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St. Paul didn’t hit another grand slam on Thursday, but they flashed plenty of power. Wichita grabbed a late lead, and Fort Myers got off to a late start. Check all of the minor league action within. Image courtesy of Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports TRANSACTIONS RHP Alex Scherff placed on temporary inactive list by St. Paul RHP John Klein promoted from Fort Myers to Cedar Rapids The Twins released RHP Chad Donato from Wichita's roster SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 10, Louisville 3 Box Score St. Paul turned to Simeon Woods Richardson on Thursday night, and he was nothing short of lights out. He worked six innings and allowed just a single run on four hits and a walk. The run didn’t come until the sixth inning, and he punched out five on the evening. It didn’t take long for the electric Saints lineup to produce. Kyle Garlick launched a two-run homer that brought in Trevor Larnach and put St. Paul ahead. Gilberto Celestino nabbed a homer the hard way, an inside-the-park variety, that brought home Jair Camargo in the second inning. Up 4-0, Woods Richardson had a comfortable lead. For the second time on the night, Garlick spiced things up with a homer. The two-run shot was his 14th of the year, and again plated Larnach in the process. Hernan Perez then singled with both Yunior Severino and Anthony Prato on base, driving both in, and making it an 8-0 ballgame. In the sixth inning, Prato ripped an RBI single to score Larnach for the third time. With the bases loaded, Celestino drew a walk to drive Garlick in and make it a 10-0 game. Louisville recorded their first run in the sixth inning, and then plated a pair in the eighth inning, but it wasn’t nearly enough to make this one a game. While Austin Martin didn't make his mark with the bat tonight, he certainly made his presence felt with the glove. The Saints recorded a whopping 14 hits on Thursday with Larnach, Garlick, Severino, Prato, and Camargo all recording a pair each. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, Corpus Christi 1 Box Score The Wind Surge gave the ball to Pierson Ohl on Thursday night and he worked 5 1/3 innings allowing one run on four hits. Ohl also gave up a walk while striking out four. His one mistake came on a home run that Chad Stevens sent to left field. Wichita jumped out to an early advantage when Seth Gray crushed his ninth home run of the season. A second inning solo shot represented the game’s first run. Corpus Christi responded with a solo shot of their own in the bottom half and the game stayed tied until the ninth inning. Needing some separation to avoid extras, Wichita made things happen in the ninth inning. Willie Joe Garry Jr. stole second base, and when catcher C.J. Stubbs sailed the throw, he came around the score. The costly miscue put Corpus Christi behind by a run with only three runs to work with. Picking up six hits on the night, no one recorded more than one hit for Wichita. The late run was enough to win it. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 11, Cedar Rapids 6 Box Score C.J. Culpepper made the start on Thursday night for the Kernels, and unfortunately it was a tough outing for him. He lasted just two innings while allowing seven runs on seven hits. Culpepper also walked two and struck out just one. Despite a very good season, this wasn’t an outing to hang his hat on. Trailing 7-0 by the third inning, the Kernels didn’t fold and looked to bounce back. Jefferson Morales doubled home Misael Urbina to put Cedar Rapids on the board. In the fourth inning Luke Keaschall added another when he singled home Jorel Ortega. Then in the fifth inning, Kala’i Rosario kept up his hot-hitting while blasting his 21st dinger of the season. The three-run shot also scored Noah Miller and Emmanuel Rodriguez while bringing the Kernels within two. Wisconsin added a pair of runs back in the fifth inning to push it back to a four-run lead. Adding another pair in the seventh inning, it was an 11-5 game and Cedar Rapids found themselves staring at a sizeable deficit once again. Attempting to mount a comeback, the Kernels gained a run back when Rodriguez drew a bases loaded walk in the eighth inning to score Keaschall. They couldn't capitalize with other runners on base however. Unable to add in the ninth inning, the Kernels dropped the contest by five. The Kernels had just five hits Thursday night, and while Rosario posted three RBI, no one added multiple hits. MUSSEL MATTERS Bradenton 9, Fort Myers 5(F/7) Box Score With inclement weather in the area, the start of Thursday night’s tilt for the Marauders and Mighty Mussels was delayed. After finally getting underway, Miguelangel Boadas took the ball for Fort Myers. In the first inning, Nate Baez doubled with Jay Harry scoring and the Mighty Mussels were on the board first. Yohander Martinez added another with a single during the third inning that scored Danny De Andrade. Leading 2-0, the Mighty Mussels gave both back in the fourth inning and saw the Marauders tie the contest. Bradenton jumped on top of Fort Myers with three runs in the fifth inning. The Mighty Mussels weren't ok with playing from behind and immediately stormed back. De Andrade doubled home Ricardo Olivar before Baez traded places with him on a double of his own. Martinez then singled to drive in Baez and make it a tie ballgame. The Marauders loaded the bases in the top of the seventh inning and rather than emerge unscathed, the Mighty Mussels gave up a grand slam. The 9-5 lead was going to be difficult to overcome with just three outs left. Fort Myers couldn't mount a late comeback and that was enough to do them in. With both squads recording ten hits on the evening, Fort Myers saw two each come from De Andrade, Baez, and Martinez. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Day – Kyle Garlick (St. Paul) - 2-3, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR(14), 2 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: #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, R, RBI, 3 BB #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-6, 2 K #8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-3, BB, K #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R, RBI, BB, K #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, R, 3 RBI, HR(21), BB, K #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 2-6, R, 2 K #15 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K #17 - Danny De Andrade (Fort Myers) - 2-3, 2 R, RBI, 2B(20) FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (6:15PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak Wichita @ Corpus Christi (7:05PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:40 CST) - RHP Zebby Matthews Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - RHP Matt Gabbert Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! View full article

A pair of Twins affiliates put up double-digit runs on the day, and offense was the story throughout the system. Yunior Severino went deep twice, and Kala’i Rosario won it for Cedar Rapids. Check out more of the action within. TRANSACTIONS RHP Oliver Ortega recalled by Minnesota RHP Jordan Balazovic optioned to St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Indianapolis 6 Box Score Randy Dobnak made a Sunday start for the Saints and went 2 1/3 allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. St. Paul scored in the first inning on a Trevor Larnach sacrifice fly that brought home Andrew Stevenson. They added another in the second inning on Yunior Severino’s third Triple-A homer. Running into trouble during the third inning, the Saints saw Indianapolis put up a five-spot. Severino then answered with his second dinger of the game, another solo blast, in the fourth inning. The sixth inning saw St. Paul regain the lead. Severino singled home DaShawn Keirsey Jr. Before Gilberto Celestino tripled home Jair Camargo and Severino. Stevenson then singled allowing Celestino to score and the four-run frame gave them a two-run lead. Although the Saints gave up an eighth inning run, they kept the lead in the ninth inning. Severino led the charge with three hits, accounting for half from St. Paul's total. Kody Funderburk continues to throw well for St. Paul as he struck out one across 1 1/3 innings and picked up his fifth save. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 12, Springfield 1 Box Score It was a good day to start for the Wind Surge as the offense exploded for 12 runs on 16 hits. Pierson Ohl was on the bump and turned in five innings of one-run baseball. He gave up just two hits while striking out three. Springfield scored their only run in the top of the first inning, and then Wichita took over. Tanner Schobel singled home Ernie Yake in the third inning to kick things off. Alex Isola followed with a single to score Yoyner Fajardo and Schobel before Jake Rucker went deep with a two-run big fly. Yake launched his first homer in the fourth inning, and David Banuelos doubled in Patrick Winkel and Isola. Doubling again in the eighth inning, Banuelos brought home Schobel and Winkel before Rucker traded places scoring Isola and Banuelos. The laugher saw Rucker, Yake, and Isola each record three hits. Schobel and Banuelos each had a pair of their own as well. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 1 Box Score Zebby Matthews started Sunday for Cedar Rapids. He twirled 4 ⅔ of one-run ball. Matthews scattered five hits and two walks while striking out five as well. Cedar Rapids scored first when Ben Ross drove in Carson McCusker on a sacrifice fly. Kala’i Rosario launched his 18th homer of the season, bringing Jefferson Morales and Noah Miller home, to make it a 4-0 game. Wisconsin answered with only one run and the Kernels cruised to a victory. Miller contributed two of the four Cedar Rapids hits Sunday afternoon. Mike Paredes improved to 6-1 with the victory. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 13, Palm Beach 8 Box Score Jose Olivares took the ball for the Mighty Mussels on Sunday morning and lasted just 1 1/3 innings. The short start came with four runs allowed on three hits, two of which left the yard. Olivares also walked three while striking out two. Danny De Andrade blasted his tenth homer of the year to kick off scoring during the first inning. In the top of the second inning, Dillon Tatum singled home Yohander Martinez before Jay Harry drove in Alec Sayre with a single of his own. Fort Myers got behind with Olivares’ tough inning coming in the bottom of the second. The Mighty Mussels answered in the fourth inning when Gregory Duran brought in Sayre with a ground out, and Maddux Houghton raced home on a wild pitch. It wasn’t until the seventh inning that Fort Myers scored again. Rubel Cespedes ripped a double to score Tatum and Jay Harry before Sayre’s single brought De Andrade home. The Mighty Mussels gave two back in the bottom half but still led 9-6. Martinez singled in the eighth inning to score Harry and De Andrade. Sayre then singled in Cespedes and Houghton doubled home Martinez. Fort Myers had doubled up Palm Beach by a 13-6 tally. The Cardinals got two of their own in the ninth inning, but it wasn’t enough to erase the deficit. Harry and Sayre both had three-hit games while Martinez and Houghton each had a pair. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Pierson Ohl (Wichita) - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K Hitter of the Day – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 3-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR(4) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 2-5, 2 R, RBI #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R, 3 RBI, HR(18) #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 3-5, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR(4) #17 - Danny De Andrade (Fort Myers) - 1-4, 3 R, RBI, HR(10), K #20 - Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Omaha (6:35PM CST) - TBD Wichita @ Arkansas (6:35PM CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05PM CST) - TBD Dayton @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games! View full article

The Twins are in a pennant race. (Can we call it a race when you can win it if you just don't fall over?) But so are so many of the affiliates. The Saints are within striking distance of making the International League playoffs. The Wind Surge are a game out. The Kernels are already in. The others were all .500 or better last week. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Danny De Andrade) It was a typically weird week for the Twins, which you can read about in Nick’s Week in Review. For all things minor-league related, keep reading. WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Overall: 23-16 (5-1 last week) in the second half; In first place in the IL West by half a game; tied for third place in the International League. Overview: A huge week for the Saints, adding Royce Lewis to the newly-promoted prospects and taking five of six from Louisville. 😍: Hello Royce! Lewis hit two home runs in 13 rehab at-bats. It shouldn't be long until Minneapolis takes him back. Sorry St. Paul. 🔥: Austin Martin turned in another big week. His seven hits led the team and he also stole three bases while showing off his power by hitting a home run. He also doubled. May Martin be making his way into the centerfield conversation? 🔥: Louie Varland pitched the same day as Dallas Keuchel and showed, over 7 1/3 shutout innings, that maybe he deserves the spot with the Twins. He struck out six while allowing three hits and walking one. 🔥: Jair Camargo had a big week, homering twice and doubling twice in his five total hits. Trevor Larnach also added two home runs. 🔥: Ronny Henriquez (4 2/3 innings), Randy Dobnak (four innings), Patrick Murphy (four innings), Austin Schulfer (3 2/3 innings), Jovani Moran (2 2/3 innings), and Andrew Bechtold (two innings) all threw multiple shutout innings (in addition to Varland) for the week. 🥶: It wasn't a great week for Carlos Luna , who surrendered eight earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. 🥶: Kyle Garlick was 1-for-10 and struck out five times. Those wondering why Garlick wasn't the right-handed bat that was called up on just need to look at his stats. What's Next: The Saints will look to continue their dominance at home against Indianapolis (19-19) Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Overall: 19-20 (4-2 last week) in the second half; 1.0 game back in the Northern Division. Overview: Despite losing their best three offensive players last week, Wichita is 6-4 in their last ten games and creeping up the standings. 🔥: Pierson Ohl is dealing. In his eight-inning start this past week, Ohl allowed a single run on seven hits and no walks. He only had four strikeouts, but he continues to impress at the Double-A level. 🔥: Alex Isola led a balanced attack, pacing the team with 13 total bases on six hits, including a double and a team-leading two home runs. He was tied for second with six runs scored and had a team-high eight RBI. 🔥: Regi Grace remains an interesting bullpen arm. He pitched 6 1/3 innings over two appearances, allowing only one run on three hits, a walk, and a hit batter. He struck out only three. 🔥: Patrick Winkel had four doubles this week after two doubles and two home runs last week. Jake Rucker had two doubles and two triples. 🥶: Will Holland went hitless in 14 at-bats. 🦃: Marco Raya is here for the third straight week. He did get outs this week (three) and only gave up one run, but struggled with the walks (four). What's Next: The Wind Surge head to Springfield (20-19) to try to close the one-game gap in the Texas League North. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Overall: 26-16 (3-3 last week) in the second half, one game ahead of Peoria. The Kernels have clinched a postseason berth. Overview: The Kernels remain the drivers seat of the Midwest League West. 🔥: Carson McCusker has adjusted nicely to high-A ball, leading the team with 14 total bases on a team-high six hits. He had two doubles, two home runs and team-leading seven RBI. He did, however, strike out seven times without taking a walk. 🔥: It seems like there's always at least a 2012 draft pick starter or two that needs to be highlighted. Andrew Morris picked up another win, allowing only an unearned run on four hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out three. Cory Lewis struck out six over 4 1/3 innings. Of his four runs allowed, only one was earned. C.J. Culpepper - who might just end up being the best of the lot - struck out seven in five innings. Mike Paredes struck out eight in four two-hit innings. 🔥: Ben Ross also had two home runs and two doubles (among his five total hits). He drew seven walks and struck out nine times. 🥶: Two of the bigger disappointments this year have been former first-round pick Keoni Cavaco and recently-acquired Jose Salas . Cavaco was 1-for-10 with seven strikeouts. This year might be the end of the line for him. He was a swing-for-the-fences pick... and the team struck out. Salas is back with the team after going to the FCL for a bit. He was 2-for-18 with five strikeouts, but he did manage to steal two bases. A top-10 prospect in the organization to the start the year, he's really fallen off. 🥶: Zebby Matthews gave up six hits and issues two walks in 4 1/3 innings. It wasn't a typical Zebby performance, but he still struck out eight. What's Next: The Kernels host Wisconsin (21-21). The Timber Rattlers trail the Kernels by five games. Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Overall: 18-24 (3-3 last week) in the second half, 10.0 games out of first place. Overview: Another split. The last-place Mighty Mussels have a +5 run differential though. The bad luck may be attributed to the franchise replacing the classic Miracle-palm-tree-M hat with... whatever is happening now. 🔥: Danny De Andrade - my personal #8 prospect - led Fort Myers with eight runs, nine hits and three doubles on his way to a 1.416 OPS. 🔥: Juan Mendez pitched 3 1/3 hitless innings over his two appearances. He struck out seven and allowed two walks. 🥶: Johnathan Lavallee had a week so bad, it has to be mentioned. In three appearances he pitched 2 1/3 innings. He allowed only two hits, but issued 11 walks and hit a batter. The result was eight earned runs. 🥶: Luke Keaschall was 2-for-16, but his line was made respectable by drawing four walks. He also stole four bases and tried out centerfield. What's Next: On the road to Palm Beach (19-21). Rookie: FCL Twins Overall: 21-27 (4-2 last week) on the season. 7.5 games behind the FCL Pirates in the FCL South. 😍: Walker Jenkins led the team in at-bats (21), hits (7), total bases (13), runs batted in (7) and stolen bases (2). It's not too early to call him the real deal. He's the real deal. It's also not too early to suggest a promotion. It's not going to harm him to see some low-A pitching before the end of the season. And, realistically, it's also not going to hurt him to be a part of the high-A playoffs. Is that too aggressive? Maybe. But Jenkins is that type of special. 🤔: Brandon Winokur strikes out too much (eight times this week), but getting time at shortstop is a fun development. Is he going to stay there? Noooooooo... but that's not to suggest he couldn't play third base. Versatility rules. 🤩: Five 2023-drafted pitchers made their professional debuts - Nolan Santos, Ty Langenberg, Xander Hamilton, Spencer Bengard and Hector Garcia Jr. - by pitching an inning each. Santos gave up a hit and struck out two. Langenberg allowed an unearned run on a hit and a walk while striking out two. Hamilton picked up a save despite giving up an earned run while striking out two. Bengard issued a walk and struck out one. Garcia gave up a run on a hit and walk and struck out one. Rookie: DSL Twins Overall: 14-33 (5-1 last week) on the season. 23.5 games back in the DSL South. 🔥: Junior Del Valle has been in DSL for three years. He's steadily improving. This past week, he had five hits in 12 at-bats. He stole two bases. 🔥: Yency De Jesus gets a nod every week. He struck out eight in five innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk. 🥶: Hendry Chivilli appeared to be turning the corner, but went only 1-for-16 last week with six strikeouts. 