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Yesterday, we announced Kody Funderburk as the Twins Daily relief pitcher of the year. Today, we shift our attention to the starting pitchers, and there were several very impressive pitching prospects who took bit strides in 2023. If we have learned anything over the past couple of years, it's that when the Twins draft a college pitcher on the third day of the draft, don't just assume they will be an organizational filler. Who knows? That Day 3 draft pick may become an organizational thriller (like Louie Varland, Bailey Ober). A look through the top starting pitchers in the Twins minor leaguers, we see more examples of this. Pitchers drafted out of college on Day 2 or 3 fill up much of this list. The Twins 2022 college draft picks helped lead the Cedar Rapids Kernels to the Midwest League championship this year. It's fun to see these pitchers enter the organization with one scouting report, and one or two years later, they have added four to six mph of velocity and a second and/or third pitch that are now at least an average pitch. Before getting into the top four starters, here are some others who received votes. . Others Receiving Votes RHP C.J. Culpepper, 21, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids: 21 GS, 86.0 IP, 72 H, 31 BB, 89 K, 3.18 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9, 9.3 K/9. RHP Andrew Morris, 22, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids: 18 G, 17 GS, 84.1 IP, 86 H, 19 BB, 79 K, 2.88 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9, 8.4 K/9. RHP Marco Raya, 21, Cedar Rapids/Wichita: 22 GS, 62.2 IP, 45 H, 22 BB, 65 K, 4.02 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9, 9.3 K/9. RHP Louie Varland, 25, St. Paul: 16 G, 15 GS, 81.2 IP, 84 H, 26 BB, 88 K, 3.97 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 9.7 K/9. Others Receiving Votes Blayne Enlow, Ben Ethridge, Ronny Henriquez, Simeon Woods Richardson Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year Here are the top four vote-getters for Twins Starting Pitcher of the Year. 4. RHP David Festa, 23, Wichita/St. Paul 24 G, 22 GS, 92.1 IP, 86 H, 42 BB, 119 K, 4.19 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9, 11.6 K/9. Festa was the Twins 13th round pick in 2021 out of Seton Hall. He had a tremendous first full season in pro ball in 2022. After five starts (with a 1.50 ERA) in Fort Myers, he moved up to Cedar Rapids and went 7-3 with a 2.71 ERA. In 103 2/3 innings, he had 108 strikeouts with 34 walks. As important as the numbers, Festa had developed some really awe-inspiring “stuff,” including a fastball in the upper 90s. The 23-year-old began this season in Wichita and pitched in 21 games (19 starts). He went 3-3 with a 4.39 ERA, and in 80 innings, he struck out 104 batters. He also walked 34 batters. In July, he pitched an inning in the Futures Game. He ended his season with three starts for the Saints. He was 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA. He had 15 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings. He also walked nine batters. He will need to hone in on his control, but David Festa should spend the 2024 season at St. Paul, eagerly awaiting an opportunity. He should continue to start, but like Louie Varland this year, Festa has the arm to finish the season as a dominant, late-inning reliever if needed. 3. RHP Zebby Matthews, 23, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids 22 G, 20 GS, 105.1 IP, 96 H, 15 BB, 112 K, 3.84 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 1.3 BB/9, 9.6 K/9. A native of North Carolina, Zebby Matthews began his college career at Walters State. In 2020, he transferred to Western Carolina and went 3-1 before the season ended due to Covid. Over the next two seasons, he went 10-8 and posted sub-4.00 ERAs both years. In 157 innings, he had 182 strikeouts and just 28 walks. The Twins drafted him in the 8th round in 2022. He pitched in just two games. Matthews began the 2023 season at Fort Myers. However, after eight games (7 starts), he went 3-1 with a 2.56 ERA and was promoted to Cedar Rapids. He made 14 games (13 starts) for the Kernels. As he did in college, he continued to show great control. In 105 1/3 total innings, he has 112 strikeouts with just 15 walks. Matthews has a fastball that reaches 94-95 mph. He has also developed a sweeper and cutter, making them effective secondary pitches. The combination of three potentially average-or-better pitches and his ability to throw strikes and command the zone makes him very intriguing. 2. RHP Pierson Ohl, 24, Cedar Rapids/Wichita 24 G, 21 GS, 127.1 IP, 117 H, 18 BB, 115 K, 3.32 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 1.1 BB/9, 9.1 K/9 A southern California native, Ohl headed east, to Phoenix and Grand Canyon University for his college years. As a freshman, he posted a 3.45 ERA in 16 starts. He had a 2.89 ERA through his four pre-Covid starts in 2020. Then in 2021, he went 10-2 with a 2.60 ERA. Over those final two college seasons, he struck out 120 batters and walked just 13. Based on those numbers, the Twins had to be thrilled to draft him in the 14th round in 2021. He spent the entire 2022 season at Fort Myers and went 6-7 with a 3.53 ERA. In 91 2/3 innings, he had 101 strikeouts and just 13 walks. Oh began the 2023 season in Cedar Rapids where he pitched in eight games (7 starts). He started the season with five really good starts and had just two walks and 26 strikeouts in 26 innings. But then, over the next three starts, he gave up 15 runs (13 earned) in 14 1/3 innings, which made it very interesting that he was promoted to Double-A. He gave up nine runs in 10 2/3 innings in his first two Wichita starts. However, over his final 14 starts, he went 7-2 with a 2.00 ERA. In 76 1/3 innings, he struck out 65 and walked just 13. Opponents hit just .197 against him. While working as a starter, he touched 97 on the radar gun, well above the high-80s, low-90s he threw when drafted. He also has a good curveball and a change-up that can be very good most days. 1. RHP Cory Lewis, 22, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids 22 GS, 101.1 IP, 74 H, 33 BB, 118 K, 2.49 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.5 K/9 I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that Cory Lewis was a star on his Marina High School baseball team. He was a four-year letter winner. He was the league’s freshman of the year. He was named the league’s top pitcher as a sophomore. He was also All-League as a first baseman. He was the league’s MVP his senior season. After high school, he went to UC-Santa Barbara. He was set to redshirt his first year, which worked out fine since it was the Covid season. In 2021, he pitched in 15 games and made 10 starts. He was 7-4 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. In 80 innings, he had 86 strikeouts to go with 31 walks. In 2022, he made 16 starts and went 9-1 with a 3.57 ERA. In 88 1/3 innings, he had 107 strikeouts and 42 walks. As a redshirt sophomore, Lewis was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2022. He didn’t pitch at all in the Twins organization. So he made his professional debut in 2023, and it went well. He began the season with nine starts in Fort Myers. He went 4-3 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. In 39 2/3 innings, he struck out 55 batters and issued 15 walks. In mid-May, he threw the first 5 2/3 innings of a combined no-hitter for the Mussels. He was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he made 13 starts. He was 5-1 with a 2.32 ERA. In 62 innings, he had 63 strikeouts and 18 walks. And all that work led him and the Kernels to their Midwest League championship. Twins Director of Player Development Drew MacPhail began by simply saying, “Big Game Cory!” He continued, “Not only did Cory Lewis dominate across two levels this year. He also pitched in two, winner-take-all playoff series at Cedar Rapids (including a championship rubber match) and dominated both outings! Not only does Cory have outlier fastball pitch qualities and traditional secondary offerings, but he pairs that with an 84 mph knuckleball that got outlier miss across Low A and A+ this year.” You’ve been reading about Lewis throughout the season here at Twins Daily, so you knew he threw a knuckleball. However, he is not a knuckleball pitcher, per se. He doesn’t just throw a 60 mph knuckleball every pitch. No, with Lewis, the knuckleball is just one of his quality pitches. He threw it about 10% of the time in 2023, and as Mr. MacPhail noted, he throws it hard, generally between 82 and 85 mph. That is very unusual. And those pitches are typically seen heading toward the plate at less than 200 RPMs. Lewis has a fastball in the 91-93 mph range, but he can throw it very well up in the zone. He also has a solid changeup, curveball and slider. It will be interesting to see how his pitch repertoire changes as he continues to move up the organizational ladder. Congratulations to Cory Lewis on winning the Twins Daily Starting Pitcher of the Year award for 2023. He’s obviously joining an impressive group of previous winners. And congratulations to all of the pitchers mentioned in today’s articles on fantastic 2023 seasons! Join us in congratulating Lewis and the rest of these pitchers and discussing them and the Twins pitching pipeline in the comments below. For more Twins Daily content on the pitchers mentioned in today's article, click on the links below: Cory Lewis, Pierson Ohl, Zebby Matthews, David Festa, CJ Culpepper, Andrew Morris, Marco Raya, Louie Varland, Blayne Enlow, Ben Ethridge, Ronny Henriquez, Simeon Woods Richardson. Previous Starting Pitcher of the Year Winners: 2022 winner - Louie Varland 2021 winner - Louie Varland 2019 winner- Randy Dobnak2018 winner - Tyler Wells2017 winner - Stephen Gonsalves2016 winner - Stephen Gonsalves2015 winner - Jose Berrios2014 winner - Jose Berrios2013 winner - Taylor Rogers 2012 winner - BJ Hermsen View full article

