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Jaylen Nowlin is one of the most intriguing prospects in the Minnesota Twins organization. He's left-handed. He throws hard. Good secondary pitches. Get to know him a bit in a new Twins Spotlight. Image courtesy of William Parmeter Jaylen Nowlin grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents encouraged him to play many sports and keep busy, so he did, and in doing so developed some great friendships. Once he reached high school, his focus turned solely toward baseball. That decision appears to be the right one for the talented lefty. At Westlake High School, he teamed with Lawrence Butler, one of the top prospects in the Oakland A’s organization. He had committed to West Virginia, but the A’s selected him in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. He had a solid season in the High-A Midwest League in 2022 and a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. Butler was added to the 40-man roster last November and has a chance to debut in 2022. Through seven spring training games, he is 8-for-14 (.571) with three doubles, a triple, and a home run. With a few players who are now pros and several who played in college, how good was their team? Nowlin admitted, “Shockingly, not that good. We had the talent, but we definitely lacked the discipline. We had a lot of fun, but discipline was probably our weakest point.” In the summers, Nowlin and Butler played on a local team in regional and national Perfect Game tournaments and did very well. Former Atlanta Braves outfielder Marquis Grissom led the team. His son, Marquis Grissom, Jr., was on the team. He went to Georgia Tech and was drafted by the Nationals in 2021. Also on the team was 2022 National League Rookie of the Year, Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris. Harris was called up to Atlanta from Double-A at the end of May, and he went on to use an incredible toolset to hit for average, showed his power, and showed great speed on the bases and in center field. Marvin Freeman spent parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues. He was the pitching coach on the team. Along with Grissom, they provided some much-needed mentorship. “Those two have really pushed my career along since I was like 14 years old. Marvin Freeman is the best pitching coach I could ever ask for. He is just a guru with it. He knows how to make everything make sense, help out, and have all the cues. Without him, I would be a different pitcher right now.” Nowlin recalls, “There was a lot of competition on the team and a lot of competition that we placed against.” He later said, “We did some damage in those Perfect Game tournaments. We were a deep team, pretty much an all black team. A deep team too. We had a lot of talent.” Jaylen Nowlin has been around excellent players for a long time. He was putting up a quality resume in his own right. He had committed in high school to Jackson State but instead went to Chipola College in Florida, one of the best junior colleges nationally every year. In 2021, Nowlin pitched in 16 games and 42 innings. He walked too many (24), but he struck out an incredible 59 batters (44% of batters faced). Nowlin said of the experience, “That’s where my development really took off. I struggled early on, but the pitching coach got to me, and that’s when we started hammering down on just throwing strikes.” He committed to pitching at the University of Alabama-Birmingham in 2022. But then came the draft. He was at home with his parents and a few friends. It took awhile, but finally, in the 19th round, he heard his name called as the pick of the Minnesota Twins. He quickly signed and got to work. He pitched in just one FCL game during the season. It was during Instructs that Nowlin started to make his name known. Reports were that the lefty was hitting 97 with his fastball and showing a sharp slider. The southpaw started his first full minor-league season in Fort Myers. He pitched in 19 games, including 11 starts. He was part of one of the two Mighty Mussels no-hitters. David Festa started it. Nowlin pitched in the middle, and Hunter McMahon finished it off. “Once I came in, I just came in and threw. I had no idea that they had no hits at that point until I came out and Hunter came in. I was just going in there, doing my job, like normal. Once we finished the game and they started throwing the water everywhere, I was still pretty much confused.” He ended the season with three starts for Cedar Rapids before their playoff run. “I was happy to be able to make that step, just to reach another level. I just want to be able to continue to progress every year, get better as much as I can, and move up as fast as I can. So moving up to Cedar Rapids was a great experience for me, and I was very appreciative of it.” Nowlin has a three-pitch mix primarily. His fastball sits in the mid-90s but has reached 97 at times. He’s got a good, sharp slider, and he also throws a changeup. He says he also likes to throw a two-seamer every once in a while too. Along with stuff, Nowlin thinks he’s got the right mentality. “It’s me throwing every single pitch I have with conviction. It’s just trying to let everything eat, throw it down the middle, and see if they can hit it. I like to test batters to see if they can hit it. I try not to do too much. Keep everything simple. Shove it right down the middle and see if they can beat me.” Combined, he threw 71 innings and had a remarkable 111 strikeouts (14.1 K/9). He also had 36 walks, which is more than he would want and something to focus on in the offseason. Lowering that walk rate is just one of his goals heading into the 2023 season. And in the offseason, he spends a lot of time with his friends. “We’re a tight group. Me, Mike, Marquis, Lawrence. We’re a tight group. We work out together in the offseason. We’re always with each other, playing a game together, working out, or just chilling at each other’s houses.” Nowlin says he is ‘definitely a goal guy, highly goal oriented. Keep progressing. Get to Double-A as fast as I can. Move up as much as I can this year. Get better every day.” Jaylen Nowlin has been in Fort Myers preparing for the season since mid-January. His strikeout rate and stuff have him entering most Top 30 Twins prospect rankings. He and fellow 2021 Day 3 draft pick David Festa are two Twins pitching prospects to move up most in 2022. Can Nowlin take another big step forward in 2023? For more Jaylen Nowlin content on Twins Daily, click here. View full article

Jaylen Nowlin grew up playing ball in the baseball hotbed around Atlanta. He was the Twins 19th round pick in 2021 out of Chipola JC where he began showing his ability to miss a lot of bats. He split the 2022 season between Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids. In 71 combined innings, he had an incredible 111 strikeouts. Jaylen recently joined Seth on Twins Spotlight to discuss his pitches, his goals, where he learned to love baseball and his friend group that includes some great baseball players and prospects. View full video

Today we jump into the Twins Daily Top 30 prospects with our panel's selection of prospects 21 through 30. There are some very intriguing prospects in this group. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (Blayne Enlow), Steve Buhr (Danny De Andrade, Jaylen Nowlin) For the first time, Twins Daily is now sharing our choices for the Top 30 Twins prospects. In reality, it's just one more article for you to read as we are including prospects 21-30 today. It is really an interesting mix of prospects in this range, which isn't surprising. There are several prospects who are very young in their careers. These are players with lots of tools and potential, but a long, long way to go before even approaching the big leagues. There are a couple of pitchers who had exciting 2022 seasons that catapulted themselves to this level, but they were previously lesser known so some weren't willing to push them any higher. As you would also expect, there are some minor leagues who were once Top 20, and even Top 10, prospects and whether it be injury or performance, they have dropped down the rankings. They still have the talent and at least one took that will need to carry them to an opportunity. Twins prospects ranking between 21-30 in our series highlights a dynamic group of players, some brimming with upside and others with higher-perceived floors. Let's break them down. 30. OF Byron Chourio Age: 17 2022 (DSL Marlins): 51 games, .344/.429/.410 (.838), 9-2B, 1-HR, 12.4% K, 11.5% BB Just one year ago, the Marlins signed a 16-year-old Chourio from Merida, Venezuela, for $200,000. He stands 6-2 and weighs about 175 pounds. He had a very impressive professional debut in 2022 with the Marlins’ DSL team. He hit for average, got on base, showed good bat-to-ball skills, and showed doubles power. He also stole 19 bases in 26 attempts. He played 20 games in center field, 19 games in right field, and three games in left field. He has a strong arm. The Twins acquired him as a flyer in the Arraez/Lopez trade recently. Jose Salas is the top prospect, but Chourio is equally intriguing. As I like to say, he was impressive in the DSL, but that is six promotions from the big leagues. Chourio is certainly filled with athleticism and tools that should excite Twins fans. 29. 