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A good thing, too, because it was not a great day on the farm. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge TRANSACTIONS RHP Jorge Alcala assigned to Low-A Fort Myers on MLB Rehab. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 3, Louisville 4 Box Score Bailey Ober: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Jair Camargo (2-for-4, RBI, K) The Saints blew up late, falling to the Bats after an excellent start by Bailey Ober. Ober was magnificent; the tall righty allowed just three measly singles, slicing through the Bats with his typical efficient style (he only needed 65 pitches). He also struck out three. You couldn’t draw up a more “Bailey Ober” start if you tried. St. Paul’s offense was occasionally patient, taking six walks on the day, but their issue was glaring, standing out like a neon light cutting through the night sky: 17 strikeouts. Three separate hitters whiffed at least three times, with Anthony Prato catching the worst of it; he punched out four times. They did score, though—three times in fact—as DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Austin Martin both knocked in a run with 1st inning singles. Jair Camargo added another with an infield hit in the 3rd inning. Old friend Alan Busenitz (he’s back!) saved the game for Louisville, striking out one in a perfect inning. Both Jonathan India and Joey Votto played for the Bats; the rehabbing big-leaguers may be seen wearing Reds uniforms when the Twins soon come to town, but for now, the duo is based in Louisville. Votto singled. Reliever Levi Stoudt is Cincinnati's only top-30 prospect at AAA; he pitched a scoreless frame. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 3, Corpus Christi 7 Box Score Travis Adams: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Tanner Schobel (2-for-4, RBI, K), Alex Isola (2-for-4, RBI) A dreadful 2nd inning cursed the Wind Surge to lose on Saturday. Travis Adams did recover to eventually finish the 5th inning, but the 2nd inning dragged him down, limiting the greatness of his pitching line. It’s a shame; the rest of his start was pretty good, with each other frame only once seeing a runner reach second base. The bats were productive, with all but two batters earning a hit. Few were damaging. Just two of the knocks went for extra-bases. Coordination proved to be the problem; Wichita never scored in an inning more than once, leaving their rallies short and unthreatening. Carlos Correa’s little brother, J.C. Correa, singled in three at-bats. Houston’s best prospect, however, is centerfielder Jacob Melton, and he walked and struck out twice. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 2, Wisconsin 3 Box Score John Klein: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Misael Urbina (3-for-4, R, K) The Kernels lost a squeaker on Saturday. John Klein—the pride of Brooklyn Park—made his Kernels debut. The Iowa Central Community College product was excellent, whiffing four while only allowing two runs, giving up six hits in the process. He’s had quite the season, moving from the FCL to A+ ball, and he could see himself start to appear on prospect lists in the offseason. Cedar Rapids’ offense couldn’t support him, unfortunately, as a two-run Kala’i Rosario single represented the lone run-scoring hit of the night. The two RBIs pushed his season total to 94; he easily leads the Midwest League in RBIs; Jimmy Crooks is second with 73. The Kernels struck out 14 times, taking seven walks, while accruing six hits—all singles. Misael Urbina collected three singles and stole his sixth base of the season. Milwaukee’s 1st-round pick in 2023—Brock Wilken—struck out once in four at-bats. Mussel Matters Ft. Myers 4, Bradenton 5 Box Score Jose Olivares: 4 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 7 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None Despite a four-run 2nd inning, the Mighty Mussels fell to the Marauders on Saturday. Not even a rain delay could stop them; Fort Myers weathered a break in the middle of their rally, returning to plate four runs off a variety of Piranha-esque outcomes—singles, walks, and sacrifice flies. That was it, though, as the Mighty Mussels only had four total bases on the game. They did reach base often, taking an astounding 13 walks, but finding the critical knock proved elusive, and they scored no runs after their early outburst. They should have. The Marauders struck back with a four-run frame of their own, knotting the game in the middle innings. Though they sat dormant for a while as well, a 9th inning sacrifice fly broke the tie. Danny De Andrade’s lead-off double went nowhere. Alec Sayre’s groundout to the pitcher ended the game. Rehabbing big-leaguer, Jorge Alcala, struck out two in a perfect inning. He maxed out at 98.4 MPH. Second baseman Mitch Jebb is Pittsburgh’s 9th-ranked prospect, and he walked while driving in a pair off two sacrifice flies. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Bailey Ober Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Misael Urbina PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K #2 - Walker Jenkins (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, RBI, 2 K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, BB, 4 K #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-3, 2 K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-3, RBI, K #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 2-4, RBI, K #12 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, BB #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K #18 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (12:05 PM) - RHP Blayne Enlow Wichita @ Corpus Christi (1:05 PM) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (12:10 PM) - LHP Christian MacLeod Bradenton @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM) - RHP Ben Ethridge View full article

Varland's Return to Triple-A. Saints Mount Comeback After #OldFriend Leaves Game. Lee Reaches Base Four Times. Kernels Late Comeback Attempt Falls Short. FCL Twins Top Red Sox Twice. Gran Juego Para Una Beisbolista de Barcelona. El Informe de Ligas Menores de hoy está repleto de información sobre siete juegos, transacciones y mucho más. (Today's Minor League Report is filled with information on seven games, transactions, and much more.) Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints Here are the records of the six Twins affiliates through games played on Friday. St. Paul Saints: 42-30 Wichita Wind Surge: 28-38 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 40-27 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 34-33 FCL Twins: 9-5 DSL Twins: 5-9 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS With Kenta Maeda being activated from the IL on Friday, the Twins optioned RHP Oliver Ortega to St. Paul. RHP Owen Griffith, who was activated from the IL earlier this week and promoted to Wichita, has been placed on the Injured List. He pitched on Thursday night and faced three batters. He gave up a walk, hit a batter and allowed a home run. After not pitching in a non-rehab assignment game since early July of 2021, I’m sure it was great to get back, and hopefully this IL stint is short and goes smoothly. Fort Myers activated RHP C.J. Culpepper from the IL. They also re-assigned OF Andres Centeno to the FCL after spending about a week with the Mussels. Catcher Austin Schell signed with the Twins in mid-January to provide depth behind the plate during spring training and extended spring training. He had played his college ball at Cal State-Fullerton. On Friday, he made the decision to retire. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 10, Toledo 6 Box Score Louie Varland made his first start since returning to the Saints. He and his teammates faced an #OldFriend for the Mudhens in lefty Bryan Sammons. Sammons was the Twins eighth-round draft pick in 2017 out of Western Carolina. The 28-year-old spent most of the past two seasons in Wichita but also pitched for St. Paul in 2021. The Twins released him very late last season. He began this year pitching for Gastonia in the independent Atlantic League before the Tigers recently signed him. Friday night was his fourth appearance with the Mudhens. Sammons had a very Sammons-like start in this game. He gave up two runs on five hits over five innings. He had two walks and six strikeouts. Varland’s night didn’t go as well. The right-hander from St. Paul gave up five runs on six hits and two walks and a hit batter over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four batters. Blayne Enlow came out of the pen and immediately got the final out of the fifth inning to strand two runners. Through the fifth inning, the Saints were down 5-2, but they just kept plugging away. They scored two in the sixth inning thanks to an RBI double from Anthony Prato (who homered in the third inning) who then scored on an Elliot Soto single. The Saints scored four runs in the seventh inning. Chris Williams drove in Matt Wallner on a sacrifice fly. Then Mark Contreras doubled, his 14th, to score Gilberto Celestino and Trevor Larnach. That put the Saints on top 7-6. Andrew Bechtold drove in Contreras with a sacrifice fly to make it 8-6. The Saints added two more in the eighth inning. Jose Miranda scored from third on a Celestino ground out. Later, Celestino scored on a Williams single. Blayne Enlow gave up a run in the sixth inning, but was excellent on the way to his first Triple-A Win. The right-hander gave up one run on two hits and a walk in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out four batters. All nine Saints batters had at least one hit. Prato led the way. He went 3-for-4 with his fifth and sixth