Search the Community

It sure has been a while, but holy cow are we glad to be back with your Minnesota Twins Minor League Reports! Plus, so much has changed! The St. Paul Saints are the triple-A affiliate, a new team with a new stadium is on-board in double-A, the Cedar Rapids Kernels’ whole team got a promotion, and the Fort Myers squad has a new name.To find out everything that happened with your favorite Twins prospects on MiLB opening day, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS The Minnesota Twins recalled infielder Nick Gordon to take the place of Luis Arraez who was placed on the 7-day concussion injured list.LHP Lachlan Wells was assigned to the Cedar Rapids Kernels.SAINTS SENTINELSt. Paul 2, Omaha 8 Box Score The Saints debut as a major league and Twins affiliate didn’t quite go to plan, but count me as one who is super excited they are in the fold instead of an independent. Starter Andrew Albers went the first four innings but was touched up for a single run in three of them, and four in the other as the Saints fell behind 7-0 while he was on the mound. He allowed eight hits total and struck out six. Glenn Sparkman came on for the fifth and allowed a solo home run, Omaha’s fourth of the game, but struck out five in his two innings. Lefty Andrew Vasquez came on for the seventh and flummoxed Omaha hitters with his slider that the broadcaster compared to “those wiffle ball pitches you see in your backyard.” He went 1-2-3 in both his innings, striking out three. Saints hitters were also flummoxed by Storm Chasers pitching throughout the game, striking out 15 times and collecting only five hits and two walks. Zander Wiel and Ryan Jeffers led the way with two hits apiece, and Jeffers delivered the first two runs as an affiliate for St. Paul with a two-run homer in the seventh. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, Springfield 0 Box Score Another new affiliate for the Twins, Wichita got their season off on the right foot defeating the Springfield Cardinals 2-0. It's fun for me to see this matchup at Hammons Field in Springfield, MO as it is one of the MiLB stadiums I have had the pleasure of attending, and reminds me of their parent club’s Busch Stadium in mini form. As for this game, it was a pitcher’s duel throughout with the teams trading zeroes until the top of the eighth, when the Wind Surge struck for two runs. Singles from Damek Tomscha and Jose Miranda started the inning, then Mark Contreras and Andrew Bechtold finished it with consecutive RBI singles with two outs to account for the scoring. Josh Winder made the start for Wichita and went the first 4 2/3’s, allowing no runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six. He threw 81 pitches with 57 of them going for strikes (70.4%), including 14 swinging strikes. Left-hander Jovani Moran got the last out of the fifth with a K, then struck out two more in a scoreless sixth. Sidewinder Tom Hackimer was next out of the bullpen and added two more scoreless frames, allowing two hits and striking out three. International signing out of Cuba in 2019, Yennier Cano, came on for the ninth and bookended a single with a pair of strikeouts to close out the victory. Aaron Whitefield, batting ninth, led the Wind Surge offense with two hits including a double and a stolen base. Contreras finished 1-for-2 with a pair of walks in addition to the RBI. Gilberto Celestino led off the game with a single and finished 1-for-5. KERNELS NUGGETS Peoria 0, Cedar Rapids 7 Box Score In the Kernels first game as a high-A affiliate, they got the job done on opening night in convincing fashion. They chased Chiefs starter Ian Bedell from the game before he could complete one inning, scoring three runs on four hits and a walk in the opening frame. They would add two more in the second and one each in the third and fourth innings to jump out to a 7-0 lead that was more than enough. Kernels pitchers cruised throughout the game, allowing just three hits to Peoria hitters and scattering five walks. Kody Funderburk made the start and went the first three innings, allowing one hit, two walks, and striking out two. Andrew Cabezas went the next four innings and picked up the win, allowing one hit, two walks, and striking out two. Melvi Acosta finished the game with two scoreless frames, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out two. Leadoff man Spencer Steer (2-for-4, 2 R, BB, SB) was the only Kernels batter with multiple hits, while Matt Wallner, Jair Camargo, and Seth Gray each clubbed a double. Gabe Snyder had an RBI triple in the first and was hit by a pitch twice. While the lineup had just seven hits, they also drew eight walks. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 3 Box Score Newly minted as the Twins low-A affiliate and renamed the Mighty Mussels before last year’s MiLB season was cancelled, Fort Myers opened their new era with a 6-3 win over Bradenton. Willie Joe Garry Jr. got the scoring started three pitches into the game, launching a home run to right-center for the early 1-0 lead. Fort Myers would leave the bases loaded without adding another run in the opening frame and from there until the seventh inning the pitchers were the story. Mussels starter Regi Grace went 4 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on four hits and a walk while striking out six. Though he struck out the first two hitters of the fifth, he was lifted as his pitch count reached its limit at 75. He was relieved by Louie Varland who was drafted in the 15th round of the 2019 draft out of Concordia-St. Paul, and he would finish the game’s final 4 1/3 with some eye-popping numbers. He gave up two earned runs on two hits and a walk among his 16 batters faced, but struck out TEN(!) of them. The runs given up came on a two-run home run that gave the Marauders a 3-2 lead after seven, but the bats would pick him up in the ninth to give him the win. Will Holland led off the top of the ninth with a double and a few walks (one intentional to Garry Jr.) around a strikeout kept the bases loaded for the bulk of it. The first two runs would score on wild pitches, then with two outs Edouard Julien delivered the finishing blow with a two-run single. Garry Jr. (1-for-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB), Holland (1-for-3, 2B, 2 R, BB), Keoni Cavaco (1-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB), and Julien (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB) led the way for the offense in the win. Aaron Sabato was 0-for-5 with 3 K’s in his minor league debut. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Louie Varland, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (4.1 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, 10 K) Hitter of the Day – Ryan Jeffers, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – Did not play #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (St. Paul) – 0-for-3, BB, K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – 2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-5, 3 K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – 1-for-5, 2 K #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, 3 K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-5, R, 2B, K #14 - Misael Urbina (Complex) – N/A #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 1-for-3, R, BB #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Omaha (12:05PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes Wichita @ Springfield (6:35PM CST) – TBD Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Ben Gross Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:05PM CST) – RHP Casey Legumina Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

Unfortunately the Twins game decided to be really good and also really, really, really bad so the minor league report is brought to you with great sadness as my sad Spotify playlist plays in the background. The current track is Pearl Jam’s “Black” if you want to know how I am doing. Moving forward, there were many great hitting performances in the minor league system and one exceptional pitching performance especially, all that and more in this edition of the minor league report.TRANSACTIONS -Catcher Kyle Schmidt promoted from the GCL to Elizabethton. -GCL Twins activated Regi Grace from the IL. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Gwinnett 5 Box Score D.J. Baxendale: 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (opener for Devin Smeltzer) HR: None Multi-hit games: None A quiet game from the Red Wings that ended in a loss to the Gwinnett Stripers. Devin Smeltzer was the primary pitcher (or bulk pitcher, whatever you prefer) after D.J. Baxendale and he gave up four runs over his four innings of work. He struck out none and walked two batters. Fernando Romero came on in relief of Smeltzer and fired off two scoreless innings while allowing just one hit, walking one and striking out four. The Red Wings offense was stagnant all game as they put together just four hits with none going for extra bases while striking out eleven times. A rare off day for a typically great offense that is missing Brent Rooker’s presence in the lineup. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola postponed vs Mississippi The rain came in and made sure that no game would be played today which is great for my laziness but not great for the people who wanted a game to be played, shame. A doubleheader will be played tomorrow. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Florida 0 Box Score Lachlan Wells: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 72.9% strikes (62 of 85 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Royce Lewis (2-for-4, R, BB), Jacob Pearson (2-for-4) The Miracle played a well-rounded game this Saturday that ended in a win. Lachlan Wells was dominant but so were Calvin Faucher and Zach Neff who each pitched scoreless outings in relief of Wells. Combined, they gave up just three hits, walked just one hitter, and struck out ten hitters. A well-pitched game indeed by the Miracle. The Miracle bats didn’t want the pitching to steal the thunder as they smacked eight hits and walked more than they struck out on their way to scoring five runs. Both Ryan Jeffers and David Banuelos had two-run doubles and Jose Miranda had an RBI single following Ryan Jeffers’ double in the first. That was all the scoring that was done but hey, why score runs you don’t need? Royce Lewis continued his hot streak by knocking a pair of singles and taking a walk, a good sign for the top prospect who has had to work through a tougher season than most anticipated. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Fort Wayne 4 Box Score Kai-Wei Teng: 3 ⅔ IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 58.2% strikes (39 of 67 pitches) HR: Yeltsin Encarnacion (2) Multi-hit games: Spencer Steer (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI), Yeltsin Encarnacion (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI), Gilberto Celestino (3-for-5, 2 2B, RBI), Gabe Snyder (2-for-5), Daniel Ozoria (3-for-5) I made some snarky comment here about close games last week so the Kernels decided to spite me and actually have a close game, this one ended with another win for them so I guess we all can be happy. Spencer Steer has continued to just rake even after the promotion as his OPS with the Kernels is now .993 after another multi-hit game. Shoot, he might be major league ready already! Gilberto Celestino has also started to heat up recently as his OPS now sits at .680 after a slow start to the season. He had an OPS of .913 in July coming into the game and that will go up even higher thanks to his three-hit effort that came with a pair of doubles. Jose Ramirez relieved Teng and got ten outs without allowing a run. Rickey Ramirez received the save after he threw two scoreless innings that came with four strikeouts and just two hits. E-Town E-Notes Elizabethton 10, Bluefield 7 Box Score Prelander Berroa: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: Willie Joe Garry Jr. (2), Kidany Salva (1), Seth Gray (5) Multi-hit games: Willie Joe Garry Jr. (2-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI), Max Smith (2-for-5, 3B, 2B, R), Charles Mack (3-for-5, R, RBI) It was quite the offensive game as both teams dropped twelve hits and a combined seventeen runs. The difference, however, was that Bluefield foolishly had only one hit of the extra-base variety while the intelligent Elizabethton Twins had five including three home runs. All but one Elizabethton batter had a hit. Willie Joe Garry Jr. and Max Smith played the part of the bash brothers as they combined for four extra-base hits and would have had a combined cycle had either of them bothered to get a single. Oh well, their slugging percent thanks them anyway. There wasn’t much to talk about on the pitching side of things but Dylan Thomas had a scoreless outing that included four outs and three strikeouts. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 5 Box Score Regi Grace: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Jim Caceres (2-for-4) The GCL Twins struck out 14 GCL Red Sox hitters on Saturday. I feel like I have noted something similar for both the GCL Twins and Elizabethton Twins every week so be happy that the Twins are punching tickets and taking names in the early stages of development. The GCL offense was sporadic as only two hitters reached base multiple times and they only reached base nine times all day. The end result was three runs, all of which scored in the fourth inning. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Lachlan Wells Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Willie Joe Garry Jr. PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, R, BB #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Postponed game #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Postponed game #4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - Postponed game #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - Did not play #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - 0-for-2, 2 BB #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured list #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) - Did not play #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI, K #14 - Luis Arraez (Twins) - 0-for-3 #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 K #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Postponed game #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Out for year with Tommy John surgery #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Postponed game #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - 0-for-5 #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - Postponed game SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Gwinnett (12:05 A.M.) - RHP Sean Poppen Pensacola @ Mississippi (5:05 P.M.) - RHP Jorge Alcala Fort Myers @ Florida (11:00 P.M.) - RHP Bailey Ober Cedar Rapids @ Fort Wayne (12:05 P.M.) - RHP Austin Schulfer Elizabethton @ Bluefield (4:30 P.M.) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Elizabethton Twins are coming off back-to-back Appalachian League Championships and the club has qualified for the postseason in four of the last five seasons. Hopes are high again in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. With a handful of returning players and a new crop of rookies, can the E-Twins continue their winning ways?The Coaches Ray Smith will enter his 33rd season as a member of the E-Twins coaching staff and his 26th season as manager. On the way to Elizabethton’s eighth Apply League title last season, Smith recorded his 1000th career win. His managerial record sits at 1020-676 for a .601 winning percentage. He has been part of the Twins organization since he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 1977. Hitting coach Jeff Reed has been with Smith for a large chunk of his managerial journey. The 2019 season will be his 18th season as the E-Twins hitting coach. Richard Salazar will be in his first year as the pitching coach. He pitched seven seasons in the Orioles organization and reached as high as Triple-A (2007). From there, he pitched in independent leagues and was on Spain’s roster for the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Takashi Miyoshi will be in his second year as the fourth member of the coaching staff. Prospects to Watch No members of the preseason Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects are on the Elizabethton Twins Opening Day roster. However, we will be updating our list in the coming weeks so things could change, especially with an influx of newly drafted players. One name you won’t see on the list below was just signed by the Twins on Monday and he is on his way to Elizabethton. Matt Walner, a Forest Lake native, was Minnesota’s supplemental first round pick. He’s an outfielder that just finished his collegiate career at Southern Mississippi. He set that school’s career home run mark (58) and won three straight Conference USA home run titles THE ROSTER The Pitchers RHP Tyler Benninghoff (22)- 11th round pick in 2016 from Rockhurst HS in Kansas City, MO LHP Denny Bentley (21)- 33rd round pick in 2018 from Howard College RHP Prelander Berroa (19)- signed July 2, 2016 out of the Dominican Republic LHP Erik Cha (21)- 17th round pick in 2018 from Cal State Fullerton RHP Steven Cruz (20)- signed March 20, 2017 out of the Dominican Republic RHP Osiris German (20)- signed July 2, 2016 out of the Dominica Republic RHP Owen Grifith (21)- 20th round pick in 2019 from Clemson University RHP Ben Gross (22)- 10th round pick in 2019 from Duke University LHP Brent Headrick (21)- 9th round pick in 2019 from Illinois State RHP Cody Laweryson (21)- 14th round pick in 2019 from the University of Maine RHP Andriu Marin (20)- signed November 17, 2014 out of Venezuela LHP J.T. Perez (23)- 29th round pick in 2018 from the University of Cincinnati RHP Ryan Shreve (20)- 16th round pick in 2019 from University of the Pacific RHP Dylan Thomas (22)- 13th round pick in 2019 from the University of Hawaii RHP Louie Varland (21)- 15th round pick in 2019 from Concordia University-St. Paul LHP Ryley Widell (22)- 7th round pick in 2017 from Central Arizona College Prelander Berroa is certainly an arm to keep an eye on after he found some success with the GCL Twins last year. In 10 games (41 2/3 innings), he posed a 2.81 ERA with a 41 to 18 strikeout to walk ratio. Ryley Widell will be back with the E-Twins after making his pro debut with the club in 2018. He struck out 41 batters in 29 2/3 inning and only allowed eight earned runs (2.43 ERA). Tyler Benninghoff will be looking to transition his GCL success (3.89 ERA) to the Appy League. Out of the 2019 draft class, Brent Headrick and Ben Gross are the two highest drafted pitchers on this roster and they will be making their professional debuts. The Catchers Yeremi De La Cruz (21)- signed