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For some fans, getting used to the idea of the St. Paul Saints being the Twins' Triple-A affiliate still takes a little. The 2023 season marks the third year of an affiliation between the crosstown teams. Pros and cons of this affiliation have been evident since the organizations joined forces, and it will be interesting to see how the relationship continues to evolve in the years to come. However, the most significant positive for the Saints this season is the caliber of players on the field on any given night. Last season, the Twins had to dig into the team's Triple-A depth quite regularly because of the vast number of injuries at the big-league level. The Saints finished the season with a 74-75 record, which placed them 17 games back in the International League West Division. Mark Contreras and Jermaine Palacios were the lone position players to play over 100 games for the club. At the same time, Ronny Henriquez, Dereck Rodriguez, and Mario Sanchez were the only pitchers to toss over 90 innings. Some of the team's top prospects appeared on the club, but it was a roster full of veterans looking for another shot at the big-league level. Minnesota's front office focused on adding depth to the big-league roster for the 2023 season. These moves naturally added more talent to the Saints' roster because the Twins pushed players down the organizational depth chart. Many big-league teams would be forced to use players like Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Jose Miranda, and Edouard Julien. Luckily, the team has allowed these players to find their footing at the Triple-A level, no matter if they are playing well or struggling when they get called up. This depth has helped the Saints to start the season at the top of their division. Through Sunday's game, St. Paul had a 32-23 record with a +42 run differential. The Saints rank in the top 10 in runs per game, home runs, and OPS in the International League. St. Paul's pitchers have fared even better, ranking in the top-5 in ERA, strikeouts, and K/9. The top seven teams in the IL West Division are only separated by 4.5 games, so the Saints must continue to rely on organization depth to qualify for the playoffs. Saints fans can also look to Double-A for players that can reinforce the roster in the second half. Yunior Severino has started the year on a tear for Wichita with 12 home runs and an .899 OPS in his first 44 games. Brooks Lee is considered by many to be the organization's top prospect, and he's holding his own (.756 OPS) during his first full professional season. Alex Isola and DaShawn Keirsey have an OPS higher than .800 and can provide different defensive skills at Triple-A. Those are just some offensive weapons that could be in a Saints uniform later this year. On the mound, Blayne Enlow seems like a lock to enter St. Paul's rotation in the second half. The Twins removed him from the 40-man roster this winter, but he's out to prove he belongs. He has been terrific with a 3.30 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and a 61-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his first 49 innings. David Festa is another pitcher to watch at Double-A, but he's had a slower start to the 2023 campaign. The Wind Surge have been giving many late-inning opportunities to Alex Scherff, and he has posted a 12.13 K/9 that might translate well to the Saints bullpen. Injuries have started to impact the Twins, but it has yet to deplete the Saints' rosters. Fans in the Twin Cities can head to CHS Field and watch some impact players working toward Target Field. Minnesota's depth is substantial, and the Saints will continue to benefit throughout 2023. Do you think the Saints will continue to stay in the division race? Which players will significantly impact the Triple-A roster most in the second half? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

An issue that popped up a little in this list is that of role assignments: pitchers in the minors often flip-flop between starting and relieving to eat up innings whenever they can. This poses challenges for those who acknowledge the delegation of title, as a starter with one relief appearance is still obviously a starter, but sometimes it isn't as clear-cut. I did my best to adhere to the spirit of the award while still understanding the sometimes silly nature of minor-league pitching order. Below are the names I thought most deserved to be on the list. Their ranking is entirely subjective; I value innings thrown, as those are outs, and outs are valuable, but also like to weigh strikeouts and peripheral numbers as they can differentiate between dominance and merely a pitcher getting lucky. In times when it's a toss-up, I valued the almighty ERA as the great equalizer—got that? Good; let's start. First, some honorable mentions: LHP Brent Headrick, St. Paul Saints Brent Headrick was second in the organization in strikeouts in May, punching out 32 hitters over 23 2/3 innings; run suppression proved his downfall, though, as he held a 4.18 ERA. RHP Marco Raya, Cedar Rapids Kernels May saw a rare perfect month as Marco Raya did not allow a run in four starts, striking out 35.0% of batters while walking just 2.5% of them. He only pitched 12 innings, though, which is why he was relegated to the honorable mention list. RHP Alejandro Hidalgo, Cedar Rapids Kernels Alejandro Hidalgo’s ERA was a sparkling 1.84, but he walked 12 batters over 14 2/3 innings, revealing some good fortune under the hood. LHP Jaylen Nowlin, Cedar Rapids Kernels Jaylen Nowlin led the organization in innings in May and walked just six batters. He also hit six more, though, limiting his placement to the honorable mention list. Now on to the main list: 5. LHP Jordan Carr - High-A Cedar Rapids Kernels, 21 IP, 24.1 K%, 1.71 ERA, 3.36 FIP Jordan Carr is a quick lesson in why pitcher designation in the minors is silly: Carr started three games in May but entered in relief once on May 26th to piggyback off Marco Raya, eventually finishing the game with six excellent frames. Technically that’s not a start, but Carr was still tremendous in May. With just four earned runs over 21 innings, Carr’s microscopic ERA was supported well by respectable strikeout and walks rates. Maybe next month, he won’t be a partial victim of circumstance, but for this month, he'll slot in as the fifth spot on this list. 4. RHP Blayne Enlow - AA Wichita Wind Surge, 25 1/3 IP, 32.4 K%, 3.20 ERA, 3.77 FIP An incredible lesson in patience and perseverance, Blayne Enlow rebounded from a middling 2022 season, making fools of Double-A hitters with revitalized stuff and excellent command. May was a continuation of April; Enlow gobbled up batters with two separate 10-K outings and a third start earning nine whiffs. If it weren't for a bizarre one-strikeout outing and another semi-blowup start, the 2017 draft pick could have reached even higher on this list. Still, Enlow is firmly back on the prospect map, and he could very well see major-league playing time sometime this season—something almost no one expected after the Twins removed him from the 40-man roster last off-season. 3. RHP Cory Lewis- Low-A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, 19 2/3 IP, 34.6 K%, 2.29 ERA, 2.64 FIP Cory Lewis was a strong contender amongst the top three pitchers I considered for starter of the month. He didn’t take the top spot, but third place is something to cherish for the 22-year-old. He was dominant in May; A-Ball hitters walked back to the dugout 27 times after facing Lewis—a total only trailing Brent Headrick and Blayne Enlow, respectively. With a 0.92 WHIP and a suffocating .169 batting average against, that Lewis ever allowed runs seems like a miracle. You may remember him as the main force behind a May 14th combined no-hitter, striking out seven over 5 2/3 innings of work. He will inevitably join the Kernels sometime in the coming weeks, bringing his knuckleball north to the state of Iowa. 2. RHP Zebby Matthews - Low-A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, 18 ⅓ IP, 36.0 K%, 1.96 ERA, 1.19 FIP 1.19 FIP! Yeah, that’s real, somehow. You should know about Zebby Matthews by now; perhaps no Twins pitching prospect has dominated this season like Matthews, who earned a promotion to Cedar Rapids before two full months had even passed. It’s easy to see why, though, given that Matthews allowed just four runs in May, striking out 27 batters while walking just two. Two. That’ll get a guy sent up a level. High-A hitters, be warned: Matthews looks to be a force even the strongest-willed amongst us would prefer to avoid. 1. LHP Aaron Rozek - AA Wichita Wind Surge, 22 2/3 IP, 22.4 K%, 1.99 ERA, 3.50 FIP A comeback story as fine as any. Aaron Rozek made three starts in April, surrendering 15 earned runs over 10 frames of work—unenviable numbers from the Burnsville native. But be it fate, fortune, hard work, or a combination of the three, Rozek found himself in May, turning in just five total earned runs over 22 2/3 innings. He beat out a tough crowd to become Twins Daily’s May Minor League starting pitcher of the month. In no start did he allow more than two earned runs, instead opting to hand his opponents one score before shutting them down for the evening; three of his starts were one-run endeavors. Those are difficult numbers to come by in an offensive-heavy environment like the Texas League. What are your thoughts on the starting pitching performances in the Twins minor leagues in May? How would you rank these pitchers? Comment below.

The Twins drafted Blayne Enlow in the third round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of high school in Louisiana. Minnesota had to be strategic when working to sign Enlow since he was committed to playing for Louisiana State University. With the number one pick, the Twins took Royce Lewis and signed him to an under-slot deal, so the team could use that money to sign picks in later rounds. To coax him away from LSU, the Twins made Enlow one of two players in the third round to sign for $2,000,000. Enlow made his professional debut with the GCL Twins shortly after signing with the organization. In 20 1/3 innings, he allowed three earned runs on ten hits with a 19-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Minnesota moved him up to Low-A for 2018, where he was nearly three years younger than the average age of the competition. Enlow posted a 3.26 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP with 71 strikeouts in 94 innings. He only faced younger batters in 13 plate appearances, so it was an impressive first full season. In 2019, Enlow split time between Low- and High-A while pitching over 110 innings for the first time in his career. His first eight appearances came in Cedar Rapids, and his strikeout rate jumped from 6.8 K/9 in 2018 to 9.6 K/9. Minnesota promoted him to Fort Myers at the end of May, and his final 13 appearances came in the FSL. In 69 1/3 innings, he posted a 3.38 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP, but his K/9 dropped to 6.6 with the bump in competition. Enlow was solidifying himself as one of the organization's top pitching prospects, and the 2020 season had a chance to be a breakout year. Unfortunately, the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season, and Enlow's 2021 season was also cut short. He started the season well as he limited batters to three earned runs (1.84 ERA) on 13 hits with 23 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings. But he underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2021 and missed the rest of that season and the beginning of the 2022 campaign. Minnesota still valued Enlow enough to add him to the 40-man roster that winter, even though he would miss time during the following season. Enlow returned from Tommy John surgery in May 2022, less than 12 months after the team announced his surgery. Many pitchers see ups and downs in their return from Tommy John surgery, which was the case for Enlow. Batters posted a .968 OPS against him during his first five starts, but his OPS allowed dropped by over 300 points in June and July. In the second half, batters started to find success against him again, and the team moved him to the bullpen to control his innings total. He ended the year with a 4.20 ERA, and the Twins removed him from the 40-man roster. Thankfully, Enlow cleared waivers, and the Twins kept him in the organization. This season, he's made eight starts at Double-A with a 3.02 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and a 48-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His control has improved this season, which can take time following Tommy John surgery. In 2022, he posted a 4.7 BB/9 and allowed nearly ten hits per nine, and this year his walk rate has dropped to 2.2 BB/9 with 8.0 H/9. He's allowing his career's highest home run rate (1.1 HR/9), but it's a limited sample size to this point. The Twins will likely need more starting pitching depth at the big-league level, especially with injuries to Tyler Mahle and Kenta Maeda. Enlow has been surpassed by other pitching prospects on the organization's depth chart, but his numbers this season are hard to ignore. He is on pace to be promoted to Triple-A, and then he is only a phone call away from making his big-league debut. What have been your impressions of Enlow in 2023? Will the Twins need him at some point this season? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins salvaged the third game of their three-game series against the San Francisco Giants. They got another solid start from Joe Ryan, and Edouard Julien and Matt Wallner both contributed mightily to the Twins win. Fort Myers was rained out on Wednesday, but the three other affiliates played. There were some big innings. There were comebacks. There was a walkoff. There was a Quality Start. There were homers, and lots of multi-hit games. Continue on to find out what all happened. St. Paul Saints: 24-21 Wichita Wind Surge: 19-21 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 22-19 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 23-17 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS No transactions on Wednesday. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Omaha 5 Box Score In the bottom of the second inning, the Saints put up a big five spot. Were they able to hang on to that lead? Well, Omaha scored three runs in the top of the third and another in the fourth. But as the game went into the ninth inning, the Saints still held a 5-4 lead. Before we get to that, let’s talk about that five-run second frame. Hernan Perez got the team on the board with a double to score Ryan LaMarre. Jair Camargo followed with a single that drove in Perez with the second run. Royce Lewis, who batted second and played third base, then lined a double to left field that drove in Camargo and Andrew Stevenson. Finally, Jose Miranda singled to score Lewis with the fifth run of the inning. Lefty Brent Headrick was the Saints starter. In the third inning, he gave up a three-run homer to Royals middle infield prospect Nick Loftin. He also was charged with an unearned run in the fourth inning. In all, Headrick needed 82 pitches to work through four innings. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on seven hits and two walks. He recorded three strikeouts. Josh Winder had a nice outing. He tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked three and struck out four batters. Connor Sadzeck got the next four outs, three on strikeouts while maintaining the 5-4 lead. Oliver Ortega came on and walked a batter before getting a strikeout to get the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth inning, Ortega remained on the mound. He got the first batter to line out. Then he recorded a strikeout. With two outs, Logan Porter hit a soft single. Ortega then got a ground ball, but a throwing error put runners on first and third. Unfortunately, Dairon lined an 88 mph single that tied the score at five. Ortega got the final out on a fly out. So the Saints had to take their at-bats in the bottom of the ninth. Andrew Stevenson got things started with an opposite-field single. With Andrew Bechtold batting, Stevenson stole second base, his 16th of the season. Then on a 3-2 count, Bechtold hit a ground ball that the pitcher deflected toward second base, but he beat the throw to first. With runners on first and third and nobody out, Jose Miranda stepped to the plate. Bechtold took second on Defensive Indifference before Miranda walked it off with a single to left field to give the Saints a 6-5 win. Jose Miranda went 2-for- 5 with two RBI in the game. Lewis played the first seven innings before being replaced by Bechtold. Lewis went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Stevenson went 2-for-5. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 13, Springfield 1 Box Score It was a big day for the Wind Surge offense. They had a four-run third inning. In the seventh, they had a five-run inning to increase their lead to 10-1. They added three more in the eighth inning to provide the final score. Wichita had 18 hits and four walks in the game. Eight of nine starters had at least one hit. Seven of nine had multi-hit games. Three players had three hits in the game. We will get into the specifics for the hitters, but it's always important to highlight strong pitching. Blayne Enlow was the beneficiary of the offensive explosion, but he again did his job and kept the Cardinals’ prospects at bay. Enlow started with five shutout innings. He then gave up one run in the sixth inning. He was very efficient as well. He had just one out (the final batter he faced), but he also walked no one. He needed just 76 pitches to get through six innings. When the offense had their long, five-run seventh inning, his night was over. It was his third Quality Start of the season. Following the game, Blayne Enlow told Twins Daily, “It felt great. Complete opposite of last outing with the Ks (he had 10 strikeouts in 5 ⅓ innings), but I made the right pitches when I needed to and got weak contact that the defense just vacuumed up today.” Lefty Denny Bentley is back. He got five outs in this game, two on strikeouts. Alex Scherff gave up three hits and a walk over the final 1 1/3 innings, but also did not allow a run. Back to the offense. Let’s start with the big hits. In the four-run third, Anthony Prato got things started with a solo home run, his second of the season. Soon after, Yoyner Fajardo doubled in a run, and that was followed by Brooks Lee’s fourth homer of the year. Fajardo drove in Prato with a single in the fourth inning to make it 5-0. Yunior Severino got things going in the five-run seventh frame. His sixth double scored Brooks Lee. Next, Jake Rucker scored on a passed ball. DaShawn Keirsey’s seventh double (you need to see this one!) drove in two runs and the scoring for the inning was complete when Pat Winkel singled in Keirsey. Yoyner Fajardo has been incredible with the Wind Surge this season. In the eighth inning, he singled in another run. Lee followed with his 13th double. Finally, Severino hit into a double play that scored the team’s 13th and final run of the night. Fajardo, who came to the Twins organization as a minor-league Rule 5 pick this offseason, is speedy. But after his 3-for-5 night pushes his batting average to .316. The 24-year-old outfielder’s on-base percentage is up to .377. Following the game, Fajardo noted, "My thoughts for tonight were to hit (the ball to) the middle since the opposing team threw me a lot of breaking pitches the night before. I tried to think for the middle, and thank God, the results turned out well." Jake Rucker went 3-for-5. Seth Gray went 3-for-4 with a triple in the game. Brooks Lee went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a home run. His batting average is now .252 with an OPS of .753. Severino went 2-for-5. Keirsey went 2-for-5. Winkel went 2-for-4 with a walk. We seem to always highlight when the Twins and their affiliates don’t do well with runners in scoring position. Well, in this game, the Wind Surge went 7-for-9 in those situations. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Wisconsin 4 (10 innings) Box Score The Kernels hosted an afternoon game on Wednesday. It was quite a pitchers duel and needed an extra inning to decide it. Jaylen Nowlin made the start. The southpaw was charged with one run on seven hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out five batters. Regi Grace came on and worked two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked two and struck one out. Miguel Rodriguez worked two perfect innings and struck out one batter. Niklas Rimmel came on for the top of the 10th inning. As you know, the Rattlers started the inning with a runner on second base. Rimmel got a strikeout of Robert Moore. However, Matthew Wood singled to left which advanced the runner, Eric Brown Jr., to third base. However, Rimmel got Ben Metzinger to line out for the second out of the inning. Unfortunately, Joe Gray Jr drilled a three-run homer to put Wisconsin in front 4-1. With one out in the bottom of the 10th inning, Jeferson Morales singled to drive in the “Manfred Man” Andrew Cossetti to deficit to 4-2. But that was it for the Kernels and they fall to 22-19. In the game, the Kernels managed just three hits. Misael Urbina hit a solo homer leading off the second inning. Along with his 10th inning single, Morales had one of the team’s four walks. In his first High-A game, Cossetti went 0-for-4. Bonus Brewers Content (If you are a friend of the Brewers, or know people who are, be sure to send them to Brewer Fanatic.) For the Brewer Fanatic readers checking out today’s report, here are a few notes. OF Joe Gray was the Brewers second-round pick in 2018 out of high school in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In high school, he played with and against Kernels RHP Regi Grace and OF Willie Joe Garry. Alexander Cornielle gave up one run on two hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings. Alex Hall went 2-for-3 with a walk. Matthew Wood was the Brewers fourth round pick out of Penn State last year. He had two hits in this game and is now hitting .344 with an .806 OPS in eight games since his promotion. Finally, 2022 top pick, shortstop Eric Brown Jr. was hit in the face by a pitch in late April. At the time, he was hitting .137/.267/.157 (.424) with one double in 14 games. After missing about 10 days, he returned to the lineup in early May. In 18 games since his return, he has hit .329/.429/.471 (.900) with four doubles and two homers. Overall, he has 17 walks with 22 strikeouts in 144 plate appearances. He also has 20 stolen bases and has only been caught twice. Definitely one to watch, including in this two-part Brewers Spotlight interview. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers, Dunedin (PPD-Rain) Box Score The game was postponed due to weather and field conditions in Dunedin. The teams will make up the game as part of a doubleheader on Saturday. . TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Blayne Enlow (Wichita Wind Surge) - 6 IP, 1 R, 6 H, 0 BB, 1 K. 76 pitches, 49 strikes (62.2%). Hitter of the Day – Brooks Lee (Wichita Wind Surge) - 2-for-4, BB, 2B(13), HR(4), 3 R, 3 RBI, K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-for-4, BB, 2B(13), HR(4), 3 R, 3 RBI, K, #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul-Rehab) - 2-for-4, 2B(1), R, 2 RBI, 2 K, E. (played 3B). #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, BB, K. #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, BB, HR(3), 2 R, 2 RBI, SF, K, E #9 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-for-4, 2B(1), R, RBI, SB, #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K. #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4. #15 - Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 82 pitches, 51 strikes (62.2%) #17 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 76 pitches, 49 strikes (64.5%) #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 2-for-5, 2B(6), R, RBI, K . THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Aaron Sanchez (2-4, 4.89 ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (7:05 PM CST) - RHP David Festa (2-2, 5.58 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Kyle Jones (2-2, 3.62 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games!