1B Aaron Sabato Age: 23 2022 (A+/AA): 103 games, .215/.336/.438 (.774), 17 2B, 22 HR, 4/5 SB, 32% K, 13% BB The Twins were excited to select Sabato with the 27th overall pick out of North Carolina where he put up numbers very similar to those of Spencer Torkelson. He really struggled in his pro debut in 2021. He hit just .189 in 85 games in Ft. Myers but came on strong after a late-season promotion to Cedar Rapids where he added eight homers in 22 games. That’s where he began the 2022 season. In 80 games, he hit .226 with 13 doubles and 17 homers. He moved up to Wichita for 23 games late in the season and hit .179 with four doubles and five homers before his season ended with a fastball to his wrist. To this point, he has not hit for average. However, he does walk a lot. He has immense power, so when he does make quality contact, he has the ability to hit the ball a long way. The problem is that he has had trouble making contact, especially on good fastballs. He has become a decent defensive first baseman. He should start 2023 at Wichita and will continue to get opportunities, including another spring training invitation. 28. OF Kala’i Rosario Age: 20 2022 (A): 109 games, .239/.320/.408 (.727), 21 2B, 3 3B, 12 HR, 32.5% K, 8.1% BB In the five-round 2020 draft, Rosario was the team’s fifth-round pick out of high school in Waiakea, Hawaii. He was one of the most powerful prep bats in that draft. He debuted with 51 games in the FCL in 2021 and hit .277 with 10 doubles, four triples, and five home runs. As a 19-year-old in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, his overall numbers may not look exciting, but he was productive and provided some extra base power. However, with that power comes a lot of strikeouts, something that he will need to continue working on as he moves up the organizational ladder. Rosario played both corner outfield positions with about two-thirds of that time in right field. He has good speed and plays average defense. He’s got an average arm for right field. He’s very young for the level, so he could repeat in the FSL in 2023, though it would be great if he can spend some time in Cedar Rapids as well. 27. INF Yunior Severino Age: 23 2022 (A+/AA): 83 games, .278/.370/.536 (.907), 17 2B, 2 3B, 19 HR, 25.9% K, 11.1% BB Twice a top international signing, Severino has slowly worked his way up the Twins system. He began 2022 where he ended the 2021 season, in Cedar Rapids. In 46 games, he hit .283/.398/.572 (.970) in 46 games and hit nine doubles and 11 homers. He missed significant time with an injury but when he returned he was soon promoted to Double-A Wichita where he played 37 games. In that time, he hit .273/.338/.497 (.834) with eight doubles and eight homers. He does strike out more than you could like, but he also has a strong on-base percentage thanks to a lot of walks. At Cedar Rapids, he primarily played second base. Once he moved up to Wichita (and Christian Encarnacion-Strand was traded), Severino spent most of his time at third base. While he lacks plus-range, he does make most of the plays. He should start the 2023 season with the Wind Surge where at 23, he’ll be about a year younger than the average player. 26. SS Bryan Acuna Age: 17 2022 (DSL Twins): 43 games, .310/.409/.393 (.803), 12 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 21.1% K, 11.7% BB You can’t help but start with the Acuna genetics. Ronald Acuna Sr. played in the New York Mets organization from 1999 through 2004. He then spent one season each with the Blue Jays and Brewers organizations. In 2005, Bryan was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, the Double-A home of the Blue Jays. Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was the NL Rookie of the Year as a 20-year-old in 2018 and has been an All-Star in three of the past four years. 20-year-old Double-A shortstop Luisangel Acuna was just added to the Rangers 40-man roster. Bryan Acuna signed with the Twins last January from Venezuela for $950,000 and made his pro debut in 2022 in the DSL. His overall numbers look solid, including an OPS over .800. That is more impressive when you consider that in his first 11 games, he went 2-for-30 with 13 strikeouts in 37 plate appearances (35%). That also means that over his final 32 games, he hit .368/.455/.465 (.919) with 11 of his 12 doubles, and he struck out just 17% of the time. While maybe not to the same level as his All-Star brother, Bryan Acuna does have a lot of tools. He played in 42 games at shortstop and had 13 errors. He’s got work to do defensively. He had no homers, but his 12 doubles show that the power could come too. He should come to the States in 2023 and play in the FCL. 25. LHP Brent Headrick Age: 25 2022 (A+/AA): 23 starts (25 G), 108 1/3 IP, 3.32 ERA, 31% K, 6.1% BB Headrick was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2019 out of Illinois State University where he pitched for former Twins catcher Steve Holm. Like most minor leaguers, he did not pitch in 2020. He made 15 appearances for the Mighty Mussels in 2021 and posted a 3.82 ERA. In 61 1/3 innings, he walked 33 batters, but he struck out 86 batters. In 2022, he made 15 starts with Cedar Rapids and went 8-2 with a 2.34 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. In 65 1/3 innings, he had just 13 walks to go with 77 strikeouts. He moved up to Double-A, and after a rough first outing (7 runs on 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings), he posted a 3.54 ERA and had 57 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings. Following the season, he was a pretty easy addition to the Twins 40-man roster. 24. INF Danny De Andrade Age: 18 2022 (FCL Twins): 48 games, .242/.333/.371, 9 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 4/6 SB, 13.5% K, 7.5% BB De Andrade signed with the Twins out of Venezuela in January 2021 for a $2.2 million bonus. He spent that summer in the DSL where he hit .264/.340/.348 (.688) with 13 doubles and a triple in 50 games. He came to the States in 2022 and played most every day. He made 32 starts at shortstop and 13 more at third base. He is a solid defender with good range, soft hands and a strong arm. Offensively, he’s a work-in-progress. He is an aggressive hitter with a strong swing and good bat-to-ball skills. There is potential for some power. He could spend the 2023 with the Mighty Mussels, which is likely to present a major challenge for him offensively, so don’t be surprised if he repeats the level as he will be very young. 23. RHP Cole Sands Age: 24 2022 (AAA): 19 games (13 GS), 61 2/3 IP, 5.55 ERA, 25.4% K%, 8.5% BB% 2022 (MIN): 11 games (3 GS), 30 2/3 IP, 5.87 ERA, 19.3% K%, 9.0% BB% Sands represented Team USA events in high school. He was drafted but chose to attend Florida State University. Three years later, he was the Twins fifth-round pick in 2018. That next season, he pitched at three levels, ending the year with one Double-A start. He didn’t pitch in 2020, and in 2021, he posted a 2.46 ERA at Double-A Wichita. He had 96 strikeouts in 80 1/3 innings. Moving up to Triple-A in 2022, he maintained his strikeout rate and actually reduced his walk rate. However, as you can see above, he gave up a lot of runs. It was an inconsistent year for Sands. He was promoted and optioned several times throughout the season, and also spent a couple of stints on the injured list. Is he a starter or reliever? There are a lot of similarities in terms of stuff between Sands and Tyler Duffey. Sands sits in the low-90s with his fastball but can touch 95. He also has a couple of very nice, albeit inconsistent, breaking balls. As we saw with Duffey, that can be very valuable. He would not be the first player to struggle in his big-league debut, learn from it, and have some level of success. With the Twins pitching depth, will he get that opportunity? 