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The Minnesota Twins have had quite a few late-round pitchers emerge in 2023, but there's one I feel is flying way under the radar. Pierson Ohl, drafted in the 14th round back in 2021, added a ton of velo this past season to go along with his always impressive control. The end result was one of the better performances not just in the Twins system, but across the entire Double-A level. Here are some highlights and a look at some of Ohl's numbers. View full video

We put Kernels co-pitching coach Jonas Lovino on the spot and asked him to name some under-the-radar pitching prospects. View full video

Yesterday, we announced Kody Funderburk as the Twins Daily relief pitcher of the year. Today, we shift our attention to the starting pitchers, and there were several very impressive pitching prospects who took bit strides in 2023. If we have learned anything over the past couple of years, it's that when the Twins draft a college pitcher on the third day of the draft, don't just assume they will be an organizational filler. Who knows? That Day 3 draft pick may become an organizational thriller (like Louie Varland, Bailey Ober). A look through the top starting pitchers in the Twins minor leaguers, we see more examples of this. Pitchers drafted out of college on Day 2 or 3 fill up much of this list. The Twins 2022 college draft picks helped lead the Cedar Rapids Kernels to the Midwest League championship this year. It's fun to see these pitchers enter the organization with one scouting report, and one or two years later, they have added four to six mph of velocity and a second and/or third pitch that are now at least an average pitch. Before getting into the top four starters, here are some others who received votes. . Others Receiving Votes RHP C.J. Culpepper, 21, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids: 21 GS, 86.0 IP, 72 H, 31 BB, 89 K, 3.18 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9, 9.3 K/9. RHP Andrew Morris, 22, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids: 18 G, 17 GS, 84.1 IP, 86 H, 19 BB, 79 K, 2.88 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9, 8.4 K/9. RHP Marco Raya, 21, Cedar Rapids/Wichita: 22 GS, 62.2 IP, 45 H, 22 BB, 65 K, 4.02 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9, 9.3 K/9. RHP Louie Varland, 25, St. Paul: 16 G, 15 GS, 81.2 IP, 84 H, 26 BB, 88 K, 3.97 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 9.7 K/9. Others Receiving Votes Blayne Enlow, Ben Ethridge, Ronny Henriquez, Simeon Woods Richardson Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year Here are the top four vote-getters for Twins Starting Pitcher of the Year. 4. RHP David Festa, 23, Wichita/St. Paul 24 G, 22 GS, 92.1 IP, 86 H, 42 BB, 119 K, 4.19 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9, 11.6 K/9. Festa was the Twins 13th round pick in 2021 out of Seton Hall. He had a tremendous first full season in pro ball in 2022. After five starts (with a 1.50 ERA) in Fort Myers, he moved up to Cedar Rapids and went 7-3 with a 2.71 ERA. In 103 2/3 innings, he had 108 strikeouts with 34 walks. As important as the numbers, Festa had developed some really awe-inspiring “stuff,” including a fastball in the upper 90s. The 23-year-old began this season in Wichita and pitched in 21 games (19 starts). He went 3-3 with a 4.39 ERA, and in 80 innings, he struck out 104 batters. He also walked 34 batters. In July, he pitched an inning in the Futures Game. He ended his season with three starts for the Saints. He was 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA. He had 15 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings. He also walked nine batters. He will need to hone in on his control, but David Festa should spend the 2024 season at St. Paul, eagerly awaiting an opportunity. He should continue to start, but like Louie Varland this year, Festa has the arm to finish the season as a dominant, late-inning reliever if needed. 3. RHP Zebby Matthews, 23, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids 22 G, 20 GS, 105.1 IP, 96 H, 15 BB, 112 K, 3.84 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 1.3 BB/9, 9.6 K/9. A native of North Carolina, Zebby Matthews began his college career at Walters State. In 2020, he transferred to Western Carolina and went 3-1 before the season ended due to Covid. Over the next two seasons, he went 10-8 and posted sub-4.00 ERAs both years. In 157 innings, he had 182 strikeouts and just 28 walks. The Twins drafted him in the 8th round in 2022. He pitched in just two games. Matthews began the 2023 season at Fort Myers. However, after eight games (7 starts), he went 3-1 with a 2.56 ERA and was promoted to Cedar Rapids. He made 14 games (13 starts) for the Kernels. As he did in college, he continued to show great control. In 105 1/3 total innings, he has 112 strikeouts with just 15 walks. Matthews has a fastball that reaches 94-95 mph. He has also developed a sweeper and cutter, making them effective secondary pitches. The combination of three potentially average-or-better pitches and his ability to throw strikes and command the zone makes him very intriguing. 2. RHP Pierson Ohl, 24, Cedar Rapids/Wichita 24 G, 21 GS, 127.1 IP, 117 H, 18 BB, 115 K, 3.32 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 1.1 BB/9, 9.1 K/9 A southern California native, Ohl headed east, to Phoenix and Grand Canyon University for his college years. As a freshman, he posted a 3.45 ERA in 16 starts. He had a 2.89 ERA through his four pre-Covid starts in 2020. Then in 2021, he went 10-2 with a 2.60 ERA. Over those final two college seasons, he struck out 120 batters and walked just 13. Based on those numbers, the Twins had to be thrilled to draft him in the 14th round in 2021. He spent the entire 2022 season at Fort Myers and went 6-7 with a 3.53 ERA. In 91 2/3 innings, he had 101 strikeouts and just 13 walks. Oh began the 2023 season in Cedar Rapids where he pitched in eight games (7 starts). He started the season with five really good starts and had just two walks and 26 strikeouts in 26 innings. But then, over the next three starts, he gave up 15 runs (13 earned) in 14 1/3 innings, which made it very interesting that he was promoted to Double-A. He gave up nine runs in 10 2/3 innings in his first two Wichita starts. However, over his final 14 starts, he went 7-2 with a 2.00 ERA. In 76 1/3 innings, he struck out 65 and walked just 13. Opponents hit just .197 against him. While working as a starter, he touched 97 on the radar gun, well above the high-80s, low-90s he threw when drafted. He also has a good curveball and a change-up that can be very good most days. 1. RHP Cory Lewis, 22, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids 22 GS, 101.1 IP, 74 H, 33 BB, 118 K, 2.49 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.5 