TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history. “History never looks like history when you are living through it” – John Gardner, former Secretary of Health
The Minnesota Twins have announced that High-A Cedar Rapids right-handed pitcher Kyle Jones and Triple-A St. Paul outfielder Matt Wallner have been named Twins minor league Pitcher and Player of the Week for week 13.
Kyle Jones was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 7th round of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Toledo (Toledo, OH) and signed for $176,600. A TwinsDaily.com interview with Jones can be seen here.
Jones, 23, appeared in two games (one start) for the Kernels, going 1-0, 1.23 ERA (7.1 IP, 1 ER), with five walks and eight strikeouts, while holding opponents to a .154 batting average. The 6’1″ (200) right-handed Jones started the season in Cedar Rapids and has pitched in 13 games with 11 starts and has 51 strikeouts in 53.2 innings with a 4-4 record and a 4.02 ERA. He finds a way to keep the ball in the ballpark and has given up just two home runs all season.
The Minnesota Twins have announced that Triple-A outfielder Matt Wallner and Triple-A left-handed pitcher Brent Headrick have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week for week nine. Twins Rookie and DSL leagues begin play today (June 5).
Brent Headrick was Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 9th round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft from Illinois State University (Normal, IL). Headrick signed with Minnesota for a reported $130,000. MLB Pipeline currently has Headrick as the Twins 24th best prospect. More info on Headrick. The 6’6″ lefty made his big league debut earlier this season.
Headrick, 25, pitched 5 innings of relief on Tuesday at Buffalo, allowing one run on five hits in 5 innings pitched with no walks and seven strikeouts. This season in Triple-A St. Paul, Headrick has started 5 of the 8 games he has appeared in this season but it appears the Twins are trying to make him a relief pitcher. In 37.2 innings he has allowed 43 hits and struck out 48 but his WHIP is 1.407 so his control needs some work.
SPRING FLING: Today the Twins will play the 28th and 29th of 32 scheduled Grapefruit League games as the Twins and Braves will play a pair of split squad at Hammond Stadium and CoolToday Park in North Port. After today, one more game will be played at Hammond Stadium and two more games will be played on the road. The Twins will complete the exhibition season with a 1:05 pm (ET) game in Bradenton against the Pirates on Tuesday, March 28. After the game, they will fly to Kansas City, hold an optional team workout on March 29 then begin a three-game, four-day series at Kauffman Stadium from March 30-April 2. Rocco Baldelli announced to the media how the starting five will open the season: for the Kansas City series – RHP Pablo López on Thursday, March 30 , RHP Sonny Gray on Saturday, April 1, RHP Joe Ryan on Sunday, April 2. For the Miami series – RHP Tyler Mahle on Monday, April 3, RHP Kenta Maeda on Tuesday, April 4.
Below is a look at MLB’s top ten Twins prospects entering the 2023 season: 1. Brooks Lee, 2 Royce Lewis, 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, 4. Connor Prelipp, 5 Matt Wallner, 6 Simeon Woods Richardson, 7 Marco Raya, 8 Misael Urbina, 9 Matt Canterino, 10 Louie Varland.
PROSPECT SHOWCASE IN TAMPA: The Twins beat the Yankees yesterday afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field by a score of 6-4. Pablo López was the starter in his final tuneup of the spring, allowing two runs on two hits in 3 innings pitched. Kenta Maeda made his final official spring appearance in relief, allowing two runs on three hits in 5 innings pitched, with five strikeouts. Twins prospects Edouard Julien and Emmanuel Rodriguez both went 2-for-4 with a home run, as Rodriguez’s three-run jimmy jack gave the Twins a ninth inning lead and eventual victory.
SPRING FLING: Today the Twins will play the 22nd of 32 scheduled Grapefruit League games. Twins also played one World Baseball Classic exhibition against Team Dominican Republic March 9. After today, five more games will be played at Hammond Stadium and five more games will be played on the road. The Twins made the trek to Bradenton today for a tilt against the Pittsburgh Pirates and return home tomorrow to take on the Atlanta Braves at Hammond Stadium. The end of Spring Training is coming fast. Just 12 days until Opening Day.
YESTERDAY’S RECAP: The Twins fell to the Baltimore Orioles, 5-3, yesterday afternoon at Hammond Stadium. Tyler Mahle made the start and took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits (3 HR) with two walks and three strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work. Kyle Farmer went 2-for-3 with a pair of solo home runs, including going back-to-back with Michael A. Taylor in the second inning. Taylor’s was his first homer of spring and he finished the afternoon 1-for-3. Danny Coulombe (1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K) and Oliver Ortega (2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K) each recorded scoreless outings in relief.
