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Box Score SP: Zebby Mathews 5 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (83 pitches, 50 strikes (66% strikes) Home Runs: Josh Bell (15), Kaelen Culpepper (1) 3 WPA: Josh Bell (0.32); Royce Lewis (0.15); Yeondrez Gomes (0.09) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Every game for the Twins has the pressure of competing for a postseason spot, as they entered today just a half-game out of the last Wild Card spot in the American League. But this game had an extra layer: after a long-awaited call-up, the Twins have promoted Kaelen Culpepper to the 26-man roster. Make the two extra layers: since Joe Ryan was placed on the 10-day injured list, Zebby Matthews returned to the rotation to try and finish his season on a strong note. The Twins threatened early but couldn't capitalize in the top of the first with a walk, a stolen base and a single. Milwaukee answered in the bottom half, with Brice Turang striking out before Jackson Chourio launched a solo home run to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead. Milwaukee added three more runs in the bottom of the inning. Christian Yelich singled and Luis Lara walked before a Royce Lewis fielding error allowed David Hamilton to reach and Yelich to score. Turang then delivered a two-run double, scoring Lara and Hamilton to push the Brewers' lead to 4-0. Chourio grounded out to end the inning, leaving Milwaukee with a commanding early advantage. But the Twins responded in their half of the third with a two-out, two-run home run from Josh Bell, scoring himself and Ryan Jeffers. Bell went four-for-five on the night as he shakes his midseason slump. Zebby stayed locked in after his rough start and worked quickly through the Brewers lineup and gave the offense every chance to keep the pressure on Milwaukee. The Twins took advantage of those clean innings from Mathews and struck back with a solo-homerun from Culpepper on his second at-bat, making the game a one run game 4-3. Then Austin Martin doubled, driving home Victor Caratini, but Ryan Kreidler was thrown out at the plate. Still, it was a new game at 4-4. In the fifth, the offense continued with a string of singles that scored two, giving the Twins a 6-4 lead. But the Brewers were not giving up. They loaded the bases with no outs, and a sac-fly to Martin gave the Brewers a run back. Garrett Mitchell "singled" on a ground ball to Culpepper who was slow to deliver the ball to first base. That tied the game, but Matthews' fourth strikeout got the Twins out of the inning. The Twins responded. With two outs, Jeffers got his tenth double of the season. Lewis also doubled, scoring Jeffers. Then a sharp line drive double from Bell scored Lewis, and the Twins put up a two-spot for the fourth straight inning, taking the lead again 8-6. It appeared the momentum was not going to switch off and on, just back and forth. Tommy Nance replaced Mathews for the sixth inning, but not for production; Mathews came out of the game for a blister that had formed on his foot. Nance gave up a leadoff single, but retired the next two batters before being replaced by AJ Minter to face lefty Brice Turang who struck out to end the inning. Then the Twins revamped bullpen held the lead. Jeff Hoffman pitched the seventh, Andrew Morris pitched the eigtht, and Yoendrys Gomez got his sixteenth save in the ninth to help the Twins take the first win of the series. What’s Next? The Twins will send Taj Bradley to the mound (9-4, 3.69 ERA) facing Robert Gasser (LHP)(3-4, 4.48 ERA) at 6:10 Saturday night. They will again try to find their way into the last Wild Card spot, as they remained a half game behind the Texas Rangers, who also won on Friday. Postgame Interviews View the full article

Activated off the 7-day Triple-A IL on July 24 from a left hip strain that sidelined him for over two weeks, Minnesota Twins third-ranked prospect Kaelen Culpepper struggled upon rejoining St. Paul’s lineup, hitting .179/.207/.214 with a 2 wRC+ over 28 plate appearances. Minnesota's top pick in the 2024 draft quickly changed course, however, hitting .412/.474/.706 with a 199 wRC+ over his next 21 plate appearances, putting together one of the best three-game stretches of his 2026 campaign. In response, the Minnesota Twins purchased Culpepper’s contract from Triple-A on August 7, with him making his major league debut against Milwaukee that night. Culpepper was in the shower when he realized something was going down. “Our clubby told me to go into (Brian Dinkelman’s) office, and I walked in, and all staff was in there; coordinators were in there. I kind of knew what was going on. He broke the news to me. I got pretty emotional. I started crying and stuff.” His sentimental state continued as he entered Minnesota’s dugout. “(I) felt welcomed, for sure. Everyone’s focused, of course, but so many congratulations. I feel very comfortable. The last couple of hours were very hectic, you know what I mean? I’m just excited to get the first at-bat out of the way for sure.” The 23-year-old popped out to Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers in his first at-bat. However, manager Derek Shelton is confident about Culpepper’s ability to contribute at a high level at the plate. “He’s definitely made strides (at the plate). There’s still gonna be room for improvement at the major league level, but I think all the challenges we’ve thrown at (Kaelen) organizationally this year, he’s done a really nice job…there’s bat speed there. There’s an ability to impact the baseball.” Shelton was quickly proven right, as Culpepper homered off Milwaukee left-handed starting pitcher Shane Drohan in his second major league at-bat, with the ball traveling 390 feet at 100.2 MPH off the bat: Culpepper homering in his major league debut is indicative of the offensive potential the right-handed bat has demonstrated since Minnesota drafted him 21st overall in the 2024 MLB Amateur Draft. He hit 20 home runs between High- and Double-A in 2025, sporting a near-elite average exit velocity and barrel rate at both levels. He maintained an elite average exit velocity and barrel rate at Triple-A while refining his approach and swing decisions against advanced pitching. Culpepper has all the tools necessary to become one of Minnesota’s most productive hitters immediately. Shelton is also optimistic about Culpepper in the field. “I think right now (he’s) just going to be playing shortstop. I mean, I think with our club, we’ve got to know that you can play multiple positions. He’s played second and third in St. Paul. But I think right now in the short term, it would just be short. But, I mean, hell, we’ve watched guys go to positions that I don’t—I mean, if you would have told me Alex Jackson was going to start two games at first base a month ago, I would have told you that you were crazy.” Regardless of where the consensus Top 100 prospect plays, Shelton believes he will play a meaningful role in Minnesota’s ability to return to the postseason for the first time since 2023. “He’s very ready…he’s become a better defender. I mean, this is a kid that has some tools. It’s why he’s so highly touted. He’s back healthy, he’s playing well, so we felt it was the right time to bring him to the big leagues.” View the full article

