News Twins Team Notes

[Minnesota Twins]

Twins 6, White Sox 3: Keaschall steals, bullpen deals

Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Luke who’s making a splash.

(short one tonight as I have to get to sleep right away)

Our hard luck started one middling morn, least so they always say,
And say that luck will never end until our dying day.
But on this evening, on this Wednesday, saw our team could thrive;
These souls have oft sad bleakly, but today we speak alive,

I’m a total
Hooked Minnesota fan,
They stay our team despite all the jeers;
We still applaud consuming our beers.
Why do I support ‘em? I might not understand,
But I’m a true, extensive, devil-dealed,
Minnesota fan.

STUDS

RF Trevor Larnach: 2-3, HR, BB, reached on catcher’s interference
CF Byron Buxton: 1-5, HR
C Ryan Jeffers: 3-5, 2B
2B Luke Keaschall: 1-3, BB, 2 SB
RPs Justin Topa, Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart, Danny Coulombe: 4 IP, H, BB, 5 K

DUDS

NO DUDS TWINS WIN!
(but also SS Carlos Correa: 0-5, GIDP, LIDP)

Comment of the Game

Minnesota1952 on the poor performance of home plate umpire Laz Diaz (another dud. of course it was Laz Diaz)

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/4/...-justin-topa-danny-coulombe-and-two-more-guys

 

[Minnesota Twins]

White Sox 3, Twins 0 (F/7): Rain Rain Go Away

Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images

The Twins once again fall flat.

Just as they started to turn a corner, the Twins’ offense once again fell flat. This time against the worst team in baseball, the Chicago White Sox. The game ended after seven innings due to heavy rain, but even against a poor Chicago bullpen, I don’t think the Twins would have scraped across any runs.

Chris Paddack looked totally passable for five innings. His stuff was looking better than usual, but he allowed nine baserunners in just five innings, surrendering five hits and four walks. Paddack needed 99 pitches just to get through his five innings. Jorge Alcala pitched the final two innings and was also fine, giving up three hits and a run on a solo homer to Miguel Vargas.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the offense had plenty of chances and couldn’t capitalize on them. Edouard Julien singled to start the game but then was immediately picked off by White Sox starter Shane Smith. Christian Vazquez doubled to start the third inning and never moved. Byron Buxton and Luke Keaschall both reached to start the sixth and were frozen there. They had the leadoff batter on in 4/7 innings this afternoon and none of them even made it to third base.

Could they have made a late comeback if the game went all nine innings? Sure. But they never should have been in this spot to begin with. The Twins did manage to win the series which should be the main focus going forward, but dropping games to the White Sox is tough for a team that needs to start racking up wins.

The Angels are in town this weekend for three more definitively winnable games. After starting the season 7-3, LA is just 4-9 since, and may get swept by the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates this evening.

STUDS

• Luke Keaschall: 1-2, BB, has a hit in all 6 games of his career
• Brooks Lee: 2-3, absolutely stinging the ball
• Christian Vazquez????: 2-3, 2 2B! Bringing his season OPS up to a robust .467

DUDS

• Trevor Larnach: 0-3, 3 K
• Carlos Correa: 0-3, 1 K, can’t stop hitting the ball 100 MPH directly into the ground
• Ty France: 0-3, 2 K
• Twins bats: 0-9 with RISP, 7 left on base

In some good news, Royce Lewis is reporting to AAA St. Paul tomorrow and should be back with the Twins sometime in the next week or two. The Twins will have an interesting roster decision to make upon his return with both Julien and Lee hitting the ball relatively hard, despite their base numbers not showing it. Unless things go sideways for him in the next week, Luke Keaschall is too important to the offense at this point to get demoted. Also, Pablo Lopez returns tomorrow!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/4/24/24415978/white-sox-3-twins-0-f-7-rain-rain-go-away

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Twins Flashback 1965 World Series: Games 1 & 2

Photo by Focus On Sport/Getty Images

Mudcat & Kitty domination!

Thanks to an on-the-cusp Washington Senators roster relocating to Minnesota in 1961, the Twins were able to hit the ground running faster than most expansion clubs. In ‘62 & ‘63 they won 90+ games, then after a slip-up in ‘64 they put together what is still considered the finest season in franchise history.

Back in division-less baseball times, this punched the Twins’ ticket to the World Series against the 97-65 Los Angeles Dodgers. With the “other LA squad” currently at Target Field, this seems like a good time to look at the first two games of that Fall Classic

Game 1 (10/6/65)​

The first professional postseason baseball game in MN history drew 47,797 Twins faithful to Bloomington’s Metropolitan Stadium. One would have assumed the mound opponent to be square-in-his-prime Sandy Koufax—but Game 1 fell on the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, of which Koufax observed. So, Sandy sat out and Dodger skipper Walter Alston gave the sphere to Don Drysdale—not too shabby a “plan B”.

The Met

The West Coasters struck first when Ron Fairly touched Twins SP Jim “Mudcat” Grant for a solo home run in the top of the second inning. But Don Mincher immediately returned the favor to Drysdale in the bottom half of the frame to tie the score.

In the third, MN bats erupted: AL MVP Zoilo Versalles hit a 3-run home run off Big Don and the combo of Earl Battey & Frank Quilici RBI knocks sent him to the showers with the Twins up 7-1! In the 6th, Zoilo again plated a run off LA reliever Jim Brewer to extend that to 8-1.

Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
MVP Zoilo

Meanwhile, the Mudcat was managing a mound masterpiece: 9 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K.

Not only had the Twins beaten Tinsel Town’s shining stars, but done so in dominant 8-2 fashion!

Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Smiles all around for Mudcat!

Game 2 (10/7/65)​

Even more of Twins Territory—48,699 + my paternal grandfather—filled The Met the next day to see Koufax finally climb the bump against fellow southpaw Jim Kaat.

The expected pitcher’s duel broke out: 0-0 into the 6th. But Zoilo reached on an error and Joe Nossek sacrifice him to second in front of the lineup’s big boppers. Both Tony Oliva (double) and Harmon Killebrew (single) came through and the Twins grabbed a 2-0 lead.

Set Number: X11041 TK6 R5 F3
A Harmon hack

As championship clubs are wont to do, the Twins kept changing the number: future-Twin Ron Perranoski wild-pitched Zoilo home in the 7th, and Kaat—no slouch at the dish—helped his own cause by driving in Bob Allison & Mincher in the 8th!

Speaking of Kitty: 9 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. A World Series masterclass besting even Stunning Sandy by a 5-1 final tally.

Kaat: A hero with bat and glove!

Kaat was helped by an all-time Twins web gem from Allison, as described here by the incomparable Vin Scully...

In their first two postseason contests, the Minnesota Twins had bested two of baseball’s ballyhooed hurlers and taken a 2-0 series lead in front of the home fans!

Up next? In the words of Horace Greeley: “Go West, young man”.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/4/...adium-1965-world-series-mudcat-grant-jim-kaat

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Luke Keaschall to IL; Twins Trade for Kody Clemens

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

The blows keep coming for the Twins’ infield.

