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The Twins have been a poor base running team in recent years, which projects to stay the same in 2023. Last season, Minnesota ranked last in baseball with 38 stolen bases, and FanGraphs ranked the team second to last in BsR, an all-encompassing base running statistic. Some of Minnesota's best base running prospects could help the team's running game in 2023 and beyond. Scouts and front office personnel use a 20-80 scale to evaluate players' tools. This ranking system also projects how those tools will change as the player develops. Speed is one tool that tends to decline as players age, and that reflects in the projections. Below are the top five Twins prospects regarding current and future speed potential. 5. Yasser Mercedes, OF Current Speed/Future Speed: 55/50 Mercedes quickly impacted the 2022 Dominican Summer League after signing with the Twins for $1.7 million out of the Dominican Republic. Born in Puerto Rico, he hit .355/.421/.555 (.975) with 13 doubles, three triples, and four home runs in 41 games. Even more impressively, he stole 30 bases in 35 attempts. He turned 18 in November, so he projects to become more physically mature. All his defensive innings came in center field last season, and the Twins hope he can stick at the position for the long term. Mercedes is a five-tool talent, and speed might be his worst tool when he reaches Target Field. 4. Ben Ross, UTL Current Speed/Future Speed: 60/55 The Twins took Ross with their fifth-round pick in last June's draft out of Notre Dame College (Ohio). Ross was a tremendous hitter in college as he batted .405/.471/.758 (1.229) and showed to be a baserunning threat. He played 22 of his 24 games at Low-A during his professional debut and went a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts. Since turning pro, the Twins have adjusted his swing, and he has added muscle to his frame. His speed can help him stick at shortstop, but he will likely move around the diamond to multiple defensive positions. He will likely begin 2023 in Fort Myers and is a prospect to watch during the 2023 campaign. 3. Jose Salas, SS Current Speed/Future Speed: 60/55 Salas was the top-ranked prospect acquired from the Marlins as part of the Luis Arraez-Pablo Lopez trade. In 2022, he went 33-for-34 in stolen base attempts between Low-A and High-A. He is a very athletic player that projects to add more weight to his body, which will likely take away from his speed before he reaches the big leagues. For now, he's considered a shortstop, but he might lose some quickness and shift to second base, third base, or the outfield. Salas was over three years younger than the average age of the competition in the Midwest League, so the Twins can have him start the 2023 season in Cedar Rapids. 2. Will Holland, SS/OF Current Speed/Future Speed: 70/65 The Twins selected Holland in the fifth round of the 2019 MLB Draft from Auburn University. His speed helps him on both sides of the ball, and that's one reason the Twins have used him at shortstop and in the outfield. Last season, he went 32-for-36 in stolen base attempts between High-A and Double-A. For a player with limited power, he doesn't make consistent contact (.227 BA in 2022), and he strikes out a lot (137 K in 116 G). His numbers did improve when he got to Double-A, so there is hope he can continue to develop at that level in 2023. 1. Royce Lewis, SS/OF Current Speed/Future Speed: 70/65 Evaluators have praised Lewis' speed since he was an amateur, but that was before two major knee surgeries. He returned strongly from the first surgery and is on pace to return to action later this year. His rehab work from the first knee surgery strengthened him and increased his speed. Lewis averaged 25 steals per season in both years, where he played over 50 games. Last season, he went 12-for-14 in stolen base attempts at Triple-A. Overall, he is a smart base runner with the speed to cause havoc for the opposition. Who do you think has the best speed tool in the Twins system? Should someone else make the list? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. OTHER POSTS IN THE SERIES -Power Tool -Hit Tool

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

TRANSACTIONS The Twins signed OF Billy Hamilton to a Minor League deal and assigned him to the Florida Complex League. Just days after the Twins released him, the team signed free agent RHP Michael Feliz to a minor-league contract and assigned him to St. Paul Saints. RHP Josh Winder was assigned to Low-A Fort Myers on Minor League Rehab. SAINTS SENTINEL Iowa 2, St. Paul 1 Box Score SP: Louie Varland - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K HR: None Multi-Hit games: David Bañuelos (2-3, RBI (20), K) The Saints entered their third game against the Cubs in Des Moines Thursday night down 2-0 in the series. The team looked to North St. Paul native Louie Varland to lead the team to their first win since Sunday afternoon at home. St. Paul would strike first in the top of the second on a David Bañuelos RBI single that scored Nash Knight from second. That would be all the Saints needed while Varland remained on the mound. Varland dominated for the Saints in his third start since being called up to Triple AAA. He only allowed four base runners on three singles and a walk. Varland also retired nine consecutive batters before giving up his last hit of the night with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. He also struck out nine batters for the evening. The former Golden Eagle has yet to surrender a home run to an opposing batter since being called up to the Saints. In fact, Varland’s last home run surrendered came on July 29 against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Unfortunately for Varland, the Saints bats did not produce any runs following his removal from the game. The Cubs tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with a sacrifice fly off of Evan Sisk. Then in the bottom of the ninth with Brad Peacock on the mound, the Cubs designated hitter Matt Mervies walked-off the Saints with a solo homer in the 2-1 loss. The Saints start at 7:08 p.m. CT for their game Friday night against the Cubs with Ronny Henriquez on the mound for them. WIND SURGE WISDOM Frisco 2, Wichita 1 Box Score SP: Daniel Gossett - 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K HR: None Multi-Hit games: Will Holland (2-3, R, 3B) The Wind Surge came into Thursday’s game having won the night before 4-0 against Frisco. Daniel Gossett made his first start since his no-hitter for the Wind Surge Thursday night and continued off the success he had that night. The bid for back-to-back no-hitters for Gossett ended in the first inning when he gave up a hit with two outs. That did not stop him from tossing a great outing. He went five innings and gave up only two additional hits and one run. He struck out two. Gossett’s command of the zone kept the Wind Surge in the game where the team's bats were silenced. Wichita scored the first run of the game on an RBI fielder's choice hit by Austin Martin in the top of the third. Frisco came along to tie the game off Gossett with a sacrifice fly out to center field. Martin’s RBI single accounted for the only run of the game for the Wind Surge. The game went into extra innings, but lefty Bryan Sammons walked consecutive batters in the bottom of the 10th inning to load the bases. Wichita dropped the game with a walk-off walk. The Wind Surge start their game against Frisco at 7:05 p.m. CT Friday night and left Kody Funderburk will make the start. KERNELS NUGGETS Lake County 8, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score SP: Luis Rijo 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Pat Winkel (6), Seth Gray (15) Multi-Hit games: Winkel (2-3, R, HR 2 RBI (28)) Cedar Rapids entered Thursday night dropping their first two games against the Lake County Captains and were hoping to keep themselves from a three-game losing streak with Luis Rijo on the mound. Unfortunately for the Kernels, the Captains got to Rijo early in the game. Rijo surrendered three runs (two earned) against the Captains, all in the bottom of the third inning. He was removed after giving up four straight hits with two outs in the inning. Derek Molina got the Kernels out of the inning. The Captains managed to create more damage against the Kernels relievers in the fifth adding two more runs, and then the sixth inning when they scored three more. The hitters for the Kernels were quiet until the seventh inning. They managed two runs thanks to catcher Pat Winkel’s two-run shot. They made a small comeback but were still down 8-2 following the inning. When the Kernels looked to be down and out of the game in the top of the ninth, Seth Gray hit a two-run homer. Even with the extra pop at the plate, the Kernels still dropped the game 8-4. The Kernels will play their next game against the Captains early Friday evening with a 5:35 CDT start time. David Festa will make the start for the Kernels. MUSSEL MATTERS Game 1 : Lakeland 6, Fort Myers 3 Box Score SP: Josh Winder 2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K HR: Misael Urbina (5) Multi-Hit games: None The Mighty Mussels played two games against the Lakeland Flying Tigers Thursday and game one had Josh Winder on the mound for the start of his rehab assignment. Winder did not fare well in the two innings he pitched. He allowed four runs on three hits and two walks. The good news out of Winder’s bad rehab start is his fastball velocity averaged 92.7 mph while his max velocity hit 94.7 mph. The Mighty Mussels bats looked like their Major League big brothers as they only tallied two hits in the first game. One was a leadoff solo home run by center fielder Misael Urbina. Johnathan Lavallee came on to pitch following Winder’s removal from the game. Lavallee threw three innings and gave up two earned runs on a walk and two hits but struck out four in his relief outing. Game 2 : Lakeland 1, Ft. Myers 0 Box Score SP: Pierson Ohl 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-Hit games: None In Game 2. the Mussels had Pierson Ohl on the mound for his 17th start of the season. Ohl went four strong innings and allowed only one run on four hits. He struck out five. The Mussels bats only managed three hits while being shut out. Fort Myers has only one game against Lakeland on Friday which is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. CT. Marco Raya will make the start for the Mighty Mussels TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Louie Varland (St. Paul) - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K Hitter of the Day – Pat Winkel (Cedar Rapids - 2-3, R, HR, 2 RBI (28) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R, K #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-3, RBI (22), K #7 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - Game 1: 0-2, R, BB, K, Game 2: 0-3, BB #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-3, HBP, K #12 - Louie Varland (St. Paul) - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-3, BB #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - Game 2: 0-3, 3 K #20 - Kala'i Rosario (Fort Myers) - Game 2: 1-3 FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS All Twins Minor League Affiliates play night games on Friday. Here are the start times and probables for their games. Toledo @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - Ronny Henriquez vs Matt Swarmer Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - LHP Kody Funderburk vs. RHP Zak Kent Cedar Rapids @ Lake County (5:35 PM CST) - David Festa vs TBD Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - Marco Raya vs TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday's games

