Category: Twins Minor League Player of the Week

Keirsey Jr. & Adams named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Minnesota Twins have announced that Triple-A St. Paul outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Double-A Wichita right-handed pitcher Travis Adams have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT). Keirsey signed for $600,000, way over the assigned slot value. MLB has Keirsey rated as the Twins 29th best prospect. For additional info on Keirsey please go here. Keirsey Jr, 27, played in five games for the Saints, hitting .474 (9-for-19) with two triples, two home runs, eight RBI and a 1.500 OPS, including a four-hit game on Thursday vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. On Tuesday, DaShawn became the fifth player in Saints history to reach 100 hits in a season.

Travis Adams was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 6th round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft from California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento, CA) and signed for a reported $253,300. Adams, a California native is repeating Double AA-Wichita and having a much better season this year than he had last year. Adams, 24, made the starter on Thursday at Midland, pitching 6.0 scoreless innings with one hit allowed, one walk and a season-high 10 strikeouts. Short video of Adams pitching.

Twins Minor League Report, 8-23-2024

Winokur & Soto named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Twins announced that Low-A Fort Myers infielder/outfielder Brandon Winokur and right-handed pitcher Charlee Soto have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Brandon Winokur was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft from Edison HS (Huntington Beach, CA). The Southern California native is described as a potential five-tool talent and signed for $1.5 million. Winokur is a 6’6″ right-handed batter who is playing shortstop, center field, third base and right field. MLB Pipeline currently has him rated as the Twins 12th best prospect. The is the second week in a row that Winokur has won this honor. Winokur, 19, posted a 1.042 OPS with five RBI in six games for the Mighty Mussels, including a three-homer game against Lakeland on Friday. Winokur three home run game video

Charlee Soto was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round (34th) of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft from Reborn Christian Academy (Kissimmee, FL). MLB Pipeline has Soto rated as the Twins 11th best prospect. For additional info on Soto please go here. Soto, 18, made the start on Wednesday vs. Lakeland, pitching 5.0 scoreless innings, with four hits allowed, two walks and four strikeouts.

Twins Minor League Report, 8-23-2024

Winokur & Morris named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Minnesota Twins have named Low-A Fort Myers infielder/outfielder Brandon Winokur and Double-A Wichita right-handed pitcher Andrew Morris as Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Brandon Winokur was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft from Edison HS (Huntington Beach, CA). The Southern California native is described as a potential five-tool talent and signed for $1.5 million. Winokur is a 6’6″ right-handed batter who is playing shortstop, center field, third base and right field. MLB Pipeline currently has him rated as the Twins 12th best prospect. Winokur, 19, played in four games for the Mighty Mussels, hitting .333 (5-for-15) with two home runs, three RBI and a 1.145 OPS. Short video clip of Winokur.

Andrew Morris was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft from Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX). Morris signed with Minnesota for a reported signing bonus of $500K and is no stranger to this list. MLB Pipeline has him rated as the Twins 18th best prospect with an expected MLB debut in 2025. Morris, 22, made the start on Wednesday at Corpus Christi, pitching 7 shutout innings, with two hits allowed, one walk and nine strikeouts.

Twins Minor League Report, 8-14-2024

Keirsey Jr. & Hall named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Twins announced that triple-A St. Paul outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Low-A Fort Myers right-handed pitcher Tanner Hall have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of Week.

Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT). Keirsey signed for $600,000, way over the assigned slot value. MLB has Keirsey rated as the Twins 29th best prospect. For additional info on Keirsey please go here. Keirsey, 27, a San Diego, CA native played in six games for the Saints, hitting .320 (8-for-25) with one double, one home run, three RBI, six runs scored and an .850 OPS.

Tanner Hall was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS). Hall signed with Minnesota for a reported $510,000. Hall, 22, started on Thursday, August 1 vs. St. Lucie, allowing two runs on four hits in 6.0 innings pitched, with one walk and nine strikeouts. Hall has already had an exciting start to his career, striking out 4 in one inning on July 6 and then on August 1 threw an immaculate inning.

Cespedes & Raya named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

On July 28th the Twins announced that High-A Cedar Rapids infielder Rubel Cespedes and Double-A Wichita right-handed pitcher Marco Raya have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week. Yes, I am behind again.

Rubel Cespedes was signed by the Twins out of the Dominican Republic as part of the 2019 international class. Cespedes spent 2019 & 2021 in the rookie league and then spent 2022 2023 in Low A ball. The 23 year old left-handed hitter is playing at first, second and third base but most of his time has been at the hot corner. Cespedes seems to be having a breakout season in 2024 and thus far is slashing .287/.359/.448. The Azua, Dominican Republic native Cespedes, played in six games for the Kernels, hitting .391 (9-for-23) with three home runs, eight RBI, three walks and a 1.264 OPS, including a two-homer game on Sunday vs. Wisconsin.

Marco Raya was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2020 MLB June Amateur Draft from United South HS (Laredo, TX). Raya had committed to Texas Tech but signed with the Twins instead for a bonus of $410,000. The Laredo, Texas native is ranked as the club’s eighth-best prospect by MLB.com and third best pitcher. For more info on Raya please go here. I think Raya could have an exciting future if he can stay healthy. Raya has not pitched more than 65 innings in pro ball but he is currently at 63.1 innings so hopefully he can be stretched out some this year. That said, the Twins treat him with kid gloves. Raya, 21, made the start on Friday at Amarillo, pitching a season-high 5.0 scoreless innings, with one hit allowed, no walks and five strikeouts. I believe this is his second pitcher of the week award this year.