The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have optioned outfielder Matt Wallner to Triple-A St. Paul and reassigned infielder Brooks Lee to minor league camp. The Twins now have 52 active players in camp (18 non-roster): 26 pitchers (7 non-roster), six catchers (4 non-roster), nine infielders (3 non-roster) and 11 outfielders (4 non-roster), plus two players on the 60-day Injured List.
WBC TV Viewership: The March 10 Japan vs. Korea game on TBS at the Tokyo Dome registered a 44.4 rating, the most-watched game in the history of the World Baseball Classic in any country until the March 16 quarterfinal game vs. Italy registered a 48.0; that game out-rated all sports competitions during the Tokyo Olympics.
The Twins are in agreement with outfielder Joey Gallo on a one-year deal that will pay him $11MM. The two-time All-Star is represented by the Boras Corporation. Apparently when one of Boras’s players is having a tough time getting signed, they turn to the Minnesota Twins for some reason. Either Boras has something on the Twins FO dynamic duo that they don’t want the public to know or they are just easy to convince that the player will be good and might sign a long term deal with them.
Twins fans were disgusted with Miguel Sano and his strikeouts and they couldn’t wait for him to be run out of town. The Twins FO obliged and didn’t tender Sano. But if Twins fans didn’t like Sano, they are really in for a treat in their new outfielder Joey Gallo. Sanó has the second-highest career strikeout rate in MLB history at 36.4 percent. The only player to whiff more often is Gallo, who sits atop the all-time career list at 37.3 percent, including 39.8 percent last season for the Yankees and Dodgers.
The Minnesota Twins minor league players of the week are Triple-A St. Paul right-handed pitcher Ronny Henriquez and Double-A Wichita outfielder Matt Wallner.
Ronny Henriquez was signed as international free agent by the Texas Rangers on July 3, 2017. Barely 5-10 and 150 pounds when he signed in 2017, he received just $10,000. But as a 17-year old he could already hit 93 with his fastball. Henriquez was acquired by the Minnesota Twins over the 2021 offseason in a trade with Texas, along with infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, in exchange for catcher Mitch Garver. At the time of the trade Henriquez was rated the Rangers 15th best prospect.
Henriquez, 22, appeared in one game in relief this week for the Saints on Thursday at Louisville, pitching 4 shutout innings with four hits allowed, no walks and four strikeouts. Henriquez is 1-1, 3.80 ERA (23.2 IP, 10 ER) with eight walks, 27 strikeouts and a .236 opponent batting average in his last five games (3 starts) for the Saints. Henriquez’s numbers on the season are not nearly as good as he is 1-3 in 9 starts (13 appearances) with a 6.15 ERA and a 1.500 WHIP and his SO/W ratio is 2.71. Henriquez is on the Twins 40 man roster and according to MLB Pipeline he is the Twins 11th best prospect.
The Minnesota Twins minor league players of the week are Low-A Fort Myers right-handed pitcher Pierson Ohl and Double-A Wichita outfielder Matt Wallner.
Pierson Ohl was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 14th round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft from Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, AZ). Reports have Ohl receiving a signing bonus of $100,000 to sign with Minnesota. According to Twins Daily, Ohl’s pre-draft scouting report cited a fastball that operated in the high 80s and low 90s, with plus command. Additionally, Ohl carries a curveball and an above-average changeup which serves as his best secondary offering.
This past week Ohl, 22, made one start for the Mighty Mussels on Thursday at Lakeland, allowing one run on three hits in 6 innings pitched, with one walk and eight strikeouts. On the season the 6’1″ Ohl has thrown 44 innings in 11 starts and allowed 51 hits and struck out 51 batters.
The Minnesota Twins minor league players of the week are pitcher Casey Legumina and outfielder Matt Wallner.
Casey Legumina, a 6’2″ right-handed pitcher was drafted by the Blue Jays (25th round) in 2016, again by the Indians (35th round ) in 2018 and finally by the Minnesota Twins in in the 8th round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft from Gonzaga University (Spokane, WA). Legumina signed for $250,000, well above the $173K slot value according to Twins Daily. In 2018 Legumina was a closer for Gonzaga with 13 saves and in 2019 pitched in just two games, both starts.
Legumina spent all of 2021 in Low A Fort Myers except for one start in High A Cedar Rapids. This year the 24-year old Legumina started the season in Cedar Rapids and has three starts there. His last start for the Kernels on Wednesday at Beloit was his best this season, pitching five shutout innings (81 pitches) with one hit allowed, one walk and eight strikeouts in a no-decision. A nice piece on Casey Legumina by Phil Miller this past March.
After a year off due to COVID-19 the Arizona Fall League, major league baseball’s finishing school for the games best prospects is back and will start play on October 13. The rosters of the six teams, announced today, are once again chock full of elite-level talent. There are 17 of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects slated to play in the AFL this year, headlined by four in the top 10.
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.
