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Ben's Biz: Title winners ranked for '23

Based on how long it had been since they last won a crown
@BensBiz
October 27, 2023

This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE. Subscribe HERE.

Hot dogs! Three's a crowd in desert homer binge

Prospects hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in Fall League action
@JesseABorek
October 22, 2023

MESA, Ariz. -- Who let the Desert Dogs out? There was much to bark and howl about in the dugout after Glendale claimed a 7-6 extra-inning victory over Mesa at Sloan Park on Saturday night, particularly the back-to-back-to-back home runs in the second inning that staked the club to an

Kernels harvest first Midwest League title since '94

No. 3 Twins prospect Rodriguez launches slam in decisive Game 3
@memheller
September 21, 2023

The Cedar Rapids Kernels were the team to beat in the Midwest League all season. And the Twins' High-A affiliate made good on that promise by winning its first championship since 1994. The Kernels defeated the Great Lakes Loons, 7-6, at Veterans Memorial Stadium in the winner-take-all Game 3 of

Lee's instincts result in first Triple-A 4-hit game

No. 2 Twins prospect rebounds from frustrating BP for Saints
@brendan_samson
September 4, 2023

For some players, the difference between how they feel in batting practice vs. the game can be night and day. For Brooks Lee, Sunday was one of those times. The No. 18 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline spent the better part of his pregame preparation questioning his swing and pondering

Jenkins plays walk-off hero for Mighty Mussels

Top-ranked Twins prospect racks up three-hit showing at Single-A
@brendan_samson
August 26, 2023

The Twins promoted Walker Jenkins to Single-A on Wednesday, and in just two appearances with the club, he’s already single-handedly winning ball games. In his second game for Fort Myers, the 2023 fifth overall pick tallied his first three-hit performance as a pro, his first Single-A RBIs and to top

Lee blesses Saints with first Triple-A homer

No. 2 Twins prospect delivers majestic 445-foot roundtripper
@allisonmast13
August 12, 2023

Brooks Lee capped off his first calendar year in professional baseball with an exclamation point in the form of his first Triple-A home run. The Twins' No. 2 prospect joined St. Paul last Thursday nearly a year to the day after making his pro debut. On Friday, he launched a

Wind Surge pay tribute to Wichita's baseball roots

Twins affiliate changes identity to the Monrovians for special game
August 9, 2023

Baseball history is like the ocean: there’s so much yet to be explored and there is always a new story to be found. On Saturday, one of those stories was told when the Wichita Wind Surge paid tribute to the Wichita Monrovians. For the night, the Twins' Double-A affiliate wore

Jenkins making a grand entrance for Twins

2023 first-rounder wallops slam for first professional homer in FCL
August 7, 2023

Walker Jenkins is off to a scorching hot start in his professional career. The 2023 fifth overall pick blasted a grand slam for his first professional home run in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League on Monday afternoon, giving the FCL Twins the edge in a 9-7 victory. Jenkins, who also

Brooks Lee posts second four-hit game in 10 days

Top Twins prospect launches 11th homer on big day for Wind Surge
July 26, 2023

When the Twins selected Brooks Lee with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 Draft, the team coveted his prowess at the plate and projected that the switch-hitter one day would evolve into an impact bat in the Majors. So far, Minnesota must be thrilled with the early returns. Lee

 Kernels don Bunnies identity again

Cedar Rapids' rich baseball history celebrated on July 7
@RobTnova24
July 22, 2023

There were no cornfields this time, but the Cedar Rapids Kernels once again paid tribute to the Bunnies on Friday, July 7. It was also a familiar foe, as the Bunnies defeated Quad Cities, 5-3, at PG Cares Field.

Fans squeal about name of Saints' new ball pig

St. Paul's long-standing tradition now includes a second swine
@Steph_Sheehan
July 20, 2023

If there’s one thing the St. Paul Saints know better than baseball, it’s pigs. When former team president Mike Veeck was taking a walk along the Mississippi River, he came across a historical marker that read: "St. Paul, formally known as Pig’s Eye Landing." Named after an old French trapper

Lawlar, Lee show out in Texas League tilt

Sod Poodles, Wind Surge shortstops collect three hits apiece
@memheller
July 20, 2023

The stars were big and bright in Amarillo, Texas, as the Double-A Sod Poodles and Wind Surge faced off Wednesday in a game with a combined seven Top 30 prospects from the D-backs and Twins organizations, including each club's top-ranked player. Arizona's No. 1 prospect Jordan Lawlar and Minnesota's top-ranked

Surging Lee finding power stroke in Double-A

Top Twins prospect goes yard again during four-hit performance
@EvanKDesai
July 16, 2023