Box Score SP: Zebby Mathews 5 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (83 pitches, 50 strikes (66% strikes) Home Runs: Josh Bell (15), Kaelen Culpepper (1) 3 WPA: Josh Bell (0.32); Royce Lewis (0.15); Yeondrez Gomes (0.09) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Every game for the Twins has the pressure of competing for a postseason spot, as they entered today just a half-game out of the last Wild Card spot in the American League. But this game had an extra layer: after a long-awaited call-up, the Twins have promoted Kaelen Culpepper to the 26-man roster. Make the two extra layers: since Joe Ryan was placed on the 10-day injured list, Zebby Matthews returned to the rotation to try and finish his season on a strong note. The Twins threatened early but couldn't capitalize in the top of the first with a walk, a stolen base and a single. Milwaukee answered in the bottom half, with Brice Turang striking out before Jackson Chourio launched a solo home run to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead. Milwaukee added three more runs in the bottom of the inning. Christian Yelich singled and Luis Lara walked before a Royce Lewis fielding error allowed David Hamilton to reach and Yelich to score. Turang then delivered a two-run double, scoring Lara and Hamilton to push the Brewers' lead to 4-0. Chourio grounded out to end the inning, leaving Milwaukee with a commanding early advantage. But the Twins responded in their half of the third with a two-out, two-run home run from Josh Bell, scoring himself and Ryan Jeffers. Bell went four-for-five on the night as he shakes his midseason slump. Zebby stayed locked in after his rough start and worked quickly through the Brewers lineup and gave the offense every chance to keep the pressure on Milwaukee. The Twins took advantage of those clean innings from Mathews and struck back with a solo-homerun from Culpepper on his second at-bat, making the game a one run game 4-3. Then Austin Martin doubled, driving home Victor Caratini, but Ryan Kreidler was thrown out at the plate. Still, it was a new game at 4-4. In the fifth, the offense continued with a string of singles that scored two, giving the Twins a 6-4 lead. But the Brewers were not giving up. They loaded the bases with no outs, and a sac-fly to Martin gave the Brewers a run back. Garrett Mitchell "singled" on a ground ball to Culpepper who was slow to deliver the ball to first base. That tied the game, but Matthews' fourth strikeout got the Twins out of the inning. The Twins responded. With two outs, Jeffers got his tenth double of the season. Lewis also doubled, scoring Jeffers. Then a sharp line drive double from Bell scored Lewis, and the Twins put up a two-spot for the fourth straight inning, taking the lead again 8-6. It appeared the momentum was not going to switch off and on, just back and forth. Tommy Nance replaced Mathews for the sixth inning, but not for production; Mathews came out of the game for a blister that had formed on his foot. Nance gave up a leadoff single, but retired the next two batters before being replaced by AJ Minter to face lefty Brice Turang who struck out to end the inning. Then the Twins revamped bullpen held the lead. Jeff Hoffman pitched the seventh, Andrew Morris pitched the eigtht, and Yoendrys Gomez got his sixteenth save in the ninth to help the Twins take the first win of the series. What’s Next? The Twins will send Taj Bradley to the mound (9-4, 3.69 ERA) facing Robert Gasser (LHP)(3-4, 4.48 ERA) at 6:10 Saturday night. They will again try to find their way into the last Wild Card spot, as they remained a half game behind the Texas Rangers, who also won on Friday. Postgame Interviews View the full article

Cooper Pratt has had quite the year. The Milwaukee Brewers’ fourth-ranked prospect (per Brewer Fanatic) has inked a long-term extension, made his MLB debut, and now he’s quickly turning into the most dangerous type of hitter there is: someone who excels at everything. Let’s break down how Pratt is already adjusting to the big leagues in a way that could make him a key piece when postseason baseball rolls around. Cooper Pratt’s Background Pratt is a 21-year-old infielder for the Brewers, and he’s done nothing but impress since the team selected him in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Pratt holds a hefty frame, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 210 pounds despite profiling as a shortstop, a position that demands the fleet of foot. The former sixth-round pick has overcome that, swiping 58 bases between the 2024 and 2025 minor league seasons. His glove (60) and fielding (60) have profiled as the infielder’s best tools, as he’s managed to work his way all the way up to a major league debut this season. This isn’t an easy feat considering the fierce competition from Jesus Made and Luis Pena, fellow infield prospects who are climbing the ladder with Pratt. Pratt Locked Down Matt Arnold has proven himself as someone who knows talent analysis, and he’s nailed the hires to build the best farm system in baseball. With that being said, when the Crew signs someone to an eight-year, $50.75 million contract, it’s for good reason. The budding shortstop is locked down until at least 2033 before a club option can kick in over the next couple of years. This is similar to what the Brewers have done with Luis Lara, an outfielder who also debuted this year and inked a seven-year, $31 million deal taking him through 2032 ahead of a club option. The Surface Level Numbers Are Promising So far, Pratt has passed the eye test, and he’s come a long way from someone who slashed just .238/.343/.348 with the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers a season ago. One of Milwaukee’s greenest infielders is currently slashing .289/.371/.391 with a .762 OPS over 42 games with the group. Pratt has slugged two home runs, driven in 17 baserunners, and has 18 walks to 29 strikeouts with 10 stolen bases already. Taking A Deeper Dive Take a more granular look at Pratt’s early performance, and you’ll be even more impressed. The Magnolia Heights H.S. alum has a 137 wRC+ since the start of July, implying that he’s been a far better all-around hitter than the average major leaguer (with 100 being the mean value). Like most players on the Brewers, he takes his walks, earning a free pass 12.2 percent of the time. That mark, along with his 19.6 percent strikeout rate, is both well above league average. Pratt has had success against fastballs, even getting a bit unlucky with a .258 batting average that’s eight points below his expected value. The real difference has been his success against breaking balls, a pitch type that he’s gone 17-for-38 (.447 AVG) against with five extra-base hits, including a home run. Pratt, even at his young age, is already identifying which breaking balls aren’t worth offering at and which to attack. What’s His Long-Term Role? What will Pratt do long term, and can he keep this productivity up? Unlike batting average on balls in play, metrics like low chase rates, high walk rates, and a prominent indication that he can identify pitches well are all sustainable traits. This isn’t someone who is hitting into luck. In fact, he’s done all of this despite having a below-average bat speed of 70.3 miles per hour. Pratt is still very young, and he could easily fill out more of his frame as the years go by. He may need to be flexible, though, as baseball’s top prospect in Made could be up in the big leagues as soon as this year. We’ve seen Pratt play around the infield, so it shouldn’t be much of an issue. Wherever he plays on defense, this is someone who has the right habits at the plate and could be a difference-maker for years to come. View the full article

For most of July, talk surrounding the San Diego Padres was centered off-the-field, rather than on it. Rumors of what the Friars would or would not do in the looming MLB trade deadline were swirling, with San Diego holding prized jewels in the bullpen. Amidst the trade speculation, pitching performances helped keep the Padres afloat in the NL Wild Card race, posting a 13-13 record in July. Ranking Padres' Best Pitchers In July #3: Adrian Morejon, Relief Pitcher In an overall underwhelming year, one aspect of the team has remained consistent for the Padres: the bullpen. In July, Adrian Morejon continued to show why he is a critical piece to San Diego’s biggest strength. The southpaw posted a 2.57 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 14.0 innings pitched in the month. Morejon was a name that came up in trade deadline rumors, with reports of the Padres rejecting a trade offer from the Yankees. Ultimately, the team wisely opted to hold onto him, hoping to make a serious run at a championship prior to his impending trip into free agency at the conclusion of the season. #2: Michael King, Starting Pitcher This has been yet another year where injuries have decimated the rotation for the Padres. The exception, however, has been Michael King. In July, King continued to establish himself as San Diego’s ace in 2026, posting another month of solid numbers. In 29.0 innings pitched, the right-hander dealt a 2.79 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, both better than his season-long totals. King, for the most part, was safer than his relief pitching counterparts in trade discussions. His consistency in July helped steady the ship for the Padres, who hope to rely on him for the postseason push ahead. He also has some reinforcements to support his cause in Casey Mize and Robbie Ray. #1: Mason Miller, Relief Pitcher At the start of July, it would have come as a surprise to see Mason Miller’s name still on the Padres roster come August. His name was swirling in trade rumors, with many speculating that San Diego would cash in on its most valuable asset. However, that was not the case, and Miller pitched another brilliant month. In July, he owned a 0.82 ERA and 0.64 WHIP in 11.0 innings pitched, also going seven-for-seven in save opportunities. Miller’s performance in July earned him the NL Reliever of the Month award. Despite the noise from the trade deadline, Miller stayed on course. By not shipping him away for assets, A.J. Preller made it clear that he sees Miller as a part of the team's future and a crucial piece for the remainder of 2026. With him and Morejon closing out games, it's not difficult to understand that line of thinking. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins made all the rumored moves official. Minnesota announced Friday that it has selected the contract of top prospect Kaelen Culpepper while also recalling right-handed pitcher Zebby Matthews from Triple-A St. Paul. To make room on the active roster, infielder Tristan Gray has been optioned. The Twins also placed right-hander Joe Ryan on the 15-day injured list with a mild left glute strain. His IL stint can be backdated to Wednesday, meaning he would be eligible to return on August 20, although that’s an off day for the Twins. Culpepper's promotion gives the Twins another opportunity to see one of their most highly regarded young players at the major-league level. The former first-round pick has continued to work his way toward becoming a regular contributor in Minnesota, and his debut comes at a time when the club is trying to keep pace in the American League playoff race. The move also required Minnesota to clear a spot on its 40-man roster. Right-handed reliever Taylor Rashi was designated for assignment to make room for Culpepper. Minnesota acquired Rashi from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a cash transaction in June after Arizona had designated him for assignment. At the time, the Twins were searching for additional bullpen options, but Rashi never made a major-league appearance for the organization. He instead spent his time with Triple-A St. Paul, where he logged 17 innings and posted a 4.76 ERA. Rashi struck out 28.7% of the batters he faced while walking 11.3%. The Twins have added several other bullpen options since acquiring Rashi, making his path to the majors even more difficult. Minnesota acquired Jeff Hoffman, Tommy Nance and A.J. Minter in separate moves during the deadline period, significantly changing the makeup of its relief corps. Ryan Lands on Injured List The bigger concern for Minnesota is what Ryan's absence means for the rotation. Manager Derek Shelton told reporters that Ryan would be placed on the injured list after being diagnosed with a mild left glute strain. The Twins had also sent Ryan for testing on his back earlier this week, but the glute issue appears to be the primary culprit. The timing is unfortunate for a pitcher who had been one of Minnesota's best performers during the first half. Ryan earned his second career All-Star selection. Since returning from the break, however, something has clearly been off. His first start of the second half was particularly rough. Ryan surrendered an MLB-record six home runs against a Cleveland lineup that was the AL’s worst home run hitting team. The Twins subsequently pushed his next start back because of arm fatigue. Across his last three starts, Ryan has allowed 17 runs over 15 1/3 innings while striking out just 10 of the 73 hitters he has faced. Minnesota has lost each of those three games. His velocity has also dipped. Ryan's four-seam fastball averaged just 92.1 mph in Tuesday's start at Kauffman Stadium. That was his lowest average in a start since early May and well below his 93.4 mph average for the season. Matthews Gets Another Opportunity With Ryan unavailable, the Twins will turn back to Matthews. The right-hander has been recalled from St. Paul and is scheduled to start Friday's series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. Matthews had recently been pushed out of Minnesota's starting rotation following the club's acquisition of Dean Kremer from Baltimore. Among the Twins' regular starters, Matthews had posted the weakest results, carrying a 5.22 ERA across 81 innings. His final start before being optioned was actually one of his better performances of the season. Matthews struck out a career-high 10 batters in a 5-3 victory over Seattle, although he still allowed three runs over five innings and surrendered his 16th home run of the season. Now, he'll have another opportunity to show that he can turn those encouraging peripherals into better overall results. For a Twins team trying to remain in the postseason picture, Ryan's health will obviously be the biggest factor. But Matthews has an important opportunity in front of him, while Culpepper gets another chance to establish himself in the majors. It's another significant roster shuffle for a Minnesota club that has undergone plenty of changes over the past several weeks. View the full article

The Chicago Cubs were one of the more active teams at this year’s MLB Trade Deadline, and one of their bigger splashes was acquiring Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor from the Mets. They pulled this move off in the final few hours, and while Holmes is the headliner of the deal, Taylor deserves some attention for what he’s been up to this year and what he can offer. Let’s break down what he can bring to the table. Understanding Tyrone Taylor's Fit With Cubs Taylor is now with his third organization. The 32-year-old outfielder was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers, as the Crew selected him in the second round of the 2012 MLB Draft. Taylor was picked right out of high school and eventually made his debut in the 2019 MLB season. Over what is now an eight-year career, the former Met has 60 home runs, 41 stolen bases and is slashing .238/.292/.422 (.714 OPS). Milwaukee then dealt Taylor in 2023. The Mets were in the market for pitching, so the Brewers gave them Adrian Houser, throwing in Taylor in exchange for pitching prospect Coleman Crow. Flashing Speed One of the first aspects you’ll notice about Taylor is his quickness. It’s apparent in the outfield and on the bases, as the veteran can cover plenty of ground with what serves as his main appeal now. Taylor, even when he isn’t an everyday player, has managed to establish a presence on the bases. Last year, he stole 12 bases in 113 games. It isn’t a high mark, but with the new disengagement rules being employed, we could see him be more aggressive depending on the situation. Referencing a larger sample size from last year, the Cubs’ newest outfielder logged a sprint speed of 29.3 ft/s, good enough to put him in the 94th percentile. Taylor was also touted as one of the best defenders in baseball last year, when he was on the field. His arm value of +5 (98th percentile) is top-tier, with a three outs above average (OAA) range rating being very respectable in the 84th percentile. As Taylor has progressed through the big leagues, his speed, and how he weaponizes it on defense, has been his best attribute. Pull-Side Thump The Brewers couldn’t get the veteran outfielder to stick in his time in Milwaukee, and the Mets, in the midst of a rebuild, were clearly aiming to offload him too. That being said, he is quietly putting up one of his best seasons at the plate from a power perspective. In just 67 games, Taylor has hit 10 of his 35 hits out of the yard. His career-high home run mark is 17, a value he hit back in the 2022 season. He’s currently on pace for just under 30 homers in a 162-game season. When taking a look at his spray chart, it’s clear that this is someone who is at their best when they can clip the ball out in front. The California native has hit all 10 of his round-trippers to left field this year, using an 11.9 percent barrel percentage to do so. Taylor’s 19.5 percent strikeout rate is admirable, but he’s never walked above the league average mark in his career, so it’s a tough sell to etch out an everyday spot for someone with an on-base percentage below .300. Where Does He Belong? Taylor will likely go back and forth with veteran Michael Conforto for the fourth outfield spot. Conforto has nine home runs and 24 RBI while slashing .231/.325/.456 this season, starting the year off red-hot before coming down to earth. The Cubs already have two elite defenders up the middle with Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner. Pete Crow-Armstrong could very well be on his way to another Gold Glove in center field, and having someone like Tyrone Taylor on the bench should keep the defense flowing even when the superstar sits. View the full article

