Huskertwin

The Minnesota Twins thought they were signing veteran infielder Donovan Solano to a one-year deal. Instead, they signed a rock-and-roll legend.
“We’re pleased to announce the unexpected signing of Donovan,” said Twins PR flack Dustin Morse. “We look forward to seeing how he can contribute to the team this spring. We’ll be making no further comment.”
Team sources who requested anonymity to speak freely, said a paperwork mishap at the league office sent Solano, 35, to the Rio Grande Rockin’ Ribs-o-Rama in El Paso, Texas. Despite having no identifiable musical talent, he’s opening for Smash Mouth on the Dairy Queen Grill ‘n Chill Stage.
“He played the recorder in grade school,” said Rich Marsden, Solano’s agent. “He will tear through ‘Hot Cross Buns’ and leave the crowd wanting more.”
Meanwhile, the oldest Twin since Jesse Orosco is headed to his first spring training.
“I’m terribly confused,” said Leitch.
The 76-year-old Scottish folk singer, known for songs like “Mellow Yellow” and “Season of the Witch,” is expected to report to Twins camp on Friday.
Some team officials are embracing the opportunity.
“Phish played ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’ at The Great Went, brother,” said Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. “Everyone was just there, being, as one. Can’t wait to see what he brings to the clubhouse.
“Trey was fire that night,” added Baldelli.
Still, with his 77th birthday on the horizon, most are skeptical that Leitch can contribute to the 2023 squad.
“He’s incredibly old,” said a source close to the front office. “He’s 40 years older than everyone else. He can’t hit for power or average. He has no natural position. He’s never played baseball. And those lyrics are straight nonsense. No one is mad about saffron. No one. Trash spice.”

Torvald Carlsson spends his days curating a formidable collection of Minnesota sports memorabilia. The retired Scandia educator counts a row of seats from the old Met Stadium, a signed Bernie Bierman football, and an original George Mikan Minneapolis Lakers jersey as his most prized possessions. His newest acquisition might be his most unique one yet.
“I was browsing eBay the other day and saw that they put the entire Bally Sports North network up for auction,” said Carlsson. “I don’t really need it, but at $37.50 I figured why the heck not. And now I guess I own the gosh darned thing.”
Diamond Sports Group, which owns Bally Sports North and 18 other regional sports networks, recently skipped a $140 million interest payment, signaling that bankruptcy could soon be imminent. A spokesperson confirmed that Carlsson was on the path to being BSN's new owner, but refused to say if the online auction was part of the company’s plan to recoup needed funds. 
Meanwhile, the new owner of the network that brings Twins, Wild, and Timberwolves games to Minnesota cable subscribers says he has no big plans to change anything for now.
“It’s a whole deal,” said the 71-year-old. “Keeping track of the day-to-day is a real humdinger, I don’t suppose I’ll be a part of that. They just sent me a whole bunch of papers in the mail and (former Twin and current BSN analyst) Tim Laudner is sleeping in my driveway. Ma (Carlsson’s wife Gail) brings him some supper and that seems to settle him down some.”
While a lot of logistical questions remain unanswered (“I guess Glen Perkins needs a food taster on all road trips due to his long list of enemies and rivals,” said Carlsson), Bally employees are hopeful this leads to better days at the company.
“I’m optimistic,” said Dick Bremer, longtime play-by-play voice of Twins. “Ever since Bert (Blyleven, Bremer’s former broadcast partner) retired, I’ve lost weight, I sleep through the night without crying, and no one has taped a ‘FART MASTER’ sign to my back. Not once. They can pay me with pizza crusts and expired Marlboro Miles. I truly don’t care. I am the happiest man in the world.”
Image license here. 

On Thursday, Twins Daily’s Melissa Berman explored some of the most exciting promos and ticket deals at Target Field this season. Today, we look at some of the less popular ones.
TOMMY HERR BOBBLEHEAD NIGHT: The wildly unpopular return in the trade for beloved World Series champion Tom Brunansky gets his own tribute on May 14th! The first 5,000 fans will receive a bobblehead that sulks, pouts, and has a remarkably lifelike “I don’t even want to be here” setting. “It’s as off-putting as the real thing,” said a clubhouse source. “Like a rag doll you find in an abandoned hospital.”
ALL YOU CAN EAT DOME DOG NIGHT: “While clearing out one of the team’s storage units in Maplewood, we discovered freezers full of Dome Dogs from 2009,” said Twins President Dave St. Peter. “Food waste is a real problem in this country, and we’re doing our part to address it.” On August 4th, adventurous foodies can purchase a standing-room seat plus a lanyard giving them unfettered access to 14-year-old meats for $25. HCMC, the Minnesota Department of Health, and The Vatican have already issued statements condemning the promotion.
SIT NEXT TO AN UNPLEASANT MAN FOR $7: “We always have a stray spot available in our premium sections behind home plate and in the suites,” said a front office source. “Without exception, they’re near a very loud man with too much money and too many opinions. But the seats are awesome.” Available in packages of 5, 10, or 20 games, these tickets are priced to move and will be especially appealing to those who have a high tolerance for hearing about who the real racists are.
THE BULLPEN BUDDY: With the team’s relief pitching still in need of upgrades, not a lot of free agent options, and a significant outlay of cash for Carlos Correa, the Twins are getting creative. This $1000 ticket allows you to sit in the home bullpen for any of the 81 games. The only catch: you’re pitching the 6th inning. “We’re getting money in the coffers and letting some folks live their dream of pitching against Mike Trout and Aaron Judge,” said a source with knowledge of the front office’s thinking. “There is some downside risk in that it violates league rules and a line drive will likely kill the ticketholder instantly, but we need to look at the big picture and let our legal team hash it out.” PECOTA projects an average Twins ticket buyer to have an ERA of infinity, making them roughly equivalent to Emilio Pagan “at a team-friendly price,” said the source.
Image license here.
 

1. Never underestimate the draw of the Brewers series, Blue Jays series, and Prince Night. By the eye test and official numbers, these games drew the largest crowds of the year by far- even more than Opening Day (which was quite chilly this year). It is incredible how well Brewers and Toronto fans travel, which is likely because Target Field is closer for many members of the “Brew Crew” and Toronto fanbases than Miller Park in Milwaukee or Rogers Centre in Toronto.
When I arrived for these games, I was shocked at how difficult it was to find parking, how packed the concourses were, and how much Brewers and Blue Jays Blue filled the seats. Make a mental note to leave lots of extra time if you plan on attending one of these games next season.  
2. But otherwise, attendance was lackluster this year. Even with the Twins battling for the top of the division for much of the season, in 2022, the Twins finished 20th in MLB attendance, averaging 22,514 fans per game. In 2019, the Bomba Squad season, the Twins brought in about 28,000 fans per game. Truthfully, many games felt much emptier than that 22,000 figure, especially weekday games and games in the spring and September. However, entire seating sections were empty on beautiful summer nights, too.   We know that team performance impacts attendance, but with the Twins playing competitive baseball the majority of the season, I was often surprised just how empty Target Field felt for many games. There were almost never any security or bathroom lines, and there was always plenty of space in the concourse, so that when games were busy, it was almost jarring.   The Twins tried to compensate for the low attendance by running a myriad of bargain ticket deals at various points during the season. These included a limited-time sale in which fans could buy $4 upper level tickets to any weekday game during the season, and expanding college ticket night to every night in September. 3. Fans love post-game concerts, and the Twins should do more in the future. Maybe the most fun idea the Twins had all season was to host a free full-length concert after one of their games. In August, Twins fans who hung around after a Twins- Blue Jays game sang along to a 75-minute show by country music artist Cole Swindell.
Even though I’m not a country music fan, the show quality was excellent, and the reviews from fans were almost universally positive (except from the Twins fans who were annoyed by the sudden influx cowboy hat-clad music fans traipsing up and down the aisles during the game). Because the Twins have not done much to whip up excitement among their fans via trades and the free agent market this offseason, they should consider treating fans to more shows or promotions in the future to get them in the doors.
4. This season had two of the craziest weather games in recent memory. The most memorable game I went to all year was only three innings: the Twins rainout vs. the Houston Astros on Star Wars Night, May 11. I remember evacuating into the lower level concourse and watching the wind blow the rain in sheets with a ferocity I had never before seen.
I jotted down everything I noticed and heard using my cell phone notes app. I sloshed back to my car, arrived at my apartment, and found that the power was out, so I wrote my narrative account of the game’s chaotic events while sitting in the dark. The result was perhaps my favorite piece I wrote this year.
To be fair, I attended the game knowing that some wild weather was going to blow in, and I wanted to see what happened. I was surprised they chose to play the game at all.
After this, I thought I would not see such severe weather at a game for a long time, but similar severe weather blew in on July 12, seemingly out of nowhere and on the first night of the Brewers series. I remember being trapped on the upper-level concourse (people packed into the stairwells, bathrooms, and indoor areas seeking shelter from the wind and blowing rain) while being sprayed with cold rain blown by the high winds.
A major takeaway I had from these rainy games is how unbelievable Target Field's water drainage system is; the Twins were able to resume the game after about an hour delay. No one likes rain delays, but everyone loves Club Rayne. 

Calm after the storm as seen from Target Field during rain delay on July 12
5. Target Field upped the fanfare this season. Late in the 2022 season, Target Field began dimming the lights during Jhoan Duran’s entrance song. To my knowledge, the Twins have never done that for a pitcher, especially one who is not a closer. Jorge Lopez also got the dimmed lights treatment with his horror movie-themed walkout. Walkout songs have always been a bit of a show (remember Fernando Rodney's electric entrance?), but they became their own spectacle this season due in part to the Mets’ Edwin Diaz’s viral walkout song "Narco." Pitcher entrances across the league became their show within the show this season, and the Twins kept pace.  
In addition, 2022 was the first season in which TC Bear drove around the perimeter of the field in an ATV after every win carrying a "Twins Win!" flag. The Twins also premiered a giant t-shirt cannon called the "Mall of America Blaster," which they shot from the same place on the rightfield concourse every game.
6. The “5 Lookalikes” bit was the best new thing at the stadium. Whether it’s Chubbs Peterson from “Happy Gilmore,” Captain Kangaroo (ask your parents), Jay Leno/Paul Allen, or Iceman from Top Gun, it is incredible how Twins staff can spot fans in the crowd and accurately match them up with a celebrity or fictional character that they resemble. Though some comparisons are closer than others, many of the lookalikes were borderline uncanny. Seeing the unsuspecting doppelganger’s reaction to noticing themselves up on the big screen was priceless.
7. Seeing the Twins play at an away ballpark is unbridled joy. Perhaps my favorite experience of this year, baseball or not, was seeing the Twins play the Chicago White Sox on October 3 at Guaranteed Rate Field. I have been to Twins spring training several times, but this was the first time I had seen the Twins play in another city. Being a visiting fan in an opposing ballpark, “enemy territory,” was a unique and exhilarating feeling.
I was proud to wear my Twins jersey and hat even though the Twins were way out of the division race by that point, and it was fun high-fiving other Twins fans I came across in the stadium. I thought Guaranteed Rate Field was beautiful. Before the game, we went and got Chicago-style pizza at a place called Ricobenes near the stadium and tailgated outside the stadium in Lot B.
8. The Twins should consider doing Hall of Fame ceremonies before the game or at least clearly advertise when the game is actually going to start. Look, I get it; the Twins do not want an empty house when Twins greats like Dan Gladden and Ron Gardenhire walk up to take the podium at their Twins Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies. At the same time, it makes for an exceptionally long day for fans, especially those with children, when the game starts an hour after it was advertised.
Watching Dan Gladden’s acceptance speech on a sunny Sunday, Kids Day, at Target Field, I was surrounded by squirming children. Hall of Fame ceremonies are not a regular occurrence for the Twins, but maybe in the future, the Twins should clearly state that the listed start time of the game is actually the start of the ceremony.
9. The Twins have its littlest fans to thank for their packed attendance during day games. If you’re not a fan of little kids, and lots of them, day games during the summer are probably not for you. The entire upper deck at many day games consisted almost solely of kids’ day camps, all wearing their matching camp t-shirts. Their unified “Let’s Go Twins!” chants were adorable and impressive. 
10. Some of the favorite moments I saw at Target Field in 2022: Royce Lewis' first MLB home run- a grand slam- on May 13; Gary Sánchez's grand slam on April 10; the Twins' walkoff win vs the White Sox in the 10th inning on April 24; Max Kepler's grand slam on May 23, which was the 1000th home run hit by a Twins player at Target Field; the Twins hitting back-to-back-to back home runs on June 9; Louie Varland's home debut on September 23.
11. There are some really special people at Target Field. From the more visible figures like Target Field staple Sue Nelson on organ and the local artist Kickliy to those behind the scenes, like Bally Sports audio engineer Chris Tveitbakk, who mixes the sound for every Twins home game broadcast from the Bally truck behind Target Field, we are lucky to have so many unique, interesting, and passionate people working at the ballpark. 
12. No matter how the Twins are playing, there is no better place to be than Target Field on a summer night. You’re reading Twins Daily; it’s evident that you care deeply about the success of the team. I do too. But every season, no matter where the team is in the standings, I stand by the fact that Target Field is the best place to be on a beautiful summer night.
Despite going to 56 games at Target Field, sometimes as many as six in a week, I never got tired of going. I never grew bored of the skyline views, the post-game fireworks, Sue Nelson on the organ, Minnie and Paul shaking hands after a win, or the Dollar Dogs. There is just so much to love about Target Field, and time spent with friends and loved ones at a baseball game is never time wasted. 
Happy 2023! Thank you much for reading my work this year and all your kind and thoughtful comments. Joining Twins Daily had been such a joy. Here's to a year filled with lots of baseball, Twins wins, and for me, maybe 60 in-person games!
 