Wherever Brooks Lee goes, he hits. A lot. And now he's hitting them far too. MLB’s No. 18 prospect went 4-for-6 with a homer, a double, four RBIs and two runs out of the leadoff spot in Double-A Wichita's 13-12 win over Springfield on Sunday at Riverfront Stadium. The long

The Road to The Show™: Twins’ Lee

No. 23 overall prospect remaining disciplined in first full season
@Gerard_Gilberto
June 6, 2023

Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at top Twins prospect Brooks Lee. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here. While it seems Brooks Lee’s bat has come back

Rolling Royce: Lewis swats pair of solo homers

No. 2 Twins prospect records first multihomer game of 2023
@brendan_samson
May 20, 2023

Royce Lewis is a gamer, plain and simple. In his fifth game back after suffering a torn ACL on May 29 of last year, the No. 36 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline slugged two homers in his first multihomer game of the season. The driving factor for his hot start

Here's the best of the Twins' Minor League ballparks 

From Florida to the Midwest, Minnesota farm brings history and fun
@Kelsie_Heneghan
May 1, 2023

The Minor League Ballpark Guides series presented by Wyndham brings all the most fun features of Minors ballparks across America (and one in Canada!) onto your desktop, tablet or mobile device, whether you're interested in taking a virtual tour from where you sit or planning a trip to catch some

For Mahomes family, athleticism began on diamond

Before Patrick reached three Super Bowls, dad Pat shined on mound
@Kelsie_Heneghan
February 10, 2023

Decades before Patrick Mahomes II vied for the privilege to shout, “I’m going to Disney World!” Pat Mahomes Sr. was chasing his own ring in Orlando, Florida. The father of the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback spent 22 years in professional baseball, including stints with six Major League teams and 15

Julien, Wallner provide steady bats for Twins

Upper-level talent shines brightest among Minnesota's All-Stars
@Kelsie_Heneghan
November 16, 2022

Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each organization and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in each farm system. Next up in our 2022 Organization All-Stars series are the Minnesota Twins.

The Road to The Show™: Twins’ Rodriguez

No. 93 prospect leaves mighty impression in small sample
@Gerard_Gilberto
September 27, 2022

Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at third-ranked Twins prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here. When he looks back on his time in the

Wallner notches first cycle in Saints history

No. 5 Twins prospect, a Minnesota native, plates 6 on 5-hit night
@Jacob_Resnick
September 2, 2022

How locked in was Matt Wallner? He didn’t even realize he was a triple shy of the cycle … until he hit second base. The No. 5 Twins prospect stumbled his way to third base and just barely beat the tag, but when he stood up he could finally crack

Gossett throws first Wind Surge no-hitter

In quest back to the Majors, righty seals history on 120th pitch
@Jacob_Resnick
August 20, 2022

Daniel Gossett, unlike his Double-A teammates, is working his way back up to the top. And in the four years since throwing his most recent Major League pitch, the 29-year-old has come to learn that few things in the sport are guaranteed. But for at least one night, Gossett could

St. Paul retires No. 15 in honor of Millar

'Forever a Saint:' 2004 Red Sox World Series champion gets his due
August 16, 2022

Before he was a 12-year big league veteran and a key member of the 2004 curse-breaking Red Sox, and long before he was an MLB Network star, Kevin Millar was an independent leaguer trying to keep his baseball dream alive. Millar, 50, began his baseball journey with the St. Paul

Photos: 2022 MiLB at Field of Dreams

Look back at the Minors' inaugural evening in Dyersville, Iowa
August 10, 2022

It was another heavenly evening in Iowa on Aug. 9 as Minor League Baseball hosted its first-ever game at the iconic Field of Dreams movie site, showing some of the game's youngest talent at one of its most beloved locations. The memorable afternoon in Dyersville was the first professional game

Prospect Q&A: Twins outfielder Wallner

Minnesota native showed off power stroke at Futures Game
@Gerard_Gilberto
August 4, 2022

A long drive to right at Dodger Stadium provided fans with a glimpse of Matt Wallner’s difference-making power. The Twins’ seventh-ranked prospect bashed a two-run homer off Giants lefty Kyle Harrison in last month's Futures Game that helped the American League squad to a 6-4 victory. Wallner’s blast wasn’t out

Mighty Mussels trio flexes for nine-inning no-no

Festa, Nowlin, McMahon combine on club's fifth such milestone
@MavalloneMiLB
May 10, 2022

The pressure of a no-hitter can be such that not realizing one is in progress might be more beneficial than not. And that's how it went for Hunter McMahon, who got the final three outs of Single-A Fort Myers' no-no ... even if he didn't know what he had done.