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We are deeply saddened to learn that Minnesota Twins minor leaguer Ryan Costello passed away in New Zealand. Early reports indicate that he died of "natural causes" at the age of 23.The Twins family learned of a devastating loss late on Sunday night or early Monday morning. Ryan Costello, who split the 2019 season between the Ft. Myers Miracle and Pensacola Blue Wahoos, passed away in New Zealand. Costello arrived in New Zealand about a week ago. He was set to play for the Auckland Tuataras of the Australian Baseball League. He was drafted in the 31st round of the 2017 draft by the Seattle Mariners out of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain. He came to the Twins in the July 2018 trade that sent Zack Duke to the Mariners. He had been playing for former Twins infielder Denny Hocking with the Low A Clinton LumberKings. He joined the Ft. Myers Miracle and his big home run helped the Miracle to the Florida State League championship. He split the 2019 season between the Miracle and Blue Wahoos. With the Miracle, he hit .213/.337/.375 (.712) with 11 doubles and eight home runs in 68 games. In 40 games with Pensacola, he hit .240/.353/.473 (.826) with five doubles and seven home runs. News of his death started arriving on social media around midnight overnight. Last offseason, I chatted with Costello for this Get to Know 'Em story on Costello. The Minnesota Twins released a statement on Monday morning. Nick English, the owner of Munger English Sports Management (Costello's agents), provided the following statement: We extend out deepest condolences to the Costello family and friends and to all those in the Twins organization. Click here to view the article

Season’s end can separate the star prospects from the rest of the roster. Many affiliated teams are fighting for a playoff spot and batters can make the difference between a playoff team and one that is sending players home in the weeks ahead. A winning culture starts in the minor leagues and Minnesota will need to rely on some of the players left in their minor league system. There are few top prospects on this list, but that’s further evidence of how deep the Twins farm system has become in recent years. From veteran cast-offs to DSL teenagers, this list has a wide array of players.Previous 2019 Hitters of the Month: April - Trey Cabbage May - Lewin Diaz June - Brent Rooker July – Jaylin Davis Let’s take a look at the Top 5 hitters for the month of August, but first here are some of the players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Gilberto Celestino – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Fort Myers Miracle, 32-98, .327/.396/.500 with three home runs and eight doubles.Rhodery Diaz – DSL Twins, 13-36, .361/.477/.444 with one home run and one double.Ramon Flores – Rochester Red Wings, 29-98, .296/.434/.449 with three home runs, four doubles and one triple.Trevor Larnach – Pensacola Blue Wahoos, 30-98, .306/.395/.510 with six home runs and two doubles.Anthony Prato – Elizabethton Twins, 24-71, .338/.410/.451 with one home run, three doubles and one triple.Gabe Snyder – Cedar Rapids Kernels, 21-90, .233/.300/.478 with six home runs, two doubles and one triple.Tomas Telis – Rochester Red Wings, 31-76, .408/.439/.553 with two home runs and five doubles.Tyler Webb – Cedar Rapids Kernels, 24-75, /320/.370/.400 with one home run, one double and one triple.THE TOP FIVE HITTERS Number 5 – Pensacola Blue Wahoos – 1B/3B/OF Ryan Costello – 21-85, .247/.369/.529 with six home runs, four doubles and one triple. Costello, Seattle's 31st-round pick in 2017 (came to Twins in July 2018 trade from the Mariners (Zach Duke)), continues to show his value as he moves through the Twins system. August was his first full month at Double-A and he made sure to leave his mark. He had hits in 10 of his first 12 games of the month and that included a stretch of three straight games with a home run. He ended the month with hits in eight of his final 11 games to be one of the organization’s top five hitters for the month. Number 4 – DSL Twins – 3B/1B Rubel Cespedes – 16-46, .348/.423/.630 with one home run, four doubles, and three triples. The Dominican Summer League Twins can be forgotten about with the plethora of other affiliated minor league squads. Cespedes made sure that hitters in this league wouldn’t be forgotten. In his first taste of professional ball, the teenager finished the season on a hot streak. He collected multiple hits in five of his 12 August contests and he only failed to reach base in one August game. Through the month’s first seven games, he was hitting .423/.516/.731 with six extra-base hits and one strike out compared to four walks. Number 3 – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels – OF/3B Seth Gray – 24-92, .261/.361/.533 with five home runs and 10 doubles Gray, a 2019 fourth-round pick, ended the month with a promotion from E-Town to Cedar Rapids. He hit safely in his final six Appy League game and he had multiple hits in three of his final games with that club. Even after the promotion, he ended the month on an eight-game hitting streak which included five extra-base hits and a .977 OPS. He was only hitting .231 through the first 12 games of the month but he finished August going 15-53 (.283) with eight extra-base hits. Number 2 – Rochester Red Wings – OF Alejandro De Aza – 28-71, .394/.469/.676 with thee home runs, seven doubles and two triples De Aza is 35-years old, but he made it clear in August why the Twins picked him up in the middle of July. He ended the month on an 11-game hitting streak and there were actually only two games in the entire month where he was held without a hit. Apparently, the guy knows how to hit because he was only failed to collect a hit in six games so far in the Twins organization. He had multiple hits in nine of his 19 games. What makes it even more impressive is the fact the Red Wings were fighting for their playoff lives for a good portion of the month. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Rochester Red Wings – OF/1B Zander Wiel – 30-105, .286/.350/.600 with six home runs, 11 doubles and two triples. Someone had to step up and fill the offensive void left by Jaylin Davis and Zander Wiel did his best to fit this role with the Red Wings. Wiel, a 12th-round pick back in 2015, has spent the entire season in Rochester. Much like De Aza, Wiel ended the month on an 11-game hitting streak that included three multi-hit games. Overall, Wiel collected seven multi-hit efforts throughout the month. Wiel was coming off a rough July where he struggled by hitting .200/.243/.484 (.727). All of those totals were season lows for him. Something switched in August as he had a season high in OPS, SLG and extra base hits. As a 26-year old, he has also been facing older pitchers in roughly have of his plate appearances. A study was done at the University of Rochester after the Red Wings broke their franchise home run record. It was a simple experiment to see if the new Triple-A baseballs were bouncier and could be one of the reasons for the power hitting surge. Wiel was interviewed for the story and said, “These balls this year…they’ve been going and that’s why you see the rise in numbers. All the production, extra-base hits and stuff we’re seeing.” Even with a bouncier ball, Wiel still must do one of the hardest things in sports by making solid contact between a round bat and a round ball. He did it better than anyone else in the Twins system this past month so congratulations to him. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions in the comments below. Click here to view the article

Welcome to the final Sunday of the minor league season. Granted multiple affiliates of the Twins could be playing postseason. However, there is still work to get done in the regular season and rosters took on a very different feel after September call-ups were made on Sunday. Can the higher levels of the minor league’s survive without some of their key players? You will have to read on to find out.AWARDS The Twins announced their weekly Hitter and Pitcher of the Week Hitter of the Week: Zander Wiel, RochesterIn seven games for the Red Wings, Wiel hit .370 (10-for-27) with four doubles, three home runs, seven RBI, three walks and a 1.271 OPS. Wiel was selected in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt University.Pitcher of the Week: Cody Laweryson, ElizabethtonLaweryson made the start on Monday vs. Greeneville, pitching 6.0 shutout innings with three hits allowed, no walks and 15 strikeouts. He was selected out fo the 14th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of Main at Orono. TRANSACTIONS OF Ian Miller had contracted selected by Minnesota. RHP Brusdar Graterol had contracted selected by Minnesota. RHP Zack Littell recalled by Minnesota. RHP Kohl Stewart recalled by Minnesota LHP Devin Smeltzer recalled by Minnesota LHP Lewis Thorpe recalled by Minnesota. C Willians Astudillo ended MLB rehab assignment and returned to Minnesota. RHP Sean Poppen returned from rehab assignment, recalled by Minnesota, and placed on the MLB 60-day Injured List. INF Yeltsin Encarnacion transferred from Ft. Myers to Rochester. RHP Alex Schick transferred from Cedar Rapids to Rochester. LHP Denny Bentley transferred from Elizabethton to Rochester. LHP Jeremy Bleich reinstated from the IL with Rochester. INF Anthony Prato promoted from Elizabethton to Cedar Rapids OF Byron Buxton has ended his rehab assignment with the Kernels RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Syracuse 7 (Final- 9 Innings, Rain) Box Score Rochester scored three runs in the seventh inning to tie the game before allowing four runs in the eighth inning to relinquish their advantage. In the seventh inning, Rochester plated three runs thanks to a double from Alejandro De Aza. Wilin Rosario would score in the next at-bat thanks to a wild pitch. Rochester tied the game at 3-3, but the bullpen saw that lead evaporate. With all of the roster shuffling, Preston Guilmet started and was asked to record only nine outs. He allowed three runs on four hits with three strikeouts. Denny Pentley took over and didn’t allow a hit in two innings of work. He struck out two and walked one. Ryan O’Rourke coughed up two of the late-inning runs and Jeremy Bleich also added another two runs allowed as Syracuse stretched their lead to 7-3. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 7, Montgomery 11 Box Score Pensacola’s potent offense tried to mount a late-inning comeback, but it wasn’t enough with the hole the pitching staff had dug. Charlie Barnes struggled through five innings for his fourth loss of the year at Double-A. He surrendered seven runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and two walks. The bullpen didn’t exactly help the situation for Barnes. Jonathan Cheshire did fine in his one inning of work. He didn’t allow any runs and he walked one and struck out one. Stephen Gonsalves struggled with three earned runs on two hits with the biggest hit being a home run. Alex Phillips didn’t stop the bleeding as he surrendered one run on two hits to end the eighth inning. Pensacola has already clinched a playoff spot, but the bullpen is going to need to have better outings if the club wants to find success in the postseason. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Beloit 1 Box Score Cedar Rapids plated four runs in the third inning and that turned out to be enough against the Beloit lineup that went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Kody Funderburk scattered five hits and allowed one earned run for his first Midwest League win. He struck out eight and walked two to lower his ERA to 4.68. Rickey Ramirez pitched the final three frames and limited the Snappers to two hits. He walked two and struck out one without allowing a run. Matt Wallner had the only extra-base hit of the night for the Kernels. He collected his third double since being promoted and drove in a run. In the third inning, Trevor Casanova was hit by a pitch before a Daniel Ozoria single moved him into scoring position. Gabe Snyder drove in the first run of the game before Wallner’s important double. A passed ball and a Seth Gray single plated enough runs to put the Kernels in the driver’s seat. The Midwest League playoffs begin on Wednesday night as Cedar Rapids hosts the Quad Cities River Bandits. First pitch on September 4 begins at 6:35 p.m. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY TD Pitcher of the Day- Kody Funderburk, Cedar Rapids (6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 2 BB) TD Hitter of the Day- Ryan Costello, Pensacola (2-3, 3B, 3 RBI, R, BB) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Pensacola) – 0-5, 2 K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) – Did not play #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Minnesota) – 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, K, 0 BB #4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) – 2-4, 2 R, K #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 2-5, R, K #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) – 1-4 #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) – 2-5, 2B, 2 R #15 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 3 K #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) – 2-5, R, K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Syracuse (12:05 CST) – TBD Pensacola @ Montgomery (12:05 CST) – RHP Bailey Ober (8-0, 0.71 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (2:00 CST) – RHP Luis Rijo (5-8, 2.86 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. 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The dog days of summer are here are with it comes the opportunity for minor league teams to gain some separation from the other teams in their league. Strong pitching performances can be overshadowed by lackluster offensive outputs. Offensives can explode for double-digit runs to cover up a pitcher’s poor start. For Twins fans, there was some good, some bad, and some ugly on Sunday.TRANSACTIONS RHP Ryan Eades placed on the IL for Rochester (right groin strain). INF Spencer Steer promoted to Cedar Rapids from Elizabethton. C/INF Chris Williams placed on IL with Cedar Rapids (right ankle sprain). AWARDS The Twins announced their weekly Hitter and Pitcher of the Week: Hitter of the Week: Royce Lewis, Fort MyersLewis, who played in the SiriusXM Futures Game at Progressive Field last Sunday, played in four games for the Miracle late this week, hitting .353 (6-for-17) with two home runs, three RBI and two walks. Lewis is in his third professional season after being taken with the number one overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft.Pitcher of the Week: Edwar Colina, Fort MyersColina made the start on Wednesday vs. Daytona, pitching 7.0 shutout innings with three hits allowed, no walks and eight strikeouts. Colina was promoted to Pensacola the day after his start. He was signed back in 2015 out of Venezuela. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 4 Box Score Rochester needed two runs over the final two innings to walk off with the win in this one. Trailing 4-3 entering the eighth, Jaylin Davis knocked his 10th home run to tie the game. With two outs in the ninth, Drew Maggi singled to put the winning run on base. One batter later, Nick Gordon lined a single to left field and Maggi came all the way around to score. It was a terrible play by the outfielder and Maggi was aggressive. The Red Wings got their scoring started in the sixth inning. With one out, Wilin Rosario coaxed a four-pitch walk before Davis moved him into scoring position with a single. Tomas Telis cracked a three-run shot, his sixth of the year, to tie the game 3-3. Drew Hutchison ran into some early trouble as he allowed three first inning runs. From there he settled in and finished five frames. He allowed three earned runs on five hits and struck out nine. It was the second fewest runs he has allowed since joining the Twins organization (five starts). Cody Allen had a scoreless sixth inning as he allowed one walk and struck out one. Fernando Romero struck out three across two innings, but he allowed one run on three hits. Cody Stashak improved to 5-0 at Triple-A after throwing a perfect ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 0, Montgomery 4 Box Score Pensacola was limited to four hits in this one with Caleb Hamilton recording half of them. He reached base three times and added his 14th double. Joe Cronin went 1-for-4 and stole his eighth base. Jordan Gore had the team’s other hit. The Blue Wahoos had some chances as the team finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. With the offense struggling, Jorge Alcala didn’t have much of an opportunity to pitch his team to victory. He has taken the loss in his last five decisions and his last win came all the way back on May 13. In this one, he allowed three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked two. Andrew Vasquez made his first appearance since being reassigned from Rochester. In 1 2/3 innings, he allowed one run on one hit with two walks and two strikeouts. Hector Lujan took the final two innings and didn’t allow a hit. He struck out one and walked one. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Bradenton 4 Box Score Ryan Costello connected for a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and Fort Myers didn’t look back. It was his eighth longball of the season and three of those homers have come in the eighth inning or later. In the game, he reached base three times, drove in two, and scored twice. Fort Myers started their scoring in the fourth inning. Four straight batters reached to start the inning including singles from Trevor Larnach, Ryan Jeffers, and Jose Miranda. Miranda’s RBI tied the game at 1-1 and an Andrew Bechtold groundout gave Fort Myers their first lead. Larnach extended his hitting streak to seven games. With one out in the sixth, Costello doubled and came around on a double by Bechtold. Bailey Ober returned to the mound for the first time since April 26 as he was dealing with right ulnar nerve subluxation. He allowed earned runs for the first time all season. Making his seven appearance (fifth with Fort Myers), he allowed three earned runs on six hits. He struck out three and walked two. Johan Quezada took over for Ober, but he allowed one run on two hits in 1 2/3 innings. He has allowed runs in five of his last 10 relief appearances. Joe Record and Zach Neff combined for three perfect innings to end the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Lansing 2 Box Score Kai-Wei Teng was the most positive storyline for the Kernels in this one. He struck out a career-high 10 batters over six shutout innings. He didn’t walk a batter and he limited Lansing to just five hits. He had at least one strikeout in every inning. However, his biggest out might have been an inning-ending double play to get out of a bases-loaded jam. Teng has a quality start in all his last five starting assignments. J.T Perez faltered in trying to preserve the Kernels shutout. He surrendered a two-run home run in the seventh inning that would account for the only runs in the game. Carlos Suniaga finished the game with two shutout innings as he allowed only two hits. Cedar Rapids had one extra-base hit, a triple by Jared Akins. Wander Javier continues to struggle at the plate. He failed to record a hit in three at-bats. When he did reach base with a walk, he was removed for a pinch runner. Jacob Pearson reached base twice. Overall, the club went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 13, Johnson City 12 (10 Innings) Box Score Elizabethton scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and wound up a walk-off winner in extra frames. In that big ninth frame, Charles Mack smacked a grand slam. Everyone of the top five batters in the order had multiple hits. Matt Wallner finished 3-for-4 with two doubles. Seth Gray had a three-run bomb in the fifth inning. Rueben Santana ended the game with a walk-off double. Pitching was a little dicey as one would expect when a club surrenders 12 runs. Prelander Berroa allowed a season-high five earned runs and was only able to pitch through three innings. The bullpen didn’t fare much better as Denny Bentley saw three runs score (two earned) during the fourth. Cody Laweryson was asked to toss four innings and he allowed earned runs for the first time this season. Steven Cruz was credited with the win after tossing two scoreless innings to end the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY TD Pitcher of the Day- Kai-Wei Teng, Cedar Rapids (6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 10 K, 0 BB) TD Hitter of the Day- Ryan Costello, Fort Myers (2-for-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) – 1-5, 2B, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) – 0-4, 2 K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured list #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) – 1-4, R, BB #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, BB, K #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) – Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) – No scheduled game #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) – Did not play #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) – 1-8, 2 K #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) – Did not play #14 - Luis Arraez (Twins) – 1-3, 2B, BB, R #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) – 3-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) – 0-4 #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Out for year with Tommy John surgery #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) – 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 5 K, 2 BB #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) – No scheduled game #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) – Did not play MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Norfolk (6:05 CST) - TBD Pensacola vs. Montgomery (6:35 CST) – TBD Fort Myers – Scheduled Off-Day Cedar Rapids vs. Lansing (12:05 CST) – RHP Austin Schulfer (6-4, 2.62 ERA) Elizabethton vs. Johnson City (5:30 CST) – TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