Don’t forget to read Nick’s Week in Review to catch up on the Twins week. TRANSACTIONS None as of publishing. RESULTS Tuesday (5/16): Guess Who's Back? Back Again, Royce is Back, Tell a Friend Wednesday (5/17: Tough Day for the Twins Organization Thursday (5/18): Enlow Excites Again Friday (5/19): Prospects Put on a Show Saturday (5/20): The Only Way to Win is With Mother Nature Sunday (5/21): Winkel Wins it for Wichita MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT One Pitcher From Each Minor League Level That Deserves a Promotion Twins Daily Updates Top 20 Prospect Rankings Bring on Balazovic Rankings Update: 4 Twins Prospects Crack MLB's Top 100 It’s Time to Jump on the Yunior Severino Hype Train TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (11:07AM CST) - TBD Wichita @ Springfield (6:355PM CST) - TBD Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl (2-3, 3.60 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30PM CST) - TBD WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints (Week: 2-4) Overall: 23-20, 2.5 games back in the International League West. Overview: The Saints dropped four of six at Columbus and will start a homestand on a two-game losing streak. 🔥: It sure is nice having Royce Lewis back playing. He hit three home runs among eight hits for the Saints. He looks back to his normal self and will be ready for activation around the first of June. 🔥: Brent Headrick struck out seven in his start. He gave up two runs on four hits in six innings. 🥶: Matt Wallner struck out 15 times in six games. He still had six hits in 25 at-bats, including two doubles. But a 60% strikeout rate is… yikes. 🥶: Last season, Jose Miranda turned his season around with a demotion that included taking zero at-bats at Triple-A. This week, he went 3-22 with two runs and three RBIs. With Lewis’ return imminent, Miranda could find himself buried even further down the organizational depth chart. 🥶: Randy Dobnak made two starts. He allowed nine hits and five earned runs in only four innings. What's Next: The Saints will host Omaha (18-24). Omaha has the worst record in the International League West and is only a game and a half out of last place in the entire International League. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge (Week: 3-3) Overall: 18-20, 6-5 games back in the Texas League North. Overview: The winning streak has ended with a split with a Arkansas, so no ground was made up in the race for the division. 🔥: Alex Isola collected eight hits including two home runs in twenty-five at-bats. 🔥: Blayne Enlow keep getting it done. In 5 1/3 innings, he struck out 10, walked none and gave up one run (a home run) on six hits. 🔥: Jordan Brink collected two saves, allowing only one hit in four shutout sinnings. He walked one and struck out three. 🔥: Aaron Rozek struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings. He allowed only one run on two hits and two walks. 🥶: David Festa has really come down after such a hot start to the season. Festa couldn't make it out of the third inning in his last start and gave up five runs on five hits, three walks and a hit batter. 🥶: After being on top of the world, Yunior Severino came back down to earth. He was 6-25 with no extra base hits and eight strikeouts. What's Next: A trip back on the road to Springfield (16-22) who is in last place. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels (Week: 4-2) Overall: 22-17, 0.5 games back in the Midwest League West. Overview: The Kernels took four of six from a Peoria team who was also competing in the division. 🔥: Kala’i Rosario had two home runs and a double while batting 7-20. He drove in five runs. 🔥: Jaylen Nowlin stuck out four and allowed three runs over six innings, issuing no walks but allowing one home run among the three scored. 🤔: Misael Urbina didn't exactly tear it up, but five hits and three walks is a huge improvement over how he's been playing. He's still 21, so there's time... but the ticking is louder than it was when he wasn't hitting at all in Fort Myers in 2021. 🥶: Alejandro Hidalgo struggled to locate in his lone start. He walked six and only got four outs. 🥶: Ben Ross was 2-20. He scored three runs and drove in one. He struck out five times and had a team-low OPS of .236 (minimum five at-bats). What's Next: Next up is the last place Timber Rattlers (11-27) who are 11 games out of first place. Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels (Week: 3-3) Overall: 22-17, 7.0 games behind Clearwater in the Florida State League West. Overview: The Mighty Mussels split with Lakeland but remain in second place. 🔥: Andrew Cossetti led the team with seven hits on the week and was one of seven different hitters to triple. 🔥: Christian McLeod allowed one run on a hit and two walks over four innings. He struck out seven. 🔥: Zebby Matthews and Cory Lewis both had pretty good performances. Both were hurt by unearned runs, but struck out nine and eight, respectively. Both have been setting themselves up for a summer promotion. 🤔: Jorel Ortega had three extra base hits, but struck out eight times in 22 at-bats. Ortega has been playing a pretty solid third base, but he'll have to lower his strikeout numbers, which are just a tick below 30%. 🥶: Dalton Shuffield went hitless in 14 at-bats over the week. The 10th-round pick came out on fire after being drafted, but hasn't hit for average or power like he did last year. He has taken more walks though. What's Next: The road trip continues in Dunedin (21-18) who are tied with Bradenton and are one game behind Fort Myers. PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker will be updated on the first of each month throughout the season. Notice that these pages now include stats and splits, as well as past article links, video and more. (Season-long stats will be in parenthesis.) 20. Michael Helman, UTIL, St. Paul: On the Injured List with a dislocated shoulder. (.333/.434/.711. 1.145 OPS) 19. Yunior Severino, 3B, Wichita: 6-25, R, BB, 8 K. (.277/.356/.546. .902 OPS) 18. Jose Rodriguez, OF: Extended Spring Training 17. Blayne Enlow, RHP, Wichita: 1-0, 1.69 ERA, 6.1 IP, 6 H, ER, HRA, 10K. (1.15 WHIP, .235 BAA) 16. Matt Canterino, RHP: Still recovering from Tommy John surgery. 15. Brent Headrick, RHP, St. Paul: 0-1, 3.00 ERA, 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, HB, 7 K. (1.27 WHIP, .277 BAA) 14. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, HRA, 5 K. (1.29 WHIP, .210 BAA) 13. Noah Miller, SS, Cedar Rapids: 4-21, HR, RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K. (.199/.288/.270. .558 OPS), played shortstop in five games (26 total) and committed one error in 27 chances (four errors in 130 total chances); played one game (six total) at second base and committed no errors in one chance (16 total). 12. Jose Salas, INF, Cedar Rapids: 3-17, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R, 4 K, SB, CS (.159/.236/.221. .457 OPS), played one at shortstop and had one error in three chances (three errors in 29 chances in nine games total) and one game (eight total) at third base with no errors in one chance (two errors in 17 total chances). He played three games (14 total) at second base with one error in 19 chances (one error in 60 total chances). 11. Austin Martin, SS: Martin is still recovering from an arm injury. 10. Yasser Mercedes, OF: Extended Spring Training 9. Matt Wallner, OF, St. Paul: 6-25, 2 2B, BB, 15 K. (.271/.392/.486. 878 OPS); Minnesota: (.000/.273/.000. .273 OPS) 8. David Festa, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 19.29 ERA, 2.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, HRA, HB, 3 BB, 1 K. (1.50 WHIP, .273 BAA) 7. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 0-1, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 3 K (1.67 WHIP, .294 BAA); Minnesota: (2.14 WHIP, .350 BAA) 6. Marco Raya, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, H, 2 K. (0.89 WHIP, .170 BAA) 5. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Cedar Rapids: On the injured list, but expected to resume throwing. (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA) 4. Edouard Julien, 2B, St. Paul: 4-10, 2B, R, 4 BB, 4 K. (.287/.442/.481. .923 OPS), has played all 27 games at second base and has committe two errors in 119 chances; Minnesota: 1-5, B, 2K (.219/.286/.406. .692 OPS) 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 3-17, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 7 K, SB. (.167/.322/.375. 697 OPS) 2. Royce Lewis, SS: St. Paul: 6-16, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R, 5 K, SB, CS. (.333/.500/.500. 1.000 OPS), played two games (three total) at shortstop and committed no errors in four chances (no errors in eight total chances). Lewis played two games (three total) at third base and committed no errors in one two chances (no errors in three total chances). 1. Brooks Lee, SS, Wichita: 4-19, HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K, SB, CS. (.252/.331/.403. .734 OPS), played five games (33 total) at shortstop and committed no errors in 24 chances (three errors in 136 total chances). Lee has committed one error in three chances in one game at third base this season. PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (as voted on by fans on Twitter) PITCHER - Blayne Enlow, Wichita HITTER - Royce Lewis, St. Paul Who would have been your picks? Any early season surprises or disappointments? Ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects in the COMMENTS below.

Even though we’re less than two months into the minor league season, we’re getting to the point where sample sizes for prospects start to require more serious discussion in terms of what comes next. Whether the organization decides to reward them with a promotion to the game’s next level is very much up in the air. But at the very least, the players are getting the attention of the Twins’ top-brass. Here are three players that should be in the conversation when the time comes to adjust the competition level. Pierson Ohl (High-A Cedar Rapids Kernels) After being drafted in the 14th-round of the 2021 draft, Ohl made only one appearance for the Florida complex league. But before that, he was a three-year starter for Grand Canyon University, where he started a total of 35 games. He had a career ERA of 2.99 in college, and while he didn’t get the fanfare of some other college arms in that draft class, he showed some strengths that led him to a professional career. In his final collegiate season, Ohl threw just over 100 innings of 2.60 ERA ball and averaged just over a strikeout per inning. Baseball America liked his plus-changeup and usable curveball, saying he was “the textbook example of a pitcher thriving on pitchability to compensate for a below-average fastball.” Without the comfort of a big heater, Ohl had to develop his off-speed as a swing-and-miss offering. He’s always been a pitcher with strong control, averaging just 1.3 walks per nine innings at GCU. That has carried over to professional ball, and has even reached new heights in his second year with the Twins Organization (0.69 BB/9). All in all, Ohl has a 2.77 ERA with a 25% strikeout rate and just two walks in the season’s first month. Yes, that’s a small sample, but players with three or more seasons at the collegiate level under their belts tend to progress quickly – or not at all. If Ohl keeps pitching like he has thus far, a promotion to Double-A Wichita is a reasonable jump since he’s going to turn 24-years-old later this summer. Blayne Enlow (Double-A Wichita Wind Surge) There was much ballyhoo in January when the Twins placed Enlow on outright waivers. He was the odd man out when the club needed to make room on the 40-man roster for the newly-acquired Oliver Ortega. The logic behind the decision was sound, as the team needed to bring in some competition for their bullpen spots, and Enlow was still easing back into his development after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021. He had become somewhat of an afterthought on the depth chart, but many were still disappointed to see him cut from the roster. After all, he was drafted in the third round of the 2017 draft and was touted as a first-round talent that only slipped due to signability concerns. The Twins were able to give him an over-slot offer after saving some funds by taking Royce Lewis first overall. They liked Enlow for his lethal curveball and his big-league starter upside coming out of high school. Now in 2023, he’s starting to show flashes of that potential in the upper-minors. Through seven starts with Double-A Wichita, the 24-year-old right-hander has a solid 3.28 ERA, but he’s striking out 31.8% of opponents and limiting his walks back to the levels he was showing pre-surgery. He had a rough go results-wise upon returning to the hill last season, especially when it came to control (11.6% walk rate), so it’s nice to see him button this up so far in 2023 with just a 6.8% walk rate. Now that more time has passed since his procedure, he’s showing why fans were worried about another team claiming him when he was outrighted. He’s benefitted from adding a pitch to his repertoire – something he has in common with a handful of arms on the Twins’ staff. “Like several other Twins pitchers, he’s added a sweeper to the mix this year, giving him five usable offerings and some potential for untapped upside as he gets more comfortable with it,” Aaron Gleeman said in a recent piece for The Athletic. “Durability and consistency will be key, but Enlow is still young enough to get back on the prospect map.” Jordan Balazovic (Triple-A St. Paul Saints) The former fifth-round pick in the 2016 draft has lost some of his luster since being a back-end Top 100 prospect a few years ago. He battled various injuries, most notably a left knee injury that affected his delivery for much of last season. He was then sidelined for the first few weeks of spring training after breaking his jaw in an off-field incident. It was a real punch to the face for the 24-year-old, both figuratively and literally. But Balazovic has found a way to put the past behind him, and has had an impressive first month at Triple-A with the Saints. On the year, he has a 2.89 ERA across 18 ⅔ innings pitched. He has made eight appearances (three starts), and seems to be the ideal candidate for the Twins’ desire to find a crop of arms to be bulk relievers. If all goes well, he’ll get a promotion to the major league club as a low-leverage reliever that can sop up innings if a starter departs early, or if the score gets out of reach for either team. And by all accounts, all is going well so far for Balazovic. His strikeout numbers are strong (12.5 K/9) thanks to a very strong 14.6% swinging-strike rate, and he’s only allowed one home run, which was his biggest crux in 2022 when he allowed 20 bombs. Scouts praise his curveball as his best offering, and his splitter draws solid marks, as well. If he can limit the damage done against his fastball, he’ll take the next step as an MLB-ready arm entering the prime seasons of his career. What do you think? Are we going to see any of these three at the next level in 2023? Who else has impressed you enough to deserve a promotion? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

