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Listen to the Mar. 5 Minnesota Foul Play-by-play podcast here. We start talking Twins at 11:40. Spring Twinkies Look Mostly Good, a Little Damaged, Pagan Ugly, but Never Expired The Good Joey Gallo was 3-for-3 on Sunday (with a long ball). He’s hitting line-drives. Max Kepler has also been hitting line-drives, and depth piece Elliot Soto has been on fire. Correa looks like Correa (he had a nice line-drive to right field, Sunday) Duran was making 101 MPH look easy today (1 walk, 1 strikeout in one inning of work) Kyle Farmer is playing like a stud (great off season addition) The Brook’s Lee boner is still rock hard. “Man, that kid is a stud,” shortstop Carlos Correa said. “I really, really, really like this kid. I’m very, very high on him. Don’t be surprised if we see him up this year.” 19-year-old Jose Salas (who the Twins got in the Luis Arreaz trade) is fun to watch…cherry on top of that deal. He’s got a helluva hit tool. The Bad Gilberto Celistino (6-8 weeks, thumb), Jose Miranda (shoulder), Nick Gordon (high ankle sprain) all hurt Miranda will not play in the World Baseball Classic because of shoulder concern Miranda homered twice on Sunday, so the shoulder isn’t effecting his swing The Future Brooks Lee, SS (MLB No. 31) Royce Lewis, SS (MLB No. 45) Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF (MLB No. 88) Edouard Julien, 2B (has had a great Spring Training so far) Connor Prielipp, LHP The Ugly Emilio Pagan continues to leave the taste of throw-up in your mouth The WBC Injects MLB Spring Training with Steroids Twins playing in the WBC make up much of the Puerto Rican team, which is always good Remaining Twins’ Spring Training players will play the WBC favorites from the Dominican Republic on Thursday, March 9 at noon CST Probably the most competitive game they’ll have all Spring Other players to watch: Yoenis Céspedes is playing for international powerhouse Cuba (he’s 37 and hit the longest homer in the dinger derby at Target Field in 2014), as are White Sox Luis Robert and Yoán Moncada Shohei Ohtani (Japan) could end up pitching to Mike Trout (USA)

To this point, the Minnesota Twins’ off-season has not gone as some had hoped, leading fans to chalk it up as a major dud. I, on the other hand, view it simply as incomplete. The current makeup of the roster is bursting at the seams with potential, and there are still enough moves the Twins can make to transform this promising roster into a contender in the AL Central. Here are a few moves I could see the Twins plausibly acting on to achieve that goal. Sign a Right-Handed Outfielder It seems as though the Twins currently possess every left-handed outfielder that has ever played the game. With Gallo, Kepler, Larnach, Kirilloff, and Wallner all taking their cuts from the left side of the plate, the Twins could use a little pop from the right side. Trey Mancini is one right handed option that fits the Twins’ current roster very well. Mancini is only 30 years old and has five seasons of solid production at the plate. He went through a tough time at the plate after being traded to the Astros last year, but I choose to look at the whole body of work rather than the final 51 games he played in Houston. Mancini’s bat is the appeal here, but he has experience playing outfield as well as first base, a position where the Twins don’t currently have a permanent solution. The Twins have money to spend, and signing Mancini would give them a guy they can plug into a corner outfield spot, first base, or DH to add a plus bat to the lineup. There are other options on the free agent market that would fill this need, but Mancini is the one I like best. Bolster the Rotation If you thought signing Gallo was the beginning of the end for Max Kepler in Minnesota, signing Mancini would surely be the straw that broke the camel’s back. In a scenario where the Twins do sign Mancini, they now have too many cooks in the outfield, and unfortunately, Kepler is the odd man out. As noted in my last blog post, I am very high on Pablo Lopez as a potential target for the Twins, and the Marlins are reportedly looking for MLB-ready bats, particularly outfielders. Kepler isn’t enough to get Lopez on his own, but they could package him with either a top 5 prospect or Luis Arraez. Another way they could try to complete a deal would be to take on Jorge Soler’s contract. This method would dip into their spending over the next few years but would allow them to hang onto their top prospects and Luis Arraez. The two teams have been reported to be in ongoing trade talks, so it remains to be seen how this plays out, but Pablo Lopez would be a massive addition to a frequently injured rotation. If the Twins elect not to trade for a front of the rotation guy, they must sign a back of the rotation insurance piece. Four of the five rotation pieces penciled in either struggled to stay healthy last year or didn't play at all due to injury. Adding a guy like Michael Wacha would prevent the Twins from having to rush young prospects the way they did last year with Josh Winder and Louie Varland. Both Varland and Winder showed promise in their big league debuts, but both guys could use a bit more time in the minors before being rotational MLB pitchers. Sure Up the Bullpen 2022 was a year of highs and lows for the Minnesota Twins bullpen. The emergence of Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran as dominant pieces at the back end of the bullpen was riveting, while Emilio Pagan and Jorge Lopez left a sour taste in many fans’ mouths. The Twins should see the return of Jorge Alcala in 2023. Although there is no guarantee Alcala will return to the form he was when he was the favorite to win the closer job after the Taylor Rogers trade, he should still be a viable piece for the Twins to use. Jorge Lopez walks too many batters, but I still believe in the elite stuff, and his dominant first half of 2022 with the Orioles is impossible to ignore. There may even be hope that Pagan can be a decent middle reliever if he continues to develop his splitter. As a unit, the group is solid, but with the rotation’s inability to pitch deep into games, they could use one more reliable arm. Michael Fulmer would be a familiar name the Twins could bring back for a modest price. Another name I like if the Twins are in the market for a lefty reliever is Andrew Chafin, who had a 3.06 FIP and fanned 67 batters over 57.1 IP last season with the Detroit Tigers. Chafin is left-handed compared to Fulmer’s right-handedness, so it would be up to the Twins to decide which is a bigger need and what would be a better fit. At this point in the off-season, even though things may seem all doom and gloom, there are still moves left for the Twins to make. They have a young, promising roster, money to spend, and bats they should be willing to trade to upgrade the team as a whole. The three potential moves highlighted above could put a nice touch on an otherwise uneventful off-season and, in my opinion, would make the Twins contenders in the AL Central. What are your thoughts? What’s a move you want the Twins to make before Spring Training? Let me know! As always, Go, Twins!

