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We’re all excited to see what’s in store for these guys, but now’s not the time for the Twins to get cute with it. Image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports Pump the brakes on Brooks Lee. For that matter, the same applies to Austin Martin, Yunior Severino, Jair Camargo, Chris Williams, and DaShawn Keirsey. Lee is the third baseman of the future, hopefully. Martin, Severino, Camargo, Williams, and Keirsey will all likely appear in games for the Twins at some point during 2024, but we don’t need to put the cart before the horse. The Twins have a number of decisions to make with an already crowded infield, a questionable mix at first base, a backup catcher making $10 million in both 2024 and 2025, a hole in centerfield, and an unclear budget for making additions. Many of the aforementioned names could be written in as key contributors in those spots. However, none of those players are beating down the hatches. Lee has 60 games at AAA with a mediocre August and a solid September. Martin similarly has 59 games and one outstanding month in St. Paul. Severino and Keirsey have even less than that. Williams and Camargo are both in their mid-20s coming off great offensive years, but they still haven’t gotten a single plate appearance in MLB. None should be the answer to any question at the beginning of 2024. It would put the Twins in a very difficult spot. If Martin or Keirsey are your personal long-term answer in center field, you’re welcome to that. You might see Camargo as a long-term backup catcher, replacing Vazquez. Forcing that to happen in March is a problem. The recent success of rookies Royce Lewis, Edouard Julien, and Matt Wallner has been incredible, but it’s important not to expect that level of production to be the norm, even for prospects at the top of organizational rankings. It’s not normal. Their success was exceptional. They themselves may struggle to find the same level of success going forward. So often prospects, even those who are hyped and go on to have great careers, struggle in their early stints. Names like Torii Hunter or Michael Cuddyer come to mind, struggling for years to find their footings before becoming mainstays in the Twins lineup for a decade. Other prospects don’t manage to get their footing at all, such as more recent examples like Stephen Gonsalves, Alex Meyer, Oswaldo Arcia, or Joe Benson. It’s difficult to project success, even in players at the upper levels of the minor leagues. Both Jose Miranda and Trevor Larnach have shown flashes of being very good players, but they have also gone through extended stretches that cast a cloud over their long-term outlook—and both were Opening Day starter in 2023. If that’s not the organization showing a reliance on them, I’m not sure what is. Fortunately, Miranda and Larnach were able to be replaced by Lewis and Wallner, respectively, but it would be foolish to assume that that outcome was always a given. What if the team didn’t open the season with Lewis and Wallner in reserve as alternative options? What if they were going to sink or swim with Miranda and Larnach? They would have been in trouble. Likewise, starting 2024 with upper minors depth in key roles is asking for the same. The Twins clearly have a philosophy in this type of situation, and it’s probably the right one—they want depth. That’s exposed in the acquisitions of players like Michael A. Taylor, Joey Gallo, and Donovan Solano. Granted, not all of these types of acquisitions are beneficial, but that’s kind of the point. They want options. Do those options sometimes block our favorite prospects on the depth chart? Sure. But it also allows those prospects to be a short-term backup plan, protecting them and the team. Blocking prospects is the cost of bringing in big league depth. Beginning the year with some sort of big leaguer in those roles ensures better talent is in the organization. Those same big leaguers wouldn’t take a minor league deal to serve as a backup to the prospects. The decision is effectively between bringing in an MLB veteran and having a top prospect as a backup or having a top prospect with a minor league veteran as a backup plan. One of those plans has a better rate of success. It’s risky business trusting a big league role to someone who’s never seen an MLB pitch, and it can go wrong in any number of ways, be it performance or injury. Sure, the MLB veteran could struggle or get injured too, but it’s much more comforting to be able to turn to a top prospect than a career minor leaguer in that event. If any of the aforementioned players do break camp with the team, it’s not the end of the world. They all have the potential to be competent pieces at minimum. It just shouldn’t be what any of us are clamoring for. They’ll be here when it’s time. Right now, the Twins have a division to win. View full article

The Twins are cutting and potentially slashing payroll this winter. While this will undoubtedly result in a rightfully negative response, it will create opportunity. Which players stand to benefit from the Twins reducing payroll? Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports If the reports hold that the Twins are attempting to cut payroll from over $150m in 2023 to $125-140, the expectations for activity this offseason can be lowered significantly. The downside of this is obvious. The Twins likely can’t afford to bring in a proven slugger like Rhys Hoskins for first base. Safer Sonny Gray replacements, such as Eduardo Rodriguez or Aaron Nola, can be all but written off. There will be plenty of negativity around this news, and it’s all warranted. However, the payroll reduction will create opportunities for some players within the organization, likely the sole positive of pulling back on spending. Austin Martin With center field as one of the primary needs this offseason, Martin could be part of the solution. It would be great to sign Kevin Kiermaier or bring back Michael A. Taylor, but these names may price themselves out of the Twins' plans due to requiring multiple years or a one-year deal at a premium. Willi Castro became a passable center fielder in 2023, and they still hope that Byron Buxton will return to the field at some point. Austin Martin would be the fallback option, undoubtedly getting a big chance to stick in 2024 if everything stays the same. Martin slashed .263/.386/.405 in St. Paul last season, and the Twins are high on his ability to handle center. He stole 16 bases in 59 games, and his six homers were the most he’s hit in a season in professional ball. Martin’s skill set would be a great complement to the Twins' lineup with his ability to get on base and lack of strikeouts, and he could even become a platoon leadoff hitter against lefties if everything breaks right. Yunior Severino