Search the Community

The Twins drafted Tanner Schobel with the 68th pick in the 2022 draft. How does he profile? What can we expect in 2023 from the infielder who had a big power breakout in college? After the collective amazement at the Twins drafting a pitcher that Minnesota fandom clamored for at #48 had worn off, we began moving into the nether regions of the draft. Famously random, the MLB Draft is incredibly unpredictable, even more so after you pass the first 50-75 prospects. The Twins, however, have shown preferences based on their drafting model after their top 1-2 picks. They are likely to draft college players, particularly position players, with solid floors that have shown significant development in an area of value in the previous season. Enter Tanner Schobel. Schobel was a draft-eligible sophomore when the Twins selected him at #68 overall in the 2022 draft. He signed for a bonus just over $1 million. For a young player, Schobel has a ton of experience, starting every game for Virginia Tech as a true freshman, before playing well in the Cape Cod league at the end of the season prior to assuming the starting shortstop role ahead of his second season in Blacksburg. Scouting and Signing Hit: 50 Power: 45 Run: 50 Arm: 50 Field: 50 Overall: 45 (scouting grades courtesy of MLB.com) As a freshman at Virginia Tech, Schobel put together a .279/.339/.441 (.780) line with seven home runs. His performance on the Cape (a wood-bat league), was a good barometer for the positive development he made in 2022. As the Hokies everyday shortstop, Schobel hit .363/.445/.689 (1.134) with 19 home runs. By any standards, that is a significant power breakout, owing largely to his ability to get more loft on the ball. It’s likely that Schobel’s sophomore power breakout doesn’t carry over into the professional game. It's the kind of development you want to see from a young prospect drafted after the first two rounds as it points to continuous improvement and development. Schobel ended up at Low-A Fort Myers at the end of last season, managing a solid .367 OBP bolstered by an 18 BB%. Schobel is one of those prospects who has good tools across the board, but maybe not yet any one that is outstanding. He’s a solid defender with a good arm. The Twins moved him between shortstop and second base in his first professional half season. It’s likely he continues to be moved around the diamond in 2023 to bolster his versatility. Likely to Start At: Low A Fort Myers It’s likely Schobel starts the season in Fort Myers, despite an impressive end to 2022. As a college player with good versatility and solid tools, he should be a fast mover. It’s likely he moves to Cedar Rapids in short order if he has a strong start in 2023. Schobel’s future with the Twins depends largely on the development of his hit and power tools. If he can translate his power breakout to wood bats, the Twins will have found something significant. If not, he profiles as a strong utility infielder with average to above average hit and power tools, a valuable depth piece for the Twins. What did you think of the Tanner Schobel pick? What do you think his ceiling is with the Twins? View full article

As we kick off our annual top 20 countdown with a renewed order based on voting from the Twins writer community, we already have some (former and future?) big-name prospects showing up at the back end of the list. Image courtesy of Thiéres Rabelo, Twins Daily Earlier this week, Seth Stohs took a dive into the deeper end of the Minnesota Twins system, highlighting players who finished in the 21-30 range of our voting tabulation, and honorable mentions who fell just outside that threshold. (For what it's worth, note that Luis Arraez was once found in these very same outside ranks of our lists and others. And he's only one fresh-in-mind example.) With that said, the odds of an MLB future start to increase as we break into the top 20 of our list. In this group of five, representing Twins Daily's choices for the organizations 16th-through-20th best prospects of 2023, we find an intriguing mix of untapped promise and fading high-end upside. 20. Misael Urbina, OF Age: 20 2022 Stats: 263 PA, .247/.323/.407, 5 HR, 27 RBI He was the Twins' big-money signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, scoring a $2.75 million bonus, but four years later he hasn't played a game above Low-A. That's how it can go for players that sign as extremely raw talents at age 16 (especially with a lost COVID season mixed in). Through it all he still won't reach legal drinking age until this April. Urbina's outstanding tools remain intact but he needs to start backing them up with production in order to keep his prospect status from fading. Thus far he has a .228/.326/.359 slash line as a pro. 19. Jose Rodriguez, OF Age: 17 2022 Stats (Rookie): 219 PA, .290/.361/.605 , 13 HR, 49 RBI Typically speaking, when teenage players sign from another country and head to the States to play pro ball, it takes a little while to acclimate and warm up. You'll often see meager results in short-season debuts for players who go on to accomplish a great deal. Rodriguez broke the mold after he signed last summer and joined the Twins' affiliate in the Dominican Summer League. He wasn't the most high-profile player acquired in Minnesota's 2022 international signing class, which helped make his spectacular showing on the field so jarring. Rodriguez posted a jaw-dropping .966 OPS and led the short-season league with 13 homers in 55 games. He was an absolute slugging machine and it's scary to think how that might evolve as he ages. The stellar showing earned him Twins Daily's nod as short-season hitter of the year. "Rodriguez’s exit velocities may have been even more impressive than his homer total," wrote Aaron Gleeman, who is higher than most on the prospect, ranking him 13th on his list. "He destroyed the ball, in an environment where that isn’t supposed to take place." So far, so very good. And the strikeout/walk rates are promising for future development. But Rodriguez has a long way to go, as a player from a mold that has high burnout rates. He's a candidate to fly up these rankings with a reinforcing 2023 campaign. 