Not enough people are talking about how good the pitchers drafted in 2022 have been. View full video

Randy Dobnak set a single-season record for the St. Paul Saints in a loss Thursday afternoon, while Cedar Rapids had runs in more than one way during the evening matchups. Check out all of the action on the farm. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints SAINTS SENTINEL Iowa 9, St. Paul 2 Box Score The Saints played a matinee on Thursday, with Randy Dobnak taking the mound. He worked 5 2/3 innings but allowed six runs on nine hits. Dobnak walked just two while striking out four but did allow a home run. The additional strikeouts helped to set the Saints single-season strikeout record. His 107 strikeouts took the lead from teammate Ronny Henriquez. With St. Paul and Iowa battling for playoff position, Matt Mervis started things off with his 20th home run of the year. The two-run shot gave Iowa a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Jair Camargo answered with a home run of his own, a solo shot, to make it 2-1 in the second inning. Unfortunately, the Cubs kept adding, and by the seventh inning, they held a 6-1 lead. Brooks Lee looked to keep the Saints close with a double that plated Michael Helman and brought them within a grand slam. However, a tough seventh inning saw three runs score, and Iowa was up by a comfortable 9-2 margin. Chris Williams stepped in with the bases loaded and just one out in the eighth. Unable to get the big hit, he put up a sacrifice fly that brought Camargo home and made it a six-run game. Carlos Luna finished the game on the mound, working 1 1/3 innings after his recent transfer from Double-A. Lee led off the ninth inning with his second double of the day, but an Austin Martin groundout and Yunior Severino strikeout didn't bring him in. Kyle Garlick went down looking at that's how this one ended. Camargo had three hits Thursday afternoon, with Lee adding his two doubles. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Midland 4 Box Score Travis Adams took the pill Thursday night for Wichita and worked 4 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. He was cruising until a four-run fifth inning did him in. Adams didn't walk anyone and struck out five on the evening. The good guys got on the board when David Banuelos homered for the 10th time. His solo shot made it a 1-0 game in the second inning. In the third inning, Alerick Soularie did his best impression of Banuelos, launching his own solo home run. Midland got a run back in the fifth inning to halve the lead and keep Wichita on their toes. Adams faced serious damage during the inning, with runners on first and second still having no outs. Instead of getting a double play ball, William Simoneit launched a three-run blast to take the lead 4-2. Working for the comeback, Jake Rucker singled home both Dalton Shuffield and Banuelos in the sixth inning to tie things up before Will Holland drove in Ben Ross for the lead. Ahead 5-4, Wichita needed the pitching to hold it down. Curtis Taylor did just that throwing 2 2/3 inning of scoreless relief before Francis Peguero grabbed the last out, with the Wind Surge emerged victorious. Both Soularie and Rucker recorded a pair of hits on the evening. Rucker also added a pair of RBI for himself. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Peoria 4 Box Score Needing a win to extend their season, the Kernels sent Cory Lewis to the mound. He turned in a strong performance going four innings, allowing just a single run. He scattered four hits and didn't allow a run while striking out four. While Cedar Rapids was already up against a 1-0 deficit in the series, their bodies were also up against it. Despite playing against some internal adversity, the Kernels showed up in a big way. After giving up a run in the third inning, Cedar Rapids answered with four of their own during the fourth inning. Scoring all four runs before recording an out was a strong response. Jose Salas scored Luke Keaschal to tie the game, and then Jeferson Morales went ya-ya, scoring Noah Cardenas and Salas in the process. Still without Peoria recording an out, Noah Miller launched a two-run shot, scoring Carson McCusker and making it a 6-1 game. Malik Barrington took over for Lewis and ran into trouble during the sixth inning. He gave up a run and had two runners on before recording the third out of the inning. Jorel Ortega put himself on the board with a seventh-inning solo blast, and the home run made it a 7-2 game for Cedar Rapids. McCusker added some additional insurance with a double that scored both Cardenas and Morales. Both Miller and McCusker had two hits on the night with both adding a pair of RBI. Morales drove in three runs on his own as well. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day – Jair Camargo (St. Paul) - 3-4, 2 R, RBI, HR(19), K PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 2-5, RBI #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-2, 3 BB #8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-4, K #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R ,K #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, BB, 3 K #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 0-5, 4 K #19 - Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (7:08PM CST) - LHP Blayne Enlow Midland @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP C.J. Culpepper Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! View full article

The minor league season is quickly approaching the end. One more affiliate is done. But another will start their playoff push this week. The other two teams still have a chance to make the playoffs. Lots of drama yet to come. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints Read all about the Twins week in Nick’s Week in Review. WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Overall: 36-27 (4-2 last week) in the second half; In first place in the IL West by 1.5 games; tied for fourth place in the International League. Overview: The Saints made a little progress, but thanks to losing to last two games are running out of time if they want to make the playoffs. 🔥: Trevor Larnach . Again! Eight hits in 23 at-bats. Four doubles and two home runs. Seven strikeouts, but six walks. 🔥: Bailey Ober made his first AAA start after his demotion. He threw five one-run innings, allowing three hits and struck out three. 🔥: Simeon Woods Richardson has had quite a year. He's still young, but the shine has faded. This week, though, he was really good. He struck out five in six innings, allowing only one run on four hits and a walk. 🤔: Yunior Severino hit three more home runs this week and has 32 total home runs on the season. But struck out 10 times in 23 at-bats. 🥶: Jordan Balazovic walked five and allowed three hits in 2 1/3 innings. 🥶: Hernan Perez was the hitter of the week two weeks ago. This week he was 2-for-15 with six strikeouts. What's Next: A road-trip to Iowa (31-31) followed by a season-closing series hosting Toledo (32-31). Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Overall: 34-29 (2-4 last week) in the second half and have dropped behind Springfield in the division. Overview: A one-game deficit with six games to go. The Wind Surge have to play their best baseball to make the playoffs. 🔥: Yoyner Fajardo led the team with seven hits, two triples and four walks. He also doubled twice and stole a base. 🔥: Marco Raya struck out three in 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Curtis Taylor (5 1/3 IP, H, BB, 5 K) and Isaac Mattson (4 2/3, BB, 8 K) where great in multiple relief appearances. Pierson Ohl gave up a home run among four hits, and struck out four in 5 1/3 innings. 🔥: Seth Gray led the team with two home runs and five runs batted in. 🥶: Aaron Rozek was very good two weeks ago, but last week struggled. He only retired two batters and allowed three hits, including two home runs. 🥶: Patrick Winkel had one hit in 16 at-bats. Will Holland had one hit in eight at-bats. What's Next: A cold stretch has Wichita on the outside looking in on the playoffs. The Wind Surge will host Midland (34-29) while Springfield (35-28) goes to San Antonio (30-33). High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Overall: 42-24 (2-4 last week) in the second half, six games ahead of Peoria. Overview: The regular season concludes with the Kernels sporting the best full-season record in the Midwest League (82-50). 🔥: Not a lot of big weeks for the Kernels hitters. Luke Keaschall led the team with six hits (including two home runs). Kala'i Rosario also had two home runs (but struck out 10 times). 🔥: Cory Lewis went five innings, striking out three and walking two, allowing only one hit. 🤔: Jose Salas had five hits last week. He barely batted over .200, but five hits, including a home run and double, is at least worth mentioning. 🥶: C.J. Culpepper gave up seven runs on seven hits and two walks in two innings. 🥶: Jorel Ortega (1-for-16), Keoni Cavaco (1-for-10), Carson McCusker (1-for-11) and Andrew Cossetti (0-for-9) combined to strike out 22 times this past week. What's Next: The Kernels will take their four-game losing streak to Peoria for Game 1 on Tuesday. They will host the remainder of the best-of-three series later in the week. Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Overall: 33-32 (2-4 last week) in the second half, finishing 10.5 games behind Lakeland. 😍: Walker Jenkins may have completed his first professional season. He was 6-for-19 with two triples on the week. He drove in and scored four runs. 🔥: Jay Harry and Nate Baez had good weeks. Harry had seven hits and Baez led the team with eight hits and eight runs batted in. 