Twins Minor League Week in Review (4/12-18)

Over the past week, the Twins went 2-4, but all four of their minor-league affiliates had a winning record. There were postponements and a no-hitter. Games were played in snow. There were some great comebacks, and some absolutely dynamic pitching performances by some top prospects, but also by several that you may not have heard of… yet. And there were some really big offensive performances by prospects and others that are less known. Our purpose here, in large part, is to update you and introduce you to Twins prospects by giving them the credit they deserve. 

If you missed it, read Nick's Twins Week in Review after you've read about the minor league week.

Also note, hyperlinks on player names will show you past articles in which that player has been tagged. Click around a bit and see how much some of these players have been written about over the years. 

WEEK IN REVIEW
In case you missed a daily report: 

• Tuesday: Povich Nearly Perfect (Video) 
• Wednesday: Streak Continues, No-No in St. Paul (Video)  
• Thursday: Varland Victorious and Mussels Mighty (Video)  
• Friday: Bats Bring the Boom, Pitchers the Brooms (Video)
• Saturday: The Bats are Sizzling (Video)
• Sunday: Saints, Wind Surge, Kernels Conclude Week with Wins (Video)  
• Jhoan Duran is What the Twins Have Always Needed 

Triple-A: St. Paul Saints: Week (vs. Indianapolis) 3-2 (8-3 overall)
The Saints played their home-opening series and got a brutal look at what baseball in Minnesota in April can look like. After dropping the first two games of the week, including being no-hit on Wednesday, the team was snowed-out on Thursday. They came back to play the coldest game in team history on Friday, got the win, then had a crazy come-from-behind win on Saturday, and finished off a series win on Sunday. 

The Saints scored 28 runs over their five games, and 16 of them came on Saturday. Here are the top offensive performers from the past week: 

• Curtis Terry played four games. He went 4-for-14, hitting .286/.333/.786 (1.119) with a double and two home runs. 
• Royce Lewis played in all five games. He hit .412/.389/.706 (1.095) with three doubles and a triple. (Yes, he had a sacrifice fly.) 
• Jermaine Palacios has played around the infield, and in four games last week, he hit .385/.467/.615 (1.082) with a home run. 

On the pitching front, there was a lot of solid pitching. Nine pitchers threw in one game and did not allow a run. In that group includes:

• Devin Smeltzer who gave up three hits over five scoreless in his start of the week. 
• Chi Chi Gonzalez tossed three scoreless, hitless innings in his outing. 
• Cole Sands had a second strong start. He gave up one run on three hits over five innings. 
• Finally, Jake Faria stretched out to four innings and gave up just one run. 

What’s Next?
The Saints travel to Toledo to take on the Mudhens. Here are their pitching probables:  
Pitching Probables (RHP Cole Sands, RHP Mario Sanchez, TBD, TBD, TBD, RHP Cole Sands) 

Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge: Week (@NW Arkansas) 4-2 (4-5 overall)

The Surge began their 2022 season with three home losses to Tulsa. This past week, they traveled to NW Arkansas and lost the first two games against the Royals’ affiliate. On Thursday, they grabbed their first win of the season and finished the weekend with four straight wins.

Things started a bit ominously for the team. In their first game of the week, Edouard Julien walked in the first inning. He stole second, but he hurt his ankle on the play and went on the Injured List the next day. Here are a couple of offensive highlights for the week: 

• Spencer Steer played in all six games. He hit .269/.321/.538 (.859) with two doubles, a triple, and a home run. 
• Alex Isola hit .286/.353/.500 (.853) with a homer over four games played. 
• Veteran Kevin Merrell joined the roster this week. He hit .385 in three games (5-for-13). 
• Austin Martin got off to a rough start, but over the past few games, he has returned to on-base machine status. This week, he hit .292 with a .433 OBP. He had seven hits and five walks, and when he got on base, he was running. He went 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts. 
• On the other side of the spectrum, Matt Wallner went 2-for-22 (.091) with 12 strikeouts. He did hit his first Double-A homer. 

Like the Saints, the Wind Surge got some really strong bullpen performances and a couple of standout starter performances. 