22. RHP Blayne Enlow Age: 23 2022 (AA): 24 games (10 starts), 57 1/3 IP, 4.40 ERA, 24.8% K, 11.6% BB Another Team USA alum, Enlow was the Twins third-round pick in 2017 out of high school in Louisiana when they met his signing bonus request to keep him from LSU. It was a slow-go for Enlow early in his career. Like many, Enlow did not pitch in 2020. He returned to Cedar Rapids (now a High-A affiliate) in 2021, but just three starts into the season, he hurt his elbow and had Tommy John surgery in June. Enlow worked hard through his rehab, and in November 2021, he was added to the 40-man roster. He returned to the mound in May 2022, 11 months after surgery, and made one rehab appearance for Ft. Myers before heading up to Double-A Wichita. He made 10 starts and 14 relief appearances. He went 1-3 and had three saves. He was clearly working to get back his form. He walked 30 batters in 57 1/3 innings, well over his ‘normal’ walk rate. That is a number he can reduce quite a bit. He also struck out 64 batters which showed that the stuff was still there. Recently, the front office took the risk of placing him on waivers, but he cleared and was outrighted to the minors. While not necessarily great, it might be exactly what he and the Twins need. It might take some of the pressure off of him in 2023 and he can just work on things. With a low-to-mid 90s fastball and a solid breaking ball and an improving change up, Enlow has potential. Again, will that be as a starter or as a reliever? We shall see. (As you can see in the video below, right before his elbow injury, Enlow was dealing, with all of his pitches.) 21. LHP Jaylen Nowlin Age: 22 2022 (A/A+): 22 games (14 starts), 71 IP, 3.80 ERA, 36.0% K%, 11.6% BB% Yet another late-round steal by the Twins scouting department, it appears. Nowlin was the Twins 19th round pick out of Chipola College. He attended Westlake High School in Atlanta with A’s prospect Lawrence Butler. In the summers, he played with Braves outfielder Michael Harris. He pitched in just one FCL game in 2021, but he made his mark at Fall Instructional League when the southpaw was touching 97 mph with a fastball and showing a solid slider as well. He carried that into the 2022 season. He began at Ft. Myers where he went 4-4 with a 3.65 ERA. In 56 ⅔ innings, he walked 29, but he struck out 89 batters. He moved up to the Kernels late in the season and made three starts. He was 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA. In 14 1/3 innings, he walked seven but struck out 22 batters. Overall, that is 11 strikeouts in 71 innings, a rate of 14.1 K/9. Clearly he will need to improve his control and command, but the Twins can be patient with him and should be because he has immense talent, he just needs to keep improving. Feel free to discuss these prospects and ask as many questions as you like in the COMMENTS below. I will try to get to as any of them as I can. For more Twins Daily content on these ten Twins prospects, click on the link with their name here: Jaylen Nowlin, Blayne Enlow, Cole Sands, Danny De Andrade, Brent Headrick, Bryan Acuna, Yunior Severino, Kala'i Rosario, Aaron Sabato, Byron Chourio. Previous Installments Honorable Mention Prospects 21-30 Prospects 16-20 - Coming Soon! Prospects 11-15 View full article

One of the biggest pop-up prospects, Jaylen Nowlin was a strikeout machine last season. The former 19th-round pick racked up an eye-popping 111 Ks in just 71 innings pitched. Nowlin still has some work to do on his command, but the southpaw has cemented himself as a name to know among Twins pitching prospects. Here's a look back at some highlights plus a general overview of his 2022 season. View full video

I also added in a few prospects with extreme statistical profiles, just for fun. Image courtesy of Andrew West/The News-Press via Imagn Content Services, LLC Noah Cardenas For my life, I can’t figure out why Noah Cardenas isn’t well-regarded as a prospect. Catchers who can hit are rare; catchers who can hit and field well are unique, and Cardenas might be that kind of player. Let’s start with the bat: his .302/.407/.426 line at UCLA has translated well to a .261/.421/.413 one over his first full season in professional ball, 99 games with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. Despite a hitting environment that favors pitchers, Cardenas rode his excellent feel for the plate to an 18.2% walk rate, good for 3rd in the Florida League; his .421 OBP placed him 4th. Fielding is more difficult to analyze—even major league stats remain shaky these days—but Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin refer to him as a “glove-driven” catcher, and the Pac-12 honored Cardenas with an honorable mention on their All-Defensive Team in 2019. He’s a touch older than your typical A-ball player—he celebrated his 23rd birthday on September 10th—but Cardenas should remain firmly on your radar over the next few years. Cody Laweryson “Fun” is seldom a word that describes a prospect, but the word fits Cody Laweryson’s bill perfectly. A 14th-round pick out of Maine in 2019, Laweryson shocked with a monstrous 15-strikeout performance to end his time in rookie ball but entered a hiatus thanks to the canceled minor league season in 2020. His 2021 season was forgettable, but he returned with a dominating 2022 campaign. Laweryson silenced bats with a 1.62 ERA, flipping between starting and relief, striking out 30.2% of hitters while walking just 7.2%. He even stepped up his game at AA, holding a 1.06 ERA over 59 ⅔ innings in a hitter-friendly environment. Laweryson’s secret sauce is deception, a crane-like delivery with slanted arms and raised elbows that would fit perfectly next to Michael Jackson in the Thriller music video. Hitters can barely see the ball as a barrage of limbs fly toward the plate, masking Laweryson’s pitches until too late. The Twins chose not to protect Laweryson in the upcoming Rule 5 draft, opening up the chance for another team to poach him. Brent Headrick In May, Matthew Lenz told us we should start noticing Brent Headrick. He was on to something. After struggling with command in 2021, Headrick shifted into high gear in 2022, punching out batters at an elite rate—31%, to be exact—while limiting walks with Joe Musgrove-esque control. Even a promotion into a hitters' lion's den—the Texas League—couldn’t slow down Headrick’s reign; his K-BB% barely budged after joining the Wind Surge. While not a velocity expert, Headrick works with a deceptive delivery, placing pitches in their proper location before punching out the batter with a high fastball or a diving breaking ball. The Twins agree that Headrick is fascinating; the team chose to protect him in the upcoming Rule 5 draft, perhaps paving a path for the Illinois State product to pitch for the major league club in 2023. Others Prospect evaluation is far from perfect, but one can often parse through the noise, instead focusing on the statistical freak shows who have become major league stars in recent seasons. Steven Kwan rode an elite contact profile to a 4.4 fWAR season; our own Luis Arraez broke out and won a silver slugger in 2022; Cristian Javier’s absurd minor league K numbers have translated to a career 30.9% K rate in the majors. These players were dinged for other drawbacks, but their outlier abilities have carried them to major league success. Here are a few guys in the Twins organization who stick out: Jaylen Nowlin Jaylen Nowlin struck out 35.9% of hitters in 2022. His command was dreadful enough to omit from this paragraph—his walk rate could scare the less courageous among us—but that punch-out rate will keep him around, maybe translating to major league playing time. Austin Schulfer The nearly 27-year-old Austin Schulfer is knocking loud enough on the Twins’ door that the neighbors are starting to get irritated. His strikeout and walk rates moved in the wrong direction in 2022, but his groundball rate jumped from average to 58.3%, good for tops in the system amongst all pitchers with 50 innings. Only seven qualified MLB relievers could claim a better penchant for grounders in 2022. Noah Miller 19-year-olds aren’t supposed to walk 16.2% of the time in their first full season in professional baseball, especially when they play in an offensively stunted environment. Noah Miller’s extra-base authority lagged, but his feel for the zone is already elite. View full article

