this season, and leads the league with a .734(!) slugging percentage after this game, so this is all in jest… On the pitching front, starter Aaron Sanchez went the first 3 1/3 innings, running into trouble in multiple innings due to some wildness ending up charged with seven earned runs on six hits and six walks, while striking out only one. He allowed a pair of home runs to former major leaguers Matt Reynolds and Wil Myers. Future Hall of Famer Joey Votto was also rehabbing with the Bats, finishing 0-for-3 with two walks and an RBI. Ronny Henriquez (W, 1 2/3 IP, H, 2 BB, K), Austin Brice (1 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K), Michael Boyle (1 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K), and Patrick Murphy (2 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K) produced a scoreless effort from the Saints bullpen to close it out. Gilberto Celestino (3-for-6, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, K) and Matt Wallner (2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, BB, 3 K) chipped in from the top two spots in the lineup. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 8, Midland 2 Box Score DaShawn Keirsey Jr. blasted the first pitch of the game for his seventh home run of the season and an early 1-0 lead, but it was a seven-run third inning that would end up smashing the RockHounds in this one. In the third, it was five consecutive singles to start the inning, an RBI double from Aaron Sabato, and then a three-run home run off the bat of Seth Gray that did the damage. In a somewhat odd occurrence, Alerick Soularie was both the first and last hitter of the inning. Starting pitcher Travis Adams picked up his second win of the season, finishing five innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits and a pair of walks while striking out three. Osiris German (1 2/3 IP, 3 H, BB, K) and Regi Grace (2 1/3 IP, H, BB, 2 K) finished off the final four scoreless innings. The Wind Surge got multiple hits from Keirsey Jr. (2-for-5, 2 R, HR, RBI, SB), Yunior Severino (3-for-5, R, RBI), Sabato (2-for-4, R, 2 2B, RBI), and Gray (2-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K) to lead the offense. Brooks Lee was 1-for-5 with a run scored and RBI out of the two-hole. As a team Wichita did not draw a single walk but made the most of their 12 hits by going 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position, leaving only four men on base for the game. KERNELS NUGGETS South Bend 2, Cedar Rapids 3 Box Score The Kernels got a solid start from Mike Paredes, and an even better piggy-back outing from Jordan Carr to take down the Cubs in their series opener. Cedar Rapids struck early in the bottom of the first, thanks in part to a pair of errors that extended the inning. Kala’i Rosario and Noah Cardenas made them hurt with consecutive RBI singles for the 2-0 lead. Paredes pitched the first four innings of the game, allowing two earned runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out five. He gave up a two-run homer in the top of the third to tie the game at two but otherwise was on point. Then came Carr. He struck out three, scattered one hit and three walks over the next five innings, and kept the game tied going into the bottom of the ninth, giving his team a chance to walk it off. In a flash, they did. Leading off, Ben Ross was hit by a pitch to put the winning run on base, then moved up to second on a wild pitch. This brought Rosario to the plate, and like he’s done so far this season, came through with a single up the middle to start the celebration. Both teams had just four hits in the game, but like Rosario’s, three of those came with runners in scoring position for the Kernels, compared to zero for the Cubs. Rosario finished 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead the way. Misael Urbina chipped in the other single, and Ross scored two runs and stole his fifth base of the season in the win. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 9, Bradenton 3 Box Score Mighty Mussels starter C.J. Culpepper was ambushed by solo home runs from the leadoff man in each of the first two innings, but after that the Marauders couldn’t find an answer for the Minnesota Twins 2022 13th-round draft pick. Those home runs were the only runs he would allow, settling in for three scoreless frames to end his outing after five. In all, he surrendered five hits, walked three, and struck out seven to pick up his third win of the season. Even when allowing those home runs, his lineup had his back by scoring runs in each of the first four innings. Ricardo Olivar had an RBI single in the first, Dillon Tatum an RBI single in the second, and Jorel Ortega’s homer in the third gave them the lead for good. They put up a crooked number in the fourth thanks to Tatum’s first home run of the season, a three-run shot making it 6-2 Fort Myers. In the seventh they tacked on some more insurance, with Dylan Neuse’s grounder to third leading to a run-scoring error, Ortega contributing an RBI groundout, and Danny De Andrade’s RBI single capping their scoring at nine. Relievers Jarret Whorff (2 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K) and Danny Moreno (2 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, 2 K) finished out the win for the Mighty Mussels. Ortega (3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), De Andrade (2-for-4, RBI, K), and Tatum (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI, BB, K) each had multiple hits. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 3, FCL Braves 7 Box Score The Twins fell behind early and weren’t able to recover against the Braves on Tuesday morning. Starting pitcher Jacob Wosinski recorded just one out in the first inning and ended up charged with four runs (three earned) on three hits before his exit. Relievers Owen Griffith (1 2/3 IP, 2 K) and 2022 DSL standout Miguel Olivares (2 IP, BB, 4 K) filled in admirably after Wosinski’s exit, before Carlos Gutierrez (3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 K) gave up a two-run homer in his second inning. Kyle Bischoff finished off the game for the Twins, allowing one earned run on two hits in his lone inning, striking out one. The lineup for the Twins managed a single run in each of the third, seventh, and ninth innings, and outhit the Braves 9-7 in the game, but had only one extra-base hit. Isaac Pena (3-for-5, 2 RBI, K) and Reynaldo Madrigal (1-for-3, 2 R, 2 K) led the way, with Jose Rodriguez (1-for-5, RBI, K), and Bryan Acuna (1-for-3, BB) also contributing. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Twins 8, DSL Astros Orange 7 (10 innings) Box Score The Twins took an early lead with two runs in the first inning, thanks to multiple balks and a wild pitch from the Astros pitchers. It stayed that way until the bottom of the fifth as starter Adrian Bohorquez was solid through the first four innings, allowing just two hits and one walk while picking up four strikeouts. In the fifth inning, however, he was out of gas and walked the first three hitters of the inning, putting an end to his outing. All three of those runners would end up crossing home plate to put the Astros in front. The good guys tied the game at three thanks to multiple wild pitches and an error in the top of the sixth, then took a 6-3 lead in the seventh thanks to a bases-loaded walk and two-run double from Dameury Pena. Relievers Leonardo Lugo (3 IP, 3 H, BB, 3 K), Jeicol Surumuy ( 2/3 IP, ER, 3 BB, K), and Jose Ojo (1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 K) got the team through the ninth inning, but the blown save from Ojo led them to extra innings. In the top of the tenth inning, two throwing errors from the Astros on a pop-out led to the ghost runner on second base scoring the go-ahead run, then after a pair of singles another wild pitch and an errant pickoff throw added another insurance run. The Astros were able to score their own ghost runner in the bottom half, but didn’t get another runner on base as Oscar Paredes shut the door to pick up the save. Pena (2-for-6, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI) and Jayson Bass (3-for-5, RBI) led the way with multiple hits. Lead-off man Yilber Herrera drew five walks, scored a run, and was credited with an RBI. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Jordan Carr, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 5 IP, H, 3 BB, 3 K) Hitter of the Day - Chris Williams, St. Paul Saints (3-for-5, 3 HR, 7 RBI, BB, 2 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-for-5, R, RBI #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, R, 3 K #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 2-for-4, R, 2B, BB, K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, BB, 3 K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, K #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) - 1-for-5, RBI, K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 3-for-5, R, RBI WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (11:05 AM CDT) - RHP Randy Dobnak (2-3, 6.15 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (6:30 PM CDT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-3, 7.11 ERA) South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Cory Lewis (1-0, 0.00 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (11:00 AM CDT) - RHP Miguelangel Boadas (0-1, 1.80 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

TRANSACTIONS After appearing in a game Monday for the FCL Twins, IF Austin Martin continued his rehab assignment with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. The St. Paul Saints were assigned 3B Seth Gray from Wichita. The Cedar Rapids Kernels sent RHP Owen Griffith on a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL Iowa 4, St. Paul 10 Box Score Jordan Balazovic was the scheduled starter early Tuesday morning, but by game time the Saints went with an opener in Cody Laweryson, before handing it over to Balazovic. Laweryson pitched into the second inning, but his pitch count soared and after recording two outs, gave up a three-run homer to end his outing. Balazovic then came on and gave up a pair of doubles to put another run on the board for the Cubs, before getting his first strikeout to end the second inning. Laweryson went 1 2/3 IP, and was charged with three runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out three on 48 pitches (27 for strikes). Of note from the Saints Broadcast, the talk was of Balazovic coming out of the bullpen, and how the Twins wanted to get him used to that instead of the routine of starting. They may be onto something, even if his usage has been odd this year if that’s the case. Anyway, they might be onto something as Balazovic cruised for the next three innings, allowing just one hit and two walks, while punching out six more Iowa hitters. He finished with one earned run allowed on three hits and two walks, striking out seven total. He still threw 71 pitches, which you’d rather see in about five innings, but made it work. He was 94-96 MPH with his fastball, and dropped in some great breaking balls hitters watched for called third strikes. The Saints offense scored first in the game thanks to International League Player of the Week, Matt Wallner. His double in the first inning left his bat at 106.3 MPH to score Andrew Stevenson, who had led off with a single. In the bottom of the fourth, they cut the Cubs lead to two, when Jose Miranda delivered an RBI double. Almost unfathomably, this was Miranda’s first double since joining the Saints. He added his second in the eighth inning. In the fifth, the Saints loaded the bases with nobody out, and Jair Camargo cashed them all in with his sixth home run of the season, a 447-foot grand slam that put them out front 6-4. After Balazovic’s day was done, Austin Schulfer pitched a scoreless sixth inning, working around three singles thanks to Wallner’s arm in right field, as his bullet cut down a runner at home to keep the inning scoreless. Austin Brice chipped in two scoreless frames, striking out three. In the eighth inning, a single, double, and walk loaded the bases again for the Saints, and this time it was Chris Williams with the moonshot. His 440-foot grand slam made it 10-4 Saints. Oliver Ortega finished it out with a scoreless ninth to send the CHS Field faithful home happy, and ensure Balazovic earned his first career triple-A win. The Saints knocked out 13 hits as a team, with Stevenson (3-for-4, 2 R, 2B), Miranda (2-for-5, R, 2 2B, RBI, K), Williams (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI, BB, K), and Mark Contreras (2-for-5, R, K) collecting multiple hits. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, San Antonio 6 Box Score The Wind Surge jumped out to an early 5-0 lead after two innings, stringing together a bunch of doubles in both frames. Brooks Lee led off the game with his 17th double of the year, extending his Texas League leading tally. Then it was Yunior Severino and Jake Rucker who followed suit to give them a 2-0 lead before an out was recorded. Pat Winkel later added an RBI single to make it three runs in the first. In the second, Lee got a two-out rally started with his 18th double, Severino drew a walk, then Rucker brought them both in with his second double in the first two frames for the 5-0 lead. Unfortunately for Wichita, they got just two more hits the rest of the way, and San Antonio battled back. Starter Carlos Luna went the first four innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks, while striking out three. His run allowed came in the fourth on a solo home run. Hunter McMahon delivered a scoreless fifth, but didn’t make it out of the sixth. He was charged with two earned runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings, striking out one. Jordan Brink went the next 1 1/3 scoreless, allowing one hit and one walk. Regi Grace then made his double-A debut, delivering a scoreless eighth inning to pick up a hold and keep the Wind Surge’s two-run lead intact. He walked one and threw 14 pitches (7 strikes). In the bottom of the ninth Wichita turned to Curtis Taylor, and it didn’t work. Two walks and a hit-batter loaded the bases before Francis Peguero was brought in. His first pitch was sent into center field for a bases-clearing double, and walk-off win for the Missions. Lee (2-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B) and Rucker (2-for-2, R, 2 2B, 4 RBI, BB) led the way for the offense, but what started out white hot, finished ice cold for the team as whole and San Antonio was able to steal game one of their six-game series late. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Dayton 6 (5 innings) Box Score The Kernels series opener against the Dragons was cut a bit short by rain in Dayton, Ohio but it may have been for the best. They fell behind 5-0 after just two innings, as starter Kyle Jones got ambushed from his first pitch. Literally, as it went for a solo home run to begin the bottom of the first inning. From there, a walk, single, and an error made it a 2-0 for Dayton after one. In the second inning, another error led to an RBI single and two-run homer, and the Dragons were in control. Jones went on to finish four innings, allowing those five runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks. On a positive note, he did strike out seven. Malik Barrington came on to start the fifth and allowed one run on two hits, while striking out two. The Cedar Rapids offense managed just two hits in the shortened contest, which came from Emmanuel Rodriguez and Kala’i Rosario. Rosario’s single in the third drove in their only run of the game, scoring Tanner Schobel who walked twice in three at-bats. As a team the Kernels did draw seven walks, but were just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Right-hander Mike Paredes is scheduled to pitch on Wednesday, taking on former Twins first round draft pick Chase Petty, who has a 0.56 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts for the Dragons in four starts and 16 innings pitched on the season so far. MUSSEL MATTERS Clearwater 10, Fort Myers 5 Box Score Fort Myers starter Develson Aria recorded only one out in this contest, and the Mighty Mussels never recovered. Aria couldn’t find the strike zone, walking five of the first seven hitters of the game and before the inning was over had four earned runs on his ledger. Emergency reliever A.J. Labas managed to keep the damage to just that and added a scoreless second inning, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three in 1 2/3 innings. Danny Moreno (1 2/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 earned), BB), Samuel Perez (3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, K), Johnathan Lavallee (1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, BB), and infielder Mikey Perez (2/3 IP) accounted for the rest of the pitching staff’s innings. The Mighty Mussels' scoring came in just two innings, with three runs in the fourth inning on a Rubel Cespedes RBI double and Alec Sayre two-RBI single, then two in the eighth thanks to a double steal of home and second base, and an RBI single from Cespedes. Jorel Ortega (2-for-3, 2 R, BB, K, SB) and Cespedes (2-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K) had multiple hits, and Dylan Neuse chipped in a double. Gilberto Celestino continued his rehab assignment but finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Austin Martin began his rehab assignment playing second base and batting second. He was 0-for-3 with a walk. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 5, FCL Rays 6 Box Score Jack Noble put together a strong start for the Twins, finishing the first five innings, allowing just one run on three hits and three walks, while striking out five. The rehabbing Owen Griffith pitched a scoreless sixth inning, striking out one Down 1-0 at that point, but the Twins offense finally got going in the seventh. A sac fly from Bryan Acuna tied it, then two batters later Anderson Nova put them in front 4-1 with a three-run home run. Unfortunately, the Rays countered with five of their own in the bottom half. Carlos Gutierrez finished the final two innings for the Twins, but gave up those five runs on three hits and a walk while striking out four. Yasser Mercedes was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks out of the leadoff spot. Jose Rodriguez was 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. Byron Chourio scored a run and drew two walks in four plate appearances. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Twins 3, DSL Phillies Red 4 Box Score The Twins got solid pitching for the first five innings, allowing just one run as a team in that timeframe. They were led by starter Adrian Bohorquez who went the first three innings, and recorded all nine of his outs via strikeout. He allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk. But they weren't able to hold on from there. Oscar Paredes (1 IP), Jeicol Surumuy (2/3 IP, 3 H, K), Jose Ojo (1/3 IP), Leonardo Lugo (2 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K), and Reynel Garcia (1/3 IP) finished off the rest of the game, with Lugo getting saddled with a blown save and the loss. The lineup managed just six hits, with shortstop Yilber Herrera and first baseman Javier Roman collecting doubles and an RBI. The Twins biggest bonus baby of the year, Ariel Castro, went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout hitting in the three-hole. Catcher Carlos Silva was also 1-for-3 with a walk and two K’s. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Jordan Balazovic, St. Paul Saints (W, 3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) Hitter of the Day - Chris Williams, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI, BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-2, BB #4 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, R, 2 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB, HBP, 2 K #10 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL) - 1-for-2, 2 BB #11 - Austin Martin (Rehab-Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, BB #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-1, BB, K #14 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - W, 3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) - 1-for-3, R, BB, K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-4, 2 R, 2B, BB, 2 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CDT) - RHP Aaron Sanchez (3-4, 3.72 ERA) Wichita @ San Antonio (7:05 PM CDT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-2, 6.11 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Mike Paredes (2-0, 2.11 ERA) Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CDT) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (2-2, 2.59 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