In the blink of an eye, baseball season is more than over halfway over. The Boston Red Sox's farm system has had a lot of bright spots and breakouts throughout the season, especially in July. However, Craig Breslow traded a good chunk of prospects to acquire major-league talent, most notably top prospects Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, and Enddy Azocar, who were all shipped to the Baltimore Orioles in a blockbuster deal for catcher Adley Rutschman. That depletion of talent will be felt in the years to come, and it makes our jobs slightly harder in the present. Thankfully, they still have a deep farm system, including the stars with the highest potential ceilings, Franklin Arias and Justin Gonzales. Let's give some flowers to the organization's best MiLB hitters from last month. Ranking Red Sox's Best Minor-League Hitters in July Honorable Mention: Justin Gonzales (High-A Greenville) The 19-year-old from the Dominican Republic has been very consistent all season, taking walks and not striking out a lot. Gonzales had a cold month of June, batting .183, but still managed 18 walks and 21 strikeouts in 71 at-bats. He then made a complete turnaround at the plate in July, slashing .306/.442/.565 in 62 at-bats. The right-hander provided five homers and 11 RBIs for Greenville, including a stretch where he smacked a homer in three straight games. It seems the Red Sox developmental staff wanted Gonzales to lift the ball more, since that was what he lacked; now he has hit the most homers in a month this season. Honorable Mention: Kristian Campbell (Triple-A Worcester) Drafted out of Georgia Tech, Campbell shined right out of the gate in the 2025 MLB season. It did not take long for Boston to ink him to an 8-year, $60 million deal. The Marietta, Georgia native figured out the struggles of a major leaguer, not being able to find his footing after a hot start, which led to a demotion to Triple-A. It took a while for Campbell to have the big month he has been hunting for, but it finally came in July. Batting under the Mendoza Line the prior two months, the righty turned it up, earning himself a .379 batting average while taking almost as many walks as strikeouts (13/17 BB/K ratio). Kristian was not finding extra-bases by any means, but he was getting on base at a phenomenal clip with a .507 OBP, higher than all his WooSox teammates. Most Red Sox fans are still rooting for Campbell to pan out and make it back to Boston; hopefully this is the stepping stone for what more is to come. #3: Louis Andujar (Low-A Salem) Signing for just $20,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2025, Andujar was a name worth paying attention to in the Red Sox Florida Complex League in 2026, slashing an impressive .404/.483/.731 at just 18 years old. Andujar deserved a promotion and struggled mightily in his first taste of Low-A. Through his first 16 games, the infielder posted a slash line of .083/.179/.100, but the potential was still there, waiting for a breakout to come. After a great month of May, Louis fell back down to Earth in June. Like all the best prospects, he took the adversity in stride and came back swinging once again in July with a slash line of .329/.405/.658. With a Salem team that was slugging at an elite rate, the third baseman led the RidgeYaks in home runs with five, while being top five in almost every possible hitting category, including hits, runs, RBIs, BB, AVG, OBP, SLG, and OPS. Listed as a shortstop, Andujar has been playing third base for most of his time with Salem. Still very young, he'll enter some serious prospect conversations if he can keep up his hot hitting. #2: Brooks Brannon (Double-A Portland) Brannon has been showing off his power all season for the Portland Sea Dogs. Although he had a bit of a cool June, the power still carried over to July, slugging a team-leading seven long balls. He has spent all his time this season at first base and as a designated hitter and has been hitting his way into relevancy; he was finding extra bases at an elite level last month, leading the entire Red Sox organization (yes, even the big-league club) with 15 extra-base hits, seven homers, and tied with 19 RBIs. The only major flaw in his game that still needs development is his swing and misses; his walk-to-strikeout ratio has looked identical every month this season. If he cleans that up, a trip to Boston will be in his near future. #1: Kleyver Salazar (Low-A Salem) Signing as an international free agent from Venezuela, Salazar was seen as someone with a solid defensive profile but made very inconsistent contact at the plate. That problem showed in 2025 in Salem, where he slashed .215/.327/.276 through 99 games. Now in 2026, the catcher has looked completely different in the box, basically increasing all his stat totals from the prior season by a wide margin. However, he took it to the next level in July. Salazar posted an absurd .507 OBP, higher than every player in Low-A and 100 points higher than any of his teammates with a minimum of 50 at-bats. Not only did Salazar post his best OBP, but he also racked up the most runs, RBIs, hits, and extra-base hits he has ever tallied in a month. Not to mention, his .386 average and 1.139 OPS completely shattered his personal bests. Although not seen as a top Red Sox prospect on most lists, Salazar’s consistency has him looking like an underrated diamond in the rough that fans will get to know sooner or later. View the full article

The New York Mets were clear sellers at this year’s MLB trade deadline, and one of their earliest moves was dealing reliever A.J. Minter to the Minnesota Twins for some prospect help. Among the returnees is a farmhand by the name of Billy Amick, an infielder who is having an unbelievably impressive season. Let’s dive into what he brings to the table, and how he may be able to help the Mets down the road. Billy Amick's Updated Mets Scouting Report Amick is a 23-year-old corner infielder prospect and is one of New York’s newest up-and-coming talents. The Mooresville, NC native played his college baseball at the University of Tennessee and was a member of the 2024 College World Series winning squad. After spending a pair of seasons with Clemson, the third baseman held a potent bat with the Volunteers in his one and only year with the group. Amick made a profound impact in his final collegiate season, thrashing 23 homers with 65 runs batted in while slashing .306/.387/.639 for an impressive 1.026 OPS. That campaign was enough to make him a second-round pick, as the Twins selected Amick 60th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. A Power Surge In 2026 The third baseman made plenty of progress in 2025, climbing from rookie ball up to High-A Cedar Rapids, but this season, he’s tapped back into the power many saw at Tennessee. Amick is slashing .224/.341/.502 with 26 home runs and 80 runs batted in over 91 games played. The powerful third baseman is on pace to eclipse 30 homers in just his second full season in the professional ranks, and his .842 OPS shows this is someone who can be a problem as he makes his way up the minor-league ladder. A Closer Look At The Damage It’s one thing to hit a ton of homers, but let’s take a look under the hood to see just how productive of a batter Amick is. The 23-year-old is getting out in front of the baseball plenty, logging a 28.6 percent pull-air percentage, good enough for the 93rd percentile in Double-A. Building off of that, the former Twins prospect is also putting the ball on the ground just 28.6 percent of the time (96th percentile). Someone who can lift the ball to the outfield consistently can move runners over