• Eight relievers pitched twice and did not give up an earned run. Among them: 
• Steven Cruz tossed four hitless innings. 
• Tyler Viza struck out nine batters in 4 1/3 scoreless innings without issuing a walk. 
• Austin Schulfer struck out four batters over three, one-hit innings. He recorded one save. 
• Argenis Angulo struck out six batters over three scoreless innings. 
• Lefties Bryan Sammons and Evan Sisk each threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings. 
• Louie Varland got a Win in his start last week. He struck out ten batters over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked one. 
• Simeon Woods Richardson backed up his strong first start with another very good start. He gave up only an unearned run on two hits over five innings. 
• On the other side, in Brandon Lawson’s second start of the week, he gave up eight runs without recording an out. 

What’s Next? The Wind Surge will be hosting Midland. 
Pitching Probables (RHP Matt Canterino, RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Chris Vallimont, RHP Louie Varland, RHP Brandon Lawson, RHP Matt Canterino)   
 

High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels: Week (@ Quad Cities) 4-2 (7-2 overall)
Christian Encarnacion-Strand had a solid week at the plate, a couple of home runs, and still leads all of minor-league baseball in RBI. This week, his OPS ranked sixth among Kernels hitters. The team scored 38 runs in their six games despite playing two, seven-inning doubleheaders. The team hit nine home runs in those six games. 

• Charles Mack has adapted well to playing behind the plate. The team may need to find ways to get his bat in the lineup more. In three games last week, he went 7-for-12 (.583) with two doubles, a homer, and five RBI. He posted a 1.583 OPS.
• Another catcher, Jair Camargo, played in four games and hit .375/.412/1.000 (1.412) with a double, three homers, and five RBI. 
• Seth Gray played five games. He hit .429/.600/.786 (1.386) with two doubles and a triple. He also reached five times on walks.
• Anthony Prato did a great job setting the table from the leadoff spot. In six games, he hit .348/.448/.565 (1.013) with a triple, a homer, five walks, and seven RBI.  
• Aaron Sabato had a nice week. He played in four games, but he hit .313/.421/.563 (.984) with a double and a home run. He drove in six runs. Maybe more important, he had just three strikeouts in 19 plate appearances. 
• Alerick Soularie was the only other player with six games played. He went just 2-for-21 (.095)

The Kernels got some terrific performances from their starting pitchers last week in Quad Cities. 

• Sawyer Gipson-Long had a strong first start. He was even better in start number two. The right-hander tossed five shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked none, and struck out nine batters. 
• Lefty Cade Povich went five shutout innings in his start. He gave up just one hit, walked one, and struck out eight. 
• Brent Headrick is healthy and put together a second strong start. In four innings, he gave up just one hit. He struck out eight batters and walked none. 
• A third left-hander, Aaron Rozek, gave up only an unearned run over five innings in his start. He gave up three hits and struck out seven batters without issuing a walk. 
• Derek Molina worked three scoreless innings over two outings in relief. He struck out five batters.  

What’s Next? The Kernels will be hosting Peoria for six games this week. 
Pitching Probables (LHP Cade Povich, RHP Sean Mooney, RHP Casey Legumina, LHP Brent Headrick, RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long, LHP Aaron Rozek)   

Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: (vs. Jupiter) 4-2 (7-2 overall)
After winning their first four games of the week, the Mussels were 7-0. However, they lost their final two games of the week. The Mighty Mussels had a couple of big comeback wins, along with a nice 12-0 blowout. They scored 37 runs in their six games last week. 

A top prospect is making the large Florida State League ballparks look small. And a 2021 All-American showed again that he can flat-out hit. 

• Emmanuel Rodriguez played in five games last week. He went 7-for-16, hitting .438/.591/1.000 (1.591) with three homers. He also walked six times. He heads into this week with just one minor leaguer having more walks than him. 
• Kyler Fedko had another really good week. He played in all six games. He hit .500/.577/.727 (1.304) with two doubles, a homer, and four RBI. He went 11-for-22. 
• Dillon Tatum was drafted last year as a catcher, but he’s been spending time at first base too. In four games this week, he went 3-for-12 (.250), but he walked five times in 17 plate appearances. 
• Another catcher, Kyle Schmidt, played in all six games. He hit .278/.316/.611 (.927) with two homers and nine RBI. 
• On the flip side, top pick Noah Miller played in five games and went 2-for-20 (.100). He did walk six times. Fellow 2021 draft picks Mikey Perez (2-for-14, .143) and Noah Cardenas (1-for-12, .083) also struggled in the small sample size of one week. 