Pitching Wins, right? and the Twins have put a lot of time, money, technology and analytics into developing a strong pitcher development system. They have had several late-round picks that have impressed and added big velocity. Check out which starting pitchers had the top showings in August. The 2022 season has two full weeks left before the playoffs begin, but first, let's look back at the month of August. Yesterday, we announced the August Hitter of the Month. Today, we write about the top starting pitchers. HONORABLE MENTION RHP Orlando Rodriguez - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 5 G, 4 GS, 19.2 IP, 0-0, 2.75 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 16 H, 4 BB, 31 K RHP David Festa - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 15.2 IP, 1-1, 1.15 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 15 H, 8 BB, 14 K. LHP Brent Headrick - Wichita Wind Surge - 5 G, 4 GS, 24.0 IP, 2-1, 3.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 20 H, 6 BB, 35 K. THE TOP FOUR STARTING PITCHERS #4 - RHP Cody Laweryson - Wichita Wind Surge - 7 G, 4 GS, 1-0, 1.57 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 23.0 IP, 18 H, 6 BB, 29 K Laweryson (pronounced Lor-ih-sun) was the Twins 14th round pick in 2019 out of the University of Maine. That summer, he was named the Twins Daily short-season Minor League Pitcher of the Year. After the missed 2020 season, he reported to Cedar Rapids for the 2021 season. He went 2-5 with a 4.91 ERA in 15 games (14 starts). In 58 2/3 innings, he walked 19 and struck out 73 batters. After the season, he went to the Arizona Fall League where he struck out 18 batters in 14 innings. He began the 2022 season with the Kernels again, this time working primarily out of the bullpen. He posted a 2.57 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 16 games. In 35 innings, he walked 12 and struck out 42 batters. At that point he was promoted to Double-A Wichita. In 16 games, he is 4-0 with a 1.03 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. In August, he made four starts out of his seven appearances. As you can see, he was dominant. He continued to rack up strikeouts while not handing out free passes. The right-hander has a unique delivery and hides the ball well. (For more Twins Daily content on Cody Laweryson, click here.) #3 - RHP Pierson Ohl - Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels - 4 G, 3 GS, 2-1, 1.33 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 21 H, 1 BB, 26 K Ohl continued his strong professional debut. Not only did he not give up runs, but he also kept runners off of the base paths. Nearly a strikeout per inning, but just one walk in 27 innings is remarkable. He was the Twins 14th round pick a year ago from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. After the draft, he pitched in just one game in the FCL. This season, he has pitched in 20 games and made 18 starts. With the Mighty Mussels, he is 6-7 with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. In 91 2/3 innings, he has walked just 13 batters and struck out 101 batters. For more Pierson Ohl content on Twins Daily, click here. #2- LHP Jaylen Nowlin - Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 2-1, 2.14 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 21.0 IP, 13 H, 7 BB, 33 K The Twins selected Nowlin with their 19th-round pick in the 2021 draft out of Chipola College in Florida. Following the draft, he pitched in just one game for the FCL Twins. In 2022, the southpaw began the season with the Mighty Mussels, pitching primarily out of their bullpen. As the season progressed, and Nowlin began putting up strong numbers, he began making starts. In 19 games (11 starts) with the Mussels, he went 4-3 with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. In 56 2/3 innings, he walked 29 (too many) but also struck out 89 batters (14.1 K/9). After two August starts, he was promoted to the Kernels where he made two more starts. As you can see above, he really improved his control in August and became even more dominant. In his final two Mighty Mussel starts, he walked three and struck out 16 batters in 10 innings. In his first start at High-A Cedar Rapids, he struck out 11 batters in six innings. He struck out six batters in five innings in his second start with the Kernels. Nowlin is young and still developing into what he can become. However, he currently can hit 96-97 mph with his fastball and is able to mix a couple of breaking balls in as well. (Click here to read more Twins Daily content on Jaylen Nowlin.) And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Wichita Wind Surge - RHP Louie Varland - 5 GS, 1-1, 1.32 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 22 H, 5 BB, 30 K While Varland is certainly a candidate the repeat as the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year, it is almost surprising that he has not won a Starting Pitcher of the Month award this season… until now. The Saints Paul native was the Twins 14th round pick in 2019 out of Concordia University in St. Paul. He was the Twins Pitcher of the Year in 2021 and began 2022 at Double-A Wichita. In 20 games (19 starts), he went 7-4 with a 3.34 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. In 105 innings, he walked 39 and struck out 119 batters. He made one August start in Wichita, but earned his promotion to his hometown St. Paul Saints, one step away from Target Field and the big leagues. In his four starts for the Saints, he went 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. In 21 1/3 innings, he walked just three and struck out 27 batters. In his Triple-A debut against the Columbus Clippers, he started with five no-hit innings. In his third start, he tossed six innings with nine strikeouts. His 146 strikeouts ranks 8th among all minor league pitchers this season. His 126 1/3 innings ranks #18. Varland continues to sit 94-96 with his fastball and touches 97 at times. He has a slider that can be devastating at times. And, he has made strides with his changeup and its consistency. He will be added to the 40-man roster after the season and could compete for an Opening Day roster spot during spring training. Congratulations to our Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month of August, St. Paul native and Saints starter Louie Varland. There has been a lot of Louie Varland content on Twins Daily since he was drafted. Click here to read more on him. Previous 2022 Starting Pitchers of the Month April: RHP John Stankiewicz, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels May: LHP Steve Hajjar, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels June: LHP Aaron Rozek, Cedar Rapids Kernels July: RHP Mike Paredes, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like. It wasn’t as easy a decision as you might think. There were several solid starters in August. View full article

Joe Ryan turned in a quality start but the Minnesota Twins lineup was nowhere to be found, once again, as the Rangers won 7-0 Sunday. Also in today's recap are highlights of Simeon Woods Richardson's Triple-A debut, Chris Williams, Jermaine Palacios, Matt Wallner's walk-off, Austin Martin, Jair Camargo, Aaron Sabato, Jaylen Nowlin's Cedar Rapids debut, a Brooks Lee home run and more. View full video

It was a big night in the Midwest League for the players of the Cedar Rapids Kernels, as they got the opportunity to play on the “Field of Dreams” in Iowa, made famous by a movie that came out well before any of them were ever born. Besides that spectacle, there was a career best outing from a starting pitcher, and a three-hit night that brought one prospect’s average to nearly .300 on the season, complimenting his well-over .400 on-base-percentage that is begging for a promotion. TRANSACTIONS In Triple-A, RHP Ben Heller was transferred to the Development List. Wichita released C/1B Dennis Ortega. 