2022 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars

[Seth Stohs]

The season ended nearly two months ago. Our Twins Daily minor-league writers voted on the various awards including the Twins Daily Minnesota Twins Minor League All-Stars. Today we unveil those choices. 

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (Woods Richardson, Helman, Varland, Wallner, Sisk)

Read through our choices for each position. Check back at past Twins Daily Minor League All-Stars. Then discuss and cast your votes as well.

Potentially more in 2022 than in most previous years, most of our All-Star selections spent time in the upper-levels of the minor league system. That is especially encouraging when you consider how many young players there are on the MLB roster. Now the key is to get everyone healthy and let them keep on working to earn more shots in the big leagues. 

Let’s get started.

The Twins Daily 2022 Minnesota Twins Minor League All-Star Team

Catcher: Noah Cardenas (Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels)
Acquired: 2021 Draft (8th Round) from UCLA
2022 Stats: .261/.421/.413 (.834) with 18 doubles, 9 home runs, and 43 RBI. 

In 2022, Cardenas was an on-base machine for the Mighty Mussels. Isolated Discipline is simply On-Base Percentage minus Batting Average. An Isolated Discipline of 0.160 is huge. He had 73 walks to just 70 strikeouts. However, he isn’t just a passive hitter, he bashed 28 extra-base hits around the diamond. He also does a nice job defensively and has taken to some of the new catching techniques well. He’s got a strong arm. To learn much more about Cardenas, please watch his recent Twins Spotlight interview.  

For more Twins Daily content on Noah Cardenas, click here.  
ETA - June 2025

First Base: Chris Williams (Wichita Wind Surge, St. Paul Saints)
Acquired: 8th round pick in 2018 from Clemson
2022 Stats: .246/.343/.500 (.843) with 21 doubles, 28 home runs, and 89 RBI.

The Twins drafted Williams as a catcher, though he spent a lot of time at first base at Clemson after an elbow injury. He has continued to work as a catcher and can play there, but he has spent most of his time playing first base. In 2022, he made 81 starts at first base and 21 starts behind the plate. But Williams makes this team due to his powerful bat. He started the season with 75 games in Wichita where he hit .277/.372/.542 (.915) with 16 doubles and 18 home runs. He finished the season with 42 games in St. Paul. He hit .192, but he maintained the power. He had 10 more homers. There will be strikeouts, but there will also be walks, and there is the potential for a lot of power. 

For more Twins Daily content on Chris Williams, click here. 
ETA - July 2023

Second Base: Edouard Julien (Wichita Wind Surge)
Acquired: 2019 Draft (17th Round) from Auburn 
2022 Stats:.300/.441/.490 (.931) with 19 doubles, 3 triples, 17 home runs, and 67 RBI

The Quebec native had a breakout in his pro debut in 2021. Between Low-A and High-A, he played 112 games and hit .267/.434/.480 (.914) with 28 doubles and 18 triples. He also had 34 stolen bases and his 110 walks led all of minor-league baseball. He played all over the place. In 2022 at Double-A, you can see that he was even better. His 98 walks ranked sixth and his .441 OBP ranked fourth in minor-league ball. He went to the Arizona Fall League and played in the Fall Stars game and was named the league’s Breakout Player. Earlier this week, he was added to the Twins 40-man roster.  Want to see some bat speed?

For more Twins Daily content on Edouard Julien, click here.  
ETA: May 2023

Third Base: Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids Kernels, Wichita Wind Surge)
Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent
2022 Stats: .278/.370/.536 (.907) with 17 doubles, 19 home runs, and 65 RBI.

As a youth, Severino was such an impressive prospect, he received two seven-figure signing bonuses. In 2022, he was limited to 83 games by a midseason injury, but he put together a strong season. In 46 games in Cedar Rapids, he hit .283/.398/.572 (.970) with nine doubles, two triples, and 11 home runs. He finished the season with 37 games in Wichita where he hit .273/.338/.497 (.834) with eight doubles and eight home runs. The Twins left him off of their 40-man roster, and after putting up solid numbers in Double-A, a team could have interest and think he’d be ready for some role. 