Over their previous seven games, the Miracle had scored a combined 15 runs. A look through the batting averages of players in the lineup (besides the red-hot Lewin Diaz and his .480 batting average) showed that the bats were cold. On Sunday, they scored 12 runs on 21 hits and all nine starters had at least two hits in the game. .Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Sunday, starting with the transactions of the day TRANSACTIONS Infielder Drew Maggi promoted from Pensacola to Rochester.Infielder Joe Cronin promoted from Cedar Rapids to Pensacola.Hunter Lee promoted from extended spring training to Cedar Rapids.UPDATE on the Transactions: Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

In late July, infielder Ryan Costello was putting together a solid season for the Clinton Lumberjacks. In fact, he was on the brink of a promotion to High-A. After batting practice, he was called into manager Denny Hocking’s office and told that he had just been traded to the Minnesota Twins as part of the deal that sent lefty Zach Duke to the Seattle Mariners. Along with moving to a new organization, Costello also moved up a level, joining the Ft. Myers Miracle for their championship run. It was an interesting 2018 season for Costello. Recently, he chatted with Twins Daily and let us get to know him.Let’s start at the beginning. Ryan Costello grew up just outside of Hartford, Connecticut. Yes, he was a Red Sox fan. “When I was a kid, I was a big Nomar (Garciaparra) fan. Then I remember Pedroia came up. I was always a big fan of Dustin Pedroia.” As you child, he played soccer, basketball, flag football and other sports. When he got to be about ten years old, he said, “It was just basketball and baseball mostly.” He played Little League and other youth sports, but it didn’t take him long to come up with his “When I grow up” dream job. “Once I got to high school, that’s when I really started to realize that was what I wanted to do when I went to college. I wanted to play professional baseball and that was what I was aspiring to do. After my freshman year of high school, I quit basketball and just focused on baseball more and be able to work out more in the offseason and do more sport-specific stuff.” His high school team was good but not great. “Junior year, we went 13-7. Senior year, we were 12-8. My junior year we went on a run for awhile and made it to the semi-finals of the state. One kid on that team ended up going to the same college that I went to, so we ended up being college teammates.“ After high school, Costello stayed close to home and attended Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut. “I went and checked out Central. I liked it. I had known about Central my whole life. I’m only 15 minutes from the school. I had gone to their basketball games and I’d heard that the program was good. So when the time came, a couple of weeks later, I hadn’t heard from many other schools. It was … I wanted to go there. I didn't wont to make them wait. I made a decision early in the recruiting process and it ended up working out.” As a youth, Costello and his family went to several New Britain Rock Cat games. As you recall, the Rock Cats were the Double-A affiliate of the Twins for many years. “I remember thinking that was pretty cool and thinking there were some big time players who came through Connecticut.” He was a part-time player as a freshman, and after a strong start to his sophomore season, a broken finger ended his season early. Then as a junior, he had a strong, full season. In 58 games, he hit .296/.423/.532 (.955) with 22 doubles and nine home runs. It was a process and a lot of work to develop his power. “I would say knowing myself and maturing physically too, getting bigger throughout those years definitely helped, getting stronger. We had a good strength program, so as a team we were always in the weight room, five days a week. Putting on some weight, getting stronger, definitely contributed.” In addition to the added power, Costello had a really strong approach at the plate. He walked 45 times and struck out 38 times. It was all part of his development and maturity. “(The development was) Maturity-driven, understanding that as the year progressed, in certain situations, they weren’t going to give me much to hit, especially in big situations in a game. I was ready to hit. I would tone it down and look in a specific area because I knew that they were going to try to flip me stuff and get me to chase. So that kind of led to more walks than strikeouts.” And that’s when the scouts started showing up to the small Division I school in the north. “It was more during my junior year. That was when I started getting more contact, getting some questionnaires. Was seeing more interest in teams looking to me becoming a professional baseball player.” The Mariners used their 31st round pick to select Costello. He found himself on a bus when his name was selected. “I’m not as superstitious as I used to be, but at that time I was pretty superstitious. I knew a couple of kids that were really good ball players that were on scouts’ radars that didn’t get picked up that year. So, I tried to treat everything as if I wasn’t getting drafted. So I was actually in Vermont, on a bus, playing summer ball when I got the call.” As a junior, Costello had some leverage and could have returned to college for his senior season. But for Costello, it wasn’t about the money, and he put a lot of thought into his decision to sign. “I knew that the money wasn’t going to be bigl I wasn’t going to be a Top 10 guy, where I was and where I was playing college ball. To get exposure and get cross-checkers to come take a look at you is a little bit more difficult.” Costello continued, “For me, it was just important to take the next step. I was willing to go a bit later instead of staying another year.” He made his professional debut a year ago with the Mariners’ rookie