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The Minnesota Twins dropped another game to the Tigers Wednesday, giving up nine runs on 17 hits to Detroit. In St. Paul, the Saints had some interesting names on the corners. New arrivals Yunior Severino and Brooks Lee played first and third base, respectively. It was Severino's first game at first base and Lee's second start at third base. Also, Jair Camargo and Dalton Shuffield hit homers. View full video

From the Dominican to Fort Myers to Iowa. From Cedar Rapids to Wichita. Then up to Minnesota where the Saints are just 10 miles from fulfilling their dreams at Target Field. At Twins Daily, we love promoting these great athletes who are reaching for the stars from the time they sign through their individual journeys in pro ball. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Maddux Houghton) In my opinion, the players in the Dominican Summer League don't get talked about enough. Understandably so. The league is comprised of players who are 16-22 years old (most of the "prospects" are 17-18), and they are six promotions from the big leagues. It is a long-term game, but the players still deserve to be discussed when they do well. That's what we want these reports to be. So along with their normal "Game Recap," I have also posted the hitting statistical leaders so you can see which players are performing there. Here are the records of the Twins and their six affiliates through games on Wednesday. Minnesota Twins: 60-55 St. Paul Saints: 63-46 Wichita Wind Surge: 45-58 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 63-41 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 50-54 FCL Twins: 19-25 DSL Twins: 10-32 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS After getting a couple of games with the FCL Twins, Jose Salas returned to Cedar Rapids. Former Saints and Twins pitcher Aaron Sanchez, who was released about a month ago, signed a minor-league deal with the Diamondbacks. In more former Twins prospect news, it has been a wild couple of months for Chris Vallimont. The Twins DFAd him in the offseason, and he was claimed by the Orioles. On July 1st, his contract was purchased by the Orioles. Dream come True! He made his MLB debut and the next day he was optioned to Triple-A. The following day, he was DFAd by the O's. The Guardians acquired him and he went to Triple-A. Days ago, Vallimont was DFAd to make room for Ramon Laureano on the Cleveland 40-man roster. On Wednesday, he was outrighted to Columbus. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Louisville 3 Box Score Solid pitching and a big inning helped the Saints to a matinee win on Wednesday. Randy Dobnak got the call for St. Paul. He needed 86 pitches to get through four innings, but he gave up no runs and just two hits. He walked three and struck out four batters. Andrew Bechtold came in and pitched a scoreless fifth inning despite a hit and two walks. Austin Brice was charged with two runs on three hits in the sixth inning. But Jovani Moran pitched a scoreless, walkless seventh frame. Oliver Ortega earned his third Saints save with two innings of one-run ball. The Saints got solid contributions in this game from their newbies. Brooks Lee went 2-for-4 and had two RBI. DaShawn Keirsey went 2-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. He had an RBI, and he stole a base. Yunior Severino added a triple, high off of the wall in the team’s four-run fourth inning. He scored on a line-drive single by Keirsey for the first run of that inning. Jair Camargo took the next pitch and drilled a two-run homer to center field, his 17th long ball of the season. Later in the inning, Lee drove in Andrew Stevenson with a single as he had done in the first inning to get the Saints on the scoreboard. The Saints added an insurance run in the eighth inning when Austin Martin’s sacrifice fly to right field scored Keirsey. Stevenson went 1-for-2 with two walks, his seventh triple, and his 35th and 36th stolen bases. Congratulations to Andrew Bechtold on his first Win as a professional. —------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Again, a reminder that you should head to CHS Field on Friday for that game. You may have seen him on MLB Network and on MLB.com’s draft coverage. He certainly knows prospects. Jonathan Mayo will be at the ballpark that night signing copies of his new book, Smart, Wrong, and Lucky; The Origin Stories of Baseball’s Unexpected Stars. I got my copy on Amazon a few weeks ago, and I will tell you it is fantastic. In addition, Jonathan is a terrific person who clearly loves what he is doing and has a strong passion for writing about, talking about, and really promoting prospects and the minor leagues and the scouts who found them. Get to meet him at CHS Field on Friday (August 11th). And on Thursday night (TONIGHT!!), watch as Blayne Enlow takes on the rehabbing Hunter Greene in a matchup of Team USA teammates. In addition, Austin Martin and Royce Lewis were teammates with Greene when they were 14-15 years old. Royce Lewis (JSerra HS) and Hunter Greene (Notre Dame HS) were high school opponents and friends, and then Team USA teammates. Then in 2017, Lewis and Greene went 1-2 in the draft. Lots of reasons to head to CHS Field this week! Tickets Available! Click here. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, NW Arkansas 1 (5 innings) Box Score Since losing their top three hitters last week, the Wind Surge offense has struggled. But on this night, they scored just enough to win in this rain-shortened, five-inning game. In the second inning, the recently-promoted Dalton Shuffield hit a two-run homer. That was it for the Wichita offense. They had just four hits. Jake Rucker’s 15th double was the only other extra base hit. Tanner Schobel went 1-for-1 with a walk. Isaac Mattson started and tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up no hits, walked two and struck out one batter. Regi Grace came in for the final 2 2/3 innings. He gave up one run on two hits and two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Quad Cities 4 Box Score Kyle Jones started and gave up three runs on five hits. In four innings, he walked four and struck out four batters. Jarret Whorff came on for his first High-A appearance. He gave up an unearned run on two hits over two innings. He struck out two batters and walked none. Mike Paredes tossed two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out four batters. Unfortunately, it was a rare day when the Kernels offense didn’t have a big game. In fact, they had just three hits and were shut out. Misael Urbina hit his third triple of the year. Ben Ross was the only Kernel hitter to get on base more than once. He had two walks. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 10, Bradenton 5 Box Score The Mighty Mussels scored a touchdown (with the extra point) in the first inning and held on the rest of the way. The inning started with a walk and two singles to load the bases. Rubel Cespedes drove in two runners with his 24th double. Jay Harry grounded out, but the third run scored. After a pitching change, Gregory Duran welcomed him with a single that drove in a fourth run. Then with two runners on, Maddux Houghton’s three-run homer made it 7-0. Jose Mercedes started and gave up three runs on five hits in just two innings. He walked two, hit two, and struck out four batters. Danny Moreno came in and gave up two runs on one hit in 1 2/3 innings. However, he walked four and struck out two batters. Juan Mendez got the next four outs and struck out two. Jackson Hicks then walked two and struck out three batters over two scoreless, hitless innings. Ricardo Velez and Zach Veen each tossed a scoreless inning. Maddux Houghton went 2-for-4 with a walk and his third homer and five RBI. Along with the first-inning three-run homer, he had a two-run single in the eighth frame. Oh, and he had an outfield assist too. Danny De Andrade went 2-for-5. Kamron Willman was 2-for-4 with a walk. 2023 draft picks Luke Keaschall and Jay Harry both went 1-for-3 with two walks. Alec Sayre had four walks in the game. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins 10, DSL Reds 3 (7 innings) Box Score For about the 37th straight day, the DSL Twins’ game was shortened due to rain. OK, I think it’s just three straight days, but that’s plenty. This one was deemed a final when it ended in the 7th inning. The Reds took the early lead with three runs in the second inning, but the Twins clawed their way back. They scored in five of the six innings they came to bat including a big, five-run fifth inning that created comfortable separation. The Twins got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Hendry Chivilli walked, stole second, and then scored on a Yilber Herrera double. They added nine more unanswered runs. The same duo combined to give the Twins their second run as well. In the third inning, Chivilli walked, stole second and went to third on an error. He scored on a Herrera sacrifice fly. Their second run in that third inning came when Junior Del Valle was caught in a run-down between first and second base. He remained un-tagged long enough for Dameury Pena to score. Ewing Matos scored the fourth-inning run on a triple by Juan Hernandez. The five-run fifth inning started with a walk and two singles. Del Valle drove in Herrera with a sacrifice fly. Then Ewing Matos doubled to plate Jayson Bass and Denyerbe Gervis. After a pitching change, Javier Roman doubled in another run. Juan Hernandez drove in the fifth run on a sacrifice fly. There was a lightning delay before the bottom of the sixth inning. When they returned, Herrera and Bass walked. Gervis singled to drive in the Twins 10th and final run. The game was called after the top of the seventh inning. Jose Vasquez started and gave up three runs in the first but followed it with two scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out two batters. Eider Machuca tossed two scoreless innings despite two walks and two hits. Luis Rincon worked 2/3 of an inning and gave up a hit and a walk. Jose Betancourt came on and got the final out of the sixth inning. Alejandro Crisostomo worked a perfect seventh inning. Gervis went 2-for-2. Matos went 2-for-4. Herrera was 1-for-1 with two walks. Here are the stats leaders of the DSL Twins: AVG: Dameury Pena (.414), Jayson Bass (.322), Junior Del Valle (.278) OBP: Dameury Pena (.476), Jayson Bass (.413), Jesus Peraza, Yilber Herrera (.389) SLG: Dameury Pena (.541), Moises Lopez (.435), Yilber Herrera (.412) OPS: Dameury Pena (1.017), Moises Lopez (.809), Yilber Herrera (.801) 2B: Yilber Herrera (11), Dameury Pena (8), Ewing Matos (6).. 3B: Ariel Castro, Moises Lopez, Dameury Pena (3) HR: Ariel Castro, Moises Lopez (3), Javier Roman (2). BB: Ariel Castro (24), Yilber Herrera (23), Moises Lopez (19) R: Ariel Castro (26), Jayson Bass, Yilber Herrera, Dameury Pena (22). RBI: Moises Lopez (26), Ariel Castro, Yilber Herrera (19) SB: Jayson Bass (12), Dameury Pena (11), Yilber Herrera, Moises Lopez (8) G: Jayson Bass (37), Ariel Castro, Moises Lopez (36), Yilber Herrera (35) PA: Ariel Castro (158), Jayson Bass (143), Moises Lopez (139), Yilber Herrera (126). TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Maddux Houghton (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-3, BB, HR(3), R, 5 RBI Pitcher of the Day – Michael Paredes (Cedar Rapids) - 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, 2 RBI. #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, 3 K #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-for-3, HBP, R, K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, RBI, SF, SB(8) #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-for-1, BB. #12 - Luke Keaschall (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-3, 2 BB, R, K #15 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, K, WP, 39 pitches, 25 strikeouts (64.1%) #17 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 3B(1), R #18 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4. THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Louisville @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (2-5, 9.99 ERA) vs Hunter Greene. Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams (2-7, 5.88 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CST) - LHP Christian MacLeod (3-0,3.69 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - RHP Ben Ethridge (2-5, 2.18 ERA) FCL Twins @ FCL Pirates (11:00 AM CST) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Giants Black (10:00 AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! 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

Dalton Shuffield hit two homers and wasn't even the hitter of the day! Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Willie Joe Garry) TRANSACTIONS INF Kamron Willman reinstated from Development List (Fort Myers) C Wilfri Castro activated from 60-day Injured List (FCL Twins) Saints Sentinel St. Paul 7, Columbus 3 Box Score Louie Varland: 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Anthony Prato (3-for-5, 2B, RBI, BB), Trevor Larnach (4-for-5, 3B, 2B, 3 R), Austin Martin (3-for-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI), Chris Williams (2-for-3, R, 3 RBI, BB) The Saints won handily on Saturday. I believe it’s a good thing when you out-hit your opponent 14 to six. Anthony Prato was a nuclear offensive force; the 25-year-old cracked a trio of hits and walked, pushing his Triple-A OPS to an unthinkable 1.119. He wasn’t even the best hitter, somehow, as Trevor Larnach tripled, doubled, and singled twice to give him his first four-hit game since July 13th, 2019. Austin Martin also had three hits. Sure. Louie Varland wasn’t quite himself on the mound—what with the walking three hitters and all. He still avoided allowing any earned runs thanks to some poorly-timed errors (aren’t they all?), and came one excruciating out away from earning a quality start. His bullpen had his back, though; Cole Sands, Michael Boyle, and Oliver Ortega carried the game to its final out without allowing another run to score. They combined to strike out five. St. Paul’s bats added eight walks on top of their 14 hits. Technically old friend, Chris Vallimont, pitched for the Clippers, although he probably wishes he didn’t: he allowed three runs over 2 2/3 innings. Cleveland’s best prospect—outfielder George Valera—walked once in five plate appearances. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 9, Tulsa 5 Box Score Jaylen Nowlin: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K HR: Dalton Shuffield (1, 2), Willie Joe Garry Jr. (1), Patrick Winkel (7) Multi-hit games: Yoyner Fajardo (3-for-5, 2B, RBI), Pat Winkel (3-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB), Dalton Shuffield (2-for-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB) An explosive sixth inning guided the Wind Surge to victory on Saturday. No pitcher was safe. Well, Denny Bentley was; but he was the only hurler on either team to not see runs cross the plate on his watch. It was the kind of walk-fest that would make a DSL team pink in the cheeks. Fortunately, Wichita was able to come out on top. They did it by air and by land; the team blasted four homers while swiping eight bases, surely giving them some sort of superlative record this writer is far too lazy to look up. In any case, the attack proved mightily effective, giving Wichita nine runs off just 10 hits—more than enough to best the Drillers on Saturday. But it wasn’t easy on the pitching side of things, as Jaylen Nowlin was inefficient, placing a burden onto the bullpen to scrape together five innings. They weren’t clean—both Alex Scherff and Aaron Rozek allowed runs—but it was enough. When Bentley elicited a pop out to end the game, every pitcher likely breathed in relief, finally happy to not have this game’s tyranny ruining their ERAs anymore. Tulsa is typically the zenith of the Dodgers’ excellent farm system, and catcher Diego Cartaya—ranked 18th in MLB—is their finest offering. He homered in the fifth off Scherff. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 3, Lansing 1 Box Score Andrew Morris: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K HR: Carson McCusker (1) Multi-hit games: None The Kernels won a pitcher’s duel on Saturday. Andrew Morris was brilliant, dominant. The righty shook off a poor introduction to A+ ball in his previous start, punching out nine with 16 total swings and misses—good for a swinging strike % of 19.5. That’s Spencer Strider territory. The Lugnuts appear fortunate to have even scored once off the righty from Texas Tech. Cedar Rapids needed the start, because the offense could only muster a minimal amount of runs. Mikey Perez knocked in one in the first, Carson McCusker plated two in the second, and then… nothing. McCusker’s homer concluded the day’s hits, and a third inning walk by Emmanuel Rodriguez proved to be the final baserunner for the Kernels. Fortunately, the rest of the pitching staff cleaned up Lansing’s batters; Jordan Carr worked two clean frames before Mike Paredes earned the final three outs with a lone walk serving as his only traffic. Clark Elliott—Oakland’s 15th-best prospect—went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Mussel Matters Ft. Myers 3, Dunedin 4 Box Score Jack Noble: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Ricardo Olivar (2-for-5, R), Kyle Schmidt (2-for-4) The Mighty Mussels lost a close game on Saturday. Jack Noble was good, but not good enough; the righty worked six frames, allowing a trio runs—a total lower than he should have, but we’ll talk about that later—off seven hits. He threw 83 pitches. A pair of 2023 draftees—Luke Keaschall and Jay Harry—collected hits on Saturday, with Harry earning his first A-ball double and Keaschall reaching base twice. In one of the stranger things that can happen at a ballpark, Dunedin centerfielder Jaden Rudd was thrown out at home twice, with the two corner outfielders each adding to their collection of assists. The Mighty Mussels offense was actually very well-rounded, walking five times while only punching out in six at-bats, but they couldn’t quite string together the hits needed to break through Dunedin’s meager lead. The Blue Jays have a pair of excellent pitching prospects at A-ball, but neither played in Saturday’s game, making shortstop Tucker Toman the best representative of Toronto’s farm system in this game. He earned two RBIs on a third inning double. Complex Chronicles FCL Twins 2, FCL Red Sox 7 Box Score John Klein: 4 2/3 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, HR: None Multi-hit games: Brandon Winokur (3-for-4, 2B, R, RBI), Walker Jenkins (2-for-4, RBI) Two 2023 draft picks had big days on Saturday. Brandon Winokur—selected in the third round out of Edison High School—collected three hits, one of them being a double; Walker Jenkins singled twice. Pitching was less fortunate, though, as both John Klein and Matt Gabbert were roughed up, despite impressive K/BB numbers. One of the main culprits? Kyle Teel. Boston’s first-round pick in 2023 filled up the box score, homering, singling twice, and walking to give himself a perfect day at the plate. Dominican Dailies DSL Twins 5, DSL Nationals 6 Box Score Joel Garcia: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None The DSL Twins were walked-off on Saturday. It was another classic DSL slopfest; the Twins scored five runs, but only acquired three RBIs, earning two of their runs off a fielder’s choice/fielding error double whammy. It wasn’t enough, though, as the team literally walked away their chances of winning, handing out five free passes in the final frame—including two to tie and lose the game. Big-name international signing, Hendry Chivilli, has an OPS of .582 after going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. Dameury Pena, however, now holds an OPS of 1.020, and he swiped a base in Saturday’s game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Morris Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Trevor Larnach PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 0-5, K #2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL Twins) - 2-4, RBI #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-2, R, BB #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 3-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 3-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-5, K #12 - Luke Keaschall (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, BB #13 - Brandon Winokur (FCL Twins) - 