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Box Score: Pablo López: 5.2 IP 5 H 4 ER 3 BB 6 K 2 HR (88 Pitches, 54 Strikes, 61.4 %) Home Runs: Willi Castro 2 (4), Matt Wallner (1), Edouard Julien (4) Top 3 WPA: Wallner (0.272), Castro (0.231), Julien (0.182) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): Bo Bichette is unconsciously good, beats Pablo López twice Coming off a solid start against the Angels in which his bullpen cost him a loss, Pablo López struggled a little with his command. He gave up a first inning home run to Bichette, who looked unstoppable in driving a pitch off his knuckles into the second deck in left field. Bichette got López again in the third, but the groundwork was laid by nine-hole hitter and catcher Tyler Heineman drawing a walk and George Springer lacing a fat changeup into center field to set up Bichette’s two-run triple. López got out of trouble, but not of his own merit, striking out a struggling Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a fastball down the middle, walking Brandon Belt and getting Matt Chapman to line out (106.3 MPH) to a leaping Matt Wallner, ending the threat. López was okay after that outside of a hanging breaking ball that Cavan Biggio deposited over the scoreboard in right center to tie the game in the fourth, exiting after allowing a walk with two outs in the sixth. Twins beat a hot pitcher Chris Bassitt was cruising coming into this start, pitching to a sub- 1.00 ERA so far in May and relying, somewhat like Sonny Gray, on throwing a multitude of quality pitches all around the strike zone despite lacking high-end velocity. It was the Twins’ most inexperienced hitters that got to him, with Alex Kirilloff, Wallner and Julien all collecting multiple hits off the righty, before Will Castro gave the Twins the lead with his two-run home run in the sixth. Kirilloff breaks his slump A poor stretch from Kirilloff, including plenty of strikeouts and ground outs, prompted some speculation that his wrist was bothering him again, a beyond-ominous thought given the overall struggles of the Twins offense. He put those fears to rest (for now) by grounding out sharply for an RBI in the first and lining singles to left and then right in his next two at-bats. He scored in both those instances. Twins ruin Dalton Varsho’s day on back-to-back pitches After Kirilloff’s leadoff single in the fifth, Willi Castro rocked a low cutter off the top of Varsho’s glove for a go-ahead two-run home run. Not to be outdone, Matt Wallner contributed his third hit of the day, blasting a middle-middle fastball off of Varsho’s glove in left-center, giving López some much-needed breathing room and knocking Chris Bassitt from the game. Varsho was only in center because platinum glove center fielder Kevin Kiermaier had exited early with a back issue. Wallner shows off bat, arm, and defensive deficiencies Wallner had a huge hit in the first inning, driving in two by waiting on a Bassitt off-speed pitch. He then reached first on a soft infield pop-up and homered in the fifth to the deepest part of the park. He later added a single in the seventh raising his batting average from .077 to .294 in the process. He mis-played Bichette’s triple to right center in the third as well as a potential double from Belt in the sixth, but recovered in the latter instance to gun down Belt from the warning track, an incredible throw that showed the ridiculous arm Wallner possesses. What’s Next: Bailey Ober (3-1, 2.55 ERA) goes against old friend José Berríos (4-4, 4.22 ERA) in the rubber game. Berríos has recovered some since looking like a payroll-busting albatross in the first year of his six year deal with the Jays, pitching to a 3.77 ERA in May, though he has allowed six home runs. Ober is coming off of his worst start of the season against the Giants where he allowed the first four hitters he faced to score before settling down and pitching four scoreless after that. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Morán 10 24 0 0 9 43 Stewart 10 20 0 0 13 43 De León 0 21 0 19 0 40 J. López 18 0 0 0 22 40 Pagán 9 0 0 21 0 30 Durán 0 13 0 0 12 25 Jax 18 0 0 0 0 18 Sands 0 0 0 0 0 0

TRANSACTIONS With OF Trevor Larnach heading to the IL with the Minnesota Twins, #OneOfUs OF Matt Wallner was recalled to the majors from the St. Paul Saints in his place. In an odd scheduling quirk, Wallner started (and finished) Tuesday’s game for the Saints, and was available for the Twins vs. San Francisco at Target Field (where he was hit by a pitch in a pinch-hit appearance). In double-A, the Wind Surge activated OF Alerick Soularie and 1B Aaron Sabato, while also transferring OF Armani Smith to the Development List. The Cedar Rapids Kernels released C Charles Mack, and in his place assigned early-season standout C Andrew Cossetti from Fort Myers. In a corresponding move with Cossetti’s promotion, C Frank Nigro was assigned to the Mighty Mussels from the FCL Twins roster. SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 6, St. Paul 1 Box Score In a matinee affair at CHS Field in St. Paul, the Storm Chasers rode a pair of major league rehabbers to a 6-1 victory on Tuesday. Omaha starting pitcher Daniel Lynch has made 42 starts for the Kansas City Royals over the last two years (including a 1-3 record against the Twins in seven starts) but has not appeared in the majors yet this season as he returns from injury. He took his Twins organization frustrations out on the Saints this afternoon, spinning six innings of shutout baseball, allowing just three hits and striking out five. In opposition, St. Paul sent right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson to the hill, looking to get on track in his 2023 campaign. Unfortunately, he didn’t come close to matching his fellow major leaguer. He pitched into the fifth inning, but finished his day with four-plus innings pitched, allowing five earned runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out three. After the outing, his triple-A ERA sits at 7.12 and you have to hope his stuff takes over sooner rather than later. On the offensive side, the rehabbing Drew Waters was also a menace to the Saints. He finished 4-for-5 with two doubles and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot, proving to be a catalyst for the Storm Chasers all game. The home team didn’t cross the plate until the ninth inning, when Matt Wallner led off with a single, moved to third on a Chris Williams double, and scored on a groundout off the bad of Andrew Bechtold. The Saints managed just six hits on the game, with Williams’ double being the only extra-base-hit. Ryan LaMarre finished 2-for-4, but as a team, St. Paul went just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left only seven men on base for the game. After Woods Richardson’s four-plus innings, Patrick Murphy (2 IP, BB, 4 K), Kody Funderburk (1 1/3 IP, BB, 3 K), and Austin Schulfer (1 2/3 IP, 2 H, ER, K) finished out the game for the Saints pitching staff. In #OldFriend news, lefty Evan Sisk pitched two innings of relief for the Storm Chasers, allowing one hit, walking two, and striking out two of his former teammates. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Springfield 8 Box Score The Wichita Wind Surge visit Springfield, Missouri, this week, a town I have spent quite a bit of time in, to face the Cardinals at the underrated Hammons Field downtown. Unfortunately, they and starter Carlos Luna were greeted by the Texas League’s home run leader, Chandler Redmond, and the rest of the Cardinal faithful. Redmond clubbed two home runs in the contest, driving in four, to take down Wichita. Starter Carlos Luna went the first four innings, surrendering one of those homers and allowing four total earned runs on six hits, while striking out two. Hunter McMahon gave up one run on three hits in two innings. Lefty Michael Boyle was the next victim for Redmond, resulting in three earned runs on three hits and one walk in his lone inning. He struck out one. Osiris German finished off the game for the Wind Surge with a scoreless bottom of the eighth, striking out one. All three of Wichita’s runs came in the fourth inning as they closed the early Springfield lead to 4-3. Jake Rucker, Yunior Severino, and Alex Isola loaded the bases with singles to start the inning, and Anthony Prato drove in two with a single of his own before a sac fly from Alerick Soularie capped their scoring. Rucker finished 3-for-4 with a run scored, and Isola 2-for-4 with a double and run scored to lead the lineup. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 8, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score In positive notes from this game, starter Pierson Ohl was able to finish 5 2/3 innings for the Kernels, though most of those came after he had already allowed five runs in the first two. From the third through the fifth, Ohl had seemed to settle in, taking advantage of the Timber Rattler's aggressive nature, but a pair of two-out walks in the sixth finally ended his night. Charlie Neuweiler came on from the bullpen and gave up a single, and both those runners then scored after a throwing error from outfielder Willie Joe Garry Jr. In all, Ohl was charged with seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and two walks, but did notch seven punch-outs. Neuweiler went on to finish 2 1/3 innings, retiring seven in a row, and allowed just the one hit, while striking out three. Matthew Swain came on for the ninth and gave up an unearned run after a pair of singles and an error, striking out two. Emmanuel Rodriguez tied the game at one in the bottom of the first with a solo home run, his fifth of the season. In the bottom of the sixth Noah Cardenas led off with a double and was driven in by Garry Jr. with a single. The Kernels added single runs in the seventh and ninth innings thanks to Kala’i Rosario, with an RBI single and solo home run, respectively. Despite being outhit 12-8, the Kernels had 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position compared to the Timber Rattler's five, but the visiting team picked up four hits compared to their two in those situations. Rosario (2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K) and Cardenas (2-for-4, R, 2B, BB) each had two hits in the game, while Tanner Schobel, Garry Jr. (2), Ben Ross, and Rosario picked up stolen bases. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 13, Dunedin 3 Box Score The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels blew out the Dunedin Blue Jays on Tuesday night behind a big fifth inning in which 14 batters stepped to the plate, and five of them hit home runs. Before we get to that, however, Dunedin had taken the lead against Fort Myers starter Develson Aria, who allowed three earned runs on two hits and a pair of walks, while striking out just one. The Mighty Mussels had two runs of their own to that point thanks to a solo home run from Carlos Aguiar to lead off the fourth, and a Dylan Neuse RBI single later in the frame. Aguiar’s first blast was a harbinger, both for his team, and himself. Because in the fifth inning, he and the squad flexed every mighty muscle they had. Jorel Ortega led off with a solo home run, his third of the season. After a Danny De Andrade single, Ricardo Olivar and Aguiar went yard back-to-back. Two batters later, Rafael Cruz hit his first home run of the year, a two-run shot. Three singles, a walk, and wild pitch later, Aguiar clubbed his third home run of the game, and second of the inning, a three-run shot to make it 13-3 in the visiting team's favor. After that outburst, the Fort Myers bullpen trio of Ricky Mineo (W, 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K), Danny Moreno (2 IP, H, 2 K), and Jackson Hicks (1 IP, H, BB, K) shut out the Blue Jays the rest of the way. Joining Aguiar (3-for-5, 3 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI) with multiple hits in the contest were Ortega (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB), Olivar (2-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K), Cruz (2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K) and Neuse (3-for-4, R, RBI, K). All hitters in the starting lineup except Rubel Cespedes reached base at least once and scored a run. Be sure to check out this one’s box score to catch it all. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Patrick Murphy, St. Paul Saints (2 IP, BB, 4 K) Hitter of the Day - Carlos Aguiar, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (3-for-5, 3 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, BB) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-for-4, K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab-St. Paul) - 0-for-4, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI, BB, K #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 0-for-4, 2 K #7 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 4+ IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul / Minnesota) - 1-for-4, R, K / HBP (pinch-hit appearance) #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, 2 K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-3, R, BB, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CDT) - LHP Brent Headrick (1-1, 4.94 ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Blayne Enlow (1-1, 3.28 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin (2-3, 4.06 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (6:00 PM CDT) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