doubles and his second Saints homer. He also stole his third base in his short time with St. Paul. Wallner went 2-for-4 with a walk, and he was hit by a pitch. Celestino was 2-for-5 with a walk. Contreras went 1-for-3 with two walks, his 14th double, and two RBI. First baseman/Third Baseman/Catcher/Pitcher Andrew Bechtold drove in two runs and knocked his 12th double. (And just for fun, here is his first pro game in which he pitched as a pitcher - and not a position-player-pitching.) WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, Arkansas 5 Box Score The Wind Surge got to see the Arkansas Travelers celebrate on Riverfront Stadium. The Travelers clinched a playoff berth by clinching the first half title. Carlos Luna made the start. He was charged with three runs on nine hits (including two homers). He struck out three batters and walked none. Alex Phillips finished the fifth inning and worked a scoreless sixth inning as well. Regi Grace had his first tough Double-A outing. In 1 2/3 innings, he gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. Those were the first runs he has allowed since joining the Surge and bumps his ERA up to 1.93. Francis Peguero gave up one hit and recorded the final four outs. Brooks Lee got the Surge on the scoreboard in the third inning when he connected for his fifth home run of the season. Lee went 2-for-2 with two walks in the game and is now hitting .266 with a .765 OPS this season. Seth Gray went 2-for-4 and knocked his sixth double. He scored later on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Will Holland. Jake Rucker was also 2-for-4. Aaron Sabato went 0-for-3 in the game. He was pinch hit for late by Ernie Yake. Earlier, he had been involved in what appeared to be a minor collision on a pop up. Are the two things related? Not sure at this point, but something to check in on when Saturday’s lineup comes out. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Beloit 10 Box Score Marco Raya made the start for the Kernels in this game. He started with two scoreless innings. He then gave up two unearned runs in the third. However, his pitch count was in a good spot, so he was sent out for the fourth inning. Unfortunately, he got just one more out. After a flyout, he gave up three straight singles, none of them hard-hit, to load the bases. That’s when Brian Dinkelman came to the mound and replaced Raya with Charlie Neuweiler. He struck out the first batter he faced for the second out. However, a walk and a single later, all three inherited runners scored. In total, Raya was charged with five runs (3 earned) on four hits and a walk. He had two strikeouts. Neuweiler’s line looks OK with 2/3 of an inning, no runs, one hit and one walk. Jaylen Nowlin came on next and really struggled with his control and command. Of his 60 pitches thrown, just 31 were strikes. He went two innings but was charged with five runs (4 earned) on five hits and three walks. German Niklas Rimmel came on and tossed two scoreless innings to slow the burn The Kernels were held off the scoreboard until the fourth inning when Tanner Schobel and Emmanuel Rodriguez hit back-to-back homers. It was Schobel’s ninth of the season and Rodriguez’s 10th homer. Down 10-2 going to the bottom of the seventh inning, the Kernels tried to mount a comeback. The scored one run in that inning on a Jose Salas sacrifice fly that drove in Misael Urbina. Then in the eighth inning, they scored four runs. With two on, Noah Miller singled to drive in Rodriguez. Then Kala’i Rosario scored on a Noah Cardenas ground out. Next, Urbina knocked in Miller with his 11th double. After a pitching change, Jorel Ortega followed with a single to score Urbina. And then Salas’s eighth double drove in Ortega. Schobel grounded out, but the five-run inning cut the Kernels’ deficit to 10-8 heading to the ninth inning. In the top of the ninth, Rimmel gave up one run that pushed the score to 11-8, but the Kernels had the middle of their lineup coming up in the bottom of the inning. Rodriguez struck out to start the inning, but Rosario worked a walk. Ben Ross struck out. Rosario advanced to second on Defensive Indifference (which is a dumb thing). That helped because Noah Miller bounced a single up the middle to drive in Rosario. Miller stole second, but that was it for the Kernels. Misael Urbina went 3-for-4 with his 10th and 11th doubles. Ortega went 2-for-4. Miller went 2-for-5 and stole his eighth base. Along with his 10th homer, Rodriguez also walked twice. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Tampa 5 Box Score The Mighty Mussels fell behind 2-0, but they clawed their way back to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth frame. Unfortunately, they gave up three runs in the bottom of that inning and fell 5-3. Ben Ethridge got the start and gave up two runs on three hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out two batters. An impressive 42 of his 61 pitches were strikes. Danny Moreno came on and struck out three batters over two innings of one-hit ball. Down 2-0, Rubel Cespedes put the Mussels on the board with a solo homer, his seventh long ball of the season. Cespedes went 1-for-2 in the game with two walks. In the seventh inning, Dylan Neuse drove in Kyle Schmidt with a sacrifice fly .Schmidt had reached on a double. Neuse doubled earlier in the game. Then in the top of the eighth, Cespedes drove in Maddux Houghton to give Ft. Myers their first lead of the game… their only lead of the game. Jackson Hicks came in for the bottom of the eighth inning. He got the first two batters to ground out. Then Jared Serna doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Anthony Hall singled off of Hicks… literally off of Hicks, so Serna remained at third. With two on and two outs, Agustin Ramirez launched a three-run homer to give the Tarpons the 5-3 lead. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA Game 1: FCL Twins 5, FCL Red Sox 2 Box Score It was a long, hot day for the Red Sox and Twins Florida Complex teams on Friday in Fort Myers. Because of a rain-out, they had to play two games in 87-degree humidity. Third baseman Harold Grant missed about a week of the FCL season. The Barcelona native went 3-for-3 in Game 1 to raise his average to .455. He hit his first home run of the season. Isaac Pena went 2-for-4 to raise his average to .340. He hit his third double. Bryan Acuna and Fredy Michel each hit their first doubles of the season and drove in a run. On the mound, Matt Gabbert made the start. He was charged with one run on three hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out two batters. Then Yon Landaeta came in and gave up one run on just one hit and two walks in 2 1/3 innings. He also struck out two batters. Kyle Bischoff came on and struck out five batters in two scoreless innings to record his first pro save in his second pro appearance. Game 2: FCL Twins 5, FCL Red Sox 1 Box Score Harold Grant played second base in Game 2. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI to raise his average just a little more, to .462. He got the team on the board with an RBI single in the three-run fourth inning. It was followed by an RBI double off the bat of Bryan Acuna. Grant then scored the third run on a wild pitch. Andres Centeno singled in Omari Daniel in the fifth, and then Acuna walked with the bases loaded to score the second run of the inning and the fifth and final run of the game. Brayan Medina worked around some self-inflicted tough situations. He gave up just one run on one hit over five innings. He also walked five batters and struck out three. Miguel Olivares came on and struck out two in a scoreless innings. Cleiber Maldonado got the final three outs of the game. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins 11, DSL Yankees 6 Box Score The Twins got an early lead, and then they used a seven-run sixth inning to take control of this game. They scored one in the second inning when Yilber Herrera singled in Ricardo Pena. They added three runs in the fourth inning. The first scored on a wild pitch which was followed by a two-run double by Ariel Castro. Cordero made the start and was really good. He tossed four scoreless, hitless innings. He struck out eight batters. The only “blemish” in his box score line was a two-out walk in the fourth inning. This was his third appearance of the season. In 11 2/3 innings, he has 19 strikeouts. Cordero is very interesting as he signed in January but won’t turn 17 until mid-August. In the top of the fourth inning, the Twins broke it open with a seven-run inning. The team hit for the cycle in the inning. They had three walks and stole a couple of bases. There were two pitching changes during the inning. Yilber Herrera got the scoring started with an RBI double. Later, Dameury Pena knocked in three with a bases-loaded triple. A few batters later, Angel Trinidad came on as a pinch hitter and drilled his first professional home run, a three-run shot to put a cap on the inning. Despite Cordero’s dominance, Juan Cota got the win. He was charged with two unearned runs on one hit over two innings. Joel Garcia then gave up four runs on three hits and two walks in the seventh inning. Jose Ojo walked two and struck out two batters over two scoreless innings. We’ll finish with the offense. The team scored 11 runs on 10 hits, seven walks, and two hit batters. Ricardo Pena went 3-for-5 with a double. Yilber Herrera went 2-for-2 with a walk and his fourth double. Castro went 1-for-2 two two walks and his first double. Dameury Pena’s triple was his first, and Trinidad’s homer was the first of his career. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Miguel Cordero (DSL Twins) - 4 IP, 0H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K, 71 pitches, 52 strikes. Co-Hitters of the Day – Anthony Prato (Saints) - 3-for-4, 2-2B(6), HR(2), 2 R, 2 RBI, K, SB(3) Co-Hitters of the Day – Brooks Lee (Wind Surge) - 2-for-2, 2 BB, HR(5), R, RBI. Co-Hitters of the Day – Misael Urbina (Kernels) - 3-for-4, 2-2B(11), 2 R, RBI, K, OF Assist Co-Hitters of the Day – Harold Grant (FCL Twins) - 5-for-7, HR(1), 4 R, 2 RBI, K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-for-2, 2 BB, HR(5), R, RBI #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-for-4, HR(4), R, RBI, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 2 BB, HR(10), 2 R, RBI, K, E #6 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - 3 1/3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 54 pitches, 36 strikes #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, HBP, R, 3 K. #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 2B(8), SF, RBI, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, 3 K, SB(8) #17 - Blayne Enlow (St. Paul) - 4 1/3 IP, 2 H, R, BB, 4 K, 59 pitches, 38 strikes. #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 1-for-8, K SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Aaron Sanchez (4-4, 5.12 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Jose Bravo (2-2, 6.16 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Kyle Jones (3-4, 4.47 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30 PM CST) - LHP Develson Aria (2-3, 6.75 ERA) FCL Twins - No Game Scheduled. DSL Angels @ DSL Twins (10:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

Congratulations to the Cedar Rapids Kernels for officially earning another of their annual trips to the playoffs in the Midwest League. Beyond that, you'll want to see a strange innings for St. Paul, a comeback for Wichita, a big final-inning homer by a top 20 prospect in the DSL, and a five-hit game in the DSL. Read all about it in today's minor-league report. And Happy Blayne Enlow Day to those who celebrate. It was a full day in the Twins minor league system on Friday, but there were some really exciting games as well. It seems so early, but Cedar Rapids clinched another playoff spot and the Midwest League's first-half West Division title. The Saints needed extra innings but still crushed in Louisville, Likewise, the Wins Surge got some big hits late in the game. Fort Myers did not have a good game, but the FCL Twins had a strong showing and a top 20 prospect hit a pretty massive home run. And there was a five-hit game in the Dominican. Read all about it and more. Win-Loss Records St. Paul Saints: 39-27 Wichita Wind Surge: 26-34 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 36-25 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 32-29 FCL Twins: 5-4 DSL Twins: 2-7 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Following their game, the Twins announced that left Brent Headrick was being called up to the Twins. Josh Winder has been optioned to St. Paul. Cedar Rapids placed LHP Jordan Carr on the IL with left elbow inflammation. OF Willie Joe Garry was activated from the Cedar Rapids Injured List. RHP Ricky Mineo and C.J. Culpepper was activated from the Development List (which he was on for one day) . SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 8, Louisville 3 (10 innings) Box Score Hard to imagine that this game was tied at 1-1 at the end of nine innings. However, the Saints scored seven runs in the top of the 10th to grab an “easy” extra-innings win. They are now 5-1 in extra-inning games. The Saints got on the scoreboard first with a Matt Wallner opposite field solo home run. And the Bats got their run in the fifth inning when Joey Votto was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Alright, let’s get to the good stuff, the top of the 10th inning. Elliot Soto began the inning as the Manfred Man. He advanced to third base on a ground out. Mark Contreras pinch-hit for the rehabbing Gilberto Celestino and drilled a triple which allowed Soto to walk in from third. Next, Trevor Larnach singled in Contreras. That was followed by a double by Jose Miranda. With runners on second and third, Matt Wallner was intentionally walked to load the bases. But that brought red-hot Chris Williams to the plate. He lined a single to left that drove in two more runs to make it 5-1 Saints. But that wasn’t it. With a new pitcher, Jair Camargo walked to reload the bases. Then Anthony Prato drove in two runs with a single to center. Then Soto singled to score Camargo and end the Saints scoring. They gave up two runs in the bottom of the 10th, but no worries. Kenta Maeda made another rehab start. He was charged with one run on two hits. In his 4 1/3 innings, he walked four and struck four batters out. Kody Funderburk got the next five outs, two on strikeouts. Austin Brice worked a scoreless inning. Patrick Murphy struck out two batters over the eighth and ninth innings. He recorded the Win and improved to 5-0 and has given up just one run over his past 21 2/3 innings. Alex Scherff gave up two runs (1 earned) in the 10th inning, but he also struck out three batters in his Triple-A debut. The Saints had 10 hits and eight walks in the game, but until the 10th inning, they struggled to score. Larnach and Prato went 2-for-5. Wallner was 1-2 with three walks and his eighth homer. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 8,Midland 5 Box Score This was really a back-and-forth game, but the Wind Surge scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to give them their margin of victory. The top of the Wichita lineup continued to produce. DaShawn Keirsey is now hitting .323 after going 2-for-5. Brooks Lee went 2-for-5 with his system-leading 23rd double. Yoyner Fajardo went 2-for-5 and drove in three runs, two in the ninth inning. David Festa made the start on the mound. He gave up four runs on six hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out seven batters. Hunter McMahon was fantastic. He got all eight batters he faced out, three on strikeouts. Francis Peguero gave up the game-tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning. With the lead, Regi Grace got the ninth inning and recorded his first Double-A save. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, South Bend 1 Box Score The Kernels got strong pitching from Marco Raya and Zebby Matthews, and just enough offense to win the game. Cedar Rapids has been a Twins affiliate since 2012, and every year they have made the playoffs. That streak will continue as the win clinched the first-half title for the Kernels. Congratulations to Brian Dinkelman, his staff and players. Raya made the start and again worked three innings. He gave up one run on two hits. He also struck out six batters without a walk. Coming off of his first bad appearance of the season, Matthews came in and tossed six shutout innings. He gave up five hits, struck out four and also did not walk a batter. He was credited with his first High-A Win. Down 1-0 going to the bottom of the fourth, Misael Urbina doubled to score Noah Miller and tie the game. Urbina then scored on a single by Jose Salas to give them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Noah Cardenas gave them a little insurance in the eighth inning when he singled to score Emmanuel Rodriguez for the team’s third run. Urbina led the way. He went 2-for-3 with his seventh and eighth doubles. Salas was also 2-for-3. Rodriguez walked and doubled in the game. Twins 2022 11th round pick Brandon Birdsell, who didn’t sign with the Twins, opting to spend another year at Texas Tech, took the loss in the game for the Cubs. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Bradenton 6 Box Score The Mussels were unable to muster a run until they scored a single run in the top of the ninth inning, but that certainly wasn’t enough on this night. Fort Myers had just five hits in this game, and 2022 sixth-round pick Jorel Ortega had three of them, including his 22nd double. Rubel Cespedes added his ninth double of the seasons nd drove in the lone run. Jose Olivares gave up four runs on just two hits over 4 1/3 innings in the start. He was hurt by the four walks, but he also notched seven strikeouts. Danny Moreno came in to finish the fifth inning, but before he got two outs, he allowed an inherited runner and two more runs to score. Ricky Mineo returned to action and struck out two in a scoreless inning. Jackson Hicks finished with two scoreless innings. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA FCL Twins 12, FCL Red Sox 11 (7 innings) Box Score Man, I heard this was a wild one! And to think, it only went seven innings. The Red Sox scored two in the second inning. They busted out for six in the fourth and three more in the fifth. After four innings, the Twins were down 8-3, but they scored four runs in the fifth, two in the sixth and three in the top of the seventh to take the lead. The hero? Jose Rodriguez hit a three-run homer to give the Twins the lead, and eventually the win. Let’s start with the good news, the offense. Anderson Nova went 2-for-2 with two walks and his first two doubles of the season. Jose Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a walk and his first home run of the year. Bryan Acuna went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Isaac Pena added a double. On the mound, Brayan Medina started. In 3 1/3 innings, he gave up seven runs (6 earned) on seven hits and two walks. He struck out one. Yon Landaeta got the final two outs of the fourth inning, but not before both of Medina’s runners scored and he gave up a run of his own. Cleiber Maldonado gave up three runs on three hits and a walk over 1 2/3 innings. Finally, Matt Gabbert came on and got the final for outs, three of them on strikeouts. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins 12, DSL Brewers (1) 1 Box Score The Twins Dominican Complex team scored five in the first inning and then scored in six of the first seven innings to earn a lopsided win from the now 6-3 Brewers squad. The hitting star was infielder (DH in this game) Dameury Pena. He went 5-for-6 with two doubles and three RBI in the game. He is now hitting .467 (1.051) on the young season. Catcher Jesus Peraza went 3-for-5 with his first double of the season. Juan Hernandez went 2-for-5 with his first double as well. Ariel Castro led off and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a triple, three runs scored and two driven in. Miguel Cordero started and gave up just one hit over four scoreless innings. He walked four and struck out six batters. Joel Garcia gave up one run on three hits and two walks over three innings. He recorded the Win and struck out five batters. Juan Cota and Eider Machuca each struck out two batters in a scoreless inning. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Zebby Matthews (Cedar Rapids) - 6 IP, 5H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 71 pitches, 52 strikes. Hitter of the Day – Dameury Pena (DSL Twins) - 5-for-6, 2-2B(3), 2 R, 3 RBI, SB (3) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-for-5, 2B(23), R, RBI, K #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 0-for-3, BB, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, BB, 2B(4), R. #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 2-for-4, 2 K #6 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 47 pitches, 31 strikes.. #8 - David Festa (Wichita) - 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 78 pitches, 51 strikes.. #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, 3 BB, K, 2 R, RBI #10 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL Twins) - 1-for-2, 2 R, SB(2). #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, RBI, CS #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, R, K #15 - Brent Headrick (Minnesota) - Called up to Twins after the game. #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 2-for-3, BB, HR(1), 2 R, 3 RBI. . SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Louisville (6:15 PM CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (first AAA start) Wichita @ Midland (7:00 PM CST) - RHP Carlos Luna (1-3, 5.40 ERA) South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin (2-3, 4.11 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM CST) - RHP Ben Ethridge (0-3, 2.96 ERA) FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (9:00AM CST) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Giants Orange (10:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games! View full article

Three Minnesota Twins affiliates played on Wednesday. The Kernels lost an afternoon tilt. The Saints got a big inning, gave it up late, but then completed a walk-off win. The Wind Surge had a big inning, and then another, and one more on their way to a big win. Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Wednesday. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photos of Blayne Enlow, Brooks Lee) On Wednesday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins salvaged the third game of their three-game series against the San Francisco Giants. They got another solid start from Joe Ryan, and Edouard Julien and Matt Wallner both contributed mightily to the Twins win. Fort Myers was rained out on Wednesday, but the three other affiliates played. There were some big innings. There were comebacks. There was a walkoff. There was a Quality Start. There were homers, and lots of multi-hit games. Continue on to find out what all happened. St. Paul Saints: 24-21 Wichita Wind Surge: 19-21 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 22-19 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 23-17 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS No transactions on Wednesday. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Omaha 5 Box Score In the bottom of the second inning, the Saints put up a big five spot. Were they able to hang on to that lead? Well, Omaha scored three runs in the top of the third and another in the fourth. But as the game went into the ninth inning, the Saints still held a 5-4 lead. Before we get to that, let’s talk about that five-run second frame. Hernan Perez got the team on the board with a double to score Ryan LaMarre. Jair Camargo followed with a single that drove in Perez with the second run. Royce Lewis, who batted second and played third base, then lined a double to left field that drove in Camargo and Andrew Stevenson. Finally, Jose Miranda singled to score Lewis with the fifth run of the inning. Lefty Brent Headrick was the Saints starter. In the third inning, he gave up a three-run homer to Royals middle infield prospect Nick Loftin. He also was charged with an unearned run in the fourth inning. In all, Headrick needed 82 pitches to work through four innings. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on seven hits and two walks. He recorded three strikeouts. Josh Winder had a nice outing. He tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked three and struck out four batters. Connor Sadzeck got the next four outs, three on strikeouts while maintaining the 5-4 lead. Oliver Ortega came on and walked a batter before getting a strikeout to get the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth inning, Ortega remained on the mound. He got the first batter to line out. Then he recorded a strikeout. With two outs, Logan Porter hit a soft single. Ortega then got a ground ball, but a throwing error put runners on first and third. Unfortunately, Dairon lined an 88 mph single that tied the score at five. Ortega got the final out on a fly out. So the Saints had to take their at-bats in the bottom of the ninth. Andrew Stevenson got things started with an opposite-field single. With Andrew Bechtold batting, Stevenson stole second base, his 16th of the season. Then on a 3-2 count, Bechtold hit a ground ball that the pitcher deflected toward second base, but he beat the throw to first. With runners on first and third and nobody out, Jose Miranda stepped to the plate. Bechtold took second on Defensive Indifference before Miranda walked it off with a single to left field to give the Saints a 6-5 win. Jose Miranda went 2-for- 5 with two RBI in the game. Lewis played the first seven innings before being replaced by Bechtold. Lewis went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Stevenson went 2-for-5. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 13, Springfield 1 Box Score It was a big day for the Wind Surge offense. They had a four-run third inning. In the seventh, they had a five-run inning to increase their lead to 10-1. They added three more in the eighth inning to provide the final score. Wichita had 18 hits and four walks in the game. Eight of nine starters had at least one hit. Seven of nine had multi-hit games. Three players had three hits in the game. We will get into the specifics for the hitters, but it's always important to highlight strong pitching. Blayne Enlow was the beneficiary of the offensive explosion, but he again did his job and kept the Cardinals’ prospects at bay. Enlow started with five shutout innings. He then gave up one run in the sixth inning. He was very efficient as well. He had just one out (the final batter he faced), but he also walked no one. He needed just 76 pitches to get through six innings. When the offense had their long, five-run seventh inning, his night was over. It was his third Quality Start of the season. Following the game, Blayne Enlow told Twins Daily, “It felt great. Complete opposite of last outing with the Ks (he had 10 strikeouts in 5 ⅓ innings), but I made the right pitches when I needed to and got weak contact that the defense just vacuumed up today.” Lefty Denny Bentley is back. He got five outs in this game, two on strikeouts. Alex Scherff gave up three hits and a walk over the final 1 1/3 innings, but also did not allow a run. Back to the offense. Let’s start with the big hits. In the four-run third, Anthony Prato got things started with a solo home run, his second of the season. Soon after, Yoyner Fajardo doubled in a run, and that was followed by Brooks Lee’s fourth homer of the year. Fajardo drove in Prato with a single in the fourth inning to make it 5-0. Yunior Severino got things going in the five-run seventh frame. His sixth double scored Brooks Lee. Next, Jake Rucker scored on a passed ball. DaShawn Keirsey’s seventh double (you need to see this one!) drove in two runs and the scoring for the inning was complete when Pat Winkel singled in Keirsey. Yoyner Fajardo has been incredible with the Wind Surge this season. In the eighth inning, he singled in another run. Lee followed with his 13th double. Finally, Severino hit into a double play that scored the team’s 13th and final run of the night. Fajardo, who came to the Twins organization as a minor-league Rule 5 pick this offseason, is speedy. But after his 3-for-5 night pushes his batting average to .316. The 24-year-old outfielder’s on-base percentage is up to .377. Following the game, Fajardo noted, "My thoughts for tonight were to hit (the ball to) the middle since the opposing team threw me a lot of breaking pitches the night before. I tried to think for the middle, and thank God, the results turned out well." Jake Rucker went 3-for-5. Seth Gray went 3-for-4 with a triple in the game. Brooks Lee went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a home run. His batting average is now .252 with an OPS of .753. Severino went 2-for-5. Keirsey went 2-for-5. Winkel went 2-for-4 with a walk. We seem to always highlight when the Twins and their affiliates don’t do well with runners in scoring position. Well, in this game, the Wind Surge went 7-for-9 in those situations. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Wisconsin 4 (10 innings) Box Score The Kernels hosted an afternoon game on Wednesday. It was quite a pitchers duel and needed an extra inning to decide it. Jaylen Nowlin made the start. The southpaw was charged with one run on seven hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out five batters. Regi Grace came on and worked two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked two and struck one out. Miguel Rodriguez worked two perfect innings and struck out one batter. Niklas Rimmel came on for the top of the 10th inning. As you know, the Rattlers started the inning with a runner on second base. Rimmel got a strikeout of Robert Moore. However, Matthew Wood singled to left which advanced the runner, Eric Brown Jr., to third base. However, Rimmel got Ben Metzinger to line out for the second out of the inning. Unfortunately, Joe Gray Jr drilled a three-run homer to put Wisconsin in front 4-1. With one out in the bottom of the 10th inning, Jeferson Morales singled to drive in the “Manfred Man” Andrew Cossetti to deficit to 4-2. But that was it for the Kernels and they fall to 22-19. In the game, the Kernels managed just three hits. Misael Urbina hit a solo homer leading off the second inning. Along with his 10th inning single, Morales had one of the team’s four walks. In his first High-A game, Cossetti went 0-for-4. Bonus Brewers Content (If you are a friend of the Brewers, or know people who are, be sure to send them to Brewer Fanatic.) For the Brewer Fanatic readers checking out today’s report, here are a few notes. OF Joe Gray was the Brewers second-round pick in 2018 out of high school in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In high school, he played with and against Kernels RHP Regi Grace and OF Willie Joe Garry. Alexander Cornielle gave up one run on two hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings. Alex Hall went 2-for-3 with a walk. Matthew Wood was the Brewers fourth round pick out of Penn State last year. He had two hits in this game and is now hitting .344 with an .806 OPS in eight games since his promotion. Finally, 2022 top pick, shortstop Eric Brown Jr. was hit in the face by a pitch in late April. At the time, he was hitting .137/.267/.157 (.424) with one double in 14 games. After missing about 10 days, he returned to the lineup in early May. In 18 games since his return, he has hit .329/.429/.471 (.900) with four doubles and two homers. Overall, he has 17 walks with 22 strikeouts in 144 plate appearances. He also has 20 stolen bases and has only been caught twice. Definitely one to watch, including in this two-part Brewers Spotlight interview. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers, Dunedin (PPD-Rain) Box Score The game was postponed due to weather and field conditions in Dunedin. The teams will make up the game as part of a doubleheader on Saturday. . TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Blayne Enlow (Wichita Wind Surge) - 6 IP, 1 R, 6 H, 0 BB, 1 K. 76 pitches, 49 strikes (62.2%). Hitter of the Day – Brooks Lee (Wichita Wind Surge) - 2-for-4, BB, 2B(13), HR(4), 3 R, 3 RBI, K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-for-4, BB, 2B(13), HR(4), 3 R, 3 RBI, K, #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul-Rehab) - 2-for-4, 2B(1), R, 2 RBI, 2 K, E. (played 3B). #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, BB, K. #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, BB, HR(3), 2 R, 2 RBI, SF, K, E #9 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-for-4, 2B(1), R, RBI, SB, #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K. #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4. #15 - Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 82 pitches, 51 strikes (62.2%) #17 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 76 pitches, 49 strikes (64.5%) #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 2-for-5, 2B(6), R, RBI, K . THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Aaron Sanchez (2-4, 4.89 ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (7:05 PM CST) - RHP David Festa (2-2, 5.58 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Kyle Jones (2-2, 3.62 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! View full article

The Saints have already kicked off their 2023 campaign, and other affiliates will follow shortly. Here is one hitter to watch for each Twins affiliate in 2023. Image courtesy of William Parmeter The Twins have accumulated depth in the upper levels of the minors, with many of their top prospects projected to play at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Other prospects are further away from Target Field, but that doesn’t mean their development is any less important. Below are hitters to keep tabs on this season, even if they aren’t the top-ranked prospect at that level. Triple-A: Matt Wallner Saints Opening Day Roster Many fans will keep close tabs on Edouard Julien’s Triple-A performance based on a solid spring and WBC performance. Don’t forget about Matt Wallner. He’s coming off a tremendous 2022 season, hitting .277/.412/.542 (.953) with 32 doubles, four triples, and 27 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. Twins Daily named Wallner the 2022 Minor League Hitter of the Year, but he dropped in the site’s prospect rankings from eighth to eleventh. He’s off to a strong start at Triple-A by going 4-for-12 with three extra-base hits and three runs. Wallner will impact the big-league roster at some point in 2023, but he will have to bide his time with the Saints until an opportunity is available. Double-A: Aaron Sabato Wind Surge Opening Day Roster Brooks Lee, the organization’s top prospect, will start the year at Double-A, where he ended the 2022 season. Like Lee, Sabato is a former first-round pick, but he is still waiting on a breakout season. Last season, he split time between High- and Double-A while hitting .215/.336/.438 (.774) with 17 doubles and 22 home runs. He’s averaged 38 extra-base hits per season in his professional career. Sabato turns 24 years old in June, which should be roughly the average age of the competition at his level. He’s played at two levels in each of his first two professional seasons, so he will be trying to power his way to Triple-A by the season’s second half. High-A: Misael Urbina Kernels Opening Day Roster The Kernels have four of Twins Daily’s top-10 prospects on their Opening Day roster, including Emmanuel Rodriguez, Marco Raya, Connor Prielipp, and Jose Salas. All eyes will be on Rodriguez based on his 2022 performance and emergence as a top-100 global prospect. Urbina is an intriguing name to follow. He was one of Minnesota’s top international signees back in 2018 and played parts of the last two seasons in Fort Myers. Last season, he hit .247/.323/.407 (.730) with 26 extra-base hits in 60 games. He continues to have the skills to be a five-tool player, but he needs to put it all together for an entire season. Low-A: Ricardo Olivar Mighty Mussels Opening Day Roster None of Twins Daily’s top 20 prospects are on the Fort Myers roster to start the 2023 season, but there are still hitters to watch. Danny De Andrade is the top-ranked prospect in the group, and he will be making his full-season debut. Olivar played most of 2022 at the rookie level but posted some solid offensive numbers. In 43 games, he hit .341/.433/.580 (1.013) with 12 doubles, three triples, and five home runs. Defensively, he is a catcher, but the Twins have been giving him more time in the outfield to keep his bat in the line-up. Can he build off his strong offensive showing with more playing time in 2023? Which hitters will you be watching at each level? Will any of the names listed above have a breakout season? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

The Minnesota Twins are already faced with some injury challenges early in spring training. After losing Gilberto Celestino to a thumb injury yesterday, Nick Gordon was forced to leave today’s game due to an ankle injury. Today was also Sonny Gray’s first outing of the spring. Highlights also include Kyle Farmer, Brent Headrick and more. View full video

Misael Urbina bounced back from a disappointing year to showing flashes of what motivated the Twins to sign him for $2.75 million back in 2018. After posting a .585 OPS the year prior, Urbina hit .246/.323/.419 (.741 OPS), a strong showing in the Florida State League. Here's a look back at some highlights plus a general overview of his 2022 season. View full video

The Twins’ underrated prospect depth shows up here at the end of our top 20, with a former top-100 prospect, two higher upside international signings, their 2nd round pick from 2022 and a potential bullpen weapon. View full video