3-4, 2B, R, RBI #15 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, 3 K #17 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-5, R, K #20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 0-4 SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (3:05 PM) - LHP Brent Headrick Tulsa @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - RHP Chad Donato Lansing @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM) - RHP Cory Lewis Fort Myers @ Dunedin (11:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Joe Mauer was inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame pregame tonight and the team made sure to keep the vibes going by crushing the Diamondbacks 12-1. Ryan Jeffers hit two home runs and Michael A. Taylor homered for the third-straight game. Down in the minors, new Wichita arrivals Dalton Shuffield and Willie Joe Garry Jr. flexed while Andrew Morris struck out nine batters in a dominant start for Cedar Rapids. All that and much more in tonight's Twins System Recap. View full video

Minnesota Twins affiliates went just 1-3 on Tuesday, with errors in bunches leading to one of those losses, and questionable baserunning decisions contributing to another in extra innings. Image courtesy of Theo Tollefson (photo of Mark Contreras) TRANSACTIONS The Twins sent IF Kyle Farmer on a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints. OF/1B Alex Kirilloff was officially optioned to Triple-A, and the Saints transferred 3B Hernan Perez to the Development List. SAINTS SENTINEL Nashville 11, St. Paul 5 Box Score Starter Aaron Sanchez retired the first seven men he faced, striking out five of them in the process to begin this one, but six of the next seven reached base putting an end to his outing in the third inning. In total, he went the first 2 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and a walk. Derek Rodriguez went the next 2 1/3 frames, allowing three runs (one earned) of his own on two hits and two walks, while striking out two. The St. Paul offense did its best to keep it close early, getting a solo home run from Mark Contreras in the second inning, and RBI doubles from Michael Helman and Contreras in the fourth that made the score 6-3. Cole Sands delivered two perfect innings, striking out one before it got out of hand against Connor Sadzek in the eighth. The Sounds added four unearned runs thanks to a pair of errors while the right-hander recorded just two outs. Patrick Murphy finished off the final 1 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out three. Tony Wolters drove in a run with a single in the seventh, and Edouard Julien did the same in the ninth to account for all the Saints scoring. Contreras was the only hitter with multiple knocks in the game (2-for-3, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), while Matt Wallner (1-for-3, R, BB, K) and Helman (1-for-2, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB) each reached base twice. The lapses on defense were too much to overcome in this one as the Saints committed five errors in total, a franchise record. Alex Kirilloff contributed three of them at first base. The rehabbing Kyle Farmer went 0-for-3 with a strikeout, batting second and playing second base for the first seven innings. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 4, NW Arkansas 6 Box Score The Wind Surge took the lead first in this one thanks to a David Banuelos two-run home run in the top of the second. Unfortunately, starting pitcher Travis Adams was unable to hold the Naturals back. They scored one in the bottom of the second, then four in the third to take a 5-2 lead. Adams completed four innings, allowing those five runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out four. Hunter McMahon was the first reliever summoned and went two scoreless, allowing one hit and striking out two. Andrew Cabezas (1 2/3 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, K) and Osiris German (1/3 IP, K) finished out the game for the Wind Surge bullpen. Wichita made it 5-4 in the fourth on a two-run home run from Armani Smith but were unable to mount any scoring threats after that. As a team, they had 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position, but managed just one hit and left nine men on base for the game. Besides the two home runs, Brooks Lee (2-for-4, 2B, BB, K) and Yoyner Fajardo (2-for-4, BB, 2 SB) had multiple hits, while Alex Isola (0-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB, K, SB) scored two runs. The Wind Surge have yet to win a day game this season (0-8), and this was their first loss in a series opener (4-1). KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, South Bend 4 (11 innings) Box Score The Kernels struck late to send this one to extra innings, but it wasn’t meant to be as they ran themselves into outs on the base paths in the eleventh. Jordan Carr made the start and went the first 4 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on five hits and a pair of walks, while striking out six. The game was tied at one when he left the game, as the Kernels got an RBI single from Noah Cardenas in the third. Mike Paredes pitched the next 2 1/3 innings, allowing the Cubs to take the lead in the seventh when he surrendered a two-run home run. Still down by two in the top of the ninth, Cedar Rapids got a rally started when Jose Salas led off with a walk, advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw, and Misael Urbina drove him in with a double. Two outs later, Noah Miller delivered an RBI single to tie the game at three. After a single from Ben Ross to put Miller in scoring position, Cardenas singled into left field, but Miller was thrown out at home to send it into extras. Malik Barrington pitched the eighth and ninth innings, allowing no hits and striking out three to get them there. He was replaced by Regi Grace in the 10th, who delivered a one-two-three inning with a man on second, showing a nasty slider to pick up a pair of K’s. With Jose Salas on second base to start the eleventh, the Kernels got aggressive. Before an out was recorded Salas was thrown out trying to steal third, and after Urbina drew a walk got himself thrown out at second to end any scoring threats. Kernels runners stole just one base in five attempts in the game. Grace got a little too nasty with that slider in the 11th, as a hit batter and wild pitch put the winning run on third, and the Cubs walked it off with a single into left. The teams each went 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position and combined to leave 10 runners on base for the game. The Kernels got 10 hits to the Cubs 9, but those lost base runners loomed large. The top of the lineup did most of the damage for Cedar Rapids, with their first five hitters combining for nine of their 10 hits. Those hitters were Noah Miller (2-for-4, RBI, K), Ben