18. Tanner Schobel, 2B Age: 21 2022 Stats (Rookie/A): 136 PA, .242/.367/.303, 1 HR, 11 RBI The Twins snagged Schobel in the second round of last year's draft out of Virginia Tech, where he emerged as a slugging shortstop to boost his appeal. After signing him to a $1 million bonus the Twins him to get his feet wet in Low-A. There, Schobel's power evaporated. Following a 19-homer outburst in the college season, Schobel managed just one home run in 120 plate appearances at Fort Myers, producing a mere .303 slugging percentage. He did, however, show good plate discipline with a 23-to-18 K/BB ratio while swiping seven bags. The power drop-off and move from short to second keep Schobel's helium in check, leading to a lower ranking than you'd normally see from such a highly-drafted prospect in the latest class. But there are some Brian Dozier parallels here, and he's the poster child for late-blooming middle infield power. 17. Ronny Henriquez, RHP Age: 22 2022 Stats (AAA): 95.1 IP, 5.66 ERA, 10.0 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 The Twins were excited to get Ronny Henriquez as an addition to Isiah Kiner-Falefa in last offseason's Mitch Garver trade. They viewed him as underrated addition to their pitching pipeline, capable of racking up strikeouts and moving quickly to the majors. They were correct on those two counts. Henriquez tallied 106 strikeouts in 95 innings at Triple-A, and reached the majors in September at age 22, posting a 2.31 ERA in three appearances. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== With the goods news out of the way, he also allowed a 5.66 ERA at St. Paul, coughing up 19 homers and 33 walks in those 95 innings. Some changes in pitch usage could help Henriquez take the final step to fulfill his potential, and that'll probably start with moving him to full-time relief duty. The righty made 14 starts for the Saints last year among 24 appearances. Don't sleep on him as a significant factor in Minnesota's bullpen this year. 16. Jordan Balazovic, RHP Age: 24 2022 Stats (AAA): 70.2 IP, 7.39 ERA, 9.7 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 What was supposed to be Balazovic's breakthrough year turned into a total breakdown. From start to finish it was an abject disaster. He was all over the place, utterly hittable when in the zone, and incredibly home run prone. Virtually every start unraveled on the big right-hander, at least up until a decent final month softened his landing at season's end. There were reports of a bothersome knee issue, but Balazovic was healthy enough to avoid the injured list following his late start, so this seems more an issue of mechanics and execution. The reason he remains as high as he does in our ranks is because Balazovic had elevated himself to such a level prior to this lost season. Bad as it was, it's only one season, and the 24-year-old still has time to get (at least somewhat) back on track to recapture the form that made him arguably the system's best pitching prospect prior. Over the past three years he's ranked fourth, sixth, and fifth on this list. Feel free to discuss these prospects and ask as many questions as you like in the COMMENTS below. I will try to get to as any of them as I can. For more Twins Daily content on these ten Twins prospects, click on the link with their name here: Jordan Balazovic, Ronny Henriquez, Tanner Schobel, Jose Rodriguez, Misael Urbina. Previous Installments Honorable Mention Prospects 21-30 Prospects 16-20 Prospects 11-15 - Coming Soon! View full article

The Twins’ underrated prospect depth shows up here at the end of our top 20, with a former top-100 prospect, two higher upside international signings, their 2nd round pick from 2022 and a potential bullpen weapon. View full video

Oh, and the Mighty Mussels lost in the playoffs, but that doesn't get the clicks. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints TRANSACTIONS INF Brooks Lee promoted to Wichita C Dillon Datum placed on development list (Wichita) INF Wander Javier promoted to St. Paul INF Jake Rucker promoted to St. Paul C Roy Morales activated from IL (St. Paul) OF Matt Wallner contract selected by Minnesota RHP Louie Varland recalled by Minnesota (29th man) RHP Drew Strotman designated for assignment RHP Trevor Megill placed on COVID-IL list RHP Dereck Rodriguez contract selected from St. Paul. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Louisville 3 Box Score Randy Dobnak: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K HR: Jake Rucker (1) Multi-hit games: Jake Rucker (2-for-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI), Dalton Shuffield (2-for-3) St. Paul won on a walk-off Saturday. The new guys made bold impressions; Jake Rucker announced his presence with a two-run homer, while Wander Javier singled in a run in the 5th inning. With a runner on third in the 9th, Rucker connected with a fly-ball sent deep enough to score the winning run. Randy Dobnak—making his first start since his recent DFA—was erratic, walking three batters in a rust-filled outing. The sinkerballer still struck out four and didn’t allow a run—perhaps proving he still has something in the tank—but the Twins will likely desire to see more command in future starts. Trevor Larnach started in left field and played seven innings. Mike Siani—the Bats’ centerfielder and lead-off man—is the team’s best