TRANSACTIONS LHP Ryan Horstman was assigned to Wichita from Fort Myers. In Cedar Rapids, SS Dalton Shuffield was assigned from the FCL Down in Fort Myers, SS Daniel Ozoria was transferred to the development list, while OF Alex Sayre and SS Ben Ross were assigned from the FCL. In sadder transaction news, RHP Matt Canterino and LHP Steven Klimek were assigned to the Full Season Injured List. SAINTS SENTINEL Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 10, St. Paul 9 Box Score The Saints took a 9-0 lead in this one after the first two innings, so that should tell you about the disappointment that came late. Dereck Rodriguez made the start and was solid for five innings, the first four of those being of the scoreless variety. The RailRiders finally broke through for one in the fifth, before they’d decimate the St. Paul bullpen in the next three innings. Rodriguez allowed one run on four hits and three walks, while striking out four in his five innings. He had the big lead the entire time he was on the mound, as the home team used two walks, a single, and a hit by pitch in the bottom of the first, before a Chris Williams sac fly and Andrew Bechtold RBI single to take a 3-0 lead. They piled on six more in the second inning as seven straight hitters reached base, including a couple of RailRider errors to extend the inning, before Williams put an exclamation on it with a three-run home run for the 9-0 lead. Unfortunately, sixteen straight hitters after that were retired by Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitchers, and a John Andreoli single in the eighth inning was the only offense they mustered the rest of the game. After Rodriguez’s exit, the bullpen trio of Ronny Henriquez (2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), Austin Schulfer (1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER), and Jovani Moran (1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 K) couldn’t hold off the RailRider bats. Henriquez allowed two home runs, and Moran got charged with the blown save and loss after giving up the go-ahead home run in the eighth. Mark Contreras (2-for-3, R, RBI) was the only Saints hitter with multiple knocks, while Williams finished with four RBI, and Michael Helman chipped in a double. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 4, Wichita 17 Box Score This was just one of those games for the Tulsa Drillers. It’s always tough when you give up something like 17 runs, but they put forth a meager effort against Wichita’s pitching, which saw several records be set. To set the tone, Simeon Woods Richardson was on the mound for Wichita, and was electric for the first five innings. While he did allow seven hits, that number doesn’t tell an accurate story. I remember three balls that never should be counted as hits, including a sawed-off-bat fly ball that managed to fall safely into center field for a single. Woods Richardson was fooling RailRider hitters with the entirety of his arsenal, including 19 total swings-and-misses. Of his 87 pitches, 60 went for strikes (69%). His 10 strikeouts on the game are a new career high, and at one point he had struck out five straight hitters. It was a masterful performance. Then the bullpen followed him with perhaps an even more impressive four innings when it comes to punching out batters. Denny Bentley struck out two in a scoreless sixth inning, Alex Phillips picked up all six of his outs on K’s, and fireballer Steven Cruz added two more in a scoreless ninth inning. The 20 strikeouts in the game for Wind Surge pitchers set a club record and is the most strikeouts in any game in the Texas League this season. Jeez, I was so impressed by the pitching I even forgot about all the hitting, and patience… The Wind Surge lineup notched 14 hits, and matched that number by drawing 14 walks on the night as well. Will Holland had a double and a grand slam, in addition to three walks to reach base in all five of his plate appearances. He scored two runs and drove in five. Yunior Severino clubbed his first home run in a Wind Surge uniform, a three-run shot in the second inning that put Wichita in front. In a 10-run sixth inning, 14 straight hitters reached base, including an astonishing six straight walks that followed Holland’s grand slam, the culmination of five straight hitters reaching with hits. Aaron Sabato (2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB), Cole Sturgeon (4-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB), and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB, K) joined Severino and Holland with multiple hit nights. In a game like this, it’s almost astonishing to see that Edouard Julian and Anthony Prato were the guys who didn’t get hits. Then again, Julien drew a walk and scored a run, and Prato drew four walks and scored three runs. If you’re in the “too long, didn’t read” crowd, the box score link above is highly recommended. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 2, Cedar Rapids 7 Box Score While it was pretty much a team-wide effort of domination for Kernels against Wisconsin on Tuesday night, I’d be remiss if I didn’t immediately point out the first professional home run of infielder Brooks Lee’s career: This two-run shot in the seventh inning pushed the lead to 7-2 for Cedar Rapids. They got there behind a solid effort from their pitching staff, led by starter Orlando Rodriguez. He struck out the first three hitters of the game, but the final pitch to the last one got away, so he had to strike out another. If you’re counting, that’s 4 K’s in one inning. He then struck out two more to start the second, two more in the third, and one in the fourth before he was lifted. In all, he tossed 3 1/3 innings, striking out nine. He was charged with two runs (one earned) on three hits. Derek Molina added 2 2/3 perfect innings to pick up the win, followed by two more perfect innings from Matt Mullenbach (2 K), before Samuel Perez (1 IP, H) finished off the victory for the home team. Before Lee’s blast, the Kernels built a 5-2 lead thanks to a sac fly from Jake Rucker in the first, an RBI single from Willie Joe Garry Jr. in the second, and a three-run homer from Jeferson Morales in the fourth. Lee (2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI) and Garry Jr. (2-for-4, RBI, K, 2 SB) led the way with two hits apiece. Alerick Soularie went 1-for-3 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot, also drawing a walk and stealing a base. Mikey Perez scored two runs with a single, a walk, and another stolen base. As a team, they swiped six bases on the game. Lee did have two errors, one fielding, one throwing, playing shortstop. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 10, Palm Beach 1 Box Score The Mighty Mussels outhit the Cardinals 11-to-5 on the game, taking advantage of seven walks and timely hitting to put up double-digits on the scoreboard. Left-hander Jordan Carr made the start for Fort Myers and was excellent, pitching into the seventh inning. In all he completed 6 2/3 innings, allowing just a single run on four hits and a walk, while striking out four. It was his fifth win of the season, and he has yet to take a loss. Zaquiel Puentes finished off the game with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three. The good guys took the lead for the first time, and for good, in the top of the second inning when Noah Cardenas led off with a double, and was promptly driven in by a single from Keoni Cavaco. A pair of singles and a sac fly from Noah Miller in the third led to their second run, before a Carlos Aguiar homer in the fifth stretched their lead to 4-0. In the sixth Cavaco delivered an RBI double and they’d add another run on an RBI single from Alec Sayre in his FSL debut. In the seventh it was again Cavaco coming through, this time in the form of a sac fly to put them ahead 7-0. They tacked on three more runs in the ninth after loading the bases with three walks. Cardenas (2-for-2, 3 R, 2B, 2 BB), Cavaco (2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, K), Sayre (2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, K) and Aguiar (2-for-5, R, HR, 2 RBI, K) all had multiple hits. Dillon Tatum drew two walks, scored a run, and drove in a run. COMPLEX CHRONICLES Game 1: FCL Twins 7, FCL Braves 0 (Makeup of Aug. 15 PPD, 6+ innings) Box Score In game one of their doubleheader, the Twins shut out the Braves, jumping out front 6-0 after two and never looking back. Danny De Andrade and Gregory Duran each hit homers, with DeAndrade finishing 3-for-4, scoring two runs, driving in three, and also stealing a base. Third baseman Rafael Cruz also had multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI. Develson Aria made the start and went the first three innings. He scattered four hits, walked one, and struck out seven. Jack Noble (IP, H, K), Jacob Edwards (IP, H, K), and Wilker Reyes (IP, H, BB, 2 K) finished out the final three