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Charles Mack is an infielder-turned-catcher. Casey Legumina is a reliever-turned-starting pitcher. Both are lesser-known prospects with big-league potential. They are also roommates this season in Cedar Rapids. One enjoys cooking. The other got food poisoning. Coincidence?? @Steven BUHR went on location to dig into their stories. You will enjoy this one. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Sure, Cedar Rapids Kernels catcher Charles Mack jumped out to a torrid start, with eight hits in 14 at-bats during the first week of the Kernels’ 2022 season, while pitcher Casey Legumina was charged with four earned runs in 3 2/3 innings of work in his sole start during that first week. And, yes, it’s true that Legumina has been doing some cooking at the home of the host family that he and Mack share in Cedar Rapids this summer. But it would be inconceivable that the food poisoning that had Mack bedridden for a couple of days and out of the Kernels lineup for five days had anything to do with Legumina being jealous of Mack’s hot start… wouldn’t it? Let’s ask them. “I got my food poisoning from him!” Mack accused when the question was raised during a joint interview near the end of the team’s most recent homestand. “No way! I wasn’t even cooking for you!” was Legumina’s response. Fortunately, it’s something Mack can laugh about now. He wasn’t laughing much when the bout of food poisoning hit during the team’s trip to play the Quad Cities River Bandits in Davenport earlier in the season. “It was not fun,” Mack said. “I got sick that Saturday.” Charles then admitted that it hadn’t been Casey’s cooking that did him in, but rather some chicken from a fast-food restaurant. In fact, the same issue sidelined at least a couple of additional Kernels. “I learned my lesson. I was in bed for a couple of days, hardly moving,” he recounted. It couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Kernels’ infielder-turned-catcher. His eight hits came in just four games during the opening week of the season and included three doubles and one home run. Naturally, any time someone gets so sick that suddenly, the first thing you wonder about is whether it was caused by COVID. “To be honest with you, I kind of almost wish it was COVID, just because then I would have known what it was,” Mack said. “I went to the E.R. to try to get some blood tests done. If I would have just had COVID, I wouldn’t have had to do any of that stuff.” Nevertheless, Mack is healthy again and back in the catching rotation with fellow Kernels backstops Jair Camargo and Jeferson Morales. Despite notching one hit in seven at-bats in the two games since recovering from his illness, Mack still sported a .409 batting average and a 1.140 OPS through Wednesday’s game at Beloit. The illness was certainly ill-timed, but Mack remains philosophical about it. “That happens. That’s life,” he said. “If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. I was meant to get sick, so we’ll see what happens from there. But it feels good and I’m ready to go.” As for that rough (at least statistically) first start for Legumina, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the numbers might indicate. He breezed through the first three-plus innings in Davenport before losing a bit of command, giving up a couple of singles and two walks in the fourth. He left the game with one run surrendered and the bases full of River Bandits. The first batter after Legumina left the mound hit a bases-clearing triple. That’s just bad luck and bad timing! In his next start, Legumina surrendered two runs in 4 2/3 innings. And in his third and most recent start, he worked five shutout innings against the Beloit Sky Carp, striking out eight batters, while walking just one and giving up one hit. That’s the kind of progress the Twins’ eighth-round pick in the 2019 draft out of Gonzaga University is looking for this season. “I feel really good. Obviously, I’ve had a lot of really good innings,” he said during the interview this week. “There were one or two innings that got away from me, but that’s part of the game. And those are things that I’m working out. Those are things I can control; things I’m working on in my bullpens now, to correct, so when I get in a game, it’s a little bit cleaner. “This year, I’m just trying to throw as many strikes as possible. For me, the big thing is my curveball, my changeup, and just really trying to refine those, get it in the zone more. (I want to) be able to throw them in counts that people aren’t expecting. I’m just trying to be more comfortable, in general, just have a better rhythm with those pitches on the mound. As long as I can do that, I feel like everything will be alright.” Mack, on the other hand, is beginning just his second year as a catcher after being selected as an infielder out of East Williamsville (NY) High School in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. Coming off a 2021 season in Fort Myers where he hit .229, Mack was happy with how he was swinging the bat to begin this season, though much of his focus has had to be on continuing his development as a catcher. “For me, I’m a new catcher, so that’s always a priority,” he said. “With that being said, in the past, I’ve been an infielder my whole life, so I’ve always expected myself to hit. Last year, I felt, was kind of a slow year. I just wasn’t as comfortable as I wanted to be. This past couple of weeks, I’ve just tried to be as comfortable as possible and as confident as possible in the box.” A big part of Mack’s work behind the plate is becoming as familiar as possible with a staff full of pitchers. “I catch all these guys a lot, so I have a good idea what they’re working on in bullpens,” he explained. "Like Casey said, the biggest thing is getting these guys in the zone. Our motto is to throw nasty stuff in the zone. If we can do that, if we can build off that, after we get ahead in the count, then we can start expanding the zone. If you’re down in the count, there’s not much you can do other than throw a fastball in the zone or flip your best off-speed pitch in the zone. Hitters pick up on that. But if you get ahead, you can do what you want.” Both Legumina and Mack, of course, had their professional plans waylaid when the COVID pandemic struck during the 2020 spring training, costing both players a full year of minor league development just as their careers were getting started. “It was mayhem,” Mack recalled. “When we found out, we were all in the Champions Hall, our big auditorium (at the Twins’ minor league academy in Fort Myers, Florida). We thought, ‘Oh, there’s no way we’re all going to be sent home.’ Then we get the news that we’re going home for a couple of weeks, and we were all shocked. And then come to find out we were going to be home for the whole year. It was a crazy time.” Naturally, a professional ballplayer can’t just take a year off, regardless of the reason for the season’s cancellation. “You kind of have to make due with what you have,” Mack said. “I was fortunate enough to have some facilities up by me (in New York) for a short period of time. Then, obviously, those got closed down as well. I just put up a little net in my garage. You make due. And I have a brother back home, so he helped. That was a blessing.” Meanwhile, almost all the way across the country, Casey Legumina was having to improvise as well. But he had another complication. He was trying to return from ‘Tommy John’ surgery, which he had undergone shortly after being drafted by the Twins in 2019. “I had my brother who plays, so that was good,” Legumina said. “Like most places in the country, everything was shutting down. There was limited capacity if they were open. “I ended up building a gym at my house. My brother and I, we just trained there, and I’d throw to him. I was in rehab at the time. So, I did all my rehab throwing to my little brother, who was my catcher. Of course, maybe all that down time gave Legumina an opportunity to refine his culinary talents. “My dad always cooked,” he said, explaining his affinity for spending time in the kitchen. “We owned restaurants growing up. My dad liked to just create things, see what tastes good. I just watched him growing up. So, I just kind of fell in love with cooking for myself, and I enjoy it. I’d rather cook for myself than go get something to eat.” It’s probably a safe bet that Mack would choose having Legumina cooking for him over going out to eat, as well… at least if the alternative is chicken from a certain fast-food joint. Whatever Legumina, Mack, and the rest of their teammates are eating, they need to stick to those diets. Through Wednesday’s win over Beloit, Cedar Rapids is 14-3 and has opened up a three-game lead over their closest Midwest League Western Division rivals. View full article

Tonight didn't have a ton of offense on the Minnesota Twins farm, but Simeon Wood-Richardson shut things down as much as Charles Mack opened them up. There was still three winning affiliates and that's a good night any day of the week. SAINTS SENTINEL Nashville 6, St. Paul 2 Box Score Minnesota acquired Ronny Henriquez in the Mitch Garver trade with the Texas Rangers and tonight he worked as the St. Paul Saints starter. Lasting just 2 2/3 innings, Henriquez gave up four earned runs on three hits and four walks. Two big flies were sent out of the park against him. Brewers star prospect Brice Turang opened the scoring with a first-inning bomb before Nashville extended things to a 3-0 lead in the 3rd inning. Jake Cave put the Saints on the board with an RBI single scoring Royce Lewis in the bottom half but the three-run deficit is as close as they’d cut it. After giving up another Sounds run on a Jon Singleton homer in the 5th inning, St. Paul drew within three again on a Derek Fisher 6th inning double. Jose Miranda scored but Curtis Terry was thrown out at third base on the play. The deficit was pushed back to four after the second Weston Wilson home run of the game in the 8th inning and that’s where things wound up. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, Arkansas 0 Box Score Stud pitching prospect Simeon Woods-Richardson was on the bump tonight for the Wind Surge. Working five scoreless innings, he’s now recorded 21 2/3 scoreless innings to start the season. He punched out four while walking three and owns an 18/7 K/BB thus far. After a weird season with an Olympics break thrown in, he looks like an incredible addition from the Toronto Blue Jays. Arkansas stifled the Wind Surge offense for the most part as well. Only four Wichita hits were recorded and single runs came in the 4th and 8th innings. Cole Sturgeon scored the first run on an Andrew Bechtold ground out while Spencer Steer was plated on a Michael Helman single. In a game that was largely devoid of offense, Wichita produced when needed. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Beloit 0 Box Score Looking for continued dominance the Cedar Rapids Kernels gave the ball to Brent Headrick tonight and he handled business. Working five scoreless innings, Headrick allowed just three hits while punching out seven and giving up no free passes. The bullpen came on to shut it down and preserve a shutout as the Kernels improved to a staggering 15-3 on the year. On the offensive side of things, the Kernels were largely held in check. Only two batters recorded base hits prior to the final frame. In the 9th inning Jeferson Morales started things off with a single before advancing to 2nd base on a wild pitch. Wander Javier then drew a walk before a Charles Mack double drove in two. The Kernels closed things out in the bottom half and it’s been nothing short of an amazing start to the season. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Clearwater 2 Box Score John Stankiewicz has been nothing short of dominant to start 2022 for the Mighty Mussels and he continued that streak tonight. Working 5 2/3 innings, the Fort Myers hurler gave up just a single unearned run on five hits. Stankiewicz also added three strikeouts with just one walk while lowering his season ERA to 0.83. After getting behind in the first inning, Fort Myers remained resilient and broke through in the 5th inning. A Jesus Feliz double drove in Noah Cardenas before Kala’i Rosario left the building for his second big fly of the season. Although Clearwater came within on during the bottom of the 7th inning, that’s as close as they’d get in this one. Cardenas was the lone Mighty Mussels batter to record a two-hit night, and he’s pushed his season OPS to .843. Mike Paredes worked 2 1/3 innings of relief for Stankiewicz allowing just a single run on four hits while recording five strikeouts and allowing no free passes. Matthew Swain then came on to close it out in the 9th inning. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Simeon Woods-Richardson (Wichita) 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day – Charles Mack (Cedar Rapids) 2-4, 2 RBI, 2B PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 1-4, R, K #3 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 1-4, R #4 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - IL #8 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K #10 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, BB, K #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) - 2-3, 2 R, RBI, 2B #12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 0-2, 2 BB, K #15 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, 2 K #16 - Ronny Hendriquez (St. Paul) - 2.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, K #18 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 1-3, R, 2B #19 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-5, 3 K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Nashville @ St. Paul (6:37PM CST) - RHP Chi-Chi Gonzalez Wichita @ Arkansas (7:05PM CST) - RHP Matt Canterino Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:35PM CST) - RHP Sean Mooney Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - RHP David Festa Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! It sure is exciting to have all four Twins full-season affiliates back and playing. View full article

