Month: September 2022

Twins minor league players of the week are Lee & Festa

The Minnesota Twins have named Double-A Wichita infielder Brooks Lee and High-A Cedar Rapids right-handed pitcher David Festa as the club’s minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Brooks Lee was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round (8th) of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo, CA). Lee, whose draft slot was estimated to be worth $5.4 million, received a signing bonus worth $5.675 million. Lee’s scouting report is interesting and you can see it here. MLB Pipleline has Lee as the Twins top prospect and currently rated number 33 in MLB overall.

Lee, 21, played in four games for the Kernels (including all 3 playoff games), going 4-for-15 with two doubles, two RBI and three walks. He was promoted from High-A Cedar Rapids yesterday afternoon after hitting .289 (28-for-97) with four doubles, four home runs, 12 RBI and an .848 OPS in 25 games for the Kernels. The San Luis Obispo, California native switch-hitting shortstop has played in just 29 professional games and is already at AA-Wichita. Just 4 games with the Rookie Twins and 25 games at High-A Cedar Rapids. Talk about being on the fast track to Minnesota!

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Twins minor league players of the week are Balazovic & Cavaco

The Minnesota Twins have named Triple-A St. Paul right-handed pitcher Jordan Balazovic and Low-A Fort Myers infielder Keoni Cavaco as the club’s minor league Pitcher and Player of the Week.

Jordan Balazovic was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 5th round of the 2016 MLB June Amateur Draft from St. Martin SS (Mississauga, ON). At one point he was as high as number 3 on the MLB Twins Pipeline but now finds himself at number 15. The soon to be 24 year-old is spending his sixth season in the minors (no minor league ball in 2020).

Balazovic, who turns 24 on Saturday, made two starts for the Saints, going 0-0, 1.00 ERA (9.0 IP, 1 ER) with four walks and 15 strikeouts. Balazovic has had a disappointing 2022 season with his last two starts being arguably the best he has had all season. He started the season on the IL and with the AAA-Saints he has made 18 starts and has an 0-6 record with a 8.16 ERA. In his 18 starts he has pitched 56 innings (3.11 innings per start) and he has given up 89 hits while striking out 61 batters. His last start was the first time he has ever pitched 5 innings in pro ball and he has not thrown as many as 80 pitches in his career. He is relatively young but has to turn things around soon if he wants to be a big league pitcher.

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Twins minor league players of the week are Wallner & Headrick

The Minnesota Twins have named Triple-A St Paul outfielder Matt Wallner and Double-A Wichita left-handed pitcher Brent Headrick as their minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Matt Wallner a Forest Lake, Minnesota native was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 32nd round of the 2016 MLB June Amateur Draft from Forest Lake HS (Forest Lake, MN) and the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round (39th-competitive balance) of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS). Wallner is a repeat winner this year having also won this award trice earlier this season. MLB Pipeline currently has Wallner rated as the Twins 5th best prospect.

Wallner, 24, played in six games for the Saints, hitting .409 (9-for-22) with four doubles, one triple, two home runs, eight RBI and seven walks. He recorded the first cycle in Saints history on Thursday night against Omaha and finished the game with five hits.

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