SAINTS SENTINEL Indianapolis 15, St. Paul 3 Box Score Having worked as a reliever earlier in the year, Jordan Balazovic took the ball to start for St. Paul on Sunday. He went 3 2/3 innings while allowing five runs on four hits. Only three of the runs were earned, however, and he gave up just a single walk while striking out four. He was nearly perfect through the game's first three innings. Looking for an early lead, the Saints got on the board in the first when Matt Wallner lifted a sacrifice fly to score Edouard Julien. Mark Contreras continued his hot hitting later in the frame and singled in Kyle Garlick to make it 2-0. A five-run 4th inning for Indianapolis had the Saints looking up at a deficit, but Wallner brought them closer when he hit his fourth homer of the season in the 5th inning. After Austin Schulfer worked a scoreless 1 1/3 innings, Ronny Henriquez came on for St. Paul. He gave up a run on three hits. The Saints had four innings to crawl out of a three-run hole. Unfortunately, Indianapolis added again in the 7th inning and the deficit was 8-3. Despite loading the bases in the bottom of the 8th inning, St. Paul couldn't push a run across. Whatever slim chance they may have had in the 9th inning was dashed as Indianapolis followed the Twins lead and put up a seven-run frame. All of the runs came against Josh Winder. Elliot Soto and Edouard Julien struck out before Kyle Garlick grounded out in the bottom half to end the game. Of the seven hits, Contreras was the only one to generate a pair. WIND SURGE WISDOM Cancelled - Rain The Wind Surge won all five games of the series against Frisco. Infielder Yunior Severino was named the Minnesota Twins minor league hitter of the week after he batted .444 with four homers. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 0 Box Score Jordan Carr worked the Sunday matinee for the Kernels, and he was sharp across six innings. Allowing no runs on four hits and two walks, Carr also punched out six batters to lower his season ERA to 2.25. Both sides were scoreless through four innings, and then Cedar Rapids jumped to a lead. Tanner Schobel recorded his second triple of the year and drove in Emmanuel Rodriguez to make it 1-0. Kala’i Rosario followed with his ninth double of the season, and the Kernels found themselves leaving the frame with a 2-0 lead. The Kernels wound up with six hits on the day, but the two runs they scored in the 5th inning were all they needed for the win. Rosario was joined by Jeferson Morales with a pair of hits. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Tampa 0 Box Score Getting in a morning game for Mother’s Day, Fort Myers turned to Cory Lewis, and he did not disappoint. Working 5 2/3 innings, he didn’t allow a batter to reach while punching out seven. That was just the beginning of an amazing day as A.J. Labas, Gabriel Yanez, and Ben Ethridge took over to complete a combined no-hitter. The Mighty Mussels scored in the 3rd inning when Jorel Ortega singled in Yohander Martinez. They added in the 5th inning when Andrew Cossetti’s single turned into a throwing error that allowed Martinez a chance to scamper home again. Wrapping up the scoring, Dalton Shuffield and Cossetti swiped bags on a double steal with the former running home on a throwing error. Fort Myers only got four hits, but when your pitching is as dominant as it was, there was never a doubt. Lewis has been impressive while being an arm that displays a knuckleball but being able to do much more than act as a soft tossing type. The relievers backing him up today held down the Tarpons lineup, and while the combined no-hitter would have been cool, displaying command to lock in a perfect game could have been the icing on the cake. Only a wild pitch on a strikeout allowed a Tampa batter to reach. Headed to Lakeland this week, Fort Myers will certainly bask in this one a little bit. They finished the series with a sweep. It was their fourth no-hitter across the past three seasons. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cory Lewis (Fort Myers) - 5.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Day – Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-3, 2 RBI, HR(4) 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: #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 0-4, R, BB, 3 K #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, K #9 - Louie Varland (Minnesota) - 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-3, 2 RBI, HR(4) #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 3.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K #17 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 1.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R, RBI, 3B(2), BB TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (6:05PM CST) - TBD Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - TBD Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - TBD Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games!

Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions in the COMMENTS. I plan to check in frequently to answer as many questions as we get. TRANSACTIONS With Max Kepler going on the Injured List with a hamstring injury, the Twins recalled Trevor Larnach from St. Paul. RHP Dereck Rodriguez was optioned to St. Paul with Cole Sands being recalled by the Twins. 1B Tyler White was activated from the Development List. Wichita announced that RHP Tyler Beck has been released. OF Alerick Soularie has been activated from the IL. He had been hit by a pitch in the wrist. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 1, Indianapolis 3 Box Score In the bottom of the first inning, Matt Wallner hit his third home run for the Saints this season. Unfortunately, that was the only run for the Saints on Saturday afternoon. Aaron Sanchez made the start for the Saints. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on seven hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings. He had two strikeouts. Kody Funderburk came out of the bullpen and recorded six outs, three of them came on strikeouts. He gave up no runs and no hits, though he walked one. Patrick Murphy and Oliver Ortega didn’t allow a run or a hit over the final 2 2/3 innings. Wallner had a good day at the plate. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and the home run. Edouard Julien had a single and a walk out of the leadoff spot. Jose Miranda went 1-for-5. Hernan Perez added a triple. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 12, Frisco 3 Box Score The Wind Surge offense just continues to, well, surge. After scoring 16 runs on Wednesday and 13 runs on Friday, they scored a dozen runs on Saturday and won their fifth straight game. In the first five games of the series, the Wind Surge have outscored the RoughRiders 54-26. In this game, the offense was just very consistent throughout the game. They scored in six of the nine innings. They had 11 hits and 10 walks in the game. What you’re here for… Brooks Lee was back in the lineup, leading off and playing third base. He went 0-for-4 but walked twice. Royce Lewis played the first seven innings at shortstop and batted second. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and a double. He also added a stolen base. The two combined to score five of the team’s runs. Yunior Severino remains on fire. After hitting two home runs on Friday night, he went 3-for-4 with a walk and his 10th home run of the season. That is four home runs in five games so far this series. Jake Rucker went 2-for-4 with a double and five RBI. (So yes, the top four hitters in the lineup went a combined 7-for-15 with 10 runs scored and eight driven in.) Pat Winkel went 2-for-4 with a walk and did a very nice job behind the plate. Alerick Soularie returned from his wrist injury and went 1-for-3 with two walks. David Festa made the start for the Wind Surge and looked really good, frequently hitting 98 mph with his fastball. He was charged with one run on four hits and two walks over five innings. He had four strikeouts. Festa told Twins Daily what helped make him successful, “My fastball command was definitely better than previous outings, and (Pat) Winkel did a great job calling the game. We were both on the same page, and the defense was great behind me.” And Festa also enjoyed the opportunity to face big-league rehabber Corey Seager. In the first inning, Seager grounded out to second base. In the fourth frame, Seager popped up to the catcher. In the fifth inning, Festa walked the $325 million man. “Facing Corey Seager was awesome. An elite hitter like him, in a few big situations, was such a cool experience.” Seth Nordlin came on and gave up two runs on four hits and three walks over two innings. Jose Bravo walked one and struck out four batters over the final two, scoreless, innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 2 Box Score The Kernels clinched a series win in Davenport on Saturday night with a 4-2 win. Kyle Jones went the first four innings and gave up just one run on three hits. He walked two batters and struck out five batters. Niklas Rimmel came on and gave up one run on three walks over 1 2/3 innings. He struck out three batters. Malik Barrington entered the game with the bases loaded and allowed just one of the inherited runners to score. In total, he went 1 2/3 innings and gave up no runs on one hit and one walk. He struck out two batters. Miguel Rodriguez gets the save with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Following the game, Barrington told Twins Daily, “Honestly, I try not to think about the runners when it’s a bases-loaded situation. My mentality in that situation is to just attack the hitter because if I give up a hit there, then runners are scoring regardless.” He continued, “Anytime I can get out of a jam, especially in that scenario, is a big confidence boost, and it gets the team going as well. So in that scenario, I just think ‘never shy away from competition. It’s a do-or-die situation, so throw the best I have and trust that I will be successful.’” The Kernels took the lead right away in the first inning when a Tanner Schobel double scored Ben Ross. Then Misael Urbina singled in Schobel for the second run. Then in the fourth frame, Ernie Yake hit a triple that scored Kyler Fedko before he was singled in by Ross. Cedar Rapids had seven hits by seven different hitters. The two batters that didn’t get a hit combined for three walks. They had more opportunities to score but went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Tampa 2 Box Score The Mighty Mussels had a four-run fifth inning and held on late to record their fifth straight win against the Yankees affiliate. In that fifth frame, Andrew Cossetti “drove in” the first run with a bases-loaded walk. That was followed by a bases-clearing triple off the bat of Carlos Aguiar. Aguiar drove in the other run on a fielder’s choice in the seventh inning. It may not surprise you that the Mighty Mussels managed just three hits in this game and had 14 strikeouts. However, they had the patience to coax 10 walks. Cossetti hit his ninth double and walked three times. Danny De Andrade, Dalton Shuffield, and Alec Sayre each had two walks. The Mighty Mussels had a really good day on the mound. Lefty Wilker Reyes made his first start (fifth appearance) of the season. He gave up two hits and walked three batters, but he threw two scoreless innings with the help of three strikeouts. The 21-year-old topped out at 91.7 mph. Sam Perez improved to 3-1 with three innings of one-hit baseball. He had six strikeouts and didn’t issue a walk. Perez is an interesting prospect. He has experienced a lot of success in the low levels of the minor leagues. He was the Twins Daily Short-Season Pitcher of the Year in 2021. As you see in this game, he gets swings-and-misses. But the southpaw tops out at 83.3 mph. Statcast calls out 38 of his 48 pitches as change ups. However, the velocity range on the pitch are from 72.5 to 83.3 mph, so my assumption is that his fastball and his changeup are both called changeups. Right-hander Jackson Hicks gave up three hits but no runs over two scoreless innings. He had three strikeouts. The 25-year-old threw 32 pitches and 20 of them were 81-84 mph sliders. His fastball topped out at 91.8 mph, but he threw just 10 fastballs. Finally, Zach Veen, the third lefty of the day, came in for the final two innings. He pitched a scoreless eighth frame, but a leadoff error led to two unearned runs in the ninth inning. He struck out two batters and dropped his ERA to 1.20 this season. The 2022 draft pick threw 25 breaking balls among his 41 pitches. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – David Festa (Wichita Wind Surge) - 5 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K. 70 pitches, 43 strikes. Hitter of the Day – Matt Wallner (St. Paul Saints) -2-for-3, BB, 2B(7), HR(3), R, 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) - 0-for-4, 2 BB, 2 R, K, SB #2 - Royce Lewis (Wichita-on Rehab) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B, R, RBI #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, K, E(2) #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B(7), HR(3), R, RBI. #13 - David Festa (Wichita) - 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 70 pitches, 43 strikes. #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, BB, K, SB(6). #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, BB, 2B(4), R, RBI, 3K. #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, RBI, 2K. SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Toledo @ St. Paul(2:07 PM CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-0, 2.45 ERA) Wichita @ Frisco (4:05 PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams (1-4, 8.50 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:00 PM CST) - LHP Jordan Carr (0-1, 3.00 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis (3-1, 3.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Saturday’s games!

In recent seasons, the Twins have seen some solid offensive seasons from players considered among the team's top prospects at the time. These four batters have been named the organization's minor league player of the year over the last five years. The Twins took all four players listed below in the second round or higher, and three of the four were considered top-100 prospects earlier in their careers. After some struggles at the big-league level, let's examine each player and their future with the Twins. Alex Kirilloff, 1B/OF: 2018 Twins Minor League Player of the Year MLB Career: .253/.307/.396 (.703), 96 OPS+, 0.4 WAR, 109 G Entering the 2019 season, Kirilloff was considered among baseball's Top 15 prospects by MLB.com and Baseball America. His rise on prospect lists was tied to a dominant 2018 season when he hit .348/.392/.578 (.970) with 44 doubles, seven triples, and 20 home runs. Projections had Kirilloff developing into a middle-of-the-order hitter that could powerfully spray the ball to all fields. Obviously, wrist injuries have slowed down his ability to produce at the big-league level. The Twins hope his most recent wrist surgery will put him back on a path to being the player many expected him to be five years ago. Trevor Larnach, OF: 2019 Twins Minor League Player of the Year MLB Career: .225/.319/.368 (.687), 93 OPS+, 1.9 WAR, 161 G Larnach followed Kirilloff's footsteps during the 2019 season with a breakout minor league campaign. At High-A and Double-A, he hit .309/.384/.458 (.842) with 20 doubles, one triple, and 13 home runs. It was easy to imagine Kirilloff penciled into the number four spot with Larnach following him in the five-hole. Larnach has yet to find nearly as much offensive success while climbing the organizational ladder. He has posted a .769 OPS in 27 games at Triple-A, which has risen by over 100 points since his recent demotion. His biggest issue has been making consistent contact with offspeed and breaking pitches. Hopefully, he can rediscover his swing at Triple-A. Jose Miranda, 3B/1B: 2021 Twins Minor League Player of the Year MLB Career: .257/.314/.400 (.714), 102 OPS+, 1.1 WAR, 159 G Miranda entered the 2023 season with high expectations based on a rookie campaign where he posted a 114 OPS+. Also, his 2021 season was one of the best offensive campaigns in Twins' minor league history, with 32 doubles and 30 home runs. Unfortunately, his offensive performance has struggled to begin the season. In his first 34 games, he has hit .219/.275/.313 (.588) with three doubles, three home runs, and a 22-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. According to FanGraphs, he has been worth -0.5 WAR, and the Twins decided to send him to Triple-A to regain his previous form. Matt Wallner, OF: 2022 Twins Minor League Player of the Year MLB Career: .200/.316/.338 (.654), 88 OPS+, -0.2 WAR, 24 G Wallner has the smallest sample size with the Twins compared to the other three players because the Twins drafted him more recently. He is the only player yet to appear on a Top 100 prospect list, because of his age and player type. He's been one of St. Paul's best hitters this season with a .857 OPS and nine extra-base hits in 21 games. Kirilloff and Larnach have been ahead of Wallner on the organization's depth chart, but there is a scenario where he can surpass them during the 2023 season. All the other players on this list have been given significant time with the Twins to work through struggles, and Wallner should get that opportunity sooner rather than later. Which player has the highest ceiling? Who still has the best chance to impact the big-league roster long-term? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Trevor Larnach was drafted in the first round of 2018 and was praised for his advanced knowledge of the strike zone and impressive power. As he approaches a full season’s worth of plate appearances at the big-league level, he’s been a perplexing hitter, and with so many other options, the Twins could be on the verge of giving someone else an opportunity. Larnach’s big league-level timeline is clouded by two injuries that weighed down his production and ultimately cost him his seasons in 2021 and 2022. Still, he’s accumulated a near-league-average slash line according to his 98 wRC+ across nearly 600 plate appearances. The main takeaways we can draw from Larnach so far in his big league career is that he’s prone to strikeouts but also excels at walking and getting on base. Add in his body type and he has all of the makings of a power-hitting corner outfielder… except the power, that is. Larnach has just a .373 slugging percentage through this point in his career. He’s on about a 15-home run pace as a whole. His .145 Isolated slugging is equivalent to Cedric Mullins in 2022. The slash line may technically be above league average for 2023, but at this point, it’s coming almost exclusively from walks. Larnach’s approach at the plate is intended to make pitchers work and force them into throwing pitches he can drive. He’s done a great job of getting himself into those situations, but executing when he gets there is a problem. He lacks the ability to cause chaos on the base paths when walked, and the bat-to-ball skills and strikeout rate are too poor to not capitalize on damage-worthy pitches when he sees them. He’s a very smart and polished hitter in regard to his approach, but not finishing the job when he gets pitches to hit is arguably outweighing his on-base ability Alex Kirilloff lurks in Triple-A St. Paul. Larnach was discussed as a potential send-down as his rehab stint neared a close, but the Twins ultimately decided to keep Kirilloff in the minors to continue working back from his wrist surgery. At the time many argued that Larnach didn’t have much to prove at the minor league level given his ability to hold his own in the MLB. This can still be argued. If the former 1st round pick with a 65 raw power grade continues to show such little thump, the Twins are likely to explore other options. It may be a need for a swing change or a mental reset to start trying to drive the ball again. Either way, it’s possible that the Twins soon decide Trevor Larnach’s power-hitter approach without the power doesn’t belong in the Major Leagues. The Twins have too many left-handed corner options to give a shot to. The aforementioned Kirilloff will likely continue to kick down the door to the MLB. Matt Wallner continues to torch Triple-A, and while his swing-and-miss profile is a more extreme version of Larnach’s, there’s almost no chance of him providing such little power at the plate if he can come up and adjust to Major League pitching. Time may be ticking for Trevor Larnach to find his power stroke. His plate approach is polished and he leads the team in RBI, but if he continues to fail in the slugging department, the Twins will begin to wonder whether their wealth of other options can provide more. At some point soon, they may decide to put that theory to the test.