Arizona League team. In 2018, he began the season with the Clinton LumberKings. His manager was former Twins utility man Denny Hocking, and he really enjoyed the experience. “It was amazing. I connected with Denny really well. He really knew how to take the different personalities that were on our team and understand how to communicate with them, and I was one of those guys. Clinton, Iowa, isn’t the nicest area. We were a team built for that. We had a lot of tough guys, college guys. He was really good about bringing a positive environment every day. We just rolled with the punches of the season. Having him at the helm of the team really gave up a good environment to play in.” For the LumberKings, Costello played well, hitting in the middle of their lineup. In 101 games, he hit .266/.360/.486 (.845) with 24 doubles, 16 homers and 70 RBI. He participated in the Midwest League All Star game with Kernels’ representatives Jared Finkel, Alex Kirilloff, and Royce Lewis. On the day he was traded, he was participating in batting practice when the team’s other first baseman told him that he was now playing first base. When he came into the clubhouse at the end of batting practice, he was called into his manager’s office. “What’s going on? Did I do something? Did I upset him?” These were the thoughts that entered Ryan Costello’s mind. When he got to Denny Hocking’s office, he saw the entire coaching staff and his roommates sitting in there. He was a bit confused. “I had no idea the trade deadline was coming.” Hocking said, “Do you know why I took you out of the lineup today?” Costello responded, “Well, did I do something wrong?” Hocking giggled. Costello continued, “Well, either I got promoted, or I got traded.” “Which one do you think?” “I’m going to say promoted.” “Nope. The other one.” For any young player traded, there are a couple of emotions that come into play. Obviously it’s difficult leaving one organization and all of the relationships that have been developed. At the same time, there is another organization that likes you enough to acquire you. “It’s a little of both. You always hear that being traded is a good thing in the minor leagues. It means that an organization likes you. They want you. Obviously it’s still tough. I had just spent three or four months with this team, built some great relationships. Initially, it was a bit up and down for me. I didn’t really know how to think about it at first because I knew it was a good thing, but I was still sad that I was leaving my boys and that coaching staff that I had really blended well with.” Along with the trade, Costello also received a promotion from Low-A to High-A, being sent to the Ft. Myers Miracle. Costello wasn’t completely shocked by that news. “Not really to be honest with you. There was talk with the Mariners that I was possibly getting promoted soon. When I found out about it, Jeremy Zoll called me and before I could even process anything, he filled me in on some details and told me I was going to Ft. Myers. When he said that, I was still trying to process everything that was going on, and by the time stuff slowed down and I realized I was headed to Ft. Myers to play for the Miracle, I wasn’t too surprised.”] When he got to the Miracle, there were a couple of familiar faces. “From the Midwest League All Star game, I had met Alex Kirilloff and Royce Lewis. So coming in, I knew they were on that team. So it was cool rolling in there and having some relationship and were on a first-name basis and knew who each other were off the field a little bit.” First professional season. Traded to a new organization. Earning a promotion. And, Costello joined a team that was about to go on a very strong run to end the season. He was ready, and h was excited for the opportunity. “It was really awesome. It’s definitely cool coming into an environment where you’re thrown into pressure right away. I remember the day I got there, I was in the game and I think we were two games back at the time. I got filled in on what was going on. Everything matters right now. Every pitch. Every play. Every at bat matters. I took it as a blessing coming from, I think we were 8 games back in Clinton. I had the opportunity to play some playoff baseball this year, might as well take advantage of it.” And he certainly took advantage of it. In the final game of the Miracle season, a win that gave Ft. Myers the Florida State League championship series, it was Ryan Costello’s three-run homer that gave them a lead that they never gave up. “That was awesome. That was a high during the moment, and eventually to have the season end that night and end on such a high note, it was pretty awesome.” Ryan Costello added four home runs (during the regular season) to finish the season with 20 home runs. “It was kind of a goal. It was something in the back of my mind. It was something I knew I could achieve if I put together a good season and stayed consistent throughout. I had written down some things for myself going into the season that I wanted to check back at the end. Hitting 20 home runs was on that list.” While he hits for power, he doesn’t want to be deemed solely a power hitter. He notes, “I would like to be more of a well-rounded hitter. I’m not all about hitting home runs. Mentally I try to stay line-drive driven and let the other stuff happen. But as the season went on this year, I was getting close to the 20-home run mark and I was like ‘this is pretty cool.’ I wouldn’t say that I consider myself just strictly a power hitter. I would like to be a more well-rounded hitter who can hit for power.” Like many, Costello was a shortstop on his high school team. In college, he played primarily third base. However, in his first professional season, he made 110 starts at first base and just four starts at third base. Over the course of the season, he got more comfortable at the new position. While he had a solid first full professional season on the field, he thinks that his greatest skill at this point is in his head. “I would say my ability to stay positive through tough times and understand that it’s part of the game and ups and downs are going to come. But if I can stay more level-headed and put myself in a position mentally to be successful, then things will kind of work themselves out a little bit.” As he enters the offseason, there are several things he plans to work on. “I want to improve my batting. I want to get stronger. I want to be a bit more consistent in the box. The second half this season this year didn’t go as well as I would have liked it to. I think that was an adjustment to playing so many games and a couple of things in my swing or in my approach. So, I’m going to take a step back and look at that and break it down from the bottom to the top and try to come back and be just a little more consistent at the plate.” But he also will spend some time away from the game of baseball before jumping back into his preparation for 2019. “Golfing and fishing. My dad has a bass boat and has had it since I was a kid. The first thing we do when I go home is go fishing. I’ve been home for seven days, I’ve been out fishing about four of those days. I live about five minutes from a river, the Connecticut River, so we go fishing on the river a lot.” Ryan Costello was a late-round pick, but he had a very solid first full season as a professional baseball. He has a lot of positives to build from as he looks to year two. Click here to view the article

Aside from the big league club, the Ft. Myers Miracle are the final Twins affiliate whose season continues. And on Monday night, the Miracle season ended with a Florida State League championship! They join the Elizabethton Twins as the two Twins affiliates to win a championship in 2018!Congratulations to the Florida State League champion Ft. Myers Miracle! MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 8, Daytona 5 Box Score The Miracle begin their Florida State League playoff series on Tuesday night. What a performance by right-hander Edwar Colina! Promoted to the Miracle for one regular season start, Colina has done well with the Miracle and he came up huge for them on Monday night. The right-hander gave up three second inning runs, but it came with the help of two errors which made all three runs unearned. He kept pitching and worked a total of 6 2/3 innings. He gave up just the three unearned runs on two hits. He walked four and struck out six. Having fallen behind 3-0 after two innings, the Miracle responded very well right away in the top of the third. Jose Miranda and Travis Blankenhorn each singled in a run to cut the deficit to 3-2. With two outs, Ryan Costello drilled a three-run homer to push the lead to 5-3. Alex Kirilloff led off the fifth inning with a double. After a walk, Travis Blankenhorn advanced the runners with a bunt. He was also safe at first on an error. Caleb Hamilton grounded out to score a run. With two outs, Shane Carrier knocked in two runs with a single to give the Miracle an 8-3 lead. Adam Phillips came on and got the final out of the seventh inning. He came back out for the eighth frame. With one out, he gave up a single. It was followed by a two-run homer off the bat of Ibandel Isabel. He led the Florida State League with 35 home runs during the regular season. After a walk, a hard-hit grounder hit the mound and bounced right to Travis Blankenhorn who completed a double play to end the inning and end the threat. Hector Lujan came on for the ninth inning. After a fly out, he gave up a single. However, for the second straight inning, a ground ball to Travis Blankenhorn resulted in an inning-ending double play, which was also a game-ending and championship-winning double play! Congratulations to the Ft. Myers Miracle! STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Ryan Costello, Ft. Myers Miracle (2-4, HR, 3 RBI). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Edwar Colina, Ft. Myers Miracle (6.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, BB, R #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 2B, R #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, 2 R, RBI, SH #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #21 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, BB, 2 R, RBI TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS No more Games Scheduled (until the Arizona Fall League. Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s game, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

