Twins: Minor League Monday (5/30)
The Minnesota Twins watched the majority of their top 30 prospects have an incredible week. So much so that I couldn’t add every single player to the Top Performers list.
Check to see who made the cut:
Top Performers:
AAA
Spencer Steer, #23, SS
7 Games, .280 (7/25), 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 3 SO
- Spencer Steer deservedly earned a promotion to Triple-A and has looked comfortable since his arrival. In his first week in St. Paul, he smashed two home runs and had a batting average of .280.
Alex Kirilloff, 1B
7 Games, .308 BA (8/26), 1 HR, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB
- It’s only a matter of time before Alex Kirilloff gets the call back to Minneapolis. The Twins wanted to see him hit consistently, and he’s done just that, batting .325, with two home runs in 22 games.
Jermaine Palacios, SS
6 Games, .348 BA (8/23), 1 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1 SB
- Jermaine Palacios started the season off on the Twins’ top-30 prospect list but was removed shortly after that. The 25-year-old is having a solid season and is someone that can play multiple positions (six different positions).
AA
Matt Wallner, #13, RF
6 Games, .318 BA (7/22), 3 HR, 9 RBI, 5 BB, 8 SO, 1 SB
- Matt Wallner has been blazing hot during the month of May. He’s hitting .301, with six home runs and 24 runs batted in. It won’t be long before we see him join Steer in St. Paul.
Matt Canterino, #9, RHP
1 Game, 2.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1 H, 4 BB, 6 SO
- Matt Canterino may not have pitched long in this game but striking out six of the seven outs deserves some sort of recognition. He had some command issues, giving up four walks in 2.1 innings. Overall, Canterino is someone the Twins could call up at some point this season.
High-A
Aaron Sabato, #15, 1B
6 Games, .320 BA (8/25), 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 10 SO
- Since getting drafted first overall by the Twins in the 2020 MLB Draft, Aaron Sabato has looked underwhelming. Hopefully, this week is a step in the right direction, as he hit the ball for power and collected some base hits.
Anthony Prato, SS
6 Games, .400 BA (10/25), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 6 SO, 1 SB
- Anthony Prato likely won’t have much of a career with the Twins, but that doesn’t mean he’s been bad. Minnesota has a lot of good middle infielders throughout the system, and Prato hasn’t proved he’s better than some of them.
Sawyer Gipson-Long, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 7 SO
- Sawyer Gipson-Long has been dominant against lefties this season. Opponents are hitting just .175 over 22.0 innings of work.
Low-A
Keoni Cavaco, #10, SS
6 Games, .292 BA (7/24), 1 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 6 SO
- Much like Sabato, Keoni Cavaco has been another one of the Twins’ underwhelming first-round picks. Cavaco has struggled to stay on the field and strikes out a lot. However, he was always viewed as a high upside player, and if he can build off of this week, then maybe Minnesota found a gem.
Noah Miller, #12, SS
5 Games, .400 (8/20), 3 RBI, 3 BB, 5 SO, 3 SB
- Noah Miller was the Twins’ 36th pick in the CB-A round. He’s a very talented middle infielder who has shown off a lot of upside at the plate. This season he’s hitting .288, with two home runs and 11 RBIs. He’s also shown off his speed, stealing 13 bases.
Emmanuel Rodriguez, #20, OF
5 Games, .333 BA (6/18), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 6 BB, 8 SO
- Emmanuel Rodriguez has a great eye at the plate. This season he’s struck out 49 times but also walked 47 times. He’s going to be a player that has a bright future, and he should be considered one of the Twins’ highest upside players.
Steve Hajjar, #22, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 5.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 1 BB, 10 SO
- Steve Hajjar matched a season-high 10 strikeouts this week and was absolutely dominant. After this outing, opponents are hitting .156 off of him and .071 during the month of May.
Top Prospects
Royce Lewis, #1, SS
6 Games, .286 BA (8/28), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 7 SO, 2 SB
Austin Martin, #2, SS
5 Games, .261 BA (6/23), 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SO, 2 SB
Jordan Balazovic, #3, SP
1 Game, 0-1, 3.1 IP, 13.50 ERA, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 SO
Simeon Woods-Richardson, #4, SP
1 Game, 0-1, 4.0 IP, 9.00 ERA, 6 H, 4 BB, 6 SO
Blayne Enlow, #14, SP
1 Game, 3.0 IP, 15.00 ERA, 5 H, 4 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR
Drew Strotman, #16, SP
2 Games, 1.2 IP, 5.40 ERA, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 SO
Alerick Soularie, #17, 2B
5 Games, .133 BA (2/15), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 4 SO
Cole Sands, #18, SP
1 Game, 3.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 SO
Ronny Henriquez, #19, SP
1 Game, 0-1, 4.2 IP, 9.64 ERA, 7 H, 1 BB, 8 SO, 1 HR
Jovani Moran, #25, LHP
1 Game, 1.1 IP, 6.75 ERA, 2 H, 3 SO, 1 HR
Marco Raya, #26, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 5.0 IP, 1.80 ERA, 4 H, 1 BB, 7 SO
Louie Varland, #27, SP
2 Games, 9.2 IP, 3.72 ERA, 8 H, 9 BB, 10 SO, 2 HR
Kala’i Rosario, #28, OF
5 Games, .316 BA (6/19), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 3 SO
Christian Encarnacion-Strand, #29, SS
6 Games, .208 BA (5/24), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 6 SO