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The Glendale Desert Dogs and Minnesota Twins prospects had a slight chance to squeeze their way into the three-team playoff field of the Arizona Fall League, but with their final three games coming against the two teams that would eventually play for the title, it was all in vain. Image courtesy of Steve Buhr, Twins Daily (photo of Kala'i Rosario) Game Results: Tuesday, 11/7 | Surprise 8, Glendale 5 Wednesday, 11/8 | Glendale 1, Peoria 2 (10 innings) Thursday, 11/9 | Glendale 4, Surprise 6 Saturday, 11/11 | AFL Championship: Peoria 5, Surprise 6 Glendale wasn’t able to take advantage of that unfortunate final schedule, going 0-3 to finish at the bottom of the AFL standings at 12-18. They did put up some fight however, losing these final three games by an average of just two runs, including one that went into the tenth inning. To find out how all of your Minnesota Twins prospects finished their #AFL23 campaigns, keep reading! C Andrew Cossetti Week: 1-for-4, R, HR (2), 3 RBI, 2 K (1 game) Overall: .103/.278/.310 (.588 OPS) Cossetti got the start at catcher in Thursday’s 6-4 loss to Surprise, and batted seventh in the lineup. Down 6-1 in the final inning, Glendale got back-to-back singles to start a late comeback attempt, and Cossetti cashed them in with his second home run of the AFL season to make it 6-4. The Desert Dogs were able to load the bases after his blast, but were unable to finish it off the rally and fell short in their final game of the season. Cossetti ended his AFL campaign in a state of “wanting more” like me, I’m sure. But it is hard to ignore his 2023 season as a whole where he hit .287/.426/.534 (.960 OPS) with 15 home runs and strong BB to K ratios across two levels as a catcher. If you were wondering, this was a similar (but also, better) hitting line than World Series Champion Mitch Garver posted across an entire season with Cedar Rapids (low-A at the time) when he won Twins Daily’s MiLB Hitter of the Year award in 2014 (Garver also won that award in 2017 while with the Rochester Red Wings). OF Kala’i Rosario Week: 2-for-10, 2 R, RBI, 4 BB, 5 K (3 games) Overall: .213/.333/.483 (.816 OPS) Rosario’s improvement as the AFL season went along led to him earning the third spot in the Desert Dogs lineup for their last two games of the season. Although he didn’t send any balls into the stands over his final three games, he did still finish the season tied with teammate Aaron Sabato as the AFL Home Run King with seven, and also won the home run derby. So if you had any doubts about the power being real with Rosario, I think you can put them to bed and toss a nice 60 grade into his scouting report and expect to see him with Wichita to start next year. While the K’s were an issue in the AFL (he led the Desert Dogs in this category), the power played and he also led the team in walks and finished fourth in OPS for the lineup as a result. In the final week he picked up a single in both Tuesday and Wednesday’s games, with his knock against Peoria coming in the seventh inning to tie it one in a game they would end up losing in extra innings. 1B Aaron Sabato Week: Did not play. Overall: .215/.320/.585 (.905 OPS) After leaving last Wednesday’s game after the third inning, Sabato did not appear in another AFL game to end his season. As mentioned, he tied with Rosario for the AFL lead in homers, so there was plenty to like with his bat. There however, were the same things that have followed him his entire career thus far, which is an abundance of K’s and mendoza-line batting averages. Those seven home runs were exactly half of his 14 hits across 18 games, and 27 K’s came along with just nine walks. Despite that, his .905 OPS ranked first among qualified players in the Desert Dogs lineup and tied with Kyle Manzardo in AFL play, who is a top prospect in the Cleveland Guardians organization as a first baseman and is in the middle of top 100 lists. I wouldn’t say Sabato’s AFL campaign showed us anything new, but the home runs were fun and maybe it did for the Twins or another team when it comes to the Rule 5 draft as alluded to by our own Cody Christie. LHP Jordan Carr Week: L, 3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K (1 start) Overall: 1-1, 2.57 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .237 BAA, 3 BB, 14 K (21 IP) Carr was definitely a surprise for Minnesota Twins prospects competing in the AFL this season, though perhaps he shouldn’t have been. Signed as a free agent during the 2021 season from College of Charleston, Carr was solid in 61 innings with Fort Myers in 2022, and even better across that many innings with Cedar Rapids in 2023, ending his season with four appearances with Wichita. While there’s not a ton of strikeouts in his arm, he is left-handed and keeps runners off the bases with low-walk rates and WHIP numbers, and efficient pitch counts. He led the Desert Dogs in innings pitched (21), WHIP (1.00), and fewest walks (3), and in AFL play he ranked second in innings, top 10 in ERA (2.57), and fourth in WHIP. In his start this week, he was finally tagged for some home runs, which led to his first loss during the AFL season, but he also unlocked some swing-and-miss stuff that may have been missing throughout the rest of his dominant efforts. He got the nod in Glendale’s final game on Thursday, and exited with his team down 3-0 to Surprise, who would go on to win the AFL Championship. He worked around a double in the first inning by picking up the third out with a strikeout, but was greeted by a home run from the leadoff man in the second. He limited any more damage that inning by retiring the next three, including the final two on strikeouts. In the third he started with another strikeout, before a single was followed by another homer for the 3-0 Saguaros lead. He then worked around another double by picking up his fifth K to end his outing. Of his 47 pitches in this one, 34 went for strikes (72%), including seven swinging while racking up those strikeouts and again walking nobody. Carr spent the 2023 season as a bit of a swing and long man, making 22 total appearances with 8 of them coming as starts, and that trend swung the other way in AFL play with four of his six appearances coming as starts. There is something to build on here, and with his time in the AFL he got himself over 90 innings on the year, which is a good foundation to come into 2024 as a full-time starter with Wichita. RHP Malik Barrington Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 2 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 8.53 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, .130 BAA, 7 BB, 10 K (6 1/3 IP) Barrington’s time in the AFL was a bit uneven, but that’s far from uncommon in the AFL environment for relief pitchers. He had strikeouts along with walks, and hitters took advantage at certain points. Of his seven appearances, four were of the scoreless variety and five of his six earned runs in AFL play came in one appearance where his team lost 17-4, so it wasn’t just him on that day. He allowed just three hits over his six innings. His final appearance in the AFL this week came in Wednesday’s extra-inning loss to Peoria, in which the Desert Dogs put together a bullpen game, with nine pitchers each throwing a single inning. Barrington came in for the second inning, and