At the beginning of the offseason, Carlos Correa and Scott Boras publicly expressed Correa's interest in staying in Minnesota on a long-term deal. Correa went as far as to say that he was there and all the Twins had to do was pay up. There were soundbites of Byron Buxton and Rocco Baldelli pleading with the front office to keep Correa around. Of course, this was all before Correa signed a 13-year $350M contract with the San Francisco Giants. Upon Correa's signing with the Giants, many people in the Twins community were rather upset, and not without reason. It's frustrating to hear a top tier free agent say he wants to play for your team and all they have to do is pay up only to see him sign a massive deal with one of the biggest market teams in the league. Over the course of the next week, that sadness and anger slowly subsided for many fans, as the focus shifted back to the Twins and how they were going to construct the roster going forward. Who in their right mind wants to sign a 28-year-old short stop with an extensive injury history to a 13-year deal anyway? The grieving process had seemingly reached the "acceptance" stage. The signing of Joey Gallo gave Twins fans something new to argue about, and it appeared everyone had moved on. That was of course until the Giants canceled their introductory press conference with Correa yesterday morning. The speculation and conspiracy theories began to run wild on Twitter and across the internet, but it still seemed a little silly and far fetched. How can it be a full week later, on the day of the press conference, that the deal between Correa and the Giants had fallen through? Then the Associated Press dropped a bombshell story detailing the reasoning for the cancellation as an injury that popped up during Correa's physical with Giant's team doctors. Wow! What a change of events! The Twins might really have a shot to land Correa again! Nope. They would see a second opportunity fall by the wayside as the New York Mets would slide in and swipe Correa for $315M over the next 12 years. What a bummer. Fire Derek Falvey right!? Relax. Let's take the blinders off and think about this for a minute. Carlos Correa chose to take a 12-year $315M deal with the New York Mets. The Mets have a shortstop in Francisco Lindor, so by signing with the Mets, Correa has agreed that he will move to 3rd base. It is commonly known that position players, especially all-star short stops who have won a platinum glove just two years ago, don't usually enjoy being asked to change positions. Players as good at the position as Correa normally see this as a slap in the face, and will laugh at any deal that requires them to give up their position. Playing short stop is the alpha male position. He's the dude of the infield. It's rare to see as willing a shift off the keystone as we've seen with Correa signing with the Mets less than 24 hours after the deal with the Giants fell through. After all, the Twins offered a 10-year $285M contract for him to play short stop for the team he claimed to love and want to remain a part of. So why would he take less money per year to play for the Mets? He didn't want to play for the Twins. There it is. I said it. Maybe it's time to at least consider this thought as a possibility. Maybe Correa and his agent, who is among the best negotiators in sports, used the Minnesota Twins. Maybe there was only one team last year willing to give him what he wanted in his prove it deal last year, so he decided he would head up north for one summer and play in Minnesota. Maybe him and Boras constantly sang their praise of the Minnesota Twins as a technique to get other teams to raise their offers and start a bidding war. Maybe all of this worked. Think about it, the two teams he decided to sign with are two of the biggest market teams in sports. They constantly shell out as much, if not more money than any team in the league. They're almost always competitive. If he was to eat up almost $30M per year with the Twins, would they be able to field a consistently competitive team over the course of a 10-13 year contract when their payroll sits at around $160M? Maybe, but aren't the odds of success better with a team who's payroll is approaching half a billion dollars? This isn't even to mention the sketchiness of the mystery injury that ultimately led to the Giant's deal falling through. Correa came into Minnesota with a history of injuries and IL stints. This was the reason for the 3-year deal with all the opt outs. If he got hurt, he could just try again the next year, all on the Twin's dollar. What could the Giant's doctors have found that would have caused them to back out? It must have been severe in their eyes to cause them to let go of one of the biggest free agents on the market. This mysterious injury should be a major red flag that would cause pause to anyone, except Mets owner Steve Cohen apparently, until they got their hands on him for their own extensive medical evaluation. As the dust settles on what was a shocking and unique change of events, Twins fans again find themselves angry. But I ask, are we aiming our displeasure at the right people? Correa chose two huge market teams over the Twins, and the one he ultimately ended up with won't even allow him to play the position he won a platinum glove at just two years ago. In my opinion, they used the Twins as leverage to get what Correa ultimately wanted, a long-term deal on a big market team. We shouldn't fault the front office for not raising their offer from 10-years $285M after Correa had a foggy medical evaluation. If the events that transpired yesterday resulted in the Twins raising their original offer, I would find that quite concerning. Raising their offer would have been negligent and down right bad business. Correa had his chance to come back to the Twins and play short stop, and at the end of the day he chose to take less money per year to play 3rd base for the New York Mets. Maybe we should stop pointing the blame at the front office for their inability to convince Correa to stay, and redirect it at Correa and Scott Boras for just flat out not wanting to be in Minnesota long-term. Maybe I'm way off here, but I agree with the front office for not going 12 or 13 years, especially after the shady medical evaluation done by the Giants. Let me know what you think, and as always, Go Twins!

In my opinion, Nelson Cruz had the best years of his career in a Twins jersey. His on field results combined with his clubhouse leadership quickly made him a fan favorite. I have seen some people calling for the Twins to trade for him, so I want to get everyone’s opinions. Would a trade realistically be possible? With the Nationals this year, Cruz started slow but has started to produce more lately, and I’m positive he would produce even more back in Target Field. The only issue is getting ABs for him, or taking ABs away from others. Buxton has gotten a big chunk of the DH ABs so far this year, but the Twins could try to push him more in CF as the year goes on. Sanchez has also gotten DH ABs while Jeffers is catching and has for the most part produced. There’s no doubt we’d all love to see Nelly back in the Twin Cities, but would it make sense?