Before jumping into the top five hitters of the month, here are some honorable mentions. HONORABLE MENTIONS 2B/3B Jorel Ortega - Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels - 18-for-68, .265/.425/.412 (.837), 7 doubles, 1 home run, 13 RBI, 12 runs, 4 SB, 18 BB, 16 K. C/1B Noah Cardenas - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 13-for-50, .260/.373/.420 (.793), 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 5 RBI, 11 runs, 1 SB, 6 BB, 14 K. INF Ben Ross - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 17-for-60, .283/.318/.450 (.768), 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 7 RBI, 6 runs, 1 SB, 4 BB, 17 K. SS Brooks Lee - Wichita Wind Surge - 17-for-88, .279/.337/.443 (.780), 7 doubles, 2 home runs, 8 RBI, 17 runs, 1 SB, 6 BB, 17 K. OF DaShawn Keirsey - Wichita Wind Surge - 19-for-83, .250/.313/.421 (.734), 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 9 RBI, 12 runs, 8 SB, 5 BB, 18 K. 2B Edouard Julien - St. Paul Saints - 13-for-54, .241/.414/.426 (.840), 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 5 RBI, 14 runs, 2 SB, 15 BB, 21 K. THE TOP FIVE APRIL HITTERS Number 5- Fort Myers Mighty Mussels - UTL Dalton Shuffield - 12-for-39, .308/.378/.539 (.916), 1 double, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 10 RBI, 6 runs, 2 SB, 5 BB, 14 K. The Twins drafted Shuffield in the 10th round of the 2022 MLB Draft and played him at three different levels during his professional debut. His first full season is off to a strong start while being used at multiple defensive positions. Shuffield has hits in all but three games this season, and he's reached base in 11 of his first 12 games. He is 2.8 years older than the average age of the competition in the Florida State League, which means he is facing younger pitchers in most of his plate appearances. In 31 at-bats, he has a 1.045 OPS against younger pitchers, including getting on base over 43% of the time. At Hammond Stadium, he has gone 9-for-21 with a 1.335 OPS, with all his extra-base hits coming in home games. Number 4 - Saint Paul Saints - OF Matt Wallner - 15-for-56, .268/.453/.500 (.953), 5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 10 RBI, 11 runs, 16 BB, 23 K. Wallner's minor league time has been more limited than others on this list because the Twins needed him for a brief six-game stint at the big-league level. One year after being the organization's minor league player of the year, he continues to perform well at Triple-A. His performance against left-handed pitching has been a positive development so far this year for the lefty slugger. He has gone 5-for-17 (.294 BA) with three extra-base hits and an 8-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Overall, his walk rate has increased this year, which can make him an even more dangerous hitter at the big-league level. Over 70% of his plate appearances have come against older pitchers, so it's been good to see him continue to build off his breakout 2022 season. Number 3 - Saint Paul Saints - OF Mark Contreras - 26-for-84, .310/.408/.524 (.932), 6 doubles, 4 home runs, 22 RBI, 19 runs, 12 BB, 27 K. In January, the Twins put Contreras on waivers, but he went unclaimed and stayed in the organization. He made his big-league debut with the Twins last season and has helped add organizational depth in St. Paul. He is tied for the team lead in doubles and home runs on the Saints. He posted an 11-game hitting streak from April 2-April 18, where he went 16-for-42 (.381 BA) with two doubles and three home runs. As a left-handed hitter, he has destroyed righties this season with a 1.031 OPS in 73 plate appearances. Four of his ten extra-base hits have come with two outs and runners in scoring position, so he's come up with some critical hits for the Saints. The Twins have outfield depth, but Contreras might be needed at the big-league level again later this season. Number 2 - Wichita Wind Surge - 3B Yunior Severino - 17-for-61, .279/.371/.590 (.962), 1 double, 6 home runs, 13 RBI, 13 runs, 7 BB, 28 K. Severino was one of 13 prospects the Braves were forced to forfeit as part of penalties from MLB. Minnesota signed him for $2.5 million in 2017, and he has steadily moved through the Twins system. In 2022, he posted an OPS above .900 for the first time in his career while being younger than the average age of the competition at High- and Double-A. The switch-hitting infielder has seen most of his power from the left side this season (1.037 OPS), including all six home runs. Severino has struck out at a high rate this season, so seeing how he adjusts to tougher pitchers in the minor's upper levels will be interesting. And the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Fort Myers Mighty Mussels - C/1B Andrew Cossetti - 17-for-52, .327/.471/.654 (1.124), 5 doubles, 4 home runs, 17 RBI, 12 runs, 11 BB, 11 K. The Twins drafted Cossetti in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA. He's making his professional debut in 2023, and he's been one of the most consistent hitters at any level. In his first 17 games, he reached base multiple times in eight games. His signature game was a 2-for-4 night where he drove in seven runs with a double and a grand slam. Even though he is a righty, right-handed pitchers have struggled to retire him. He has gone 13-for-38 (.342 BA) with four doubles and four home runs for a 1.210 OPS. Cossetti is 1.8 years older than the average age of the competition in the FSL, but nearly 43% of his plate appearances have come against older pitchers. Two-thirds of his defensive innings have been at catcher, so he might be developing into one of the team's best catching prospects. Join us in congratulating Mighty Mussels catcher Andrew Cossetti, Twins Daily's choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for April 2023. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions in the comments.

TRANSACTIONS RHP Jorge Alcala and INF Edouard Julien (Twins Daily’s #5 prospect) were optioned to the Saints Twins Daily’s #6 prospect RHP Simeon Woods Richardson recalled by the Minnesota Twins INF Jorge Polanco has completed his Major League rehab and returned to the Minnesota Twins INF Tyler White placed on the Saints Development List OF Alex Kirilloff and RHP Josh Winder continue to rehab with St. Paul Saints Sentinel St. Paul 10, Scranton-Wilkes/Barre 9 (11 innings) Box Score Starting pitcher Dereck Rodriguez had a rough first inning. He gave up two home runs. In the second inning, two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases. RailRiders (and former Saints) catcher Jose Godoy scored their third run of the night. After he settled in, he had a third and fourth scoreless inning, managing the damage, allowing the Saints bats to go to work. In the second inning, the Saints offense gave the fans early fireworks. With the bases loaded, walks from Alex Kirilloff and Kyle Garlick gave the Saints two runs. Twins Daily’s #11 prospect Matt Wallner followed Garlick and drove a deep grand slam to put the Saints up 6-3. Wallner went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double and the home run. The Saints pitching staff made the decision to replace Rodriguez. In four innings, Rodriguez gave up three earned runs. The bullpen was not able to stifle the RailRiders bats and allowed three runs to tie up the game in the sixth inning. The Saints answered back immediately with an Andrew Stevenson home run to get back out in front. Trevor Megill came in to finish the game, but the RailRiders came back and tied up the game taking the Saints into extra innings. SWB scored to go ahead of the Saints in the 11th on a home run from Godoy scoring Rodolfo Duran to pull ahead of the Saints. The Saints continued to battle. They began the bottom of the 11th inning with Alex De Goti on second base. Edouard Julien coaxed a walk. Chris Williams grounded into a force-out, but with one out, the Saints got the big hit they were looking for. The Saints won in walk-off fashion on a three-run home run from Kyle Garlick to end the game! Quick Note: Shortstop Elliot Soto was hit in the face with a fastball early in the game and immediately replaced by De Goti. No update yet on Soto’s condition. However, he was in the Saints dugout at the end of the game and participated in the Saints on-field celebration. Presumably, that's good news. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 5, Tulsa 6 Box Score The game started out with a solo home run for both teams. Dodgers outfield prospect Jonny DeLuca led off the bottom of the first inning with a homer off of lefty Aaron Rozek. When the Wind Surge came to bat in the second, outfielder Armani Smith (minor-league Rule 5 pick in December) answered with his first homer in the Twins organization. The Surge offense struggled to get on the board after the one run in the second inning. A majority of the batters were connecting with the ball and getting on base, but being stranded at the end of each inning from a defensive play of Tulsa. Aaron Rozek made his second start of the season and tossed four innings. His third inning started with a homer from Josh Stowers, the second he allowed of the night, but didn’t allow any further runs in his appearance. The Surge defense showed up huge, giving the offense a chance to try and pull ahead. Jordan Brink struck out two batters in a scoreless fifth frame. Jose Bravo came on and was charged with three runs on two hits and three walks over 2 1/3 innings. He struck out two batters. Alex Scherff recorded the final two outs of the eighth inning. Jake Rucker hit his second home run of the season in the fifth inning, giving the Surge the nudge they needed to get back into the game. Tulsa tied the game in the eighth inning putting the Surge in a position to close out the game at the top of the ninth, but Tulsa managed to get one more run on the board to win the game. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 3, Beloit 4 Box Score The highlight of this game was the first start of the season for Twins Daily’s #4 prospect Marco Raya. He went 2 2/3 innings and was charged with two runs on one hit. He walked three batters, hit one, and struck out four. Reports from a couple of people who were at the game in southern Wisconsin indicate that, despite the cold temperatures, Raya was consistently hitting 97 mph on the radar gun. Lefty John Wilson finished the third inning and also pitched a scoreless fourth frame. 19-year-old Alejandro Hidalgo came on to start the fifth inning. He was really good. He was charged with two unearned runs on five hits over his four innings. He struck out four batters without issuing a walk. Noah Cardenas was 2-for-4 with a triple. Kala’i Rosario had an RBI double. Willie Joe Garry hit a double and his first home run in the game, but it wasn’t enough and the Kernels fell to 5-6 on the young season. Mussels Matters Fort Myers 13, Jupiter 2 Box Score Andrew Cossetti continued to be the talk of the town. He extended his hitting streak to five games with a line-drive single to center in the bottom of the second. Coming into the game, he led the Florida State League in home runs (4), RBI (16), Slugging (.806) and OPS (1.280). This is the second start of the season for Mussels RHP Jose Olivares. In his first appearance, Olivares pitched five innings and only allowed one run. As one of the pitchers who led the 2022 FCL Twins in strikeouts (39), he seemed to struggle with the strike zone tonight early in the game. In the fourth inning, He gave up a run in the fourth inning on a triple followed by a wild pitch The Mussels tied the game at one in the bottom of the fourth inning. Danny DeAndrade and Cossetti drew walks. Then on a double-steal, the catcher threw the ball into left field which allowed a run to score. The Mussels bats came to life in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Mussels scored five runs. The first came on a Dylan Neuse single. Jorel Ortega doubled in two runs, and DeAndrade singled in two more runs. The Mussels continued to put on a show scoring another seven runs over the next two innings. Cossetti, who was the victim of walks twice, got his bat on a ball in the seventh and hit a sharp line-drive double to left and scored De Andrade. Rubel Cespedes followed with a two-run double. Michael Helman singled in a run, and the final two runs came on a Jorel Ortega double. 2022 draft pick Ben Ethridge closed it out with three strikeouts over two scoreless innings. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jose Olivares (Fort Myers) - 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day –Kyle Garlick (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, 2 R, BB, 2K, 4 RBI. (including walkoff homer) PROSPECT SUMMARY The Twins Prospect Tracker is the best way to see how each of the Twins top prospects performed during their games; but in case you wanted a quick look, Here is how each of the top 20 performed today: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-for-5, R, BB, 1K #4 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - 2.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. 51 pitches, 28 strikes. #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 0-4, 1R, 2 BB, 2 K #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 3-4, 1R, 1 BB, 1K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-5, R, 2 K, E #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, RBI, SB(1), K #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, 2 BB, K, CS SATURDAY SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE STARTERS: Scranton @ St. Paul (2:07PM CST) - RHP Sean Boyle (1-1, 4.97) vs RHP Louie Varland (1-0, 1.80) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05PM CST) - RHP Chad Donato (0-1, 27.00) vs. RHP Emmett Sheehan(1-1, 3.09) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (3:05PM CST) - RHP Orlando Rodriguez will make his first start of the season. Jupiter @ Fort Myers (5:00PM CST) - RHP Zebby Matthews (2-0, 0.00) vs RHP Jacob Miller (0-0, 0.00) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday's games!