Unfortunately, the pandemic impacted multiple highly ranked prospects, who were forced to spend a season training away from team facilities. One former top prospect is attempting to live up to his lofty expectations and put himself back on the prospect map. Image courtesy of William Parmeter / Mighty Mussels Some teams are better than others when it comes to evaluating and signing players from the international market. These players can be as young as 16 years old when they sign, and it takes a long-term development approach for them to reach their full potential. On the Twins' current 40-man roster, there are multiple players the Twins signed from the international market, including Luis Arraez, Jorge Polanco, and Max Kepler. One prospect attempts to follow those players' footsteps to the big-league level. The Twins signed Misael Urbina on July 2, 2018. At the time, he was considered one of the best prospects in the signing class, and Minnesota gave him a $2.75 million signing bonus. At the time, scouts called him an advanced hitter with an above-average hit tool and plus speed. MLB.com ranked him as the third overall prospect in his international class, and they have plenty of positive things to say about him. He is a "line-drive hitter with a high baseball IQ." They said, "he's already an advanced defender for his age." They praised his instincts and makeup. Urbina showcased many tools during his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League. In 50 games, he hit .279/.383/.443 (.825) with 14 doubles, five triples, and two home runs. He went 19-for-27 in stolen base attempts and had more walks (23) than strikeouts (14). He was showcasing all of the tools the Twins saw in him as an amateur. It was a tremendous start to his career, but things have not gone as smoothly since that point. Coming out of the pandemic, the Twins were aggressive with Urbina by sending him to Fort Myers. The 19-year-old struggled in his first taste of full-season ball by hitting .191/.299/.286 (.585) with 82 strikeouts in 101 games. All but four of his plate appearances came against older pitchers, so Minnesota was attempting to see if he could play up to the competition level. It seemed likely for Urbina to start the 2022 season at Fort Myers before hopefully being promoted later in the season. Unfortunately, visa issues delayed his debut until late June. There were some positive signs, even though his season started late. Reports are that his offseason regimen added more weight to his frame, resulting in a .730 OPS, which was 145 points higher than the previous season. He dropped his strikeout rate to 18.7% and collected 26 extra-base hits in 60 games. Two-thirds of his defensive innings have come in center field, but he has played over 500 innings in left field. If he bulks up and loses a step in the outfield, he might be destined for a corner outfield spot. Urbina's offensive improvements last year make it exciting to project what he might be able to accomplish in Cedar Rapids this year, especially since he is still only 21 years old. There was some question about whether or not the Twins would add Urbina to the 40-man roster leading into the 2022 Rule 5 Draft. Minnesota left him unprotected, but no other teams selected him because he was unlikely to stick on a big-league roster for an entire season. MLB Pipeline is still high on Urbina by ranking him the 8th-best prospect in the Twins organization. Twins Daily currently has Urbina ranked 17th. His two seasons in Fort Myers could have been better, but he still has a ton of upside, and he may be destined for a breakout campaign. What are your thoughts on Urbina? Can he take the next step in 2023? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

The Minnesota Twins will add Edouard Julien to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. That’s about the only certainty as Tuesday’s deadline approaches. Here’s a rundown of some of the other names the Twins might consider protecting. View full video

By 5:00 central time on Tuesday, teams will need to make their 40-man roster additions to keep eligible players from being selected in next month's Rule 5 draft. There are probably only a couple of sure-fire additions for the Twins, but there are at least another dozen players that the Twins likely had to have some discussion about as well. Who will they add? Image courtesy of William Parmeter / Mighty Mussels Since the end of the season, the Twins' front office has been cleaning up the 40-man roster that, had way more than 40 men on it. When the World Series finished, several players automatically came off the roster and became free agents. Carlos Correa exercised his option and became a free agent. The Twins Designated five players for Assignment early in the offseason. Three of them (Jermaine Palacios, Jake Cave, Caleb Hamilton) were claimed by other teams. Just last week, players still on the 60-Day Injured List were removed from the Injured List. At the same time, Cody Stashak was outrighted from the roster and elected free agency. All that is to say that a lot of roster work has been done already. Some of that is because, on Tuesday, teams have to submit additions to their 40-man rosters by 5:00 central time. The Twins' 40-man roster is currently at 36 players. There are 21 pitchers, one catcher, five infielders, and nine outfielders. The Twins (and other teams) may make a few small trades to clean up a couple more roster spots before the additions. Friday is another key date in the offseason when teams will need to decide which arbitration-eligible players to tender (or non-tender) a 2023 contract. A couple more players could potentially come off of the roster at that time. Before getting into the predictions for which Twins minor leaguers will be added to the team’s 40-man roster, it is important to note that some of these decisions were already made during the season. Louie Varland, Matt Wallner, and Simeon Woods Richardson all were added to the roster in September. If they had not been, they would have been Givens to be added now. Those three put up tremendous 2022 seasons in both Wichita and St. Paul and earned their late-season promotions. Secondly, who is eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft if they are not protected? Players who signed when they were 18 or younger in 2018 or earlier. Players who were 19 or older when they signed in 2019 or earlier. The age at signing is the key, but a general rule would be: Players drafted out of high school in 2017 or 2018. (unless they signed when they were 19) Players drafted out of junior college or four-year college in 2017, 2018, or 2019. International players signed at 16, 17, or 18 years old in 2016, 2017, or 2018. Finally, players added to the 40-man roster on Tuesday cannot be removed from the 40-man roster until spring training. That is important to remember when the team signs free agents or makes a trade this winter. So, here are my quick thoughts on players that should be, or at least should be considered to be, added to the Twins' 40-man roster. THE GIVENS 1.) 2B Edouard Julien - The 23-year-old from Quebec was the Twins 18th round pick in 2019 out of Auburn. Just this weekend, he was named the Breakout Prospect in the Arizona Fall League after he hit .400/.563/.686 (1.248) with five doubles and five home runs in 21 games. However, you could argue that he broke out during the 2022 regular season in Wichita where he hit .300/.441/.490 (.931) with 19 doubles and 17 home runs in 113 games. He even stole 19 bags. Of course, I would argue that he broke out in 2021, his professional debut after missing 2019 and 2020 due to Tommy John surgery and the Covid pandemic. He split that season between Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids. In 112 games, he hit .267/.434/.480 (.914) with 28 doubles, 18 home runs, and 34 stolen bases. Where will he play? Well, he spent most of 2022 at second base. He has played first and third base in pro ball. Yes, he played a couple of games in left field in 2021, but that isn’t an option. Regardless, his all-around offensive game makes him a future top-of-the-lineup contributor. 2.) RHP Matt Canterino - Maybe not quite as “given” as Julien, but Canterino is absolutely a given to be added. He was the team’s second-round draft pick in 2019 out of Rice University. Since turning pro, two things have been true of the 24-year-old righty. First, when he has pitched, he has been absolutely dominant. In 11 games and 34 1/3 innings for Wichita in 2022, he posted a 1.83 ERA and struck out 50 batters. In 23 innings in 2021, he struck out 45 batters. His stuff is electric. Unfortunately, the second truth is that he has missed a lot of time with injury. He was shut down early in the 2021 season after experiencing some elbow pain. The rest-and-rehab was tried, but in 2022 at Wichita, he was limited to three innings per start and eventually four innings, but as his arm threw more, the pain continued. Finally, in mid-August, he underwent Tommy John surgery in Arlington making his availability to pitch in 2023 unlikely. But again, with this kind of talent, particularly with a pitcher, you keep him around and add him and don’t even give it a second thought. STRONG CONSIDERATIONS 3.) LHP Brent Headrick - In 2022, Headrick made 15 starts in Cedar Rapids before moving up to Double-A Wichita. In 2021, he was limited in the second half with some shoulder impingement. He stayed healthy throughout the 2022 season and went 10-5 with a 3.32 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. In 108 1/3 innings, he walked just 25 batters and struck out 136 batters. Now, his Double-A numbers don’t look as good. In 10 games, he went 2-3 with a 4.81 ERA. However, in his first Wind Surge appearance, he gave up seven runs on 10 hits (including five home runs) in 2 1/3 innings. Take away that outing, and he went 2-2 with a 3.54 ERA, and in 40 2/3 innings, he gave up just six more home runs. Headrick was the Twins seventh-round pick in 2019 out of Illinois State. 