September 15, 2015 out of the Dominican Republic Alex Isola (20)- 29th round pick in 2019 from Texas Christian University Kidany Salva (20)- 17th round pick in 2016 from Klein Forest HS in Houston, TX Janigson Villalobos (22)- acquired from San Diego for Phil Hughes in 2018 With four catchers on the roster, the E-Twins will probably have each player catch twice a week with the possibility of getting some designated hitter appearances as well. Janigson Villalobos hit well with the GCL Twins last year as he finished with a .310 BA and .393 OPS. However, he was 1.2 years older than the competition in that league. Injuries cost Yeremi De La Cruz all but two games last season with the GCL Twins. The Infielders Seth Gray (21)- 4th round pick in 2019 from Wright State University Trevor Jenson (22)- 24th round pick in 2019 from Tulane University Charlie Mack (19)- 6th round pick in 2018 from Williamsville East HS in East Amherst, NY Daniel Ozoria (18)- acquired from Los Angeles for John Curtiss Anthony Prato (21)- 7th round pick in 2019 from the University of Connecticut Reuben Santana (21)- signed September 15, 2015 out of the Dominican Republic Seth Gray is the highest draft pick on the Opening Day roster, but he will shortly be joined by Walner. In 59 collegiate games this season, Gray hit .351 with 11 home runs and 70 RBI and that was good enough to earn him first-team, All-Horizon league honors. Ozoria is an interesting player since he’s young for the league and he was acquired this year for John Curtiss. In his pro career, he’s hit .222/.293/.263 with 13 extra-base hits in 111 games. The Outfielders Willie Joe Garry Jr. (19)- 9th round in 2018 from Pascagoula HS in Pascagoula, MS Max Smith (22)- 31st round in 2019 from UNLV Tyler Webb (23)- 40th round in 2018 from the University of Memphis Albee Weiss (23)- 23rd round in 2018 from Cal State Northridge Willie Joe Garry Jr. was one of only a few high school players drafted by the Twins in 2018. He struggled with the transition to the professional level, but he adjusted near the end of the season. In the final 14 games, he got on base over 29% of the time. Tyler Webb led the GCL Twins with a .398 on-base percentage. Albee Weiss has some power potential as he combined for 24 home runs between his collegiate (20 HR) and professional (4 HR) seasons last year. There are 30 players listed above and others like Walner are on their way after they sign with the Twins. Six players have previously played in Elizabethton (Widell, Perez, Cha, Berroa, Weiss, and Webb). Thirteen players were drafted by the Twins in 2019 (Grifith, Gross, Headrick, Laweryson, Shreve, Thomas, Varland, Isola, Gray, Jenson, Mack, Prato, and Smith). For more information on the 2019 Twins draft picks, please click here (links at bottom of the article) ------------------- Here are the rest of the minor league notes on Monday (written by Seth) I can’t remember the last time that there were no minor league games, at all, between April and August. However, that’s exactly what happened in the Twins farm system on Monday. Rochester had a scheduled day off.Pensacola and Cedar Rapids began their All-Star breaks.Ft. Myers was just set to start their second half with a home game against Charlotte, but the rains came and they were postponed.But there are still quite a few minor league notes from the day, we here we go: TRANSACTIONS The Twins signed Comp A pick Matt Wallner on Monday. Keep up with the signings of their their 2019 draft picks here.Rochester announced that Trevor Hildenberger was placed on the Injured List with a right flexor mass strain. He had not pitched since June 8th.Pensacola announced that Taylor Grzelakowski is going on the 7-day IL.Also, the Blue Wahoos announced that OF Tanner English and 3B Randy Cesar have been released.On Sunday night, we learned that LHP Zach Neff and 3B Andrew Bechtold have been promoted to FT. Myers.We also heard that Frandy Torres was being sent from Cedar Rapids to Elizabethton.RHP Tyler Palm has been transferred to Cedar Rapids. Jeff Johnson is also reporting that RHP Tanner Howell will also be joining the Kernels.ALL STAR FESTIVITIES At the Southern League All-Star site, they held the Home Run Derby. Blue Wahoos Jaylin Davis and Travis Blankenhorn will participate in the event. A year ago, Blankenhorn won the Florida State League home run derby. TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (6:05 CST) - TBD Pensacola (6:35 CST) - All Star Break Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (5:30 CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids - All Star Break Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Monday games or any other minor league topics you would like. Click here to view the article