innings, keeping the shutout intact. Game 2: FCL Braves 3, FCL Twins 1 Box Score The Twins managed just one hit in their second game of the day, being unable to take advantage of the six base on balls they were able to draw. They were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left only six men on base. The rehabbing Austin Martin was 0-for-3, but drew one of those walks. Fredy Michel had the only hit, a single in the fourth inning, and also stole two bases, scoring their only run of the game. On the mound for his first rehab appearance and first game of the 2022 season, was Randy Dobnak. He pitched a clean first inning, retiring all three hitters including a strikeout, as he began to work his way back toward the majors. It was a bullpen-type game from there, with Michael Boyle (IP), A.J. Labas (2 IP), Zach Veen (IP), Danny Moreno (2/3 IP), and Cole Bellair (1 1/3 IP) all making appearances. Moreno was saddled with a blown save and loss, by allowing all three Braves runs. DOMINICAN DAILIES Game 1: DSL Cardinals 6, DSL Twins 13 (Completion of July 27 SUSP) Box Score The first game of the day for the DSL Twins was a completion of a game suspended back on 7/27. The Twins pounded out 15 hits, going 6-for-9 with runners in scoring position to keep the scoring train going in multiple innings. They put up four in the fifth, three in the sixth, and five in the eighth behind 13 singles and four walks. Isaac Pena had a triple, single, and sac fly to lead the way with six RBI in three at-bats, also drawing a walk and scoring a run. Ricardo Pena (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI), Denyerbe Gervis (3-for-5, 2 R, RBI), and Bryan Acuna (3-for-4, 2 R, RBI) all had multiple hits. Anthony Narvaez had made the start and completed two innings back in July, allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk, while striking out three. Orlando Rubio went the next three innings before the game was delayed, allowing one run on two hits and two walks, along with striking out three of his own. When the game resumed today, it was Leonardo Lugo on the mound, and he was fantastic finishing the final four games. He gave up one run on three hits, walked none, and struck out eight. Game 2: DSL Cardinals 7, DSL Twins 4 Box Score The Twins outhit the Cardinals 10-to-6, but eight walks issued by Twins pitchers led to a losing effort on the scoreboard. Starting pitcher Miguel Olivares had an uncharacteristic outing, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits, four free passes, and struck out just two. His two runs allowed in the second inning were the first earned runs he had allowed in his last 18 innings pitched. Jose Ojo (1/3 IP, H, 3 ER, 2 BB) and Juan Mercedes (2 2/3 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 5 K) finished the final three innings for the Twins bullpen. Leadoff man Yasser Mercedes led the way for the lineup with three hits in four at-bats and also stole second base each time he reached (giving him 27 steals in 36 total games). Luis Rodriguez added a double and scored a run, while Jose Rodriguez hit his 11th home run of the season, which ranks second in the DSL. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Simeon Woods Richardson, Wichita Wind Surge (W, 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, BB, 10 K) Hitter of the Day - Will Holland, Wichita Wind Surge (2-for-2, 2 R, 2B, GS HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB) PROSPECT SUMMARY #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI #4 - Austin Martin (rehab, FCL) - 0-for-3, BB #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - W, 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, BB, 10 K #7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, R, RBI, BB, K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-for-5, R, K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-for-5, R, BB #16 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K #17 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - 1 IP, H, 2 K #19 - Alerick Soularie (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 2 R, BB, SB #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, R, BB, 2 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/WB @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CDT) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-5, 10.15 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Cody Laweryson Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CDT) - TBD Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30 PM CDT) - TBD DSL Brewers 1 @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CDT) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

TRANSACTIONS No transactions on Sunday within the organization! SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 5, St. Paul 3 (10) Box Score Extra innings, man. Per Saints broadcaster and Vice President Sean Aronson, St. Paul has played more extra-inning games than any professional baseball team in their 2022 campaign. In their 17th extra-inning game of the season, the Saints dropped a 5-3 contest to Columbus on Sunday afternoon. St. Paul scored their runs on a pair of solo homers from Mark Contreras (12) and Chris Williams (1) alongside a sac-fly from John Andreoli that scored Caleb Hamilton. St. Paul starter Aaron Sanchez was magnificent, pitching five scoreless innings with striking out four, allowing just three hits and one walk. Sanchez shined in his one appearance with the Twins earlier this summer and it's great to see him continue to shine with St. Paul. Saints' relievers Tyler Thornburg and Jharel Cotton were solid on the day; Thornburg was perfect in the sixth inning, striking one one while Cotton was solid on the back end, pitching 1 1/3 innings of scoreless ball between the eighth and ninth innings. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 10, Corpus Christi 4 Box Score The bats were buzzing in Kansas. An inside-the-park homer from Will Holland led the Surge to a dominant win on Sunday afternoon at Riverfront Stadium in Wichita. Holland's homer took place in the second inning and was truly a spectacular sight. Holland also tallied an RBI single in the seventh inning and his inside-the-parker was the first in franchise history. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. also had a stellar day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and a towering solo home run in the third inning. The Surge were just as electric on the bump; starter Kody Funderburk (W, 8-4) tossed five shutout innings, striking out four and allowing zero walks. Cody (with a C) Lawyerson followed suit with a scoreless sixth inning. Highly-touted prospect Blayne Enlow was effective in relief as well, tossing a scoreless eighth inning. The win continues a hot streak for the Surge. Wichita has one nine of its last ten and 15 of its last 18 games. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 6, Cedar Rapids 5 Box Score A pair of ninth-inning runs from Quad Cities kept the Kernels out of the win column on Sunday afternoon. Despite the loss, there were a myriad of standout performances. Recent first-round pick Brooks Lee continued his impressive debut in pro ball, tallying four singles on the day. Alerick Soularie and Seth Gray each had rock-solid days at the office; Soularie launched a two-run homer along with an RBI single and Gray laced an RBI double along with a single. Starting pitcher Ryan Shreve was excellent, tossing three shutout innings and striking out two while walking none. MUSSEL MATTERS Jupiter 9, Fort Myers 4 Box Score After surrendering four runs in the first inning, Fort Myers mustered together some momentum with a four-run response in the second, all of which came with two outs. Unfortunately, that would be the only noise that the Mussels would make at the plate in a 9-4 loss on Sunday afternoon. Despite the loss, the second-inning frenzy was a beauty. Rubel Cespedes led off the inning with a four-pitch walk and advanced to second on a single from Kal’ai Rosario. Following a pair of fly outs, Daniel Ozoria laced a 3-1 pitch for a single into center to score Cespedes and move Rosario to third. The party started in the next at-bat; with Luis Baez at the plate, Rosario and Ozoria whipped up a double-steal, scoring Rosario and moving Ozoria to second. Ozoria would later score on a passed ball and Baez would eventually cross home as well thanks to a walk. Small ball at its finest. Fort Myers relievers Regi Grace and Anthony Escobar were outstanding for the Mussels. After a rocky two-thirds of an inning from starter Tomas Cleto, Grace went 2 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out four. Escobar followed with two innings of perfect baseball, striking out one. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day: Will Holland (Wichita) - 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, K Pitcher of the Day: Kody Funderburk (Wichita) - 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 4-for-5, R # 7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, BB, 2 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 3-for-5, R, RBI, K #15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, RBI, BB, K #19 - Alerick Soularie (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI #20 - Kala'i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 2-for-4, R, SB, K MONDAY'S GAMES FCL Twins @ FCL Braves (11:00am CST) DSL Twins @ DSL Nationals (11:00am AST)