K/9 I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that Cory Lewis was a star on his Marina High School baseball team. He was a four-year letter winner. He was the league’s freshman of the year. He was named the league’s top pitcher as a sophomore. He was also All-League as a first baseman. He was the league’s MVP his senior season. After high school, he went to UC-Santa Barbara. He was set to redshirt his first year, which worked out fine since it was the Covid season. In 2021, he pitched in 15 games and made 10 starts. He was 7-4 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. In 80 innings, he had 86 strikeouts to go with 31 walks. In 2022, he made 16 starts and went 9-1 with a 3.57 ERA. In 88 1/3 innings, he had 107 strikeouts and 42 walks. As a redshirt sophomore, Lewis was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2022. He didn’t pitch at all in the Twins organization. So he made his professional debut in 2023, and it went well. He began the season with nine starts in Fort Myers. He went 4-3 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. In 39 2/3 innings, he struck out 55 batters and issued 15 walks. In mid-May, he threw the first 5 2/3 innings of a combined no-hitter for the Mussels. He was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he made 13 starts. He was 5-1 with a 2.32 ERA. In 62 innings, he had 63 strikeouts and 18 walks. And all that work led him and the Kernels to their Midwest League championship. Twins Director of Player Development Drew MacPhail began by simply saying, “Big Game Cory!” He continued, “Not only did Cory Lewis dominate across two levels this year. He also pitched in two, winner-take-all playoff series at Cedar Rapids (including a championship rubber match) and dominated both outings! Not only does Cory have outlier fastball pitch qualities and traditional secondary offerings, but he pairs that with an 84 mph knuckleball that got outlier miss across Low A and A+ this year.” You’ve been reading about Lewis throughout the season here at Twins Daily, so you knew he threw a knuckleball. However, he is not a knuckleball pitcher, per se. He doesn’t just throw a 60 mph knuckleball every pitch. No, with Lewis, the knuckleball is just one of his quality pitches. He threw it about 10% of the time in 2023, and as Mr. MacPhail noted, he throws it hard, generally between 82 and 85 mph. That is very unusual. And those pitches are typically seen heading toward the plate at less than 200 RPMs. Lewis has a fastball in the 91-93 mph range, but he can throw it very well up in the zone. He also has a solid changeup, curveball and slider. It will be interesting to see how his pitch repertoire changes as he continues to move up the organizational ladder. Congratulations to Cory Lewis on winning the Twins Daily Starting Pitcher of the Year award for 2023. He’s obviously joining an impressive group of previous winners. And congratulations to all of the pitchers mentioned in today’s articles on fantastic 2023 seasons! Join us in congratulating Lewis and the rest of these pitchers and discussing them and the Twins pitching pipeline in the comments below. For more Twins Daily content on the pitchers mentioned in today's article, click on the links below: Cory Lewis, Pierson Ohl, Zebby Matthews, David Festa, CJ Culpepper, Andrew Morris, Marco Raya, Louie Varland, Blayne Enlow, Ben Ethridge, Ronny Henriquez, Simeon Woods Richardson. Previous Starting Pitcher of the Year Winners: 2022 winner - Louie Varland 2021 winner - Louie Varland 2019 winner- Randy Dobnak2018 winner - Tyler Wells2017 winner - Stephen Gonsalves2016 winner - Stephen Gonsalves2015 winner - Jose Berrios2014 winner - Jose Berrios2013 winner - Taylor Rogers 2012 winner - BJ Hermsen View full article

One minor league affiliate is entering the final week of their season, with the playoffs now out of reach. Another minor league affiliate is trying to end their season as quickly as possible... and bring home some hardware. The last affiliate saw their season end on Sunday. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (Photo of Marco Raya) Here we are: the final minor league weekly recap of the season. Read all about the Twins week in Nick’s Week in Review . WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Overall: 37-32 (1-5 last week) in the second half; second in the IL West by 1.5 games; tied for seventh overall in the International League. Overview: The Saints ended their week on a five-game losing streak, which quickly eliminated the idea that they were going to make one last push for the playoffs. 🔥: It wasn't a pretty week for the Saints, but you can always count on Yunior Severino to hit some home runs (and strike out). Severino hit two more, bringing his season total to 34 (in 451 at-bats). In his first 1,189 minor league at-bats (five years), he hit 39. (He also struck out 10 times... and 164 times on the year). 🔥: Simeon Woods Richardson struck out five in five innings, allowing only one run on three hits and three walks. 🔥: Trevor Larnach led the Saints with seven hits (including a home run). Larnach got significantly more at-bats in the minors this year (258) than last year (44), though his big-league at-bats were almost exactly the same from last year to this year. He was able to stay mostly healthy, but he'll be 27 when he reports to spring training next year... so it's do or die time for Larnach. 🤔: Nick Gordon started rehabbing with the Saints. He struck out in two of his seven hitless at-bats. 🥶: Randy Dobnak struggled in his lone start, allowing six runs on nine hits. He struck out four over 5 2/3 innings. 🥶: DaShawn Keirsey , who has had a better season than anyone anticipated he would, went hitless this week (13 at-bats). His batting average dropped from .298 to .265 over the course of the week. Keirsey has batted only .188 in the month of September What's Next: The Saints season will end their season by hosting Toledo. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Overall: 36-33 (2-4 last week) in the second half and finished two games behind Springfield in the division. Overview: Entering the final day of the regular season, there was a still a chance: a win and help. Wichita failed to get the win and their season was over. 🔥: Jake Rucker and Alex Isola led the Wind Surge offense with ten and nine hits, respectively. Both doubled and homered. 🔥: Pierson Ohl and Marco Raya had very good starts. Ohl allowed three hits, a walk and hit two batters in his start, but lasted 5 1/3 innings without giving up a run. Ohl struck out five. Raya gave up a hit and walk while striking out four in four innings. 😏: Chris Paddack struck out six in four innings as he works his way towards potentially joining the Twins for the playoffs. 