Twins Minor League Week in Review (5/17-5/23): Steer Navigates Wichita, Sent to Saints

It has been a struggle for the Saints on the road these past two weeks. They return home this week, hoping to turn things back around. Tickets still available! The other Twins affiliates are in a good place to make a first-half playoff run. Wichita is just 1/2 game out of first place. Cedar Rapids is a game ahead of Wisconsin, and those two teams will be playing in Iowa this week. Tickets still available! The Mighty Mussels have the biggest lead, with a four-game cushion coming into play this week. 

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

TRANSACTIONS 

With no Monday Minor League Report, here are the transactions from later on Sunday and on Monday. 

• Infielder Spencer Steer was promoted from Wichita to St. Paul. Infielder Kevin Merrell was sent back down to Wichita.
• RHP Matt Mullenbach was added back to the Ft. Myers roster from the Florida Complex.  

RESULTS

• Previous Week in Review (5/10-5/16):
• Tuesday: Alex Isola Goes Off  
• Wednesday: Steer Walks It Off for Wichita, Four Hits for Kirilloff 
• Thursday: Kernels Krush, Larnach and Lewis Launch  
• Friday: Fort Myers Carries the Day 
• Saturday: Cave, Saints Slam Storm Chasers 
• Sunday: Mussels Win in 13 Innings, Wind Surge Win in Walkoff 

MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT

• Despite Great First Impression, Royce Lewis Optioned to St. Paul After Tuesday’s Game 
• Devin Smeltzer Deserves a Longer Look 
• Three Questions With… Kernels RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (VIDEO) 
• Three Questions With… former Kernels RHP (Current Wisconsin coach) Patrick McGuff (VIDEO) 

WEEK IN REVIEW 

Triple-A: St. Paul Saints
Week: 1-5, at Omaha  
Season: 16-24 overall, 9th place out of ten teams in the International League West. They are 12.5 games behind Nashville. 

The Saints are likely thrilled to get back to the friendly confines of CHS Field. They have been on the road the past two weeks and went 1-11. In Omaha, they ended their losing streak on Saturday with a 4-2 win, but that was it. They were outscored 25-45 by the Storm Chasers.  

• Kevin Merrell was signed as a minor-league veteran after playing in the Royals organization since 2019. He played in 13 games with Omaha in 2021. He played all six games this week and went 7-for-17 and hit .412/.444/.765 (1.209) with two homers and four RBI. (and for his efforts, Merrell was sent down to Wichita on Monday)
• No one wanted to see Royce Lewis sent back to St. Paul, but he was, and he handled it well. He went 6-for-16, hitting .375/.444/.625 (1.069) with a double and a home run. He also stole bases. For those curious, he played two games at shortstop and one game at both third base and left field. 

• Alex Kirilloff was the Twins' choice for hitter of the week. In six games, he went 9-for-25 and hit .360/.429/.520 (.949) with a double, a homer and five RBI. He also walked three times.

• Dereck Rodriguez made one start. In five innings, he gave up one run on three hits. He walked three and struck out nine batters. 
• Chi Chi Gonzalez also went five innings in his start. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out six batters. 
• It wasn’t a great week for all of the Saints starters. Jake Faria gave up four runs on four hits and three walks in three innings. Mario Sanchez gave up five runs (4 earned) on five hits and two walks in three innings. Ronny Henriquez made one start and one relief appearance. In 6 1/3 innings, he gave up nine runs on eight hits and four walks. Jordan Balazovic gave up six runs on six hits and a walk in four innings.   

What’s Next? The Saints return home for seven games against Indianapolis, starting at 11:07 on Tuesday morning with an Education Day special. The two teams will be playing two games on Wednesday night. Head to www.SaintsBaseball.com for tickets! 

Pitching Probables (RHP Cole Sands, (Wed DH: RHP Jordan Balazovic/LHP Devin Smeltzer ), RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez, RHP Dereck Rodriguez, RHP Ronny Henriquez, RHP Cole Sands) 

Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge 
Week: 4-2, hosting Springfield    
Season: 23-14 overall, 2nd place in the Texas League North Division with Tulsa. They are just 1/2 game behind Tulsa (24-14).  

It was a tightly contested week of games at Riverfront Stadium last week against Springfield. The Wind Surge outscored the Cardinals 36-35 for the week. Three games were decided by two runs. Three games were decided by just one run. 

