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Prospect lists are fun to look at and review. I think that they’re fun because they can be questioned and discussed. As mentioned yesterday, I’ve separated the pitchers and hitters to get rid of one question, that being how do you compare pitchers to hitters? But still, how do you 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. Hopefully you find this entertaining and also gives you the opportunity to learn about some new Twins prospects. #30 - RHP Steven Cruz 2021 STATS: 4-2, 4.32 ERA, 28/2 G/GS, 1.36 WHIP, 80/33 K/BB, 50.0 IP If you like velocity, then you should really like Steven Cruz. The 6-7 right-hander from the Dominican Republic frequently topped 100 mph in 2021, topping out at 102 mph. There are times, as you would expect, when he gets a little wild with his fastball and his improving secondary pitches. However, 80 strikeouts in 50 innings is certainly noteworthy. He spent the season in Ft. Myers with just a couple of appearances in Cedar Rapids late in the season. Cruz signed back in March of 2017 and will turn 23 in June. #29 - RHP Luis Rijo 2021 STATS: 0-0, 9.95 ERA, 4/2 G/GS, 2.53 WHIP, 7/6 K/BB, 6.1 IP Luis Rijo came to the Twins in the July 2018 trade from the Yankees for Lance Lynn. He looked really good in 2019 with Low-A Cedar Rapids. He was always known for being a good control pitcher with quality secondary pitches but that season he was suddenly touching 95-96 with a fastball. He lost the 2020 season, and after attempting to return from elbow issues a couple of times, his season came to an end when he had Tommy John surgery. He will be just 23 throughout the 2022 season, but he likely won’t pitch and if he does it would be a few innings late. He has a ton of potential. The concern is that he becomes a free agent after the 2022 season. #28 - RHP Travis Adams 2021 STATS: 0-1, 20.25 ERA, 1/1 G/GS, 3.00 WHIP, 3/2 K/BB, 1.1 IP Adams pitched in just one game in the FCL late in the 2021 season. He had already made 14 starts for Sacramento State before the Twins made him their sixth round pick. In his 79 1/3 innings in college, he walked just 16 and struck out 72 batters. He’s got a good, smooth delivery with a low-90s fastball. He also has a really good changeup and command of both pitches. He is developing a curveball that has shown some potential. He certainly profiles as a starter. Adams will turn 22 in January. #27 - RHP Tyler Beck 2021 STATS: 3-4, 3.00 ERA, 19/13 G/GS, 1.12 WHIP, 91/30 K/BB, 84.0 IP Tyler Beck had a long and circuitous route to professional baseball, but after helping the University of Tampa to a national championship, the Twins drafted him in 2019. He began the 2021 season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels either starting or working in a piggyback role, and he pitched well. His fastball is in the low-90s, and he’s got a really good split-finger/sinker/changeup and mixes his pitches and velocities. He ended the season in Double-A Wichita but soon started experiencing some elbow pain and had Tommy John in the offseason. He hopes to get some innings late in the 2022 season. He is 26 years old. #26 - RHP Ben Gross 2021 STATS: 5-4, 4.06 ERA, 21/17 G/GS, 1.37 WHIP, 122/32 K/BB, 95.1 IP Ben Gross graduated from Princeton in three years and then spent his senior season at Duke. The Twins drafted him in the tenth round in 2019. After a missed 2020 season, Gross was a starter for High-A Cedar Rapids in 2021. He also pitched well and was durable. With Cedar Rapids, he had 106 strikeouts and just 23 walks over 82 innings. He was then promoted to Wichita late in the season and got some innings out of the bullpen. He had 16 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old is mostly a fastball thrower in the low-90s. He’s got a good curveball and a changeup. He also has a strong idea of what he wants to do on the mound. I think this is an interesting group of players ranked, and maybe you agree. There are a couple of older, senior-sign pitchers who have found success in High-A ball and touched Double-A in their first full season of pro ball. We have an intriguing pick from the 2021 draft. Luis Rijo has a high ceiling, but he had Tommy John surgery in 2021, so we can’t be sure how much he (or Tyler Beck) will pitch in 2022. And finally, Steven Cruz could go up and down the rankings. He may be ‘just’ a reliever, but when a guy can throw 102, he becomes intriguing. He’s still fairly young. Please feel free to add comments to this discussion and ask questions about players or rankings.

Check back to this article through the morning for updates as the Rule 5 draft occurs. Minnesota’s current 40-man roster sits with 35 active players which includes 18 pitchers, four catchers, six infielders and seven outfielders. At the end of last month, the Twins added three players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. These players were catcher Ben Rortvedt and right-handed pitchers Jordan Balazovic and Bailey Ober. Another player to consider is Fernando Romero who spent the entire season on the restricted list due to visa issues and he is not currently on the 40-man roster. With payrolls expected to decrease next year because of the pandemic, inexpensive talent will be at a premium, so we could see more Rule 5 Draft activity than usual this offseason. As you may know, it costs $100,000 to make a Rule 5 selection. Then that player must remain on the draft team's active roster all year or be offered back to the original team for $50,000. Trades can be worked out as well. Who are some members of the Twins organization that have a chance to be selected? Here’s a quick list: OF Akil Baddoo: Baddoo was the Twins second-round pick back in 2016 out of high school. He played all of 2019 as a 20-year old at Fort Myers, but he was limited to 29 games after undergoing Tommy John surgery. His power and speed could be a valuable asset, especially since he can play centerfield. Would a team be willing to use him as a back-up outfielder for the season? SS Wander Javier: Javier has been one of the team’s top prospects since he was signed, but he missed the entire 2018 season due to Tommy John surgery. The Twins left him unprotected last year and he went unclaimed. He has all the tools and that’s one of the reasons the Twins were high on him when he signed with the club. After another missed season, it seems unlikely for a team to claim him, but the talent is there. RHP Luis Rijo: Like Javier, Rijo was left unprotected last winter and he went unclaimed. Back in 2019, he pitched the entire season at Low-A where he posted a 2.86 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 107 innings as a starter. He has three pitches and can hit the mid-90s with his fastball, which could definitely be intriguing to a rebuilding club. Would a team be able to stash him in their bullpen for the year and help him develop? 3B Jose Miranda: Minnesota selected Miranda in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft. Since that time, he was worked his way through the system as he played nearly all of 2019 at High-A. He’s hit double-digit home runs in two of the last three seasons and he has topped 25 doubles for two consecutive years. His ability to play multiple defensive positions could allow a team to keep him on their bench in a utility role. Other Twins players that could potential be selected include: RHP Griffin Jax, 2B Yunior Severino, OF Gabriel Maciel, LHP Charlie Barnes, LHP Jovani Moran, RHP Tyler Wells, LHP Bryan Sammons, 1B/OF Trey Cabbage, 1B Zander Wiel. ----- Outfielder Akil Baddoo was selected with the third overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft. He will join the Tigers organization after missing nearly two full seasons of competitive play. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019, but he is expected to be healthy for 2021. Right-handed pitcher Tyler Wells was selected in the second round of the Rule 5 Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Like Baddoo, Wells underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019. Before the injury, he had a 2.49 ERA and a 121 to 31 strikeout to walk ratio in 119 1/3 innings between High- and Double-A. Right-handed pitcher Ricky Ramirez was lost to the Orioles in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft. He was the team’s 15th round pick back in 2017. During the 2019 season, posted a 3.80 ERA with a 50 to 18 strikeout to walk ratio in 42 2/3 innings. He has never pitched higher than the Florida State League. Right-handed pitcher Joe Record was selected by the Astros in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. He only made 35 appearances in the Twins organization after being selected in the 28th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. Record, a hard thrower, had a 5.07 ERA and a 68 to 16 strikeout to walk ratio over 55 innings back in 2019. In the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft, the Twins selected right-handed pitcher Jhonleider Salinas from the Tampa Bay organization. At 6-foot-7, the 25-year old Venezuelan can be an opposing presence on the mound. He split 2019 between High- and Double-A where he had a 3.27 ERA and a 68 to 33 strikeout to walk ratio in 66 innings. Minnesota also picked left-handed pitcher Josh Mitchell from the Royals organization in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. He was a 22nd round pick back in 2017 from the University of Pittsburgh. He pitched all of 2019 at High-A where he had a 3.30 ERA and a 47 to 13 strikeout to walk ratio in 43 2/3 innings. Outfielder Jacob Pearson was picked up by the Atlanta Braves from the Twins organization. Originally, Pearson came to the Twins from the Angles organization for international bonus pool money that was used for signing Shohei Ohtani. During the 2019 season, Pearson hit .233/.303/.338 with 30 extra-base hits in 117 games. Feel free to discuss the Rule 5 draft here as it happens or rumors before and after. The article will be updated after the MLB portion of the Rule 5 and after the Minor League portion of the Rule 5. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