got the first batter with a strikeout. He walked the next before a pop out for the second out, then an error by his shortstop led to an unearned run, and first of the game for Peoria. He struck out his final hitter of AFL play on a 3-2 pitch to end his season. RHP A.J. Labas Week: Did not pitch Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, .214 BAA, 4 BB, 5 K (4 IP) Labas’ time in the AFL was short, as he did not make any appearances in the final three weeks, finishing with four total innings pitched. There has been no reporting on any injury or other status, and likely never will be, so we’ll just have to wait until the spring. In his AFL play, Labas was perfect when it came to surrendering runs, in that he did not allow any. At points he gave up a few walks, but he also made consecutive appearances with none and three strikeouts. Labas split his time during the 2023 season with Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids, picking up seven saves in 17 games finished along the way, and I’d expect him to pitch out of the Kernels bullpen again to start 2024. RHP Ben Ethridge Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (1 appearance) Overall: 1-0, 8.10 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, .250 BAA, 2 BB, 4 K (6 2/3 IP) The righty served as the opener in the bullpen game against Peoria on Wednesday, working around a leadoff walk by getting a flyout and striking out Chase DeLauter and Kyle Manzardo, both of whom are top 100 prospects in the Cleveland Guardians organization. Like Barrington, Ethridge made seven appearances with the Desert Dogs with varying levels of success. He didn’t walk as many as his big teammate, but surrendered a couple of home runs leading to his own high ERA on the season. Ethridge worked as both a starter and reliever for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels during the 2023 season, compiling a sub-3.00 over 78 1/3 total innings. He started 13 games and came on as a reliever for 12, and should get a bump to Cedar Rapids to begin next year. LHP Zach Veen Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, .250 BAA, 1 BB, 5 K (8 IP) The left-handed reliever among the Twins contingent had the best looking ERA of the three, working eight total innings over seven appearances of his own. He did however, give up the most runs out of them all, but only four of those eight allowed were of the earned variety. He was bit the hardest of anyone in that 17-4 blowout game. A dropped fly ball led to a three run homer and those four total unearned runs, in an inning he could have gotten out of without allowing any. In four of his six other appearances, he did not allow any runs. Veen spent all of his first full professional season with Fort Myers, and made 41 appearances out of their bullpen, totalling 58 1/3 innings. He finished the game 23 times, picking up five saves and going multiple innings several times. He should bump up a level to Cedar Rapids for the 2024 season as well. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the prospects who finished their AFL seasons this week! View full article

Aaron Sabato is showcasing his powerful swing in the Arizona Fall League. Will it be enough for the Twins to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft? Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Aaron Sabato has been a polarizing player since the Twins drafted him with their first-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. Like all drafted players that year, the college slugger saw his season cut short due to the pandemic. The Twins front office had a late first-round pick and decided to select the University of North Carolina product. At the time, Minnesota called him a “steal,” and some compared him to Pete Alonso. He was a first baseman or DH, and that player type needs to compile big offensive numbers on the way to the big leagues. Unfortunately, struggles have followed Sabato during his professional career. Sabato made his professional debut during the 2021 season, and the Twins had him spend time at Low- and High-A. In 107 games, he hit .202/.373/.410 (.783) with 18 doubles, 19 home runs, and 149 strikeouts. He was showcasing his powerful swing, but there was a lot of swing and miss for a player who spent most of the season facing younger competition. There was still hope for him to figure it out as he moved up the organizational ladder. In 2022, Sabato spent most of the season at High-A before finishing the year at Double-A. He was over a year younger than the average age of the competition in Wichita. In 103 games, he hit .215/.336/.438 (.774) with 17 doubles and 22 home runs while striking out 142 times. His statistical output was similar to his professional debut, with him making inconsistent contact but showing the ability to draw walks and occasionally hitting for power. The 2023 campaign would be critical to deciding Sabato’s future with the organization since the Twins needed to decide whether or not to add him to the 40-man roster and protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. The Twins sent Sabato back to Double-A for the 2023 season, but injuries limited him to 77 games. He hit .221/.329/.430 (.759) with 19 doubles and 12 home runs with 103 strikeouts in 272 at-bats. Sabato has the second most strikeouts in the Twins organization since debuting in 2021. The Twins decided to send Sabato to the Arizona Fall League since he missed time during the regular season. Would he do enough to warrant the team protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft? The AFL can be a favorable hitting environment because many teams don’t send their best pitchers after completing a season’s worth of innings. Sabato is near the top of the AFL leaderboard in home runs (7 HR in 18 games), and he will represent the Twins in the league’s home run derby this weekend. However, he hasn’t made consistent contact (.215 BA), and he continues to strike out at a high rate (27 Ks in 65 AB). "I think right now I'm pretty locked in," Sabato told MLB Pipeline. "The biggest thing has just been in the cages, just try to take my intent down so that I can control my body a little bit better. And then in the box, really, it's just how long can I stay on the ball while being as quick as possible in order to rotate. I feel like before that, I kind of would get a little big and my movements would get a little bit excited or jumpy. I'm not using the ground as much. And when we use the ground, we can stay on pitches for a longer amount of time. We can see the ball a lot longer. And so that's really been the biggest thing." Despite his AFL performance, the Twins will likely leave Sabato unprotected for the Rule 5 Draft. A rebuilding organization might look at Sabato’s first-round pedigree and prodigious power and select him in the draft. He would need to be used as a right-handed platoon player, and that’s a role that doesn’t currently fit into Minnesota’s plans. Do you think Sabato will be protected from the Rule 5 Draft? What kind of big-league career can he sustain? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

The Arizona Fall League has wrapped up. Let’s take a look at the final week of action and some takeaways from Twins prospect’s performances. View full video