TRANSACTIONS 2B Edouard Julien optioned to St. Paul as Jorge Polanco was activated from the IL> INF Dalton Shuffield placed on 7-day IL by Fort Myers (wrist sprain) SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 11, Buffalo 5 Box Score The Saints apparently live by the wake and rake ideology as they put up double-digit runs during a morning game today in New York. Cody Laweryson worked as an opener putting up two scoreless innings before giving way to Jordan Balazovic. Balazovic gave up three runs on four hits across two innings, but he struck out five and walked none. Looking to answer the Bisons earlier trio, St. Paul put up a five-spot in the fifth inning. Jair Camargo lifted a sacrifice fly to score Chris Williams before Andrew Stevenson singled in Andrew Bechtold. With the recently-promoted Seth Gray in third and Alex De Goti at second, Matt Wallner continued his hot hitting and played them both on a scorching single. Buffalo tied things with a pair of runs in the sixth inning, but the Saints weren’t done marching in. Wallner blasted yet another home run, a solo shot, for his seventh of the year. In the ninth inning, Mark Contreras drew a bases-loaded walk to score De Goti before Williams hit a grand slam to make it an 11-5 game. After rehabbing Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar worked a scoreless seventh inning striking out two, Josh Winder slammed the door. Working two scoreless innings, he struck out a pair. Wallner and Williams both had big days with multiple hits. Bechtold joined that pair as well. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 5, Wichita 4 Box Score Aaron Rozek took the ball for the Wind Surge. It was a tough start as he managed just 2 2/3 innings before bowing out after allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out three while walking just two on the evening. Wichita got off to a quick start with DaShawn Keirsey Jr. doubling in Brooks Lee in the first inning. Alex Isola then ripped his eighth home run of the season to drive in a pair and make it 3-0 good guys. By the fourth inning, Tulsa had plated four and took the lead. It was necessary for the Wind Surge to answer. Anthony Prato did just that in the bottom half when he grabbed his second double of the season to bring home Keirsey Jr. yet again. Prato was thrown out at third trying to stretch it for a triple. The Drillers retook the lead in the fifth inning and that’s where the difference in this one came. Keirsey Jr. and Isola were the lone Wichita batters to record a pair of hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 24, Lansing 5 Box Score Pierson Ohl started on the mound for Cedar Rapids, but I’m pretty sure the Kernels could’ve started Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, you, or I, and still won this game. Ohl was fine working 4 2/3 innings while giving up three runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out three. None of that really mattered considering how the game went. CEDAR RAPIDS SCORED TWENTY-FOUR RUNS. Ben Ross singled in Tanner Schobel during the first inning to kick things off before Noah Cardenas used a sacrifice fly to plate Kala’i Rosario. Cardenas then singled in the third inning to bring home Rosario again and make it a 3-0 game. That’s where things began to get out of hand. A wild pitch allowed Ross to score before a Jose Salas single brought in Cardenas. Jeferson Morales then singled to drive in Salas and Schobel capped the inning off with a three-run blast, his fifth of the season, to make it 9-0. After the Lugnuts answered with a third inning run of their own, Cedar Rapids added on again in the fifth inning. Ross doubled home both Keoni Cavaco and Emmanuel Rodriguez before yet another Cardenas hit allowed Ross to cross the plate. Up 12-1 headed to the bottom of the fifth, Lansing answered with three to get within a pair of grand slams. Fortunately for Cedar Rapids, Rosario had one of his own up his sleeve and sent his sixth homer of the year deep to clear the bases. Now 16-4, it was a laugher. After a seventh-inning run from Lansing made it 16-5, the Kernels ignored the mercy rule in the ninth. Ross hit his fifth homer of the year before Schobel was hit with the bases loaded to score Salas. Rodriguez then blasted a grand slam for his sixth dinger of the year, and Ross homered for the second time in the inning to make it a 24-5 rout. The Kernels recorded 20 hits on the night with Schobel, Rodriguez, and Cardenas all grabbing three of their own. Ross had a four hit game while Rosario and Morales each added a pair. This one was nothing short of incredible. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, St. Lucie 1 Box Score With C.J. Culpepper on the mound for Fort Myers tonight, the Mighty Mussels appeared in good hands from the jump. He worked five hitless innings allowing three walks while striking out six. Rubel Cespedes kicked off the scoring with his fifth double of the season, a second inning hit that scored Mikey Perez. Alec Sayre then singled to drive in Cespedes and Fort Myers was off and running. Rafael Cruz lifted a sacrifice fly to score Danny De Andrade in the third inning and make it a 3-0 game. After St. Lucie answered with a run of their own in the sixth inning, Carlos Aguiar blasted his eight homer of the year in the seventh inning. The two-run shot also brought home Jorel Ortega and pushed it to the final 5-1 tally. Cespedes was the only Mighty Mussels batter to record a pair of hits tonight, but Aguiar grabbed two RBI on his own. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – C.J. Culpepper (Fort Myers) - 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Ben Ross (Cedar Rapids) - 4-6, 4 R, 6 RBI, 2B, 2 HR(6) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-4, R #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR(2) #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 3-6, 3 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, HR(6) #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-5, R, 3 RBI, HR(7), 2 K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-4, 2 K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Buffalo (6:05PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak Tulsa @ Wichita (6:45PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (3:30PM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis (GM 2 follow) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games!

SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 8, Omaha 6 Box Score A veteran on the bump for St. Paul, Aaron Sanchez took the pill and was lights out. He worked six innings of scoreless baseball. Sanchez did give up five hits and a walk, but he struck out two and never allowed damage. Dropping his ERA to 4.17 in the process, he’s again looking like an option for Minnesota should they need him. Royce Lewis was given the night off after back-to-back work, but the Saints went to battle without him. Attacking right away in the first inning, Chris Williams singled to center and drove in Andrew Stevenson in the process. Looking for some separation, breathing room came in the fifth inning. An error allowed Mark Contreras to not only reach base, but Stevenson to score for a second time. Williams then singled again and drove in Contreras, pushing the lead to 3-0. St. Paul got a bit more cushion in the sixth inning when Andrew Bechtold lifted off for his fourth homer of the year. It was just a solo shot, but the game was now 4-0. Tucker Bradley quickly responded with a seventh inning double to put Omaha on the board, but the 4-1 lead still seemed safe. Quickly evaporating, Cody Laweryson’s runners all scored after he allowed a three-run blast to Nick Loftin. What was once a lead was now a new game in the seventh inning. From there, things went crazy. First, the Storm Chasers put up a pair on a Samad Taylor single in the eighth inning. Seemingly in the driver’s seat, they would be unbuckled when Stevenson ripped his second triple of the year. In the bottom of the eighth, the Saints outfielder cleared the bases and scored himself on a throwing error. Hernan Perez, Ryan LaMarre, and Tyler White all came home. The four runs put St. Paul back up 8-6 and that’s where this one ended. Stevenson recorded a pair of hits on the evening as did Williams, White, and Perez. Jose Miranda continues to struggle and went 0-for-4 with a walk. Despite giving up two runs and again struggling in relief, Ronny Henriquez got the win. WIND SURGE WISDOM Springfield 5, Wichita 4 Box Score Twins prospect David Festa needed a bounce back start tonight and he got one. Despite it being short, just three innings, he allowed only a single unearned run on one hit. Festa walked three on his 68 pitches, but picked up five strikeouts in the process. Springfield got on the board first with a second-inning run, but the Wind Surge answered in a big way during the fourth inning. Alex Isola blasted his sixth dinger of the year, a three-run shot scoring Brooks Lee and Jake Rucker, to put Wichita up 3-1. Springfield made it interesting with a sixth inning run closing the deficit to one, but a seventh inning Will Holland run scored on a wild pitch and pushed things back to two. The Cardinals again answered in their half of the seventh inning, and the run tightened things up just just a one-run contest. Scoring again in the eighth inning, Springfield evened things at four. Wichita couldn’t answer in the ninth inning and Noah Medlinger’s single walked off the Wind Surge. Brooks Lee and Jake Rucker both had a pair of hits on the evening, but it wasn’t enough to wind up on top. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 8, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score Kyle Jones went tonight for Cedar Rapids and despite coming in with solid numbers, it just wasn’t his night. Making it through only one inning, Jones allowed six runs on six hits. He walked just one and struck out two. His 3.62 ERA ballooned to 5.13 on the season. Early on, things looked ok for the Kernels. Despite getting down 2-0 in the first inning, Kala’i Rosario continued his strong season and blasted his fifth home run, a two-run shot also driving in Emmanuel Rodriguez. That’s where the good news ended though. Two runs scored in the second inning without an out recorded, and both inherited runners for Orlando Rodriguez crossed the plate as well. Down 6-2 by the end of the frame, things didn’t look pretty. Before the Kernels could answer, Wisconsin drove in another pair during the sixth inning and the 8-2 rout was on. Cedar Rapids needed to make things interesting, so Keoni Cavaco blasted his second dinger of the season. Recently back from the injured list, his two-run shot scored Andrew Cossetti and had the Kernels back within a grand slam. Cossetti’s single was his first hit at High-A after recently being promoted. Unfortunately, that’s where this one ended, and Tanner Schobel was the only Kernels player to record a multi-hit effort. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Dunedin 1 (Susp 3) Box Score It was C.J. Culpepper’s night for the Mighty Mussels, but Mother Nature decided to intervene before he could really get going. Working two innings of one-run ball while striking out two, the weather came and caused a third inning suspension. Dunedin plated a run in the second inning, but Fort Myers answered in the third inning. A Jorel Ortega groundout allowed Alec Sayre to score and knot things up. Danny De Andrade then singled to drive in Dillon Tatum and put the good guys on top. What started with lightning also brought rain and the game was called. Stopped with De Andrade on first base in the third inning and just the one out, both sides will pick this up tomorrow. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Sanchez (St. Paul) - 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Hitter of the Day – Andrew Stevenson (St. Paul) - 2-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB, 2B(6), 3B(2) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-4, R #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - Day off #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, K #8 - David Festa (Wichita) - 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, BB, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-4, 2 K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07PM CST) - TBD Wichita @ Springfield (7:05PM CST) - RHP Aaron Rozek Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya Fort Myers @ Dunedin (4:00PM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games!

