2022 Cedar Rapids Kernels Opening Day Roster Preview

In 2021, the Cedar Rapids Kernels found their way back to the playoffs as they have each season since the Twins have been their big-league club in 2013.  

Brian Dinkelman returns for his fourth season as the Kernels manager, and several of his players return to the roster from last year. That said, there are some exciting prospects in this group at each position. The lineup should be strong, and the pitching staff could be really good. 

Here we will introduce you to the 2022 Cedar Rapids Kernels Opening Day roster with a tweet-length bio. For much more on each player, click the hyperlink with the name and see all of the Twins Daily stories in which each player is tagged. There are some terrific prospects on this roster, and there are some great stories as well. 

COACHING STAFF 

• Manager: Brian Dinkelman 
• Hitting Coach: Jairo Rodriguez, Shawn Schlechter 
• Pitching Coaches: Mark Moriarity, Richard Salazar 

PITCHERS 

• Melvi Acosta (26) - Veteran right-hander has worked a lot as both a starter and a relief pitcher. Likely fulfills that same role, eating innings. Split 2021 between Kernels and Wind Surge. 
• Denny Bentley (23) - 33rd round pick in 2018, Bentley broke out with a strong showing in Ft. Myers in 2021. Had 68 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings. He had nine saves but often worked more than one inning. 
• Andrew Cabezas (25) - Twins 18th round pick in 2018 from Miami, Cabezas spent 2021 with the Kernels working mostly as a long-reliever. Went 4-1 with a 3.57 ERA and had 82 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings. 
• Osiris German (23) - signed back in 2016 out of the Dominican Republic, German impressed with the Mighty Mussels in 2021. He had 49 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings. He moved up to Cedar Rapids, struggled a bit, but also struck out 41 batters in 27 2/3 innings. Great changeup. 
• Sawyer Gipson-Long (24) - Started 2021 slow, but after 14 starts in Ft. Myers and six starts in Cedar Rapids, the 2019 sixth-round pick had 134 strikeouts in 97 innings. Big, strong righty with a strong pitch mix. 
• Bradley Hanner (23) - Hard-thrower, the 21st round pick from 2019 posted a 7.13 ERA in Ft. Myers last year. Had 49 strikeouts, but 34 walks, in 41 2/3 innings. 
• Brent Headrick (24) - Ninth round pick in 2019, he made 14 starts in Ft. Myers in 2021 and posted a 3.82 ERA. The lefty had 86 strikeouts and 33 walks in 61 1/3 innings. Missed some time with a shoulder issue. 
• Cody Laweryson (23) - Twins 14th round pick in 2019, he joined the Kernels last season and struck out 73 batters, with just 19 walks, in 58 2/3 innings. The Maine native pitched in the Arizona Fall League after the season and participated in the Fall Stars game. 
• Casey Legumina (24) - He was the Twins eighth-round pick in 2019 after having Tommy John surgery early in the 2019 college season. He made his pro debut in 2021. He went 4-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 14 games (8 starts) with the Mighty Mussels. 56 strikeouts, and 14 walks) in 44 2/3 innings. Made one start for Kernels at the end of the season. Definitely, he is one to watch. 
• Bobby Milacki (25) - After being drafted by the Nationals, the Twins signed Milacki in 2021 out of independent ball. For Ft. Myers, he posted a 3.86 ERA in 42 innings. He throws mid-90s fastballs and struck out a batter per inning while walking just seven. 
• Derek Molina (24) - 14th round pick in 2017 out of Merced College where he played shortstop and pitched out of the bullpen. A great athlete, he went 7-1 with a 4.65 ERA last year with the Kernels, but he had 81 strikeouts in 62 innings. 
• Sean Mooney - Twins 12th round pick in 2019, he also had Tommy John surgery that year, so he spent 2020 rehabbing. They were cautious with his innings last year, but with Ft. Myers, he posted a 1.24 ERA and in 29 innings, he struck out 52 batters. He then made three starts in Cedar Rapids and struck out 19 batters in 13 innings. 
• Matt Mullenbach (25) - The Twins signed Mullenbach out of the independent Frontier League early last year. He jumped all over, pitching nine games in the FCL, seven games with the Mighty Mussels, and even one game at Triple-A St. Paul. 
• Jon Olsen (24) - The Twins selected him from UCLA in the 12th round in 2018. He also had Tommy John surgery early that year. He’s had some other surgeries since, and in 2021, he finally was able to make his pro debut. In 16 games with the Kernels (13 starts), he posted a 4.03 ERA in 67 innings. 
• Tyler Palm (27) - signed out of the USPBL in 2018, the 6-9 Palm spent the 2021 season in the Kernels bullpen after making 17 starts for them in 2019. 
• Cade Povich (21) - Povich was the Twins' 3rd round pick in 2021 from Nebraska. Not a Twins Daily top 20 prospects, he ranks 12th in my personal rankings. In three games with the Mussels last year, he gave up one earned run in eight innings. He walked two and struck out 16 batters. The southpaw impressed at Instructs, touching 97 at times, and he’s got a good slider and changeup too. 
• Miguel Rodriguez (23) - signed from Venezuela in 2017, he spent a year each in the DSL and GCL before missing the 2020 season. Last year in Ft. Myers, he went 3-5 with a 4.50 ERA. In 52 innings, he struck out 58 batters but also walked 26. 
• Aaron Rozek (26) - Burnsville native went to Minnesota State, Mankato, and has bounced around independent leagues in recent years. The Twins signed him early in the year, and he pitched in the FCL, for Ft. Myers, for Cedar Rapids, and even made a start in Wichita. He doesn’t throw hard, but he can mix things up and eat a lot of innings. 