prospect; he homered and singled in five at-bats. Longtime major-leaguer, Stephen Piscotty, hit 6th for the Bats and DH’d. Wind Surge Wisdom Game One: Wichita 3, Midland 4 Box Score Cody Laweryson: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: Alex Isola (10) Multi-hit games: Alex Isola (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI) Wichita lost the first game of their doubleheader on Saturday. Cody Laweryson pitched effectively—although not dominantly—in his five innings of work, striking out five batters while allowing two runs. His Wichita ERA sits at 1.06. Alex Isola spearheaded the offensive performance; the catcher homered and singled, netting two runs in an otherwise dry day for Wind Surge batters. Anthony Prato’s 2nd inning double was the only other extra-base hit in the game. The issue? Wichita grounded into three double plays in the game; Yunior Severino accounted for two of them. Tyler Soderstrom is Midland’s top prospect according to MLB.com. The first baseman singled twice in three at-bats. Game Two: Wichita 1, Midland 9 Box Score Osiris German: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None Wichita lost a clunker in game two on Saturday. Midland sandwiched a one-run 4th inning with four-run frames before and afterward, ensuring that Wichita would face an uphill battle in their attempt to win; Hunter McMahon and Michael Boyle walked away with battered ERAs. The lone offensive bright spot came when Austin Martin doubled home a run in the 6th inning, but—fitting for a game like this—Midland threw him out trying to stretch the play to a triple. Brooks Lee went hitless with a strikeout in three at-bats during his AA debut. Soderstrom improved off his first game, homering and driving in three to cement his prospect status. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 1, Dunedin 3 Box Score Jordan Carr: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Tanner Schobel (2-for-4, RBI) Fort Myers lost on Saturday, ending their playoff run in the opening round. All arms were on deck; Fort Myers called upon four pitchers to help lead them, and their combined effort was impressive. Andrew Morris—a 2022 draft pick—lead the way with a trio of scoreless innings, holding the Blue Jays at bay during the crucial switch from the middle innings to the late frames. The staff allowed a high hit total—11, to be precise—but only three runs. The Achilles heel proved to be the offense, as the bats mustered just four hits in the match; Tanner Schobel alone accounted for half of them. Without an extra-base hit, the team could plate only a single run, forcing the pitchers to be perfect, which they were not. The Mighty Mussels’ season is now over. Josh Kasevich and Cade Doughty are Dunedin’s top prospects according to MLB.com; Doughty singled twice and both hitters nabbed an RBI. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy Dobnak Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jake Rucker PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-3, K #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-6, 2B, RBI #7 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-4 #9 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-3, HR, R, RBI, K (Major League debut) #12 - Louie Varland (Minnesota) - 5 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-5, BB, K #15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K #17 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - 2 ⅔ IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, RBI #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ St. Paul (12:07 PM) - RHP Ronny Henriquez Wichita @ Midland (2:00 PM) - LHP Kody Funderburk View full article

Minnesota may have fallen out of playoff contention over the last week, but many of the club’s affiliated teams will be vying for postseason championships. Here are some of the prospects to watch in the days ahead. Image courtesy of Steve Buhr, Twins Daily On Sunday, the High- and Low-A regular seasons came to a close. Luckily, both of Minnesota’s affiliates qualified for the postseason, and they will begin play on Tuesday. In the Midwest League, the Cedar Rapids Kernels face the South Bend Cubs in a semifinal round. For the Florida State League, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels square off against the Dunedin Blue Jays. Multiple names below will be getting their first taste of postseason action. Cedar Rapids Prospects To Watch Brooks Lee, SS (TD No. 2) Lee has already impressed during his professional career after being taken as a top-10 pick in June. The Twins had him skip Low-A and head directly to High-A. In 25 games, he posted a .848 OPS with four doubles and four home runs. An argument can be made that he is the organization’s best prospect, and now he has a chance to prove it on a big stage. David Festa, RHP (TD No. 13) Festa was a 13th-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, but his stock has risen significantly over the last year. Between Low- and High-A, he has a 2.43 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP and a 108-to-34 strikeout to walk ratio. Festa is a year younger than the average age of the competition in the Midwest League, and the team will ask him to get some big outs if they make a September run. Kernels Expected Starters Game 1: David Festa Game 2: Travis Adams Game 3: Jaylen Nowlin Fort Myers Prospects To Watch Noah Miller, SS (TD No. 7) Minnesota took Miller with the 36th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of high school in Wisconsin. During the 2022 season, he was over two years younger than the average age of the competition in the FSL. Miller lacked power production during his first full professional season, but the playoffs offer a new opportunity. He has the potential to be