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The Twins had an exciting victory Sunday afternoon thanks to a Byron Buxton walk-off home run. The Twins minor-league affiliates did not have as exciting of wins but still provided entertaining baseball throughout the day. TRANSACTIONS There were no transactions in the Twins minor leagues on Sunday. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Toledo 8 Box Score SP: Daniel Gossett - 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K HR: None Multi hit games: Curtis Terry (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI (9)) The Saints played their final game of a week-long series against the Toledo Mud Hens and came up short on a chance to split the six-game series Sunday losing 8-3 to the Mud Huns The offense performed a bit better than they did in their 5-2 loss to the Mud Hens on Saturday. Curtis Terry led the Saints in hitting going two for four with four runs batted in Sunday, but only three other Saints hitters managed to get hits against the Mud Hens pitching. Daniel Gossett did not have the start he was hoping for on Sunday. Gossett made his shortest start of the season on Sunday only going two and a third innings but gave up a minimum number of runs for the season so far with only two. Cole Sands relieved Gossett but had his worst outing of the season so far. In one inning of relief, Sands gave up four hits, five earned runs and two walks which put the Mud Hens up 7-2 after four innings. The Saints will return home Tuesday for a two-week stretch playing their first series against the Milwaukee Brewers Triple AAA affiliate the Nashville Sounds for their next six games. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 10, Midland 7 Box Score SP: Matt Canterino - 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K HR: Kevin Merrell (3) Multi hit games: Kevin Merrell (2-3, R, HR, 2 RBI (8)), Michael Helman (3-4, 2 R, 2B, 3B (2), 2 RBI (11), SB (4), BB, K), Matt Wallner (2-4, R, 3 RBI (7), BB, K), Cole Sturgeon (2-4, RBI (13), K) The Wind Surge faced tough back-to-back losses against the RockHounds Friday and Saturday and got revenge against them with a 10-7 win on Sunday. The hitters came alive on Sunday, combining for 11 hits, nine walks, and two triples from Michael Helman and Edouard Julien. Helman was the hitter of the game for the Wind Surge on Sunday as he came a home run short of the cycle and did everything else a hitter could. Forest Lake native Matt Wallner saw his hitting game recover after struggling at the plate over the last week as well, going 2-for-4 and driving in three runs in the Wind Surge victory. Matt Canterino made his fourth start of the season for the Wind Surge and although he only faced the RockHounds lineup all the way through once, he was perfect in all three innings. Canterino made his second consecutive start of three-inning, perfect pitching Sunday and showed great resurgence with the Wind Surge. The Wind Surge will be making their second road trip of the season this week facing the Arkansas Travelers who currently hold a 8-7 record on the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Peoria 4 Box Score SP: Aaron Rozek 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: Anthony Prato (2) Multi hit games: Anthony Prato (2-4, 2 R, HR, RBI (13)), Christian Encarnacion-Strand (2-4, 2 R, 2B, 3B (1), RBI (23) 2 K), Willie Joe Garry Jr. (2-4, R, 2 2B, RBI (3)) The Kernels finished up their first full homestand of the season against the Peoria Chiefs on Sunday taking five out of six games against the Chiefs. The Kernels stand at a High-A Midwest Division best record 12-3 now thanks to their hot bats Christian Encarnacion-Strand led the lineup once again, nailing his first triple of the season and adding to his league-high runs batted in total which now stands at 23. Anthony Prato had another impressive game on Sunday as well going two for four with a home run and a couple of runs. Kernels left fielder Willie Joe Garry Jr. had his first offensive breakout for the season going two for four with a couple of doubles and an RBI. Aaron Rozek threw another impressive game on Sunday going five full innings and allowing only five base runners. Rozek did give up three runs in his start but still maintained the lead for the Kernels through five. The Kernels next series is on the road against the Beloit Sky Carp for another six-game stand and will be their second series against the Sky Carp for the season. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Dunedin 3 Box Score SP: Travis Adams 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: None Multi hit games: Jesus Feliz (2-3, R, BB) The Mighty Mussels completed their six game road trip to Dunedin with a 3-2 loss and series split against the Blue Jays on Sunday. Mussels starter Travis Adams made another dominant five-inning start for his teammates going five innings, allowing only two base runners, both in the bottom of the first. After the rocky first inning, Adams kept the Blue Jays off the bases for the rest of his start. The Mussels offense was able to tie the game in the top of the third thanks to a Kyler Fedko sacrifice fly. The game remained scoreless thereafter until the top of the sixth when the Mussels took a two to one lead following a Daniel Ozoria single that scored Jake Rucker. Going into the ninth the Mussels held their 2-1 lead but Mussels reliever Samuel Perez was only able to record one out before giving up a ground-rule double to Blue Jays Angel Del Rosario that tied the game. Perez then gave up a single to Adriel Sotolongo that gave the Blue Jays the game-winning run and put the Mussels overall record to 10-5 on the season. The Mussels will begin their next series on Tuesday night at home against the Phillies Single-A affiliate, the Clearwater Threshers. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Travis Adams (Ft. Myers) - 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Hitter of the Day – Michael Helman (Wichita) - 3-4, 2 R, 2B, 3B (2), 2 RBI (11), SB (4), BB, K 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) - 0-4, R, BB #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 0-4, 2 K #3 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 1-3, 2 R, 2B, BB #6 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Minnesota) - 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K #9 - Josh Winder (Minnesota) - 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K #10 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, R, BB, 2 K, 2 SB (5) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) - 0-1 #12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 2-4, R, 3 RBI (7), BB, K #13 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K #18 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 1-3, 3 R, 2B, 2 BB, K #19 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-4, 2 R, 3B (1), RBI (3), BB, 2 K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS All Twins Minor League Affiliates are off on Monday and will resume their games on Tuesday, April 26. The only Monday in which there will be minor-league games is July 4th (and some for the Saints in September). 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

As the year ends, I will be sharing my Top Prospect listings but in a different way. I will be splitting hitters and pitchers and ranking the Top 30 of each. Over the next 12 days, we’ll count them down, starting today with the Twins hitting prospects that I rank between 26 and 30. Prospect lists are always fun to do, and they’re fun because they can be questioned and discussed. Sure, we’ve separated the pitchers and hitters to get right of one question, that being how do you compare pitchers to hitters? But still, how do you compare or rank an 18-year-old who played in the FCL to a 25-year-old at Double-A? Prospect rankings are far from a perfect science, but if nothing else, it gives us the opportunity to discuss more players and give them the recognition that they deserve. #30 Gregory Duran 2021 STATS: .267/.389/.367, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 36.1 K%, 13.9 BB%, 0/3 SB Gregory Duran was signed as an international free agent in July of 2019 from the Dominican Republic. As you would expect in an 18-year-old’s professional debut in the FCL (after a missed season), Duran struggled. He struck out too much. However, he has a smooth, strong, left-handed swing that projects some power. He is a strong outfielder who could play in center but profiles more to the corners. Duran, who will play the full 2022 season at age 19, is likely to get lots of playing time in the FCL in 2022. #29 Wander Valdez 2021 STATS: .225/.339/.350, 8 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 32.3 K%, 12.2 BB%, 4/4 SB Wander Valdez is not an everyday name for those who follow Twins prospects, and yet he signed with the organization from the Dominican Republic way back in 2016. He began 2021 with the Mighty Mussels, but with other prospects there, he wasn’t playing often, or well. He spent time with the FCL Twins where he was able to show some of his power. Valdez is big and strong, so it is his power that remains intriguing. He is a little shorter, but built like former Twins DH Kennys Vargas. Valdez remains fairly athletic and can play