Time can change the view of a trades, so here’ what was said back in 2018 at the time of the deal. What Did People Say at the Time of the Trade? Lynn had only made 20 starts for the Twins at the time of the deal and he was excited to be heading to a contender. "As a fan of the game growing up, it's exciting for me as a young kid seeing them in their heyday winning a lot of World Series championships," Lynn said at the time. "You look at their team now, they're going for it. I'm excited for that opportunity and that challenge. It's going to be a different experience. I'm just going to go in there and try to do everything I can to help wherever that may be." Baseball Prospectus discussed Austin’s prospect status before he finally broke into the big leagues. “the Yankees have mostly used Austin as an up-and-down fill-in when their better plans at first base or designated hitter have gone awry. He’s continued to put up big numbers for the International League in his Triple-A stints, and he’s consistently hit for power if not average when in the bigs.” At the time, Tom wrote at Twins Daily and gave the Twins an A-grade for this trade. Lynn had been lackluster during his Twins tenure and Tom was surprised Lynn had this kind of trade value. He wrote, “Honestly, if this was Lynn for Luis Rijo straight up, I would have been impressed. Rijo has an insane 8.36 K:BB ratio in 125 ⅓ innings over his minor league career. He also tops out at 93 mph, so it’s not like it’s all just smoke and mirrors.” Lynn’s New York Tenure Lynn was joining a Yankees pitching staff that already had five starters in front of him. Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Sonny Gray and JA Happ were ahead of Lynn in the rotation. Even with that depth, nine of Lynn’s 11 appearances with New York came as a starter. He posted a 4.14 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 54 1/3 innings. He posted a 102 ERA+ and struck out 61 while only walking 14. It was an improvement over his time with the Twins. In the playoffs, Lynn made two relief appearances in the ALDS and things didn’t go as well. He allowed three runs in 2 1/3 innings with a 2.14 WHIP and as many walks (2) as strikeouts (2). New York fell to Boston in four games and Lynn signed a free agent deal with Texas that winter. Minnesota’s Return Austin played 37 games for the Twins over the next two seasons and hit .236/.298/.488 with nine home runs and five doubles. He struck out in nearly 32% of his plate appearances and the Twins dealt him to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Malique Ziegler. Since joining the Twins, Ziegler played in 18 games at High-A where he posted a .442 OPS and dealt with some injuries. He turned 24-years old in September and a lost 2020 season hurt his chances to get closer to the big leagues. Luis Rijo is a little more intriguing even though the Twins have left him unprotected in each of the last two Rule 5 Drafts. His last appearances came at Low-A back 2019, so that’s likely one of the biggest reasons a team hasn’t claimed him. In that season, he posted a 2.86 ERA with 99 strikeouts over 107 innings. All those appearances were as a starter, but the bullpen might be an intriguing option moving forward, especially since his fastball already sits in the mid-90s. Who Won the Trade? Another part of the trade was the fact Minnesota had to eat $4.5 million of Lynn’s contract. This likely allowed the Twins to get any kind of value back in this trade. While Austin didn’t exactly pan out, Rijo still has potential to be a viable pitcher at the big-league level and he might have a better chance to contribute if he can make a successful transition to the bullpen. It was lucky the Twins could get anything for Lynn after the way his career started with the team. Looking back, what do you think about the trade? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. If you missed any of the previous posts in this series: -Brian Dozier Trade -Ryan Pressly Trade -Eduardo Escobar Trade MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

If you missed the first round rounds, you can view them here. A brief primer: We're taking 16 players with "prospect" or "rookie" status. Positions on each team included: Catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, three outfielders, a bench player/hitter, three starting pitchers, three relief pitchers, and an extra pitcher. (Please note that comments under the picks were made by the person making the selection.) Round 5 Seth Stohs - Luis Rijo RH SP When the Twins acquired Rijo in July 2018, he had put up solid numbers and was known for his pitch ability. Then last summer in Cedar Rapids, he was pumping 96! I like that upside. Steve Lein - Akil Baddoo OF Though an injury cut short his 2019 season, Baddoo is an outfielder who can play center, gets on base, and was starting to show some pop. Ted Schwerzler - Griffin Jax RHP Jax isn’t going to be an ace, but he’s more than capable of being a safe and trustworthy arm. He’s performed at every level, and despite some hurdles in getting his baseball career to remain consistent, he’s been as reliable as it gets. Cody Christie - Wander Javier, SS Might as well complete my up-the-middle trifecta. Javier is coming off a rough transition to a full-season league, but he has too many tools not to be able to find success. Injuries have limited his time on the field, but more time and experience will showcase his full potential. Jeremy Nygaard - Will Holland, SS Holland struck out way too much in his pro debut, which came on the heels of a not-so-great junior season at Auburn. But his first two years there, plus a really good Cape performance in 2018, has me believing in both the power and the speed (16 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 2019 between Auburn and Elizabethton). If he can stick at shortstop, that’s just icing on the cake if he realizes his potential with the bat. Matt Braun - Gabriel Maciel, OF Outfielders kind of flew off the board quicker than I anticipated so I’m glad that I was able to snap Maciel. He could be the stereotypical leadoff hitter in the mold of Denard Span who sets the table for guys in the middle of the lineup. Round 6 Matt Braun - Yunior Severino, 2B Severino is a very interesting prospect in his own right. He was snatched up by the Twins after the Braves were busted for shady international practices and he has held his own in the lower level of the minors so far. He brings good upside in raw power that isn’t seen often in middle infielders and is one of the only switch-hitters in the entire system. Jeremy Nygaard - Zander Wiel, 1B/OF I’m not positive that Holland bats higher than sixth… but I know Wiel will bat third or fourth. I finally have my run-producing masher, who I assume will be my primary first baseman, though he does have some experience in the outfield. Cody Christie - Spencer Steer, 3B College experience, check. Power bat, check. Steer can help solidify the left side of the infield with Wander Javier playing up the middle. He will be a leader in the clubhouse and on the field. (Get to Know Spencer Steer here.) Ted Schwerzler - Trey Cabbage 1B The FSL wasn’t all that kind in Cabbage’s debut season there, but the 2015 4th round pick game into his power. He’s now 23 and will need to step up quickly, but he’s got the chops to play an athletic first base and drive the ball out of the yard. Steve Lein - Seth Gray 3B After being drafted in the 4th round last year Gray had a tale of two halves in his first season as a professional. In the months of June and July he hit a combined .201/.314/.373 in 134 at-bats with Elizabethton. Then he turned it on in August and September with a .270/.368/.520 line in his last 100 at-bats, including a promotion to Cedar Rapids for his final four games. Gray possesses a good amount of raw power, so I’m looking for that out of him in my lineup. Seth Stohs - Bailey Ober, RH SP I mean, just look at the numbers. The lanky right-hander pitched in 14 games last year and went 8-0 with a 0.69 ERA. In 78 2/3 innings, he struck out 100 batters and walked nine. He may not throw hard, but he’s doing something right. He knows himself as a pitcher and continued to learn throughout the 2019 season. Round 7 Seth Stohs - Sean Poppen, RH RP He’s mostly been a starter since the Twins drafted him out of Harvard. He’s had a little bit of big league time now out of the bullpen. As noted this offseason, I am a big believer in his upside as a reliever. He throws 97 and gets a ton of movement on his fastball and slider. Steve Lein - Josh Winder SP I’ll finish my rotation with Winder. He threw a ton of innings with the Kernels in 2019 and led the Midwest League with a 2.65 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. He can hit mid-90’s with his fastball and has a full repertoire of secondary offerings, with a few breaking balls showing promise. Ted Schwerzler - Cody Stashak RH RP The MLB debut in 2019 was about as good as it gets. In 25 innings Stashak mowed down opposing hitters and did so while limiting walks in an extremely impressive way. Relievers only have so much value, but I’m stoked to get him here. Cody Christie - Jorge Alcala RH SP I’m going with my best available player here and he happens to fill a need on my roster. Alcala struggled through parts of 2019, but his high ERA might not tell the full story. He has a fastball that can hit in the high 90s and a slider that helps him strikeout batters. If he doesn’t work in the rotation, he could be a tremendous bullpen option with his top two pitch options. Jeremy Nygaard - Chris Vallimont RHSP I thought hard about taking a pitcher instead of Wiel, but there were quite a few I liked and thought I’d get two of them (here and my next picks). I didn’t anticipate Seth kicking off a five-straight-pitchers run. All the pitchers that I considered here are gone, but I’m going to take the next pitcher on my list. Vallimont throws gas, is a little under the radar, and completes my rotation nicely. Matt Braun - Bryan Sammons, LHSP Jeremy taking Vallimont threw me into a fit of words that will not be repeated but I eventually got my bearings back and took Sammons. The walks were a bit high for him at AA this year but he brings great strikeout potential from the left side and rounds out my rotation quite nicely. Round 8 Matt Braun - Willie Joe Garry Jr., OF Garry Jr. and Maciel might make one of the most athletic outfields you can field using Twins minor leaguers. Garry Jr. is very young with a lot of development left but has as much upside as anyone else in the system. Hopefully people stop taking my guys as this continues. Jeremy Nygaard - Emmanuel Rodriguez OF The top “prospect” left on my list and also, having just turned 17, the youngest. Rodriguez will fit into a defensively-strong outfield, playing right field. He’ll also fit into the bottom third of the lineup where he can put his strong hitting skills on display, without pressure. Cody Christie - Tyler Wells, RH SP Wells was due back from Tommy John surgery in 2020 but his last action in 2018 saw him put up some strong numbers at High- and Double-A. He rounds out my rotation nicely and could wind up being one of my best pitchers if he can get back to where he was before surgery. Ted Schwerzler - Edouard Julien 3B Minnesota went with a pair of Auburn Tigers infielders in the 2019 draft. Julien initially decided to go back to school until the Twins convinced him otherwise. He had a bit of a down Sophomore year, but there’s plenty of pop in his bat and he’s got a chance to be a solid contributor on the diamond. Steve Lein - Mark Contreras OF Contreras had a rough season at the plate in 2019 overall, but I'm adding him for a different reason here: his elite defense. He won an MiLB gold glove award for his work in the outfield at all three spots. Seth Stohs - Derek Molina, RH RP Molina is a great athlete, and now that he is a full-time pitcher, he’s taking off. The right-hander split 2019 between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers and had 61 strikeouts and just 11 walks over 41 innings of work. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