The blows just won’t stop coming for the Twins who are completely out of healthy infielders. The latest hit is to Luke Keaschall, Minnesota’s standout rookie who was off to a blistering start. Keaschall reached base safely in every game he played since his call up a week ago, but left after being hit by a Kyle Hendricks pitch in the first inning.

According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Keaschall has a non-displaced fracture in his right forearm. With it being a non-displaced fracture, the talented rookie will likely be able to avoid surgery and return later this season, though it’s a matter of months, not weeks. The Twins will know more in the coming weeks as he begins to heal.

It’s the latest hit to Minnesota’s position players, who were already missing Royce Lewis, Willi Castro, Matt Wallner, Jose Miranda, and Austin Martin, while Brooks Lee recently returned from a Spring Training back injury. Their only healthy players on the 40-man roster are outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez (a top prospect with fewer than 50 AAA games under his belt and off to a very slow start) and catcher Jair Camargo. The Twins had to trade for third baseman Jonah Bride last week and added Keaschall to the roster despite his ongoing recovery from Tommy John surgery last summer.

To supplement the Twins’ hurt infield core, they traded for Phillies infielder Kody Clemens, who was designated for assignment earlier this week. Clemens primarily plays first base, third base, and left field and is the son of former MVP and seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens. Like Bride, there isn’t anything that particularly stands out about Clemens, but he’s a warm body with MLB experience.

The Twins do have reinforcements coming soon. Royce Lewis completed his first rehab game tonight with the St. Paul Saints, playing six innings at third base like the team planned in advance. He went 1-3 with a double in the game. Lewis will sit out tomorrow before playing again Sunday. Given Lewis’ lengthy injury history, particularly in his lower body, he’ll have to show he can play back-to-back games before the Twins consider adding him to the active roster.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/4/26/24417427/luke-keaschall-to-il-twins-trade-for-kody-clemens

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Twins 5, Angels 1: On the roll again?

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The ever-elusive three-game winning streak will rear its head tomorrow.

The top of the order feasted on Yusei Kikuchi early today, with four straight singles by Ryan Jeffers, Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, and Ty France staking the Twins to a 2-0 lead after just 11 pitches thrown by the Los Angeles lefty.

A double-play grounder threatened to dull the mood, but Jonah Bride’s second hit as a Twin was a two-out RISP-y ribbie to make it three-nil.

As Twins variously departed the basepaths, some words of espionage — perhaps tipping-related, and not in the Reservoir Dogs milieu — were exchanged in a similar fashion to Minnesota’s middle-innings ambush yesterday.

The offense totaled six first-inning hits, eventually loading the bases for a Christian Vazquez flyout that finally allowed the Angels to hit the brakes, AND catch a break, in the kind of homophonic wordplay you might not expect from a team called The The Angels Angels.

The gas stayed on in the second; after stealing his way into scoring position with his 99th swiped bag, Buck trotted home on another line-drive single from Correa that left the bat at 108 — 4-0 Twins.

Despite all the offense, a third-inning jolt from Zach Neto made it just a three-run lead for Minnesota. Perhaps sensing the marginal discomfort, the Twins loaded the bases with nobody out in the home half, with Jeffers drawing a full-count walk on Kikuchi’s second pitch-clock violation of the game. It would be the end of his afternoon after just 66 pitches.

So, on to Ryan Johnson to come out of the Angel pen. Much like discovering your late grandfather had built an escape room within the walls of an enormous novelty jelly jar he’d left you at the will reading, Johnson’s task was to get out of the biggest possible inherited jam. Buxton due up, the bags juiced, and nobody out.

But Buck would chase three straight out of the zone, and Correa would watch 95 in the zone for another huge K. France would ground out to short, completing a crucial NOBLETIGER for Ron Washington’s boys. Despite the early offensive attack, Minnesota still somehow left the bases loaded in each of the first three frames.

If starter Simeon Woods Richardson had been off his game today, the lineup’s grinding halt would have been much more frustrating. But Sim’s final line covered 5.1 innings, just four hits, an earned run, no walks, and seven strikeouts. He departed with Mike Trout due up with a man on in the sixth, and can rest tonight knowing he added an excellent start to the resume.

A Brooks Lee two-out RBI double would add some much-needed cushion (even if just a one-run pad) on a slicing sixth-inning drive just out of the reach of Mike Trout. All the while, a parade of pitchers named Brock Stewart, Griffin Jax, and Louis Varland held the Angels motionless through the later innings.

Jhoan Duran won the first ever Duran v. Trout battle to begin the ninth in a non-save situation, and got two more quick outs to secure the win.

COURTESY: Baseball Savant

It’s the first back-to-back series wins since August of last year, and a much-needed boost for a team with their eyes on a pivotal road trip in Cleveland next week. Looking competitive in the days leading up to that stretch is not going to hurt, and that’s what Minnesota has been able to do this week.

The series closes tomorrow, and the Twins will be going for a sneaky sweep against the Angels.

Thanks for coming, and NAZ REID, etc.

STUDS:

SP Simeon Woods Richardson (5.1 IP, 4 H, ER, 0 BB, 7 K, W)

RP Griffin Jax (IP, H, 3 K)

RP Louis Varland (IP, 2 K)

SS Carlos Correa (2-for-5, R, 2 RBI)

3B Jonah Bride (2-for-4, RBI, BB)

2B Brooks Lee (2-for-4, RBI, 2B)

DUDS:

NO DUDS! TWINS WIN!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/4/26/24417935/twins-5-angels-1-on-the-roll-again

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Game 28: Angels at Twins

Photo by Camerique/Getty Images

Thinking about an MLB salary floor

First Pitch: 12:40 PM CT (changed from the usual 1:10 to avoid clashing with Minnesota Timberwolves playoff traffic)​

TV: Twins.TV​

Radio: TIBN​

Know Thine Enemy: Crashing the Pearly Gates​

I think most sports fans would agree that a salary cap is the best way to achieve parity in league competition. With how well the cap works in the NFL, it is hard to argue that point.

However, the NFL is—generally-speaking—filled with owners who are motivated to put a solid product on the field (in part because of the leveling cap, though now the snake is eating its tail). In Major League Baseball, that seems to be more of a problem.

The Pohlad’s, Bob Nutting’s (Pittsburgh Pirates), and Bruce Sherman’s (Miami Marlins) of the world seem uninterested in running MLB clubs as anything other than part of the family business portfolio and spending not a penny more than 51% of revenue. Even getting to that figure is often sketchy. The total Marlins payroll, for example, is roughly $66 million—which would have been considered low two decades ago. Today? An absolute embarrassment.

Photo by Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins/Getty Images
Shameful

So, I was very interested to read of late that MLB is considering a salary floor in conjunction with a proposed cap (though I suspect the cap is a bargaining chip to get the Players Union to accept the floor).

I like the idea of a salary floor, if mainly because I subscribe to the Herm Edwards philosophy of sports...

“When you start telling me it doesn’t matter, then retire—get out!”