Let’s see what happened this Saturday in the Twins organization. TRANSACTIONS 2B Nash Knight was assigned to Wichita from Round Rock Express (Rangers organization) RHP Luis Rijo was assigned to FCL from Cedar Rapids, after being removed from the 60-Day IL. OF Misael Urbina was assigned to Fort Myers from FCL Twins SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 9, Louisville 10 Box Score The Saints lost a heartbreaker on Saturday night. This game had so many lead changes; it was unfortunate to see St. Paul come out on the losing end. Aaron Sanchez took the hill for the Saints in this one. He threw six innings, allowing three runs while striking out four, keeping the Saints in the game and giving them a chance to win. Sanchez allowed three early runs to Louisville, so the Saints were in an early hole. Michael Helman singled in a run to give the Saints their first run of the night and cut the deficit to two. A few innings later, John Andreoli hit a solo shot, his seventh of the year, to cut the deficit down to just one run heading into the bottom of the sixth. The Saints brought in recently DFA’d reliever Juan Minaya to try to keep it a one-run game heading into the eighth inning. Unfortunately, he allowed four runs in the bottom of the seventh to put the Saints down by five runs, seeming like an insurmountable deficit. With six outs to go and needing five runs, the Saints started a comeback. Tim Beckham, Mark Contreras, and Jermaine Palacios all had two-out RBI singles in the top of the eighth, and Caleb Hamilton hit an RBI double to close the gap to just one run. After Drew Strotman threw a scoreless top of the eighth, the Saints tied the game in the top of the ninth when Jake Cave hit a sac-fly to score Andreoli. Evan Sisk continued to have an outstanding season when he threw a scoreless ninth to bring his season ERA down to 1.01 in 35 innings. The Saints took advantage of the runner on second base rule in the tenth when Curtis Terry doubled in the go-ahead run, and Roy Morales scored a run with a single to give the Saints a two-run lead with three outs to go. Ian Hamilton came on for the tenth and got two quick outs before an RBI single brought the game to 9-8. Louisville brought on a pinch hitter who quickly got to two strikes but hit a walk-off homer to give Louisville the come-from-behind victory. Helman, Terry, and Andreoli all had multi-hit performances to lead the offense in this game as the Saints fall to 40-42 on the season. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Amarillo 6 Box Score In another extra-inning affair, the Wichita Wind Surge fell in a heartbreaker to the Amarillo Sod Poodles, 6-3. Kody Funderburk took the ball for Wichita, and he was excellent once again, throwing five innings without allowing an earned run. He now has a 2.78 ERA in 55 innings in 2022. Andrew Bechtold started the scoring in the bottom of the fourth when he singled to score Edouard Julien. The RBI was Bechtold’s 30th of the year. After Funderburk committed an error, the Sod Poodles capitalized with a sac-fly to tie the game at one in the top of the fifth. However, the game didn’t stay like that for long, as Wind Surge newcomer Nash Knight blasted a homer into the left-center field bullpen just one half-inning later. In the top of the seventh, Cody Laweryson allowed his first home run of the year in 45 innings to former Twin catcher Juan Centeno. The game remained deadlocked at two through the ninth inning, thanks to two scoreless innings of relief from Alex Scherff. In extra innings, the Wind Surge did not fare well as Melvi Acosta allowed three hits and two walks, which led to the Sod Poodles scoring four runs to take a four-run lead with three outs to play. Julien hit an RBI single in the bottom of the tenth, but it wasn’t enough to take down the Sod Poodles (great name, by the way) as Wichita fell 6-3 to bring their record to 40-39. KERNELS NUGGETS GAME 1 Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 1 Box Score The Kernels were in control in game one of this doubleheader as they cruised to an easy 5-1 victory. Sean Mooney started on the hill for Cedar Rapids, going three innings, allowing one unearned run while striking out three. Alerick Soularie and Yunior Severino homered in their first at-bats to give the Kernels an early 2-0 lead. The homers were Soularie’s ninth and Severino’s fourth of the season. In the top of the fourth, Will Holland made one of the year's best catches. Rubendy Jaquez hit a scorching line drive to center, and Holland initially didn’t get a good jump but made up for it with incredible speed and a great diving catch to prevent extra bases. The Kernels tacked on three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a two-run double from Seth Gray and an RBI single from Wander Javier to increase the lead to four. Orlando Rodriguez got the win for the Kernels, throwing 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief while striking out three batters. The win was Rodriguez’s first of the year. Soularie and Gray each had multi-hit games to lead the offense to an easy win to at least guarantee a doubleheader split. GAME 2 Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 5 Box Score The Kernels had a rough go of things in the second game of this double-header, as they couldn’t get much going offensively after a tough start. The Twins Daily June Minor League Pitcher of the Month Aaron Rozek made a start for Cedar Rapids in game two. He had a rough start to the game, allowing five first-inning runs before eventually settling down. He went three innings, allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out three. This first-inning deficit was too much for the Kernels to overcome, as they could only muster up two runs on three hits in seven innings for the loss. Wander Javier, Kyler Fedko, and Jeferson Morales picked up the lone hits for Cedar Rapids in a pretty uneventful game. Bradley Hanner, Tyler Palm, and Matt Mullenbach were great out of the bullpen for Cedar Rapids, combining for four scoreless innings with ten strikeouts as they looked dominant. The Kernels had to settle for a doubleheader split on the day, and their record fell to a very impressive 48-32. MIGHTY MUSSELS MATTERS Fort Myers 8, Tampa 3 Box Score The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels continued their winning ways Saturday, picking up a sizable victory over Tampa by a score of 8-3. Twins Daily’s #9 prospect Marco Raya made a start on the mound for the Mighty Mussels, and he had his usual strikeout stuff, going four innings while allowing two runs and striking out six. Raya has 52 strikeouts in 43 innings at Fort Myers this year and has yet to turn 20 years old. The Mighty Mussels needed a response, with Raya giving up two early runs. They got a big one in the top of the fourth when Keoni Cavaco hit a solo shot, and Carlos Aguiar hit a two-run shot to give them the lead. After taking the lead, the Mighty Mussels never looked back, outscoring Tampa 5-1 the rest of the game to coast to an 8-3 win. Aguiar added his second homer of the game in the top of the eighth inning to add a little extra insurance. Pierson Ohl got the win in relief of Raya, throwing five innings of one-run ball with ten strikeouts as he completely baffled Tampa. Aguiar went 3-for-4 with a pair of homers to lead the offense in this one. Cavaco, Mikey Perez, and Rubel Cespedes all had two-hit performances to add to the Fort Myers offensive show. Fort Myers improves to 44-32 on the year with the win. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 12, FCL Red Sox 9 Box Score Rehabbing first baseman Miguel Sano played his fifth game with the FCL Twins and had his best performance, going 2-for-4 with two homers and not striking out. This is excellent progress for Sano, who the Twins hope can significantly impact the lineup after the all-star break. Ricardo Olivar added three hits to lead the offense, while Breilin Ramirez and Danny De Andrade each added two hits. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Twins 4, DSL Cubs Red 0 Box Score Cesar Lares was dominant on the mound for the DSL Twins, throwing five scoreless innings while striking out six batters to pick up the first win of his professional career. On the offensive side, Yasser Mercedes hit his first professional homer in the first inning of this game, while Rafael Cruz continued his offensive tear by hitting his fourth homer of the year. Cruz is now hitting .333/.441/.613 (1.054) with four homers in 75 at-bats this year. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Pierson Ohl (Fort Myers) - 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 10 K Hitter of the Day – Carlos Aguiar (Fort Myers) - 3-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR 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: #8 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, R, BB #9 - Marco Raya (Fort Myers) - 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K #12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 1-for-3, 2 BB #15 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB #16 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, R, BB NEXT DAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (12:05 PM CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (5-2, 4.98 ERA) Amarillo @ Wichita (1:05 PM CST) - RHP Daniel Gossett (1-1, 1.96 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 PM CST) - RHP John Stankiewicz (2-4, 6.32 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (11:00 AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Saturday’s games! Thank you for reading, and Go Twins!

While prospects can improve other tools, speed is an area that tends to decline as players add more muscle and age. According to the 20-80 scouting scale, multiple players on the list below are currently faster than expected in the future. Here are the top-five speed tool prospects in the Twins organization. 5. Yasser Mercedes, OF Current Run/Future Run: 55/50 Minnesota signed Mercedes as part of the 2022 international signing period, where he ranked as one of the top prospects in the class. It’s easy to see why he is projected to lose speed as he continues to age. He is currently 6-foot-3, and he weighs 180 pounds, so he is projected to add weight as he continues to mature. Scouting reports leading into the signing period noted that his speed currently helps him to make up for inefficient route running in center field. Many believe he can stick in center, and his speed is one tool that makes him an intriguing player to keep an eye on. 4. Alerick Soularie, 2B Current Run/Future Run: 55/55 Soularie had to wait until 2021 to make his pro debut after the Twins selected him in the 2nd round of the 2020 MLB Draft. He missed a large chunk of the 2021 season with a fractured foot, but he appeared in 34 games. He posted a .727 OPS during that time while going 9-for-10 in stolen base opportunities. Most of his defensive innings have come at second base, but the organization hasn’t been afraid to use his speed in the outfield. With his foot injury behind him, he can get his first full season in the books this year and show his true speed potential. 