Before we look at the 2020 Honorable Mentions, a quick look at last year’s Honorable Mentions shows that 2019 Twins Top Rookie Luis Arraez was mentioned, referred to as a “Hit Machine.” Also, Jordan Balazovic went from Honorable Mention to, well, you’ll see him profiled soon. So which players who received votes this year will climb the prospect ladder in 2020? ALREADY DEBUTED Four players who made their MLB debuts in 2019. These players may not have super-stardom in their futures, but as we saw last year, they absolutely can be contributors to winning teams. Randy Dobnak went from non-drafted free agent who spent all of 2018 in Cedar Rapids to a guy who pitched well at four levels in the Twins system in 2019, including at the big league level, on his way to the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. Likewise, Devin Smeltzer pitched in some big games and performed well at various times throughout the year. LaMonte Wade debuted mid-summer, and after an injury, he played most every day in September. Hard-throwing Jorge Alcala moved from a starting role to the bullpen late in the season and received a mid-September promotion to the big leagues. OTHERS ON 40-MAN ROSTER Along with those four players, a few other Honorable Mention players are on the Twins 40-man roster. Nick Gordon was added after the 2018 season. This past November, the Twins added Luke Raley and Dakota Chalmers to their 40-man roster, putting them one call away from the big leagues. In addition, Luis Rijo and Griffin Jax were two guys that Twins fans (and probably the Twins too) were worried about potentially losing in the Rule 5 draft. They were not selected, but as we know, both have the potential to move up this list. RETURNING FROM INJURIES Injuries are a part of the game, any game, and several Twins prospects fought injuries in 2019. Injuries can mean missed time and fewer development opportunities. They can sometimes be played through and affect performance. Ben Rortvedt suffered a knee injury late in the season, but he had surgery and should return at 100% in 2020. Akil Baddoo’s season ended in mid-May. He had Tommy John surgery and is excited to return to the field. Nick Gordon’s season started late due to a stomach ailment. His season ended early because of a knee injury. In between, he played well in Rochester. Luke Raley got off to a fast start for the Red Wings in April but at the end of the month he hurt his ankle and had surgery. He returned for the Arizona Fall League. Bailey Ober fought elbow injuries at times during the season, but when he took the mound, he was great. Yunior Severino fractured his thumb early in the season for Cedar Rapids. He was able to return in August. And Dakota Chalmers returned in the second half from his Tommy John surgery. You see the names, and you know several of them were previously Top 20 prospects, some even Top 10 guys. If healthy, their talent could push them quickly back up the rankings. WE HARDLY KNOW YE Spencer Steer had a strong first impression in pro ball. The Twins third-round pick from Oregon played for Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids in his debut. Chris Vallimont came to the Twins organization along with Sergio Romo (and cash) from the Miami Marlins for Lewin Diaz at the trade deadline. He’s got a big fastball and a solid pitch mix. Willie Joe Garry was a Twins draft pick in 2018 out of high school from Mississippi. He is a tremendous athlete with great speed and improving power. He’s got all the tools and is one to watch in 2020. DEADLINE TRADES 2018 The Twins were not good in 2018, and at the deadline, the front office traded several expiring contracts (and 1 1/4 seasons of Ryan Pressly) for a plethora of prospects. A couple of those prospects will be profiled later in this series, but a lot of them received votes and would appear in the 21 through 35 range of Twins prospect. Clearly that flurry of trade activity has much helped the Twins' prospect depth. From the Dodgers for Brian Dozier, the Twins received both Devin Smeltzer and Luke Raley. From the Diamondbacks for Eduardo Escobar, the Twins received Gabriel Maciel. From the Yankees for Lance Lynn, the Twins received Luis Rijo. From the Astros for Ryan Pressly, the Twins acquired Jorge Alcala. From the A’s for Fernando Rodney, the Twins acquired Dakota Chalmers. Tomorrow, we will begin our look into the Top 20 Twins prospects with prospects 16-20. Be sure to check every day to see where your favorite Twins prospects rank. And feel free to ask questions and leave your comments below. 2020 MINNESOTA TWINS PROSPECT HANDBOOK For more information on these Honorable Mentions, pick up a copy of the 2020 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. It is available in paperback or PDF (for immediate download). Order your copies today! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

TRANSACTIONS Pensacola LHP Bryan Sammons transferred to Fort Myers LHP Andrew Vasquez transferred to Rochester RHP Jordan Balazovic promoted from Fort Myers RHP Dakota Chalmers promoted from Fort myers BLUE WAHOOS BITES Biloxi 11, Pensacola 10 Box Score What an absolute doozy. Jhoan Duran drew the start for the Blue Wahoos and it could have definitely gone better. He made it to just one out into the fifth inning, and despite striking out six and walking one, he allowed four earned runs on eight hits. This game was all about offense though, so let’s fast forward to where things got crazy. https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1169411349010472960 Despite there being 20 runs and 28 hits through the first nine frames, Pensacola had no home runs. Down 9-5 with no outs and only owning their final three outs, Alex Kirilloff stepped in for the away team. Minnesota’s #2 prospect launched a grand slam into the night and tied this one. After a ball to start the at-bat for top prospect Royce Lewis, he launched a solo shot of his own and the Blue Wahoos owned their most important lead of the night. https://twitter.com/TFTwins/status/1169445938043265025 Alex Phillips came on to close it out in the ninth and came one errant pitch from getting it done. A leadoff single turned into a runner on second following a one-out wild pitch, and the runner came around to score on a two-out single a couple of batters later. The game that had everything was now headed to extras. After going down in order during the top half, Pensacola tasked Jovani Moran with getting them to the 11th. Moran worked around a leadoff walk by getting a ground ball double play from the next batter, but a walk off homer, while needing just one more out, did him in. Griffin Jax will look to send the series back to Florida all knotted up after a win tomorrow night. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 4, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score Luis Rijo earned the game one start for Cedar Rapids and he gave the home team everything they could ask for and then some. Working six innings, he allowed just two runs (one earned) while striking out six and issuing zero free passes. Down just one run when he left the contest, Rijo put the Kernels in striking distance to take game one of their postseason run. https://twitter.com/Carlson_MnTwins/status/1169401366915272704 Unfortunately the Tyler Webb solo shot in the bottom of the third inning was the only production that Cedar Rapids mustered. The five hits were scattered and the home field advantage didn’t provide a lift in the ninth as Kernels hitters went down in order on strikes. Seth Gray was the lone Cedar Rapids hitter to rack up multiple hits, and only Gabe Snyder joined him by reaching base more than once on the evening. Tomorrow, Matt Canterino will look to draw things back even on the road, and the Kernels will attempt to play a more crisp game after having three errors tonight. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Luis Rijo (Cedar Rapids) 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 2-5, 2B, HR(GS), 2 R, 4 RBI, K PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Pensacola) - 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 2-5, 2B, HR(GS), 2 R, 4 RBI, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Minnesota) - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K #4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - 1-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB, K #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #9 - Jhoan Duran (Pensacola) - 4.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - 1-5, K #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - Defensive replacement #15 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 1-3, R, 2 BB THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pensacola vs Biloxi (6:35PM CST) - RHP Griffin Jax Cedar Rapids vs Quad Cities (6:35PM CST) - RHP Matt Canterino Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other minor league topics you would like.

Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Tuesday, starting with some awards and the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS Taking LHP Lewis Thorpe’s spot on the Twins roster is RHP Randy Dobnak. RHP Ryne Harper returned to the Red Wings after being optioned on Saturday. OF Alejandro de Aza activated from the injured list for the Red Wings. LHP Charlie Barnes sent down to Pensacola. SS Jordan Gore began a rehab in the GCL. As you will see below, he might be trying something new. Not really a transaction, but the Twins announced that Byron Buxton's Cedar Rapids rehab has hit a setback. For more information, click here. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Buffalo 5 Box Score Kohl Stewart started and gave up two runs on three hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out six batters. Brusdar Graterol came on for the sixth inning. After a walk and a hit batter, he got a fielder’s choice. However, the next batter connected on a three-run homer. Graterol got the final two outs, the third out on a strikeout. Trevor Hildenberger came on and gave up just a single over two scoreless innings. The Red Wings tried to mount a comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning. Down 5-0, they scored three runs, but fell short. Tomas Telis went 2-for-4 and drove in the first ninth inning run. Zander Wiel followed with a two-run homer, his 22nd of the season. He went 2-for-3 with a walk in the game. BLUE WAHOOS BITES Pensacola 4, Jackson 2 Box Score Bailey Ober has been quite the story in 2019. After pitching well in Ft. Myers, when healthy, he has now been really good in three starts with the Wahoos. On this night, he gave up only an unearned run on four hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out 11. https://twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall/status/1166524981032845312 Another story of note, Stephen Gonsalves came in for the eighth inning. He gave up an unearned run on a walk and a hit batter in his inning. He struck out two. Alex Phillips came on and got the final three outs for the save. Pensacola scored all three of their runs in the first inning. Alex Kirilloff scored on a ground out from LaMonte Wade. Mark Contreras added a two run single. Ryan Jeffers went 2-for-3. Trevor Larnach went 1-for-3 with a walk. It was the final game of the home schedule for Pensacola. After taking Wednesday off, they will begin their final series of the season. https://twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall/status/1166543322606985216 MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 - Ft. Myers 2, Dunedin 3 Box Score Lachlan Wells started the first game. He gave up two runs on five hits in the first five innings. He walked two and struck out four. Tyler Watson gave up one run on one hit in one inning. Yeltsin Encarnacion led the offense. He went 3-for-3 and drive in a run. The Miracle had just seven total hits. Game 2 - Ft. Myers 5, Dunedin 2 Box Score In game two, the Miracle got a strong start and a big blast. Trey Cabbage and Jose Miranda provided much of the Miracle offense. Miranda went 3-for-3 with a walk and his 24th and 25th doubles. Trey Cabbage went 2-for-3 with a walk and his fifth-inning, three-run homer proved to be all that they needed to get the win. On the mound, Dakota Chalmers put together another solid start and picked up his first Miracle win. He gave up one run on three hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out eight batters. Zach Neff recorded his sixth save. He struck out three over two innings of work. He gave up one run on two hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 3 Box Score The Kernels nearly went to extra innings for a second straight night, but instead, Spencer Steer played hero in the bottom of the ninth with a walk-off single. Steer went 2-for-5 in the game. Wander Javier provided a big hit, his tenth home run of the season. Luis Rijo had another impressive outing in August. He gave up just one run on four hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out six batters. Jose Martinez went the next 1 1/3 innings. He gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk. Dylan Thomas came out and got the final two outs of the eight inning and all three outs in the ninth frame. E-TWINS E-NOTES E-Twins 3, Greeneville 1 Box Score Ruben Santana spent three summers playing in the Dominican Summer League before coming to the States this year. On Tuesday night, Santana led off the game with the first home run of his professional career. Fidel Castro tied the game in the third inning with a home run for Greeneville, but in the fourth, the E-Twins responded with two runs. Seth Gray had an RBI double, followed by an RBI single by Trevor Jensen. Gray hit his 14 and 15th doubles. Max Smith added his 12th double. Brent Headrick made the start for the Twins. He worked two scoreless innings and didn’t give up a hit. He walked two and struck out one. Ryan Shreve came in and gave up one run on four hits over the next four innings. He struck out six without issuing a walk. Denny Bentley worked the next two innings and kept Greeneville from adding any runs. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. Tyler Beck worked a scoreless ninth inning. He gave up a hit and a walk but struck out three batters. Wednesday is the final day of the Appalachian League regular season. I’d explain how the E-Twins can make the playoffs, but Nick Badders did all the work, so let’s let him. https://twitter.com/BadderUpSports/status/1166523310433296384 GCL TWINS TAKES Game 1 - GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 2 (10 innings) Box Score The game was suspended on Monday in the bottom of the fourth and resumed on Tuesday morning. On Monday, non-drafted free agent Evan Gillespie started the game and gave up just two hits over four scoreless innings. He struck out four. When the game resumed on Tuesday, Jordan Gore was on the mound. He faced five batters. He walked three and struck out two batters before exiting the game. Yes, this is the same Jordan Gore who began the season as the starting shortstop of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. In a game he pitched for Pensacola earlier this season, he was regularly hitting 96 mph on the radar gun. Anthony Escobar turned 19 a couple of days ago. He went the final 5 1/3 innings He gave up two runs on four hits to record the win. He struck out three without issuing a walk. In the game, Luke Raley went 3-for-5. Brent Rooker went 1-for-3 before exiting. Alex Craig had a single and two walks. LaRon Smith hit his fifth double, and Jesus Feliz hit his ninth double. Game 2 - GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 4 Box Score Regi Grace made the start and gave up three runs (one earned) on three hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out seven batters. Danny Moreno came on and gave up one hit in a scoreless inning. Junior Navas gave up a run on three hits in the sixth inning. Steve Theetge worked a perfect seventh inning for his first pro save. The GCL Twins scored six runs with just five hits. However, in what was certainly an enjoyable game to watch, they walked 12 times. Jesus Feliz, Eric Jones, Francisco Martinez, Alec Craig and Jim Caceres each walked twice. Feliz added his third triple. In rehab news, Luke Raley was 1-4 with a sacrifice fly. He again played center field. Brent Rooker went 1-for-3 with a walk. DHd after playing left field in Game 1. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Bailey Ober, Pensacola Blue Wahoos Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Trey Cabbage, Ft. Myers Miracle PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Pensacola) - 1-4, 2B(9), K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 1-4, R, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Rochester) - 1 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HBP #4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - 1-3, BB, R, K #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - Game 1 (1-4, R, 2 K) #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - GCL Rehab Game 1 (1-3), Game 2 (1-3, BB, 2 R) #9 - Jhoan Duran (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List (lower leg contusion) #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - 2-3, R #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - Did Not Play #15 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Play #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Injured List #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John) #18 - Jorge Alcala (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - Season Complete #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - Did Not Play. WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (6:35 CST) - RHP Preston Guilmet (2-6, 4.81 ERA) Pensacola - No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ Dunedin (DH @ 4:00 CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (6-4, 3.04 ERA), TBD Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Matt Canterino (1-1, 1.80 ERA) Greeneville @ Elizabethton (5:30 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Braves (9:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games or any other minor league topics you would like.

