Category: Twins Minor League Player of the Week

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

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

The Minnesota Twins have announced that High-A Cedar Rapids infielder Luke Keaschall and right-handed pitcher C.J. Culpepper 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 ninth best prospect. Keaschall, 21, played in six games for the Kernels, hitting .500 (12-for-24) with two doubles, three home runs, seven RBI and a 1.545 OPS. For more info on Keaschall go here.

C. J. Culpepper was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 13th round of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft from California Baptist University (Riverside, CA). Culpepper won this award three times in 2023 and is a first time winner in 2024. MLB currently has C. J. rated as the Twins 8th best prospect on MLB Pipeline and you can read more about Culpepper there. Culpepper, 22, made the start for the Kernels on Thursday at Peoria, pitching 6 perfect innings, with eight strikeouts, retiring all 18 batters he faced.

Twins-Minor-League-Report-5-28-2024

Mercedes & Ohl named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Minnesota Twins have announced that FCL outfielder Yasser Mercedes and Double-A Wichita right-handed pitcher Pierson Ohl have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

The Minnesota Twins signed free agent Puerto Rican native outfielder Yasser Mercedes to a minor league contract on January 15, 2022 for $1.7 million. Mercedes is in his third season of pro ball. Repeating FCL after looking overwhelmed in his first try. MLB Pipeline has Mercedes as the Twins 19th best prospect.

This week Mercedes, 19, played in four games, hitting .625 (10-for-16) with two doubles, two home runs, eight RBI, seven runs scored, three walks and a 1.809 OPS.

Pierson Ohl, a Moorpark, California native was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 14th round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft from Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, AZ) and signed for $100K.

Ohl, 24, made the start on Tuesday at Tulsa, pitching 6 shutout innings, with four hits allowed and one walk, while tying a professional career high 10 strikeouts. Ohl, a right-hander is in his fourth season of pro ball.

Twins Minor League Report, 5-13-2024.PDF


McCusker & Matthews named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Minnesota Twins have announced Double-A Wichita outfielder Carson McCusker and Wichita right-handed pitcher Zebby Matthews as Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Zebby Matthews was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 8th round of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft from Western Carolina University (Cullowhee, NC). Matthews is currently rated by MLB as the Twins 20th best prospect. Stop by the MLB Pipeline site and see more detailed info about Matthews here. This is Zebby’s third pitcher of the week award this year. Matthews was promoted to Wichita from Cedar Rapids on May 6.

Matthews, 23, made his Double-A debut on Thursday vs. Arkansas, allowing two unearned runs on three hits in 6.2 innings pitched, with no walks and nine strikeouts. Matthews is on a roll and appears to have figured something out. Watch Matthews strike them out right here.

Carson McCusker is a Sparks, Nevada native who was signed
by the Minnesota Twins in June of 2023 and originally selected by the Brewers in the 26th round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Folsom Lake College in California. Who is he? He’s. 6-foot-8 outfielder who was signed by the Twins in June 2023 after he ripped up the Frontier League for the Tri-City ValleyCats, an team playing summer baseball in the independent league.

McCusker, 25, played in five games for the Wind Surge this week, hitting .526 (10-for-19) with four doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and a 1.819 OPS. The 6-foot-8, 250-pound outfielder went 5-for-5 on Tuesday vs. Arkansas. You can watch McCusker’s three home run night here.

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

The Minnesota twins have announced that Triple-A St. Paul outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Saints right-handed pitcher David Festa have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Outfielder DaShawn Keirsey 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 Jr, 26, played in six games for the Saints, hitting .280 (7-for-25) with one double, one home run and six RBI.

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.

Festa, 24, made the start on Tuesday vs. Louisville, allowing two runs on three hits in 5 innings pitched, with one walk and 10 strikeouts.

With the Minnesota Twins no longer on Bally Sports this might interest you if MiLB is interesting to you. Good price for sure.

https://www.milb.com/live-stream-games/subscribe

Gonzalez & Matthews named as the Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

The Minnesota Twins have announced that High-A Cedar Rapids outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez and High-A Cedar Rapids right-handed pitcher Zebby Matthews have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez signed with the Seattle Mariners as a 17-year-old from Venezuela for $1.3 million in February 2021. Gonzalez began his professional career with the organization’s Dominican Summer League club. The Carupano, Venezuela native was acquired by the Twins as one of the pieces in the Jorge Polanco trade on January 29, 2024. This past week Gonzalez, 20, played in five games for the Kernels, hitting .353 (6-for-17) with four doubles, one home run, five RBI and a 1.186 OPS. MLB Pipeline has Gonzalez rated at the Twins 4th best prospect and he is rated number 71 in MLB Pipelines 100 best prospects. For more info on Gonzalez please go here. Check out his home run at https://www.mlb.com/twins/video/gabriel-gonzalez-cranks-a-two-run-home-run

Continue reading Gonzalez & Matthews named as the Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week

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

The Minnesota Twins have announced that Low-A Fort Myers infielder Rayne Doncon and Double-A Wichita right-handed pitcher Marco Raya have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent SS Rayne Doncon to a minor league contract for a signing bonus of $497,500 in January of 2021. Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers with Manuel Margot and cash to the Minnesota Twins for Noah Miller (minors) on February 26, 2024. This past week Doncon, 20, played in six games for the Mighty Mussels, hitting .304 (7-for-23) with four doubles, two RBI, five walks, a .414 on-base percentage and an .892 OPS. Doncon is a San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic native. Doncon hit 14 home runs in 2023 but struck out 103 times and hit just .213 in 473 PA’s. Photo credit to William Parmeter.

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. Raya, 21, made the start on Friday versus Tulsa, pitching 3 scoreless innings in a start, with two hits allowed, no walks and four strike-outs. He has now posted a 2.00 ERA (9.0 IP, 2 ER) with no walks and 11 strikeouts in three starts for the Wind Surge this season. The Laredo, Texas native is ranked as the club’s sixth-best prospect by MLB.com and fifth-best by Baseball America. For more info on Raya please go here. I think Raya could have an exciting future if he can stay healthy.

Twins-Minor-League-Report-4-19-2024