Even after Alex Kirilloff’s shoulder injury proved less significant than initially thought, the Twins likely need more confidence in the former top prospect’s ability to lock down first base for 2024. A right-handed option to platoon is a reasonable ask to insulate the position. Such a role may be less of a priority with limited funds available. Severino has little to prove after leading the minors with 35 homers in 2023. He got off to a rough start in his Triple-A debut but finished with a slash line of .233/.320/.511, and the Twins saw enough to add him to the 40-man roster after the season. Severino is a strikeout-prone light tower power hitter with a defensive profile likely to slot in best at first base. His ability to switch hit makes up for some of his lack of versatility, and he could carve out a career for himself as an all-or-nothing slugger capable of being a legitimate offensive weapon when he’s running hot. At 24 years old, Severino’s time may come in 2024, as the first call-up should Alex Kirilloff miss more time. Jair Camargo To combat the financial limitations, the Twins may not only spend less but look to shed salary from places they can afford to add elsewhere adequately. Should they decide to do so, Christian Vazquez becomes a prime candidate to ship out to another team. After not appearing in a single postseason game, it’s obvious Vazquez is the backup to Ryan Jeffers, and his total collapse offensively in 2023 makes him more replaceable despite his still great defense. Camargo profiles as a perfect backup catcher: He spent all of 2023 in St. Paul, hitting .259/.323/.503 with 21 homers in 90 games, he has received solid reviews on his defense and pitch calling, and his raw power gives him enough of a floor to be an asset to an MLB squad for several years. Camargo would likely debut in 2024 regardless after being added to the 40-man. Trading away an MLB catcher may push him onto the Opening Day roster. The Twins have internal options should they slash payroll, as in addition to the listed names above, they have several other young players on their way. Deshaun Kiersey Jr. may create a strong career for himself in center field. Several pitchers, such as David Festa, could see an earlier debut should the Twins shop in the bargain bin to replace Sonny Gray. At least with the deflating news comes the excitement of young players potentially debuting. Are there any other internal options that stand to benefit from the payroll decrease? Let us know below! View full article

It's that time of the year again! Major League teams need to set their 40-man rosters in advance of the annual Rule 5 draft. Every team has decisions to make. Some are easy decisions. Some are hard decisions. And some teams will make mind-numbingly bad decisions. Or at least that's what their fans think. We cover the Rule 5 draft and more in the twelfth episode of Destination: The Show. 0:00 Intro 4:00 Craig Counsell to the Cubs 10:14 Kala'i Rosario wins the AFL Home Run Derby 14:32 Rule 5 - what is it? 18:35 What happens when a player is drafted? 21:00 How common is it to find a great player? 25:50 What teams are looking for? 27:30 Brewers Overview - main options 33:15 Other possible Milwaukee adds 36:37 Cubs Overview 48:50 Twins Overview You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, leaving us a positive review and five star rating at iTunes or Spotify, retweeting show related content on Twitter, and subscribing to the Twins Daily YouTube page. You can follow us @DTS_POD1, @J_D_Cameron, @Jeremynygaard, and @TheodoreTollef1 on Twitter. Send us your prospect and draft related questions for our next episode. Find Destination: The Show on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, iTunes, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music. The show is available on Libsyn, our podcasting platform, in addition to YouTube. View full article

We're officially in the MLB offseason (congrats Rangers, btw). Here is a discussion on the current state of the Minnesota Twins 40-man roster and some decisions facing the front office. It's a good situation to be in, but it appears the Twins are in a bit of a roster crunch. View full video

On Monday night, the Texas Rangers took a 2-1 series lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. As soon as the final out of the World Series is in the books, there will be many new free agents. The Twins have the ability to keep a couple of intriguing minor leaguers from joining the ranks of free agents. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints In reality, the World Series could be over as early as Wednesday night. At the latest, a Game 7 would be played on Saturday. When that final out is recorded, hundreds of players will become free agents. As you know, big league pitchers Sonny Gray, Dallas Keuchel, Kenta Maeda, Tyler Mahle, and Emilio Pagan, infielder Donovan Solano, and outfielder Joey Gallo will be among the newly-minted free agents. Five days later, they can start signing with other organizations. Things get interesting on the minor-league side, and it isn't always as easy to know who is a free agent. This year, players drafted in 2017 and not on a 40-man roster will become free agents. Those players signed contracts to play in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. In addition, they were given credit for 2020 despite the season being cancelled by Covid. 2017 Draft Royce Lewis was the #1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. However, he was added to the Twins 40-man roster after the 2021 season and remains on the 40-man roster to this day. No, Royce Lewis will not be a free agent. The same is true for Bailey Ober, the team's 12th round pick in 2017. 2016 International Signings (or Earlier) In addition, players signed when they were 16 years old in 2016 who are not on the 40-man roster can also become free agents. The Twins didn't spend big on any one international prospect that year. While I found Wander Valdez and Jesus Feliz very interesting prospects, neither came close to the big leagues. One player signed that year was right-hander Prelander Berroa. However, he was traded to the Giants in the ill-fated Sam Dyson. He was later traded to the Mariners and made his MLB debut in 2023. What we can learn from Berroa, however, is that when a player is dealt to another organization, his free agency timeline doesn't change. In addition, a player signed in 2015 became a free agent after last year's World Series. When he signs another minor-league contract, he becomes a free agent again a year later. Case #1: C Jair Camargo That is the exact scenario that played out a year ago for catcher Jair Camargo. In fact, he was the one pending minor-league free agent a year ago that I recommended the Twins bring back. That is exactly what happened. The