Many of the league’s top free agent options are officially signed, meaning teams must turn to trades to improve their teams. Minnesota has former players on rosters throughout baseball, but the following players have seen their names thrown around in the rumor mill. Not all of these players fit with Minnesota’s current roster construction, but some of the names have something to offer the 2023 Twins.  

Aaron Hicks, OF
Hicks is owed roughly $30 million over the next three seasons, but his performance has significantly declined over the last four seasons. He averaged 48 games from 2019-2021 with a 103 OPS+. In 2022, he played 130 games and hit .216/.330/.313 (.642) with 19 extra-base hits. Defensively, Hicks has started to play less time in center field, which takes away some of his overall value. 
Twins Fit: Low. The Twins have better options at all three outfield positions. 

Josh Donaldson, 3B
Last winter, Minnesota got out of the final two years (and $50M) of Donaldson’s four-year deal by trading him to the Yankees. Reports point to New York having a tough time finding a trade partner for Donaldson and Hicks. Last season, Donaldson had a below 100 OPS+ for the first time since 2012. He already turned 37 years old at the beginning of December, and he is likely on the backside of his career. 
Twins Fit: Low. The Twins were happy to get out of Donaldson’s contract.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS
Kiner-Falefa’s Twins tenure was short-lived, but the organization was interested in him before the Donaldson trade. In 2022, he hit .261/.314/.327 (.642) while ranking 8th among AL shortstops in SABR’s Defensive Index. His defensive skills are what the Twins were interested in last year, but there are stronger defenders on the trade market. His Whiff% (99th percentile) and K% (92nd percentile) bring down an offensive profile that already includes limited power. 
Twins Fit: Medium. Minnesota could use more depth at shortstop, but he might not be an upgrade over Kyle Farmer. 

Liam Hendriks, RP
Hendriks has been one of baseball’s best closers over the last four seasons. He’s under contract for $14.33 million next season, and his $15 million team option for 2024 becomes guaranteed if he is traded. The White Sox have discussed trading Hendriks with multiple teams, including the Mets. Plenty of teams will be interested in acquiring Hendriks, but it seems unlikely for Chicago to trade him in the division.  
Twins Fit: Medium. Paying Hendriks nearly $30 million over the next two seasons is a lot of money, but he’d significantly upgrade the team’s bullpen. 

Eduardo Escobar, UTL
Until recently, the Mets had Escobar penciled in as their starting third baseman. However, Carlos Correa’s signing means Escobar lost his starting job. He is under contract for $9.5 million for 2023 with a $9 million option ($500,000 buyout) for 2024. In 136 games last season, he hit .240/.295/.430 (.726) with 26 doubles, four triples, and 20 home runs. He’s averaged a 108 OPS+ over the last two seasons, but he is closing in on his mid-30s. 
Twins Fit: Medium. Escobar was a joy when he was with the Twins, but the team doesn’t have a clear need for a utility player. 

Should the Twins try and trade for any of these former Twins? Are any of them a better fit than the others? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 
 

Steve Cohen, the Mets owner, is stupid rich. He can afford to sign Carlos Correa as an afterthought.
All the other owners are also stupid rich. They could also afford to sign Carlos Correa as an afterthought. They opted out.
The Giants and Twins may end up being completely vindicated in exercising restraint. That plate in Correa’s leg may start malfunctioning like the one in Cousin Eddie’s head from Christmas Vacation. If he pees his pants rounding second because someone at Citi Field is microwaving salmon in the break room, the Mets can’t say they weren’t warned.
If Correa flames out, guess what? The Mets can still afford it. And they can afford to replace him with another generational talent at another astronomical price point.
This gets at the problem for the Twins, Giants, and everyone else, even the Pirates: They can all afford this, too. See above about being stupid rich. Their wealth is unimaginable. You really have no idea.
It’s not your money.
“We’ll lose (some number and a word that rhymes with Jillian) this season! We can't compete with New York!” Great. That’s a rounding error for them and a number they finessed to within an inch of straight up lying. If they want to impress me with real losses, invest in crypto.
If they decide that losing a fraction of their wealth on a professional sports team is not for them, the Phoenix Suns just sold for $4 billion. Buddy, there’s the door.
You don’t get points for not taking on risk. You don’t get games in hand for fiscal responsibility. You do get a reputation as a team that will do exactly this much to improve your roster, but not that much.
It’s not your money.
Every “small market” team is in a giant city with skyscrapers and bridges. The people who own that team own the skyscrapers and the bridges are named after the great-grandparent who got the money in the first place by inventing child labor or selling bayonets to a guy nicknamed “The God-Tyrant of the Eurasian Steppe” or something.
“The owners didn’t become rich by wasting money.” No, they became rich by being born into obscene wealth. Glad we cleared this up.
“The Pohlads are cheap” is inaccurate. “Most of the owners are content with the status quo” is accurate. The problem is, Steve Cohen is making the status quo look cheap. So I may have to revisit that “inaccurate” thing.
It’s not your money. It really, really isn’t.
The concessions at Target Field will be expensive regardless of who they sign this winter. Let’s say they decide to say "Bleep it" and start the rebuild now. You will still spend John Bonnes’ weekly craft beer budget on a hot dog and popcorn in 2023.
None of this is Carlos Correa’s fault. Anyone mad at him for taking the best deal (twice) instead of staying in Minnesota is a tiny baby. Yes, our lakes and amenities are nice, but I assure you that San Francisco and New York have water and restaurants too.
In conclusion, they should probably trade for some pitching. 
 

Carlos Correa’s departure for San Francisco leaves the Minnesota Twins with a gaping hole at shortstop. While rumored to be interested in free agent Dansby Swanson, the team announced a different plan on Thursday.
“We made our best efforts to keep Carlos in Minnesota,” said Twins GM Derek Falvey. “Sometimes, that’s all you can do. And we’re taking that lesson to heart. Best Efforts will be our shortstop in 2023.”
The concept of trying your best and failing to reach your objective is nothing new in baseball or American sport. However, no one has attempted to use an intangible state of being as a position player. Not even the Orioles.
“We’ve got some spreadsheets, some pivot tables, and one of those green visors that crooked bankers wore during the Great Depression,” said Falvey. “Proof of our good-faith attempts at bringing a championship to Target Field will be available for all to see at one of the game’s premium positions. Good intentions and due financial diligence are a killer combo anywhere in the lineup.”
That quote was part of a rambling, handwritten press release on official Minnesota Twins letterhead. MINNESOTA MAKES CARLOS CORREA TWIN FOR LIFE is visible under hastily applied liquid paper. Stains from coffee and human tears are also visible on the paragraph where Falvey notes that the team, which finished 78-84 in a disappointing 2022 season, would be giving We Tried a shot in the bullpen.
“We have a lot of young arm talent that we’ll be looking at in Fort Myers,” said Falvey. “We Tried will be part of that mix, along with Part Of The Conversation and On The Shortlist.”
The statement does not mention what, if any, plans there are for Blockbuster Trade That Fizzled and Punching Above Their Weight But Ultimately Falling Just Short.  
Image license here.

Fans tuning in to Bally Sports North for Saturday’s Twins/Tigers tilt might notice a difference. Not on the field, but off.
Dick Bremer, the veteran broadcaster who has handled play-by-play duties for the Minnesota Twins since 1983, revealed that he got a full-face tattoo paying tribute to Mickey Hatcher, who played for the Twins from 1981-1986.
“He FaceTimed me from the tattoo parlor and said he was pulling the trigger,” said Bally Sports North analyst and local former relief pitcher Glen Perkins. “I just thought he was getting a TC on his bicep or something. He did not. It’s troubling.”
The multiphase tattoo features a headshot of Hatcher on his left cheek and Hatcher’s powder blue home jersey on his right. Under his left eye is a script “Mickey” with a matching script “Hatcher” under the right. An all caps “HATCHMAN4LIFE” runs along his jawline.
“’Hatchman’ wasn’t even the guy’s nickname,” said Perkins. “I’m going to repeat this: It’s so troubling.”
Hatcher is perhaps best known for hurting himself catching a gimmick fly ball dropped from the Metrodome roof the day after Dave Kingman hit one through the Teflon. What drove Bremer to celebrate this minor figure in Twins history? One family member has a theory.
“We were just sharing Twins memories in the Bremer group chat on Monday,” said Bremer’s son Erik, himself a play-by-play voice for the minor league Pensacola Blue Wahoos. “And my sister, who never responds to these things, pops in with, ‘Hey, remember when Bert Blyleven (Bremer's longtime broadcast partner) swore a bunch on the air? Cry laugh emoji, cry laugh emoji, poop emoji, cry laugh emoji.’ There was no response. She knew right away what she did.”
Sources close to the family and organization say Bremer’s years as Blyleven’s foil left him emotionally spent and spiritually broken, and he’s only recently begun to fix that personal trauma. Would an innocent reminder lead to such an impulsive, permanent action?
“Every day it was ‘downward plane’ this, ‘circle me’ that,” said a front office source. “He was also so close to Bert’s fart radius. For decades. A lesser man would’ve cracked years ago. That scar tissue is still tender, as is his heavily tattooed face and chin.”
Bremer could not be reached for comment to this story or The Athletic’s report about an alleged Rob Wilfong henna tattoo on his left foot.
Image license here.
 

With news that Bally Sports North is close to finally offering a subscription service for local sports fans, rumors are swirling that a premium version will soon be available.
“The outcry for a non-cable, non-satellite option for local sports fans is undeniable,” said a BSN executive who requested anonymity. “We also know that there’s an appetite for a premium experience. Our goal is to provide a bespoke product for every level of consumer.”
Although details on the available tiers are unconfirmed, multiple sources say there are four options being discussed:
BSN Basic: $20/month, Twins/Wolves/Wild/Lynx/United games available on tape delay no sooner than 72 hours after the live event; however, you must submit a written request to the Bally Sports North offices in Minneapolis to watch it. “Politeness will be a plus,” noted one source. BSN Basic Plus: $25/month, one live event per week. The event will not be telecast but rather described by a feral Kevin Lynch off his cell phone's Twitter feed. BSN Platinum: $35/month, all live events streamed as they happen unless there are blackout rules, conflicts with new episodes of Tim Laudner’s Street Justice, or BSN just calls it a weekend early and heads to the lake. BSN The Laudner Level: $40/month, all episodes of Tim Laudner's Street Justice available on demand, plus exclusive behind-the-scenes footage exclusive to BSN The Laudner Level subscribers. No live sports, but they will share all Athletic promo subscription offers they see online. “There’s a lot of noise out there about people wanting to watch the Twins or the Wild live, but our market research indicates the consumer really values choice,” said the BSN executive. “If they have the option to watch a World Series champ take the law into his own hands on an all-new episode of Tim Laudner’s Street Justice, then we think they’ll choose our Platinum or Laudner Level services. This week Tim busts some kids who are rearranging letters on the Lakeville Dairy Queen marquee to say 'PENIS.' Tough stuff, powerful.”
When asked if they envision a streaming tier that would contain only live, local sports, the executive laughed for 17 minutes straight.

For more on each of these arbitration-eligible players, you can read much more in The Question: To Tender or Not To Tender. 
Here is the quick summary: 
John Gant cleared waivers and became a free agent.  Rob Refsnyder was DFAd and became a free agent.  Willians Astudillo was DFAd, cleared waviers and was released.  Jake Cave signed a one year, $800,000 for 2022.   In addition to those four arbitration-eligible players, lefty Devin Smeltzer was DFAd, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A.  You might have heard, the Twins have agreed to terms with Byron Buxton on a seven-year, $100 million contract extension which also includes some creative, interesting incentives.  But there is more work to be done, and today (Tuesday) should be an interesting day. The team still have to make decisions on seven more arbitration-eligible players. Here is some information on each of those players (mostly from Sunday's article), but we will have a spot ready to update whenever we hear any news on any of the players. Also, be sure to vote on whether or not you would a.) Tender a contract, b.) Non-tender the player, or c.) Try to reach an agreement at a lower dollar value. If player won't, then non-tender. 
LUIS ARRAEZ - UT (24) 
Service Time: 2 years, 121 days 
Arbitration Year: 1st of 4
MLB Trade Rumors Projection: $2 million 
Twins Daily Offseason Handbook Prediction: $1.5 million 
 
JHAREL COTTON - RHP (30) 
Service Time: 3 years, 52 days 
Arbitration Year: 1st of 3 
MLB Trade Rumors Projection: $1.2 million 
Twins Daily Offseason Handbook Prediction: N/A
DANNY COULOMBE - LHP (32) 
Service Time: 3 years, 8 days 
Arbitration Year: 1st of 3
MLB Trade Rumors Projection: $800,000 
Twins Daily Offseason Handbook Prediction: $1 million
TYLER DUFFEY - RHP (31) 
Service Time: 5 years, 74 days 
Arbitration Year: 3rd of 3
MLB Trade Rumors Projection: $3.7 million 
Twins Daily Offseason Handbook Prediction: $3.5 million   
MITCH GARVER - C (31)
Service Time: 4 years, 45 days 
Arbitration Year: 2nd of 3
MLB Trade Rumors Projection: $3.1 million 
Twins Daily Offseason Handbook Prediction: $3.5 million
 
JUAN MINAYA - RHP (31) 
Service Time: 2 years, 140 days 
Arbitration Year: 1st of 3 
MLB Trade Rumors Projection: $1.1 million 
Twins Daily Offseason Handbook Prediction: $1 million
TAYLOR ROGERS - LHP (31) 
Service Time: 5 years, 145 days 
Arbitration Year: 4th of 4
MLB Trade Rumors Projection: $6.7 million 
Twins Daily Offseason Handbook Prediction: $7 million 
 
CALEB THIELBAR - LHP (35) 
Service Time: 3 years, 131 days 
Arbitration Year: 2nd of 4
MLB Trade Rumors Projection: $1.2 million 
Twins Daily Offseason Handbook Prediction: $1.5 million
Again, we will update this article throughout the day on Tuesday until we learn what the resolution is for each player. There may be some agreements, maybe even multi-year deals. There will be contracts tendered without an agreement. At that point, numbers will be exchanged by the team and the player. There are likely to be a non-tender or two as well which will make those players free agents immediately, like happened with Eddie Rosario a year ago. 
 

