Search the Community

Minnesota's first draft under the current front office included a critical decision with the number one overall pick. However, that isn't the only player that has impacted the Twins from the 2017 draft class. Image courtesy of Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Major League Baseball's 2023 Draft is scheduled to start on July 9, 2023. Each team prepares for the draft with a specific plan, and sometimes those plans play out better than others. To prepare fans for the upcoming draft, this series will examine recent Twins drafts and how those players have performed so far in their professional careers. First Round: Royce Lewis, Brent Rooker The Twins had an intriguing choice at the top of the 2017 MLB Draft. Multiple players were in consideration for the top overall pick, including Hunter Greene, MacKenzie Gore, Brendan McKay, and Kyle Wright. Minnesota took Lewis and signed him to an under-slot deal which they could use on other picks in later rounds. Greene and Wright have provided positive value in the early years of their careers while the Twins are waiting on Lewis. Lewis was considered one of baseball's top prospects for multiple seasons, but now he is recovering from his second ACL surgery. At Twins Daily, the minor league writers had difficulty deciding whether Lewis or Brooks Lee should be the organization's top prospect. Lewis began his rehab assignment on Thursday, so he has a chance to rejoin the Twins next month. Minnesota's current front office has loved drafting college bats, and Rooker was the first player to fit this profile. The Twins selected him with the 35th overall pick, a competitive balance before the second round. He played 65 games for the Twins with a 96 OPS+, and the team included him in the Taylor Rogers trade with the Padres. In recent seasons, he's bounced around to a few different organizations before finding a home with the A's. Rooker is leading baseball in SLG, OPS, and OPS+. It didn't look like the Twins had room for him, so it's good he is getting an opportunity for a bad team. Second Round: Landon Leach The Twins used their second-round pick on Leach, a high school pitcher from Canada. He pitched fewer than 60 innings in the Twins organization and topped out in Low-A during the 2021 season. Last season, he pitched in the Braves organization and is currently a free agent. Minnesota passed over multiple players that have accumulated 2.4 WAR or more, including Griffin Canning and Daulton Varsho. Third Round: Blayne Enlow The Twins used some of the money they saved on Lewis to coax Enlow out of his commitment to LSU. He was one of two players in the third round to sign for $2,000,000. Enlow pitched well in the low minors with a sub-3.50 ERA and improving strikeout rates. Unfortunately, he underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2021. Since that time, Minnesota has added and removed him from the 40-man roster. Now in his age-24 season, Enlow is pitching well at Double-A with a 3.56 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 11.0 K/9. If he continues pitching this well, he can put himself back into the team's long-term plans. 12th Round: Bailey Ober Ober has established himself at the big-league level, and he looks like a steal from the 12th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He's accumulated more WAR than any other Twins draft pick from that class. Minnesota sent him to Triple-A to begin the season, but Tyler Mahle's season-ending injury firmly puts Ober into the rotation's fourth spot. He's made 35 big-league starts and has a 117 ERA+ for his career. Ober projects to be in the Twins' rotation for the better part of the next decade, which is an excellent value from a late-round pick. Other Notable Picks: Andrew Bechtold, Mark Contreras, Calvin Faucher, Charlie Barnes Bechtold and Contreras may never be significant contributors at the big-league level, but both have provided depth to the Twins organization. Contreras played in 28 games for the Twins last season and struggled with a .441 OPS. He's off to a solid start to the 2023 campaign with a .896 OPS with nine doubles and five homers at Triple-A. Bechtold is also a regular in the Saints line-up, and he has ten extra-base hits in his first 25 games this season. Two other Twins draft picks from the 2017 draft class have made their big-league debuts. Minnesota took Barnes in the fourth round and he pitched his way to Triple-A during his third professional season. He made nine appearances for the 2021 Twins and has pitched the last two seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization. Faucher was the team’s 10th round pick and he was included in the Nelson Cruz trade with Tampa. He’s bounced between Triple-A and the big leagues over the last two seasons with a 5.86 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP across 35 1/3 innings during his MLB stints. How should the Twins feel about the 2017 MLB Draft? Did they make the right pick at the top? Will Enlow impact the big-league roster? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. OTHER POSTS IN THE SERIES -2016 Draft Retrospective View full article