Twins and Camargo quickly came to terms on a one-year minor-league contract. The Twins have the same season again this year. Camargo signed with the Dodgers out of Colombia in 2015. He came to the Twins with Kenta Maeda in the Brusdar Graterol deal before the 2020 season. He had a breakout season in 2022 between Cedar Rapids and Wichita. Combined, he hit .262 (.793) with 18 home runs. With the minor-league signing last offseason, Camargo was left at risk to be lost in the Rule 5 draft. Fortunately, he was not selected. However, as a 23-year-old in 2023, Camargo jumped up to Triple-A St. Paul. In 90 games, he hit .259/.323/.503 (.826) with 16 doubles, 21 home runs and 63 RBI. If the two sides reach an agreement again quickly on a minor-league deal, there is no way that Camargo is not lost in the Rule 5 draft. A power-hitting catcher who is athletic and a solid-to-average defensive backstop? It's likely Camargo would be the first pick of the Rule 5 draft. The Twins were able to go through the entire 2023 season and only used two catchers, Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vazquez. That is not normal. Jeffers, 26, is entering his first arbitration season and won't be a free agent for three more years, after the 2026 season. Vazquez, 33, just completed his first season of a three-year, $30 million contract. Most years, the Twins bring in a veteran catcher or two on minor-league contracts. They essentially become the team's #3 catcher and can be recalled if and when needed. Examples of that in recent years include Tony Wolters, and later Mark Kolozsvary, in 2023. In 2022, veterans such as Chance Sisco, Grayson Greiner, and later Jose Godoy. Tomas Telis was a Triple-A catchers for the Twins for three years before that. What Should Happen? Before the World Series ends, the Twins should absolutely add Jair Camargo to their 40-man roster. That move can be done without a corresponding move as the Twins 40-man roster is already below 40. Camargo should go to spring training understanding that if Jeffers or Vazquez miss some time, he will be the first call. In addition, they should still bring in one more veteran catcher for St. Paul, and to work with other younger catchers in the organization. What Will Happen? The Twins will absolutely add Jair Camargo to their 40-man roster. Case #2: RHP Blayne Enlow The case for Enlow is a lot more difficult and a case could be made either way. In case you are new to Twins fandom, Blayne Enlow was the Twins third-round draft pick in 2017 out of high school in Louisiana. He dropped in the draft because he had a commitment to LSU and a specific number in mind that it would take to get him signed. Royce Lewis agreed to sign with the Twins well below slot and the extra money was used to sign Enlow. Enlow moved up the Twins organizational ladder slowly, but he was long a top 10 Twins prospect. He threw in the low-90s and was known to be able to spin the ball well. Unfortunately, he was not able to pitch in 2020. In 2021, he began at Cedar Rapids. Through three starts, he had a 1.84 ERA, and in 14 2/3 innings, he had 23 strikeouts. Missing bats was the one thing he needed to start doing. Unfortunately, in a bullpen, something didn't feel right in his elbow. Soon after, he had Tommy John surgery and missed the rest of that season. Still, the Twins had seen enough improvement and with his rehab that they added him to the 40-man roster after the season. He was able to return to the mound quickly, He threw 43 pitches in 1 2/3 innings of a May 7th rehab with Fort Myers, and the Twins deemed his rehab complete. They sent him to Double-A Wichita and he made 10 starts and 14 relief appearances. In 57 1/3 innings, he posted a 4.40 ERA. He had 64 strikeouts (10.0 K/9) but he also walked 30 batters (4.7 BB/9). Last offseason, the Twins were making player claims for pitchers such as Oliver Ortega. When they did that, Enlow was outrighted from the 40-man roster. He started the 2023 quite well. In Wichita, he made 11 appearances and went 3-1 with a 3.17 ERA. In 54 innings, he had 65 strikeouts (10.8 K/9) to go with just 13 walks (2.2 BB/9). He had found his lost control and he was still missing bats at career-high rates. He moved up to the Saints and made 15 appearances (12 starts). Things didn't go as well. He went 2-5 with a 7.94 ERA. In 45 1/3 innings, he had 44 strikeouts (8.7 K/9) and 19 walks (3.8 BB/9). He gave up a lot of hits and two homers per nine innings. Enlow will turn 25 in March. He's still young and still learning. He is a hard worker, and he knows the game well. However, he should have a lot of options this offseason. What Should Happen? I would like to see the Twins try to sign Enlow and keep him around another season. He lost a full season to Covid. He lost a full season due to Tommy John surgery, and that 2022 season was more about getting through the season healthy. Since he's at Triple-A and healthy, give him another six-to-eight weeks as a starter. If that doesn't go great, move him to the bullpen full-time. See how he can perform in that role where he can air it out more often and see if it can play out. The hope would, of course, be that he becomes a dominant reliever and either help the Twins in the season's second half or make himself an easy addition to the 40-man roster. If the Twins don't add Enlow to the 40-man roster, they should still attempt to sign him to a minor-league deal. However, Enlow should certainly take advantage of his free agency, talk to any and all teams that show interest and do what is best for him. Of course, that means, which team does he think he has the best opportunity to get called up to the big leagues and live out his lifelong dream. What Will Happen? I would be surprised if the Twins added him to the 40-man roster, and that's probably the right decision. I would like to think that the Twins would make him a fair minor-league offer. However, Blayne Enlow needs to go to an organization that needs pitching in the upper-levels of their minor-league system and there is more opportunity than there would be with the Twins. Other Free Agents There is one other member of the Twins 2017 draft class that is still in the organization is Andrew Bechtold. He was the Twins fifth-round pick out of Chipola. He played all over the infield during his early years in pro ball. Blessed with a huge arm, his most natural position is third base. He also spent a lot of time at second base earlier in his career and at first base the last couple of seasons. In 2021, he started working bullpens in the catchers gear and ended the season making one start behind the plate. That year, he went to the Arizona Fall League and caught some more. In 2023 with the Saints, Bechtold added another position. Because of his arm, he was given a chance to pitch out of the Saints bullpen. He made 20 