Week 5 of the Arizona Fall League, and the league as a whole, is in the books. Let’s take a look at how the Twins prospects performed, including one bringing home somee hardware. Stay tuned at the end for a preview of content to come over the next few weeks! View full video

Two powerful Minnesota Twins prospects continued adding to their league-leading home run totals in Week 5, with one of them showcasing those talents in the Fall Stars Home Run Derby on Saturday. Image courtesy of William Parmeter Game Results: Monday, 10/30 | Salt River 4, Glendale 5 Wednesday, 11/1 | Glendale 11, Surprise 2 Thursday, 11/2 | Peoria 5, Glendale 9 Friday, 11/3 | Scottsdale 4, Glendale 2 Sunday, 11/5 | NL Fall Stars 3, AL Fall Stars 6 The Glendale Desert Dogs had a strong week five after hitting a blip the week before, finishing 3-1 in their four games and improving to 12-15 overall. They currently sit fifth in the AFL standings, a game-and-a-half behind Peoria for the final playoff spot, so they’ll need some help to continue their season into the Championship weekend. The Dogs play Peoria on Wednesday, which could give them a big swing in that regard. Two power prospects ended this week tied atop the home run leaderboard with seven, and a pitching prospect showing out in the AFL thus far did so again. Keep reading to see how all your Minnesota Twins prospects performed in the latest week of action! C Andrew Cossetti Week: 0-for-3, 3 K (1 game) Overall: .080/.281/.200 (.481 OPS) Cossetti only saw action in one game on the week, and it came at the expense of one of his Twins teammates. He replaced Aaron Sabato at first base in the third inning, and finished the game with three strikeouts in his three at-bats. Cossetti continues to have the short end of the stick in the catcher rotation, and with just four games on the week for the Desert Dogs did not get a start. OF Kala’i Rosario Week: 5-for-14, 2 R, 2 2B, HR (7), 5 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K (4 games) Overall: .215/.319/.519 (.838 OPS) Rosario had a solid week, increasing his batting average by 30 points and OPS by 77 on the season. He collected multiple hits in two of the four games, clubbed a pair of doubles, and launched his league-leading seventh home run (tied with Sabato). Rosario played right field twice, left field once, and served as the DH in another, batting in the bottom of the Desert Dogs lineup. In Wednesday’s win he finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. In Thursday’s win his two-run homer tied the game at two in the second inning. Then on Friday his two-hit effort included another double, his second stolen base, and another RBI. His biggest moment of the week, however, came in Saturday’s AFL Home Run Derby, where he took the crown by blasting 25 total homers, and winning a swing-off to advance to the final round. He got some pretty sweet new bling for his efforts, too! Congrats Kala’i! Rosario also got one at-bat in the Fall Stars game, striking out in the seventh inning in the game the AL squad beat the NL one 6-3. 1B Aaron Sabato Week: 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR (7), 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K (2 games) Overall: .215/.320/.585 (.905 OPS) Sabato started the week with a bang, going 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs in Monday’s 5-4 win over Salt River. His first blast gave Glendale a 1-0 lead in the second inning, and his second closed the Rafters lead to 4-3 in the fourth. Unfortunately, that’s about where Sabato’s week ended. In Wednesday’s game he was removed from the lineup in the fourth inning, and would not appear in a game the rest of the week. He also did not participate in the Home Run Derby, after being named a competitor for it leading up to the Fall Star weekend. There has not been any update on his status that I’ve been able to find, so we’ll see if he is able to get back on the field before the end of the AFL season. LHP Jordan Carr Week: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, .210 BAA, 3 BB, 9 K (18 IP) Carr did not get a starting nod for the second week in a row, but was the piggy-backer in Friday’s loss to Scottsdale. With the score 3-0 Scorpions to start the fourth inning, Carr had some initial trouble but recovered to finish strong. A pair of singles against him led off the frame, before he picked up a big strikeout to gain some momentum. He then got a lineout for the second out, issued a walk to load the bases before a pop-out allowed him to escape the jam. In his final two innings he faced the minimum thanks to a pair of double-play balls after hitting a batter in the fifth, and walking one in the sixth. Carr continues to appear at the top of the AFL leaderboards in several categories with his strong pitching thus far. RHP Malik Barrington Week: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 10.13 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, .158 BAA, 6 BB, 8 K (5 1/3 IP) Barrington was the first reliever summoned from the bullpen in Thursday’s win over Peoria, pitching the fourth inning with his team in front 3-2. He’d get hit with a blown save as the leadoff man tied it with a home run. He then walked the next two batters before getting the next three to keep the game tied, including a strikeout. Barrington will look to get back to some clean innings in the final weeks to close out his AFL season. RHP A.J. Labas Week: Did not pitch Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, .214 BAA, 4 BB, 5 K (4 IP) For the second week in a row, Labas did not step foot on the rubber for any games. Like Sabato, there has been no reporting on his status, so we’ll cross our fingers he is able to return to the mound in the next few weeks! RHP Ben Ethridge Week: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R (1 appearance) Overall: 1-0, 9.53 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, .280 BAA, 1 BB, 2 K (5 2/3 IP) Ethridge came into Wednesday’s win for the eighth inning, with the score 9-2 in his team's favor. He allowed a leadoff single and then his defense committed an error to make it interesting, but he was able to retire the final three hitters for a scoreless frame. LHP Zach Veen Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 5.14 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .276 BAA, 1 BB, 5 K (7 IP) Veen preceded Ethridge in Wednesday’s win by pitching the seventh inning. He retired all three hitters he faced on just nine pitches, getting a groundout, flyout, and pop-out for the scoreless outing. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

After ending week three within shouting distance of the AFL leader in home runs, two Minnesota Twins prospects staked their claims to the top of that podium after week four with another pair of blasts from each. A lefty pitching prospect also continued to show that he belongs among the league leaders on the mound. Image courtesy of Tim Grubbs, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Aaron Sabato) Game Results: Monday, 10/23 | Glendale 9, Scottsdale 4 Wednesday, 10/25 | Salt River 7, Glendale 2 Thursday, 10/26 | Mesa 3, Glendale 2 Friday, 10/27 | Mesa 8, Glendale 2 Saturday, 10/28 | Salt River 5, Glendale 4 (7 innings) After pulling themselves out of the cellar of the Arizona Fall League standings with an undefeated effort last week, the Desert Dogs found themselves on the short end of the stick again in week four as a team. They were able to win their seventh game in a row, before losing the next four to head into week five with a 9-14 overall record, tied for last in the AFL standings. It was again their inability to hit with runners in scoring position that was to blame, as a 5-for-40 effort in that category (.125 average) isn’t going to help you win many games. So how did all your Minnesota Twins prospects fare on the week? C Andrew Cossetti Week: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K (1 game) Overall: .091/.310/.227 (.537 OPS) The 23-year old catching prospect saw action in just one game on the week, starting at catcher in Friday’s game with Mesa. He batted seventh in the lineup and drew a pair of walks to reach base in half of his plate appearances. He struck out in the second inning, and flew out to center in the fourth before drawing a walk in each of the sixth and ninth frames. After his free pass in the sixth he swiped his first base of the AFL season, but would be stranded on second base. His walk in the ninth came leading off the inning but was quickly erased on a double-play ball from the next batter. It appears the three catchers on Glendale’s roster are all splitting playing time pretty evenly, but with just five games this week Cossetti was the odd man out. OF Kala’i Rosario Week: 4-for-15, 3 R, 2 HR (6), 4 RBI, BB, 7 K, SB (4 games) Overall: .185/.284/.477 (.761 OPS) Rosario had a big week three, crushing three home runs in five games, and continued that trend with two more in four games this time. The prospect out of Hawaii continues his ascension and talked about the importance of representing that background for him to MLB.com's Jesús Cano. In Monday’s 9-4 win over Scottsdale, Rosario came up to bat in the seventh with his team leading 6-4, and he added some insurance with a two-run shot to left field. Teammate Tyler McDonough added a back-to-back shot for the final of 9-4. He also scored the tying run in a two-run fourth inning for the Desert Dogs, after drawing the second consecutive walk to start the inning. In Saturday’s loss to Salt River his solo shot in the fourth inning put Glendale in front 4-0, and gave him the AFL lead in home runs on the season, but the Rafters came storming back late to steal a win. Rosario added a single in the sixth and then was caught stealing second to end the frame. In between those blasts Rosario singled in Friday’s game and stole his first base of the season. He also was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Mesa, but picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice in the second inning for that game’s first run. 1B Aaron Sabato Week: 4-for-11, 3 R, 2 HR (5), 2 RBI, BB, 2 K (3 games) Overall: .200/.304/.500 (.804 OPS) Sabato got two starts at first base, and one as the designated hitter in the middle of the week’s games, again batting at various spots in the middle of the lineup for the Desert Dogs. On Wednesday he was 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout, before ending his week with two multi-hit games on Thursday and Friday. Those each included a home run, giving him five on the season to trail only Rosario in that category. On Thursday he was 2-for-4 and scored both of his teams two runs in the game against Mesa, including the home run, which came in the sixth inning and pulled his team within one. In Friday’s rematch against Mesa his blast put Glendale on the scoreboard in the sixth inning, and two batters later Damon Keith sent one out to even the game at two. He added a two-out single in the third. LHP Jordan Carr Week: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, .208 BAA, 1 BB, 8 K (15 IP) Carr didn’t get a starting nod this week, but continued his excellent performance on the season thus far in Wednesday’s loss to the Rafters. He came on to start the fourth inning with the game still scoreless, and went the next three innings, keeping the game tied until the top of the sixth, when Detroit Tigers top prospect Jace Jung caught him for a solo homer. He went one-two-three in the fourth, worked around a hit batter and a single in the fifth with a big strikeout to end the inning, and retired the other three hitters besides Jung in the sixth. He again pounded the strike zone and was efficient, needing just 41 pitches to complete his three innings, with 28 going for strikes (68%). He currently is tied for the team lead in innings pitched with 15, and ranks second among “qualified” pitchers in the AFL in ERA (1.80) and WHIP (0.80). RHP Malik Barrington Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 10.38 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, .133 BAA, 4 BB, 7 K (4 1/3 IP) The big right-hander made his lone appearance of the week in Friday’s loss, coming in as the first reliever for his team in the fifth inning, with the score 1-0 Mesa. He faced just three hitters, getting a pair of flyouts and some help from an opposing baserunner, who tried to stretch a ground ball that was misplayed by the shortstop into an extra base, and ended up thrown out at second for his efforts. Ignoring the ERA due to one bad outing, Barrington has strong numbers in the strikeout and batting average against categories, and scoreless outings in four of five appearances thus far. RHP A.J. Labas Week: Did not pitch Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, .214 BAA, 4 BB, 5 K (4 IP) Labas did not see the mound during a week with one less game, which hopefully means he’s due for a pair of appearances in week 5! RHP Ben Ethridge Week: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0K (1 appearance) Overall: 1-0, 11.57 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .300 BAA, 1 BB, 2 K (4 2/3 IP) Ethridge came on for the eighth inning in Friday’s matchup with Mesa, who was leading the game by three runs at the time. A leadoff walk was followed by a double to put runners on second and third before he got a pop out to Sabato at first for the inning’s first out. The next batter delivered a two-run single to make it 7-2 Solar Sox, before retiring the final two hitters of his outing. LHP Zach Veen Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 6.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .308 BAA, 1 BB, 5 K (6 IP) The resident lefty for Twins bullpen prospects saw action in Wednesday’s loss to Salt River, but that outcome didn’t have anything to do with him. With his team down 1-0, he set the Rafters down in order, including a strikeout, and in the bottom half the Glendale lineup took the lead to put him in line for a win. Unfortunately, the next two men up for the Desert Dogs bullpen gave up six runs in the top of the eighth, and they’d go on to lose 7-2. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