A salary floor would prevent MLB owners from pocketing large portions of their attendance and media money and re-investing the bare minimum back into the club. Perhaps some provision could be included that if the salary floor minimum is violated, an owner has to put the team up for sale.

In short, I actually want more bajillionaires as MLB owners—folks willing to lose a little bit in the short term in pursuit of long-term brand building and competitive squads. To me, this is preferable to the Pohlads largely treating the Twins like Carl’s community banking empire.

Thoughts on the salary floor? Let’s hear ‘em as the Twins try to finish up a sweep of the Halos—generally high-spenders, if usually on the wrong players at the worst possible times.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/4/...lary-floor-million-dollar-man-ted-dibiase-wwe

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Twins 5, Angels 0: God-sent

Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images

Finishing the job this time!

Earlier this week, the Minnesota Twins had a chance to sweep the Chicago White Sox and let it slip away through Thursday’s rain. Today, the Twins had a similar sweeping scenario against the souring Los Angeles Angels—and secured it!

In the early goings of this one, Twins SP Joe Ryan was absolutely dominant. He set the first three Halos down on pop-ups, struck out the middle three, and continued his perfection of the first trip through the order.

Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images
The Experience (TM)

Meanwhile, Edouard Julien led off the Minnesota first inning with a walk, was quickly moved to third by a Carlos Correa double, and touched the irregular pentagon thanks to Ty France’s sacrifice fly.

Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images
1-0 Twins!

Ryan continued his mound mastery through the middle frames, goose-egging the Angels through six.

Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images
A common sight this afternoon

Alas, a lineup featuring Mickey Gasper as the DH batting fifth—the horror!—perhaps unsurprisingly couldn’t change the score from a single vertical line in that same period.

Well, until the bottom of the 6th—when the Angels starting Angel-ing. Two consecutive infield errors put Correa & Trevor Larnach on the base paths, then two consecutive doubles from France & Ryan Jeffers created so much action that Twins runners were nearly passing themselves on the dirt! When the dust settled: 4-0 Twins!

Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images
El Jefe go boom!

Thanks in part to a Buxton-like sprawling catch from Harrison Bader, Ryan was able to complete the 7th unscathed and walk off the bump to a Twins Territory standing ovation!

Larnach lubricated the lead to 5-0 in the 7th with an RBI single, which was more than enough for Justin Topa to finish off with two scoreless innings.

Your Final: Minnesota Twins 5, Los Angeles Angels 0

Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images
High fives all around!

A 5-1 homestand for the Twins! But no rest for the wicked, as it were: Without an off day buffer, Monday through Thursday brings a big 4-game series @ the Cleveland Guardians.

Studs​

• The Joe Ryan Experience (TM): 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K
• Correa: 3-4
• France: 2 RBI
• Jeffers: 2 RBI
• Bader: Channeling his inner Buxton

Duds​

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Millennials will get it

Comment of the Game​

• Nagurskiinsandpoint presaging Ryan’s gem. Baby powder groin splashes for all!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/4/...-ryan-ty-france-ryan-jeffers-belinda-carlisle

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Game 29: Twins at Guardians

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Twins look to keep the win streak rolling on the road

First Pitch: 5:10 p.m. CT​

TV: Twins.TV​

Radio: TIBN​

Opposing Team: Covering the Corner​

The Minnesota Twins (12-16) are flying high after sweeping the Angels and were one game shy of sweeping the White Sox in the series prior. The Twins outscored the two teams 31-13. It was great to see the bats at work over the weekend, but I think all will agree Joe Ryan’s start on Sunday was the icing on the cake. Ryan struck out 11 in seven scoreless innings.

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Onward to Cleveland now. The Guardians sit in second in the AL Central with a 15-12 record. Cleveland is coming off a series loss to the Red Sox, losing both games over the weekend. Ahead of that though, the Guardians took two of three from the Yankees.

Monday’s matchup has a 6’9 RHP Bailey Ober (2-1, 5.04 ERA) going head-to-head with RHP Gavin Williams (2-1, 4.15 ERA.)

Here’s a look at the lineups:

Twins

1. E. Julien 2B
2. B. Buxton CF
3. C. Correa SS
4. T. Larnach RF
5. T. France 1B
6. R. Jeffers C
7. M. Gasper DH
8. J. Bride 3B
9. H. Bader LF

Guardians

1. S. Kwan LF
2. N. Jones CF
3. J. Ramirez 3B
4. K. Manzardo DH
5. C. Santana 1B
6. G. Arias 2B
7. B. Naylor C
8. J. Noel RF
9. B. Rocchio SS

It’s not going to be an easy task for the Twins, and the odds are not on Minnesota’s side. The Twins had a 3-10 record against the Guardians in 2024.

Who’s Hot Right Now?

Carlos Correa has 6 hits in his last 11 ABs with two runs, two RBI and one double.

Jonah Bride has 3 hits in his last 6 ABs with one RBI and one BB

Ty France is 3-8 in the past two games with two runs and two doubles as well as three RBI.

Honorable mentions: Harrison Bader and Byron Buxton in the field

Steven Kwan has 10 hits in his last 24 AB and is batting .347 on the season with a .901 OPS

Angel Martinez has recorded a hit in his last eight games. He’s batting .345 in that span.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/4/28/24419743/game-29-twins-at-guardians

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Twins 11, Guardians 1: These bats are on fire

David Richard-Imagn Images

These Twins are red hot, a season-best 17 hits to beat the Guardians

The Minnesota Twins are on fire, winning six of their last seven. This is the boost the Twins needed as a team, but also to get the Minnesota fanbase back on board with this year’s squad.

Let’s quickly rewind to last season. The Twins started the season 7-13, and on April 22, the Twins went on a tear - coincidentally it started with a sweep of the White Sox and then the Angels - winning 12 in a row. In 2025, the Twins were 7-13 on April 18, losing two more games against the Braves, and now have since won six of seven.

Let’s hope the rally continues.

Monday night against the Guardians, the Twins managed a season-best 17 hits. Putting the ball in play has appeared easy in these last four games, not something we could say about earlier this month.

It all started with a leadoff home run by Edouard Julien.

Edouard Julien crushes the first pitch of the game beyond the center field wall pic.twitter.com/ZizIuWlHvw

— MLB (@MLB) April 28, 2025​

Byron Buxton managed two hits, two RBI and a run. Carlos Correa stayed hot going 2-4 at the plate with a run scored. Ty France had two hits, two RBI and a run. Jeffers with a dinger, going 2-4 at the plate with three RBI, a BB and two runs scored. The list goes on.

Someone to really note though, in the 8-hole, newcomer to the team Jonah Bride has gone 6-11 in his last three games. He was 3-5 at the plate Monday with a walk as well. He’s batting .500 since joining the Twins. Rec specs are in focus.

David Richard-Imagn Images

For a consecutive game, the Twins have had quality starts from starting pitching. Bailey Ober pitched 7 and 2⁄3 innings Monday giving up 8 hits, 1 ER, 2 K. He finished with 102 pitches and Jorge Alcala came in to wrap things up.