When Twins Daily just started about a dozen years ago, I wrote the majority of minor league content and the first few Top Prospect rankings were basically me, along with Cody Christie and Jeremy Nygaard, sharing our rankings. Since then, we have been including as many Twins Daily writers who provide minor-league content (written or video). It obviously becomes much more of consensus ranking than a more limited group. With this prospect ranking, we are adding even more data points. Here’s how it works. I worked with our minor-league staff on our prospect rankings. I asked them to provide me with their Top 30 players and with that determine the Top 20 for the writers. In addition, Brock started a forum topic, asking Twins Daily readers to provide their Top 20 rankings. After several days, he then went into those rankings and consolidated them into the forum Top 20. Take the writer rankings. Take the forum community rankings. Give each 50% weight, and "Voila!" We have our new Top 20 Twins Prospects from Twins Daily. Some players have started well. Some players have struggled early. Several players have had or fought injuries. All of that may alter the rankings. So below, I will get to the updated Top 20 rankings, but here are some notes about those rankings. Who’s Out? First, Louie Varland is no longer in the rankings. While he is technically still a “prospect” today, as soon as he gets three more outs in the big leagues, he will hit the 50-inning mark, removing his prospect status. This is a great way to no longer make a prospect list! Three players at the back end of the previous rankings fell out of the Top 20. #17 Ronny Henriquez was hurt through spring training, then made about four rehab appearances and is now on the Saints roster. This one feels a bit out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Also, that he is most likely a relief pitcher likely pushes him down a couple of spots too. #18 Tanner Schobel was the team’s second-round pick last year out of Virginia Tech. He has made the jump to High-A Cedar Rapids where the 23-year-old is playing all over the infield and hitting about .240 with three homers. Finally, #20 Misael Urbina fell down a bit, just outside the Top 20. The 21-year-old outfielder is hitting just over .160 in his first month-plus of High-A ball. Who’s In? #15 – Brent Headrick jumps into the Top 20 rankings after not being in the Top 30 this spring. Many were surprised that he was added to the 40-man roster last fall. Articles were written saying he may be a DFA candidate in spring training if a roster spot was needed. Instead, the 25-year-old lefty had a terrific showing in spring training. He was sent to St. Paul to start the season, despite spending just two months at Double-A Wichita last season. Early in the season, the Twins needed a long reliever and summoned Headrick. He impressed with three solid innings out of the bullpen in Fenway Park in his debut, recording a save in the process. He got the final out in a win over the Nationals. Then he had another extended outing in Yankees Stadium and fared well. With Tyler Mahle and Kenta Maeda out for the foreseeable future, we are not likely to see Headrick in a long-relief role anytime soon. It’s possible he, along with Simeon Woods Richardson, are the two candidates for spot starts for the time being. #17 – Blayne Enlow returns to the Top 20 with a strong start to his 2023 season. As you know, the former third-round pick needed Tommy John surgery in June of 2021. He was added to the 40-man roster following that season anyway. He worked his way back and after just one rehab appearance, he was pushed up to Double-A. Admittedly, he had some troubles, throwing strikes, being consistent, as is not unusual following surgery. He was removed from the 40-man this offseason, cleared waivers, and started this season back in Double-A for somewhat of a make or break season. Somewhat surprising, he returned to the starter role. It hasn’t been perfect, but he’s shown the increased velocity, the walks are down, and he is getting a lot of strikeouts. Enlow has spent a lot of time in the Twins Daily Top 10 Prospect rankings since being drafted in 2017. He’s incredibly driven and still has an opportunity to be a long-term big-league pitcher. #19 – Yunior Severino was an intriguing signing when he signed with the Twins for $2.5 million. You can read a lot more about him, especially if you want to hop on the Severino Hype Train, so I won’t get into a ton of detail here. However, over the past couple of seasons, he has really developed his powerful swing. His 10 home runs this season are four more than any other minor leaguer in the Twins minor leagues. He’s been eligible to be selected I the Rule 5 a couple of years already. It’s very possible he wouldn’t get through that process again. #20 – Michael Helman has had a tough season, if we are being honest, but his “stock” and respect in the organization and in the mind’s of many Twins fans has greatly improved. He earned an invitation to big-league spring training, but then he hurt his hamstring and missed that opportunity, along with the first month of the season. He returned to St. Paul and for a week, he was remarkable, but now he’s on the IL with a dislocated shoulder. How long will he be out? We shall see. But if healthy, if there is a need for a versatile, right-handed bench or platoon bat, Helman is a candidate. He has hit 19 and 20 homers, respectively, the past two seasons. He stole 40 bases last year. Over the past couple of seasons, he has played at least 20 games at seven position (4 infield and 4 outfield), and hey, he was a catcher in high school, and he has a strong arm and could probably pitch if needed too. No Change at the Top Probably no surprise, but the top three did not change at all. The ‘battle’ for #1 prospect between Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis was incredibly close, and it still was. However, Lee remained at #1 for both the writers and the community. There are those (like me), who will continue to have Lewis at #1 because of his potential, his make up, and the potential we saw in his 12 games with the Twins in 2022. For others, the back-to-back seasons with the ACL injuries, were too much to keep him at #1. Neither answer is right, and neither answer is wrong. But it certainly can be a fun discussion. And Twins fans, we should ultimately just be thankful to have both in the organization. And while he has been limited with an injury, and a strikeout machine when he has been healthy, we all still believe in Emmanuel Rodriguez’s upside, and he sticks at #3. Big Movers? There really weren’t a lot of players that moved up or down the list significantly, aside from the four new guys mentioned above. But of those that were on the list preseason and now, the player who moved up the most is RHP David Festa who moved up to #8 from #13. He has been solid for Wichita and has his best start recently. He is also sitting with a fastball between 96-98 mph. Jose Salas fell four spots. He is one of the ten youngest players in the Midwest League, and he (like several of the Twins young prospects in Cedar Rapids) has struggled to keep his batting average over about .160. New to the organization, we didn’t necessarily know where to rank him before the season. Now we have six weeks of data points that haven’t looked pretty. However, there is no question that the tools are there with the bat and with his speed. What does it mean? Connor Prielipp moved up two spots to #5. He made just a couple of starts in Cedar Rapids before being placed on the IL with some left arm concerns. The reports on him since have been positive, but that’s scary. Jordan Balazovic couldn’t have had a more difficult past season. He started 2022 hurt, and then really struggled all season with the Saints. Then came this spring training where, well, things didn’t go well. His season started a bit late and then he started the season in the bullpen. But something happened. He returned to form. Sure, there have been too many walks, but he’s been making starts and shown the ability to be really good, even dominant, for two or three innings. Maybe he extends that length, or maybe he becomes a 2-3 inning guy with great stuff. Austin Martin and Matt Canterino fell just one spot in the rankings. Simeon Woods Richardson has an ERA over seven, and he only fell a couple of spots. Marco Raya and Emmanuel Rodriguez each missed a month with injury. Rodriguez stayed at #3, and Raya fell to #6 (one spot behind Prielipp). It seems like guys that missed time stayed close to where they were, or even moved up, in part due to the reality that very few top prospects have actually played great to start the season. Yes, Varland has improved, but now he’s not eligible for the list. Edouard Julien has been quite good with the Saints and showed some of what he can be in his short time with the Twins. Matt Wallner continues to bash Triple-A pitching. But those were top guys already with not very many spots to move up. Who else has started the season making a strong impression? Solid Starts, but not quite Top 20 Andrew Cossetti got a few Top 30 votes by our writers, and he has had a huge start to his season. Severino has been fantastic. For Fort Myers, Jorel Ortega is playing very well, and Dalton Shuffield is hitting well for the Mighty Mussels. Noah Cardenas has been a bright spot in the Kernels’ lineup, and I would argue that Ben Ross and Kala’i Rosario should have moved up people’s lists, but to the borderline of the top 20. DaShawn Keirsey is again playing well in Wichita and already has 16 stolen bases. Yoyner Fajardo has hit very well, for average, with the Wind Surge. On the mound, a few of the 2022 draft picks have started out strong. That would include Kyle Jones, Cory Lewis, Zebby Matthews, and C.J. Culpepper are doing well. Pierson Ohl moved up a level and has 26 strikeouts with just two walks. Newcomer Alejandro Hidalgo is young for the Midwest League, but he’s got a 1.50 ERA with the Kernels. Jaylen Nowlin is still striking out a ton of batters, though he’s walking some as well. Out of the bullpen, Regi Grace has been fantastic all season. Kody Funderburk’s ERA and strikeout rate have been terrific, though his WHIP is quite high. Matthew Swain is really starting to dominate. 2022 Day 3 draft picks Ben Ethridge and Zach Veen both have ERAs of 1.20 and lower, and WHIPS under 1.00. Who’s Next? Well, as you would expect, I can only speak to which players are next in line on the writers’ “ballots,” just outside our consensus Twins Daily Top 20 prospects. At the top of that list is Fort Myers shortstop Danny De Andrade. He was a big international free agent signing a couple of years ago. He’s being challenged, but so far, he has at least held his own. Here are “The Next 10.” 21.) Danny De Andrade, Fort Myers 22.) Misael Urbina, Cedar Rapids 23.) Ronny Henriquez, St. Paul 24.) Tanner Schobel, Cedar Rapids 25.) Bryan Acuna, FCL 26.) Cole Sands, Minnesota 27.) Kala’I Rosario, Cedar Rapids 28.) Jaylen Nowlin, Cedar Rapids 29.) Alejandro Hidalgo, Cedar Rapids 30.) Byron Chourio, FCL Ask Away Be sure to dig around in the Twins Daily Prospect Tracker to learn more about each of the Top 20 prospects. But feel free to use the COMMENTS below to discuss these prospects. Who is ranked too high, and who is ranked too low? And be sure to ask us about our rankings or about any of the players. We will try to answer your questions, and hopefully get comments from our minor-league writers on their thoughts too.

Major League Baseball's 2023 Draft is scheduled to start on July 9, 2023. Each team prepares for the draft with a specific plan, and sometimes those plans play out better than others. To prepare fans for the upcoming draft, this series will examine recent Twins drafts and how those players have performed so far in their professional careers. First Round: Royce Lewis, Brent Rooker The Twins had an intriguing choice at the top of the 2017 MLB Draft. Multiple players were in consideration for the top overall pick, including Hunter Greene, MacKenzie Gore, Brendan McKay, and Kyle Wright. Minnesota took Lewis and signed him to an under-slot deal which they could use on other picks in later rounds. Greene and Wright have provided positive value in the early years of their careers while the Twins are waiting on Lewis. Lewis was considered one of baseball's top prospects for multiple seasons, but now he is recovering from his second ACL surgery. At Twins Daily, the minor league writers had difficulty deciding whether Lewis or Brooks Lee should be the organization's top prospect. Lewis began his rehab assignment on Thursday, so he has a chance to rejoin the Twins next month. Minnesota's current front office has loved drafting college bats, and Rooker was the first player to fit this profile. The Twins selected him with the 35th overall pick, a competitive balance before the second round. He played 65 games for the Twins with a 96 OPS+, and the team included him in the Taylor Rogers trade with the Padres. In recent seasons, he's bounced around to a few different organizations before finding a home with the A's. Rooker is leading baseball in SLG, OPS, and OPS+. It didn't look like the Twins had room for him, so it's good he is getting an opportunity for a bad team. Second Round: Landon Leach The Twins used their second-round pick on Leach, a high school pitcher from Canada. He pitched fewer than 60 innings in the Twins organization and topped out in Low-A during the 2021 season. Last season, he pitched in the Braves organization and is currently a free agent. Minnesota passed over multiple players that have accumulated 2.4 WAR or more, including Griffin Canning and Daulton Varsho. Third Round: Blayne Enlow The Twins used some of the money they saved on Lewis to coax Enlow out of his commitment to LSU. He was one of two players in the third round to sign for $2,000,000. Enlow pitched well in the low minors with a sub-3.50 ERA and improving strikeout rates. Unfortunately, he underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2021. Since that time, Minnesota has added and removed him from the 40-man roster. Now in his age-24 season, Enlow is pitching well at Double-A with a 3.56 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 11.0 K/9. If he continues pitching this well, he can put himself back into the team's long-term plans. 12th Round: Bailey Ober Ober has established himself at the big-league level, and he looks like a steal from the 12th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He's accumulated more WAR than any other Twins draft pick from that class. Minnesota sent him to Triple-A to begin the season, but Tyler Mahle's season-ending injury firmly puts Ober into the rotation's fourth spot. He's made 35 big-league starts and has a 117 ERA+ for his career. Ober projects to be in the Twins' rotation for the better part of the next decade, which is an excellent value from a late-round pick. Other Notable Picks: Andrew Bechtold, Mark Contreras, Calvin Faucher, Charlie Barnes Bechtold and Contreras may never be significant contributors at the big-league level, but both have provided depth to the Twins organization. Contreras played in 28 games for the Twins last season and struggled with a .441 OPS. He's off to a solid start to the 2023 campaign with a .896 OPS with nine doubles and five homers at Triple-A. Bechtold is also a regular in the Saints line-up, and he has ten extra-base hits in his first 25 games this season. Two other Twins draft picks from the 2017 draft class have made their big-league debuts. Minnesota took Barnes in the fourth round and he pitched his way to Triple-A during his third professional season. He made nine appearances for the 2021 Twins and has pitched the last two seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization. Faucher was the team’s 10th round pick and he was included in the Nelson Cruz trade with Tampa. He’s bounced between Triple-A and the big leagues over the last two seasons with a 5.86 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP across 35 1/3 innings during his MLB stints. How should the Twins feel about the 2017 MLB Draft? Did they make the right pick at the top? Will Enlow impact the big-league roster? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. OTHER POSTS IN THE SERIES -2016 Draft Retrospective

You can also read Nick's Twins Week in Review for a look at their previous week. TRANSACTIONS RHP Jose Bravo has been transferred from St. Paul to Wichita. RESULTS Tuesday (5/2): Errors and Extras Wednesday (5/3): Hidalgo, Rozek Pitch Great; Wallner, Prato, Fedko Deliver Big Hits Thursday (5/4): May the Fourth Be With Them Friday (5/5): History Made in St. Paul Saturday (5/6): Blayne Enlow Dominates and Emmanuel Rodriguez Returns Sunday (5/7): Split Day on the Farm MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month - April 2023 Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month - April 2023 Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month - April 2023 5 Scenarios That Could Open Up Regular Playing Time for Alex Kirilloff One Twins Pitching Prospect is Quietly Putting Himself on the Prospect Map Baseball is Bringing the Best Rule Change Yet TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (6:37PM CST) - TBD Wichita @ Frisco (6:05PM CST) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-1, 9.19 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30PM CST) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-1, 1.29 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - TBD WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints (Week: 3-3) Overall: 18-13, 1.0 game back in the International League West. Overview: After dropping two of the first three games of the series, the Saints were faced with imperfect weather. Friday’s night was suspended and finished Saturday. Then Saturday’s game was postponed to Sunday for a doubleheader. The Saints were able to win two of those three games to salvage a series split. 🔥: Kyle Farmer looks poised to rejoin and give a jolt to the Twins lineup. In four games with the Saints, Farmer had two doubles and a home run among his four hits. He drove in three runs and took two walks. 🔥: Edouard Julien was back to looking like himself with eight hits, six runs and walking as much as he strikes out (three each). He had three doubles and two home runs. 🔥: Jordan Balazovic got a start and pitched 3 1/3 innings. He struck out six, while walking three and allowing on one hit and one run. 🔥: Cody Laweryson pitched twice and in his 4.2 innings, allowed only two hits (one home run) and struck out eight. 🥶: Matt Wallner struck out six time in 12 at-bats, though he was able to drive in two runs in his 3-for-12 week. What's Next: Indianapolis (15-17) comes to town as the Saints continue their homestand. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge (Week: 1-5) Overall: 10-17, 7.0 games back in the Texas League North and currently has the worst overall record in the whole Texas League. Overview: It’s been a rough go for the Wind Surge, who have dropped every single one of their nine day games this season. 🔥: Yoyner Fajardo is on an 11-game hitting streak and totaled eight hits in his six games this week. He continues to stuff the box score. He scored two runs, hit a double and a triple, walked twice, struck out three times and was successful in three of his five stolen base attempts. 🔥: Brooks Lee had eight hits on the week including four doubles. He walked and struck out three times. 🔥: It’s hard not to appreciate what Blayne Enlow is doing this year. He struck out nine over six innings in his start this week. He took the loss, but he only gave up one earned run. 🥶: Seth Gray has power. His home run was one of only four hit by the team all week. But his home run was also his only hit in 11 at-bats and he struck out six times. What's Next: Wichita will continue their road trip against Frisco (13-14) High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels (Week: 4-2) Overall: 13-13, 3.0 games back in the Midwest League West. Overview: It hadn't been a great opening month for the Kernels, but a 4-2 week against a good South Bend team helped them get back to .500 despite being without arguably their top hitting and pitching prospect. 🔥: Kala'i Rosario led the organization with 11 hits this week and also walked six times. Getting on base 59% of the time is a very good thing. 🔥: Ben Ross isn’t getting the attention he probably deserves. With an OPS north of 1.000, Ross had nine hits (including a double and home run) to go with five walks. 🔥: Both Alejandro Hidalgo and Pierson Ohl struck out nine. 😏: Emmanuel Rodriguez is playing again. He didn't get an hits, but he's back! 🥶: Noah Miller struck out 10 times while going 4-for-24. 🥶: It’s not fun pointing it out almost every week, but Misael Urbina continues to really struggle. He was 1-for-14 with a double this week and struck out four times. What's Next: The Kernels hit the road for seven games (including a doubleheader on Thursday) against Quad Cities (10-16), who just dropped five of six to Great Lakes. Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels (Week: 1-5) Overall: 13-14, 8.0 games behind Clearwater (who is on a 13-game win streak) in the Florida State League West. Overview: After taking the series opener, the Mighty Mussels dropped five in a row to Dunedin. The first four losses were of the one-run variety which makes a 1-5 week even harder to stomach. 🔥: Jorel Ortega had seven hits including four extra base hits (three doubles and a home run). He’s still got to cut down on his strikeouts (eight this week) though. 🔥: Cory Lewis was the only starter who limited his opponent to less than two runs. He struck out five in five innings. 🥶: Andrew Cossetti hit .263/.391/.263 this week which is way below his season average of .600/.800/.800. Ok, that’s not actually his season line, but it sure seems like it. 🥶: Zebby Matthews struck out eight, but gave up nine hits (.429 BAA) in four innings. What's Next: Another week of games in Fort Myers against Tampa (11-16) before heading out on the road for a two-week trip. PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker will be updated on the first of each month throughout the season. Notice that these pages now include stats and splits, as well as past article links, video and more. (Season-long stats will be in parenthesis.) 20. Misael Urbina, OF, Cedar Rapids: 1-14, 2B, 3RBI, R, BB, 4 K. (.127/.213/.228. .441 OPS) 19. Jose Rodriguez, OF: Extended Spring Training 18. Tanner Schobel, 2B, Cedar Rapids: 7-21, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, R, 2 BB, 2 K. (.233/.287/.378. .665 OPS), played one game at second base (eleven total) and committed no errors in four chances (two in 46 chances total); played three games at third base and was perfect in eleven chances (has not committed any errors in 22 total chances in nine games). 17. Ronny Henriquez, RHP: Rehabbing with the Mighty Mussels. Will join the Saints this week. 16. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 2.70 (2.45) ERA, 3.1 IP, H, ER, 3 BB, 6 K. (1.27 WHIP, .1967 BAA) 15. Matt Canterino, RHP: Still recovering from Tommy John surgery. 14. Noah Miller, SS, Cedar Rapids: 4-22, 3B, RBI, BB, 10 K, SB. (.232/.315/.305. .620 OPS), played shortstop in four games (19 total) and committed one error in 16 chances (two errors in 74 total chances); played one game (four total) at second base and committed no errors in no chances (15 total). 13. David Festa , RHP, Wichita: 0-1, 12.46 (5.40) ERA, 4.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. (1.37 WHIP, .267 BAA) 12. Yasser Mercedes, OF: Extended Spring Training 11. Matt Wallner , OF, St. Paul: 3-12, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB, 6 K. (.265/.432/.471. 903 OPS); Minnesota: (.000/.273/.000. .273 OPS) 10. Austin Martin, SS: Martin is still recovering from an arm injury. 9. Louie Varland , RHP, St. Paul: (1.27 WHIP, .263 BAA); Minnesota: (1.17 WHIP, .250 BAA); Did not pitch. Recalled to Minnesota 8. Jose Salas, INF: 4-20, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K, SB, CS (.158/.256/.211. .467 OPS), played two games at shortstop and had one error in nine chances (two errors in 26 chances in seven games total) and no games (six total) at third base (one error in 12 total chances). He played two games (seven total) at second base with no errors in nine chances (no errors in 23 total chances). 7. Connor Prielipp , LHP, Cedar Rapids: After good news last week, all was quiet around Prielipp this week. The plan is for him to slowly ramp up. . (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA) 6. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 9.00 (6.35) ERA, 3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, HRA, 2 BB, 4 K (1.59 WHIP, .294 BAA); Minnesota: (2.14 WHIP, .350 BAA) 5. Edouard Julien, 2B, St. Paul: 8-23, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 K, SB. (.273/.417/.519. .936 OPS); Minnesota: (.222/.276/.444. .720 OPS) 4. Marco Raya, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 0-0, 0.00 (5.19) ERA, 3.0 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K. (1.27 WHIP, .214 BAA) 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 0-6, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K, SB. (.152/.326/.515. .841 OPS) 2. Royce Lewis, SS: Lewis is expected to join Wichita this week. Reports suggest he’ll be playing shortstop and third base. 1. Brooks Lee, SS, Wichita: 8-23, 4 2B, 4 RBI, R, 3 BB, 3 K, SB. (.294/.357/.461. .818 OPS), played all five games (24 total) at shortstop and committed one error in 21 chances (three errors in 105 total chances). PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (as voted on by fans on Twitter) PITCHER - Blayne Enlow, Wichita. After injuries and being removed from the 40-roster, it would have been easy to move on... for the Twins, for the fans, and for Enlow himself. Instead, Enlow is getting better results than he's gotten as a pro. His WHIP is 1.01 and he's holding opponents to a .202 batting average plus he's struck out 33 in 26 2/3 innings. If he keeps this up, his name will return to the Top 20 list. (Enlow 59%, Ohl 32%, Laweryson 9%) HITTER - Edouard Julien, St. Paul. After a cold stretch in Minnesota and a slow start in his return to St. Paul, Julien is starting to reheat. Playing exclusively at second base and with Polanco back healthy, the pressure is off. Julien can relax and just get back to hitting.... and he has. His eight hits last week were tied for third in the organization. And no one else had more home runs than Julien (2) and only Brooks Lee (4) had more than Julien's three doubles. (Julien 50%, Rosario 38%, Lee, 12%, Ortega 1%) Who would have been your picks? Any early season surprises or disappointments? Ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects in the COMMENTS below.