It’s only been two weeks, and the Twins have already started digging into their minor league depth, so it’s probably good for a discerning fan to know which players have minor league options. Head-scratching decisions often make more sense when considering the option information, so let’s overview the system. First, let’s touch on some rules. They’re a bit complicated but graspable with some patience. If you already know the rules, skip to the player lists. Minor League Options Defined To be eligible for an MLB active roster, a player must be on that team’s expanded 40-man roster. A player on the 40-man roster can be in the majors or minors, but only players on the 40-man can be on the MLB active roster. If a player is sent to the minors while also on the team’s 40-man roster, they need to have option years remaining. If the player has no option years remaining, they must be exposed to waivers to be sent down. When a player is exposed to waivers, any team willing to pay their salary can acquire their services without the player or their original team’s ability to stop the move. Number of Options When a player is added to a 40-man roster for the first time in his career, he has three option years. Option years are used when the player spends time in the minor leagues, an entire season or only a few weeks. A player can be sent down once or several times in that year, and it will still count as a single option year. Players who do not play in the minor leagues in a given year retain their option years. If a player uses an option year in 2023, he will have two remaining. If he then spends all of 2024 on an MLB roster, he still has two. If he then gets sent down in 2025, he will have one. If he’s sent down again in 2026, he will have no options left, and if the team wants to send him to the minors in 2027, he would need to be waived first. Nuances There are some nuances to these rules to be aware of. First, if a player is in the minor leagues but is not on the 40-man roster, the team is not using one of his options. However, if he is called up to the major league team, and thus added to the 40-man roster, the team can only send him back down by exposing him to waivers. As of 2022, a player can only be sent to the minor leagues five times in one season, which includes starting the season in the minors. After the fifth time, the subsequent demotion requires the player to be waived. They will still have any future option years, though. Occasionally the years are malleable. A team can request an additional option year in particular circumstances, such as long-term injury to a minor leaguer on their 40-man. More specifically, the player must fit the criteria of having used all three options before getting 5 years of professional service (full season baseball). For example, Lewis Thorpe had four option years for this reason. In fact, a few Twins have. Gilberto Celestino had one option remaining in 2022 and was demoted mid-season. However, he was recalled within days after an injury to an active roster player, and because his demotion was so short, he did not use an option year. It needs to be over 20 days. Players with at least five years of service time (time on an MLB active roster) can refuse a demotion, even if they still have options remaining. You will rarely see a 35-year-old sent to AAA, even if he has an option remaining, because he can simply say no, forcing the team to either release him or send someone else down. The Twins Roster Let’s look at the Twins players’ situations with all that out of the way. It should be noted that even if a player is listed with options remaining, that doesn’t mean we think they will be sent down or are even likely to. (Things would have to go really bad for Jhoan Duran to be sent to St. Paul). This information is from FanGraphs’s Roster Resource. MLB Players who can Refuse Demotion As discussed, these players have enough service time to refuse to demotion. Yes, that means Emilio Pagán will not be sent to St. Paul, no matter how hard you try. Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, Joey Gallo, Sonny Gray, Max Kepler, Kenta Maeda, Tyler Mahle, Emilio Pagán, Jorge Polanco, Donovan Solano, Michael A. Taylor, Christian Vázquez MLB Players Out of Options These players can be sent down, but they would need to be exposed to waivers first. Nick Gordon, Jorge López 40-Man Players in their Last Option Year These players have used an option this year, and it’s their last. Come 2024, they will have no options remaining. Jordan Balazovic MLB Players with One Option Remaining These players are currently on the active roster (or injured list) and can still be sent down this year. However, if they are, they will have no options in 2024. The team could be a little more hesitant to use that final year than they would otherwise. Willi Castro, Gilberto Celestino, Jhoan Duran, Kyle Farmer, Kyle Garlick, Alex Kirilloff, Caleb Thielbar 40-Man Players with Multiple Option Years Remaining If necessary, any of these players can be sent back and forth with little concern. Jorge Alcala, Matt Canterino, Brent Headrick, Ronny Henriquez, Griffin Jax, Ryan Jeffers, Edouard Julien, Trevor Larnach, Pablo López, Trevor Megill, Jose Miranda, Royce Lewis, Jovani Moran, Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack, Joe Ryan, Cole Sands, Louie Varland, Matt Wallner, Josh Winder, Simeon Woods Richardson Notable Minor League Veterans without Options and/or Sufficient Service Time There are a handful of minor league veterans that are not on the MLB roster. If these veterans are called up, they either have no options remaining (*) or can refuse the demotion due to service time (®), so sending them back down would be complicated. Prepare to lose them if you see them. José De León*, Ryan LaMarre*, Patrick Murphy*, Sean Nolin*, Hernán Pérez®, Connor Sadzeck*, Aaron Sanchez®, Brock Stewart*, Tyler White*, Tony Wolters® Notable Minor League Veterans with One Option Remaining If these veterans are called up, they still have one option remaining, so they can be kept in the system and demoted, but this would be the last year, without exposing them to waivers. Dereck Rodríguez Notable Minor League Veterans with Multiple Options Remaining With this group, if they’re called up, they can be demoted with very little option year consideration. Mark Contreras, Randy Dobnak, Oliver Ortega, Elliot Soto

Matt Wallner was penciled in as the Saints designated hitter for the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, but the Twins made a call for the 25–year-old Forest Lake native to get back up to the big leagues. The move was retroactive to Max Kepler officially being placed on the 10-day injured list and the Twins needed another outfielder to take his place. Wallner and many of his Saints teammates were in a hitters meeting at the time Gardenhire received the call from the Twins' front office. No time was wasted thereafter. Wallner was scratched, Jair Carmargo took his place as the DH for game one, and Saints clubhouse manager Matt Tramp quickly organized Wallner’s belongings to get him off to Target Field in time for the first pitch against the Astros. “I told Wallner. I just said, ‘Be ready. You're not in the lineup (Saturday), but be ready to go off the bench,’” said Gardenhire. Given Wallner’s time in the big leagues late in the 2022 season and limited time before both the Twins and Saints games started. Gardenhire didn’t have many more words of wisdom to pass to Wallner that he had not already shared with him. “I talked to him a little bit during spring training and just told them, ‘Hey, just keep doing your thing. You're doing good. They got a lot of outfielders out there but stuff is gonna happen. It always does,” Gardenhire said on what he shared with Wallner. “Nobody knows how quick it's gonna be, but it all usually plays out at some point. It just happened to be the first full week of the season. He's a good player, a good hitter, and I hope he goes up there and it helps him grow more,” said Gardenhire. Gardenhire had not chosen Wallner to be the DH for the first game knowing this move was a certainty Saturday morning. Wallner had played all five games of the Saints season so far in right field and was in need of a defensive break. “I was planning on splitting him [Wallner] DH one game. playing in the field the other, but I had an idea that it was a possibility that he was gonna get called up. So I had a solid backup plan in case that happened,” said Gardenhire. Fortunately, Wallner was not needed in the Twins lineup for their 9-6 victory over the Houston Astros Saturday afternoon. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli shared with a pool of beat reporters after the game Wallner will see action in the Twins lineup, but did not comment on if it would be as soon as Sunday afternoon’s finale against the Astros.

Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions! TRANSACTIONS RHP Patrick Murphy activated from the Development List RHP Josh Winder has been assigned to Low-A Fort Myers on MLB Rehab. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 6, Iowa 2 Box Score Louis Varland had a phenomenal first game of his season. He threw five innings and allowed only one run, one walk, and he struck out nine batters. Jordan Balazovic, Trevor Megill and Brock Stewart each recorded four outs. Balazovic made his first appearance of the year. He gave up one run on one hit and two walks. Megill walked two. Stewart recorded his first save which gave Varland his first win of the season. Kyle Garlick is the top story today for the St. Paul Saints. The outfielder has been driving in the runs early in the season and Edouard Julien and Matt Wallner setting the table for the middle of the lineup, specifically Tyler White and Mark Contreras to drive them in. Hernan Perez gave the Saints a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning with a solo home run. Mark Contreras came up big in the bottom of the sixth inning. With Garlick and Julien on second and third, he drove them home with a two-run home run which gave the Saints a 5-1 lead. The Saints had just four hits and six walks. Julien had one of the hits and walked twice. Garlick and Contreras each drove in two runs. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 2, Springfield 0 Box Score This was a battle of the pitchers for most of the game. In the third inning, Twins top prospect Brooks Lee and Yunior Severino got on base. Catcher Alex Isola drove in Lee with a double and first baseman Aaron Sabato followed with a sacrifice fly to drive in Severino. The Wind Surge had a 2-0 lead, and that was it for run scoring. As you would expect, this game finished in just two hours and five minutes. In his first Double-A start, David Festa pitched a clean, scoreless five innings. He gave up only one hit and struck out eight batters. Hunter McMahon came on and struck out three batters over two perfect innings. Jordan Brink worked a hitless eighth from, and Michael Boyle he save with a hitless ninth frame. The Wind Surge had seven hits. Isola and Yoyner Fajardo were both 2-for-4 in the games. Kernel Nuggets Cedar Rapids 5, Peoria 4 (10 innings) Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels kept the baseball night alive for the Twins affiliates. The Kernels needed 10 innings to beat the Peoria Chiefs. In the third inning, the Kernels got on the board first with a three-run home run from Tanner Schobel off of Cooper Hjerpe. Kyle Jones started for Cedar Rapids. The 2022 draft pick went five innings without giving up a run. However, he was charged with three runs in the sixth inning. In 5 1/3 innings, he gave up six hits. He struck out six batters without giving up a walk. Matt Mullenbach struck out two batters without giving up a run, though one of two inherited runners scored. Matt Swain got the eighth inning. He walked three batters but gave up a run on a sacrifice fly which put the Kernels down 4-3. In the top of the ninth inning. Keoni Cavaco and Kyler Fedko got things started with singles. Charles Mack laid down a sacrifice bunt and the bases were loaded because of an error. After a strikeout, Emmanuel Rodriguez drove in pinch-runner Willy Joe Garry with the game-tying run. Regi Grace pitched a scoreless ninth inning. Misael Urbina began the top of the 10th as the Manfred Man on second base. Kala'i Rosario singled to score Urbina. Unfortunately, that was the only run they scored. Fortunately, Regi Grace remained in and kept Peoria off the scoreboard to give the Kernels the win. Rosario led the way. He went 2-for-4 with a walk. Noah Miller went 2-for-5. Fedko went 1-for-2 with two walks. Muscle Matters Dunedin 3, Fort Myers 4 Box Score Through four innings, the Mussels held a 4-3 lead. Fortunately, that was a lead they kept the remainder of the game. The game was tied in the third when Alec Sayre got out on a sacrifice fly to score Rubel Cespedes, advancing Mikey Perez to third. Dylan Nuese drew a walk. With men on the corners, and then stole second while Dunedin catcher Sammy Hernandez threw to third base to try and catch Mikey Perez. Perez saw an opportunity and took off, stole home and gave the Mussels a 3-1 lead. Designated Hitter, Andrew Cossetti got his first professional hit during the game, which secured the lead for the Mussels when he hit a line-drive to right center-field to give the Mussels a 4-1 lead. Starting pitcher, Andrew Morris threw 4 1/3i innings, striking out seven batters but gave up the only three earned runs of the game before getting pulled in the fourth inning. The bullpen really shone through to carry the rest of the game. The Blue Jays attempted to catch up to the Mussels, but the bullpen kept that from happening, shutting out the Jays the rest of the game. Twins bullpen pitcher Josh Winder joined the Mussels on a rehab assignment and threw two innings, giving up two hits, He walked two and struck out three batters.. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – David Festa (Wichita) - 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day – Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (1), 2 BB, K PROSPECT SUMMARY The Twins Prospect Tracker is the best way to see how each of the Twins top prospects performed during their games; but in case you wanted a quick look, Here is how each of the top 20 performed today: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-for-4, 1 R, BB, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, RBI, SF, 2 K #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 1 R, BB, K #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-5, 2 K #9 - Louie Varland (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 1 R, BB, K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, R, K #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, HR, R 3 RBI, 2 K #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, K UPCOMING SATURDAY SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES: Iowa @ St. Paul (DH at 1:00) - RHP Aaron Sanchez (0-0, 2.70); GAME 2 - RHP Randy Dobnak (0-0, 1.93) Wichita @ Springfield (6:00PM CST) - RHP - Travis Adams, (0-0, 0.00) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35PM CST) - LHP Connor Prielipp (professional debut) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - RHP Zebby Matthews (0-0,0.00) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss today’s game!

