Twins Minor League Week in Review: Six-Game Series

For this week again, let’s start with a Question of the Week. Leave your responses in the Comments section.  

Question of the Week: Who do you think will be in the Twins Opening Day starting rotation in 2024? 

As always, I welcome your feedback on what you would like to see from these Week in Review articles, so let me know in the comments below. Of course, I also encourage you to read Nick’s Twins Week in Review from yesterday. 

With that, let’s look at Week 3 in the Twins minor leagues: 

RESULTS

• Triple-A: St. Paul Saints: Week (2-4 hosting Indianapolis), overall (7-11)
• Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge: Week (3-3 at Tulsa), overall (11-7)
• High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels: Week (2-4, hosting Beloit), overall (8-10)
• Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: Week (2-4 at Tampa), overall (8-10) 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

With the Twins struggles early this season, we have had a lot of minor league articles including articles on players who could be promoted and the daily minor league reports. 

• Twins Minor League Week in Review: A Nice Distraction 
• Tuesday: Enlow Sets Career-High 
• Cedar Rapids Kernels Pitching Reports: Matt Canterino 
• Wednesday: Longball Happy in Wichita 
• Thursday: Five for the Price of Four, Wallner Shines (again) 
• Friday: Late-Inning Drama and Disappointment 
• Twins Top Prospect Jhoan Duran Deals in Season Debut 
• Saturday: Hungry Like the Wolf (Duran’s First 2021 Start)
• Building a Pitching Pipeline 
• Sunday: Starting Strong 

News & Notes 

Let’s start with the Monday transactions since we don’t have a daily minor league report. 

• Trey Cabbage promoted from Cedar Rapids to Wichita. 
• Max Smith promoted from Ft. Myers to Cedar Rapids. 
• RHP Donny Breek transferred from Ft. Myers to the development complex. 

It was a big week for the St. Paul Saints off the field. On Saturday, they played their first of eight games on Bally Sports Network North. Their TV package now includes 28 of their 60 home games. In addition, Sunday afternoon’s game was on KFAN. Several more Sunday Saints games will air on KFAN. Their games regularly air on KFAN+. 

On Sunday, the Saints scored five runs. It was just the fourth time this season they had scored more than four runs. That said, they also are second in the Triple-A East by hitting .310 in the first inning. (Thank you Nick Gordon!) However, they are hitting over .250 in only one other inning (5th, .284). 

Also on Sunday, Tom Hackimer recorded his first Triple-A save. It was only the second Saints save in 18 games (7 wins). Interestingly, in the Saints’ 11 losses, their opponents have not yet recorded a save. 

If you want to watch the Saints on the road, Des Moines is not a far drive down I-35! 
 

Highlights

We will start with the Twins choices for the organizational hitter and pitcher of the week, and then mention several other Twins prospects who had good Week 3 performances too. 

Twins Player of the Week: Matt Wallner, Cedar Rapids Kernels  

For the week, Wallner played in five games and hit .450/.450/.900 (1.350). He had nine hits in 20 at-bats including a double, a triple and two home runs. He has played in 17 of the Kernels 18 games this season. He is hitting .333/.384/.621 (1.005) with three doubles, two triples and four home runs. In 73 plate appearances, he has five walks and 28 strikeouts. 

Following a four-hit game this week, manager Brian Dinkelman said, “He squared some balls up really well, hit that big home run to give us the lead. Matt’s a good hitter when he stays in the zone and doesn’t expand too much.” 

Wallner pointed out, “I think I’ve done a better job of hitting the ball to all fields. I feel better trying to stay up the middle as opposed to being a pull-only hitter. I feel better with that, and I’m more comfortable with velocity. I feel good about that.”

Wallner was the Twins 32nd round pick in 2016 out of Forest Lake High School where he named Mr. Minnesota Baseball. He went to Southern Mississippi where he became a power-hitting All American. The Twins took him with the 39th overall pick in the 2019 draft and he signed. 