TRANSACTIONS None Saints Sentinel St. Paul 6, Toledo 1 Box Score Aaron Sanchez: 3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K HR: Chris Williams (1), Tony Wolters (1), Ryan LaMarre (1), Matt Wallner (1) Multi-hit games: Kyle Garlick (2-for-4), Chris Williams (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, RBI) It was a day of homers. Despite Toledo’s best efforts to keep the ball in the park—and they tried nearly everything—the Saints darkened the sky with baseballs, swatting four home runs on their way to besting the Mud Hens. The sources varied from the predictable—Chris Williams and Matt Wallner—to the downright shocking: Tony Wolters’ solo shot was his first homer since August 30th, 2021. Ryan LaMarre’s bomb exited his bat at 110.1 MPH. Truly absurd power from Wallner; he appeared to fall over himself while swinging and still hit the ball nearly 400 feet. Between the animal hide rain lived a deeply appreciative Aaron Sanchez. The Saints’ starter worked inefficiently, walking a trio of batters on his path towards 10 netted outs. Dereck Rodriguez was summoned to bridge the gap between the early and late frames. Rodriguez suffered from a similar affliction, allowing a pair of free passes over 2 2/3 innings, but he performed well enough to pass the lead to the late-inning specialists. Trevor Megill continued the shutout and did so with overpowering success, striking out five over two shutout frames with a lone walk serving as his only blemish. Brock Stewart closed the game with a scoreless inning and three strikeouts. Old friends Akil Baddoo and Matt Wisler played for Toledo. Baddoo walked once in four plate appearances while Wisler pitched a scoreless inning. Justyn-Henry Malloy is the best prospect on the Mud Hens. He walked and singled in four plate appearances. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Trevor Megill Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chris Williams PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 0-5, 4 K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-4, HR, R, RBI, BB, 2 K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ St. Paul (1:05 PM) - RHP Randy Dobnak

In the past, we have presented our selections for the Top 20 Twins prospects before each season. In 2022, that list was the starting point for the Prospect Tracker which we updated at the beginning of each month and after the trade deadline, and then at the end of the season. Since the season’s end, there have been several changes. Several players became free agents. The Twins lost a couple of pitchers in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft. They made a couple of trades to bring in new talent from the Angels and Marlins while sending two upper-level relievers to the Royals. In addition, our minor-league writers have learned more and more about several prospects, particularly those drafted or signed most recently. With all that said, this year, we are moving to a Top 30 Twins prospect rankings for a couple of reasons. First, ten of our minor-league writers provided a list of their Top 30 Twins prospects. Second, why not recognize another ten Twins prospects at this time of year? Now, we are going to do that by adding just one more article. Tomorrow, we will share our choices for Twins Prospects 21-30. With the current schedule, starting next week, we will be jumping into the Top 10 prospects. However, today, we will be starting this series by sharing a list of Honorable Mentions, or Also Received Votes, if you prefer. Even within this group, which could make up our prospects from around 31 through around 45, there are several future big-leaguers in the group, a couple that we could see in 2023. I’ve really enjoyed writing this Honorable Mention article because it can show the organization’s depth. If we are being honest, it can also show the limitations of prospect ranking. This can be former prospects coming off of bad years. It can be recently-acquired players (via trade or draft) that may not be the top picks but there is something intriguing. There may be players who have never been looked at as top prospects but continue to consistently get moved up and keep themselves in the conversation. In 2019, Luis Arraez and Jordan Balazovic appeared in this range of the list. The 2020 Honorable Mention article named players such as Jorge Alcala, Bailey Ober, and Akil Baddoo.) Last year’s Honorable Mentions were quite interesting. It included 2021 picks that have been traded in key trades such as Cade Povich and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. It also contained 2019 pick Sawyer Gipson-Long who was traded to the Tigers at the deadline. Casey Legumina was traded to the Reds for Kyle Farmer after being added to the Twins' 40-man roster. Oh, and wait until you see which players jumped from Honorable Mention last year into the Top 10 this year. Before we start, the following players are no longer “prospects” according to Baseball-Reference: Jose Miranda, Gilberto Celestino, Joe Ryan, Jovani Moran, Josh Winder, and Jhoan Duran. FIRST-ROUND FEATURE 2019 first-round pick Keoni Cavaco fell out of the top 20 last year and this year, out of the top 30. Honestly, the tools, speed, power, and arm strength are all still there. He returned to the Mighty Mussels in 2022 but made the move to third base. In 99 games, he hit .231/.275/.397 (.672) with 18 doubles, five triples, and 11 home runs. He missed a little time. He should move out of the Florida State League, so don’t give up on him yet. UTILITY TYPES IN UPPER LEVELS They may not be top prospects, but you have to have noticed that this organization places a lot of value on versatility and being able to play multiple positions. That becomes more valuable as guys reach the upper levels. Michael Helman’s ‘stock’ soared in 2022 when he split his season between Wichita and St. Paul. In 135 games, he hit .258/.337/.432 (.769) with 23 doubles and 20 homers while stealing 40 bases in 45 attempts. Drafted as an infielder, he has played all three infield and outfield spots over the past two seasons. Anthony Prato was a 7th-round pick from UConn in 2019. He split 2022 between Cedar Rapids and Wichita. Combined, he played 60 games in left field, 34 games at second base, 22 games at third base, and 12 games at shortstop. He also made starts, and first base and in right field. He played a combined 132 games and hit .285/.383/.444 (.827) with 30 doubles, eight triples, and 10 homers. He also stole 22 bases. Will Holland was the Twins 5th round pick in 2019 from Auburn. While he was drafted as a shortstop and made 15 starts at that position in Cedar Rapids, he has made a pretty clear transition to the outfield. He is arguably the fastest player in the organization and has played a lot of center field. After a late-season promotion to Wichita, he played solely in the outfield, playing more in the corners with DaShawn Keirsey in center. In 116 games, he hit .227/.339/.366 (.705) with 13 doubles, six triples, and nine homers. He also stole 32 bases in 38 attempts. BACKSTOPS The Twins added Christian Vazquez this offseason to team with Ryan Jeffers behind the plate. They have also added several veteran backstops, including Tony Wolters , Grayson Greiner and Chance Sisco, to play in St. Paul along with David Banuelos. While the Twins don’t have any high-ranking catcher prospects, there are a few intriguing guys who can catch if needed. Chris Williams was the team’s 8th-round pick in 2018 from Clemson. He played 117 games between Wichita and St. Paul. He hit .246/.343/.500 (.843) with 21 doubles and 28 home runs. While he made 81 starts at first base, he continued to get time behind the plate with 21 starts. A 29th-round pick in 2019 from TCU, Alex Isola, missed time in 2022 with an injury. However, he made 17 starts at first base and 17 more behind the plate. He got a few at-bats and continued to work in the Arizona Fall League where he caught three times and played 12 games at first base. Noah Cardenas was the team’s 8th-round pick in 2021 out of UCLA. He was the Twins Daily Minor league All-Star catcher in 2022 when he hit .261/.421/.413 (.834) with 18 doubles and nine homers. He started at first base 25 times and at catcher 56 times. He has thrown out 29% of would-be base stealers. WE HARDLY KNOW YE, YET There are several players that we just need to learn more about, and they fit in this category. Alejandro Hidalgo is the 19-year-old right-hander that the Twins received in the Gio Urshela deal. In Low-A in 2022, he made ten starts and went 0-3 with a 4.62 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. In 39 innings, he walked too many (19) but had an impressive 58 strikeouts (13.4 K/9). He currently has a low-90s fastball, but a changeup that can be really, really good. He is definitely one to watch in 2023. Brayan Medina was part of the Opening Day trade between the Twins and Padres. The 20-year-old pitched in just 10 games for the FCL Twins in 2022. It didn’t go well. In 23 2/3 innings, he struck out 24 batters, but he also walked 20 batters. Ariel Castro signed with the Twins about two weeks ago as a 16-year-old from Venezuela for $2.5 million. He hits left-handed, and he’s from Cuba. He’s got a sweet