appearances, and in 18 innings, he had 24 walks and 16 strikeouts. Nothing like learning on the job in the highest level of the minor leagues. What I'd Like to See Happen? I would really like to see the Twins bring Andrew Bechtold back and give him a real opportunity on the mound. See where it goes. Let him hit. Let him catch. Let him play the corner infield spots. It doesn't need to be an everyday role, but building his versatility can hopefully keep his career going. Gilberto Celestino came off of the 40-man roster as the playoffs were about to begin. He was outrighted, but because it was his first outright, he could not elect free agency. Once the World Series ends, Celestino will become a free agent. But could the Twins add the still-just-24-year-old before then and keep a right-handed outfield bat on the roster, at least for right now? Right-hander Alex Scherff was the Red Sox fifth round pick in 2017 out of high school in Texas. He came to the Twins in a July trade deadline deal in 2021 that involved Hansel Robles. Once a very exciting prospect, injuries have really cost hi a lot of consistent development time. This year, he posted a 3.57 ERA in 53 innings at Wichita. he had 66 strikeouts but also walked 31 batters. He made five appearances with the Saints. Not a guy that would be considered for the 40-man roster, but an intriguing arm worthy of a minor-league deal. Obviously this is not a complete list of potential minor-league free agents (meaning, guys who could be free agents in the next several days), but these are certainly names that likely received quite a bit of conversation in the Twins offices. If you were Derek Falvey, Thad Levine, Jeremy Zoll, Alex Hassan, Drew MacPhail, a minor league coach or coordinator and could have your voice heard, what would you recommend? View full article

The Twins signed Christian Vazquez last winter to add depth at the catcher position. However, he just finished one of the worst offensive seasons of his career, and Minnesota might need to shed some veteran salary. Image courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports One year ago, the Twins wondered what to do about the catcher position. Gary Sanchez had led the team in appearances during the 2022 season but was heading to free agency. Minnesota wanted a veteran player to pair with Ryan Jeffers behind the plate. Early in the offseason, the Twins identified Vazquez as their top free agent target and quickly signed him to a three-year, $30 million deal. The team brought him in to provide solid defense, hoping he could provide some offense at the back end of the lineup. Vazquez struggled offensively during his first season with the Twins. In 102 games, he hit .223/.280/.318 (.598) with 19 extra-base hits and 82 strikeouts. His 65 OPS+ was his lowest total since 2018. According to FanGraphs, Vazquez provided the Twins with $7.6 million worth of value during the 2023 season. Over the last five seasons, Vazquez has been worth anywhere from $28.1 million (2019) to $2.7 million (2021). There have been good and bad seasons throughout his career, so the Twins can hope he bounces back in 2024. Even with poor offensive totals, Vazquez remains a strong defensive catcher. He ranked fifth among AL catchers in SABR’s Defensive Index when the totals were last updated. Baseball Savant ranked him in the 70th percentile or higher in Blocks Above Average and Framing while also being above average in Pop Time. His Caught Stealing Above Average moved from the 34th percentile last season to the 61st percentile in 2023. His defensive numbers and how he handles a pitching staff are the main reasons the Twins continued to split time between their two catchers. Minnesota’s evolving payroll situation is in flux entering the offseason. The Twins are unsure of their television home for 2024 and beyond after their contract with Bally Sports expired at the season’s end. As John wrote over the weekend, the team’s TV rights were worth $54.8 million in 2023, and that revenue is in question for next season. Last year, the Twins' payroll was a team record $154 million on Opening Day, and the Twins have roughly $124 million committed for next season if they bring everyone back besides free agents. The Twins can trade away higher-priced veterans to open some spending, but the team will likely have to pay some of Vazquez’s contract to get anything back. The Twins have an intriguing catching prospect that played the entire 2023 season at Triple-A. Jair Camargo was acquired along with Kenta Maeda from the Dodgers leading into the 2020 season. At the time, he was a 20-year-old catcher who had yet to play a game above the High-A level. In 2023, he played 90 games at Triple-A and hit .259/.323/.503 (.826) with 16 doubles and 21 home runs. Camargo became a minor-league free agent last year but quickly signed to stay with the Twins. He is a logical candidate for the Twins to add to the 40-man roster, and they will need to do so before he again becomes a free agent at the completion of the World Series. Would the front office trust him enough to take over a backup role to Jeffers? The free-agent catcher market is sparse this winter, which might make teams more interested in trading for Vazquez. Former Twins Mitch Garver and Gary Sanchez are some of the best options, and both players have flaws in their game. Garver is seen more as a DH option, with the Rangers giving him fewer than 30 starts behind the plate. In addition to Garver's forearm surgery that cut his 2022 season in half, Jonah Heim has become an All Star backstop for the Rangers. Sanchez struggled to find an organization last season before finding a home in San Diego and posting a 116 OPS+ in 72 games. Neither player is considered strong behind the plate, and that’s why organizations might start looking for trade options. The Twins still like Vazquez, and they likely believe he can return to his previous offensive production. He previously had poor seasons and bounced back nicely the following year. However, Vazquez is 33 years old, and he’s caught over 6,200 innings at the big-league level. That’s a lot of wear and tear on a player’s legs, which can impact offensive performance toward the end of a career. Minnesota must decide which version of Vazquez will enter spring training next season. Depth became a theme for the 2023 Twins, and it’s likely one reason the team won the AL Central. Minnesota was lucky to make it through the season by only needing two catchers for the entire season. That won’t happen again next year, so the Twins will likely keep Vazquez and find other spots on the roster to make cuts. Will the Twins keep Vazquez or try to trade him? What kind of value does he have on the trade market? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