Minnesota Twins prospects played a big part in turning around the Glendale Desert Dogs fortunes in Week 3. A reigning MVP broke out in a big way, another hitter joined him in the bomb parade, and a starting pitcher continued to dominate the desert. Image courtesy of Steve Buhr, Twins Daily Game Results: Monday, 10/16 | Peoria 4, Glendale 6 Tuesday, 10/17 | Glendale 7, Peoria 6 (10 innings) Wednesday, 10/18 | Glendale 6, Mesa 2 Thursday, 10/19 | Glendale 10, Salt River 9 Friday, 10/20 | Mesa 4, Glendale 11 Saturday, 10/21 | Glendale 7, Mesa 6 (10 innings) Coming into the week with a 2-10 record and sitting in last place in the AFL standings, the Glendale Desert Dogs reversed their fortunes in week three in undefeated fashion. Their 6-0 record on the week pushed them out of the cellar and improved their run differential by 16 in the process. When it comes to the Twins' prospects contributing, pretty much everybody improved their small-sample-size numbers across the board. Things were definitely looking up in Week 3! C Andrew Cossetti Week: 1-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB (1 game) Overall: .100/.280/.250 (.530 OPS) Cossetti saw action in just one game during the week, in Thursday’s win over the Mesa Solar Sox. He was the catcher and batted eighth in the lineup, and reached base three times. Down 9-3 heading into the sixth inning, Cossetti was in the middle of a five-run rally for the Desert Dogs, contributing an RBI single to make it 9-5 after a pair of doubles in front of him. He later would score on a bases-loaded ground-rule double that gave his team seven runs at the time. He later drew walks in each of the seventh and ninth innings, but by that time his team had already put their runs on the board and he would end up stranded both times. The Solar Sox were 3-for-3 stealing bases in the game, and Cossetti also had his second throwing error. In things that don’t really mean much, he has yet to throw out a base stealer in 12 chances (Glendale teammate and top prospect, Kevin Parada, has also been abysmal in this statistic, throwing out just 2 of 21 runners). OF Kala’i Rosario Week: 6-for-18, 6 R, 3 HR (4), 4 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K (5 games) Overall: .160/.276/.420 (.696 OPS) Hits had been hard to come by for Rosario in the season’s first two weeks, but his lone hit of week two left the yard so I had some optimism moving forward. That was rewarded by a big week from the reigning Midwest League MVP. He went deep in each of his first two games, and added a third in their last one, giving him four home runs on the season to lead the Desert Dogs and rank second in the league after week three. His home run in Monday’s win came in the third inning and put Glendale on the scoreboard for the first time against Peoria. The Javelinas hadn’t seen enough on Tuesday, as his blast made it 3-2 in the top of the sixth inning. In the 10th inning, Rosario also added the needed insurance run with an RBI single that made the score 7-4 in a game they’d win by one. He finished this one 3-for-5. His third homer came on Saturday in another extra-inning affair against Mesa, and was fun because it was the third of back-to-back-to-back blasts from his teammates that gave them a 4-0 lead after two innings. He also drew two walks in this contest and scored a second run of the game on another Desert Dogs home run. As a team, they hit five homers in the game, including one from Rosario’s teammate who is up next. 1B Aaron Sabato Week: 2-for-16, 2 R, 2 HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K (4 games) Overall: .163/.268/.408 (.676 OPS) Sabato had a decent run with a bunch of doubles last week, and although he didn’t collect as many hits this time, he did turn both the ones he got into homers. He again batted in the middle of the Glendale lineup in each game, and his first blast came in Wednesday’s win over Mesa. With the score tied at one in the fifth inning, Sabato’s two-run shot gave the Desert Dogs the lead for good. He joined Rosario and the rest of his team with another blast on Saturday, and he is the one who got the party started. In the top of the first, he stepped in with two outs and sent his third bomb of the season the opposite way. He also drew two walks in this one. In all four of his games on the week, Sabato played first base, and both of his games with home runs came with him batting third in the lineup. LHP Jordan Carr Week: W, 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Overall: 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, .214 BAA, 1 BB, 7 K (12 IP) Carr was finally rewarded with a win for his excellent and consistent efforts in the AFL so far, as his team gave him a 3-1 lead on Wednesday before he officially ended his start before the bottom of the fifth inning. He retired the side in order in the first, induced a double-play ball in the second, and picked up a pair of strikeouts in the third before the Solar Sox were able to manufacture a run against him in the fourth. A leadoff single and a walk was followed by a fielder’s choice to put runners on second and third, before a sac fly brought in Mesa’s only run against him. Of his 56 pitches, 36 went for strikes (64%), and his only walk issued thus far on the season came from a couple of questionable calls on the corners. Carr has been nothing short of brilliant thus far in his three starts. He’s been efficient, worked himself out of any jams, and kept runners off the bases at an extraordinary rate, ranking third in the league in WHIP among qualified players. His 1.50 ERA also ranks fourth. RHP Malik Barrington Week: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (2 appearances) Overall: 0-0, 13.50 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, .167 BAA, 4 BB, 7 K (3 1/3 IP) Barrington had a rough go in his lone appearance last week, but course corrected in complete opposite fashion in week three, dominating in both of his appearances. In Tuesday’s extra-inning win over Peoria he was the first reliever out of the bullpen to start the fifth inning, and put together a good old snapper-mow-em-down inning. He struck out the side in order, with 10 of his 16 pitches going for strikes, including five swinging. Back onto the mound for Saturday’s extra-inning game with Mesa, Barrington got the eighth inning with the score tied at six. He struck out the first hitter on three pitches and got the next on a flyout, before issuing a walk. He recovered and struck out the next batter to keep the game tied. 11 of his 18 pitches went for strikes in this one, including five more swinging. RHP A.J. Labas Week: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, .214 BAA, 4 BB, 5 K (4 IP) Labas came out of the bullpen just one time this week, but he picked up a hold in the process by pitching the seventh inning of the game started by Carr. He did have to work for a bit, as he threw 27 pitches and the Solar Sox loaded the bases against him, but he made a big pitch when he needed to and got a double-play ball to end the threat and keep his team out front 4-2. RHP Ben Ethridge Week: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (2 appearances) Overall: 1-0, 9.82 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, .267 BAA, 0 BB, 2 K (3 2/3 IP) Ethridge bookended the week for the Desert Dogs with appearances in Monday and Saturday’s wins. On Monday, despite allowing three hits and two earned runs, he was credited with the win after his lineup went off for four runs in the bottom of the seventh after his outing in the top half. He recovered nicely on Saturday from allowing traffic on the bases, as he pitched a one-two-three fourth inning while his team was up 4-2. He struck out one. LHP Zach Veen Week: 1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 7.20 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, .348 BAA, 1 BB, 4 K (5 IP) The lone appearance of the week for the southpaw came in Thursday’s comeback win over Salt River. After the Desert Dogs starter had given up four runs, and the first reliever five of his own, Veen was called upon to stabilize the game in the middle of the fourth inning after those five runs had already come across. With runners on first and second and one out, he got a big swinging strikeout on a splitter before ending the threat with a popout on the first pitch to the next batter. Back out for the fifth inning, he needed just seven pitches to retire the Rafters in order, including a strikeout of the leadoff man. He threw just 13 pitches total in the outing, with 9 going for strikes, and his offense began their comeback with a five-run sixth inning after his exit in game they would win 10-9 after being down 9-3 after four. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