TRANSACTIONS INF Alex De Gotti activated from Development List RHP Josh Winder optioned from Twins to AAA St. Paul RHP Jorge Alcala recalled by Twins INF Andrew Bechtold placed on temporary inactive list OF Emmanuel Rodriguez activated from 7-day IL OF Kyler Fedko placed on Development List Saints Sentinel St. Paul 10, Nashville 7 Box Score Simeon Woods Richardson: 3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: Chris Williams (2), Andrew Bechtold (3), Kyle Garlick (5), Jair Camargo (2) Multi-hit games: Edouard Julien (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, BB), Kyle Farmer (3-for-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI), Mark Contreras (2-for-5, R) Jair Camargo (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI) The Saints completed their regularly scheduled program on Saturday. Called early due to Mother Nature’s intervention, the Saints and Sounds re-took the field in the bottom of the third, hoping to squeeze in the rest of Friday’s match, and the seven innings constituting Saturday’s battle. That did not happen; the second game experienced the same issues as Friday’s, but they were able to finish what they started in the opening game. The slop evidently fueled St. Paul’s bats—messy and grueling it was, indeed—as they found life in the middle innings, following up a 5th inning three spot with four in the following frame. It was the kind of dynamic offense that would make any baseball fan happy: the Saints racked up walks, steals and extra-base hits in a glorious display capped by Kyle Garlick’s two-run shot in the 6th. They came back to add a cherry-on-top score in the 7th, just for fun. St. Paul’s pitching could also be described as sloppy, though, as each pitcher—each arm desperately hurled into the game to ensure a relatively healthy stable of pitchers—offered two walks in their outing. From Jose Bravo’s admirable three-inning escapade to Patrick Murphy’s game-ending appearance, command was not available. But they found a way to limit damage, and that was enough to allow the Saints to draw victory from the match. Kyle Farmer picked up three hits in the game, including a pair of doubles. Very recent old friend Trevor Megill pitched a scoreless inning for the Sounds. The Saints swiped four bases; Mark Contreras now has seven steals on the season. Sounds pitcher Robert Gasser was the best prospect represented by their squad; he allowed four runs over 3 ⅓ innings while striking out eight. In an unusual event, Andrew Bechtold hit a homer in a game he could not play in, as he was placed on the Development List today while his homer came yesterday. As mentioned earlier, game two was canceled and will be made up in an (alleged) doubleheader on Sunday. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 1, NW Arkansas 5 Box Score Blayne Enlow: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K HR: DaShawn Kiersey Jr. (4) Multi-hit games: Alex Isola (2-for-4) The Wind Surge couldn’t capitalize on an excellent pitching performance on Saturday. Blayne Enlow was masterful, brilliant. When hitters expected the fastball, he delivered them a squirrelly breaker, always finding a way to miss the barrel in his second 6 frame start of the season. He’s apparently jumped on the hype train and added a sweeper to his arsenal, potentially giving him another out-pitch weapon to use against batters. It sure seemed effective tonight. Wichita’s offense was less exciting. Naturals’ lefty Anthony Veneziano ceased any effort to score against him, scattering a smattering of singles across his six impressive innings. Only once did the Wing Surge reach second base against him. But they finally broke free against his teammate. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. sized up his new enemy and found him hittable—the following solo homer was inevitable. Yet, the surge ended as soon as it began, and Wichita scored no more runs while the Naturals ran away with the victory. Luca Tresh—NW Arkansas’ catcher—was their best prospect on Saturday. Ranked 16th in the Royals’ system by MLB.com, Tresh walked and scored in four plate appearances. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 1, South Bend 6 Box Score Jaylen Nowlin: 4 ⅓ IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: Ben Ross (3) Multi-hit games: Kala’i Rosario (2-for-4, 2B) The Kernels offered little fight on Saturday. Almost entirely stymied by the Cubs’ pitching, Cedar Rapids turned in a dreadful hitting performance, earning just six hits and one walk over the 9-inning affair; Ben Ross’ last minute homer saved them from being shut out. Outside a disaster outing by Miguel Rodriguez, the Kernels’ pitchers performed fairly well. Jaylen Nowlin put forth a solid start, allowing a lone earned run over 4 ⅓ innings with five strikeouts and two walks—a free pass total much lower than usual. He also hit three batters, evening out his low walk total. Matt Mullenbach and Charlie Neuweiler did their jobs as well, combining for three frames of work and a single earned run. But Miguel Rodriguez’s outing… did not go well. He allowed five straight singles before eliciting a fly out and leaving the game via stage right. Better things will be on the horizon. Emmanuel Rodriguez made his return from the IL on Saturday; he walked and struck out twice. Cedar Rapids’ defense turned three double plays; they also allowed six stolen bases. No player from MLB.com’s top 30 prospect list for the Cubs played in Saturday’s game. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 2, Dunedin 3 (5 innings) Box Score C.J. Culpepper: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Alec Sayre (2) Multi-hit games: Carlos Aguiar (2-for-2) The Mighty Mussels lost a quick game on Saturday. Called following the 5th for rain, the match wasn’t much of an offensive display for Fort Myers, as—outside of Carlo Agiuar’s two hits and Alec Sayre’s homer—the Mighty Mussels earned one knock and three free bases from a walk and two hit by pitches. C.J. Culpepper was mostly effective, but a flurry of singles in the 3rd flipped Fort Myers’ lead and stuck him with a tough loss he couldn’t recover from. He does technically earn the complete game for his work, re-emphasizing Monty Python’s message to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. Fort Myers found the time to steal two bases on Saturday. Dunedin’s shortstop, Adrian Pinto, was their best prospect in the game according to MLB.com; he singled and scored in three at-bats. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Blayne Enlow Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kyle Farmer PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-4, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, 2 K #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 2-4, 2B, 2 R, BB, K #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 3B, K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Nashville @ St. Paul (12:07 PM) - RHP Aaron Sanchez Nashville @ St. Paul (30 minutes following game one) - TBD Wichita @ NW Arkansas (2:05 PM) - RHP David Festa Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (1:05 PM) - RHP Kyle Jones Dunedin @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM) - RHP Tomas Cleto

We're trying something new for Twins Daily's Caretakers: a 25-minute audio report from John Bonnes on what he's seeing and hearing from players, coaches, and management inside Hammond Stadium. Today's report includes: Tyler Mahle discussed the shoulder fatigue that impacted his season, when it has happened before, and offseason adjustments that he made to return to top form. Why you should quit holding your breath for additional bullpen help. Joe Pohlad's interview with The Athletic's Dan Hayes, and why you should make sure you read to the end. Which pitchers we might see in the swing role for the MLB club, and who they'll keep as starters. Blayne Enlow discusses his struggles last year, and what he expects this year. If you're a Caretaker, click here for your exclusive content! And if you're not, maybe consider becoming a Caaretaker? You likely visit regularly, and that's going to become even more likely as the season gears up. Supporting something you value feels good, especially when it's been here feeding your baseball habit for over 10 years for free, right? We're in spring training reporting because we love this stuff, and we want to share it as much as we can, so you can find lot of free content from Fort Myers other places on the site. But unfortunately, spring training is expensive, and that's especially true this year after Hurricane Ian damaged a lot of the lodging options. Plus, there are lot of other benefits, like a free Winter Meltdown ticket and early access for guest, special callouts on the site, and lots more inside or in-depth content like this. So please consider joining our little club. The money is going to a site you love, to support coverage you love, and writers you value. Thank you so much. Join Here to support Twins Daily and get your exclusive content!

For the first time, Twins Daily is now sharing our choices for the Top 30 Twins prospects. In reality, it's just one more article for you to read as we are including prospects 21-30 today. It is really an interesting mix of prospects in this range, which isn't surprising. There are several prospects who are very young in their careers. These are players with lots of tools and potential, but a long, long way to go before even approaching the big leagues. There are a couple of pitchers who had exciting 2022 seasons that catapulted themselves to this level, but they were previously lesser known so some weren't willing to push them any higher. As you would also expect, there are some minor leagues who were once Top 20, and even Top 10, prospects and whether it be injury or performance, they have dropped down the rankings. They still have the talent and at least one took that will need to carry them to an opportunity. Twins prospects ranking between 21-30 in our series highlights a dynamic group of players, some brimming with upside and others with higher-perceived floors. Let's break them down. 30. OF Byron Chourio Age: 17 2022 (DSL Marlins): 51 games, .344/.429/.410 (.838), 9-2B, 1-HR, 12.4% K, 11.5% BB Just one year ago, the Marlins signed a 16-year-old Chourio from Merida, Venezuela, for $200,000. He stands 6-2 and weighs about 175 pounds. He had a very impressive professional debut in 2022 with the Marlins’ DSL team. He hit for average, got on base, showed good bat-to-ball skills, and showed doubles power. He also stole 19 bases in 26 attempts. He played 20 games in center field, 19 games in right field, and three games in left field. He has a strong arm. The Twins acquired him as a flyer in the Arraez/Lopez trade recently. Jose Salas is the top prospect, but Chourio is equally intriguing. As I like to say, he was impressive in the DSL, but that is six promotions from the big leagues. Chourio is certainly filled with athleticism and tools that should excite Twins fans. 29. 1B Aaron Sabato Age: 23 2022 (A+/AA): 103 games, .215/.336/.438 (.774), 17 2B, 22 HR, 4/5 SB, 32% K, 13% BB The Twins were excited to select Sabato with the 27th overall pick out of North Carolina where he put up numbers very similar to those of Spencer Torkelson. He really struggled in his pro debut in 2021. He hit just .189 in 85 games in Ft. Myers but came on strong after a late-season promotion to Cedar Rapids where he added eight homers in 22 games. That’s where he began the 2022 season. In 80 games, he hit .226 with 13 doubles and 17 homers. He moved up to Wichita for 23 games late in the season and hit .179 with four doubles and five homers before his season ended with a fastball to his wrist. To this point, he has not hit for average. However, he does walk a lot. He has immense power, so when he does make quality contact, he has the ability to hit the ball a long way. The problem is that he has had trouble making contact, especially on good fastballs. He has become a decent defensive first baseman. He should start 2023 at Wichita and will continue to get opportunities, including another spring training invitation. 28. OF Kala’i Rosario Age: 20 2022 (A): 109 games, .239/.320/.408 (.727), 21 2B, 3 3B, 12 HR, 32.5% K, 8.1% BB In the five-round 2020 draft, Rosario was the team’s fifth-round pick out of high school in Waiakea, Hawaii. He was one of the most powerful prep bats in that draft. He debuted with 51 games in the FCL in 2021 and hit .277 with 10 doubles, four triples, and five home runs. As a 19-year-old in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, his overall numbers may not look exciting, but he was productive and provided some extra base power. However, with that power comes a lot of strikeouts, something that he will need to continue working on as he moves up the organizational ladder. Rosario played both corner outfield positions with about two-thirds of that time in right field. He has good speed and plays average defense. He’s got an average arm for right field. He’s very young for the level, so he could repeat in the FSL in 2023, though it would be great if he can spend some time in Cedar Rapids as well. 27. INF Yunior Severino Age: 23 2022 (A+/AA): 83 games, .278/.370/.536 (.907), 17 2B, 2 3B, 19 HR, 25.9% K, 11.1% BB Twice a top international signing, Severino has slowly worked his way up the Twins system. He began 2022 where he ended the 2021 season, in Cedar Rapids. In 46 games, he hit .283/.398/.572 (.970) in 46 games and hit nine doubles and 11 homers. He missed significant time with an injury but when he returned he was soon promoted to Double-A Wichita where he played 37 games. In that time, he hit .273/.338/.497 (.834) with eight doubles and eight homers. He does strike out more than you could like, but he also has a strong on-base percentage thanks to a lot of walks. At Cedar Rapids, he primarily played second base. Once he moved up to Wichita (and Christian Encarnacion-Strand was traded), Severino spent most of his time at third base. While he lacks plus-range, he does make most of the plays. He should start the 2023 season with the Wind Surge where at 23, he’ll be about a year younger than the average player. 26. SS Bryan Acuna Age: 17 2022 (DSL Twins): 43 games, .310/.409/.393 (.803), 12 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 21.1% K, 11.7% BB You can’t help but start with the Acuna genetics. Ronald Acuna Sr. played in the New York Mets organization from 1999 through 2004. He then spent one season each with the Blue Jays and Brewers organizations. In 2005, Bryan was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, the Double-A home of the Blue Jays. Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was the NL Rookie of the Year as a 20-year-old in 2018 and has been an All-Star in three of the past four years. 20-year-old Double-A shortstop Luisangel Acuna was just added to the Rangers 40-man roster. Bryan Acuna signed with the Twins last January from Venezuela for $950,000 and made his pro debut in 2022 in the DSL. His overall numbers look solid, including an OPS over .800. That is more impressive when you consider that in his first 11 games, he went 2-for-30 with 13 strikeouts in 37 plate appearances (35%). That also means that over his final 32 games, he hit .368/.455/.465 (.919) with 11 of his 12 doubles, and he struck out just 17% of the time. While maybe not to the same level as his All-Star brother, Bryan Acuna does have a lot of tools. He played in 42 games at shortstop and had 13 errors. He’s got work to do defensively. He had no homers, but his 12 doubles show that the power could come too. He should come to the States in 2023 and play in the FCL. 25. LHP Brent Headrick Age: 25 2022 (A+/AA): 23 starts (25 G), 108 1/3 IP, 3.32 ERA, 31% K, 6.1% BB Headrick was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2019 out of Illinois State University where he pitched for former Twins catcher Steve Holm. Like most minor leaguers, he did not pitch in 2020. He made 15 appearances for the Mighty Mussels in 2021 and posted a 3.82 ERA. In 61 1/3 innings, he walked 33 batters, but he struck out 86 batters. In 2022, he made 15 starts with Cedar Rapids and went 8-2 with a 2.34 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. In 65 1/3 innings, he had just 13 walks to go with 77 strikeouts. He moved up to Double-A, and after a rough first outing (7 runs on 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings), he posted a 3.54 ERA and had 57 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings. Following the season, he was a pretty easy addition to the Twins 40-man roster. 24. INF Danny De Andrade Age: 18 2022 (FCL Twins): 48 games, .242/.333/.371, 9 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 4/6 SB, 13.5% K, 7.5% BB De Andrade signed with the Twins out of Venezuela in January 2021 for a $2.2 million bonus. He spent that summer in the DSL where he hit .264/.340/.348 (.688) with 13 doubles and a triple in 50 games. He came to the States in 2022 and played most every day. He made 32 starts at shortstop and 13 more at third base. He is a solid defender with good range, soft hands and a strong arm. Offensively, he’s a work-in-progress. He is an aggressive hitter with a strong swing and good bat-to-ball skills. There is potential for some power. He could spend the 2023 with the Mighty Mussels, which is likely to present a major challenge for him offensively, so don’t be surprised if he repeats the level as he will be very young. 23. RHP Cole Sands Age: 24 2022 (AAA): 19 games (13 GS), 61 2/3 IP, 5.55 ERA, 25.4% K%, 8.5% BB% 2022 (MIN): 11 games (3 GS), 30 2/3 IP, 5.87 ERA, 19.3% K%, 9.0% BB% Sands represented Team USA events in high school. He was drafted but chose to attend Florida State University. Three years later, he was the Twins fifth-round pick in 2018. That next season, he pitched at three levels, ending the year with one Double-A start. He didn’t pitch in 2020, and in 2021, he posted a 2.46 ERA at Double-A Wichita. He had 96 strikeouts in 80 1/3 innings. Moving up to Triple-A in 2022, he maintained his strikeout rate and actually reduced his walk rate. However, as you can see above, he gave up a lot of runs. It was an inconsistent year for Sands. He was promoted and optioned several times throughout the season, and also spent a couple of stints on the injured list. Is he a starter or reliever? There are a lot of similarities in terms of stuff between Sands and Tyler Duffey. Sands sits in the low-90s with his fastball but can touch 95. He also has a couple of very nice, albeit inconsistent, breaking balls. As we saw with Duffey, that can be very valuable. He would not be the first player to struggle in his big-league debut, learn from it, and have some level of success. With the Twins pitching depth, will he get that opportunity? 22. RHP Blayne Enlow Age: 23 2022 (AA): 24 games (10 starts), 57 1/3 IP, 4.40 ERA, 24.8% K, 11.6% BB Another Team USA alum, Enlow was the Twins third-round pick in 2017 out of high school in Louisiana when they met his signing bonus request to keep him from LSU. It was a slow-go for Enlow early in his career. Like many, Enlow did not pitch in 2020. He returned to Cedar Rapids (now a High-A affiliate) in 2021, but just three starts into the season, he hurt his elbow and had Tommy John surgery in June. Enlow worked hard through his rehab, and in November 2021, he was added to the 40-man roster. He returned to the mound in May 2022, 11 months after surgery, and made one rehab appearance for Ft. Myers before heading up to Double-A Wichita. He made 10 starts and 14 relief appearances. He went 1-3 and had three saves. He was clearly working to get back his form. He walked 30 batters in 57 1/3 innings, well over his ‘normal’ walk rate. That is a number he can reduce quite a bit. He also struck out 64 batters which showed that the stuff was still there. Recently, the front office took the risk of placing him on waivers, but he cleared and was outrighted to the minors. While not necessarily great, it might be exactly what he and the Twins need. It might take some of the pressure off of him in 2023 and he can just work on things. With a low-to-mid 90s fastball and a solid breaking ball and an improving change up, Enlow has potential. Again, will that be as a starter or as a reliever? We shall see. (As you can see in the video below, right before his elbow injury, Enlow was dealing, with all of his pitches.) 21. LHP Jaylen Nowlin Age: 22 2022 (A/A+): 22 games (14 starts), 71 IP, 3.80 ERA, 36.0% K%, 11.6% BB% Yet another late-round steal by the Twins scouting department, it appears. Nowlin was the Twins 19th round pick out of Chipola College. He attended Westlake High School in Atlanta with A’s prospect Lawrence Butler. In the summers, he played with Braves outfielder Michael Harris. He pitched in just one FCL game in 2021, but he made his mark at Fall Instructional League when the southpaw was touching 97 mph with a fastball and showing a solid slider as well. He carried that into the 2022 season. He began at Ft. Myers where he went 4-4 with a 3.65 ERA. In 56 ⅔ innings, he walked 29, but he struck out 89 batters. He moved up to the Kernels late in the season and made three starts. He was 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA. In 14 1/3 innings, he walked seven but struck out 22 batters. Overall, that is 11 strikeouts in 71 innings, a rate of 14.1 K/9. Clearly he will need to improve his control and command, but the Twins can be patient with him and should be because he has immense talent, he just needs to keep improving. Feel free to discuss these prospects and ask as many questions as you like in the COMMENTS below. I will try to get to as any of them as I can. For more Twins Daily content on these ten Twins prospects, click on the link with their name here: Jaylen Nowlin, Blayne Enlow, Cole Sands, Danny De Andrade, Brent Headrick, Bryan Acuna, Yunior Severino, Kala'i Rosario, Aaron Sabato, Byron Chourio. Previous Installments Honorable Mention Prospects 21-30 Prospects 16-20 - Coming Soon! Prospects 11-15