Here are some of the top performances for the Wind Surge this past week: 

• Seven Wind Surge relievers did not allow an earned run last week. Five of them pitched twice. Austin Schulfer continues to make his case that he should be in Triple-A. In three innings, he gave up no runs and no hits. He walked one and struck out four batters. Lefty Bryan Sammons struck out four batters over 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits and walked none.
• Matt Canterino had 12 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. 

• Chris Williams played in five games. He went 9-for-17 and hit .529/.652/.588 (1.240) with a double. He also walked six times. 
• In five games, Spencer Steer went 6-for-17. He hit .353/.389/.824 (1.213) with two doubles and two home runs. 
• Matt Wallner went 7-for-22 last week. He hit .318/.444/.500 (.944) with a double, a homer, and five RBI. He also walked five times, and he played a little defense too.

• Alex Isola went 6-for-20 in five games. He hit .300/.364/.550 (.944) with two doubles and a home run.  

• Austin Martin went 6-for-18 in five games and hit .333/.500/.333 (.833) with three walks. 
• Also, minor league uniforms can be fun, or something... 

What’s Next? The Wind Surge will be traveling down to Texas to take on Corpus Christi. . 

Pitching Probables (RHP Louie Varland, RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Blayne Enlow, RHP Matt Canterino, RHP Casey Legumina, RHP Louie Varland)    

High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels
Week: 2-4, hosting Lake County  
Season: 26-13 overall, 1st place in the Midwest League West Division, 1.0 games ahead of Wisconsin (25-14), who they play in Cedar Rapids this week.  

In the two games that the Kernels won last week, they outscored Lake County 18-3. However, in the four losses, they were outscored 8-26.  

• Ten Kernels pitchers did not allow an earned run last week, including three starting pitchers. 
• Cade Povich went 5 1/3 innings in his start. He gave up two hits, walked one, and struck out five batters. The Twins named him their pitcher of the week. 
• Sean Mooney went five scoreless innings in his start. He gave up just one hit, walked three, and struck out six batters. 
• On Sunday, Brent Headrick started and threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and walked one batter. He was replaced by David Festa, making his first Kernels appearance. He went the rest of the way. He gave up one run on three hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out six batters without issuing a walk. 
• Brad Hanner has made big strides in 2022. The right-hander worked three innings over two games. He gave up no runs, just one hit, walked none, and struck out five batters. 
• John Stankiewicz had his first rough start of the year. He gave up six runs on seven hits, two walks, and a hit batter in 3 2/3 innings.  
• After a slow start, Will Holland has been much improved in the season’s second month. In five games, he went 5-for-16 and hit .313/.421/.688 (1.109) with a double, triple, home run, and four RBI. He walked three times and had two stolen bases. 
• In five games, Willie Joe Garry, Jr., went 4-for-15 and hit .267/.353/.733 (1.086) with two triples and a home run. 
• Christian Encarnacion-Strand had two doubles and two home runs. 

• On the other side, Anthony Prato has been terrific atop the order for the Kernels, but last week, he went 2-for-20 (.100). Wander Javier went 2-for-18 (.111). 

What’s Next? The Kernels will be home for the second straight week. They will be hosting the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in a series of the top two teams in the division. 

The Rattlers have a development coach in former Kernels pitcher Patrick McGuff. In a Three Questions With… interview on Brewer Fanatic, I asked McGuff about his time with the Twins, his transition from player to coach, and about the very talented Wisconsin team that is coming to Memorial Stadium this week.

Click here to watch.   

Pitching Probables (Aaron Rozek, LHP Cade Povich, RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long, RHP John Stankiewicz, LHP Brent Headrick, RHP Sean Mooney)   

Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels
Week: 5-3, hosting Clearwater 
Season: 25-13 overall, 1st place in the Florida State League West, 4.0 games ahead of Clearwater (21-17). 

The week began by completing a suspended game on Tuesday. They played eight games and had doubleheaders on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Ignoring the continuation of the suspended game, the Mighty Mussels outscored the Threshers 29-26. 