3. Royce Lewis, SS/CF Current Run/Future Run: 60/50 Like Soularie, Lewis missed significant time in 2021. However, there are bigger questions about whether or not Lewis will still have his top-graded speed after knee surgery. In 2019, Lewis went 22-for-32 in stolen base attempts at High- and Double-A. Questions are swirling about his future defensive position, but there is no question about his athletic ability and make-up. Lewis continues to fill out his frame, which will continue to take away from his speed while adding to his power potential. Steals aren’t as prevalent across baseball, but Lewis will be able to transition to other defensive positions because of his speed. 2. Keoni Cavaco, SS Current Run/Future Run: 60/60 Cavaco, the team’s 2019 first-round pick, struggled mightily in his first taste of full-season action. His athleticism was one of the biggest reasons the Twins selected him, as he was considered a late-riser on draft boards. Last season, he went 6-for-8 in stolen base opportunities, but he was also getting on base less than 30% of the time. In 60 games, he committed 24 errors at shortstop, so many believe he will eventually move to third base. As with many other prospects, missing the entire 2020 season hurt Cavaco, and he needs consistent reps and coaching to continue to improve. 1. Will Holland, 2B Current Run/Future Run: 70/70 Holland may be an unfamiliar name to some Twins fans, but the team took him with their fifth-round pick back in 2019. The Auburn product was old for Low-A last season, but his collegiate experience showed through as he posted a .336 OBP. Defensively, he played the majority of his innings at shortstop, but the organization also had him play at second, third, and in center field. In 76 games, he stole 19 bases, so his speed was evident on the base paths. He’s an athletic player that has a chance to fill a utility role at the big-league level. He turns 24-years-old in April, and he should start next season in Cedar Rapids. Who do you think has the best run tool in the Twins system? Should someone else make the list? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. OTHER POSTS IN THE SERIES — Top Power Tool Prospects — Top Hit Tool Prospects MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email

The weather was a factor for two of the Twins’ affiliates today. The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels game was postponed and the St. Paul Saints game was suspended after six innings. The Mighty Mussels hope to play a doubleheader on Saturday. The two games that were completed went to extra innings, but Twins affiliates in these games only combined for just eight hits. In addition, we saw one Twins' top prospects continue to climb the stolen bases leaderboard as he proves that he can make an impact at the major league level. Without further ado, let’s see what happened on this Friday in the Twins organization. SAINTS (AAA) St. Paul 3, Nashville 7 Box Score The Saints tied the game up at three in the bottom of the sixth before the rain hit and the game was suspended. Chi Chi Gonzalez made the start for the Saints and allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings while striking out six batters. He has now allowed five earned runs in 10 2/3 innings this season. The Saints looked like they were going to get off to a hot start in the first inning after Royce Lewis walked and Alex Kirilloff hit a single, but the next three batters were retired in order to strand the runners. Nashville hit a home run in each of the second and third innings, but the Saints finally broke through to the run column in the fourth inning when Jake Cave singled and Daniel Robertson drove him in with a double to reduce the deficit to two runs. With two outs in the fifth inning, Daniel Gossett replaced Gonzalez. Gossett faced four batters, struck out two, and induced two ground balls to Lewis to finish the sixth inning unscathed. In the bottom of the frame, Cave and Jermaine Palacios singled before Elliot Soto drove them both in with a double to tie the game up at three. After Nashville got out of the inning, the rain became too heavy and the game was halted going into the seventh inning in a 3-3 tie. When the game continued Saturday afternoon, Nashville scored a run in the top of the eighth to take the lead but a runner got thrown out at home on a relay from Mark Contreras to Robertson to David Banuelos to end the top of the eighth. After a scoreless bottom of the eighth, the Saints turned to Juan Minaya in the ninth, who walked the first three batters before allowing an RBI single and a two-run double before being pulled with runners on second and third with no outs. The Saints then turned to Ryan Mason out of the bullpen who struck out the first batter, walked Brewers #4 prospect Brice Turang, and struck out the last two batters to send the game to the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 7-3. Mason has now struck out nine batters in five and 2/3 innings in 2022. In the bottom half, Lewis and Jose Miranda singled but the Saints couldn't bring either of them across, falling 7-3 to the Nashville Sounds. Lewis went 1-1 with four walks in the game, raising his season on-base percentage to .433. Cave went 2-5 with two runs scored and Soto finished with two RBI. The Saints are now 12-9 on the season. WIND SURGE (AA) Wichita 3, Arkansas 1 Box Score In a lackluster offensive performance, the Wichita Wind Surge beat the Arkansas Travelers behind some excellent pitching. Matt Canterino made the start for Wichita, going three strong innings, striking out four, and not allowing any hits. He is now up to 12 2/3 innings this season and his ERA is down to 2.13. He has struck out 18 batters and allowed nine walks. He has been limited due to elbow issues in 2021, but his workload is slowly increasing in hopes that he could be an impact pitcher in the big leagues sometime soon. After Canterino was done, Steven Klimek threw two scoreless innings. The Wind Surge didn’t get their first base runner until the fifth inning when Matt Wallner singled. After Arkansas broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the sixth, the Wind Surge tied it up when Cole Sturgeon came in to score on a double play after being hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. The Wind Surge got some excellent relief pitching from Brandon Lawson and Evan Sisk to force extra innings while the offense remained stagnant. Sisk got out of a huge second-and-third jam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra frames. He has not allowed a run in 10 1/3 innings this year. In the top of the tenth, the Wind Surge began with Leobaldo Cabrera on second base and got off to a good start when Kevin Merrell reached on a sacrifice bunt and Andrew Bechtold walked to load the bases. DaShawn Keirsey and Austin Martin hit back-to-back sacrifice flies to give the Wind Surge a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the tenth, where Alex Scherff didn’t allow a run thanks to Wallner throwing out a runner at home to end the game. Sturgeon and Wallner collected the only two hits for the Wind Surge in the contest. Despite going hitless, Martin had a productive day at the plate by walking, reaching via hit by pitch, stealing a base, and driving in a run on a sac fly. Martin now has ten stolen bases, good for second in the league. The Wind Surge are now 11-8 this season as well as 3-1 in extra-inning games. KERNELS (HIGH-A) Cedar Rapids 2, Beloit 3 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels dropped a heartbreaker to the Beloit Snappers in 10 innings, losing 3-2 on a walk-off single. The extra-inning runner-on-second rule hurt Cedar Rapids, as they were unable to score in the top of the tenth with their extra runner, and Beloit walked them off in the bottom half of the inning. Sean Mooney was masterful in his third start of the season, throwing five scoreless innings while striking out eight batters and only allowing two walks and one hit. For the season, he is up to 13 innings while allowing three earned runs, eight hits, and 17 strikeouts. The Kernels couldn’t get anything going offensively through the first five innings, only mustering up four singles against Beloit. In the sixth inning, the Kernels put up two runs when Christian Encarnacion-Strand singled, Aaron Sabato walked, Jair Camargo scored Encarnacion-Strand with a double, and Jeferson Morales scored Sabato with a sacrifice fly to give the Kernels a 2-0 lead. The game stayed 2-0 until the eighth inning, thanks to two scoreless innings from Bobby Milacki. In the bottom of the eighth, the Snappers used single and back-to-back doubles to tie the game up at two going into the ninth inning. After an uneventful ninth inning in which he struck out two batters, Derek Molina began the tenth inning and gave up a hit to Davis Bradshaw which proved to be the walk-off hit thanks to the extra-inning runner-on-second rule. Encarnacion-Strand and Will Holland each had two hits in the game to lead the offense for Cedar Rapids. MIGHTY MUSSELS (LOW-A) Fort Myers, Clearwater (Postponed) Friday’s game was postponed due to inclement weather. The plan is for these teams to play two, seven-inning games on Saturday, starting at 4:30. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Sean Mooney (Cedar Rapids) - 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day – Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 1-1, 4 BB PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins' top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-2, BB, SB (10), RBI, K (played CF) #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 1-1, 4 BB, SB (5) #3 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 1-4, K #6 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K (42 pitches, 25 strikes) #12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 1-3, BB, 2 K #19 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-4, BB SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS (Saints game will continue at 1:07 PM CST) Nashville @ St. Paul (2:07 CST) - RHP Jacob Faria (0-0, 4.76 ERA) Wichita @ Arkansas (7:05 CST) - RHP Ben Gross (0-0, 5.19 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (1-0, 2.08 ERA) Clearwater @ Fort Myers (DH @ 4:30 CST) - RHP Travis Adams (1-0, 1.20 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games! Thank you for reading, and Go Twins!

