Category: Twins Minor League Player of the Week

Twins Minor League POW are Matt Wallner & Matt Canterino

Pioneer Press East Metro baseball player of the year, Matt Wallner of Forest Lake is photographed Monday, June 13, 2016. (Pioneer Press: Jace Fredrick)

In week three the Twins minor league position player of the week is outfielder Matt Wallner. Wallner a Minnesota native born in Forest Lake was first drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 32nd round of the 2016 MLB June Amateur Draft from Forest Lake HS (Forest Lake, MN) but chose not to sign. The 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Wallner was the Pioneer Press’ 2016 East Metro Player of the Year. The Minnesota Twins upped the ante and drafted him again, this time in the 1st round (39th) of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS). Wallner, a left-handed batter grew up a Twins fans and did some pitching in college but always wanted to be on the hitting side of the ball. The Twins took Wallner with a pick in Competitive Balance Round A by virtue of being in either one of the 10 smallest markets or 10 smallest revenue pools, which thereby gave them an additional pick at the end of the first round. According to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis, Wallner received a signing bonus of $1.8 million just under the $1.9 million slot value.

In his first season in pro ball Wallner played at rookie league Elizabethton and briefly at Low A ball with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. With no MiLB in 2020, Wallner started 2021 with Cedar Rapids again but this time as a High-A ball Kernel. This past week Wallner played in six games hitting .400 (10-for-25) with one double, one triple, two home runs and four RBI, including a four-hit game on Thursday versus Beloit. Wallner is off to a nice start hitting .333 with four home runs and 14 RBI over 17 games this season.

The Twins minor league pitcher of the week is Texas native right-handed pitcher Matt Canterino.  Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 2nd round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft from Rice University (Houston, TX). Canterino started his pro career with the rookie Twins Gulf team in 2019 before jumping up to the Low-A Cedar Rapids Kernels. 2021 finds him with the High-A Cedar Raids team.

Canterino, 23, made two starts for Cedar Rapids this past week, going 1-0, 1.64 ERA (11.0 IP, 2 ER) with one walk and 19 strikeouts, including a 10-strikeout game on Friday versus Beloit.

Twins Minor League POW are Spencer Steer & Josh Winder

In week two the Twins minor league position player of the week is infielder Spencer Steer. Steer who was born in Long Beach, California was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Oregon (Eugene, OR). The 5’11” Steer had previously been drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 29th round in 2016 but did not sign with them.

In 2019 Steer spent 20 games with Elizabethton and then moved up to the Low-A Cedar Rapids Kernels where he appeared in 44 games. The right-handed hitting Steer is playing in Cedar Rapids again this year but this time it is with a High-A Cedar Rapids Kernels team. In five games this past week he hit .333 (4-for-12) with one home run, two RBI, five walks and had a .500 on-base percentage playing primarily second base but he has also played shortstop and third base. Steer has committed three errors in 9 games played this season. You can learn more about Spencer Steer by watching Seth Stoh’s Twins Spotlight on YouTube.

This weeks Twins minor league pitcher of the week is Josh Winder. The 6’5″ Winder was a Minnesota Twins 7th round selection in the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft from Virginia Military Institute (Lexington, VA).

Josh Winder credit MLB Pipeline

Winder, a big right-hander was 3-1 with a 3.72 ERA at Elizabethton in 2018 and in 2019 was 7-2 with the Low-A Cedar Rapids Kernels and led the Midwest League in ERA and WHIP during his first full season in pro ball. According to MLB.com “Winder worked hard during the 2020 shutdown to add strength to his 6-foot-5 frame, and it showed. After sitting in the low 90s throughout the 2019 season, he was up to 98 mph consistently during instructional, albeit in a smaller sample size, throwing it with good riding life. He added velocity to his curve as well. If the velocity and stuff gains are for real, Winder could be one of the biggest starting pitcher sleeper prospects in the game.” MLB has Winder at the 14th best Twins prospect going into 2021. Winder, 24, made his first start of the season the start on Friday for the AA Wichita Wind Surge vs. Amarillo, pitching 5.2 shutout innings with three hits allowed, one walk and eight strikeouts, earning the win for the Wind Surge.

Twins Minor League POW are Jose Miranda & Brent Headrick

With no MiLB played in 2020 due to COVID we have not had any Minnesota Twins players of the week since September 2019. It is nice to get things a little more back to normal. The MiLB season started about a month later than normal and the Appalachian League has been discontinued. The Twins discontinued their AAA relationship with the Rochester Red Wings and their new AAA St. Paul Saints team is just across the Mississippi River. What a wonderful deal for the Minnesota Twins and fans of minor league baseball. The Twins new AA team is the Wichita Wind Surge of the Double-A Central League Northern Division. The Cedar Rapids Kernels are now the High-A team and the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are the Low-A team.