Twins Minor League Report, 7-31-2024

Keaschall & Varland named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Twins have announced that Double-A Wichita infielder Luke Keaschall and Triple-A St. Paul right-handed pitcher Louie Varland have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Luke Keaschall was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 2nd round of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft from Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ). MLB Pipeline has Keaschall rated the Twins fifth best prospect and 94th best prospect in MLB. Keaschall played in the MLB futures game this past week as a replacement for Brandon Lee. For more info on Keaschall please go here. Keaschall, 21, hit .563 (9-for-16) with two home runs, two RBI, two walks, four runs scored and a 1.570 OPS in four games for the Wind Surge.

Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 15th round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft from Concordia University (St. Paul, MN). Varland made his major league debut on September 7, 2022 and has pitched in Minnesota off and on since 2022. Varland, 26, started for the Saints on July 11 at Louisville, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings with two hits allowed, three walks and six strikeouts in a no-decision. His relief work for the Twins todate has been better than his starting but the Twins FO wants his stretched out just in case.


Twins Minor League Report, 7-12-2024

Lee & MacLeod named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Twins have announced that Triple-A St. Paul infielder Brooks Lee and High-A Cedar Rapids left-handed pitcher Christian MacLeod (pronounced mc-CLOUD) have been named Twins 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 MLB Pipeline scouting report can seen here. MLB Pipeline has Lee as the Twins second best prospect and currently rated number 13 in MLB overall. Lee missed the first two months of the season with a herniated disk. Lee, 23, played in six games for the Saints, hitting .357 (10-for-28) with three doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI. All 11 of his RBI came in a three-game stretch from Tuesday-Thursday, which included a grand slam on Tuesday and a two-homer game on Thursday. We should be able to watch the switch-hitting Brooks Lee playing at Target Field soon. I can’t wait.

Christian MacLeod was Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 5th round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft from Mississippi State University (Mississippi State, MS). The 6’4″ Huntsville, Alabama native left-hander signed a $500,000 signing bonus with Minnesota. MacLeod missed the 2022 season after under-going TJ surgery. MacLeod, 24, made the start on Tuesday for the Kernels vs. Peoria, pitching 6 shutout innings, with one hit allowed, one walk and a
career-high 10 strikeouts, earning his first win of the season.

Twins-Minor-League-Report-6-27-2024.PDF

Severino & Festa named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Twins have announced that Triple-A St. Paul infielder Yunior Severino and right-handed pitcher David Festa have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week. Hey, I am finally caught up.

Yunior Severino, a Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native was signed by the Twins as an international free agent in July of 2016 for $2.5 million. For more information on how he ended up with Minnesota stop by and check out this short article. Severino, 24, played in six games for the Saints, hitting .500 (10-for-20) with three home runs, seven RBI, nine walks, three strikeouts, a .655 on-base percentage, a .950 slugging percentage and a 1.605 OPS. He homered twice on Thursday at Louisville. Playing first base and third base this year but primarily first base.

David Festa was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft from Seton Hall University (South Orange, NJ). Festa is rated as the club’s fifth-best prospect by MLB.com — first among pitchers. For more Festa info please go here. Festa, 24, started for the Saints on Friday at Louisville, allowing two runs on four hits in 6 innings pitched with no walks and 10 strikeouts. It marked the third time he has struck out 10 batters in an outing this season and was one short of his career-high of 11 which he did in 2022. Will he be making an appearance in a Twins uniform soon?

Twins-Minor-League-Report-6-16-2024-1.pdf

Wallner & Olivares named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

Triple-A St. Paul outfielder Matt Wallner and Low-A Fort Myers right-handed pitcher Jose Olivares have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week. I apologize for getting this out so late, it was announced on June 9.

Minnesota native Matt Wallner 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) of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS). Wallner debuted with the Twins on September 17, 2022. Started the season with the Twins but struggled and was sent to AAA. This past week Wallner, 26, played in six games for the Saints, hitting .364 (8-for-22) with one double, four home runs, eight RBI, three walks, seven runs scored, a .462 on-base percentage, a .955 slugging percentage and a 1.416 OPS. The man is on a tear.

Jose Oliveras the Altagracia de Orituco, Venezuela native was signed by the Minnesota Twins as an international free agent in January of 2021. Olivares, 21, made the start on Tuesday at Tampa, pitching 5.0 shutout innings, with four hits allowed, no walks and a season-high six strikeouts.

Twins-Minor-League-Report-6-16-2024-1

Olivar & Langenberg named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

High-A Cedar Rapids catcher/outfielder Ricardo Olivar and Low-A Fort Myers right-handed pitcher Ty Langenberg have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week. I apologize for getting this out so late, it was announced on June 2. My reason for posting even if it is late is that the players deserve the recognition and fans get to see what the up and coming future Twins players are doing.

Ricardo Olivar, the Barquisimeto, Venezuela native was signed by the Twins in July of 2019 for a bonus of $20K. Olivar is currently rated as the Twins 20th best prospect and catching as well as playing in the outfield. Olivar, 22, played in five games for the Kernels, hitting .364 (8-for-22) with three home runs, five RBI and a 1.136 OPS. See more about Olivar here and here.

Ty Langenberg was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA). Langenberg was promoted to Cedar Rapids on June 11. Langenberg, 22, made the start for the Mighty Mussels on Tuesday vs. Bradenton, allowing two runs on four hits in 5.2 innings pitched, with three walks and eight strikeouts.

Twins-Minor-League-Report-6-13-2024.pdf