In a move to add bullpen depth, the Minnesota Twins have claimed Oliver Ortega, a 26-year-old right-handed relief pitcher, off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels. Dan Hayes of The Athletic was first to report that move. Ortega, who was waived by LA on December 22nd to make room for free agent signing Brandon Drury, has thrown 43 ⅓ innings as a member of the Angels bullpen, posting a 3.95 ERA to go along with an uninspiring 4.74 FIP, 1.2 HR/9 rate and 4.2 BB/9 rate. The numbers haven't been too impressive up to this point, but the Twins obviously see something they like. It might relate to a a big strikeout rate in the minors (10.1 K/9) and a big fastball that features 84th percentile velocity (averaging about 96 MPH) and 64th percentile spin, according to Statcast. He uses the heater as his primary pitch and mixes in a curveball, which is said to be a quality pitch when he can throw it in the zone – a big caveat. To make room for Ortega on the 40-man roster, the Twins designated Blayne Enlow for assignment. The right-hander was acquired out of high school in the first draft under the current Twins front office, but Tommy John surgery derailed his development. He turns 24 in March and still lacks a clear path to the majors. We'll update this article with more information as we get it. For now, feel free to share your thoughts on the acquisition of Ortega and loss of Enlow.

Despite a strong 2021 in the minor leagues, Jose Miranda did not start the year on the Twins Opening Day roster. He needed to wait for an opportunity and then ran with it once one presented itself. We saw Matt Wallner force his way into the big league outfield by season’s end, and a handful of pitchers including both Simeon Woods Richardson and Louie Varland made their way to the majors. For Rocco Baldelli and the 2023 Minnesota Twins, plenty will be made about the remaining moves to come this offseason. There is no denying that Joey Gallo and Christian Vazquez aren’t enough to supplement this team. There is plenty more to be done in terms of acquisitions, but the more that Minnesota can draw from internal development the better. Who are some of the names on the farm that could fill some gaps in the year ahead? Edouard Julien A late round pick from Auburn in 2019, Julien has progressed nicely. He put on a show during the Arizona Fall League this year, and it only further substantiated his .931 OPS from Double-A Wichita. His power stroke is legit, and that’s a strong asset from the second base position. He could be a replacement for Jorge Polanco should he suffer an injury, or he could move around the diamond some. Julien will be 24 in 2023, and there is almost no reason for him to start anywhere but Triple-A St. Paul this season. He has crushed the ball every place he has gone for Minnesota, and getting this type of production from an 18th round selection is a massive win. Jordan Balazovic If there was a Twins prospect that had a nightmarish 2022 it was Balazovic. He entered the season as arguably Minnesota’s best pitching prospect, and he ended it failing to remain among many top 15’s. His 3.62 ERA at Double-A Wichita last season looked to have him close to Major League ready. Then the season got off to a slow start with a knee injury, and despite suggesting he was healthy, a 7.39 ERA across 70 2/3 Triple-A innings followed. The strikeouts stayed, and while his command faltered some, Balazovic basically became a batting practice pitcher allowing a whopping 2.5 HR/9. His previous career worst was 1.1 HR/9 as an 18-year-old in 2017, and if that can be figured out, a sucessful rebound should be in store. Brooks Lee A candidate to be taken first overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, Lee fell into the Twins lap at number eight. He wound up advancing all the way to Double-A and posted an .839 OPS in his first professional season. I’m still not sure if Lee will remain a shortstop, but there is zero question about his hit tool. There is probably not a ton of power in the bat, but he’s going to be a consistent gap hitter, and he looks extremely refined at the dish already. Barring an unexpected turn of events at shortstop, Lee could factor into an infield that will include young talents like Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda as soon as this year. With a ton of pre-draft hype, he’s lived up to all of it. David Festa Another later round pick that Minnesota has turned into found money, Festa was taken in the 13th round out of Seton Hall. He threw just 8 1/3 innings as a pro during his 2021 debut. Last season he racked up 103 2/3 innings split between two Single-A levels and posted a combined 2.43 ERA. His 9.4 K/9 was strong and Festa allowed only six homers. It may be a leap to think he’ll jump up high enough to make a Major League debut in 2023, but there’s no reason he shouldn’t start at Double-A, and that basically puts him on the doorstep following strong performance. Festa could take a path similar to that of Louie Varland, Bailey Ober, or Josh Winder in being somewhat of an overlooked prospect that forces his way into significant action. Blayne Enlow Another season removed from his Tommy John surgery, this could be the one that Enlow puts it all together. He was a draft prospect that this front office targeted with saved pool money, and he was projected to have a power arm. Throughout his minor league career Enlow has certainly been a strikeout pitcher, and that came back last season. Command was a bit of an issue during his first exposure at Double-A, but that’s not entirely unexpected given the return from injury. He’s done a good job limiting homers and has progressed nicely from a physical development perspective. It remains to be seen if he’ll stay starting or transition to a bullpen role, but there is reason to believe he’s not far from contributing at the Major League level. After a season in which we saw plenty of big league debuts, some from highly noteworthy Minnesota prospects, is there someone you’re excited for in the year ahead? Who do you think is worthy of this list and went unmentioned?

Minnesota drafted Blayne Enlow in the third round of the 2017 MLB Draft from high school in Louisiana. He received a $2 million signing bonus to coax him out of his commitment to Louisiana State University. After signing, the Twins assigned him to the GCL Twins and saw immediate results. In 20 1/3 innings, he allowed three earned runs with a 19-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Twins were aggressive with Enlow in 2018 by sending him to Cedar Rapids, where he was almost three years younger than the average age of the competition. For the season, he only faced younger batters in 13 plate appearances. In 94 innings, he posted a 3.26 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP. He allowed a hit per inning, and his 6.8 K/9 was low, but there were other positives to work on as he climbed the organizational ladder. Enlow began the 2019 season back at Low-A, where he saw his strikeout rate improve to 9.6 K/9. In eight starts, he had a 4.57 ERA with a 1.38 WHIP. Most of his struggles were tied to his home run rate jumping from 0.4 HR/9 to 0.9 HR/9. He continued to make improvements after being promoted to High-A. Across 69 1/3 innings, his ERA dropped to 3.38, and his H/9 dropped below 8.0 for the first time since rookie ball. Enlow was holding his own while being young for his level. Unfortunately, Enlow faced some challenges over the next two seasons. Like many players, he missed a critical year of development with no minor league season in 2020. Enlow worked to refine his delivery during the shutdown, and he started the 2021 season with something to prove. His strikeout rate jumped to 14.1 K/9 through his first three starts while limiting opponents to three earned runs. Shortly into the season, he threw a bullpen, and his velocity was down. Eventually, the organization discovered that he had a torn UCL and needed Tommy John surgery. Enlow missed the remainder of 2021 but returned to the mound in May 2022, 11 months after his surgery. Also, the Twins thought highly enough of Enlow to add him to the 40-man roster even though he’d be returning from injury. In 25 appearances (11 starts), he posted a 4.73 ERA with a 1.63 WHIP and 9.9 K/9. He posted the highest H/9 and BB/9 of his career, but it can take time for a pitcher to return to his previous form following Tommy John. Last season, Enlow pitched the entire year at Double-A, where he was still young for his level. He is likely to return to Double-A this season now that he is further removed from his procedure. 40-man roster spots are valuable, so Enlow needs to get closer to the player he was before surgery. The Twins will likely need pitching depth in 2023, and Enlow’s presence on the 40-man roster makes it more likely that he will make his big-league debut. If Enlow struggles, the Twins will need his roster spot for other players. Enlow’s 2023 season will be intriguing for fans to watch. He is part of the team’s pitching pipeline, but questions remain about his future. Can he regain his form as a top prospect? Or will he end the season in another organization? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

The Twins have a returning base for their bullpen in theory, though it could be argued that one more dependable arm would be a good addition. Still, this year we saw how important it is for the fringes of your bullpen to have depth and talent in addition to the back end. For that reason, the Twins have some difficult decisions to make on a pair of relievers already holding 40-man spots this winter who are far from sure things. Cody Stashak Stashak at his best is the perfect reliever to occupy the fringes of a good team’s bullpen. His low velocity, two-pitch mix has been plenty effective with a career 27.6% K-rate and 4.7% walk rate. He established himself enough in both 2019 and 2020 to make appearances in the postseason. For a reliever that seems to have endeared himself to the Twins in his career, why does he find himself on the bubble? We haven’t heard Stashak’s name in a long time, as he was shut down after just 16 1/3 innings this year with shoulder issues that turned out to be a torn labrum. Pitchers do make their returns from such an injury, but with the question marks the recovery process raises, 28-year-old Stashak is far from a sure thing. Plenty of players will have to be trimmed from the 40-man to fit all of the returning 60-Day IL players back onto the team. With no-brainers including Jorge Alcala, Kenta Maeda, etc., Stashak's limited role and ceiling even when at 100% could make him a 40-man casualty. Also consider that it likely wasn’t a given that Stashak would return at all after a 2021 season in which he posted a near 7.00 ERA, due mostly to the fact that his impeccable walk rate swelled to 13.3%. It would be awesome to see Stashak return and fill a middle relief spot, but the fact of the matter is even though he’s a solid arm for the middle innings, his ceiling is limited, his health is in question, and it may not be hard to fill his role with upcoming players such as Ronny Henriquez or Cole Sands if either get moved to the bullpen full time. The Twins will have a tough decision to make on one of the few remaining pieces of the 2019 Bomba Squad bullpen. Blayne Enlow It feels like we’ve heard Enlow’s name for years… because we have. Despite being selected 76th overall in 2017, Enlow is still just 23 years old. One of their top pitching prospects for several years, Enlow’s prospect stock has taken a hit. Having missed 2021 with Tommy John surgery, he returned in 2022 making a few starts before finishing the season out of the bullpen, making it Double-A Wichita. At 23, it’s likely Enlow could build back up and have a normal career as a starting pitcher. His move to the bullpen, however, is an indication that the clock is ticking and that the Twins were hoping to see a shortened path for the 6’3 right-hander to the majors. Having made his last start on August 6, Enlow made 12 appearances out of the bullpen. He went 1-1 with 3 saves, but his 6.06 ERA with a 22.2% K rate and 12.3% BB rate doesn’t exactly indicate that he’ll be close to the majors to start 2023. It’s easy to argue that given his new role, he needs more time to adjust to the routines of a starting pitcher, but the biggest concern in terms of Enlow’s future as a Twin is how long such an adjustment could take. It’s possible he spends the winter adjusting and comes out of the gate more well-prepared for a short-stint role in 2023. It’s also possible that the Twins decide they don’t have the 40-man roster space to make such a gamble. At this point, the best-case scenario is that everything goes perfectly and he can debut in the Twins bullpen in mid-to-late 2023. Having only periodically flashed the high-end talent that compelled the Twins to take a prep pitcher early in the 2017 draft, it’s certainly possible that they see better uses for the 40-man spot he currently possesses. For two fringe bullpen pieces, it may not seem like that impactful of a decision for the Twins to make in regards to keeping them on the 40-man roster. Still though, their decisions on these two likely impact whether the team goes out and brings in external help or possibly impacts other players who will be on the 40-man roster bubble. Should the Twins keep one or both around for one more year? Should they let them go? Let us know below.

TRANSACTIONS OF Mark Contreras optioned to St. Paul Saints Sentinel St. Paul 5, Omaha 0 Box Score Ariel Jurado: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K HR: John Andreoli (9), Jermaine Palacios 2 (11, 12), Braden Bishop (1) Multi-hit games: Michael Helman (2-for-5, 2B, R), Jermaine Palacios (2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI) St. Paul smothered their opponent on Saturday. Ariel Jurado earned the nod for the start on Saturday and was effective, if not sporadic. No Storm Chaser crossed home plate under his watch, but the righty only coaxed a single strikeout from his opponents, instead relying on his defense to make plays behind him. St. Paul’s bats were cleared for take-off; the team launched four home runs in their effort, with Jermaine Palacios’ second bomb acting as the lone non-solo shot. John Andreoli and Braden Bishop, perhaps united in their effort as former fringe Mariners, also homered. Bishop’s was his first of the season. Evan Sisk was the big-winner for Saints’ relievers; the lefty-handed return in the J.A. Happ trade pitched two shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts. Sisk will likely be in the majors sooner than later. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 5, San Antonio 1 Box Score Blayne Enlow: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: Jair Camargo (4) Multi-hit games: Chris Williams (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB), Ernie Yake (2-for-4, 2B, R), Leobaldo Cabrera (3-for-4, 2B, RBI) Wichita easily handled their opponent on Saturday. Blayne Enlow established order; the righty allowed one earned run over four frames, striking out an equal number of batters for good measure. It’s been an up-and-down season for Enlow, and this start was certainly one of the bright spots. Wichita’s offense ensured Enlow’s start would not go for naught; Chris Williams and Andrew Bechtold both doubled in the 1st inning, scoring three total runs. Leobaldo Cabrera returned with an RBI double in the third frame; Jair Camargo, just to be mean, blasted a solo shot in the 7th. Cody Laweryson worked three scoreless innings, striking out four batters with two hits allowed. Laweryson dropped his AA ERA to 1.03. Yes, that’s the correct number. Some guy named Fernando Tatís Jr. started for San Antonio and walked twice. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 1, Beloit 2 Box Score David Festa: 3 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Wander Javier (2-for-4), Jeferson Morales (2-for-4, RBI) The Kernels lost a low-scoring affair on Saturday. David Festa, newly anointed as the 13th best prospect according to this site, started for the first time since July 24th, allowing a pair of runs with, yes, a picked-off runner. Get used to reading that. Cedar Rapids struggled against Beloit’s pitchers. Perhaps they were baffled by the “Sky Carps” moniker—as the team changed their name for the night—or maybe they were offended that a pitcher named “Puckett” earned the save for the opposing team; in any case, the team did not hit. Will Holland earned the sole extra-base hit of the night, his 11th double of the season. Kernels’ relievers worked as their positional name implies, shutting out Beloit with 5 2/3 effective innings. Jon Olsen struck out four batters; Tyler Palm did not allow a baserunner. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 9 Box Score Mike Paredes: 4 1/3 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K HR: Carlos Aguiar (9) Multi-hit games: Misael Urbina (3-for-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI), Kala’i Rosario (2-for-5, RBI), Dillon Tatum (2-for-2, 2B, 2 R, 2 BB), Carlos Aguiar (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI) The Mighty Mussels could not steal command of the game on Saturday. Mike Paredes, fresh off winning the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month award, served up a clunker; the righty rushed through regression with whiplash intensity, allowing nearly as many hits (10) as outs (13). Fort Myers’ bats enjoyed the game far more; Carlos Aguiar and Misael Urbina clocked multiple extra-base hits while Noah Miller tripled for, appropriately, the third time. It was a tremendous effort, but the early deficit proved insurmountable. Jackson Hicks and Samuel Perez found better luck than Paredes—although Hicks walked four batters—but the Marauders still walked away with nine total runs; a total the Mighty Mussels fell short in chasing. Complex Chronicles FCL Twins 10, FCL Red Sox 11 Box Score Tomas Cleto: 2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K HR: Gregory Duran (2), Alex Isola (1), Ricardo Olivar (5) Multi-hit games: Tanner Schobel (2-for-5, 2 R), Danny De Andrade (2-for-5, R, RBI), Ricardo Olivar (3-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI), Gregory Duran (2-for-5, HR, R, RBI) The FCL Twins lost a high-scoring affair. Recent 1st round pick Brooks Lee manned shortstop to start and netted a single out of three tries at the plate. Tanner Schobel—another 2022 draft pick—dropped in two singles while working as the designated hitter. Jorel Ortega debuted for the first time and promptly struck out in three at-bats. It’ll be on to the next one for him. Alex Isola started a rehab assignment, blasting a health-proving three-run homer while also walking. Dominican Dailies DSL Twins 4, DSL Rockies 10 Box Score Cesar Lares: 2 2/3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: Yasser Mercedes (4) Multi-hit games: Yasser Mercedes (2-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI), Denyerbe Gervis (2-for-4, R), Juan Zapata (2-for-3, 2B, R) The DSL Twins were smoked on Saturday. Yasser Mercedes continued his head-turning start to the season; the athletic outfielder homered for the fourth time and swiped his 21st bag of the season. If you haven’t heard, I’m here to let you know—Mercedes is the real deal. Juan Zapata and Isaac Pena were the only other hitters with an extra-base knock on Saturday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Blayne Enlow Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jermaine Palacios PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 - Brooks Lee (FCL Twins) - 1-3, R #7 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 3B, K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-3, 2 BB #13 - David Festa (Cedar Rapids) - 3 ⅓ IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-5, 2 K #15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (FCL Twins) - 2-5, 2 R, K #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Ft. Myers) - 2-5, RBI SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Omaha (5:05 PM) - LHP Devin Smeltzer NW Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05 PM) - RHP Casey Legumina Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 PM) - TBD Bradenton @ Fort Myers (12:00 PM) - RHP Regi Grace