swing, but it’ll be fun to start following his career, which is likely to start in the DSL this year. Players from the 2022 draft to get some Top 30 recognition include right-handed pitcher Andrew Morris (4th round, Texas Tech) and Cory Lewis (9th round, UC-Santa Barbara), and infielders Ben Ross (5th round, Notre Dame College, OH), and Omari Daniel (14th round, The Walker School in Georgia). The reports are very interesting on both Lewis and Ross. INTERESTING ARMS Cody Laweryson’s 2022 season started a little late, but it ended spectacularly. The 2019 14th-round pick from Maine played in the Arizona Fall League in 2021. He began with 16 games (2 starts) in Cedar Rapids and posted a 2.57 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. He finished the season with 19 games, including eight starts, in Wichita. He dominated to the tune of a 1.06 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. In 94 2/3 innings, he had 111 strikeouts. He doesn’t throw really hard, but he’s got a funky delivery and hides the ball well. (See Laweryson's episode of Twins Spotlight.) Sean Mooney had Tommy John surgery in 2019 and the Twins selected him with their 12th-round pick that year. Since his return, he’s struggled to pitch consistent innings, but he has been a strikeout machine. In 2022 in Cedar Rapids, he posted a 3.30 ERA, and in 60 innings, he walked 30 but struck out 82 batters. Travis Adams split the 2022 season between Ft. Myers (15 starts) and Cedar Rapids (7 starts). He went a combined 6-8 with a 3.93 ERA. He had 108 strikeouts in 100 2/3 innings and had just 26 walks. While the numbers don’t jump out, the 2021 sixth-round pick is incredibly intriguing and could jump into the Top 20 a year from now. ---------------------- That is a lot of talent, and those are guys who rank outside of the Twins Daily Top 30 prospects. Check back over the next two weeks to see who our 2023 Top 30 Twins Prospects are.

Last season, Jose Miranda compiled one of the best minor league seasons in Twins' history. He was named the Twins Daily 2021 Minor League Hitter of the Year, and fans have seen how he has translated that into a successful rookie campaign. For the second consecutive season, there was a clear choice for the organization's Minor League Hitter of the Year, with Matt Wallner cementing himself into the team's long-term plans. Wallner grew up in Forest Lake, MN, and was impressive as a high school slugger. Minnesota took him in the 32nd round of the 2016 MLB Draft (as a pitcher), but Wallner was committed to playing at the University of Southern Mississippi. He became a three-year starter at the school while averaging over 19 home runs per season with a 1.113 OPS. He helped his draft stock significantly, and the Twins took him with the 39th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, this time as a three-time All-American outfielder. Wallner showed some power in the lower minors as his OPS was .810 or higher in 2019 and 2021. For the most part, he was slightly older than the average age of the competition at each level, so it would have been nice to see him post even better offensive numbers. He missed over two months of the 2021 season with a broken hamate bone, so the Twins decided to find him some extra at-bats after the minor league season concluded. His performance in the 2021 Arizona Fall League might have been what pushed him to a tremendous 2022 campaign. In 18 games, he went 20-for-66 (.303 BA) with two doubles and six home runs, which resulted in a 1.011 OPS. Minnesota sent Wallner to Double-A to start the 2022 campaign, where he was younger than the average age of the competition at his level for the first time since 2019. His season started slowly as he posted a .200 BA and a .741 OPS in April. His bat started to heat up in May when he hit seven doubles and six homers in 24 games (.984 OPS). However, the month of June is where he solidified his prospect status. As the calendar flipped to June, Pitchers couldn't find a way to retire Wallner. He got on base in 50% of his plate appearances for the month. In 27 games that month, he only failed to reach base in three contests. He had two multi-homer games and seven games where he walked twice or more. Wallner ended the month hitting .345/.500/.714 (1.214) with five doubles, one triple, and eight home runs. July saw Wallner's bat cool off a bit, but the month also saw some other impressive feats. He represented the Twins at the 2022 Futures Game in Los Angeles and hit a two-run homer in a tie game. Minnesota also promoted him to Triple-A, where he was four years younger than the average age of the competition. After adjusting to St. Paul, Wallner posted a .978 OPS with 17 doubles, three triples, and six home runs in 39 games from August 2- September 15. With the big-league club struggling, there was some question about why the team wasn't promoting Wallner for the team's playoff push. He quickly made his mark with the Twins as his first big-league hit was a home run with his family in attendance. It was a perfect way to cap a tremendous 2022 season, and there is little doubt that Wallner's powerful bat will be part of the Twins line-up for most of the next decade. Runner-Up: Edouard Julien, IF AA Stats (113 G): .300/.441/.490 (.931), 19 2B, 3 3B, 17 HR, 67 RBI Like Wallner, Julien was drafted out of college in 2019 but was taken in the 18th round. In his first two professional seasons, he has combined for a .922 OPS while moving from Low-A to Double-A. He was a staple in the Wind Surge line-up this season and faced older pitchers in over 87% of his plate appearances. Defensively, Minnesota had him focus on second base in 2022, so that's his most likely path to the big leagues. Second Runner-Up: Chris Williams, 1B/C AA/AAA Stats (109 G): .255/.352/.528 (.880), 21 2B, 1 3B, 28 HR, 88 RBI Williams posted impressive power numbers, including double-digit home runs at Double- and Triple-A. Minnesota took him in the 8th round of the 2018 MLB Draft from Clemson. The 2022 season was the first where most of his plate appearances came as a first baseman instead of a catcher. This may have helped his power numbers increase, as he could keep his legs stronger throughout the season. Honorable Mention: Noah Cardenas, C/1B Low-A Stats (99 G): .261/.421/.413 (.834), 18 2B, 1 3B, 9 HR, 43 RBI Minnesota took Cardenas with their 8th-round pick in 2021 from UCLA. He impressed in his first full professional season as he caught over 460 innings and played time at first base. Cardenas led the team in many offensive categories. His prospect stock will continue to rise if he can hit for power while continuing to catch. What impressed you the most about the names mentioned above? Should a different player have made the list? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. PREVIOUS WINNERS: 2012 - Oswaldo Arcia 2013 - Miguel Sano 2014 - Mitch Garver 2015 - Max Kepler 2016 - Daniel Palka 2017 - Mitch Garver 2018 - Alex Kirilloff 2019 - Trevor Larnach 2021 - Jose Miranda

TRANSACTIONS RHP Austin Schulfer placed on 7-day concussion IL by St. Paul C David Banuelos activated from 7-day concussion IL by St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL Indianapolis 7, St. Paul 1 Box Score Jordan Balazovic drew the start today for St. Paul and was chased after three innings. He allowed five runs on six hits while striking out four. Balazovic did give up a walk and was burned by two homers. A five-run 3rd inning by Indianapolis put St. Paul in a bad spot early. They gave up two more in the 6th inning and before recording their first run, the Saints were staring at a seven-run deficit. Ryan Jeffers, still working his way back on a Major League rehab assignment, hit a homer in the 8th inning to make sure the Saints wouldn’t be shut out. Trevor Larnach, also rehabbing, went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout as the designated hitter. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Melvi Acosta (St. Paul) - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K Hitter of the Day – Chris Williams (St. Paul) - 1-2, 2 BB PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #9 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - Twins Play Wednesday night in Kansas City. #11 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Indianapolis (6:05PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05PM CST) - RHP Daniel Gossett Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! Twins Daily Short Season Pitcher of the Year Twins Daily Short Season Hitter of the Year