🔥: Matt Gabbert made his first start at Low-A, and it went extremely well. He allowed one hit and two walks in five shutout innings. He struck out six. 😏: Chris Paddack and Jorge Alcala both made rehab appearances. 🥶: Ty Langenberg gave up two runs in 1 2/3 innings. Develson Aria gave up two runs while recording only one out. Juan Mendez, Juan Mercedes and Jack Noble all gave up two home runs. 🥶: The Kyle Schmidt hitless streak has reached a third week. Seven more hitless at-bats with one strikeout. (But his pitching!!) 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 periodically 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. Brent Headrick, LHP, Minnesota: Recalled to the Twins bullpen. (1.43 WHIP, .256 BAA ), St. Paul: (1.36 WHIP, .263 BAA). 19. Cory Lewis, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K (1.06 WHIP, .198 BAA). 18. Jose Rodriguez, OF, FCL Twins: (.262/.325/.412. .737 OPS) 17. Danny De Andrade, SS, Fort Myers: 4-17, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, K, SB, CS. (.244/.354/.396. .750 OPS), played five games (90 total games) at shortstop and committed two errors in 18 chances (15 errors in 326 total chances). Previously played one game at third base and had no errors in four chances. 16. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 3.86 ERA, 2.1 IP, 3 H, ER, 5 BB. (1.75 WHIP, .270 BAA); Minnesota: (1.56 WHIP, .274 BAA). 15. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 4 H, ER, HRA, BB, 5 K (1.50 WHIP, .253 BAA); Minnesota: (1.56 WHIP, .274 BAA). 14. Yunior Severino, 3B, St. Paul: 5-23, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, 10 K. (AA/AAA combined .277/.353/.550. .903 OPS). 13. Kala'i Rosario, OF, Cedar Rapids: 4-22, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 10 K. (.252/.364/.467. .831 OPS). 12. Yasser Mercedes, OF, FCL Twins: (.196/.248/.381. .629 OPS) 11. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Cedar Rapids: Prielipp underwent season-ending elbow surgery. (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA) 10. Luke Keaschall, 2B, Cedar Rapids: 6-24, 2B,, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, K. (rookie/l-A/h-A combined .288/.414/.477. .891 OPS), played four games (24 total) at second base and committed two errors in 22 chances (three errors in 83 total chances), played one game in centerfield (four games total) and committed no errors in no chances (no errors in two total chances), and played one game at third base (two total) and committed no errors in one chance (one error in three total chances). 9. Brandon Winokur, OF, FCL Twins: (.288/.338/.545. .883 OPS), played nine games at shortstop and committed two errors in 34 chances and played seven games at centerfield and committed no errors in 19 chances. 8. Tanner Schobel, INF, Wichita: 5-18, RBI, 2 BB, 3 K. (high-A/AA combined .267/.357/.433. .790 OPS), played four games (54 total) at second base and committed no errors in 12 chances (9 errors in 212 total chances), played one game (58 total) at third base and committed no errors in one chance (four errors in 115 total chances), played two games (five total) at shortstop and committed no errors in six chances (no errors in 14 total chances). 7. Austin Martin, 2B/OF, St. Paul: 6-19, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K. (rehab/AAA combined .266/.376/.409. .785 OPS), played one game (11 total) in centerfield and committed one error in four chances (one error in 28 total chances), played three games (36 total) at second base and committed no errors in 9 chances (four errors in 144 total chances), played two games (11 total) in left field and committed no errors in six chance (no errors in 27 total chances). 6. David Festa, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 3.86 ERA, 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 BB 6 K. (AAA/AA combined 1.37 WHIP, .244 BAA) 5. Charlee Soto, RHP: Did not pitch. 4. Marco Raya, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.1 IP, 2 H, 3 K. (AA/Hi-A combined 1.11 WHIP, .205 BAA) 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 3-13, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 7 BB, 6 K. (.240/.400/.463. .863 OPS) 2. Walker Jenkins, OF, Fort Myers: 6-19, 2 3B, 4 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K, SB, CS. (FCL/low-A combined .362/.417/.571. .988 OPS) 1. Brooks Lee, SS, St. Paul: 4-19, 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R, 6 BB, 3 K. (AA/AAA combined .282/.357/.470. .827 OPS), played four games (103 total) at shortstop and committed no errors in 20 chances (18 errors in 430 total chances) and played one game (six total) at third base and committed no errors in three chances (one error in 14 chances total chances). DESTINATION: The Show In this week's episode, Jeremy and JD chat with Carlos Collazo, prospect guru at Baseball America. Lots of Twins talk, especially regarding their 2023 draft class. Below is a quick out-take from the show. Click here to watch the full episode. You can find Destination: The Show on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, iTunes, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music. The show is available on Libsyn, our podcasting platform, in addition to Youtube. PLAYERS OF THE WEEKHITTER - Trevor Larnach, St. Paul CO-PITCHERS - Isaac Mattson, Wichita and Cory Lewis, Cedar Rapids View full article

The Saints won in grand fashion with another impressive power performance. Wichita still has a chance to get to the playoffs. Cedar Rapids just keeps rolling. And the Mighty Mussels have won 13 of their past 16 games and ensured their ninth winning season in the past ten seasons. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints On Tuesday, Brooks Lee his a grand slam for the Saints. It was the team's 12th grand slam of the season which is more than any other team in professional baseball right now. On Wednesday, the Saints combined to hit five more homers including a 13th grand slam. And its timing couldn't have been better. It wasn't the only grand slam in the Twins minor leagues on Wednesday. Check out the records of the Twins and their affiliates: Minnesota Twins: 73-66 St. Paul Saints: 77-56 Wichita Wind Surge: 60-67 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 82-46 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 66-61 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins had RHP Chris Paddack make his first rehab appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery early in the 2022 season. In addition, the Mussels put RHP Juan Mercedes on the Development List and activated LHP Develson Aria. photo by William Parmeter (Chris Paddack) SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 13, Louisville 8 Box Score The Saints scored one run from the second inning through the eighth inning. Yet somehow they scored 13 runs in the game.. Two big innings and some big home runs helped the Saints to their 77th win of the season. The Saints jumped to a big lead right away with five runs in the top of the first inning. Michael Helman led off the game with a home run, a sign of things to come. After one out, Brooks Lee singled and scored on Trevor Larnach’s 13th Saints homer to give them a 3-0 lead. Kyle Garlick was hit by a pitch. That was followed by Yunior Severino’s seventh Saints homer, and 31st homer overall. 5-0 Saints. As noted, the Saints offense didn’t do much again until the ninth inning. The lone exception was Austin Martin’s sixth home run which came in the fourth inning. So let’s jump to the pitching. David Festa started and gave up two runs on three hits over 4 2/3 innings. He had six strikeouts. However, he also had six strikeouts and six walks which drove up the pitch count. Michael Boyle walked two and struck out one over the next 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Alex Scherff came on and threw a scoreless seventh inning. However, he gave up one run in the bottom of the eighth inning before leaving the game with one out and two runners on base. Ronny Henriquez came into the game with a 6-3 lead. However, he allowed both of the inherited runners to score, and three more runs before getting the third out of the eighth inning. The Saints came to bat in the ninth inning down 8-6. #OldFriend Alan Busenitz, who has spent a couple of stints in the big leagues with the Reds this season, came in for the Bats. He spent parts of 2017 and 2018 with the Twins. He spent four seasons pitching for Rakuten in Japan. He returned to the States this year. With that as the backdrop, the Saints put together a huge inning. Busenitz struck out the first batters. However, Austin Martin and Gilberto Celestino singled to put runners on first and third. DaShawn Keirsey came in to pinch hit and walked to load the bases. Michael Helman singled to score Martin. Busenitz’s night was done, and Silvino Bracho came in. Alex Kirilloff came up and drove in two runs with a single to right field to give the Saints a 9-8 lead. Brooks Lee followed with a walk to load the bases again. That brought Trevor Larnach up, and he crushed the first grand slam of his professional career to give the Saints the 13-8 lead. The grand slam was the Saints’ 13th this season. Henriquez came back out for the bottom of the ninth inning. He walked the first batter but responded by coaxing a double play ball. After a two-out double, he was able to record the final out of the game. Larnach led the way with his two home runs and six RBI. Austin Martin went 2-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. Michael Helman went 2-for-5 with his fifth homer. Alex Kirilloff went 2-for-5. Gilberto Celestino went 2-for-4. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 4, Corpus Christi 10 Box Score The Wind Surge fell behind 5-0 through four innings. Sean Mooney made the start as an “opener” of sorts for Wichita. He walked one and struck out two batters in a scoreless first inning. Carlos Luna came in and was charged with five runs on six hits and a walk over 2 2/3 innings. He had three strikeouts and allowed three home runs. Down 5-0, the Wind Surge put together a burst. With one out, Ben Ross and Jake Rucker hit back-to-back singles. After a ground out advanced them with a ground out. With two outs, there was a pitching change. Aaron Sabato walked to load the bases, and Seth Gray’s eighth homer of the season cut their deficit to 5-4. Unfortunately, the Gray grand slam was the end of the Wind Surge scoring for the evening. Taylor Floyd gave up two runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings. He had three strikeouts. Lefty Aaron Rozek recorded two outs. He gave up three runs on three hits (including two homers). Isaac Mattson came in and struck out five batters over two perfect innings. Ben Ross went 2-for-4 with a walk. Yoyner Fajardo hit his sixth triple. Aaron Sabato had a single and two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 1 Box Score The Kernels jumped ahead 3-0 after two innings and it held up as they recorded their 82nd win of the year. Cedar Rapids got some help from their hosts in Appleton. Noah Miller reached first base on an error. After an Emmanuel Rodriguez single, a passed ball put runners on second and third. Soon after, Miller scored on a wild pitch. That was it, though. The second inning started completely the opposite. Rehabbing lefty Aaron Ashby got a groundout and a strikeout to start the inning before issuing a walk. That ended his appearance and Brewer Fanatic’s starting pitcher of the month of August, Cameron Wagoner, entered. After a Keoni Cavaco single and a Noah Miller walk loaded the bases, Emmanuel Rodriguez drilled a two-run single up the middle to give the Kernels a 3-0 lead. That was it for the Kernels’ scoring until the top of the ninth inning when Jose Salas hit his fourth homer of the season. The Kernels had five hits with Rodriguez having two of them. He also stole his 20th base of the season. Noah Miller hit his fifth triple and a walk. The offense did their part, but the pitching staff was the big story on Wednesday afternoon. Cory Lewis was fantastic. He improved to 5-1 on the season thanks to five shutout innings. He gave up just one hit. He walked two and struck out three to drop his ERA with the Kernels to 2.32. Mike Paredes came in and got one out before giving up a single to Brock Wilken. Then the rains came. The game was delayed for just over 100 minutes. When the game continued, Ricardo Velez came in. He gave up a hit to allow the Paredes runner to score, but he gave up just two hits over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He walked none and struck out one. Jarret Whorff got the final four outs, two on strikeouts, to record his third save. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 5 Box Score The game went back and forth throughout the game. Fortunately, the Mussels scored last and held on. It was 3-3 through four innings, and then it was 5-5 through seven innings. But first, the Mussels were able to use a guy with 21 career wins in the big leagues as their starting pitcher. Chris Paddack came to the Twins on Opening Day 2022. After just a handful of starts, his elbow blew out and soon after, he had his second Tommy John surgery. On Wednesday night in Fort Myers, he returned to the mound for his first rehab appearance. The raw numbers won’t jump out to anyone. In 2 2/3 innings, he gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. He had four strikeouts. Most impressive, at least to me, was that he was able to (or allowed to) throw 52 pitches. No real surprise that just 27 of those pitches were strikes. But, the stuff looks good. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Down 3-0 going to the bottom of the fourth inning, Danny De Andrade and Rubel Cespedes started the inning with walks. Nate Baez followed with a three-run homer to tie the game. Then in the bottom of the fifth, the innings started with singles by Jay Harry and Walker Jenkins. Jenkins stole second. Soon after, Harry scored on a wild pitch. Jenkins scored on a groundout by De Andrade to make it 5-3. However, the Marauders tied it with two runs in the top of the seventh frame. When Paddack was done, Jack Noble came in as the ‘Bulk’ pitcher and worked the next 5 1/3 innings. He gave up three runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out five batters. He was really only hurt by two home run balls. In the bottom of the eighth, the Mussels started with Rubel Cespedes and Nate Baez walks. Maddux Houghton pinch-ran for Cespedes. Alec Sayre grounded back to the pitcher who got the out at second but Sayre beat the throw to first. Houghton advanced to third base. That brought up catcher Kyle Schmidt came up and grounded to shortstop. They recorded the out at second but Schmidt’s hustle beat the throw and allowed Houghton to score the go-ahead run. With the one-run lead, lefty Samuel Perez came in and worked a one-two-three ninth inning to record his second save of the year. Jay Harry went 2-for-4. Walker Jenkins was 2-for-4 with his second stolen base.. Nate Baez’s home run was his second of the season. He also walked twice. Rubel Cespedes was 1-for-1 with three walks and stole his third base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Trevor Larnach (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 2-HR(14), 2 R, 6 RBI, K. Pitcher of the Day – Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 69 pitches, 45 strikes (61.1%) Blooper of the Day - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - Great catch, but forgetting how many outs there are is always funny the next day when it gets on blooper reels. 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 (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, 2 R, K #2 - Walker Jenkins (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, R, SB(2) #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2 RBI, K, SB(20) #6 - David Festa (St. Paul) - 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 6 K, 91 pitches, 43 strikes (47.3%) #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 2-for-3, HBP, HR(6), 2 R, RBI #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4 #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 3 K #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, HR(7, 31), R, 2 RBI, 3 K #17 - Danny De Andrade (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, BB, R, RBI #19 - Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 69 pitches, 45 strikes (65.2%) WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Louisville (5:35 PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (5-6, 5.29 ERA) Wichita @ Corpus Christi (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl (7-3, 2.95 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:40 PM CST) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (2-1, 3.58 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - RHP John Klein (2-1, 2.97 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

Read and rejoice in the starting pitchers who thrived in the month of August. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge An issue that pops up in these lists 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 some situations aren'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 peripherals as they can differentiate between dominance and a pitcher merely 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. Honorable mentions: RHP Louie Varland - AAA St. Paul, 23 2/3 IP, 18.6 K%, 1.90 ERA, 4.61 FIP Louie Varland had a sparkling 1.90 ERA in the month of August but walked a few too many people for my liking. Somehow he had eight unearned runs spread across multiple starts, which seems like a lot. Give him some help, Saints defense! RHP Carlos Gutierrez - FCL Twins, 12 2/3 IP, 35.7 K%, 4.26 ERA, 3.71 FIP Carlos Gutierrez allowed a few too many runs to make a serious case for the list, but he also struck out 20 in just over 12 innings. RHP Juan Cota - DSL Twins, 10 IP, 32.4 K%, 2.70 ERA, 1.88 FIP Lacking the innings to overtake other arms, Juan Cota nonetheless whiffed 12 over 10 frames, and only walked one batter—something almost no DSL pitcher ever does. RHP Miguel Cordero - DSL Twins, 9 2/3 IP, 20.5 K%, 2.79 ERA, 3.25 FIP Like Cota, Miguel Cordero showcased unusual command for a DSL pitcher. Even more impressive is Cordero’s fresh age of 17 (he was 16 for most of the season!). He was one of three Twins to appear in the DSL All-Star game. 5. RHP Cory Lewis - A+ Cedar Rapids, 23 1/3 IP, 28.4 K%, 3.09 ERA, 3.01 FIP At this point, Cory Lewis should just start paying rent for how much he lives on these lists. He’s been one of the best pitchers in the system since the season started, totaling a 2.62 ERA with a system-leading 115 strikeouts while pitching for both Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids. August was yet another stellar month for the part-time knuckler and full-time Kernels ace. He had two partial clunkers, holding him back from being even higher on this list, but was otherwise his usual, impressive self with squirrelly stuff and tremendous command. Expect him to rocket up end-of-season prospect lists. 4. RHP John Klein, A Fort Myers/FCL Twins, 21 1/3 IP, 32.5 K%, 2.95 ERA, 3.65 FIP Minnesotan alert! John Klein was born in Brooklyn Park and discovered when pitching for Iowa Central Community College—a university with quite the brotherhood of pro ball players. Klein popped up on the prospect radar after striking out 11 over four frames with the FCL Twins on June 10th (those especially handy with numbers may understand how impressive that is). July wasn’t kind to him, but fortune reversed in August, leading to four impressive starts—two of which were back-to-back starts of six shutout innings. That strikeout rate is especially impressive; he whiffed eight and nine batters respectively in those scoreless starts. 