The Los Angeles Angels make their yearly visit to Target Field this weekend, meaning Twins fans will get to see the brilliant Shohei Ohtani. In the other clubhouse, Willians Astudillo returns from St. Paul to take Alex Kirilloff’s place on the roster.
And that has some physicians worried.
“Quite simply, if you’re in poor health or have underlying conditions, watching these games might be harmful,” said Dr. David Gorman, a heart specialist at Fairview Southdale. “The human body wasn’t meant to experience this much spectacle.”
Ohtani, the American League’s starting pitcher in the All-Star Game, also leads the majors with 34 home runs, many of which involve him sending baseballs to hell, where they belong. Astudillo, while not nearly as accomplished a player as Ohtani, plays every game like a bowling ball filled with kerosene, set on fire, and rolled into a Williams-Sonoma. The combination of that much skill and abandon may be too much for some people.
“What if Ohtani hits one that lands at, like, the Pizza Luce on 4th Street,” said Gorman. “Then the next inning Astudillo tries to stretch a single to a double? So many people skipped their regular check-ups in the last year or so that we have to be concerned about how the body will react.”
Gorman said the true concern comes on Sunday.
“The Angels haven’t announced their starting pitcher yet,” said Gorman. “What if they pencil in Ohtani, and the Twins send Astudillo to the plate? What if Astudillo hits a comebacker and they’re racing to the bag? Is that too much joy? You have to ask yourself if the risk is worth it. The teams could do it, but no one is asking if they should do it.”

While this year’s draft of 20 rounds was still only half of the usual 40, it pretty much felt like a return to normalcy after last year’s draft only had five rounds. 
The Twins had a clear approach of wanting to draft players that they knew they could sign, as they targeted high schoolers with both of their picks on night one, and then drafted exclusively college players on days two and three.
When asked about this in an interview after the draft, Twins scouting director Sean Johnson had this to say, “Once you get past the second round a lot of those high school players that you would like to bring on board become a little less signable… so you get out of that high school group pretty quick starting in the second or third round.”
With the 26th overall pick in the first round, the Twins took a fireball high school pitcher from New Jersey named Chase Petty. In showcases last summer and leading up to the draft, Petty’s fastball has routinely been clocked in the triple digits and has reached as high as 102 mph. Petty also has a breaking ball and a changeup that show potential to be above average pitches as he develops them. As a result of his makeup, along with how high school fireball pitchers have fared in the past, Petty was seen as a risky pick. However, with the Twins picking late in the first round, it made perfect sense to bet on the high upside of Petty, as his ceiling is as high as most of the players taken with the first ten picks of the draft.
Just ten picks after they selected Chase Petty, the Twins were on the clock again, this time closing out night one of the draft in Competitive Balance Round A. Again, they went the high school route as they selected Noah Miller, a shortstop from Wisconsin. Miller is a well thought of defensive shortstop who could stick there at the professional level. Offensively, Miller is a switch-hitter with more of a contact approach. While the power is still a bit of a question mark, Miller has time to develop that as he gets into the Twins player development program.
The focus early on day two was college pitching, as four of their first five picks were college pitchers. While each of those four pitchers are seen as more pitch-ability guys, with potential to be back of the rotation starting pitcher or long relief options, second round pick Steven Hajjar does have some middle of the rotation upside if he can tack on a few more MPHs on his fastball. 
With the rest of their picks on day two, the Twins focused on filling out their infield and catcher positions. In the fourth round they selected Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who is a third baseman from Oklahoma State with some power potential with the bat. They also drafted back-to-back catchers in the 8th in 9th rounds to continue to build depth at that position within the organization.
On day three it became all about filling out the rest of their class with as many quality players as they could. Again the focus early was on pitching, as three of the first four picks on day three were pitchers. Sandwiched between those pitchers was the first and only outfielder the Twins took in the entire draft, as they selected Big East Player of the Year Kyler Fedko out of UConn. 
Another theme of this draft was taking multiple players who played for the same university. In the 8th and 15th rounds, the Twins selected catcher Noah Cardenas and middle infielder Mikey Perez from UCLA. In the 9th and 12th rounds, the Twins took a pair of UConn Huskies in catcher Pat Winkel and outfielder Kyler Fedko. Texas Tech was also well represented in this year’s Twins draft class, as a pair of Red Raiders in right-handed pitcher Brandon Birdwell and second baseman Dylan Neuse were taken in the 11th and 17th rounds, respectively.
One thing everyone wants to know is, how good will this draft class be, and I can promise that the guys within the Twins organization who made these selections are wondering the same thing. The truth is, nobody knows and we likely won’t be able to accurately judge this class for another five to ten years. One this is true however, the Twins just added a number of new and exciting players to their ranks, and all Twins fans should be excited to see what these guys can do.
 

LaMonte Wade Jr. was an easy player to like. He slowly worked his way up through the minors over five years using his patient plate approach and solid outfield defense and found himself on the back end of a deep outfield rotation in 2019 and 2020. Nobody expected Wade to be a star player, but he seemed like the kind of solid contributor that fills out the edges of a competitive roster. He slashed .211/.336/.388 in a Twins uniform, played decent defense in the outfield, and even filled in at first base on occasion.
It basically came down to a battle between Wade and Jake Cave for a roster spot last winter. To Cave’s and the Twins credit, he was fantastic, especially against righties prior to his disastrous 2020 season in which he was 18% below league average offensively. Cave’s prior play ultimately won him the roster spot as the Twins rightfully were planning on a rebound. Wade was eventually shipped to San Francisco for a high upside arm in Shaun Anderson.
 
 
Now I like Shaun Anderson despite his struggles in a Twins uniform and I liked the trade at the time. He’s a high octane righty with a nasty slider that he struggles to locate. Plenty of adjustments that can be made. Unfortunately Anderson never figured it out in his brief time with the Twins, as he was claimed off waivers by Texas after posting a 9.35 ERA and 4.90 FIP in 8.2 innings. Meanwhile LaMonte Wade Jr. is slashing .257/.350/.443 with the Giants. No explanation is needed on Jake Cave’s performance.
 
 
This wasn’t a noteworthy outcome in a vacuum, mistakes happen. I find it significant for two reasons however. 
First of all, this move symbolizes the entire offseason in my eyes. Was it an exciting move? No. You could make out what the Twins were trying to do however and it didn’t take much to get excited over someone they handpicked that was so under the radar. The same could be said for the signings of Robles, Happ, Shoemaker, Simmons and Colomé. Much like all of these but Robles however, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the outcome could’ve been worse.
Second, for whatever reason for all of the mistakes that were made this offseason, Shaun Anderson (who has minor league options and is 26 years old) is the first addition the front office has admitted failure on by placing him on waivers. Meanwhile J.A. Happ, Matt Shoemaker and Alexander Colomé continue to “eat innings” with absolutely zero chance of having any future on this team beyond 2021. It’s simply baffling.
This move didn’t change the course of the Twins success in 2021, but it’s incredibly frustrating because it embodies the offseason perfectly. The majority of this winters acquisitions were sensible at the time but look absolutely horrible in retrospect as pretty much anything that could have gone wrong did.
The result of such a string of lame duck acquisitions leaves Twins fans’ faith wavering, as all of the good will built up throughout 2019 and 2020 was undone in one fell swoop of atrocious pitching additions.
The Twins will enter the 2021 offseason with ample money to spend and plenty of holes to fill. Can so many disastrous moves be chalked up to bad luck? Can Twins fans feel good about an upcoming offseason of acquisitions that will surely be relied upon to get back on track in 2022?
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After a spirited series of phone calls, emails, and at least one in-person visit to the league office, former Minnesota Twins great Kent Hrbek announced Thursday that delicious, overstuffed hoagies are not on Major League Baseball’s banned substances list.
“This is a victory for the Twins and America,” said the longtime first baseman. “I understand that we need to get illegal substances under control, but not at the expense of hoagies.”
MLB’s plan to crack down on the items pitchers use to exert a better grip on the baseball has roiled the entire league. For retired players like Hrbek, it’s been a mixed bag.
“I’ve never even heard of Spider Tack, go ahead and get rid of it. But I saw that they were coming after sunscreen. Heck, if they’re coming after suntan lotion, they might be coming after sandwiches that are laden with mayonnaise, oil, assorted mustards, you name it. I’ll be damned if that’s going to happen to the game I love.”
Sources in the league office tell Twins Daily that while it was apparent that Hrbek was the only one concerned about this, he was persistent.
“The avalanche of emails from his Hotmail address was substantial,” said one source with knowledge of the situation. “They weren’t threatening in any way, just very concerned about the visual and textural similarities of Coppertone and Hellmann’s Mayo. We honestly couldn’t tell if it was a bit, but then he followed up with a question about Miracle Whip and tuna salad.”
“Miracle Whip is a garbage condiment,” said Hrbek. “But I’ll defend the right of every major league clubhouse to have it on hand for hoagies, sandwiches, grinders, and subs. We have to have common sense about what’s legal and what isn’t.”
A spokesman for Major League Baseball said that the pre and post-game meal options in the clubhouses will remain unaffected by the substance ban. Hrbek was relieved.
“I’m just a kid from the suburbs but I tell you what, you ever have one of those pita sandwiches? With the spicy lamb and hot yogurt? Brother, I’m not a fan of yogurt but that is a phenomenal sandwich right there.”
Image license here. Flickr/JeffreyW
 

With the 2021 season rapidly slipping away, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli needed to do something. With making the team healthier being out of his hands, he did what he thought best: put on some Steely Dan.
“I think the players-only meetings and office sit-downs only accomplish so much,” said Baldelli. “What you really need are the sardonic lyrics of Donald Fagen, the tasteful guitar of Walter Becker, and the in-the-pocket grooves of the finest session players in Los Angeles.”
When the players showed up to Target Field on Thursday after another punishing loss to the New York Yankees, they weren’t met with extra batting practice or a shouting fit from the coaching staff. Instead, the clubhouse was lined with shag carpeting, incense sticks, and the Dan’s 1973 album Countdown to Ecstasy booming through cabinet speakers.
“This sounds like something my dad would listen to,” said catcher Ryan Jeffers. “I mean, it’s fine. The guy sure sings about drugs and sex stuff a lot.”
Baldelli says he plans to go through the entire discography in hopes that the team will use the band’s jazz-inflected rock stylings and tales of southern California decadence to inspire them.
“Their evolution from a touring band to creatures of the studio can maybe show the guys here that there’s more than one way to get after it,” said Baldelli. “When you get those Michael McDonald backing vocals on ‘Peg’ it oughta help clear your mind and let your natural talent and coaching do the rest of the work.”
“This sounds like the music my dentist plays in his office,” said outfielder Trevor Larnach. “But then the lead singer who can’t really sing sings about Jose Cuervo and the caves of Altamira. I’m worried about Rocco.”
For his part, Baldelli says he’s confident that he’s making the right move.
“You know, when an engineer accidentally erased the recording of ‘The Second Arrangement’, Donald Fagen didn’t blow up. He simply walked out of the studio. So when I show up at the park and they tell me another player is out for two weeks because of whatever that day’s injury is, I ask what would Donald do? I don’t erupt. I simply walk out of the room.”
When it was pointed out that Steely Dan didn’t record a new album for twenty years after that incident, Baldelli began to sob before composing himself and asking the reporter if he could pick out Mark Knopfler’s guitar on “Time Out of Mind.”
 