TRANSACTIONS Infielder Elliot Soto placed on 7-day concussion IL by St. Paul Pitcher Ronny Henriquez recalled by Minnesota Twins Pitcher Dereck Rodriguez optioned to Triple-A St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Louisville 1 Box Score Wrapping up their home series against the Louisville Bats, St. Paul turned to Ariel Jurado for Sunday’s matinee. He was great allowing just a single run (unearned) on two hits and a walk. Jurado punched out three in his six innings of work. After the Bats took a first-inning lead, St. Paul responded when Chris Williams blasted his tenth Triple-A dinger in the bottom of the inning. Then in the third inning, recently-promoted Wander Javier crushed his first Triple-A home run to give St. Paul their first lead of the game. Joining the first career Triple-A homer party, Dalton Shuffield blasted one to right-center field. He was Minnesota’s 10th-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. Brock Stewart turned in a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout, and Jake Jewell recorded his fifth save while recording six outs, allowing no baserunners, and striking out three. St. Paul goes on the road tomorrow before returning to play their final homestand next week. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Midland 3 Box Score Kody Funderburk was on the bump to close out the regular season for the Wind Surge. They’ll have a day off Monday before starting their postseason against the Tulsa Drillers on Tuesday. Funderburk worked around traffic, but gave up just two runs on four hits while striking out eight in four innings of work. After getting behind in the third inning, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. put the Wind Surge on top when he blasted a two-run homer. Keirsey Jr.’s seventh of the season brought in Leobaldo Cabrera and Wichita found themselves in the run column. Wichita allowed Midland to even things in the 4th inning, but immediately took back the lead in the fifth inning. Anthony Prato lifted a sacrifice fly to score Will Holland, and then Jair Camargo jacked a two-run blast to bring in Brooks Lee. A late hit by Midland brought in another run, but Wichita held on to win their final game of the regular season TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Ariel Jurado (St. Paul) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Hitter of the Day – Chris Williams (St. Paul) - 2-4, R, RBI, HR(10) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #2 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 3-5, R, K #9 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 2-3, K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Indianapolis (5:35PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games! It sure is exciting to have all four Twins full-season affiliates back and playing.

TRANSACTIONS OF Carlos Aguiar reinstated from 7-day IL at Ft. Myers Cedar Rapids placed RHP Luis Rijo on 7-day IL LHP Jovani Moran optioned to St. Paul Saints Sentinel St. Paul 9, Omaha 4 Box Score Jordan Balazovic: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K HR: Chris Williams (8) Multi-hit games: Matt Wallner (3-for-4, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI, 1 BB), Cole Sturgeon (3-for-4, 2 R, RBI, BB) St. Paul won decisively on Saturday. It was an all-around offensive breakout; eight batters scored a run in an 11-hit, seven-walk effort. Matt Wallner may have collected the most RBIs, but this was a democratic affair; the lone hitter to not score a run drove one in. Chris Williams swatted a solo home run. Jordan Balazovic pitched arguably his best outing on Saturday; the righty struck out six while allowing a lone run over his four innings of work. It may not be the most impressive start ever, but a step in the right direction is always welcome. Michael Feliz netted four outs with one strikeout; Williams’ AAA OPS is now over 1.000. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 2, Springfield 8 Box Score Brent Headrick: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Yunior Severino (2-for-4), Anthony Prato (2-for-4, 2B) Wichita played a game to forget on Saturday. The defense was the major bugaboo; the team committed five errors, with two blunders attributed to Yunior Severino and three stemming from Jair Camargo. It’s difficult to win many games with that sort of performance. Brent Headrick worked around his fielders in admirable fashion, allowing two earned runs over five innings with seven strikeouts. The lefty has 42 strikeouts over 29 innings since the beginning of August. Both runs scored late as Ernie Yake singled home a runner in the 7th, and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. brought one in with a 9th inning sacrifice fly. Keirsey also sto le two bases, giving him 37 on the season. Blayne Enlow struck out four over two innings; Anthony Prato’s double was the sole extra-base hit. Kernels Nuggets The rain ended this game before it could start; the Kernels will play a doubleheader on Sunday. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 3 Box Score Tomas Cleto: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K HR: Nate Baez (1) Multi-hit games: Kala’i Rosario (2-for-4, 2 R), Nate Baez (2-for-4, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI) The Mighty Mussels won a tame game on Saturday. Nate Baez dominated the story; the catcher cracked a double and blasted a homer on his way to three RBIs. He hasn’t played much this year—the 2022 draft pick has just 47 at-bats—but more games like this could set the foundation for a phenomenal 2023 season. Kala’i Rosario was the Robin to Baez’s Batman, drumming a double and scoring a pair of runs in Saturday’s effort. Tomas Cleto was effectively wild. The starter allowed a single hit but walked four in his scoreless outing, perhaps even flummoxing himself regarding pitch location. It was no matter; Cleto walked away with a sparkling ERA, and that is all the Mighty Mussels could ask for. Noah Miller tripled for the 4th time this season; Niklas Rimmel pitched two scoreless innings to end the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Brent Headrick Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Matt Wallner PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-4 #7 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 3B, K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 3-for-4, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI, 1 BB #11 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-3, BB, 2 K #15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, 2 R SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (5:07 PM) - RHP Josh Winder Wichita @ Springfield (6:05 PM) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (12:09 PM) - TBD Fort Myers @ Bradenton (11:00 AM) - LHP Jordan Carr

Before jumping into the top five hitters of the month, here are some of the honorable mentions. HONORABLE MENTIONS IF/OF Michael Helman - St. Paul Saints - 26-101, .257/.321/.465 (.786) with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 23 R, 10 RBI, 10 BB, 21 K. C Jair Camargo - Wichita Wind Surge - 23-82, .280/.344/.561 (.905) with 2 doubles, 7 home runs, 14 R, 18 RBI, 9 BB, 26 K. IF/OF Anthony Prato - Wichita Wind Surge - 21-83, .253/.431/.422 (.853) with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 18 R, 12 RBI, 24 BB, 24 K. C Alex Isola - Wichita Wind Surge - 20-68, .294/.351/.500 (.851) with 5 doubles, 3 home runs, 11 R, 13 RBI, 5 BB, 11 K. IF Jake Rucker - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 27-101, .267/.330/.455 (.785) with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 13 R, 17 RBI, 8 BB, 28 K. OF Misael Urbina - Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels - 29-100, .290/.372/.460 (.832), 8 doubles, 3 home runs, 15 R, 10 RBI, 13 BB, 26 K. OF Yasser Mercedes - DSL Twins - 20-49 - .408/.453/.633 (1.086), 4 doubles, 2 triples, one home run, 14 R, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K, 13-14 SB. THE TOP FIVE AUGUST HITTERS Number 5 - Wichita Wind Surge - 2B Edouard Julien - 27-93, .290/.426/.573 (.899), 3 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 18 R, 13 RBI, 21 BB, 30 K. Julien’s background is pretty unique. He grew up in Quebec where he spoke French and went to a secondary school that also taught Spanish. He became well known in scouting circles playing on the Canadian national teams. He was drafted out of high school, but he went to Auburn University. It was there that he learned English. In 2019, he helped lead the Tigers to the College World Series. He was a draft-eligible sophomore, and the Twins used their 18th-round pick to select him. He fully intended to go back to school, but as the deadline to sign, the Twins ponied up and gave him fourth-round money and he signed. However, he did not make his pro debut until 2021 after Tommy John and the lost 2020 season. Between Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids, he hit .267/.434/.480 (914) with 28 doubles, 18 homers, and 72 RBI. He also had 34 stolen bases in 39 attempts. He led all of minor-league baseball with 110 walks. He began the 2022 season with Wichita, and he remains hitting near the top of the Wind Surge lineup. In 99 games, he has hit .293/.436/.501 (.938) with 16 doubles, three triples, and 17 home runs. In other words, he had a fantastic month of August, but it was actually a little below his season average. His .438 on-base percentage ranks fifth in minor-league baseball, just .015 behind the top spot. His 88 walks rank 10th in the minor leagues, just two behind Matt Wallner for the organization lead. Julien’s combination of approach at the plate, power, and speed are incredibly exciting. As a 2019 draft pick, he would appear to be a given to get added to the 40-man roster in November. He is the #14 Twins Prospect on this site. (For more past Edouard Julien content from Twins Daily, click