3. RHP Andrew Morris - A+ Cedar Rapids, 27 IP, 20.7 K%, 2.00 ERA, 2.82 FIP There was a time where Andrew Morris once seemed like the runaway winner of this award. His first three August starts were absurdly dominant, highlighted by a nine strikeout start on the 5th, and a seven punch-out outing on the 17th. His final two starts weren’t quite as good—proving the prestigiousness needed to take home honors from us gruff Twins Daily judges—so he’ll have to settle for 3rd place. Hopefully he’s not crestfallen over this bronze medal. Morris’ calling card is a spinny, vertical fastball that often appears to take off, rocketing far higher in the zone than hitters expect. Throw in a semi-crossbody delivery, and it’s understandable to see batters swing wildly at his offerings. The Texas Tech product is now solidly established as a prospect. 2. RHP David Festa - AA Wichita/AAA St. Paul, 20 1/3 IP, 33.3 K%, 1.33 ERA, 2.86 FIP Perhaps Minnesota’s best pitching prospect, David Festa was incredible in August. He allowed just three runs the entire month, steadily increasing his stamina following a short stint dabbling in short stints. The Twins saw enough after a dominant start against the Travelers and sent him to St. Paul. Festa appears well suited to join the crowd of small school arms turned into overwhelming pitching forced by the Falvey regime. He hammers the zone with a dominant fastball and well-command off-speed stuff, making hitters uncomfortable with his twisty windup and great extension. His early-season results weren’t sparkling—they were merely fine—but some of that could be chalked up to the difficult pitching environment that is the Texas League. If you’re looking for the next great Twins starter; here he is. 1. RHP Pierson Ohl - AA Wichita, 30 2/3 IP, 23.4 K%, 1.17 ERA, 2.75 FIP This was not a difficult deliberation; only Festa offered a serious case over Pierson Ohl. The Grand Canyon university product started the month with six shutout frames against the Tulsa Drillers—the Dodgers AA affiliate—and only surged from there, earning a win in each of his appearances. Pick any of his starts in August, and you have a gem on your hands: do you prefer his eight-inning outing on the 8th, or his eight strikeout performance on 26th to end the month? Ohl’s relentless pursuit of throwing strikes appears to be the fuel to his success. Batters simply can never get ahead of him. Falling behind too far only invites a dastardly changeup or a well-spotted fastball that often leaves hitters trudging back to the dugout unable to understand how to deal with Ohl’s craftiness. View full article

Fort Myers was still off while waiting out a hurricane on Wednesday, but Byron Buxton and Alex Kirilloff made rehab appearances in St. Paul. David Festa took the mound for his Triple-A debut, and both Cedar Rapids and Wichita sought victories. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints TRANSACTIONS OF Byron Buxton begins rehab assignment with St. Paul 1B/OF Alex Kirilloff begins rehab assignment with St. Paul INF Kamron Willman reinstated from the development list by Fort Myers SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Columbus 1 Box Score Quite possibly the most anticipated Saints game of the 2023 regular season took place on Wednesday night. Not only was prospect David Festa making his Triple-A pitching debut, but Alex Kirilloff was in the lineup rehabbing, and he was joined by Byron Buxton playing centerfield. The outfield action was Buxton’s first in more than a full calendar year as he ramps back up to rejoin Minnesota. After getting top Guardians prospect Bryan Rocchio to ground out on a broken bat, Festa grabbed his first strikeout when he punched out rehabbing major leaguer, David Fry. Festa popped 97 mph multiple times in the first inning. He got Jonathan Rodriguez, another top 25 prospect for Cleveland, swinging to end the frame. Watching a strike to kick off the at bat, Buxton lined a single to left field and his rehab assignment started off with success. Kirilloff grounded out to the first baseman, on a ball that should’ve been a double play, and Austin Martin stepped in behind the big leaguers. Putting more traffic on against Jerad Eickhoff, Jair Camargo ripped a single to left and brought home Kyle Garlick for the game’s first run. The lineup turned over and leadoff hitter Andrew Stevenson continued his strong season with a single to drive in both Anthony Prato and Camargo to make the score 3-0. In the top of the third inning, Columbus got Festa for a homer before Fry bounced a double off the left center wall. Buxton had his first fielding opportunity, but needed to do little more than play the bounce and throw it back into the infield. Kyle Manzardo finished the inning by sending a lazy fly ball to Buxton, and the Twins centerfielder had his first putout since 2022. It didn’t take long for the Saints to get the run back. Coming to bat in the bottom of the fourth inning, Camargo brought Kyle Garlick around on a single to push the lead back up to three. Buxton drew a walk in his third plate appearance and loaded the bases for Kirilloff with two outs in the fourth inning. He responded with a 105.5 mph single to bring Camargo home and make it a 5-1 game. Festa worked the fifth inning and struck out his seventh batter to end the frame. After throwing 91 pitches, his night was over. It was a strong Triple-A debut allowing just one run on four hits and a walk. Festa continued to sit around 95 mph late in the game, and navigated a very good Clippers lineup. A Brooks Lee double in the fifth inning came on a scary scene as Columbus left fielder Micah Pries went down in a heap tracking the ball. He was eventually carted off and replaced by Chris Roller. The Saints had second and third with no one out. Anthony Prato took his spot in the box and lined a ball back up the middle to score Martin and make it 6-1. Yunior Severino watched strike three on a pitch that just tickled the zone for the ABS system, and Camargo went down swinging leaving runners on first and third. Ronny Henriquez did a great job in relief of Festa on Wednesday night. Although he did walk a pair, the righty didn't allow a hit and struck out three during three scoreless innings of work. He remains on the 40-man roster and could be an option for Minnesota when rosters expand on Friday. Brent Headrick worked the ninth inning and secured Festa's win. Buxton finished going 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, while Kirilloff went 1-for-5 with an RBI and pair of strikeouts. The Saints had 11 hits Wednesday and were led by Stevenson, Prato, and Camargo. WIND SURGE WISDOM San Antonio 9, Wichita 2 Box Score The Wind Surge went with Jaylen Nowlin for the start on Wednesday. Starting strong, he tailed in the middle innings and wound up allowing six runs on eight hits and a pair of walks. Nowlin also struck out two. San Antonio struck for four during the third inning. Three singles and a sacrifice fly did a number on Nowlin and put Wichita behind. The Missions plated another in the fourth inning and one in the fifth inning to take a comfortable 6-0 lead. Wichita got on the board in the seventh inning when Willie Joe Garry Jr. doubled home Alerick Soularie. With Dalton Shuffield standing on third and just one out, the Wind Surge had a threat. Michael Helman lofted a sacrifice fly to bring Shuffield in and it was a 6-2 game. San Antonio grabbed a run back against Miguel Rodriguez in the eighth inning, and the lead was again five. Facing Sean Mooney in the ninth inning, San Antonio grabbed another pair and pushed the tally to 9-2. Wichita had just five hits, with Soularie accounting for two. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Lake County 2 Box Score Cory Lewis was on the bump Wednesday night for the Kernels, and he was again looking like the star prospect he has been all year. Turning in five scoreless innings, Lewis scattered seven hits but issued no walks while striking out six. He lowered his ERA to 2.53 in the process. In case you missed the incredible slow-mo video of his knuckleball on Twitter, feast your eyes on this. Cedar Rapids jumped out to an early lead when Jorel Ortega blasted his eighth home run of the year. The two-run shot also scored Noah Cardenas. After Lewis’ strong start, John Stankiewicz and Malik Barrington gave back both in the seventh inning. Emmanuel Rodriguez crushed his seventh triple of the season during the eighth inning, and the three-bagger brought Noah Miller home with just one out. Unfortunately the Kernels couldn’t bring him home, and the one-run lead was the only breathing room for the ninth inning. Jackson Hicks came on looking for his first High-A save. Doing it in style, Hicks sat down big prospects Chase DeLauter and Kahlil Watson before ending it with Dayan Frias. Cedar Rapids recorded just five hits on Wednesday and Rodriguez was responsible for two of them. MUSSEL MATTERS Canceled Fort Myers and Clearwater will kick off their series tomorrow night after Hurricane Idalia disrupted action earlier this week. Thoughts are with everyone down in the southern tip of Twins Territory. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Jair Camargo (St. Paul) - 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 K PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 1-3, 2B(5), BB #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, RBI, 2B(11), 3B(7), 2 K #6 - David Festa (St. Paul) - 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-3, BB, R #8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-4, 2B(5), BB, K #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, 2 BB, K #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 0-4, K #19 - Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K #20 - Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - 1.0 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ St. Paul (7:07PM CST) - RHP Louie Varland San Antonio @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - RHP Carlos Luna Lake County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP C.J. Culpepper Fort Myers @ Clearwater (5:30PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! View full article