For more Twins Daily content on Yunior Severino, click here.  
ETA: July 2024

Shortstop: Jermaine Palacios (St. Paul Saints)
Acquired: Signed as minor league free agent
2022 Stats: .252/.354/.456 (.810) with 13 doubles, 2 triples, 16 homers, and 50 RBI

Palacios became a Top 10 Twins prospect with the Twins, and then he was traded to Tampa Bay for Jake Odorizzi. Before the 2021 season, he came back to the Twins as a minor-league free agent. He had a solid season at Wichita, hitting .259 with 17 doubles, 19 homers, and 18 stolen bases. He quickly re-signed with the Twins. He spent most of the season with the Saints and did a nice job getting on base and showing some pop. He made his MLB debut on May 31st, playing shortstop in both games of a doubleheader. He made eight straight starts at short while Carlos Correa was on the Covid-IL. He earned a spot on the 40-man roster in September. In his first 16 games of the month, he went a combined 0-for-33 before a three-hit game in Detroit. He ended the season by hitting his first two homers in the final two games of the year. Following the season, he was claimed by the Tigers who then elected free agency. 

For more Twins Daily content on Jermaine Palacios, click here. 
ETA: May 2022

Left fielder: Anthony Prato (Cedar Rapids, Wichita Wind Surge)
Acquired: 2019 Draft (7th round) from the University of Connecticut 
2022 Stats: .285/.383/.444 (.827) with 30 doubles, 8 triples, 10 home runs, 64 RBI.

The scouting report on Prato might tell us that he doesn’t have a lot of tools that immediately jump out, but when you watch him on a regular basis for a while, you start to realize that he can do a lot of things well. His approach is ideal for a top-of-the-lineup hitter. He knows the strike zone and is willing to take walks. But he also has an aggressive swing that produced nearly 50 extra-base hits this year. In 45 games in Cedar Rapids, he hit .271/.349/.486 (.836). In 87 games in Wichita, he hit .294/.403/.419 (.822). He was a shortstop at UConn. In pro ball, he’s played several positions. In 2022, he played 60 games in left field, 34 games at second base, and 22 more games at third base. 

For more Twins Daily content on Anthony Prato, click here.  
ETA: August 2024

Center fielder: Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels)
Acquired: Signed as international free agent in July 2019
2022 Stats: .272/.493/.552 (1.044) with 5 doubles, 3 triples, 9 home runs and 25 RBI. 

Rodriguez was a big prospect out of the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, he was unable to play in 2020 but the Twins pushed him to the FCL in 2021. He hit just .214 in 37 games, but he got on base 35% of the time and he had five doubles, two triples, and 10 home runs. He was certainly a prospect but in 2022, he broke out in a big way in Ft. Myers. He continued to strike out, but incredibly, he walked more than he struck out, and he got on base nearly 50% of the time. Just as impressive he hit for a lot of power in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. Unfortunately, he hurt his knee and surgery ended his season. In mid-September, he was the #1 overall pick of Aguilas Cibaenas of the Dominican Winter League and has hit a couple more home runs with them already. 

For more Twins Daily content on Emmanuel Rodriguez, click here. 
ETA: August 2024

Right fielder - Matt Wallner (Wichita Wind Surge, St. Paul Saints)
Acquired: 2019 Draft (1st Round, Comp Balance A) from Southern Mississippi 
2022 Stats: .277/.412/.542 (.953), with 32 doubles, 4 triples, 27 home runs and 95 RBI. 

After missing a couple of months of the 2021 season with a broken hamate bone, he went to the Arizona Fall League where he hit six home runs in 18 games. If there were question marks surrounding the Forest Lake native entering the 2022 season, but less than a year later, it is clear he has a big-league future. He began with 78 games in Wichita where he hit .299/.436/.597 (1.033) with 15 doubles and 21 homers. He moved up to St. Paul in August. In 50 games, he hit .247/. 376/.463 (.839) with 17 doubles, three triples and six homers. He hit for the cycle in one game. He was named the Twins and Twins Daily’s Minor League Hitter of the Year. He ended the season with 18 games for the Twins in which he hit .228/.323/.386 (.709) with three doubles and two homers. Is he a finished product? Not at all, which is really exciting if you are a Twins fan. 