The Twins have accumulated depth in the upper levels of the minors, with many of their top prospects projected to play at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Other prospects are further away from Target Field, but that doesn’t mean their development is any less important. Below are hitters to keep tabs on this season, even if they aren’t the top-ranked prospect at that level. Triple-A: Matt Wallner Saints Opening Day Roster Many fans will keep close tabs on Edouard Julien’s Triple-A performance based on a solid spring and WBC performance. Don’t forget about Matt Wallner. He’s coming off a tremendous 2022 season, hitting .277/.412/.542 (.953) with 32 doubles, four triples, and 27 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. Twins Daily named Wallner the 2022 Minor League Hitter of the Year, but he dropped in the site’s prospect rankings from eighth to eleventh. He’s off to a strong start at Triple-A by going 4-for-12 with three extra-base hits and three runs. Wallner will impact the big-league roster at some point in 2023, but he will have to bide his time with the Saints until an opportunity is available. Double-A: Aaron Sabato Wind Surge Opening Day Roster Brooks Lee, the organization’s top prospect, will start the year at Double-A, where he ended the 2022 season. Like Lee, Sabato is a former first-round pick, but he is still waiting on a breakout season. Last season, he split time between High- and Double-A while hitting .215/.336/.438 (.774) with 17 doubles and 22 home runs. He’s averaged 38 extra-base hits per season in his professional career. Sabato turns 24 years old in June, which should be roughly the average age of the competition at his level. He’s played at two levels in each of his first two professional seasons, so he will be trying to power his way to Triple-A by the season’s second half. High-A: Misael Urbina Kernels Opening Day Roster The Kernels have four of Twins Daily’s top-10 prospects on their Opening Day roster, including Emmanuel Rodriguez, Marco Raya, Connor Prielipp, and Jose Salas. All eyes will be on Rodriguez based on his 2022 performance and emergence as a top-100 global prospect. Urbina is an intriguing name to follow. He was one of Minnesota’s top international signees back in 2018 and played parts of the last two seasons in Fort Myers. Last season, he hit .247/.323/.407 (.730) with 26 extra-base hits in 60 games. He continues to have the skills to be a five-tool player, but he needs to put it all together for an entire season. Low-A: Ricardo Olivar Mighty Mussels Opening Day Roster None of Twins Daily’s top 20 prospects are on the Fort Myers roster to start the 2023 season, but there are still hitters to watch. Danny De Andrade is the top-ranked prospect in the group, and he will be making his full-season debut. Olivar played most of 2022 at the rookie level but posted some solid offensive numbers. In 43 games, he hit .341/.433/.580 (1.013) with 12 doubles, three triples, and five home runs. Defensively, he is a catcher, but the Twins have been giving him more time in the outfield to keep his bat in the line-up. Can he build off his strong offensive showing with more playing time in 2023? Which hitters will you be watching at each level? Will any of the names listed above have a breakout season? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

St. Paul - Toby Gardenhire knows that he has a tough task when figuring out how to find opportunities for the ample amount of arms at his disposal. He may be facing a similar situation when it comes to the lineup. On Opening Day the Twins Triple-A affiliate will roster the likes of Edouard Julien, Matt Wallner, and Andrew Bechtold. They may soon get Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis. Hopefully Austin Martin doesn’t miss the whole year, but Michael Helman will certainly be back. That’s a strong list, and it doesn’t even include the multitude of former big-league veterans. From a prospect standpoint, it may be Julien and Wallner that draw the most attention, but coming off of his first big-league camp, Bechtold is creeping his way toward a Twins debut as well. A third baseman, the strong-armed Bechtold has also played a lot at first base. He can also play catcher. He’s ready for everything this year in St. Paul. “To play one position is tough. That I can go back there and put the gear on, play the outfield, play the infield, it gives me lots of versatility. I work on my catching constantly, I work on catching every day even if it’s been two weeks between appearances.” Bechtold certainly takes pride in being able to play all over the field. That level of versatility gives him something not many players can make a claim to. Seeing someone able to bounce around positions and work behind the plate is somewhat reminiscent of brief Twins acquisition Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Bechtold won’t be a Drew Butera type behind the dish, but he’s Chris Herrmann or Caleb Hamilton if that’s what Rocco Baldelli needs. The former fifth-round pick prides himself on that as well, “The goal is to get to the big leagues so I’m willing to play whatever role, and do as much as I can to get there. I think I have seven gloves right now.” Bechtold is also a different player than he was before the minor leagues shut down in 2020. With such an explosive swing, he has always been a guy that could hit for power. With his previous process, he simply wasn’t utilizing it. “I retooled my swing a bit and getting the ball in the air more is something I can continue to work on. The power came knowing I made hard contact but being intentional about getting the ball in the air. The more I can hit it in the air, the more damage I can do.” Working with players like former Twins Brent Rooker and Rays star Brandon Lowe, Bechtold has made it a focus to get the most from his swing. Exit velocity isn’t something you can necessarily coach, but the utilization of it and finding an ideal level of effectiveness is process oriented. It turned into a pair of seasons where he nearly hit 20 home runs, and it didn’t include a substantial drop off in on-base ability. While Bechtold may be standing next to him on the infield at some points, the Saints should have a consistent second baseman this year in Edouard Julien. He pushed the envelope during spring training and the World Baseball Classic, making it somewhat fathomable he could be included on the major league roster and skip Triple-A entirely. It’s not lost on Julien how much the past handful of weeks have mattered, but he has also been doing this for a while. “The recent success is certainly a confidence builder. At the end of the day I’ve shown I can play at any level. I want to get better every day.” Although not a pure power hitter in the vein of former Twins second baseman Brian Dozier, Julien bucks the trend of second base being more of a defensive position. He said, “I think the game is changing some, and it’s fun to be able to hit for power, but that’s not my whole game. I wanted to get quicker and more agile this offseason.” Knowing the shift limitations are here to stay, Julien thinks we’ll see more exciting defense in the years ahead. If things had gone differently, Julien may not have even been here. Taken in the 18th round out of Auburn back in 2019, Julien initially tweeted he would be returning to school. Minnesota upped their bonus amount going way over slot and gave him $493,000 reasons to become pro. Looking back, and knowing what’s ahead, he couldn’t be more excited. “I made the right choice leaving college based on where I am today. In these four years I feel like I’ve made the most progress in my baseball career.” The Saints will open the door for plenty of big league talent to come through the roster this year, and some of the bats could provide a nice boost to a Twins lineup looking to stay atop the AL Central.

St. Paul - It was a gloomy and chilly day when a handful of Saints players were getting work in throughout the bowels of CHS Field. Despite being less than a week from their home opener, the field certainly wasn’t going to be utilized at this time. Sitting down with manager Toby Gardenhire in his office, this first question was obvious. Is this the deepest group you have ever had? Gardenhire thought for a second, then quipped, “Pitching-wise, that’s a good way to put, it is deep. The big league club did a good job of signing a lot of guys that are pretty good. We have to make sure we get guys innings and keep them ready to go up to the big leagues.” There is certainly no denying that the Twins starting rotation is better than it ever has been. Pablo Lopez was acquired in a deal for Luis Arraez, and Joe Ryan went from Opening Day starter to third in the pecking order this year. Tyler Mahle was acquired as a difference-maker at the deadline, and could be the fourth option, while Kenta Maeda was a Cy Young candidate during his last full season. For Gardenhire, that depth at the big league level provides some challenges. Bailey Ober now becomes the ace of the Triple-A staff, but he’s already proven to be a valuable major-league arm. The goal will be in continuing to keep him stretched out, but also make sure to shield him from injury that has cost him time in recent seasons. The Saints also have promising prospects that debuted last season in the form of both Louie Varland and Simeon Woods Richardson. Both represent far better options than fringe veterans needed in spot start scenarios a year ago. Then there is also teammate Jordan Balazovic, who is just a year removed from being a consensus top-100 prospect. The offense is loaded as well. Edouard Julien was a joy to watch during the World Baseball Classic, and he certainly looked the part of a major leaguer this spring. Matt Wallner and Mark Contreras both got sniffs of the big leagues last year and are ready to get back. Gardenhire noted how important it is to have a veteran presence around those guys. “Having a guy like Hernan Perez around Edouard Julien or Tony Wolters with Jair Camargo. Being able to communicate with these guys is big. Guys like Matt Wallner and Mark Contreras are fun because they got the taste last year. They all want to go back, they know what they need to do to get there.” Knowing how impactful it is to pick the mind of guys with big league experience, Gardenhire is certain they’ll make their mark on his roster. That’s not just a coaching belief either. Utility man Andrew Bechtold echoed a similar sentiment fresh off his first major-league camp. “I think it’s undervalued how important it is to be in big league camp going into the season. Forming relationships with the coaching staff and players is one of the most valuable tools you have.” Much of the Twins prospect talent has risen to the higher levels of the system at this point. While some of the younger talents are still at lower levels, Minnesota has seen plenty of graduations or debuts in recent seasons. That means the Saints will continue to get significant looks at real difference makers and players that should be expected to contribute for the Twins. Obviously Julien, Wallner, Varland, and Woods Richardson highlight the young crop right now, but Brooks Lee should play for St. Paul this year, and Royce Lewis will likely make a stop during a rehab stint. If others like David Festa can continue down their path of development, they will definitely help the team as well. Rocco Baldelli’s major league club is more well equipped than it ever has been, but Gardenhire’s group is right behind that roster to support them. You will certainly want to enjoy some Saints game action at CHS Field. Go to SaintsBaseball.com and purchase tickets for this week's Opening Series against the Iowa Cubs. Tonight it will be Varland on the mound. On Wednesday, Brent Headrick will make his Triple-A debut, and on Thursday you should be able to watch Bailey Ober on the mound.

