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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

Three Twins affiliates didn't hit much, but it was a Twins prospect who had a no-hit bid on Wednesday night. A slugger is emerging in Fort Myers. Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Wednesday. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photos of Andrew Cossetti) The Twins offense exploded for 10 runs on Wednesday night at Fenway Park. However, the Saints, Wind Surge, and Kernels offenses really struggled to put things together. The Mighty Mussels had an interesting game. Their bats showed up early, and they took a no-hitter to the seventh inning. Find out how it ended. And while it's Twins news, minor-league report readers have to be thrilled for Edouard Julien's play in Boston. And, MLB debuts are always fun. Lefty Brent Headrick was called up on Sunday and made his debut on Wednesday. Joe Ryan pitched the first six innings. Headrick pitched the final three innings to become the 19th player in MLB history to record a three-inning Save in his MLB debut (Saves became a stat in 1969). Let’s get to today's Minnesota Twins Minor League Report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins activated OF/1B Joey Gallo and optioned OF Kyle Garlick to St. Paul. Cedar Rapids announced that IF Ernie Yake has been transferred back to the Kernels from the Saints. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 1, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 3 (game called in 8th inning due to weather) Box Score The weather isn’t expected to be good the rest of the week, but the Saints were able to get through seven innings on Wednesday night. Aaron Sanchez started and gave up one run on six hits. In five innings, he walked three and struck out five batters. Josh Winder came on and gave up two runs on one hit in the sixth inning, the big hit being a home run by Billy McKinney. Winder got one out in the seventh inning before Jordan Balazovic came on to get the final two outs of the inning. He got one out in the eighth as well, so two of the three batters he faced, he struck out. He threw 22 pitches, and 16 of them were strikes. The Saints were unable to put any sort of rally together. They had six hits and two walks, but they managed just one run. Matt Wallner was the only Saints player to get on more than once. He walked twice (and had an outfield assist). Jorge Polanco went 1-for-4 with a strikeout in his second rehab game in St. Paul. Polanco scored the Saints run on a single by Andrew Bechtold. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 0, Tulsa 4 Box Score Like you see so often at minor-league locations around the country, the Wind Surge played a weekday morning game in Tulsa, allowing kids from local elementary schools to attend a game. While the players all woke up in plenty of time for the game, their bats just didn’t. Wichita had five hits in the game and walked three additional times, but they were unable to come up with a needed hit. They were just 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base. Seth Gray went 1-for-2 and walked twice. David Festa made his third start of the season. He gave up two runs on three hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. He recorded six strikeouts. In 14 2/3 innings this season, he has 20 strikeouts and a WHIP of just 0.89. Osiris German came on and got five outs, only allowing a walk. Hunter McMahon also got five outs, but he gave up two runs on a walk, a hit batter, and a home run. Jordan Brink came on to get the final out. In the fourth inning, Alerick Soularie was hit in the hand by a Nick Brasso fastball. He left the game for a pinch runner. It definitely looked painful. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Beloit 5 Box Score For Kyle Jones, two of the three innings that he pitched were scoreless innings. Unfortunately, he gave up five runs in the second inning. In three innings, he gave up those five runs on six hits and two walks. The bullpen did very well though. Malik Barrington came on and struck out five batters over two scoreless innings. Berlin’s Niklas Rimmel gave up three hits, but no runs, over two scoreless innings. Matthew Swain pitched a scoreless frame. It was just not a good night for the Kernels hitters. They had seven walks, but they managed just three hits in the game. Jose Salas led the way. He went 1-for-2 with two walks. Kala’i Rosario had a walk and a double. He also had an outfield assist. On Tuesday morning, the Kernels had an open house for The Annex, an addition to the stadium that includes more room for batting tunnels, workout equipment and more. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Jupiter 8 Box Score In his first start of the year, left Develson Aria gave up two runs in three innings, but along with four walks, he also struck out seven batters. On Wednesday night, Aria threw five scoreless, no-hit innings for the Mighty Mussels. The 22-year-old only had four strikeouts, but most important, he had just two walks. Aria left the game with a 6-0 lead. Juan Mendez worked a scoreless sixth inning and kept the no-hit bid alive. However, the seventh was not a good inning for the Mussels. Mendez was charged with two runs, and Jhonathan Lavallee came on and before getting the final two outs was charged with three runs over his own. He got one more out in the eighth inning, but in his one inning of work was charged with four runs on three hits and a walk. Zach Veen got the final five outs. He was charged with two runs on three hits. He struck out two batters without walking any hitters. On Tuesday night, catcher Andrew Cossetti hit a 108-mph home run. On Wednesday night, he went 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and four RBI. He hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning, his third of the season. It had an exit velocity of 110.9 mph. Cossetti was the Twins 11th round pick in 2022 out of St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Ricardo Olivar, another catcher, played center field in this game. He is hitting .306 after going 3-for-5 with his third double of the season in this game. Jorel Ortega was 2-for-3 with two walks. Michael Helman played in his second rehab game. He DHd and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. He also stole a base which is probably the best indicator that his hamstring is ready to go. Aria’s fastball early in the game was 93-94. By his third inning, he was sitting 91-92 most of the time. Throws a breaking ball upper-70s to 80 mph. Mendez’s fastball sat between 95 and 98.6 mph. He throws really hard. Also throws a cutter/slider in the low-to-mid 80s. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Develson Aria (Fort Myers) - 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day – Andrew Cossetti (Fort Myers) - 3-for-4, BB, HR(3), 2 R, 4 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) - 1-for-4, K, E(1) #5 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 3-for-4, HBP, HR(2), 2 R, 2 RBI. #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-2, 2 BB #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-for-1, 2 BB #13 - David Festa (Wichita) - 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K (83 pitches, 51 strikes, 61.5%) #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, BB, K #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 3 K. #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K Thursday's Twins Minor League Pitching Probables Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ St. Paul (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Jose De Leon (0-0, 4.35 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams (1-1, 12.71 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Jordan Carr (0-0, 2.25 ERA) Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - Cory Lewis (1-1, 4.82) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! 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While only the short season leagues play on Monday’s, the Dominican Summer League club had the day off so it was all Florida Complex League action. Get caught up on how the action went. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Orioles 2, FCL Twins 1 Box Score The Twins turned to Develson Aria today and got three strong innings. He allowed just a single hit while striking out a batter and walking another. Through four innings, the Orioles had just one hit. It wasn’t just the Orioles finding themselves stifled in this one though. It wasn’t until Rafael Cruz crushed his 2nd home run of the season until the Twins were on the board. Despite tallying a total of six hits, that was their only run of the game. The Orioles were able to rally four two runs against Isiah Rivera in the bottom of the 9th inning and walked it off against the Twins. DOMINICAN DAILIES Scheduled Day Off DRAFT PICK UPDATES A handful of the top picks have been promoted to Low-A Fort Myers or High-A Cedar Rapids. Most of the picks have also made their professional debut at one level or another. Infielder Jorel Ortega was 1-for-1 with the Mighty Mussels, but then removed from the game after a slide and has been placed on the 60-day injured list with a left wrist sprain. Ben Ross has played five games with Fort Myers and owns a 1.076 OPS with two homers. Nate Baez is 3-for-11 to start his Low-A career. Promoted to Cedar Rapids last week, Brooks Lee has now played in nine games. He's 12-for-36 with two homers. Every bit the polished prospect he was originally billed, Cedar Rapids fans should have a blast seeing Twins Daily's second-best prospect. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Develson Aria (FCL Twins) - 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K Hitter of the Day – Rafael Cruz (FCL Twins) - 3-4, R, 2B, HR(2) TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (6:38PM CST) - TBD Wichita @ Frisco (7:05PM CST) - RHP Brent Headrick Cedar Rapids @ Lake County (5:35PM CST) - TBD Lakeland @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Monday’s games! It sure is exciting to have all four Twins full-season affiliates and the two Complex Season affiliates back and playing. View full article

Although we no longer have the Gulf Coast League or the Appalachian League, short season action still commenced with the newly-designed Complex Leagues in Florida and Arizona. Plenty of Twins prospects are getting their first taste of pro ball after a shutdown in 2020. This is Twins Daily’s annual effort to make note of the standout arms in the group. Before getting into this year’s crop, here are the previous recipients of this award: 2016: Huascar Ynoa 2017: Jovani Moran 2018: Andrew Cabezas 2019: Cody Lawyerson There were a handful of notable performances this season. With every organization putting such a premium on developing pitching, having players stand out early at the lowest level is a must. Being able to continue to foster that growth throughout their experience in professional baseball is what hopefully will translate to major-league success. Coming off a year with no minor league action, these guys really stepped up when returning to the mound. Before getting into the top three, here are some honorable mentions. Others Receiving Votes: Giovahniey German 12 G, 11 GS, 5.59 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 38.2 IP, 33 H, 32 BB, 43 K John Wilson 14 G, 3.86 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 23.1 IP, 32 H, 4 BB, 16 K Ramon Pineda 13 G, 4.35 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 20.2 IP, 22 H, 2 BB, 17 K Cole Bellair 10 G, 6.43 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 21.0 IP, 27 H, 7 BB, 34 K Short Season Pitcher of the Year Here are the top three vote-getters for Twins Short Season Pitcher of the Year. 3. Develson Aria 13 G, 6 GS, 3.16 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 25.2 IP, 14 H, 23 BB, 39 K Aria was signed out of the Dominican Republic prior to the 2019 season. He played stateside for the first time this year at the age of 20. Despite lacking command on the bump, Aria posted gaudy strikeout numbers and was able to work around potential damage. Notably, he avoided allowing any home runs during his 25 2/3 innings of work. 2. Juan Mendez 12 G, 5 GS, 3.58 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 21 H, 14 BB, 37 K Making his professional debut, Mendez was 22-years-old for the FCL team this year. He allowed opposing batters to hit just .196 off of him and gave up just two home runs during his season of work. Signed in 2020 as a free agent, Mendez put a strong foot forward to start his pro career. 1. Samuel Perez 13 G, 1 GS, 1.45 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 37.1 IP, 29 H, 5 BB, 39 K Working primarily as a reliever, Perez was utterly dominant for the Complex League squad this year. He posted more than a strikeout per inning and had a sub 1.00 WHIP. Perez made his stateside debut this season after being signed by the Twins organization in June 2021. Having previously played in the Dominican Summer League through the Angels organization, Perez has consistently posted strong strikeout numbers and low ERA totals. He is now 21-years-old and will be looking towards a debut with Fort Myers next season. The Ballots Seth Stohs - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Juan Mendez 3) Develson Aria Nash Walker - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Develson Aria 3) John Wilson Cody Christie - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Juan Mendez 3) Develson Aria Tom Froemming - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Juan Mendez 3) Ramon Pineda Ted Schwerzler - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Giovahniey German 3) John Wilson Steve Lien - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Develson Aria 3) Juan Mendez David Youngs - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Giovahniey German 3) Juan Mendez Allen Post - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Juan Mendez 3) Develson Aria Matt Braun - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Juan Mendez 3) Cole Bellair Feel free to discuss. What do you think? How would you rank them? How would your ballot look? View full article