A quick reminder. These prospect rankings are meant as a fun look at prospects throughout the Twins organization. In Part 2 today, you'll read about some hitters at various levels of development which can make it difficult to rank and differentiate. After reading about this group of players, enjoy the comments. Participate by asking questions or discussing the players mentioned. When we finish the rankings, I'd like to know your thoughts and your rankings. Let's get started with Twins hitting prospects ranked 21-25. #25 Jermaine Palacios 2021 STATS: .259/.340/.439, 17 2B, 19 HR, 54 RBI, 23.3 K%, 9.8 BB%, 18/26 SB Jermaine Palacios originally signed with the Twins way back in 2013 from Venezuela. By 2017, he had become a very solid Twins prospect, reaching into some Top 10 lists. Before the 2018 season, he was traded to the Rays for Jake Odorizzi. He really struggled in 2019 and 2020, especially in Double-A. He didn’t play in 2020 and became a free agent. He had other options, but he chose to come back to the Twins organization. The plan for him was to play all over the infield, but when Royce Lewis’s season came to an end, he became the almost-everyday shortstop. He was a very stabilizing factor in the Wind Surge infield, a fantastic defensively shortstop with a strong arm and range. In addition, he hit. He got on base, and he really showed a lot of power. Following the season, he very quickly signed to remain with the Twins organization on a minor league contract. He is currently hitting .349/.431/.563 (.994) with 11 doubles and four homers in 40 games in the Venezuelan Winter League. He will not turn 26 until mid-July. #24 Charlie Mack 2021 STATS: .229/.370/.368, 7 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 26.4 K%, 18.3 BB%, 2/2 SB Charlie Mack was the Twins sixth-round pick in 2018 out of high school. He spent time as an infielder but after the 2019 season, he was moved behind the plate. Unfortunately, there was no 2020 minor league season, but Mack continued to work at it and showed progress on defense in 2021 with the Mighty Mussels. His bat really came around in the second half too. Mack has a nice, pure, left-handed swing that should develop more power. He’s got a patient approach as well. He will be 22-years-old throughout the 2022 season and should spend it in Cedar Rapids. His brother Joe was the Marlins first-round pick in 2021. #23 Mark Contreras 2021 STATS: .251/.338/.485, 30 2B, 3 3B, 20 HR, 29.6 K%, 9.1 BB%, 15/20 SB Mark Contreras had a bit of a breakout season in 2021. The former minor league Gold Glove outfielder struggled with the bat in 2019. However, in 2021, he showed a good approach at the plate and really started to drive the ball, as you can see from 53 extra base hits. He remained strong in the outfield and played all three positions which is good since the Twins hope centerfield is pretty well set for awhile. Meanwhile, he will be 27 throughout the 2022 season and continuing to prepare himself in St. Paul for The Call. #22 Will Holland 2021 STATS: .214/.336/.401, 15 2B, 10 HR, 27 RBI, 33.1 K%, 11.0 BB%, 19/24 SB The Twins selected Will Holland in the 5th round of the 2019 draft. He was playing with Auburn in the College World Series. In 2021, he played in Ft. Myers. He missed a little time with injury and played in 76 games. He was a shortstop in college, but this year he spent a lot of time in centerfield. While he didn’t hit for average, as the season went on he took quality plate appearances and showed terrific power. Holland is a great athlete who can play all over the diamond. #21 Seth Gray 2021 STATS: .212/.321/.333, 13 2B, 11 HR, 51 RBI, 28.3 K%, 10.6 BB%, 5/6 SB Seth Gray certainly looks the part of a power-hitting third baseman. He is big and strong, yet he is pretty quick on his first at third base and plays the position pretty well. It was a disappointing season for him offensively. He wasn’t able to really find a run of consistency throughout the year. There were a lot of swings-and-misses, but he also has a patient approach at the plate. It’s important to also remember that with the missed season, he also jumped over Low-A ball. 2022 will be a big year for him, but the talent and strength are certainly there to move up this list rapidly. While Contreras and Palacios could be ready to fill a role in the big leagues in the right situation, Mack was a high school pick changing positions while moving up to the Mighty Mussels. Meanwhile Gray and Holland are college guys who have had their ups and downs but both remain filled with talent and tools to give hope that it can click. Let's not underestimate how much the lost season affected people differently. Discuss... and keep coming back every day throughout the holiday season as we continue to discuss these prospects. Previous Rankings Hitters Part 1: 26-30 Pitchers Part 1: 26-30

TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins recalled LHP Andrew Albers from St. Paul Saints. Fort Myers Mighty Mussels placed RHP Orlando Rodriguez on the temporarily inactive list. Fort Myers Mighty Mussels placed SS Keoni Cavaco on the temporarily inactive list SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 4, St. Paul 2 Box Score Gilberto Celestino put the Saints on the board with a crisp line drive homer (5) over the center field wall in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game at one. St. Paul scored their second run thanks to an RBI ground out from Tomas Telis that scored Damek Tomscha. Starting pitcher Beau Burrows lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on four hits while striking out six. Burrows' Achilles was the long ball, giving up three home runs on the evening. Burrows did enough to keep the game close and had a little help from his defense as well! Ryan Mason followed Burrows and was efficient, giving up no runs and zero hits while striking out three and walking two in 1 1/3 innings. Yennier Cano followed that up with two innings on the bump, giving up a run on two hits while striking out two. Edgar Garcia pitched the final inning for the Saints and escaped with a scoreless inning after walking two batters. WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 14, Wichita 7 Box Score After gaining an early 2-0 lead the Surge were unable to hang with the Naturals after giving up 10 runs in the second inning. Wichita got things going early when D.J. Burt laced an RBI double that scored Austin Martin in the first inning. After advancing on the previous play, Burt scored thanks to an RBI groundout from Roy Morales. Top Prospect and Olympic Silver Medalist Simeon Woods Richardson didn't have his stuff on the bump tonight. Woods Richardson lasted only 1 2/3 innings and gave up six runs and three walks on his short outing. Tyler Beck took the brunt of the relief work for the Surge, giving up six runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. Evan Sisk and Mitchell Osnowitz carried the caboose for the Wind Surge bullpen. tossing a combined two innings while giving up two runs and walking one. Sisk struck out one batter. Despite the surplus of scoring from the other dugout, Ernie De La Trinidad knocked his eighth homer of the year in the second inning. Jermaine Palacios plated the final run for Wichita when he struck a fourth inning RBI single to left field that scored Leobaldo Cabrera. Cabrera added to Wichita's run count in the eighth inning when he demolished a three-run homer (10) to left field, plating Burt and Morales. That would prove to be the final run for Wichita on a rare night where the team was outscored in a football-esque score. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 11, Wisconsin 4 Box Score On the opening night of the NFL the Cedar Rapids Kernels attempted to put up a football-like score...and succeeded. Cedar Rapids scored 11 runs in the first five innings to propel the Kernels to a 11-4 win on Thursday night. The offense was great, but Cedar Rapids starting pitcher and Minnesota native Louie Varland was just as solid. Varland didn't walk any hitters and struck out seven, giving up three runs on six hits. Varland is now 6-1 on the year and has been one of the brightest surprises in the Twins organization all season long. The Kernels offensive barrage began in the first inning when Edouard Julien led off the game with a single. Michael Helman followed suit with a triple (3) that scored Julien all the way from first. Helman's efforts were rewarded when he later scored on an RBI sac-fly from Aaron Sabato. The second innings was 'thrice' as fruitful for the Kernels. Cedar Rapids scored six runs in the inning to open the flood gates. To the eye, one would assume a six-run inning would consist of at least one extra base hit. Not the case. The Kernels recorded six walks (2 HBP) and singles from Deshawn Keirsey, Alex Isola, and Jeferson Morales to put up the crooked number on the inning. The Kernels DID see a pair of extra-base hits two innings later. Isola and Morales tallied back-to-back solo home runs to expand the Kernels lead to 10-0 after four innings of play. Julien added a homer of his own to inflate the lead to 11-1 in the fifth. After Varland exited the game, reliver Carlos Suniaga touted his own dominance on the mound with two innings of one run, one hit ball with one strikeout. Tyler Palm sealed the deal for the Kernels with a perfect ninth inning. The win puts Cedar Rapids a full game ahead of Great Lakes and Lake County for the second spot in their playoff race. The team has now won three straight! MUSSEL MATTERS Game 1 Fort Myers 7, Palm Beach 6 Box Score With weather postponing the completion of Wednesday's game, the Mussels showed up at Hammond Stadium for double the amount of baseball on Thursday. The squad didn't disappoint. After Palm Beach plated four runs in the seventh and eighth innings to tie the game at six, Fort Myers scored the go-ahead run to push the Mussels past the Cardinals' affiliate in game one of a double-header. The go-ahead run came courtesy of an home run from Alerick Soularie, who punished a 2-0 pitch over the left field wall to secure the lead for the Mussels. Soularie's late-inning blast wasn't the only time that the Tennessee Volunteer touched home plate in the game. Soularie scored a run in the fourth, one of four on the inning for Fort Myers. Willie Joe Garry Jr. led off the inning with a triple and scored on an RBI single from Mikey Perez. Soularie and Christian Encarnacion-Strand joined Perez on base thanks to a pair of walks. Patrick Winkel and Jake Rucker followed suit with a pair of back to back singles to score Perez, Soularie, and Encarnacion Strand. Fort Myers starting pitching John Stankiewicz lasted four innings, giving up five hits and two runs while walking two and striking out four. David Festa took the bulk of bullpen duties for the Mussels, pitching 2 2/3 innings of three strikeout ball, walking two and giving up two runs. Reliever A.J. Labas received one of the more unique stat lines on the night. Labas tossed 1 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and two-runs, including the game-tying run that tallied a blown save under his name. However, thanks to Soularie's blast, Labas also recorded the win (W, 1-2) on the game. Juan Pichardo cleaned up in the final inning and earned his fourth save of the season. Game Two Fort Myers 11, Palm Beach 2 Box Score Just like they relied on a big inning in the first game of the doubleheader, Fort Myers soared in game two thanks to a five-run third inning....and an absolutely electric outing from starting pitcher Casey Legumina. Legumina was stellar through 5 2/3 innings, striking out six while only giving up one run on one hit and a walk. The outing was the second outstanding appearance that Legumina has recorded in the month of September. The Dallas, Texas native went the same distance on the mound on September 2 against Dayton, giving up zero runs on three hits while striking out three and walking one. Yet dominant pitching is often a biproduct of dominant offense, something the Mussels did not lack in the third inning. Charlie Mack launched a three-run homer (7) followed by a Will Holland solo shot (10) to give Fort Myers a comfortable lead. Mikey Perez added to the scoring party with an RBI double in the inning, his first of the year. Holland continued his impressive night with an RBI single in the sixth inning that scored Encarnacion-Strand to put the Mussels up 11-1. After Legumina's masterpiece reliever Logan Campbell closed the door for the Mussels, tossing 1 1/3 innings of one-run ball while striking out one and walking none. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 4, FCL Pirates Gold 3 (10) Box Score A three-run fourth inning and a sac-fly walk-off from Rubel Cespedes powered the Twins to a victory against the Pirates on Thursday afternoon. Wander Valdez and Rubel Cespedes each tallied RBI singles to score runs in the Twins' dominant third inning. LaRon Smith also drew an RBI walk to score a run. Noah Miller, the Minnesota Twins' second pick in the 2021 draft tallied two hits on the day, including a single and a run in the fourth. Twins starting pitcher Erasmo Moreno was excellent, pitching three innings of scoreless baseball while striking out two and walking three. Jordan Carr followed Moreno with three innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out three. Similar to A.J. Labas of Cedar Rapids, Complex reliever Malik Barrington tallied a blown save but also the win (W, 1-1), thanks to Cespedes' walk-off sac-fly that scored Ka'lai Rosario. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Casey Legumina (Fort Myers) - (W, 4-2) 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day - Michael Helman (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Royce Lewis (rehab) - Out for season (torn ACL) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-for-3, R, BB #3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) - Did not pitch #4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 1.2 IP, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (elbow strain) #6 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 2-for-4 #7 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - Did not pitch #8 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (right elbow strain) #9 - Chase Petty (Complex) - Did not pitch #10 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - Did not play #11 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Injured List (right shoulder impingement) #12 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, RBI, BB, 2 K #13 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, HR, R, RBI #14 - Drew Strotman (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #15 - Noah Miller (Complex) - Did not pitch #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, K #17 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for season (Tommy John surgery) #18 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - 2-for-2 #19 - Cole Sands (Wichita) - Did not pitch #20 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 1-for-4, 2 K FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:05 PM CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes (6-3, 3.93 ERA) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (4-4 3.61 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Sean Mooney (0-1, 11.25 ERA) Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - LHP Cade Povich (0-0, 3.00 ERA) Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Drop a comment below!