CATCHERS 

• Jair Camargo (22) - Colombia native spent the 2021 season with the Kernels, often hitting in the cleanup spot. In 71 games, he hit .236/.279/.418 (697) with seven doubles and 13 homers.  
• Charles Mack (22) - Twins sixth-round pick in 2018 out of high school in western New York, he has moved up one level each year. During the lost 2020 season, he was transitioning to being a catcher. Last year with the Mighty Mussels, he hit .229/.370/.368 (.738) with seven doubles and seven home runs. His defense also came along nicely. 
• Jeferson Morales (22) - Morales signed with the Twins in 2016 out of Venezuela. He began 2021 with 71 games in Ft. Myers where he hit .237/.377/.407 (.784) with 19 doubles and seven homers. In 25 games with the Kernels, he hit .301/.350/.516 (.866) with five doubles and five homers. Will also play in the outfield. 

INFIELDERS 

• Christian Encarnacion-Strand (22) - Twins 4th round pick last year from Oklahoma State where he learned from Robin Ventura and Matt Holliday. He hit in 21 of 22 games with the Mussels after signing. He hit .391/.424/.598 (1.022) with two doubles, two triples, and four homers. Can play both corner infield spots.  
• Seth Gray (23) - 4th round pick in 2019 from Wright State, Gray hit .212/.321/.333 (.655) with 13 doubles and 11 home runs in 113 games with the Kernels last year. Has played both corner infield positions.  
• Will Holland (23) - Twins 5th round pick in 2019 from Auburn, he is one of the fastest players in the organization. He hit .214/.336/.401 (.736) with 15 doubles and 10 home runs in 76 games with Ft. Myers last year. He also stole 19 bases. Has played both shortstop and second base, as well as center field. 
• Wander Javier (23) - Big year for Javier who will become a free agent at the end of the year if not added to the 40-man roster. He is a plus-defensive shortstop, but in 96 games with the Kernels last year, he hit .225/.280/.413 (.693) with 15 doubles, ten triples, and 12 home runs last year. 
• Anthony Prato (23) - 7th rounder in 2019, he started last season with 28 games in Ft. Myers. After missing over two months with a broken hamate, he moved up to Cedar Rapids and finished the season with 14 games. Posted a .774 OPS with the Kernels. 
• Aaron Sabato (22) - The Twins drafted the burly first baseman with the 27th overall pick in 2020. He began his career by hitting .189/.365/.357 (.722) over 85 games in Ft. Myers. He did have 15 doubles and 11 homers. But after a few good games, he moved up to Cedar Rapids where, in 22 games, he hit .253/.402/.613 (1.015) with three doubles and eight homers. 
• Yunior Severino (22) - Severino joined the Twins organization after the 2017 season. In 2021, he played 63 games in Ft. Myers and hit .245/.347/.393 (.740) with 17 doubles and five homers. In 35 games with the Kernels, he hit .321/.414/.493 (.907) with 12 doubles and three homers. 

OUTFIELDERS 

• Willie Joe Garry, Jr. (21) - Twins ninth-round pick in 2018 out of high school, Garry spent 2021 with the Mighty Mussels. In 95 games, he hit .197/.298/.303 (.601) with seven doubles, six triples, and four homers. He also stole 24 bases. A strong defensive outfielder, Garry is a great athlete with a ton of talent. He just needs to keep playing. 
• Alerick Soularie (22) - Soularie was the Twins 2nd round pick in 2020 out of Tennessee where he hit .336/.448/.586 (1.034) with 14 doubles and 16 homers in 76 games over two seasons. Last spring, he had all kinds of foot problems. He ended the season with 28 games in Ft. Myers and hit .219/.344/.324 (.668) with three doubles and two homers. He stole nine bags. Can play second base as well.  
• Kennie Taylor (25) - He was the 14th round pick of the Mets in 2019 from Duke. In 2021, he played in the Mariners system last year, mostly at High-A, but 13 games in Triple-A. He signed with the Twins before spring training. Overall last year, he hit .277/.350/.400 (.750) with 10 doubles and four homers. 

A few themes appear on this roster. First, the Twins aren’t afraid to draft pitchers who have had Tommy John surgery. Second, they certainly like strikeouts from their pitchers and this staff can rack them up. As for position players, there are a lot of players who can play multiple positions. Also, you can see that 

What are your thoughts on this roster? Who will move up quickly? Who will jump up the prospect rankings?