instead of eliminating a pair of them in one swing. On top of his power, Amick has also made for a consistent on-base presence, drawing a 13.2 percent walk rate (73rd percentile). Room For Improvement While the third baseman has generated plenty of opportunities, whether it be from a clobbered baseball or one of many free passes he’s earned this season, the Mets up-and-coming infielder still has his faults. He isn’t chasing out of the zone much, yet Amick has 38.6 percent whiff rate (8th percentile). Cross reference this metric with the fact he’s swinging at 68 percent of offerings in the zone, and you get a 72 percent zone contact rate that’s one of the lowest in all of Minor League Baseball. Amick has the right idea; he’s swinging at quality pitches, but he’s getting fooled on pitch type/location. No matter how powerful he is or how often he gets on base, it'll be tough for him to make a mark while he's striking out in 30% of his trips to the plate. Expectations With Mets While Amick is far from perfect, the pop and potential are there. The Mets have struggled mightily at the plate this year, and their slugging is a big reason why; New York is 24th in slugging percentage (.387) and 27th in OPS (.692). If Amick keeps these power numbers up and can cut down on the swing and miss in his game, he could be a perfect in-house solution to that problem. View the full article

The Miami Marlins emerged from the MLB trade deadline with an all-too-familiar flat performance on the road against the Atlanta Braves. AJ Ramos, Isaac Azout and Kevin Barral discuss the lowlights from that three-game sweep, share their final thoughts on the club's deadline moves and look ahead to the next three games against the Los Angeles Angels, who enter Friday with the worst record in Major League Baseball. You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. It's also been a notable week for former Marlins first-round draft picks. Jacob Berry, their 2022 first-rounder, was traded to the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations. This year's first-rounder, Jacob Lombard, made his minor league debut on Tuesday, hitting a home run for Low-A Jupiter. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins didn’t have to wait long to find out what they had in Kaelen Culpepper. Selected 21st overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Culpepper entered professional baseball with plenty of questions about where he would ultimately play defensively, but there was considerably less uncertainty about his offensive foundation. He had already shown at Kansas State that he could make consistent contact, control the strike zone, and provide enough power to make opposing pitchers pay. Two years into his professional career, Culpepper has continued checking boxes. The 23-year-old has moved quickly through the Twins' system, reaching Triple-A after just 59 games at Double-A to close out the 2025 season. He has dealt with an injury setback along the way, but his overall performance has kept him near the top of Minnesota's prospect rankings. Now, with another strong season in St. Paul, Culpepper is set to make his big-league debut. A First-Round Pick With Plenty of Experience Culpepper wasn't a player who suddenly emerged during his draft year. He stepped into a prominent role at Kansas State immediately, spending his first two collegiate seasons at third base before moving over to shortstop as a junior. That final season proved to be a memorable one. After leading the U.S. collegiate national team in batting the previous summer, Culpepper returned to Manhattan and posted a .328/.419/.574 (.993) slash line with a 127 wRC+. That performance made him the first position player in Kansas State history to be selected in the first round. The Twins ultimately grabbed him late in the first round, 21st overall, a selection that may have surprised some observers at the time. Culpepper didn't need long to make the organization feel good about the decision. His first full professional season took him all the way to Double-A, while he also earned a spot in the Futures Game. Between Cedar Rapids and Wichita, he slashed .289/.375/.469 (.844) with 20 home runs, 25 steals, and a 133 wRC+ across 517 plate appearances. He showed a combination of offensive skills that helped accelerate his prospect stock. The Bat Has Continued to Develop One of the most appealing aspects of Culpepper's profile has remained the same since his college days: He puts the bat on the baseball. Culpepper carried that contact-oriented approach into professional baseball. He has consistently kept his strikeout totals manageable, posting a 17.6% strikeout rate across his first three minor-league seasons. In 2026, that figure rose a little to 18.7%. He also isn't locked into trying to pull everything. Culpepper's bat speed allows him to drive the ball to all parts of the field, and he has shown an ability to handle fastballs particularly well. He has a 45.5% hard hit percentage and a 45.0 Pull%, down 3.6% compared to 2025. His in-zone contact skills give him a strong offensive floor, while his developing power provides another dimension to the profile. There is still some room for improvement. Culpepper can become too aggressive against breaking balls and other softer offerings outside the strike zone. In 2026, he improved his O-Swing% by nearly two percent. He also put the ball on the ground roughly half the time in 2025. However, he has a 43.9% groundball rate this year, resulting in more flyballs. The power is already there, though. His 20/20 season in 2025 wasn't a fluke, and he has continued to show the ability to turn his bat speed into home run power, particularly when he gets the opportunity to pull the baseball. Another Strong Season in St. Paul Culpepper began 2026 at Triple-A St. Paul, and he hasn't looked out of place against the highest level of competition in the Twins' system. Through 74 games, he has produced a 116 wRC+ with 14 home runs and 17 stolen bases. His .845 OPS has come with success against both right- and left-handed pitching, giving Minnesota another reason to believe his offensive game can translate to the majors. His season hasn't been completely smooth. A glute injury sidelined Culpepper in mid-June, and his first attempt to return lasted only two games before he was placed back on the injured list. When he finally returned to the Saints' lineup in late July, he wasn't immediately back to his previous level. That changed quickly. Culpepper has started to heat up again in August, going 7-for-21 with four extra-base hits over his first five games of the month. Getting back into an offensive rhythm at this point in the season is particularly important as the Twins evaluate whether he's ready for his next challenge. Where Does He Play? The biggest question surrounding Culpepper's long-term outlook isn't necessarily his bat; it's his defensive home. Culpepper has spent the majority of his professional career at shortstop, and there's plenty to like about his work there. His arm strength is good enough for the position, and he has developed into a capable defender at a premium spot. The question is whether his range will ultimately hold up at shortstop in the majors. Culpepper doesn't possess the quickest first step, and that lack of initial burst can limit his ability to cover ground. That's why the Twins have continued giving him opportunities elsewhere. He has experience at second and third base, and those reps are likely to remain valuable as he progresses. For now, though, shortstop remains the most obvious path. Minnesota has a need at the position, and Culpepper has spent enough time there to make the organization comfortable with giving him an extended look. His versatility only makes him more valuable, especially for a team that has spent the past several seasons searching for consistency on the left side of the infield. Culpepper has established himself as one of the organization's best young players. Now he needs to turn his Triple-A success into major-league consistency. If the bat continues to produce and the defensive questions don't become too significant, the Twins may have found their next everyday shortstop. What stands out about Culpepper’s time in the minors? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Brett Bateman, 24, was one of the two prospects that the Toronto Blue Jays acquired in the trade that sent Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs. Bateman is replacing Luis Urías, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained quad. Rudy Martin Jr. was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. In Triple A this season, Bateman slashed .311/.429/.416 with 61 runs, three home runs, 33 knocked in, and 20 stolen bases. He adds more depth in the outfield and a left-handed bat off the bench. He could platoon in center field with Myles Straw, so he may not have to wait long to make his debut. View the full article

