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The Minnesota Twins will have some internal decisions to make this offseason, and as they look to restructure their 40-man roster, some players will be pieced out in trades. One that seems likely and potentially valuable is Trevor Larnach. Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports Minnesota drafted Trevor Larnach with the 20th overall pick during the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine were still getting their feet wet in the front office, and while Sean Johnson was still in charge of the draft, Larnach’s selection indicated a new direction. This current regime has leaned into college hitters with impressive exit velocities. As those sustain at the next level and give major league organizations something to work with, a player from a National Championship team in Oregon was plenty to get excited about. Three years into his big-league career, Larnach squeaked onto the Opening Day roster in 2023 but had been trending towards Triple-A for most of the spring. The one-time top-50 prospect had a .708 OPS through 47 games to start the season but got only brief stints in June and July while searching for his missing power. Despite being able to punish the baseball, Larnach’s game power has translated into just 20 dingers across his first 188 career games. Due to his inability to handle off-speed pitches at times, Larnach's lack of slugging prowess has held him back. When Joey Gallo went down late in the year for Rocco Baldelli’s Twins, it was Larnach who again got an opportunity. From the end of July to early September, Larnach had a .536 slugging percentage for the Saints, hitting seven home runs in a stretch of 38 games. The Twins were looking for that, and they were hoping it would finally translate. Filling in as Minnesota headed toward the postseason, Larnach drew starts in just four of eight games. Despite the sporadic playing time, he brought the power from St. Paul. Two of his four hits left the yard, and he doubled in a third. With a 5/3 K/BB, he showed solid plate discipline while stinging the ball when putting it in play, albeit in a small sample. There wasn’t much indication that Larnach would be on the postseason roster, even with Byron Buxton out of the equation. He is a corner outfielder blocked by both Max Kepler and Matt Wallner. That resembles much of the same situation Minnesota will find this offseason, with Kepler’s option already picked up. Although some luster has worn off for a soon-to-be-27-year-old, Larnach could be a late-bloomer, not yet arbitration-eligible until 2025. In dealing Larnach, Minnesota would be moving on from a position of surplus. The outfield corners are ripe with options for the Twins, and a major league-ready talent could be sold as a high-floor breakout candidate if the pitch is correct. Sending Larnach out in a deal isn’t going to result in a blockbuster, and he won’t be the cornerstone of something massive. He does represent much more than a throw-in, though, and the team control he comes with could be appealing to plenty of suitors. Whereas the idea of trading for a young high-ceiling prospect like Yasser Mercedes may be titillating due to what you could dream on, Larnach is a more of the realized version with an opportunity to blossom. Ultimately, Larnach represents an ideal candidate to be moved by Minnesota this winter, and freeing up a spot on the 40-man roster by adding a more necessary talent is enticing. Sometimes draft picks and prospects are about future capital, and while Larnach wouldn’t be playing to his potential in the organization he initially joined, cashing in on him in the form of another provides a lengthened arc for the story. What do you think? Is Trevor Larnach in the Twins organization on Opening Day in 2024? What type of return do you see him bringing back? View full article

With nothing to play for, the Twins decided to flex their offensive muscles against an overmatched Rockies pitching staff. Four lefty hitters contributed home runs, many of them tape measure shots, while Chris Paddack pitched an encouraging three innings in the blowout win. Image courtesy of © John Leyba-USA TODAY Sports Box Score: Bulk Pitcher: Chris Paddack 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (39 Pitches, 27 Strikes, 69.2%) Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (8), Max Kepler (24), Matt Wallner (14), Edouard Julien (16) Top 3 WPA: Larnach (.183), Paddack (.122) Wallner (.119) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): Tonight was a battle of the bullpens, featuring two teams going in completely different directions, and both with nothing to play for. In fact, Kyle Farmer and Jorge Polanco operated as co-managers for Minnesota. Much of the playoff roster implications had been either decided or will be decided based on health in the coming days. The Twins opener was Emilio Pagan, who worked a 1-2-3 inning 20 hours after closing out the opening game of the series. Matt Koch opened for the Rockies, and worked around a leadoff single to Edouard Julien before setting down the next three hitters. The first consequential outing was Chris Paddack's, starting in the second inning. "The Sheriff" looked sharp with his command; a highlight being a dotted right on-right changeup to Elehuris Montero for strike three as part of a 1-2-3 second inning to begin his night. Although his velocity topped out at 96 MPH, he used his offspeed pitches effectively. The Twins offense got to work when Colorado brought in bulk pitcher Karl Kauffmann, a right-handed rookie with the same walk and strikeout percentage (10.4%). Matt Wallner scorched a double the opposite way to score Donovan Solano, and Christian Vazquez brought in Wallner with a single up the middle against a drawn-in infield. The third inning was even better. After an Alex Kirilloff double, Solano was hit by a pitch and Wallner walked, loading the bases for Trevor Larnach. Larnach worked the count and then launched a 3-2 breaking ball into the right field stands for yet another Twins grand slam (remember when theTwins struggled with the bases loaded?), making the score 6-0. Somewhat surprisingly, Paddack was allowed to pitch three full innings, and unlike his return outing earlier this week, he remained effective throughout his appearance. When he was first brought over in the Taylor Rogers trade, Paddack was talked up similarly to Pablo Lopez- he had the fastball-changeup combo down but was working on making his breaking ball an effective third pitch. 16 months later, and with a surgically repaired elbow, Paddack's curveball was used frequently, and effectively, despite the thin air of Denver taking some of the bite out of it. He struck out four and walked none. A Julien double and a wild pitch added some insurance in the sixth inning. Max Kepler likely cemented his second career .800 OPS season later in the inning with a three-run home run to turn the game into a laugher. Not to be outdone, Wallner roped a 22 degree 2-iron 432 feet (111 MPH) in the seventh. And finally, Julien crushed a two-run homer later in the same inning 452 feet (105 MPH) to make it 14-0. The bullpen struggled after that, with Caleb Thielbar and (mainly) Dallas Keuchel allowing a lot of hard contact along with six meaningless late-inning runs. The good: Paddack made his best case for being included on the playoff roster. His fastball hasn't played up to the level of Louie Varland's, sitting 94-94 MPH, but he showed good command, used all three of his pitches and didn't give the Rockies anything to hit. Wallner continues to smoke the ball and take good at-bats, with a ringing double, walk and the aforementioned howitzer home run. Larnach's recent production is probably too little, too late. But it is nice to see him driving the ball after his struggles in both the majors and Triple-A. The bad: Kirilloff has said his shoulder injury is something he still manages. He has received a couple off days recently and was removed in the seventh in tonight's game. His removal was not necessarily related to the shoulder, and he did lace a double over the left fielder's head (103 MPH) in the third. Him feeling comfortable swinging could be a big x-factor in any extended postseason run. Caleb Thielbar gave up two long home runs, and that has been a minor issue for him. He has now given up seven home runs in just over 30 innings this year. What’s Next: Bailey Ober (8-6, 3.53 ERA) will start the final regular season game for the Twins opposing Chase Anderson (1-6, 5.42 ERA). Anderson has had some success in the big leagues, but is very homer prone. Ober will be trying to make his final case to start game one of a potential ALDS matchup. Playoff Implications: The Blue Jays lost, Houston won, Texas won and Seattle was eliminated. This means Toronto or Houston could be in play for the Twins to face at Target Field on Tuesday. The Blue Jays probably wouldn't mind dropping to the six seed, as they likely prefer to face the Twins over the 98-win Rays. Houston can win their division if they win and Texas loses, so they have incentive to use their ace Framber Valdez (UPDATE: Christian Javier will start for Houston on Sunday, leaving Valdez to start a potential game one). The Astros win the tiebreaker over Texas, but lose the tiebreaker to Toronto. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Keuchel 0 28 0 0 78 106 Paddack 40 0 0 0 39 79 Maeda 0 0 62 0 0 62 Jax 17 8 0 0 19 44 Pagán 0 18 0 9 15 42 Stewart 16 0 0 25 0 41 Thielbar 0 18 0 3 9 30 Funderburk 0 0 0 28 0 28 Durán 0 14 0 0 11 25 Varland 0 0 19 0 0 19 View full article

Ryan Jeffers' miracle homers remain blessed. Image courtesy of © Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Joe Ryan: 5 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 K Home Runs: Michael A. Taylor (21), Trevor Larnach (7), Ryan Jeffers (14) Top 3 WPA: Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) (Fangraphs is not working for some reason; we will have WPA info up as soon as it works again) For the first time since 2014, the Twins headed to Colorado to face off against the Rockies. The only player from Minnesota’s lineup that day still in MLB is Eduardo Escobar. Center fielder Sam Fuld is now the GM of the Phillies. Justin Morneau played 1st base for Colorado. Minnesota’s 3rd baseman—Trevor Plouffe—was at today’s game to support the broadcast. It had been a while. Given that the Twins were set to play in Coors, there was likely a skirmish amongst pitchers, with many hurlers protesting and petitioning Rocco Baldelli to avoid facing the thin air and hostile conditions. Evidently, Joe Ryan provided the least persuasive argument; he started the game on Friday. And he probably wishes he didn’t. His offerings of high fastballs and flyballs is the precise combination that inflates ERAs and bruises egos. He elicited 14 swings-and-misses, but Colorado clobbered three homers off him, leaving him holding six earned runs over five innings, otherwise known as a “Colorado quality start” (this is not true.) He finishes the season with 197 strikeouts, just one groin injury away from cracking the elusive 200 mark. Minnesota’s offense found Coors inviting—duh—at the start. Kyle Farmer flopped an RBI single to right and later grounded into a double play to invite another run home, but the big score came when Michael A. Taylor cracked a two-run shot to left. It was the longest homer a Twin had hit all year. It happened nine batters into their Coors adventure. Lest anyone would take that record sitting down, both Trevor Larnach and Ryan Jeffers offered legitimate claims to overtaking Taylor’s 468 feet of mashing. Their efforts tied the game. The Rockies—knowing that the Twins are undefeated when Jeffers homers—shook in their cleats, retreating to the safety of their bunkers, hiding in fear of the terror caused by the 26-year-old North Carolinian and the good fortune hidden in his bat. Well, that didn’t happen, but they had good reason to believe in Jeffers’ luck. With a runner on 1st in the 9th, Farmer grounded a single up the middle that struck former Twin Tyler Kinley’s leg, shooting the ball to a non-existent second baseman when an unimpeded ball certainly would have turned two. It didn’t. Instead, Max Kepler drove a fly ball deep to center to score Andrew Stevenson, successfully concluding Minnesota’s rally. Also, this didn’t have a place in my narrative, but Willi Castro made a hell of a play in the 7th—and I thought it deserved a mention. Emilio Pagán was the pitcher Rocco Baldelli's magic 8-ball spit out, so he received the call in the 9th. It worked. He allowed a single, but only threw nine pitches to earn his first save of the season. Notes: Michael A. Taylor extended his career-high in homers with bomb number 21; his previous record was 19 in 2017. Kody Funderburk won the second game of his MLB career on Friday. If he struck out three more batters, Joe Ryan would have made the 2023 Twins the first Minnesota squad since 1967 to have multiple 200 K pitchers. That team had three of them: Dean Chance, Jim Kaat, and Dave Boswell. Emilio Pagán is the 7th Twins pitcher to earn a save in 2023. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Rockies will play the second game of their series on Saturday. It will be a legendary matchup, with the young but talented TBD facing off against the grizzled but tenacious TBD, looking for the 157th win of his career. First pitch is at 7:10. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The Twins were locked into a dogfight on Sunday afternoon with the Angels, until the skies opened up and stopped the game. When the seventh inning resumed the Twins' bats unleashed five unanswered runs to seal the victory. Here's how the series winner transpired. Image courtesy of Matt Blewett - USA Today Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 10 K (91 pitches, 64 Strikes, 70%) Home Runs: Jorge Polanco (14), Max Kepler (23), Ryan Jeffers (12) Top 3 WPA: Jeffers (.216), Trevor Larnach (.150), Matt Wallner (.137) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): The Twins entered Sunday afternoon's final matchup with the Angels with a major league lineup, and a quality starter on the mound. After Saturday's hangover game, the time to get the positive momentum flowing again was now. Joe Ryan pitched good enough for the win, the offense delivered just enough for the win, and the Twins Young Lefties for the Lead Angels opener Andrew Wantz came into today's contest with a 2.53 ERA in September. He encountered Alex Kirilloff (single), Matt Wallner (walk), and Trevor Larnach (RBI single) but limited the damage to a 1-0 Twins lead. Ryan offered the lead right back in the top of the third when Brandon Drury laced a two-out double that plated two Angels to make the score 2-1. Old Lefty for the Tie The Angels lead was short-lived, however, because Jorge Polanco was back in the lineup, and he likes to get clutch hits. Twins fans like it when he gets clutch hits too. Trading Runs Ryan failed to hold the lead yet again when a Randal Grichuk sent a fly ball one inch further than Larnach could travel for a double. Zach Neto followed immediately with another double to push the Angels back into the lead. Ryan completed his six innings without allowing any more runs to cross, and finished the day with a quality start and 10 strikeouts as he continues to make a case for a spot on the playoff rotation. Unlike on Saturday, the Twins offense came alive in support of their starting pitcher in time to get him the win. Ryan Jeffers crushed a triple to center field, scoring Wallner. With only one out, Larnach had a variety of options for plating Jeffers. He chose the ground out to first base method, and just like that the Twins had regained a 4-3 advantage. Rain Rain Go Away...or Stay Long Enough So That We Win! The game was suspended in the top of the seventh inning as the rain began to pour down upon Target Field. Chris Paddack was warmed up to make his season debut (after missing 16 months following Tommy John surgery), but Louie Varland got the spot instead after the delay. The rain went away, but the Twins offense definitely was around to stay. After a leadoff Edouard Julien walk, Max Kepler came up to the plate with visions of hitting the ball a long way. He succeeded, and it was 6-3 Twins. The bottom of the seventh continued, and the usual suspects were involved. Wallner doubled, Kyle Farmer stayed hot with an RBI single, and then Jeffers hit another rocket that went a little bit higher than the last one. 9-3 Twins, and the rout was on. Game, set, match...to the AL Central Champions. What’s Next: Operation Playoff Prep-Work continues on Tuesday evening, with Twins RHP Kenta Maeda (6-7, 4.28 ERA) getting the start against the Oakland A's and a pitcher or four to be named later. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm CT at Target Field. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Winder 29 0 0 35 0 64 Durán 21 0 34 0 0 55 Funderburk 0 0 0 0 27 27 Varland 0 0 11 0 15 26 Thielbar 0 0 20 0 0 20 Floro 0 0 0 1 17 18 Jax 17 0 0 0 0 17 Pagán 0 0 0 10 0 10 Paddock 0 0 0 0 0 0 Keuchel 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Trevor Larnach, a former first-round pick, has been hitting well at Triple-A, but he's fallen significantly on the team's depth chart. So, what's next for the player that was once considered a Top 100 prospect? Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports The Twins drafted Trevor Larnach with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He was coming off a tremendous college career where he posted a 1.116 OPS during his junior season, along with helping Oregon State to the College World Series title. Minnesota's current front office has preferred drafting powerful college bats, and Larnach fits that mold. Larnach's future outlook with the team is cloudy five years into his professional career. Larnach will turn 27 this winter, and he's played 180 games at the big-league level. There have been flashes of the power hitter the Twins drafted, but his overall performance has been underwhelming. In 669 plate appearances, he has hit .223/315/.380 (.695) with 31 doubles, three triples, and 18 home runs. His 94 OPS+ is below league average, and he's posted a 228-to-73 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Twins hoped for more from Larnach, especially entering the 2023 season. Multiple Twins players began the year on the injured list, which created a spot on the Opening Day roster for Larnach. In the season's first month, he hit .242/.354/.390 (.744) with seven extra-base hits in 28 games. The Twins sent him to Triple-A at the beginning of May, and he proceeded to go 7-for-14 with two doubles and two home runs before being called back up to Minnesota. He'd bounce back and forth throughout the season, but he's been in St. Paul since the end of July with seemingly no room for him on the big-league roster. Since his most recent demotion (33 games), Larnach has posted a .907 OPS with eight doubles, one triple, and six home runs. St. Paul's hitting environment is a little different than the big-league level, and one would expect him to hit well with his level of professional experience. However, some areas have caused him struggles since being drafted, including hitting versus offspeed pitches and finding consistent success against left-handed pitchers. Larnach has posted a .856 OPS versus right-handed pitchers for the season while being held to a .596 OPS against southpaws. Lefties have struck him out in 32 of his 79 at-bats this season, and only four of his 14 hits have been for extra bases when facing same-sided pitchers. The Twins have done a good job limiting his exposure to tough left-handed starters, but that also determines the value he can provide to the big-league club. He struggled with offspeed pitches as he moved up the organizational ladder. Larnach kills fastballs and has provided 10.8 runs above average when facing fastballs throughout his big-league career. Against all other breaking pitches, he has negative runs above average, including -7.8 against change-ups and -3.2 against sliders. Facing a lower level of competition at Triple-A likely won't help him improve against off-speed pitches, and it's one of the reasons he continues to find success at that level. Entering the 2024 season, Larnach has one option year remaining, but he has little left to prove at the Triple-A level. The Twins will have some decisions with the team's outfield for 2024. Max Kepler has a $10 million team option for 2024, and he's provided over $17 million in value this season. Matt Wallner has gone through his share of ups and downs, but he surpassed Larnach on the team's depth chart. Other players, including Gilberto Celestino, Nick Gordon, and Austin Martin, might fit into the team's corner outfield plans. The Twins' front office values depth, which might be what Larnach represents at this point in his career. Last winter, there were conversations about the Twins being willing to trade from their corner outfield depth, and that might come to fruition again this offseason. Larnach will keep swinging away at Triple-A while waiting for another opportunity to prove he can be a full-time player. What role will Larnach fit on the Twins next season? Is he more than a platoon outfielder? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

The minor league season is quickly approaching the end. One more affiliate is done. But another will start their playoff push this week. The other two teams still have a chance to make the playoffs. Lots of drama yet to come. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints Read all about the Twins week in Nick’s Week in Review. WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Overall: 36-27 (4-2 last week) in the second half; In first place in the IL West by 1.5 games; tied for fourth place in the International League. Overview: The Saints made a little progress, but thanks to losing to last two games are running out of time if they want to make the playoffs. 🔥: Trevor Larnach . Again! Eight hits in 23 at-bats. Four doubles and two home runs. Seven strikeouts, but six walks. 🔥: Bailey Ober made his first AAA start after his demotion. He threw five one-run innings, allowing three hits and struck out three. 🔥: Simeon Woods Richardson has had quite a year. He's still young, but the shine has faded. This week, though, he was really good. He struck out five in six innings, allowing only one run on four hits and a walk. 🤔: Yunior Severino hit three more home runs this week and has 32 total home runs on the season. But struck out 10 times in 23 at-bats. 🥶: Jordan Balazovic walked five and allowed three hits in 2 1/3 innings. 🥶: Hernan Perez was the hitter of the week two weeks ago. This week he was 2-for-15 with six strikeouts. What's Next: A road-trip to Iowa (31-31) followed by a season-closing series hosting Toledo (32-31). Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Overall: 34-29 (2-4 last week) in the second half and have dropped behind Springfield in the division. Overview: A one-game deficit with six games to go. The Wind Surge have to play their best baseball to make the playoffs. 🔥: Yoyner Fajardo led the team with seven hits, two triples and four walks. He also doubled twice and stole a base. 🔥: Marco Raya struck out three in 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Curtis Taylor (5 1/3 IP, H, BB, 5 K) and Isaac Mattson (4 2/3, BB, 8 K) where great in multiple relief appearances. Pierson Ohl gave up a home run among four hits, and struck out four in 5 1/3 innings. 🔥: Seth Gray led the team with two home runs and five runs batted in. 🥶: Aaron Rozek was very good two weeks ago, but last week struggled. He only retired two batters and allowed three hits, including two home runs. 🥶: Patrick Winkel had one hit in 16 at-bats. Will Holland had one hit in eight at-bats. What's Next: A cold stretch has Wichita on the outside looking in on the playoffs. The Wind Surge will host Midland (34-29) while Springfield (35-28) goes to San Antonio (30-33). High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Overall: 42-24 (2-4 last week) in the second half, six games ahead of Peoria. Overview: The regular season concludes with the Kernels sporting the best full-season record in the Midwest League (82-50). 🔥: Not a lot of big weeks for the Kernels hitters. Luke Keaschall led the team with six hits (including two home runs). Kala'i Rosario also had two home runs (but struck out 10 times). 🔥: Cory Lewis went five innings, striking out three and walking two, allowing only one hit. 🤔: Jose Salas had five hits last week. He barely batted over .200, but five hits, including a home run and double, is at least worth mentioning. 🥶: C.J. Culpepper gave up seven runs on seven hits and two walks in two innings. 🥶: Jorel Ortega (1-for-16), Keoni Cavaco (1-for-10), Carson McCusker (1-for-11) and Andrew Cossetti (0-for-9) combined to strike out 22 times this past week. What's Next: The Kernels will take their four-game losing streak to Peoria for Game 1 on Tuesday. They will host the remainder of the best-of-three series later in the week. Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Overall: 33-32 (2-4 last week) in the second half, finishing 10.5 games behind Lakeland. 😍: Walker Jenkins may have completed his first professional season. He was 6-for-19 with two triples on the week. He drove in and scored four runs. 🔥: Jay Harry and Nate Baez had good weeks. Harry had seven hits and Baez led the team with eight hits and eight runs batted in. 🔥: Matt Gabbert made his first start at Low-A, and it went extremely well. He allowed one hit and two walks in five shutout innings. He struck out six. 😏: Chris Paddack and Jorge Alcala both made rehab appearances. 🥶: Ty Langenberg gave up two runs in 1 2/3 innings. Develson Aria gave up two runs while recording only one out. Juan Mendez, Juan Mercedes and Jack Noble all gave up two home runs. 🥶: The Kyle Schmidt hitless streak has reached a third week. Seven more hitless at-bats with one strikeout. (But his pitching!!) 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, Minnesota: Recalled to the Twins bullpen. (1.43 WHIP, .256 BAA ), St. Paul: (1.36 WHIP, .263 BAA). 19. Cory Lewis, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K (1.06 WHIP, .198 BAA). 18. Jose Rodriguez, OF, FCL Twins: (.262/.325/.412. .737 OPS) 17. Danny De Andrade, SS, Fort Myers: 4-17, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, K, SB, CS. (.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, 3.86 ERA, 2.1 IP, 3 H, ER, 5 BB. (1.75 WHIP, .270 BAA); Minnesota: (1.56 WHIP, .274 BAA). 15. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 4 H, ER, HRA, BB, 5 K (1.50 WHIP, .253 BAA); Minnesota: (1.56 WHIP, .274 BAA). 14. Yunior Severino, 3B, St. Paul: 5-23, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, 10 K. (AA/AAA combined .277/.353/.550. .903 OPS). 13. Kala'i Rosario, OF, Cedar Rapids: 4-22, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 10 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: 6-24, 2B,, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, 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: 5-18, RBI, 2 BB, 3 K. (high-A/AA combined .267/.357/.433. .790 OPS), played four games (54 total) at second base and committed no errors in 12 chances (9 errors in 212 total chances), played one game (58 total) at third base and committed no errors in one chance (four errors in 115 total chances), played two games (five total) at shortstop and committed no errors in six chances (no errors in 14 total chances). 7. Austin Martin, 2B/OF, St. Paul: 6-19, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K. (rehab/AAA combined .266/.376/.409. .785 OPS), played one game (11 total) in centerfield and committed one error in four chances (one error in 28 total chances), played three games (36 total) at second base and committed no errors in 9 chances (four errors in 144 total chances), played two games (11 total) in left field and committed no errors in six chance (no errors in 27 total chances). 6. David Festa, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 3.86 ERA, 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 BB 6 K. (AAA/AA combined 1.37 WHIP, .244 BAA) 5. Charlee Soto, RHP: Did not pitch. 4. Marco Raya, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.1 IP, 2 H, 3 K. (AA/Hi-A combined 1.11 WHIP, .205 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: 4-19, 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R, 6 BB, 3 K. (AA/AAA combined .282/.357/.470. .827 OPS), played four games (103 total) at shortstop and committed no errors in 20 chances (18 errors in 430 total chances) and played one game (six total) at third base and committed no errors in three chances (one error in 14 chances total chances). DESTINATION: The Show In this week's episode, Jeremy and JD chat with Carlos Collazo, prospect guru at Baseball America. 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. PLAYERS OF THE WEEKHITTER - Trevor Larnach, St. Paul CO-PITCHERS - Isaac Mattson, Wichita and Cory Lewis, Cedar Rapids View full article

Might the Polar Bear soon call home to a land more suited to his arctic preferences? Image courtesy of Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports Dan Szymborski of Fangraphs recently penned a piece in which he pondered a reality in which the Mets dealt their slugging 1st baseman. New York has been a mess in 2023. They already partook in a mass exodus of notable talent—with the future Hall-of-Famers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander as the most prominent names. Even Mark Canha got the boot. Pete Alonso, however, stayed put. The team offered his name around—Steve Cohen had already bought some great prospects, why not get some more—but no deal materialized, and Alonso was forced to stay put, perhaps leading the "Get to Know Each Other" introductions the clubhouse soon held (this did not happen). With the Mets planning on not competing until 2025, finding a new team for a player soon to be a free agent appears inevitable. Let's see how the Twins could fit into this. Alonso is already a Twin in many ways; the righty appears to fit the slugging/OBP/who cares about batting average/why are we striking out so much mold the team has targeted in recent years. That isn't entirely fair. Alonso whiffs at a rate around league average and takes enough walks to buoy his on-base ability to be above your standard MLB first baseman. But who cares about all that? You're trading for Alonso because he hits dingers—a lot. Since debuting in 2019, he's first in all of MLB in long balls—19 above second-place Matt Olson. Part of that is his prodigious power. Alonso has also been remarkably healthy, only hitting the IL twice since breaking into the majors; his 656 games played since 2019 trail just three position players. Alonso plays first base and DHs—he has no positional flexibility. That could cause significant problems for the Twins if they need to run back the Byron Buxton Never Sees the Field show, but otherwise, the fit can work. They'll need to shuffle hitters, ensuring that Matt Wallner, Royce Lewis, Jorge Polanco, Edouard Julien, Alex Kirilloff, and Alonso can't all be in the lineup, but, come on, when have the Twins ever been that healthy? If that's too much, the obvious answer is to deal Polanco, who should be attractive with a vested 2024 option and a cheap 2025 club option. As you may remember from a few paragraphs before, Alonso is a free agent after 2024. Signing recently-acquired players to an extension isn't impossible—just as the Cardinals with Paul Goldschmidt, the Dodgers with Mookie Betts, and the Braves with *gestures broadly*—but it would place pressure on the team to ensure they aren't hemorrhaging prospects for rentals. The future payroll isn't too dirty, as Carlos Correa and Pablo López are the only players set to earn more than $20 million. What would such a trade look like? Baseball Trade Values isn't perfect, but it's helpful to at least get close to finding somewhat even deals; no packaging Nick Gordon and Brent Rooker for stars. I've prepared three deals: The first is a package of two near-big-leaguers and Trevor Larnach. Trade deadline rumors pegged the Mets intrigued by Larnach, so let's give them what they want. Tanner Schobel and Marco Raya give them two quality prospects already at AA—in line with New York's plan to ammo up for a run after next season. I think the site has Raya and Schobel underrated, given that Raya is a 45+/50 FV guy, and Schobel is probably one step behind him, so only one of them may be needed in this deal. The second is a combo of buy-low guys. New York can give Josh Winder a shot in the rotation, something the Twins probably can't/won't do given their need to be competitive; they can't suffer his inevitable lumps if they want to win next year. Jose Miranda muddies the Mets' infielders-in-name-only situation, but as long as his bat rebounds, New York would not mind too much. The third is a precarious long-shot deal. Who knows, though? Steve Cohen may be a fan of lotto tickets. Yasser Mercedes gives them a chance at finding a future dynamic outfield star, while Connor Prielipp could recover on the East Coast, offering a cheap chance at ace upside. This deal could quickly turn into a "we dealt Alonso for two burnouts" trade, but if Cohen wants to roll the dice, this deal offers tremendous upside. It's unlikely that the Twins would acquire Alonso, but it was also twice as unlikely that Correa would sign with them. Minnesota has flipped the popular narrative several times over the last few years. If they want a big bat—and if the Mets are willing to play—bringing Alonso to the Midwest could be the play. View full article

Sunday marked the final day of our Twins Daily minor league reports showcasing the team's four full-season affiliates. The Mighty Mussels' season is complete. Find out how they ended their season, and how the other Twins affiliates played on Sunday, and how many could reach the playoffs still. And yes, a couple of the 2023 draft picks had big games again! It's that time of year again. On Sunday, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels and the Cedar Rapids Kernels regular seasons came to an end. The Kernels will begin their playoff run on Tuesday after winning their division titles in the first and second half. Wichita has one more week remaining in their regular season, and they are very much still in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Saints still have a couple of weeks remaining. Here are the records of the Twins and their six affiliates through games on Sunday. Check out the records of the Twins and their affiliates. Minnesota Twins: 73-66 St. Paul Saints: 79-58 Wichita Wind Surge: 62-69 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 82-50 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 67-64 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Before the games on Sunday, the Twins placed Jorge Polanco on the Bereavement List. They called up OF Gilberto Celestino to take his roster spot. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 2, Louisville 3 (10 innings) Box Score The Saints and Bats needed one extra inning to decide a winner in this game. St. Paul got a first-inning run when Brooks Lee knocked his fourth Saints home run. In the fourth frame, Yunior Severino hit his eighth Saints home run (and 32 homers overall). Blayne Enlow started things for the Saints on Sunday. He gave up one run on two hits (one homer). Patrick Murphy came in and provided five scoreless innings. He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out two batters. Jordan Balazovic gave up one hit and walked two batters and got two outs in the eighth inning. Cole Sands came in with two on and two out and got the final out of the inning. He gave up one run in the bottom of the ninth inning to send it to extra innings. After the Saints went scoreless in the top of the 10th inning, Sands gave up the unearned run in the bottom of the inning to take the loss. Trevor Larnach hit his 12th and 13th doubles with the Saints. He was the lone batter to have more than one hit. Chris Williams went 1-for-3 with a walk and his 13th double. The Saints have two weeks remaining in their schedule. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Corpus Christi 2 Box Score The offenses were quiet through the first eight innings. As the game turned to the ninth, the Wind Surge scored two runs in the top of the inning and held on for the one-run win. The Wind Surge got on the board in the sixth inning when Alerick Soularie hit his 10th home run of the season to tie the game at 1-1. Fast-forward to the top of the ninth inning. With one out, Alex Isola walked, and Ben Ross ran for him. Seth Gray singled to right which allowed Ross to advance to third base. Jake Rucker followed with his 20th double of the season to drive in Ross and push Gray to third base. Willie Joe Garry singled to score Gray and give one extra insurance run. Jaylen Nowlin started and gave up one run on two hits and two walks and two hit batters in 2 1/3 innings. Isaac Mattson struck out three batters over the next 2 2/3 innings. He gave up just one hit. Curtis Taylor struck out four batters over the following 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Miguel Rodriguez got the final out of the eighth inning on a strikeout. He also struck out three batters in the ninth inning. He did give up two singles in the ninth, and an unearned run scored on an error, but he came up big with two strikeouts to end the game. Rucker went 3-for-4 with two doubles. Yoyner Fajardo went 3-for-4 with his 23rd double and seventh triple. Gray went 2-for-4. The Wind Surge have one more week of regular season play. They are currently just ½ game out of a playoff spot in their division. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Wisconsin 8 Box Score The Kernels regular season came to an end with an overall record of 82-50 and titles in the first half and the second half. They will start their playoff run on Tuesday. 2023 draft pick Luke Keaschall led the Kernels offense. He went 3-for-5 including his first High-A home runs. He had a solo homer off of a rehabbing Brewers pitcher, lefty Aaron Ashby, in the first inning. Then in the fifth frame, he hit a two-run homer. Carson McCusker added his seventh Kernels home run. He also had seven home runs in his short time in Fort Myers. Jose Salas went 2-for-4 with his 13th double. Noah Miller went 2-for-5. Misael Urbina hit his 18th double. Alejandro Hidalgo started and gave up two runs on three hits and three walks over two innings. He had one strikeout. Jackson Hicks came in and gave up three runs on five hits. He recorded three outs. AJ Labas worked an inning and gave up three runs on two hits and three walks. He also threw two wild pitches. Matt Swain saved the bullpen a bit by working three scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit and hit one batter. Jarret Whorff pitched a scoreless eighth. The Kernels will travel to Peoria for Game 1 on Tuesday. Then they will have Wednesday off. Game 2 will be Thursday in Cedar Rapids, and if a Game 3 is necessary, the Kernels will host that game on Friday. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 5 Box Score The Mighty Mussels season comes to an end with a loss and a record of 67-64. They will not make the playoffs this year, so their season is done. It’s possible a couple of these players will join the Kernels for their playoff run. Manager Brian Meyer went with Johnny Wholestaff in this season finale. Ben Ethridge started and gave up one run on three hits and a walk in three innings. He struck out three batters. He issued a walk to start the top of the fourth inning. He left with an injury and Develson Aria came in and got just one out. However, the lefty walked two batters and hit a batter. Zach Veen came in with the bases loaded and allowed two of the inherited runners to score. Veen recorded five outs without being charged with his own run. He had two walks. Down 3-0, a Nate Baez single drove in Ricardo Olivar in the bottom of the fifth inning to make it 3-1. Then two innings later, Walker Jenkins drilled a triple down the right field line to drive in Jay Harry with the team’s second run. Jenkins then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Olivar. Nolan Santos walked two over two scoreless innings. Ty Langenberg came on for the eighth inning. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. He got the first two outs in the top of the ninth frame, but with the bases loaded, he was replaced by catcher Kyle Schmidt came in and got a ground out for the final out. Jenkins went 2-for-5 in the game with his third triple. Assuming that is his final game of his debut season, he ends it by hitting .362/.417/.571 (.988) with five doubles, four triples and three home runs. In his 12 games with theMighty Mussels, he hit .392/.446/.608 (1.054) with two doubles, three triples, and a homer. Nate Baez went 2-for-4 with a walk. Kyle Schmidt - along with slamming the door on a Marauders ninth inning rally - had three walks in the game as a batter. Ricardo Olivar went 1-for-3 with a walk and his 28th double. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, 2-HR(2), 2 R, 3 RBI Pitcher of the Day – Patrick Murphy (St. Paul) - 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K, 68 pitches, 49 strikes (72.1%) 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) - 1-for-5, HR(4), R, RBI #2 - Walker Jenkins (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-5, 3B(3) R, RBI, 2 K #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, 2 K #8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-for-4 #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, 2-HR(2), 2 R, 3 RBI #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, 3 K #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, HR(8/32), R, RBI, 1 K #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K, 17 pitches, 5 strikes (29.4%) TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Iowa (6:38 PM CST) - TBD Midland @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - TBD Playoffs: Game 1: Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

The Saints won in grand fashion with another impressive power performance. Wichita still has a chance to get to the playoffs. Cedar Rapids just keeps rolling. And the Mighty Mussels have won 13 of their past 16 games and ensured their ninth winning season in the past ten seasons. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints On Tuesday, Brooks Lee his a grand slam for the Saints. It was the team's 12th grand slam of the season which is more than any other team in professional baseball right now. On Wednesday, the Saints combined to hit five more homers including a 13th grand slam. And its timing couldn't have been better. It wasn't the only grand slam in the Twins minor leagues on Wednesday. Check out the records of the Twins and their affiliates: Minnesota Twins: 73-66 St. Paul Saints: 77-56 Wichita Wind Surge: 60-67 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 82-46 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 66-61 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins had RHP Chris Paddack make his first rehab appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery early in the 2022 season. In addition, the Mussels put RHP Juan Mercedes on the Development List and activated LHP Develson Aria. photo by William Parmeter (Chris Paddack) SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 13, Louisville 8 Box Score The Saints scored one run from the second inning through the eighth inning. Yet somehow they scored 13 runs in the game.. Two big innings and some big home runs helped the Saints to their 77th win of the season. The Saints jumped to a big lead right away with five runs in the top of the first inning. Michael Helman led off the game with a home run, a sign of things to come. After one out, Brooks Lee singled and scored on Trevor Larnach’s 13th Saints homer to give them a 3-0 lead. Kyle Garlick was hit by a pitch. That was followed by Yunior Severino’s seventh Saints homer, and 31st homer overall. 5-0 Saints. As noted, the Saints offense didn’t do much again until the ninth inning. The lone exception was Austin Martin’s sixth home run which came in the fourth inning. So let’s jump to the pitching. David Festa started and gave up two runs on three hits over 4 2/3 innings. He had six strikeouts. However, he also had six strikeouts and six walks which drove up the pitch count. Michael Boyle walked two and struck out one over the next 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Alex Scherff came on and threw a scoreless seventh inning. However, he gave up one run in the bottom of the eighth inning before leaving the game with one out and two runners on base. Ronny Henriquez came into the game with a 6-3 lead. However, he allowed both of the inherited runners to score, and three more runs before getting the third out of the eighth inning. The Saints came to bat in the ninth inning down 8-6. #OldFriend Alan Busenitz, who has spent a couple of stints in the big leagues with the Reds this season, came in for the Bats. He spent parts of 2017 and 2018 with the Twins. He spent four seasons pitching for Rakuten in Japan. He returned to the States this year. With that as the backdrop, the Saints put together a huge inning. Busenitz struck out the first batters. However, Austin Martin and Gilberto Celestino singled to put runners on first and third. DaShawn Keirsey came in to pinch hit and walked to load the bases. Michael Helman singled to score Martin. Busenitz’s night was done, and Silvino Bracho came in. Alex Kirilloff came up and drove in two runs with a single to right field to give the Saints a 9-8 lead. Brooks Lee followed with a walk to load the bases again. That brought Trevor Larnach up, and he crushed the first grand slam of his professional career to give the Saints the 13-8 lead. The grand slam was the Saints’ 13th this season. Henriquez came back out for the bottom of the ninth inning. He walked the first batter but responded by coaxing a double play ball. After a two-out double, he was able to record the final out of the game. Larnach led the way with his two home runs and six RBI. Austin Martin went 2-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. Michael Helman went 2-for-5 with his fifth homer. Alex Kirilloff went 2-for-5. Gilberto Celestino went 2-for-4. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 4, Corpus Christi 10 Box Score The Wind Surge fell behind 5-0 through four innings. Sean Mooney made the start as an “opener” of sorts for Wichita. He walked one and struck out two batters in a scoreless first inning. Carlos Luna came in and was charged with five runs on six hits and a walk over 2 2/3 innings. He had three strikeouts and allowed three home runs. Down 5-0, the Wind Surge put together a burst. With one out, Ben Ross and Jake Rucker hit back-to-back singles. After a ground out advanced them with a ground out. With two outs, there was a pitching change. Aaron Sabato walked to load the bases, and Seth Gray’s eighth homer of the season cut their deficit to 5-4. Unfortunately, the Gray grand slam was the end of the Wind Surge scoring for the evening. Taylor Floyd gave up two runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings. He had three strikeouts. Lefty Aaron Rozek recorded two outs. He gave up three runs on three hits (including two homers). Isaac Mattson came in and struck out five batters over two perfect innings. Ben Ross went 2-for-4 with a walk. Yoyner Fajardo hit his sixth triple. Aaron Sabato had a single and two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 1 Box Score The Kernels jumped ahead 3-0 after two innings and it held up as they recorded their 82nd win of the year. Cedar Rapids got some help from their hosts in Appleton. Noah Miller reached first base on an error. After an Emmanuel Rodriguez single, a passed ball put runners on second and third. Soon after, Miller scored on a wild pitch. That was it, though. The second inning started completely the opposite. Rehabbing lefty Aaron Ashby got a groundout and a strikeout to start the inning before issuing a walk. That ended his appearance and Brewer Fanatic’s starting pitcher of the month of August, Cameron Wagoner, entered. After a Keoni Cavaco single and a Noah Miller walk loaded the bases, Emmanuel Rodriguez drilled a two-run single up the middle to give the Kernels a 3-0 lead. That was it for the Kernels’ scoring until the top of the ninth inning when Jose Salas hit his fourth homer of the season. The Kernels had five hits with Rodriguez having two of them. He also stole his 20th base of the season. Noah Miller hit his fifth triple and a walk. The offense did their part, but the pitching staff was the big story on Wednesday afternoon. Cory Lewis was fantastic. He improved to 5-1 on the season thanks to five shutout innings. He gave up just one hit. He walked two and struck out three to drop his ERA with the Kernels to 2.32. Mike Paredes came in and got one out before giving up a single to Brock Wilken. Then the rains came. The game was delayed for just over 100 minutes. When the game continued, Ricardo Velez came in. He gave up a hit to allow the Paredes runner to score, but he gave up just two hits over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He walked none and struck out one. Jarret Whorff got the final four outs, two on strikeouts, to record his third save. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 5 Box Score The game went back and forth throughout the game. Fortunately, the Mussels scored last and held on. It was 3-3 through four innings, and then it was 5-5 through seven innings. But first, the Mussels were able to use a guy with 21 career wins in the big leagues as their starting pitcher. Chris Paddack came to the Twins on Opening Day 2022. After just a handful of starts, his elbow blew out and soon after, he had his second Tommy John surgery. On Wednesday night in Fort Myers, he returned to the mound for his first rehab appearance. The raw numbers won’t jump out to anyone. In 2 2/3 innings, he gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. He had four strikeouts. Most impressive, at least to me, was that he was able to (or allowed to) throw 52 pitches. No real surprise that just 27 of those pitches were strikes. But, the stuff looks good. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Down 3-0 going to the bottom of the fourth inning, Danny De Andrade and Rubel Cespedes started the inning with walks. Nate Baez followed with a three-run homer to tie the game. Then in the bottom of the fifth, the innings started with singles by Jay Harry and Walker Jenkins. Jenkins stole second. Soon after, Harry scored on a wild pitch. Jenkins scored on a groundout by De Andrade to make it 5-3. However, the Marauders tied it with two runs in the top of the seventh frame. When Paddack was done, Jack Noble came in as the ‘Bulk’ pitcher and worked the next 5 1/3 innings. He gave up three runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out five batters. He was really only hurt by two home run balls. In the bottom of the eighth, the Mussels started with Rubel Cespedes and Nate Baez walks. Maddux Houghton pinch-ran for Cespedes. Alec Sayre grounded back to the pitcher who got the out at second but Sayre beat the throw to first. Houghton advanced to third base. That brought up catcher Kyle Schmidt came up and grounded to shortstop. They recorded the out at second but Schmidt’s hustle beat the throw and allowed Houghton to score the go-ahead run. With the one-run lead, lefty Samuel Perez came in and worked a one-two-three ninth inning to record his second save of the year. Jay Harry went 2-for-4. Walker Jenkins was 2-for-4 with his second stolen base.. Nate Baez’s home run was his second of the season. He also walked twice. Rubel Cespedes was 1-for-1 with three walks and stole his third base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Trevor Larnach (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 2-HR(14), 2 R, 6 RBI, K. Pitcher of the Day – Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 69 pitches, 45 strikes (61.1%) Blooper of the Day - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - Great catch, but forgetting how many outs there are is always funny the next day when it gets on blooper reels. 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) - 1-for-4, BB, 2 R, K #2 - Walker Jenkins (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, R, SB(2) #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2 RBI, K, SB(20) #6 - David Festa (St. Paul) - 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 6 K, 91 pitches, 43 strikes (47.3%) #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 2-for-3, HBP, HR(6), 2 R, RBI #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4 #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 3 K #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, HR(7, 31), R, 2 RBI, 3 K #17 - Danny De Andrade (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, BB, R, RBI #19 - Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 69 pitches, 45 strikes (65.2%) WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Louisville (5:35 PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (5-6, 5.29 ERA) Wichita @ Corpus Christi (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl (7-3, 2.95 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:40 PM CST) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (2-1, 3.58 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - RHP John Klein (2-1, 2.97 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

The Minnesota Twins couldn't get anything going at the plate in a 2-1 loss at Cleveland, tallying just two hits. The Saints had no such problems. St. Paul scored 13 runs thanks in part to a pair of homers from Trevor Larnach. Also featured in tonight's system recap are Michael Helman, Yunior Severino, Austin Martin, Sean Mooney, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Jose Salas plus updates on Walker Jenkins and Chris Paddack. View full video

Despite all the hand-wringing and Twitter (can I still call it that) meltdowns amongst fans, the Minnesota Twins baseball organization has had an exceptional 2023. While the Twins remain in the AL Central driver's seat, both the St. Paul Saints and Cedar Rapids Kernels appear poised for the postseason. After some slow starts, the prospect-list has started to show some more consistent promise as well. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Walker Jenkins) While it's certainly not perfect - I'd love for Byron Buxton and Connor Prielipp to be healthy - I don't think there are many people that wouldn't willingly take where the organization is right now if presented this chance in the spring. The Twins have an excellent chance to make the playoffs (and have a huge series this week), Royce Lewis looks the like savior we've yearned for since Joe Mauer stopped catching, the St. Paul Saints have been exciting to follow (and a welcome distraction when the Twins have tripped over themselves both figuratively and literally *coughJoeyGallocough*) and the Cedar Rapids Kernels boast one of the most impressive rotations and winningest records in all of baseball. Oh, and first-round pick Walker Jenkins is playing a game that currently looks way too easy for him. Read all about the Twins week in Nick’s Week in Review. WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Overall: 32-25 (3-3 last week) in the second half; In first place in the IL West by two games; tied for sixth place in the International League. Overview: The Saints had another great chance to make up ground in the standings and couldn't. Their path to the playoffs just got cloudier. 🔥: Trevor Larnach. Finally. Seven hits in 19 at-bats (including two doubles and a home run). He drove in four and walked more times (3) than he struck out (2). With the emergence of Matt Wallner and the resurgence of Max Kepler, it's hard to say how Larnach fits in the Twins long-term plans. But it certainly behooves him to not be terrible and have a week like this. 🔥: David Festa made quite an impression in his first AAA start. He fanned seven over five innings, while only allowing one run (a home run). 😍: Alex Kirilloff is rehabbing and proving that AAA is beneath him. In 17 at-bats, Kirilloff collected seven hits (including a double and a two home runs). He didn't walk and struck out three times, but all of that is good enough for a 1.236 OPS. Kirilloff is likely to rejoin the Twins later in the week. 😏: Louie Varland is making his transition to the bullpen to help out the Twins and reportedly will be joining them in Cleveland. He pitched once for the Saints and threw a pitch over 100 mph. He's going to look nice as a Minnesota reliever for the next month, but expect him to return to the rotation next season. 🥶: Jordan Balazovic (3.1 IP, 4 ER) and Andrew Bechtold (2 IP, 5 ER) both really struggled out of the Saints pen this week. 🥶: Austin Martin was lighting up Triple-A... and then this week happened. Only two hits in 23 at-bats, seven strikeouts with only two walks and one stolen base. There's a need in centerfield across the river, but performances like this aren't going to get you promoted. What's Next: Now the Saints head to Louisville (28-29) to try to make up ground. They haven't been good on the road in the second half (10-14). One nice thing is the two hottest teams in the league (Buffalo and Lehigh Valley) play each other. One not-nice thing is that Durham heads to Charlotte, who is absolutely brutal. The Saints will probably have to win five or six just to keep pace. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Overall: 32-25 (3-3 last week) in the second half and has pushed their division lead to 3.0 games. Overview: The four-series win streak has come to an end with a split against San Antonio, but the Wind Surge remain in the driver's seat in the Texas League North Division. 🔥: Willie Joe Garry Jr might be getting his first mention of the year, but he deserves it. He collected eight hits in 19 at-bats including four doubles and two home runs. He also stole two bases. The ninth-round pick has really struggled as a pro (never hitting over .228 at any level and) but has really shined in his 22 Double-A games this year (.286/.346/.600). He's always had the ability to steal bases, but here he is over 1000 minor league plate appearances and finally showing signs of maybe figuring it out a little bit. 🔥: Most of the staff deserves mention here. Marco Raya was fantastic in four shutout innings. Aaron Rozek allowed three hits over 5 2/3 shutout innings. Denny Bentley, Taylor Floyd, and Curtis Taylor combined to pitch 10 shutout innings out of the bullpen. Pierson Ohl continues to be great, this time allowing a single run (on a home run) in 5 2/3 innings. 🔥: Tanner Schobel had seven hits (two doubles, home run) this week. 🥶: Alex Isola has gotten a lot of love at the top of these breakdowns, but a 4-for-24 week with six strikeouts puts him at the bottom of this list. He has put together a really solid year and looks deserving of getting his shot at AAA to start next year. 🥶: Jaylen Nowlin had a rough start, allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings. What's Next: The Wind Surge head to Corpus Christi (29-28) where a split might give some hope to Springfield (29-28) who hosts Tulsa (22-35). High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Overall: 40-20 (5-1 last week) in the second half, five games ahead of Peoria. The Kernels have clinched a postseason berth and own a 80-46 overall record on the season. Overview: Even though both Wisconsin and Peoria have been two of the hottest teams in the Midwest League, they haven't been able to make much ground on the also-hot Kernels. 🔥: Big weeks all over as eight of the 11 Kernels with double-digits at-bats posted weeks with OPSes over .900. Emmanuel Rodriguez led the way with seven hits (three doubles, two triples, home run). Jose Salas also had seven hits and though he showed little power, stole three bases. Keoni Cavaco and Jorel Ortega both had five hits 🔥: Christian MacLeod scattered three hits and a walk in his five shutout innings. He struck out three. C.J. Culpepper (4 2/3 innings) and Cory Lewis (5 innings) also left their starters allowing no runs. 🥶: Alejandro Hidalgo posted the Kernels worse start, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks over three innings. What's Next: ... but if the Timber Rattlers (32-28) do want to make up ground, they will have a chance this week. Wisconsin, who is on an eight-game winning streak, will welcome the Kernels for six games. Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Overall: 31-28 (4-1 last week) in the second half, 7.5 games behind Lakeland. Overview: It's too bad Fort Myers got off to such a poor start in the second half, but they have been arguably the best team in the entire league over the last two-plus weeks. They are 8-2 in their last ten and have a +52 run differential (trailing only Lakeland) in the second half of the season. 😍: It's Walker Jenkins' world right now and we're all just living in it. He had nine hits (three extra base hits) in 17 at-bats. He didn't strike out, walked once and stole a base. He's improved upon all of his numbers from his stint in rookie ball and when the Mighty Mussels season ends, there is no reason he shouldn't be promoted to Cedar Rapids for the playoff push. Even if he starts next year back at low-A, it seems like it should be a pretty easy decision to allow him to be challenged this year and putting him into a playoff atmosphere would be a challenge. 🔥: Jay Harry and Ricardo Olivar are probably getting talked about more if Jenkins wasn't so impressive. Harry had seven hits including two doubles and a home run. Oliver had six hits including two doubles and a triple. Harry will just jump in line with the Schobels and Keaschalls of the organization as middle infielders who rake. 🔥: John Klein had another great start. The Minnesota native has had an exceptional six-game run in low-A and probably deserves a shot to start at a higher level. The problem, of course, is that Cedar Rapids has a loaded rotation. 😏: The 2023 draft class of pitchers is certainly on a pitch-limit, but this week all of Xander Hamilton, Ty Langenberg, Jeremy Lee and Nolan Santos pitched more than one inning and none gave up a run. I'm very intrigued to see how this group - as well as the 11 guys who haven't pitched yet - look in the spring after getting a little Velocity Camp action this fall. 🥶: The Kyle Schmidt hitless streak has no reached a new level. Two straight weeks with no hits. Last week was 0-13 with one strikeout. This week was 0-8 with two strikeouts. That either suggests extremely bad luck or inability to hit the ball very hard. What's Next: Fort Myers hosts Bradenton (37-22). Ironically, the Mighty Mussels have struggled at home in the second half and Bradenton has been excellent on the road. A split probably leaves Fort Myers with too little time to catch up, but five or six wins against Bradenton and there might be a race (though the probability still remains very, very low). 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, Minnesota: Recalled to the Twins bullpen. (1.31 WHIP, .238 BAA ), St. Paul: (1.36 WHIP, .263 BAA). 19. Cory Lewis, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP, 7 H, 6 K (1.08 WHIP, .205 BAA). 18. Jose Rodriguez, OF, FCL Twins: (.262/.325/.412. .737 OPS) 17. Danny De Andrade, SS, Fort Myers: 4-16, 4 RBI, R, 2 BB, 3 K, 3 SB. (.244/.353/.398. .751 OPS), played three games (85 total games) at shortstop and committed no errors in 13 chances (13 errors in 308 total chances). Previously played one game at third base and had no errors in four chances. 16. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 10.80 ERA, 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB. 2K. (1.65 WHIP, .266 BAA); Minnesota: (1.56 WHIP, .274 BAA). 15. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, HRA, HB, 3 BB, 6 K (1.55 WHIP, .257 BAA); Minnesota: (1.56 WHIP, .274 BAA). 14. Yunior Severino, 3B, St. Paul: 4-16, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K. (AA/AAA combined .280/.357/.546. .903 OPS). 13. Kala'i Rosario, OF, Cedar Rapids: 4-15, 2 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 2 R, 4 BB, 5 K. (.255/.370/.468. .838 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: 2-5, 2B, R, 2 K, SB. (rookie/l-A/h-A combined .299/.439/.460. .899 OPS), played one game (20 total) at second base and committed no errors in one chance (one error in 61 total chances), played one game in centerfield (three games total) and had committed no errors in no chances (his first chances of the year). Previously played one game at third base and committed one error in two 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: 7-22, 2 2B, HR. RBI, R, 2 BB, 7 K. (high-A/AA combined .267/.357/.440. .797 OPS), played two games (50 total) at second base and committed no errors in 9 chances (9 errors in 200 total chances), and played one game (57 total) at third base and committed no errors in five chances (four errors in 114total chances). Schobel also played his first three games at shortstop this week and committed no errors in eight chances. 7. Austin Martin, 2B/OF, St. Paul: 2-23, R, 2 BB, 7 K, SB. (rehab/AAA combined .261/.367/.402. .769 OPS), played two games (10 total) in centerfield and committed no errors in four chances (no errors in 24 total chances), played three games (33 total) at second base and committed no errors in 14 chances (four errors in 135 total chances), played one games (nine total) in left field and committed no errors in one chance (no errors in 21 total chances). 6. David Festa, RHP, St. Paul: 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 5 IP, 4 H, ER, HRA, BB 7 K. (AAA/AA combined 1.34 WHIP, .247 BAA) 5. Charlee Soto, RHP: Did not pitch. 4. Marco Raya, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 IP, 2 H, 2 K. (AA/Hi-A combined 1.14 WHIP, .207 BAA) 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 7-18, 3 2B, 2 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 5 R, 2 BB, 6 K. (.240/.395/.466. .861 OPS) 2. Walker Jenkins, OF, Fort Myers: 9-17, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, BB, SB. (FCL/low-A combined .372/.413/.581. .994 OPS) 1. Brooks Lee, SS, St. Paul: 6-21, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K. (AA/AAA combined .285/.355/.463. .818 OPS), played four games (99 total) at shortstop and committed one error in 25 chances (18 errors in 410 total chances) and played one game (five total) at third base and committed no errors in once (one error in 11 chances total chances). PLAYERS OF THE WEEKHITTER - Walker Jenkins, Fort Myers (72.5% of the vote) PITCHER - John Klein, Fort Myers (45.2% of the vote) View full article

The Twins can hope the injury bug avoids the team in the season's final weeks, but that seems unlikely. Here are seven St. Paul Saints players who can be helpful pieces as the calendar creeps closer to September. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints In a perfect world, the Twins would glide through the season's final months while increasing their lead in the AL Central. Minnesota sports fans know better than to expect that to occur. It seems more likely that the team needs to dig into their accumulated depth at Triple-A to find a player who can help the club. Some players are on the 40-man roster, while others are not, adding another layer to the conversation. Trevor Larnach, OF 40-Man Roster: Yes Larnach has played 180 games for the Twins over the last three seasons and has yet to establish himself at the big-league level. He's seen other corner outfielders pass like Matt Wallner pass him on the team's depth chart. This season at Triple-A, he's posted a .917 OPS with 18 extra-base hits in 43 games. Larnach is the most likely option for the team to add to the roster for the stretch run. Ronny Henriquez, RHP 40-Man Roster: Yes Henriquez made his big-league debut with the Twins last season and allowed three earned runs in 11 2/3 innings with a 0.94 WHIP and nine strikeouts. Last season, he shifted roles between starter and reliever, so this has been his first full season in the bullpen. Over his last ten appearances, he has posted a 4.40 ERA with a 10-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Henriquez has been getting hit hard this season, but he's on the 40-man roster, giving him a chance to be a call-up. Louie Varland, RHP 40-Man Roster: Yes The Twins could have selected Varland over Dallas Keuchel when Joe Ryan recently went on the IL. However, that would have meant giving up on Keuchel and taking away some of the organization's depth. Varland struggled in his ten big-league starts this year by allowing 33 earned runs in 56 innings. The Twins demoted him in mid-June, and he's posted a 4.63 ERA in nine starts while opponents have accumulated a .797 OPS. Varland is the most apparent option with the Saints if a starter gets injured. Gilberto Celestino, OF 40-Man Roster: Yes Celestino didn't follow a linear development path with the Twins. The team rushed him to the big leagues, and he played 145 games with little experience at the Triple-A level. During spring training, he ruptured the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, which required surgery. Following rehab, the Twins sent him to Triple-A, where he has a .743 OPS with ten extra-base hits in 32 games. He's a right-handed bat that can play all three outfield positions which might be helpful if there is an outfield injury. Brooks Lee, SS 40-Man Roster: No Many fans will be clamoring for Lee, the team's top prospect, to make his big-league debut, especially if the team falters down the stretch. He's the first player from the 2022 MLB Draft to play at the Triple-A level, so the Twins are already aggressive with his promotions. He posted an .841 OPS with 31 doubles and 11 home runs across 87 games at Double-A. If the Twins need Lee, it likely means an injury to a key player in the lineup. Kody Funderburk, LHP 40-Man Roster: No Surprisingly, the Twins have yet to turn to Funderburk while the team attempts to find reliable relief options. Minnesota has relied on Caleb Thielbar and Jovani Moran as the team's primary left-handed relievers, while Funderburk has posted solid numbers at Triple-A. In 31 appearances, he has posted a 2.68 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and 13.4 K/9. He's been one of the organization's top relievers for multiple seasons and deserves a chance at the big-league level. Anthony Prato, UTL 40-Man Roster: No Prato can play multiple defensive positions in the infield and outfield, making him an intriguing option for the stretch run. He's also destroyed the ball since being promoted to Triple-A near the beginning of June. In 44 games, he has hit .324/.476/.613 (1.089) with 20 doubles and seven home runs. He's also drawn more walks (37) than strikeouts (36). Prato has been one of St. Paul's best hitters, and the Twins might want to reward his performance. Which player or players will help the Twins down the stretch? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article