The Twins regularly used Michael A. Taylor and Nick Gordon in center field so far in 2023. With injury concerns for both, how does the organization’s depth look at one of baseball’s most important positions? Image courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Minnesota’s front office had a clear roster plan when addressing the team’s center field depth. The club traded for Michael A. Taylor this winter to provide depth and defensive flexibility in the outfield. Expectations were for Nick Gordon and Joey Gallo to have the ability to play in center depending on the pitching match-up. Gordon went on the IL earlier this week after fouling a pitch off his leg. He fractured his right shin and will be sidelined for multiple weeks. It’s a tough break for Gordon, who was looking to build off a strong 2022 season where he posted a 111 OPS+ in 136 games. His 2023 season was off to a slow start (.143 BA in April), but he had raised his batting average by over 50 points in May. Now, the Twins will need to look at other center-field options. Gordon had been getting more playing time in center because Taylor was dealing with a sore back. In his age-32 season, Taylor has seen some ups and downs with his performance. Through April, he hit .244/.294/.419 (.712) with three doubles and four home runs. Since May 1, his OPS has dropped to .583 as he’s been limited to one extra-base hit. His back has been an issue recently, likely tied to his decreased offensive production. The Twins can hope his back improves, but that seems unlikely if he is forced to play more regularly with Gordon on the IL. Byron Buxton is the other elephant in the room. When healthy, Buxton is one of baseball’s top defenders in center field. He has yet to play a defensive inning because the club wants him in the lineup as much as possible. He’s played in 40-of-44 games to start the year while posting a 128 OPS+ and ranking sixth in fWAR among DHs. He may play in center field later this season, but Buxton and the team have to be happy with his abundant availability so far in 2023. Gallo and Willi Castro are the only players on the big-league roster who have seen time in center field. Center field isn’t the optimal defensive position for either of these players. Castro can play nearly every defensive position, but he’s stretched in center field. The Twins needed Gallo at first base while Alex Kirilloff was returning from injury, and he’s won Gold Gloves in both corner outfield spots. Like Gordon, Gallo left Wednesday’s game after fouling a ball off his shin, but he didn’t suffer a fracture. Minnesota would likely call someone up before giving either of these players significant innings in center field. Royce Lewis is rehabbing at Triple-A in the minor leagues, but the team plans to use him at shortstop and third base. Also, he can't be activated from the 60-day IL until the last day of the May. Also, last season, he tore his ACL for the second consecutive season when playing center field. It doesn’t seem out of the question for the Twins to reevaluate whether he can be used in center field in the future, but third base might be his best chance for regular playing time at the big-league level this season. Austin Martin, one of the team’s top prospects, would be a prime candidate to see time in center field. However, the team shut him down during spring training with a UCL sprain. He has yet to resume baseball activities, and there is a chance that he will need surgery. Like Martin, Gilberto Celestino injured himself this spring, or he might be in the center field conversation. He ruptured the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, which has a recovery period of 6-8 weeks. It has been over eight weeks since his surgery, and he hasn’t begun a rehab assignment. At Triple-A, Andrew Stevenson and Mark Contreras have seen the bulk of playing time in center field. Stevenson is a 29-year-old signed with the Twins this winter after playing eight seasons in the Nationals organization. The former second-round pick is hitting .276/.372/.391 (.762) with seven extra-base hits and 12 stolen bases in 31 games. Contreras played 28 games for the Twins in 2022 and posted a 22 OPS+ with 21 strikeouts. He’s off to a strong start with the Saints this year with ten doubles, five home runs, ten steals, and an .888 OPS. Contreras might be the best option from Triple-A if the Twins need a center-field replacement, especially because he hits left-handed. Many fans will call for Buxton to start getting reps in center field, but that seems unlikely. Will the Twins need more center-field depth in 2023? Who is the next best option? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

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

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

It wasn't a great week overall for Twins affiliates, but there were still some highlights to talk about that took place over the last week. If you missed it, read Nick's Twins Week in Review after you've read about the minor leagues. TRANSACTIONS Alex Kirilloff was activated from the Twins injured list and optioned to Triple-A. Trevor Megill was traded to the Brewers for a PTBN and cash considerations. RESULTS Tuesday (4/25): Blowouts and Bombs Wednesday (4/26): Not a Good Day in the Twins Organization Thursday (4/27): Saints March Home Early Friday (4/28): Woods Richardson Takes No-No to the 6th Inning Saturday (4/29): Wichita Offensive Explosion Highlights Disappointing Night in the Minors MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month - April 2023 Alex Kirilloff and Embracing the Unknown Edouard Julien’s Triple-A Improvement Checklist TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Nashville @ St. Paul (11:07 PM CST) - RHP Aaron Sanchez (1-1, 2.42 ERA) Wichita @ Northwest Arkansas (11:05 PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams (1-3, 7.71 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (5:05 PM CST) - LHP Jordan Carr (0-1, 3.38 ERA) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis (2-1, 3.32 ERA) WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints (Week: 2-3) Overall: 15-10, 2.0 games back in the International League West. Overview: After a convincing series win against Rochester, the Saints lost three of their final four games before the finale was rained out on Sunday. 🔥: Michael Helman returned to the Saints and had two home runs (among four hits) and six runs batted in. 🔥: Mark Contreras was the only Saint who batted better than .300 (8-22, .421) and supplied a nice power supply with three doubles and a home run. 🔥: Louie Varland and Simeon Woods Richardson are both jockeying to join the Twins rotation and did well in their starts. (You can see entire stat lines for them in the Top 20 roundup below.) 🥶: Dereck Rodriguez allowed four runs on five hits in his lone inning of work. 