For much more Twins Daily content on Matt Wallner, click here. 
ETA: September 2022

Designated Hitter: Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids Kernels, Wichita Wind Surge)
Acquired: 2021 Draft (4th Round) from Oklahoma State 
2022 Stats: 302/.374/.612 (.987) with 25 doubles, 4 triples, 25 home runs, and 85 RBI

Matt Wallner was the easy choice for Minor League Hitter of the Year, but if Encarnacion-Strand had not been traded at the deadline, it could have been a very tight race. Drafted from Oklahoma State, where his head coach was Robin Ventura and his hitting coach was Matt Holliday, he is a hitting machine. In 74 games in Cedar Rapids, he hit .296/.370/.599 (.968) with 23 doubles and 20 home runs. He was our Hitter of the Month in both April and June. He moved up to Wichita and in just 13 games he hit .333/.400/.685 (1.085) with two doubles, a triple, and five home runs. After being traded to the Reds and in 35 games, he hit ..309/.351/.522 (.874) with six doubles and seven homers. While it is likely he will wind up at first base, he continues to play at the hot corner. He was traded to the Reds in the Tyler Mahle deal in early August. 

For more Twins Daily content on Christian Encarnacion-Strand, click here. 
ETA: August 2023

Utility Player: Michael Helman (Wichita Wind Surge, St. Paul Saints)
Acquired: 2018 Draft (11th Round) from Texas A&M  
2022 Stats: .258/.337/.432 (.769) with 23 doubles, 3 triples, 20 home runs, and 60 RBI

Something clicked for Michael Helman in Cedar Rapids in 2021, and he added some pop to his game. He also began playing all over the diamond. He went to the Arizona Fall League after the season to continue the progress. He began 2022 with 39 games in Wichita where he hit .278/.368/.472 (.840) with six doubles and six homers. He moved up to St. Paul where he finished the season with 96 games played. He hit .250/.325/.416 (.741) with 17 doubles and 14 home runs. In addition, he stole a combined 40 bases in 45 attempts. On the season, he played 43 games in center field, 41 games at second base, 29 games at third base, and 11 games at first base. In 2021, he made 64 starts between left field and right field. He has become an intriguing utility player with some right-handed pop and speed as well. 

For more Twins Daily content on Michael Helman, click here. 
ETA: May 2023

Starting Pitcher: Louie Varland (Wichita Wind Surge, St. Paul Saints)
Acquired: 2019 Draft (15th Round) from Concordia-St. Paul  
2022 Stats: 10-4, 2.10 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 103.0 IP, 2.6 BB/9, 12.4 K/9

Louie Varland was the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year in  2021 after pitching in Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids. Despite moving up, Varland pitched all in both Wichita and St. Paul not only earned him the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year again in 2022, but he earned a handful of big-league starts late in the season. In 20 games (19 starts) with Wichita, he went 7-4 with a 3.34 ERA. In 105 innings, he struck out 119 batters with just 39 walks. He moved up to his hometown St. Paul Saints and made five starts. In five starts, he went 1-2 with a 3.81 ERA. It was at that point that he made his MLB debut in Yankees Stadium, and on the final day of the season, he earned his first MLB win. 

For much more Twins Daily content on Louie Varland, click here. 
ETA: September 2022

Starting Pitcher: Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita Wind Surge, St. Paul Saints)
Acquired: Traded from Blue Jays with Austin Martin for Jose Berrios (July 2021)  
2022 Stats: 5-3, 2.77 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 107.1 IP, 3.0 BB/9, 9.6 K/9

2021 was a strange season for Woods Richardson, but he returned in 2022 and had a fantastic season. He began 2020 as a 20-year-old in Double-A, but early on he was named to Team USA and then went to the Olympics where he earned a Silver Medal. While in Japan, he was traded to the Twins. Woods Richardson got off to a strong start in Wichita. In 16 games (15 starts), he went 3-3 with a 3.06 ERA. He had 77 strikeouts (and 26 walks) in 70 2/3 innings. He moved up to St. Paul where he made seven starts and went 2-0 with a 2.21 ERA. He had 38 strikeouts (to just 10 walks) in 36 2/3 innings. When the Saints season finished, Woods Richardson was called up to the Twins for one start in which he gave up three runs (2 earned) in five innings. 

For more Twins Daily content on Simeon Woods Richardson, click here. 
ETA: September 2022

Starting Pitcher: David Festa (Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels, Cedar Rapids Kernels) 
Acquired: 2021 Draft (13th Round) from Seton Hall
2022 Stats: 9-4, 2.43 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 103 2/3 IP, 3.0 BB/9, 9.4 K/9

Last offseason, reports surfaced that Festa was hitting 97 mph in the Instructional League. He began his first full pro season with the Mighty Mussels, but he needed just five starts to prove he was ready to move up to Hi-A. He went 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA. In 24 innings, he had 33 strikeouts to go with just six walks. He pitched in 16 games (13 starts) for Cedar Rapids and went 7-3 with a 2.71 ERA. He added 75 strikeouts in 79 2/3 innings. As impressive, he was clocked over 99 mph on several occasions and even his secondary pitches showed improvement. He is another good example of the scouting department finding guys in the later rounds and the Twins pitcher development working with them to make them intriguing prospects. 