Twins hitters continued to struggle as whole in the second week of baseball out in the desert, but one of them did at least show a pulse while another clubbed his first AFL home run. A pitcher also delivered his second excellent outing in as many starts. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Aaron Sabato) Game Results: Monday, 10/9 | Glendale 2, Mesa 0 Tuesday, 10/10 | Peoria 17, Glendale 4 Wednesday, 10/11 | Glendale 1, Surprise 16 Thursday, 10/12 | Scottsdale 9, Glendale 6 Friday, 10/13 | Glendale 7, Scottsdale 8 (10 innings) Saturday, 10/14 | Glendale 2, Salt River 7 Runs continued to be hard to come by for Glendale, as they again finished the week 1-5 and were outscored by a total of 57-to-22. The pitchers were very hit-and-miss after a strong first week, and the hitters continued looking for their breakout. The Desert Dogs enter week 3 with a record of 2-10, and need to get significantly more run production to turn their AFL fortunes around. C Andrew Cossetti Week: 0-for-10, R, BB, 5 K (3 games) Overall: .059/.200/.235 (.435 OPS) Cossetti played in three games during the week, serving as the catcher in two of them and as the DH in the other. He batted cleanup in one game, and eighth twice. In Monday’s game against the Mesa Solar Sox, he was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning and scored on a triple from the next batter to put Glendale ahead 2-0 in their lone win of the week. In Wednesday’s contest, he drew a walk in the eighth and ended up stranded on third base, though not that it would have mattered with his team down 14-1 at the time. In his final game of the week, he was 0-for-4 with a strikeout in their extra-inning loss to Scottsdale. In his two games as the catcher, teams continued to run on him and were 6-for-6 on the week in their stolen base attempts. He also had a throwing error on one of those attempts. OF Kala’i Rosario Week: 1-for-15, R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K (4 games) Overall: .063/.189/.188 (.377 OPS) Perhaps the Twins highest rated prospect playing in Arizona this season, Rosario continued to try and find his footing in week 2. His batting line won’t impress anyone again, but he at least made his lone hit of the week count, with it going for his first home run in Thursday’s loss to Scottsdale. It came with his teammate Aaron Sabato on base, and brought the Desert Dogs within one run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Rosario continued to split time in the corner outfield spots, playing three games in left field, and one in right. Besides the game with his home run, Rosario was 0-for-11 in his other three games, drawing two walks and striking out four times. 1B Aaron Sabato Week: 5-for-19, R, 3 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K (5 games) Overall: .182/.289/.364 (.653 OPS) The Twins big righty actually had a decent week in comparison, collecting multiple hits in two of his five games on the week. He played first base three times, and DHd twice while batting in the middle of the Glendale lineup. He was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in each of Tuesday's and Wednesday's games, providing the only RBI for the Desert Dogs on Wednesday when he doubled in the third inning. This hit put his team ahead 1-0 at the time, but that would be it in a game they lost 16-1. So he again was the sole reason his team wasn’t shut out in a game for the second consecutive week. Sabato added his third double of the season in Saturday’s loss to Salt River and will continue to try and cut down the K’s and turn a double or two into home runs in week 3. LHP Jordan Carr Week: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (1 start) Overall: 0-0, 1.13 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, .222 BAA, 0 BB, 4 K (8 IP) The lefty made his second start of the AFL season in Thursday’s home game against the Scottsdale Scorpions. While it wasn’t another shutout effort, it was another excellent outing in which he completed four innings. His lone run allowed came on a solo home run in the third inning, which made the score 4-1 Desert Dogs at the time. He retired the side one-two-three in the first, worked around a leadoff single in the second by getting three consecutive groundouts, and stranded a pair of hitters he hit with pitches in the fourth. He was again very efficient, needing just 48 pitches to complete four innings, with 32 of them going for strikes (66%). Just one inning after his day was done, the Desert Dogs fell behind for good 7-4, so another win eluded him for his efforts. RHP Malik Barrington Week: 1/3 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 33.75 ERA, 3.75 WHIP, .333 BAA, 3 BB, 2 K (1 1/3 IP) Barrington saw action in just one game during the week, and it’s an outing I’m sure he would rather forget as quickly as possible. but he wasn’t the only pitcher at fault in a brutal 17-4 loss, and 11-run sixth inning for the league-leading Peoria Javelinas. With the score 6-2 heading into the sixth inning, Barrington got the call from the bullpen after the first four hitters of the inning were walked by his teammate. Not wanting to make that teammate feel too bad, Barrington proceeded to walk the first three of his own hitters, before picking up a strikeout for the first out of the frame. He then allowed a two-run double and two-run single before the manager could get another Twins arm ready. Hopefully, Barrington is back on the mound early this week to wash this one off, and possibly get a couple of appearances on his ledger with better results. RHP A.J. Labas Week: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (2 appearances) Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, .182 BAA, 2 BB, 4 K (3 IP) Labas got the call from the bullpen in two games on the week, picking up a hold in Monday’s shutout win over Mesa, and finished the game on Thursday against Scottsdale. He was the first reliever summoned on Monday and pitched a scoreless inning. Getting the ball to start the fifth inning, he allowed a leadoff single but worked around any further damage by picking up a pair of strikeouts. He threw 13 pitches, with 12 going for strikes, including four swinging. Against Scottsdale, he pitched the top of the ninth inning with his team down 9-6. He did allow a two-out single but again limited any damage by picking up a strikeout with the runner in scoring position. He threw just two called balls in this nine-pitch inning, so pounding the strike zone was his calling card this week after a less-than-efficient (but scoreless) outing in his first appearance. RHP