• Lefty Steve Hajjar went five shutout innings in his start. He gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out six batters. 
• Mike Paredes made another start and went four scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked none, and struck out three batters. 
• Malik Barrington made his first start and went three innings. Then he came back a couple of days later and pitched up a save in the 13-inning game. In four innings, he gave up only an unearned run and two hits. He struck out three batters. 
• Since returning from the Injured List, Niklas Rimmel pitched twice. He worked four relief innings over two games. He gave up an unearned run on two hits and two walks. He struck out five. 
• Matthew Swain’s incredible season continued. In four innings over two games, he gave up one hit, walked two (both intentional), and struck out four.  
• Lefty John Wilson worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings over two games. He gave up three hits and hit a batter. 
• Regi Grace gave up one earned run over 3 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out eight batters. 
• In five games, Noah Cardenas played in five games. He went 6-for-17 and hit .353/.476/.706 (1.182) with three doubles and a home run. He walked four times as well. 
• Dylan Neuse played in six games. He went 6-for-16 and hit .375/.474/.625 (1.099) with a double and a home run. 
• Mikey Perez played in seven games and went 6-for-24. He hit .250/.321/.583 (.904) with two doubles, two homers and seven RBI. 
• Emmanuel Rodriguez played in six games. He went 0-for-12, but he walked ten times to post a .478 on-base percentage. 

What’s Next? The Mighty Mussels will travel to Bradenton (19-20) for a “normal” six-game series this week. 

Pitching Probables (RHP Pierson Ohl, RHP Mike Paredes, LHP Steve Hajjar, RHP Marco Raya, TB D, RHP Travis Adams)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker was updated on May 1 and will be updated on the first of each month throughout the season.  

#1 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 4 G, 6-for-16 (.375), 1-2B, 1-HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K (Season: 28 G, .320/.432/.573 (1.005), 12-2B, 1-3B, 4-HR, 24 R, 12 RBI, 18 BB, 25 K)
#1 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1 G, 2-for-4 (.500), 1-2B, 1-HR, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K (Season: 11 G, .308/.325/.564 (.889), 4-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 5 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K) 
#2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 5 G, 6-for-18 (.333), 0-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K (Season: 35 G, .257/.386/.338 (.724), 6-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 26 R, 12 RBI, 20 BB, 22 K, 18 SB, 2 CS)
#3 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - 1 GS, 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K (Season: 8 GS, 43.1 IP, 11 R, 29 H, 14 BB, 42 K, 5-2, 2.28 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 8.7 K/9)
#4 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - In MLB (Season: 21 G, .256/.295/.442 (.737), 10-2B, 2-HR, 10 R, 12 RBI, 5 BB, 14 K)
#4 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - Week: 4 G, 2-for-12 (.167), 1-2B, 0-HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 4 K (Season: 16 G, .117/.159/.217 (.375), 3-2B, 1-HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 13 K)
#5 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K  (Season: 3 GS, 9.2 IP, 13 R, 9 ER, 19 H, 5 BB, 9 K, 0-1, 8.38 ERA, 2.48 WHIP, 4.7 BB/9, 8.4 K/9)

#6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 1 GS, 5.0 IP,  2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K (Season: 7 GS, 37.2 IP, 11 R, 10 ER, 23 H, 19 BB, 36 K, 2-1, 2.39 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, 8.6 K/9)
#7 - Josh Winder (Minnesota) - 1 G, 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 1 K  (Season: 7 G, 3 GS, 29.1 IP, 14 R, 12 ER, 27 H, 9 BB, 23 K, 2-2, 3.68 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 7.1 K/9)
#8 - Jhoan Duran (Minnesota) - 3 G, 3.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K  (Season: 15 G, 20.1 IP, 6 R, 12 H, 3 BB, 31 K, 0-1, 3 Saves, 2.66 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 1.3 BB/9, 13.7 K/9)
#9 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - 2 G, 1 GS, 7.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 12 K (Season: 9 G, 8 GS, 28.1 IP, 7 R, 14 H, 14 BB, 40 K, 0-1, 2.22 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 4.4 BB/9, 12.7 K/9)
#10 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 6 G, 0-for-12 (.00), 0-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 10 BB, 6 K (Season: 35 G, .235/.466/.441 (.907), 5-2B, 2-3B, 10-HR, 26 R, 14 RBI, 41 BB, 41 K)