The Twins affiliates were all in action on Sunday. Only one of them won, but Cory Lewis and Dalton Shuffield highlighted the best performances. Image courtesy of Ethan Chapman TRANSACTIONS LHP Brent Headrick recalled by Twins LHP Jovani Moran optioned to St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 2, St. Paul 0 Box Score The Saints started Kody Funderburk as an opener for their tilt on Sunday. He worked 2 1/3 innings and gave up a run on one hit and two walks. Funderburk struck out four, and after Moran’s option, continued to position himself for a call-up to Minnesota. Columbus scored runs in the third inning and the sixth inning on just three total hits. Trevor Larnach recorded a pair for the Saints but their three didn’t produce a run. Ronny Henriquez worked 1 2/3 innings of hitless baseball and struck out three. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 10, Tulsa 9 Box Score Chad Donato was on the bump for Wichita, and it was a short outing. He allowed eight runs over three innings. Seven hits did him in, and he also gave up a pair of walks. After falling behind 4-0 in the top of the first inning, the Wind Surge led off with a run when Yoyner Fajardo blasted his sixth home run of the season. Wichita gave up another in the second, but answered with five runs of their own. Will Holland roped his third triple of the year, clearing a loaded set of bases. Willie Joe Garry Jr., Jake Rucker, and Dalton Shuffield all scored. Fajardo then lifted a sacrifice fly to score Holland before Tanner Schobel doubled home Frank Nigro. The Drillers regained the lead in the third inning on a three-run shot, and they added a ninth run with a fifth-inning single. That made it a 9-6 game. Looking to draw even, Dalton Shuffield stepped in and lifted and launched his ninth homer of the year to tie things up. Alex Isola and Aaron Sabato scored on the big fly. In the eighth inning Sabato doubled for the 15th time, scoring Fajardo and putting Wichita ahead. That was enough for them to hang on and grab the victory. Fajardo picked up a pair of hits to lead the Wind Surge. KERNELS NUGGETS Lansing 2, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score The Kernels turned to Cory Lewis on Sunday and he pitched quite well yet again. The right-hander tossed six innings and gave up just one run on three hits and a walk. He also punched out five batters. Lansing plated a run in both the sixth and seventh inning to take a 2-0 lead over Cedar Rapids. In the eighth inning, Noah Miller hit his sixth homer to put the Kernels on the board. However, the solo shot wasn’t enough to bring them back. The blast was Miller’s second hit of the day. Unfortunately, the team had just three total hits. MUSSEL MATTERS Dunedin 11, Fort Myers 9 Box Score Miguelangel Boadas made the start Sunday afternoon for the Mighty Mussels. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings after allowing four runs on five hits. Boadas didn’t give up a walk and struck out four batters. Fort Myers kicked off the scoring in the second inning when Kamron Willman doubled home both Nate Baez and Gregory Duran. The Blue Jays answered with four runs in the bottom of the third inning, but the Mighty Mussels answered in the fourth inning. Kyle Schmidt hit his second homer of the season and made it a one-run game. The fifth inning saw Dunedin add in a big way again. Their five runs put a six-run deficit between themselves and the Mighty Mussels. That didn’t deter Fort Myers’ comeback though, and they answered with six runs of their own in the eighth inning. Yohander Martinez drove in Baez on an error before Schmidt scored on a wild pitch. Martinez followed his lead and came home on another uncorked one, before Rafael Cruz clubbed a three-run homer. His eighth of the season brought home Willman and Ricardo Olivar knotted the game at nine. In the bottom of the eighth, Dunedin brought home two more runs which was enough to end the day with a win. Willman finished the day as the only Mighty Mussels player with a pair of hits. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Day – Dalton Shuffield (Wichita) - 1-1, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR(3), 3 BB PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 0-4, K #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR(7, walkoff), K #7 - David Festa (Wichita) - 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-1, 2 BB, K #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-4, RBI, BB #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 3 K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ St. Paul (7:07PM CST) - TBD Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05PM CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30PM CST) - TBD Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games! View full article

Matt Wallner hit a walk-off home run to clinch a Minnesota Twins sweep over the Diamondbacks Sunday. Max Kepler helped set things up by blasting the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth for a game-tying homer. Dallas Keuchel navigated five innings in his first start for the Twins. Down in the minors, highlights from Gilberto Celestino, Dalton Shuffield, Cory Lewis and more are featured in today's Twins System Recap. View full video

While #5 overall pick Walker Jenkins was in the house at Target Field on Tuesday, the minor league system he is soon to join was in full swing. There was strong pitching, as multiple affiliates nearly had no-hitters, and strong hitting as multiple batters in St. Paul nearly hit for the cycle. Image courtesy of Ethan Chapman (photo of Cory Lewis) TRANSACTIONS Left-handed reliever Caleb Thielbar was sent on a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints, and he made an appearance in their game against Toledo. In Cedar Rapids, LHP Zarion Sharpe was released, and LHP Jordan Carr was activated from the injured list. Down in Fort Myers, C Frank Nigro was assigned to the Mighty Mussels from the FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL Toledo 7, St. Paul 14 Box Score Louie Varland took the mound for the Saints, but wasn’t as sharp as we’ve become accustomed to. He finished just 3 2/3 innings, and was charged with six runs (five earned) on nine hits and a walk, striking out four. The most damage came on a three-run homer in the third inning, and his team was down 6-2 upon his exit. Thankfully for the Minnesota native, the rest of his pitching staff and the lineup, picked him up. The Saints cut into that lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, when team MVP Andrew Stevenson launched his 12th home run of the season, a three-run shot to make it 6-5. They took the lead in the bottom of the fifth thanks to an RBI double from Anthony Prato and an RBI single off the bat of Alex De Goti. In relief of Varland, the Saints got a solid outing from Michael Boyle, who allowed just a walk in 1 1/3 innings, striking out two. Caleb Thielbar then made his first appearance of his rehab assignment. He walked one and struck out one in his inning. Cody Laweryson got hit with a blown save by allowing one run on two hits in his lone inning, striking out two. But he also got the win because the lineup took off after that. A six-run bottom of the seventh put this one away, with the big hits coming from a Prato home run, and bases loaded double from Gilberto Celestino, who also homered earlier in the game. Stevenson finished 4-for-5 with four runs scored and three-RBI, only missing a triple in his bid for the cycle. Prato also came a triple shy of the cycle. He went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and three RBI. Celestino scored three runs and drove in three with two hits in five at-bats. As a team, the Saints also drew a club-record 13 walks on the night, which is how you end up with 14 runs total. Jorge Polanco played third base and was 1-for-4 with a run scored and two walks. He had one error. Austin Martin was in center field, but was removed from the game in the fifth inning with an apparent foot injury. WIND SURGE WISDOM Frisco 10, Wichita 4 Box Score Wind Surge starter Chad Donato got knocked around by the RoughRiders in the first inning, and the home team was unable to recover. Donato recorded just two outs, and before the Wind Surge could get anyone warmed up, he had been charged with nine runs (eight earned) on nine hits. Regi Grace and the rest of the bullpen admirably righted the ship after Donato’s exit, but it was too little, too late. Grace pitched 2 1/3 innings. he walked two and struck out three batters. Denny Bentley was charged with Frisco’s only other run, but completed three innings. He allowed four hits and struck out four batters. Curtis Taylor allowed one hit and struck out two in his two innings. Francis Peguero finished it out with a one-two-three ninth, all on K’s. Wichita got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning, thanks to David Banuelos’ eighth home run of the season. They added three more in the fourth inning on Yunior Severino’s 19th home run and a two-run triple from Yoyner Fajardo. Brooks Lee was 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot, and Fajardo also had two knocks and stole his 30th base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 1 Box Score Pitchers