4.) UT Michael Helman - The Twins were excited to select Helman out of Texas A&M in the 11th round of the 2018 draft. After a strong pro debut that year, he really struggled in 2019 at High-A Ft. Myers and ended the season injured. After a lost 2020 season, he hit .246/.336/.462 (.798) with 21 doubles, four triples, and 19 home runs in Cedar Rapids. He added 21 steals. He finished that season by playing in the Arizona Fall League. He began the 2022 season with 39 games at Wichita where he hit .278/.368/.472 (.840) with six doubles, two triples, and six home runs. He finished the season in St. Paul where, in 96 games, he hit .250/.325/.416 (.741) with 17 doubles and 14 home runs. Combined, he ended the season with 23 doubles, 20 home runs, and an impressive 40 stolen bases. He has made himself a solid contributor at the bat. He has also worked very hard to get strong all over the field on defense. Drafted as a middle infielder, he started playing all over the place in 2021. In 2022, he played 43 games in center field, 41 games at second base, 29 games at third base, and 11 games at shortstop. In 2021, he played more in the corner outfield spots than in center field. He legitimately can play seven positions on the field, and maybe I should mention that when he went to junior college, he was a catcher. 5.) Misael Urbina - This is the potential upside addition. This is the guy with talent and athleticism and tools. The 20-year-old Urbina signed in July of 2018 out of Venezuela. He spent 2019 in the Dominican Summer League where he posted a solid .825 OPS with 21 extra-base hits and 19 stolen bases in 50 games. After the lost 2020 season, he came to the States in 2021. He didn’t make the Mighty Mussels Opening Day roster, but he was on the roster about a week later. He played 101 games for the Mighty Mussels and hit .191/.299/.286 (.585) with 12 doubles, four triples, five homes, and 16 steals. Unfortunately, Urbina missed about half of the 2022 season due to some visa issues. In 50 games for the Mighty Mussels, he hit .246/.323/.419 (.741) with 16 doubles, five homers, and nine stolen bases. The Twins have added players after they spend a year in Low-A. They did it in November 2013 when they added Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler after they played in Cedar Rapids that season. Of course, they also added Deibinson Romero and Estarlin de Los Santos to the 40-man roster after their Low-A seasons. (I’m sure @Roger will appreciate that reference.) It’s hard for me to believe that Urbina would be able to stick on a big-league roster all season, so this is very borderline. 6.) IF Yunior Severino - As you know, Atlanta signed Severino as a 16-year-old in 2016. He spent the following season with the Braves organization until they were deemed to have broken the rules of international signing and a bunch of their recently-signed international players became free agents again. This time, it was the Twins that gave him a big, seven-figure signing bonus. Severino has shown glimpses of talent, but he’s also missed time with injury. He broke out with a strong 35 games at the end of the 2021 season in Cedar Rapids when he hit .321/.414/.493 (.907) with 12 doubles and three homers. He began 2022 with 46 games with the Kernels and hit .283/.398/.572 (.970) with nine doubles, two triples, and 11 homers. He moved up to Wichita and hit .273/.338/.497 (.834) with eight doubles and eight home runs. At Cedar Rapids, he played mostly second base (and DH). With the Wind Surge, he played almost exclusively at third base. He is now 23 and could be a year away from being ready. 7.) C/1B Chris Williams - Chris Williams was the Twins' eighth-round pick in 2018 out of Clemson University. In 75 games for Wichita this summer, Williams hit .277/.372/.542 (.915) with 16 doubles and 18 home runs. He finished his season with 42 games in St. Paul. He hit just .192, but he had five doubles and 10 more home runs. This season, he played 83 games at first base and caught 24 games. He will turn 26 this month, but the Twins have a need for right-handed power and currently have just one catcher on their 40-man roster. Now, Williams is not going to do a lot of catching in the big leagues, but he can be a guy who can be a #3 catcher, a backup first base option, and a power bat off the bench might provide some value to the organization. 8.) RHP Cody Laweryson - Laweryson (pronounced Lor-ih-sun) was the Twins 14th round draft pick out of the University of Maine in 2019. In 2021, he missed the first two months of the season and then posted a 4.91 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 15 games for Cedar Rapids. He did have 73 strikeouts and just 19 walks over his 58 2/3 innings. He went to the Arizona Fall League and struck out 18 batters in 14 innings and pitched in the Fall Stars game. He began 2022 in the Kernels' bullpen. In 35 innings, he struck out 42 and walked 12 batters. He posted a 2.57 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He moved up to Wichita where after 11 bullpen appearances, he made eight starts. He went 5-0 with a minuscule 1.06 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. In 59 2/3 innings, he struck out 69 and walked just 15 batters. In the entire season, he gave up just two homers over 94 2/3 innings. He’s got decent stuff and a bit of a funky delivery. Was his half-season in Wichita enough for someone to select him in the Rule 5 draft, or for the Twins to add him? 9.) OF DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. - Keirsey was the Twins' fourth-round pick in 2018 out of the University of Utah. He had a brutal injury after crashing into the wall at the end of his sophomore season in college, but inexplicably returned for his junior season and posted an OPS of 1.049. Since the Twins drafted him, his biggest issue has been staying on the field. He was limited to 45 games in Cedar Rapids in 2021 due to leg muscle issues. He never was able to get into a rhythm. In 2022, he was bumped up to Wichita and was on the field for 121 games. He had a solid showing, if not a bit of a breakout season. He hit .271/.329/.395 (.724) with 26 doubles, three triples, and seven home runs. While not a power hitter, at times he can really drive the ball and use the whole field. But his speed is absolutely electric and can be game-changing. He stole 42 bases in 49 attempts this year (86%), but he is an elite defensive center fielder, able to run down almost anything and unafraid to throw his body around to make a catch. His athleticism alone has to get him considered, and in 2022, he stayed on the field and really contributed. 10.) LHP Kody Funderburk - When the Twins drafted the lefty from Dallas Baptist in the 15th round of the 2018 draft, they had him as a pitcher only. In college, he was a very good hitter as well. Over time, he has worked solely as a pitcher and very quietly has made himself into a prospect to watch. He had a solid 2021 season between Cedar Rapids (where he started) and Wichita (where he was a reliever). He then went and made six starts in the Arizona Fall League. In 2022 at Double-A Wichita, he went 10-5 with a 2.94 ERA. In 107 innings, he had 103 strikeouts to 44 walks. He has a bit of a funky delivery that might make him intriguing to a team in the Rule 5 draft. 11.) C/1B Alex Isola - In 2017, Isola and Keirsey were teammates at Utah. Isola transferred a couple of times before the Twins made him their 29th-round pick in 2019 out of Texas Christian University. Isola just completed his six-week stint in the Arizona Fall League where he hit five doubles, and in the semi-final game launched a 420+ foot home run to help send his team to the championship game. Like Williams, part of the allure of Isola is his ability to play behind the plate as needed. With Wichita, he made 17 starts at first base and 17 starts behind the plate. He won’t win any Gold Gloves, but he could be a #3 catcher in the big leagues. His calling card is his bat. In 58 games with the Wind Surge in 2022, he hit .286/.377/.471 (.848) with nine doubles and 10 home runs. He puts together solid plate appearances with a good knowledge of the strike zone. He’s willing to take his walks, but he also can drive the ball to the gaps and over the wall. 12.) RHP Austin Schulfer - The 26-year-old was the Twins 19th round pick in 2018 out of UW-Milwaukee. In 2021, he led all Twins minor-league pitchers with 110 innings pitched over 24 starts at Double-A Wichita. In 2022, he returned to the Wind Surge to start the season and worked in 15 games out of the bullpen. He gave up just one earned run over 23 innings (0.39 ERA) and struck out 30 and walked only four batters. He recorded seven saves. He moved up to St. Paul where he went 4-3 with a 5.23 ERA. In 32 2/3 Triple-A innings, he struck out 31 batters and walked 13 batters. Schulfer has always made adjustments and should return to the Saints in 2023. Depending on the injury front in the Twins bullpen, we could see him debut at some point. HAVE TO AT LEAST CONSIDER LHP Evan Sisk - Acquired from the Cardinals at the deadline in 2021, he was the 2022 Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. 