🥶: Andrew Stevenson had been very good for the Saints, but was 3-15 this week with six strikeouts. What's Next: The Saints will host Nashville (14-12) in the front half of a two-week homestand. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge (Week: 2-4) Overall: 9-12, 5.0 games back in the Texas League North and currently tied for last place. Overview: Lots of scoring for both Wichita and Springfield this past week (all games had 10 or more combined runs), but the Wind Surge had two games where they combined for one run. They also lost while scoring 10 and now have a three-game losing streak. 🔥: Yoyner Fajardo tied for the organizational lead with 9 hits on the week. He scored six runs, walked twice and stole a base. He only had one strikeout in 23 at-bats. 🔥: Yunior Severino has continued to provide power and a load of strikeouts for Wichita. Three more home runs this week, ten runs batted in and also ten strikeouts. You can take the swing-and-miss when you have a .373 OBP with a .958 OPS on the season. 🥶: The pitching staff, as a whole, struggled mightily. Five different pitchers who pitched three or more inning had ERAs of 12.00 or greater. All but two pitchers on the entire staff allowed two or more earned runs. Five pitchers issued three or more walks. What's Next: Wichita will look to get back on track as they travel to Northwest Arkansas (10-11). High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels (Week: 3-3) Overall: 9-11, 5.0 games back and in last place in the Midwest League West. Overview: The Kernels took three of the first four in the series, but lost the final two games to settle for a split. 🔥: Ben Ross was the lone hitter with a batting average over .300 (6-19, .316). Ross had two doubles, two walks and stole a base. 🔥: Regi Grace pitched well at the back of the Kernels bullpen. He earned a win and picked up a save by pitching three near-perfect innings over two games. He struck out three in three innings and only allowed a walk. 🔥: Kyle Jones has been inconsistent through four starts, but when he’s good, he’s really good. In five shutout innings this week, he allowed three hits and a walk while striking out five. 🥶: Keoni Cavaco has had a bumpy go since being drafted. In four games this past week, he was hitless in 11 at-bats, striking out seven times. He did walk four times though, if you’re looking for a silver lining. What's Next: Cedar Rapids hits the road for a two-week road trip, starting in South Bend (13-8). Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels (Week: 4-2) Overall: 12-9, 3.0 games behind Bradenton in the Florida State League West. Overview: Fort Myers took three of the first four before a Saturday rainout forced a Sunday double-header, which they split. 🔥: Carlos Aguiar had five extra base hits (two doubles, three triples) among his eight hits. He scored six runs and drove in four. He did strike out 10 times, though, in 26 plate appearances. 🔥: Andrew Cossetti keeps raking. He had six hits this week and five of them were doubles. 🔥: CJ Culpepper threw five shutout innings and struck out seven. He only allowed three hits. 🥶: Mikey Perez had 24 hits in 10 games after being drafted in 2021. He really struggled in 2022 and 2023 hasn’t been much better. A 2-16 week drops him to .118/.211/.206 on the season. 🥶: Develson Aria, who’s been highlighted before, struggle in his start this week, allowing five hits, three walks and four runs in the 3 ⅔ innings. He did strike out five. What's Next: Fort Myers will host Dunedin (10-11) this week and get to stay at home again the following week. 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 on the first of each month 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. Misael Urbina, OF, Cedar Rapids: 4-21, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB, 11 K. (.138/.230/.246. .476 OPS) 19. Jose Rodriguez, OF: Extended Spring Training 18. Tanner Schobel, 2B, Cedar Rapids: 4-19, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K. (.203/.260/.348. .608 OPS), played two games at second base (ten total) and committed one error chances (two in 42 chances total); played two games at third base and was perfect in seven chances (has not committed any errors in 11 total chances in six games). 17. Ronny Henriquez, RHP: On Minnesota’s injured list with elbow inflammation. 16. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 2 IP, 2 H, ER, HRA, 4 K. (1.30 WHIP, .192 BAA) 15. Matt Canterino, RHP: Still recovering from Tommy John surgery. 14. Noah Miller, SS, Cedar Rapids: 3-24, 3 RBI, R, 2 BB, 5 K. (.247/.333/.315. .648 OPS), played shortstop in five games (15 total) and committed no errors in 20 chances (one error in 58 total chances); played one game (three total) at second base and committed no errors in six chances (15 total). 13. David Festa, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 6.23 ERA, 4.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 HRA, 1 BB, 7 K. (1.11 WHIP, .229 BAA) 12. Yasser Mercedes, OF: Extended Spring Training 11. Matt Wallner, OF, St. Paul: 2-12, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K. (.268/.453/.500. 953 OPS); Minnesota: (.000/.273/.000. .273 OPS) 10. Austin Martin, SS: Martin is still recovering from an arm injury. 9. Louie Varland, RHP, St. Paul: 1-0, 1.69 ERA, 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 8 K. (1.27 WHIP, .263 BAA); Minnesota: (1.17 WHIP, .250 BAA) 8. Jose Salas, INF: 3-15, 2B, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 SB (.143/.226/.161. .387 OPS), played one game at shortstop and had no errors in two chances (one error in 17 chances in five games total) and two games (six total) at third base with no errors (one total) in three chances (12 total). He played two games (five total) at second base with no errors in five chances (no errors in 14 total chances). 7. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Cedar Rapids: Prielipp is expected to resume throwing this week, though it’s unclear when he will return to game action. (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA) 6. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 0-1, 2.57 ERA, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (1.57 WHIP, .298 BAA); Minnesota: (2.14 WHIP, .350 BAA) 5. Edouard Julien, 2B, St. Paul: 3-13, 2B, RBI, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K, SB. (.241/.414/.426. .840 OPS); Minnesota: (.222/.276/.444. .720 OPS) 4. Marco Raya, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K. (1.41 WHIP, .211 BAA) 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: Rodriguez is still recovering from an abdomen strain. 2. Royce Lewis, SS: Lewis is still recovering from his second ACL surgery, but is getting back into action in extended spring games. 1. Brooks Lee, SS, Wichita: 7-22, 3 2B, 4 RBI, 6 R, 2 BB, 3 K. (.263/.323/.439. .762 OPS), played all five games (19 total) at shortstop and committed no errors in 20 chances (two errors in 84 total chances). PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (as voted on by fans on Twitter) PITCHER - Simeon Woods Richardson, St. Paul. (Woods Richardson 36%, Enlow 27%, Culpepper 25%, Grace 12%) HITTER - Mark Contreras, St. Paul. (Contreras 49%, Severino 40%, Aguiar 6%, Ross 5%) Who would have been your picks? Any early season surprises or disappointments? Ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects in the COMMENTS below. View full article

Kicking the action off early today, the St. Paul Saints played a morning game against the Rochester Red Wings. With the other Twins affiliates set to taking the field later in the evening, Toby Gardenhire’s club secured a victory right away. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Mark Contreras) TRANSACTIONS LHP Kody Funderburk promoted to St. Paul RHP Josh Winder activated off IL by Minnesota LHP Brent Headrick optioned to St. Paul RHP Andrew Cabezas reinstated from development list for Wichita SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Rochester 1 Box Score Playing an early morning contest against the former Twins affiliate today, Louie Varland was on the mound for St. Paul. Having worked recently with Minnesota, it was evident that Varland sought to overpower the competition. Working 5 1/3 innings, Varland allowed one run on four hits. He walked two, but struck out eight and continues to pile them up at Triple-A. Before Varland ever took the mound, Mark Contreras stepped in for the Saints and blasted a three-run homer. Edouard Julien and Michael Helman drew walks to get on ahead of him, and Contreras continued his hot hitting with the fourth dinger of his season. Alex Kirilloff continued his rehab assignment in this one for St. Paul, and he went 1-for-4 while being hit by a pitch. Kirilloff did play first base today, and attempted to steal a base. He continues to look good and is trending toward a return for the Twins. Although St. Paul didn’t rack up hits today, the pitching continued to be impressive when Cole Sands took over for Varland. Working 2 2/3 innings, he allowed a single base runner on a walk and punched out four. Sands worked efficiently as well throwing 32 pitches, of which 20 were strikes. This game remained close up until the 9th inning went a bit awry for Red Wings reliever Gerson Moreno. Matt Wallner was hit by a pitch before both Mark Contreras and Andrew Bechtold drew walks. Tony Wolters singled to drive in Wallner, and then Edouard Julien took a bases loaded walk to bring Contreras across the plate. Contreras just keeps on hitting, and his 2-for-3 day represented half of St. Paul’s hits. He’s pushed his OPS up to .942 to begin the year. Tomorrow’s game will be the first time St. Paul sees the challenge system being implemented for 2023. With all other contests now using the ABS system to call balls and strikes, it will be interesting to see how batters and pitchers adjust. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 12, Springfield 11 Box Score The Wind Surge turned to Aaron Rozek tonight and while he did rack up five strikeouts, he also allowed five runs on seven hits. With three walks added in, there was significant traffic on the basepaths all night. Springfield took the lead with a pair of first inning runs. Wichita immediately answered though, and four runs came across in the home half of the inning. Jake Rucker started things off with a two-run double, scoring Brooks Lee and Yoyner Fajardo. Then DaShawn Keirsey Jr. plated Rucker on a single of his own, and Pat Winkel lifted a single to score Keirsey Jr. before the inning came to a close. Rozek’s unraveling came in the top of the 4th inning when he allowed a sacrifice fly and a two run single. Still, with plenty of game left, the Wind Surge had time to claw back. Before being able to add again on their own, Wichita saw Springfield add another pair in their half of the 5th inning. As he did earlier in the game, Keirsey Jr. came through big time. Fajardo and Yunior Severino stood at 2nd and 3rd base just long enough for the Wichita outfielder to hit his third homer of the season. Tying things up at seven, it was a whole new ballgame in the 5th inning. With the game quickly careening towards extras, Springfield made sure to do their part. Jacob Buchberger singled off reliever Alex Scherff and drove in Pedro Pages to take a late lead. Needing an immediate answer, Alex Isola singled to lead off the inning. He was lifted for Alerick Soularie and after a pair of pickoff attempts, Soularie was caught attempting to swipe second base. Winkel answered drawing a walk before Will Holland singled to put runners at first and second. Anthony Prato singled to load the bases for Brooks Lee, and it was up to the top prospect to come through. Springfield made a pitching change and Logan Sawyer was on to shut down the potential threat. Lee got a bender up in the zone and crushed it 97 mph to right center and cleared the bases. Fajardo followed him with a single to plate Lee, and the five-run inning was massive. Fajardo stole second to put himself in scoring position, and Rucker's third hit of the night brought him home. Now up 12-8, the Wind Surge had the opportunity to close this one out in the 9th inning. Osiris German did give Springfield breathing room as a runner came around to score on Nick Dunn's triple, and then a sacrifice fly brought him home. A solo blast then made it a one-run game, and the five run 8th inning became more necessary than nice. German did record the final out, and this one ended as a one-run win in a game that had 23 runs scored on 28 hits. Wichita put up 16 hits in this one, and multi-hit games were had by Fajardo, Rucker, Keirsey Jr., Winkel, Holland, and Prato. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, West Michigan 1 Box Score Alejandro Hidalgo made another start tonight for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and he has done a good job of limiting damage since being acquired in the Gio Urshela trade. Tonight he went three innings allowing a single run on three hits. He did walk three batters and struck out one. Runs were at a premium this evening, especially for the Kernels who mustered just one hit through six innings. After getting behind on a West Michigan single in the 3rd inning, Misael Urbina launched his first homer of the year to put Cedar Rapids on the board. His 5th inning solo shot knotted things at 1. In the 7th inning, with things still tied at 1, 2022 Twins draft pick Tanner Schobel stepped in and launched his third home run of the season. With Noah Cardenas and Kala'i Rosario on, the three-run blast gave Cedar Rapids some much needed breathing room. The Cedar Rapids bullpen was great all night as Mike Paredes, John Stankiewicz, and Miguel Rodriguez combined to go six innings allowing a hit a piece, and each registering at least one strikeout. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Daytona 1 Box Score Dealing with a brief delay, Jose Olivares only went one inning for the Mighty Mussels before Ben Ethridge was inserted in relief. Olivares did allow a run on a single hit, but Ethridge locked things down going three scoreless innings allowing just a single walk and fanning four. After a rain delayed start, Olivares allowed a single in the bottom of the first. Carlos Jorge then stole second base, moved to third on a fly out, and scored on an infield ground ball. Things stood pat for both teams from that point until Ricardo Olivar stepped in during the top of the 7th inning. With the bases loaded, he lifted a grand slam scoring Dylan Neuse, Luis Baez, and Danny De Andrade. Fort Myers had their first lead of the evening, and it came with some breathing room. Following Ethridge's lead, Zach Veen was amazing in relief. He worked three innings of his own, allowing just a hit and a walk, while picking up five strikeouts. The bullpen keeping the Mighty Mussels in this one to give them a chance was huge. Not ready to be done adding on offense late, Mikey Perez singled in Carlos Aguiar in the 8th inning to make it a 5-1 game. Samuel Perez entered in the 8th inning for Fort Myers and he worked two scoreless innings to close this one out. Aguiar was joined by Rubel Cespedes as the only Mighty Mussels to record multiple hits on the day. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Louie Varland (St. Paul) - 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day – Mark Contreras (St. Paul) - 2-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR(4), BB PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, BB #2 - Royce Lewis (IL) - Knee #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - IL Abdomen #4 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 0-3, R, RBI, 2 BB, K #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #7 - Connor Prielipp (Cedar Rapids) - IL Elbow #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3 #9 - Louie Varland (St. Paul) - 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K #10 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - IL Elbow #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-3, R, HBP, 2 K #12 - Yasser Mercedes - Extended Spring Training: starting this week, the Twins extended spring team will get started. Each week, they will play four games against the Red Sox team, get two days of practice, and Sundays off. #13 - David Festa (Wichita) - Did Not Pitch #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #15 - Matt Canterino (IL) - Tommy John #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #17 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - IL Elbow #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, R, 3 RBI, HR(3) #19 - Jose Rodriguez (EST) - Same as Mercedes. #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, R, RBI, (HR), 2 K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Rochester (5:05PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson Springfield @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - TBD West Michigan @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya Fort Myers @ Daytona (5:35PM CST) - RHP Zebby Matthews Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! View full article

Bailey Ober, backed by an early grand slam and a couple of major-league rehabbers, led the St. Paul Saints to a shutout victory on Tuesday at CHS Field, while Wichita got three home runs to steal Game 1 of their series in Tulsa. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Brooks Lee) TRANSACTIONS OF Alex Kirilloff, IF Jorge Polanco, and RHP Josh Winder were all sent on rehab assignments to the St. Paul Saints, getting one step closer to rejoining the MLB club. OF Emmanuel Rodriguez was placed on the 7-day injured list for Cedar Rapids with a left abdomen strain. IF Michael Helman was sent on a rehab assignment to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. SAINTS SENTINEL Scranton/WB 0, St. Paul 6 Box Score The St. Paul Saints nearly fielded a full MLB team on Tuesday, as Jorge Polanco, Alex Kirilloff, and Josh Winder joined the roster on rehab assignments along with Bailey Ober making the start. Ober delivered another excellent start after his six shutout innings last Wednesday. He went five scoreless in this one, perhaps being lifted early as the Saints held a big lead. He allowed just three hits and one walk while punching out six. Of his 72 pitches, 47 went for strikes (65%) including nine swinging. Mark Contreras got the party started for the Saints in the bottom of the first with a grand slam after Matt Wallner (walk), Kirilloff (single), and Chris Williams (single) loaded the bases. Kirilloff and Contreras both added RBI singles in the fifth frame, and Ober and the rest of the Saints cruised from there. Relievers Patrick Murphy (1 IP, 2 H, K), Cody Laweryson (1 IP), Dereck Rodriguez (1 IP, 3 K), and Brock Stewart (1 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K) each contributed a scoreless inning to finish the first shutout of the 2023 season for the Saints. Wallner (1-for-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB, K), Kirilloff (2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, K), Williams (1-for-2, R, 2 BB), Andrew Bechtold (0-for-2, 2 BB, K), Contreras (2-for-5, R, 5 RBI, K), and Tony Wolters (1-for-3, BB) all reached base multiple times. Polanco finished 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 4, Tulsa 2 Box Score Right-handed pitcher Blayne Enlow got the nod in the series opener against Tulsa and delivered a solid performance. He went six innings, needing just 69 pitches (46 strikes) to do so. He allowed two earned runs on four hits and a pair of walks while picking up five punch outs. Both his runs allowed came in the first inning, and from the second through the sixth he held the Drillers scoreless. Wichita finally got on the scoreboard in the seventh inning, when DeShawn Keirsey Jr. delivered his first home run of the season to tie the game at two. Brooks Lee and Yunior Severino followed with solo shots of their own in the eighth to give them a 4-2 lead. Severino’s went to the opposite field, while Lee’s left the stadium: Jose Bravo relieved Enlow in the seventh inning and recorded the next five outs, including two strikeouts. Left-hander Kody Funderburk came on for the final out in the eighth and gave up the Driller's first hit since the third inning, but retired the next hitter to keep the two-run lead intact. He remained in the game to close it in the ninth and it got interesting. He recorded two outs on just three pitches, then got up two strikes to the next hitter, but a chopper and then a seeing-eye single put the tying runs on base. A walk then loaded the bases before Funderburk finally buckled down and struck out the final hitter of the game to pick up his first save of the season. Wichita recorded just five hits in the game, but three of them left the yard which led to their 4-2 win. Yoyner Fajardo (1-for-3, BB, K), Severino (1-for-3, HR, BB), and Pat Winkel (0-for-2, R, 2 BB) each reached base two times. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Beloit 6 Box Score Lefty Jaylen Nowlin took the mound for the Kernels looking to rebound from a rough outing his last time out. He did so for the first four innings, facing the minimum and racking up six strikeouts, but the wheels fell off in the fifth. The first five hitters of the inning reached base, resulting in three runs and he recorded just one out before being lifted. In all, Nowlin went 4 1/3 innings, giving up three hits and two walks, while striking out seven. John Stankiewicz got them out of the fifth with no further damage but ran into similar trouble in the seventh. In his two innings, he allowed three runs on two hits and a walk. He struck out two. Charlie Neuweiler finished the game with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and struck out three. The Kernels lineup, down Emmanuel Rodriguez who was placed on the injured list on Tuesday, managed just five hits in the game. They actually scored first in the top of the fifth, when Willie Joe Garry Jr. drove in Jose Salas with a single, but Noah Miller’s inside-the-park home run in the eighth was their only other run-scoring play in the game. Miller finished the game 2-for-4, while Ben Ross, Salas, and Garry Jr. accounted for their other three hits. Salas also stole two bases. MUSSEL MATTERS Jupiter 5, Fort Myers 1 Box Score C.J. Culpepper made his second start of the young season for the Mighty Mussels in Tuesday’s series opener and retired the first six hitters of the game. He ran into trouble in the third, however, and before it was over the Hammerheads had taken a 4-0 lead. Culpepper finished four innings, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out five. Fort Myers scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to Andrew Cossetti’s second home run of the season (108.4 mph, 27 degree angle, 432 feet). He finished the game 2-for-4. Michael Helman had two hits in three at-bats, including a double, in the first game of his rehab assignment. As a team, the Mighty Mussels were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base for the game. A.J. Labas allowed one run on two hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief. Gabriel Yanez finished the game with 2 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out four. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Bailey Ober, St. Paul Saints (W, 5 IP, 3 H, BB, 6 K) Hitter of the Day - Mark Contreras, St. Paul Saints (2-for-5, R, GS, 5 RBI, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI #5 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 0-for-1, K (pinch-hit for Willi Castro) #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, R, K, 2 SB #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB, K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, R, HR, RBI, K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - RHP Aaron Sanchez (0-0, 3.65 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (11:05 AM CDT) - RHP David Festa (1-0, 2.61 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Kyle Jones (0-1, 3.18 ERA) Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CDT) - LHP Develson Aria (0-0, 6.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