With the Twins boasting one of the worst records in the league and continuing to affirm it with their play week after week, it's natural to start thinking about the big picture, and wondering what the path forward looks like. 
Has their championship window closed? Is a full-on rebuild in the offing? Or is this a bump in the road that calls for retooling on the fly and getting back after it in 2022?
I personally lean toward the latter, for a number of different reasons. Among them: these five key positive player trends all support the idea that Minnesota could move back into contention relatively quickly. 
1. Jorge Polanco Is Returning to Form
I'll admit: I was about ready to give up on Polanco as a standout player. In mid-April I openly wondered when Rocco Baldelli's faith in the infielder would be shaken, noting that Polanco continued to hit in critical lineup spots regularly despite woeful production over his past full season's worth of games. Incidentally, Baldelli's confidence DID appear to diminish around that time ... temporarily. 
In the latter half of April and into May, Polanco frequently found himself hitting in the bottom half of the lineup, which had almost never happened under Rocco's watch. We also learned somewhere around this time that Polanco was once again being bothered by his twice-repaired ankle. Things looked grim. But to his great credit, the 27-year-old started to find himself at the plate again. 
After finishing April with a miserable .555 OPS, Polanco raised that mark 150 points by slashing .253/.343/.494 in May. He's kept clicking in June, where he is thus far 8-for-24 with two doubles and a home run. Batted-ball data backs up the improved production; as Nash Walker points out, Polanco leads all second basemen in hard-hit rate since the start of May.
The ankle might still be barking, but Polanco is finding a way to battle through and get the job done. Right now he actually has a higher hard-hit rate, barrel rate, and average exit velocity than any prior season in his career. Dude is mashing.
He's restoring his status as a building-block type player, which is excellent news because Polanco remains under contract for at least the next two seasons, with club options for 2024 and '25.
#2. Taylor Rogers Is as Good as Ever
His frequent struggles in 2020, combined with the inherent volatility of relief pitchers, led plenty of us to wonder whether Rogers' days as a top-tier relief arm were over – to the extent that bringing him back in arbitration for $6 million was a subject of some debate. 
Am I pleased to say those debates look pretty silly now.
Shaking off his mediocre work in the short season, Rogers has been phenomenal here in 2021, posting a 2.57 ERA and 2.59 WHIP across 24 ⅓ frames. His 12.6 K/9 rate would be a career-high, as would his 12.3% swinging strike rate, and he ranks 18th among all MLB relievers in fWAR. Take a look at his Statcast measurements and all those bright red circles. 

Under team control for one more year after this, Rogers is proving he's someone the Twins can count on as an anchor in their bullpen. They've got much work to do with this unit, but having a centerpiece of his caliber makes a big difference. He's been among the few bright spots in a disastrous relief corps, but not the only one: Tyler Duffey's recent improvement and Luke Farrell's impressive early work are also encouraging developments.
#3. Josh Donaldson Is an Iron Man Again
I'm not sure Donaldson's season can be viewed as any kind of glowing positive in the grand scheme, but the fact he's been able to stay on the field as a regular fixture is huge, and frankly seemed unfathomable two months ago.
JD's first season with the Twins was ruined by a reemergence of his calf issues, framing his health as a primary question mark during the ensuing offseason, and he lasted all of one plate appearance before going down this year. With the Twins still on the hook for $21 million annually for three more seasons, Donaldson was quickly beginning to look like a constrictive burden in their roster construction efforts going forward.
The third baseman ended up missing only 10 games following the mild hamstring strain in Game 1. Since returning on April 14th he's played in 45 of a possible 47 games, starting 43 of them. Even with the missed time, Donaldson ranks third on the team in plate appearances. Since coming off IL, he leads all Twins in both PAs and games played.
His performance may leave something to be desired and he runs like he's dragging an anvil, but at 35, Donaldson is showing he can hold up as an everyday player and he's still clobbering the ball even if the results haven't been there. The outlook here has improved drastically. This team was going to be in serious trouble if things continued to devolve.
#4. Rookies Are Ready for the Challenge
In a season where so much has gone wrong, it would only make sense for rookies to come up and look totally overwhelmed. I mean, when even the established veterans are looking lost, how are young kids supposed to find their way? 
Instead, while there have been exceptions, most of the newcomers on this roster have risen to the occasion. I talked in the latest Week in Review column about the impressive early showings from pitcher Bailey Ober and infielder Nick Gordon. Alex Kirilloff has hit the ground running, although his balky wrist currently appears to be sapping all his power. Trevor Larnach looks like a seasoned vet in the batter's box. 
These guys could all play fairly significant roles on a competing Twins team in 2022. Regardless of how they supplement from outside, there's no doubt that Minnesota's return to contention will need to be fueled internally to a large degree. The young wave is mostly inspiring confidence right now.
#5. Mitch Garver Is Elite Offensively Again
Garver went through an awful ordeal in Baltimore last week, and he'll probably be sidelined for a while. But, so long as he doesn't choose to quit baseball (I'd consider it), there's plenty of reason to be excited for his return. 
In the month prior to his tremendously unfortunate mishap behind the plate, Garver wasn't just hitting well – he was dominating like few other hitters in the league. From May 2nd to June 1st he slashed .286/.444/.589 with four homers, five doubles, and a 17-to-16 K/BB ratio. His OPS during that span ranked third among all AL hitters and his .440 wOBA was almost 60 points higher than the next-best MLB catcher (Yasmani Grandal of the White Sox).
In the aftermath of a hideous slump that lasted throughout 2020 and carried over into the first month of 2021, this awakening from Garver has been reinvigorating. He's not just getting lucky and running into meatballs – he has fundamentally transformed his offensive game and turned back into the selective, smart, fastball-crushing force that earned a Silver Slugger award in 2019.
Garver was playing at an MVP-caliber level in the month before he went down, just as he did throughout the balance of 2019. If he can come back and sustain anywhere near that level, he'll be an enormous difference-maker, and he's controllable through the next two seasons.
Feeling Better?
I know I am. This team has a whole host of troubles right now but they're not rotting away at the core. In addition to the names mentioned above, they figure to get back their top two starters (José Berríos and Kenta Maeda) and their best player (Byron Buxton), although in two of those cases it could be the last ride here. Now, those guys have their own set of question marks – can Maeda get healthy and shake off his uncharacteristic early-season struggles, and can Buxton ever stay on the field for two weeks consecutively – but it'd be silly to give up on this team and blow it up. 
Here's hoping the rest of the season gives us more silver linings to build on. As we learned not too long ago when a 78-win also-ran in 2018 blossomed into a 101-win world-beater in 2019 – not to mention the vice-versa scenario this year – the tides can turn quickly.
 
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3. Trusting the Bullpen Castoffs
Wes Johnson has done some amazing things with bullpen arms in the past and the Twins entered 2021 thinking that he would be able to replicate these results with a new group of bullpen castoffs. Now it’s the beginning of June and Minnesota has rotated through Shaun Anderson, Derek Law, Juan Minaya, and Brandon Waddell. There were some big shoes to fill in the bullpen (see below), but all these new additions faced struggles.
From season’s start, almost nothing seemed to work when it came to the bullpen. It’s also tough to adequately assess relievers when they have such a small sample size of work. It also didn’t help that Randy Dobnak was pushed from the rotation and didn’t really find success in a relief role. One light at the end of the tunnel might be Luke Farrell as he is the lone bullpen castoff that has found success. However, it might be too little, too late for Minnesota this year.
2. Signing Alex Colome
Minnesota lost multiple bullpen arms during the winter and there needed to be some replacements found for Tyler Clippard, Trevor May, Sergio Romo, and Matt Wisler. None of these players have shined with their new teams. Clippard is on the 60-day injured list with a shoulder issue. Both Romo and Wisler have ERAs north of 5.80. May’s strikeout numbers have dropped, and he has the highest WHIP since his rookie season. Needless to say, relief pitchers can be fickle especially on the heels of a shortened 2020 campaign.
Colome looked like a savvy signing at the time as he was coming off two tremendous seasons in Chicago. In 83 1/3 innings, he had a 2.27 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP and 42 saves. Overall, the results were certainly there since he moved to the bullpen fulltime in 2016. Maybe the White Sox knew a little bit more about Colome’s current situation as they let him go after two tremendous seasons.
Minnesota certainly hasn’t seen the previous version of Colome this season. He has a -2.24 win probability added (WPA), which means he’s cost the Twins over two wins so far this season. Also, he has the lowest WAR in baseball among relief pitchers. Things have gone better recently as he has posted a 3.09 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings since the start of May. During that stretch, he has still provided negative WPA and it’s not like the Twins have a lot of other bullpen options.
1. Signing Matt Shoemaker
The Matt Shoemaker experience has been a rough one and it seems likely that his time with the Twins will quickly be coming to an end. He leads the American League in losses and earned runs. Among AL starters with more than 50 innings pitched, he is the only pitcher with a negative WAR total for the year. Unfortunately, the Twins have six pitchers currently on the IL including starters like Kenta Maeda, Lewis Thorpe, and Devin Smeltzer so the club has to keep him around for depth.
Entering the season, he had a 3.86 career ERA, but he had been limited to 18 starts since the end of 2017. His list of injuries including multiple forearm injuries, a torn ACL, shoulder inflammation, and a fractured skull from a line drive off his head. Injuries haven’t been the issue this year as he already pitched more innings than his totals in each of the last three years.
It’s not as if a lot was expected from Shoemaker. He was signed for $2 million and was coming of a string of significant injury issues over the last several years. There were signs of hope as his fastball velocity increased last year and his sinker and splitter were improving. Obviously, those things haven’t worked out like the front office had planned.
How would you rank the Twins offseason mistakes? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.
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For this week again, let’s start with a Question of the Week. Leave your responses in the Comments section.  
Question of the Week: How concerned are you about all of the injuries in the Twins minor league system already this season? 
Transactions:
A few transactions were announced on Monday. 
RHP Regi Grace was placed on the Mighty Mussels Injured List with a right shoulder impingement.  The Twins signed RHP Bobby Milacki and OF Nick Anderson late last week. On Monday, they were added to the Ft. Myers roster. Milacki was the 38th round pick of the Nationals in 2018 out of Arizona Christian University. He was released after the 2019 season. In his most recent start for the Joliet Slammers of the independent Frontier League, the 24-year-old tossed five shutout innings. Anderson played for four years at Texas A&M in Corpus Christi. He played professionally in 2019, and he began the 2021 season with the Houston Apollos in the American Association.  Cody Laweryson has been added to the Cedar Rapids Kernels roster. He began the season on the Injured List. 
As always, I welcome your feedback on what you would like to see from these Week in Review articles, so let me know in the comments below. Of course, I also encourage you to read Nick’s Twins Week in Review from yesterday. 
With that, let’s look at Week 5 in the Twins minor leagues: 
RESULTS
Triple-A: St. Paul Saints: Week (2-4 @ Louisville), overall (15-15)
Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge: Week (4-2 hosting Arkansas), overall (18-12)
High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels: Week (3-3, @ Ft. Wayne), overall (13-17)
Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: Week (5-1, hosting St. Lucie), overall (16-14) 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
With the Twins struggles early this season, we have had a lot of minor league articles including articles on players who could be promoted and the daily minor league reports. 
Twins Minor League Week in Review: Saints Sweep Minnesota’s Forgotten Prospect  Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month - May 2021  Tuesday: Cabbage Blast Propels Kernels  Examining Minnesota’s Center Field Depth  Wednesday: Mussels Muster Night Saving Win  Get Ready for More 2021 Twins Debuts  Thursday: Wind Surge Win in Walk-Off Fashion  Prospect Retrospective: Gilberto Celestino  Friday: These Games Were Closer Than the Major League One!  Time for a Changing of the Guard  Saturday: Jordy Blaze Debuts  Prospect Retrospective: Griffin Jax  Sunday: Salvaging the Sweep   
News & Notes 
First and foremost, the St. Paul Saints are at home the next two weeks, and the Twins expect Byron Buxton and Kenta Maeda (and maybe Max Kepler?) to start a rehab assignment very soon. Head over to SaintsBaseball.com and get some tickets! Starting on Tuesday, CHS Field will be open to full capacity. On Tuesday, the Saints will be hosting (Re)Opening Day! 
The Saints have turned 24 double plays this year. That is most among the Twins affiliates. 
Brent Rooker has walked three or more times in a game six times in his career. Two of those happened this season. 
Perfect Game Field in Cedar Rapids (home of the Kernels) has been the site of the Division III Baseball Championship. On Tuesday morning, Salisbury University (Maryland) will play St. Thomas (Minnesota) for the championship. St. Thomas, in its final season before jumping to Division I, would need to win twice for the title. Former Kernels Tanner and Trey Vavra are coaches for the Tommies. 

Highlights
We will start with the Twins choices for the organizational hitter and pitcher of the week, and then mention several other Twins prospects who had good Week 5 performances too. 
 
Twins Player of the Week: Jose Miranda, Wichita Wind Surge   
The Twins named Jose Miranda their Player of the Week. In six games, he hit .320/.393/.480 (.873) with a double and a 481-foot walk-off homer in extra innings on Friday night. On Sunday, Miranda extended his hitting streak to nine games. The 2016 draft pick has played in all 30 games for the Wind Surge. He has hit .319/.390/.546 (.936) with six doubles, seven homers and 27 RBI. 
Twins Pitcher of the Week: Sawyer Gipson-Long, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels    
Gipson-Long was the Twins sixth round pick in 2019 out of Mercer. In his start this past week, he gave up four runs (2 earned) on six hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out 11 batters without issuing a walk. He has been much better since some early-season struggles. Overall, he has made five starts and is 2-2 with a 7.78 ERA. In 19 2/3 innings, he has walked seven and struck out 30 batters. 
 