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

The St. Paul Saints are beginning their third season as an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. However, it is their first season under new ownership. While the team starts the season with a weekend series in Toledo, their home opener will be on Tuesday against the Iowa Cubs. Tickets are still available on the Saints website for all six games. It should be a fun season with the Saints as they are loaded with prospects. Let's take a look at the Saints Opening Day roster. That way, you can go through your baseball card collection and find these players, then go to CHS Field and get them signed. Oh, and watch some really good baseball too! Coaching Staff Toby Gardenhire is back for his third season as the Saints manager. His hitting coach is recently-retired Nate Spears. Tyler Smarslok is the team's Defensive Coach and usually the first base coach as well. As all Twins affiliates do, the Saints have two pitching coaches. Cibney Bello is there for the third straight season. Peter Larson joins the Saints staff this year. He has quickly moved up the Twins organizational ladder. Pitchers Pitching wins, right? So that's where we'll start. Starting Pitchers: Jordan Balazovic, Randy Dobnak, Brent Headrick, Bailey Ober, Aaron Sanchez, Louie Varland, Simeon Woods Richardson. When we talk about the Twins starting pitching depth, this is where it is. If Bailey Ober is your #6 starter, your staff is pretty deep. However, Varland and Woods Richardson both made their major-league debuts late last year and they're likely Options #7 and #8. Aaron Sanchez made a few starts and long-relief appearances for the Twins last year. He is probably Option #9 at this point. He's obviously had some strong seasons in his long big-league career. Randy Dobnak appears to be healthy. It will be great for him to get some innings, find that control and command of his sinker again. He maybe starts out the season as the #10 option, but he could move up that list quickly. And Headrick made a really strong impression in his first spring training. He ended last year with starts at Double-A, so he just needs some time. While they certainly want Ober, Varland and Woods Richardson to start, the rest of the list could team with Cole Sands, Ronny Henriquez, Josh Winder and several from the below reliever list as the long-man out of the bullpen. That is the group that is really happy that St. Paul and Minneapolis are just miles apart. Weekend Rotation FRIDAY: Bailey Ober SATURDAY: Aaron Sanchez SUNDAY: Simeon Woods Richardson Relief Pitchers: Jose De Leon, Cody Laweryson, Trevor Megill, Oliver Ortega, Dereck Rodriguez, Connor Sadzeck, Austin Schulfer, Brock Stewart, Patrick Murphy (Development List) This is also an intriguing group of relievers. As you look at the list, who is the closer? However, there are a lot of guys who can pitch multiple innings, have experience as a starter and as a reliever, and could fit a role in the big leagues... where they have a pretty strong backend of their bullpen already. The most intriguing names on this list, at least for me, are Cody Laweryson and Austin Schulfer. They are both home-grown talents who have had a lot of success in their minor-league careers, as starters and as relievers. Schulfer's stuff impressed me. He's throwing a running fastball that sits 95-97 and a slider from the same release point that darts away from a right-hander at 90. He also has a pretty good changeup that he can bring out at any time. Laweryson doesn't throw as hard. He probably tops out at about 92, but he's got a funky delivery and deception. He's got really good command and still is able to miss bats. Trevor Megill is the only pitcher in this group on the 40-man roster. We've seen what he can do, the good and the not-so-good, but this is just his second option, so it makes sense to just keep working with him. And then you've got several veterans with upside. Dereck Rodriguez started out as an outfielder in the Twins organization and transitioned to the bullpen. He eventually debuted with the Giants and had a nice rookie season. Since then, he's been on a few teams, and gets some opportunities. Last year, he had a couple of really good, long-relief appearances with the Twins. Then we've got the Dream Brian Dozier Package, aka Jose De Leon and Brock Stewart. Both 30-year-olds were top pitching prospects with the Dodgers seven or eight years ago, and their names were both said to be requested by the Twins in deals involving Dozier. Well, both have had injuries over the last half-dozen years, their prospect stars have burned out, but they both still have the kind of talent that make them intriguing as potential bullpen options or long relievers. And Oliver Ortega throws hard. Catchers: Jair Camargo, Chris Williams, Tony Wolters, David Banuelos (Development List) We might as well follow the pitchers with the guys who will catch them. Tony Wolters is the presumed Twins #3 starter and would be the guy called up should Christian Vazquez or Ryan Jeffers get injured. Jair Camargo quietly came to the Twins in the Maeda/Graterol deal. He became a free agent this offseason but quickly signed to return to the organization. Chris Williams is listed as a catcher. He may get some time behind the plate, but he will likely play a lot at first base and DH. David Banuelos is fantastic behind the plate and pitchers really like throwing to him. He'll get plenty of opportunities with the Saints. In addition, Andrew Bechtold could get some games where he dons the tools of ignorance as well. Infielders: Andrew Bechtold, Edouard Julien, Hernan Perez, Elliot Soto, Tyler White, Austin Martin (Injured List) Julien may have had to wait nearly two seasons after signing with the Twins to make his pro debut, but since the beginning of that 2021 season, he has done it all with the bat. He gets on base. He has some power. He's got goods speed. He uses the whole field. He strikes out, but those walks make up for it. He has done it at three minor-league levels. He has done it in spring training, and he has done it for Team Canada in the WBC. The final stop on the way to the Twins is some time with the Saints. But get to CHS Field quickly. He may not be there real long. Bechtold has one of the strongest arms in baseball, certainly in the organization. He ended the last season with the Saints and returns, likely to play primarily at third base. Tyler White got a lot of run in spring training at first base. Elliot Soto is back. And, when Austin Martin was diagnosed with a UCL sprain, the Twins signed veteran Hernan Perez to a minor-league deal. The 32-year-old has a lot of big league time, generally in a utility role, but he is a really good shortstop, so it makes sense to bring him in. At least until Brooks Lee is ready to move up. Outfielders: Mark Contreras, Kyle Garlick, Ryan LaMarre, Andrew Stevenson, Matt Wallner, Michael Helman (Injured List) Matt Wallner is the big prospect of this group. He was the Twins 2022 minor-league hitter of the year and ended the season in the big leagues. He will likely get some significant time in the big leagues in 2023 as well. Mark Contreras has had a couple of strong seasons the past two years, most of that time with the Saints. Good speed and power combo, along with terrific defense. As we know, Kyle Garlick provides outfield depth and a guy who absolutely mashes right-handers. Stevenson was added to the organization midway through spring training. He has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Washington Nationals. Michael Helman had a big breakout in 2022, half of the season with the Saints. He has really good speed and extra base pop, and he can play seven positions very well. He was invited to big-league spring training. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury meant that he didn't play and will start the season on the IL. TWINS DAILY TOP 20 PROSPECTS #5 - Edouard Julien #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson #9 - Louie Varland #10 - Austin Martin #11 - Matt Wallner #16 - Jordan Balazovic

ST. PAUL – It’s been almost four years since outfielder Ryan LaMarre put on a Minnesota Twins uniform during the waning days of the Bomba Squad season of 2019. His first stint with the Twins came at the start of the 2018 season playing 43 games in the outfield before the Chicago White Sox claimed him off waivers on July 9th of that year. He later returned to the Twins as they purchased his contract from the Atlanta Braves on September 8, 2019, to play in 14 of the 19 final games that year. Now being back in the Twins organization for the start of the 2023 season at Triple-A St. Paul. LaMarre sees himself filling a new role both on and off the field for the team; leadership. “This is my 13th season and I've had a lot of people help me along the way,” said LaMarre. “I'd say a couple of years ago, I started feeling like I was an older guy in the clubhouse in Triple-A and I think, you know, rather than fight that, I try to embrace that role. I always get more out of that than something that just might help myself.” One notable thing to LaMarre in the minor leagues today compared to when he first joined the Cincinnati Reds organization in 2010 is how much quicker players develop. The quicker development of players that he is mentoring provides a strong two-way system between the parties in helping make their game’s much better on the field. LaMarre will not be the only veteran leader in the Saints’ clubhouse as infielder Elliot Soto has returned for a second season with the Twins organization. Soto was a notable leader to many players in the Saints clubhouse throughout the 2022 season, and LaMarre already believes the duo will be a great tag team for leadership in 2023. “I feel like we've crossed paths a lot but we never played together. So getting to know him as a person and watching how he competes and plays, it's not a surprise that he's played the game for as long as he has. We clicked right away and we’ll be in that same boat of looking to help the team in any way we can. Whether it's on the field or off the field in the clubhouse, helping these young guys, trying to help ourselves, and putting ourselves in a position to maybe help the Twins too.” LaMarre’s return to the Twin Cities was not just a move that he felt would be good for himself at this point in his career. His wife’s family also resides in the greater Twin Cities area and will be a great balance for them while he is on the road for Saints games this season. LaMarre is one of seven outfielders on the Saints' Opening Day roster, an outfield that includes Twins Daily’s #11 prospect Matt Wallner, Mark Contreras, Yoyner Fajardo, Kyle Garlick, Armani Smith, and Andrew Stevenson.

The Twins have altered their roster recently since setting MLB's all-time home run record in 2019. Last season, Minnesota didn't have any 30-home-run hitters, so the last two Twins hitters with 30 homers were Jorge Polanco (33 HR) and Miguel Sano (30 HR) in 2021. The five prospects below can join the 30-homer club when given a chance at the big-league level in the years ahead. Scouts and front office personnel use a 20-80 scale to evaluate players' tools. This ranking system also projects how those tools will improve as the player develops. Below are the top five Twins prospects regarding current and future power potential. 5. Royce Lewis, SS/OF Current Power/Future Power: 55/60 Lewis is recovering from his second ACL surgery in as many seasons, but he has many skills to be considered a five-tool player. Throughout the rehab process, he has added muscle to his frame, and the Twins saw some of those results in 2022. Last season, he hit .313/.405/.534 (.940) with 12 doubles and five home runs in 34 Triple-A games. Lewis showed flashes of his power in 12 big-league games by going 12-for-40 (.300 BA) with four doubles and two home runs. Minnesota hopes to have Lewis back in the line-up for the second half of the 2023 season. 4. Brooks Lee, SS Current Power/Future Power: 55/60 Lee makes such consistent contact that power is natural and can spray the ball to all fields. In his final two collegiate seasons, he averaged over 40 extra-base hits with a 1.073 OPS. Lee showed flashes of his power potential during his professional debut. He combined for ten extra-base hits and an .839 OPS in 31 games. During spring training, Lee has impressed many, including Carlos Correa, with his offensive approach and work ethic. He is likely heading to Double-A to start the season, but he may debut during the 2023 season. 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF Current Power/Future Power: 55/65 Rodriguez is one of the most exciting prospects in the Twins system, and he could be a monster power hitter. He was a breakout prospect at Low-A last season while hitting .272/.493/.552 (1.044) with more walks (57) than strikeouts (52). The Florida State League can be a challenging environment for hitters, but Rodriguez shined with five doubles, three triples, and nine home runs. He's entering his age-20 season, and he hopes to add even more muscle to his frame to increase his power. By this time next season, he has a chance to be the Twins' top-rated prospect and a global top-20 prospect. 2. Aaron Sabato, 1B/DH Current Power/Future Power: 60/60 The Twins drafted Sabato for one reason, his tremendous power potential. The pandemic limited his college career, but he posted a 1.158 OPS in 83 games. Last season, he hit .215/.336/.438 (.774) with 17 doubles and 22 home runs between High-A and Double-A. Sabato will spend the 2023 season in the minor's upper levels as he attempts to compile a breakout season. He is the lowest-rated prospect on this list, but the current front office drafted him in the first round, so they will give him every opportunity to find success. 1. Matt Wallner, OF Current Power/Future Power: 65/65 Wallner is coming off a season where he was named the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Year. In 128 minor league games, he hit .277/.412/.542 (953) with 32 doubles, four triples, and 27 home runs. The Twins called him up in September, and he went 13-for-57 (.228) with five extra-base hits and a 105 OPS+ in 18 games. Minnesota's added depth at the big-league level has pushed Wallner down the organizational depth chart, but he's had fewer than 200 at-bats in Triple-A. Wallner will start the year in St. Paul, with his powerful swing being one injury away from the big leagues. Who do you think has the best power in the Twins system? Should someone else make the list? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Projected Starter: Max Kepler Likely Backup: Joey Gallo Depth: Michael A. Taylor, Trevor Larnach, Kyle Garlick Prospects: Matt Wallner, Jose Rodriguez, Kala'i Rosario THE GOOD Even during a 2022 season that rated as the worst of his career, and had him somberly reflecting on whether he picked the right sport, Kepler's underlying skill and baseball prowess were easy to see. As usual, he roamed right field with excellence, ranging all over to track down fly balls and line drives most peers cannot reach. The standard for RF, at the bottom end of the defensive spectrum, gives Kepler a big advantage as a stellar athlete with a glove that could play in center. He ranked fifth among MLB right fielders in Defensive Runs Saved with 10, and was in the 97th percentile for Outs Above Average. FanGraphs pegged him as the second-most valuable defender at the position, behind Arizona's Daulton Varsho. Kepler's fielding is verifiably elite. His bat has of course been a different story, but you wouldn't know it from looking at the raw batted ball metrics. Kepler's Statcast sliders are a sea of red, indicating high-end rankings on measurements like exit velocity, expected batting average, chase rate, and beyond. Kepler has a very good plate approach and he routinely makes quality contact. Yet, this all manifested last year in a .227/.318/.348 slash line, which – even in a depressed offensive environment – compared quite poorly against the average AL right fielder (244/.310/.407). Analysis shows that to a large degree, Kepler creates his own bad luck with a hitting profile so predictable that opposing pitchers and defenses have learned to expertly suppress it. That said, last year his level of bad luck was off the charts. The outfielder's fortunes seem naturally likely to rebound, and the new shift limitations figure to further aid his improvement. This dynamic gave the Twins hope that another team might fancy Kepler as a buy-low candidate worth ponying up for. Alas, they didn't get an offer that moved them, so the front office held on, and will hope to cash in on their own bounce-back threat, whose return alongside the Gallo signing creates an abundant level of corner outfield depth. Taking Kepler's history here out of the equation, I think that if the Twins were to trade for a player sharing Kepler's attributes – an underperforming great athlete in his prime with one more year under contract followed by team options – most fans would see it as a smart gamble. THE BAD Among the top five players we have listed on the RF depth chart atop this article, here are their final OPS+ figures from the 2022 season: Kepler: 93 Gallo: 79 Taylor: 90 Larnach: 104 Garlick: 104 Only two modestly above-average hitters in the bunch, and they both missed most of the season due to injury. As helpful as Kepler's glove is in the outfield, his lack of offense has made him a limiting factor in the lineup. The same could potentially be true of Gallo or Taylor if they're pushed into duty. With so many questions elsewhere, the Twins could really use a steady and reliable producer at this bat-driven position. Since Kepler's career year in 2019, the Twins have been below-average in wOBA from right fielders every year, ranking 23rd in both of the past two. If Kepler can't snap that trend, the team is now in a realistic position to move on. If and when that time comes, Gallo or Taylor or Larnach might not be next in line. Wallner is their reigning Minor League Player of the Year and he got a taste of the majors last September. With decent outfield range and maybe the best arm in the system, Wallner is built for right field. Bringing lots of strikeouts and lots of power, the organization's No. 11 prospect contrasts sharply from Kepler stylistically, but it's not hard to envision him offering equal value (at a small fraction of the cost) as soon as this year. That is: if Wallner can break the mold of K-prone sluggers who mash in the minors but struggle to break through in the majors. The 25-year-old's development this season will have a decisive influence on the plan for this position going forward. THE BOTTOM LINE A changing of the guard is afoot in right field for the Twins. Kepler is one of their longest-tenured players, but the nearing end of this player-team relationship feels apparent from a number of different perspectives. He's entering his final guaranteed year under contract, was openly the subject of trade rumors all winter, and is now being pressed by several up-and-coming prospects as his game stagnates. For the time being, Kepler's still here. Though down and out, he's a skilled and athletic player coming off the unluckiest season of his career, with a few things due to finally break in his favor. If he doesn't turn it around, the Twins have a wealth of other current and future options. If he does, it could introduce create an interesting set of decisions for the front office. For as long as he's been around, Kepler is still only 30 and he has a 2024 team option for $10 million. Catch Up On Our Position Preview Series: Position Analysis: Catcher Position Analysis: First Base Position Analysis: Second Base Position Analysis: Third Base Position Analysis: Shortstop Position Analysis: Left Field Position Analysis: Center Field