The Twins showed their hand this offseason when Ryan Jeffers started every game. With Christian Vázquez under contract through 2025, the Twins could have a compelling offseason regarding the catching tandem in place. Image courtesy of Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Christian Vázquez struggled significantly at the plate throughout much of 2023. His down year came to a head in the postseason, where his lack of a single appearance confirmed that he's undoubtedly the backup to Ryan Jeffers moving forward. On the wrong side of 30 years of age, and with multiple years of a relatively high salary remaining, could the Twins shake up the catching mix this winter? The Twins aggressively pursued Christian Vázquez last winter, eventually signing him to a 3-year, $30m contract to ensure he came to Minnesota. The bottom fell out in the deal's first year, as Vázquez posted a .598 OPS. His barrel rate plummeted to just 3.2%, and he struck out a career-high 23.1% of the time. At 32 years of age, it's fair to wonder whether this was a skills decline rather than just a down year. To the credit of Vázquez, he was still a plus defender behind the plate, something that the Twins indeed value for good reason. His blocking and framing were still excellent, even if his pop time declined. The defense is a significant consideration for two reasons. From the Twins' perspective, it may help bridge the gap between his offensive decline and the price tag. We know by now that the Twins believe in a near timeshare behind the plate to keep their catchers fresh. As long as Vázquez remains a plus defender, he'll likely still be seen as a perfectly viable option to start roughly half of the time in 2024. On the other hand, the defense could offer one final chance for the Twins to get out of the remaining $20m through 2025. After such a down year offensively, it may be hard to envision teams lining up to trade for Christian Vázquez, but it's not impossible. Just one offseason ago, the Twins had to go to great lengths to outbid multiple other teams. It may be tempting if they're willing to pay down at least some of the money to trade him and have a few million to spend elsewhere. When it comes to backup catchers, there are always plenty of options. Another significant factor in how the Twins pursue the catching position for 2024 likely has much to do with their opinion of Jair Camargo. The 24-year-old spent all of 2024 in St. Paul with a league-average .253/.323/.503 slash line. He slugged 21 homers with adequate defense behind the plate. He may not be a top prospect, but if the Twins believe he can hold his own offensively and play passable defense, he would likely be a fine backup catcher. The allure of this scenario is that Camargo would make the league minimum instead of $10m. The Twins could sign another glove-first backup at a more appropriate price tag, with Camargo still waiting in the wings in the event of injury. There may not be exciting names hitting the open market to replace Vázquez. Still, a player such as Victor Caratini could make sense as a switch hitter who provided near-league-average offense and plus defense last season and still won't break the bank. The Twins will have to decide this winter whether so much shuffling would be worth it at such a low-impact position. With revenues likely to decline with the TV network situation, it could be a reasonable way to save a few million. It's also possible they still see Vázquez as worthy of his $10m price tag, which would be fair given his strong defense. Perhaps they even project him to bounce back to some degree with the bat in 2024. After signing a sizeable three-year deal, it's been an odd first year for Christian Vázquez. Should the Twins look to move on from Christian Vázquez in 2024 to reallocate some payroll? Do they have what they need in Jair Camargo, or can they find another worthy replacement? Let us know below! View full article

St. Paul had an impressive list of top prospects pass through this season. The downside of the big names hanging around is some performances were underappreciated. Three players in particular deserved a lot more attention. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Michael Helman) Just because a player isn’t on top 100 prospect lists doesn’t mean they have no chance to impact their Major League roster. In addition to several global top prospects who are sure to have a future with the Twins, a trio of less-known names will be pushing for a shot in 2024. It should be interesting to see how things play out. Anthony Prato The former 7th-round pick Anthony Prato looked like a success story throughout his professional career through 2022, but what he did in 2023 was different. After a disappointing start with a .553 OPS in Double-A, Prato was promoted to St. Paul and never looked back. He wound up finishing the season slashing .302/.452/.539 with 10 homers and 10 steals with the Saints. He walked nearly 20% of the time while bouncing around the infield and outfield. Between his plate skills and defensive versatility, Prato looks like a legitimate option for a super-utility role. The issue, of course, is finding room for him. With several top prospects on the verge of debuts and some such as Royce Lewis and Edouard Julien already having arrived, the opportunity is slim before even mentioning the assumed return of Willi Castro in 2024. Prato is Rule 5 eligible this winter, and it’s very possible a team will take a shot on him if the Twins don’t have 40 man space. Prato deserves a shot somewhere. Michael Helman Helman had a very unfortunate season from an injury standpoint, as his right-handed bat almost surely would’ve been called upon by the Twins had he been available. After a 20-homer, 40-steal season between Wichita and St. Paul in 2022, Helman showed more of the same when healthy in 2023. Between three levels, Helman hit seven homers and stole eight bags in just over 150 plate appearances. A shoulder injury caused him to miss significant time, but he hit .296/.356/.546 with the Saints. There’s no way the Twins couldn’t have found him a spot during their offensive outage of the first half, especially when they were so in need of right-handed options. Like Prato, Helman can play just about anywhere, including shortstop in a pinch. Turning 28 next year, it’s time he gets a shot somewhere, and he’s Rule 5 eligible as well. Perhaps his lack of volume this year keeps him from getting snagged, and the hope is that a healthy 2024 gives him an opportunity to make his debut if he sticks around in the Twins system. Jair Camargo It was pretty surprising that Camargo didn’t debut this season, but the Twins were incredibly fortunate with the health of their catching duo of Christian Vázquez and Ryan Jeffers. Camargo held up his end of deserving a promotion, socking 21 homers and posting an .826 OPS from behind the