Other Strong Performances this Week
St. Paul Saints
Brent Rooker played in all six games. He hit just .222 but posted a .919 OPS thanks to three walks and two home runs. 
It was an interesting week for Gold Glove outfielder Mark Contreras. When Gilberto Celestino was promoted to Triple-A, Contreras was sent back to Wichita. He played one game and went 2-for-4. When Celestino was called to the Twins, Contreras was back to St. Paul. He hit two doubles and his first Triple-A home run. 
Charlie Barnes provided the Saints with their best start of the week. He went six shutout innings and gave up three hits, walked two and struck out six batters. Chandler Shepherd gave up one run in 5 2/3 innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck one batter out. 
 
Wichita Wind Surge
Caleb Hamilton played in five games this past week. He hit .333/.350/.722 (1.072) with a double and two homers. Both home runs came in the same game. Ernie De La Trinidad played in all six games and hit .348/.400/.565 (.965) with two doubles and a home run. Jermaine Palacios and Aaron Whitefield both hit .333 while playing in all six games. 
Yennier Cano, Ryan Mason, Jovani Moran and Alex Phillips each pitched twice out of the Wind Surge bullpen this past week. They combined to throw 12 2/3 innings and gave up only one unearned run. They walked three batters and struck out 17 batters. The other highlight of the week was the return of Jordan Balazovic. On Saturday night, he made the first start of the season. He struck out five batters in 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked two batters and hit two batters. 
 
Cedar Rapids Kernels
Andrew Cabezas struck out five batters over five shutout innings in his start this week. He gave up just three hits and walked one batter. Jon Cheshire gave up only a walk over 4 1/3 innings over three games. Zach Featherstone got eight outs over two appearances. He struck out seven batters. Jon Olsen gave up one run on two hits and a walk over five innings in his start. Kody Funderburk struck out nine batters over his 4 2/3 innings. 
Alex Isola continues to be an on-base machine. In five games this week, he hit .250/.455/.563 (1.017) with two doubles and a homer. He walked six times. Max Smith played in four games and hit .438/.471/.500 (.971) with a double and four RBI. Wander Javier hit .318/.375/.591 (.966) with two doubles and two triples. He had a four-hit game. Trey Cabbage hit .333/.391/.571 (.963) with two doubles, a homer and six RBI. Spencer Steer hit two home runs on Sunday, and he also walked seven times. 
 
Ft. Myers Might Mussels
Edouard Julien has had a great pro debut, and after one rough weekend, he was strong again this past week. In five games, he hit .438/.524/.688 (1.211) with a double, a homer and three walks. Kyle Schmidt has also become a regular in these weekly reports. In four games this week, he hit .364/.500/.818 (1.318) with a triple and a homer. He also had three walks to just two strikeouts. Jefferson Morales walked six times in his five games and added two doubles. Aaron Sabato and Yunior Severino both went 6-for-20 (.300) in six games last week. 
The Mussels went 5-1 for the week, and it’s certainly in large part due to their pitching. Louie Varland had the start of the week for the Mussels. The St. Paul native tossed six shutout innings. He gave up just three hits, hit one batter and struck out six batters. Brent Headrick gave up one run on two hits over five innings on Sunday. He walked two and struck out 11 batters. Regi Grace went 4 1/3 innings of scoreless ball in his start which is impressive when you consider he gave up one hit but walked four batters and hit three more. Sean Mooney walked four and struck out five in his four scoreless innings this week. The Mussels bullpen was strong. Denny Bentley, Steven Cruz, Osiris German, and Juan Pichardo combined to work 12 1/3 scoreless innings with 19 strikeouts. Matthew Swain gave up a solo homer, but he struck out nine batters over his two appearances (4 2/3 innings). 
 
Lowlights
We are talking about small samples for these six-game weeks, so it’s important not to make any big decisions or develop a full impression on a player from this small size. It’s just a reminder of the fact that baseball is hard, and all players have good and bad stretches.  
St. Paul Saints
Lewis Thorpe gave up five runs on three hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings, and actually all of the hits and runs happened in that second inning. More noteworthy than one bad inning, however, is that he ended up going on the Injured List with a shoulder issue. Tom Hackimer gave up three runs on one hit over 1 2/3 innings. He walked seven batters. On Sunday, he walked six batters and got just two outs.  
The Daniel Delscalso struggles continued. He went 0-for-11 with seven strikeouts this past week. Jimmy Kerrigan and David Banuelos combined to go 0-for-18 with 11 strikeouts. Damek Tomscha and Drew Maggi both went 2-for-17 (.118) in five games. 
 
Wichita Wind Surge
Peter Mooney had just one hit in 18 at bats this week. In his past 14 games, he is just 4-for-49 (.082).
Reliever Brandon Koch pitched in three games. In 3 2/3 innings, he gave up six runs (5 earned) on six hits, three walks and a hit batter. He had a 12.27 ERA and a 2.45 WHIP. In his start, Cole Sands gave up five runs (4 earned) on eight hits, three walks and a hit batter.  
 
Cedar Rapids Kernels
Derek Molina gave up three runs on six hits and four walks in 3 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, a 2.73 WHIP. 
Gabriel Maciel returned to the lineup. In three games he went 1-for-10 (.100). Gabe Snyder went 3-for-23 (.130), but he did have six walks. 
 
Ft. Myers Might Mussels
It has been a struggle for 19-year-old outfielder Misael Urbina since a strong first week. Over five games last week, Urbina went 1-for-16 (.063). 
 
Trending Storyline 
We have talked about this before. Age-to-level of competition is a factor in prospect rankings, but it doesn’t need to be a primary factor in roster decisions and promotions. That said, following a missed 2020 season due to the pandemic, many of the Twins prospects began this season one step ahead of where they ended 2019. Several stayed at the same level. I thought it would be interesting to see how the current average age of hitters and pitchers at each of the four Twins full-season affiliates compares to the past couple of pre-pandemic seasons. 
 
LOW-A
2018 Cedar Rapids: Hitters (20.9), Pitchers (21.4)
2019 Cedar Rapids: Hitters (21.5), Pitchers (22.1)
2021 Ft. Myers: Hitters (21.6), Pitchers (22.5)
I would say that having Keoni Cavaco (20) and Misael Urbina (19) getting nearly everyday playing time helps keep the Low-A average age about the same. Again, many of these players were drafted in 2019 as 21-year-old college juniors (or 22-year-old seniors), and they’re just making their pro debuts (minus a few games at E-Town in 2019). 
 
HIGH-A 
2018 Ft. Myers: Hitters (22.2), Pitchers (23.5)
2019 Ft. Myers: Hitters (21.8), Pitchers (22.8)
2021 Cedar Rapids: Hitters (23.2), Pitchers (24.3) 
Several of the primary players in Cedar Rapids are guys who were drafted out of college in 2019. They were 21, and some of them got a little time in Low A Cedar Rapids at the end of that season, but they are now two years older. And the players from that previous draft are now 24 and 25, but they played in Low-A and 22 and 23. On the pitching side, you’ve got Jordan Gore who has moved to pitcher after playing shortstop in the system for a few years. He’s 26 with a 96 mph fastball and three pitches, so it’s a good move to keep him. Zach Featherstone was drafted as an OF/1B out of college but quickly was shifted to a pitcher, and then he needed Tommy John surgery in 2018. 
 
DOUBLE-A
2018 Chattanooga: Hitters (24.3), Pitchers (25.3)
2019 Pensacola: Hitters (23.4), Pitchers (24.3)
2021 Wichita: Hitters (25.1), Pitchers (25.2) 
There is a bit of a jump in the hitters’ age, and that makes a lot of sense. These are the most advanced of the prospects that unfortunately missed a season. Most of the prospects here would have likely played in Double-A a year ago. So that is noteworthy, but Peter Mooney is 30 and playing about 75-80% of the time. The same story with the pitchers who are, on average, just under a year older than in 2019. That said, they’re at essentially the same age as 2018, which is a good reminder that these numbers can vary. 
 
TRIPLE-A 
2018 Rochester: Hitters (27.2), Pitchers (25.5)
2019 Rochester: Hitters (27.2), Pitchers (26.3)
2021 St. Paul: Hitters (28.1), Pitchers (27.5)
If not for the Twins' plethora of injuries, Kirilloff (23), Larnach (24), Rortvedt (23). Instead, they found themselves in a position to sign 34-year-old Daniel Descalso and play him nearly every day. And now Ryan Jeffers (24) is back in the big leagues. 
The pitcher ages are a little higher than they have been, but that number could (or should) come down by the end of the season as I would think we would see Josh Winder, Jordan Balazovic and Cole Sands work some Triple-A innings, and Duran will certainly get more before he would be promoted. 
One thing to watch, as the injuries are piling up now, and the Twins continue to sign players out of independent leagues, those players may alter these numbers, so it will be interesting to see how they look at season’s end. And, ultimately, it won’t matter. Players need to develop at the right pace for them individually, and if players are performing, they’ll move up. 
 
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects have performed on the season (as well as too many unfortunate injuries). This was requested in the comments last week. Let me know if it provides value. 
#1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – St. Paul (2 rehab games, went 3-6 with 2 homers, 2 K), Minnesota (28 games, .238/.277/.410 (.686) with 6 doubles, 4 homers, 18 RBI, 6 BB, 30 K)
#2 - Royce Lewis (Wichita) - Out for Season (torn ACL)
#3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – St. Paul (3 games, went 3-11 with two homers, two walks, 8 strikeouts), Minnesota (25 games, .247/.389/.438 (.827) with 5 doubles, 3 homers, 8 RBI, 13 BB, 26 K) 
#4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – St. Paul (24 games, .217/.340/.446 (.786) with four doubles, five homers, 16 BB, 26 K), Minnesota (15 games, .200/.245/.380 (.625) with one double, one triple, two home runs, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 21 K)
#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 2 GS, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 14 K, 1.29 ERA, 1.14 WHIP 
#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 1 GS, 3.1 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.90 WHIP 
#7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 24 games, .242/.314/.316 (.630) with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 11 RBI, 9 BB, 30 K, 4 SB
#8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 28 games, .173/.372/.286 (.658) with 5 doubles, 2 homers, 7 RBI, 28 BB, 44 K
#9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – 4 GS, 18.0 IP, 10 H, 3 BB, 35 K, 1.00 ERA, 0.72 WHIP (went on the IL with right elbow strain)
#10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – 3 GS, 14.2 IP, 13 H, 6 BB, 23 K, 1.84 ERA, 1.30 WHIP (went on IL with right elbow strain) 
#11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesotal) – Wichita (21 games, .250/.344/.381 (.725) with 5 doubles, 2 homers. 11 BB, 24 K), Minnesota (4 games, .000/.000/.000 (.000) with 0 BB, 4 K)
#12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – St. Paul (24 games, .238/.380/.513 (.893) with one double, 7 homers, 18 BB, 31 K), Minnesota (8 games, .103/.133/.241 (375) with 1 double, 1 homer, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 13 K)
#13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 17 games, .333/.384/.621 (1.005) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 14 RBI, 5 BB, 28 K. (on IL with wrist injury)
#14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – Ft. Myers (22 games, .177/.292/.241 (532) with 1 double, 2 triples, 15 RBI, 11 BB, 21 K, 3 SB)
#15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Wichita (6 GS, 26.1 IP, 21 H, 15 BB, 34 K, 3.42 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) 
#16 - Edwar Colina (Minnesota) - 60-Day IL (elbow)
#17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – St. Paul (5 games, .286/.318/.571 (.890) with3 doubles, 1 homer, 1 BB, 6 K), Minnesota (15 games, .147/.216/.235 (452) with 1 homer, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 15 K)
#18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (injured)
#19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 29 games, .322/.394/.557 (950) with 6 doubles, 7 homers, 27 RBI. 10 BB, 14 K
#20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – St. Paul (4 GS, 16.0 IP, 13 H, 5 BB, 21 K, 2.81 ERA, 1.13 WHIP), Minnesota (2 GS, 8.0 IP, 10 H, 1 BB, 8 K, 5.63 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) 
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (Sawyer Gipson-Long, Louie Varland, Sean Mooney, Miguel Rodriguez, Brent Headrick, TBD): 
Cedar Rapids @ Beloit:(TBD, TBD, TBD, TBD, TBD, TBD)
Wichita @ Tulsa: (Josh Winder, Cole Sands, Jordan Balazovic, Chris Vallimont,  Austin Schulfer, Josh Winder) 
Omaha @ St. Paul: (Charlie Barnes, Kenta Maeda (rehab), Jhoan Duran, Andrew Albers, TBD, TBD): 
 
Feel free to provide some feedback below regarding these reports. What do you like to read? What types of information would you like added? Also, feel free to ask any questions you like.

TRANSACTIONS:
NONE
 
SAINTS SENTINEL
Bats 6, Saints 1
Box Score
Robinson Leyer: 3 IP, H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 2 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: None
The Saints took a 1-0 lead in the third when Tomás Telis drove in Keon Broxton. Unfortunately, Reds’ regulars Aristides Aquino and Joey Votto were both in Louisville’s lineup today on rehab assignments. Aquino homered to tie the game at one while Votto walked in the second run. 
The Bats scored three runs as Tom Hackimer walked six in the fourth. The Bats scored another, a solo homer against Derek Law in the fifth. The Saints went 3-for-29 with just one walk in a bullpen game for Louisville. 
St.Paul fell to 15-15, winning just two of their six games in the series. 
 