Robbie Ray’s surface numbers show a starter with a 3.08 ERA; his expected metrics reveal a pitcher with a 4.51 FIP trying to avoid a collapse. Without the overpowering fastball that defined his past, the 34-year-old left-hander has reinvented his arsenal to force rushed decisions in the batter’s box. In San Diego, the key will not be how many strikeouts he can accumulate, but how long he can maintain this disruption of hitters’ timing before the quality of contact catches up with him. The transformation begins with the loss of velocity on his fastball. With his four-seam fastball dropping to an average of 93.2 mph in 2026, hitters gained something they previously did not have: time. With a few extra hundredths of a second, batters can identify the pitch better, track it deeper into the plate, and delay their swing decisions. Once that urgency disappears, the pitcher’s advantage begins to erode. That temporal advantage reduced the impact of his fastball, the pitch that carried his identity for years. With a fastball that no longer creates the same level of threat, opponents are making contact inside the zone (Z-Contact%) 91.5% of the time and chasing fewer pitches outside of it. That forces Ray to attack the corners more often, and when he misses by only a small margin, counts extend and walks rise to 11.1%. That is where the real challenge of this version of Robbie Ray emerges. However, the reason to believe he can hold up in San Diego lies in the restructuring of his secondary pitches. Since his fastball no longer beats hitters as frequently as it once did, Ray has shifted more of his arsenal toward his changeup and knuckle curve. The former has limited opponents to a .196 batting average. The latter disrupts swing timing. Tracking data shows that 65.9% of swings against his curveball occur with hitters ahead of the pitch (Early%). In other words, batters are committing to their swings before recognizing the pitch’s final trajectory. Conditioned by the fastball, they accelerate their bodies too early. That timing disruption helps explain the pitch’s 35.1% Over%. The metric confirms that the barrel of the bat passes over the baseball when the hitter triggers the swing too early. Rather than chasing swings and misses, Ray’s objective with this profile is to limit the quality of contact by forcing weak contact above the barrel. That type of contact would not be equally sustainable in every environment. But Petco Park changes part of the equation. A pitcher with only a 36.3% ground-ball rate has room to survive thanks to the ballpark’s dimensions and its long-standing ability to suppress airborne damage, acting as a natural filter that can turn those harmless fly balls into routine outs for the outfielders. The Padres did not acquire the Robbie Ray who dominated hitters with a 96 mph fastball and won a Cy Young award. They acquired a pitcher who now needs to win each plate appearance in a completely different way. As long as he can continue disrupting the timing of opposing hitters, his ERA will have a chance to challenge a much less optimistic FIP. If he stops doing it, that margin will shrink and the results will begin to look more like the underlying metrics. View the full article

I know, I know. It's late to be publishing any sort of "player of the month" content for July. But the trade deadline was a little later this year, and I figured that was slightly more important to cover. Still, I wanted to make sure Jays Centre acknowledged all of the Blue Jays' best performances in July, so I'm writing this up today. Let's get right to it. Honourable Mention: Chad Dallas - Buffalo/Toronto I try to avoid including guys who have already debuted in the majors on these lists. However, Chad Dallas gets a shoutout for pitching to a 1.46 ERA in three minor league outings last month, as well as tossing a scoreless inning (and earning his first big league hold) for the Blue Jays on July 10. No. 5: Denis Samudio - Dunedin Denis Samudio struck out 28 batters in 17 innings last month. That's a 38.9% strikeout rate. He racked up more strikeouts than hits, walks, hit-by-pitches, and wild pitches combined. The 21-year-old certainly wasn't perfect, as his 4.24 ERA and 4.33 FIP will attest, but how can you not be impressed by a strikeout total like that? The Royals sent Samudio to the Blue Jays in June in exchange for Connor Seabold. He's still a lottery ticket, but so far, he's looking like a great return for a pitcher the Jays designated for assignment. No. 4: Javen Coleman - New Hampshire/Buffalo Javen Coleman struck out 18 of the 49 hitters he faced in July (36.7%) with a 4.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He also earned four saves while pitching to a 3.09 ERA. He has run into a little more trouble since a mid-July promotion to Triple-A Buffalo, but that's to be expected. Instead of punishing him for his struggles at the highest minor league level, I'm choosing to give him credit for earning a promotion in the first place. No. 3: Jack Eshleman - Vancouver I try to focus on more than just ERA when it comes to picking pitchers of the month, particularly for the minor leaguers. I also try to prioritize top-ranked prospects and players in the higher levels when I'm having trouble making a decision. Having said all that, I can't ignore Jack Eshleman's 1.23 ERA in July, especially when it wasn't a super strong month for pitching in the system. The 22-year-old made six relief appearances in the month, five of which were at least two innings long. From June 30 to July 23, he pitched 12 consecutive scoreless innings. No. 2: Austin Marozas - Dunedin/Vancouver/New Hampshire The Blue Jays signed a 26-year-old Austin Marozas out of independent ball last summer. He pitched well for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats before landing on the injured list in mid-May. The righty started his rehab stint in the FCL on June 20, and over the next few weeks, he worked his way back to New Hampshire, stopping in Dunedin and Vancouver along the way. From June 20 to July 31, he produced a 2.96 ERA in 27.1 innings, striking out 36. His 5.26 ERA on the season is less than inspiring, but that number drops to 3.72 if you remove his two disastrous outings before he hit the IL. Even better, his strikeout rate improves to 28.7%, and his K-BB% improves to 17.3%. Mazoras will face his fair share of bumps in the road (like his first start in August), but he has been a great story so far, and hopefully, his story is just beginning. No. 1: Johnny King - Vancouver Johnny King had another strong month in July, striking out 25 and walking eight over four starts. Jays Centre's No. 2 prospect struggled with control at times, but the southpaw never gave up more than three earned runs in an outing, and the Canadians won all four games he started. In other words, Johnny King was Johnny King. There's not much more to say. View the full article