“It was just kind of attack these guys and try to make them swing early,” Ober said in an interview with Audra Martin after the game.

Ober forced hitters to groundout 10 times in Monday’s start.

“They put it in play, and we had guys in the right spots,” Ober said.

There isn’t a rally sausage - that we’ve seen yet - but it’s an exciting time for the Twins.

“It’s a lot of fun right now. Guys are having great at bats, our job as a pitching staff is to just keep us in the game,” Ober said.

Ten Twins got hits today. One of those was newly-acquired Kody Clemens. Clemens got in on the action pinch running for Correa and then getting a hit and scoring a run in his first AB for the Twins. Granted it was off a position player, but a hit’s a hit.

Rocco commends the Twins command at the plate.

“Those Guardians players have excellent stuff, if you go up there swinging at everything, it’s really challenging. When you combine well-struck balls with making sure you are swinging at all the right pitches, it goes really good,” Rocco Baldelli said while a rowdy Twins team could be heard celebrating in the background.

“We are standing right outside the clubhouse, and I’m not sure what’s going on in there, but I like the sounds of it. It sounds like someone is bodysurfing in there,” he said.

Whatever works to keep this team going, I think we are all on board.

Next up, another 5:10 p.m. CT start Tuesday. Chris Paddack (0-3, 6.45) is looking for his first win on the season. For the Guardians Tanner Bibee (2-2, 5.19) will be on the mound.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/4/28/24419927/twins-11-guardians-1-these-bats-are-on-fire

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Guardians 2, Twins 1: Manzardo walks it off

David Richard-Imagn Images

A quiet night at the plate for both sides ended in a bang, with the Twins on the losing end.

The only run the Twins could get tonight against Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee was a solo homer by Ty France in the 5th inning. They didn’t even get a base runner until Carlos Correa’s double with 2 outs in the 4th.

On the flip side, Bo Naylor’s solo homer in the 3rd inning was the only blemish on Chris Paddack’s start. Paddack went 5 innings and Bibee went 7, so the rest of the game was a bullpen contest.

Brock Stewart, Griffin Jax, and Jhoan Duran each tossed scoreless innings respectively. In the bottom of the 9th with Louie Varland on the mound, Kyle Manzardo crushed a change-up down the middle for a walk off solo homer. Turns out its hard to win a bullpen contest with the Guardians.

We had only two decent scoring opportunities tonight, in the 5th and the 8th, and couldn’t capitalize on either one. In the top of the 9th, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. pinch ran for France, and was immediately thrown out trying to steal 2nd. It was a very different game compared to yesterday’s 11-1 blowout.

That ends the Twins winning streak at 4 games, and they’ll try to start a new one tomorrow with Pablo Lopez on the mound.

Studs:

Byron Buxton: Despite going 0-3, he made a couple really nice catches in center field.

Ty France: 3-4, HR

Chris Paddack: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, BB, 2 K

Duds:

Louie Varland: Walk off homer

Edouard Julien: 0-4, 2 K

Ty France: Thrown out at 1st after trying to stretch a single into a double.

Whoever decided to delay this game almost 3 hours for just 5 minutes of rain.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/4/29/24420738/guardians-2-twins-1-manzardo-walks-it-off

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Guardians 4, Twins 2: Game, sept, match

David Richard-Imagn Images

The offense had midweek sleepiness and the Guardians rode the 7th to a Cleveland win.

Came to face the Guardians, stern resolve now hardens,
Fans all come down, watch the team try to score.
And as the game gets goin’, pitchers hard are throwin’:
You, you, you pickin’ up that bat for?

Pablo’s hurlin’ sweepers, make the fans cry “Jeepers!”;
Fourteen in a row defeated, quickly shown the door.
Moundsmen are controllin’, offense isn’t rollin’:
You, you, you pickin’ up that bat for?

Hammering no offering, balls staying in the park:
Someone take a stride, give a ride or two… Who, who, who?
Wantin’ a petition for any score addition:
You, you, you pickin’ up that bat for?

Pitchers fielding errantly, ball straying from the mark;
We can say we tried, weary-eyed and blue… blue, blue, blue.
Seventh inning fumbled, the chance of winning crumbled:
You, you, you pickin’ up that bat for?

Stewart, offense DUDS to see; Keirsey, Brooks are STUDLY;
Kirilloff in Comments greeted Soo as “Total Score.”
Dropped the game to Cleveland, now it’s time to leave land:
You, you, you pickin’ up that bat for?

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/4/...ollapse-offense-silent-pablo-lopez-brooks-lee

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Game 31: Twins at Guardians

David Richard-Imagn Images

Back to non-delayed baseball.

First Pitch: 5:10 PM
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM, Audacy
Know Yo’ Foe: Covering the Corner​

Someone told me hours ago
There’s a coming pouring storm;
I know, it’ll show in some near time.
Place the tarp, the clouds are gray;
Be awhile before we play,
I know, rushing down with water.

I want to know, will we ever see the rain?
I want to know, are the people year insane?
Nothing’s down; it’s a sunny day.

Yesterday — or days before —
Had to play a game that’s hard;
I know, made us wait a long long time.
Triple hours or further though,
The delay until we’d go;
I know, it might stop? We wonder.

I want to know, will we ever see the rain?
I want to know, are the people year insane?
Nothing’s down; it’s a sunny day.

I want to know, will we ever see the rain?
I want to know, are the people year insane?
Nothing’s down; it’s a sunny day.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/4/...lo-day-and-avoid-the-delay-for-no-rain-at-all

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Guardians 4, Twins 3: Another Day, Another Walk-off Loss

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Sigh.

There was rain, there was drama, there were not many runs to speak of.

As has been the case for much of this series, the Twins had plenty of opportunities to score and could never capitalize. They went 3-14 with runners in scoring position, leaving 13 men on base, including the bases loaded in both the eighth. On to the depressing details!

It was a rough day for Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson. He only allowed two runs, but he was struggling to find the strike zone and finish off hitters, needing 98 pitches to get through 4.2 innings while walking five batters. The Guardians started the scoring in the first with SWR’s first walk coming around to score on a Kyle Manzardo RBI single. Woods Richardson also gave up a big fly to Big Christmas in the fourth, with those two runs luckily being the only ones he allowed.

The Twins countered in the second with a leadoff single from Ty France and double by Brooks Lee, but neither ultimately scored. France got another leadoff hit in the fourth inning, a double this time, but never moved off of second base. The Twins were finally able to break the seal in the seventh thanks to a Harrison Bader infield single and three straight base hits from Christian Vazquez, Edouard Julien, and Carlos Correa to bring the score even at 2 apiece.

Then came the eighth inning where the Twins had a chance to blow it open. A Bader double and Vazquez walk put two men on with two outs, but then the rain came and delayed the inning for over an hour. Facing a lefty, Ryan Jeffers came off the bench and walked for Julien to load the bases, but a Correa pop fly ended the threat there.