TRANSACTIONS RHP Jon Olsen activated from 60-day IL, assigned to High-A Cedar Rapids RHP Pierce Banks transferred from High-A Cedar Rapids to Rookie Ball FCL Twins SAINTS SENTINEL Louisville 4, St. Paul 1 Box Score The Saints fell short on Friday night due in large part to an offense that sputtered all evening. Spencer Steer (2-for-3, 2B, BB) was the lone St. Paul batter to register multiple hits. His .876 OPS is currently third on the team behind Tim Beckham (1.090) and Jake Cave (.878). (Jake Cave's 49-game on-base streak ended during the loss.) Elliot Soto—the Saints’ No. 9 hitter—drove in the team’s lone run with a solo home run, his third of the season. Mario Sanchez started on the bump for St. Paul and surrendered four runs and two home runs across 3 1/3 innings. Ariel Jurado pitched the bulk of the remaining innings, striking out three and allowing only a single base runner during the game’s final four innings. Austin Schulfer lowered his ERA to 2.70 and picked up two strikeouts. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Amarillo 4, F/11 Box Score An Andrew Bechtold walk-off three-run home run sent the Wind Surge home victorious over the Sod Poodles on Friday. It was Bechtold's ninth dinger of the year. Leobaldo Cabrera (2-for-3, RBI, BB) joined the Wichita third basemen in the homer column with his sixth. Anthony Prato (2-for-5, RBI) and Edouard Julien (1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB, R) each contributed a double. Blayne Enlow put together perhaps his best performance of the campaign, striking out five and allowing a single unearned run in four innings. His fastball touched 94 mph and sat 92-93 mph while his breaking ball sat in the low-80s and featured sharp, downward break. Osiris German, Bryan Sammons, Steven Cruz, Jordan Gore, and Andrew Cabezas pitched spectacularly out of the bullpen, combining to strike out five and not allow an earned run in seven innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Quad Cities 2 Box Score The Kernels coasted to a victory over their intrastate rivals thanks to a standout performance by David Festa as well as their bats. Festa improved his High-A record to 5-0 on the season after striking out eight batters and not allowing a single run in six innings of work. He now owns a 1.91 ERA to go along with 45 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings with Cedar Rapids. At the plate, the Kernels popped with aplomb, smoking five extra-base hits, four of which were home runs. Seth Gray (2-for-5, 3 RBI), Jake Rucker (1-for-2, 2 RBI), Dylan Neuse (1-for-4, RBI), and Alerick Soularie (1-for-5, 3 RBI) all hit long balls. Christian Encarnacion-Strand went 2-for-4 with a double, walk, and two runs scored. MUSSEL MATTERS Tampa 5, Fort Myers 3 Box Score Tampa 3, Fort Myers 1 Box Score The Mighty Mussels dropped both of their contests to the Tarpons on Friday, despite an offense that collected 13 hits combined. Mike Paredes started and pitched admirably in the first game, striking out three and allowing a single run on a solo shot across four innings. But Tampa touched John Wilson for four runs in the sixth inning, which ultimately gave them the win. Rubel Cespedes (2-for-3, 2 RBI) was the lone Fort Myers batter to pick up multiple hits. Cespedes also picked up two hits in three at-bats in the second game, contributing his seventh double of the season. He was joined by Kala’i Rosario (2-for-2) whose ninth home run plated the Mighty Mussels only run. Malik Barrington punched out six batters but surrendered three runs in three innings. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 2, FCL Red Sox 0 Box Score Old friend Miguel Sanó hit a double, walked twice, and drove in a run as the FCL Twins took down the Red Sox on Friday. Andres Centeno (2-for-3, BB) drove in the game's only other run. Luis Rijo tossed the first three innings for the Twins and struck out five batters. Alex Phillips, Cleiber Maldonado, and Danny Moreno combined to strike out five batters in six innings of hitless work out of the bullpen. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Twins 7, DSL Giants Orange 5 Box Score Independence Day may have been earlier this week, but that didn’t stop the DSL Twins from lighting off some fireworks on Friday. Jose Rodriguez (3-for-5, RBI, BB) led the Twins' offensive charge with all three of his going for two bases. Yasser Mercedes (1-for-2, 3 BB, 2 R) was particularly pesky on the base paths, stealing three bags bringing his total to eight on the season. Rafael Cruz (2-for-4, 3 RBI, BB, R) hit his third home run. On the mound, Christian Jimenez pitched five innings, striking out six and allowing only one earned run. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – David Festa (Cedar Rapids) - 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day – Andrew Bechtold (Wichita) - 2-for-5, HR (9), 3 RBI 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 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - IL (ACL surgery) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - Did Not Play #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Fort Myers) - IL (Knee surgery) #4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - (Covid IL) #5 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - (IL-elbow/forearm) #6 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 2-for-3, 2B, BB #13 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K #15 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB, R #16 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 R #18 - David Festa (Cedar Rapids) - 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Aaron Sanchez (3-0, 4.21 ERA) Wichita vs. Amarillo (6:05 PM CST) - LHP Kody Funderburk (6-2, 3.06 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Quad Cities (6:35 PM CST) - LHP Aaron Rozek (6-2, 3.35 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Quad Cities (TBD) - TBD Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30 PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya (3-1, 2.77 ERA)

TRANSACTIONS RHP Trevor Megill assigned to the Saints on Major League rehab C Frank Nigro transferred from High-A Cedar Rapids to St. Paul RHP Matt Mullenbach transferred from Low-A Fort Myers to High-A Cedar Rapids RHP Regi Grace Jr. was placed on the 7-day injured list (nasal fracture) Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Omaha 6 Box Score Ariel Jurado: 1 2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K HR: Mark Contreras (8), Jake Cave (10) Multi-hit games: Jake Cave (2-for-3, HR, R, RBI, 2 BB), Elliot Soto (2-for-3, RBI) The Saints fell early and failed to pick themselves back up on Saturday. Ariel Jurado received the nod, perhaps looking to advance his name in discussions for a promotion to a big-league ballclub a week away from posting “Reliever Wanted” ads in the papers. He did not help his case, absorbing five of Omaha’s six runs—all due to the Michael Massey RBIs—while walking away after just five outs. A combo poo-poo plater of arms linked together after Jurado; Austin Schulfer, Trevor Megill, Mario Sanchez, and Yennier Cano worked the final 22 outs, allowing one run on two hits while striking out 11 batters. St. Paul’s bats nearly brought them back into the game; Mark Contreras boomed a two-run homer in the 5th inning to slice the lead to four, while Jake Cave’s 7th inning solo shot inched the Saints to the halfway mark. Michael Helman singled home a run later in the frame to narrow the deficit. St. Paul had an opportunity to tie the game in the 8th inning, but Spencer Steer and Cave both came up empty while trying to plate a run with men on the corners. Cave is secretly on a rare path; his early walk ensured safe passage to the base paths, and he has now reached base in 46 straight games. That’s an incredible streak. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 4, Springfield 5 Box Score Blayne Enlow: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Leobaldo Cabrera (2-for-4, 2B, R), Daniel Ozoria (2-for-3, R, 3 RBI) Blayne Enlow continued his quest toward Tommy John recovery, allowing a pair of runs over four innings; he has not passed that mark yet in eight AA starts. The numbers are not yet dominant for the highly-touted arm, but this is hopefully a trial period for future success. Daniel Ozoria played two roles on Saturday: the hero and the goat. Ozoria knocked in three runs; two came from a 4th inning single, while an 8th inning sacrifice fly topped him off for good. His defense, however, was an odyssey; an error to open the 2nd inning allowed a run to score, while little league defense in the 8th inning—a passed ball followed by an error that directly scored another run—almost equaled his RBI output. Ozoria’s bottom-of-the-order brother, Leobaldo Cabrera, was the other batter to acquire multiple hits on Saturday. With the aid of walks, Matt Wallner, Edouard Julien, and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. reached base more than once. Cody Laweryson, Alex Scherff, and Osiris German worked together to stop earned runs from scoring after Enlow left the game, but sloppy defense tacked three un-earned scores to the total. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 6, Wisconsin 7 Box Score John Stankiewicz: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Kyler Fedko (2-for-6, 2B, R, RBI), Wander Javier (2-for-4, R, RBI, BB), Pat Winkel (2-for-4, R, RBI, BB) The Kernels lost on a walk-off Saturday. John Stankiewicz—back to earth after reaching great heights to start the season—worked a gritty start on the mound. He allowed just a pair of runs but scattered eight baserunners across 12 outs; the righty exited the game with his team behind. While Wisconsin enjoyed a 4-1 advantage at one point, the Kernels struck in the 7th inning, cheekily plating two runs off an infield single by Jake Rucker and an RBI groundout from Dylan Neuse. The bats came back for seconds; Wander Javier singled home the go-ahead run in the 8th inning while Pat Winkel tacked on two more for good measure; he hit a single that reached the outfield. The Timber Rattlers were displeased with losing their lead. Their bats rallied against the usually reliable Bobby Milacki; plating two clutch runs in the bottom of the 8th inning; Tyler Black’s RBI double shaved a run off the lead before he scored later in the frame off of a sacrifice fly. After exchanging failed attempts at scoring the Manfred Zombie Runner, the Timber Rattlers plated a run off a fielder’s choice in the 11th inning, walking away victorious. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 3, Dunedin 1 Box Score Mike Paredes: 6 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K HR: Dillon Tatum (5) Multi-hit games: Rubel Cespedes (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) Fort Myers bested Dunedin in a close match on Saturday. Mike Paredes gave his batters the peace of mind needed to score against Dunedin effectively; his six innings pitched with just a single earned run provided consistency. While Paredes dabbled in fascism—he struck out three batters—he opted for a democratic approach to acquiring outs, choosing to let his fielders have some fun. It was precisely the sort of start the team needed. When Parades strutted off the mound in the 6th, the Mighty Mussels claimed a 2-1 advantage. Zach Huffins and LaRon Smith teamed up in the 2nd inning to prove that bottom-of-the-order hitters can contribute as well, with Huffins doubling home Smith off a sharply hit double to center field. Dillon Tatum claimed a victory for the middle-of-the-order, smacking a solo homer in the 4th inning and increasing Fort Myers’ lead to 2-0. Rubel Cespedes drove in the final run, scoring Noah Cardenas, but not Kala’i Rosario, on a bittersweet RBI ground-rule-double. While Paredes worked the Blue Jays for six effective innings, Samuel Perez tagged himself into the game in the 7th inning, and he proved meaner, shutting down Dunedin’s offense for the final three frames. The outing gave Perez his first save of the season. Walks were the game’s theme; Dunedin failed to take one, while Fort Myers trotted freely to first base five times; Cardenas alone worked three invitations to the base paths. Complex Chronicles FCL Twins 4, FCL Red Sox 6 Box Score Cleiber Maldonado: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K HR: Jeferson Morales (1), Alexander Pena (3) Multi-hit games: None The FCL Twins fell to the FCL Red Sox in an even affair on Saturday. Cleiber Maldonado’s start lacked the sheen of his previous one; the lefty allowed six baserunners against three strikeouts but permitted just a single run. Groundballs were his accomplice; seven of his outs struck the earth before a fielder could reach the ball. The Twins’ offense was sparse but powerful when working correctly; rehabbing catcher Jeferson Morales smoked an Earl Weaver special in the 7th inning to spark a suddenly doable 3-5 disadvantage. Alexander Pena inched closer with a solo homer later in the frame. Two of the team’s five hits were of the over-the-wall variety. Lefty reliever Wilker Reyes truck out four batters over two innings; left fielder Andres Centeno walked three times. Dominican Dailies DSL Twins 5, DSL Cardinals 4 Box Score Cesar Lares: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Yasser Mercedes (3-for-5), Rafael Cruz (2-for-4, R, BB), Daniel Pena (2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB) In keeping with the “close game” theme of the night, the DSL Twins won by a run on Saturday. The bats knocked around 10 base hits while walking nine times; five runs seems low compared to how much pressure they placed on the Cardinals. The arms commanded the story, though; Cesar Lares led with 10 strikeouts, and the staff punched out 20 hitters in total. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Cesar Lares, FCL Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jake Cave, St. Paul Saints PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #6 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 0-5, K #8 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-2, BB, K #12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 1-4, BB, 2 K #13 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K #15 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (5:02 PM) - RHP Mario Sanchez Wichita @ Springfield (4:25 PM) - LHP Kody Funderburk Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (12:10 PM) - TBD Dunedin @ Fort Myers (5:00 PM) - LHP Jordan Carr

TRANSACTIONS No transactions today within the Minnesota Twins minor league system! SAINTS SENTINAL Buffalo 3, St. Paul 2 Box Score Leading for eight innings, the Saints fell just short on Wednesday courtesy of a pair of runs in the ninth inning runs by Buffalo. After two solid innings of work, reliever Ariel Jurado gave up a pair of hits and struck a batter to allow the Bison to walk off St. Paul in the final frame of the game. The Saints scored their two runs in the fourth and seventh innings. With Jake Cave on second base, Mark Contreras laced his 11th double of the season to right field to get the Saints on the board. The red-hot first-baseman now has six hits and four runs in his last three games. Roy Morales followed the trend in the seventh inning with a double (4) to center field that scored Contreras from second. Inching his way back to full strength, starting pitcher Josh Winder was excellent for the Saints through four, striking out three while allowing just one run on one hit and two walks. Wednesday was the longest of three starts that Winder has made since returning from the 15-day Injured List with a shoulder injury. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wind Surge 2, San Antonio 1 SUSPENDED IN THE 4TH Wednesday night's game against San Antonio was suspended due to inclement weather in Wichita. The game will pick up tomorrow as part of a double-header. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, West Michigan 2 Box Score A third-inning bomba from Seth Gray and a stellar outing from Brent Headrick propelled the Kernels to a 4-2 victory on Wednesday afternoon in Cedar Rapids. Already leading 1-0 thanks to an RBI single from Kennie Taylor, Gray took an 0-1 pitch to the moon over the right-field wall in the third innings to give Cedar Rapids a lead that they wouldn't surrender. Gray now has eight homers on the year and is slashing .235/.362/.772. The Kernels added an insurance run in the fourth when Alerick Soularie smoked his seventh double of the year to center field, scoring Charles Mack. Already off to a blazing start on the season, starting pitcher Brent Headrick continued his dominance, striking out four batters while allowing just one run on three hits through five innings. Headrick is now an impressive 7-2 on the year with a 2.48 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. Pretty darn impressive. Don't be surprised if Headrick gets the call to Kansas in the near future. Leading in a tight game, the Kernels' bullpen was rock solid through four innings. Miguel Rodriguez (H, 5) and Cody Lawyerson (S, 1) allowed just one run and were able to work their way out of multiple jams to keep Cedar Rapids afloat. The Kernels are now 43-22 on the season. MUSSEL MATTERS Lakeland 3, Fort Myers 1 Box Score The bats ran dry on a cloudy day in Lakeland as the Mussels fell short to the Flying Tigers on Wednesday. Carlos Aguilar drove in the Mussels' only run on a second-inning double that scored Dillon Tatum. Fort Myers only tallied three hits on the day, two of which were doubles. In addition to Aguilar's double, Tatum also doubled to kick off the second inning. Starting pitcher Travis Adams (L. 4-3) allowed three runs on seven hits through four innings while striking out three and walking one. Two of Adams' runs allowed came from a two-out fourth-inning homer. It was only the fourth homer that Adams has surrendered this season and the 23-year-old touts a 3.23 ERA and 0.91 WHIP through 11 starts. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Braves 3, DSL Twins 2 (7 innings) Box Score The DSL Twins lost a tight one to the Atlanta Braves' Dominican Summer League team on Wednesday afternoon. The Twins jumped out to an early lead in the second inning when Junior Del Valle launched a two-run homer over the left-field wall. The home run was Del Valle's first of the season and the Venezuelan is now slashing an impressive .345/.429/.946 through 29 at-bats so for this season. Del Valle also lined a single to left in the fourth inning and was the only Twins player to record multiple hits on the day. The two runs from Del Valle's bomb would be the only two on the day. Twins starting pitcher Ledwin Taveras was excellent through five innings, allowing only two runs (one earned) on five hits with one walk while striking out three. Through three starts Taveras is 1-0 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. Reliever Oscar Paredes was solid in relief, failing to allow a hit and striking out three through two innings. However, Paredes ran into trouble with walks and a throwing error in the seventh that led to the Braves scoring the go-ahead run. The DSL Twins are now 6-7 on the year. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day: Seth Gray (Cedar Rapids)- 2-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 K Pitcher of the Day: Brent Headrick (Cedar Rapids) W (7-2), 5 IP, 3 H, R, ER, BB, 4 K TWINS DAILY PROSPECT SUMMARY #7 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, 2 K #9 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, K #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2 K THURSDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Buffalo (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-2, 7.89 ERA) San Antonio @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Blayne Enlow (0-2, 5.31 ERA) West Michigan @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (6-2, 3.70 ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Pierson Ohl (3-3,5.21 ERA) FCL Pirates @ FCL Twins (12:00 PM CDT) - TBD DSL Braves @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CDT) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

