In week five the Minnesota Twins minor league players of the week are AA Wichita infielder Jose Miranda and Low A Fort Myers left-handed pitcher Sawyer Gipson-Long. Congrats to Jose and Sawyer.
Jose Miranda, that name sure sounds familiar, of course it does because Miranda is an infielder with the Wichita Wind Surge and has played second and third base this season and he was the Twins minor league player of the week back in week one. Miranda was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 2nd round of the 2016 MLB June Amateur Draft from Leadership Christian Academy (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico). Miranda, a shortstop was selected from Leadership Christian Academy with the No. 73 overall pick in Lottery Round B and projects to be a power-hitting third baseman. The Twins saved slot money by signing him for $775,000, as the pick had a value of $878,500.
In winning his second POW award in 2021 Miranda played in six games for the Wind Surge, hitting .333 (9-for-27) with two doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, two walks and six runs scored, including a game-tying ninth inning home run on May 29 vs. Springfield. Miranda is playing all over the infield this season and hitting .322 with 7 home runs and 27 RBI in 29 games. Did I mention his .394 OBP and his OPS of .950? The soon to be 23 year old is playing like a man that wants to call the Twin Cities home.
Georgia native Alec Sawyer Gipson-Long was selected by the Twins in the sixth round of the 2019 First-Year out of Mercer University in Macon, GA. Gipson-Long is 6’4″ 225lb right-hander. According to Twins Daily, Gipson-Long signed for $215,000, well below the slot value of about $275,000. This past December Seth Stohs of Twins Daily did a great Twins Spotlight video with Sawyer that you can view at https://fb.watch/5YN6jaiR40/ .
Gipson-Long made one start during the week, on Wednesday vs. St. Lucie, allowing four runs (2 earned) on six hits with no walks and 11 strikeouts, earning the win. Gipson-Long had a rough start to the 2021 season losing his first two starts but since then he has come on strong with a ND and two wins.