For more Twins Daily content on David Festa, click here. 
ETA: June 2024

Starting Pitcher: Brent Headrick (Cedar Rapids Kernels, Wichita Wind Surge)
Acquired: 2019 Draft (7th Round) from Illinois State 
2022 Stats: 10-5, 3.32 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 108.1 IP, 2.1 BB/9, 11.3 K/9

Headrick stands 6-6. He’s long and lean, and a lefty. After missing some time in 2021 with some shoulder issues, Headrick began the 2022 season in Cedar Rapids. In 15 starts, he went 8-2 with a 2.34 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. He was promoted to Wichita where he made 10 appearances (8 starts). He went 2-3 with a 4.81 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. However, most of the damage came in his Double-A debut when he gave up seven runs on 10 hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings. Over his final nine appearances, he went 2-2 with a 3.54 ERA. He had at least six strikeouts in each of his final seven starts. Headrick sits 90-92 with the fastball, though he can hit 94 at times. He’s found an ability to miss bats despite throwing a ton of strikes. Last week, he was added to the Twins 40-man roster. 

For more Twins Daily content on Brent Headrick, click here.   
ETA: July 2024

Right-Handed Relief Pitcher: Cody Laweryson (Cedar Rapids Kernels, Wichita Wind Surge)
Acquired: 2019 Draft (14th round) from the University of Maine
2022 Stats: 6-0, 1 save, 1.62 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9, 10.6 K/9

He ended the season by making starts in Double-A, but Laweryson spent most of the season working out of the bullpen. In all, he pitched in 35 games and made 10 starts. He pitched in 16 games for the Kernels and went 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He ended the season with 19 games in Wichita (8 starts) and went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. As you can see, Laweryson throws strikes, but he’s also got an unusual delivery and misses a lot of bats. He played in the Arizona Fall League in 2021 and pitched very well.   

For more Cody Laweryson content at Twins Daily, click here.  
ETA: August 2024

Left-Handed Relief Pitcher: Evan Sisk (Wichita Wind Surge, St. Paul Saints)
Acquired: Traded from Cardinals with John Gant for J.A. Happ (July 2021) 
2022 MiLB Stats: 5-1, 1 save, 1.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9, 10.9 K/9

Fair to say that when the Twins got anything at the July 2021 trade deadline for J.A. Happ. John Gant came to the Twins and was able to eat up some innings at the end of a long, frustrating season, but they also got Sisk, a Double-A left-handed reliever too. After 13 games with Wichita, the Twins sent him to the Arizona Fall League. He began 2022 with 19 more games for the Wind Surge. He went 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. He moved up to Triple-A and was 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP in 31 appearances. In 63 combined innings, he had an impressive 76 strikeouts. His 29 walks were too many, but then he gave up just 5.0 hits per nine innings which is incredible. Sisk sits in the low-90s with his fastball, but it is his breaking stuff that makes him really good. He throws from an angle that could make left-handed batters think that the ball starts behind them, but then breaks over the strike zone. He can be devastating against same-siders. He was left unprotected from the Rule 5 draft and is certainly someone that the Twins could lose at that time. 

For more Evan Sisk content from Twins Daily, click here.  
ETA: June 2023

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PREVIOUS Twins Daily Minor League All Stars

Looking Back: 2016 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars
C: Mitch Garver, 1B: Zander Wiel, 2B: Luis Arraez, 3B: Nelson Molina, SS: Nick Gordon, OF: LaMonte Wade, Zack Granite, Daniel Palka, DH: Adam Brett Walker, RH SP: Fernando Romero, LH SP: Stephen Gonsalves, RH RP: Trevor Hildenberger, LH RP: Michael Theofanopoulos.

Looking Back: 2017 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars
C: Mitch Garver, 1B: Jonathan Rodriguez, 2B: Travis Blankenhorn, 3B: TJ White, SS: Jermaine Palacios, OF: LaMonte Wade, Zack Granite, Akil Baddoo, DH: Brent Rooker, RH SP: Clark Beeker, LH SP: Stephen Gonsalves, RH RP: John Curtiss, LH RP: Andrew Vasquez.