#11 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 6 G, 5-for-25 (.200), 1-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 2 BB, 7 K (Season: 34 G, .279/.410/.381 (.791), 4-2B, 2-3B, 2 HR, 25 R, 8 RBI, 28 BB, 39 K)
#12 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 1 GS, 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 8 K  (Season: 7 G, 6 GS, 37.2 IP, 18 R, 15 ER, 30 H, 13 BB, 43 K, 4-1, 3.58 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 10.3K/9)
#13 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - Injured List (Season: 5 G, 4 GS, 15.2 IP, 15 R, 22 H, 5 BB, 18 K, 0-4, 8.62 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.3 K/9)
#13 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - (Season: 2 G, 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 0.0 BB/9, 13.5 K/9) 
#14 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 2 G, 1 GS, 6.1 IP, 9 ER, 8 H, 4 BB, 4 K (Season: 6 G, 4 GS, 20.0 IP, 16 R, 20 H, 11 BB, 17 K, 0-1, 7.20 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 5.0 BB/9, 7.7 K/9)
#15 - Marco Raya (Ft. Myers) - 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K, (Season: 6 G, 5 GS, 24.0 IP, 9 R, 7 ER, 19 H, 8 BB, 24 K, 2-1, 2.63 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9, 9.0 K/9)  

#16 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 5 G, 6-for-17 (.353), 2-2B, 2-HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K (Season: 35 G, .307/.385/.558 (.976), 13-2B, 1-3B, 8-HR, 27 R, 30 RBI, 14 BB, 23 K)
#17 - Cade Povich (Cedar Rapids) - 1 GS, 5.1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K (Season: 6 GS, 27.2 IP, 14 R, 10 ER, 24 H, 7 BB, 37 K, 3-2, 3.25 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9, 12.0 K/9) 
#18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 6 G, 5-for-22 (.227), 2-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K (Season: 37 G, .320/.384/.544 (.928), 8-2B, 2-3B, 7-HR, 23 R, 34 RBI, 15 BB, 42 K)
#19 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1 G, 1-for-2 (.500), 0-2B, 0-HR, 1 BB, 1 K (Season: 23 G, .274/.439/.397 (.836), 4-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 14 R, 10 RBI, 23 BB, 21 K)
#20 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 6 K (Season: 2 GS, 7.2 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 12 K, 0-0, 4.70 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 0.00 BB/9, 14.1 K/9)  

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK 

Hitter of the Week: Infielder Spencer Steer, Wichita Wind Surge 
Steer just hasn’t found himself touted on prospect lists over his still-young career, but he clearly is highly regarded within the Twins organization. Now after exactly 100 games at Double-A Wichita, he is heading to St. Paul and will make his Triple-A debut this week at CHS Field.

In five games last week, Steer went 6-for-17 and hit .353/.389/.824 (1.213) with two doubles, two homers, and five RBI. He missed one game after fouling a ball off of his lower leg. On Wednesday, the Surge were down by one in the 11th inning. Two runners were on base. Steer did this... 

In 35 games with the Wind Surge this year, he has hit .307/.385/.591(.976) with 13 doubles, eight homers, and 30 RBI. 

Steer was the Twins' third-round pick in 2019 out of the University of Oregon where he was a three-year starter. He spent a little time in Elizabethton before joining the Kernels late that season. After the lost 2020 season, he split 2021 between now-High-A Kernels and Wichita. Combined, he hit .254/.348/.484 (.833) with 18 doubles, three triples, and 24 home runs.

Defensively, Steer is solid all around the infield. He’s mostly played third base the last couple of seasons. This year, he has started at third base 16 times, shortstop nine times, and second base six times. With the Twins wanting Royce Lewis to play all over, Steer may do the same thing, giving the Saints plenty of defensive flexibility, and also giving them another prospect to be excited about.   

Pitcher of the Week: LHP Cade Povich, Cedar Rapids Kernels  
Povich is certainly one of the top young Twins pitching prospects. The hard-throwing lefty had a strong start last week. He tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits, walked one, and struck out five batters. Reports showed that he was hitting 97 consistently with his fastball and his other pitches are coming along very well too. 

Povich was the Twins' third-round pick in 2021 out of the University of Nebraska where he had gone 6-1 with a 3.11 ERA over 15 starts. After signing, he pitched in one game in the FCL and three games with the Mighty Mussels. Combined, he worked ten innings. He gave up one earned run on seven hits. He walked two and struck out 19 batters. Reports of his increased velocity were frequent coming out of Instructional League after the season.

The Twins have pushed Povich, challenging him by having him jump up to Cedar Rapids to start this season. In total, he has made six starts so far. He is 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA. In 27 2/3 innings, he has seven walks and 37 strikeouts. 

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It was an exciting week throughout the Twins organization, from the big leagues to the eight-game series for the Low-A Mighty Mussels. The coming week will present more storylines, the most exciting at this point could take place in Cedar Rapids where there’ll be a battle for positioning atop the Midwest League West Division. 

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the players and the teams in the COMMENTS below.