Twins Pitcher of the Week: Matt Canterino, Cedar Rapids Kernels   

On Friday night in Cedar Rapids, Canterino struck out a career-high 10 batters over six innings. He gave up two hits, one was a solo home run. He has now made three starts this year and is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP. In 14 innings, he has walked three and struck out 25 batters (16.1 K/9). 

Canterino said, “You just want to make good pitches early in the count, in the zone, and force them to do something with it. There are so many swings and misses and so many easy outs to be had if you’re in the strike zone early on. It’s important to do that. Hitting is so tough. So if you’re in the zone early on with a couple of different pitches, you often find yourself in good counts where you’ll be able to get a strikeout in the end.

Canterino was the Twins 2nd round draft pick in June of 2019 out of Rice University. Between a couple of GCL appearances and five starts at then-Low-A Cedar Rapids, he went 1-1 with a 1.44 ERA in 25 innings. He walked eight and struck out 31 batters. 

Manager Brian Dinkelman said, “He’s just throwing the ball really well for us right now. He gives us good starts, keeps us in the game. We’re excited about the way he throws the ball, and he keeps progressing and get himself to the big leagues hopefully one of these days.” 

Other Strong Performances this Week

Nick Gordon, St. Paul Saints: Gordon started the week with two hits but left that game with a minor hamstring injury that cost him a couple of games. He returned, kept hitting and was called up to the Twins (again) three times. In his three games, he hit .500/.545/.500 (1.045). 

Jimmy Kerrigan, St. Paul Saints: On the week, Kerrigan played all six games and hit .250/.286/.600 (.886), but he had a walkoff single and two big home runs. Also, on Sunday, he threw out two baserunners at home. 

Mark Contreras, Wichita Wind Surge: The Gold Glove outfielder provided good power for the Wind Surge this week. He hit .261/.346/.565 (.911) with a double and two home runs. Ernie De La Trinidad hit .353 with a double.  

Jair Camargo, Cedar Rapids Kernels: The 21-year-old backstop has been impressive behind the plate and at the plate. This week, he hit .300/.300/.750 (1.050) with three home runs. He also picked off two base runners at first base. 

Michael Helman, Cedar Rapids Kernels: The nearly-everyday utility player got off to a rough start. In the season’s first week, he went 0-for-12, though we noted that he walked four times and put together good at-bats. In week three, he played all six games and hit .294/.368/.647 (1.015) with two homers.  

Charlie Mack, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: The former infielder-turned-catcher played four games for the week. He hit .333/.556/.833 (1.389) with two homers and four RBI. In addition, he walked six ties and struck out four times.  

Edouard Julien, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: It was another strong week for the infielder from Canada via Auburn. For the week, he hit .421/.621/.526 (1.147) with two doubles. The on-base machine walked nine times and struck out just five times. In addition, he stole six bases in six attempts.  

Anthony Prato, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: Like Helman, Prato was drafted as an infielder, but now he is playing all over the infield and the outfield too. He hit .348/.464/.435 (.899) with two doubles. He also walked five times. 

Kyle Schmidt, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: The catcher is on this list for a second straight week. In four games, he hit .353/.421/.529 (.950) with three more doubles.  

Regi Grace, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: Grace posted the best start of his minor league career this week when he gave up just one hit over five shutout innings. He walked three and struck out six batters. 

Casey Legumina, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: The righty came out of the bullpen on Sunday and worked 4 1/3 innings. He was perfect until the final batter he faced who hit a solo homer. He struck out eight batters. 

Bradley Hanner, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: He gave up two runs (1 earned) on zero hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings in his relief outing. He struck out five batters. 

‘Blayne Enlow, Cedar Rapids Kernels: Enlow struck out a career-high ten batters over 5 2/3 innings. He gave up one run on three hits and walked three. 

Kody Funderburk, Cedar Rapids Kernels: The lefty needed just 55 pitches to complete 5 2/3 innings in his start. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk while striking out three batters. 