one of the team’s top prospects by 2024. Marco Raya, RHP (TD No. 8) Raya was Minnesota’s first draft pick from high school in 2020 as the team took him in the fourth round. As a teenager in the FSL, over 82% of his plate appearances have come against older batters. In 19 appearances (65 innings), he has a 3.05 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and 10.5 K/9. He missed time at the beginning of August, so he has averaged less than four innings per start in September. Tanner Schobel, SS (TD No. 18) Schobel was Minnesota’s second-round pick in 2022 from Virginia Tech, where he had a .980 OPS in three seasons. He hit 18 doubles and 19 home runs during his final collegiate season. As a professional, he has been limited to a .651 OPS with five extra-base hits in 32 games. Hopefully, his college experience shines through in the postseason. Kala’i Rosario, OF (TD No. 20) Like Raya, the Twins took Rosario out of high school in the 2020 MLB Draft. As a regular in the Mussels line-up, he has hit .239/.320/.408 (.727) with 21 doubles, three triples, and 12 home runs. His numbers are even more impressive, considering that nearly 90% of his plate appearances have come against older pitchers. Mighty Mussels Expected Starters Game 1: Pierson Ohl Game 2: Marco Raya Game 3: Jordan Carr Obviously, any player can shine under the postseason spotlight, but big players step up in critical games. Will any of the names above lead their teams to championships? Who are you looking forward to watching? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

That's about where the good news ends, unfortunately. Though a couple of big Saints prospects had big nights. And, The Mighty Mussels played two games. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge TRANSACTIONS INF Seth Gray was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Wichita. INF Daniel Ozoria was sent to Cedar Rapids from Ft. Myers. C Andrew Cossetti was sent to Cedar Rapids from the Florida Complex. 1B Aaron Sabato placed on IL. He was hit by a 98 mph fastball in the hand and has a broken bone. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 9, Toledo 10 (10 Innings) Box Score Dereck Rodriguez: 5 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Matt Wallner (6) Multi-hit games: Matt Wallner (2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB), Cole Sturgeon (2-for-5, R, BB), Chris Williams (3-for-5, 2 2B, R, RBI), John Andreoli (2-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI) St. Paul lost an extra-inning heartbreaker on Saturday. It was a true barn-burner during all phases; there were just three innings where neither team plated a run and six instances where a team scored multiple times in a single frame. Pitchers found no quarter. Chris Williams and Matt Wallner, the typical culprits, led the offensive charge for St. Paul, dropping four extra-base hits and an equal total of RBIs. The Saints nabbed eight extra-base hits in total on Saturday. Mario Sanchez was the lone Saints pitcher to walk away without a run attached to his name; the righty acquired four outs and left before chaos could brew. The Mud Hens were led by Daz Cameron, the son of Mike Cameron. While no longer a prospect, Cameron is a highly-talented 25-year-old whom the Tigers acquired in the Justin Verlander trade. According to MLB.com, the highest-rated prospect playing for Toledo is Andre Lipcius, a third-baseman who walked twice on Saturday. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 3, NW Arkansas 2 Box Score Daniel Gossett: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Yunior Severino (2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB), Leobaldo Cabrera (2-for-4, R) The Wind Surge won on a walk-off on Saturday. Daniel Gossett established the tone early, allowing a sole earned run over five quality innings with five strikeouts. Gossett has bounced around the system, always needed somewhere else, and has pitched remarkably well, no matter the context. Wichita’s offense remained in neutral for the majority of the game, only breaking free in the 9th inning thanks to a bevy of walks and a Yunior Severino two-run, walk-off single. The team ended with seven walks on top of eight hits. Blayne Enlow collected three strikeouts over two scoreless innings. Tyler Gentry led the Naturals; the 9th-ranked prospect struck out three times in Saturday’s game. Kernels Nuggets The rain ended this game before it could start. Because the game is unnecessary for playoff standings, the Kernels will play just one game on Sunday. Mussel Matters Game 1: Fort Myers 2, St. Lucie 5 (7 Innings) Box Score Jordan Carr: 3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None The Mighty Mussels experienced an offensive malaise on Saturday. Game 1 was sub-optimal; the team netted just three hits—all singles—with six walks and plenty of strikeouts to go around. Kala’i Rosario was probably the batter of the game, as he walked twice and scored a run. No Mighty Mussel batter knocked in a run with a hit. Jordan Carr’s start was tough; the lefty allowed five runs over three innings as the Mets BABIP’d him to death. Zebby Matthews stood out on the mound, striking out four over two clean frames to help bring the game to its silent conclusion. Kevin Parada—the 3rd ranked prospect in the Mets system and the 11th overall pick in the July draft— leads St. Lucie; the catcher singled and walked on Saturday. Game 2: Fort Myers 1, St. Lucie 3 Box Score Tomas Cleto: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Tanner Schobel (2-for-3, RBI) The Mighty Mussels continued their crisis of confidence in Game 2 on Saturday. Tanner Schobel ensured that someone could claim a multi-hit game; he singled twice. Fort Myers hitters walked more than they struck out (six to four) but