Although the Twins suffered another bad loss at the hands of the Boston Red Sox, the Twins minor-league affiliates had better games on Sunday afternoon as the Saints, Wind Surge, and Kernels all won their games. The Mighty Mussels lost but played a close game that went down to the final pitch. TRANSACTIONS There were no transactions in the Twins' minor leagues on Sunday. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Indianapolis 1 Box Score SP: Jake Faria - 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Royce Lewis (2-4, R, RBI (5)), David Banuelos (2-3, 2B, R, RBI (3)) The Saints finished their first homestand against the Indianapolis Indians winning 5-1 Sunday thanks to a strong start from Jake Faria and five scoreless innings from the bullpen. The offense cooled off from Saturday’s 16-13 victory over Indianapolis. The scoring started for the Saints with an RBI double from catcher David Banuelos in the bottom of the third driving in second baseman Elliot Soto. Two at-bats later, Royce Lewis drove in Banuelos to make it a 2-1 Saints lead. In the bottom of the sixth, the Saints were able to tack on two more runs thanks to a groundout from left fielder Jake Cave that scored Lewis. In the next at-bat, designated hitter Chance Sisco reached base on an error that scored first baseman Curtis Terry, making it a 4-1 Saints game. The final run of the game came again from the bat of Cave as he had another ground out that scored center fielder Mark Contreras, tallying the final run of the Saints 5-1 victory. Faria showed great improvement in his second start for the Saints Sunday, decreasing the number of walks he surrendered from five last Sunday against Louisville to two today. After completing four innings, Faria was once again replaced by Chi Chi Gonzalez. Gonzalez took on the next three innings for the Saints keeping Indianapolis hitless and only allowing two base runners on walks. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Northwest Arkansas 1 Box Score SP: Brandon Lawson - 3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K HR: Matt Wallner (1), Michael Helman (1) Multi-hit games: Kevin Merrell (2-4, 2 RBI (3), K) After starting the season 0-3, the Wind Surge have gone 4-2 and won this week's series against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. The final score for the Wind Surge on Sunday was the exact same as the Saints with the 5-1 victory over the Naturals. The Wind Surge had a strong outing from starter Brandon Lawson. He provided the rotation 3 2/3 innings pitched against the Naturals allowing nine base runners but somehow giving up only one run. The Wind Surge bullpen only allowed three base runners in the remaining 5 1/3 innings of the game. On the offensive side, Wind Surge right fielder Matt Wallner and third baseman Michael Helman each hit their first home runs of the season to give the Wind Surge insurance runs. Shortstop and Wind Surge newcomer Kevin Merrell had his first multi-hit game of the season going 2-for-4 and driving in a couple of runs. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 2 Box Score SP: Aaron Rozek 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Charles Mack (3-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI (5)), Anthony Prato (2-5, 2 RBI (10) 2 K), Kennie Taylor (2-3, R, 3B (1), BB, K) The Kernels took home their seventh win of the season on Sunday to finish out their series against the Quad Cities River Bandits. Aaron Rozek made his second start of the season for the Kernels and pitched a phenomenal five innings allowing only three base runners, and one unearned run while striking out seven batters. Even with Christian Encarnacion-Strand out of the lineup for the Kernels on Sunday, their bats were still able to produce a high-scoring game. The hitting surge for the Kernels was led by Charles Mack who went 3-for-4 and brought his batting average for the season up to .533 in 15 at-bats. Also keeping up his hot streak for the Kernels was Anthony Prato who had two hits and two runs batted in to bring his RBI total to ten in the Kernels' first nine games. The bullpen pitched an effective game after Rozek’s departure having four different relievers come in for an inning each. The Kernels bullpen totaled four innings pitched, four hits, one run, five strikeouts and no walks Sunday afternoon. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Jupiter 4 Box Score SP: Travis Adams 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K HR: Jake Rucker (1) Multi-hit games: Mikey Perez (2-4, R, K), Ernie Yake (2-4, R, K) The Mighty Mussels were the only Twins affiliate to drop a game on Sunday. The Mussels were trailing the Jupiter Hammerheads 4-1 going into the bottom of the ninth. They were able to score two runs and make it a close game until the final out. Mussels starter Travis Adams once again had a great start for his teammates going five innings, allowing only three base runners, and striking out seven. The Hammerheads were able to score three runs against Mussels reliever Jaylen Nowlin in his second inning of work in the top of the seventh. Coming out of the bullpen for the Mussels after Nowlin was Regi Grace who only gave up one run in his 2 1/3 innings pitched. On the offensive side Mussels' third baseman Jake Rucker hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth that brought the Mussels a run away from tying the game. :Left fielder Kyler Fedko went hitless during Sunday’s game but reached base twice on walks, maintaining his OPS at 1.238 for the season. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Travis Adams (Ft. Myers) - 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Day – Charles Mack (Cedar Rapids) - 3-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI (5) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins' top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-5, SB (6), K #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 2-4, R, RBI (5) #3 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 0-3, BB #10 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, 2 BB, 3 K, SB (2) #12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 1-3, R, HR (1), RBI (2), BB, K #18 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 0-4 TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS All Twins Minor League Affiliates are off on Monday and will resume their games on Tuesday, April 19. The only Monday in which there will be minor-league games is July 4th (and some for the Saints in September). St. Paul @ Toledo (5:35 PM CST) - Midland @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Matt Canterino Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - Fort Myers @ Dunedin (6:30 PM CST) - Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games as the second weekend of the minor and major league seasons has concluded. View full article