According to the newspaper article (using the "Translate" tool to translate from French to English), Julien first injured his elbow while playing for Team Canada in the recent Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru. In the article, Julien notes that during a pre-game round of infield, he was manning second base (he played mostly third base at Auburn).He noted that during the work "in my elbow, I felt a pop." Julien tells the reporter that trainers thought maybe it was a displaced nerve, but an MRI showed the tear in the ulnar ligament. Instead of participating in the Twins instructional league work and offseason strength and conditioning programs, Julien said he expects to undergo about an eight-month rehab process. Much of the rehab will be done with Twins trainers in Ft. Myers. According to the article, Julien will have the procedure done by Dr. James Andrews in early September. ---------------------------------------------------------- Julien was a freshman All-American as a freshman in 2018 when he hit .275/.398/.556 (.954) with seven doubles and 17 home runs. His 69 RBI set the school's freshman RBI total set by Hall of Famer Frank Thomas over 30 years ago. Julien was arrested that summer for public intoxication, a misdemeanor. In 2019, he hit. 248/.378/.435 (.812) with 14 doubles and nine homers. Julien, along with Twins fifth-round pick Will Holland, manned the left side of the infield and helped Auburn to the 2019 College World Series. The Twins drafted him in the 18th round in June. It came as a surprise to many when Julien signed on the final day that he could. A couple of weeks earlier, he had tweeted a pledge that he was going to go back to Auburn for another year. However, after the draft-eligible sophomore played six games in the Cape Cod League, the Twins had some bonus money available as the deadline approached and ultimately signed Julien for $493,500, nearly $375,000 over the $125,000 limit for players drafted after the 11th round. He never did get a plate appearance after signing and before going to the Pan Am Games. The Twins have had their fair share of Tommy John surgeries by position players. Miguel Sano and Alex Kirilloff have missed a season due to the surgery. Akil Baddoo had Tommy John surgery earlier this season and is expected to be ready for spring training.

5. Misael Urbina, OF Current/Future Speed: 60/50 Urbina was the Twins top international signee back in the 2018 and he has continued his physical development since joining the organization. He currently comes in at 6-foot-0 and 175 pounds, which is stocky when it comes to the speed tool. Most scouting reports peg him as being a plus runner and he has shown the ability to steal bases and play terrific outfield defense. He has yet to make his debut in a stateside league, but that will likely change in 2021. 4. Keoni Cavaco, SS Current/Future Speed: 60/55 When the Twins drafted Cavaco, his athleticism was something that saw him rise quickly into the first round. He flashed plus speed entering the draft and those skills translated to his first professional season. According to reports out of the instructional leagues, Cavaco spent last year’s shutdown working on his conditioning and physical make-up. Now he is leaner this should only help his athleticism. It’s also scary to think what that could mean for his plus running skills. His body is going to continue to grow, and this can lead to him to losing some speed. The Twins are going to try and keep him at shortstop, but his size might result in a shift to third base. 3. Gilberto Celestino, OF Current Speed: 60/60 Celestino is a name Twins fans will get very familiar with in the coming years, especially since Byron Buxton’s future is up in the air. Celestino can be the heir apparent to Buxton since the team’s current centerfielder only has two more years of team control. Celestino’s stock has really taken off since coming to the Twins as part of the Ryan Pressly deal. He uses his speed to exhibit plus range in the outfield and he can play all three outfield positions. As gets more experience, his ability to steal bases should improve and he continues to add speed as he has grown into his body. Out of the players on this list, he has the best chance to keep his current speed ranking long-term. 2. Will Holland, SS Current/Future Speed: 65/60 Holland fell to the Twins in the fifth round of the 2019 Draft, but it might have been a blessing in disguise for the organization. He dropped in the draft because of a poor performance during his junior season at Auburn and his pro debut didn’t go much better. His speed helps him on both sides of the ball as his physical tools allow him to play shortstop and second base. Currently, Holland might be the fastest player in the organization because the top player on this list will be out for all of 2021. He has worked with his swing throughout the minor league shutdown, so he has plenty to prove when the new season gets underway. 1. Royce Lewis, SS Current Speed: 70/60 Twins fans may have gotten spoiled with Buxton as he is one of the fastest players at the big-league level. Lewis might not be quite at the same level as Buxton, but he still has blazing fast speed (see Tom’s highlight video below). His recent knee injury might be cause for concern because he might lose a step or two as he recovers. Even considering his injury, he is head and shoulders above the rest of the players on this list when it comes to speed. His best runs times from home to first are under four seconds and there are few players that can do that in professional baseball. How would you rank these players? Does someone else make the list? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. OTHER POSTS IN THIS SERIES -Hit Tool Prospects -Power Tool Prospects MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

If you missed the first round rounds, you can view them here. A brief primer: We're taking 16 players with "prospect" or "rookie" status. Positions on each team included: Catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, three outfielders, a bench player/hitter, three starting pitchers, three relief pitchers, and an extra pitcher. (Please note that comments under the picks were made by the person making the selection.) Round 5 Seth Stohs - Luis Rijo RH SP When the Twins acquired Rijo in July 2018, he had put up solid numbers and was known for his pitch ability. Then last summer in Cedar Rapids, he was pumping 96! I like that upside. Steve Lein - Akil Baddoo OF Though an injury cut short his 2019 season, Baddoo is an outfielder who can play center, gets on base, and was starting to show some pop. Ted Schwerzler - Griffin Jax RHP Jax isn’t going to be an ace, but he’s more than capable of being a safe and trustworthy arm. He’s performed at every level, and despite some hurdles in getting his baseball career to remain consistent, he’s been as reliable as it gets. Cody Christie - Wander Javier, SS Might as well complete my up-the-middle trifecta. Javier is coming off a rough transition to a full-season league, but he has too many tools not to be able to find success. Injuries have limited his time on the field, but more time and experience will showcase his full potential. Jeremy Nygaard - Will Holland, SS Holland struck out way too much in his pro debut, which came on the heels of a not-so-great junior season at Auburn. But his first two years there, plus a really good Cape performance in 2018, has me believing in both the power and the speed (16 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 2019 between Auburn and Elizabethton). If he can stick at shortstop, that’s just icing on the cake if he realizes his potential with the bat. Matt Braun - Gabriel Maciel, OF Outfielders kind of flew off the board quicker than I anticipated so I’m glad that I was able to snap Maciel. He could be the stereotypical leadoff hitter in the mold of Denard Span who sets the table for guys in the middle of the lineup. Round 6 Matt Braun - Yunior Severino, 2B Severino is a very interesting prospect in his own right. He was snatched up by the Twins after the Braves were busted for shady international practices and he has held his own in the lower level of the minors so far. He brings good upside in raw power that isn’t seen often in middle infielders and is one of the only switch-hitters in the entire system. Jeremy Nygaard - Zander Wiel, 1B/OF I’m not positive that Holland bats higher than sixth… but I know Wiel will bat third or fourth. I finally have my run-producing masher, who I assume will be my primary first baseman, though he does have some experience in the outfield. Cody Christie - Spencer Steer, 3B College experience, check. Power bat, check. Steer can help solidify the left side of the infield with Wander Javier playing up the middle. He will be a leader in the clubhouse and on the field. (Get to Know Spencer Steer here.) Ted Schwerzler - Trey Cabbage 1B The FSL wasn’t all that kind in Cabbage’s debut season there, but the 2015 4th round pick game into his power. He’s now 23 and will need to step up quickly, but he’s got the chops to play an athletic first base and drive the ball out of the yard. Steve Lein - Seth Gray 3B After being drafted in the 4th round last year Gray had a tale of two halves in his first season as a professional. In the months of June and July he hit a combined .201/.314/.373 in 134 at-bats with Elizabethton. Then he turned it on in August and September with a .270/.368/.520 line in his last 100 at-bats, including a promotion to Cedar Rapids for his final four games. Gray possesses a good amount of raw power, so I’m looking for that out of him in my lineup. Seth Stohs - Bailey Ober, RH SP I mean, just look at the numbers. The lanky right-hander pitched in 14 games last year and went 8-0 with a 0.69 ERA. In 78 2/3 innings, he struck out 100 batters and walked nine. He may not throw hard, but he’s doing