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The regular season ended for two Twins affiliates. They will both start their playoff runs on Tuesday. Two other affiliates have another week. Wichita has one more week of games before the playoffs. St. Paul has two weeks remaining in their season. As for Sunday, you're going to want to see how Cody Laweryson did, and how he has done since joining the Wind Surge. And Nate Baez had a powerful day at the plate. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins recalled 2018 seventh-round pick RHP Josh Winder, and optioned 2018 fifth-round pick RHP Cole Sands to St. Paul. The Twins also selected the contract of RHP Jharel Cotton from St. Paul (again) and placed RHP Chris Archer on the IL. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 1, Toledo 6 Box Score Through six innings, this game was tied at 1-1. Unfortunately, the Saints allowed five runs over the next two innings and weren’t able to account for any of it. Bailey Ober continued his rehab with his first start with the Saints. He gave up one run on one hit over 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out six batters. Austin Schulfer came on and got the final out of the fifth inning. Randy Dobnak threw a scoreless sixth inning, but he then was charged with two runs and got just one out in the seventh inning. He gave up two hits and a walk. Jake Jewell came on and allowed an inherited runner to score, but finished the inning. Brock Stewart gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits in the eighth inning. Jewell and Stewart each hit a batter. The Saints had just one hit in the game, a solo homer from John Andreoli. Ober threw 66 pitches and 44 of them were strikes. Could he be ready to make a start for the Twins next weekend in Cleveland? WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 1, NW Arkansas 0 Box Score On Saturday, the Wind Surge won on a walk-off. On Sunday afternoon, they won another one-run game, this one thanks to some masterful pitching from a guy who has been great since joining Wichita. Cody Laweryson went to the Fall League last year and then returned to Cedar Rapids to start this season. After 16 games, and just two starts, he was promoted to Wichita. With the Wind Surge, he has now made 18 appearances and Sunday was his seventh start. On this day, Laweryson tossed seven shutout innings. He gave up just one hit and struck out eight batters without issuing a walk. He improved to 5-0 and dropped his Double-A ERA to 0.82. He has given up just five earned runs in 54 2/3 innings. He’s got 64 strikeouts in that time. Denny Bentley came in for the eighth inning and got one out. Casey Legumina came on and got the final five outs to record his second save of the season. The Wind Surge scored just one run despite ten hits. Then went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base. Only one hit produced a run. Seth Gray hit his first Double-A homer. He was 1-for-2 with two walks. Anthony Prato went 3-for-4 with a triple. DaShawn Keirsey was 2-for-4. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, South Bend 9 Box Score After being rained out on Saturday night, the Kernels ended their regular season on Sunday with a loss. With the playoffs set to start on Tuesday, the Kernels went with lefty Samuel Perez to start. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings. Malik Barrington came on and gave up four runs on five hits over two innings. Matthew Swain worked the next 2 2/3 innings and gave up just one run. He struck out three batters. Regi Grace gave up an unearned run in his inning. Then Tyler Palm gave up one run on two hits in the ninth inning. Kyler Fedko led the offense. He went 3-for- 4. Brooks Lee also reached three times on walks. Jake Rucker drove in back runs with a four-inning double. Wander Javier was hit by a pitch in the helmet in the second inning. He was able to walk off the field, with help. The Kernels ended their season with a 73-58 record. On Tuesday, they’ll play in South Bend. Games 2 and 3 (if needed) will be in Cedar Rapids on Thursday and Friday. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 9, St. Lucie 1 Box Score The Mussels closed out their regular season with a nice, big win. Nate Baez led the way. He hit his second and third home run and drove in five runs. Fellow 2022 draft pick, Ben Ross, went 2-for-5 with his fifth double and three RBI. Rubel Cespedes, Keoni Cavaco and Ricardo Olivar each had two hits. Cespedes hit his 15th double. Misael Urbina went 1-for-3 with two walks. Niklas Rimmel made the start and continued to pitch very well. He tossed three shutout innings. He gave up one hit and struck out four batters. Johnathan Lavallee worked a scoreless inning. John Wilson struck out three over two scoreless frames. Zaquiel Puentes gave up a solo homer over his two innings. Develson Aria made his Mussels debut and the lefty struck out one in a perfect inning. The Mussels ended their season with an overall record of 69-59. On Tuesday, they will begin a Best-of-3 playoff series against Dunedin. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cody Laweryson (Wichita) - 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day – Nate Baez (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-5, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR (2, 3) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Sunday. #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2, 3 BB #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-for-4 (DH) #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, 2 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-for-4, K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, K #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, K UPCOMING SCHEDULE No Games on Monday. Tuesday: Louisville @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Ariel Jurado (0-2, 4.58 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (6:30 PM CST) - TBD Playoffs Game 1: Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 PM CST) - RHP David Festa Playoffs Game 1: Dunedin @ Fort Myers (5:30 PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games! View full article