While the St. Paul Saints we’re snowed out or postponed because of wind, you can take your pick, the rest of Minnesota’s system was in action this evening. Louie Varland shoved for the Wind Surge, and the Mighty Mussels walked it off. TRANSACTIONS St. Paul added both RHP Tyler Bashlor and RHP Jake Petricka to their active roster. Fort Myers added RHP Cody Stashak on an MLB rehab assignment SAINTS SENTINEL The Saints were scheduled to play Indianapolis after being no-hit last night, and it would’ve been a perfect opportunity to get the bad taste out of their mouths. Unfortunately the Minnesota weather in April continues to be a disappointment, and a snowy day with temperatures in the low 30s also brought significant wind. The game will now be made up as a doubleheader on May 25. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 7, NW Arkansas 1 Box Score Wichita gave the ball to Louie Varland tonight and he certainly made it difficult to take back. Working 5 and 2/3 innings, Varland gave up just two hits while punching out ten and walking one. After a tough 2022 debut, he was back to dominance. It wasn’t just Varland that did the dominating tonight for the Wind Surge either. The offense came through in a big way and it started from the jump. In the 1st inning Spencer Steer ripped a triple to score Austin Martin, who made his first start in the Twins organization at second base tonight. In the 3rd inning it was Steer again, this time launching a homer to drive in Cole Sturgeon. Wichita piled on in the 6th inning after forcing NW Arkansas into a bad spot. Chris Williams drew a bases loaded walk before a Martin fielder’s choice plated another. Then Sturgeon came through with a two-run double and the 7-0 rout was on. Despite giving up a run in the 7th inning, this one was never in doubt for Wichita. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 1: Cedar Rapids 8, Quad Cities 5 (F/7) Box Score Playing a doubleheader after a postponement yesterday, Cedar Rapids turned to Sean Mooney in game one. He went three innings while allowing two runs on three hits and striking out seven. Although it was a shorter appearance, the damage was done only after the Kernels had six runs of their own. Charles Mack started the scoring by driving in Seth Gray on a 2nd inning single. Will Holland then followed his lead and plated both Alerick Soularie and Mack. Up 3-0, Mack continued built on his strong night with a three-run blast to left center. Quad Cities clawed back in the bottom half adding two, and then tacked on another in the 5th. Cedar Rapids looked for distance again quickly however, and they found in the form of an Anthony Prato sac fly, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand single. Now up 8-3 heading into the bottom of the 6th inning, a five-run lead provided enough buffer as the River Bandits did add two before this one was over. Both Gray and Mack put up three-hit efforts in game one. Mack pushed his season OPS to a ridiculous 1.768, which surpasses even the hot start from Encarnacion-Strand. Game 2: Quad Cities 4, Cedar Rapids 3 (F/7) Box Score Wanting to keep the perfect record going, the Kernels gave Casey Legumina the ball in game two. He worked 3 and 2/3 innings while allowing four earned runs on four hits. He did strike out five while walking two. Prato started the scoring in the nightcap with a two-run blast that brought Wille Joe Garry Jr. home as well, but the lead was erased in the 4th inning. Quad Cities scored four runs to double up Cedar Rapids. Not giving up, Gray continued his hot night with a solo shot in the 6th inning that halved the lead. Cedar Rapids made things interesting after Garry Jr. moved to second base in the 7th inning following a walk, but that was as far as the rally came. It took six games, but Cedar Rapids took their first loss of the season. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 8, Jupiter 7 Box Score Pierson Ohl took the ball tonight for the Mighty Mussels and was lifted after 57 pitches. In his three innings of work he allowed six runs (five earned), on seven hits while punching out two. The longball was the story as he gave up two that left the yard. After trading runs in the first inning, Fort Myers seeing Noah Miller scamper home on a wild pitch, the game was broken open in the 3rd inning. Ohl surrendered a pair of homers allowing Jupiter a five-run lead. Fort Myers continued to battle though, and their next run would come on another error. Avoiding a pickoff and seeing the ball squirt away, Emmanuel Rodriguez raced across the plate in the 6th inning. After giving that tally back in the 7th inning, Dillon Tatum crushed his first professional homer, a three-run shot scoring Noah Cardenas and Kyler Fedko. Down by two headed to their final at bats, the Mighty Mussels muscled up. Noah Miller led off the inning with a walk, and then was followed by Rodriguez. Cardenas was plunked and the bases were loaded. After a Fedko strikeout, Kala’i Rosario grounded into what should’ve been a game-ending double play. Instead Jupiter threw it away allowing two runs to cross the plate. After shutting down the Hammerheads in the top half of the 10th inning Fort Myers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half. Jupiter attempted a 1-2-3 double-play on a ball back to the pitcher but the catcher threw it away and allowed Dylan Neuse to score the winning run anyways. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Louie Varland (Wichita) - 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K Hitter of the Day – Charles Mack (Cedar Rapids) - 3-4, 3 R, 4 RBI, HR(1) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-5, 2 R, RBI, 2B, K #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - No Game #3 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - No Game #4 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - IL #5 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - No Game #6 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - Did Not Pitch #7 - Jhoan Duran (Minnesota) - No Game #8 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - Did Not Pitch #9 - Josh Winder (Minnesota) - No Game #10 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) - No Game #12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 0-5, 3 K #13 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - No Game #14 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K #15 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 2-2, 2 R, 3 BB #16 - Ronny Hendriquez (Development List) - N/A #17 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - IL #18 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 2-4, R, 3 RBI, 3B #19 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - IL #20 - Steve Hajjar (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CST) - LHP Devin Smeltzer Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CST) - LHP Brent Headrick Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! It sure is exciting to have all four Twins full-season affiliates back and playing. View full article