failed to bring those free baserunners home beyond one run scored in the 5th inning. Tomas Cleto pitched well, punching out a trio of hitters with a single earned run over his four innings of work. Luis Baez swiped his 20th bag of the season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tomas Cleto, Ft. Myers Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Matt Wallner, St. Paul PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-3, 2 BB, K #7 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-2, 2 BB #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB, 2 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-4, R, BB #15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K #17 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - 3 ⅓ IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 1 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Ft. Myers) - 2-6, RBI, BB, K #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, R, 3 BB, K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (1:05 PM) - RHP Bailey Ober (rehab) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - RHP Cody Laweryson South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 PM) - TBD St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (12:00 PM) - TBD View full article

The Return of Randy continued in Iowa on Sunday with the Saints, and that game had plenty of run scoring. After playing one game over two days, the Mighty Mussels played two games on Sunday. Some impressive offensive performances. And we'll keep you updated on the Wichita game throughout the night. TRANSACTIONS OF Billy Hamilton was officially assigned to the FCL Twins. As you know, the FCL season is complete, so this is just a formality. Will be interesting to see where he is assigned in a few days, or if he goes directly to the big-league club. RHP Randy Dobnak was sent to the Saints to continue his rehab assignment. The Mighty Mussels played OF Carlos Aguilar on the Injured List on his 21st birthday. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 13. Iowa 12 Box score Man! I heard it was a wild one… so of course, it was Randy Dobnak who was credited with the win in this topsy-turvy, series-ending win for the Saints. The Saints started with three runs in the top of the first inning, but they gave up five runs in the bottom of the inning. In the fourth frame, it was the Saints that put a five spot on the board, and they followed it with three more runs in the fifth. They held a 13-9 lead going into the bottom of the eighth, but the Cubs scored three to cut the Saints’ lead to just one at 13-12. However, no runs were scored by either team in the ninth inning and the Saints had their win. Strange to start a summary of a game in which Iowa scored 12 runs with the Saints pitchers, but let’s do just that. Dereck Rodriguez was on the mound to start. He gave up five runs on four hits and three walks, and he only recorded two outs. Drew Strotman got the final out of the first inning and then one out in the second frame. He was charged with one run on three hits and a walk. Juan Minaya calmed things down by getting the final two outs of the second frame and three quick outs in the third as well. Randy Dobnak’s rehab assignment was transferred to the Saints on Sunday morning. He entered the game in the fourth inning with an 8-6 Saints lead. He gave up two runs that inning. Then gave up another run in the bottom of the fifth inning. In all, he gave up three runs on four hits and two walks, and a hit batter, over his two innings. He struck out two batters. Evan Sisk got the sixth inning. He struck out two in a scoreless inning. Jake Jewell came on and got four outs, though he gave up three runs (1 earned) on three hits. Jharel Cotton came on and got the final two outs of the eighth inning, holding that one-run lead. Brad Peacock came on in the bottom of the ninth and gave up a hit and a walk, but no runs, to record the Save. As you’d expect in a 13-run game, there were several stars on the Saints’ offense. Chris Williams went 3-for-4 with a walk and a double, and he drove in four runs in the game. Matt Wallner went 2-for-4 with a walk and his fourth St. Paul homer. Nash Knight hit his first Saints homer, one of his two hits. Elliot Soto walked four times. John Andreoli and Mark Contreras each drove in two runs as well. WIND SURGE WISDOM Frisco 3, Wichita 4 Box Score Down 3-2 going to the ninth inning, Yunior Severino crushed a home run to tie the game at three. Unfortunately, Frisco scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to gain the walk-off win. Back to the beginning, lefty Brent Headrick made the start and was fantastic. He gave up one run on six hits and a walk. He also struck out nine batters. Veteran Ryan Horstman came on and gave up two runs on two hits and only got two outs. Osiris German came on and gave up two hits, but he recorded four outs, two on strikeouts. Along with his homer, Severino also had a walk and a double. Jair Camargo also had two hits. Aaron Sabato added his first double with the Surge. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Lake County 8 Box Score After a rare off day, Brooks Lee returned to the Kernels lineup with a 3-for-5 game to bump his batting average to .322. Mikey Perez was 2-for-3, with two walks. He also added his 13th Kernels stolen base. Wander Javier had the biggest hit of the day for Cedar Rapids. He hit a two-run homer, his 12th of the season, and drove in another run with a sacrifice fly. Jake Rucker drove in two runs with a triple. RHP Tyler Palm started and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks over 1 2/3 innings. Brad Hanner got the final out of the second inning, but he then gave up three runs on three hits in the third frame. Bobby Milacki gave up one run on two hits in the fourth inning. Ryan Shreve was charged with two unearned runs on one hit and one walk over two innings. Miguel Rodriguez and Hunter McMahon each tossed a scoreless inning. MUSSEL MATTERS Game 1: Fort Myers 2, Lakeland 4 Box Score After completing approximately 2/3 of a game over the previous two days, the Mussels were able to complete two seven-inning games on Sunday morning. Tanner Schobel led the way in the first game. He went 2-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base. Rubel Cespedes went 2-for-3. Luis Baez had the lone extra base hit, his second double. Noah Miller had a single and followed with his 20th stolen base of the season. Kala’i Rosario stole his seventh bag. The right fielder also had two outfield assists, throwing out one runner at the plate and another at third base. Tomas Cleto made the start and tossed four scoreless innings. He gave up two hits but walked none and struck out three batters. Zaquiel Puentes was charged with four runs on four hits and a walk over his two innings of work. Anthony Escobar worked a scoreless inning. Game 2: Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 9 Box Score Misael Urbina shook off a rough Game 1 to have a strong Game 2. He struck out all four times he batted in the first game. In this game, he went 2-for-3 with a walk and his 16th double of the year. Nate Baez went 2-for-2 with a walk. Luis Baez hit his first home run of the season, a big three-run shot in the fourth inning. It came in his 194th plate appearance of the season. Regi Grace started the second game. He was charged with three runs on four hits over three innings. He walked two and struck out three batters. John Wilson came on for the fourth and gave up three runs on two hits and a walk in the inning. Juan Mendez was charged with two runs on three hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings. Niklas Rimmel gave up one run on two hits over the final 1 2/3 innings. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Tomas Cleto (Ft. Myers) - 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K. Hitter of the Day – Chris Williams (St. Paul) - 3-4, BB, 2B (2), R, RBI. PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - Injured List But Lewis and Jeffers sure seemed to enjoy their State Fair appearance earlier in the day on Saturday. #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 3-5, R #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-4, K #7 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - Game 1 (1-4, R, SB (20)), Game 2 (0-3, HBP, 2 K) #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-4, BB, HR (4), 2 R, 2 RBI #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - Game 1 (2-2, BB, RBI, SB (3)), Game 2 (1-4, RBI, 2 K, SB (4)) #20 - Kala'i Rosario (Fort Myers) - Game 1 (1-3, R, K, SB (7)) TUESDAY’S MATCHUPS There are no minor-league games scheduled for Monday. Teams will return to action on Tuesday. The Saints will host Omaha. The Wind Surge will travel to Springfield. After a week in Lake County, the Kernels stay out east and will take on Dayton. Ft. Myers will head to Bradenton. That is exciting as Bradenton is the lone Florida State League to share their games on MILB dot TV. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games. View full article

Fourteen members of the 2022 Draft Class have made their professional debuts. We'll take a look at how each of the 14 players are doing. View full video

First Round Pick Brooks Lee made his High-A debut and collected his first High-A hit. Second Rounder Tanner Schobel collected two hits for Low-A Fort Myers. Ronny Henriquez dominated in relief. Read about all of this and more in Wednesday’s Minor League Report! Let’s see what happened this Wednesday in the Twins organization. TRANSACTIONS The Twins signed RHP Ricky Mineo to a minor league contract The Twins signed RHP Jack Noble to a minor league contract The Twins signed SS Omari Daniel to a minor league contract The Twins signed LHP Jacob Edwards to a minor league contract The Twins signed RHP John Klein to a minor league contract St. Paul Saints (AAA) released 1B Curtis Terry RHP Daniel Gossett assigned to Wichita (AA) from St. Paul Wichita activated C Alex Isola from the 7-day IL SS Brooks Lee assigned to Cedar Rapids (High-A) from the FCL SAINTS (AAA) St. Paul 1, Columbus 0 Box Score The St. Paul Saints won a pitchers’ duel on Wednesday. Dereck Rodriguez started for the Saints and threw three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out a pair. He has now allowed just two runs over his last 17 ⅔ innings. The Saints bullpen was phenomenal on Wednesday. Ronny Henriquez threw 3 2/3 hitless innings while striking out three in relief of Rodriguez. After Henriquez was pulled, Evan Sisk came in and got three outs, all strikeouts. He walked a batter but didn’t allow any hits or runs. Brad Peacock relieved Sisk with two outs in the eighth and collected the final four outs to pick up the save, his eighth of the year. The Saints got their lone run in the bottom of the fifth when John Andreoli socked his tenth homer of the season. This would prove to be the game-winning home run. Elliot Soto also picked up a couple of hits to help pace the offense. Twins Daily’s #9 prospect, Matt Wallner, had a tough day at the plate, going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. He did potentially save a run or two, however, with an impressive sliding catch with two runners on base. The Saints improve to 52-53 on the season with the win. The Saints will send Jordan Balazovic to the mound on Thursday in hopes of getting to .500 on the season. WIND SURGE (AA) Wichita 0, Corpus Christi 3 Box Score Wichita dropped a tough pitchers’ duel to the Corpus Christi Hooks on Wednesday night. Wichita