Ross (2-for-5, K), Noah Cardenas (2-for-5, RBI, 2 K), Kala’i Rosario (1-for-3, 2 BB, K), and Tanner Schobel (2-for-5, 2B). MUSSEL MATTERS Dunedin 2, Fort Myers 7 Box Score The Mighty Mussels got a solid start from right-hander Cory Lewis, who went the first five innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks, while striking out five. He left the game with a 3-2 lead as his offense scored single runs in the third, fourth, and fifth innings. Jorel Ortega got the scoring started for Fort Myers with an RBI single in the third before Ricardo Olivar and Mikey Perez added solo home runs in the fourth and fifth respectively. The first reliever summoned for Fort Myers was Ben Ethridge, who went two scoreless innings. He allowed no hits, walked one, and struck out three. In the bottom of the seventh the home team took a 5-2 lead when a RBI sac fly from Perez was followed by an RBI double from Danny De Andrade. Dylan Neuse tacked on another two in the eighth with a two-run double for a commanding five-run lead. Reliever Zach Veen finished off the game for the Mighty Mussels, allowing three hits and a walk, but giving up zero runs. He struck out one to pick up his first save. Fort Myers had nine hits as a team, with Dalton Shuffield (2-for-3, 3 R, 3B, BB) scoring each time he reached base to lead the way. Neuse and Perez each had two RBI. Ortega finished 1-for-2 with a run scored, RBI, and pair of walks from the leadoff spot. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Malik Barrington, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2 IP, 3 K) Hitter of the Day - Mark Contreras, St. Paul Saints (2-for-3, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-for-4, 2B, BB, K #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, RBI, K #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, R, BB, 2 K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, R, BB, K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, RBI, K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2B #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Nashville @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-0, 2.35 ERA) Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CDT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-1, 13.50 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (10:05 AM CDT) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-1, 2.08 ERA) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CDT) - RHP Jose Olivares (1-0, 2.31 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

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

Life is a little more fun with dramatic heroics. Image courtesy of William Parmeter TRANSACTIONS C David Bañuelos transferred from AAA St. Paul to AA Wichita Saints Sentinel St. Paul 11, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 6 Box Score Louie Varland: 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 8 K HR: Ryan LaMarre (2), Hernán Pérez (3) Multi-hit games: None The Saints overcame a 4-0 deficit to easily win on Saturday. A week and a day after starting against the Yankees, Louie Varland faced their Triple-A team—and performed a little worse. He still struck out eight, but was also touched for five runs as a 4th inning hit parade soiled his afternoon. Statcast clocked one of his fastballs at 98.7 MPH. Fortunately for Varland, his bats ensured that he would not leave with a loss on his ledger. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s pitchers were wild all day, handing out walks like Costco samples, and the Saints exploited the free runners with glee. The 4th frame was their masterpiece, as—working with just a trio of extra-base hits—they scraped together a five-spot, surging ahead of the RailRiders with one effective attack. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre tied the game quickly, but St. Paul piled on with three more two-run innings, eventually totaling 11 runs on the game—more than enough to best a RailRiders lineup stifled by the Saints’ bullpen. Jordan Balzovic was amongst the relief crew; he earned a 1-2-3 inning and lowered his season ERA to 1.59. It was a strange offensive day, as six of St. Paul’s seven hits went for extra bases and no player earned multiple hits. They also walked more than they struck out. Elijah Dunham was the best prospect for the RailRiders on Saturday. The 18th-ranked player in the Yankees farm system, Dunham doubled twice and walked while playing center field. Alex Kirilloff did not play in Saturday’s game and neither did Josh Winder, whose last appearance came on April 19th. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 4, Tulsa 3 Box Score Chad Donato: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Will Holland (1), Jake Rucker (3) Multi-hit games: Jake Rucker (2-for-4, HR, R, RBI), Yunior Severino (2-for-4, R), DaShawn Kiersey Jr. (2-for-4, R), Will Holland (2-for-4, HR, R, RBI) Wichita scrapped by their opponents on Saturday. Chad Donato set the tone, working four quality innings—and recovering well after allowing a home run on the first pitch of his night. His only other blemish came via another homer in the 3rd inning. Wichita’s bats had their hands full with Emmet Sheehan on the mound. The tall righty worked four frames as well, striking out eight batters to double his counterpart; his earned run total was half, as well. But fortunately, Sheehan burned out early, and the Drillers defense handed the Wind Surge plenty of chances to make up the difference. Will Holland’s solo homer in the 2nd was no fluke, but when he grounded a ball to Tulsa third baseman Brandon Lewis and came up safe with Yunior Severino scoring, it was apparent that fortune was on his side. Brooks Lee’s strikeout-to-reach-base-to-score-another-run—somehow not the only one in the system on Friday—gave Wichita their first lead of the ballgame. The Drillers added another homer to their collection in the bottom of the innings, but all they did was set up the grand finale: a dramatic Jake Rucker 9th inning shot to hand Wichita a slim 4-3 advantage. They held on. With outstanding relief pitching allowing just one run over five frames, the Wind Surge claimed victory over the Drillers, giving them their seventh win of the year. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 1, Beloit 7 Box Score Orlando Rodriguez: 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Jeferson Morales (2-for-3, R), Ernie Yake (2-for-3, 2B) The Kernels lost a decisive game on Saturday. With much of the action limited to two innings—particularly brutal 4th and 5th frames for the Kernels—this was a classic quick event; the entire game lasted less than two hours. Beloit starter Luis Palacios controlled Cedar Rapids’ offense, allowing just three singles while punching out six over seven strong innings. His win was well-deserved. The Kernels as a whole pitched better than their line suggests, only running into trouble when a Jose Salas error broke the dam in the 4th, plating the first of four runs that eventually drowned Cedar Rapids’ chance of winning. Iowa native Matt Mullenbach proved the most effective hurler of the day; he pitched a pair of scoreless frames with two strikeouts for his troubles. Charlie Neuweiler claimed an empty inning as well. Cedar Rapids’ bats were ineffective—tepid, if one were being mean. Outside of a strong back-end showing by Jeferson Morales and Ernie Yake, the lineup produced enough “1s” and “0s” to be mistaken as binary. Their lone run came in the 8th when Kala’i Rosario grounded out to plate Morales. The Sky Carp are led by Jacob Berry—a third baseman and the Marlins’ 2nd-best prospect according to MLB.com. He was drafted two spots before the Twins picked Brooks Lee. He singled and scored in four trips to the plate. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 9, Jupiter 7 Box Score Zebby Matthews: 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Carlos Aguiar (3), Dalton Shuffield (2) Multi-hit games: Dalton Shuffield (2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI) Fort Myers won on a walk-off on Saturday. The Mighty Mussels struck first, handing starter Zebby Matthews an early 3-0 lead off of four 3rd inning walks and a double; Andrew Cossetti added a sacrifice fly for good measure. They went on to walk nine times in the game. For Matthews—already cruising early, extending his scoreless streak to 13 frames—the runs seemed all he needed to carry the win. Jupiter did score in the 4th, finally snapping his record, but it appeared that Fort Myers was in good shape to hold their advantage. What they didn’t predict, though, was a four-run 5th, with a lead-off triple and back-breaking three-run homer that flipped a solid-looking lead the other way; Jupiter now commanded a two-run hold. And the Mighty Mussels were up to the challenge. Again forcing starter Jacob Miller to be his own enemy, Fort Myers hitters walked three times in the 5th, forcing a fresh arm to relieve the ineffective Miller from his post. With a new arm to target, Carlos Aguiar took aim and deposited a ball beyond the fence, handing his team a new one-run lead. It lasted half an inning. Although, this time there was no response; both teams settled into an extended siege. The tie broke in the 10th, as Jupiter plated their Manfred Man and placed pressure onto the Mighty Mussels to force an ultimatum. They did—but not in the way the Hammerheads wanted, nor in any way that could have been predicted. A wild pitch advanced Danny De Andrade—already gifted second base—to third with one out. As Aguiar struck out swinging, the ball bounded past the catcher’s reach, coaxing De Andrade home as Aguiar scampered to first, somehow eliciting a positive outcome from his actions. With hilarity, Dalton Shuffield swung at the second pitch he saw and blasted a 402 foot walk-off homer to end the game. So it goes. Credit must go to Fort Myers’ bullpen as well: the collection of Gabreil Yanez, Juan Mendez, and Zach Veen worked 5 ⅓ innings with just one earned run. Mendez was especially crucial, firing off 96 MPH darts over his three scoreless frames; he struck out a trio. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Juan Mendez, Fort Myers Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Dalton Shuffield, Fort Myers PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-5, 2 K #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-4, 2B, BB, K #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Minnesota) - 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #9 - Louie Varland (St. Paul) - 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 8 K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-3, R, 2 BB, K #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #20 - Miseal Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4 SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes-Barre @ St. Paul (2:07 PM) - TBD Wichita @ Tulsa (1:05 PM) - RHP Carlos Luna Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (1:05 PM) - RHP Pierson Ohl Jupiter @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM) - RHP Tomas Cleto View full article

On Monday, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels officially announced their Opening Day roster. Find out which prospects will be starting with a full-season affiliate for the first time? How many 2022 draft picks are on the roster? How many of the Twins Daily Top 20 prospects are on this roster? Image courtesy of William Parmeter (L to R: Carlos Aguiar, Luis Baez, Rubel Cespedes) Let's take a look at the Mighty Mussels Opening Day roster. Coaching Staff Brian Meyer is back for his third season as the Mighty Mussels manager, his fourth in the organization. Pitching Coach Richard Salazar moves from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers this season after spending the past two years with the Kernels. Jared Gaynor will enter his second season as a Mighty Mussels pitching coach. Rayden Sierra returns to the Mighty Mussels as their hitting coach again. Luis Reyes was a coach in the FCL a year ago and he is now the Assistant Hitting Coach in Ft. Myers. Starting Pitchers: Tomas Cleto, Cory Lewis, Andrew Morris, Juan (Miguel) Olivares, Zebby Matthews. Andrew Morris was the Twins fourth-round pick from Texas Tech a year ago and made an appearance for the Mighty Mussels in the playoffs last year. Cory Lewis was their ninth round pick out of UC-Santa Barbara in 2022. Zebby Matthews is a hard throwing righty taking the eighth round last year out of Western Carolina University. Tomas Cleto pitched well in the FCL last season and earned a late-season promotion to the Mussels. Juan Olivares was the Twins Daily short-season minor league pitcher of the year last year when he, going by Miguel last year, posted a 144 ERA in the DSL. Relief Pitchers: Johnathan Lavallee, Develson Aria, Ben Ethridge, C.J. Culpepper, A.J. Labas, Juan Mendez, Samuel Perez, Jackson Hicks, Wilker Reyes, Zach Veen, Gabriel Yanez Ben Ethridge was the Twins 15th round pick a year ago from Southern Miss. CJ Culpepper was their 13th rounder out of California Baptist. Zach Veen was their 18th round pick in 2022 out of Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. Lavallee was their 16th round pick in 2021 out of Long Beach State. Hicks signed late in the 2021 season out of the USPBL in Michigan. That is about the time they signed AJ Labas who had gone undrafted out of LSU. Sam Perez was the Twins Daily short-season minor league pitcher of the year in 2021 and spent most of the 2022 season with Ft. Myers. Gabriel Yanez signed with the Phillies in 2016 and reached Low-A Clearwater in 2022. The Twins signed him this offseason as a free agent. Last year in this league, he had 