2022 2nd round draft pick SS Tanner Schobel, and 6th rounder 2B Jorel Ortega, were promoted to Fort Myers from the FCL. Also in Fort Myers, CF Zach Huffins was transferred to the 60-day IL. SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 6, St. Paul 0 Box Score Clippers starter Xzavion Curry actually had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning, before Mark Contreras finally put a notch up on the scoreboard with a one-out single. Matt Wallner followed later in the inning with a single of his own, but that was all the Saints got on the night, even after Curry’s outing came to an end after six innings. Aaron Sanchez, in his first start back with the Saints after making a spot start with the Twins, made it into the fifth inning for the home team. In 4 1/3 innings, Sanchez surrendered three runs (two earned) on three hits, three walks, and struck out three. Jovani Moran finished the fifth, allowing a run of his own, and got the first two outs in the sixth, allowing two hits and striking out three in 1 1/3 innings. Daniel Gossett got the final out in the sixth and allowed a hit. Jharel Cotton (IP, K), Drew Strotman (IP, H, K), and Michael Feliz (IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K) finished off the final three innings for the pitching staff. While only Contreras and Wallner collected hits, first baseman Roy Morales did draw three walks. As a team the Saints drew five walks, struck out thirteen times, and were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, leaving six men on base. WIND SURGE WISDOM Corpus Christi 2, Wichita 9 Box Score The Wind Surge laid waste to the Hooks in this one, outhitting the visiting team 14-to-5 on the game, en-route to a big win in the ICT. Edouard Julien led the way with three hits in four at-bats, including a triple. He also drew a walk and scored a run out of the leadoff spot. Joining him with multiple hits on the game were Yunior Severino (2-for-5, 2 R, RBI, 2 K), Chris Williams (2-for-5, 2 R, RBI, K), Cole Sturgeon (2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, K), and Anthony Prato (2-for-3, 2 RBI, BB, K). The only hitter not to collect a hit on the game was catcher Andrew Bechtold, but he also chipped in two walks and scored two runs. Jair Camargo provided the only extra-base-hit besides Julien’s, with an RBI double in the fifth. Since 12 of their hits were singles along with four walks, they had a lot of opportunities with runners in scoring position, going 7-for-16 as a team in those situations. Kody Funderburk made the start for Wichita and went the first 2 2/3 innings. The Hooks actually took the first lead of the game in the third inning, chasing Funderburk after a pair of singles and three walks had led to the first two runs of the game. In total, the left-hander gave up three hits, three walks, and struck out two. Denny Bentley got credited with his fifth win of the season pitching the next 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, one walk, and struck out five. Alex Phillips (1 2/3 IP, H, BB, 2 K), Bryan Sammons (1 1/3 IP, 3 K), and Steven Cruz (1 IP, 2 BB, 2 K) finished the final four scoreless innings as their lineup pulled away to seal the win. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 7 Box Score The Cedar Rapids "Bunnies" and Davenport "Blue Sox" faced off on Tuesday in the #MiLBatFieldofDreams game on Tuesday night, and what an experience it had to be for the Twins and Royals farmhands to kick off their series. As just under 100 miles separate both Cedar Rapids and Quad Cities, Iowa, with Dyersville and the Field of Dreams site about an hour and a half away from each, their selection to play in the game was more than fitting. For Cedar Rapids pitcher Matt Mullenbach, it was perhaps even more memorable as he grew up near Des Moines, even though he had never actually been there before (Don't worry, he grew up a Twins fan and his middle name is Kirby, and his parents got engaged at the Field of Dreams, and...). “Bunnies” manager Brian Dinkelman even had nothing but good things to say about the experience, equating the venue to a “Major League Field just stuck in the middle of corn” (which I hope someone pointed out the obvious there, haha). Being the former Minnesota “Town Team” player that I was, Iowa baseball historian John Liepa’s look back on the significance of the “Bunnies” and “Blue Sox” names chosen for this game was a fascinating read in anticipation of the game as well. As for the game, the “Blue Sox” went to work quickly, scoring two runs off “Bunnies” starter Aaron Rozek in the first inning thanks to a two-run homer from Juan Carlos Negret. They chased Rozek in the third after another home run, double, walk and a single around a groundout and an error led to three more runs. In his 2 1/3 innings, Rozek was charged with five runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks, while striking out two. Derek Molina got them through the fourth with 1 2/3 scoreless innings, facing five hitters and retiring them all. Mullenbach then got the fifth inning in his home state, delivering a scoreless frame of his own, working around a single and a walk while striking out one. Tyler Palm was summoned for the sixth, and the “Blue Sox” added on a couple more runs with an RBI double and single before he a pair of flyouts. In the top of the seventh inning, the “Bunnies” finally broke through against their opposing starter, when Jake Rucker led off the frame with a double (that landed between three fielders), and came around to score their first run of the game on an RBI single from Kyler Fedko. Later in the inning, Fedko scored to close the deficit to five on a sacrifice fly from Jeferson Morales, but that would be as close as they got. Miguel Rodriguez (IP, K) and Hunter McMahon (IP, K) finished the game with a pair of scoreless innings. Although the “Bunnies” were only outhit 8-to-7 by the “Blue Sox,” it was the latter that got the big blasts in the form of two home runs, and two RBI doubles. Rucker finished 2-for-3 with the double and a run scored to lead the Kernels. Alerick Soularie and Will Holland also added doubles to the effort. Fedko scored one run, drove in one, and stole a base in his three at-bats. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Jupiter 0 Box Score The Mighty Mussels got six far-better-than-quality innings out of left-hander Jaylen Nowlin, who picked up his fourth win of the season with a scoreless outing. He allowed the Hammerheads just four hits, while striking out eight, all on just 63 pitches (45 for strikes). Included in those strikes, were 10 of the swinging variety and in just two innings did he throw more than 10 pitches. It was an absolutely dominant and efficient outing from the young hurler. His lineup put him in front before he ever took the mound, and who knows, that might have helped him mow through Jupiter hitters with extra confidence. To lead off the game, singles from Misael Urbina and Tanner Schobel, and a walk from Noah Cardenas loaded the bases for Jorel Ortega, before he drove in two of them with a single that put them in front for good at 2-0. They added an insurance run in the seventh thanks to a Carlos Aguiar ground-rule double to drive in Keoni Cavaco, who had singled earlier in the inning. Relievers Jackson Hicks (2 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K) and Niklas Rimmel (IP, H, K) completed the shutout for the pitching staff, with Rimmel picking up his second save of the season. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 2, FCL Rays 1 (6 innings) Box Score The FCL Twins tied the game at one in the fifth inning, when first baseman Breilin Ramirez hit his second home run of the season. They took the lead 2-1 in the sixth when the rehabbing Alex Isola scored from third on a wild pitch after leading off the inning with a walk. The Rays outhit the Twins 3-to-2 in the game, but since hits were so hard to come by that means Twins pitchers also were fantastic on Tuesday. Ryan Horstman made the start and struck out two in his two innings, allowing the Rays lone run on two hits. Pierce Banks (2 IP, H, K) and Cole Bellair (2 IP, 2 K) chipped in two scoreless innings apiece, giving the Twins a chance. Bellair picked up his first professional win in the process. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Edouard Julien, Wichita Wind Surge (3-for-4, R, 3B, BB, K) Hitter of the Day - Jaylen Nowlin, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (W, 6 IP, 4 H, 8 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 3-for-4, R, BB, K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, R, K #19 - Alerick Soularie (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2B, K #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, BB, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (6-4, 4.28 ERA) Corpus Christi @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CDT) - TBD Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 PM CDT) - LHP Jordan Carr (4-0, 3.22 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

Highlights of the Cedar Rapids Kernels playing at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa. They were wearing throwback uniforms and reverted back to an old nickname of the franchise, the Bunnies. What a great experience for those guys. Tonight's video also includes highlights of Edouard Julien and Anthony Prato. View full video