Tyler Beck, Cedar Rapids Kernels: Beck gave up just one run on one hit and one walk over five innings. He struck out four batters. It was the first start of his professional career. 

Jordan Gore, Cedar Rapids Kernels: His transition from shortstop to pitcher is going pretty well. He pitched twice this week and gave up one run on four hits over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out eight batters and didn’t walk any. 

Josh Winder, Wichita Wind Surge: Winder made one start in Tulsa and worked four innings. He gave up no runs and no hits over four innings. He walked one and struck out four batters. Then the rains came and he did not come back into the game after the delay. 

Cole Sands, Wichita Wind Surge: In his start, Sands gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out nine batters without walking anyone. 

Chris Vallimont, Wichita Wind Surge: In his first start of the season, he went 4 2/3 innings. He gave up one run on one hit. He walked two and struck out eight batters. 

Yennier Cano, Wichita Wind Surge: Cano pitched 2 1/3 innings over two games. He gave up zero runs and zero hits. He walked two, but six of the seven outs he recorded were on strikeouts. 

Chandler Shepherd, St. Paul Saints: Called upon to start when Bailey Ober was called up to the Twins, Shepherd gave up one run on four hits over four innings. He struck out six batters. 

Andrew Vasquez, St. Paul Saints: The lefty gave up just one hit over 3 1/3 innings in two games. However, one of those games covered two days. He pitched the eighth inning of the game that was then suspended by rain. The next day, he pitched the ninth inning. He struck out five batters.

Jhoan Duran, St. Paul Saints: The flamethrowing right-hander made his first appearance of the 2021 season, and his first Triple-A start, on Saturday night. He gave up one run on four hits and a walk over three innings. He struck out six batters. Of course, the highlight was seeing him hit 102 and 103 mph on the Saints radar gun.  

Lowlight and Highlight?

In Week 2, Wichita’s Austin Schulfer’s start was 5 1/3 scoreless innings. This Tuesday in Tulsa, he was charged with eight runs (7 earned) on seven hits, two walks and a hit batter in 2 2/3 innings. On Sunday, also in Tulsa, Schulfer did not allow a hit until there was one out in the seventh inning. He walked one and hit one batter. He got one more strikeout, his sixth of the game, and then was removed after 6 2/3 scoreless innings. 

St. Paul Saints starter Griffin Jax had a rough start this past week. On Monday, he was charged with seven runs on nine hits and a walk in his start against Indianapolis. Then on Sunday, he gave up just one run on seven hits and a walk. He struck out eight batters. 

On Friday night, Tom Hackimer made his Triple-A debut and got two outs, but he walked three batters and hit one. He did strike out the two batters he got out. On Sunday, he came on to protect a 5-4 Saints lead in the ninth inning. He gave up one hit, but then struck out three batters to record the save. 

Lowlights

We are talking about small samples for these six-game weeks, so it’s important not to make any big decisions or develop a full impression on a player from this small size. It’s just a reminder of the fact that baseball is hard, and all players have good and bad stretches.  

Daniel Descalso, St. Paul Saints: The Twins signed Descalso almost two weeks ago. The ten-year-MLB veteran did not play in the big leagues in 2020 after spending half of the 2019 season with the Cubs. He just wants to keep playing and the Twins have a need for infielders in the system. He played in five games this past week, and he went 0-for-16 with four walks and eight strikeouts.  

Ryan Jeffers, St. Paul Saints: Jeffers played in all six games. However, he hit just .105/.280/.158 (.438) with a double. He walked and struck out five times. 

Brent Rooker, St. Paul Saints: Rooker played in four games this past week and missed the last two games with a minor injury. For the week, he hit .143/.278/.143 (.421). He had three walks but also five strikeouts. 

JT Riddle/Keon Broxton: St. Paul Saints: I figured I would lump these two veterans together since they both posted OPS of .461 for the week. Broxton hit .150/.222/.472 with a double. Riddle hit .174/.200/.261

Andrew Bechtold, Wichita Wind Surge: In four games, Bechtold hit .143/.250/.214 (.464) with a double. 