The Twins selected Aaron Sabato with the 27th pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, and the first baseman has had a rough go of it in the seven seasons since then. However, now might be the time to finally give him the call. When you draft a player with the First Base Only tag, he has to hit. Sabato was the highest-drafted first baseman in 2020—a draft mired by the uncertainty of only having a few weeks of scouting for players whose seasons were shut down in March—mostly because Spencer Torkelson was drafted as a third baseman. Unfortunately, Sabato’s minor league career is littered with not hitting. Or at least not hitting enough. He’s got a pretty standard first-base-only profile: a lot of strikeouts, a lot of homers, a low batting average, and enough walks to keep his on-base percentage above water. That batting average has, for the most part, been low enough to keep him from being taken seriously as a prospect. Across six minor league seasons, he’s mustered just a .230 average and has struck out over 30% of the time. That type of hitter generally doesn’t have a long major league career, or one at all. But Sabato has managed to hang around in the Twins organization, and every season, he’ll have a few weeks in a row that lead fans to think he might finally be putting it together. This season is as close as we’ve gotten to the fabled “putting it together.” Sabato began the 2026 season—his age-27 season—with Triple-A St. Paul. He played sparingly, in just four of the team’s first 17 games, registering 14 plate appearances and striking out in seven of them. Then he started getting opportunities. Starting with a three-hit night on April 16, he played nine of the team’s final 13 April games, slashing .310/.375/.621 (.996) with three doubles and two home runs across 32 plate appearances. And he really hasn’t looked back. Since April 16th, when he started playing consistently, he’s hitting .293 with 47 extra-base hits (20 home runs) and an OPS of .961. Even factoring in those bad first handful of games, his OPS sits at .936. The International League is a high-offense league, so raw OPS can be deceiving, but he sits about 30% above league average by wRC+. His .287 batting average at Triple-A in 2026 is the best mark at any level of his career, outside of his .305 average in 39 games at Double-A last season. His next-best year-end average in a sample of more than 50 games was .245 last season at Triple-A. His wRC+ has only been this high twice—in 39 games at Double-A last season and in 22 games at High-A in 2021. This might be a fluke, or it might be a player in the prime of his career having found an approach that clicks. He’s managed to produce against fastballs, off-speed, and breaking pitches alike—though he’s absolutely feasted on fastballs, with a .326 average and .433 wOBA. He’s still swinging and missing plenty, but he’s cut his strikeout rate down to 24% this year (which will increase if he gets a call-up). He’s cut down his walks over the last two years, but that has been a product of a more aggressive approach with pitches both inside and outside of the zone. Even with a reduced walk rate, the improvement in his batting average has given him a .356 OBP on the year, better than any season of his career outside of Single-A. And he’s pulling the ball more than he ever has, with a pull air percentage of 17%, which is merely on the higher side of average (72nd percentile), but the best mark of his career. And contextually, he’s a great fit for the Twins right now. Sabato has a staggering 1.243 OPS against lefties this season, slashing .364/.470/.773 against southpaws. The major league club, on the other hand, ranks in the bottom five in baseball against left-handed pitchers in batting average, OPS, wRC+, and wOBA. It’s dire, with only five Twins with more than 10 plate appearances who have been league-average or better performers against lefties (wRC+, where 100 is average, in parentheses): Ryan Jeffers (165), Austin Martin (124), Royce Lewis (117), Byron Buxton (104), Kody Clemens (103). And it’s not even close after that. The next-best hitter is Josh Bell, who has a .667 OPS that’s 14% below league average. Right now, Victor Caratini is being trusted with first base against lefties, and he’s following close behind with a .607 OPS against southpaws this season, 21% below league average. The two have accounted for 64% of the team’s plate appearances against lefties at first base and designated hitter. It would be foolish to sit here and say “Well Sabato couldn’t be worse!” because he absolutely could. If he’s walking less and his strikeout rate jumps in his transition to the majors, he can absolutely be worse. If MLB pitchers can attack him with offspeed and breaking pitches for strikes, they’ll take away his biggest strength, demolishing fastballs. And even when he gets fastballs, it’s unclear that he’ll be able to keep up with MLB velocity, as the average fastball he’s seen thus far this season is around 94 MPH. But the bar for him to clear isn’t that high. If he were to muster just league-average offense against lefties, he would be a significant addition to this lineup. And there’s plenty of room for him. Tristan Gray and Alex Jackson are currently on the big-league roster (or at least one of them is, pending Kaelen Culpepper's corresponding move), but they are rarely playing. Gray has started just three of nine games since replacing an injured Byron Buxton a week and a half ago. Jackson has started three games since Ryan Jeffers returned from injury on July 10th, two of which were at first base against a lefty (in very limited action versus lefties, Jackson has a .382 OPS across 24 plate appearances). It’s rare that a team could reasonably have room for a first baseman who would strictly fill the short side of a platoon, but the Twins are in that position now. Even after Culpepper's promotion, or if Walker Jenkins were to be called up, there could still be room for someone like Sabato to try to keep the line moving against lefties, if they valued a platoon hitter and didn’t bite on one of several potential right-handed bats currently designated for assignment. Or perhaps he could be their September position player call-up when the roster expands by one hitter and one pitcher. Sabato doesn’t have a high ceiling in the majors, and projection systems like ZiPS don’t forecast him being even an average hitter at a position you need to hit. But right now, what’s the risk in giving him a shot a few times a week against left-handed pitchers? And it would be fun—if you dig big dudes who ding dongs, anyway. View the full article

Chicago Cubs Transactions Chicago Cubs signed free agent RHP Andrew Wantz to a minor league contract. Chicago Cubs optioned RHP Tyler Ferguson to Iowa Cubs. Chicago Cubs recalled LHP Braxton Garrett from Iowa Cubs. Kansas City Royals claimed LHP Luke Little off waivers from Chicago Cubs. Iowa Cubs Lose On A Two-Out Walk-Off Single In Indianapolis Iowa lost 3-2 to Indianapolis, with the winning run scoring on a two-out single in the ninth inning. The Cubs out-hit the Indians 7-6 and drew six walks, but they struck out 10 times and left eight runners on base. Iowa took the lead in the second inning. Chas McCormick walked, advanced to second base on a wild pitch, stole third base, and came home on Jordan Nwogu's sacrifice fly to center field. That 1-0 margin held into the seventh, when Indianapolis loaded the bases against Andrew Wantz on singles by Duce Gourson and Derek Berg and a hit batsman. Wantz then hit Mitch Jebb to force in the tying run and walked Billy Cook to force in a second run, and Indianapolis led 2-1. The Cubs answered in the eighth. Hayden Cantrelle singled to right field, BJ Murray walked, and Owen Miller singled to right field to score Cantrelle and tie the game 2-2. In the ninth, Gabe Klobosits retired the first two hitters before Dominic Fletcher tripled to center field. Klobosits intentionally walked Jebb, and Cook lined a single to right field to end it. Cantrelle led the offense with three hits in four at-bats, and Ben Cowles added two hits. Connor Noland opened with three scoreless innings, allowing one hit with two strikeouts, and Ethan Roberts and Jayden Murray followed with three more scoreless innings. Wantz was charged with the blown save, and Klobosits took the loss. Player AB R H RBI BB K Ben Cowles 5 0 2 0 0 2 Owen Ayers 3 0 0 0 1 0 BJ Murray 3 0 0 0 1 2 Owen Miller 4 0 1 1 0 1 Chas McCormick 1 1 0 0 2 1 Ethan Hearn 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jordan Nwogu 1 0 0 1 2 0 Ed Howard 4 0 1 0 0 2 Hayden Cantrelle 4 1 3 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Connor Noland 3 1 0 0 1 2 0 Ethan Roberts 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 Jayden Murray (H, 5) 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 Andrew Wantz (BS, 2) 1 2 2 2 1 2 0 Gabe Klobosits (L, 0-2) 1 2/3 2 1 1 1 1 0 Knoxville Homers Four Times In A 7-3 Win At Chattanooga Knoxville beat Chattanooga 7-3 behind four home runs and 10 hits. The Smokies drew only one walk, but they made their contact count, leaving just three runners on base. Miguel Useche opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning. Chattanooga