MLB.com’s Minnesota Twins’ beat writer, Do-Hyoung Park, has apparently had enough of this offseason labor stoppage crap and has taken it upon himself to entertain us. Park announced on Friday that he will appear on Monday’s Jeopardy! Show, competing against the show’s latest juggernaut, Amy Schneider, who will enter Monday’s show on a streak of 13 consecutive wins. The show was taped earlier this offseason, but until today Park has been forbidden from admitting he was a contestant, and is still bound to secrecy about how the episode turns out. He prepared throughout spring training and the season for the competition, and even coaxed the producers of the show to delay his appearance until after the Twins’ season ended. Park will compete against “Jeopardamy”, Amy Schneider, who has dominated the competition recently. She has already won $536,400 during her 13-game win streak, moving her into 4th place in Jeopardy! all-time winnings list for regular players. TheJeopardyFan.com predicts a 24-game win streak for her, which would give her a 91.956% chance of continuing her streak through 14 games, which would of course mean a one-and-done for Do. But don’t count our guy Do out. Park graduated in 2017 from Stanford with both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and another master’s in computer science. He also graduated from St. Paul Central early . The kid has some serious game. Can he perform a Twins-vs-the-Yankees level upset? Tune in this Monday (locally) at 4:30 PM on KARE11 to find out. View full article

For as much as a buzzkill the Twins 2021 season was, Jorge Polanco gave many Twins fans a reason to watch. Breaking out in 2019, Polanco hit 22 HRs and drove in 79 RBI with a slash line of .295/.356/.485. Polanco scuffled during the 2020 covid shortened season but was also playing with an ankle injury that required offseason surgery and ultimately a shift to second base. The ankle clean up and position switch seemed to have paid off as Polanco had a career season in 2021. Overall he finished the season with a .269 AVG and an OPS of .826. Oh, and 33 bombs + 98 RBI. That's good for a WAR of 4.8 according to baseballrefrence. One would think now would be a poor time for the Twins to move Jorge Polanco in a trade. The stacked free agent class includes Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story, Marcus Semien, and Javier Baez. Teams looking for a shortstop or second basemen will have plenty of options to chose from. But at what cost? Carlos Correa and Corey Seager are 1A and 1B in the class. Both are expected to receive contracts upwards of 260 million. Trevor Story had a down year offensively, but still grades out as one of the best defensive shortstops in the game. He also is only 28 and teams will convince themselves he returns to form at the plate... 150-175 million sound right? Marcus Semien's fantastic 2021 campaign probably netted him a deal north of 115 million, as he was a top 5 hitter in baseball for much of the season. Javier Baez is a complete toss up for me. He is incredibly streaky at the plate, but got hot during his stint with the Mets and switched his approach at the plate. His ability to move around the diamond defensively and play a solid shortstop, second, and third is still a huge asset. You can't deny the flair and energy he brings to a team as well, star power means tickets... I'd guess a team buys in and pays close to 100 million. While there are plenty of options teams can go on the open market, none will sign cheap. Aside from potentially Baez, you aren't bringing any of those players in for less than 100 mil, at the minimum. Fortunately, for the teams hesitant to commit that type of money, there is another option. Jorge Polanco **Before I'm slandered below for suggesting the Twins should trade their 2021 MVP, consider the facts.** Contract - Jorge Polanco, currently 27, is signed through 2025 at what is essentially a 4 year 35.5 million dollar contract. When you stack that up against what the market is going to command for the available options, that deal is an absolute bargain. Internal Replacements - Second Base is really a position of strength for the Twins. Luis Arraez, still only 24 and under team control until 2026, has a career .313 AVG and .374 OBP over 275 games .. Yes, you are missing out on the power, but baseballreference had his 2021 WAR at 3.4, so by no means is it a massive downgrade. He isn't arb. eligible until 2023 as well.. Nick Gordon or the crown jewel in the Berrios deal, Austin Martin, could also be guys that could step into the position at some point next year. State of The Organization - The Twins need to look at this an opportunity to try and expedite the rebuilding process. Reality is 2022 is going to be a lost year, regardless of whether Polanco is on the roster or not. Is 2023 the year? Who knows, a lot will need to go right for the Twins between now and then .. But at that point you've only lost value on a player that will have 2 years remaining on his steal of a contract. If you are hesitant to put Polanco in the same tier as the players in this upcoming FA class, Since 2019, here's where Polanco stacks up against the top middle infielders. That's a 3 year sample size of productivity that puts him square in the discussion offensively as a top tier middle infielder. Yes I am aware that some players on the list were injured, but that's apart of the game. Polanco was too. Who might be interested? The best fit for Polanco would be an organization that is entering their window to compete for a championship. Given how cheap his contract is, teams would have the ability to sign free agent starting pitching, which typically works out better, than say giving a position player like Javy Baez a 5 year / 100 million dollar deal. That model seems to have paid off for the Astros as well as the Dodgers to some extent. What teams fit that bill? I highly doubt an organization will trade for Polanco with intentions of playing him at short. So i'll highlight just teams with a second base need, There's a few, here are my favorite options. The Mariners, who received a 0.3 WAR from the second base position this past year, would be a great trade partner for the Twins. They don't really have a solidified plan at 2nd and on the prospect side it's slim. Ranked with Baseball Americas top farm system, they have plenty of intriguing pitching prospects to deal from. Emerson Hancock, Matt Brash, George Kirby, and Brandon Williamson all look to be be starters long-term.. (I believe Brash will be the best) .... What about Noelvi Marte? one can dream. Miami has reportedly been getting pressure from ownership to win now and could be a possibility. This would mean they are comfortable moving Jazz Chisholm from 2nd to Short .. If they are, the Marlins hands down have the most pitching prospect depth to deal from in all of baseball. Max Meyer, Edward Cabrera, Eury Perez, and Jack Eder (though recovering from TJ) all could be in play ... (I'll take Perez of the 4 please). If the Blue Jays prioritize Robbie Ray over Marcus Semien, count them in as a Polanco fit. Toronto is right in their go for it window and may lean toward having a proven veteran to replace the production rather than banking on a prospect. A package of Orlevis Martinez/Jordan Gorshans and Nate Pearson doesn't sound all too bad. __ The Twins have a lot of work to do if they wanna get on back on track in the coming years.. This is all speculation, though I think it certainly is a route the Twins have to at least explore this winter. Regardless, of what you want the Twins to do with Polanco, there is no denying he would bring back a haul. That might be the best thing for the Twins sustaining long-term success. *Also, don't check Baseballtradevalues.com for the prospects I mentioned. It rarely is correct, as most of us learned with the deals that occurred at the deadline.