Like the other affiliates, the Mighty Mussels got strong pitching from starters and relievers this week. 

• John Stankiewicz had a very impressive start. The right-hander struck out 11 batters over six shutout innings. He gave up three hits and didn’t issue a walk. 
• Travis Adams also had a really good start last week. In his start, he struck out seven batters over five scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits and walked one batter. 
• Lefty Sam Perez struck out five batters in three relief innings. Malik Barrington, Jackson Hicks, Mike Paredes, Matthew Swain, and John Wilson all tossed two scoreless innings in their relief outings. 

What’s Next? The Mighty Mussels will head up north to play six games against Dunedin. 
Pitching Probables (RHP Marco Raya, LHP Steve Hajjar, RHP Pierson Ohl, TBD, RHP Travis Adams, TBD) 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week (April 12-18). 

#1 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 6 G, 7-for-24 (.292), 2B, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 5 K
#2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 5 G, 7-for-17 (.412), 3-2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K
#3 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 5 G, 5-for-19 (.263), 3-2B, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
#4 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - IL
#5 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - 1 GS, 6 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 7 K
#6 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - 1 GS, 1 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 2 K
#7 - Jhoan Duran (Minnesota) - 3 G, 4 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 7 K 
#8 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 1 GS, 5 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K
#9 - Josh Winder (Minnesota) - 2 G, 6.1 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 K 
#10 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 5 G, 2-for-20 (.100), 1 RBI, 6 BB, 8 K. 
#11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) - 4 G, 1-for-7 (.143), 2 BB, 4 K
#12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 5 G, 2-for-22 (.091), HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 12 K.
#13 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K
#14 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 1 GS, 5 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 10 K
#15 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 5 G, 7-for-16 (.438) , 3 HR, 3 RBI, 6 BB, 4 K
#16 - Ronny Hendriquez (Development List) - DNP
#17 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - IL 
#18 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 6 G, 7-for-26 (.269), 2-2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 7 K
#19 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1 G, 0-for-0 (.000), 1 BB, 1 SB
#20 - Steve Hajjar (Ft. Myers) - 1 GS, 3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K. (pro debut) 

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK 
Hitter of the Week: Outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels 

Rodriguez is a 19-year-old outfielder that the Twins signed on July 2, 2019, out of the Dominican Republic. It sure took some time for his career to begin. The 2020 season was canceled in the Dominican Summer League too. He made his professional debut in 2021 in the FCL. In 37 games, he hit .214/.346/.524 (.870) with five doubles, two triples, and 10 home runs. He also stole nine bases and is a solid defensive outfielder. He has spent all of his time in centerfield early this season, with a couple of games as DH too. Overall in his eight games this season, he has hit .360/.568/.880 (1.448) with a double and four home runs. More impressive, to this point, he has 12 walks to go with just six strikeouts. In 153 plate appearances a year ago, he walked 15% of the time and struck out nearly 37% of the time. Through just 37 plate appearances this season, Rodriguez has walked an unsustainable 32% of the time and struck out just 16% of the time. That number will certainly go up, but to this point, it is a nice sign of an improved process at the plate. The Florida State League is notoriously tough on hitters, so it will be very interesting to see if he is able to maintain his early-season power too. 

Pitcher of the Week: John Stankiewicz, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels

The Twins signed Stankiewicz following the 2020 draft. As you recall, there were just five rounds in the 2020 MLB draft. After it was complete, teams could sign other draft-eligible players for up to $20,000. Stankiewicz signed with the Twins following three solid seasons at Fordham University. Between the 2019 and the four-game 2020 season, he went 10-5 with a 1.56 ERA. In 2021, he spent time at the Florida Complex in the first half of the season. He made one start in the FCL when that season started and struck out six batters in two innings. He then finished with seven games (4 starts) with the Mighty Mussels. He was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. He had 24 strikeouts and just eight walks over 23 1/3 innings. 

In his first start of the season, he went five innings. He was charged with two runs on two hits and two walks. He also struck out eight Clearwater batters. Coupled with his six shutout innings in his second start, he has now struck out 19 batters, and walked just two, over 11 innings. He has been a strike machine so far this season. Over those two starts, he has thrown 145 pitches (11 innings) and thrown 72% strikes. 

Congratulations to our Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, and to all those who have started the 2022 season strong. Check back at Twins Daily at least daily to see our minor league reports, game recaps, and usually some video highlights from the minor league games.