This is the final week of only one Twins affiliate being in action. With the Saints wrapping up just one of two, three-game series, they'll return home for the opener on Tuesday. After a successful trip to Ohio, they'll bring a 2-1 record back to St. Paul with them. Image courtesy of Dave Nelson-USA TODAY Sports TRANSACTIONS None SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 2, Toledo 1 Box Score Randy Dobnak returned to the mound as a starter this season, and it was a breath of fresh air for a guy who dealt with a finger injury most of 2022. He didn’t debut until August last season, so a regular spring training and April start had to feel good. He did give up five walks, but Dobnak also punched out five over 4 2/3 innings allowing only a single run. St. Paul got on the board first when Mark Contreras hit his first homer of the season, a 4th inning solo shot. After playing with the Twins last season, Contreras is certainly looking to have a year worthy of another call to the big leagues. After Dobnak allowed the tying run prior to his 5th inning exit, the Saints immediately answered. Contreras stepped in during the top of the 6th inning and allowed Matt Wallner to score, following his triple, on an infield ground ball. Relieving Dobnak in the 5th inning, Austin Schulfer worked 1 1/3 innings in relief. He put up strong numbers at Double-A Wichita last season and earned the promotion to Triple-A. Looking to prove his ability as a leverage reliever, a strong start could carry him to an eventual Major League debut this year. Following another pitching change, this time Oliver Ortega coming in, the Mud Hens Zack Short blasted a two-run homer to take the lead 3-2. Ortega was a waiver claim from the Los Angeles Angels this offseason, and his addition pushed Blayne Enlow off the 40-man roster. Neither player currently claims a spot, but Minnesota is hoping for strong development from both this season. LaTroy Hawkins mentioned Ortega as a head-turner during spring training. The Saints were determined to not let this one get away from them, and again had an immediate answer. Matt Wallner ripped his first double of the season to score Edouard Julien. Former Twins prospect Akil Baddoo tossed the ball back in for Toledo and the score was knotted at 3. Then, continuing his nice game, Contreras singled to Baddoo in right field, allowing Wallner to score the go ahead run. A one-run lead was enough as Connor Sadzeck came on and closed the door. Working two complete innings, he picks up the win and heads home with St. Paul taking their first series of the year. WIND SURGE WISDOM Although they don't open until later this week, Wichita unveiled their Opening Day roster on Sunday. The team is highlighted by top prospect Brooks Lee, but also brings pitching promise in Kody Funderburk and David Festa. Former first round pick Aaron Sabato is on the club as well. Seth broke down the entire roster here. KERNELS NUGGETS Although the Kernels don't start their regular season until later this week, Seth talked Cedar Rapids on the "All Ears" podcast. You can find that here. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Randy Dobnak 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Day – Mark Contreras 2-4, HR(1), R, 3 RBI, 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: #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 0-3, R, BB, K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, RBI, BB TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (6:37PM CST) - RHP Louie Varland Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s game! View full article

Joey Gallo had a monster day at the plate to lift the Minnesota Twins to a sweep-clinching victory over the Royals Sunday. Joe Ryan delivered a quality start and Ryan Jeffers had a pair of two-out RBI hits. Down in the minors, Mark Contreras homered in a St. Paul Saints victory. View full video

The Twins had a great start to their season yesterday beating the Royals 2-0, and now it’s time for the Saints to take over. The other full-season affiliates have to wait until next Thursday to start their seasons. So like the game with the time clock, this report will be short and sweet. Image courtesy of Sean Aronson Happy Triple-A Opening Day! The Twins have the day off on Friday. The Saints are playing their opener in Toledo, a three-game series. They will return to CHS Field to start their home schedule on Tuesday when Louie Varland takes on the Iowa Cubs. Next Thursday, the Wichita Wind Surge, Cedar Rapids Kernels, and Fort Myers Mighty Mussels will start their seasons. Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Saints officially announced their Opening Day roster on Friday morning. Check it out here. Utilitymen Michael Helman and Austin Martin are beginning the season on the Saints Injured List. Pitcher Patrick Murphy and catcher David Banuelos are on the Development List. Saints Sentinal St. Paul 4, Toledo 7 Box Score Bailey Ober started the game and the season for the Saints on the road against Toledo. Ober struggled early, giving up a run on two hits in the first inning. His day ended after just three innings pitched. He worked out of a jam in the 2nd inning but then gave up two more runs in the third inning. More importantly, he needed 32 pitches to get through that inning. The right-hander gave up three runs (2 earned) on five hits and a walk. He also struck out four batters. WBC hero Jose De Leon came on in relief of Ober to start the fourth inning. He was efficient and kept the Mudhens at three runs through the sixth inning. In the bottom of the seventh frame, he gave up a bloop single, got a strikeout and issued a walk. Cody Laweryson came in for his first Triple-A appearance, a tough spot with two runners on base and trying to keep the Saints within striking distance. He started well, getting Tigers prospect Parker Meadows to strike out for the second out. Unfortunately, Andy Ibanez came to the plate and launched a three-run homer, expanding the Mudhens lead to 6-1. Four batters later, Toledo had two more hits, a walk and another run. So De Leon’s final line