Tyler Palm, Cedar Rapids Kernels: The lanky right-hander worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up five runs on four hits, a walk and two hit batters. He did strike out three batters. 

Misael Urbina, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: He was on the highlights list last week, and this week, the 19-year-old potential future star is on the other list.  He hit .120/.267/.120 (.387) with nine strikeouts and three walks.  

Aaron Sabato, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: The Sabato struggles continued in Week 3.  He hit .091/.286/.136 (.422) with a double. He continues to walk a bunch, but he also struck out ten times in 28 plate appearances. 

Keoni Cavaco, Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: In six games, Cavaco hit .174/.240/.174 (.414) with two walks and nine strikeouts. 

It was a very rough week for the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels pitchers. Donny Breek, a right-hander from The Netherlands, pitched twice and got a total of two outs. He was charged with eight runs on four hits and seven walks. Lefty Zarion Sharpe came up for his pro debut after being signed after the 2020 draft. Over three games, he got six outs (three strikeouts) and gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks. On Sunday, he pitched a scoreless inning. Steven Cruz made a start and didn’t get out of the first inning. He walked four batters and hit one other batter. Both outs he got were on strikeouts. Brent Headrick was good in his first two starts, but it didn’t go as well in Start #3. He gave up eight runs (7 earned) on nine hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings. And, while he still struck out six batters in three innings, Louie Varland also gave up six runs (4 earned) on seven hits and two walks. 

Trending Storyline 

With the minor league re-alignment also came a new schedule format. All four Twins affiliates will play six game series and have Mondays off for travel or just for a day off. 

Before the season started, Toby Gardnhire said that it might be an adjustment, and there are potential concerns

“It’s going to be different. There are going to be challenges because you’re seeing the same guys in the lineup all week long, and you’re seeing some of the same pitchers. If a team has one of our hitters figured out, then that hitter is going to have to figure out how to make some adjustments pretty quick or he’s going to be owned for six days in a row. You worry about guys getting into fights on the field. Usually with a three-game series, if tempers flare in the second or third game, by the time you see them again, it’s a month later and things have cooled down. Now you’re playing six games.” 

On the other side, "The good part of a six-game series is the travel. We don’t have as many road trips. Once we get to a place, we’re able to stay there for six days. Scouts. Coaches. They’re able to come in. There are a lot of benefits. It’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be different. I’m excited about it. It’s going to be fun.” 

Brian Dinkelman, the Kernels manager said, “It’s something that we’re going to learn about this year. It’s uncommon. You’re going to face multiple pitchers and hitters throughout the six game series. There hasn’t been a lot of discussion (between the minor league managers). I think it’s something we’re just going to have to feel out as the season goes on. Logistically, with travel, it’s better for players and staff. You’re not on the road as much or having late-night commutes. We’ll see how it goes, but I’m looking forward to it.” 

Ft. Myers manager Brian Meyer was named the Mighty Mussels manager about a month before the season began. He thinks the six-game schedule is ideal for the Low-A level, especially this year. “I actually like it because, especially at our level right now, this is some players' first time traveling in the States. We play Bradenton 24 times. Especially this year, it’s just important that we play. But from a travel standpoint, it’s great. Getting every Monday off to clear their heads, get away from baseball and come back fresh on Tuesday. I see this as very beneficial for them in terms of their development.” 

It isn’t completely foreign to some in the organization. Ramon Borrego is the manager of the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge. He was the manager in Pensacola in 2019 as well. In the Southern League, they played five-game series in the past. 

He said, “It was good because you play and you have Mondays off. Let’s see what we get. So far. So good.” 

Brent Rooker said, “The six game series is definitely something a little bit different, it’s something a lot of guys will have to get used to. It’s obviously another day longer than anything we have done in the past. We had five-game series in the Southern League in AA in Chattanooga. That obviously felt long. Six games is just an extra day.”