58 strikeouts and just 13 walks over 50 1/3 innings. One to watch is hard-throwing Juan Mendez. And lefty Develson Aria is intriguing as well. Catchers: Andrew Cossetti, Ricardo Olivar, Dillon Tatum Andrew Cossetti was drafted in the 11th round last year out of St. Joseph’s in Philly. Tatum caught two Mussels no hitters last year. Olivar had a breakout season in the FCL last year, hitting .349/.442/.605 (1.046) with 12 doubles, three triples and five homers over 40 games. A good athlete, he actually spent more time in the outfield in 2022. Infielders: Rubel Cespedes, Danny De Andrade, Yohander Martinez, Jorel Ortega, Mikey Perez, Dalton Shuffield. Danny De Andrade is the top prospect in this group. One of the top international signings in 2021, he held his own in the FCL a year ago. Jorel Ortega was the team’s sixth round pick a year ago. He had one at bat with the Mussels and had an RBI hit, but he hurt his wrist on the play which ended his season. Cespedes is an intriguing prospect who has some offensive upside. Martinez was a minor-league Rule 5 pick in December. And why Mikey Perez and Dalton Shuffield are starting in Ft. Myers is just silly. Perez was the 15th round pick of the Twins in 2021 from UCLA. He played 81 games in Ft. Myers a year ago, then moved up to Cedar Rapids for 28 more games. He even played one game with the Saints and hit a game-winning, three-run homer in his lone at-bat. He led the organization with 48 stolen bases last year. And, for good measure, he played in nine spring games for the Twins this year and went 4-for-10. Shuffield spent five years at Texas State University before the Twins took him in the 10th round of the 2022 draft. After three games in the FCL last year, he moved up to Cedar Rapids for eight games. Then he moved up to Triple-A St. Paul and started almost every day for 14 games. He hit .271/.314/.542 (.855) with three doubles, two triples, and two home runs. All that is small sample size, but he just turned 24. Outfielders: Carlos Aguiar, Luis Baez, Maddux Houghton, Alec Sayre, Dylan Neuse. Carlos Aguiar and Luis Baez signed with the Twins in 2017 from Venezuela. Aguiar is a big, strong power hitting outfielder. Baez is a speed merchant, capable of stealing a ton of bags and taking extra bases at will. Houghton signed with the Twins just before spring training began. He spent five years at Lipscomb and then last year played in a summer wood bat league. Alec Sayre was the Twins 17th round pick a year ago out of Wright State. Neuse was the Twins 17th round pick in 2021 out of Texas Tech. His older brother Sheldon spent parts of 2019, 2021 and 2022 in the big leagues. He played in 89 games last year for the A’s. This year, he is playing in for Hanshin, in Japan. TWINS DAILY TOP 20 PROSPECTS None. Danny De Andrade is likely the highest-ranking prospect by most systems. There are definitely some pitching prospects to watch on this list. What do you think of the Mighty Mussels roster? Which players are you most intrigued by and interested in following? View full article

Brooks Lee and Connor Prielipp headlined an exciting 2022 MLB Draft for the Minnesota Twins. Who are some lesser known prospects who have a chance to develop and shine? In the final installment of the prospect preview series, we look at some intriguing pick in rounds six through twenty. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In the past five editions of this series, we’ve looked at the Twins first five picks in the 2022 MLB Draft. In each case, we’ve looked at scouting reports, the amateur careers, and where they are likely to start the 2023 season. In this final installment, we’ll turn our attention to rounds dix through twenty, to highlight interesting prospects or tools to look out for from remaining picks. Unsigned Players The Twins ended the 20 round draft with just two unsigned players, their final two rounds of the draft. In the 19th round, they drafted Garrett McMillan, a left-handed pitcher who returned to school for his senior year. In the 20th round, the Twins drafted prep outfielder Korbyn Dickerson, who opted to fulfill his commitment to Louisville. Best of the Rest Listed as a shortstop, the Twins drafted Jorel Ortega in the sixth round for $50k under slot. Ortega was part of an incredible Tennessee team that put together one of the best college seasons in recent memory. Playing as their primary second baseman, Ortega slugged .672 with 18 home runs. Ortega’s offensive breakout may be partially due to Lindsey Nelson Stadium being a launching pad, as scouts had mixed reviews on his offensive upside. He had a two-run single in his first and only at-bat in 2022 for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. On the play, he hurt his wrist and his season ended. In the 9th round, the Twins drafted UC-Santa Barbara’s Friday night starter, Cory Lewis. I’m not going to bury the lede here; Lewis throws a knuckleball that scouts think may be a viable pitch in his professional arsenal. Lewis is a classic Twins pick, highlighting a few exceptional skills and some inefficiencies the Twins can work to improve. Lewis’s fastball sits in the low 90s but has elite ride and vertical break. Lewis also gets great extension to get plenty of swing and miss up in the zone. Lewis also features a solid curveball and an emerging changeup. The Twins will likely use him as a starter and work to develop more velocity on his fastball. In the 10th round, the Twins drafted infielder Dalton Shuffield for just $20k. Shuffield is a classic organizational player. In college, he strung together over 200 games from Texas State over five seasons, punctuating his career with a .397/.444/.668 line with 20 doubles and 14 home runs. With the raft of Twins injuries in 2022, Shuffield saw time at three different MiLB levels, making it all the way to Triple-A. In 25 games, he hit .305/.380/.537 with four home runs and 10 walks. Shuffield is a versatile infield gamer with surprising pop. The Twins used some of their savings in previous rounds to draft shortstop Omari Daniel in the 14th round for $232,800. Daniel was a slightly surprising sign to me, as he seemed likely to follow through on his commitment to Oregon. He’s a true defensive shortstop with strong tools across the board (plus arm and above average speed). Before Tommy John surgery in 2022, Daniel had shown the ability to drive the ball hard but an inconsistent offensive skill set. Daniel has plenty of tools, but needs health and playing time. Who are your favorite picks outside the top five rounds? Are there particular players or tools you are excited to see in 2023? Share your thoughts below. Previous Articles in the Series Brooks Lee Connor Prielipp Tanner Schobel Andrew Morris Ben Ross View full article