The drama came in the ninth inning, with Jhoan Duran striking out Jhonkensy Noel ahead of back-to-back singles Daniel Schneeman and Will Wilson, putting runners on the corners with one down. The Twins brought the infield in, allowing Wilson to take second on defensive indifference. Duran intentionally walked Nolan Jones after falling behind, then struck out Bo Naylor and Steven Kwan to escape the jam and send it to extras.

Minnesota was able to scrape across the ghost runner in the 10th, giving them their first lead of the night, but the Guardians walked it off in the bottom half of the inning to make the point moot. Thanks to Woods Richardson’s ineffectiveness, Rocco had already used Cole Sands, Louie Varland, Griffin Jax, and Duran just to get to the 10th inning. Brock Stewart had just been used in back-to-back games, leaving limited options in the ‘pen. Justin Topa came on and threw all of 12 pitches before the Guardians scored two to walk it off.

STUDS

• Ty France: 3-5, 1 2B
• Harrison Bader: 3-5, 1 2B
• The non-Topa relievers (Sands, Varland, Jax, Duran): 4.1 IP, 0 R, 7 K

DUDS

• Simeon Woods Richardson: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
• Justin Topa: 0.1 IP, 2 R, 1 BB
• Trevor Larnach: 0-4, 1 BB, 1 GIDP
• Kody Clemens: 0-3, .276 OPS on the season (come back soon Royce)

On to Boston!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/5/1/24422009/guardians-4-twins-3-another-day-another-walk-off-loss

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Is Willi Castro the ghost of Eduardo Escobar?

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Someone get him to Fogo de Chao stat!

In July of 2012, the Minnesota Twins gave up on SP Francisco Liriano. Despite singular years of dominance—2006 & 2010—and one of the strangest no-hitters ever thrown, Frankie simply proved too inconsistent to be part of longer-term plans.

So, Liriano was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Pedro Hernandez and Eduardo Escobar. The former made little impact—the latter became a fan-favorite.

Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
EE & Sam Deduno in 2013

In an extremely small 104 PA sample with the Sox, Escobar produced a 52 OPS+. Suffice it to say, the narrative surrounding him was “defensive utility guy able to play many positions”.

EE certainly lived up to the fielding billing, playing a lot of SS & 3B for Ron Gardenhire and Paul Molitor’s 2012-2018 squads while also filling it at 2B & LF when absolutely necessary.

Photo By Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via Getty Images
LF was always a bit of an adventure for Ed, but he battled out there!

But Ed’s offensive capabilities far surpassed expectations at an about-league-average 97 OPS+—showing surprising pop with the bat. Escobar’s gregarious nature easily classified him as a clubhouse leader and fan favorite with the Target Field faithful.

Always a smile from Escobar

In July of 2018 with another season circling the basin, the Twins flipped Escobar to the Arizona Diamondbacks for prospects. Most flamed out, but one—Jhoan Duran—just flamed.

Some ten years later, MN took a similar path with Willi Castro.

Willi’s wider sample size with the Detroit Tigers—4 seasons, .673 OPS, 87 OPS+—again projected a do-it-all utility player as opposed to much of a batter’s box bastion.

But like EE before him, The Commandant upped his batsmanship after joining Rocco’s bunch: .725 OPS, 101 OPS+ in ‘23-’25. This in addition to a true play-anywhere role.

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
Mr. Do-it-all

If a 2024 All-Star Game appearance didn’t fully speak to the extent of Willi’s workmanship, the fan base’s christening of him as last year’s team MVP certainly does.

Castro gets exposed a bit when playing on an every day basis—granted, so did Escobar—but his acumen as a 4/5 times a week starter, late-inning weapon, and general wreaker of havoc on the base paths has been extremely impressive.

Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images
A typical uniform day for Wee Willi

There remains but one thing left to say about the Escobar/Castro comparison: has anyone introduced Willi to Fogo de Chao?!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/5/...o-white-sox-detroit-tigers-fogo-de-chao-power

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Red Sox 6, Twins 1: Offense continues teaching us what the dead-ball era was like

This sort of joyful celebration can result in injury, so the Twins are being safe by never having anything to celebrate. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Even soccer fans are like, “you gotta score more than once a game.”

Joe Ryan is a good pitcher but can’t score, Jarren Duran is a good fielder, Brayan Bello’s pitching is helped by bad Twins bats. Inning-by-inning notes:

1: Oh, thank the Lords, it’s Molitor with Atteberry. Gladden was fine with Provus; he and Atteberry bring out the worst in each other (longtime team insider jabber). An infield hit for Byron and GIDP by Brooks Bruce Lee.

Ryan gives up a Bomba to former Astro Alex Bregman. Per Wiki, Bregman has a dog named Jeter (don’t tell Red Sox fans!) and one named Koufax — that’s kinda cool. New Englanders 1-0

2: The Twins see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, and do no offense. Jarren Duran makes a long sliding catch.

Joe Ryan does more Awful Pitcher Fielding, and it’s worse than usual — it might have gotten a guy badly hurt. Because of Ryan’s crappy throw, baserunner Triston Casas gets tangled up with Ty France trying to get the crappy throw. Casas has to be carted off the field. Dammit.

3: Jeffers dong! Another good Duran catch. I eat a hot dog.

Oddly, although I didn’t get along with my dad, like AT ALL, I’ve inherited his belief that ketchup on a hot dog is for barbarians. I like ketchup on fries. And — well, that’s about it, really. Hot dogs deserve spicy mustard, a heaping pile of sauerkraut, pickles and jalapeño peppers. I guess I will accept chili & cheese, instead, that’s not a crime. But if you’re putting ketchup on a hot dog, you’re ruing the purity of whatever gross animal parts are in it! Even though we get the kosher ones, you know hot dogs is still mystery meat. Anyways, tied 1-1

4: Radio says that Roger Clemens will be in the booth later. The Twins are making Brayan Bello look like Roger Clemens. Besides the whole “throw bat shard at you in roid rage” thing. Joe Ryan does well, too. I’m thinking about a thing I saw once, showing the guys who do the manual scoreboard at Fenway (including live scores from other games). They said one sees a lotta spiders back there. Wouldn’t bother me, if they weren’t TOO big, but some people would find that a nightmare.

5: The Twins get their first runner since the dawn of trilobites via an error, and so much good comes of it. So many great and exciting things ensue. Would you like to know what those things are? I would too.

David Hamilton gets on via bunting to Ryan. Good plan. He steals second, then third, off Ryan Jeffers (who HAS thrown out 33.4% the baserunners this year... but Hamilton was only caught 10.8% of the time last year). Joe gets the strikeout and flyout to escape! Yay.

6: Buxton gets a single; without him the team would REALLY be lost right now. With him they’re still never gonna win another game this millenium. I blame Roger Clemens.

Rafael Devers gets the BoSox’s third hit, and it’s a leadoff double off El Diablo Verde or whatever that wall thing is called. Ryan gets out of it, again... which is nice, but he can’t score any runs by himself.

7: Ed not-O’Neill not-Harris not-Asner not-Begley Julien takes the Twins’ first walk — he steals second, and beats the throw, and overslides the bag, and crap-in-a-blender this is some runny s**t.