Rooker added that another benefit of the Twins having their Triple-A affiliate in St. Paul rather than Rochester, especially for the guys who have gone back and forth. “It makes our lives significantly easier. My wife is up here with me. The ability to have one apartment for an entire season and to know we have a home base and that’s where we’re going to be no matter where I’m at is a huge relief. It’s a massive burden off my mind trying to find a way to move back and forth if that’s the case. It’s a lot easier for guys with families. We talk about that all the time. It’s a massive benefit. It’s a huge weight off our shoulders for sure. 

PROSPECT SUMMARY

Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects have performed on the season. This was requested in the comments earlier in the week. Let me know if it provides value. 

#1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – St. Paul (2 rehab games, went 3-6 with 2 homers, 2 K), Minnesota (15 games, .218/.241/.491 (.732) with 3 doubles, 4 homers, 14 RBI, 2 BB, 16 K)

#2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL)

#3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – St. Paul (3 games, went 3-11 with two homers, two walks, 8 strikeouts), Minnesota (14 games, .186/.314/.326 (.639) with 3 doubles, 1 homer, 2 RBI, 7 BB, 14 K) 

#4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – St. Paul (18 games, .222/.325/.429 (.753) with four doubles, three homers, 10 BB, 16 K), Minnesota (11 games, .147/.216/.176 (.393) with one doubles, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 18 K)

#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – St. Paul (1 GS, 3.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K, 3.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP) 

#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back)

#7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – Ft. Myers (18 games, .243/.321/.314 (.635) with 2 doubles, 1 homer, 8 RBI, 7 BB, 23 K, 4 SB)

#8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – Ft. Myers (18 games, .143/.349/.238 (.588) with 3 doubles, 1 homer, 5 RBI, 17 BB, 31 K) 

#9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Cedar Rapids ( 3 GS, 14.0 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 25 K, 1.29 ERA, 0.71 WHIP)

#10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Cedar Rapids (3 GS, 14.2 IP, 13 H, 6 BB, 23 K, 1.84 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) 

#11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – Wichita (15 games, .214/.343/.304 (.647) with 2 doubles, 1 homer. 10 BB, 17 K). 

#12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – St. Paul (15 games, .191/.381/.383 (.764) with three homers, 15 BB, 17 K), Minnesota (8 games, .103/.133/.241 (375) with 1 double, 1 homer, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 13 K)

#13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Cedar Rapids (17 games, .333/.384/.621 (1.005) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 14 RBI, 5 BB, 28 K). 

#14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – Ft. Myers (12 games, .214/.353/.214 (567) with 7 RBI, 7 BB, 11 K, 3 SB)

#15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Wichita (4 GS, 18.0 IP, 12 H, 9 BB, 22 K, 3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) 

#16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow)

#17 - Ben Rortvedt (St.Paul) – St. Paul (1 game, went 2-4, 2B), Minnesota (12 games, .160/.250/.160 (.410) with 2 RBI, 2 BB, 10 K)

#18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (injured)

#19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – Wichita (18 games, .309/.372/.574 (945) with 3 doubles, 5 homers, 17 RBI. 5 BB, 10 K)

#20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – St. Paul (2 GS, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 8 K, 1.29 ERA, 1.14 WHIP), Minnesota (1 GS, 4.0 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 9.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) 

LOOKING AHEAD

Ft. Myers @ Lakeland (Brent Headrick, Regi Grace, Sawyer Gipson-Long, Louie Varland, Casey Legumina, Hunter McMahon): 

Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids: (Tyler Beck, Kody Funderburk, Matt Canterino, Andrew Cabezas, Ben Gross, Blayne Enlow)

Springfield @ Wichita: (Bryan Sammons, Cole Sands, Chris Vallimont, Austin Schulfer, Josh Winder, Bryan Sammons) 

St. Paul @ Iowa: (Bailey Ober, Charlie Barnes, Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Chandler Shepherd, Bailey Ober): 

 

Feel free to provide some feedback below regarding these reports. What do you like to read? What types of information would you like added? Also, feel free to ask any questions you like.

Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!