Entering the 2021 season, Minnesota hoped to have one of baseball's best catching duos. That plan didn't work perfectly, so where does the organization sit when it comes to the catching spot? Current Catchers: Mitch Garver and Ryan Jeffers Like most of the Twins roster, Garver and Jeffers struggled out of the gate before the team decided to make some changes. Garver ended April with a .644 OPS while Jeffers sat with a .393 OPS and a Triple-A demotion. In May, Garver raised his OPS by nearly 200 points, with Jeffers out of the picture. Unfortunately, he suffered a gruesome groin injury at the beginning of June that forced him to the sidelines until July 19. Jeffers took advantage of the opportunity to post a .905 OPS in his first 15 games after the Garver injury. The hot streak didn't last as he hit .191/.269/.382 (.651) in his final 59 games. Garver returned from injury with two home runs in his first game back. He looked like the 2019 version of Garver for the season's final 27 games as he posted a .927 OPS. With two MLB caliber catchers, Minnesota has an opportunity to trade one of their controllable assets this winter. However, keeping both catchers allows the team a chance to do what they planned in 2021. Jeffers has an opportunity to prove his season was a fluke, and Garver can continue to mash. 40-Man Roster Options Outside of Garver and Jeffers, Ben Rortvedt is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. Last season, he made his big-league debut and hit .169/.229/.281 (.510) in 39 games. Rortvedt's scouting report is a defense-first catcher as he has a career .672 OPS in five seasons. Last season, he threw out seve4n of a potential 16 runners for a 44% caught stealing percentage while the league average was 23%. Rortvedt should spend most of 2022 at Triple-A while filling in when needed at the big-league level. On the Farm Options Not all of the players listed below are guaranteed to be on the team's roster at the start of next season. Still, it offers some insight into the organization's catching depth. Minnesota has a slough of veteran catching options populating the rosters in the upper minors. Besides Rortvedt, all four of the projected Triple-A catchers are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. David Bañuelos, Stevie Berman, Caleb Hamilton, and Chris Williams all saw catching time, with multiple players also getting time at first base. Berman was acquired last August from the Dodgers for LHP Andrew Vasquez. Obviously, there won't be five catchers on the Triple-A roster, so some of these players will be used at other levels. At Double-A, Jair Camargo and Jeferson Morales have the potential to be a very good catching duo. Camargo joined the Twins as part of the Kenta Maeda trade, and he collected 21 extra-base hits in 71 games last year. Morales combined for an .808 OPS last season with 12 home runs and 24 doubles between Low- and High-A. Both players will be 23 years old to start next season, and it seems more likely for them to end the season at Double-A. There are a few other names to watch in the minor's lower levels. Charles Mack was Minnesota's 6th round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft out of high school in New York. Last year as a 21-year-old, he spent the entire season at Low-A with a .738 OPS in 73 games. Patrick Winkel and Noah Cardenas were taken in last year's draft's 8th and 9th rounds. Each should debut at Low-A next season. Overall, Minnesota has catching strength at the MLB level with a few prospects to watch during the 2022 campaign. What do you think about the organization's depth at catcher? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Minnesota surprised some last offseason by signing Josh Donaldson to a four-year, $92 million contract. The former MVP was coming off a tremendous season with Atlanta where he posted a .900 OPS and won MLB’s Comeback Player of the Year. Donaldson has the biggest free agent contract in team history, but what does that mean for the future of third base in Minnesota?Current Third Baseman: Josh Donaldson Donaldson’s first season in a Twins uniform didn’t go exactly as planned as he was limited to 28 games. When he was on the field, he hit .222/.373/.469 with eight extra-base hits in 81 at-bats. Injuries have been the story of the second half of Donaldson’s career. Outside of his 2019 season in Atlanta, he missed time in 2017, 2018, and 2020. Minnesota was well aware of Donaldson’s injury history and now he is under contract for at least the next three seasons. For all players, the 2020 season came with unique challenges and this can impact players in different ways. Minnesota can hope that a more normal 2021 season will allow Donaldson to get back being close to the player he was in Atlanta a few seasons ago. On the other hand, Minnesota is going to need to have some back-up options if Donaldson’s calf issues continue to plague him. 40-Man Options Besides Donaldson, the Twins have other 40-man roster options to play third base even with the possible departures of Marwin Gonzalez and Ehire Adrianza as free agents. Travis Blankenhorn got a brief call-up last year as he appeared in one game and went 1-for-3 with a double. There is a chance he is given the opportunity to serve in the team’s utility role during the 2021 campaign. Another option for the Twins is to sign or trade for a shortstop and this allows Jorge Polanco to move into a utility role. Polanco has undergone off-season ankle surgery in each of the last two off-seasons and the Twins might want to add some infield insurance On the Farm Options Outside of the options mentioned above, there are other third base options in the minor leagues including some strong prospects. Download attachment: Twins Minor League 3B.JPG Miranda, a 2016 second round pick, was available to be selected in last week’s Rule 5 Draft, but no other organizations selected him. He showed a good balance of power and plate discipline in 2019, and he can play multiple infield positions. Bechtold, a 2017 fifth round pick, split time between Low- and High-A back in 2019. Both players will see time at Double or Triple-A next season. Mack, Steer and Gray all spent some of the 2019 season in Elizabethton with Gray and Steer making appearances at Low-A before season’s end. Mack was taken out of high school while Gray and Steer have multiple years of collegiate experience. All three players have a chance to reach Double-A by the end of the 2021 season. What do you think about the future of third base in Minnesota? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. OTHER POST IN THE SERIES - SHORTSTOP MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Yet another full slate of games were actually played in full today (a rarity this year) that came with some great starting pitching performances. That, a new but familiar name, and the notable rise of a meteoric prospect in this edition of the minor league report.TRANSACTIONS -INF Jose Miranda placed on the temporary inactive list -RHP Sean Poppen optioned to AAA Rochester -RHP Andro Cutura transferred to AA Pensacola -RHP Cody Allen reportedly signed to a minor league deal, no assignment or official announcement yet Not a transaction, but Jordan Balazovic recently moved into the MLB pipeline top 100 list which gives the Twins 5 prospects on the list now (Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Brusdar Graterol, Trevor Larnach, Jordan Balazovic). RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Toledo 2 Box Score Devin Smeltzer: 4 ⅔ IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 66.3% strikes (57 of 86 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: None The Red Wings were involved in a low-scoring affair on Saturday which I thought was illegal to do at AAA this year but evidently it is allowed, go figure. The Red Wings were only able to scratch across three hits along with three walks and a hit-by-pitch with just one of those hits going for extra bases. Devin Smeltzer was unable to complete five innings but Cody Stashak, Gabriel Moya, and Ian Krol were able to pick it up after him by not allowing any runs over 3- 1/3 in relief while punching out five. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 2, Jacksonville 3 Box Score Charlie Barnes: 4 ⅔ IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 67.6% strikes (50 of 74 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Lewin Diaz (3-for-4, 2B, RBI) The Blue Wahoos lost a close one this Saturday by just a single run. Lewin Diaz was promoted a few days ago and naturally he has struggled early as he adjusts to the new level… Or not. Diaz went 3-for-4 and his OPS at AA so far is a blistering 1.230, it would be hard to make a case that any other hitter in the Twins system has had a better year than Diaz as he just continues to rake. Anthony Vizcaya took the hard-luck loss as he worked 2 1/3 in relief and gave up just a single run. Unfortunately, that was the go-ahead run and Vizcaya therefore had to take the loss. He still holds 0.64 ERA on the season at AA however so he should not feel too bad. The starter for the Jumbo Shrimp was top prospect Sixto Sanchez who was acquired by the Marlins over the offseason. Sanchez did not disappoint as he allowed just two runs over seven innings. But this is a report for the Blue Wahoos, so the compliments will end there. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Jupiter 7 Box Score Jordan Balazovic: 5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 64.0% strikes (55 of 86 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Gabriel Maciel (2-for-2, 2 R, BB, 2 HBP), Royce Lewis (2-for-5), Trevor Larnach (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB) The Miracle lost a rough game on Saturday that was not without a few great individual performances. The top of the Miracle lineup got the job done as the first four batters in the lineup reached base a combined eleven times. After that, the 5-9 batters combined for just three times where a base was reached safely and that came with nine strikeouts. No one told Gabriel Maciel that A+ is supposed to be harder than A because he reached base every single time he came to the plate on Saturday and is off to a flaming start at A+ that comes with an OPS of 1.188 in his small sample. Jordan Balazovic labored somewhat but still ended his outing with just a single earned run given up over his five innings of work. Joe Record and Calvin Faucher were not as good as they gave up a combined five earned runs in two innings after Balazovic was taken out. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 5 Box Score Josh Winder: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 65.2% strikes (60 of 92 pitches) HR: Trevor Casanova (1) Multi-hit games: None Josh Winder was great yet again as he continues to rack up the quality starts with great peripherals. His season ERA now sits at an elite 2.66 which is the sixth lowest among qualified starters in the Midwest league. Trevor Casanova blasted his first home run of the year as the association of hitters in the Twins system named “Trevor” continue to impress this year. Casanova was also the only Kernel batter to reach base multiple times in the game. The game was close late but some sloppiness from the Kernels defense allowed the tying run to score in the seventh thanks to an error and the Kernels were walked-off in the ninth because of a stolen base by Peoria that happened to coincide with a wild pitch that allowed the runner to score. E-Town E-Notes Elizabethton 1, Kingsport 5 Box Score Ryan Shreve: 3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 77.1% strikes (37 of 48 pitches) HR: Charles Mack (1) Multi-hit games: None The other Twins (junior Twins? Diet Twins? I’ll think of more), fell to Kingsport this Saturday to fall to 2-3 on the season so far. The lone little Twins’ run came from Charles Mack’s first professional home run which came in the first inning. Freshly drafted Spencer Steer recorded his first professional hit in the fifth inning with a sharp infield single. The little brother Twins struck out twelve Kingsport hitters over eight total innings but they just could not quite get the BABIP to go their way. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Josh Winder Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Lewin Diaz PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-5, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 1-for-4, 2B #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured list #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 K #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 1-for-3, 2 K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did not pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Tommy John surgery, out for year #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 0-for-4, K #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured list #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-3, RBI, BB, K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 0-for-3, BB #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured list #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, RBI #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - With the Twins-did not pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 0-for-3, BB #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - Temporary inactive list SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Toledo (3:05 P.M.) - LHP Lewis Thorpe Pensacola @ Jacksonville (2:05 P.M.) - RHP Jorge Alcala Fort Myers @ Jupiter (12:00 P.M.) - RHP Cole Sands Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (5:05 P.M.) - RHP Andrew Cabezas Elizabethton @ Kingsport (3:00 P.M.) - LHP Brent Headrick Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article

That fire? Oh, don’t worry, that’s just Brent Rooker. In today’s doubleheader for Rochester, Rooker reached safely in six of his seven plate appearances. Hit hit a home run for the fourth straight day and added a pair of doubles for good measure. Come see what else happened across the system Friday.TRANSACTIONS -Free agent RHP Drew Hutchison signed, assigned to Rochester. -Fernando Romero placed on the IL (back strain) -RHP Andro Cutura promoted from Pensacola to Rochester. -LHP Kody Funderburk (oblique strain) and SS Ricky De La Torre (hamstring strain) placed on IL for Cedar Rapids. -Added to the Miracle roster is RHP and 2019 draftee Tyler Beck. -Added to the Kernels’ roster are SS Daniel Ozoria and LHP Petru Balan. RED WINGS REPORT Game 1: Toledo 1, Rochester 0 (7 innings) Box Score Drew Hutchison: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 65.9% strikes (56 of 85 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: None Welcome to the organization, Drew Hutchison. On the same day his signing is announced, Hutchison throws five shutout innings for the Wings. He’d pitched to a 5.14 ERA in 63.0 innings with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, making his final appearance with them Jun 11. Jake Reed gave up a leadoff triple in the sixth. Jaylin Davis lost a high fly ball in the sun, recovered to make an effort at a diving catch, but couldn’t come up with it. That was followed