could only manage three hits in the loss. Cody Laweryson took the ball for Wichita and had a solid start, throwing three scoreless innings, scattering two hits, and striking out four. The game was scoreless until the top of the fifth when Osiris German allowed an RBI single to Joe Perez, putting Wichita in a 1-0 hole. The Hooks added another run off Blayne Enlow in the sixth to extend their lead to two. Wichita’s best offensive chances were all squandered. In the top of the second, when Jair Camargo and Cole Sturgeon walked to lead off the inning, three consecutive Wind Surge batters struck out to end the threat. In the fifth, Wichita had two guys on with back-to-back walks, but a double play ended the threat. In the sixth, Wichita got singles from Andrew Bechtold and Sturgeon but could not capitalize. With the loss, Wichita’s record drops to 56-47. KERNELS (HIGH-A) Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 6 Box Score One day after playing in the Field of Dreams game, Cedar Rapids played a tightly contested game with the Quad Cities River Bandits, in which they lost by a score of 6-5. 2022 first-round pick Brooks Lee made his High-A debut, and he played a solid game, going 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. Jake Rucker started the game with a bang as he led off the game with a homer in the top of the first, his fourth homer of the year for Cedar Rapids (sixth between Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers). The River Bandits responded with three runs (one earned) off of starter Orlando Rodriguez in three innings. Rodriguez gave up two hits and fanned four batters in the start. Cedar Rapids got a run back in the top of the fifth thanks to Dylan Neuse’s third homer of the year (fifth between CR and FM). After the River Bandits tacked on another run to make it 4-2, the Kernels took the lead in the sixth thanks to an RBI double from Kyler Fedko, an RBI groundout from Pat Winkel, and an RBI double from Mikey Perez. Quad Cities tied it up in the bottom of the sixth; from there, it was a battle of the bullpens. Bobby Milacki threw a scoreless seventh, Jon Olsen pitched a scoreless eighth, and Ryan Shreve threw a scoreless ninth for the Kernels. Cedar Rapids squandered their opportunity to begin the inning with a runner on second in the tenth, and Quad Cities did not, as Shreve walked in the winning run. Perez and Fedko had two doubles to lead the offense in the loss. Cedar Rapids drops to 61-42 with the loss. MIGHTY MUSSELS (LOW-A) Fort Myers 5, Jupiter 9 Box Score Fort Myers played Jupiter tough but eventually faltered in the last few innings as they dropped the game 9-5. The Mighty Mussels were up 4-1 going into the bottom of the fifth inning but allowed eight runs in the last four innings as their pitchers got hit around quite a bit. Fort Myers started the scoring in the top of the first when Keoni Cavaco hit a sac fly and reached on an error, scoring Noah Miller. However, they could not capitalize on having bases loaded and one out after that, as Rubel Cespedes and Kala’i Rosario each struck out swinging to end the threat. This gave Fort Myers starting pitcher Jordan Carr a 1-0 lead before he took the mound. Carr pitched two scoreless innings before giving up an inside-the-park homer. Marlins #12 prospect Yiddi Cappe hit a sinking line drive that Misael Urbina dove for and missed, and the ball rolled to the fence, allowing Cappe to score. Fort Myers put up three more runs in the top of the fourth thanks to a single from Carlos Aguiar, three walks, an error, two wild pitches, and a passed ball. Jupiter got those runs back on one swing in the bottom of the fifth, thanks to Chase Luttrell. After that inning, Carr’s day was done. He went five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out a pair of Jupiter hitters. Cavaco gave Fort Myers the lead in the sixth when he doubled, scoring new Mighty Mussel Tanner Schobel. Regi Grace entered in the bottom of the sixth with a 5-4 lead, but the first two batters he faced hit a single and a homer, reclaiming the lead for the Hammerheads. This would give Jupiter the lead for good as they tacked on three insurance runs over the next three innings off of Grace and Samuel Perez. Schobel and Aguiar each had multi-hit games in the loss, and Noah Cardenas reached base four times thanks to a single and three walks. The loss drops Fort Myers’ record to 56-44 through their 100th game of the year. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 3 ⅔ IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K Hitter of the Day – Mikey Perez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, 2 2B (2), BB, RBI, SB (6) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins' top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 K #7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 1-for-5, R, K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, 4 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, K #15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K #16 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 3 ⅔ IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K #17 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) -2-for-4, R, BB, 2 K #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, R, BB, K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ St. Paul (7:07 CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-5, 10.75 ERA) Corpus Christi @ Wichita (7:05 CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams (0-1, 10.13 ERA) Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! Thank you for reading, and Go Twins! View full article

