Sadly, baseball season is coming to a close, and for the Wichita Wind Surge and Cedar Rapids Kernels, that has come true. Luckily, the St. Paul Saints have one more week left of their regular season. Congratulations to Jose Miranda and Louie Varland for winning the Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year.

Top Performers:

AAA

Jose Miranda, #8, 3B
5 Games, .450 BA (9/20), 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SO

• Miranda is white-hot this month, hitting .371, with an on-base percentage over .400. He’s also had a hit in every game this month except for two of them. This season has been a video game for the third baseman, and he’s just getting warmed up.

Ben Rortvedt , C
4 Games, .417 BA (5/12), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 3 SO

• Ben Rortvedt has had a rollercoaster season, getting called up-and-down between the majors and Triple-A. He’s struggled offensively with the Twins, but his defense has been great. If he can develop into a consistent MLB hitter, then his potential is through the roof.

Andrew Albers, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 5.0 IP, 1.80 ERA, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 SO, 1 HR

• We know the kind of pitcher Andrew Albers is after watching him make several appearances for the Twins over the years. He’s not a bullpen arm or starting pitcher, but it’s awesome to see him have success for the Saints.

AA

Austin Martin, #2, SS
3 Games, .500 BA (6/12), 2 BB, 1 SO, 1 SB

• It was encouraging to see Austin Martin end the season on a good note. After getting traded to the Twins, the former first-round pick got off to a hot start and then started to cool off. In August and September, he hit .256 and .250. Expect to see him in the Twins lineup in a year or two.

Jermaine Palacios, SS
3 Games, .636 BA (7/11), 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO

• Much like Martin, it was nice to see Jermaine Palacios end the season on a high note after hitting .200 in September. In three playoff games, he hit .500 and two home runs.

High-A

Louie Varland, #29, SP
1 Game, 7.0 IP, 1.29 ERA, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 SO

• Varland continues to dominate at every level and it’s almost a guarantee that he lands on this list every week. The Minnesota native allowed the Kernels to win Game 1 after a dominating performance in which he posted a 1.29 ERA.

Osiris German, RHP
2 Games, 4.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 5 SO

• Osiris German is an intriguing prospect and may have a long-term impact on the Twins. Still only 22 years old, German posted an ERA higher than five in July and August. In September, opponents had a batting average of .179, and he lowered his ERA to 3.48.

Top Prospects

Jordan Balazovic, #3, SP
1 Game, 3.2 IP, 9.82 ERA, 6 H, 4 BB, 3 SO

Matt Wallner, #14, RF
5 Games, .000 BA (0/17), 1 RBI, 1 BB, 9 SO

Aaron Sabato, #16, 1B
5 Games, .167 BA (3/18), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 6 SO

Drew Strotman, #17, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 6.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, 8 H, 1 BB, 3 SO

Cole Sands, #19, SP
1 Game, 0-1, 5.0 IP, 9.00 ERA, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 SO

Spencer Steer, #23, SS
3 Games, .154 (2/13), 5 SO

Charlie Barnes, #30, SP
1 Game, 4.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 6 H, 4 SO