plate in 2023. He has the profile of a solid backup catcher at the major-league level with his passable defense, strikeout concerns, and thunderous bat when he gets his pitch to hit. The question in 2024 will be whether the Twins trust Ryan Jeffers to take over the lion’s share of appearances behind the plate. Both defensively and offensively, Jeffers has blown Christian Vázquez out of the water, and he’s the younger option. Some have suggested that the Twins should shop Vázquez and see how much they’d have to pay to unload the remaining two years, $20 million elsewhere since it’s possible Jeffers playing time increases to a point where that dollar amount isn’t justified. If the Twins trust Jeffers to catch 60-70% of the innings behind the plate, The bar to clear for the other half of the tandem becomes lower, and Camargo is deserving of an opportunity to fill a modest role in the big leagues. A lot would have to change, but hopefully, Camargo can find a way onto the big league roster at some point in 2024. The Saints had an incredible season. Hopefully, several future pieces emerge as part of the Twins' future from the 2023 Saints roster. We know plenty of top prospects such as Brooks Lee, David Festa etc. Some of the underrated prospects deserve a lot of attention too. View full article

Playing the last minor league game of the season for the Minnesota Twins affiliates, the St. Paul Saints came out Sunday afternoon looking to avoid inclement weather for the second consecutive day. With plenty of Twins trying to get in rehab action, there was more than enough to watch. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints TRANSACTIONS RHP Chris Paddack completes rehab assignment and is activated by Minnesota RHP Josh Winder optioned to St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL Toledo 3, St. Paul 2 Box Score After a rainout on Saturday evening, the St. Paul Saints took the field Sunday afternoon for their final game of the 2023 season. Although Chris Paddack was activated by the Twins, Byron Buxton, Joey Gallo, Nick Gordon, Brock Stewart, and Jorge Alcala all continued their rehab assignments. Patrick Murphy took the ball for Toby Gardenhire on Sunday and worked four innings. Murphy allowed seven hits and three runs while giving up a walk and striking out four. Brent Headrick then took over in relief for St. Paul. The Mud Hens took the lead with a run in the second inning, and then tacked on another pair in the third inning. St. Paul got on the board in the fifth inning, and it was because of Michael Helman’s hustle that they got two. Beating out an infield single, Helman was on when Jair Camargo stepped in and launched his 21st homer of the season. The two-run blast made it a 3-2 game with the Saints drawing closer. Taking over for the seventh inning, and looking to keep things close for St. Paul, was Ronny Henriquez . He worked a scoreless inning of relief while striking out one. Hunter McMahon got the eighth inning with the Saints still needing a run to tie things up. McMahon followed Henriquez’s lead and worked a scoreless inning of his own. Unable to score in the eighth inning, Cole Sands was on to hold the deficit in the ninth, and give the Saints a chance. He did his job working a scoreless inning, and St. Paul was down to their final three outs. Yunior Severino struck out for the fourth time on the afternoon to kick off the inning, and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was a strikeout victim as well. Buxton stepped in with just one out left and worked a 3-2 count. His fly out to centerfield ended the game Gordon finished the day going 0-for-2 with a strikeout and a walk. Buxton finished 0-for-4 with a strikeout, and Gallo was 0-for-3 with a strikeout. The Saints finish their season with an 84-64 record. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day –Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K Hitter of the Day – Jair Camargo (St. Paul) - 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR(21) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 0-3 #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-2 #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 0-3, 3 K #20 - Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s game! View full article

The St. Paul Saints played their final game of the season Sunday, wrapping up the Minnesota Twins minor league system schedule for 2023. Here are some highlights from that game, including another impressive Jair Camargo home run, plus a discussion on some of the best minor league performers in the system this year. In addition to relaying my Saints hitter and pitcher of the year, I also go over those picks for the other three full-season Twins affiliates and my picks for Twins minor league players of the year and organizational all-stars. View full video

Game 2 of the Midwest League Championship Series between the Cedar Rapids Kernels and Great Lakes Loons wasn’t able to be completed on Tuesday night, but it was a great game until the rain moved in. The Saints game in St. Paul saw a plethora of rehabbers play a role, including a couple fantastic outings from rehabbing pitchers you may be interested in. Image courtesy of William Parmeter, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (photo of Andrew Morris) TRANSACTIONS The Saints had an active day in transactions, with a bunch of major league rehabbers joining the team across the river in St. Paul. RHP Chris Paddack, RHP Jorge Alcala, and LF Joey Gallo were all sent on rehab assignments with Saints. RHP Carlos Luna was transferred to the development list. RHP Curtis Taylor was promoted from the Wichita Wind Surge to the Saints. SAINTS SENTINEL Toledo 2, St. Paul 4 Box Score With the plethora of major league rehabbers joining the roster, the St. Paul Saints went with a bullpen game of sorts on Tuesday. The entire staff of seven who made an appearance was basically lights out against the Mud Hens. Hunter McMahon served as the opener and delivered a scoreless inning, working around one hit and two walks by inducing an inning-ending double-play. That would be a theme for the night, as the Saints completed four of them in total, while Toledo added three more. Austin Schulfer was the next man up and walked one and struck out one in a scoreless second inning. In the bottom half of the frame the Saints got their scoring started. Yunior Severino led off with a walk, and two-batters later Jair Camargo clubbed his 20th home run of the season for a 2-0 lead. The home team then turned the ball over to their first rehabber, in right-hander Chris Paddack. It didn’t go so well after a strikeout to his first batter, as a walk and two singles loaded the bases with one out, but Paddack bore down and struck out the next two hitters to keep the Mud Hens scoreless in the third. He went on to retire the final eight hitters he faced, picking up another strikeout in each inning to finish with five in his outing. Overall he allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out five while topping out above 98 MPH with his fastball. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Saints extended their lead to 4-0 when DaShawn Keirsey Jr. led off with a single, rehabber Nick Gordon was hit by a pitch, and rehabber Joey Gallo delivered an RBI single. Trevor Larnach followed with a single of his own to complete their two-run inning and add insurance. After Paddack’s exit Michael Boyle (1 IP, 2 K) delivered a scoreless inning before giving way to Brock Stewart. Stewart ratcheted his fastball up to 99 MPH in his inning of work, walking one in striking out one in another scoreless frame for the pitching staff. Another rehabber, Jorge Alcala then did the same in the eighth, giving up one hit but inducing another double-play ball. In the ninth, Jordan Balazovic allowed two walks to start the inning, but got a big double-play grounder himself to keep this one from going sideways. It could have done that, because the next batter slugged a two-run homer for Toledo’s only runs of the game. Balazovic struck out the final hitter to close out the win. Nick Gordon (2-for-3, R, 2B, K) and Trevor Larnach (3-for-4, RBI, K) led the way with multiple hits. Joey Gallo finished 1-for-3 with a walk, RBI, and no strikeouts. Yunior Severino drew two walks and scored a run. KERNELS NUGGETS Great Lakes 1, Cedar Rapids 0 (Suspended in the 5th inning - Rain) Box Score Well, I’m not going to be able to crown the Cedar Rapids Kernels the Midwest League Champions tonight, as their game with the Great Lakes Loons was suspended in the fifth inning. The Kernels came into the game with a 1-0 lead in the three-game series, and sent right-handed pitcher Andrew Morris to the mound. He was excellent in his five innings before the suspension, with his only blemish being a solo home run in the fourth inning. He set the Loons down in order in each of the first and third innings, needing just five pitches in the third to do so. He finished with the one run allowed on three hits, no walks, and struck out seven. Both teams have just three hits to this point, with Emmanuel Rodriguez, Jorel Ortega, and Luke Keaschall all delivering singles. Rodriguez also stole a base but the Kernels are only 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position thus far. Game two of this championship series will resume tomorrow at 5:30 PM, with the Kernels up to bat in the bottom of the fifth, and Luke Keaschall due up. If Cedar Rapids is unable to make a comeback, game three will be a seven inning contest after this one’s completion. Right-hander Cory Lewis is the scheduled starter for game three, but there could be some shuffling of that due to this suspension. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Andrew Morris, Cedar Rapids Kernels (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K) Hitter of the Day - Jair Camargo, St. Paul Saints (1-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out our full top 20 list here and how they performed on Tuesday below! #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 0-for-4 #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-2, K (game suspended) #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-3 #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-1 (game suspended) #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2 (game suspended) #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, R, 2 BB, K #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 IP, H, 2 BB, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ St. Paul (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (6-6, 4.92 ERA) Great Lakes @ Cedar Rapids, Game 3 (if necessary) - RHP Cory Lewis (0-0, 2.25 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

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

The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels season may be over, but the rest of the Twins full-season affiliates are still in action. That includes the Cedar Rapids Kernels, who began their West Division playoff series against the Peoria Chiefs on Tuesday. A slugger in triple-A also added to his tremendous home run total on the season, while the Wind Surge fans enjoyed some pitching from rehabbing major league players. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge TRANSACTIONS RHP Carlos Luna was assigned to the St. Paul Saints from Wichita, and in his place RHP Alex Scherff was sent back down to the Wind Surge. The Minnesota Twins sent RHPs Jorge Alcala and Chris Paddack on a rehab assignment with Wichita. The Twins signed 17-year-old Venezuelan catcher Irvin Nunez. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Iowa 1 Box Score The St. Paul Saints trail the International League second-half leaders, the Durham Bulls, by four games heading into their penultimate week of play. While they lead the West division by one-and-a-half games, only the first- and second-half league winners advance to the postseason in Triple-A play. The Saints wasted little time putting runs on the board, scoring one in the top of the first and two in the second for an early 3-0 lead. In the first, Trevor Larnach drew a two-out walk before Austin Martin drove him in with a double down the left field line. In the second Yunior Severino led off with his 33rd home run of the season, which is good for second in all of the minor leagues. Later in the frame, Jair Camargo clubbed his first triple of the season, and two batters later Michael Helman drove him in with a single. St. Paul went with a bullpen game on Tuesday, with Hunter McMahon working as the opener. He pitched the first two scoreless innings, allowing two hits, walking two, and striking out two. Austin Schulfer then pitched into the fourth inning. In 1 2/3 innings, he gave up one run on three hits and a walk. He struck out two and picked up his sixth win of the season. In the fourth the Saints tacked on an insurance run thanks in part to an error on the Cubs defense. Camargo reached on that error and then stole his first base of the season to get into scoring position. Helman brought him home again with another single and a 4-1 lead. Gotta love those “firsts” on the season for the sturdy backstop in this one! Austin Brice went the next 2 1/3 from the bullpen, getting the Saints through the sixth inning. He allowed just one hit and struck out three. Ronny Henriquez went the next two innings, retiring all six hitters he faced, including a pair of strikeouts. Cole Sands finished out the victory with a scoreless ninth for his third save of the season. He walked one and struck out two. Helman (2-for-5, 2 RBI, SB) and Larnach (2-for-4, R, BB, K, SB) led the