The Saints won on a wild comeback thanks to Mikey Perez. Seth Gray and Jermaine Palacios each had huge days. Jaylen Nowlin continued to strike out the world. Read about all of this and more in Wednesday’s minor league report! Let’s see what happened this Wednesday in the Twins organization. TRANSACTIONS The Twins designated RHP Joe Smith for assignment The Twins activated C Sandy Leon The Twins activated LHP Caleb Thielbar from the 15-day IL The Twins optioned C Caleb Hamilton to AAA St. Paul SAINTS (AAA) St. Paul 9, Omaha 7 Box Score The Saints won in a thrilling, come-from-behind victory over the Omaha Storm Chasers on Wednesday. Mikey Perez, who had never had a professional at-bat above Low-A, was called on to pinch hit for David Banuelos in the top of the ninth with two runners on, two outs, down by one run. On a 1-2 count, Perez hammered a hanging slider over the left field wall to put the Saints up 9-7, a lead that they would hold on to for the win Michael Helman hit a lead-off homer, his ninth bomb of the year. Jermaine Palacios followed him with a double and then Matt Wallner drove in Palacios with a single to give the Saints a quick 2-0 lead. Omaha responded quickly with seven runs in 2 2/3 innings off of St. Paul starter Mario Sanchez, knocking him out in what was his worst start of the year. Curtis Terry hammered his tenth homer of the year in the top of the fourth to chip into Omaha’s lead, decreasing the deficit to four. In the fifth, Palacios hit another double and scored on an error by Omaha’s first baseman to cut the lead to three. The Saints wouldn’t have been able to stay in the game without an outstanding performance from the bullpen. The bullpen threw 6 1/3 innings of scoreless relief while striking out six. Daniel Gossett threw 2 1/3 innings, Austin Schulfer followed him with two strong innings, Brad Peacock threw an inning, and Michael Feliz locked down the game with a scoreless ninth. Going into the top of the ninth, the Saints trailed 7-4 and were facing Andres Nunez, who had only allowed one run in his last 22 appearances. Wallner and Roy Morales led off the inning with back-to-back singles and John Andreoli followed suit with a single of his own to score Wallner. After Andreoli stole a base, Braden Bishop hit an RBI infield single to put the game to 7-6. Then Mikey Perez did the inevitable in his first Triple-A at-bat. Peacock picked up the win for St. Paul, his third of the year. Feliz was credited with the save, his first since 2019. Palacios went 3-for-4 with three doubles to lead the offense. Helman, Wallner, Morales, and Bishop all had two-hit nights as well. The win was the Saints' fourth consecutive and it improved their record to 49-50. WIND SURGE (AA) Wichita 0, San Antonio 8 Box Score Wichita got off to a slow start on Wednesday against San Antonio and could never quite recover, falling 8-0 to the San Antonio Missions. Southpaw Kody Funderburk took the ball for Wichita and had a rough outing. Like Sanchez for St. Paul, he went 2 2/3 innings. Funderburk allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out one batter. The game was knotted at zero going into the bottom of the third, but San Antonio made a statement by scoring four runs on five hits and a walk. The big inning was also aided by a throwing error from Wind Surge left fielder Anthony Prato. The Missions added two more runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings to push the lead to eight. Wichita’s bullpen pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (two earned). Cody Laweryson, Alex Phillips, and Francis Peguero all threw in relief. Peguero threw a scoreless eighth. It was a lackluster offensive performance for Wichita, only collecting five hits in the loss and striking out 13 times. Despite the loss, Wichita remains in first place at 51-46. They will turn to their best pitcher, Louie Varland, on Thursday. KERNELS (HIGH-A) Cedar Rapids 5, Beloit 9 Box Score One day after losing Cade Povich via trade, the Kernels suffered a 9-5 loss to the Beloit Sky Carp. Burnsville, MN, native Aaron Rozek made his 15th start of the year for the Kernels. The Twins Daily June Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month did not have his best stuff on Wednesday. Rozek only managed to go two innings in his shortest start of the year, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out two. Beloit got all three runs off of Rozek in the top of the second thanks to a three-run homer by Marcus Chiu. Cedar Rapids responded in the bottom half when Seth Gray singled, scoring Jake Rucker. First out of the bullpen for Cedar Rapids was Tyler Palm. Palm gave Cedar Rapids three innings while allowing three runs (two earned). Palm walked in a run in the top of the third to give the Sky Carp a three-run lead. In the bottom of the third, Yunior Severino hit an RBI double to close the gap back to two. In the middle innings, Beloit scored four unanswered runs off of Palm and Miguel Rodriguez to push the score to 8-2. In the bottom of the seventh, Gray put Cedar Rapids within three runs when he hit a three-run double. Hunter McMahon pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief, only allowing one unearned run while his season ERA fell to 0.84. The Kernels couldn’t get anything else going offensively as they fell 9-5 to Beloit. Their season record fell to 59-39 with the loss. Gray finished 3-for-4 with a double and four RBI to lead the offense. Severino went 2-for-4 as he continued his hot season. He now sports a .970 OPS, which is fourth among players in the Midwest League with at least 100 at-bats. MIGHTY MUSSELS (LOW-A) Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 2 Box Score Jaylen Nowlin turned in another great start to lead Fort Myers in a victory over Bradenton. Nowlin allowed one run on two hits over four innings while striking out eight. Nowlin now has 81 strikeouts in 50 innings this year. Fort Myers got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the second when Daniel Ozoria scored on a wild pitch and Nelson Roberto hit an RBI double to drive in Luis Baez. After Bradenton cut the lead in half in the top of the third, Dillon Tatum drove in Keoni Cavaco with a single to increase the lead back to two. In the sixth, Juan Jerez hit a homer off of Regi Grace to cut Fort Myers lead back to one. Bradenton could never quite make it back, as Juan Mendez thwarted the comeback in the top of the seventh with two strikeouts for his third save of the year. The win improved Fort Myers record to 54-40. Regi Grace picked up the win in relief of Nowlin, and Ozoria stole two bases in the win. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jaylen Nowlin (Fort Myers) - 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day – Mikey Perez (St. Paul) - 1-for-1, HR (1), R, 3 RBI 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: #12 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, K #15 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-for-4, 2 THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Omaha (7:05 CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-4, 10.38 ERA) Wichita @ San Antonio (7:05 CST) - RHP Louie Varland (7-4, 3.55 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Orlando Rodriguez (3-1, 3.34 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (6:00 PM CST) - LHP Jordan Carr (3-0, 3.86 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! Thank you for reading, and Go Twins! View full article