third base, though he may be better at first base, and ultimately at DH. #28 Jesus Feliz 2021 STATS: .238/.300/.420, 8 2B, 9 HR, 26.2 K%, 4.3 BB%, 3/3 SB Jesus Feliz is a difficult prospect for me to rank. I am really high on him and his potential. Having seen him in spring training in 2020, I came away impressed with his athleticism and especially his power potential. While he would have missed much of a 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, he returned in 2021 ready to play. He may be too big and strong to remain at shortstop and actually played more third base with the Mighty Mussels. But again, for him to have eight doubles and nine home runs in the League Formerly Known as Florida State is really impressive. It’s been a slow trek up the Twins ladder since he signed back in 2016, so 2022 will be a big season in determining what his future could be. That said, he’s still just 21 years old until June. #27 Andrew Bechtold 2021 STATS: .239/.328/.459, 23 2B, 18 HR, 48 RBI, 32.3 K%, 11.3 BB%, 1/2 SB 2021 was a big year for Andrew Bechtold. He had some struggles offensively in 2019 between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers, and with the lost season, it was interesting to see him jump straight to Double-A Wichita to start the season. He split time pretty evenly between first base and third base, where his arm is a major asset. He also really found his power stroke in 2021 with 23 doubles and 18 home runs. In addition, he spent time all season working behind the plate. After the Wind Surge clinched a playoff spot, he got one start behind the plate and got good reviews. The Twins sent him to the Arizona Fall League where he got one start each week behind the plate as well as time at the infield corners and as the DH. Adding the ability to be a viable catching option certainly makes him more valuable to his team. The team’s 2017 fifth-round draft pick from Chipola College will turn 26 in April. #26 Michael Helman 2021 STATS: .246/.336/.462, 21 2B, 19 HR, 57 RBI, 19.2 K%, 11.3 BB%, 21/26 SB Michael Helman was the team’s 11th round pick in 2018 out of Texas A&M. He had an injury-plagued season in 2019 with the Ft. Myers Miracle. So missing 2020 was not ideal for him. The Twins sent him back to High-A for the 2021 season, this time in Cedar Rapids. Always able to play the middle infield positions, Helman proved very valuable by playing three infield positions and all three outfield spots too. He showed a strong, accurate arm, and he also showed good range and improved routes as the season continued. In addition, he really performed well with the bat too. He always took quality plate appearances, and he continued to do so, but he also showed power with 21 doubles and 19 home runs. He then went to the Arizona Fall League and continued to play all over the diamond. In addition, he walked nine times and struck out six times. He will turn 26 in May. (go to 4:00 mark for Helman video.) Again, I think this is an interesting group of players ranked, and maybe you agree. Michael Helman and Andrew Bechtold are guys who could (and I think CAN) be major-league utility players. Their floor is fairly high for a minor leaguer, especially with Bechtold who had success in Double-A), and yet their ceiling is that of role player. The other three players are younger and further from the big leagues. I do think that Jesus Feliz has a very high ceiling. Gregory Duran has a very high ceiling. Wander Valdez has a few more question marks, so his ceiling may not be quite as high as those two. All three have floors that could find them topping out in A-ball, and not even get to the point where Helman and Bechtold are now. Please feel free to add comments to this discussion and ask questions about players or rankings. View full article

The system had a few strong performances, some weak ones, and a huge swing from Jesús Feliz in a walk-off Mussels win. TRANSACTIONS: C Ben Rortvedt transferred from Minnesota to Triple-A St.Paul SAINTS SENTINEL Storm Chasers 9, Saints 6 Box Score Griffin Jax: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R/ER, BB, 5 K HR: José Miranda (8), Jimmy Kerrigan (10) Multi-hit games: Miranda (3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI), Kerrigan (2-for-4, HR), Drew Stankiewicz (2-for-4, R) José Miranda has dominated this space almost every single night and Sunday was no different. Miranda recorded three more hits, including a solo homer. The breakout prospect entered the game hitting .323/.389/.625 (1.014 OPS) in 23 games with the Saints. Keon Broxton has had a very nice month in St.Paul. He started the day with a stellar .278/.385/.648 slash