I mean, was Matt Wallner not going to hit? TRANSACTIONS OF Carlos Aguiar reinstated from 7-day IL at Ft. Myers Cedar Rapids placed RHP Luis Rijo on 7-day IL LHP Jovani Moran optioned to St. Paul Saints Sentinel St. Paul 9, Omaha 4 Box Score Jordan Balazovic: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K HR: Chris Williams (8) Multi-hit games: Matt Wallner (3-for-4, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI, 1 BB), Cole Sturgeon (3-for-4, 2 R, RBI, BB) St. Paul won decisively on Saturday. It was an all-around offensive breakout; eight batters scored a run in an 11-hit, seven-walk effort. Matt Wallner may have collected the most RBIs, but this was a democratic affair; the lone hitter to not score a run drove one in. Chris Williams swatted a solo home run. Jordan Balazovic pitched arguably his best outing on Saturday; the righty struck out six while allowing a lone run over his four innings of work. It may not be the most impressive start ever, but a step in the right direction is always welcome. Michael Feliz netted four outs with one strikeout; Williams’ AAA OPS is now over 1.000. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 2, Springfield 8 Box Score Brent Headrick: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Yunior Severino (2-for-4), Anthony Prato (2-for-4, 2B) Wichita played a game to forget on Saturday. The defense was the major bugaboo; the team committed five errors, with two blunders attributed to Yunior Severino and three stemming from Jair Camargo. It’s difficult to win many games with that sort of performance. Brent Headrick worked around his fielders in admirable fashion, allowing two earned runs over five innings with seven strikeouts. The lefty has 42 strikeouts over 29 innings since the beginning of August. Both runs scored late as Ernie Yake singled home a runner in the 7th, and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. brought one in with a 9th inning sacrifice fly. Keirsey also sto le two bases, giving him 37 on the season. Blayne Enlow struck out four over two innings; Anthony Prato’s double was the sole extra-base hit. Kernels Nuggets The rain ended this game before it could start; the Kernels will play a doubleheader on Sunday. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 3 Box Score Tomas Cleto: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K HR: Nate Baez (1) Multi-hit games: Kala’i Rosario (2-for-4, 2 R), Nate Baez (2-for-4, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI) The Mighty Mussels won a tame game on Saturday. Nate Baez dominated the story; the catcher cracked a double and blasted a homer on his way to three RBIs. He hasn’t played much this year—the 2022 draft pick has just 47 at-bats—but more games like this could set the foundation for a phenomenal 2023 season. Kala’i Rosario was the Robin to Baez’s Batman, drumming a double and scoring a pair of runs in Saturday’s effort. Tomas Cleto was effectively wild. The starter allowed a single hit but walked four in his scoreless outing, perhaps even flummoxing himself regarding pitch location. It was no matter; Cleto walked away with a sparkling ERA, and that is all the Mighty Mussels could ask for. Noah Miller tripled for the 4th time this season; Niklas Rimmel pitched two scoreless innings to end the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Brent Headrick Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Matt Wallner PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-4 #7 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 3B, K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 3-for-4, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI, 1 BB #11 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-3, BB, 2 K #15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, 2 R SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (5:07 PM) - RHP Josh Winder Wichita @ Springfield (6:05 PM) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (12:09 PM) - TBD Fort Myers @ Bradenton (11:00 AM) - LHP Jordan Carr View full article

The Minnesota Twins zoned in on collegiate players through the first 10 rounds of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. They didn’t deviate from that decision with either of the next two picks, but they went back-to-back with catchers and took Arizona State’s Nate Baez in Round 12. Nate Baez began starting in 2021 for the Sun Devils, and then drew starts in 55 of 57 games last season. He slashed .319/.403/.562 last season, and while the home run total jumped just from eight to ten, Baez pushed his doubles total from three to 21 last season. He’s seen as a decent receiver, and he has played some second base as well. Minnesota would certainly love to see him stick behind the dish, and catcher depth is something the system can use. Baez took the time to answer a few questions following his selection by the Twins. Twins Daily: Having worked a little on the infield and corner outfield, the Twins drafted you as a catcher and that's probably where you'd like to stick. What is your process and game behind the plate? What are some of your biggest strengths? Nate Baez: My game behind the plate is to do everything I can to help my pitchers succeed. Their success is my success. My biggest strengths behind the plate are my presence and toughness. Whatever I do I like to go all out and catching is no different. TD: With electronic strike zones still at least a few years away, what would you say about your game as a framer and receiver? Minnesota has been influential when it comes to a knee-down stance, is there something that makes you most comfortable behind the dish? NB: Framing and receiving are the better part of my game. Coming from the infield, the quickness of my hands has helped me to transition and have success early. I like doing a little of everything when it comes to what stance I’m in. The situation will dictate it but there are times when one knee is best and times when it’s not. I am open to everything. TD: At the plate, it seems like you tapped into more power this season. Was that intentional? How did you go about tweaking your swing? NB: I am always looking to add more power to my swing. I just need to do it with less swing and miss. I worked a lot on pitch selection and plate discipline which helped me to hit better overall, and in turn, added to my power. I didn’t really tweak my swing. I tweak my mentality and game plan when I hit. TD: What has been your process in the box? You've done a great job limiting swing and miss issues. Are you a big video or analytics guy? NB: This past year I worked completely off of feel. I never really looked at video or analytics. I know how my swing works and what it needs to feel like to be good. I do like watching video, It just wasn’t really something I did this past year. TD: What do you know about the Minnesota Twins? Have you ever been to Target Field? NB: I do not know much about the Twins, but I do know that they have a very good organization with great development and I’m honored to be a part of it. Never been to Target Field, or even Minnesota. TD: If there's something you want Twins Territory to know about you as a person or player, what would it be? NB: I'm just a kid from Tucson, Arizona, having fun, playing the game I love. View full article