Seven players on the 40-man roster have been either optioned (Jordan Balazovic, Matt Canterino, Brent Headrick, Edouard Julien, and Simeon Woods Richardson) or placed on the 60-day Injured List (Chris Paddack and Royce Lewis). That leaves decisions to be made on seven players, whether it’s an IL move or an option, before Opening Day. Injured List Alex Kirilloff remains the biggest question mark for the Twins. Will he be ready for Opening Day? The 2016 top pick took live batting practice on Monday against teammate Kenta Maeda. No further news of injury or discomfort in Kirilloff’s wrist from the live BP was reported by Twins beat reporters. The possibility of Kirilloff landing on the IL and staying in Ft. Myers for Extended Spring Training remains a possibility. At least one player will move to the Injured List before Opening Day. Gilberto Celestino's thumb injury will keep him out for six to eight weeks with a rehab assignment to follow. At that point, he will likely be optioned and play daily in St. Paul. The status of Ronny Henriquez and his sore posterior elbow has not been updated over the last week. While his health status has yet to be confirmed for Opening Day, it’s unlikely he’ll start the season on the Twins' 26-man roster as he has not thrown in a spring training game. Henriquez had a strong cup of coffee with the Twins bullpen last season posting a 2.31 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 11 2/3 innings pitched across three games. It’s likely that healthy or not, the Twins' front office will want Henriquez to develop at Triple-A before getting back into the team’s bullpen. Minor League Options Matt Wallner’s has had a decent spring hitting .250/.358/.450 (.798 OPS) in 20 at-bats across eight games. Since he is an offense-first player in a Twins outfield group filled with great defenders, it is likely he will start the season in St. Paul to have more guaranteed plate appearances and continue his development. Wallner’s opportunity to crack the 26-man roster and expect everyday playing time is in the designated hitter role or if there is another injury. Trevor Megill is second to only Jhoan Duran having the fastest pitch out of the entire Twins bullpen, but his lack of command from 2022 is still showing in spring training. Megill had a 2.88 K/BB ratio last year with the Twins. He has walked six batters and struck out 11 (K/BB ratio of 1.83) in 5 1/3 innings this spring. The blazing fastballs will not be enough for Megill to crack the Opening Day roster if he cannot get his command of the strike zone under wrap before then. Cole Sands has no bigger fan than the Twins Geek himself. However, with so many reliever options to choose from and Sands' bad streaks in the majors last year, the Twins front office may see more benefit for him to start the season in St. Paul getting innings as a starter and reliever. Sands can stay ready to be called up and sent back down based on injury moves. Louie Varland and his abilities certainly are exciting. However, while Bailey Ober is forcing the hands of the Twins' front office to consider starting 2023 with a six-man rotation, Varland is Starter #7 on the depth chart. To open the season in the Twins rotation would mean that two of the top six starters would start on the Injured List. Varland could theoretically make the Twins' Opening Day roster as a long reliever. However, the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2021 and 2022 will go to St. Paul and continue to develop as a starter. Who do you think will be among the Twins' last seven roster cuts to trim the Opening Day roster down to 26? Leave your predictions and thoughts below.

The Twins signed the player who may be the hardest to remember from the Washington Nationals 2019 World Series roster at bar trivia to a minor-league deal. Andrew Stevenson, 28, spent all of his 2022 season at the Nationals Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings. He had been removed from their 40-man roster early in the season and was never called back up. Stevenson had spent his entire career in the Nationals organization. He made his MLB debut in 2017 and accumulated 449 plate appearances in 248 games from 2017-2021. His greatest asset is his defense, but Stevenson has shown flashes of offensive production at times in the minor leagues and in the big leagues. During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Stevenson posted a .366/.447/.732 (1.179 OPS), though it was in just 47 plate appearances. His 2022 season with the Red Wings was solid. He hit .279/.344/.457 (.801) with 16 home runs and 67 RBI in 135 games for the Red Wings. Stevenson’s addition to the Twins organization is great for any pending injuries. However, the possibility of his call-up would likely entail injuries to the other left-handed hitting outfielders including Max Kepler, Joey Gallo, Nick Gordon, Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, and Mark Contreras. The timing of the signing is interesting. Gilberto Celestino had surgery on his thumb and will miss two months while rehabbing. Plus, the plan was to let him develop in St. Paul this season anyway. Byron Buxton has yet to play this spring. Nick Gordon has been out with a high ankle sprain. Could it mean those players will be out longer than anticipated? Alex Kirilloff has also not played in a spring game yet which might mean that Joey Gallo may find himself at first base early in the season. Providing the Saints with some outfield options is also wise. Stevenson will likely receive nearly every day playing time with the Saints. His hitting abilities will be exciting to see against Triple-A pitching. If Stevenson ends up in a game for the Twins, hopefully, it will be due to hitting too well to ignore and not due to injuries. While this is just a minor-league signing, what do you think it means? Discuss in the COMMENTS below.

The outliers of the top 10 Twins prospects feature names that became more commonly known to avid Twins fans this last season. Two pitchers and three hitters are a part of this section of the rankings, and all have great potential to be big names for the Twins in the coming seasons. Here are the 11-15 ranked prospects going into the 2023 season. 15. RHP Matt Canterino Age: 25 2022 (Rk, AA): 12 starts, 37 IP, 1.95 ERA, 34.7% K, 15.3% BB Canterino showed great flashes of success at Double-A Wichita last season posting a 1.95 ERA in 37 innings pitched. His pitches are still ranked at an average level in scouting grads with his slider and change-up as the outliers graded at 60 per FanGraphs, putting those pitches slightly above average. The greatest struggle that Canterino has had in his professional career so far is his command of the strike zone. Canterino can top out at 97 and 98 mph with his fastball and if he can get his command under control as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, that can make him a greater threat to hitters on the mound. The downside for Canterino is he is going to miss most, if not all, of the 2023 season due to undergoing Tommy John surgery last August. If things progress well, there is a slight chance he could see some time on the mound come September. 14. SS Noah Miller Age: 20 2022 (A): 108 games, .212/.348/.279, 12 2B, 2 HR, 23/30 SB, 23.5% K, 16.2% BB Noah Miller, the Twins second, first-round pick in 2021 out of high school in Wisconsin, played his first full season of professional ball in Ft. Myers. While his offense didn't develop, he did work counts, take his walks and put the ball in play. His power was limited to just two home runs and a .279 slugging percentage. Miller is still very young, having just turned 20 in November. There is still room and plenty of time for his power to develop. He is seen more as a contact hitter, that being his best attribute with a scouting grade of 60 according to FanGraphs. He is already arguably the best defensive shortstop in the Twins minor leagues right now. He provided consistency and the occasional web gem for the Mighty Mussels. No surprise as those who watched some spring training games saw what he could do late in big-league spring games. The hope for Miller is to develop his all-around game in 2023 to reach High-A Cedar Rapids before the season's end. 13. RHP David Festa Age: 23 2022 (A/A+): 18 starts, 103.2 IP, 2.43 ERA, 23.1% K, 8.6% BB David Festa pitched in only four games after being drafted in the 13th round by the Twins in 2021. In 2022, he became a starter and worked 103 2/3 innings. His story is very similar to Louie Varland's a year earlier. Day 3 draft pick dominated in the two A-ball levels. Now, Festa will have to show what he can do against hitters in the upper levels of the minor leagues. Festa’s performance across the 2022 season showed great development in his pitch command. His 34 walks to 108 strikeouts between Low-A and High-A brought about a 3.18 K/BB ratio, which shows great potential for better command development in his second full season. The scouting grade rankings for Festa still place him at an overall average ranking, but the 6’6 righty will do what he can to show he has a place in a future Twins rotation. Those numbers should change as his fastball was sitting 96-97 most of the year and touch 98 and 99 later in the season too. He will need to continue working on his secondary pitches as well. 12. Yasser Mercedes Age: 18 2022 (Rk): 41 games, .355/.421/.555, 13 2B, 4 HR, 30/35 SB, 19.9% K, 10.2% BB Yasser Mercedes has only been in the Twins organization for a little over a year when he signed for $1.7 million, but he already made himself a standout in the DSL in 2022. Mercedes posted a fantastic triple slash and showed mature plate discipline for a 17-year-old across 176 plate appearances. Mercedes's skill set based on scouting grades is also a good place for him to be at his age with nothing ranking below an average grade of 50. Speed seems to be his greatest attribute as the youngster stole 30 bases in 35 attempts last season, being one of only six players in the Dominican Summer League to reach the 30 stolen base threshold. He also has power potential, plays solid defense and has a strong arm. It will still be a long while before Mercedes ends up in a Twins uniform, but the potential this 18-year-old has shown indicates that he could be the Twins' best prospect a couple of years from now. 11. Matt Wallner Age: 25 2022 (AA/AAA): 128 games, .277/.412/.542, 32 2B, 27 HR, 9/14 SB, 31.3% K, 18.1% BB The Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2022 and Forest Lake native made a name for himself throughout the 2022 season. Matt Wallner may have the best throwing arm in the outfield in all of the Twins organization right now, and he will have a chance to show it off at CHS Field and Target Field in 2023. Wallner’s power as a left-handed hitter also makes him a standout in the Twins system. Granted, the current Twins outfield depth with Joey Gallo, Max Kepler, Nick Gordon, Michael A Taylor, Trevor Larnach, and Byron Buxton will likely leave Wallner starting his season with the St. Paul Saints. However, he will do his best like his teammate and fellow Minnesota native, Louie Varland, to make managerial choices for the 26-man roster as hard as possible. Feel free to discuss these prospects and ask as many questions as you like in the COMMENTS below. For more Twins Daily content on these five Twins prospects, click on the link with their name here: Matt Canterino, Noah Miller, David Festa, Yasser Mercedes, Matt Wallner. Previous Installments Honorable Mention Prospects 21-30 Prospects 16-20 Prospects 11-15 Prospect #10: Coming Monday!