The Rookie League Gulf Coast league Twins and the Dominican Summer League Twins will begin play later this year.

Continue reading Twins Minor League POW are Jose Miranda & Brent Headrick

Twins minor league players of the week – Wiel & Laweryson

The Twins have named AAA Rochester Red Wings 1B/OF Zander Wiel and Rookie-Elizabethton right-handed pitcher Cody Laweryson Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Zander Wiel

In seven games for the Red Wings, Wiel hit .370 (10-for-27) with four doubles, three home runs, seven RBI, three walks and a 1.271 OPS. The right-handed hitting Wiel plays primarily first base but spends some time in the outfield too. In 518 PA’s this season in Rochester Wiel hit 24 home runs, knocked in 78 and had a .255 batting average. On the down side Wiel struck out 158 times. The 26-year old Tennessee native was the Twins 12th round selection in 2015 and signed for a reported $140,000. 

 

Cody Laweryson

Laweryson made the start on Monday vs. Greeneville, pitching 6.0 shutout innings with three hits allowed, no walks and 15 strikeouts. The Twins drafted the 6’4″ right-handed Laweryson in the 14th round just last season and gave him a $80,000 signing bonus. Not many big leaguers from Maine, let’s see if Cody can be the exception.

Twins Minor League Report, 9-1-19

Twins minor league players of the week – Kirilloff & Ober

The Twins have announced that outfielder Alex Kirilloff and Bailey Ober have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Alex Kirilloff

Kirilloff, 21, played in seven games for Double-A Pensacola this week, hitting .444 (12-for-27) with one double, one home run, five RBI and a 1.075 OPS. Kirilloff was drafted by the Twins in round one and 15th overall in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft and represented the Twins at the SiriusXM Futures Game in Cleveland this summer.

Kirilloff is in his fourth season of pro ball but he missed all of 2017 due to TJ surgery. The slugging left-hander has never hit below .306 in the pro’s but is hitting only .282 this year after injuries early in the season hampered his swing. A star in the making, I’m sure we would all love to see a sneak peak of Alex at Target Field this season but I think that is unlikely to happen, next year at some point for sure.

Bailey Ober

Ober, 24, made one start for the Blue Wahoos on Wednesday at Mississippi, pitching 7 shutout innings with three hits, no walks and 12 strikeouts. In his two starts at Pensacola, the big 6’9″ right-hander is 2-0 with 14 innings pitched, 20 KO’s, 5 hits allowed, 1 walk and 1 earned run allowed.

Ober was drafted by the Twins in the 12th round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of College of Charleston.

Twins Minor League Report, 8-25-19

Twins minor league players of the week – Celestino & Chalmers

Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week honors have been announced and Low-A Cedar Rapids outfielder Gilberto Celestino and High-A Ft. Myers right-handed pitcher Dakota Chalmers have been named.

Gilberto Celestino

In five games for the Kernels, Celestino hit .579 (11-for-19) with three doubles, two home runs, five RBI and a 1.689 OPS. The 20-year-old Dominican was acquired by the Twins in July 2018 as part of the Ryan Pressly trade with Houston and is in his fourth season of pro ball. The right-handed hitting Celestino, who currently is rated the Twins number 21 prospect, was promoted to the Ft. Myers Miracle on August 21st. I think this is the third time this year that Celestino has won the Twins POW honor, WOW!

Dakota Chalmers

The right-handed Chalmers made the start on Tuesday versus St. Lucie, surrendering one unearned run in 6 innings allowing three hits, one walk and nine strikeouts. The 22-year-old was acquired by the Twins from Oakland in exchange for Fernando Rodney last August. What I like about Chalmers is that he always seems to give up fewer hits then inning pitched, in 151 career inning pitched he has given up just 105 hits but struck out 178.

Interesting in that both Celestino and Chalmers were acquired in trades. One of the trades, the one in which the Twins traded Pressly still has many Twins fans grumbling because he has been so good for Houston. The Rodney deal? Not so much, no one seems to care or even remember him.

Twins Minor League Report, 8-18-19

 

Twins minor league players of the week – Larnach & Balazovic

Trevor Larnach (click on image to make larger)

Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week honors have been announced and  AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos outfielder Trevor Larnach and High-A Ft. Myers Miracle right-handed pitcher Jordan Balazovic have been named.