here.) Number 4 - St. Paul Saints - C/1B Chris Williams - 13-54, .241/.368/.667 (1.035), 3 doubles, 1 triple, 7 home runs, 12 R, 19 RBI, 12 BB, 21 K. Like many Twins, Williams didn’t hit for average for the Saints this past month, but he continues to take strong at-bats, walks a lot, and his power just continues to be immense. Williams was the Twins' eighth-round pick in 2018 out of Clemson. That summer, he was the Twins Daily short-season Minor League Hitter of the Year. Following the missed 2020 season, Williams went to High-A Cedar Rapids where, in 17 games, he went 5-for-50. Yes, he was hitting .100 when he was promoted to Wichita. In 28 games with the Wind Surge, he hit .225/321/.405 (.935) with five doubles and three home runs. He began this season with the Wind Surge again. In 75 games, he hit .277/.372/.542 (.915) with 16 doubles, 18 homers, and 58 RBI. Something had clicked and his massive power was showing. And his seven August homers came in his 17 games with the Saints. A catcher, he also plays a lot of first base. He’s got a strong arm. He has worked really hard and is in better shape, and with that, improved stats and his power is back. It will be very interesting to see if he is added to the team’s 40-man roster this offseason. (More Chris Williams content at Twins Daily, click here.) Number 3 - Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels - C Noah Cardenas - 23-71, .324/.467/.507 (.974), 4 doubles, 3 home runs, 11 R, 9 K, 18 BB, 9 K. The Twins drafted Noah Cardenas out of UCLA in the eighth round of the 2021 draft. After signing, he played in 13 games in the FCL last summer and hit .300/.400/.500 (.900) with a double and a homer. The 22-year-old has played in 94 games this season for Ft. Myers. He has hit .253/.417/.403 (.820) with 15 doubles, nine homers, and 38 RBI. So, as you can see, his approach and power in August really shone through. First, as you see, he had 18 walks to go with just nine strikeouts (on the season, he has 70 walks to go with 68 strikeouts). That’s a strong knowledge of the strike zone, an ability to see pitches well, and an ability to put the ball in play. But he also has displayed the ability to drive the ball, for doubles and over the fence. Cardenas is a good athlete, especially with the “especially for a catcher” mantra. He’s got good speed and runs the bases well. He is well respected behind the plate and has done a really nice job receiving. He is definitely a catching prospect to watch. (For more Noah Cardenas content on Twins Daily, click here.) Number 2 - St. Paul Saints - OF Matt Wallner - 25-95, .263/.412/.495 (.907), 8 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 18 R, 15 RBI, 21 BB, 32 K. You know the story. Minnesota’s top high school player in 2016 from Forest Lake, drafted by the Twins in the 32nd round as a pitcher. Went to Southern Mississippi and became an All-American outfielder. In 2019, he was the 39th overall pick in the draft by his home team Twins again. He was also the short-season hitter of the year in 2019. You know about his season. He has been a finalist for this award throughout the 2022 season. After a slow start, Wallner hit .299/.436/.597 (1.033) with 15 doubles and 21 homers in 78 games. In 37 games since joining the Saints, he has hit .245/.379/.453 (.832) with 10 doubles and five home runs. 25 doubles and 26 home runs. Yes, he’s still striking out a lot, but he’s also walking at an incredible clip. Only seven players in minor-league baseball have walked more than he has (89). He ranks #23 in home runs, #17 in RBI, #23 in OBP, and #19 in OPS. Yes, he got off to a slow start in Wichita. Yes, he got off to a slow start in St. Paul. But, the Twins #9 prospect has shown an ability to make adjustments and start hitting the ball really hard quickly. And, he has some impressive exit velocities, including the 117 mph home run that he crushed in the Futures Game. Is Wallner ready for the big leagues? I don’t know. There may be a ton of strikeouts, but if he can also take some walks, we know that he’s going to hit some lasers. It is likely he will debut early in the 2023 season after being added to the 40-man roster in November. For more Matt Wallner content on Twins Daily, click here. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge - OF Will Holland - 24-73, .329/.427/.589 (1.017), 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 15 R, 12 RBI, 14 BB, 20 K. Will Holland and Edouard Julien comprised the left side of the infield for the 2019 Auburn Tigers team that played in the College World Series. Julien was taken in the 18th round due to questions of whether he would sign. Holland, a tremendously athletic player from Atlanta, was the Twins fifth-round pick. He fell in the draft after a disappointing junior season which followed an incredible 2018 season in college. The Twins were thrilled to see a player that was projected as a first or second-round pick just six months earlier in the fifth round. Things haven’t gone really smoothly for Holland in his pro career. Like others, he did not have a 2020 season. In 2021, he spent the full season in Low-A Ft. Myers. In 76 games, he hit just .214/.336/.401 (.736) with 15 doubles and 10 homers. He also stole 19 bases. Even with the struggles, you could see that he does have pop in his bat and that he has elite speed. It is unlikely that you would find a faster player in the Twins' minor leagues. While he missed some time with injury, he showed an ability to play a very good center field. He’s got a strong arm and incredible range. But, he also showed some very good instincts out in center, especially someone who hasn’t played there a lot. Holland began the 2022 season with Cedar Rapids. In 85 games, he hit .225/.331/.362 (.694) with 12 doubles, four triples, and six home runs. He also stole 21 bases in 25 attempts. On August 9th, he started in center field for the Kernels at the Field of Dreams ballpark. The next day, he was promoted to the Wind Surge. In his seven games for the Kernels in August, he had 10 hits. In his first five games with Wichita, he had eight hits including a double, a triple, and three homers. He had a five-RBI game in which he was 2-for-2 with three walks, a double, and a homer. Just as interesting, he played center field the first time games and then just twice more over the remaining 15 games of the month. For the first time, he played in left field and right field. With Holland and DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. in the outfield, they can cover some major ground. It has been a breakout season for Will Holland. Will it be enough to get him a spot on the Twins' 40-man roster? He has great speed, is a great athlete, has shown some pop, and can really play strong defense in the outfield as well as at shortstop. (For more Will Holland content at Twins Daily, click here.) Join us in congratulating Wind Surge outfielder Will Holland, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for August 2022. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions. PREVIOUS 2022 WINNERS April 2022: Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Cedar Rapids Kernels May 2022: Spencer Steer, Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints June 2022: Matt Wallner, Wichita Wind Surge July 2022: Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge

TRANSACTIONS OF Billy Hamilton was officially assigned to the St. Paul Saints, and batted leadoff in their game, playing centerfield. RHP Josh Winder was also activated from the injured list and made the start for the Saints. IF Tim Beckham elected free agency after his DFA earlier in the week. SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 6, St. Paul 10 Box Score Josh Winder returned from the injured list and made the start in St. Paul on Tuesday, and Billy Hamilton was also making his organizational debut as the designated hitter in the leadoff spot. Besides those storylines, it was an entertaining game to watch for a variety of other reasons. The Saints took little time putting a crooked number up on the scoreboard, as walks from Michael Helman and Matt Wallner preceded a three-run bomb from guess who? If you answered anything but Chris Williams, we need to have a chat. It was William’s 7th home run with the Saints, in just his 16th game with the team (that’s a higher pace than Aaron Judge this year, if you were curious), and his 25th of the year in total. On the mound Winder came out throwing 96MPH, looking plenty ready from a velocity standpoint, but was definitely shaking off some rust as he had just one appearance on his rehab assignment. He battled through it however, finishing four innings and allowing two runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out two. He threw 57 pitches, and could be brought back to the Twins later in some form as early as this week if there is a need. The lineup added two more runs in the second inning after four consecutive walks and an RBI single from Mark Contreras. In that sequence, Hamilton and Helman also executed a double steal. Hamilton led off the fourth inning with a double, and would later score on a wild pitch that made the score 6-2. This is what his speed can do: After Winder’s exit, the Saints got a scoreless