The Twins have named A- Cedar Rapids infielder Michael Davis and Twins left-handed pitcher Andrew Vasquez Twins minor league Player of the Week and minor league Pitcher of the Week.
In seven games for the Kernels, Davis hit .464 (13-for-28) with one double, one triple, three home runs and 13 RBI. The Bedford, Texas native was drafted by the Twins
in the 24th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Tech. Davis appeared in just three games for Elizabethton where he was 6 for 14 with a home run before being bumped up to Cedar Rapids where he has appeared in 42 games and is hitting .294 with 9 home runs and 28 RBI and playing primarily shortstop.
Prior to getting called up by the Twins, Vasquez appeared in three games for the Red Wings, pitching 4.1 scoreless innings with three walks and 10 strikeouts. The 6’6″ soon-to-be 25 year-old lefty from Rancho Cucamonga, California was drafted by the Twins in the 32nd round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. 2018 was a breakout year for Vasquez who started the season with the A+ Miracle where he struck out 37 in 32.2 innings. Then when the Twins bumped him up to AA Chattanooga he really showed something when he struck out 59 batters in just 31 innings and walked just four. The walk ratio was the big surprise because he has had some control issues in the past. The Twins sent him to AAA Rochester at the end of the season and he appeared in just four games but struck out 12 in just 5.2 innings. The Twins then called him up to Minnesota as a September call-up and made his big league debut on September 1st. Jumping from High A in Ft. Myers to AA, then AAA and then the big leagues in one season is very impressive indeed. It will be very interesting to see what Vasquez can show us this next month.
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MLB announced on August 31 that Minnesota Twins Minor League pitcher Alex Banks, who is currently on the roster of the rookie-level Dominican Summer League Twins, has received a 72-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Banks is a 17 year-old right-handed pitcher who was spending his first season in pro ball.