TRANSACTIONS C Kyle Schmidt transferred to AA Wichita C Frank Nigro transferred to A+ Cedar Rapids OF Alex Kirilloff recalled by Twins INF Elliot Soto outrighted to AAA St. Paul C David Bañuelos placed on 7-day IL (Dislocated right finger) C Roy Morales reinstated from 7-day IL (Back spasms) RHP Daniel Gossett transferred to AA Wichita Saints Sentinel St. Paul 6, Columbus 5 Box Score Ariel Jurado: 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K HR: John Andreoli (4), Mark Contreras (7), Curtis Terry (6), Michael Helman (2) Multi-hit games: Michael Helman (3-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI), Curtis Terry (2-for-4, HR, R, RBI) St. Paul won a stressful game on Friday. The Saints took a democratic approach to hitting; every batter reached base at least once, and their four homers all came from a different source. John Andreoli hit the first bomb, while Mark Contreras followed suit with a two-run shot. Both home runs came in the 3rd inning. The Clippers did respond, though. The double Wills of Brenson and Brennan (sounds like a law firm) brought home enough runs to tie the game at three; Curtis Terry broke that tie with a solo home run in the 4th. The game entered a pure Cold War stalemate for a handful of innings before Michael Helman Tore Down That Wall with a crucial two-run homer in the top of the 9th inning. Columbus punched through Dereck Rodriguez’s Star Wars defense in the bottom of the inning, but the Saints held strong and walked away victorious. Rodriguez netted the final 15 outs in the game, allowing just two runs in support of Jurado and Hunter Wood. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 0, Tulsa 5 Box Score Blayne Enlow: 3 2/3 IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None Wichita was shut out on Friday. The famous Dodgers minor league system quieted the Wind Surge bats, striking out 15 with an assortment of arms that would make any team jealous. Tulsa pitchers have given the Wind Surge fits since their inception, and this series has been no different. Bobby Miller did it the other day; Clayton Beeter did it on Friday. Austin Martin was not in the lineup, and perhaps Wichita lost important vibes because of it. Blayne Enlow continued his attempt at finding his footing again after losing crucial development time to injury. He was admirable, working 3 2/3 innings with two earned runs and four strikeouts for good measure. It’s clear that his command isn’t crisp like he would hope, but this is one step in a marathon for him. Alex Scherff was the only pitcher to walk away with an unharmed ERA on Friday, as he allowed no runs in his one inning of work. Matt Wallner hit lead-off, which reminded this author of the time Logan Morrison did the same; what a time that was, huh? Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 3, Dayton 0 Box Score Aaron Rozek: 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None The Kernels won a shutout on Friday. Aaron Rozek was the man of the hour. The lefty held the Dragons to five baserunners over 5 2/3 IP with four strikeouts and, of course, no earned runs. The Dragons are no push-over, as they came into the game with a 38-21 record on the year. Cody Laweryson and Bradley Hanner slammed the door shut, netting the final 10 outs with a single hit allowed and six strikeouts. All three pitchers deserved a nice night out to celebrate their success on Friday; shutouts don't happen every day, after all. The Kernels’ bats did their job as well. They only needed one run, but they plated three off of a fielding error, a ground-rule double, and a wild pitch. In a form so ironic that Alanis Morissette would appreciate it, neither team allowed an earned run on Friday. This author cannot recall the last time they saw that occur in a baseball game. Despite the lack of runs, Cedar Rapids hitters took seven walks on top of their six hits; luck was their enemy in this game. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 8, Bradenton 3 Box Score Pierson Ohl: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 5 K HR: Rubel Cespedes (1), Carlos Aguiar (2) Multi-hit games: Mikey Perez (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI), Kala’i Rosario (3-for-4, R), Luis Baez (2-for-4, RBI) Fort Myers cruised on Friday. The Mighty Mussels jumped out early in the 2nd inning thanks to the “ez” brothers—Mikey Perez doubled home a run, and Luis Baez singled home another. Those two represented an effective back-end of the lineup for Fort Myers on Friday; three of the bottom four hitters netted multiple hits. Bradenton ambushed Pierson Ohl in the 3rd, plating three runs off some piranha-like magic, including an RBI groundout and a two-run single. The 3rd inning proved to be the only one Ohl was not dominant in, and he settled in outside of that inning to not allow a run the rest of the way. While Ohl did his job, Malik Barrington and Juan Mendez ensured that the Marauders had no shot to return in the game. The two relievers combined for four effective innings with one hit allowed and an impressive eight strikeouts. Fort Myers pitchers struck out 13 hitters in total. The Mighty Mussels embodied the Earl Weaver approach to baseball and blasted a pair of three-run homers to bury Bradenton. Rubel Cespedes hit the first one, while Carlos Aguiar blasted one in the 8th inning for good measure. Complex Chronicles FCL Twins 2, FCL Red Sox 4 Box Score Brayan Medina: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Alexander Pena (2-for-4, 2 RBI) The FCL Twins took a loss six days in the making. The FCL Twins and FCL Red Sox were supposed to play on June 11th, but rain washed away any hope of playing that game beyond the 1st inning. Rehabbing starter and forgotten piece from the Lance Lynn trade, Luis Rijo, picked up where Bryana Medina left off, tossing two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. Former big-leaguer Daniel Robertson was also on a rehab assignment; he picked up a pair of walks. Alexander Pena provided all the runs for the FCL Twins, with his 1st inning single bringing home two baserunners. The two teams were supposed to play a second game, but it was canceled due to COVID. Dominican Dailies DSL Twins 2, DSL Giants Black 6 Box Score Oscar Paredes: ⅔ IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, K HR: Jose Rodriguez (2) Multi-hit games: None Jose Rodriguez provided all the offense for the DSL Twins with a 4th inning solo homer and an RBI groundout in the 6th. Cristian Jimenez struck out five over three innings of work. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Rozek, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Michael Helman, St. Paul Saints PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #3 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - In Progress. #7 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 1-5, K #9 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, R, 2 BB #14 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 3 ⅔ IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K #15 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 1-2, BB, K #16 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-3, BB, 2 K #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 1-2, 2 BB, K SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (4:05 PM) - RHP Jake Faria Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05 PM) - RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long Dayton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM) - LHP Cade Povich Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM) - RHP Marco Raya

TRANSACTIONS RHP Jharel Cotton cleared waivers and accepted the assignment to St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 8, St. Paul 7 Box Score The Saints rallied late, scoring all seven of their runs after the first four innings, but were unable to overcome the Storm Chasers. Alex Kirilloff was one of the top performers for St. Paul, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and walk. He’s now picked up seven hits in his last 14 at-bats at Triple-A. Kevin Merrell produced the Saints’ best game offensively, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Unfortunately for St. Paul, the pitching staff did not have their best stuff tonight as the collection of Mario Sanchez, Juan Minaya, Wladimir Pinto, and Jharel Cotton combined to allow nine hits and walk seven. Royce Lewis appeared at third base for the first time in his career as the Minnesota Twins attempt to prepare him for a utility role in the majors this season. He went 0-for-5 at the plate with four strikeouts. WIND SURGE WISDOM Springfield 5, Wichita 3 Box Score The Wind Surge rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead but surrendered three runs in the top of the eighth to fall to the Cardinals. Blayne Enlow started on the mound for Wichita and threw four encouraging innings, allowing two runs, a home run, and striking out six. Enlow’s fastball sat in the low- to mid-90s while his slider showed sharp break and hovered between 82-84 mph. While his command—particularly that of his non-fastballs—was spotty, the former 3rd round pick has looked solid for two-straight outings since returning from Tommy John surgery. He has served up a home run in all three of his starts this spring—a rate that will eventually regress—but he’s struck out 12 and not surrendered a walk since being called up to Double-A. Steven Cruz was saddled with the loss after giving up three runs in the eighth. Kody Funderburk, Argenis Angulo, and Alex Scherff pitched four innings of scoreless ball. Michael Helman was the only Wind Surger batter who registered more than one hit, going 3-for-4 with a double. Austin Martin went 1-for-3 with an RBI and stole his 18th bag of the season in the first inning; he’s 32-for-37 during stolen base opportunities in 126 minor league games. KERNELS NUGGETS Lake County 5, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score The Kernels bats where quieted and Sawyer Gipson-Long threw his first mediocre game of the season as the Captains sailed to an easy win. Gipson-Long surrendered two home runs—and four runs total—in 4 ⅓ innings, which was more than enough offense to earn Lake County the victory. Prior to Friday, Gipson-Long had not allowed a home run since April 23 nor an earned run since April 30. Melvi Acosta, Bobby Milacki, and Andrew Cabezas pitched well out of the pen, striking out four and allowing only one run over the game’s final 4 2/3 innings. Christian Encarnacion-Strand contributed the Kernels lone extra-base hit—a double—and also drew a walk. He now owns a .326 batting average and .937 OPS in 35 High-A games. Alerick Soularie continued on his hot streak since his frozen start to the season, and contributed two hits. He is 9-for-29 (.310) with two home runs, two triples, and seven RBI over his last eight games. MUSSEL MATTERS Game 1: Fort Myers 3, Clearwater 1 Game 2: Fort Myers 3, Clearwater 0 Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score The Mighty Mussels took both games against the Threshers on Friday to push their record to a blister 24-12 on the season. While the bats were relatively quite, picking up only nine hits across 14 innings, the Fort Myers pitchers were loud, holding Clearwater to only six hits and a single run. Steven Hajjar earned the win in the first game of the day, pitching five innings of scoreless ball, striking out six. Hunter McMahon struckout five in two innings of relief. During the second game, Malik Barrington, Samuel Perez, and Matthew Swain combined to strike out five and allowed only four Threshers to reach base. Kala’i Rosario led the way for the Mighty Mussels at the plate in Game 1, smacking two doubles and driving in two runs. Noah Cardenas also connected for two doubles. In Game 2, Dylan Neuse crush a home run and added a double while Jake Rucker added two hits, with one being a triple. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Steve Hajjar (Fort Myers) - 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Kevin Merrell (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-for-3, RBI, SB #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 0-for-5, 4 K #3 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R #7 - Jhoan Duran (Minnesota) - 1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K #10 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4 #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) - 2-for-3, BB #12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 3 K #15 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-5, 3 BB #17 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K #18 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 0-for-2, BB #20 - Steve Hajjar (Ft. Myers) - 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul at Omaha ( 6:35 PM CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (1-0, 1.72 ERA) Wichita vs. Springfield (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Chris Vallimont (0-2, 9.95 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Lake County (6:35 PM CST) - RHP John Stankiewicz (2-0, 1.80 ERA) Fort Myers at Clearwater (5:30 PM CST) - TBD