WIND SURGE WISDOM
Travelers 9, Wind Surge 0
Box Score
Chris Vallimont: 3 IP, 4 H, 4 R/ER, 2 BB, 6 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Ernie De La Trinidad (2-for-3, 2B), Aaron Whitefield (2-for-3)
Chris Vallimont struggled in his outing Sunday, surrendering four runs on four hits, including two home runs. Vallimont threw 35 strikes on 65 pitches and raised his ERA to 5.63 on the season. 
The Wind Surge offense had trouble stringing together hits against Travelers starter Tyler Herb. Ernie De La Trinidad had two hits with a double, while no one else had an extra-base hit. 
Wichita had an otherwise strong week, winning four of their six games and improving to 18-12. 


KERNELS NUGGETS
Kernels 11, Tin Caps 3
Box Score
Ben Gross: 4 ⅓ IP, 8 H, 3 R/ER, BB, 7 K
HR: Spencer Steer 2 (3, 4)
Multi-hit games: Steer (3-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB), Wander Javier (2-for-5, 2B, RBI), Jair Camargo (2-for-5, RBI, R), Michael Helman (2-for-4, 2B, BB), Alex Isola (2-for-5, 2B), Max Smith (2-for-4, 2 RBI)
The Kernels enjoyed a massive day at the plate. Spencer Steer was the catalyst, leading off the game with a homer and recording three hits on the afternoon. Steer saw his OPS rise over .800. 
Listed as a versatile infielder, Steer was drafted in the third round out of Oregon in 2019. 
The Kernels trailed 3-1 after five before breaking out for six runs in the sixth. Michael Helman roped a two-run double to center to take the lead. Max Smith followed that up with a single and Steer capped it off with a two-run homer, his second of the day. 
Cedar Rapids added on three more runs in the eighth on a Seth Gray sacrifice fly, a Wander Javier RBI single and a Trey Cabbage RBI groundout. The bats were certainly awake as the Kernels forced a split in the six-game series with Fort Wayne. 
 
MUSSEL MATTERS
Mets 2, Mussels 0
Box Score
Brent Headrick: 5 IP, 2 H, R/ER, 2 BB, 11 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: None
The Mussels surely would’ve come back to win if not for the rain ending this game in the sixth. Brent Headrick was fantastic and has now struck out 30 of the 95 batters he’s faced this season (31.6%). Headrick, 23, was selected in the ninth round of the 2019 draft out of Illinois State University. The lefty lowered his ERA to 3.74 on the season.
The Mussels went 1-for-15 with their lone single coming from Edouard Julien to lead off the fourth inning. Keoni Cavaco then grounded into a double play and the Mussels saw their lone threat end harmlessly.
Fort Myers went 5-1 this week against St.Lucie and improved to 16-14 in the series. 
 
TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Spencer Steer 
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Brent Headrick
 
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 1-for-4, BB
#2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL)
#3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 1-for-3, RBI HBP
#4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 0-for-4, K
#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch
#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch
#7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-2
#8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-2, K
#9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (elbow)
#10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (elbow)
#11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – Did not play
#12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, 3 K
#13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (wrist)
#14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – Did not play
#15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch
#16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow)
#17 - Ben Rortvedt (St.Paul) – Did not play
#18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A
#19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 1-for-4
#20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) - 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 4 K
 
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TRANSACTIONS
RHP Griffin Jax promoted to the Twins.  RHP Juan Minaya DFAd.  LHP Bryan Sammons promoted to AAA St. Paul RHP Matt Mullenbach promoted to AAA St. Paul from the Ft. Myers complex. (He was just signed on Friday from an independent league) RHP Bailey Ober promoted to Twins from AAA St. Paul RHP Matt Canterino placed on the 7-day IL for A+ Cedar Rapids (right elbow strain) LHP Lewis Thorpe placed on the 7-day IL for AAA St. Paul (left shoulder strain)  
Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 3, Louisville 6
Box Score
Bryan Sammons 4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
HR: Brent Rooker (7), Mark Contreras (1)
Multi-hit games: Mark Contreras (2-for-4, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI)
Bryan Sammons' AAA debut did not go exactly as he likely would have preferred. The lefty struggled to throw strikes consistently over his four innings of work as he was worked for four walks on top of six hits. Hopefully this is an example of a pitcher getting a stinker outing out of the way before settling into a groove.
The night started off hopeful as Brent Rooker launched a solo blast in the first inning to kick off the scoring. The notoriously snarky Saints twitter account claims the ball went 449 feet and who am I to call them liars?
If you want to try to measure for yourself, here is the video: 
I wish the good news could continue but it does not. The appropriately named Bats came back to score two in the first inning. Although, one of the runs came via a walk, so maybe the name is not quite as appropriate as I thought (petition to create a team named the “Walkers” can be created by someone else who is less lazy). 
A Mark Contreras homer in the sixth inning put the game in reach for the Saints but the Bats fortified their lead with runs in the bottom half of the inning as well as the eighth. 
A rehabbing Joey Votto went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple. Naturally, the only way to beat the Saints is to have an MLB All-Star play for your team. 
Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 6, Arkansas 4
Box Score
Jordan Balazovic: 3 ⅓ IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
HR: Caleb Hamilton (1, 2), Andrew Bechtold (2)
Multi-hit games: Jose Miranda (2-for-3, R, BB), Jermaine Palacios (2-for-4, R), Roy Morales (2-for-4, R), Caleb Hamilton (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI)
The big news of the day in Wichita was the debut of Jordan Balazovic. The righty, along with Jhoan Duran, creates what most consider a future 1-2 punch that will lock down the Twins rotation for a number of years. That might be looking too far forward, how did he do today?
Balazovic threw 62 pitches to nab 10 outs. Half of them came via the strikeout. That’s just how he does things. Unfortunately, this also came with two walks and two hit batters. That’s not how he does things. But this start was just an effort in shaking off any potential rust that Balazovic may have had and to that point he was quite successful.
That was the main story on the mound, what about in the box? That belonged to Caleb Hamilton who blasted not just his first homer of the season for Wichita, but also his second. Good things do come in bunches. Not to be overshadowed, Andrew Bechtold had a home run of his own sandwiched in between Hamilton’s vulgar display of power.
I should also point out that Jose Miranda dropped two hits in the game along with a walk and now is up to a terrifying .950 OPS. I cannot imagine trying to be a pitcher against Miranda during his incendiary start to the season. 
 
Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 11, Fort Wayne 5
Box Score
Andrew Cabezas: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
HR: Alex Isola (1)
Multi-hit games: Wander Javier (4-for-6, 3B, 2B, 4 R, 2 RBI), Trey Cabbage (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB), Alex Isola (2-for-3, HR, 2B, R, 4 RBI, BB), Max Smith (2-for-5)
Remember all those snarky things that I said last week about the Kernels offense? Well, evidently they were not too pleased by them because they gave the TinCaps the business on Saturday.
Cedar Rapids wasted no time getting the scoring started on Saturday as they burst out of the gates with three runs in the first. Gabe Snyder grounded out to plate the first run before Wander Javier decided that triples are cooler than nerdy outs. While ground outs are nerdy, scoring on passed balls are what all the popular kids do and no kid was more popular today than Javier as he waltzed home later in the inning. 
Things were relatively silent on the Western front in the game until the fifth inning. Trey Cabbage blasted an opposite field double that plated Javier for the second time in the game (he would score an absurd four times). 
The Kernels offense decided to give the TinCaps pitching staff a short breather before storming back in the 7th and 8th innings with an almost insulting amount of runs. The seventh inning saw a Cabbage single, a wild pitch, and an Alex Isola double to add three runs to their total. The eighth inning was more efficient as far as run scoring went. Javier doubled home Snyder before Alex Isola delivered his first homer of the year over the left-center field fence. 
While the entire focus is on the offense (as it typically will be in an 11-5 game), Andrew Cabezas deserves a shout out as well. He fired off five quiet innings with just four baserunners allowed. His season ERA now sits at an impressive 2.42.
 
Mussel Matters
Fort Myers 9, St. Lucie 4
Box Score
Miguel Rodriguez: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Yunior Severino (2-for-5, R, RBI)
Normally I would talk about something great that happened in the game or would say something vague like “the Mighty Mussels lost a close one on Saturday” but I wanted to start out by mentioning that the St. Lucie Mets committed seven (!!!) errors. Seven. How is that even possible?
The Mighty Mussels took full advantage of those errors by plating nine runs during a comfortable win. Six players nabbed an RBI while all but two scored a run. That kind of consistently great output can only be matched by David Bowie.
Oddly enough, only two times did the Mighty Mussels score a run off of a hit. Yunior Severino’s first inning single and Kyle Schmidt’s seventh inning triple were the sole culprits. Every other run was scored via a sacrifice fly, a ground out, or an error. Truly an unusual way to win a ballgame but hey, a win is a win. If the other team is handing you runs, then all you can do is thank them. 
 
TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Cabezas, Cedar Rapids Kernels 
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Wander Javier, Cedar Rapids Kernels 
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 1-4, R
#2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL)
#3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – Did not play
#4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, K
#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch
#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 3 ⅓ IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
#7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 1-5, RBI, K
#8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 1-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K
#9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – IL (right elbow strain)
#10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – IL (right elbow strain)
#11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 0-3, K
#12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, K
#13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – IL (wrist/hand) 
#14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, RBI, K
#15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch
#16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow surgery - not Tommy John)
#17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play 
#18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A
#19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 2-3, R, BB, K
#20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch
 
SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Iowa (11:00 AM) - TBD
Arkansas @ Wichita (12:05 PM) - RHP Chris Vallimont
Cedar Rapids @ Fort Wayne (11:05 AM) - RHP Ben Gross
St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (10:00 AM) - LHP Brent Headrick

TRANSACTIONS
RHP Shaun Anderson promoted from St. Paul to Minnesota RHP Hunter McMahon to the 7-day IL with an elbow strain (Ft. Myers)  
SAINTS SENTINEL
Louisville 6, St. Paul 3
Box Score
Tomas Telis hit a 3-run home run, but the Saints’ bats were largely quiet during their loss to the Bats Thursday night. They were only able to gather two hits as a team, the other being a double off the bat of Mark Contreras.
Additionally, Jhoan Duran - Twins Daily’s No. 5 prospect in the Twins system - looked like a mere mortal. He struggled with control all game, which resulted in him dishing out five walks and three hits in four innings of work. The good news was that the Saints stretched him out to 82 pitches, meaning he’s on pace for 95-100 in a week or so. The bad news was that he threw only 38 strikes; that’s a pretty putrid 46.3% strike rate. 
Outings like what he displayed Thursday night is the biggest factor preventing Duran from appearing in the upper-half of the league’s top 100 prospects. He’ll have nights where he’s unhittable, but he’ll also have nights where he can’t located the zone at all.
That said, he was still pumping 101 mph and his ERA now registers at 3.27, so there is plenty to still be very excited about.
 
WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 7, Arkansas 6
Box Score
The Wind Surge won a wild one against the Travelers Thursday night in Wichita. The team led 5-1 heading into the seventh inning when the Wichita bullpen was touched for five runs across the final two frames. However, Jermaine Palacios played the hero, walking it off with a single to score Jose Miranda.
All nine of the Wind Surge’s hits were singles with Andrew Bechtold and Aaron Whitefield contributing the only multi-hit games. Whitefield and teammate BJ Boyd each drove in two runs.
Josh Winder took the mound for Wichita and, much like Duran, didn’t have his best showing. That said, he was still able to power through 6 ⅓ innings, even though it took him 83 pitches to do so. He struck out four and allowed a season-high three runs, elevating his ERA to 2.05. Yeah, he’s still doing just fine. Jovani Moran struck out two in his one inning of work out of the pen, lowering his ERA to 1.00 and giving him 27 strikeouts in 17 ⅔ innings. Could we see him in a Twins uniform before the end of the season?
KERNELS NUGGETS
Fort Wayne 8, Cedar Rapids 6
Box Score
The Kernels scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to make this game appear as though it were closer than it actually was. Michael Helman led Cedar Rapids at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double as well as his fifth home run of the year, which earned him Minor League Hitter of the Day recognition. Seth Gray (4) and Leobaldo Cabrera (2) also contributed homers - Cabrera brought all four runs home in the ninth with a grand slam - but the remainder of the Kernels’ hits failed to produce any runs.
Cedar Rapids went with an all bullpen game on the mound, with four pitchers - Owen Griffith, Tyler Palm, Melvi Acosta, and Tyler Watson - combining to strike out five and walk six. Palm was saddled with the loss after he allowed six runs over his two innings, though only two were earned. Watson was arguably the most successful of the group, tossing three innings, striking out two, allowing one hit, and not surrendering any runs.
 
MUSSEL MATTERS
Ft. Myers 7, St. Lucie 0
Box Score
Louie Varland and the rest of the Ft. Myers’ squad lived up to their mascot’s namesake en route to shutting out the Mets. Varland earned Pitcher of the Day honors for his effort, as he struck out six and did not give up any runs over the span of six innings. (The game was called after eight innings due to rain.) You won’t find Varland’s name on the list of top Twins’ prospects, but thus far this season he’s accumulated 34 strikeouts in only 20 innings and owns a 3.15 ERA. He’s one to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Keoni Cavaco had a promising day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with his first career triple. Yunior Severino also contributed a multi-hit game to improve his batting average to .211 and OPS to .637. While those numbers won’t jump off the page, he is trending in the right direction having registered at least one hit in six of his last 10 contests. Catcher Kyle Schmidt went 2-for-4 on the night including his first professional home run.
 
TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day- Louie Varland: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 78 pitches (57 strikes)
Hitter of the Day- Michael Helman: 3-for-4, 2B, HR(5), RBI, 2 runs
 
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 0-for-1, K
#2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL)
#3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-for-4, 2 K
#4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 2-for-3
#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 2 K, 82 pitches
#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back)
#7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 2-for-4, 3B, RBI
#8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-4, BB
#9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch
#10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (elbow)
#11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 0-for-3, K
#12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, 3 K
#13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (wrist)
#14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-3, 2 RBI
#15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch
#16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow)
#17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play
#18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A
#19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 1-for-3
#20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch
 
FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Louisville (4:35PM CST) – RHP Rob Whalen (0-1, 1.69 ERA)/G2 TBD
Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Cole Sands (0-0, 2.45 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Fort Wayne (6:05PM CST) – RHP Jon Olsen (0-3, 4.61 ERA)
St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Sean Mooney (0-1, 1.17 ERA)
 
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Caleb “Meat Raffle” Thielbar landed on the Minnesota Twins injured list Thursday with a strained groin, joining Byron Buxton, Mitch Garver, Kenta Maeda, Max Kepler, Luis Arraez, Devin Smeltzer, Rob Refsnyder, Jake Cave, and Edwar Colina. While this staggering list of casualties is alarming for both the front office and Twins fans, it’s a blessing in disguise for the team’s accountants.
“We have ten players on the injured list,” said a senior employee with knowledge of the situation. “Next one’s free.”
Multiple sources confirmed that the Minnesota Twins purchased the Major League Baseball Silver Plan for health insurance, which contains a codicil for catastrophic injuries stating that every player over the tenth on a team’s injured list will have all medical expenses covered.
“It’s supposed to be triggered by acts of god, a tornado landing in the bullpen, Kent Hrbek bringing room temperature ‘guaca-mayo’ to the clubhouse, things like that,” said the source. “But the rapid accumulation of injuries did the trick.”
This is a major change from previous years, when the notoriously thrifty team stuck with MLB’s Mild Bronze Plan, in which snake handlers, disgraced veterinarians, and bloodletters were considered primary care physicians, Tylenol cost $800 per bottle, and the only in-network hospital was the abandoned church in Stull, Kansas.
“Given the pace of injuries, we expect at least 1-3 more Twins to be eligible for free care before players return to the active list,” said the source. “Did that Chinese satellite ever land? You’ve gotta figure it’s gonna fall right on Josh Donaldson’s calf. Hell, I’m calling it now.”
NOTE: The interview with the source was cut short when a swarm of cicadas attacked J.A. Happ’s face.

For this week again, let’s start with a Question of the Week. Leave your responses in the Comments section.  
Question of the Week: Which Twins prospect do you most want to see called up to the Twins this year? (that hasn’t already been called up) 
 
As always, I welcome your feedback on what you would like to see from these Week in Review articles, so let me know in the comments below. Of course, I also encourage you to read Nick’s Twins Week in Review from yesterday. 
With that, let’s look at Week 4 in the Twins minor leagues: 
RESULTS
Triple-A: St. Paul Saints: Week (6-0 @ Iowa), overall (13-11) Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge: Week (3-3 hosting Springfield), overall (14-10) High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels: Week (2-4, hosting Wisconsin), overall (10-14) Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: Week (3-3 at Lakeland), overall (11-13) 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
With the Twins struggles this season, we have had a lot of minor league articles and the daily minor league reports. In case you missed any of them...  
Twins Minor League Week in Review: Six-Game Series Tuesday: Blowout Bonanza  Wednesday: Two Touchdowns and an Electric Outing  Thursday: The Saints Come Marching In Patience Important for On-Base Machine Edouard Julien  Friday: Jax, Canterino Continue to Shove  Saturday: A No-Hitter and a Walk-Off  Sunday: Twins System Sweeps the Day  Minnesota’s Forgotten Prospect 
News & Notes 
Let’s start with a potential, maybe soon-to-be-announced transaction since we don’t have a daily minor league report today. Let the speculation begin. 
We are in the middle of “handing out” our monthly minor league awards: 
Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month - May 2021 Minor League Hitter of the Month - May 2021 Minor League Relief PItcher of the Month - May 2021 - Coming Soon! Early in the week, Saints (and Twins) LHP Andrew Albers left the team to join Team Canada at the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Florida. Albers started the first game for Canada on Monday and threw the first seven innings of the team's no-hitter against Colombia. 
On Sunday, the Mighty Mussels tossed a combined shutout which puts them in second place in the league. 
There have been very few six-game sweeps in the minor leagues so far this season, but that’s what the St. Paul Saints did in Iowa this past week. The team went into the series hitting just .161 (.9-for-56) with Runners in Scoring Position and two outs. Now, they are .247 after going 10-for-21 (.476) during the series. Overall, the Saints increased their season batting average from .215 to .227 after hitting .258 in the series. 
The Saints pitchers have not given up a home run in seven straight games. They have only allowed 12 home runs all season which is tied for the seventh fewest in all of Minor League Baseball.
No reports yet on how Balazovic’s performance went on Monday, but if you look at the pitching probables at the bottom of this page, you’ll notice there are a couple of TBDs this next weekend. (also, the TBD in Cedar Rapids is interesting). 
 
Highlights
We will start with the Twins choices for the organizational hitter and pitcher of the week, and then mention several other Twins prospects who had good Week 4 performances too. 
Twins Player of the Week: Jermaine Palacios, Wichita Wind Surge   
Jermaine Palacios returned to the organization he began his career with, and thrived with. He was traded to the Rays in exchange for Jake Odorizzi. Palacios really struggled in Double-A. He signed with the Twins this offseason and is off to a fantastic start. 
This week, Palacios played in all six games and hit .318/.464/.591 (1.055) with two home runs. He also walked six times. He has played in 23 of 24 games and is hitting .311/.398/.478 (.876) with three doubles and four home runs. He’s also playing fantastic defense at shortstop. 
Twins Pitcher of the Week: Griffin Jax, St. Paul Saints    
In his start this past week, Jax tossed six shutout innings at Iowa. He gave up one hit, walked two and struck out ten batters to earn the Twins nod for pitcher of the week. 
Jax was the Twins third round pick in 2016 from the Air Force. He has continued to move on up and began this season with the Saints. Overall this season, Jax is 3-1 with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.33 ERA. In 27 innings, he has given up 26 hits, walked ten and struck out 29 batters.  
 
Other Strong Performances this Week
JT Riddle, St. Paul Saints: Riddle played in five games this week and went 10-for-20. He hit .500/.545/.950 (1.495) with three home runs, including two in Sunday’s win. 
Damek Tomscha, St. Paul Saints: Tomscha played in four games, he hit .267/.313/.733 (1.046) with a double and two home runs (both on Saturday night). 
Brent Rooker, St. Paul Saints: Rooker missed two games with a minor injury, but in four games this week, he hit .316/.316/.684 (1.000) with one double and two home runs. 
Charlie Barnes, St. Paul Saints: The southpaw starter gave up just one run on five hits over seven innings in his start in Iowa. He walked just one batter. 
Jhoan Duran, St. Paul Saints: In Duran’s second start of the year, he struck out eight batters in four innings of one-hit ball. 
RHP Ian Hamilton/Robinson Leyer/Rob Whalen: These three veteran bullpen arms combined to work 10 scoreless innings over six appearances. They struck out 12 batters. 
Jose Miranda, Wichita Wind Surge: In six games, he hit .346/.433/.538 (.972) with two doubles and a big, game-tying, two-run homer. He also had three walks to just one strikeout. 
Andrew Bechtold, Wichita Wind Surge: Bechtold got off to a slow start, but he had a terrific week. In six games, he hit .304/.360/.565 (.925) with three doubles and a home run. 
Gilberto Celestino, Wichita Wind Surge: The outfielder had a nice week (as the Twins might need another center fielder). . In six games, he hit .321/.345/.536 (880) with three doubles and a walk-off home run. 
Jovani Moran, Wichita Wind Surge: The lefty reliever threw twice and gave up just one hit over five scoreless innings. He walked two and struck out five batters. 
Cole Sands, Wichita Wind Surge: Sands made one start and threw four scoreless innings he gave up just one hit, walked three and struck out six batters. 
Seth Gray, Cedar Rapids Kernels: The third baseman turned 23 on Sunday and finished a very strong week. In six games, he hit .313/.522/.563 (1.084) with a double and a home run. He also walked five times (and was hit twice) with just two strikeouts. 
Matt Canterino, Cedar Rapids Kernels: Canterino struck out 10 batters over four innings of work. He gave up three hits, but he didn’t hurt himself with walks. And, he was named the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month for May.  
Kody Funderburk, Cedar Rapids Kernels: The lefty struck out nine batters over 4 2/3 scoreless innings in his start this week. He gave up three hits and walked two batters. 
Ben Gross, Cedar Rapids Kernels: Gross had his best start of the season for Cedar Rapids. He struck out eight batters over 4 2/3 innings of one-run baseball. He gave up just three hits and one walk. 
Melvi Acosta/Zach Featherstone/Tyler Palm, Cedar Rapids Kernels: These three relieves combined to work 7 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run. They struck out 14 batters without walking any. (if you want, you can add a one batter-one out appearance from infielder Daniel Ozoria too. 
Kyle Schmidt, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: The catcher played in four games and hit .417/.588/.583 (1.172) with two doubles and four walks. The defense-first catcher is off to a great start. 
Jeferson Morales, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: The catcher/outfielder played in six games this week and hit .294/.429/.529 (.958) with a double and a home run. 
Sawyer Gipson-Long, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: The 2019 sixth-round pick struck out eight batters over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up five hits and one walk. 
Brent Headrick, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: The lefty who was the Twins’ ninth-round pick in 2019 struck out five over five shutout innings. He gave up two hits and walked one. 
Hunter McMahon, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: The right-hander came to the Twins a year ago in the Ryne Harper trade with the Nationals. On Sunday, he tossed five shutout innings, striking out seven batters and walking just one. He gave up four hits. 
Sean Mooney, Ft. Myers Mighty  Mussels: The 2019 12th round pick from St. Johns returned from the IL and tossed three, one-hit innings. He struck out five batters. 
Bradley Hanner, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: The hard-throwing righty went two-for-two in save opportunities this week. In three innings, he gave up one hit, walked one and struck out three batters. 
Denny Bentley, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: The lefty from Howard College was good this week. Bentley struck out eight batters over three innings in his appearance. 

Lowlights
We are talking about small samples for these six-game weeks, so it’s important not to make any big decisions or develop a full impression on a player from this small size. It’s just a reminder of the fact that baseball is hard, and all players have good and bad stretches.  
St. Paul Saints
Keon Broxton missed a couple of games after rolling his wrist on a diving catch. In the three games he played, he had one hit in 12 at bats. Daniel Descalso had two hits on Sunday. Before that, he had one hit in 37 at-bats. In fact, Descalso had a stretch in which he went 0-for-40, the longest hitless streak of his career. On Sunday, he finally had a bloop, pop up single that was completely misplayed by the shortstop and third baseman, but then he followed it up with a double the next at bat. 
Andrew Vasquez was a candidate for reliever of the month before his outing this weekend. He was striking out a ton of batters and throwing strikes. Then he walked four batters (and struck out one) in 1/3 of an innings. 
Wichita Wind Surge
Peter Mooney had just one single in 19 at bats over five games (.053). He had one walk and 16 strikeouts. 
Lefty Bryan Sammons made two starts and gave up eight earned runs over a combined eight innings. In the first start of the week, he gave up solo home runs to the leadoff batter in three of the first four innings and that’s about it. The second outing involved more hits to score the runs. 
Cedar Rapids Kernels
They scored ten on Sunday, but it was a rough week for the Kernels. They were no-hit in Game 1 of Saturday’s double-header, and then didn’t get a hit in Game 1 until there was one out in the sixth inning of Game 2. Jair Camargo played in five games and went 0-for-15, though he did walk four times. Their other catcher, Alex Isola played in five games as well, and he went 0-for-10, though he walked six times. Gabe Snyder went 1-for-11 in four games. Spencer Steer went 3-for-20 (.150). 
Relievers Jordan Gore and Derek Molina each pitched twice this week. Each worked 3 1/3 innings. Each gave up five earned runs for a 13.50 ERA. Owen Griffith gave up six runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings of relief. Four of the runs scored in one inning. 
Ft. Myers Might Mussels
Justin Washington was signed recently and just added to the Mussels roster this week. He played in five games and went 2-for-18 (.111) with three walks and seven strikeouts. Aaron Sabato hit just .118. He had seven walks (good) and nine strikeouts (not good) in 24 plate appearances. 
 