Ben Ethridge Week: 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 10.80 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, .167 BAA, 0 BB, 1 K (1 2/3 IP) Ethridge got into action in just one game this week, and it came in relief of Barrington in their big loss to Peoria on Tuesday. The Javelinas had built a 14-2 lead when he entered with a runner on base and one out. He hit his first batter and coaxed a flyout before surrendering a three-run homer to account for all of Peoria’s scoring. After another hit batter, he finally stopped all the bleeding by getting a lineout, but this one was over. LHP Zach Veen Week: 2 1/3 IP, 6 H, 7 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 1 K (2 appearances) Overall: 0-0, 10.80 ERA, 2.70 WHIP, .444 BAA, 1 BB, 2 K (3 1/3 IP) Veen’s first appearance of the week corresponded with Barrington and Labas’ as he was the first of Glendale’s relief corps to enter that would turn into the lopsided loss. He came on in the middle of the fourth inning after Glendale’s starter had allowed a homer and a single that made the score 2-0. Veen allowed a single of his own before inducing a double-play ball to keep the score there. Back out for the fifth inning, his defense let him down, and perhaps started the rest of the collapse, when the right fielder dropped a fly ball. This error led to none of the four runs he was charged with being earned but also caused the inning to be extended in time for Peoria to break it open with a three-run homer to end his outing. Called upon on Saturday for the fifth inning of a 3-2 game, Veen got two quick outs on infield pop-ups, before a single, double, and another three-run homer turned into a 6-2 lead for Salt River. He at least closed his week with a strikeout to end on a positive note. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

With the Major League playoffs now in full swing, and the Minnesota Twins getting the “win a playoff game” and “A SERIES!” monkey off their backs, prospects looking to make their marks for the 2024 season got going in the Arizona Fall League. The Twins sent eight prospects to the circuit, and they are again playing on the roster of the Glendale Desert Dogs, where Edouard Julien and Austin Martin led them to the championship game last year. Image courtesy of William Parmeter, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (photo of Andrew Cossetti) Game Results: Monday, 10/2 | Glendale 1, Salt River 3 Tuesday, 10/3 | Glendale 0, Scottsdale 1 Wednesday, 10/4 | Surprise 1, Glendale 7 Thursday, 10/5 | Scottsdale 3, Glendale 2 Friday, 10/6 | Glendale 3, Peoria 8 Saturday, 10/7 | Surprise 7, Glendale 2 It was a bit of a rough start for the Desert Dogs in Week 1, as runs were hard to come by as a team and they finished with just one win and five losses. A couple of Twins hitters had big blasts, and their pitchers for the most part got their jobs done, but it didn’t translate to much success as a team. That could largely be attributed to Glendale’s lineup finishing a paltry 7-for-60 (.117) with runners in scoring position, something they will need to change significantly in Week 2. C Andrew Cossetti Week: 1-for-7, R, HR (1), RBI, BB, 2 K (2 games) Overall: .143/.250/.571 (.821 OPS) Cossetti got one start at catcher, and one at DH, in his two games. He served as the cleanup hitter in both contests. He was the catalyst for Glendale’s lone win on the week, leading off a four-run fourth inning in Wednesday’s 7-1 victory over Surprise with his first AFL home run. As the catcher in Wednesday’s win, the Saguaros did go 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts, but the pitching staff allowed just one run on six hits in the game. As the DH on Thursday, he finished 0-for-4 with a pair of K’s. OF Kala’i Rosario Week: 1-for-17, 2B, 2 BB, 8 K (5 games) Overall: .059/.200/.118 (.318 OPS) The reigning Midwest League MVP got the most run of any Twins prospect in week 1, starting in five of six games and splitting his time in the outfield corners (3 games in RF, 2 in LF). He batted seventh in the lineup three times, and second and fifth once each. While he managed only one hit in his 17 at-bats, it was a double that came in Friday’s loss to Peoria. With how the Desert Dogs offense fared as a whole on the week, he was predictably left stranded at second and will look to cut down the K’s and make some more contact in week two. 1B Aaron Sabato Week: 1-for-14, 2 R, HR (1), RBI, 3 BB, 8 K (4 games) Overall: .071/.235/.286 (.521 OPS) Sabato saw action in four games on the week, getting the start at first base in three contests while DH-ing in the other. He batted fifth in his first two games of the week, and was slotted up to third in his final two. In the season opener on Monday, with his team down 3-0 heading into the ninth inning, he provided their only offense, and his only hit on the week, with his first home run out in the desert. It was just the teams' fourth hit in the game, but did prevent them from getting shut out. In his next two games, he ended up striking out in three of his four at-bats in each but finished the week with a better effort in Friday’s loss to Peoria, where he drew three walks and scored another run. LHP Jordan Carr Week: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K W (1 start) Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, .231 BAA, 0 BB, 1 K (4 IP) Carr got the starting nod in Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Scottsdale Scorpions. He took care of his business, finishing four strong innings by allowing zero runs. He scattered just three hits, walked none, and struck out one. He needed just 49 pitches to get through his four innings, and 35 of them went for strikes (71%). The game was still scoreless when his time on the mound was over, so he would end up with a no-decision (just as a note: pitching wins and losses in the AFL are not awarded like you’re used to seeing. As an example, if Glendale had been up 1-0 when he was done and gone on to win, he likely would have been credited with the ). It was a great outing for the southpaw, who functioned as somewhat of a swingman with Cedar Rapids and Wichita this year, so it was good to see him get a starting nod and I’ll be curious to see if that continues. RHP Malik Barrington Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, .000 BAA, 0 BB, 1 K (1 IP) The big right-hander was the first reliever summoned from the bullpen in Glendale’s lone win of the week on Wednesday. After four one-run innings from their starter, Barrington got the fifth inning and made quick work of the Saguaros, retiring them one-two-three including a strikeout. He threw 12 pitches, with seven of them going for strikes, and the K was of the swing-and-miss variety. RHP A.J. Labas Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, .000 BAA, 2 BB, 1 K (1 IP) Labas followed Barrington in Wednesday’s win by pitching the sixth inning. While it wasn’t as efficient of an outing as his counterpart, needing 26 pitches with just 12 going for strikes (46%), he did deliver another scoreless frame. He struck out the first hitter he faced before allowing a pair of two-out walks. He was able to escape by coaxing a groundout and kept Glendale out front comfortably at 5-1. RHP Ben Ethridge Week: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, .000 BAA, 0 BB, 1 K (1 IP) Ethridge made his lone appearance in Thursday’s contest against the Scottsdale Scorpions. With his team down 2-0 at the time, he delivered a one-two-three inning on 12 pitches (seven for strikes). He got a groundout, strikeout, and a flyout from the bottom of the Scorpions lineup. His offense would go on to tie the game in the bottom of the inning before the next man up from the Glendale bullpen got tagged for the loss by allowing one run in the eighth. LHP Zach Veen Week: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (1 appearance) Overall: 1-1, 2.45 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, .227 BAA, 8 BB, 9 K (11 IP) Veen was the first reliever to follow teammate Jordan Carr in Thursday’s close loss to Scottsdale and was the only Twins pitcher of the week to allow any damage on the scoreboard. He got the first two outs, including a strikeout, before consecutive doubles led to the first run of the game from either team, but that would be it as he got a groundout to keep the score 1-0. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the prospects playing in the AFL this week! View full article

The 2023 Arizona Fall League has begun and the Minnesota Twins have eight players participating in the action. Learn who they are and how they did in their first week of play. View full video

With the Arizona Fall League starting up, here are some players to keep an eye on. View full video

Draft tandem JD Cameron and Jeremy Nygaard team up for a new podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In this episode, Jeremy, JD and Theo discuss whether the Twins last World Series was in 1987 or 1991, whether the team is fraudulent, and show some love for an amazing Twins themed YouTube passion project. The fellas walk through the prospects the Twins, Cubs and Brewers sent to the Arizona Fall League, before finishing with listener questions. You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, leaving us a positive review and five star rating at I-Tunes or Spotify, retweeting show related content on Twitter, and subscribing to the Twins Daily YouTube page. You can follow us @DTS_POD1, @J_D_Cameron, @Jeremynygaard, and @TheodoreTollef1 on Twitter. Send us your prospect and draft related questions for our next episode. 0:00 Intro 1:40 Playoff Baseball 6:52 And That's Baseball Video 11:00 Minnesota Twins and the Cruelest Streak in Sports 13:12 Arizona Fall League 15:57 Glendale Desert Dogs (Twins) in the AFL 18:50 Twins Prospects to Watch 23:58 Mesa Solar Sox (Cubs) in the AFL 25:02 Cubs Prospects to Watch 28:52 Surprise Saguaros (Brewers) in the AFL 31:45 Brewers Prospects to Watch 38:20 Listener Questions 48:57 Closing Time View full article

The Saints were not as fortunate, though. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey (Photo is of Aaron Sabato) TRANSACTIONS None Saints Sentinel St. Paul 5, Iowa 7 Box Score Patrick Murphy: 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Austin Martin (2-for-4, R, RBI) The Saints were eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday. Despite an incredible 80-62 record—good enough for 1st place in the International League West division—St. Paul trails two other teams in the International League in total record. With one of those teams being the seven games up Durham Bulls—victorious today while the Saints lost—the seven games remaining make it impossible for St. Paul to pass the Bulls, who own the tiebreaker over the Saints. It’s a tough outcome for a team that has played so well. Starter Patrick Murphy had seen better days. He oversaw runs in the first three frames, giving the Cubs a six-run advantage with some aid from poor defense. It was a rare stumble for the former reliever, who had dominated in his new role up to this point. Despite the immediate deficit, the bats rumbled, gestating for five innings before unleashing a pair of runs in the 6th and a trio of scores in the 8th. The first two plated when Gilberto Celestino swiped home after Iowa’s catcher fired a bad throw to 2nd in an attempt to catch Austin Martin stealing; Trevor Larnach then singled in Martin. The 8th was another democratic effort, with Michael Helman doubling, Martin grounding out, and Larnach coaxing in a final run with a sacrifice fly. That was it, though, as St. Paul finally receded and Iowa plated an unnecessary seventh run to bring the game to its eventual end. Technically old friend Nick Burdi pitched 2/3 of an inning for the Cubs. Minnesota’s 2014 2nd-round pick tossed three frames for the big-league club in 2023, but has spent most of the season in the minors; it’s the first pro season he has pitched in since 2020. Chicago’s 13th-best prospect—1st baseman Matt Mervis—doubled in four at-bats. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 7, Midland 8 Box Score Sean Mooney: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K HR: Alex Isola (20), Aaron Sabato (12) Multi-hit games: Alex Isola (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI), Jake Rucker (3-for-4, 2 R), Ben Ross (2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB), Willie Joe Garry Jr. (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) Wichita blew a 7-4 lead in the 9th, losing in horrifying fashion in the penultimate game of their regular season. Sean Mooney was the starter, but Jaylen Nowlin entered after an inning as the bulk pitcher. He was inefficient. Midland pounced on the lefty for four earned runs, not punishing his walks, and instead choosing to blast two homers off him, giving them a slim advantage. It didn’t last. Wichita kept pace early with piranha-esque singles and stolen bases before transitioning to modern Twins ball, smacking extra-base hits around the field to eventually give the Wind Surge a hearty 7-4 lead heading into the 9th. But then, tragedy. Miguel Rodriguez earned the inning’s first out, completely unaware of the fortune change soon to occur. Two singles, a walk, and a fielding error knocked him out of the game, scoring a run in the process. With Francis Peguero tabbed as the man set to establish order, the RockHounds simply continued their terror; Max Muncy—no, not that one—smoked a bases-clearing double, handing Midland a lead unthinkable just two outs earlier. The Wind Surge never recovered. Wichita is technically still alive in their playoff race, needing a win on Sunday with a Cardinals’ loss to punch their ticket. Catcher Daniel Susac served as Midland’s best prospect; he homered and struck out twice. Kernels Nuggets The Kernels did not play on Saturday. They won their previous playoff series, sending them to the Midwest League championship against the Great Lakes Loons with game 1 starting on Sunday. Mussel Matters The Mighty Mussels’ 2023 regular season is over; they will not play again this year. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Isaac Mattson Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Alex Isola PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-3, BB, K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 2-4, R, RBI #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-1 #17 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 0-3, BB, K #18 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (1:08 PM) - RHP David Festa Midland @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Great Lakes (12:05 PM) - LHP Christian MacLeod View full article