So be sure to use these weekly reports for what they are. A look at the week. We want to highlight deserving prospects. They have earned it. Celebrate the successes throughout the whole season. But this week at Twins Daily, we have had a lot of minor-league coverage. As players are starting to step up and put together strong seasons, we want to dig into them a little further, so you'll find a lot this week. If you missed it, read Nick's Twins Week in Review after you've read about the minor league week. TRANSACTIONS With no Monday Minor League Report, here are the transactions from later on Sunday and on Monday. Following Sunday's Twins game, OF Mark Contreras was optioned to St. Paul. OF Kyle Garlick was activated from the Injured List. RHP Ryan Shreve has been activated from the IL by Cedar Rapids. RHP David Festa was promoted from Ft. Myers to Cedar Rapids. RHP Matt Mullenbach was sent back to the Florida Complex. RESULTS Previous Week in Review (5/3-5/9): Wallner, Miller, Steer, Headrick, Stankiewicz Star Tuesday: Mighty Mussels No-Hitter! Wednesday: Gonzalez Dominates, Kernels Shuck the Opposition Thursday: Kernels Krush, Wichita Rakes Friday: Mighty Mussels Sweep, Fedko Homers in Kernels Debut Saturday: A Denied Rehab Start and a Clean Franchise Sweep Sunday: Mussels Sweep! Kernels Keep Winning! MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT Prospect Retrospective: OF Mark Contreras Prospect Retrospective: RHP Yennier Cano “It felt great.” Balazovic Reflects on First Start of 2022 and What’s Ahead Matt Canterino Continues to Dominate Minor League Hitters It’s Time to Start Noticing Brent Headrick From Lee to Limestone: One Prospect Who Needs More Attention (Video) From Lee to Limestone: Three Questions with Brent Headrick (Video) WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints: Week: 0-6, at Columbus Season: 15-19 overall, 9th place out of ten teams in the International League West. They are 8.0 games behind Nashville. A week ago, they were in third place. The Saints were swept in a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon, and that finished out a six-game sweep at the hands of the Columbus Clippers. It was also the Saints' seventh straight loss. It was also their eighth straight loss on the road. In his series, the Saints lost three times by one run, and once by two, three, and four runs. Three of the games went to extra innings. The Saints scored 30 runs last week, but they gave up 41 runs. Caleb Hamilton played in all six games. The utility man went 9-for-18 and hit .500/.609/.667 (1.276) with a home run. He also walked five times. Alex Kirilloff returned to the Saints on Sunday and had two hits in both games of the doubleheader. Chi Chi Gonzalez made one start and tossed six scoreless, hitless innings. He did walk four batters, but he struck out seven batters. He was named the International League's pitcher of the week. What’s Next? The Saints travel to Omaha to take on the Storm Chasers. Pitching Probables (RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez, RHP Jake Faria, RHP Jordan Balazovic, RHP Mario Sanchez, RHP Dereck Rodriguez, RHP Ronny Henriquez) Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Week: 3-2, @ NW Arkansas Season: 19-12 overall, 1st place in the Texas League North Division with Tulsa. They are just 1/2 game ahead of Tulsa (19-13). The Wind Surge were outscored 25-27 on the week but managed to take a 3-2 series win. Sunday’s game was rained out and officially canceled. Why canceled instead of postponed? The two teams are not scheduled to play each other again in the season’s first half so there is no opportunity to make it up. Here are some of the top performances for the Wind Surge this past week: Matt Canterino continues to dominate hitters in the Texas League. In his outing this week, he tossed four scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and struck out six batters without issuing a walk. Austin Schulfer pitched twice and recorded a save each time. In four innings, he gave up one earned run on three hits. He struck out six batters. Maybe not a great performance, but Blayne Enlow made his return to the mound (not in a rehab outing) 11 months after Tommy John surgery. That is a highlight! He went 3 2/3 innings. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on five hits. He struck out six batters and issued no walks. It took him a while to get his first hit, but in four games this past week, Leobaldo Cabrera went 3-for-9 with two home runs. Andrew Bechtold played four games. He went 6-for-15 (.400) with four doubles and a home run. Alex Isola went 5-for-15 (.333) with three walks and a home run. Spencer Steer went 4-for-20 (.200), but two of the hits were home runs. Edouard Julien went 3-for-14 (.214), but he walked ten times for a .542 on-base percentage. What’s Next? The Wind Surge will be hosting the Springfield Cardinals. Pitching Probables (RHP Matt Canterino, RHP Louie Varland, RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Blayne Enlow, RHP Casey Legumina, RHP Matt Canterino) High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels: Week: 5-1, at Peoria Season: 24-9 overall, 1st place in the Midwest League West Division, 2.0 games ahead of Wisconsin (22-11), who also went 5-1 last week as well. In April, the Kernels hosted Peoria and won five of six games. This past week, they did it again, this time on the road in Peoria. The Kernels outscored the Chiefs 47-12. In four of the six games, Cedar Rapids gave up just one run. Of 17 pitchers who pitched in at least one game last week, 13 of them didn’t allow an earned run. What a week of pitching for the Kernels. Over the first five games of the week, the team allowed just nine total runs, and only five of them were earned. Brent Headrick continues to impress. The lefty struck out seven batters over five scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked none. Fellow lefty Aaron Rozek also tossed five scoreless innings in his start. He gave up three hits, walked none, and struck out nine batters. Sawyer Gipson-Long went five scoreless innings in his start. He gave up two hits, walked none, and struck out seven batters. Sean Mooney gave up an unearned run over five innings in his start. He gave up five hits and struck out four batters without allowing a walk. John Stankiewicz started on Sunday and gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out five batters. Cody Laweryson came out of the bullpen twice. In five innings, he gave up only an unearned run on one hit and no walks. He struck out five batters. As pointed out above, the Kernels bats showed up too. Alerick Soularie led the way. In five games, he went 6-for-19 and hit .316/.409/.842 (1.251) with two triples, two homers, and seven RBI. He also walked three times and stole two bases. Will Holland played in four games. He went 5-for-14 and hit .357/.438/.714 (1.152) with a triple and a home run. Jair Camargo played in three games and went 5-for-14 (.357) with two home runs and five RBI. Wander Javier played in five games and went 4-for-19. He hit .211/.318/.526 (.844) with two home runs and five RBI. What’s Next? The Kernels will be starting a 12-game homestand starting on Tuesday with six games against Lake County. Pitching Probables (RHP Sean Mooney, LHP Aaron Rozek, LHP Cade Povich, RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long, RHP John Stankiewicz, LHP Brent Headrick) Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Week: 6-0, hosting Palm Beach Season: 20-10 overall, 1st place in the Florida State League West, 2.0 games ahead of Clearwater (18-12). For the first time, the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels swept a six-game series. Why? As usual, it all comes down to pitching. 16 pitchers threw for Ft. Myers during the week. 12 of them didn’t allow a run (earned or unearned). In six games, the pitchers allowed a total of six runs. The team threw shutouts in the first three games of the series and again on Sunday. Of course, the highlight of the week was the combined no-hitter. The Mussels offense was solid too. They scored 28 runs. David Festa struck out 11 batters over six innings in his start this week. He walked two batters, but he gave up no hits. Jaylen Nowlin and Hunter McMahon completed the final three innings of the no-hitter. Travis Adams had another very good start. In five shutout innings, he gave up two hits, walked two, and struck out six batters. Marco Raya made the start on Sunday. He tossed four no-hit innings. He walked one and struck out two batters. Matthew Swain pitched two and recorded two saves. In two innings, he gave up one hit, no walks, and struck out five batters. Malik Barrington struck out ten batters over four innings over his two relief appearances. He recorded his first save on Sunday. He gave up just three hits and one walk on the week. Hunter McMahon threw four scoreless innings over two games. He recorded one save. He gave up three hits, walked one, and recorded two strikeouts. Jaylen Nowlin worked five total innings during the week. He did not allow a run. He gave up one hit, walked one, hit one, and struck out seven batters. Mike Paredes made a spot start and tossed three scoreless, hitless innings. He walked one and struck out three batters. The offense was good too, and this week they were led by infielder Mikey Perez. In five games, he went 8-for-18 and hit .444/.524/.944 (1.468) with three doubles and two home runs. He also went 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts. Emmanuel Rodriguez had a strong week. He played all six games and went 8-for-19. He hit .421/.542/.579 (1.121) with a double, and a triple. He also walked four times. Catcher Dillon Tatum played in four games and went 3-for-3. He had a home run and walked four times. Oh, and he caught a no-hitter. Jake Rucker played in six games. He went 8-for-23 and hit .348/.400/.478 (.878) with three doubles. Noah Miller hit .308 (4-for-13) with seven walks for a .550 on-base percentage. What’s Next? The Mighty Mussels will head to Clearwater for a big, eight-game series against the Threshers. They will play two games on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. The beauty of rainouts in Florida, eh? Pitching Probables Tuesday: Bullpen to complete suspended game. RHP Travis Adams in the regular game. Wednesday: RHP Pierson Ohl, RHP Mike Paredes Thursday: No Game Friday: LHP Steve Hajjar, Bullpen Game Saturday: Marco Raya Sunday: TBD PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. You may have noticed, the Prospect Tracker has been updated, and will be updated on the first of each month throughout the season. #1 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 3 G, 3-for-12 (.250), 2-2B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K (Season: 24 G, .310/.430/.563 (.993), 11-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 21 R, 11 RBI, 17 BB, 20 K) #1 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 6 G, 6-for-22 (.273), 1-2B, 1-HR, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K (Season: 9 G, .281/.281/.438 (.719), 2-2B, 0-3B, 1-HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 4 K) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 5 G, 6-for-23 (.261), 0-2B, 1-3B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K (Season: 30 G, .246/.366/.339 (.705), 6-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 23 R, 10 RBI, 17 BB, 20 K, 17 SB, 0 CS) #3 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - 2 GS, 10.0 IP, 5 R, 8 H, 5 BB, 8 K (Season: 7 GS, 37.2 IP, 10 R, 24 H, 12 BB, 36 K, 4-2, 2.39 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 8.6 K/9) #4 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 5 G, 6-for-18 (.333), 2-2B, 1-HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1K (Season: 21 G, .256/.295/.442 (.737), 10-2B, 2-HR, 10 R, 12 RBI, 5 BB, 14 K) #4 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - Week: 4 G, 1-for-18 (.056), 0-2B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 6 K (Season: 11 G, .114/.152/.227 (.379), 2-2B, 1-HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K) #5 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 2.0 IP, 7 R, 3 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 1 K (Season: 2 GS, 5.2 IP, 7 R, 3 ER, 13 H, 4 BB, 5 K. #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 1 GS, 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 8 K (Season: 6 GS, 32.2 IP, 9 R, 8 ER, 17 H, 9 BB, 32 K, 2-1, 2.20 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 8.8 K/9) #7 - Josh Winder (Minnesota) - 1 GS, 3.1 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 2 K (Season: 6 G, 3 GS, 25.2 IP, 9 R, 7 ER, 18 H, 7 BB, 22 K, 2-1, 2.45 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 7.7 K/9) #8 - Jhoan Duran (Minnesota) - 2 G, 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K (Season: 12 G, 16.2 IP, 6 R, 10 H, 3 BB, 25 K, 0-1, 2 Saves, 3.24 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9, 13.5 K/9) #9 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K (Season: 7 GS, 20.2 IP, 3 R, 9 H, 11 BB, 28 K, 0-1, 1.31 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 4.8 BB/9, 12.2 K/9) #10 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 6 G, 8-for-19 (.421) , 1-2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 6 K (Season: 28 G, .270/.468/.506 (.974), 4-2B, 1-3B, 5-HR, 22 R, 14 RBI, 31 BB, 34 K) #11 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 5 G, 4-for-13 (.308), 0-2B, 0-HR, 7 BB, 4 K (Season: 27 G, .278/.431/.361 (.792), 3-2B, 1-3B, 1 HR, 19 R, 6 RBI, 24 BB, 32 K) #12 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 1 GS, 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 7 K (Season: 6 G, 5 GS, 31.2 IP, 16 R, 13 ER, 25 H, 11 BB, 35 K, 4-1, 3.69 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 9.9 K/9) #13 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 3.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 6 K (Season: 5 G, 4 GS, 15.2 IP, 15 R, 22 H, 5 BB, 18 K, 0-4, 8.62 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.3 K/9) #13 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - 1 G, 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 4 K (Season: 2 G, 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 0.0 BB/9, 13.5 K/9) #14 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 4.2 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K (Season: 4 G, 3 GS, 13.2 IP, 7 R, 12 H, 7 BB, 13 K, 0-1, 4.61 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 4.6 BB/9, 8.6 K/9) #15 - Marco Raya (Ft. Myers) - 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, (Season: 5 G, 4 GS, 19.0 IP, 6 R, 4 ER, 11 H, 5 BB, 21 K, 2-1, 1.89 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, 9.9 K/9) #16 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 5 G, 4-for-20 (.200), 0-2B, 2-HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K (Season: 30 G, .300/.384/.558 (.942), 11-2B, 1-3B, 6-HR, 22 R, 25 RBI, 13 BB, 22 K) #17 - Cade Povich (Cedar Rapids) - 1 GS, 3.1 IP, 5 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 K (Season: 5 GS, 22.1 IP, 14 R, 10 ER, 22 H, 6 BB, 32 K, 2-2, 4.03 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, 12.9 K/9) #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 6 G, 6-for-26 (.231), 1-2B, 1-3B, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K (Season: 31 G, .336/.396/.536 (.932), 6-2B, 2-3B, 5-HR, 19 R, 29 RBI, 12 BB, 34 K) #19 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 5 G, 3-for-14 (.214), 0-2B, 0-HR, 10 BB, 5 K (Season: 22 G, .268/.432/.394 (.826), 4-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 14 R, 10 RBI, 22 BB, 20 K) #20 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - Week/Season: 1 GS, 3.2 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 0-0, 4.91 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 0.00 BB/9, 14.7 K/9) PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Hitter of the Week: Infielder Mikey Perez, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Finally finding his name in the lineup nearly every day sure did wonders for Mikey Perez. Last week, he played in five games. He went 8-for-18 and hit .444/.524/.944 (1.468) with three doubles, two homers, and six RBI. He walked twice, and he went 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts. On the season, he has played in 23 games. He is 18-for-73 and hitting .247/.382/.452 (.834) with six doubles, three homers, and 13 RBI. He is also 8-for-9 on stolen base attempts. Perez was the Twins 15th round pick in 2021 out of UCLA where his mom is one of the top college softball coaches in the country. Perez can play all over the field, but he has played mostly at second base in college and so far as a pro. He’s played some third base as well. He also is a solid shortstop, though with Noah Miller getting most of the playing time there. Pitcher of the Week: RHP David Festa, Ft. Myers Might Mussels David Festa worked the first six innings of the Mighty Mussels combined no-hitter this week. In those six innings, he walked two batters and struck out 11 batters. Festa was the Twins 13th round pick in 2021 out of Seton Hall University. As a junior, he went 6-4 with a 2.00 ERA. After signing, he pitched in two FCL games and two games with the Mighty Mussels. He impressed at Instructs by posting some impressive velocities on his fastball and slider. Through his first five starts of 2022, he is now 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA. In 24 innings, he has struck out 33 batters and walked just six batters. In his most recent start, he hit 99.1 mph. He not only should rocket up prospect rankings, but it’s very possible he moves up to Cedar Rapids in the near future. On Monday, Festa was promoted to Cedar Rapids. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments on the teams and players.

TRANSACTIONS RHP Jordan Balazovic activated from the IL for the St. Paul Saints RHP Cole Sands optioned to the St. Paul Saints from the Minnesota Twins RHP Blayne Enlow assigned to Low-A Fort Myers on minor league rehab RHP Dylan Thomas was reinstated from the 7-day IL and released Saints Sentinel St. Paul 9, Iowa 2 Box Score Jordan Balazovic: 3 2/3 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: Kevin Merrell (1), Derek Fisher (3) Multi-hit games: Jermaine Palacios (2-for-5, RBI) A top prospect made his AAA debut on Saturday. Jordan Balazovic, one of the team’s top pitching young arms, returned from the injured list on Saturday, tossing 3 2/3 scoreless innings for the Saints. Other exciting pitching prospects have overshadowed Balazovic with their major-league performances, but no one should forget just how dominant Balazovic can be when healthy. Of course, one should never lose themselves in a pitcher when St. Paul’s offense scored nine runs. It was a group effort on Saturday; every player got on base at least once, and the only player without a hit (Curtis Terry) walked four times. In fact, the team ended up walking more often than they struck out (11 to 10). The Cubs suffered death by a thousand paper cuts. Outside of the Kevin Merrell homer above, Derek Fisher and Cole Sturgeon provided the only other extra-base hits of the game. One final offensive note: every RBI came from the 5-9 hitters. Mario Sanchez allowed two runs over 3 1/3 innings in relief of Balazovic; Wladimir Pinto shut out Iowa over the final two innings with an impressive five strikeouts. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 5, Tulsa 4 Box Score Simeon Woods Richardson: 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K HR: Spencer Steer 2 (3, 4) Multi-hit games: Spencer Steer (3-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR) Wichita walked off their opponent on Saturday. Simeon Woods Richardson proved he was human, allowing his first earned runs of the year in a decidedly middling start. The Drillers, full of classically tough Dodgers prospects, ambushed Woods Richardson in the third inning with three hits and an HBP, ultimately netting three runs in the frame. Wichita would not stand around quietly, though. Or, Spencer Steer specifically, would not stand around quietly. Steer was a train engine, doubling home a run in the first before homering in the third and fourth innings. One must assume that Tulsa pitchers were on the verge of an outright revolt if their coaches forced them to pitch to Steer. Of course, one man an offense does not make. Alex Isola reached base three times, Michael Helman singled home a run, and Matt Wallner brought home the walk-off run in the 9th inning. Don’t look now, but Wallner now owns an .897 OPS at AA despite his dreadful start to the season. We all sometimes Need A Little Help From Our Friends, and the wind smiled favorably onto Wichita. Oh, and Wallner also threw a missile to nail a runner at home. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 2 Box Score Cade Povich: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K HR: Anthony Prato (4), Will Holland (1), Aaron Sabato (4) Multi-hit games: Jeferson Morales (3-for-4, 2 R) The Kernels won on Saturday. Water is wet. Cade Povich continued his utterly brilliant introduction to the full minor-league season by punching out eight batters without allowing an earned run. Don’t look now, but the Twins may already have the second wave of arms in the wings waiting for the first group to graduate. Cedar Rapids’ offense started with a bang. Anthony Prato hit a lead-off homer and Charles Mack doubled home another run in the first to give Povich a 2-0 lead before his second inning of work. Will Holland extended the lead in the second with a solo shot before Aaron Sabato blasted away, giving the Kernels a six-run lead before anyone knew what hit them. Bobby Milacki and Denny Bentley combined for four innings with just one run allowed to end the game. Kernels pitchers struck out 15 batters in total. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 7, Lakeland 12 Box Score Blayne Enlow: 1 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Jake Rucker (2-for-3, R, RBI, 2B, BB), Noah Miller (2-for-4, R, RBI, BB), Noah Cardenas (2-for-4, 2 RBI), Daniel Ozoria (2-for-4, 2 R) The Mighty Mussels lost a high scorer on Saturday. Blayne Enlow made his much-anticipated return from Tommy John surgery. The young righty was tagged as the Lance McCullers of the Twins’ 2017 draft when they went over-slot to pick him in the third round after drafting Royce Lewis with the first overall pick. His career hasn’t been straightforward since, but the Twins saw enough potential to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, and this year will go a long way to proving whether that decision was wise. Baseball is far too cruel to carry a storybook tale, though. Even after Fort Myers jumped out to a 6-0 lead, Lakeland harassed Enlow in the second inning, taking advantage of poor defense to take a 7-6 lead after the dust had settled. Mike Parades tried in vain to put the effort to a stop, but Lakeland’s bats were in an evil mood, and all he gained was a higher ERA. The game wasn’t all bad; Fort Myers reached base 16 times as Noah Miller and Emmanuel Rodriguez continued to flash their on-base potential with three and two times reaching base respectively. Keoni Cavaco was not so fortunate, striking out three times in the loss. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Cade Povich Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Spencer Steer PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-for-5, R #2 – Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, 2B, K #3 – Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - 0-for-2, BB #4 – Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 3 2/3 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K #7 – Jhoan Duran (Minnesota) - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K #10 – Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 2-for-4, R, RBI, BB, K #11 – Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) - 0-for-1 #12 – Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 1-for-4, RBI, 2B, BB, 2 K #15 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, K #17 – Blayne Enlow (Fort Myers) - 1 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K #18 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 3-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR, 2B SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (2:07 PM) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez Tulsa @ Wichita (12:05 PM) - RHP Chris Vallimont Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 PM) - RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long Fort Myers @ Lakeland (12:00 PM) - LHP Steve Hajjar

While Carlos Correa isn’t quite ready for his debut in the Twins lineup, he did go through his first infield-outfield drills with the club today. Nick Gordon was stationed by Correa at short, but plenty of younger prospects like Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda remained near to pick his brain and observe. Blayne Enlow followed Alcala throwing his first live at-bats since undergoing Tommy John surgery. Talking with him afterward he noted a debut with Double-A Wichita should be on tap in early May. He’d be returning to the mound roughly 11 months after going under the knife. After getting his first live at-bats since the World Series yesterday, he continued ramping up with another session facing Jorge Alcala on the minor-league side. A Forbes report dropped this morning showing the value of each team in baseball. Unlike the lies Rob Manfred tried selling during the lockout, it’s very apparent owning a team is quite lucrative. Minnesota is valued at $1.39 billion, a five percent increase year-over-year. The lowest valuation checks in at $990 million for the Miami Marlins. Prior to the game, Minnesota outfielder Brent Rooker was scratched from the lineup with a right shoulder strain. The Twins announced he is day-to-day. The hope would be that it’s not a long-term absence. Minnesota's bats have struggled with high-velocity pitchers to start out Spring Training, and Drew Rasmussen provided another test for them today. Despite sitting around 96 mph on his fastball, the Twins jumped early. Byron Buxton turned a regular-season triple into a double before Jorge Polanco nearly left Hammond Stadium. Bailey Ober looked very sharp on the bump today. He stretched out to 44 pitches over three innings. The fastball was roughly in the 92-93 mph range, but he generated 10 whiffs against the Rays. With most of their regulars in the lineup Ober's performance wasn't a watered-down one either. With no trade yet completed for another arm, Ober should remain locked into the rotation. There's some growing belief Josh Winder could find himself among the group. John looked at how soon Minnesota needs a full rotation. The Twins tallied seven runs on nine hits in their win over the Rays today. Another good showing from an offensive production standpoint is certainly welcomed. Tim Beckham, who’s likely ticketed for Triple-A, provided the big highlight with a mammoth moonshot immediately trumped by his bat flip. Two weeks out from Opening Day, the Twins announced their theme night packages for the upcoming season. Tickets have been flying off the shelves since the signing of Correa. Minnesota expects to draw increased interest on these special nights again this season. The Twins also partnered with Summit Brewing to release a new team-branded beer. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email