🥶: Jaylen Nowlin had a poor ending to his season, allowing four runs on three hits (and two home runs) in three innings. Nowlin figures to start next season in Wichita's rotation and still has a chance at the big leagues, which is a victory in itself when you're a 19th round pick. 🥶: After his promotion to Wichita in mid-July, Tanner Schobel got off to a slow start - it took him until September to get his batting average over .200 - so his 5-for-22 week to end his season isn't a terrible outlier, but he also didn't take any walks or get an extra base hit. It was his first full professional season, so you'll take some struggles with the 126 games and 479 at-bats. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Overview: After losing the opener of the West Division Championship Series to Peoria, the Kernels returned home and won their next two games to advance to the Midwest League Championship Series. Then they used a comeback win to take a one-game lead on Great Lakes. 🔥: Noah Cardenas had a champion-type box score for the past week. He was 4-for-10 with a double, three runs scored and batted in. Most impressively, though, he drew seven walks and didn't strike out. While the big hit might get the highlights, it's the great plate appearances that help teams win big games. 🔥: C.J. "Big Game" Culpepper struck out eight and only allowed one run on four hits and a walk over five innings to earn a playoff win. 🤨: Maybe Jose Salas has just been holding it in until the games were really, really important. He may have only had three hits in 15 at-bats, but he managed to drive in six runs by homering and tripling. 🥶: Christian MacLeod allowed four runs on three hits and three walks (and a hit batter) while striking out three and recording only four outs. (Luckily, the offense came through in that game.) 🥶: Emmanuel Rodriguez has always used walks to beef up his OBP. This week he was 2-for-20 with no walks and nine strikeouts. (But maybe the freezing emoji is the wrong call because he hit two huge home runs on Sunday.) What's Next: One more win and the players will get a new piece of jewelry. Or two more losses and an offseason full of disappointment. PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker will be updated periodically throughout the season. Notice that these pages now include stats and splits, as well as past article links, video and more. Season-long stats will be in parenthesis. 20. Brent Headrick, LHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.1 IP, HB, 4 K. (1.30 WHIP, .254 BAA). (1.44 WHIP, .267 BAA ), 19. Cory Lewis, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 0-0, 2.25 ERA, 4 IP, 4 H, ER, HB, 4 K (1.06 WHIP, .198 BAA). 18. Jose Rodriguez, OF, FCL Twins: (.262/.325/.412. .737 OPS) 17. Danny De Andrade, SS, Fort Myers: (.244/.354/.396. .750 OPS), played five games (90 total games) at shortstop and committed two errors in 18 chances (15 errors in 326 total chances). Previously played one game at third base and had no errors in four chances. 16. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 K. (1.70 WHIP, .267 BAA); Minnesota: (1.56 WHIP, .274 BAA). 15. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 K (1.49 WHIP, .249 BAA); Minnesota: (1.56 WHIP, .274 BAA). 14. Yunior Severino, 3B, St. Paul: 4-18, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 10 K. (AA/AAA combined .275/.352/.550. .902 OPS). 13. Kala'i Rosario, OF, Cedar Rapids: 3-15, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 4 BB, 7 K. (.252/.364/.467. .831 OPS). 12. Yasser Mercedes, OF, FCL Twins: (.196/.248/.381. .629 OPS) 11. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Cedar Rapids: Prielipp underwent season-ending elbow surgery. (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA) 10. Luke Keaschall, 2B, Cedar Rapids: 4-13, 2 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K. (rookie/l-A/h-A combined .288/.414/.477. .891 OPS), played four games (24 total) at second base and committed two errors in 22 chances (three errors in 83 total chances), played one game in centerfield (four games total) and committed no errors in no chances (no errors in two total chances), and played one game at third base (two total) and committed no errors in one chance (one error in three total chances). 9. Brandon Winokur, OF, FCL Twins: (.288/.338/.545. .883 OPS), played nine games at shortstop and committed two errors in 34 chances and played seven games at centerfield and committed no errors in 19 chances. 8. Tanner Schobel, INF, Wichita: 5-22, RBI, 3 K. (high-A/AA combined .265/.352/.424. .776 OPS), played four games (58 total) at second base and committed one error in 12 chances (10 errors in 224 total chances), played one game (59 total) at third base and committed no errors in no chances (four errors in 115 total chances), previously played five games at shortstop and committed no errors in 14 total chances. 7. Austin Martin, 2B/OF, St. Paul: 4-15, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 8 BB, 3 K, 2 SB. (rehab/AAA combined .266/.389/.408. .797 OPS), played two games (38 total) at second base and committed no errors in 8 chances (four errors in 152 total chances), played two games (13 total) in left field and committed no errors in eight chance (no errors in 35 total chances). Previously played 11 games in centerfield and committed one error in 28 total chances. 6. David Festa, RHP, St. Paul: 0-1, 3.38 ERA, 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. (AAA/AA combined 1.39 WHIP, .246 BAA) 5. Charlee Soto, RHP: Did not pitch. 4. Marco Raya, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.0 IP, H, BB, 4 K. (AA/Hi-A combined 1.07 WHIP, .197 BAA) 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 3-13, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 7 BB, 6 K. (.240/.400/.463. .863 OPS) 2. Walker Jenkins, OF, Fort Myers: 6-19, 2 3B, 4 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K, SB, CS. (FCL/low-A combined .362/.417/.571. .988 OPS) 1. Brooks Lee, SS, St. Paul: 4-23, 2 2B, RBI, 7 R, 4 K. (AA/AAA combined .277/.349/.460. .809 OPS), played three games (106 total) at shortstop and committed no errors in 7 chances (18 errors in 437 total chances) and played one game (seven total) at third base and committed no errors in five chances (one error in 19 chances total chances). DESTINATION: The Show In this week's episode, Jeremy and JD tackle a variety of topics. Lots of Twins talk, especially regarding their 2023 draft class. Below is a quick out-take from the show. Click here to watch the full episode. You can find Destination: The Show on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, iTunes, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music. The show is available on Libsyn, our podcasting platform, in addition to YouTube. View full article

Another day. Another Yunior Severino home run. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photos of Yunior Severino), Ed Bailey (photo of Pierson Ohl) Seemingly every day, Yunior Severino has continued to mash and hit home run after home run. Find out below how impressive his current streak is, and how unique his season has been in Twins minor-league history. And while it may not be as historically significant, you'll want to see the run that Wind Surge starter Pierson Ohl is on too. The Saints got a nice start from a prospect who appears to have turned around his season. The Wind Surge played another one-run game. And, it was a travel day for the Kernels as they head back home hoping to keep their season alive on Thursday night. All that and much more in Wednesday's Minor League Report. Here are the records of the Twins and their active affiliates through games on Wednesday. Minnesota Twins: 76-70 St. Paul Saints: 80-59 Wichita Wind Surge: 62-71 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 82-50 regular season (0-1 in playoffs) Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Before the games on Sunday, the Twins activated Jorge Polanco from the Bereavement List. To make room, OF Gilberto Celestino was optioned having not played during his short stint with the big club. . SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 2, Louisville 3 (10 innings) Box Score Simeon Woods Richardson started on Wednesday afternoon for the Saints in Des Moines. He gave up one run on three hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out five batters. His ERA this season is now down to 4.92. Now, that may not sound great, but when the calendar turned to July, he was 0-5 with an ERA of 7.47 over 11 starts and 47 innings. However, since then, He is 6-1 with an ERA of 2.95 over 12 games (10 starts) and 61 innings. It has been gradual, but it’s great to see that improvement. Andrew Bechtold came on in relief for the sixth inning. He gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in 2/3 of an inning. However, both outs he recorded were on strikeouts. He has made 18 appearances out of the bullpen since trying to take up pitching on the fly. Blessed with a big arm that is capable of hitting the upper-90s with a fastball, it is worth a shot, and it will be interesting to see if he’s shown enough potential to invest another season in that transition. Bechtold can be a free agent at season’s end. If that happens, it will be interesting to see how he is utilized moving forward. So, it’s important to take his numbers - which haven’t been good - into proper perspective, understanding he hasn’t pitched since high school (10 years ago) and he’s doing it in Triple-A against a lot of veteran players. In 16 innings, he has an ERA of 11.81 and a WHIP at 2.63. He has 14 strikes, but 21 walks, in those 16 innings. But he is 2-1 if you’re interested in Win-Loss record for relievers. Michael Boyle came on and faced four batters. He got all four of them out, two on strikeouts. Jordan Balazovic gave up a hit and struck out one batter in a scoreless inning. The Saints took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Michael Helman scored on a Wild Pitch. The Saints took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth when Hernan Perez hit his 10th home run of the season. The Saints cut their deficit to 4-3 in the top of the seventh inning when Yunior Severino hit his 10th Saints homer and his 34th homer overall. He has homered in three straight games and in five of the past seven games. Only seven players in Twins minor-league history (62 seasons) have hit more home runs in a season than Severino. And he’s got nine games remaining to move up the lists. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 1, Midland 2 Box Score Pierson Ohl continues to roll. The right-hander from Grand Canyon tossed 5 1/3 innings of scoreless ball in this game. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out five batters. He also hit two batters. Early in June, Ohl was promoted to Wichita. In his first three Double-A starts, he went 0-2 with an ERA of 6.61 and opponents hit .297 against him. Since then, he has gone 7-1 with a 1.78 ERA in 13 games (11 starts). His WHIP has been 0.89, and opponents have hit just .198 off of him. He’s got 62 strikeouts and just 12 walks in 70 2/3 innings. Isaac Mattson got out of the sixth inning and then gave up a single run in the seventh inning on a solo homer. Sean Mooney came into a 1-1 tie in the top of the eighth inning. He recorded one out and gave up only an unearned run on two walks. Miguel Rodriguez came into the game with the bases loaded and one out. He got the final two outs of the eighth inning and allowed just one inherited runner to score. He then pitched a scoreless ninth inning. He had three strikeouts. The Surge did score the first run of the game in the second inning. Ben Ross drove in Alex Isola with a single. That was about it for the offense. They had just six hits, and Alex Isola went 3-for-4 in the game and is now hitting .280 on the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids vs. Peoria The Kernels have their backs to the wall in Round 1 of the Midwest League playoffs. Fortunately, the team will find their backs on the walls at their home stadium in Cedar Rapids. And, if they find a way to win Game 2, then Game 3 will be at home as well. They are sending righty Cory Lewis to the mound on Thursday night. He’s arguably been the best pitcher in the Twins organization this season. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, HR(10/34), R, RBI, K Pitcher of the Day – Pierson Ohl (Wichita) - 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, BB, 5 K, 83 pitches, 53 strikes (63.9%) 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 (St. Paul) - 0-for-4 #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K #8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-for-4 #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, HR(10/34), R, RBI, 1 K #15 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K, 84 pitches, 53 strikes (63.1%) #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 16 pitches, 11 strikes (68.8%) THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Iowa (12:08 PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (5-8, 5.10 ERA) Midland @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams (4-10, 5.55 ERA) Playoffs: Game 2: Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - Cory Lewis (9-4, 2.49 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! 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The Minnesota Twins lost to the Rays Wednesday afternoon at Target Field. With Cleveland in a tailspin, there’s not much to get worked up about in terms of wins and losses, but there were a couple of big-picture items of concern that continued to reveal themselves. Griffin Jax gave up the go-ahead homer in the ninth inning and has a 6.26 ERA in the second half. Also discussed is the decision to pinch hit Christian Vázquez for Edouard Julien. Down in the minors, both Simeon Woods Richardson and Pierson Ohl continued their strong streak of performances on the mound. Also, Yunior Severino homered for the third-straight game. View full video