Trending Storyline 
We have seen it with the big-league club. Injuries have absolutely devastated the Twins and other teams around baseball. It’s no different in the minor leagues. 
Matt Wallner (wrist) and Blayne Enlow (elbow) will both miss some time. Keoni Cavaco returned on Sunday after missing a week with a shoulder injury. Brent Rooker has missed a few games. Ft. Myers has had a handful of pitchers miss time. 
Simply put, the Twins have needed bodies, and they are signing players from all over the place to help fill rosters. Just since the beginning of the season, the Twins have added the following players: 
Justin Washington: The 23-year-old was the Dodgers 35th round pick from Savannah State in Georgia. He was released a month ago. Needing outfielders in the lower levels, the Twins signed the burly, strong outfielder and he has joined the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels. 
Daniel Descalso: The Twins started having injuries and players were being called up from Rochester. There was the COVID situation. Tzu Wei-Lin went on the IL. Zander Wiel on the IL. The Twins signed the 10-year MLB veteran utility man who spent last season with the Cubs alternate site. He has struggled since joining the Saints (see Lowlights). 
BJ Boyd: The burly outfielder reached Triple-A in 2018. He missed the 2019 season, and was going to play for the Lancaster Barnstormers in 2020, but their season was cancelled. He was having a strong spring training for them, and the Twins needed an upper-level outfielder. In his first game, he had four hits. 
Sherman Johnson: Johnson reached Triple-A with the Angels in 2019. However, this season, he was set to join the Kane County Cougars, a former Midwest League team that is now an independent league team. He has been a utility guy for Wichita since joining the team. 
Brandon Koch: Koch signed to play with the Twins in 2020 and pitched in spring training, but after the minor league season was cancelled, he pitched for the Sugar Land Lightning Sloths of the Constellation Energy League. He was going to play with the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association this year. After signing, he pitched briefly with the Cedar Rapids Kernels a couple of times before moving up to Wichita. 
Rob Whalen: The former big leaguer retired from baseball in February of 2019 due to depression and anxiety. He returned in 2020, going to Mets spring training, but was released in May. He signed with the West Virginia Power of the Atlantic League , but before the season started, the Twins signed him. He began with a couple of games in Wichita and is now with the Saints. 
Jordan Milbrath: The Springfield, MN, native reached Triple-A for Cleveland and Miami in 2018 and 2019, respectively. In 2020, he went to spring training with the Diamondbacks but was sent home due to COVID. He actually played amateur baseball for Springfield. He works as a financial advisor, but the Twins convinced him to head to Ft. Myers where he’s been getting ready for an assignment. 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects have performed on the season. This was requested in the comments last week. Let me know if it provides value. 
#1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – St. Paul (2 rehab games, went 3-6 with 2 homers, 2 K), Minnesota (21 games, .256/.289/.474 (.764) with 5 doubles, 4 homers, 15 RBI, 4 BB, 22 K)
#2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL)
#3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – St. Paul (3 games, went 3-11 with two homers, two walks, 8 strikeouts), Minnesota (20 games, .228/.389/.456 (.845) with 4 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBI, 12 BB, 19 K) 
#4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – St. Paul (24 games, .217/.340/.446 (.786) with four doubles, five homers, 16 BB, 26 K), Minnesota (11 games, .147/.216/.176 (.393) with one doubles, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 18 K)
#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – St. Paul (2 GS, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 14 K, 1.29 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) 
#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back)
#7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – Ft. Myers (19 games, .230/.305/.297 (.602) with 2 doubles, 1 homer, 8 RBI, 7 BB, 24 K, 4 SB)
#8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – Ft. Myers (23 games, .138/.355/.263 (.618) with 4 doubles, 2 homers, 7 RBI, 24 BB, 40 K) 
#9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Cedar Rapids (4 GS, 18.0 IP, 10 H, 3 BB, 35 K, 1.00 ERA, 0.72 WHIP)
#10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Cedar Rapids (3 GS, 14.2 IP, 13 H, 6 BB, 23 K, 1.84 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) - elbow injury, out 6-8 weeks. 
#11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – Wichita (21 games, .250/.344/.381 (.725) with 5 doubles, 2 homers. 11 BB, 24 K). 
#12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – St. Paul (19 games, .227/.366/.470 (.836) with one double, 3 homers, 15 BB, 24 K), Minnesota (8 games, .103/.133/.241 (375) with 1 double, 1 homer, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 13 K)
#13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Cedar Rapids (17 games, .333/.384/.621 (1.005) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 14 RBI, 5 BB, 28 K) - wrist injury. 
#14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – Ft. Myers (17 games, .206/.320/.286 (606) with 11 RBI, 9 BB, 18 K, 3 SB)
#15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Wichita (5 GS, 22.0 IP, 13 H, 12 BB, 28 K, 2.45 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) 
#16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow)
 https://www.instagram.com/p/CPYBUTeph4x/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link 
#17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – St. Paul (5 games, .286/.318/.571 (.890) with3 doubles, 1 homer, 1 BB, 6 K), Minnesota (13 games, .179/.258/.286 (544) with 1 homer, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 11 K)
#18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (injured)
#19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – Wichita (24 games, .319/.389/.564 (953) with 5 doubles, 6 homers, 24 RBI. 8 BB, 11 K)
#20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – St. Paul (4 GS, 16.0 IP, 13 H, 5 BB, 21 K, 2.81 ERA, 1.13 WHIP), Minnesota (1 GS, 4.0 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 9.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) 
 
LOOKING AHEAD
St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (Regi Grace, Sawyer Gipson-Long, Louie Varland, Sean Mooney, Hunter McMahon, Brent Headrick): 
Cedar Rapids @ Ft. Wayne:(Tyler Beck, Kody Funderburk, TBD, Jon Olsen, Andrew Cabezas, Ben Gross)
Arkansas @ Wichita: (Chris Vallimont, Austin Schulfer, Josh Winder, Cole Sands, TBD, TBD) 
St. Paul @ Louisville: (Charlie Barnes, Jhoan Duran, Chandler Shepherd, Bailey Ober, Griffin Jax, Charlie Barnes): 
 
Feel free to provide some feedback below regarding these reports. What do you like to read? What types of information would you like added? Also, feel free to ask any questions you like.
 

There were some bright spots in May, certainly more than there were in April, but another losing month is still dissatisfying. If you’re looking for a bit more balanced look back at the month with a few positive notes mixed in, here’s a video I recorded on the team’s ups and downs for the month.
Just want to dwell on the downs? Let’s do it. This is my list of five, it’s subjective and partially based on expectations. Share the guys you were most disappointed in down in the comments.
Nelson Cruz 
Is it age, injuries or just a bad stretch of luck? Cruz hit .221/.302/.360 (.662 OPS) in May. It’ll come as no surprise that is his worst month as a Twin, but this is the lowest OPS he’s posted in a month since June of 2015.
Cruz was hit in the wrist by a pitch on May 20 and went 2-for-18 for the rest of the month. With all the other injuries to other veterans this team needs Cruz to be the guy. Here’s hoping the further we get away from that wrist injury the better he starts to look.
Josh Donaldson
Donaldson’s overall line wasn’t exactly a trainwreck, he hit .222/.328/.404 (.732 OPS) in May. That was aided by closing on a game in which he reached base four times. The real problem with his performance was what he did in high-leverage situations.
Donaldson was 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position and hit .158/.208/.211 in 24 plate appearances in those situations. He entered the final day of the month with the worst WPA among all Twins hitters. Thankfully, hitting with runners in scoring position isn’t very predictive, so there’s no reason to believe Donaldson won’t bring in more runs this month.
J.A. Happ
One of the biggest bummers of May was the Twins went 1-5 against the Chicago White Sox. Happ was part of the reason why the Twins did so poorly, giving up 15 earned runs in seven innings pitched across two starts against the Sox. 
Happ had an 8.49 ERA in five starts during May and opponents hit a ridiculous .320/.380/.567 (.947 OPS) against him.
Jorge Alcala
This may seem like a surprising entry on the list, but I was really hoping Alcala could emerge as a solution to fixing some of the Twins’ bullpen woes. He may ultimately prove to be just that, but he didn’t take advantage of the opportunities provided to him in May.
Alcala had a 4.35 ERA and 1.07 WHIP on the month, but issued nearly as many walks (five) as he had strikeouts (six) in 10 1/3 innings pitched. He gave up a two-run homer in the sixth inning of a tie game against Chicago and another two-run homer in the eighth inning while trying to protect a one-run lead against Baltimore. 
I would have love to see him shine in those moments. Maybe next time.
Andrelton Simmons
I’m just done with this guy. Not really in a “I think the Twins should release him” type of way, because he’s one of their few healthy regulars. More in a “I don’t like watching baseball whenever he’s hitting” kind of way.
Simmons wasn’t brought in for his bat, of course, but he hit .228/.297/.304 (.601 OPS) in May with 21 strikeouts, the most he’s recorded in one month ever. He entered this year with a strikeout rate below 10%, which is basically the only interesting thing about him offensively. He struck out in 20.8% of his plate appearances in May.
The last bit of disappointing news to go over is that you all are going to have to put up with seeing more junk like this from me. I have stepped down from the content editor role I’ve served in here at Twins Daily since March of 2018 and will instead be focusing my efforts solely on content creation once again. Deal with it.

TRANSACTIONS
C Ben Rortvedt called up to Minnesota Twins (from St. Paul) RHP Ryan Shreve called up to Cedar Rapids (from Ft. Myers) RHP Jonathan Cheshire to Cedar Rapids (from Wichita) SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 7, Iowa 3
Box Score
The Saints wrapped up their 6-game sweep of the I-Cubs and won their seventh game in a row Sunday afternoon.
Bailey Ober started on the mound for St. Paul and was dominant the first time through the order. He struck out the first six batters he faced and had opponents looking foolish with his curveball.
However, his command dropped off precipitously in the third and fourth innings which resulted in him surrendering four hits - three of them doubles - two walks and three runs. 
Ober’s fastball sat in the 91-93 mph range, a continuation of what he displayed during his start with the Minnesota Twins as well as what he reportedly achieved at the alternate site last summer. It would appear as if this increase in velocity is legitimate and not just the result of increased adrenaline while pitching at Target Field.
An Ober with a 93 mph fastball is a rather compelling prospect, much more so than one that tops out at 89 mph.
At the plate, JT Riddle led the charge with two home runs and four RBI. Brent Rooker - who upped his OPS to .836 - and Ryan Jeffers also hit a ball over the fence.
WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 6, Springfield 5
Box Score
A run apiece in the bottom of the seventh and eight innings pushed the Wind Surge past the Cardinals. Jermaine Palacios hit a game-tying home run in the 8th inning and David Banuelos scored the winning run on a wild pitch. 
Jovani Moran and Ryan Mason combined to pitch five innings in relief and struck out four while not allowing a single run; Mason was credited with the win.
Jermaine Palacios went 2-for-4 and contributed his fourth homer of the year. Gilberto Celestino, Jose Miranda and David Bañuelos - all of whom hit doubles - added two hits apiece.
Miranda has been one of the more promising Twins’ hitting prospects this spring as he is slashing .319/.389/.564 with six home runs and five doubles. He’s also appeared at second, third and first base and performed well at all positions. While he is likely best suited at second or third in the long run, his defensive versatility as well as his power potential makes him a valuable prospect in the Twins’ system.
KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 10, Wisconsin 2
Box Score
One day after nearly being no-hit twice, the Kernel bats exploded in their rout of the Timber Rattlers.
Cedar Rapids hit two grand slams - one apiece from Wander Javier and Michael Helman - marking the first time the franchise has accomplished the feat since the 2018 season when two little known prospects named Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff did so in a win over Beloit.
“Never,” Helman said when asked if he had ever played in a game before in which his team hit two grand slams. “I think that’s a rarity.”
“I was just trying to get something in the air and in the outfield knowing there’s baseloaded and one out. I just happened to catch the jetstream up there,” Helman said of his grand slam.
Helman (4) and Javier (5) combined to drive in the team’s nine total RBIs. 
However, not only did the bats perform well, but the pitching staff did as well. Ben Gross, Owen Griffith and Melvi Acosta combined to strikeout 13 batters and issue only one free base during the win.
“When you strike out a bunch of guys and only walk one, that’s a good job by the pitching staff,” Cedar Rapids manager Brian Dinkelman told Twins Daily.
MUSSEL MATTERS
Ft. Myers 2, Lakeland 0
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels lived up to their name on Saturday, shutting out the Flying Tigers en route to pulling off the victory.
Hunter McMahon started on the bump and struckout seven across five scoreless innings. Steven Cruz and Bradley Hanner each pitched two innings in relief and didn’t allow a single baserunner.
Misael Urbina connected for a double and a triple and drove in the team’s lone RBI. 
Keoni Cavaco returned to action after missing the last week due to a shoulder injury he sustained while swinging the bat last Sunday; he went hitless in four plate appearances.
Aaron Sabato sat out his first game of the season as part of a scheduled day off.
 
TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day- Hunter McMahon: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 71 pitches
Co-Hitters of the Day- Wander Javier: 2-for-4, GS (1), 5 RBI; JT Riddle: 2-for-5, 2 HR (3), 4 RBI
 
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 3-for-4, BB, K
#2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL)
#3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-for-2, RBI, BB, K
#4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – 1-for-3, RBI, BB, 2 K
#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch
#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back)
#7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-4, K
#8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – Did not play
#9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch
#10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (elbow)
#11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – 2-for-5, 2B, RBI, 2 K
#12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 2-for-5, HR (5), RBI, K
#13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (wrist)
#14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 2-for-4, 2B, 3B, RBI
#15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch
#16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow)
#17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – 1-for-3, HR (1), RBI, K
#18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A
#19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 2-for-4, 2B, BB
#20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 79 pitches
 
TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
All levels to be determined.
 
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