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. Jose Rodriguez, OF, FCL Twins: 3-13, 2B, HR, R, 2 BB, 4 K. (.250/.317/.399. .716 OPS) 19. Brent Headrick, RHP, St. Paul: (1.42 WHIP, .271 BAA); recently optioned to St. Paul. 18. Jose Salas , INF, Cedar Rapids: 2-18, RBI, 2 R, 5 K, 2 SB. (.174/.257/.249. .506 OPS), played one game (14 total) at shortstop and committed no errors in 11 chances (four errors in 154 chances total), played one game (15 total) at third base and committed one error in two chances (four errors in 34 total chances), played four games (44 total) at second base with two errors in 18 chances (five errors in 179 total chances). 17. Yunior Severino, 3B, St. Paul: 4-17, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 K. (AA/AAA combined .281/.361/.552. .913 OPS). 16. Kala'i Rosario, OF, Cedar Rapids: 5-20, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K. (.262/.375/.474. .849 OPS). 15. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, Minnesota. St. Paul: (1.60 WHIP, .261 BAA); currently pitching out of the Twins bullpen. 14. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 1-0, 4.76 ERA, 5.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 4 BB, 3 K (1.62 WHIP, .266 BAA); Minnesota: (1.85 WHIP, .313 BAA) 13. Brandon Winokur, OF, FCL Twins: 3-20, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 8 K. (.275/.339/.569. .908 OPS), played four games at shortstop (eight total) and committed one error in 14 chances (two errors in 31 total chances) and played two games (four total) at centerfield and committed no errors in three chances (no errors in 11 total chances). 12. Luke Keaschall, 2B, Fort Myers: 2-16, RBI, 4 R, 5 BB, 4 K, 4 SB. (rookie/l-A combined .263/.455/.316. .771 OPS), played four games (nine total) at second base and committed no errors in 8 chances (one error in 20 total chances) and one game in centerfield and had no chances. Previously played one game at third base and committed one error in two chances. 11. Yasser Mercedes, OF, FCL Twins: Did not play. (.196/.248/.381. .629 OPS) 10. Tanner Schobel, INF, Wichita: 5-23, 2 2B, RBI, 6 R, 4 BB, 3 K, CS. (high-A/AA combined .265/.357/.447. .804 OPS), played four games (39 total) at second base and committed two errors in 18 chances (8 errors in 160 total chances), played three games (55 total) at third base and committed no errors in two chances (four errors in 109 total chances). 9. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Cedar Rapids: Prielipp underwent season-ending elbow surgery. (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA) 8. Austin Martin, SS, St. Paul: 7-15, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 K, 3 SB. (rehab/AAA combined .260/.372/.382. .754 OPS), played four games in centerfield and committed no errors in nine chances and played four games (21 total) at second base and committed no errors in 17 chances (two errors in 89 total chances). Has also played four games in left field and committed no errors in 10 chances. (Not so sure we can call him a shortstop prospect anymore.) 7. David Festa, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 K. (1.43 WHIP, .257 BAA) 6. Charlee Soto, RHP: Has not played in a professional game. 5. Matt Wallner, OF, Minnesota: St. Paul (.291/.403/.524. .927 OPS); currently with the Twins. 4. Marco Raya, RHP, Wichita: 0-1, 9.00 ERA, 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 BB. (AA/Hi-A combined 1.20 WHIP, .212 BAA) 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 4-18, HR, 2 RBI, 6 R, 4 BB, 7 K, CS. (.228/.394/.448. .842 OPS) 2. Walker Jenkins, OF, FCL Twins: 7-21, 2B, 3B, HR, 7 RBI, 2 R, BB, 5 K, 2 SB. (.333/.371/.545. .916 OPS) 1. Brooks Lee, SS, St. Paul: 6-20, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, BB, 3 K, SB. (AA/AAA combined .285/.355/.461. .816 OPS), played three games (88 total) at shortstop and committed no errors in 13 chances (14 errors in 355 total chances) and played one game (two total) at third base and committed no errors in three chances (one error in six chances total chances). PLAYERS OF THE WEEK HITTER - Danny De Andrade, Fort Myers. PITCHER - Louie Varland, St. Paul. View full article

The St. Paul Saints came home to face the Louisville Bats and one of their top prospects on Tuesday. It was also the first time Brooks Lee, Yunior Severino, and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. got to play in front of their home fans. They were joined by a former top prospect on a rehab assignment. They combined to bash the visiting team into submission. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis) Despite all that action in St. Paul, the Wind Surge also got perhaps their best starting pitching performance of the season, The Mighty Mussels racked up a bunch of hits, and a high school draftee went yard again in the FCL to lead his team to victory. Also, Chris Williams loves hitting on Tuesday’s… TRANSACTIONS After the big promotions last week from Wichita, the St. Paul Saints got even more star power for their lineup in the form of a rehabbing Royce Lewis. He batted second and played third base on Tuesday. SAINTS SENTINEL Louisville 4, St. Paul 14 Box Score While the story for the home town fans was certainly Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee suiting up for the Saints on Tuesday, they had a tall order in front of them from an on-paper perspective. That’s because they were facing the 2023 minor league strikeout leader and Cincinnati Reds number five prospect (according to MLB Pipeline), Connor Phillips. Promoted to Triple-A before July, Phillips had been lights out with the Louisville Bats in six starts, compiling a 1.95 ERA in 27 2/3 IP, including 32 strikeouts. He didn’t even finish the second inning. That’s because St. Paul's lineup made him work, tossing 52 pitches in his 1 1/3 innings, with just 25 for strikes. He recorded strikeouts on the first two hitters of the game, but like my eyes peeped watching on MiLB.tv (highly recommend if you’re still looking for a baseball fix, and/or are not able to watch the Twins), the lineup figured out he could only throw a slider with two-strikes and didn’t have command of his fastball to make anything else work. He ended up walking three, and allowing five earned runs on three hits, including allowing his first home run at Triple-A to Trevor Larnach in the second inning. It was Larnach's 10th with the Saints. Yunior Severino also launched his first Triple-A home run, and 25th of the season, in the third inning which made it 7-0 Saints early. Both home runs cleared the home run porch in right field, flying 460+ feet. (of note, the next time he came up Bats pitcher Randy Wynne quite obviously plunked Severino in retaliation and was ejected for it) Royce Lewis also had no intention of going unnoticed in the first game of his rehab assignment, launching his fifth Triple-A home run of the season in the fourth after a sac fly in the second. He finished 1-for-4 with two RBI. The Saints really broke it open in the fifth inning after the Wynne ejection and the bases became loaded. Austin Martin delivered an RBI single for one, before Chris Williams delivered a grand slam to make it 13-1. The Saints even got a solid outing from Simeon Woods Richardson, keeping the top hitting team in the International League at bay for most of his outing. Through five innings, Woods Richardson had allowed just one run on two hits and three walks, and maybe should have been pulled at that point with the big lead. Back out for the sixth, he recorded two more outs, but got tagged with two home runs to dampen his stat line. He struck out three in his 5 2/3 innings, picking up his fourth win of the year. Austin Schulfer delivered 1 1/3 scoreless relief innings, walking one and striking out two. Cole Sands finished off the final two frames, allowing two hits and notching four strikeouts. Martin finished 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, a double, RBI, walk, and his seventh stolen base. Williams was 2-for-4 with a walk and five RBI. Larnach also collected multiple hits and finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in addition to the homer. Anthony Prato clubbed a double in two at-bats, drew three walks, scored three runs, and drove in one. Brooks Lee picked up his first hit at CHS Field in front of the home fans and finished 1-for-5. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, NW Arkansas 2 Box Score The Wind Surge got a dominant effort from their starting pitcher, Pierson Ohl, on Tuesday, who very well could have gone the distance with 84 pitches (61 strikes) after his eight innings. He allowed just one run in the first inning, scattered seven hits, and struck out four on the night. Wichita pounced for two runs in the top of the first to give almost all the run support he would need to pick up his fourth win. Yoyner Fajardo led off the game with a single, stole his 35th and 36th bases, and scored the first run on a groundout from Alex Isola. A Seth Gray RBI single later scored Tanner Schobel, who drew a walk, for the early 2-0 lead. Dalton Shuffield added a sacrifice fly in the sixth, Fajardo an RBI double in the seventh, and Willie Joe Garry Jr. RBI triple in the eighth accounted for all five of the Wind Surge runs. Fajardo (2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI, 3 K), Aaron Sabato (2-for-3, R, 2B, BB, K), and Garry Jr. (2-for-4, 2 3B, RBI, 2 K) had multiple hits in the win. Miguel Rodriguez pitched the ninth inning, and surrendered one earned run on one hit. He struck out two batters. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Quad Cities 7 Box Score Cedar Rapids hit the road eastward to the Quad Cities area, renewing the in-state rivalry for their series this week. While the Kernels sit atop the Midwest League West Division standings and the River Bandits the bottom, you can usually throw any of that info out when these teams face off. Case in point, Tuesday’s shutout of the visiting team. The Kernels drew seven walks as a team, but combined those with just two hits in the game. They were both doubles (from Ben Ross and Kyler Fedko), but came with nobody on base. As a team they were just 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and left nine men on base. Zebby Matthews made the start for Cedar Rapids and made it through 4 1/3 innings. He allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and a pair of walks. He struck out six batters. Two home runs allowed did most of that damage. The bullpen trio of Niklas Rimmel (1 IP, H, 2 ER, 3 BB, K), John Stankiewicz (1 2/3 IP, 3 K), and John Wilson (1 IP, H, K) worked the rest of the game. Emmanuel Rodriguez finished 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. Jorel Ortega was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. In addition to his double, Kyler Fedko also drew two walks. MUSSEL MATTERS Bradenton 13, Fort Myers 9 Box Score The Mighty Mussels got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first on Danny De Andrade’s eighth home run of the season that made it 2-0. They went up 4-2 in the second after an RBI-double from Maddux Houghton and a wild pitch that later allowed him to scamper home. Unfortunately, that was the last lead they held the rest of the game. Fort Myers starter Jose Olivares finished the first four innings and got a lot of swings and misses, but was tagged for five runs (four earned) in his time on the mound. He gave up four hits, walked two, and struck out nine. Samuel Perez was charged with three earned runs on two hits and three walks in his 2/3 of an inning. Johnathan Lavallee (1 1/3 IP, H, 3 BB, K), Wilker Reyes (2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 4 K), and Develson Aria (1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K) finished out the game for the Mighty Mussels, with the same type of results as Olivares. The 18 K’s from the staff pitching were impressive, but paired with 10 walks and 13 hits, you end up with a result like this. The lineup added a pair of runs in the eighth inning when De Andrade led off with a single and advanced to second on an error. A groundout from Rubel Cespedes brought him home before Jay Harry’s second double of the season gave them six on the scoreboard. In the bottom of the ninth down 13-6, they added a few more runs but fell short of an epic comeback. A pair of walks preceded put runners on for De Andrade, who drove them both in with a double. Rafael Cruz then scored De Andrade with a single for the final score. De Andrade (3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) and Cruz (4-for-5, 2B, RBI) had multiple hits to lead the offense. Each other hitter had one knock, and they totaled 14 hits as a team in the loss. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Pirates 2, FCL Twins 3 Box Score Twins starter Eduardo Soriano delivered a scoreless first inning, but some walks caught up with him in the second. He finished 1 2/3 innings and was charged with two runs (one earned) on one hit and four walks. He struck out three. In the bottom of the second, the Twins put together a two-out rally thanks to some walks of their own. After loading the bases, Andres Centeno delivered a two-RBI single to tie the game. In the third, Brandon Winokur raced around the bases for an inside-the-park home run to make it 3-2. It was his second home run in nine games. That would be all the Twins needed, as the bullpen shut down the Pirates from there. Julio Bonilla (W, 3 1/3 IP, H, BB, K), Jeferson Lopez (H, 3 1/3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K), and Miguel Olivares (2/3 IP, BB, 2 K) all delivered scoreless outings and as a staff the Twins held the Pirates to just two hits in the game. Walker Jenkins followed Winokur’s blast with a single in the third and finished 1-for-3. Daniel Pena added the Twins' only other hit. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Giants Orange 6, DSL Twins 6 (suspended in the bottom of the fifth) Box Score The Giants and Twins were only able to get through four-plus innings on Tuesday before the game was suspended, but in that time there was a lot of action. Starting pitcher Reynel Garcia got the short end of the stick because of his defense in the first, being charged with three unearned runs on only one hit. Oscar Paredes had a one-two-three second inning, before Adrian Bohorquez gave the bulk of the pitching work. In 2 2/3 innings, he allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits. He also struck out five. Jose Ojo got the final out of the fifth before the game was suspended. The Twins scored two in the first after loading the bases on a Junior Del Valle two-run single. They added three more in the third on a Moises Lopez double to score Dameury Pena, Jesus Peraza ground ball to score Lopez, and a wild pitch that allowed Carlos Silva to score. They scored their sixth run in the fourth when Pena and Del Valle each clubbed a double. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Pierson Ohl, Wichita Wind Surge (W, 8 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 4 K) Hitter of the Day - Chris Williams, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, 2 R, Grand Slam, 5 RBI, BB) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) -1-for-5, K #2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL) - 1-for-3 #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-for-4, 2 K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 3-for-3, 2 R, 2B (6), RBI, BB, SB (7) #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 K #12 - Luke Keaschall (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, R, BB, K #13 - Brandon Winokur (FCL) - 1-for-4, R, HR (2), RBI, K #14 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - W, 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 earned) 4 BB, 3 K #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, K #17 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 K #20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) - 0-for-3, 2 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - RHP Randy Dobnak (4-5, 4.33 ERA) Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Carlos Luna (1-7, 5.54 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CDT) - RHP Kyle Jones (5-4, 4.52 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CDT) - TBD DSL Reds @ DSL Twins (makeup of 7/26 postponement) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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The Mighty Mussels are in Bradenton this week, which means there is video available. Tonight's System Recap opens with Fort Myers highlights, which feature plenty of Ricardo Olivar and Danny De Andrade. In Cedar Rapids, Kala'i Rosario finished off a Kernels ninth-inning rally with a walk-off single. Also, Tanner Schobel picked up his first Double-A hit with an RBI single for the Wind Surge. View full video

It seems like something is going on in Cedar Rapids. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (image is of Simeon Woods Richardson) TRANSACTIONS INF Yohander Martinez reinstated from 7-day IL at Fort Myers OF Luis Baez transferred from 7-day IL to 60-day IL at Fort Myers OF Matt Wallner recalled by Twins RHP Pierson Ohl reinstated from development list RHP Jose Bravo reinstated from development list and released RHP Jordan Brink released OF Armani Smith released Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Durham 2 Box Score Brent Headrick: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K HR: Anthony Prato (6), Jair Camargo Multi-hit games: Jair Camargo (2-for-4, HR, 2B, R, RBI) The Saints scored late to win on Saturday. They did it again. After the wild success that was last Saturday’s Brent Headrick/Simeon Woods Richardson’s piggyback, the Saints tried the strategy again. Headrick crushed his start, tossing a trio of scoreless innings, while Woods Richardson flourished as well, allowing a lone earned run over five frames. Kody Funderburk slammed the door with a quiet 9th. The bats aided the outstanding pitching effort. Anthony Prato and Jair Camargo both hammered late homers, earning and extending the precious lead. 0Prato now has a 1.064 OPS since joining the Saints. No hitter batting 1-4 got a hit on Saturday; only once did they reach base. Durham’s finest prospect is INF Curtis Mead. The Australian—third in the system; 32nd in MLB—doubled and singled in three at-bats. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 2, Springfield 10 Box Score Pierson Ohl: 4 ⅓ IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K HR: Brooks Lee (8) Multi-hit games: None The Wind Surge got smoked on Saturday. Pierson Ohl was not himself. The righty, so adept at throwing strikes, never found his command; he walked three with a smattering of base hits to allow three runs on his watch. Given that he was only reinstated from the Development List today, he may have just been rusty. Hopefully his typical strike-throwing self appears soon. Brooks Lee gave Wichita their first run when he smoked a solo shot in the 4th inning. But they could only score once more against the Cardinals. Ace pitching prospect, Tink Hence, allowed both runs in an atypically mediocre outing, but Springfield’s bullpen was nails, and the Wind Surge never even got a hit after Hence exited the game. Wichita’s pitchers found no such fortune. Taylor Floyd and Hunter McMahon allowed seven combined runs in support of their starter. The team never recovered. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 9, Beloit 7 Box Score Kyle Jones: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K HR: Kyler Fedko (3) Multi-hit games: Andrew Cossetti (3-for-3, R, RBI, BB) An explosive 1st inning carried the Kernels to victory on Saturday. It took until the seventh batter for Beloit starter Zach King to earn his first out; even that ended up as a run-scoring sacrifice fly. Cedar Rapids went double, hit by pitch, single, single, walk, single, before earning their fifth and final score of the inning when Andrew Cossetti flew a ball deep enough to coax in a run. The Kernels all-around offense continued throughout the game—and the team ended up walking more than they struck out (nine to eight) with every hitter reaching base at least once. Pitching wasn’t as smooth. Kyle Jones was cromulent over five innings, allowing a trio of earned runs, but a few late runs pushed the game within striking distance; fortunately, the Sky Carp never found the critical game-tying knot. Miguel Rodriguez stared down his last man and caught him looking, stranding a runner at third to conclude the game. The Kernels improved their season record to 51-32. Beloit’s star prospect—the second-in-the-system third baseman, Jacob Berry—doubled and struck out three times in five trips to the plate. Mussel Matters Ft. Myers 7, Clearwater 8 (10 Innings) Box Score Jarret Whorff: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: Danny De Andrade (7), Mikey Perez (5) Multi-hit games: Ricardo Olivar (3-for-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB) The Mighty Mussels blew a late lead, turning a three-run advantage with one in the 9th into an extra-innings loss. Jarret Whorff was who he needed to be. The 24-year-old righty worked five scoreless frames, holding the second-scariest offense in the Florida State League to just a pair of singles, scattered and harmless. He unfortunately exited before his bats could give him the support he deserved. But they did come through eventually. Clearwater took a slim lead before Fort Myers roared back, plating four with a Danny De Andrade two-run shot exclaiming the scoring with authority. The lead held strong, guiding the Mighty Mussels into the 9th confident in their work. Gabriel Yanez acquired the first out before Jackson Hicks entered the game. He fell apart. A pair of singles and a three-run homer instantly zapped away the lead. The game entered extra innings. Zach Veen suffered just as well. The new pitcher allowed a back-breaking bases-clearing triple, eventually exiting with four runs standing between Fort Myers and the game continuing. They nearly did it. Mikey Perez blasted home himself and the Manfred Man. A productive groundout brought the game within one, but that was as close as the team could get, and Rubel Cespedes’ full-count strikeout delivered the game its final, disappointing verdict. Outfielder Justin Crawford, Philadelphia’s 3rd-best prospect, and the best prospect playing for the Threshers, singled in five plate appearances. Complex Chronicles The FCL Twins game was halted in the fifth; they will continue their match against the FCL Red Sox on the 21st. Dominican Dailies DSL Twins 2, DSL Guardians Red 6 Box Score Juan Cota: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Jayson Bass (2-for-3), Juan Zapata (2-for-3, 3B, RBI) The DSL Twins lost handily on Saturday. It took until the 5th for either team to score—and the game still ended up a seemingly normal affair. Starter Juan Cota has his stuff, leading to three scoreless frames with a pair of strikeouts—and, unusual for a DSL pitcher—no walks. But the Twins’ batters couldn’t take advantage of the effort; a Juan Zapata triple was their lone extra-base hit. The Guardians Red (what a clunky team name) stole four bases, and caught the Twins stealing twice. Hendry Chivilli, Minnesota’s big international signing in January, struck out three times in the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Simeon Woods Richardson Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jair Camargo PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-4, HR, R, RBI, 3 K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, R, BB, 2 K #7 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K #11 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-4, K, SB #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, BB K #15 - Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - 3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-4 SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Durham @ St. Paul (2:07 PM) - LHP Dallas Keuchel Springfield @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - RHP Travis Adams Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (1:05 PM) - LHP Christian MacLeod Clearwater @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM) - RHP Andrew Morris View full article

St. Paul had more multi-hit batters than not; don't ask about the rest of the farm. TRANSACTIONS OF Kyle Garlick cleared waivers and returned to the Saints. INF Michael Helman transferred to 60-day IL (left shoulder dislocation) RHP Alex Scherff transferred to AA Wichita Saints Sentinel St. Paul 7, Toledo 5 Box Score Aaron Sanchez: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Andrew Stevenson (3-for-4, 3B, 2 R, RBI, BB), Jose Miranda (2-for-5, 2B, R), Matt Wallner (2-for-4, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB), Andrew Bechtold (2-for-4, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI), Jair Camargo (2-for-4, 2B) The Saints stomped 14 hits on the Mud Hens, besting Toledo in an offensive flurry. It didn’t appear that St. Paul’s bats were set to thrive like this. The early goings were rusty, slow. They mustered one run before the fifth before finally breaking through on a two-run knock by Matt Wallner (who also doubled and walked—mentioned for no particular reason). The seventh inning proved to be the critical frame; neither Anthony Misiewicz or old friend Matt Wisler could halt St. Paul’s bats from knocking around a trio of extra-base hits. They ended up scoring four—just enough to win the game. Aaron Sanchez was Aaron Sanchez, necessitating St. Paul’s multi-inning specialists to cover a significant innings total to win the game. They did. Josh Winder, Oliver Ortega, and Patrick Murphy combined to allow one run in the following five frames; Winder was especially crucial, striking out three over two scoreless innings. The Saints turned three double plays on Saturday. Gilberto Celestino stole his second base of the season; he stole five bases in 2022. Justyn-Henry Malloy is Detroit's seventh-best prospect and he singled in five trips to the plate. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 4, Arkansas 7 Box Score Jose Bravo: 4 2/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K HR: David Bañuelos (5) Multi-hit games: None A middle-inning streak of bleeding runs cost Wichita the game on Saturday. There’s nothing wrong with allowing runs in back-to-back innings; doing so in five straight frames is a cause for concern, though. Starter Jose Bravo and reliever Hunter McMahon couldn’t find the cure for their ails, finding Arkansas capable of ambushing them with no outs and two outs all the same. Wichita’s bats held steady for a little while but could not match their opponents’ outburst. A David Bañuelos bomb followed by a Brooks Lee RBI single in the third knotted the game, but that was close as they would get in Saturday’s affair; Arkansas’ pitchers were simply too good. Even their fourth and final run came via an error. Lee was characteristically inconsistent in the field, committing his 11th error of the season while also turning in a doozy of a defensive gem with this spinning throw: Hopefully the good continues to overtake the bad with him. Yoyner Fajardo swiped his 20th base on Saturday. Jonatan Clase—Seattle's 11th-best prospect—struck out in a pinch-hitting appearance. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids’ game was suspended in the third inning and will be continued on Sunday. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 7, Tampa 9 Box Score Develson Aria: 2 1/3 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K HR: Danny De Andrade (5), Rafael Cruz (4) Multi-hit games: Danny De Andrade (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, RBI), Rafael Cruz (2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI), Mikey Perez (3-for-4, 2 R, BB) An eighth-inning blowup soiled a potential victory for the Mighty Mussels. It was an offensive display of immense strength; Danny De Andrade and Rafael Cruz spent the first-half of the game flexing their muscles with a pair of solo homers—and an RBI double by Cruz that gave Fort Myers the lead. It wouldn’t last, though. Starter Develson Aria was deeply inefficient, requiring far too early bullpen support. The first arm—Jarret Whorff—did his job marvelously, striking out four over 3 2/3 scoreless innings to hand the rest of his reliever brothers a great chance at keeping the game in hand. They didn’t. Zach Veen and A.J. Labas allowed multiple runs to score on each of their watches, giving Tampa their late victory. Mikey Perez netted three hits in the game and stole his 19th base of the season for good measure. New York’s 19th-best prospect, outfielder Anthony Hall, homered and singled, raking in four RBIs on the night. Complex Chronicles The FCL Twins did not play on Saturday. Dominican Dailies DSL Twins 5, DSL Angels 9 (10 Innings) Box Score Jose Vasquez: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Dameury Pena (2-for-3), Ricardo Pena (2-for-5, 2 RBI), Ewing Matos (2-for-4) The DSL Twins played a typical low-scoring affair on Saturday before radically altering course, leading to 10 total 10th-inning runs. 21-year-old Yency De Jesus carried the torch on the mound, tossing five nearly spotless frames with four strikeouts to deliver his team into extras with ease. It was an adventurous day on the bases for Ewing Matos; the right fielder stole a base but was picked off twice, likely in moments of extreme anticipation for his next steal. Perhaps only Ricardo Pena could claim a more frustrating day on the field as the catcher made two throwing errors and allowed a pair of pitches to reach the backstop on his watch. Still, this is the DSL, and these mistakes are bound to happen as the players learn the more precise nuances of the game; they’ll get better eventually. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Yency De Jesus Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Rafael Cruz PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-4, RBI #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-4, K #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 0-5, 3 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB, K #14 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - ⅔ IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-4, 4 K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (3:05 PM) - LHP Dallas Keuchel Arkansas @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - RHP Travis Adams Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM) - RHP Mike Paredes Fort Myers @ Tampa (11:00 AM) - RHP C.J. Culpepper View full article