Cory Lewis and Mike Paredes combined to hold the Timber Rattlers to just one hit, and home runs from Andrew Cossetti and Kala’i Rosario were plenty of ammo to back them up on offense. Lewis got the starting nod and continued his string of strong performances to pick up his fourth win. He finished five innings, allowed just one run on one hit and one walk, and notched three strikeouts on just 59 pitches. Paredes finished the final four innings to pick up his first save of the season. He allowed no hits, walked two, and struck out three batters. The Kernels took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when they loaded the bases with one out, and Kyler Fedko delivered a sacrifice fly. Cossetti led off the fifth with his ninth double, and later scored on another sacrifice fly from Emmanuel Rodriguez to go up 2-1. Rosario led off the eighth with his 14th home run, and Andrew Cossetti led off the ninth with his fifth home run with Cedar Rapids to provide insurance runs. Noah Cardenas (3-for-4, 2B) joined Rosario (2-for-4, R, 2B, HR, RBI, K) and Cossetti (2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB) with multiple hits in the game. MUSSEL MATTERS Palm Beach 3, Fort Myers 1 Box Score The Mighty Mussels were unable to muster much offense at Hammond Stadium on Tuesday. Their lineup collected just three hits. Ben Ethridge made the start and finished 3 2/3 innings. He was charged with two earned runs on five hits and a pair of walks. He had three strikeouts. Danny Moreno recorded the next seven outs and allowed one hit and a walk to get them to the seventh inning. He struck out one batter. Juan Mendez gave up one more run to the Cardinals in the top of the seventh to make it 3-0 Cardinals. He recorded three strikeouts. In the bottom of the seventh, the Mighty Mussels were finally able to mount a threat when Rubel Cespedes drew a leadoff walk and Rafael Cruz was hit by a pitch. With two outs, Alec Sayre put them on the board with an RBI single. However, they also ran into the third out at third base on the play which ended the inning. Zach Veen finished the game for Fort Myers, allowing one hit in two innings. He struck out two batters. Sayre had two of the team's three hits in the game, while Ricardo Olivar notched the other. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Braves 3, FCL Twins 2 (10 innings) Box Score Starter Eduardo Soriano completed the first three innings for the Twins and allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit and two walks. He had two strikeouts. The Twins tied the game in the fourth inning when Dalton Shuffield, Nate Baez, and Yasser Mercedes hit consecutive singles to start the frame and load the bases. A pair of wild pitches resulted in their only runs of the game. Shuffield, on a rehab assignment, finished 3-for-4 with a run scored out of the leadoff spot. Jose Rodriguez added a pair of hits, including a double, in four at-bats. The rest of the team managed just three hits, and they finished just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven men on base. After Soriano’s exit, the bullpen trio of Pierce Banks (2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 K), Jeferson Lopez (1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K), and Kyle Bischoff (3 IP, 3 K) got them through the ninth with the score still tied. Miguel Olivares was brought on for the start of the 10th inning and got two quick outs before a single drove in the go-ahead run. The Twins then went down in order in the bottom half, to fall to the Braves. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Twins 2, DSL Mariners 3 (8 innings) Box Score Neither team was able to score a run during the scheduled seven innings, and in fact, the Twins had a no-hitter going into the extra eighth frame. Adrian Bohorquez made the start and went the first two innings. He issued two walks and struck out one batter. Yency De Jesus took over to start the third inning and walked only two over the next five innings. He had five strikeouts. The Twins had some threats and had five hits to the Mariners zero hits through seven innings. However, they ran themselves into outs multiple times which kept them off the scoreboard. With the runner on second to start the extra inning, an error on a pickoff and then an RBI single from Angel Trinidad scored the first run of the game. A single from Jayson Bass later in the frame put a runner on third, and a passed ball led to their second run. Back out to try and finish off their no-hitter, De Jesus ran out of gas. A leadoff walk was followed by the first Mariners hit of the game which loaded the bases. Then they scored their first run on a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly tied the game at two. The Mariners walked it off with their second single of the game, putting a damper on a solid team effort. Trinidad (2-for-2, RBI) and Bass (2-for-4, K) each had multiple hits in the loss to lead the offense. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Cory Lewis, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) Hitter of the Day - Andrew Stevenson, St. Paul Saints (4-for-5, 4 R, 2B, HR (12), 3 RBI, BB, SB(34)) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-for-4, K #2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL) #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, RBI, 3 K #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-for-4, R, HR (2), 2 RBI, 3 K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, R, K (left game in 5th inning due to injury) #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-for-4, K #11 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL) - 1-for-4, K #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, R, 2B, HR (14), RBI, K #17 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-3, R, HR (19), RBI, BB, K #20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) - 2-for-4, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - LHP Brent Headrick (3-1, 3.76 ERA) Frisco @ Wichita (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP David Festa (2-2, 4.79 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (12:10 PM CDT) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (2-0, 0.00 ERA) Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM CDT) - RHP Jose Olivares (2-3, 6.14 ERA) DSL Reds @ DSL Twins (makeup of 7/13) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

In recent weeks, many of the Twins' minor league affiliates passed the midway point in their season. Let's look back at the best starting pitching performances down on the farm during June. Image courtesy of Jean Pfiefer (aka, go4twinkies on Instagram) It was a rough pitching month for starters in the upper levels of the Twins system. Minnesota has needed to dig into Triple-A depth which can impact other levels too. However, some players are compiling numbers that will put them in the conversation to start showing up on top-30 prospect lists for the Twins. Let's dive into some honorable mentions before we reveal this month's winner. RHP Kyle Jones, Cedar Rapids Kernels Jones was limited to three starts in June but limited batters to a .216 BA. In 10 innings, he allowed two earned runs on six hits with 14 strikeouts and six walks. He allowed his first two home runs of the year in one June start; otherwise, his numbers would look even better. RHP Jack Noble, FCL Twins Noble is over two years older than the average age of the competition in the FCL, but he compiled some strong numbers in June. He averaged over five innings per start with an 11.5 K/9. Noble held opponents to a .543 OPS with only one extra-base hit against him. He was promoted to Fort Myers at the end of the month. Now onto the top five: 5. LHP Christian MacLeod, High-A Cedar Rapids Kernels, 17 IP, 26.7 K%, 2.12 ERA, 1.47 WHIP MacLeod has fared well since being promoted to High-A at the end of May. In four starts (17 IP), he posted a 2.12 ERA with a 1.47 WHIP and a 20-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He allowed one earned run in every appearance for the month and never allowed more than five hits. His best appearance for the month was an outing where he didn't start. Marco Raya started the game on June 9th and pitched four innings before giving way to MacLeod. He pitched the final five innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with nine strikeouts. MacLeod is slightly younger than the average age of the competition in the Midwest League, so it will be interesting to see what kind of numbers he can compile as he gets more comfortable at that level. 4. RHP Miguel Cordero, DSL Twins- 11 2/3 IP, 40.4 K%, 2.31 ERA, 1.11 WHIP Cordero is in his age-16 season, but he started strongly in his professional debut. He posted a 2.31 ERA in three starts with a 1.14 WHIP and 19 strikeouts over 11 2/3 innings. His first professional start is where batters did all the damage against him. In 3 2/3 innings, he allowed three earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts. In his other two starts, he has been nearly unhittable. Over eight shutout innings, he surrendered one hit and struck out 14 batters. Opponents are hitting .171/.277/.268 (.545) while striking out over 40% of the time. It's been a dominant start to his professional career, and he might be a player to watch in the coming years. 3. RHP Andrew Morris, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels- 23 1/3 IP, 22.8 K%, 1.93 ERA, 0.90 WHIP The Twins took Morris with their fourth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, and he only pitched one inning during his professional debut. His 2023 season started slowly as he spent time on the IL with right bicep tendonitis and had mixed results on the field. Morris allowed an OPS above .800 in the season's first two months (three appearances) but lowered that to .527 during June. In five starts (23 1/3 innings), he posted a 1.93 ERA with a 21-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He is over a year younger than the average age of the competition in the FSL but has faced younger batters in over 60% of his plate appearances. Morris would likely have been the top pitcher on this list in other months because of his accumulated numbers. 