Suggesting that 2020 was an awful year for Mitch Garver would be putting it lightly. Even with the small sample size, he left plenty to be desired going into the season. But now, where has the dust settled? In trying to play a season through a global pandemic plenty was made regarding the small sample size even a full slate of games would provide. Offering players just 60 games of runway largely invalidated the length necessary for baseball statistics to normalize. For Minnesota Twins catcher Mitch Garver, the total was just 23 games and his .511 OPS looked like a far cry from his Bomba Squad contributions a year prior. Shelved for the stretch run, Garver ceded time to rookie Ryan Jeffers. The 2018 draftee was selected for his bat and the .791 OPS through his first 26 games at the big league level made things interesting. It appeared that the Twins would either have a nice tandem if Mitch returned to form, or that their new pick would unseat the veteran. Fast forward to where we are today, and the roles have reversed. Through 79 games this season Jeffers has just a .666 OPS and was demoted to Triple-A in favor of non-hitting defensive option Ben Rortvedt. Garver meanwhile has rebounded to the tune of an .880 OPS but again has been hampered by injuries and played in just 61 games. Missing most of his time this season due to an unfortunate foul ball ricochet, it’s fair to suggest that Garver’s injury situation has been fluky at best. Recently a nagging back has kept him out, but a return to the lineup for the final two weeks has now commenced. The production itself has returned, but we’re dealing with a sample that would’ve been considered too small just a season ago. That leaves Derek Falvey and Thad Levine in an interesting position going into the offseason. 2020 saw the Twins opting for a split with veteran backstop Alex Avila. It’d be unfortunate if the roster needs a player like that given Minnesota’s internal options. What needs to happen however, is that this version of Mitch Garver continues to present itself over the course of a full season in 2022. The knock on Garver has always been his defensive ability. Ratcheting up his framing prowess and receiving skills took his game to new heights, and the bat that has always been his calling card has stood out since his true emergence on the big league roster. With an electronic strike zone looking more likely than not, the Twins need a thumping version of Garver to remain productive. At 30-years-old there’s not much reason to worry about the expense side of the equation. Under team control until he’s entering his age-34 season, Garver could be carried through arbitration without ever truly needing a long-term extension. Minnesota certainly could opt to keep Garver around if his production warrants it past his prime, but the incentive to do so will be entirely results based as opposed to necessary projection. There’s plenty up in the air when it comes to the Twins in 2022. A team that was supposed to compete should have never flopped this hard. It’s been great to see Mitch Garver take back the reigns on his career however, and looking for a full runway of games, the goal will be to replicate the offensive performance once again. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

After Covid shortened the Major League Baseball amateur draft to just five rounds last year, we’re back to more of a traditional length with a 20 round event in 2021. The Twins have two first round selections and will bolster their farm system with new names. As I have done in previous seasons, here’s a place you can track each of Minnesota’s selections in one place. The previous drafts can be found at the links below. This article will be updated throughout the draft. 2018 Class 2019 Class 2020 Class The picks: Round 1, Pick 26: Chase Petty, RHP Mainland Regional HS (@ChasePetty11) Comp A, Pick 36: Noah Miller, SS Ozaukee HS (@NoahMiller_21) Round 2, Pick 61: Steven Hajjar, LHP Michigan (@StevenHajjar) Round 3, Pick 99: Cade Povich, LHP Nebraska (@Cpo22) Round 4, Pick 128: Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 3B Oklahoma State (@c_encarnacion13) Round 5, Pick 159: Christian MacLeod, LHP Mississippi State (@christian44mac) Round 6, Pick 189: Travis Adams, RHP Sacramento State (@yah_travis4sf) Round 7, Pick 219: Jake Rucker, 3B Tennessee (@jake_rucker) Round 8, Pick 249: Noah Cardenas, C UCLA (@Noah_cards55) Round 9, Pick 279: Patrick Winkel, C Connecticut (@patrick_winkel) Round 10, Pick 309: Ernie Yake, SS Gonzaga Round 11, Pick 339: Brandon Birdsell, RHP Texas Tech Round 12, Pick 369: Kyler Fedko, OF Connecticut (@KylerFedko4) Round 13, Pick 399: David Festa RHP Seton Hall (@DavidFesta13) Round 14, Pick 429: Pierson Ohl, RHP Grand Canyon University (@Pierson_Ohl) Round 15, Pick 459: Mikey Perez, SS UCLA Round 16, Pick 489: Jonathan Lavallee, RHP Long Beach State (@jonathanlaval5) Round 17, Pick 519: Dylan Neuse, 2B Texas Tech (@DNeuse_09) Round 18, Pick 549: Mike Paredes, RHP San Diego State (@swanky_p) Round 19, Pick 579: Jaylen Nowlin, LHP Chipola College (@NowlinJaylen) Round 20, Pick 609: Dillon Tatum, C UC-Irvine For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Home runs by Alex Kirilloff and Jorge Polanco and an explosive eighth inning pushed the Minnesota Twins past the Detroit Tigers Saturday afternoon. Box Score Ober: 3 1/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K Home Runs: Alex Kirilloff (8), Jorge Polanco (11) Top 3 WPA: Jorge Polanco .454, Luis Arraez .128, Alexander Colomé .124 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) It appeared as though a win simply wasn’t in the cards for the Twins for the majority of the game on Saturday afternoon. Starting pitcher Bailey Ober started off the game strong, striking out the side in the first inning, but flamed out brightly during the Tigers’ second time through the order. Niko Goodrum and Zack Short crushed balls over the fence and Harold Castro brought in another to give Detroit a 4-0 lead after four innings. But, remarkably, things started to go the Twins’ way in the second half of the game. Derek Law and Danny Coloumbe came on in relief for Ober and pitched 3 ⅔ innings of scoreless ball. Alex Kirilloff blasted a home run over the right centerfield fence to cut the lead to 4-2 in the sixth. Jorge Polanco added three more in the seventh with his 11th home run of the season. Alexander Colomé pitched a scoreless top of the eighth inning after allowing a leadoff double and four Twins’ runners touched home in the bottom of the frame. After the dust had settled, the Twins had turned a 4-0 deficit with an 8.2% win expectancy into a 9-4 win, clinching a series victory over the Tigers. While their opponent was not exactly the same caliber of, say, a Chicago or Boston, the Twins’ win on Saturday should provide the masses with a breath of fresh air. The bullpen performed well, the offense came through in the clutch, one of the franchise’s premier prospects hit a mammoth bomb. At the end of the day, a quality win is a quality win, regardless of opponent. A Note on Ober Although Ober struggled against an iffy Tigers lineup, he continued to display signs of promise for the future. By now it has been well established that his fastball is significantly improved from the last time he played live ball in 2019 and it is that improvement that helped propel him into the majors this season. However, the key for him moving forward is all about process. At 92-94 mph, Ober isn’t going to overpower batters on a consistent basis. That is where his strong command and control comes into play. If he is able to place a 94 mph heater wherever he wishes, he becomes a much more dangerous opponent. However, over his last two starts, his command has been mediocre at best. He walked three during his win over the White Sox and two against the Tigers on Saturday. But, I wonder if the Twins are working with him on improving his pitch placement. Ober consistently works his fastball up in the zone with up-and-away being the second most frequent location it was deployed against Detroit; this is where his fastball is most effective. He couples his fastball with a sharp curveball down in the zone. In the minors, pitchers of Ober’s caliber can get away with somewhat shoddy pitch command/location. That won’t fly against a major league batting order. Making adjustments on the fly to where he is looking to throw the ball would help explain at least some of the control issues Ober has displayed as of late. His strikeout numbers are there, but once his command improves and he starts missing more barrels, he’ll be right in-line to contend for a rotation spot moving forward. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Law 0 0 50 0 0 27 77 Thielbar 29 0 20 0 20 0 69 Duffey 17 0 0 15 0 21 53 Rogers 31 0 0 6 0 0 37 Robles 12 0 0 0 24 0 36 Colomé 0 14 0 0 0 17 31 Coulombe 0 12 0 0 0 13 25 Alcala 0 0 0 0 23 0 23 MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Flashback to 2011 and the Minnesota Twins found themselves at 41-48 when the All-Star Break took place. Just a few weeks later, they were a dismal 55-75 shipping Jim Thome to Cleveland. It’s happening again, but Nelson Cruz will hurt worse. Don’t get me wrong, I remember Thome’s time with the Twins fondly. His first season, the year Target Field opened, the slugger that tormented Minnesota for all those years put up a 1.039 OPS across 108 games. A year later he’d record his 600th career home run, only further cementing his place in Cooperstown. Thome was adopted as the Twins lumberjack, and his power played in the role perfectly. When Thome was dealt however, it was clear this was the beginning of the end. Not only did the Twins stink, but he’d lost over 200 points on his OPS from the year prior and sending him to a mediocre Cleveland club was about a proper sendoff as much as it was an asset acquisition. He’d make stops in Philadelphia and Baltimore during 2012, but the end came just 58 games into his season. At the end of the day, Thome was an integral part of a very good 2010 club, but then watched as the age counter flipped to 40 and Father Time proved undefeated yet again. Enter Minnesota’s current designated hitter. Nelson Cruz has now played 247 games in a Twins uniform. That’s roughly 50 games more than Thome, but Cruz went through the shortened 2020 season stunting that growing total. He was the unquestioned leader of the Bomba Squad, a club that hit a Major League record 307 dingers. Despite playing for the organization between ages 38-41, he’s compiled a .307/.389/.607 slash line and 75 homers across that stretch. Age notwithstanding, he’s been among baseball’s best in his latest years. When Derek Falvey ultimately deals Cruz later this month, it will feel different as well. He’s not going back to Seattle or Texas. This isn’t a sendoff and Cruz isn’t riding off into the sunset. Two likely landing spots include the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays. Minnesota will be looking to maximize value, and Cruz will be counted upon as a lineup fixture. This is a true asset, no longer a privilege for Minnesota to enjoy because the 2021 season fell flat. It’d be silly to assume that Cruz will continue this level of production for another decade. Even another couple of years would be unprecedented. What he’s doing now though, is something that any contending team needing a designated hitter should covet. That makes his market limited in that half the league is then cut in half again, but you can bet that suitors will fight for his services. There’s also not going to be a reunion tour. Minnesota and Cruz’s camp played a staring contest this winter. Neither wanted to blink first, but a return always seemed to be the best fit for both sides. As the Twins head into 2022 with uncertainty, the luxury of a big money designated hitter doesn’t seem reasonable. On top of that, we won’t know the direction chosen by the front office until July 31 comes and goes with Taylor Rogers, Jose Berrios, and Josh Donaldson still wearing Twins threads. When the dust settles on this eventual move the Twins will have dealt one of the best power hitters ever to wear a Minnesota uniform. While Cruz’s time was ultimately brief, the impact (and especially that felt in 2019) will be talked about for years to come. Nelson was a late blooming player that never stopped getting better, has continued to impart wisdom on the game’s next generation, and his absence will sting more than just a bad team shedding moveable parts. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

There were a couple of gaudy box scores on the farm tonight for the Twins, but it was down in Cedar Rapids where a walkoff blast from Wander Javier that the highlight of the evening came from. TRANSACTIONS Twins traded cash considerations with Rangers for RHP Joe Kuzia and assigned him to Wichita SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 10, Iowa 3 Box Score Charlie Barnes toed the rubber for the Saints tonight and went 5 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs on five hits and struck out four. Thanks to the lineup putting up 10 prior to his departure, St. Paul was well in the lead. The Saints did all over their damage in the 3rd and 4th innings. Willians Astudillo kicked off the scoring with a double as St. Paul had the bases loaded. A Mark Contreras triple then plated Astudillo before Damek Tomscha drove in Contreras with a single, and Jimmy Kerrigan cleared the bases with his 7th homer. In the 4th the Saints got a pair of homers from Drew Maggi (a two-run shot plating Jose Miranda) and Astudillo on a solo blast. Miranda keeps hitting and nabbed a two-hit night out of the leadoff spot while he was joined by Astudillo, Contreras, and Tomscha with two hits apiece. Ian Hamilton and Kyle Barraclough combined to finish the final 3 2/3 innings allowing just a single hit and punching out four. WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 10, Wichita 1 Box Score This one wasn’t pretty for Wichita as they surrendered a six spot in the top half of the first inning. Austin Schulfer has had better outings, and he allowed six runs (four earned) while recording just three outs. Wichita scored their lone run on an Aaron Whitefield double, his eighth, in the 4th inning. Jermain Palacios scored and that was the extent of the offense with Wichita generating just a grand total of two hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 1 Box Score Tyler Beck got the start for Cedar Rapids tonight and turned in 2 2/3 innings of scoreless ball allowing just two hits. Derek Molina followed him for 2 1/3 innings allowing a single hit and punching out four. This one stayed even at 0-0 through nine complete innings. Peoria pushed across their free runner in the 10th prior to Michael Helman driving in Seth Gray in the bottom half. Ryan Shreve then blanked the Chiefs in the 11th and allowed Cedar Rapids an opportunity to win it. Shortstop Wander Javier stepped in with Jair Camargo and Gray both on base, he then blasted his 7th homer of the season to walk it off for the home team. Helman was the only Kernels batter to record two hits on the evening. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 9, St. Lucie 6 Box Score Sawyer Gipson-Long began this one on the bump for Fort Myers, but unfortunately, he lasted just 2 2/3 innings giving up six runs on five hits. The bullpen came in and slammed the door however, with three different pitchers combining to allow just a single run. Aaron Sabato opened the scoring for the Mighty Mussels with a solo homer, his fourth longball of the season. Then after getting behind 6-1 in the 3rd, Fort Myers went to work. Charles Mack swatted a three run bomb before Misael Urbina drove in Willie Joe Garry Jr. on a sac fly. Jeferson Morales then collected his 14th double allowing Keoni Cavaco to score and the game was even at six headed to the bottom of the 7th. In the 8th Cavaco recorded his 4th double of the year scoring Mack, and Morales sped around the bases for an inside-the-park homer in the 9th. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 11, FCL Orioles Orange 8 Box Score Kala’I Rosario just keeps crushing for the FCL squad. He had another two-hit effort today and now owns a 1.029 OPS on the season. Emmanuel Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with his second homer and tallied four RBI to drive the victory home. Shortstop Luis Gomez tallied three hits on the afternoon, and the trio of Wilfri Castro, Rubel Cespedes, and Luis Baez all picked up a pair of hits on their own. Castro and Baez both collected triples today. On the bump, Develson Aria picked up the victory working 1 2/3 scoreless in relief while punching out four. Matt Mullenbach worked 2 1/3 scoreless while striking out three, and Ramon Pineda grabbed his second save of the season working 1 2/3 innings. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Derek Molina (Cedar Rapids) 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 2-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, 2B PROSPECT SUMMARY Take note that we have finished our midseason update, so there is a new list! Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason 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) – Did not pitch #4 – Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #5 – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 2-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K, 2 2B #6 – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 2-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, 2B #7 – Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 0-3, R, K #8 – Josh Winder (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #9 – Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 2-5, R, RBI, K, HR(4) #10 – Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (hamate bone surgery) #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 (St. Paul) – 0-4, R, BB, 2 K #15 – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 1-3, RBI, BB #16 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 0-4, K #17 – Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 1-5, R, 3 RBI, K, HR(7) #18 – Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (foot injury) #19 – Edwar Colina (Rehab) – Injured List (elbow) #20 – Chris Vallimont (Wichita) – Did not pitch FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (7:08 PM CST) – RHP Chandler Shepherd (3-3, 5.85 ERA) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Jason Garcia (1-1, 4.82 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Kody Funderburk (1-3, 3.66 ERA) Fort Myers @ St. Lucie (5:10PM CST) – RHP Louie Varland (3-2, 1.91 ERA) FCL Twins @ FCL Red Sox (11:00AM CST)- TBD Feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games View full article

A handful of years back I wrote something along the lines of the Twins most necessary move was to deal Glen Perkins. He was competing at an All-Star level, and Minnesota was beyond terrible with no end in sight. A bad team didn’t need a closer, and the haul should’ve been handsome. In a similar spot, the Twins may be ill-advised to make that move with Taylor Rogers. Yes, the Major League club is not good. No, the farm system doesn’t have a ton of immediate answers. This season isn’t going to result in a second-half turnaround, and a bullpen that’s already bad isn’t and hasn’t been saved by one good arm. The key difference here, however, is how Derek Falvey and Thad Levine view themselves in 2022. Although good teams don’t necessarily need a closer, they absolutely need a strong bullpen. Moving Taylor Rogers with another year of team control, and as one of the most dominant relief arms in the sport, would suggest they don’t view a run coming in the year ahead either. Rocco Baldelli has seen his lineup come around over the past handful of weeks, but it’s still been pitching that has failed this club. While the rotation is chiefly to blame, supplementing and retooling the bullpen is a must for next season. Doing that with the additional hole that Rogers’ absence would cost becomes difficult. This season Rogers owns a 2.65 ERA along with a 12.2 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9. In 2020 he posted an outlying 4.05 ERA, but it was hiding a 2.84 FIP and still fell in line the strikeout and walk rates across his career. The uncharacteristic 1.500 WHIP got Taylor last year and pitching in a short season without opportunity for positive regression didn’t help. His counting numbers are now back to who he always has been, and what the expectation should be. Baseball right now remains enamored with high leverage relievers. This winter we saw the Chicago White Sox drop $54 million on Liam Hendriks. I don’t now what Rogers will earn two seasons from now, but he’ll be hitting the free agent market at the same age Hendriks did this year. Saves are a goofy stat, but they do get paid for at least in arbitration, and Rogers currently has more than Hendriks did when he was signed by the South Siders. Maybe a team will blow the Twins away with a couple of top tier prospects. That doesn’t seem like a great bet given the relief trade market often seems to be filled with organizations looking to be opportunistic and capitalize on a veteran’s immediate success without much of a long-term commitment. If Falvey can find a taker willing to pony up though, then that’s a move Minnesota should consider. If flipping Rogers is being done because he fits the category of desirable asset and the return is just good enough, I’d hope that this front office would reconsider. Maybe they don’t have intentions to reload in 2022, or they see that as a lofty goal. Either way, venturing down the path to relevance in the season ahead gets unquestionable tougher by taking an arm like Rogers out of an already deficient area of this roster. Maybe you shouldn’t pay for relief help. The Twins best bullpen acquisitions this year were a waiver claim and a guy that cost $2 million. You certainly shouldn’t piece out the pen before you have to when you’re trying to re-ignite it though. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

