MINNEAPOLIS -- It’s no secret that the start to the season has not been what the Twins or their fans would have wanted. There are still 147 games left in the season, and it can be easy to forget that, but still. Maybe you’d like to take a moment to daydream about the future.
You’re in luck. The roster at Triple-A St. Paul makes that awfully easy to do. And if you’re actually in the Twin Cities, you can even go see the Saints play (which I’m planning to do someday very soon). My friends and colleagues at MLB Pipeline recently rated St. Paul as the most stacked roster in the Twins organization, and it’s easy to understand why – two Top 100 hitters, two pitchers ranked among the organizational Top 30, and eight ranked prospects. And that doesn’t even get into the young talent at St. Paul that’s no longer eligible for prospect status: right-hander Zebby Matthews, and until recently fellow righty starter David Festa.
And in this first Minor League roundup of the year, we’re going to start by looking at those pitchers. The starting pitching depth at St. Paul would be the envy of just about any other organization. Festa and Matthews have both shown some ability to perform at the Major League level, and Matthews has been brilliant both in spring and early in the Minor League season this year.
And it doesn’t stop with them. Right-hander Andrew Morris, No. 9 on the Top 30, also impressed in spring and is a heck of an option as a No. 8 starter. Marco Raya has undeniable stuff – he’s No. 6 in the Top 30 and second among pitchers. All five members of St. Paul’s rotation are either prospects ranked in the organizational Top 10, or pitchers who have started games in the Major Leagues. And they’re all pitching well to start the season.
Now let’s take a spin through the other levels currently playing. |
Double-A Wichita
The big news here, unfortunately, is that Walker Jenkins is back on the injured list with renewed discomfort in his left ankle, which he first sprained in Spring Training. Jenkins played only two games before being shelved.
While Jenkins is out of action, the No. 1 name to know at Wichita is left-hander Connor Prielipp. A second-rounder in 2022 out of Alabama, Prielipp has an extensive injury history, and as a result the club is going to proceed very slowly with him. He will start once a week, building up with very low pitch counts and innings totals.
But Prielipp’s stuff is absolutely electric, and if he can stay healthy and string innings together, he probably has the highest upside of any pitcher in the system. |
High-A Cedar Rapids
He’s repeating a level, but Gabriel Gonzalez needed a big year and he’s off to a great start. Gonzalez was a Top 100 prospect entering 2024 but struggled at Cedar Rapids. He’s still only 21, too early to write him off, and in the season’s first week-plus, he’s put up some very nice numbers. Gonzalez sported a .345/.387/.586 line through Friday’s games, with his trademark ability to put the bat to the ball still shining. Single-A Fort Myers
An intriguing name to know at Fort Myers is left-hander Dasan Hill, a Competitive Balance Round B pick out of a Texas high school last year. Hill did not pitch after being drafted in 2024, so this spring has brought his professional debut. And the first taste was a good one. In his first pro start, Hill pitched four one-hit innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. He’s big and projectable and although he is at the very beginning of his career, definitely someone to keep an eye on. |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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The Twins are dedicating the new Joe Mauer statue on Sunday outside Target Field. Mauer, of course, was selected No. 1 overall in the 2001 Draft, which leads us to today’s question. The Twins currently have two No. 1 overall picks on their 40-man roster. One is Royce Lewis. Who is the other?
A. Byron Buxton
B. Carlos Correa
C. Brooks Lee
D. Joe Ryan |
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"I’m going to keep working on that. Really. Honestly. There’s no other answer. I don’t have an overly smart answer or way to approach that. We do have to play complete, fundamentally sound baseball games and we haven’t done enough of that.” -- manager Rocco Baldelli on how the Twins can shore up their leaky defense. |
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On April 14, 2002, the Twins won a wild one at the Metrodome, 13-7 against the Tigers. Minnesota trailed 2-0, led 5-2, and trailed 7-5 in the eighth before erupting for an eight-run eighth to secure the win. Matt LeCroy had two doubles and a triple, and Bobby Kielty homered as the Twins sent the Tigers to their 11th straight loss to begin the season. |
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B. Correa was taken first overall by the Astros in 2012. Buxton was the No. 2 overall pick, Lee No. 8, and remarkably, Ryan was a seventh-rounder. |
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AND, FINALLY, THE PLAYLIST |
Time for another shuffle special, edited to filter out a few choices that weren’t quite up to snuff.
Sugar, “Your Favorite Thing”
R.E.M., “Suspicion”
Arcade Fire, “No Cars Go”
Pet Shop Boys, “Suburbia”
Belly, “Now They’ll Sleep” |
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