Chronologically, the first trade was the Eduardo Escobar trade. Escobar was a beloved by Twins fans but trading him made loads of sense because he was an impending free agent and seemed unlikely to resign with the Twins. In return for Escobar the Twins received RHP Jhoan Duran, OF Gabriel Maciel, and OF Ernie De La Trinidad from the Arizona Diamondbacks. At the time of the trade it seemed like a pretty good return as Duran and Maciel were intriguing prospects with some upside. After one year the trade is looking even better. Jhoan Duran has been really good since joining the Twins. After the trade, Duran pitched for Cedar Rapids for the remainder of the 2018 season and was dominant. In 36 innings Duran struck out 44 batters while walking only 10. He finished with a 2.00 ERA and .81 WHIP and opponents hit just .154 off him. It has been more of the same this year, as Durant started in High-A Fort Myers and has pitched to a 3.23 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 78 innings pitched. In the past week Duran was called up to AA Pensacola and is inching closer and closer to the big leagues. He can hit triple digits with his heater and certainly appears to be the top dog of the 2018 trade acquisitions. Duran looks like he may make it as a starter but would certainly be enticing at the back end of a bullpen as well. Duran is 21-years-old. Gabriel Maciel has also done well early in his time with the organization. The Brazilian is a center fielder who has elite speed but has yet to develop much power and is listed as 5’10” and 170 pounds. He held his own last year at Cedar Rapids and began 2019 there as well. After 45 games and an impressive .309/.395/.377 triple slash, Maciel was promoted to High-A Fort Myers. He has done well since joining the Miracle, hitting .288/.366/.360, and is an ideal leadoff hitter with his speed and ability to get on base. Maciel has stolen 20 bases so far this year and is still just 20 years old. Ernie De La Trinidad was more of a throw in and has struggled to a .228/.314/.300 triple slash between Fort Meyers and Pensacola in 2019. He actually started the year in AA Pensacola but was sent back down to Single-A where he played in 2018. He is rather small in stature, has limited upside, and is already 23-years-old. Overall this trade is looking really good as Duran has become one of Minnesota’s top pitching prospects and Maciel has done quite well while flying a bit under the radar. Either one of these two could become important trade chips and have a good chance of reaching the majors. The Twins quickly made another big trade when they traded Ryan Pressly to the Houston Astros for RHP Jorge Alcala and OF Gilberto Celestino. Pressly was having a solid 2018 for Minnesota pitching to a 3.40 ERA (2.95 FIP) and was striking out 13/9 IP. He still had one year of team control left. Pressly has become one of the best relievers in all of baseball since joining the Astros. Pressly has pitched to a 1.60 ERA (2.31 FIP) with a WHIP of .768 for Houston. He has been absolutely filthy and would obviously be really, really nice to have in the current Twins pen. Like Duran, Jorge Alcala is another guy who tops out at over 100 mph. He too joined the Twins organization as a starter but many questioned whether he would remain so. Alcala pitched exclusively as a starter since joining the Twins but very recently shifted to the pen. Alcala has pitched in AA in both seasons with Minnesota and the results have not been pretty. In 2019 he has an ERA of 6.22 with a WHIP of 1.51 but he still gets strikeouts (98 in 94 IP). Walks have always been an issue with Alcala but hopefully Alcala will be able to tone things down in the pen and reach his full potential. Alcala just turned 24. Gilberto Celestino was a big international signing for Houston in 2015. Like Maciel, Celestino is a centerfielder but has a better chance to hit for power than Maciel. After joining the Twins, Celestino spent 2018 playing short season ball in Elizabethton and has played for Cedar Rapids in 2019. Celestino’s numbers on the year are not overly impressive (.249/.324/.366) but he has shown improvement month by month and has really heated up of late (.322/.390/.500 in July). Like Maciel, Celestino will only be 20 for the remainder of the season and contains plenty of upside. Although Alcala and Celestino have plenty of upside, this is probably a trade the Twins would like to take back. Pressly would make quite a 1-2 combo with Taylor Rogers and had the front office known the Twins would be contenders in 2019 this trade likely would not have been made. Next, the Twins traded Zach Duke to the Seattle Mariners for RHP Chase De Jong and 1B/3B Ryan Costello. As a lefty specialist, Duke was unlikely to bring back much and so far the results of this return have been fairly underwhelming. Chase De Jong split time between the minors and the major league club and was not particularly effective in either. For the Twins he did okay it 2018 as he posted a 3.57 ERA in four starts but the outings were short and his FIP was 4.92. 2019 has been a complete disaster for De Jong. He pitched one inning for the big league club and gave up four runs. Unfortunately, he wasn’t much better in Rochester, as he was 0-5 with a 9.73 ERA in 45.1 innings. He was released by the Red Wings on July 12. Ryan Costello is another player without a ton of upside but he did show some “pop” by hitting 20 home runs in 2018 (16 of them came with in low-A ball with Seattle). 2019 has been a struggle for Costello. Between High-A and AA he has hit just .212/.337/.361 for an OPS of .698 with eight long balls. Costello spends the majority of his time at first base so he will need to hit to further his career. He is 23-years-old. On the same day that Duke was traded, Minnesota traded Lance Lynn to the New York Yankees for 1B Tyler Austin and RHP Luis Rijo. Minnesota’s haul in this trade seemed pretty impressive as Lynn had struggled with the Twins and was a rental player. Austin was traded again from the Twins to the San Francisco Giants early this season. His time with the Twins was brief, but he made sense as a depth piece at first base with Joe Mauer’s looming retirement. With the Twins picking up C.J. Cron off of waivers and signing Nelson Cruz to DH, there was no room for Austin in 2019. Austin hit .236/.294/.488 with 9 home runs in 35 games for the Twins last season and since joining San Francisco he has hit just .181/.278/.402 in 68 games. The second piece of this trade is looking really good so far for Minnesota. Luis Rijo finished 2018 pitching for Elizabethton in rookie ball and his numbers were impressive as he was 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA in five starts. He has built upon that success in Low-A Cedar Rapids this year with a 2.55 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 77.2 innings. Rijo’s fastball now sits in the mid-90s and he also throws a curve and changeup. With his success this year and added velocity, Rijo is sure to continue moving up the prospect lists. Rijo is 20-years-old. On the last day of the trade deadline the Twins sent fan favorite Brian Dozier to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2B Logan Forsythe, OF/1B Luke Raley, and LHP Devin Smeltzer. Dozier was having a down year for the Twins and was also in the last year of his contract so his trade value had greatly diminished. Forsythe, who like Dozier was in the last year of his contract, was thrown in to offset Dozier’s salary and is no longer a Twin. Luke Raley is a strong and athletic outfielder who has raked since joining the organization. He hit .276/.371/.449 in AA for the remained of his 2018 season and joined AAA Rochester for the start of 2019. This year Raley was turning heads by hitting .302/.362/.516 but suffered a dislocated tendon in his left ankle that required surgery and has been out since mid-May. The Twins will need to decide whether or not to add Raley to the 40-man roster this off season as he will be eligible for the Rule-5 draft. Raley is 24-years-old. The other prospect acquired in the Dozier trade is one that Twins fans have become quite familiar with this year. Devin Smeltzer was moved to the bullpen in 2018 while in the Dodger’s minor league system and finished last season in the bullpen after joining the Twins organization as well. However, Smeltzer wanted one more chance to remain a starter and the Twins granted him his wish. In 2019, between AA and AAA Smeltzer has pitched to a 2.21 ERA and .993 WHIP with 92 Ks in 89.2 innings. Smetzer has been up with the Twins three times this season, making two starts and a total of four appearances. So far Smeltzer has done well with the big league club, pitching to a 2.91 ERA and 1.015 WHIP in 21.2 innings of work. Smeltzer is likely to see more time with the Twins this season either as a spot starter or out of the pen. Smeltzer is 23-years-old. The MLB has done away with the August waiver wire trade deadline but the Twins did make one August trade last season. The Twins traded closer Fernando Rodney to the Oakland A’s for Dakota Chalmers. Rodney had a team option for 2019, but exercising the option was far from certain due to Rodney’s age and performance (he has not been good in 2019). Dakota Chalmers is another high upside player who has struggled with control throughout his career. The former third-round pick ($1.2 million signing bonus) recently returned from Tommy John surgery and joined High-A Fort Meyers after a short rehab assignment in the Gulf Coast League. Chalmers struck out 19 batters in 13.1 innings in the GCL but also walked eight. Chalmers is more of a lottery ticket at this point, but if he is able to put it all together he could be another player with the potential to shoot up the prospect lists. Overall, the 2018 trade return looks pretty solid. Duran, Maciel, Rijo, Raley, and Smeltzer have all had great starts in their first full year in the organization and Celestino, Alcala, and Chalmers still offer plenty of upside. The Twins were able to add great depth to an already good farm system and the only significant loss was not having Ryan Pressly in the 2019 bullpen. The Twins would love to have Pressly now but they were able to gain plenty of prospect capital and depth. This makes it easier to deal prospects without decimating the farm as well as giving the Twins plenty of hope for the future. Looking back a year later, how do you think the FO did for the 2018 trade deadline? Did all the additions make the loss of Pressly worthwhile? Which of the additions has most impressed you since joining the Twins organization?

Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Thursday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS Before Thursday’s game, the Twins activated RHP Michael Pineda and RHP Randy Dobnak was optioned to the Red Wings. Following the Twins win in Texas, Devin Smeltzer was optioned to AAA Rochester. A corresponding move will be made on Friday. Who will it be? Edouard Julien (Elizabethton) and Seth Pinkerton (GCL) were moved to the 60 day injured lists. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Indianapolis 3 Box Score The Red Wings got off to a fast start and used a big fourth inning to help lefty Charlie Barnes to his first Triple-A win. In his second Red Wings start, Charlie Barnes gave up two runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out five without walking any. Jake Reed came on and pitched a scoreless sixth inning. He gave up one run in the seventh. Sam Clay got the final two outs or that seventh inning and worked two more scoreless innings to record his second Red Wings save. Already up 3-0, the Red Wings scored four runs in the fourth inning. The big blow was a three-run homer off the bat of Ramon Flores. It was his second homer since joining the Red Wings recently. Flores also had a single and a walk. Tomas Telis went 3-for-4. Zander Wiel went 2-for-5 with his 33rd double. Mike Miller went 2-for-4. BLUE WAHOOS BITES Pensacola 13, Chattanooga 0 Box Score Willians Astudillo began his rehab assignment with the Blue Wahoos. He batted second and was the catcher. He helped get things going on the right note right away. In the first inning, he hit a long home run to put the Wahoos on the scoreboard. Soon after, Ryan Jeffers knocked his third Pensacola homer, a two-run shot. https://twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall/status/1162200854092402691 After that, the offense just kept putting up runs. Royce Lewis went 2-for-4 and scored three runs. Trevor Larnach went 2-for-4 with a walk and his third double and drove in two runs. Ryan Costello went 2-for-5 with his second double and sixth home run. Mark Contreras added his ninth homer. Astudillo homered in his first plate appearance. His second plate appearance resulted in a walk. He hit into a double play before being replaced by Caleb Hamilton. Marcos Diplan was the opener in this game. He gave up a hit and walked one without giving up a run in the first inning. Edwar Colina came in and struck out four batters over three scoreless innings. Gabriel Moya worked the next three innings and struck out three batters. Anthony Vizcaya completed the shutout with two innings. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers, St. Lucie (Cancelled) Box Score The final game of the Miracle vs. Mets series was called due to rainy conditions. The game will not be made up. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Wisconsin 1 Box Score The Kernels got a great start, a couple of home runs and then held on for a nice win in Wisconsin. Luis Rijo continues to pitch really well for the Kernels. On this night, he tossed seven shutout innings. He gave up just two hits. He didn’t walk a single batter and he struck out nine. He improved to 5-7 on the season and reduced his season ERA to 2.63. https://twitter.com/matthew_btwins/status/1162212361857454082 Gilberto Celestino has been red hot for nearly two months now. He got the Kernels off to a fast start with a first-inning solo homer. It was his tenth of the season. He went 2-for-2, walked and was hit by a pitch as well. In the fourth inning, Wander Javier hit a long home run, his ninth of the season, to give the Kernels a 2-0 lead. That was about it for the Kernels offense as they had just five hits in the game. https://twitter.com/matthew_btwins/status/1162223554814857218 Austin Schulfer pitched a scoreless eighth inning. He gave up one run in the ninth inning but stranded a runner to record the save. It was the first save of his professional career. E-TWINS E-NOTES E-Twins 3, Danville 4 Box Score Sawyer Gipson-Long started and gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk in four innings. He struck out five. Ryan Shreve worked the next four innings and gave up just three hits. He gave up no runs, walked none and struck out three. Osiris German came into a tie game in the bottom of the ninth. He got two outs, but he hit a batter and gave up two hits to take the loss. Ruben Santana led off and led the offense by going 4-for-6 with a stolen base in this game. Max Smith went 3-for-4 with his third stolen base. Anthony Prato went 2-for-3 with a hit batter and his sixth double. Will Holland added his sixth home run. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins, GCL Braves Box Score For the second straight day, the GCL Twins were postponed by rain. The games will not be rescheduled. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Luis Rijo, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ryan Costello, Pensacola Blue Wahoos PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Pensacola) - 2-4, 3 R, RBI, SF, SB(4) #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 1-4, BB, R, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - 2-4, BB, 2B(3), 2 R, 2 RBI, K #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, BB, HR(9), R, RBI, K #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - Rained Out #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - Rained Out #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Injured List (hamstring) #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List (lower leg contusion) #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - 1-1, HR(3), HBP, R, 2 RBI #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - 3-5, 2B(10), HR(3), 2 R, 3 RBI #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 0-3, 2 BB, K #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Injured List #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John) #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - 1-3, BB, 2B(13), R #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 1-5, 2 RBI, K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Indianapolis (6:05 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (6-5, 5.68 ERA) Chattanooga @ Pensacola (6:35 CST) - TBD Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (6-3, 2.76 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 CST) - RHP Matt Canterino (0-0, 1.80 ERA) Elizabethton @ Danville (5:30 CST) - LHP Ryley Widell (1-5, 7.30 ERA) GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (11:00 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games or any other minor league topics you would like.

Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Thursday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS OF Byron Buxton was activated from the Injured List with OF Jake Cave optioned to Rochester. LHP Devin Smeltzer was optioned to Rochester. RHP Sean Poppen was recalled. The Twins traded Pensacola catcher Brian Navarreto to the New York Yankees organization for cash considerations. The Twins acquired RHP Jeremy Bleich from the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations. The 32-year-old debuted last year with two innings with the A’s (2 ER, 1 out). With all of the Red Wings starters bouncing from Rochester to the Twins, they just need some arms. Eden Prairie RH RP Adam Bray was promoted to Rochester. C Ryan Jeffers and RHP Jhoan Duran were promoted to Pensacola. C/1B Chris Williams came off of the Cedar Rapids Injured list and was promoted from the Kernels to the Miracle. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Norfolk 9 Box Score The Red Wings fell behind early after a five-run top of the first. However, a Jaylin Davis two-run single scored two runs to cap a four-run bottom of the 8th for the Red Wings to tie the game at 7-7. But the lead didn’t last for long, and the Wings took a loss. DJ Baxendale started a bullpen game for the Red Wings (as several of their starters are currently with or returning from the Twins). He gave up six runs on eight hits (including 3 HR) over the first three innings. He walked two and struck out three. Jake Reed came on and tossed three scoreless, hitless innings. He walked one and struck out two batters. Zack Littell came on and gave up an unearned run over this two innings. Gabriel Moya came on for the ninth inning with the game tied and gave up a two-run homer to Orioles’ top prospect Ryan Mountcastle. Nick Gordon led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with a walk and his fourth homer of the season. Alejandro de Aza and Wynston Sawyer each went 2-for-4 with a walk. Sawyer added his 17th double. Zander Wiel added his 27th home run. https://twitter.com/RocRedWings/status/1154422161442004992 BLUE WAHOOS BITES Pensacola 2, Mobile 1 Game 1 - Box Score It got interesting late, but Edwar Colina completed the seven-inning game for the Blue Wahoos on Thursday. Obviously that is important when it occurs during a double header. In his second start since his promotion to Pensacola, Colina came into the final inning with a shutout. He got the first two batters out, but then he issued a walk and a single. The Mobile run then scored on a passed ball which also put the tying run into scoring position. But he got a fly out to end the game. Colina went all seven innings (101 pitches, 70 strikes) and gave up only the unearned run on three hits. He walked one and struck out ten batters. It’s also fun to see how a pitcher does against top prospects. Jo Adell is the Angels top prospect and a consensus Top 10 prospect nationally. Colina go Adell out all three times he came to the plate and struck him out twice. Obviously three plate appearances fits the definition of Small Sample Size, but it does show Colina’s upside. The Wahoos scored both of their runs in the first innings. Alex Kirilloff led off with a single and stole second base. With two outs, Mark Contreras singled in Kirilloff. Ben Rortvedt followed with a run-scoring double. Contreras and Rortvedt each went 2-for-4. Rortvedt hit his fourth and fifth doubles. Pensacola 3, Mobile 2 Game 2 - Box Score Ryan Jeffers was called up to the Wahoos earlier in the day, and after starting out 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, he got one more opportunity. In the bottom of the 7th inning, Trevor Larnach reached on a two-out error. Jeffers came up, fell behind 0-2, and then drilled a double to left field that scored Larnach from first to end the game and the doubleheader. https://twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall/status/1154599156989792256 The Blue Wahoos scored twice in the fifth inning and back-to-back RBI singles from Alex Kirilloff and Lewin Diaz. It was a bullpen game for Pensacola. Anthony Vizcaya started and gave up just one hit over three scoreless innings. He walked three and struck two batters out. Hector Lujan came on and was charged with two runs on three hits and two walks and a hit batter in an inning and a third. Tom Hackimer came into the 5th inning with the bases loaded and one out and got out of it. He worked 2 2/3 innings and gave up just one hit. He struck out two without walking anyone, though he did hit three batters. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Lakeland 2 (10 innings) Box Score Royce Lewis provided the Miracle with their first run of the night with a first-inning home run, his 10th of the season. He came to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning. He hit a fly ball down the right field line for a game-winning sacrifice fly. https://twitter.com/JimCrikket/status/1154568573727182849 Tyler Watson started for the Miracle. The left-hander was very good. He gave up just one run on four hits over the first seven innings. He struck out five batters without walking any. Johan Quezada came on and pitched a strong eighth inning, flashing 101 on the radar gun. However, he was charged with a ninth-inning run that tied the game. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out two while recording four outs. Calvin Faucher got the final two outs of the ninth inning and then threw a scoreless top of the 10th. Gabriel Maciel went 2-for-5 in the game. Jacob Pearson had the only other extra base hit, his third double since joining the Miracle recently. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Wisconsin 1 Box Score Luis Rijo was on his game again on Thursday night. The right-hander, acquired last year at the trade deadline from the Yankees, gave up just one run on four hits over the first seven innings. He struck out eight and didn’t walk anyone. https://twitter.com/jeje66/status/1154565160842989569 The Kernels got things going with four runs in the first inning. Trevor Casanova singled in a run and then Wander Javier drilled a three-run homer. It was his sixth of the season. Spencer Steer went 2-for-4 with his first triple. Javier added a single as well. E-TWINS E-NOTES E-Twins 9, Princeton 4 Box Score Elizabethton got off to a fast start and continued it throughout the game. Willie Joe Garry, Jr., led the way. He went 2-for-4 with a walk, his sixth double and his third home run. Matt Wallner had two doubles on the night. Janigson Villalobos hit his third homer, and Will Holland added his second home run. Andriu Marin started and was charged with three runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out six. Frandy Torres struck out three batters over the next 2 2/3 innings. He gave up just one hit. Erik Cha worked the final two innings. He gave up a run on four hits. He struck out three batters. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins, GCL Orioles Box Score Game Postponed by Rain. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Edwar Colina, Pensacola Blue Wahoos Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Willie Joe Garry, Jr., Elizabethton Twins PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR(10), GW-Sac Fly #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Game 1 (1-3, R), Game 2 (1-4, RBI) #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder) #4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - Game 1 (1-3), Game 2 (1-4, R) #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 2-5, R, 3 RBI, HR(6) #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - Temporary Inactive List (Pan Am Games) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - Rained Out #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured List (groin). #9 - Jhoan Duran (Pensacola) - Promoted to AA, Did Not Pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 3-4, BB, HR(4), R, RBI, #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - Promoted to AA, Game 2 (1-4, 2B(1), GW-RBI) #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - 1-4, R, 2B(8) #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 2-4, 2-2B(11), R, 2 RBI, 2 K #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Game 1 (2-3, 2-2B(5), RBI, K #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John) #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - 3-4, HBP, 2B(11), 3B(2), 3 R #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - Injured List TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - TBD Mobile @ Pensacola (6:35 CST) - TBD Lakeland @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (2-2, 3.35 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Andrew Cabezas (4-5, 3.54 ERA) Elizabethton @ Bristol (5:30 CST) - RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-0, 0.00 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (11:00 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games or any other minor league topics you would like.

Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Thursday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS RH RP Cody Allen was reinstated from the temporary inactive list and promoted from Ft. Myers to Rochester. IF Brian Schales was promoted from Pensacola to Rochester. The Red Wings officially received recently-optioned RHP Kohl Stewart and LHP Devin Smeltzer from the Twins. DJ Baxendale was placed on the Red Wings Injured List. LH RP Andrew Vasquez was sent from Rochester to Pensacola. The Blue Wahoos also announced that the Twins have signed veteran infielder (and former big leaguer) Ivan De Jesus, Jr. to a minor league deal and assigned him to Pensacola. RHP Edwar Colina was promoted from Ft. Myers to Pensacola. RH RP Moises Gomez was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers. RH RP Nate Hadley, the Twins 25th round pick last month, was promoted to the Kernels from Elizabethton. RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 - Rochester 13, Lehigh Valley 5 Box Score Zander Wiel continues to quietly put up big numbers for the Red Wings this year. In this game, he hit his 23rd and 24th doubles and his 14th and 15th home runs. He drove in seven runs. That is a good week! https://twitter.com/RocRedWings/status/1149469182062317570 Ronald Torreyes knocked his sixth and seventh homers and drove in four runs. He went 3-for-4. Wilin Rosario was also 3-for-4 in the game. Jaylin Davis went 2-for-4. Nick Gordon drove in two runs with a single. Sean Poppen started Game 1 and gave up three runs on four hits and four walks over four innings. He also struck out four batters. Carlos Torres came on to start the fifth inning. He went the final three innings and gave up two runs on three hits. He walked three and struck out three… to win his third game since joining the Red Wings. Game 2 - Rochester, Lehigh Valley Box Score Game is in progress. This will be updated upon game's completion. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 2, Montgomery 6 Box Score Lefty Bryan Sammons started and gave up four runs on four hits over the first four innings. He walked one, hit two batters, and struck out three batters. Zack Weiss came on and gave up one run on one hit over 2 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out one batter. Alex Phillips gave up two runs on two hits over the next two innings. He walked three and struck out one. Hector Lujan got the final two outs of the top of the ninth inning, but not before allowing an inherited runner to score and two more of his own. He gave up three hits and struck out one batter. Travis Blankenhorn led the offense. He went 2-for-4 with his 14th double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers, Daytona Box Score Game cancelled by Rain. It will not be made up. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Great Lakes 3 Box Score Luis Rijo put together one of the best starts in the organization in his most recent starts, and he followed it with another really strong start. The right-hander started with six shutout innings. He gave up two runs in the seventh. In 6 2/3 innings, he gave up those two runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out six batters. Alex Schick came on and gave up one run on two hits over the final 2 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out two batters. For the second straight game, Trevor Casanova hit a home run, his third in 15 games since joining the Kernels. A catcher, he has been playing often in the Kernels outfield, and on this night he threw out a runner at home. It provided the team their lone run. Gabe Snyder went 2-for-3 with a walk. --------------------------------------------- In case you missed it, on Wednesday night in Cedar Rapids, they introduced their 2019 Hall of Fame class. The group included long-time Board of Directors member Gary Keoppel, players Jerry Reuss and Hector Cruz ,and manager Jake Mauer. Jeff Johnson chatted with Mauer about getting away from the game, what he misses and what he’s up to these days. E-TWINS E-NOTES E-Twins 0, Burlington 5 Box Score The E-Twins had a rough game. The offense only managed four hits, the same number of errors that they had in the night. Spencer Steer hit a triple, the team’s lone extra-base hit. Matt Wallner had a single, and he also threw out a runner at third base from right field. Ben Gross made the start for the E-Twins. He went the first four innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits. He struck out six without a walk. Lefty Erik Cha came on and gave up three runs on five hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out three. Steven Cruz struck out six batters in three scoreless, hitless innings. He walked one. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 2 Box Score German right-hander Niklas Rimmel made the start for the Twins on Thursday afternoon. He gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits over five innings .He struck out five without walking any, though he did hit one batter. Venezuelan righty Miguel Rodriguez came on and tossed three scoreless innings for his second straight outing. On this day, he gave up one hit, walked one and struck out seven batters. Lefty Evan Gillespie, recently signed out of Faulkner University, gave up one hit in a scoreless ninth. He was credited with his first professional win. The Twins entered the bottom of the ninth inning down 2-0. With one out, Wander Valdez, Francisco Martinez and Bryson Gandy all singled to load the bases. Alec Craig walked to bring in the team’s first run. Martinez scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. Jesus Feliz walked to reload the bases. Parker Phillips ended the game with a sacrifice fly deep enough to score Bryson Gandy with the winning run. LaRon Smith went 2-for-4. Along with the game-winning RBI, Phillips went 2-for-4. Wander Valdez entered the game late and went 2-for-2. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Luis Rijo, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Zander Wiel, Rochester Red Wings PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - Rained Out #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 0-4, RBI, 3 K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder) #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - Rained Out #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - Did Not Play #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Game 2 ( #9 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Game 1 (1-4, R, 2 RBI), Game 2 ( #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - Rained Out #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - All Star Break #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 1-3, 2 K, OF Assist #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 1-4, K #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John) #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - 0-3, 2 BB, R, RBI #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 2-4, 2B(14), RBI FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (5:05 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe (4-4, 5.50 ERA) Montgomery @ Pensacola (6:35 CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (4-0, 2.92 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (2-2, 1.95 ERA) Great Lakes @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Josh Winder (6-1, 2.32 ERA) Burlington @ Elizabethton (5:30 CST) - Andriu Marin (1-1, 2.77 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (11:00 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games or any other minor league topics you would like.

Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Thursday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS The Twins announced that LHP Andrew Vasquez had been outrirghted from the team’s 40-man roster to the Red Wings. The Kernels announced that OF Tyler Webb had been added to their roster with infielder Estamy Urena released. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 11, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 1 Box Score This was a great all-around game for the Red Wings. They got strong pitching and the team scored its 11 runs on 20 hits. All nine Red Wings had at least one hit. Seven of the nine had at least two hits. The top two hitters, Nick Gordon and Drew Maggi each had three hits while the team’s #3 hitter, Jake Cave, had four hits. Gordon, Cave and Zander Wiel each hit a double. Cave added a triple. Sean Poppen was the beneficiary of the run support, but he was really good too, to improve to 5-0 with the Red Wings. The right-hander gave up just one run over seven innings of work. Gabriel Moya and Andrew Vasquez each threw a scoreless inning as well. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 5, Birmingham 8 Box Score The Blue Wahoos clawed back after falling behind early to force an extra inning, but the game ended in the tenth on a three-run walk off home run. Caleb Hamilton led the offense with a single, his 12th double and his second triple of the year. Alex Kirilloff also had two hits in the effort. Joe Cronin was 3-for-4 in the game. Griffin Jax started and gave up four runs on eight hits over the game’s first six innings. His ERA jumped to 2.04 on the season. Anthony Vizcaya gave up a run over his two innings to bump his ERA up to 0.86 since joining Pensacola. Zack Weiss worked a scoreless ninth but gave up the home run in the bottom of the 10th. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers , Palm Beach Box Score The Miracle game was postponed by rain. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Burlington 2 Box Score The Kernels got another great start from Luis Rijo and a huge home run and held on for another win. Luis Rijo went the first seven innings. He gave up just one hit, walked none and struck out ten. He needed just 71 pitches and 56 of them were strikes. Jose Martinez gave up two runs in the ninth but they held on for a 4-2 win. Jared Akins provided the big hit for Kernels. His sixth-inning home run came with two runners on base and gave the Kernels a 3-0 lead. It was his ninth home run of the season. Gilberto Celestino went 2-for-3 with a walk and a triple. E-TWINS E-NOTES E-Twins 6, Kingsport 2 Box Score The E-Twins powered their way to this victory on Thursday. Alex Isola got things going with his first pro home run, a two-run shot in the second inning. In the seventh frame, Willie Joe Garry hit his first professional homer. Albee Weiss added his fourth of the 2019 season. Those three homers accounted for 60% of the E-Twins hits in this game. Ben Gross made the start. The Duke right-hander gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits over the first six innings. He walked one and struck out four batters. Stephen Cruz struck out two batters over his two scoreless innings, and Nathan Hadley struck out two in the ninth inning. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Braves 5 Box Score The Twins got out to an early lead with a three-run first inning, but were unable to hold the lead. Jeferson Morales had the big first-inning hit with a two-run homer. The Twins had just three hits. Keoni Cavaco (3rd) and Jesus Feliz (2nd) each doubled. Niklas Rimmel started and gave up just one run on two hits over the first five innings. The German right-hander walked two and struck out four batters. Niall Windeler came on for his pro debut. He gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in his inning. Bradley Hanner gave up one run on four hits over the final three innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Luis Rijo, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jake Cave, Rochester Red Wings PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - Rained out #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 2-5, RBI #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder) #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - Rained out #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, 2K #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) -Rained out #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - 1-2, 2B(3), R, RBI #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 2-6, RBI #9 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Rained out #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Rained out #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 3-6, 2B(20) 2 R, 2 RBI, K #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - Rained out #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - 1-5 #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 0-3, K, R #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Did not play #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John) #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - 0-0 (just came in as last-inning defensive replacement) #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 1-5, 2B(13), RBI FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes Barre (DH @ 5:05 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (5-4, 5.64 ERA), LHP Lewis Thorpe (3-4, 5.71 ERA) Pensacola @ Birmingham (7:05 CST) - TBD Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (DH @ 4:30 CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (3-2, 3.09 ERA), LHP Tyler Watson (1-4, 4.56 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:35 CST) - RHP Josh Winder (6-1, 2.40 ERA) Kingsport @ Elizabethton (5:30 CST) - RHP Andriu Marin (1-1, 4.00 ERA) GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (11:00 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games or any other minor league topics you would like.

Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Thursday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS The Twins have signed several of their 2019 draft picks. Keep up with those who signed here. Ryan Eades was optioned to Rochester with Fernando Romero called up to the Twins. Ft. Myers announced the RHP Cole Sands was placed on the Injured List (blister). Taking his spot on the Miracle roster was RHP Dakota Chalmers. He came to the Twins organization last August in exchange for RHP Fernando Rodney. Chalmers had Tommy John surgery last May. Cedar Rapids announced that RHP Luis Rijo was activated from the Injured List. LHP JT Perez was sent to extended spring training. Several players were released from EST as 2019 draft picks sign and the short-season leagues begin. Released on Thursday include RHP Jose Bermudez, Cristian Castro, 2B Hunter Lee, infielder Agustin Marte, and infielder Victor Tademo. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Columbus 2 Box Score The Red Wings scored three runs in the first inning and added on all while getting another strong pitching performance from Sean Poppen. The right-hander from Harvard has been really good with the Red Wings. On this afternoon, he gave up two runs (one earned) over six innings. He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out nine. He improved to 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA. Preston Guilmet got the final three outs. Before him, Jake Reed struck out three over two scoreless innings. You will notice a change in Reed that might surprise you. Tom put Jake Reed under the Prospect Spotlight. Wilin Rosario led the offense. He went 4-for-4 with two doubles and four RBIs. Luis Arraez went 3-for-5 with his third double. Jake Cave went 2-for-4. Nick Gordon was 2-for-5. And your Willians Astudillo update… he went 2-or-4 with two RBIs. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 3, Tennessee 4 (10 innings) Box Score Randy Dobnak made his return to the Blue Wahoos rotation. He gave up two runs on nine hits over 6 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five batters. Jeff Ames came on and tossed 2 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings. He struck out four. The game went to extra innings tied at two. Tyler Palm came on, making his first appearance since being promoted from EST. He gave up two runs (one earned, due to 10th inning starting with a runner on second base). In the bottom of the 10th inning, Jordan Gore singled in a run, but the comeback fell short. Gore went 3-for-3 in the game with two RBIs. Ben Rortvedt went 2-for-4 with his second double. Jimmy Kerrigan and Joe Cronin both went 1-for-3 with a walk. Kerrigan hit his fifth double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers, Tampa Box Score The game was cancelled due to rain. Ft. Myers begins its All-Star weekend. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Wisconsin 2 Box Score Luis Rijo returned to the mound and pitched very well. The right-hander went five scoreless innings and gave up just one hit. He struck out three and didn’t walk a batter. On-site reports tell us that he hit 96 on the radar gun. Alex Schick came on and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in the sixth inning. Zach Neff followed with two scoreless innings, and Carlos Suniaga pitched a scoreless ninth frame. Not much offense for the Kernels. They had just four hits. Gabe Snyder hit his 11th double. Yeltsin Encarnacion hit his third triple. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Luis Rijo, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Wilin Rosario, Rochester Red Wings PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - Rained Out. #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Injured List #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder) #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - Rained Out. #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 3 K #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 1-3, R, BB, 2K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) -.Rained Out. #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch. #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured List (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 2-5, R, 2K #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List (elbow) #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - Rained Out. #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 2-4, 2B(2), K #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (thumb) #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch. #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - Did Not Play. #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch. #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - Rained Out. FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (6:05 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (5-3, 4.11 ERA) Tennessee @ Pensacola (6:35 CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes (0-1, 3.86 ERA) Ft. Myers - No Game Scheduled (All Star Break) Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Josh Winder (4-1, 2.64 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games or any other minor league topics you would like.

Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Monday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS While not officially making the transaction (that will come on Tuesday), Rochester announced that LHP Stephen Gonsalves will make the start for the Red Wings on Tuesday. After his one game for the Red Wings, infielder Victor Tademo was sent back to extended spring training. RHP Griffin Jax was placed on the injured list for Pensacola, and RHP Williams Ramirez was activated. 1B Gabe Snyder was activated from Cedar Rapids’ temporary inactive list with 1B Albee Weiss sent back to EST. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester Box Score Stephen Gonsalves will make his first start of the season on Tuesday for the Red Wings. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 4, Mobile 2 Box Score The Blue Wahoos got some nice pitching and some big hits and pulled out a 4-2 win. Randy Dobnak started and threw the first five innings. He gave up two runs on five hits. He struck out seven without walking a batter. Tyler Jay got the win. He threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Williams Ramirez, fresh off the IL, struck out three batters in 1 2/3 innings of work. Cody Stashak came on for the ninth and recorded his fourth save. He gave up one hit, but he struck out two batters. Mitchell Kranson got Pensacola on the board first. He singled in Travis Blankenhorn in the first inning. Mobile got on the board with a solo homer in the top of the second inning, but Ernie De La Trinidad responded in the bottom of the inning with his second of the season to reclaim the lead. In the fourth inning, another solo homer off of Dobnak tied the score at two. In the sixth inning, Joe Cronin gave the team a lead with an RBI single. It was followed directly by another RBI single from De La Trinidad. Cronin and De La Trinidad were each 2-for-3. Kranson went 2-for-4. MIRACLE MATTERS (Game suspended in 4th inning) Ft. Myers, Bradenton Box Score This game was suspended in the fourth inning with the Miracle down 3-1. Much more will be written about this game when it concludes on Tuesday morning as part of a doubleheader. Here are two or three quick notes: First, Jhoan Duran started and gave up three runs on five hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. When the game was suspended, there were still two runners on base. Second, Lewin Diaz stayed hot. He hit a first-inning home run, his eighth of the season. https://twitter.com/AndrewBern12/status/1130609225162534912 Finally, when the game was delayed, rehabbing LHP Lachlan Wells, Miracle outfielder Aaron Whitefield and Bradenton infielder Robbie Glendinning met with an Australian National team playing in the States. https://twitter.com/PG_Scouting/status/1130642182082314243 KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Burlington 0 Box Score The Kernels scored four runs in the first inning. Gilberto Celestino doubled in a run then scored on a Gabe Snyder single. Gabriel Maciel then drove in two more runs with another single. Celestino drove in another run with a single in the second inning. Luis Rijo was the beneficiary of the early offense and did a nice job of holding that lead. Rijo, who came to the Twins from the Yankees in the Lance Lynn deal, threw five scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit, walked three and struck out six. Moises Gomez and Carlos Suniaga each threw two scoreless innings out of the bullpen. They both struck out four batters. Yeltsin Encarnacion went 2-for-5 in the game. He had an RBI triple in the eighth inning to round out the Kernels scoring. Celestino went 2-for-4 with a walk and his fifth double. Gabriel Maciel went 2-for-3 with a walk. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Luis Rijo, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ernie De La Trinidad, Pensacola Blue Wahoos PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - Game Suspended in 4th. #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 0-4, 2 K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch. #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - Game Suspended in 4th. #5 - Wander Javier (EST) - Injured (quad), return...unknown #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured (wrist) #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Game Suspended in 4th (his line incomplete, will update tomorrow) #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch. #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured List #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List (adductor) #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - making first start on Tuesday #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Play #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 0-3, BB, R #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, BB, 2B(5), R, 2 RBI, 2 K #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Play TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves (season debut) Pensacola - No Game Scheduled. Bradenton @ Ft. Myers (DH @ 10:00 a.m. CST) - RHP Edwar Colina (1-1, 5.91 ERA) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Andrew Cabezas (1-3, 3.31 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games.