The St. Paul Saints will get a fresh face this week when 2021 Minor League Pitcher of the Year Louie Varland makes his Triple-A debut. The news broke this afternoon on Twitter. In FCL action, 2022 first-round pick Brooks Lee again shined bright, and fellow draftees Tanner Schobel and Jorel Ortega followed him in the lineup. TRANSACTIONS RHP Louie Varland is being promoted to Triple-A St. Paul per myself and Darren Wolfson INF Brooks Lee is being promoted to Single-A Cedar Rapids per Darren Wolfson COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Pirates 11, FCL Twins 6 Box Score Develson Aria drew the start today for the Twins and unfortunately it was a muted one. He went just 2 2/3 innings allowing nine runs (three earned) on six hits. Aria did strike out five and only walked two. An eight-run second inning for the Pirates ultimately did the Twins in, even though the Twins posted eight hits to the Pirates' nine. First-round pick Brooks Lee was the star of the show again today for Minnesota’s FCL team. He went 3-for-5 including a double. Batting .353 with an .824 OPS, it won’t be a shock if this is a quick stop, or he’s promoted directly to Cedar Rapids for their stretch run (Update: That's exactly what's happening). Ricardo Olivar also had a two-hit game, including a double, and the 20-year-old owns a 1.091 OPS this season in 116 at-bats. Other top picks from this year’s draft class playing today were Tanner Schobel (0-for-4, BB) and Jorel Ortega (0-1, 2 BB) DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Giants Orange 9, DSL Twins 2 Box Score Roger Duran made the start but acted as an opener going just one inning. He worked around two hits and a walk to escape damage. The Twins generated just four hits on the day, and Jose Rodriguez’s triple was the only of the extra-base variety. As he has done all season, Yasser Mercedes continues to pile up numbers and recorded another hit today. He’s got a .985 OPS and just missed out on being included in the recent Twins Daily Top 20 prospect update. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Wilker Reyes (FCL Twins) - 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day – Brooks Lee (FCL Twins) - 3-5, 2B, 3 RBI DRAFT PICK UPDATE 1 - Brooks Lee - FCL Twins - 17 AB, .353 AVG, .824 OPS, 2 R, 6 H, 3 RBI Q&A Link 2 - Tanner Schobel - FCL Twins - 15 AB, .200 AVG, .517 OPS, 3 R, 3 H, RBI Q&A Link 6 - Jorel Ortega - FCL Twins - 4 AB, .000 AVG, .000 OPS, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI Q&A Link TRADED PROSPECT UPDATE Cade Povich - 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K in Aberdeen debut (Orioles High-A). Named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week Spencer Steer - 4 G 6-16, 2 R, 4 RBI, SB for Louisville (Reds Triple-A) Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 3 G 4-11, 3 R, HR, 4 RBI for Chattanooga (Reds Double-A) Sawyer Gipson-Long - 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K in Erie debut (Tigers Double-A) Steven Hajjar - 3.0 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 3 K in Dayton debut (Reds High-A) Brent Rooker - 4 G 7-15, 3 R, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI for Omaha (Royals Triple-A) TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ St. Paul (7:07PM CST) - RHP Aaron Sanchez Corpus Christi @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - RHP Kody Funderburk Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30PM CST) - RHP Aaron Rozek Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Monday’s games! It sure is exciting to have all four Twins full-season affiliates and the two Complex Season affiliates back and playing. View full article

The draft finished up almost three weeks ago. The signing deadline was last week. All the signed draft picks have reported. So where are they and how are they doing? 1st round pick Brooks Lee has played four games for the FCL Twins and despite starting slow has a .353/.353/.471 (.824) slash line thanks to an impressive game on Monday. Lee has played in the field exclusively at shortstop, starting three games there with his other appearance at DH. There had been rumblings that Lee wouldn't be playing in the Florida Complex League too much longer and those rumblings were confirmed by Darren Wolfson on Monday afternoon. It will be interesting to see how he's integrated into the Kernels lineup. You obviously make way for Brooks Lee, but former bonus baby Wander Javier has made every single one of his starts at shortstop. Make no mistake that Lee is in a different stratosphere as a prospect, but it's possible that both find themselves on the left side of the infield. It's also possible that Lee gets a couple of days off a week as he adjusts to playing a game of baseball every day. Comp Round B pick Tanner Schobel has also played four games for the FCL Twins. He's only 3-for-15 (.200/.250/.267) with a double and a walk and has struck out three times. He's also stolen a base. He has played twice at second base, once at shortstop, and once as a DH. Schobel is in line for more reps at shortstop after Lee's promotion. Once Schobel gets his feet underneath him, it wouldn't be surprising to see him move up a level. The most recent draft pick to make his pro debut is 6th-round pick Jorel Ortega. Ortega has only played in two games, getting a start at both first base and third base. He hasn't started hitting yet, going hitless in his first four at-bats. He's struck out three times and drawn two walks. Other draftees should be joining this trio soon and we'll keep you updated on how they're doing. View full article

Three Twins draft picks have made their professional debuts. One is already being promoted to Cedar Rapids. Who are they? How are they doing? View full video

Take a look at what we know so far about the Twins 2022 Draft Class. Has anyone signed yet? Who isn't likely to sign? How does their overall pool look? View full video