The St. Paul Saints, Wichita Wind Surge, Cedar Rapids Kernels and Fort Myers Mighty Mussels all had a great offensive week. For starters, the Saints tallied 51 runs, and the Kernels smashed home runs left and right. It should be noted that the Minnesota Twins’ top prospects performed exceptionally well this week.

Top Performers:

AAA

Tomás Telis, C
6 Games, .407 BA (11/27), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO

• Tomás Telis seems to find himself in this section a lot lately. The veteran catcher has played well towards the end of the season, batting .351 in August and .347 in September. He may never see playing time with the Twins, but what he’s done has been spectacular.

Gilberto Celestino, CF
6 Games, .444 BA (12/27), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 5 SO

• Gilberto Celestino wasn’t ready for the majors when he was called up. However, because he was called up so early, it’s only fast-tracked his development. In Triple-A this season, he’s hitting .313, with five home runs and 24 RBIs.

Jose Miranda, #8, 3B
4 Games, .368 BA (7/19), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 SO

• Jose Miranda’s month of August wasn’t to his standards, hitting .299. Even though it’s been 10 games, Miranda has caught fire again and is hitting .341 in September. At this point, he’s probably not getting the call-up, but hopefully, we can see him next year.

AA

Roy Morales, C
6 Games, .333 BA (8/24), 2 RBI, 1 BB, 3 SO

• Much like Telis, Roy Morales is another catcher who’s enjoying a nice offensive season. In July he hit .363, .302 in August, and .333 this month. He’s 26 years old and Minnesota has a bit of a logjam at catcher. If he can continue to play like this, he’s going to make it hard for the Twins to choose a different route.

D.J. Burt, 2B
6 Games, .458 (11/24), 2 HR 3 RBI, 1 BB 3 SO, 1 SO

• D.J. Burt is no stranger to this section, as he continues to perform well each week. The former fourth-round pick is hitting .291 in Double-A, with 20 stolen bases. He’s been incredible these last two months, hitting .339 in August, and .349 in September.

Cole Sands, #19, SP
2 Games, 1-0, 12.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 5 H, 4 BB, 10 SO

• Cole Sands is one of the most intriguing prospects in the Twins’ system. After dealing with injuries all season, the No. 19 prospect pitched in two games this week and didn’t allow a run.

Jordan Balazovic, #3, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 6.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0 H, 2 BB, 5 SO

• Jordan Balazovic has struggled a bit down the stretch, but he’s pieced together some nicer starts as of late. His last start was something we all expect when he hits the mound, striking out six and not allowing a hit. If he can stay healthy next season, he’ll find himself in the majors fast.

High-A

Edouard Julien, 2B
6 Games, .391 BA (9/23), 3 HR, 5 RBI, 10 BB, 5 SO, 2 SB

• It’s great to see Edouard Julien find success these last few weeks. This month, he’s hitting .351, with three home runs and six runs batted in. This week he hit for power, and drew 10 walks and stole a couple of bases.

Matt Wallner, #14, RF
6 Games, .320 BA (8/25), 3 HR, 9 RBI, 4 BB, 9 SO

• After Matt Wallner hit .185 in August, he’s starting to trend in the right direction. This week he had at least one RBI in five out of the six games, including four of his nine RBIs coming on Sept. 7.

Michael Helman, 2B
6 Games, .238 BA (9/26), 1 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 7 SO

• Michael Helman has been on a power surge lately, hitting 6 home runs in August and two already this month. One thing that’s starting to separate him from the others, has been his power and speed. This season he’s hit 18 home runs and stolen 20 bases. That combination shouldn’t be overlooked and he’s someone you should keep a close eye on.

Alex Isola, C
6 Games, .286 BA (8/28), 4 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 6 SO

• Alex Isola was another player who enjoyed a week filled with power. The 2019 draftee crushed four home runs, two of them coming on Sept. 10. He does player catcher, and that’s a position in which the Twins are pretty deep. But if he continues to play like this, he’ll be a part of the Twins’ long-term plans.

Cody Laweryson, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 6.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 H, 2 BB, 9 SO

• Cody Lawyerson has a record of 2-4 and an ERA of 4.39. Despite that, opponents are hitting .244 off him and he does have an impressive strikeout to walk rate (68/18).

Low-A

Charles Mack, SS
3 Games, .417 BA (512), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SO

• Despite playing in three games, Charles Mack was one of the leading RBI leaders for the Mighty Mussels.

Jake Rucker, 3B
6 Games, .450 BA (9/20), 5 RBI, 2 BB

• Jake Rucker was drafted by the Twins with the seventh pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. The former Tennessee Volunteer was a great hitter in college, and he’s proving that at low-A.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 3B
6 Games, .348 BA (8/23), 3 RBI, 3 BB, 9 SO

• Christian Encarnacion-Strand continues to be no stranger to this section. Much like Rucker, Encarnacion-Strand was a great hitter in college and he’s more than exceeded those expectations early on. His strikeout numbers were a little high, but he was able to hit for a high percentage this week.

Top Prospects

Austin Martin, #2, SS
5 Games, .176 BA (3/17), 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1 SB

Simeon Woods-Richardson, #4, SP
1 Game, 0-1, 1.2 IP, 32.40 ERA, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 SO

Misael Urbina, #12, CF
4 Games, .286 (4/14), 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1 SB

Aaron Sabato, #16, 1B
5 Games, .300 BA (6/20), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 11 SO

Drew Strotman, #17, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 5.1 IP, 5.06 ERA, 4 H, 3 BB, 6 SO, 1 HR

Alerick Soularie, #18, 2B
6 Games, .273 BA (6/22), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 7 BB, 7 SO, 2 SB

Chris Vallimont, #21, SP
1 Game, 0-1 2.1 IP, 27:00, 9 H, 2 BB, 3 SO, 3 HR

Spencer Steer, #23, SS
6 Games, .318 (7/22), 2 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB

Jovani Moran, #26, LHP
1 Game, 2.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0 H, 2 BB, 2 SO

Yunior Severino, #27, 2B
2 Games, .125 BA (1/8), 1 BB, 3 SO

Louie Varland, #29, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 6.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, 6 H, 0 BB, 7 SO, 1 HR

Charlie Barnes, #30, SP
1 Game, 0-1, 3.1 IP, 2.70 ERA, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR