It's unusual that the best players are the ones you can't find mentioned on prospect lists. 

For the second week in a row each affiliate either played .500 baseball or within a game of .500. There were some more big performances and we’re starting to see some performance-triggered promotions. 
 

The Minnesota Twins showcased a storybook return from Royce Lewis on Memorial Day. Lewis performance and an extra-inning Ryan Jeffers home run highlighted a series opening win. 

Prospects signed on the international market can take time to develop because they are teenagers when they sign. One Twins farm hand is slugging his way into the top prospect conversation.

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Twins turned to their closer in a game that they had well in hand. Despite a 7-1 lead, Jhoan Duran hadn’t pitched since the weekend and an off day was on the docket. With little to hold back, he uncorked a 104.8 mph fastball, the hardest throw of his career. That settled the debate, hitting a baseball is unfathomably hard.

The Twins need to find their heart in hostile territory, as they make a quick trip to Houston to face the juggernaut Astros in a three-game series. Will the return of Royce Lewis provide the spark that the team needs? Or will another round of low scoring losses send the Twins into second place in the division?

The Twins brought home the California sunshine from their West Coast road trip, playing in gorgeous conditions under sunny skies all week at Target Field.

Unfortunately, they also brought home their on-field trend of lethargic and lackluster play, which led to another losing week and growing rancor in the fanbase.

Noah Cardenas went off for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and Royce Lewis was off for the St. Paul Saints as he needed to catch a flight for the Minnesota Twins.

Some Twins have defied preseason predictions.

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the Blue Jays and some of the Twins players got together to play a baseball game. Three hours later it was time for the game to be done. Catch more of the excitement in this amazing recap.

The Twins need some intervention from the Baseball Gods. What might it look like?

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a Twins reliever slated for a late-inning role has underperformed, and some are saying that his underlying numbers mean he’s actually better than he appears.

A sunk cost no more. After a dreadful continuation of multiple inept seasons, Aaron Hicks now finds himself jobless, freshly told to leave by a franchise once greatly appreciative of his labor. With full hindsight, let’s travel to 2015 in order to understand the meaning of a much-maligned deal. 

In the meantime, enjoy some absolute blowouts on a fruitful evening for minor league baseball.

Ed Julien had three extra-base hits, including an opposite field home run, Matt Wallner collected four hits including a home run, and Willi Castro hit two home runs to dead center field. That backed a decent effort from Pablo López in a much-needed victory for the Twins.

Jorge Lopez continued his struggles and made it interesting in the ninth, but Brock Stewart was nails in getting the final three outs of the game against the top of the powerful Blue Jays lineup.

Originally signed to fill out the roster in St. Paul, Willi Castro is close to removing himself from the send-down conversation altogether. 

Griffin Jax was looking to build off a tremendous 2022 season where he established himself as one of the team’s top relievers. There’s no question he has struggled in 2023, so what has accounted for his performance decline?

The Twins are the sole team in the AL Central with a positive record and run differential. If the season ended today they’d be postseason-bound. With all of this in mind, it’s still fair to be disappointed with the team so far.