fifth inning from Ben Heller (IP, BB, 2 K), but wildness from Tyler Thornburg (2/3 IP, 2 H, 4 R, K, 2 HBP) let the Storm Chasers tie the game in the sixth. Austin Schulfer stopped the bleeding and picked up the win with 1 1/3 innings, allowing one hit and striking out one, as the Saints took advantage of Omaha miscues in the bottom half of the sixth to pull back out front for good. After drawing a walk in each of his prior three plate appearances, Wallner finally got a pitch he liked and cut it in half, almost literally, sending a screaming line drive into the gap in right center to start the inning. Mark Contreras drove him in with a double a batter later, then the Benny Hill theme song began to play. A Jermaine Palacios blooper fell in between three players in shallow right, John Andreoli put down a bunt nobody was ready for to drive in another run, and then a slow ground ball got under the glove of the third baseman for an error that allowed another run to score for a 9-6 lead. It was an odd sequence to watch live, trust me. The Saints would add one more insurance run in the eighth, when Palacios hit a slow grounder away from a shift, and the throw was late and sailed over first base, allowing Contreras to scamper home after he had hit another double. Jharel Cotton (IP, BB, 2 K) and Michael Feliz (IP, K) finished off the game for St. Paul with scoreless innings. Contreras led the way with two doubles among his four hits on the night, Palacios was 3-for-5, and Williams drove in four runners. Hamilton, Helman, Wallner, and Contreras each scored two runs on the game, and as a team they swiped five bases, including three from Helman. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Springfield 7 Box Score Always fun to write about a matchup in a stadium I’ve had the pleasure of watching multiple games at in my life, as the Wind Surge traveled to Springfield, MO and Hammons Field to face off with the Cardinals on Tuesday (check out Ebbets Field Bar if ever in the area!). Wichita jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as a two-out walk from Jair Camargo was followed by a two-run bomb from Alex Isola. They added to that lead in the fourth with another two-out rally, when Yunior Severino clubbed a double and was driven in by an Anthony Prato single. Starter Daniel Gossett, thrower of a recent no-hitter, was solid through five innings in this one. Despite surrendering five walks, he allowed just two hits and struck out nine, so was able to limit the damage to just one run. Unfortunately, his bullpen wouldn’t fare as well, as their 3-1 lead turned into a four run deficit after the seventh inning. Fireballer Steven Cruz pitched a scoreless sixth, but three singles and just one out chased him in the seventh. Blayne Enlow was brought on to try and limit the damage, but four singles and a sac fly led to three runs being charged to each of them. Enlow did add a scoreless eighth, going one-two-three with a clean slate. Down 7-3 in the top of the ninth, Camargo sparked a comeback with a one-out solo home run. Isola then singled before Aaron Sabato got them within one with a bomb of his own. Anthony Prato would reach base with a single to put the tying run on base, but a groundout would leave them falling short. Isola (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI) and Prato (2-for-4, RBI) had multiple hits. With three of their eight hits going for home runs, the Wind Surge had just one at-bat with runners in scoring position, and left only two men on base for the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Dayton 7 Box Score In what would be a universal theme on the night, the Kernels were also able to take the first lead against the Dragons on the road. Of note in this one, is they did it against the Twins 2021 1st round draft pick, Chase Petty. Singles from Kyler Fedko and Wander Javier started the second inning, and they loaded the bases when Jeferson Morales was hit by a pitch. One out later, Charles Mack delivered a two-run single to put them out front early. They’d tack on three more in the fourth thanks to an RBI triple from Willie Joe Garry Jr., that was followed by a home run from Jake Rucker for a 5-1 lead. Petty’s day would be done after four, allowing five runs on seven hits and two hit batters against his former organization. He did strike out six. Starter Orlando Rodriguez was, in comparison, dominating for Cedar Rapids. In his five innings he allowed just one run on four hits, and struck out eight Dragons. Of his 66 pitches, 44 went for strikes (67%), including 11 swinging strikes. Cedar Rapids would add a run in the sixth thanks to doubles from Morales and Rucker that made it 6-1. That’s where the good things stopped for the Kernels, however. After Rodriguez’s exit, Dayton was quick to adjust to the bullpen. Matt Mullenbach got just one out in the sixth, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk. While Matthew Swain got them out of that inning, he ended up allowing three runs of his own in the seventh on two hits and a walk. Derek Molina came on in the seventh with one out, and gave up two doubles, allowing the Dragons to take a 7-6 lead and the Kernels were unable to respond. Rucker (2-for-5, R, HR, 2 RBI, K), Morales (2-for-2, 2 R, 2B, SB), and Mack (2-for-3, 2B, 3 RBI, BB) had multiple hits in the game. The Twins 2022 1st round draft pick, Brooks Lee, was 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts, but did reach base when Petty hit him with a pitch in the first inning. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 9, Bradenton 11 Box Score The Mighty Mussels also struck first in this one, taking advantage of a pair of walks from Misael Urbina and Noah Miller to lead off the game. A fly out from Tanner Schobel moved Urbina to third base, and he and Miller then executed a double steal for the game’s first run. They’d add another run in the top of the third when Miller reached base on a strikeout-wild-pitch to open the frame. He moved to third on two consecutive groundouts before Ben Ross drove him in with a single and a 2-0 lead. In a bullpen game from Fort Myers, Michael Boyle got the start and pitched into the second inning. He walked two and struck out two in 1 1/3 innings. John Wilson got the final two outs in the second before giving way to Brock Stewart in the third. He promptly surrendered a solo home run to the first hitter he faced, but got out of the inning without any further damage. In the top of the fourth the Mighty Mussels got their big inning after loading the bases with no outs. Noah Miller drew another walk with them juiced to score the first run, and then a sac fly from Schobel led to two more runs thanks to an error on the throw from center field. Back out for the fifth, Stewart was unable to finish the inning as walks and wild pitches led to a pair of runs. Mike Paredes got the final out of the fourth with the score 5-3, but would allow three of his own in the fifth to tie the game at six. Fort Myers was able to add single runs in the fifth and sixth innings courtesy of an RBI single from Rubel Cespedes and Ben Ross sac fly, respectively, but the bullpen wasn’t able to hold their lead for long. After Paredes delivered a scoreless sixth (2 1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K in total), A.J. Labas was brought on to start the seventh and the 7-6 lead turned into an 11-7 deficit heading into the ninth. The good guys made it interesting, as three straight singles scored a run and put ducks on the pond, before another pair of walks from Urbina and Miller brought in a second run and loaded the bases with two outs. It would end there however, as Schobel struck out swinging to end the game. Four Mighty Mussels had multiple hits in the game, but Alec Sayre was the only one in the lineup to get one for extra bases, a double. Thanks to 12 free passes they were able to score their nine runs, as they went just 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Miller drew five walks total, scored two runs, and stole his 21st base of the season in the loss. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Orlando Rodriguez, Cedar Rapids Kernels (5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 8 K) Hitter of the Day - Mark Contreras, St. Paul Saints (4-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, HBP, 2 K #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-for-4 #7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-1, 2 R, 2 RBI, 5 BB, SB #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, 2 R, 2B, 3 BB #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-for-4, K #15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 1 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, RBI, BB, K #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 1-for-5, R, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CDT) - RHP Louie Varland (1-0, 1.06 ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (6:35 PM CDT) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Luis Rijo (0-3, 7.80 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (11:00 AM CDT) - RHP Pierson Ohl (6-7, 3.43 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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