Louis Varland, the pride of St. Paul, makes us want to disown him immediately with back-to-back singles. A successful bunt moves the runners over and Varland’s gone for lefty Danny “Electric Charge” Coulombe. Duran strikes out! A 103 MPH grounder to Julien... bounces out of his glove. Beantown 3-1

8: Trevor Larnach gets a hit. Three other Twins strike out. Greg Weissert is the new Goose Gossage, I guess.

Jorge Alcala still hasn’t figured it out yet. Single, steal, double, steal, double, do you care, noooope Red Stockings 6-1

9: Let’s hear it for cancer survivor Liam Hendricks, we all wish him well in his continued recovery. Twins lose

Studs of the game: Joe Ryan’s pitching, that one Jeffers point, Buxton still trying

Duds of the game: Ryan’s bad fielding injuring Casas, always-slow-starting Correa (0-4, 2 K), everyone else following his example

Good comments from an understandably quiet thread! Zach’s “The beatings will continue until morale improves,” Nagurskiinsandpoint’s “‘I still believe in our ”gonadural public freshness” enthusiasts ability to get it together tonight!’” (referring to Joe Ryan putting talc on his junk), Name-Game’s “Man, as much fun as Papa Boomstick was, I’m happy the FO nailed the trade for Ryan.” (Probably referring to the Ball Talc.) Thanks for joining in, folks!

Tomorrow’s game is at 3:10, and features Rumpole of the Bailey Ober against something called a Hunter Dobbins. Enjoy the weekend, everybody who has weekends off, not everyone does, you know!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/5/...s-teaching-us-what-the-dead-ball-era-was-like

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Twins 4, Red Sox 3: Waiting to Exhale

Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Twins win a one-run game.

Once again, the Twins had just a single run on the board through five innings, and it looked like another one of those games.

The Red Sox had already taken the lead on a third-inning RBI single from Rafael Devers; a Ty France groundout wound up scoring Carlos Correa in the next half-inning, the only run recorded after the Twins had second and third with just one out.

But in the sixth, the unthinkable — the Twins put their foot on the gas. With two outs already down in the inning, Kody Clemens provided the swing that both the telecast and the radio broadcast have been willing to happen all weekend — a two-run shot to right field with his father (yikes!) in attendance at Fenway Park.

It was an exhale moment for the Minnesota lineup. Trevor Story had robbed a run with a diving play in the second inning, and the Twins had already left the bases loaded in the fifth.

Too often, the team has taken these sorts of shots lying down in 2025; here on Saturday in Boston, it looked like they were willing and ready to respond, especially after three straight reached (still with two out) and Trevor Larnach brought home Harrison Bader on an RBI single that made it 4-1.

But then it started to look like another one of those games.

Whether it’s a tie game or a slim lead, Minnesota has seemed to have great difficulty keeping their stuff together in the later innings. Late leads surrendered, games broken open in the eighth inning, walk-off heartbreakers (two already this week!) — it hasn’t been pretty. And when Brock Stewart couldn’t handle his seventh inning — charged for two earned runs in 0.1 innings — it was suddenly just a 4-3 margin, with that Late Lead Bug looming again.

Again in the eighth, near disaster; in the top half, the contact play doomed the Twins again, as DaShawn Keirsey Jr. found himself thrown out at home on a one-out Harrison Bader grounder. And the BoSox roared right back, with back-to-back one-out singles in the home half erased mercifully by a 5-4-3 double play.

BUT THEN IN THE NINTH - yes, reader, it started to look like another one of those games. Clinging by a thread to the 4-3 lead, Jhoan Duran watched bloop himself aboard. as the tying run, advancing to second on a 6-3 from Jarren Duran. But a clutch strikeout of Rafael Devers and an IBB to avoid Alex Bregman set up the game-sealing popout to Kiersey, bringing this one to a close.

It was a heart-pounder for no other reason than the Twins have been pure ass to start the season and could ill afford another soul-crushing loss. The series will still be up for grabs tomorrow, the four-game losing streak is closed out, and a win like this can’t be BAD for morale. Bailey Ober turned in yet another delicious start, and the team (technically) improves to 14-20.

This one ends tomorrow, with Minnesota trying their damndest to inch back to the .500 mark. They wrap up in Boston tomorrow, then an off-day; we resume action on the other side of the weekend on Tuesday night at Target Field, with another six-game homestand against various orange-and-black opponents.

Thanks for joining us, and we’ll see you again tomorrow for another one of these games!

STUDS:

SP Bailey Ober (6 IP, 7 H, ER, BB, 6 K)

DH Ryan Jeffers (2-for-4, 2B)

2B Kody Clemens (1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, HR)

RF Harrison Bader (2-for-4, R)

DUDS:

NO DUDS! TWINS WIN! TWINS WIN!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/5/3/24423289/twins-4-red-sox-3-waiting-to-exhale

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Twins 5, Red Sox 4: Darth Bader Delivers

Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

(Mechanical Breathing)

This felt like a big game for the 14-20 Minnesota Twins. A victory would lock in a strong two-week stretch, while a defeat would let the Cleveland series malaise linger. Fortunately, our visiting bunch was able to channel the Force to come away with this Star Wars Day victory!

In today’s game thread intro, I extolled the virtues of a healthy Byron Buxton and noted he had never hit a ball out of Fenway Park. Well, Byron took that personally—hammering Red Sox star starter Garrett Crochet’s first pitch over the Green Monster. 1-0 Twins!

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images
The Force was strong with this one!

Sadly, the lead wouldn’t last past the game’s second frame.

Boston’s half of the 2nd began with Wilyer Abreu lofting a lazy fly ball to LF that Trevor Larnach and Jonah Bride’s “I got it—you take it” Laurel & Hardy routine allowed to drop on the grass. RBI knocks from Carlos Narvaez & Ceddanne Rafaela off Twins SP Chris Paddack turned comedy into tragedy: 2-1 Sox.

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images
Cue the Cuckoo Music

When Paddack passed Alex Bregman to lead off the 3rd, the walk would—per usual—haunt, with Bregman touching the dish on a Romy Gonzalez sac fly: 3-1 Sox.

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images
Shaky Sheriff

The next MIN rally occurred in the 5th when a bout of Crochet wildness put Larnach & Christian Vazquez on base. But a Buxton line out, Ryan Jeffers pop out, and Ty France ground out didn’t move them an inch, much less 90 or 180 feet.

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images
Crochet finding ways to keep the Twins at a single vertical line on the scoreboard

Now battling the Boston bullpen, the Twins found themselves with runners on second and third with two outs in the 7th—when Jeffers provided a name we haven’t heard in a long, long time: a clutch hit! All tied up at 3-3.

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images
“My name's Jeff”

After a dominant frame from reliever Louis Varland, MN was not content with a bound baby. In the 8th, Harrison “Darth” Bader bombed a two-out double—scoring Correa—to give the Twins a 4-3 lead. Moments later, Larnach lined another two-out hit (is this legal?!) to score Bader and provide a two-run cushion. Yeeee-hooo!