Tenth-round picks can be a crapshoot to pan out in an organization. That isn’t the case with Minnesota’s tenth-round pick from July. He is already flying through the organization. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints The Twins selected Dalton Shuffield with their tenth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. Because of the shortened COVID year, Shuffield spent five seasons in college, which is likely one reason the Twins were able to sign him for $20,000 and use the savings ($105K) on other draftees. At Texas State University, he hit .327/.395/.501 (.896), but his senior season was his best. During the 2022 season, Shuffield played 61 games and posted a 1.113 OPS with 20 doubles, five triples, and 13 home runs. He was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year after leading the conference in hits, runs scored, doubles, and triples. Defensively, he played shortstop over his final four seasons, but he also saw time at third base and in the outfield earlier in his career. He was also picked as a Collegiate Baseball All-American at the season’s end. As a 23-year-old, he had the college experience that would make it easier to move through the professional ranks. Shuffield comes from a baseball family. His father, Jack, was drafted by Kansas City in the fourth round in 1982. He played three seasons in the Royals organization and topped out at High-A. In over 320 games, he hit .256/.313/.342 (.654) while averaging 12 doubles per season. Minnesota assigned the younger Shuffield to the FCL Twins shortly after he signed with the organization. His time in the FCL was limited as he played three games and went 5-for-10 with a home run, four runs, and three walks. As an organization, the Twins needed depth at other levels in the minors, so he moved to High-A. In eight games, he went 7-for-24 (.292 BA) with a home run and two steals. Even with an aggressive promotion, his time in Cedar Rapids was limited because the organization needed him at another level. On September 9th, Shuffield made his Triple-A debut, collecting hits in his first two games. Since joining the Saints, he’s played in 11 games and posted a six-game hitting streak. In a small sample size, he has hit .297/.350/.595 (.945) with three doubles, a triple, and two home runs. At Triple-A, he was over three years younger than the average age of the competition, making his numbers even more impressive. The Twins followed an uncharacteristic development path with some of the club’s 2022 draft picks. Brooks Lee, the team’s first round pick, was promoted to Double-A before the season’s end. He’s already been impacting the Wind Surge during the playoffs. This also isn’t the first time this regime has been aggressive with a college prospect. Last season, the Twins drafted Ernie Yake in the tenth-round and he finished the season at Triple-A. Minnesota has also done well with senior signs like Brian Dozier, Mitch Garver, and Trevor Hildenberger. Shuffield likely isn’t going to appear on any top prospect lists, but he is already providing above-average value for a tenth-round pick. Players like Shuffield can provide organizational depth, primarily if he can provide defensive flexibility. Since joining the Twins, he has spent defensive time at both middle infield positions, with most of his time coming at second base. Even with his strong performance, there isn’t a guarantee that he starts the 2023 season in the high minors. Shuffield skipped Low-A Ft. Myers, and it might be best for his development to start next season in the lower minors or wherever the organization needs a utility player. His ceiling might be a utility player at the big league level, but Shuffield has value moving forward. What impresses you about Shuffield’s first professional season? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

This afternoon the Saints used a pair of first blasts to grind out a victory while the Wind Surge found themselves on top after a strong strikeout performance by their starting pitcher. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson - St. Paul Saints TRANSACTIONS Infielder Elliot Soto placed on 7-day concussion IL by St. Paul Pitcher Ronny Henriquez recalled by Minnesota Twins Pitcher Dereck Rodriguez optioned to Triple-A St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Louisville 1 Box Score Wrapping up their home series against the Louisville Bats, St. Paul turned to Ariel Jurado for Sunday’s matinee. He was great allowing just a single run (unearned) on two hits and a walk. Jurado punched out three in his six innings of work. After the Bats took a first-inning lead, St. Paul responded when Chris Williams blasted his tenth Triple-A dinger in the bottom of the inning. Then in the third inning, recently-promoted Wander Javier crushed his first Triple-A home run to give St. Paul their first lead of the game. Joining the first career Triple-A homer party, Dalton Shuffield blasted one to right-center field. He was Minnesota’s 10th-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. Brock Stewart turned in a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout, and Jake Jewell recorded his fifth save while recording six outs, allowing no baserunners, and striking out three. St. Paul goes on the road tomorrow before returning to play their final homestand next week. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Midland 3 Box Score Kody Funderburk was on the bump to close out the regular season for the Wind Surge. They’ll have a day off Monday before starting their postseason against the Tulsa Drillers on Tuesday. Funderburk worked around traffic, but gave up just two runs on four hits while striking out eight in four innings of work. After getting behind in the third inning, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. put the Wind Surge on top when he blasted a two-run homer. Keirsey Jr.’s seventh of the season brought in Leobaldo Cabrera and Wichita found themselves in the run column. Wichita allowed Midland to even things in the 4th inning, but immediately took back the lead in the fifth inning. Anthony Prato lifted a sacrifice fly to score Will Holland, and then Jair Camargo jacked a two-run blast to bring in Brooks Lee. A late hit by Midland brought in another run, but Wichita held on to win their final game of the regular season TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Ariel Jurado (St. Paul) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Hitter of the Day – Chris Williams (St. Paul) - 2-4, R, RBI, HR(10) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #2 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 3-5, R, K #9 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 2-3, K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Indianapolis (5:35PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games! It sure is exciting to have all four Twins full-season affiliates back and playing. View full article