Matt Wallner had four hits. Christian Encarnacion-Strand homered again. Jaylen Nowlin continued to strike out batters. 54 runs were scored throughout the Twins’ minor league system tonight. Read about this and more in Wednesday’s Minor League Report! Let’s see what happened this Wednesday in the Twins organization. TRANSACTIONS The Twins activated RHP Joe Smith from the 15-day IL RHP Josh Winder was optioned to AAA St. Paul AAA St. Paul released RHP JC Ramirez SAINTS (AAA) GAME 1 (CONTINUATION OF 7/12) St. Paul 11, Toledo 6 Box Score The Saints continued the game from Tuesday in which they only played 1+ innings before getting suspended. On Tuesday, Cole Sands started and gave up three runs in two innings. The Saints, however, gave him some support thanks to a homer from Michael Helman, an RBI double from Mark Contreras, and a two-run double from Miguel Sano. This game was picked up in the bottom of the second, where the Saints' rally (which ended after Sano’s double) was put to a halt to end the second inning. After the continuation, the Saints decided to use a bullpen game for the remaining seven innings. Tyler Viza, Hunter Wood, and Wladimir Pinto each threw two innings. Viza allowed two runs, and the other two didn’t allow any runs. The trio struck out seven batters and allowed four hits over six innings. The Saints got some offensive fireworks in the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, Jake Cave hit a two-run homer for his 12th of the season. One inning later, Caleb Hamilton hit a two-run shot for his 10th of the season, and Helman hit his second of the game, sixth of the season, to give the Saints a 10-5 lead. In the eighth, Contreras added another RBI double to pad the lead. Toledo scored one run in the top of the ninth, but it wasn’t enough as the Saints cruised to a five-run victory backed by four homers. Viza picked up the win for the Saints. Tim Beckham and Contreras had 3-hit games. Helman added two hits, and John Andreoli scored three runs. The Saints improved their record to 41-43 with the win. GAME 2 St. Paul 2, Toledo 8 Box Score The Saints should’ve saved some runs for game two. Through two innings, it looked like it was going to be a pitchers’ duel. Ronny Henriquez started for the Saints, cruising through two innings as he had struck out three and not allowed a run. On the other side, it was Shea Spitzbarth for Toledo. He, like Henriquez, had skated through two without allowing a run. Unlike Henriquez, Spitzbarth didn’t blow up in the third. For Toledo, Kody Clemens hit a three-run homer off of Henriquez to give Toledo their first lead of the game. Toledo went to their bullpen in the fourth, which backfired when Caleb Hamilton laced a two-run double into the left-field corner. Hamilton has been on fire in July, slashing .308/.400/.808 (1.208) across 26 at-bats. Sadly, those would end up being the only runs of the game for the Saints. Tyler Thornburg came in and had a disastrous outing, allowing four runs in a third of an inning. He went into a one-run game in the top of the sixth with a runner on first. He allowed a single, got a guy to ground out, walked a batter, then allowed a bases-clearing double and a two-run homer. He exited, and the Saints had a six-run deficit with six outs to play. After the sixth, the Saints couldn’t get anything going offensively, and they took the disappointing loss 8-2. Henriquez picked up the loss for the Saints as his record fell to 1-4. Helman went 2-for-3 to lead the offense, along with Hamilton’s two RBI. The Saints had to resort to a doubleheader split as their record fell to 41-44. WIND SURGE (AA) Wichita 16, Arkansas 12 Box Score The Wichita Wind Surge won in an absolute slugfest on Wednesday afternoon by a score of 16-12. The game was all Wichita early on. In the first inning, Cole Sturgeon started the scoring with a three-run homer, his seventh of the year. Later that inning, DaShawn Keirsey hit an RBI single to give Wichita an early 4-0 lead. In the second, Chris Williams scored Matt Wallner with an RBI single. In the third, Keirsey hit another RBI single, Wallner hit a two-run single, and Chris Williams hit a three-run homer to increase the lead to 11. And in the fourth, Daniel Ozoria hit an RBI single, Wallner hit another RBI single, and Edouard Julien hit a sac-fly to increase the lead to 14-0 early on. But Arkansas said not so fast. After Wichita starter Sawyer Gipson-Long survived the first four innings, only allowing three hits and no runs, he blew up in the fifth. Arkansas scored nine runs in the fifth, seven off of Gipson-Long, and two off of reliever Steven Klimek thanks to five doubles and a homer. Denny Bentley came in to pitch in the sixth, hoping to settle things down, and he did, throwing three strong innings, allowing one run, and striking out two. The lead was down to four, but Wichita increased it back to six in the bottom of the eighth thanks to an RBI single from Anthony Prato and a sac-fly from Wallner. Manuel Acosta allowed a two-run homer in the ninth, but it was not enough for Arkansas as the Wind Surge held on for a 16-12 win. Bentley picked up the win for Wichita, his second of the year. Wallner and Prato each had four hits to lead the offense. Sturgeon and Keirsey had three hits apiece, while Julien, Williams, and Nash Knight had two to help the offense. Every Wind Surge starter recorded a hit as the offense recorded 20 hits in the win. Wallner and Williams drove in four runs each in a memorable win for Wichita as they improved their record to 42-40. KERNELS (HIGH-A) Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 2 Box Score The Kernels rode an all-around solid pitching performance and one particular hot bat to a victory Wednesday night that put them nearly 20 games above .500. The Kernels got off to a hot start in the top of the first when Christian Encarnacion-Strand belted his 20th homer of the season. Encarnacion-Strand has burst onto the scene this year in his first full professional season and has an impressive .969 OPS. Like the Saints, the Kernels went with a bullpen game. Jon Olsen started on the mound for Cedar Rapids and allowed two runs in the first. These proved to be the game's only runs for Beloit as the rest of the pitching staff was shut down. Matthew Swain gave two scoreless innings of relief, Orlando Rodriguez gave three, Tyler Palm gave two, and Ryan Shreve gave one. The four only allowed three hits in eight innings while striking out seven batters and not walking any. The Kernels took the lead for good in the top of the fifth when who else, but Encarnacion-Strand hit a two-run double to score Charles Mack and Kyler Fedko. Seth Gray followed with an RBI single to give the lead a little padding. With the win, the Kernels improve to 51-32 on the year. Rodriguez picked up his third win, and Shreve got the save, his first of the year. Encarnacion-Strand went 3-for-4 with three RBI to lead the offense, and Gray added two hits in the contest. MIGHTY MUSSELS (LOW-A) Fort Myers 6, Clearwater 2 Box Score The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels continued their dominant season on Wednesday with a convincing 6-2 win over Clearwater. Jaylen Nowlin made a start for Fort Myers in this one. He threw four innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits while striking out seven batters. In 2022, Nowlin has struck out 14.69 batters per nine innings, which ranks second in the Florida State League among pitchers with at least 40 innings. Fort Myers got the scoring started in the bottom of the first when Misael Urbina hit a leadoff double, and Noah Miller followed with a single, scoring Urbina to give the Mighty Mussels a 1-0 lead early. Clearwater responded with an unearned run in the top of the second after a Keoni Cavaco throwing error allowed a runner to reach base. The runner came around to score on a two-out RBI single. Fort Myers broke the game open at the bottom of the fourth inning. The game was tied 1-1 when Mikey Perez roped a two-run single to left, scoring Miller and Kala’i Rosario. One pitch later, Noah Cardenas hit a two-run homer, his fourth of the year, to give Fort Myers a 5-1 lead. Manager Brian Meyer called on Juan Mendez to relieve Nowlin in the top of the fifth with a four-run lead. Mendez threw two perfect innings of relief to keep the score intact while striking out two batters. After Mendez was done, Anthony Escobar came in and threw two scoreless innings of his own, lowering his season ERA to 0.93. Alex Rodriguez (no, not that one) plated Luis Baez with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to give Fort Myers another insurance run. Clearwater plated a run in the top of the ninth, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Mighty Mussels held on for the victory. Mendez picked up the win on the mound for Fort Myers, and multi-hit games led the offense from Rosario and Cardenas. Baez stole two bases, and Miller reached base three times in the win. Fort Myers improved their record to 46-32 with the win. DOMINICAN DAILIES GAME ONE DSL Twins 7, DSL Nationals 2 (Continuation of Suspended Game) Box Score Starting Pitcher: Jeferson Lopez (0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K) Winning Pitcher: Roger Duran (3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K) Multi-Hit Games: Daniel Pena (2-for-2) 2B: Anderson Nova (1) HR: Rafael Cruz (1) GAME TWO DSL Twins 8, DSL Nationals 0 Box Score Starting Pitcher: Jose Betancourt (0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K) Winning Pitcher: Ledwin Taveras (4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K) Multi-Hit Games: Junior Marino (3-for-3), Jose Rodriguez (2-for-4), Anderson Nova (2-for-4) 2B: Nova (2), Rodriguez (7) TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jaylen Nowlin (Fort Myers) - 4 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) Hitter of the Day – Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 4-for-4, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2B (15), BB 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: #8 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 1-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BB #12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 4-for-4, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2B (15), BB #14 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K #15 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, 3B (2), BB #16 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B (23), HR (20), SB (7) #17 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K #20 - Sawyer Gipson-Long (Wichita) - 4 2/3 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 0 BB, 6 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-3, 9.55 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Cody Laweryson (1-0, 0.87 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:35 PM CST) - RHP David Festa (5-0, 1.91 ERA) Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - RHP Mike Paredes (4-2, 2.19 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! Thank you for reading, and Go Twins! View full article

Two Twins’ affiliates had huge offensive days. Christian Encarnacion-Strand continued his torrid season. Jake Cave had a big day. Spencer Steer reached base four times. Emmanuel Rodriguez suffered an injury. Let’s see what else happened this Wednesday in the Twins organization. TRANSACTIONS SS Carlos Correa activated from the Covid IL Twins designated RHP Juan Minaya for assignment Twins selected the contract of RHP Jharel Cotton from St. Paul Twins returned SS Jermaine Palacios to St. Paul Wichita placed RHP Matt Canterino on 7-day IL CF Kennie Taylor assigned to Wichita from Cedar Rapids C Kyle Schmidt assigned to Wichita from Fort Myers SAINTS (AAA) St. Paul 12, Rochester 2 Box Score In the battle of the Twins AAA affiliates, the Saints came out on top as they won 12-2 Wednesday night. Former All-Star Aaron Sanchez made his first start for the Saints after being signed to a minor-league deal on Tuesday. Sanchez threw well in the first inning, allowing a walk but striking out two en route to putting up a zero in his first inning as a Saint. The Saints' offense welcomed Sanchez with some great run support, as they had an eight-run first inning. The scoring started when Tim Beckham singled, scoring Spencer Steer. The next batter was Jake Cave, who roped a triple off the wall in left-center field, scoring Beckham and Alex Kirilloff. Mark Contreras singled in Cave, and Michael Helman doubled in Contreras to make it a five-run lead. Later in the inning, Steer singled in a run in his second plate appearance of the inning, and one more run scored on an error to make it an eight-run inning. Sanchez went three innings, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out four batters. Tyler Thornburg came on in relief of Sanchez and pitched two great innings, not allowing any runs while striking out three. Thornburg picked up his first win of the year in only his second appearance for the Saints. In the bottom of the fourth, Cave hit his sixth homer of the year and Caleb Hamilton singled in Contreras, who doubled, to give the Saints a 10-2 lead. One inning later, the Saints scored two more runs thanks to a couple of walks, an RBI groundout from Beckham, and a single from Cave. Mario Sanchez pitched the last four innings for St. Paul to earn the rare four-inning save, his first save of the year. Sanchez didn’t allow any hits and struck out six in his four innings of work. With the win, the Saints improve to 26-29 on the year. Cave and Contreras had three hits apiece to lead the offense, while Steer and Beckham had two apiece. WIND SURGE (AA) The Wichita-Arkansas game was postponed due to rain. The two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 5:05 PM CST on Thursday. KERNELS (HIGH-A) Cedar Rapids 12, South Bend 5 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels rode some hot bats en route to a 12-5 victory over the South Bend Cubs on Wednesday. They got three runs in the first inning thanks to a solo home run by Christian Encarnacion-Strand and a two-run shot by Seth Gray. Starting pitcher John Stankiewicz took the mound with a three-run lead and did his part to ensure that the lead stayed intact. Stankiewicz went four innings for the Kernels, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five batters. In the top of the second, the Kernels continued their hot hitting as Dylan Neuse launched his first homer as a Kernel to give them a four-run lead. Two batters later, Encarnacion-Strand hit his second homer in as many innings to give them a six-run lead. After two scoreless innings for the Kernels, Wander Javier hit an RBI single in the top of the fifth and Charles Mack followed with a three-run homer to give the Kernels an eight-run lead. Cody Laweryson came on in relief of Stankiewicz and pitched two scoreless innings, skating around three hits while striking out two. Jeferson Morales hit a two-run bomb in the seventh to give the Kernels a ten-run advantage, his fourth of the year. After they took a ten-run lead, the Kernels put in Tyler Palm who threw an inning in relief, allowing two runs. After that, they called on Orlando Rodriguez to finish the game and he threw the eighth and ninth innings, allowing only one run. With the win, the Kernels improved to 35-18 on the year. Encarnacion-Strand and Gray each finished with two-hit games and combined to score five runs as they paced the offense in the victory. MIGHTY MUSSELS (LOW-A) Fort Myers 3, Daytona 2 Box Score Unlike the Saints and the Kernels, the Mighty Mussels won a low-scoring affair on Wednesday. Jaylen Nowlin got the start for the Mighty Mussels and was very good, throwing three scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out six. He now has 41 strikeouts in 24 and ⅔ innings this year. Jackson Hicks relieved him, throwing two scoreless innings while striking out two. The game was deadlocked at 0-0 until the top of the sixth when Rubel Cespedes reached on an error by the shortstop, scoring Noah Cardenas and Kala’i Rosario. The bigger news that inning happened when TwinsDaily’s #8 prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez sustained a lower-body injury attempting to advance to third on a dirt ball. He was taken out of the game and the trainer was seen transporting crutches to the dugout. After Hicks exited, the Mighty Mussels put in Regi Grace for the bottom of the sixth and he pitched out of a jam in the sixth but allowed two two-out runs in the bottom of the seventh. A third run was prevented from scoring when Noah Miller threw a runner out at the plate. The Mighty Mussels retook the lead for good in the top of the eighth when Rosario doubled in Mikey Perez, who doubled. Malik Barrington pitched the last two innings and dominated, striking out four while not allowing a baserunner. The Mighty Mussels improved to 35-17 on the year with the win. Rosario led the offense going 2-for-4 with two doubles, and Cardenas reached base three times in the win. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Mario Sanchez (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 6 K, Save(1) Hitter of the Day – Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2 HR (12), 2 R, 3 RBI 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: #3 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - 3-for-4, R, 2B (7), 3 RBI #7 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, 2B (4), R, RBI, 2 BB #8 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-1, 2 BB #9 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4 #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2 HR (12), 2 R, 3 RBI THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ St. Paul (7:07 CST) - RHP Ronny Henriquez (0-2, 8.07 ERA) Game 1: Wichita @ Arkansas (5:05 CST) - RHP Casey Legumina (0-2, 8.82 ERA) Game 2: Wichita @ Arkansas (TBD) - Pitcher TBD; will be updated Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 PM CST) - RHP David Festa (3-0, 2.63 ERA) Fort Myers @ Daytona (6:05 PM CST) - LHP Jordan Carr (0-0, 3.00 ERA) (First start with Ft. Myers) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! Thank you for reading, and Go Twins! View full article