by an RBI single. Reed managed to induce a double play, then struck out the final batter he faced. Other than that, not much doing in the first half of this twinbill. Brent Rooker reached base in all three of his plate appearances. He hit a double, drew a walk and was hit by a pitch. Game 2: Rochester 9, Toledo 8 (7 innings) Box Score Andro Cutura: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 59.4% strikes (51 of 69 pitches) HR: Brent Rooker (11) Multi-hit games: Brent Rooker (2-for-3, 2B, HR, BB), LaMonte Wade (2-for-2, 2 BB), Wilin Rosario (2-for-4), Jaylin Davis (2-for-3) Ah, I see now. The Red Wings were just saving all their runs for Game 2. And they needed them all. Andro Cutura had a rough start to his Triple-A debut, giving up four runs in the first inning. But Rochester answered with two runs in the bottom of the first, then added three more to take the lead in the third. Toledo regained the lead in the fifth inning, but the Wings counterpunched again. A big four-run fifth inning was highlighted by a Brent Rooker two-run homer. He’s been on fire, and is now hitting .301/.412/.590 on the season. Here are some highlights of what he's done over the past few days, including today's homer. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 8, Jacksonville 1 Box Score Randy Dobnak: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 70.3% strikes (64 of 91 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Aaron Whitefield (3-for-5, 2B), Travis Blankenhorn (2-for-4, 2B, 2 BB), Lewin Diaz (2-for-5) Pensacola had a 5-1 lead by the middle of the second inning. Randy Dobnak and Tom Hackimer knew what to do from there, as they combined to shut out Jacksonville from there forward. The Blue Wahoos did not issue a walk in this game. Pensacola was 6-for-17 with runners in scoring position. Travis Blankenhorn, Lewin Diaz and Aaron Whitefield drove in a pair of runs each. Blankenhorn also scored three times. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 11, Jupiter 7 Box Score Tyler Watson: 4.1 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 68.4% strikes (54 of 79 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Gabriel Maciel (2-for-4, BB), Royce Lewis (2-for-5), Trevor Larnach (2-for-4, 2B), Ryan Jeffers (2-for-4), Ernie De La Trinidad (2-for-5) This is about a week’s worth of runs in the Florida State League. The Miracle jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the top of the second and never looked back, despite a few nice comeback efforts from Jupiter. The first eight batters reached safely for Fort Myers in that big second inning. Trevor Larnach hit his 23rd double of the year, putting him just one shy of the team-leading mark from last season, which was shared by Travis Blankenhorn and Alex Kirilloff. Gabriel Maciel has gotten off to a hot start in his first exposure to the FSL. He’s reached base five times in his first two games with the Miracle, and stole his first base after swiping eight bags down in Cedar Rapids. Zach Neff pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out four batters to earn the victory in what was his High-A debut. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 2 (11 innings) Box Score Luis Rijo: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 67.1 K% (47 of 70 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Estamy Urena (2-for-3, BB) The Kernels entered the bottom of the ninth up 2-0, but Peoria hit back-to-back solo homers to send it into extras. Gilberto Celestino delivered the go-ahead run with a double in the 11th inning and Alex Schick managed to pitch around the “bonus” runner starting the inning at second base in both the 10th and 11th innings to earn the win. Shick struck out three of the seven batters he faced. Luis Rijo is on quite the roll. He’s pitched five shutout innings and surrendered just one hit in all three of his most recent starts now. E-TWINS E-NOTES Kingsport 7, Elizabethton 2 Box Score Andriu Martin: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 75% strikes (57 of 76 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Anthony Prato (2-for-5), Charles Mack (2-for-5), Seth Gray (2-for-5), Tyler Webb (2-for-4), Willie Joe Garry Jr. (2-for-4, 2B) The Twins had plenty of traffic on the bases and Andriu Martin pitched pretty well for the most part, but Kingsport hit a couple of big homers off him. Charles Mack extended his season-opening hit streak to four games, and Tyler Webb now has recorded multiple hits in three of E-Town’s four games. Seth Gray had his second straight multi-hit game. Matt Wallner was 1-for-4 with a walk. Max Smith, the Twins’ 31st-round pick, picked up his first professional hit tonight. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Alex Schick, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Brent Rooker, Rochester TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed 1. Royce Lewis (FM): 2-for-5, RBI, R, K, E (throw) 2. Alex Kirilloff (PNS): 1-for-5, RBI, R, K 4. Trevor Larnach (FM): 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI 5. Wander Javier (CR): 0-for-4, 2 K 6. Brent Rooker (ROC): 1-for-1, 2B, BB, HBP | 2-for-3, 2B, HR, BB 3 RBI, 2 R 11. Nick Gordon (ROC): 0-for-3 13. Ryan Jeffers (FM): 2-for-4, 3 RBI, R 14. Ben Rortvedt (PNS): 1-for-3, 2 BB, R 16. Gilberto Celestino (CR): 1-for-5, 2B, RBI, K 18. LaMonte Wade (ROC): 1-for-3, K | 2-for-2, 2 BB, 2 R 20. Jose Miranda (FM): 0-for-4, HBP, R, K, E (fielding) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Toledo, 6:05 pm CT (TBD) Pensacola at Jacksonville, 5:35 pm CT (Charlie Barnes) Fort Myers at Jupiter, 4:30 pm CT (Jordan Balazovic) Cedar Rapids at Peoria, 6:35 pm CT (Josh Winder) Elizabethton at Kingsport, 5:30 pm CT (TBD) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

UPDATE- The 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook is now available! Paperback versions of the 161 page book will cost $17.99 this year. Electronic version will be available for $12.99. It is a PDF that will be available to download immediately. For more information on the handbook,, please read below. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I think even the Twins’ harshest critics would have to admit that the Twins minor league system is stronger and deeper than it was just two years ago, or even just last year. Very soon, the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook will be available. Check back to Twins Daily later this week to find out how you can purchase the book. Below, find out more about what you will be able to find in the 2019 edition.Ten years ago, I got the idea of taking my knowledge of the Twins minor league system and turning it into a coffee table book for Twins fans. Think about how often during a Twins game Dick Bremer will mention a minor league player and someone wonders aloud who that player is and when we might see him in the big leagues. Reach down to your coffee table, grab the Prospect Handbook and sound like a genius when you tell him all about that player, his background, his stats and a scouting report on him. That was the original purpose of the book, but now it’s even more than that. First, my “knowledge of the Twins minor league system” wasn’t real high in 2008 