Looking Back: 2018 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars
C: Taylor Grzelakowski, 1B: Zander Wiel, 2B: Luis Arraez, 3B: Jose Miranda, SS: Royce Lewis, OF: Alex Kirilloff, Jaylin Davis, Akil Baddoo, DH: Brent Rooker, RH SP: Tyler Wells, LH SP: Stephen Gonsalves, RH RP: Cody Stashak, LH RP: Andrew Vasquez.

Looking Back: 2019 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars 
C: Ryan Jeffers, 1B: Zander Wiel, 2B: Travis Blankenhorn, 3B: Spencer Steer, SS: Nick Gordon, OF: Trevor Larnach, Jaylin Davis, Brent Rooker, DH: Gabe Snyder, RH SP: Randy Dobnak, LH SP: Devin Smeltzer, RH RP: Moises Gomez, LH RP: Zach Neff

Looking Back: 2021 Twins Daily Minor League All Stars 
C: Jeferson Morales, 1B: Alex Isola, 2B: Spencer Steer, 3B: Jose Miranda, SS: Drew Maggi, OF: Trey Cabbage, BJ Boyd, Mark Contreras, DH: Edouard Julien, UT: Michael Helman, SP (4): Louie Varland, Josh Winder, Cole Sands, Jordan Balazovic, RH RP: Jordan Gore, LH RP: Jovani Moran.

 

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[TwinsDr2021]

Thanks, fun list. Being an this list hasn't done much for anybody's career.

[Nashvilletwin]

Hope Mahle gets healthy and contributes - CES and Steer was a big price. Even if both of them were blocked and/or had a hole in their games, the return for those two needs to produce.

[mikelink45]

Thank you.  I appreciate Seth and TD for keeping me informed about our prospects. 

[EGFTShaw]

Only comment is your ETA dates...2021, 2022.. :)

[Blyleven2011]

We already have had a few players released and picked up by other teams  , Cave is the only player still remaining on a roster  , Palacios and Hamilton  have been left unprotected by their new teams ...

I see us losing severino  , sisk  for sure , Williams maybe in the rule 5 draft  ...

Thanks Seth  

[Doctor Gast]

Great job, total agreement.

[Mike Sixel]

Great stuff. Thanks.

[MN_ExPat]

3 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Thanks, fun list. Being an this list hasn't done much for anybody's career.

Good to see that "Minnesota Nice" is still alive and well.

[Rosterman]

I hope we don't lose Severino. Sisk should be picked. We need CATCHERS!

[DocBauer]

Hoping against hope that Severino and Sisk aren't selected, or, are offered back to the Twins as not quite ready. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Those Severino stats are incorrect. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Seth, Thank you for this great article. Also thanks for listing the minor league all stars from previous years. There were some lean years but then the position players started improving and now I can see improvement in pitching. You do an awesome job reporting on the minor leaguers in the Twins system. I highly doubt any other major league team has such an effective reporter covering their minor leaguers. 

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Those Severino stats are incorrect. 

2022	22	-2.2	Wichita	TL	AA	MIN	37	160	143	19	39	8	0	8	25	0	1	14	48	.273	.338	.497	.834	71	9	1	0	2	0
2022	22	-0.2	Cedar Rapids	MIDW	A+	MIN	46	191	159	30	45	9	2	11	40	0	0	25	43	.283	.398	.572	.970	91	2	6	0	1	0

 

They are still pretty good. Sorry my touch for copy and paste was not better

[Wizard11]

Hmmm… I suspect if Severino's 2022 #s were actually 344/.401/.572 (.973) with 32 doubles, 30 home runs, and 94 RBI that we would have protected him.  Unfortunately he was not even close to that good.

[BSLinPA]

6 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Those Severino stats are incorrect. 

Great work, Seth.

While those Severino stats were incorrect (since updated)....they were a great reminder of the year Miranda had in MiLB in '21.  Wow!!

[FlyingFinn]

Now, which of these guys also add defense or speed to their hitting? Rodriguez is definitely the best at both. Cardenas is probably the next best defensively. Other guys who steal bases - Helman clearly up there and then Julien. Maybe I'm wrong but it seems we don't develop enough players who are great defenders and can hit some.