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images
Face of frustration

The Red Sox countered with some two-out dramatics of their own in the 8th when Abreu Jax’d one out to RF off our Griffin to cut the margin to 5-4.

But in the bottom of the 9th, Jhoan Duran said “let’s blow this thing and go home!”—whiffing his surname counterpart atop the Sox order to close this one out.

Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
A fully-operational Duran

Your Final: Minnesota Twins 5, Boston Red Sox 4.

Two weeks ago on this fine website, I mentioned wanting the Twins to put together an 8-5 run by the end of Star Wars Day. It took until the final innings of that stretch, but they managed to make it happen!

The squad will now return to 1 Twins Way this week to welcome in the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants.

Studs​

• Me, for setting up Buxton’s immediate blast
• Buxton, for providing said blast
• Jeffers, Bader, & Larnach for clutch hits

Duds​

Comment of the Game​

• Nagurskiinsandpoint for being active in the thread all afternoon and linking Bader to that galaxy far, far away.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/5/...-buxton-ryan-jeffers-harrison-bader-star-wars

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Royce Lewis, Willi Castro Reinstated from IL; Julien, Gasper Optioned to AAA

Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images

The Twins’ lineup gets a boost.

After suffering a moderate hamstring strain in Spring Training, Twins third baseman Royce Lewis will make his long-awaited return tomorrow night against the Baltimore Orioles. Lewis will be joined by utility man and 2024 All-Star Willi Castro who is returning from an oblique injury, while second basemen Edouard Julien and Mickey Gasper were optioned to AAA St. Paul.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/NoHdfJ3yYu

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 5, 2025​

Lewis’ return couldn’t come fast enough for a team that has been lacking a distinct thump since right fielder Matt Wallner went down with his own hamstring injury. It’s hard to place that pressure on a young, still relatively unexperienced player like Lewis, but the former top draft pick is joining a lineup that ranks in the bottom five in near every meaningful offensive category. Even Castro will be an upgrade over having the likes of Gasper, Kody Clemens, or Jonah Bride in the lineup every day.

Gasper was always a clear demotion candidate, given his .488 OPS on the season. Julien’s demotion is more surprising, but Castro and Lewis’ return, combined with a strong start from Brooks Lee, meant the struggling second baseman was losing playing time. After hitting well enough to re-earn the leadoff spot, Julien had a .502 OPS with a 32% strikeout rate from April 18th onward. He’ll head to St. Paul where he will try to force his way back into the Twins’ long term plans.

While Julien may be a better hitter than players like Kody Clemens or DaShawn Keirsey Jr., those two have significant defensive and base running value off the bench. If Julien isn’t hitting well, there’s little else he can do to contribute to the Twins. Castro’s return should let the struggling and oft-injured Carlos Correa take a few days off as well. Correa has played in every game for the Twins since April 16th, which would be good news if he were hitting well.

Minnesota faces the left-hander Cade Povich on Tuesday, a former Twins prospect sent to Baltimore in the infamous Jorge Lopez trade, meaning both Lewis and Castro will likely be in the starting lineup while manager Rocco Baldelli can finally deploy his “Oops, all righties” lineup against southpaws.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/5/...nstated-from-il-julien-gasper-optioned-to-aaa

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Monday Morning Minnesota: The “Monster Mashes” Edition

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images

Shipping Up to Boston for a Series Win

The Twins salvaged their week with a series win over the weekend in Boston, finishing the week 3-4 after a demoralizing 1-3 series loss to the Guardians. They are still 4th in the AL Central with a 15-20 record and get two favorable home series against the Baltimore Orioles and the San Francisco Giants.

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• Need to vent about the Twins? Or provide some reasons to calm down? Check out our Game Threads and join the conversation!
• In case you forgot what happened this past weekend, our Game Recaps are back as well!
• Zach Koenig poses an interesting question: Is Willi Castro the ghost of Eduardo Escobar?

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• David Laurila at FanGraphs digs into Ty France’s resurgence this season.
• The Twins announced that Willi Castro and Royce Lewis are reinstated from the 10-day IL, with Mickey Gasper and Edouard Julien getting sent down to St. Paul as the corresponding moves.
• Wyatt Wade at Zone Coverage looks at Rocco Baldelli’s role in the Twins’ slow start.

In the World of Baseball:

• Detroit is still atop the AL with a 22-13 record, leading the Mariners and Guardians. The Dodgers are now 1st in the NL, with a 23-11 record, narrowly leading the Padres, Mets, and Giants.
• The Royals and Orioles combined for 11 home runs yesterday, with 10 solo shots, tying the MLB record for the number of solo shots in a day.
• Bradford Doolittle at ESPN finds one thing that must change for all 30 MLB teams.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/5/5/24424213/monday-morning-minnesota-the-monster-mashes-edition

 

[Minnesota Twins]

April Farm Report: McCusker Dazzles While Top Prospects Recover

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

Some stuff to like from unheralded prospects while the Twins’ top prospects struggled to stay on the field.

With the Twins off to a disappointing start, I’ve found myself paying closer attention to what’s happening in the lower ranks. Let’s get into what’s stood out from the first month of Minor League Baseball throughout Minnesota’s farm system.

Note: All stats are through May 1, 2025.

Carson McCusker: Knocking on the Door?​

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

The mammoth-sized corner outfielder has been turning heads, and not just for his 6’8”, 250-pound frame. Originally a 26th-round pick in 2017 by the Brewers, the Twins signed McCusker (and hilarious tiny shortstop Payton Eeles) out of Indy ball last summer. Since joining the Twins, he’s simply raked.

McCusker had a respectable, if underwhelming, .841 OPS with 98 games in AA and 24 in AAA. This season, he has been tearing the cover off the ball with a .325/.398/.651 (1.049 OPS) batting line, crushing seven homers in 27 games. The problem for McCusker, and any player of his size, is strikeouts.

There are rare exceptions like Aaron Judge and James Wood, but it’s hard for players this physically large to be effective MLB hitters. The levers are so long that swings tend to be slower and easier for established Big Leaguers to exploit. Matt Wallner, a fellow large-limbed corner outfielder, offsets his high strikeout rate with one of the best walk and chase rates in the league. McCusker, on the other hand, has an unsightly 31% strikeout rate to an 8.5% walk rate. For context, Wallner’s walk rate was typically in the 12-15% range throughout the minors, depending on the season.

At nearly 27 years old, McCusker won’t appear on any top prospects list, but with Wallner out for most of May with a hamstring injury, the Twins have to seriously consider adding him to the MLB roster. It can’t be worse than giving the likes of Mickey Gasper, Kody Clemens, and Jonah Bride regular at-bats.

Twins Top 100 Updates​

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Twins have four players on various national Top 100 lists, though unfortunately all are currently injured. Let’s take a look where things stand.