relative to now. Second, it’s constantly evolving and I still know only a percentage of all there is to know. We have seen the evolution of the game on and off the field. The Twins have made many changes in their minor leagues. They’ve switched affiliates. They’ve added technology. They’ve added more coaches and coordinators. The goal is to make the players the best they can be and use whatever they can to get them to the big leagues and contribute. Third, and really probably #1 on this point, is the saying that has been included in every single Twins Prospect Handbook since that first edition and will again be in the 11th annual Twins Prospect Handbook as well. Minor league baseball players are doing all the same work that the big leaguers do. They are just doing it with far less fanfare, smaller per diems, less luxurious travel and hotel arrangements, and noticeably lighter wallets due to pay checks with far fewer zeroes. These players deserve to be recognized too. It’s about the players. They deserve the recognition. They work hard, and they earn what they get. Sometimes that means a big league career, and sometimes it means peaking in A-ball. So, here is a quick look at what you will find if you order a copy of the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (which will again be available in paperback and PDF). THE COVER Finn Pearson, who has done a lot of really good graphic work for Twins Daily since earlier this year, did a very nice job on the cover It would be hard for me to explain if we had gone with anyone other than Alex Kirilloff and Royce Lewis on the 2019 handbook cover. You will also notice that the beautiful stadium in Pensacola is in the background. The home of the new Twins Double-A affiliate sits right along the Gulf of Mexico. THE AUTHORS Seth Stohs - As mentioned above, this is my 11th Twins Prospect Handbook. Hard to believe. I wrote three articles for the handbook this year. I wrote the three Twins Daily Minor League Award winner articles. I had 30+ minute phone interviews with our three winners, Alex Kirilloff, Tyler Wells and Andrew Vasquez and penned an in-depth article on each. There are a lot of similarities in the stories and their are a couple of very solid relationships among these players. And as you saw the other day, they have a lot of respect for each other. Cody Christie - Cody was first a Co-Author on the Prospect Handbook in 2013. He wrote an interesting article looking into the first few seasons of Joe Mauer’s professional career and compared it to whatt Royce Lewis has done. Has there been a passing of the torch? Tom Froemming - This is Tom’s second Prospect Handbook. He wrote an article about how the Twins have brought in so much young talent over the last couple of years since Derek Falvey took the reigns. They have really used every potential means. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dan Hayes - Hayes joined The Athletic as the Twins beat writer almost a year ago, and he has been a terrific writer and a great follow on Twitter this offseason. We are thrilled that he wrote an article for this year’s Prospect Handbook. He wrote about a lot of the changes that happened over the last year or so in the Twins minor league system on and off the field. Chris Blessing - Chris writes about prospects for BaseballHQ.com and several other sites including USA Today Sports Weekly and the Minor League Baseball Analyst. In his scouting, he has seen many Chattanooga Lookouts games in recent years, and he noticed some things about Twins prospects in 2018 that are encouraging. Ted Schwerzler - Ted has contributed an article the last few years in which he projects which prospects will make their debuts with the Twins in 2019 and when. For the first time we have enlisted the help of the Twins minor league affiliates and have an article from each of the affiliates (with the exception of the GCL Twins). Rochester Red Wings media relations director Nate Rowan wrote a great article on the rich history of the Red Wings and baseball in Rochester. Includes some remarkable stories including one from a game the Red Wings played in Cuba in 1959 that got more than a little scary.Daniel Venn did a Q&A for Twins Daily recently. He is the media relations director for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Daniel shared with us the relatively short, but interesting history of the Blue Wahoos.Marshall Kelner is the media relations director for the Ft. Myers Miracle. He wrote an article on the team’s history and the 2018 Miracle Florida State League championship team.A long-time contributor at Twins Daily and of the Prospect Handbook, Steve Buhr met with the Cedar Rapids Kernelsfront office for a very interesting article on how much winning matters to a minor league affiliate.Mike Gallagher was the play-by-play man of the Elizabethton Twins. He wrote about the E-Twins long history with the Twins organization and recent legislation that hopefully will keep that relationship intact moving forward.Mariana Guzman writes at Twins Latinos. She wrote a good article about the 2018 season in the Dominican Summer League including who some of the better prospects might be on that team. Who could be the guys moving up to the Gulf Coast League in 2019? We admittedly have not covered the Twins Dominican Summer League in the book or on Twins Daily as much as we should, so this is a great addition to the book.THE PROFILES We like to call the prospect profiles the meat and potatoes of the Prospect Handbook. There are over 160 profiles of Twins minor leaguers in the book. I might give you an exact number, but we will update the book after Thursday’s Rule 5 draft to add any players that the Twins select. So, that number is subject to change between now and the book’s release. For those that have purchased Prospect Handbooks in the past, you have an idea of what the profiles look like and the information in each. For those of you who have not purchased previous Prospect Handbooks, well, you can buy previous Prospect Handbooks here. Ha! However, we wanted to include a profile here just to give you an idea of what you are getting. Here is a quick snip of a player profile. The header information includes height, weight, how they were acquired and their 2018 statistics. The 2018 Recaps were written by Tom Froemming and they, well, recap the player’s 2018 season. I (Seth) wrote up the Background section and the Scouting Report. The Background covers their amateur days and previous seasons. The Scouting Report provides, well, a scouting report on the player. We also include a Forecast for ‘19 in which we try to give a good idea of where each player could spend the 2019 season. We have pictures of a lot of the players in the bios. I wish we had all, but we definitely want to thank all the photographers that were willing to let us use their photos. So there you have it. The 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook is coming very soon. Keep checking back to Twins Daily and we will let you know when it is available. It’s something that Tom, Cody and I are really proud of. It just keeps getting bigger and better, and we hope that you will enjoy it too! 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