The MLB All Star Game rosters were announced on July 4th and the Twins representative is Nelson Cruz. Don't get me wrong, Cruz is very deserving, but so is Taylor Rogers. He was robbed! The Twins bullpen has been about as big of a mess as possible in 2021 but there is one reliever having a career year that needs to be recognized. After a good but inconsistent 2019 and 2020, Taylor Rogers has become the reliever we've all been waiting for. Aside from Hansel Robles on a good day, Rogers is the only true trustworthy reliever in the Twins bullpen and he is one of the most trustworthy relievers in the American League. Rogers deserved to make his first All Star Game but now has to hold out hope to be a replacement. Who could he have made it over? There are a total of five relievers representing the American League in the All Star Game this season. Three are deserving, two not so much Liam Hendriks: 35.0 IP, 2.57 ERA, 2.78 FIP, 1.1 fWAR (WAR calculated on Fangraphs) Matt Barnes: 36.0 IP, 2.75 ERA, 1.96 FIP, 1.7 fWAR Ryan Pressly: 35.0 IP, 1.54 ERA, 1.38 FIP, 1.7 fWAR Gregory Soto: 33.0 IP, 2.18 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 0.6 fWAR Aroldis Chapman: 28.2 IP, 3.77 ERA, 3.54 FIP, 0.5 fWAR For context on reliever WAR, Chapman is tied with Caleb Thielbar. He's also one of the most hated players in baseball. I swear I can think of a much more deserving left handed (no, not Thielbar) pitcher that pitches in Minnesota. Oh, Taylor Rogers! Taylor Rogers: 33.0 IP, 2.73 ERA (26th in AL), 2.22 FIP (6th), 1.2 fWAR (5th) Rogers is no longer some no name up and coming young reliever. He turned 30 six months ago and, like any elite reliever, could flame out in any given season. It sucks that he won't be getting the recognition he deserves this season and instead Aroldis Chapman, who can't help but blow leads every game, is getting the nod. It is what it is and ultimately it's hard for a terrible team to get a ton of recognition. Nonetheless, Taylor Rogers deserves to be pitching in Colorado with Nelson Cruz hitting in the next half inning. Perhaps all is not lost yet, as we often see replacements due to injury or players opting out. Hopefully Rogers is able to secure a spot soon. What do you think? Should Rogers be in the All Star Game? Leave a comment below and discuss! View full article

Matt Braun kicked off the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Prospect Rankings. He shared the honorable mentions and then went through the last quarter on the list. Looking ahead to the final five before getting into the top ten, that’s where we find ourselves now. It is worth noting that prospect graduations have and will happen throughout 2021. Names like Kirilloff, Larnach, Jeffers, Gordon, and Rortvedt are no longer eligible for consideration. With that said, let’s get into who’s next. 15. Misael Urbina OF Age: 19 ETA: 2024 2021 Stats (A): 42 G .191/.298/.268 3 2B 3 3B HR 24 RBI 23 BB 39 K 2021 Ranking: 14th Minnesota signed Urbina out of Venezuela back in 2018 during the International Signing Period. Jesse Sanchez called him, “one of the most coveted prospects from Venezuela in this year's international class” at the time. The bonus came in at $2.75 million, and that’s indicative of how the Twins see his tools developing. Urbina is playing in his first stateside season this year, and while the numbers aren’t gaudy by any means, controlling the strike zone is something he’s shown a strong ability to do as a young player. 14. Brent Rooker OF/1B Age: 26 2021 Stats (AAA): 43 G .243/.386/.547 6 2B 13 HR 28 RBI 31 BB 54 K 2021 Ranking: 12th Rooker was the 35th overall pick by Minnesota back in the 2017 draft. He made his MLB debut in 2020 before injury ended his season with just seven games played. Rooker has appeared in just eight games for the Twins this year going 3-for-29. Despite crushing Triple-A, his opportunities have been limited with the outfield capabilities being stretched, and him not being a true fit at first base. Should the Twins deal Nelson Cruz, Brent would appear to be in line for substantial big league at bats as the DH. 13. Cole Sands RHSP Age: 23 2021 Stats (AA): 31 2/3 IP, 2.84 ERA, 1.263 WHIP, 3.10 FIP, 30.7 K%, 13.1 BB% 2021 Ranking: 15th Sands was a 5th round selection in the 2018 draft and it didn’t take long to see that Minnesota had something special here. There’s velocity, there’s command, there’s a real starting pitcher. Sands dominated three separate levels in 2019, and has picked up where he left off in 2021. The 11.9 K/9 is a strong number at Double-A, and while the command has slipped some, there’s no long term worry there. Currently injured, Minnesota hopes to have Cole back on the bump sooner rather than later. 12. Bailey Ober RHSP Age: 25 2021 Stats (AAA): 16 IP, 2.81 ERA, 1.125 WHIP, 1.67 FIP, 32.3 K%, 7.7 BB% 2021 Ranking: 20th Now in the big leagues taking regular turns with the Twins, Ober parlayed his quick Triple-A success into six turns in the big league rotation. He owns a 5.84 ERA there but has been bit most by the home run. Strikeouts and command continue to play, while his velocity has seen an uptick and is, in part, what has elevated his prospect status. There’s a good back-end rotation piece here, and it’d be a good bet he gets plenty of leash to showcase that the rest of 2021. 11. Blayne Enlow RHSP Age: 22 2021 Stats (A+): 14 2/3 IP, 1.84 ERA, 1.295 WHIP, 2.80 FIP, 39.0 K%, 10.2 BB% 2021 Ranking: 10th Arguably one of the most exciting prospects to see showcased following the 2020 minor league hiatus, Enlow came out as expected. He below the doors of High-A hitters and looked the part of a prospect that could put together an amazing season. Unfortunately, it ended quickly as he’s now recovering from Tommy John surgery, but look for him to be back stronger on the back half of 2022, and still with a ceiling that could be among the highest in the system as far as pitchers go. View full article

The Minnesota Twins established a new front office under Derek Falvey and Thad Levine with the expectation that organizational pitching woes would be averted. It started that way, but things flopped hard in 2021. Across the division in Cleveland, Falvey grew a reputation for being able to develop pitching. Minnesota needed to overhaul that aspect of their development, and the early returns were promising. Despite the Bomba Squad emerging in 2019, Minnesota also became the best pitching version of itself that the franchise had seen in years. Taylor Rogers was elite, Tyler Duffey was transformed, and a number of fliers worked out. Enter 2021 and things couldn’t be further from that reality. This Twins club owns the 29th overall fWAR mark from their pitching staff, and both starters and relievers have been collectively terrible. The lineup took a bit to get going, but it hasn’t been an issue for weeks. With the White Sox now having all but ended Minnesota’s chances in the year ahead, a look at 2022 puts both Falvey and Levine squarely on the hot seat. Given the amount of talent eyeing a return on this roster, and the unexpected nature of these results, a full rebuild should not be the course of action in 2022. Reloading and trying it again with some new pieces makes all the sense in the world. What the front office must not do again however, is look to shop in the bargain bin and think the process will entirely translate into results. I have long harped on the infrastructure brought in by this front office as being exceptional. That still rings true. Wes Johnson is a good pitching coach, and throughout the farm there’s intelligent instructors. At some point though, you can’t bank entirely on a blueprint squeeze more juice from an already cashed fruit. J.A. Happ and Matt Shoemaker were fine back-end additions, but they both relied entirely on depth with nothing done to raise the water level. From the vantage point we have now, walking through this smoldering warzone, Falvey has virtually nothing to show for this season. The plethora of waiver claims all failed to pan out, save for the small sample of Luke Farrell. Happ and Shoemaker have been terrible. Randy Dobnak was extended, then optioned, and has never had a real defined role. On the farm, each of the top prospects has now gone