Walker Jenkins, OF​

A consensus top-ten prospect, Jenkins has once again been hampered by injury to start the year. After missing the first two months with a hamstring injury in 2024, Jenkins has managed to appear in just two AA games so far this season. The Twins announced earlier this week that Jenkins will miss most of May recovering from a sprained ankle that required a cortisone injection this week. Jenkins’ performance has been elite when on the field, but injuries are the reason he fell to the Twins when they selected him fifth overall in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF​

The Twins’ other top hitting outfielder has played in more games but hasn’t been particularly effective. After missing most of 2024 with a sprained thumb that required offseason surgery, Rodriguez has been hampered by his other thumb early on this year. He injured it on a swing early this season, limiting his effectiveness in the 17 games he’s played this season. He has just a .231/.359/.277 batting line with an unsightly 35% strikeout rate accompanied by his elite 17% walk rate. It’s a small sample size from a clearly injured player, so I wouldn’t take too much away from these results so far.

Luke Keaschall, IF/OF​

You know him, you love him, and as a Minnesota Twin that means that he was hurt before he could play 10 games. Keaschall reached base in all seven games he played for the Twins and tied an MLB record by stealing five bases in his first five games. Unfortunately, that run ended when he got hit on the right forearm with a fastball, resulting in a fracture. Luckily, it was a non-displaced fracture so the Twins are expecting him back sometime this summer.

Charlee Soto, RHP​

Soto is more of a fringe-top 100 player, but he’s been starting to sprinkle some appearances at the bottom of prospect lists. Soto was the Twins’ second first-rounder in 2023, after Jenkins, a flame-throwing prep arm out of Florida. Soto’s fastball/slider combo are the name of the game, but he ended up on the injured list after making just three starts this season. In his limited sample, Soto maintained his high strikeout rate while nearly cutting his walk rate in half, a good sign for him moving forward. He’ll miss extended time with a tricep strain, one of the arm injuries that can be a warning sign for eventual Tommy John surgery.

Post-Top Prospect Check-In​

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

David Festa and Zebby Matthews aren’t considered prospects anymore after their second-half contributions in 2024, but both remain critical pieces to the Twins’ future. Either as important contributors themselves or trade capital.

David Festa, RHP​

Festa made three effective starts for the Twins in Pablo Lopez’s absence, and he’ll likely be their next call whenever Minnesota needs another starter. Festa has gotten hit around a bit in AAA starts compared to his MLB ones (4.40 AAA ERA vs 1.38 MLB ERA), but it’s worth noting that players like Festa typically use their AAA to tinker with their arsenal and work on what they need to improve against Big League hitters. Festa’s walk rate is way down at AAA compared to MLB, so he’s likely working on how his pitches play within the strike zone.

Zebby Matthews, RHP​

Zebulon was the talk of Twins Spring Training, emerging with new, elite velocity on both his fastball and cutter, allowing his other secondaries to play up as well. In five starts in St. Paul, Matthews has a 1.93 ERA/2.31 RA9 while allowing just 18 hits in 23.1 innings and racking up 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. His stuff and strikeouts are up, as is his normally pristine walk rate, though that may be intentional with Zebby working to induce more chase from MLB-caliber hitters rather than just overpowering hitters in the zone, which he can get by on against lesser competition.

Prospects on the Rise​

Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images

They’re not top prospects yet, but they could be soon if they keep up their strong starts.

Dasan Hill, LHP (A)​

Hill was the Twins’ second-round selection in last year’s draft. A lanky left-handed prep arm, Minnesota went well above slot value to get him in their system last summer, which has already paid dividends. Hill’s stuff is way up from last season, averaging 96 MPH on his primary sinker, leading to an insane 21 strikeouts in 10.2 innings in 2025. Still only 19, the Twins will be conservative with his workload, but he has the stuff to rise through the ranks quickly.

Connor Prielipp, LHP (AA)​

The only question for Prielipp is if he can stay healthy. Long viewed as a potential top-five draft pick, Prielipp’s college Tommy John surgery let the Twins select him in the second round of the 2022 draft. He missed most of 2023 and 2024 with a second TJS, but is healthy this season and overpowering AA hitters with a 17:2 K/BB rate in 10.2 innings. He’ll have an outside chance at a bullpen role with the Twins late this season, should they need him.

Danny De Andrade, SS (A+)​

De Andrade has been a favorite among prospect evaluators for a few years because of his slick fielding, but he has struggled mightily at the plate. This season, he has a .884 OPS as he’s started to finally tap into some of his power. He’ll still need to bring up his walk rate and limit strikeouts, but the glove alone gives De Andrade a high floor.

Other Prospects to Watch​

Photo by Ed Bailey/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images

Literally Any Catchers​

With Christian Vazquez a free agent after this season and Ryan Jeffers the following season, the Twins desperately need a catcher to emerge from their farm system. Here are a couple names to watch.

• Ricardo Oliver (AA): Olivar may be their best bet who is relatively close to the Big Leagues. Olivar has a .861 OPS in 18 AA games, but he’s split his time evenly between catcher, left field, and designated hitter. The biggest question will be his ability to stick defensively behind the plate.
• Patrick Winkel (AAA): Winkel is already 26 and struggled last season in his first taste of AAA action, but he’s off to a strong start in 2025. Albeit in only six games, the big lefty has a .985 OPS in the young season.
• Nate Baez (A+): Baez is the furthest away, but at 24 years old, he could rise through the Twins’ system quickly if he keeps hitting. He has a 1.002 OPS in 18 games this season with a 17% walk rate and more walks than strikeouts, but like all catching prospects, the biggest question is if his glove can stick behind the plate.

The Next Line of Starting Pitchers​

• Travis Adams, RHP (AAA): Adams has a 2.55 ERA and 24:3 K:BB ratio through 24.3 innings. Already on the 40-man roster, he’ll be the next man up after Festa and Zebby.
• Andrew Morris, RHP (AAA): Morris has been playing with fire all season, allowing 29 hits and 8 walks in 21.2 innings. He’s done a good job limiting the damage with his 4.57 ERA, but he’ll need to find a way to limit the hits before he makes it to the Bigs.
• Marco Raya, RHP (AAA): Raya may have the highest ceiling of this entire group, but he’s had arguably the toughest go of anyone here as well. With 21 hits allowed and 12 walks in just 12 innings, his first taste of AAA action is off to a rocky start.
• Cory Lewis, RHP (AAA): You may have heard of Lewis and his surprising high-velocity knuckleball that he’s mixed into his offerings. It hasn’t baffled hitters at AAA like it has at lower levels, but knuckleballers are notoriously fickle. He has a 9.00 ERA with six homers allowed in 15 innings.

Recent Top Draft Picks/International Players​

Let’s speedrun a few final names.

• Kaelen Culpepper, IF (A+): .333/.400/.508, 2 HR, 4 SB in 16 games
• Kyle DeBarge, IF (A+): .279/.402/.481, 4 HR, 14 SB in 26 games
• Billy Amick, IF/OF (A+): .342/.475/.447, 0 HR, 15% BB rate in 21 games
• Gabriel Gonzalez, OF (A+): .302/.368/.448, 2 HR in 24 games
• Aaron Sabato, 1B (AA): .296/.415/.523, 2 HR, 15% BB rate in 14 games

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/2025/5/...p-prospects-walker-jenkins-emmanuel-rodriguez