In "Fun with Player Comps" I look at player comps for 30 current Twins who figure to play a role in 2023, starting with their closest age player from Baseball-Reference.com prior to 2022. Based on each player's general vibe, I then move into the best and worst-case scenarios. Previous installments: middle-infield, centerfield. With my inclusion of Luis Arraez in the middle infield (what was I thinking?!) that leaves Jose Miranda as the only strictly corner infielder on the roster, so he gets lumped in with the Twins' glut of corner outfielders. Based on Fangraphs depth chart projections, the Twins have average to above-average projections at every position player spot, except the corner outfield spots. Adam Duvall won’t change the calculus much, but there is both talent and upside here. Let’s start with the one corner outfielder that may feature neither: Max Kepler Best comp through age 29: Cory Snyder Never heard of him, but Snyder posted some decent power numbers in his early 20s with Cleveland before falling off a cliff in his late 20s. Instead of a cliff, Kepler’s production has been more of an unattended rickshaw rolling down a mild incline and gaining speed, buoyed only by his excellent defensive work. Worst case: Andrew Jacob Cave This feels harsh, but both players hit for low averages, provide nothing against lefties, have average power, and play good corner outfield defense, though Kepler's defense is a solid grade ahead of Cave's. If this scenario holds, let's hope it's with another team, ideally one that greatly overestimates the benefits Kepler will receive from the shift ban, because it isn't likely he will benefit. Sadly, the dumb teams in baseball are starting to invest in more intelligent front offices, leaving only the Rockies as a team that might overpay for Max. Best case: Jason Heyward My methodology here is that I assume Kepler gets worse as he ages. If he stays where he is or even if he unlocks something elsewhere, Heyward is a good comp. Heyward was a decent player prior to signing with the Cubs in 2016, providing power, patience, and either elite fielding ability in right field or decent fielding in center. The Cubs, and many others, felt there was more offense to unlock, and even if that didn't happen, they could at least bank on him being a plus defender. He never did figure it out with the bat and was never worth his contract, but he did provide some value; for instance, in his 2019-2020 seasons, he hit for a combined 106 OPS+. Were Kepler to post a similar number, his plus defense and baserunning could provide real value. If he was traded to a contender, like the Yankees or Dodgers, he might be more agreeable to a platoon and maximize his impact even further. Jose Miranda (No comp available) Worst case: Willians Astudillo If Miranda takes a step back, it will be because he gets too antsy at the plate and turns his elite contact ability into a liability, rolling weak grounders off pitches outside the zone. If pitchers don't think they have to throw him a strike, he won't be able to get to his above-average power, and if he doesn't hit for power, he may end up with La Tortuga in Japan. Miranda's path to being a long-term asset rests solely with his bat, as his defense can only hope to grade out as "doesn't kill ya," and his baserunning is uncomfortable to watch. Best case: Wal-Mart Rafael Devers Devers is an offensive-minded third baseman with elite bat-to-ball skills and prodigious power. Miranda doesn't have the power or the elite natural gifts that Devers has with a bat, but he isn't that far off if he takes a step forward in 2023. in 2018, Devers' first full(ish) season in the majors, he hit .240/.298/.433 with poor defense and 66 RBI. Miranda just posted .268/.325/.426 with poor defense and 66 RBI. If he improves his selectivity, as Devers did in his 2019 breakout, he'll be a big part of the Twins' future. Trevor Larnach (Telling that there are no comps for the next two) Worst case: Kyle Blanks Blanks got a lot of chances as a big-bodied right fielder who looked like he could hit coming up with the Padres. But he couldn't stay on the field and was out of the game at 28. Larnach tantalizes with his tools, but it may be fair to wonder if his large frame can handle the rigors of being a major league outfielder. On the other hand, his injuries in 2021 were of the hand and foot variety. Blanks was victimized by back and Achilles issues, among other ailments. Best case: Paul O'Neill Larnach has a chance to be a better defender than O'Neill but has less contact ability. O'Neill's career line of .288/.363/.470 looks like something Larnach could achieve in his prime if he stays healthy and reaches his potential. To do that, he simply needs his body to cooperate and to lay off breaking pitches like he did the first two months of 2022 when he posted an .890 OPS and strong defensive metrics. Alex Kirilloff Worst case: Nolan Reimold Reimold teased Orioles fans with a solid rookie season in Baltimore. He was a top 100 prospect who had just posted a .831 OPS in 2009 but couldn't stay healthy. Believing in his potential, the Orioles kept giving him chances. Eventually, they gave up and released him in 2014, only to bring him back a year later, which.. didn't go any better. Best case: Less patient Will Clark Clark should probably be a Hall-of-Famer, but he never quite hit for the kind of power that came in vogue among first basemen in the 1990s. Nevertheless, he posted 56.5 bWAR for his career and hit .303. Kirilloff, too, doesn't strike me as the type to post numerous thirty home run seasons even if things break right for him, but his plate coverage and power the other way could allow him to approach Clark's career AVG and SLG numbers. Kyle Garlick (Still no comps for Garlick, who is still with the Twins as of this writing.) Worst case: Josh Hamilton (with the Angels) When Hamilton hit free agency after the 2012 season, no one really knew how to evaluate him, similar to how Byron Buxton may have looked to the market if the Twins had not extended him: He's great, but how often? Luckily for Hamilton, the Los Angeles Angels exist and gave him 113M. Unluckily for the Angels, Hamilton didn't offer the hedge that Buxton does, where he can give you four WAR in half a season based on his defense and baserunning. Hamilton provided 2.7 bWAR in total to the Angels. If Garlick posted those numbers over a two-year span, it wouldn't be so bad, but like Hamilton and Buxton, Garlick has an impossible time staying on the field. Best case: A Good Ryan Raburn year Raburn was a frustrating player to watch and would frequently alternate .500 and .900 OPS seasons. For his career, however, he hit for a .818 OPS versus lefties and, in his good years, was a force from the right side who was generally healthy. Matt Wallner (No comps, he's just a boy) Worst case: Logan Morrison LoMo had some hype as a prospect but almost always disappointed, never posting an OPS above .800 until his outlier year with the Rays when he popped 38 home runs. Besides that, Morrison struggled to stay healthy, swung and missed a lot, and provided negative defensive value. His career bWAR was 3.9. Best case: Joey Gallo Gallo and Wallner may each have a top-five arm for an outfielder in the game, and Gallo made himself into a strong outfielder despite coming up as a third baseman. He swung and missed a ton, but made enough hard contact to be an All-Star. He may have reached another level in 2019 when he raised his average to .253 and had a .986 OPS in July as a 25-year-old. But he broke his wrist and has never shown that kind of output since. Gallo is a frustrating player type, but Wallner getting to 85% of his peak would be a great outcome for such a low-contact hitter. Whatever the Twins achieve in 2023 will hinge a lot on what they get from Kirilloff, Larnach, Miranda, and to a lesser extent, Gallo. If the KLM boys stay reasonably healthy, there’s a good chance one of them truly breaks out, which lengthens the lineup considerably and solves the corner outfield problem. If they stall in their development, that puts a lot of pressure on Gallo to rebound, and in the last installment in this series, I compared him to the White Sox era Adam Dunn. Stay tuned for the next installment, catchers and closers. See previous entries here.

Shortly before the calendar turned to 2023, the Twins finalized a one-year, $11 million deal for outfielder Joey Gallo. He is coming off a terrible season where he posted a 79 OPS+ in 126 games for the Yankees and the Dodgers. However, he was an All-Star in 2021 who led the AL in walks and posted a 121 OPS+. Minnesota hopes to get Gallo back on track, but the 40-man roster was already packed with corner outfield options before he arrived. The team is likely looking to deal from an area of strength, so how do the team’s current corner outfielders stack up according to trade value? All trade values and availability are from Baseball Trade Values. The rankings below on based on their current median trade value. It is not a ranking of the likelihood of each player being traded, but availability is also included for your reference. 5. Matt Wallner Median Trade Value: 7.3 Availability: Medium Wallner’s trade value might be at the highest of any point in his career. He was named the organization’s minor-league player of the year and made his big-league debut in 2022. Some of the other corner outfielders have recently dealt with injuries, so that Wallner might have more long-term value for the Twins. This offseason might be the best time to trade him If Minnesota wants to capitalize on his peak value. 4. Austin Martin Median Trade Value: 7.5 Availability: Medium Martin’s future defensive home might not be in a corner outfield spot, but there’s undoubtedly an opportunity for the Twins to include him in a trade this winter. There’s no question that Martin’s value dropped in 2022 as he entered the year as one of baseball’s top 55 prospects. He battled through a wrist injury and posted a .685 OPS at Double-A. Martin rebuilt some of his value in the Arizona Fall League with a .936 OPS and ten steals in 21 games. Another organization might believe in the potential Martin has shown in the past. 3. Max Kepler Median Trade Value: 7.6 Availability: High Kepler seems redundant on the Twins roster with Gallo’s addition. Kepler is under team control for the next two seasons if his $10 million option ($1 million buyout) is picked up for 2024. He provides little value on the offensive side, with an OPS+ below 100 over the last two seasons. On defense, he is among baseball’s best by ranking second among AL right fielders according to SABR’s Defensive Index. Twins fans have likely soured on Kepler, but he is a solid big-league regular and has value on the trade market. 2. Alex Kirilloff Median Trade Value: 11.9 Availability: Very Low Kirilloff is returning from a unique wrist surgery, so teams will likely be interested in acquiring him once they know he is healthy. His wrist has caused issues over the last two seasons, so his availability is the lowest on this list. In 104 big-league games, he has hit .251/.295/.398 (.694) with 18 doubles and 11 home runs. Some of those numbers are skewed by him trying to play through his wrist injury. Kirilloff is a former top prospect, and Minnesota hopes he can put his injury woes behind him to reach his full potential. 1. Trevor Larnach Median Trade Value: 14.6 Availability: Low Like Kirilloff, injuries have limited Larnach in his first two big-league seasons. Last year, he hit .231/.306/.406 (.712) with 13 doubles and five home runs in 51 games. Larnach has been streaky at the plate by looking like one of the best hitters in the Twins line-up and then struggling mightily. Nearly every player on this list has a higher defensive value than Larnach, but his bat has the potential to be a middle-of-the-order slugger for most of the next decade. His trade value can be even higher at the end of the 2023 season if he can compile a fully healthy campaign. Do you agree with the trade value rankings? Besides Kepler, will any of the other corner outfielders be traded? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

The Twins haven’t had an MVP since Joe Mauer (2009), a Cy Young since Johan Santana (2006), and a Rookie of the Year since Marty Cordova (1995). Minnesota will need better health and standout performances from the team’s top players to end those streaks. Can any of these names beat the odds and walk away with one of baseball’s most prestigious awards? MVP: Byron Buxton He is the team’s best overall player and has played at an MVP level when he is healthy. It takes a special season for a player to win the AL MVP, especially with Shohei Ohtani performing highly as a two-way player. Last season, Aaron Judge had to break the AL home run record to beat Ohtani, and the argument could still be made that Ohtani had a better season. For Buxton to win the MVP, he will need to play more games than in any other season. His career high is 140 games, and that came in 2017. Over the last two seasons, he has averaged 76 games, so it might be a tall task for him to play enough to garner MVP votes. Other MVP Contenders: Luis Arraez will be looking to repeat as the AL Batting Champion. To be in the MVP conversation, he must compile a historically significant batting average. Cy Young: Kenta Maeda During the 2020 season, Maeda finished runner-up for the AL Cy Young, carrying the Twins rotation to an AL Central title. He struggled in 2021 before needing Tommy John surgery. Now healthy, Maeda is entering the final year of his contract with something to prove. The 34-year-old hasn’t had an opportunity to test free agency since coming to the United States from Japan. He needs to prove that he is healthy and that he can perform as he did in 2020. Last year’s AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander signed with the Mets this winter, which leaves the field a little more open. Other Cy Young Contenders: Sonny Gray is arguably Minnesota’s best starting pitcher, but his veteran track record doesn’t point to a Cy Young-caliber season. Joe Ryan has plenty of potential if he can take the next step in his young career. Rookie of the Year: Matt Wallner Joey Gallo’s signing makes it less likely that Wallner breaks camp with the Twins, especially if the team doesn’t trade Max Kepler. Wallner has shown massive power potential in the upper minors and may have surpassed other young outfielders on the organization’s depth chart. Last season, he hit .277/.412/.542 (.953) with 32 doubles, four triples, and 27 home runs. When an injury strikes, Wallner will be one of the first call-ups from Triple-A, which should give him a chance to compile a home run total that puts him in the ROY conversation. Other ROY Contenders: Louie Varland and Simeon Woods Richardson will each get an opportunity in the rotation. It takes a remarkable season from a pitcher to win the ROY over a position player, but there are plenty of opportunities to shine. None of these Twins players will be the favorite for any award, especially with the team coming off two losing seasons. There are surprises every year in baseball, and the Twins hope all of the above names have improved 2023 campaigns. Which player above has the best chance to take home the hardware? Will different players emerge from the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.