The St. Paul Saints have scored a bunch of runs the past two nights and Jair Camargo has been in the middle of it. Another big game for him tonight earns some added recognition, and Jordan Carr was perfect in relief for Fort Myers. Check out all the action within. Image courtesy of Courtesy: Rob Thompson SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 11, Iowa 6 Box Score Toby Gardenhire had Aaron Sanchez on the mound and he was cruising until running into trouble during the fourth inning. He wound up working 3 2/3 innings giving up four runs on four hits and three walks. Sanchez also struck out five. After the Cubs put a run on the board in the first inning, St. Paul answered with two of their own. Edouard Julien clubbed his 12th double of the season and drove in Jose Miranda. Chris Williams then kept up with his hot hitting and singled to bring Julien across the plate. Homering for the second night in a row, Jair Camargo blasted his seventh of the season for a third inning, three-run shot that scored Matt Wallner and Williams. Iowa clawed back with three in the fourth inning, but St. Paul’s lead remained intact. After Iowa took a 6-5 lead in the top of the sixth inning, St. Paul got right back to work. Miranda drew a bases loaded walk to bring home Tony Wolters, and Matt Wallner took a hit by pitch to plate Alex De Goti. The Saints had regained the lead without putting a ball in play. On a fly ball double-play from Julien, Stevenson raced home and made it an 8-6 lead. For the second time on the evening Camargo went deep, another solo shot, this one putting St. Paul up 9-6 in the seventh inning. Then Miranda continued his solid night with a two-run single that scored both Wolters and De Goti. WIND SURGE WISDOM San Antonio 10, Wichita 3 Box Score Aaron Rozek started tonight’s game for the Wind Surge but he was chased early after a tough outing lasting just 2 2/3 innings. Giving up eight hits led to seven runs (six earned). Command was a bit of an issue as well with three walks and just a single strikeout. San Antonio got on the board first with two runs in the second inning, and then they exploded for a five-spot in the third inning. Adding another in the fourth inning, Wichita was down eight before putting anything up for themselves. Finally in the eighth inning the Wind Surge broke through. Will Holland singled in Yoyner Fajardo, and although it was just one run, baby steps were taken. Quickly washed away in the bottom half, Wichita saw San Antonio add another pair to create a larger divide. They did answer with a ninth inning rally and it was nice to see them go down fighting. First Aaron Sabato singled to bring Brooks Lee home, then Fajardo plated Jake Rucker with a single of his own. Down to their final out, Alex Isola reached on a throwing error that gave Sabato a chance to come home and make it a 10-4 game. Holland popped out in the next at bat though, and that was all she wrote for the good guys. Holland did have a pair of hits on the night, and his two were almost half of the five total for Wichita. It was a tough showing going up against 10 runs on 14 hits for San Antonio. KERNELS NUGGETS Dayton 2, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score The Kernels went with Mike Paredes on the bump tonight. He worked four innings while allowing two runs on three hits and a walk. The Cedar Rapids pitcher did strike out three on the evening. Paredes saw Dayton jump out to a first inning lead when Edwin Arroyo clubbed a two-run shot. That’s where he’d strand Dayton during his outing however, and it was up to Cedar Rapids looking for an answer. Andrew Cossetti got the Kernels on the board with a ground out in the second inning. Misael Urbina came across the plate to halve the lead and bring Cedar Rapids back within one. Unfortunately the offense then stalled out and despite Jordan Carr keeping Dayton scoreless in relief, it wasn’t enough to secure the victory. Carr was amazing however, allowing no baserunners and punching out seven. Noah Miller was the lone batter to record a pair of hits on the day. MUSSEL MATTERS Clearwater 7, Fort Myers 2 Box Score C.J. Culpepper was the starter tonight for Fort Myers, and he worked four solid innings. Dancing around six hits, Culpepper gave up two runs (only one earned), while striking out six and walking just one. Clearwater put a run on the board during the second inning before adding another in the third inning on a wild pitch. Then in the fifth inning they answered again, this time with a pair, and it was a 4-0 game. Before the Mighty Mussels could find a way to push anything across, Clearwater struck again. With two more runs coming home during the sixth inning, clawing back was getting more unlikely. The second wild pitch of the game made it a 7-0 deficit and it wasn’t until the seventh inning that Fort Myers got on the board. With Jorel Ortega on base, Danny De Andrade hit an inside-the-park homer for his third dinger of the season. Clearwater still led by five but the Mighty Mussels had finally shown signs of life. They couldn’t do anything to keep it rolling though and ultimately fell for the second night in a row. De Andrade put up a three-hit effort, but was the lone player with multiple in that category. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jordan Carr (Cedar Rapids) - 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Day – Jair Camargo (St. Paul) - 2-5, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR(8), 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 (Wichita) - 0-3, R, BB, 2 K #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-4, RBI, K #4 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 2-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B(12), K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-4, R, RBI, 2 K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, 2 BB, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4 #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-4, K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (5:37PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak Wichita @ San Antonio (7:05PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:05PM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! View full article

The Minnesota Twins saw their star prospect Royce Lewis return to action on Thursday night, and while the game wasn't a good one, it was an important step in the right direction. Image courtesy of Katherine Ramirez, Frisco RoughRiders SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 8, Indianapolis 7 Box Score Twins pitching prospect Simeon Woods Richardson made the start for the Saints. It was a tough outing as he lasted just 4 1/3 innings giving up five runs on six hits. Richardson did punch out four and allowed only a single walk but ceded a pair of longballs. His ERA on the seasons sits at 7.17. After getting behind 1-0 in the 2nd inning, Ryan LaMarre evened things through a throwing error that plated Mark Contereras. The 3rd inning saw Indianapolis plate four and St. Paul fell behind by a score of 5-1 The Twins sent Trevor Larnach down to find power, and he did so with a 3rd inning solo shot to right field. Michael Helman then walked with the bases loaded in the 5th inning and brought Larnach across the plate. Andrew Stevenson then singled to score Kyle Garlick and it was a 5-4 game. Looking to regain the lead Larnach blasted his second dinger of the evening and knotted things up. Michael Helman then tripled for the first time this season, scoring Garlick to take the lead, and Stevenson brought Helman in on a fielder’s choice. St. Paul was able to hang on and win by an 8-7 score giving the Twins a new look into the future. Larnach had two hits on the day and was tied in that regard by Helman. Jose Miranda made his 2023 debut with St. Paul going 1-for-5 with a strikeout. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 8, Frisco 6 Box Score Twins star prospect Royce Lewis made his 2023 debut for Wichita, and while he went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and was hit by a pitch in the shoulder, his availability was the key. Carlos Luna made the start for Wichita and worked four innings while allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out five and walked a pair. Down 2-0 through four innings, the Wind Surge plated their first run in the 5th inning. Anthony Prato stole second base and Will Holland was able to race home on a throwing error by catcher Scott Kapers. After giving up a few more in the 5th inning, Wichita scored Brooks Lee on a Yunior Severino 6th inning single. Kapers got his run back with a solo shot in the 6th inning, but then Wichita went to work. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. singled to drive in both Holland and Pat Winkel before Lee lifted a sacrifice fly to score Prato. By the end of the 7th inning it was a tie game at 5. In the top of the 9th inning Alex Isola singled home both Jake Rucker and Lee before a Yoyner Fajardo single plated Isola. The Wind Surge had their first lead of the game and it came at a great time. Despite Frisco getting a run back in the bottom of the 9th inning, this one ended 8-6. Severino and Fajardo both had a pair of hits on the evening. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 3, Cedar Rapids 0 (Game 1) Box Score After a rainout on Wednesday the Kernels played a pair against Quad Cities on Thursday. Pierson Ohl worked a complete game in the opener going six innings. He allowed three runs on nine hits while striking out four and walking none. Quad Cities scored in the bottom half of the 1st inning and that would be enough of a lead to win this one. The Kernels were able to put up only four hits and three dropped the first half of the twin bill. Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 2 (Game 2) Box Score Looking to even the day, Cedar Rapids sent Mike Paredes to the mound. He worked 2 2/3 innings allowing one run on a pair of hits and a trio of walks. He did strike out two. Regi Grace continues to be a bright spot in relief and picked up his second save while working a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Misael Urbina started the scoring with a single that plated Noah Miller in the 1st inning. A Jose Salas ground out then brought Tanner Schobel home and Cedar Rapids was off and running. Quad Cities answered with a run in the 2nd inning, but the Kernels immediately responded. Salas ripped his third double of the year in the 3rd inning to score Schobel for a second time in the nightcap and Jeferson Morales lifted a sacrifice fly to score Kala’i Rosario. Up 4-1, the Kernels would withstand a late run by Quad Cities and wound up taking game two. Emmanuel Rodriguez, who has been scuffling since his return, had a nice multi-hit game. MUSSEL MATTERS For Myers 4, Tampa 0 Box Score Develson Aria took the mound and was lights out against Tampa on Thursday night. He worked five innings and put up a scoreless effort on the evening. He allowed just two hits and struck out seven while walking just three. Aria lowered his season ERA to 3.38 with the outing. Andrew Cossetti started the scoring in the 4th inning with a sacrifice fly to score Jorel Ortega. Ricardo Olivar then flew out to left field but scored Danny De Andrade in the process. Before the frame was over Dalton Shuffield reached on an error that allowed Carlos Aguiar to cross the plate. Up 3-0, the Mighty Mussels had some breathing room. De Andrade ripped a solo shot, his first homer of the season, in the 6th inning to make it 4-0. That’s where this one ended. De Andrade reached twice and recorded two of the five Fort Myers hits. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Develson Aria (Fort Myers) - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Day – Trevor Larnach (St. Paul) - 2-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 HR(2) 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 (Wichita) - 0-3, 2 R, RBI, BB K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-6, BB, 3 K #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 0-5, 2 K #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-6, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-6, R, BB K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2 R, BB, K #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, RBI, BB, K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (6:37PM CST) - LHP Brent Headrick Wichita @ Frisco (7:05PM CST) - LHP Blayne Enlow Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - RHP C.J. Culpepper Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! View full article

The Twins lost to the Yankees and gave up a dozen runs. The Saints lost to the Red Wings for the first time, ever. The Kernels and Wind Surge also gave up double-digit runs and were shutout. Thursday is a new day! But a few players still had good games, and we even have some fun trivia and good news for a Minnesota product. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Danny De Andrade) It's days like this where it's important to remember that the minor leagues are primarily about player development. And then we can continue by saying that sometimes people can learn the most from their adversity and bad days. That is an absolute truth. But when the big-league club gets blown out, and two affiliates not only give up double-digit runs but also get shut out, and another affiliate mounted a comeback only to lose it right away, it can be tough. That said, there's good in everything and there are highlights or players from each level that need to be discussed. Also, learn more about a Minnesota pitcher who appears destined for a big-league debut in 2023. And, we even added a little fun trivia for you to think about and discuss. So, how about we get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS After tossing five long-relief innings against the Yankees on Wednesday afternoon, Brent Headrick was optioned to the Saints. Corresponding move(s) coming before the Twins four-game series against the Royals starts on Thursday. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 2, Rochester 7 Box Score As you saw above, there was only a single transactions in the Twins organization on Wednesday. However, we have to assume that there are going to be at least a couple on Thursday as the Twins pitching depth is again being tested. Because of that, the Saints pitching depth has been tested as well. On Wednesday night, Jose De Leon made the start for the Red Wings. The righty from Puerto Rico gave up three runs (1 earned) on four hits in four innings. He walked three and struck out four batters. Connor Sadzeck came on in relief and threw two scoreless innings against a team he once played for. He gave up one hit, walked none and struck out three. Trivia: Ten members of the St. Paul Saints have been a part of the Rochester Red Wings in the past. I’ll give you one. Saints Manager Toby Gardenhire played for the Red Wings in 2010 and 2011. He was set to be the Red Wings manager for the 2020 season. He also spent half of a season as Mike Quade’s third base coach after the former Cubs manager (and current Twins minor-league outfield coordinator) had an arm surgery. In the comments below, let’s see if we can come up with the other nine? Anyway… Dereck Rodriguez came on for the seventh inning. He was charged with four runs on five hits. Patrick Murphy then struck out two batters in a scoreless eighth inning. The Saints actually got on the scoreboard first. Jair Camargo hit his first Triple-A home run, a solo shot in the third inning. The other Saints run came in the sixth inning when former Red Wings outfielder Andrew Stevenson singled in a run. The outfielder went 1-for-4 against his old teammates and stole his ninth base of the season. The Saints had base runners. They had seven hits and four walks. Edouard Julien had a double and a walk. Matt Wallner had a double, a walk, and was hit by a pitch in the game. Alex Kirilloff did not play in this game. Ryan LaMarre spent the game at first base. It was just the third time that he played at first base in his 14 seasons as a professional baseball player. He played two games there in 2021 for Scranton/Wilkes Barre. The loss ended the Saints five-game winning streak. The Saints also lost to the Red Wings for the first time since joining the International League in 2021 (7-1). Former Twin Travis Blankenhorn got the night off. The night before he hit a double to extend his on-base streak to 10 games. Finally, the winning pitcher for Rochester on Wednesday night was Bloomington Jefferson graduate Jake Irvin. The 6’-6” right-hander gave up two runs on five hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six batters. Irvin graduated from Jefferson in 2015. That year, he was drafted in the 37th round by the Twins. However, he went to the University of Oklahoma and three years later, he was the Nationals’ fourth-round pick. He pitched quite well his first two pro seasons and was part of the Nationals’ player pool in 2020. He didn’t pitch in the big leagues, and then he got hurt. He had surgery in October of 2020 and missed the entire 2021 season. He returned in 2022 and made 24 starts between High-A and Double-A. After the season, he was added to the Nationals’ 40-man roster. He had a solid showing this spring and it’s very possible he will make his big-league debut this season. His velocity has actually improved post-surgery which is always encouraging. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 0, Springfield 10 Box Score With one out in the top of the fifth inning, the game was scoreless. Travis Adams was dealing with 4 1/3 scoreless innings. And then things turned. He gave up a single before Matt Koperniak hit a two-run homer. The next batter reached on an error, and Adams’ day was done. Tyler Beck, making his return after missing the 2022 season after Tommy John surgery, came in and struggled for the first time this season. He walked the first two batters he faced to load the bases. Then a bloop single scored two runs (one charged to Adams). Beck issued another walk to reload the bases. He got a ground out for the second out, but a run did score. Another walk loaded the bases and Ramon Borrego came out and brought Hunter McMahon in. A line out to left ended the five-fun innings. McMahon pitched a scoreless sixth frame. He came back out of the seventh and gave up two runs on three two hits and a walk before Seth Nordlin came on with one out. Whereas McMahon stranded the three base runners he inherited, McMahon left with two runners on base, and both scored. Nordlin gave up three hits and two runs of his own too. He gave up a third run on two more hits in the eighth frame. Michael Boyle pitched a scoreless ninth inning. The Wind Surge offense struggled throughout the only Yoyner Fajardo had the lone hit of the day, a single, and he also had one of the four walks the team had. Not-So-Fun Fact: The Wind Surge have now played in five afternoon/morning games. In those games, they are 0-5 and have been outscored 45-11. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, West Michigan 10 Box Score On Tuesday night, the Kernels shutout West Michigan. On this night, they scored 10 runs on 16 hits and shut down the Kernels offense. Something about Turnabout being fair play, or something? Jordan Carr started, and he did a decent job of limiting damage. He went five innings and gave up three runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out seven batters. Matt Mullenbach gave up a one over two innings, and Matt Swain gave up a run in the eighth inning. Charlie Neuweiler got two outs in the ninth inning but gave up five runs on four hits and a walk. John Wilson came on and needed one pitch to end the inning. The Kernels were shutout for the first time this year, and three hits is tied for their fewest on the season. Ben Ross had two of the three hits, both doubles. Check out this Jeff Johnson article from The Gazette in Cedar Rapids on Kernels pitcher Regi Grace . MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Daytona 7 Box Score Down 5-1 through seven innings, the Mussels rallied with four runs in the top of the eighth to tie the game. However, Daytona scored two in the bottom of that inning and held on for the win. Cory Lewis was back on the mound to start. In 4 2/3 innings, he gave up three runs (1 earned) on five hits. He walked just one and struck out nine batters. The two runs he gave up in the third inning were a bit of bad luck. After striking out the first batter, he struck out the next batter, but the ball got by the catcher and the batter reached base. After a second out, Lewis had a throwing error that allowed runners to reach first and third. With two outs, he struck out the next batter, but again, it rolled by the catcher and allowed everyone to advance. Another run scored on a single up the middle. AJ Labas got the final out of the fifth inning and then pitched a perfect sixth inning as well. Hard-throwing Juan Mendez gave up two runs in the seventh inning and then after the game was tied, he gave up two more in the eighth. Combined, he gave up four runs on two hits and three walks in two innings. In the four-run eighth inning for the Mussels, Andrew Cossetti scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch. The bases filled again, but Jorel Ortega emptied them with a double to tie the game… temporarily. Danny De Andrade, who played hero the night before, was the lone Mussel with two hits in the game, and both of them were triples. Cossetti went 1-for-2 with a walk, and he was hit by a pitch twice. Fort Myers had seven hits and six walks, but they went 1-for-10 with Runners in Scoring Position and left 11 on base. Mussel batters struck out 17 times in the game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cory Lewis (Fort Myers) - 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1ER, 1 BB, 9 K Hitter of the Day – Danny De Andrade (Fort Myers) - 2-for-4, BB, 2-3B, BB, 1 R, 1 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-for-4, K #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, 2B, 2 K. SB. #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2, BB, K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, BB, 2B, HBP, K. #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 3 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K. #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, K THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Rochester (10:05 AM CST) - RHP Louie Varland (1-0, 5.59 ERA) Springfield @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-1, 14.21 ERA) West Michigan @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-1, 1.59 ERA) Fort Myers @ Daytona (5:35 PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! View full article

The Twins' minor league seasons are underway, and there are top prospects to follow at every level. Here are Minnesota's most and least aggressive prospect assignments in the farm system. Image courtesy of William Parmeter Earlier this week, MLB Pipeline examined minor league rosters across baseball and found the most and least aggressive prospect assignments. Player development only sometimes follows a linear path. Some players need to repeat a level to prove their performance was legitimate. Other players must repeat a level because they struggled in the previous campaign. Here's a look into the Twins farm system and some of the most and least aggressive assignments. Most Aggressive Danny De Andrade, Low-A Age: 19 De Andrade is the only teenager on the Fort Myers roster, and he's two years younger than any other player on his team. Last season, he played 48 games with the FCL Twins, where he was nearly two years younger than the average age of the competition. In 204 plate appearances, he hit .242/.333/.371 (.704) with nine doubles, one triple, four home runs, and a 34-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's young for his level, but the Twins believe he can find success while facing older competition. Emmanuel Rodriguez, High-A Age: 20 Eyes across the baseball world will be on Rodriguez this season after a breakout 2022 campaign. In 47 games, he hit .272/.493/.552 (1.044) with five doubles, three triples, nine home runs, and more walks (57) than strikeouts (52). His season ended early after injuring his knee on a slide into second base, so the Twins could have sent him back to Low-A, where he'd still be young for the level. Instead, he's among a handful of top prospects on the Cedar Rapids roster. Connor Prielipp, High-A Age: 22 Entering the season, Prielipp had yet to throw a professional inning after being drafted by the Twins in the second round last June. He had the potential to be a first-round pick, but some teams avoided him because he was returning from Tommy John surgery. The Twins could have let him get his feet wet in Fort Myers, but the club has confidence that he is one of the organization's top pitching prospects. He's over a year younger than the average age of the competition in the Midwest League, so he should pitch the bulk of his innings at High-A in 2023. Least Aggressive Brooks Lee, Double-A Age: 22 Lee is considered the top Twins prospect by many national outlets. The Twins were very aggressive with him after taking him in the first round last year. He played at three different levels and finished the season in Wichita. Twins fans saw a lot of Lee during spring training as he played in 14 games and had 47 plate appearances. An argument could have been made for Lee to begin the year at Triple-A, but the Saints roster has more veteran players ahead of Lee on the depth chart. If Lee continues to perform well, he should reach Triple-A in the season's second half. Edouard Julien, Triple-A Age: 23 Julien is looking to build off a breakout season between Double-A and the Arizona Fall League. He came to spring training with a chance to break camp with the big-league club. He posted a 1.114 OPS this spring and was impressive during the World Baseball Classic while serving as Canada's lead-off hitter. Jorge Polanco's injury could have opened an opportunity for him to make his big-league debut. Still, the Twins thought getting some experience at the Triple-A level was more important. Author's note: Julien was called up earlier this week to take Joey Gallo's roster spot. Should the Twins have been more or less aggressive with these prospect assignments? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 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

MLB has limited defensive shifts, making putting the ball in play even more critical in the coming years. Here are five Twins prospects to watch during the 2023 season because of their hit tool. Image courtesy of William Parmeter In recent years, the Twins have been lucky to have some strong hitters come through the farm system. Minnesota expects Alex Kirilloff and Jose Miranda to be key contributors to the 2023 roster, while former Twin Luis Arraez is coming off the AL Batting Title. Will any of the prospects below be the team's next batting champ? Scouts and front office personnel use a 20-80 scale to evaluate players' tools. This ranking system also projects how those tools will improve as the player develops. Below are the top five Twins prospects regarding current and future hit tool potential. 5. Edouard Julien, IF Current Hit/Future Hit: 45/55 MLB Pipeline gives other Twins prospects a 50-hit tool, but it's hard to have a top-5 list and not include Julien. Last season, he hit .300/.441/.490 (.931) with 39 extra-base hits in 113 Double-A games. The Twins sent him to the Arizona Fall League, and he went 28-for-70 (.400) with five doubles and five home runs in 21 games. Julien has been tremendous for Canada in the World Baseball Classic, but the Twins have already optioned him to Triple-A. The only question that remains is how much he can help the Twins in 2023. 4. Austin Martin, SS/OF Current Hit/Future Hit: 50/55 Martin is coming off a tough 2022 season that saw him fall from a consensus top-100 prospect to needing to prove himself in 2023. He finished the year on a high note by hitting .277/.392/.431 (.823) in September. The Twins sent him to the Arizona Fall League, and he continued his hot hitting. In 97 plate appearances, he hit .374/.454/.482 (.936) with seven extra-base hits and more walks (8) than strikeouts (7). Minnesota worked with Martin on his swing to get more power, but that approach didn't work, and he was feeling more like himself this spring. Unfortunately, a UCL sprain in his right elbow will cause him to miss the start of the 2023 season. 3. Bryan Acuna, SS Current Hit/Future Hit: 55/60 Acuna is the younger brother of Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., and they have very similar swings. The Twins signed him as part of the 2022 international class for roughly $870,000. He debuted professionally in the Dominican Summer League last season and hit .310/.409/.393 (.803) with 12 doubles. He has grown up around baseball and is known for his ability to make solid contact. Entering his age-17 season, he will come stateside, where the Twins can get an even closer look at the younger Acuna. He projects to be smaller than his brother, but that doesn't mean he can't have a better hit tool. 2. Danny De Andrade, SS/3B Current Hit/Future Hit: 55/60 De Andrade has fewer than 100 games played, but he has already made his mark on the Twins organization. MLB.com ranked him as the 14th-best prospect in 2021, and the Twins signed him for $2.2 million. He's known for his bat-to-ball skills, but he can chase pitches out of the zone. De Andrade showed improvement last season in laying off balls and hit .284/.393/.453 (.846) with nine extra-base hits from July 4- August 16. All but five of his plate appearances came against older pitchers, which makes his performance even more impressive. He should get his first taste of Low-A this year in his age-19 campaign. 1. Brooks Lee, SS Current Hit/Future Hit: 65/65 Many evaluators considered Lee the top college hitter in the 2022 MLB Draft, so the Twins were ecstatic that he fell to them with the eighth overall pick. In three collegiate seasons, he hit .351/.426/.647 (1.073) with more walks (64) than strikeouts (63). He played well in wood-bat summer leagues throughout college, which helped increase his draft stock. He played at three levels during his pro debut and hit .303/.389/.451 (.839) with six doubles and four home runs. He's a switch hitter with tremendous bat-to-ball skills that help him generate power. Lee will likely start the year at Double-A, but there's a chance he will make his debut in 2023. Who do you think has the best hit tool in the Twins system? Should someone else make the list? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article