doesn’t necessarily tell the story of how he pitched. He was ultimately charged with two runs on three hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings. 27 of his 46 pitches were strikes (59%). Laweryson’s line? He recorded two outs, both on strikeouts. However, two of two inherited runners scored, and he then gave up two more runs on three hits and a walk. The Saints offense struggled. Toledo kept the Saints from earning not only runs early in the game, but only allowed four hits through the seventh inning. Their first base runner came in the second inning when newly-acquired outfielder Andrew Stevenson walked. An inning later, Matt Wallner blooped a single to left, just beyond the reach of #OldFriend Akil Baddoo for the Saints’ first hit of the season. In the fifth inning, veteran Hernan Perez had an infield single that could (maybe should) have been ruled an error. In his third at-bat, Edouard Julien got the Saints on the board. He hit a solo home run into left center, getting the Saints on the board. Along with some pitching struggles, and hitting struggles, the Saints also committed three errors on defense. However, there was a highlight-reel throw from center fielder Mark Contreras. With speedy veteran Jonathan Davis on second base, Akil Baddoo hit a fly ball to center field, just shy of the warning track. Contreras played it perfectly, got behind the ball, caught it, and made a strong throw to Andrew Bechtold at third base to get Davis on a close play. Kyle Garlick and the Saints came into the top of the ninth inning battling back. Garlick hit a solo home run to get the Saints another run on the board. Contreras followed suit with a single and getting more runners in scoring position. Jair Carmago doubled on a sharp fly ball to score Contreras with only one out. The Saints continued to stay alive bringing home Andrew Stevenson on a ground out from Hernan Perez getting three more runs before Bechtold struck out to end the game. The Saint's battled hard at the end, but it wasn't enough. Tomorrow is another day... TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jose De Leon (St. Paul) - 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K Hitter of the Day – Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (1), K PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Sunday. #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (1), K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 3 K UPCOMING SCHEDULE Saturday: St. Paul @ Toledo (3:10 PM CST) - RHP Aaron Sanchez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Sunday: St. Paul @ Toledo (1:10 PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods-Richardson (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss today’s game! View full article

The Minnesota Twins were off Friday but the Triple-A St. Paul Saints played their season opener. Edouard Julien carried his hot spring over, hitting a home run in his Triple-A debut. Here are some highlights from that game plus a look at the Saints roster. View full video

An old friend of the Twins outfield has returned to the organization for the first time since 2019. While he only contributed two of the record setting Bomba Squad's 307 home runs that year, Ryan LaMarre is happy to be back and playing a bigger role with the organization this year. Image courtesy of Dave Nelson, USA Today ST. PAUL – It’s been almost four years since outfielder Ryan LaMarre put on a Minnesota Twins uniform during the waning days of the Bomba Squad season of 2019. His first stint with the Twins came at the start of the 2018 season playing 43 games in the outfield before the Chicago White Sox claimed him off waivers on July 9th of that year. He later returned to the Twins as they purchased his contract from the Atlanta Braves on September 8, 2019, to play in 14 of the 19 final games that year. Now being back in the Twins organization for the start of the 2023 season at Triple-A St. Paul. LaMarre sees himself filling a new role both on and off the field for the team; leadership. “This is my 13th season and I've had a lot of people help me along the way,” said LaMarre. “I'd say a couple of years ago, I started feeling like I was an older guy in the clubhouse in Triple-A and I think, you know, rather than fight that, I try to embrace that role. I always get more out of that than something that just might help myself.” One notable thing to LaMarre in the minor leagues today compared to when he first joined the Cincinnati Reds organization in 2010 is how much quicker players develop. The quicker development of players that he is mentoring provides a strong two-way system between the parties in helping make their game’s much better on the field. LaMarre will not be the only veteran leader in the Saints’ clubhouse as infielder Elliot Soto has returned for a second season with the Twins organization. Soto was a notable leader to many players in the Saints clubhouse throughout the 2022 season, and LaMarre already believes the duo will be a great tag team for leadership in 2023. “I feel like we've crossed paths a lot but we never played together. So getting to know him as a person and watching how he competes and plays, it's not a surprise that he's played the game for as long as he has. We clicked right away and we’ll be in that same boat of looking to help the team in any way we can. Whether it's on the field or off the field in the clubhouse, helping these young guys, trying to help ourselves, and putting ourselves in a position to maybe help the Twins too.” LaMarre’s return to the Twin Cities was not just a move that he felt would be good for himself at this point in his career. His wife’s family also resides in the greater Twin Cities area and will be a great balance for them while he is on the road for Saints games this season. LaMarre is one of seven outfielders on the Saints' Opening Day roster, an outfield that includes Twins Daily’s #11 prospect Matt Wallner, Mark Contreras, Yoyner Fajardo, Kyle Garlick, Armani Smith, and Andrew Stevenson. View full article