In five games for the Miracle, Larnach hit .412 (7-for-17) with two home runs, five RBI, four walks and a 1.289 OPS. The 22-year-old was selected by the Twins 20th overall in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Oregon State University. After signing with Minnesota the left-handed hitting Larnach started with rookie league Elizabethton and finished the season with Low-A Cedar Rapids. This year he started in High-A Ft. Myers and was promoted in mid-July to AA Pensacola. At the present rate on the fast track I would expect Larnach to at least make an appearance for the Twins in 2020.

Jordan Balazovic – click on image to make it larger)

Balazovic made the start on Thursday vs. Jupiter, pitching 5 shutout innings with two
hits allowed, one walk and nine strikeouts. The 20-year-old 6’5″ right-hander was selected by the Twins in the fifth round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of St. Martin SS in Mississauga, Ontario. Balazovic pitched one perfect inning at the SiriusXM Futures Game this July at Progressive Field.

Balazovic carving path into Twins’ Future

 

Twins Minor League Report, 8-11-19

Twins minor league players of the week – Celestino & Ober

Gilberto Celestino

For the second straight week, the Twins have named Low-A Cedar Rapids Kernels outfielder Gilberto Celestino Twins Player of the Week. In his last six games for the Kernels, Celestino hit .458 (11-for-24) with one double, one home run, three RBI, two walks and a 1.144 OPS. Celestino was acquired by the Twins along with right-handed pitcher Jorge Alcala near the 2018 trade deadline in exchange for right-handed pitcher Ryan Pressly. Celestino was originally signed as international free agent by Astros, July 2, 2015 for a $2.25 million signing bonus and $275,000 for college.

Bailey Ober

High -A Ft. Myers right-handed pitcher Bailey Ober has been named Twins minor
league Pitcher of the Week. The 6’9″ Ober made the start last Saturday, allowing one unearned run on six hits in 6.1 innings pitched, earning the win over Lakeland. In 8 starts for the Miracle this season Ober is 4-0 with a 0.99 ERA in 45.2 innings. His WHIP matches his ERA at 0.99 and he has struck out 53 batters while allowing on 39 hits. Nice numbers!

The 24-year-old was drafted by the Twins in the 12th round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of College of Charleston and signed for a reported $125,000 signing bonus. Ober had been drafted by the Dodgers as a 23rd rounder in 2016 but chose not to sign.

Twins Minor League Report, 8-4-19

Twins minor league players of the week – Celestino & Colina

Twins have named Low-A Cedar Rapids Kernels outfielder Gilberto Celestino and  AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos right-handed pitcher Edwar Colina Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Gilberto Celestino

In six games for the Kernels, Celestino hit .385 (10-for-26) with three doubles, one home run, four RBI, one walk with a 1.023 OPS. Celestino had a rough April but has been coming on since then. This year in 369 AB’s he is hitting .249 with 6 home runs and 39 RBI. The 20-year old right-handed hitting Celestino is already in his fourth season of pro ball. Celestino was acquired by the Twins along with right-handed pitcher Jorge Alcala near the 2018 trade deadline in exchange for right-handed pitcher Ryan Pressly.

Edwar Colina

Colina made his first AA start on Thursday for the Blue Wahoos against the Mobile BayBears, pitching 7 innings (CG), allowing one unearned run with three hits allowed, one walk and 10 strikeouts. Colina was signed by the Twins as an undrafted free agent at the end of September in 2015. Keep an eye on Colina….

Lewis goes yard again in Miracle’s win – Top Twins prospect provides support for righty Colina’s gem

Twins minor league players of the week – Davis & Teng

AAA Rochester outfielder Jaylin Davis and Low-A Cedar Rapids right-handed pitcher Kai-Wei Teng have been named Twins Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Jaylin Davis

In seven games for the Red Wings, Davis hit .458 (11-for-24) with five home runs, 11 RBI, five walks, 12 runs scored and a 1.664 OPS. Davis, 25, was selected in the 24th round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Appalachian State University. The right-handed hitting Davis started the season in Pensacola and moved up to Rochester on June 19. Steady climb thru the Twins system and is getting close to making his big league debut.

Kai-Wei Teng

Teng made the start on Sunday for the Kernels, pitching 6. shutout innings with five hits allowed no walks and a season-high 10 strikeouts. Teng, 20, was signed by the Twins as an undrafted free agent in October of 2017 out of Taichung, Taiwan. 

Kernels pitcher Kai-Wei Teng has been named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week

 

Twins Minor League Report, 7-21-19