down with arm issues, likely due to the year off. Yes, Josh Winder and Jordan Balazovic look good, but there’s more reason to be cautious than excited at this point. In the year ahead it will be on the Twins to use their depth as a fall back plan rather than seeing it as a source of reliance. Signings like Happ and Shoemaker indicated a belief one or both would soon be bumped as prospects came for their spots. Now Shoemaker is gone entirely, and the lack of options becomes even more glaring with yet another miss added to the books. Jose Berrios has been good, but not yet elevated to the next step, and now the talk of trading him lands even more into a questionable realm for me. Over the winter the plan has to be pitching, spending on it, and making sure it’s right. Relief arms are generally fickle year over year. Expecting Alexander Colome to fall this hard wasn’t a good bet. In 2022 you can reshuffle that group and bring in new faces, but they can’t be supplemented with a bunch of fall back options just ran out in case of emergency. The starting staff needs a legit arm that slots in to the top three, and that’s on top of paying or at least keeping Berrios. One bad season in the midst of such turnaround isn’t going to cost the front office their jobs, but there is plenty of reason to question why Derek Falvey hasn’t come through with his calling card should we see two years’ worth of these results. It’s time to right this ship, fix it, and prove the belief has been warranted. Dollars, development, whatever path you want to take, pitching can not be a problem for the Twins in the year ahead. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Last night was the Jose Miranda show on the farm, and tonight pitching took center stage as top prospect Jordan Balazovic took his turn and twirled a gem for Wichita. TRANSACTIONS INF Drew Stankiewicz signed by Twins and assigned to St. Paul RHP Jonathan Cheshire placed on 7-day IL by Cedar Rapids (forearm strain) SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Omaha 4 Box Score Lefty Andrew Albers went six innings for Saint Paul and picked up six strikeouts while walking none. He did allow three runs on seven hits before turning the ball over to the bullpen. Although last night was all about Jose Miranda, there’s still plenty of firepower in this Saints lineup. Brent Rooker crushed his 13th homer to open the game in the bottom of the first, and the two-run shot scoring J.T. Riddle put the good guys on top. Mark Contreras hit his 6th home run, a two-run bomb in the 3rd, giving St. Paul a 5-0 lead. Miranda followed up his big night at the plate with a stellar defensive play at the hot corner this evening. Former Tigers prospect Beau Burrows also made his Saints debut in this one. Drew Stankiewicz got the start at second base in his return to a familiar team, now as an affiliated pro player. After allowing the Storm Chasers to draw within two, Stankiewicz made his mark with a bases loaded walk, drawing an RBI. Willians Astudillo, who stole a base earlier in this one, singled in the 8th to drive in J.T. Riddle. The breathing room was nice a Omaha tried to make things interesting in the final half inning before Nick Vincent closed the door. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 8, Amarillo 1 Box Score Twins star pitching prospect Jordan Balazovic was on the bump for Wichita in this one, and he posted an encouraging outing in every sense of the word. Working five and two-thirds, he allowed just two base runners, both on walks. Balazovic punched out six and threw 87 pitches on the evening. Recently promoted to Double-A, Trey Cabbage made his mark picking up his first double in the top half of the first inning to plate Spencer Steer. B.J. Boyd lifted his third homer of the season, a solo shot in the 2nd, to put Wichita ahead 2-0. The first crooked number of the night came on Steer’s first Double-A homer, a three run shot that was absolutely demolished. Widening the lead further, Boyd doubles in D.J. Burt before Chris Williams tripled to score Boyd adding two more in the 6th. Cabbage picked up his second double in the game, scoring Steer again, and continuing his strong evening. As big of an offensive night that Wichita had, the real story was on the mound. Yes, Balazovic was great, but so too was the bullpen in relief. Alex Phillips recorded four outs without a hit, punching out three, before Jhonleider Salinas worked a hitless inning of relief on his own. Salinas then got the first out in the 9th, two away from a combined no-hitter, before Luis Alejandro Basabe lifted a solo shot to right field. The no-hitter came up two outs short, and the shutout was gone with it. Adam Lau recorded the final two outs on what was a great night for the arms. Both of the recently promoted prospects, Steer and Cabbage, posted multi-hit nights, and were joined by B.J. Boyd to make it a trio. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 9, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score Ben Gross was on the bump for Cedar Rapids and turned in five strong innings of work tonight. He allowed just a single run, on two hits and two walks, while also picking up five strikeouts. After making his High-A debut last night, Edouard Julien announced his presence today with a leadoff homer. Alex Isola then went yard, his fifth of the season, to put the Kernels ahead 2-1 in the 4th. Unfortunately, things got ugly for Cedar Rapids from there. Quad Cities tied the game in the 6th, and then pushed across six in the 7th and another in the 8th. Outfielder Max Smith came on to work the final inning for the Kernels. He got through his inning while recording one strikeout. Facing a massive deficit late, Seth Gray wasn’t ready to quit as his double drove in Daniel Ozoria to add a third run for Cedar Rapids. The Kernels had two runners on with just one out in the 9th, and Allante Hall drove in Gray on a groundout, but that’s where the rally ended. MUSSEL MATTERS Postponed (Rain) COMPLEX CHRONICLES No game TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 5.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 2-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, HR, BB, K PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 1-4, 2 K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-4, 2 K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – Did not play #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List (elbow strain) #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 5.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – Injured List (concussion) #8 - Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – Postponed #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (arm strain) #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 1-1, R, RBI, HR(2) #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 2-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR(13), 2 BB #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (wrist sprain) #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – Postponed #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – 0-3 #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 1-5, K #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – 3.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 3 HR THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (3-2, 3.94 ERA) Wichita @ Amarillo (7:05PM CST) – RHP Bryan Sammons (0-3, 6.45 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30PM CST) – RHP Cody Lawyerson (0-0, 3.00 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games View full article