2. RHP C.J. Culpepper, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels- 20 IP, 32.0 K%, 1.35 ERA, 0.95 WHIP Culpepper was the runner-up for this honor after four tremendous starts in Fort Myers. He's also been among the top-performing starting pitchers in the entire Twins system during the first half. Over 20 innings, he posted a 1.35 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP while averaging six strikeouts per appearance. Batters hit .177/.253/.265 (.518) against him, and he's held opponents to a .523 OPS or lower in every month of the season. Culpepper averaged a 62-game score across his four appearances, including two games with a 70 or higher. Minnesota can leave him in Fort Myers for the entire season, but it wouldn't be surprising for him to get a promotion at some point in the second half. 1. RHP Cory Lewis, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels - 15 2/3 IP, 33.9 K%, 0.57 ERA, 0.96 WHIP The Twins promoted Lewis from Fort Myers to Cedar Rapids earlier in June, and he had no trouble adjusting to the higher level of competition. In his first start, he pitched five shutout innings with eight strikeouts while limiting Daytona to three hits. Six days later, he continued his strikeout barrage with nine strikeouts over five frames. He had 15 or more swinging strikes in each of those two starts. In his final start of the month, he pitched five innings and allowed no earned runs on three hits. Batters hit .146/.242/.182 (.424) against him for the month, his second straight month with an OPS below .500. He has yet to allow a batting average above .200 in any month, and he has one of the best strikeout-to-walk rates in the farm system. For the season, he has faced younger batters the majority of the time, but that will likely change as he pitches more innings in High-A. What are your thoughts on the starting pitching performances in the Twins' minor leagues in June? How would you rank these pitchers? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

Heading into Wednesday afternoon's game in Atlanta, the Twins have played 81 games. Officially, the season is now in its second half. So are the minor league teams. Today we’ll discuss who the top hitters and pitchers have been in the Twins minor leagues in the first half. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photos of Regi Grace, Chris Williams, Cory Lewis) The All-Star festivities are still over a week from now. David Festa will represent the Twins organization in Seattle for the Futures Game. Three of four Twins affiliates are over .500 at this point. Cedar Rapids won the Midwest League West Division first half title and earned a playoff berth. Several prospects have taken a step back, due to performance or injury. Others have had a breakout seasons so far. There have been MLB debuts. The Twins have signed several players to minor league deals, and there have been a lot of releases. The Florida State League and Dominican Summer League Twins have introduced us to more prospects to get to know. The 2023 draft is about 10 days away, and we will get to know another 15-21 players. But what we want to do here today is acknowledge some of the top performers through half of the season (full-season affiliates). At the end of the year, we will again announce our Minor League Hitter, Starting Pitcher, Relief Pitcher of the Year and name our Twins minor league All Stars. The players written about below are halfway there, but will they be the same candidates for the year-end awards? It certainly is possible, or more players may emerge in the second half. Let’s get to it. Seven Twins Daily minor-league writers voted on these first half awards. Each ranked their top 5 hitters, top 4 starting pitchers, and top 3 relief pitchers. Votes were tallied and below are the results. Top First Half Relief Pitcher Regi Grace, RP, 23 Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge 23 G, 32 2/3 IP, 2-2, 6 Saves, 1.38 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9, 11.0 K/9 The Twins drafted Regi Grace in the 10th round of the 2018 draft out of high school in Mississippi. Grace has become a reminder to all of us that players and people develop at different paces. He spent 2018, 2019 and began 2021 in the Florida Complex League before ending that season with the Mussels. He was moved to the bullpen in 2022. He pitched in 56 2/3 innings over 33 games and posted a 4.45 ERA. He ended the season with three games in Cedar Rapids. In the first half of 2023, Grace has been the top minor league reliever. He began the season in Cedar Rapids and in 17 games and 23 1/3 innings. He had 2-2 went five saves. He had a 1.16 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP. He walked five and struck out 30 batters. After a slow rise in his first five professional seasons, Grace was promoted to Double-A Wichita by mid-May. He has made six appearances and has a 1.93 ERA. He didn’t give up a run in his first five outings. #2: RHP Patrick Murphy, 28, St. Paul Saints: 24 G, 33 1/3 IP, 5-0, 1.62 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 5.7 BB/9, 11.1 K/9 #3: LHP Kody Funderburk, 26, Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints: 25 G, 34 2/3 IP, 1-0, 1.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 4.4 BB/9, 13.5 K/9. Top First Half Starting Pitcher Cory Lewis, SP, 22 Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels 12 GS, 54 1/3 IP, 7-3, 2.15 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 12.4 K/9 Just under a year ago, the Minnesota Twins made Cory Lewis their ninth-round draft pick out of UC-Santa Barbara. Over his two seasons in the Big West, he went 16-5 with ERAs of 3.38 ERA and 3.57. He became a popular draft prospect because of the fact that he throws a knuckleball as part of his regular pitch mix. After signing, he didn’t pitch in 2022. He began the 2023 season in Ft. Myers. He went 4-3 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP over nine starts. In 39 1/3 innings, he gave up 26 hits, walked 15 and struck out 55 batters. He earned his promotion to Cedar Rapids where he has made three starts. He is 3-0 with a 0.60 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP over 15 innings. He has walked four and struck out 20 batters. #2: RHP Marco Raya, 20, Cedar Rapids Kernels: 10 GS, 31 IP, 0-1, 3.19 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9, 10.2 K/9. #3: RHP C.J. Culpepper , 21, Fort Myers Mussels: 11 GS, 46 1/3 IP, 4-3, 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.3 K/9. #4: RHP Blayne Enlow, 24, Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints: 13 G, 11 GS, 61 1/3 IP, 4-2, 4.11 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 10.9 K/9 #5: RHP Zebby Matthews, 23, Fort Myers Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels: 12 G, 10 GS, 55 IP, 4-2, 3.76 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 1.0 BB/9, 10.6 K/9 Top First Half Hitter Chris Williams, 1B, 26 St. Paul Saints 49 G, 200 PA, 48-for-168, .286/.392/.607 (.999) with seven doubles, a triple, 15 homers, 45 RBI. 29 BB, 65 K. When the Twins drafted Chris Williams out of Clemson in the eighth round of the 2018 draft, it was because 1.) he was a senior sign, and 2.) he had shown massive power in college, and 3.) despite shoulder issues, there was some thought that he could become a catcher. At Clemson, he hit 40 home runs n three seasons, including 32 homers over his final two seasons. After signing, he was sent to Elizabethton and was named the Twins Daily Short-Season Minor League Hitter of the Year. He split 2019 between Low-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Fort Myers. After the missed 2020 season, he began the 2021 season at High-A Cedar Rapids where he hit .100 over 17 games. He was moved up to Double-A Wichita where he started making much better contact because he was playing more. Williams really broke out last year. In 75 games at Wichita, he hit .277 with 16 doubles and 18 homers. He ended the season with 42 games at St. Paul and added five doubles and 10 home runs. In 117 total games, he hit .246/.343/.500 (.843) with 21 doubles, 28 homers, and 89 RBI. In April, he hit .229 with one homer. In May, he hit .241 with four homers. However, since the start of June, he has been amazing. He has played in 18 games and has at least one hit in 16 of them. He is hitting .364/.469/833 (1.302) with 10 homers. He hit three homers in a game on a Tuesday, then hit two more on Wednesday, and then another on that Thursday. He’s been on fire, and our voters have made him the top Twins minor league hitter in the first half. #2: OF Matt Wallner, 25, St. Paul Saints: 55 G, 247 PA, 60-for-203, .296/.413/.537 (.950) with 18 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, and 38 RBI. 32 BB, 75 K. #3: C/1B Andrew Cossetti, 23, Ft. Myers Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels: 53 G, 216 PA, 51-for-173, .295/.421/.555 (.976) with 16 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, and 40 RBI. 30 BB. 37 K. #4: OF Kala’i Rosario, 20, Cedar Rapids Kernels: 62 G, 273 PA, 64-for-229, .280/.396/.515 (.911) with 14 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, and 46 RBI. 41 BB. 71 K. #5: 2B Jorel Ortega, 22, Ft. Myers Mussels, Cedar Rapids Kernels: 65 G, 294 PA, 72-for-294, .289/.398/.494 (.892), with 24 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 44 RBI. 42 BB. 64 K. 17 SB. View full article

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