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

Read and rejoice in the starting pitchers who thrived in the month of August. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge An issue that pops up in these lists is that of role assignments: pitchers in the minors often flip-flop between starting and relieving to eat up innings whenever they can. This poses challenges for those who acknowledge the delegation of title, as a starter with one relief appearance is still obviously a starter, but some situations aren't as clear-cut. I did my best to adhere to the spirit of the award while still understanding the sometimes silly nature of minor-league pitching order. Below are the names I thought most deserved to be on the list. Their ranking is entirely subjective; I value innings thrown, as those are outs, and outs are valuable, but also like to weigh strikeouts and peripherals as they can differentiate between dominance and a pitcher merely getting lucky. In times when it's a toss-up, I valued the almighty ERA as the great equalizer—got that? Good; let's start. Honorable mentions: RHP Louie Varland - AAA St. Paul, 23 2/3 IP, 18.6 K%, 1.90 ERA, 4.61 FIP Louie Varland had a sparkling 1.90 ERA in the month of August but walked a few too many people for my liking. Somehow he had eight unearned runs spread across multiple starts, which seems like a lot. Give him some help, Saints defense! RHP Carlos Gutierrez - FCL Twins, 12 2/3 IP, 35.7 K%, 4.26 ERA, 3.71 FIP Carlos Gutierrez allowed a few too many runs to make a serious case for the list, but he also struck out 20 in just over 12 innings. RHP Juan Cota - DSL Twins, 10 IP, 32.4 K%, 2.70 ERA, 1.88 FIP Lacking the innings to overtake other arms, Juan Cota nonetheless whiffed 12 over 10 frames, and only walked one batter—something almost no DSL pitcher ever does. RHP Miguel Cordero - DSL Twins, 9 2/3 IP, 20.5 K%, 2.79 ERA, 3.25 FIP Like Cota, Miguel Cordero showcased unusual command for a DSL pitcher. Even more impressive is Cordero’s fresh age of 17 (he was 16 for most of the season!). He was one of three Twins to appear in the DSL All-Star game. 5. RHP Cory Lewis - A+ Cedar Rapids, 23 1/3 IP, 28.4 K%, 3.09 ERA, 3.01 FIP At this point, Cory Lewis should just start paying rent for how much he lives on these lists. He’s been one of the best pitchers in the system since the season started, totaling a 2.62 ERA with a system-leading 115 strikeouts while pitching for both Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids. August was yet another stellar month for the part-time knuckler and full-time Kernels ace. He had two partial clunkers, holding him back from being even higher on this list, but was otherwise his usual, impressive self with squirrelly stuff and tremendous command. Expect him to rocket up end-of-season prospect lists. 4. RHP John Klein, A Fort Myers/FCL Twins, 21 1/3 IP, 32.5 K%, 2.95 ERA, 3.65 FIP Minnesotan alert! John Klein was born in Brooklyn Park and discovered when pitching for Iowa Central Community College—a university with quite the brotherhood of pro ball players. Klein popped up on the prospect radar after striking out 11 over four frames with the FCL Twins on June 10th (those especially handy with numbers may understand how impressive that is). July wasn’t kind to him, but fortune reversed in August, leading to four impressive starts—two of which were back-to-back starts of six shutout innings. That strikeout rate is especially impressive; he whiffed eight and nine batters respectively in those scoreless starts. 3. RHP Andrew Morris - A+ Cedar Rapids, 27 IP, 20.7 K%, 2.00 ERA, 2.82 FIP There was a time where Andrew Morris once seemed like the runaway winner of this award. His first three August starts were absurdly dominant, highlighted by a nine strikeout start on the 5th, and a seven punch-out outing on the 17th. His final two starts weren’t quite as good—proving the prestigiousness needed to take home honors from us gruff Twins Daily judges—so he’ll have to settle for 3rd place. Hopefully he’s not crestfallen over this bronze medal. Morris’ calling card is a spinny, vertical fastball that often appears to take off, rocketing far higher in the zone than hitters expect. Throw in a semi-crossbody delivery, and it’s understandable to see batters swing wildly at his offerings. The Texas Tech product is now solidly established as a prospect. 2. RHP David Festa - AA Wichita/AAA St. Paul, 20 1/3 IP, 33.3 K%, 1.33 ERA, 2.86 FIP Perhaps Minnesota’s best pitching prospect, David Festa was incredible in August. He allowed just three runs the entire month, steadily increasing his stamina following a short stint dabbling in short stints. The Twins saw enough after a dominant start against the Travelers and sent him to St. Paul. Festa appears well suited to join the crowd of small school arms turned into overwhelming pitching forced by the Falvey regime. He hammers the zone with a dominant fastball and well-command off-speed stuff, making hitters uncomfortable with his twisty windup and great extension. His early-season results weren’t sparkling—they were merely fine—but some of that could be chalked up to the difficult pitching environment that is the Texas League. If you’re looking for the next great Twins starter; here he is. 1. RHP Pierson Ohl - AA Wichita, 30 2/3 IP, 23.4 K%, 1.17 ERA, 2.75 FIP This was not a difficult deliberation; only Festa offered a serious case over Pierson Ohl. The Grand Canyon university product started the month with six shutout frames against the Tulsa Drillers—the Dodgers AA affiliate—and only surged from there, earning a win in each of his appearances. Pick any of his starts in August, and you have a gem on your hands: do you prefer his eight-inning outing on the 8th, or his eight strikeout performance on 26th to end the month? Ohl’s relentless pursuit of throwing strikes appears to be the fuel to his success. Batters simply can never get ahead of him. Falling behind too far only invites a dastardly changeup or a well-spotted fastball that often leaves hitters trudging back to the dugout unable to understand how to deal with Ohl’s craftiness. View full article

Another good week on the farm. Big wins. Hot teams. Playoff races. And a fun promotion. You can read all about it within. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Walker Jenkins) The FCL and DSL affiliates are done for the season. The Kernels are in the playoffs. How many other teams will qualify? The Twins keep pace and keep their lead at six games. Read all about it in Nick’s Week in Review. WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Overall: 29-22 (3-3 last week) in the second half; In first place in the IL West by half a game; in fourth place in the International League. Overview: The opportunity to make up ground on Worcester presented itself, but the Saints split with last-place Omaha and remain two and a half games out of a playoff position. 🔥: Hernan Perez had eight hits in 17 at-bats and three of those hits went for a team-leading three home runs. He also drove in a team-leading ten runs. 🔥: Austin Martin (eight hits, two doubles, home run and four stolen bases) and Andrew Stevenson (ten hits, two doubles, home run, two stolen bases) have both been on a hot streak. 🤔: The Saints pitching staff had a rough week. Only two members of the staff made it through the week without allowing an earned run. Neither of those pitchers recorded more than eight outs. 🥶: Louie Varland lasted four innings in his start. He gave up seven runs (four earned) on six hit and three walks. He struck out three. Varland has been suggested as a bullpen piece for the Twins moving forward. 🥶: Trevor Larnach has been bad and doesn't even look like a candidate to take the extra roster spot the Twins will have this week. He was 1-18, with 11 strikeouts. What's Next: The Saints host Columbus (23-36). St. Paul leads Nashville by a half-game. Nashville travels to Durham, who the Saints trail by a game. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Overall: 29-22 (5-1 last week) in the second half and has pushed their division lead to 3.5 games. Overview: The Wind Surge has won four straight series and continue to be on a tear since the promotions of their best three offensive players. 🔥: Pierson Ohl continues to be great. In 5 2/3 shutout innings this week, Ohl gave up four hits and a walk. He struck out eight. 🔥: Yoyner Fajardo (seven hits, home run, stolen base) and Alex Isola (nine hits, double home run) led the Wind Surge offense. 🔥: David Festa returned after a 10-day break and threw five two-hit, one-run innings. He struck out seven. 🥶: Dalton Shuffield struggled again. He was 2-for-11 in four games and struck out three times. 🥶: Miguel Rodriguez picked up a save, but in his two outings (two innings), he gave up six hits and three runs (two earned), He struck out two. What's Next: The Wind Surge host San Antonio (25-26), but it's San Antonio who is guaranteed a spot in the postseason. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Overall: 35-19 (4-2 last week) in the second half, four games ahead of Peoria. The Kernels have clinched a postseason berth. Overview: The Kernels had a very good week, but Peoria kept pace. 🔥: Noah Miller led the offensive charge again with eight hits, six runs and seven runs batted in. All were team highs. 🔥: Kyle Jones had another excellent start. He allowed only one run on four hits in six innings. He struck out seven. 🔥: Carson McCusker and Andrew Cossetti both hit two runs on the week. 🥶: Emmanuel Rodriguez went 5-for-20 and struck out nine times. Kala'i Rosario went 4-for-20 and struck out ten times. 🥶: C.J. Culpepper had a round one-inning start. He surrendered five runs on seven hits. What's Next: The Kernels host Lake County (28-24). Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Overall: 27-27 (5-1 last week) in the second half, but remain 9.0 games behind Lakeland. Overview: Fort Myers has been very hot lately, but the FSL West is loaded with good teams. 🔥: Luke Keaschall led the Fort Myers offense with seven hits, seven runs and four doubles. He also tripled and drew five walks. The eight strikeouts weren't great. 🔥: John Klein had another great start. He struck out nine over six one-hit shutout innings. He did issue three walks.. 🔥: Great week for a number of pitchers: Ricardo Velez, Samuel Perez, Zach Veen, Sean Mooney, Danny Moreno, Miguelangel Boadas, Matt Gabbert and Wilker Reyes all pitched multiple shutout innings. 😍: Walker Jenkins was promoted and after struggling in his debut, got the walk-off hit in his second game. He hasn't hit for power or drawn any walks (yet), but it's going to be fun watching Jenkins continue his season. 🥶: Nolan Santos allowed multiple runs (on two hits and two walks) and only retired two batters. 🥶: Kyle Schmidt went 0-for-13 on the week. But a lot of bad luck as he only struck out one time. What's Next: Fort Myers head to Clearwater (31-23). This is a chance to make up some ground. PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker will be updated periodically throughout the season. Notice that these pages now include stats and splits, as well as past article links, video and more. Season-long stats will be in parenthesis. 20. Brent Headrick, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 4.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, HBP, BB, 6 K (1.37 WHIP, .263 BAA). 19. Cory Lewis, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 0-0, 7.36 ERA, 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, HRA, 2 BB, 7 K (1.06 WHIP, .197 BAA). 18. Jose Rodriguez, OF, FCL Twins: 2-4, 2 R, BB. (.262/.325/.412. .737 OPS) 17. Danny De Andrade, SS, Fort Myers: 6-22, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K, SB. (.244/.354/.404. .758 OPS), played five games (82 total games) at shortstop and committed no errors in 17 chances (13 errors in 295 total chances). Previously played one game at third base and had no errors in four chances. 16. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 1.0 IP, H, ER, BB (1.61 WHIP, .262 BAA); Minnesota: (1.85 WHIP, .313 BAA). 15. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 1-0, 4.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (1.57 WHIP, .262 BAA); Minnesota: (1.56 WHIP, .274 BAA). 14. Yunior Severino, 3B, St. Paul: 3-16, RBI, 2 R, BB, 7 K. (AA/AAA combined .282/.357/.551. .908 OPS). 13. Kala'i Rosario, OF, Cedar Rapids: 4-20, 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, 10 K. (.257/.369/.467. .836 OPS). 12. Yasser Mercedes, OF, FCL Twins: Did not play. (.196/.248/.381. .629 OPS) 11. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Cedar Rapids: Prielipp underwent season-ending elbow surgery. (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA) 10. Luke Keaschall, 2B, Fort Myers: 7-22, 4 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 7 R, 5 BB, 8 K. (rookie/l-A combined .278/.434/.443. .877 OPS), played six games (19 total) at second base and committed no errors in 27 chances (one error in 60 total chances). Previously played in centerfield (two games) and had no chances and one game at third base and committed one error in two chances. 9. Brandon Winokur, OF, FCL Twins: Did not play. (.288/.338/.545. .883 OPS), played one game at shortstop (nine total) and committed no errors in three chances (two errors in 34 total chances) and played three games (seven total) at centerfield and committed no errors in eight chances (no errors in 19 total chances). 8. Tanner Schobel, INF, Wichita: 5-18, 3B, 3 RBI, 4 R, 5 BB, 2 K. (high-A/AA combined .264/.357/.434. .791 OPS), played five games (48 total) at second base and committed one error in 17 chances (9 errors in 191 total chances), played no games (56 total) at third base (four errors in 109 total chances). 7. Austin Martin, 2B/OF, St. Paul: 8-19, 2 2B, 1 HR, RBI, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 K, 4 SB. (rehab/AAA combined .268/.373/.415. .788 OPS), played one game (eight total) in centerfield and committed no errors in six chances (no errors in 20 total chances), played three games (30 total) at second base and committed two errors in 12 chances (four errors in 121 total chances), played one games (eight total) in left field and committed no errors in six chances (no errors in 20 total chances). 6. David Festa, RHP, Wichita: 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 5 IP, 2 H, ER, 7 K. (1.36 WHIP, .249 BAA) 5. Charlee Soto, RHP: Has not played in a professional game. 4. Marco Raya, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 3.38 ERA, 2.2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, K. (AA/Hi-A combined 1.19 WHIP, .212 BAA) 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 5-20, 2B, 2 RBI, 5 R, 6 BB, 9 K, 4 SB. (.229/.392/.436. .828 OPS) 2. Walker Jenkins, OF, FCL Twins/Fort Myers: 7-22, 2B, 5 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K, SB. (FCL/low-A combined .333/.378/.507. .9885 OPS) 1. Brooks Lee, SS, St. Paul: 6-22, 2B, 4 RBI, R, 3 BB, 6 K. (AA/AAA combined .285/.355/.458. .813 OPS), played three games (95 total) at shortstop and committed two errors in eight chances (17 errors in 385 total chances) and played one game (four total) at third base and committed no errors in three chances (one error in ten chances total chances). PLAYERS OF THE WEEKHITTER - Hernan Perez, St. Paul PITCHER - David Festa, Wichita View full article

The minor-league season is winding down. One team is already qualified for the players. Two others are in the driver's seat to earn a berth. Take a look at which teams are hot, which teams are cold and get updates on many players throughout the system. The Twins have pushed their lead to a season-high six games. Read all about it in Nick’s Week in Review. WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Overall: 26-19 (3-3 last week) in the second half; In first place in the IL West by half a game; in fourth place in the International League. Overview: The Saints had a chance to separate themselves from Iowa, but struggled to a split with Indianapolis. 🔥: Yunior Severino had a big week, hitting three home runs among his seven hits. He's shown to have a ton of power this season, but the strikeouts are and will reman a problem. He struck out 10 times in 19 at-bats this week. 🔥: Simeon Woods Richardson (five innings, two runs, six strikeouts) and Joe Ryan (rehab, four innings, one run, seven strikeouts) both had really good starts. Blayne Enlow also struck out three in two perfect innings. 🔥: DaShawn Keirsey (seven hits, triple), Austin Martin (six hits, two home runs) and Andrew Stevenson (six hits, two doubles home runs.) all had good offensive weeks. It was also nice to see Gilberto Celestino (five hits, double, triple) get back on track. 🥶: Two starts for Randy Dobnak , but it was a rough week. He pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed 12 runs (10 earned) on 19 hits and five walks. He struck out seven. 🥶: Trevor Larnach struck out 11 times in 19 at-bats. He only had one hit. What's Next: The Saints head to Omaha, who is currently in last place in the IL West. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Overall: 24-21 (5-1 last week) in the second half with a half-game lead. Overview: The Wind Surge has won three straight series and been very hot since the promotions of their best three offensive players. 🔥: Pierson Ohl has been on fire. In two starts, he completed eleven innings and allowed only three runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out nine. 🔥: Alex Isola and David Banuelos had huge weeks. Isola had 12 hits in 23 at-bats. He had three home runs and scored eight runs while driving in six. Banuelos had nine hits, including three doubles and a home run. He drove in seven. 🔥: Travis Adams allowed a single run on two hits and three walks over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out two. He had a no-hitter through the first six innings. 🥶: Dalton Shuffield was 3-for-18. He did steal two bases though. 🥶: Carlos Luna allowed five runs on 11 hits this week. What's Next: The Wind Surge head to Arkansas (18-26), the first-half champion, to try to extend their lead in the Texas League North. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Overall: 31-17 (5-1 last week) in the second half, four games ahead of Peoria. The Kernels have clinched a postseason berth. Overview: The Kernels got some separation from Peoria with a huge week. 🔥: Noah Miller led the offensive charge with seven hits, including three doubles. 🔥: Kyle Jones made a scoreless four-inning start. C.J. Culpepper, Andrew Morris, and Zebby Matthews all allowed one earned run in their starts. 🔥: Kala'i Rosario had two home runs in his four hits and drew three walks. He did strike out seven times though. 🥶: This is usually where you get a weekly Misael Urbina and/or Jose Salas update. They could both be here... but people are more interested in Emmanuel Rodriguez , who went 4-for-18 with six strikeouts. 🥶: Cory Lewis gave up three earned runs in his start, tied for the most he's allowed with the Kernels. What's Next: The Kernels head to South Bend (19-28). It's a match-up of the hottest team in the league and one of the coldest teams in the league. Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Overall: 22-26 (4-2 last week) in the second half, 9.0 games out of first place. Overview: It's been a turnaround for Fort Myers, who have put up a +24 run differential in the second half, but still find themselves far behind Lakeland, Clearwater and Bradenton. 🔥: Danny De Andrade had another big week and jumped into the TwinsDaily Top 20 prospects. His two home runs led the team as did his six runs batted in and three stolen bases. 🔥: John Klein struck out eight over six one-hit, one-walk innings and earned his first victory of the season in his best start as a professional. 🔥: Jay Harry had a very successful week at the plate batting .522 (12-23). He also led the team with three doubles and walked and struck out twice. As most college hitters should - with the elimination of short-season rookie ball - he's proving that he may be too advanced for this level. 