way with two hits apiece. Brooks Lee finished 0-for-5. WIND SURGE WISDOM Midland 5, Wichita 2 Box Score After pitching 2 2/3 innings for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels last week, the rehabbing Chris Paddack made the start for Wichita on Tuesday night. He set the RockHounds down in order in each of the first two innings, collecting three strikeouts along the way. After a pair of strikeouts around a single in the third inning, a wild pitch put a runner in scoring position, and another single brought him home for a 1-0 Midland lead. The leadoff man took him deep to start the fourth, but Paddack made it through down 2-0. In four innings, Paddack was charged with two earned runs on four hits and zero walks. He struck out six in total while pounding the strike zone, with 44 of his 58 pitches going for strikes (76%), including nine swinging. The Wind Surge threatened in the bottom of the second with runners on the corners and nobody out, but the pair of strikeouts and a groundout that followed led to no runs on the scoreboard. Another major league rehabber, Jorge Alcala, came on to start the fifth inning, but he did not make it out of it. The first batter lined a single into center field, stole second base, then advanced to third on a balk. After a groundout, Alcala served up a homer for a 4-0 Midland lead before a second groundout finished his outing after 16 pitches. Taylor Floyd got the final out of the fifth and added a scoreless sixth. In 1 1/3 innings, he allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out three. Regi Grace (2 IP, H, R, BB, 3 K) and Francis Peguero (1 IP, H, BB) finished the final three innings for Wichita, keeping it close to give their lineup a chance. That lineup scored their first run of the game in the sixth inning, when singles from Patrick Winkel, Alex Isola, and Aaron Sabato loaded the bases with one out. Ben Ross delivered a sac fly to make it 4-1 at the time, but they couldn’t get a big knock to make it any closer. In the bottom of the ninth they again showed some spark, with Willie Joe Garry Jr., Alerick Soularie, and Yoyner Fajardo hitting consecutive one out singles to make it 5-2. But just as quick as the rally started, it was ended by a double-play ball to end the game. The Wind Surge outhit the RockHounds 11-10 on the game, but each of those 11 knocks were all singles, while the visitors had three go for extra-bases, including a pair of home runs. Fajardo (2-for-5, RBI), Isola (2-for-3, BB, K), and Rucker (2-for-4) all collected two singles to pace the offense. Sabato finished 1-for-3 with a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 4 (Chiefs lead series 1-0) Box Score After finishing the regular season with a Midwest League-leading record of 82-50, and winning both the first and second half West Division titles, the Cedar Rapids Kernels drew the Peoria Chiefs as their Division Series opponents. The Chiefs finished six games back of the Kernels in the second-half, and 13 games back overall on the season, with a record of 69-63. Right-hander Andrew Morris got the starting nod for the Kernels and retired six in a row after allowing a double to his first hitter of the game. Cedar Rapids loaded the bases with one out in the second inning, but were only able to score one on a Jose Salas fielder's choice for an early lead. To start the third inning Morris gave up a solo home run to tie the game at one, then three consecutive singles in the fourth led to a 2-1 lead for the Chiefs. After retiring the first two hitters in the fifth, an infield single was followed by another homer, and it was 4-1 Peoria. Morris finished five total innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out five. After Morris’ exit, the Kernels relief duo of Mike Paredes and John Stankiewicz was lights out. Paredes went two innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four. Stankiewicz set the Chiefs down in order in the eighth, needing just eight pitches to do so. Down 4-1 in the top of the eighth inning, the Kernels finally were able to close the gap, and it took the Midwest League home run king to do so. After a Noah Miller single to put a man on base, Kala’i Rosario launched a two-run homer to dead center that traveled 416 feet to make it 4-3. In the ninth, the Kernels got their chances. Luke Keaschall and Noah Cardenas started the inning with a pair of walks. Jose Salas was then given the task of bunting them over, which was a questionable choice at that point, as just one of the nine pitches to that point was a strike. Unfortunately he not only failed to do so, but also seemed to swap the momentum. The first pitch was in the dirt, but he stabbed an attempt at it anyway. Then the next pitch he nearly bunted into a double play to the catcher, but it was ruled foul. He then watched strike three go by for the innings first out. Kyler Fedko went down swinging next, and it was up to leadoff man Noah Miller. His grounder to third base looked like it would end the game, but almost inexplicably the third baseman went for the tag instead of stepping on third base. In the fray, the ball popped out of his glove for an error, and the bases were loaded for Emmanuel Rodriguez. On a 1-1 count, Rodriguez made contact, chopping one toward first base. He hustled out of the box but the throw to the pitcher at first just beat him. The Kernels head back to Cedar Rapids down 1-0 in the series, needing to win both games at home to advance in the playoffs. Of note for this series, is that the Chiefs and Kernels played a total of 21 times during the regular season, and 12 of those matchups were decided by one run. Another three had just two runs between them, so the final score shouldn’t be surprising to either squad. The Kernels will send right-hander Cory Lewis to the mound looking to even the series at home on Thursday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Mike Paredes, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2 IP, H, 4 K) Hitter of the Day - Yunior Severino, St. Paul Saints (1-for-2, R, HR, RBI, BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out our full top 20 list here and how they performed on Tuesday below! #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 0-for-5, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-5, 3 K #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K #8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-for-5, K #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-1, 2 BB #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, R, HR (9), RBI, BB, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (12:08 PM CDT) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (6-6, 5.07 ERA) Midland @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Pierson Ohl (7-3, 2.87 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article