line in July, bouncing back from a brutal June where he hit just .138/.286/.190. He singled Sunday to drive in the Saints’ first run and then stole his ninth base of the season. Ian Hamilton, usually a lockdown option for the Saints late in games, walked three and allowed a single without recording an out. Hamilton has had walk issues so far this year with a 15.5% free-pass rate entering the game. The Saints couldn’t recover from the five-run seventh. WIND SURGE WISDOM Travelers 7, Wind Surge 5 Box Score Jordan Balazovic: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R/ER, 5 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit game: D.J. Burt (2-for-4, 3B, RBI, R), Wilbis Santiago (2-for-3, 2B, BB), Caleb Hamilton (2-for-4) Jordan Balazovic saw his stunning 25 ⅔ scoreless innings streak come to an end in Sunday’s walk-off loss. Balazovic struggled with his command, walking five Travelers and striking out four. His ERA on the season rose to 2.74. The Surge quickly responded after falling down 1-0 in the first. Aaron Whitefield singled home D.J. Burt in the next half inning, and Wilbis Santiago doubled behind him to take a 2-1 lead. That wouldn’t last long. The Travelers tied the game immediately and just kept clawing back, coming back from 4-2 and 5-3 deficits to eventually walk off the Surge in the bottom of the ninth. Jake Scheiner blasted a two-run homer to win it. KERNELS NUGGETS Snappers 4, Kernels 0 Box Score Cody Laweryson: 5 IP, 3 H, R/ER, BB, 8 K HR: None Multi-hit game: None The Kernels mustered up just two hits in their shutout loss Sunday. Jair Camargo singled in the second and Gabriel Maciel singled in the third, accounting for the entire Cedar Rapids offense. Snappers starter George Soriano struck out eight in four outstanding innings. The top four hitters in the Kernels’ lineup (Edouard Julien, Michael Helman, Matt Wallner and Wander Javier) combined to go 0-for-16 with nine strikeouts. Cody Laweryson put together one of his best starts of the year, striking out a season-high eight Snappers. Laweryson tied his season high with five innings pitched and has allowed just two runs over his last nine innings (two starts). MUSSEL MATTERS Mighty Mussels 6, Tortugas 5 Box Score Zarion Sharpe: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: Charles Mack (5), Jesús Feliz (2) Multi-hit games: Mack (2-for-4, HR, BB), Feliz (3-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI) Jesús Feliz played hero in a thrilling walk-off win for the Mussels Sunday. Leading off the bottom of the ninth, Feliz blasted a 1-0 pitch to left center and saved the Mussels bullpen after they allowed three runs in the eighth. Not only did Feliz end the scoring, he also got the Mussels on the board with a two-out RBI double in the first. Charles Mack added on with a solo homer in the fifth and Yunior Severino and Keoni Cavaco each plated runs with singles in the sixth. Before the Feliz heroics, Zarion Sharpe was fantastic in his fourth start for Fort Myers. Sharpe struck out five and didn’t allow a run. He lowered his ERA to 4.50 after beginning the day at 5.33. COMPLEX CHRONICLES THE FCL TWINS DID NOT PLAY TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Cody Laweryson: 5 IP, 3 H, R/ER, BB, 8 K Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jesús Feliz: 3-for-5, walk-off HR, 2B, 2 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Royce Lewis (Rehab) – Out for season (torn ACL) #2 – Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List (elbow strain) #3 – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R/ER, 5 BB, 4 K #4 – Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #5 – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI #6 – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, BB, R #7 – Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – Did not play #8 – Josh Winder (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #9 – Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – Did not play #10 – Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-4, 2 K #11 – Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery) #12 – Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch #13 – Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #14 – Brent Rooker (Minnesota) – 1-for-4, HR #15 – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, BB, R #16 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 1-for-4 #17 – Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-4, 2 K #18 – Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (foot injury) #19 – Edwar Colina (Rehab) – Injured List (elbow) #20 – Chris Vallimont (Wichita) – Did not pitch View full article