🥶: Miguelangel Boadas made a start, but couldn't make it out of the third inning before allowing eight runs on six hits, three hit batters and two walks. 🥶: Maddux Houghton and Gregory Duran were the only hitters to bat below .200 on the week. What's Next: Fort Myers will play host to Daytona (21-25). Rookie: FCL Twins Overall: 23-29 (2-2 last week) on the season. 6.5 games behind the FCL Pirates in the FCL South. 😍: Walker Jenkins didn't have a great week, but still had a very good week with some promising signs. Among his five hits, he doubled and hit a home run. Most encouraging though, is that he struck out and walked twice each. 🔥: Brandon Winokur continues to strike out too much (four times in eighteen at-bats is good for him), but he keeps swinging. He had seven hits including three doubles and a home run. 🔥: On a staff where only six pitchers threw more than two innings, Kyle Bischoff's week really stands out. In two appearances, he pitched seven innings. He allowed three hits and hit a batter, but surrendered no runs and struck out 10. 🤔: Devin Kirby made his professional debut with six strikeouts over three innings. Kirby is unique in that he throws a legit knuckleball. He's an undrafted free agent from Connecticut. 🥶: Bryan Acuna (1-9, 2 K) and Byron Chourio (1-7, 2 K) both struggled this week. Rookie: DSL Twins Overall: 14-36 (0-3 last week) on the season. 26.0 games back in the DSL South. 🔥: Javier Roman and Moises Lopez tied for the team lead in hits with four each. They both had a double as well. 🔥: Yency De Jesus seems to get an update every week. He struck out six in four innings and neither of the two runs he allowed were earned. He only gave up one hit, but the four walks were too much. 🥶: Hendry Chivilli had another lackluster week, collecting only two hits in 12 at-bats. One of those hits was a grand slam, but two-thirds of the at-bats resulted in strikeouts. PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker will be updated periodically throughout the season. Notice that these pages now include stats and splits, as well as past article links, video and more. Season-long stats will be in parenthesis. 20. Brent Headrick, RHP, St. Paul: 1-0, 9.00 ERA, 4.0 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, HRA, BB, 4 K (1.39 WHIP, .267 BAA). 19. Cory Lewis, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 0-0, 6.23 ERA, 4.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (1.03 WHIP, .191 BAA). 18. Jose Rodriguez, OF, FCL Twins: 6-19, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 K, CS. (.257/.319/.410. .729 OPS) 17. Danny De Andrade, SS, Fort Myers: 5-19, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R, BB, 3 K, 3 SB, CS. (.242/.357/.398. .755 OPS), played 77 total games at shortstop and committed 13 errors in 278 chances and one game at third base and had no errors in four chances. 16. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, Minnesota. St. Paul: (1.60 WHIP, .261 BAA); recently optioned to St. Paul. 15. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 0-1, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, HRA, BB, 6 K (1.58 WHIP, .263 BAA); Minnesota: (1.85 WHIP, .313 BAA) 14. Yunior Severino, 3B, St. Paul: 7-19, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 5 R, BB, 10 K. (AA/AAA combined .286/.363/.566. .929 OPS). 13. Kala'i Rosario, OF, Cedar Rapids: 4-18, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K. (.260/.373/.478. .851 OPS). 12. Yasser Mercedes, OF, FCL Twins: Did not play. (.196/.248/.381. .629 OPS) 11. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Cedar Rapids: Prielipp underwent season-ending elbow surgery. (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA) 10. Luke Keaschall, 2B, Fort Myers: 5-19, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 7 R, 3 BB, 5 K, 2 SB. (rookie/l-A combined .263/.430/.386. .816 OPS), played four games (13 total) at second base and committed no errors in 13 chances (one error in 33 total chances) and one game in centerfield (two total) and had no chances. Previously played one game at third base and committed one error in two chances. 9. Brandon Winokur, OF, FCL Twins: 7-18, 3 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 3 R, 4 K. (.288/.338/.545. .883 OPS), played one game at shortstop (nine total) and committed no errors in three chances (two errors in 34 total chances) and played three games (seven total) at centerfield and committed no errors in eight chances (no errors in 19 total chances). 8. Tanner Schobel, INF, Wichita: 5-21, 4 RBI, 3 R, 5 K, SB. (high-A/AA combined .263/.351/.436. .787 OPS), played four games (43 total) at second base and committed no errors in 14 chances (8 errors in 174 total chances), played one game (56 total) at third base and had no chances (four errors in 109 total chances). 7. Austin Martin, SS, St. Paul: 6-19, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K, CS. (rehab/AAA combined .268/.373/.415. .788 OPS), played three games (seven total) in centerfield and committed no errors in five chances (no errors in 14 total chances), played six games (27 total) at second base and committed two errors in 20 chances (two errors in 109 total chances), played three games (seven total) in left field and committed no errors in four chances (no errors in 14 total chances). (This must have not been updated last week, so these are two-week totals.) 6. David Festa, RHP, Wichita: On the Temporary Inactive List. (1.43 WHIP, .257 BAA) 5. Charlee Soto, RHP: Has not played in a professional game. 4. Marco Raya, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, H, 3 K. (AA/Hi-A combined 1.17 WHIP, .210 BAA) 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 4-18, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 6 K. (.227/.390/.441. .831 OPS) 2. Walker Jenkins, OF, FCL Twins: 5-18, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K, CS. (.340/.380/.574. .954 OPS) 1. Brooks Lee, SS, St. Paul: 6-20, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K. (AA/AAA combined .286/.355/.465. .820 OPS), played four games (92 total) at shortstop and committed one error in 22 chances (15 errors in 377 total chances) and played one game (three total) at third base and committed no errors in one chance (one error in seven chances total chances). PLAYERS OF THE WEEKHITTER - Alex Isola, Wichita PITCHER - Pierson Ohl, Wichita Old tweet; still plays: View full article

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

The Minnesota Twins beat the pesky Tigers Tuesday at Target Field thanks in large part to a Matt Wallner go-ahead grand slam. Royce Lewis returned from the injured list and contributed an RBI single and a walk while hitting third in the lineup and playing third base. Tonight's minor league highlights include Brooks Lee, Austin Martin, Pierson Ohl, Jorel Ortega, Carson McCusker, Noah Miller and much more. View full video