5-1, 2.08 ERA in a combined 63 innings between Wichita and St. Paul. Had 76 strikeouts to go with 29 walks. SS/OF Will Holland - the fastest runner in the Twins minor leagues, he is a great athlete and could provide a team with solid outfield or shortstop defense and pinch-running abilities. He was the team’s 5th-round pick in 2019 from Auburn. LHRP Denny Bentley - Bentley has been very good in the Twins minor leagues and can record a lot of strikeouts, but he does walk a lot of batters, as he did in the Arizona Fall League. RHRP Osiris German - German remains a very intriguing 24-year-old reliever. His best pitch is his changeup. After six games in Cedar Rapids, he worked in 37 games for Wichita. He posted a 3.02 ERA and had 17 walks and 59 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings. RHRP Hunter McMahon - he was the ninth-round pick by the Nationals in the 2019 draft. The Twins acquired him that offseason for Ryne Harper. He has pitched very little since. In 2021, he pitched in just five games. This year, he began in Ft. Myers (2.23 ERA), moved up to Cedar Rapids (1.19 ERA), and finished with four games in Double-A. In 73 2/3 combined innings. He had 76 strikeouts and just 16 walks. RHP Sean Mooney - The Twins 12th round pick in 2019 from St. John’s had Tommy John surgery that spring. So, he didn’t make his pro debut, officially, until 2021. In 42 innings, he had 71 strikeouts. In 2022 with Cedar Rapids, he posted a 3.30 ERA and had 82 strikeouts in 60 innings. Needs to stay healthy. UT Anthony Prato - 7th round pick in 2019 from UConn, Prato had a nice breakout season in 2022. He was limited in 2021 due to a broken hamate bone. In 2022, he played 45 games in Cedar Rapids before ending with 87 games in Wichita. Combined, he hit .285/.383/.444 (.827) with 30 doubles, eight triples, 10 homers, and 22 stolen bases. He played 60 games in left field, 34 games at second base, and 22 games at third base. RHP Randy Dobnak - Off the 40-man roster, if a team selected Dobnak, they would take on his contract too, so that’s unlikely. But, when he was healthy in 2019 and 2020, he was a solid back-of-rotation starter, and if he is healthy, could be that for a non-contender. RHRP Steven Cruz - MLB Pipeline ranks Cruz 28th in the organization. Ten (or even five) years ago, he would have ranked higher because he is capable of reaching triple-digits with his fastball. At 23, he posted a 5.14 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP in Wichita in 2022. In 56 innings, he had 72 strikeouts, but he also walked 35 batters. Love the arm, but hard to see him sticking in the big leagues. OTHER ELIGIBLE PLAYERS Hitters: David Banuelos, Andrew Bechtold, Kyle Schmidt, Seth Gray, Charles Mack, Jeferson Morales, Daniel Ozoria, Willie Joe Garry, Carlos Aguiar, Luis Baez, Wilfri Castro, Alexander Pena. Pitchers: Tyler Beck, Francis Peguero, Jon Olsen, Ryan Shreve, Brock Stewart, Michael Boyle, Jordan Brink, Jordan Gore, Casey Legumina, Alex Phillips, Regi Grace, Bradley Hanner, Derek Molina, Owen Griffith, Tyler Palm, Miguel Rodriguez, Matthew Swain, Zaquiel Puentes, Niklas Rimmel, Elpidio Perez, Wilker Reyes, Rafael Feliz, Danny Moreno, Alex Scherff, Andrew Cabezas, Ben Gross, Zach Neff, Josh Mitchell, Jose Brito. My prediction? This is as tough as I can remember this being. Again, we should be able to assume Canterino and Julien are added. After that, there are at least six to 10 others (and maybe more) where a legitimate case could be made. I am going to officially predict that they will also add Headrick, Helman, and Severino. I think Urbina is just not yet in a spot where he could stick in the big leagues, but I think he is at risk of being taken. He is probably the most interesting case (which is why I found a photo of him for the article). I think Chris Williams and Alex Isola are guys that could be at risk as well. Your turn? How many players will the Twins add to their 40-man roster by Tuesday’s deadline? Make your predictions for which players get added below. View full article

Here's a quick look at some of the 40-man roster decisions the Minnesota Twins are facing this offseason, including a list of prospects who'll be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. View full video

Wichita's Daniel Gossett tossed a no-no, while the Saints, Wind Surge, and Mighty Mussels all picked up wins. TRANSACTIONS None SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 3 Box Score Louie Varland had yet another solid outing for the Saints on Friday, striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings. Although he did surrender seven hits and three runs—only two earned—the RailRiders struggled to make consistent hard contact. Varland has now struck out 15 batters and walked two in 11 Triple-A innings. While two starts hardly provides definitive proof for upcoming sustained success, Varland’s immediate impact at the highest level of Minor League Baseball has to be appealing to the Minnesota Twins. He possesses a fastball that sits in the mid-90s with good ride and a slider with strong bite that would play well out of the Twins’ bullpen right now. His changeup remains a work in progress but when on, it has very similar shape to his fastball. He likely isn’t quite ready to make starts for the big-league club, but he could provide value out of the pen, particularly if Emilio Pagan continues to struggle or Trevor Megill turns into a pumpkin. Jermaine Palacios (3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) and Chris Williams (1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI) led the Saints offensively. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Tulsa 0 Box Score The home crowd was witness to history on Friday evening as righty Daniel Gossett tossed the first no-hitter in Wind Surge history. He needed 120 pitches to do so, striking out 10 and walking three (two in the 9th inning). The only other Driller to reach base did so via error. Gossett is a 29-year-old journeyman who was a second-round pick in 2014 out of Clemson and last appeared in the Majors in 2018 as a member of the Oakland Athletics; he started in 23 games across two seasons in the Bay and posted a 5.91 ERA. He entered the game with a 3.48 ERA and had not struck out more than seven batters in a game this season before shutting down Tulsa. Gossett was clearly fatigued in the final inning as he walked two straight batters with two outs before getting Andy Pages to bite on a curveball in the dirt. He was caught on camera shouting, “One more. One more.” into the Wind Surge dugout just prior to the strikeout, seemingly trying to convince manager Ramon Borrego to leave him in. Gossett’s accomplishment won’t make headlines around the internet nor will it likely make SportsCenter, but throwing a no-hitter at any level is a monumental task and his effort should be recognized. Anthony Prato (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and Alex Isola (1-for-3, RBI) each hit home runs to lead Wichita’s offense. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 5, Cedar Rapids 0 (Suspended) Box Score The Timber Rattlers jumped out to an early lead on the Kernels before the game was suspended in the bottom of the fourth inning due to rain. The two will resume play on Saturday. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 1 Box Score Fort Myers 8, Palm Beach 1 Box Score The Mighty Mussels offense could not be contained and their pitching staff was lights out on Friday evening against the Cardinals as they swept the double-header to improve their record to 61-47. Pierson Ohl glimmered on the mound in Game 1, striking out seven and allowing only two Palm Beach batters to reach base across seven shutout innings. The game had been suspended after two innings on Thursday night, so Ohl started the third frame and finished the game In Game 2, Jonathan Lavallee was awarded the win with four shutout innings out of the pen. Overall, the Fort Myers pitching staff struck out 19 batters, walked one, and surrendered two runs in 18 innings. Misael Urbina led the Mighty Mussels offensively, going 5-for-8 with a double and three RBI. Some of the former top prospect’s shine has faded this season, but the 20-year-old is suddenly hitting .301 with an .886 OPS in 31 games at Low-A. He hasn’t produced much in the way of home runs, but he has hit a whopping 14 doubles, suggesting a power boom is right around the corner. Mix in his defensive tools and it’s easy to see why many around baseball think highly of his long-term prospects. Unfortunately, visa issues meant that he was unable to come to the States until June. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 4, FCL Red Sox 3 Box Score Old friend Randy Dobnak started on the bound for the FCL Twins, striking out three and allowing four hits across two innings of work. Dobnak has missed the entire 2022 season to date as he rehabs from a finger injury suffered last season. Wilfri Castro had a great afternoon at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, home run, and two RBI. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Cubs Blue 3, DSL Twins 2 Box Score Yasser Mercedes continued to rain terror on the DSL on Friday, going 3-for-4 with a double and RBI. Mercedes—who is just 17 years old—is hitting .361 with a .990 OPS in 39 games. The Twins will keep their burgeoning prospect at the DSL level for the remainder of the season, but it will be interesting to see what they do with him next summer. He’s proven to be advanced for his age and could likely succeed at the FCL level right now. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Daniel Gossett (Wichita): 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 3 BB, 10 K Hitter of the Day – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers): 5-for-8, 2B, 3 RBI 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: #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, R, SB (25) #7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, RBI #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-for-1, 2 BB, R #12 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 5 2/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-for-2 #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 1-for-7, RBI #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, 2B, RBI SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (DH at 5:07 PM CST) - LHP Devin Smeltzer, RHP Juan Minaya in Game 2 Wichita vs. Tulsa (7:05 PM CST) - LHP Kody Funderburk Cedar Rapids vs. Wisconsin (DH at 5:15 PM CST) - Completion of Friday game, followed by regularly-scheduled game. Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:00 PM CST) - TBD View full article