One of the new Miracle players hit a huge home run in the ninth inning to help the team to a come-from-behind win. Another newcomer fell a double away from a cycle. A 2018 draft pick was a home run from a cycle. And another prospect whose name has graced these minor league reports nearly every day this season had yet another multi-hit game. And a former top pick and top prospect found out that he is heading to the big leagues.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Friday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins announced their trade of Fernando Rodney late on Thursday night. On Friday morning, they announced that Adalberto Mejia was headed to the disabled list (wrist). Those two roster spots were filled by RHP Tyler Duffey and 1B/DH Tyler Austin.Reports surfaced on Friday late afternoon that RHP Kohl Stewart had been scratched from his Friday night start in Rochester. He was called up to the Twins and will start on Sunday.RHP DJ Baxendale and OF LaMonte Wade were activated from the Rochester DL.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 2, Charlotte 8 Box Score DJ Baxendale returned from the DL and made the start. He worked a perfect first inning, but all three batters he faced in the second inning got on base. Luke Bard came in and gave up five runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out three. Nick Anderson came on and threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out three. John Curtiss struck out two over three, one-hit innings. Alan Busenitz pitched a scoreless ninth inning. The Red Wings had six hits in the game.Only LaMonte Wade, also just off the DL, had two hits. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 8, Jackson 2 Box Score Luke Raley had a breakout game for the Lookouts. He hit his second Chattanooga home run and his first triple. He had three hits. Brent Rooker had three walks to go with a single and three runs scored. Zander Wiel had two hits and a walk while Jaylin Davis had two hits as well. Jordan Gore added this second triple. Dietrich Enns started and went the first 4 2/3 innings. He gave up two runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out seven. Omar Bencomo came on and struck out three over 4 1/3 scoreless innings. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Florida 4 Box Score Down 4-3 going into the top of the ninth inning, Ryan Costello hit a game-tying, leadoff home run. Aaron Whitefield (pinch running for Ben Rortvedt) later scored on a wild pitch. Ernie De La Trinidad provided some insurance with an RBI single to score Royce Lewis. Alex Kirilloff led the offense. He went 3-for-3 with his 17th double. He also threw out a runner trying to advance to second base. Costello went 3-for-4. The homer was his second with the Miracle. De La Trinidad went 2-for-5. Lewis was 1-for-3 with a walk. He was also hit by a pitch. Andro Cutura started and worked the first seven innings. He gave up two runs on six hits and a walk. He walked one and struck out six. Jovani Moran struggled a bit, but he got the win. He went two innings and gave up one run on two hits and three walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Clinton 1 Box Score It was a low-scoring game in Clinton. Blayne Enlow started and gave up a second-inning run. Enlow gave up only the one run on three hits over five innings. He walked one, hit two, and struck out four. Jared Finkel came on and gave up two hits over three shutout innings. He struck out one. The Kernels managed just five hits and were unable to cross the plate. Trevor Larnach went 2-for-4 with his second double. Trey Cabbage added his 17th double. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton , Bluefield Box Score The game was postponed by rain. The teams will play two games on Saturday. GCL TWINS TALK GCL Twins 5, GCL Red Sox 6 Box Score Casey Crosby made another rehab start for the Twins. The lefty gave up two runs (one earned) on one hit and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out two. Niklas Rimmel came on. He gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits over 2 1/3 innings. Dylan Stowell and Denny Bentley each threw two scoreless innings. Bentley struck out three. Charlie Mack led the offense. He had a single, his third double and his first triple in this game. Estamy Urena went 2-for-4. Erick Rivera walked twice. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Ryan Costello, Ft. Myers Miracle (3-4, HR(2)). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Andro Cutura, Ft. Myers Miracle (7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. Please note that this Prospect Summary has been updated. #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, BB, 2 R, K, HBP #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - 3-3, 2B(17), R, RBI #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 1-4, RBI, K #5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Did not pitch #6 - Trevor Larnach (Elizabethton) - 2-4, 2B (2) #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-2, 3 BB, 3 R #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not play #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HBP #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 2-4, K #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-2, HBP, SH #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - Did not pitch. #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, BB #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - Rained Out. #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - Out for the season (wrist). #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, K #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, K, SH #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - 1-4, R #21 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 0-5 *Since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Charlotte @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero (4-3, 2.71 ERA) Jackson @ Chattanooga - RHP Sean Poppen (5-5, 3.63 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Florida (5:31 CST) - RHP Michael Pineda (rehab) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities - RHP Jordan Balazovic (5-3, 4.18 ERA) Bluefield @ Elizabethton (DH @ 4:00 CST) - RHP Carlos Suniago, RHP Austin Schulfer GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (9:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Friday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article