something right. He knows himself as a pitcher and continued to learn throughout the 2019 season. Round 7 Seth Stohs - Sean Poppen, RH RP He’s mostly been a starter since the Twins drafted him out of Harvard. He’s had a little bit of big league time now out of the bullpen. As noted this offseason, I am a big believer in his upside as a reliever. He throws 97 and gets a ton of movement on his fastball and slider. Steve Lein - Josh Winder SP I’ll finish my rotation with Winder. He threw a ton of innings with the Kernels in 2019 and led the Midwest League with a 2.65 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. He can hit mid-90’s with his fastball and has a full repertoire of secondary offerings, with a few breaking balls showing promise. Ted Schwerzler - Cody Stashak RH RP The MLB debut in 2019 was about as good as it gets. In 25 innings Stashak mowed down opposing hitters and did so while limiting walks in an extremely impressive way. Relievers only have so much value, but I’m stoked to get him here. Cody Christie - Jorge Alcala RH SP I’m going with my best available player here and he happens to fill a need on my roster. Alcala struggled through parts of 2019, but his high ERA might not tell the full story. He has a fastball that can hit in the high 90s and a slider that helps him strikeout batters. If he doesn’t work in the rotation, he could be a tremendous bullpen option with his top two pitch options. Jeremy Nygaard - Chris Vallimont RHSP I thought hard about taking a pitcher instead of Wiel, but there were quite a few I liked and thought I’d get two of them (here and my next picks). I didn’t anticipate Seth kicking off a five-straight-pitchers run. All the pitchers that I considered here are gone, but I’m going to take the next pitcher on my list. Vallimont throws gas, is a little under the radar, and completes my rotation nicely. Matt Braun - Bryan Sammons, LHSP Jeremy taking Vallimont threw me into a fit of words that will not be repeated but I eventually got my bearings back and took Sammons. The walks were a bit high for him at AA this year but he brings great strikeout potential from the left side and rounds out my rotation quite nicely. Round 8 Matt Braun - Willie Joe Garry Jr., OF Garry Jr. and Maciel might make one of the most athletic outfields you can field using Twins minor leaguers. Garry Jr. is very young with a lot of development left but has as much upside as anyone else in the system. Hopefully people stop taking my guys as this continues. Jeremy Nygaard - Emmanuel Rodriguez OF The top “prospect” left on my list and also, having just turned 17, the youngest. Rodriguez will fit into a defensively-strong outfield, playing right field. He’ll also fit into the bottom third of the lineup where he can put his strong hitting skills on display, without pressure. Cody Christie - Tyler Wells, RH SP Wells was due back from Tommy John surgery in 2020 but his last action in 2018 saw him put up some strong numbers at High- and Double-A. He rounds out my rotation nicely and could wind up being one of my best pitchers if he can get back to where he was before surgery. Ted Schwerzler - Edouard Julien 3B Minnesota went with a pair of Auburn Tigers infielders in the 2019 draft. Julien initially decided to go back to school until the Twins convinced him otherwise. He had a bit of a down Sophomore year, but there’s plenty of pop in his bat and he’s got a chance to be a solid contributor on the diamond. Steve Lein - Mark Contreras OF Contreras had a rough season at the plate in 2019 overall, but I'm adding him for a different reason here: his elite defense. He won an MiLB gold glove award for his work in the outfield at all three spots. Seth Stohs - Derek Molina, RH RP Molina is a great athlete, and now that he is a full-time pitcher, he’s taking off. The right-hander split 2019 between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers and had 61 strikeouts and just 11 walks over 41 innings of work. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Monday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS LHP Lewis Thorpe returned to the Red Wings. RHP Drew Hutchison was traded to the LA Angels for cash considerations. IF Ivan De Jesus, Jr. has been promoted from Pensacola to Rochester. IF Jordany Valdespin is set to start a rehab stint in the GCL. Pensacola announced that IF Travis Blankenhorn has been activated from the IL. RHP Cole Sands placed on the Ft. Myers injury list with a calf strain. OF Malique Ziegler is set to begin a rehab stint in the GCL. Cedar Rapids announced that RH RP Jose Martinez has been placed on the IL. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester Box Score No Game Scheduled. BLUE WAHOOS BITES Pensacola 7, Birmingham 4 Box Score Down 4-0 going into the bottom of the fifth tinning, the Blue Wahoos scored five runs to take the lead. The bullpen took over from there. Charlie Barnes started and gave up four runs (two earned) on seven hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out four batters. Marcos Diplan made his first appearance in the Twins organization since the Twins acquired him in a trade with Milwaukee a week ago after being DFAd. He walked two and struck out one in his inning. Tom Hackimer, Andrew Vasquez and Justin Cheshire followed with scoreless, hitless innings. It is important to note that the bullpen was helped by some great defense. We rarely show the great plays, but this double play started by Jordan Gore is pretty incredible. https://twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall/status/1158574538122309632 Mark Contreras went 2-for-4 in the game and had a two-run single in the five-run fifth frame. Alex KIrilloff added an RBI single that inning. Ryan Jeffers went 1-for-3 with a walk. Travis Blankenhorn drove in two runs in his return. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, St. Lucie 4 Box Score Lachlan Wells made the start for the Miracle. The lefty gave up two runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out six. Yennier Cano came on gave up an inherited runner plus two runs of his own over two innings. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out one. Calvin Faucher gave up two hits but no runs in his innings. The Miracle were unable to muster much offense. Jacob Pearson led the way. He went 1-for-2 with two walks, his sixth double and stole his third base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Burlington 2 Box Score Gilberto Celestino has been red hot for over a month, and that continued on Monday night as he played hero for the Kernels. The talented outfielder went 3-for-5 and drove in the game-winning run with an eighth inning single. Albee Weiss went 2-for-3 with a walk. Spencer Steer, Trevor Casanova and Yunior Severino each doubled. Andrew Cabezas started. The right-hander from Miami gave up one run on one hit over five innings. He walked two and struck out three. Dylan Thomas came on and gave up one run on three hits over two innings. Alex Schick worked the final two innings. He walked one and struck out two. E-TWINS E-NOTES E-Twins 5, Kingsport 7 Box Score It was a back and forth game, and the Twins didn’t give up, scoring two in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough on this night. Will Holland led the way. He hit his fourth and fifth home runs of the season. https://twitter.com/ETwinsBaseball/status/1158545193710358528 Kidany Salva followed Holland’s second homer of the night with his second homer of the season. Parker Phillips also homered for the second time with the E-Twins. Charles Mack went 2-for-4. Ben Gross made the start for the Twins. He gave up three runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out three batters without issuing a walk. Denny Bentley gave up two runs on three hits over two innings. Osiris German gave up two runs on two hits in his inning. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins , GCL Pirates Box Score The teams were supposed to play a double header, but it was again rained out. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Andrew Cabezas, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Will Holland, Elizabethton Twins PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Pensacola) - 0-5, R, RBI, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 1-4, RBI, 2K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Rehabbing in GCL #4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - Did Not Play #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - Temporary Inactive List (Silver medal at Pan Am Games) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - Rained out. #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured (groin) #9 - Jhoan Duran (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch. #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch. #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List (lower leg contusion) #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - Did Not Play. #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - 2-4, R, 2 RBI (gave Sano a chance) #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 0-4, K #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - DId Not Play #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John) #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - 1-3, R, RBI, SF #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 1-4, 2 RBI. TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnett @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (5-1, 3.77 ERA) Pensacola - No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30 CST) - RHP Dakota Chalmers (0-0, 36.00 ERA) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - TBD Elizabethton @ Kingsport (5:30 CST) - RHP Andiu Marin (1-2, 5.70 ERA) GCL Pirates @ GCL Twins (DH @ 9:00 CST) - TBD, TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Monday games or any other minor league topics you would like.