took the lead in the third, when Kien Vu walked, Jay Allen II homered to right center field for two runs, and Carlos Sanchez followed with a solo home run to right field for a 3-1 lead. The Smokies took that lead back in the fifth. Edgar Alvarez walked, Karson Simas doubled to left field to put runners on second and third, and Drew Bowser hit a three-run home run to left field for a 4-3 lead. Dom Krupinski followed with a triple, though he was stranded. Knoxville added insurance twice. Alvarez homered to right field in the seventh, and in the eighth Alex Ramírez singled and Andy Garriola hit a two-run home run to left field, his 19th of the season, for the 7-3 final. Simas finished with three hits in four at-bats, and Bowser drove in three runs. Brody McCullough earned the win with five innings, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks, two strikeouts, and two home runs. Connor Schultz was the difference from there, striking out six over three hitless innings for the hold, and Kenyi Perez finished with a scoreless ninth. Ariel Armas went hitless in four at-bats. Player AB R H RBI BB K Dom Krupinski 5 0 1 0 0 1 Alex Ramírez 4 1 1 0 0 0 Andy Garriola 4 1 1 2 0 0 Miguel Useche 4 1 1 1 0 0 Ariel Armas 4 0 0 0 0 1 Edgar Alvarez 3 2 1 1 1 1 Karson Simas 4 1 3 0 0 0 Alex Madera 4 0 1 0 0 1 Drew Bowser 4 1 1 3 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Brody McCullough (W, 1-2) 5 3 3 3 2 2 2 Connor Schultz (H, 2) 3 0 0 0 1 6 0 Kenyi Perez 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 South Bend Cubs Break Through In The Eighth To Win Game One South Bend beat Cedar Rapids 4-1 in the first game of the doubleheader, scoring three times in the eighth inning to pull away. The Cubs collected eight hits and left six runners on base, while Cedar Rapids left eight. South Bend scored first in the opening inning. Angel Cepeda doubled to center field, moved to third base when Kade Snell reached on a throwing error, and scored on Josiah Hartshorn's sacrifice fly to center field. Cedar Rapids tied it in the second on JP Smith II's solo home run to left center field, and the game stayed 1-1 into the eighth. The Cubs then put together their best inning of the day. Cepeda singled to center field, Kade Snell singled to left field, and Hartshorn singled to left field to score Cepeda. Jose Escobar loaded the bases with a single, Matt Halbach hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Snell, and Alexey Lumpuy doubled to center field to bring in Hartshorn while also making a great plays defensively in centerfield. Lumpuy got his first hit in High-A ball. That's a lot of Lumpuy but it's important to document firsts. Here's some of his performance from yesterday: Sadly, Lumpuy was thrown out trying to reach third base, but the damage was done and South Bend led 4-1. Cepeda finished with two hits, a double, and two runs scored. Hartshorn went 2-for-2 with a walk and two RBI, and Escobar added two hits. Braylon Myers started and allowed one run on one hit over three innings, though he walked four. JP Wheat followed with two hitless innings, and Brayden Spears took the win with four innings of two-hit, scoreless relief. Player AB R H RBI BB K Angel Cepeda 4 2 2 0 0 1 Kade Snell 4 1 1 0 0 0 Josiah Hartshorn 2 1 2 2 1 0 Jose Escobar 4 0 2 0 0 0 Matt Halbach 2 0 0 1 1 0 Alexey Lumpuy 4 0 1 1 0 2 Geuri Lubo 4 0 0 0 0 2 Brennan Hudson 3 0 0 0 0 3 Justin Stransky 3 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Braylon Myers 3 1 1 1 4 3 1 JP Wheat 2 0 0 0 3 1 0 Brayden Spears (W, 7-2) 4 2 0 0 0 1 0 South Bend Drops Game Two After A Four-Run Cedar Rapids Sixth Cedar Rapids beat South Bend 4-2 in the seven-inning nightcap, breaking the game open with three runs in the sixth inning. The Cubs managed only three hits and left three runners on base. JP Smith II gave Cedar Rapids the lead with a solo home run to left field in the fourth inning, his second of the year and his second home run of the day. South Bend tied it in the fifth, when Lumpuy doubled and came home on Michael Hallquist's sacrifice fly to center field. The sixth inning decided it. Adam Stone hit Jayson Bass and Jose Salas with pitches to put two runners on, and Quinn McDaniel singled to center field to score Bass. Salas then scored from third base on a pickoff error at first base, and Miguel Briceno singled to center field to bring in McDaniel for a 4-1 lead. South Bend got one back in the bottom of the sixth on Kade Snell's solo home run to left center field, his seventh of the season, but the Cubs did not score again. Cole Peschl struck out three in the seventh inning to close it out. Snell and Lumpuy accounted for two of South Bend's three hits, with Michael Carico adding the other. Nazier Mulé was strong in the start, striking out six over five innings and allowing one run on four hits. Stone took the loss, giving up three runs, two of them earned, over two innings. Player AB R H RBI BB K Angel Cepeda 3 0 0 0 0 2 Kade Snell 3 1 1 1 0 1 Matt Halbach 3 0 0 0 0 0 Jose Escobar 3 0 0 0 0 0 Logan Poteet 2 0 0 0 1 2 Alexey Lumpuy 3 1 1 0 0 1 Michael Carico 3 0 1 0 0 0 Michael Hallquist 2 0 0 1 0 1 Brennan Hudson 2 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Nazier Mulé 5 4 1 1 2 6 1 Adam Stone (L, 5-2) 2 2 3 2 0 2 0 Myrtle Beach Pelicans Postponed The Pelicans' game at Columbia was postponed by rain and has been rescheduled. Top 20 Prospect Performance Jefferson Rojas: DNP Pedro Ramirez: DNP Jaxon Wiggins: DNP Josiah Hartshorn: 2-for-2, 2 RBI, BB Kevin Alcantara: DNP Ethan Conrad: DNP Kane Kepley: DNP Owen Ayers: 0-for-3, BB Jonathon Long: DNP Kaleb Wing: DNP James Triantos: DNP Brooks Caple: DNP Mason McGwire: DNP Ty Southisene: DNP Will Sanders: DNP Juan Cabada: DNP Eli Lovich: DNP Ariel Armas: 0-for-4, K Jostin Florentino: DNP Grant Kipp: DNP View the full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 58-48 The WooSox surge in the late innings turned this game into a 10-4 victory over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies). Worcester’s first two runs of the game came from a Tsung-Che Cheng sacrifice bunt to bring in Vinny Capra in the third, while Kristian Campbell added on in the fourth with a deep off-the-wall RBI double, scoring Allan Castro to make it a 2-1 game. Nathan Hickey recorded a three-hit game while Castro and Capra both had multi-hit days, including a two-run double from Castro and a two-run Capra bomb in the sixth, giving Worcester a comfortable 6-2 lead. Some more insurance came in the seventh after Jason Delay brought in Braiden Ward with a single, 7-2. In his last at-bat, Franklin Arias’ hitting streak stayed alive; a two-run single to left field extended it to eight games. Immediately after, a wild pitch from the IronPigs pitcher plated Ward once again, putting the game completely out of reach, 10-4. The WooSox pitching staff was serviceable; Eduardo Rivera was the starter on the mound, tossing 3 ⅔ innings of one-run ball with two strikeouts. Seth Martinez came in after and allowed one run as well through 2 ⅓ innings while also earning the win. Osvaldo Berrios threw a shutout seventh inning with two strikeouts, and Wyatt Olds' outing was not perfect, but it was enough to make it through the game, giving up two runs on four hits through two innings. Standout Performances: Vinny Capra: 2-for-3, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB Allan Castro: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI Nathan Hickey: 3-for-4, R Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 55-49 The Sea Dogs went down quietly with a 5-2 defeat to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays). Portland tallied just three hits as a team while scoring two runs. Johanfran Garcia’s RBI double in the sixth and Miguel Bleis’ RBI single in the ninth provided their only runs of the game, with Ronald Rosario recording the last hit for the Sea Dogs. Hayden Mullins had an outstanding game on the mound, striking out eight Fisher Cats while giving up just one run through 4 ⅔ innings. Cooper Adams took the loss as he allowed four runs in the sixth to make it 5-1, giving New Hampshire the best chance to take the game away. Tyler Davis calmed things down with 2 ⅓ shutout innings, but it did not matter in the end. High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 47-55 A dominant performance by Greenville’s pitching staff led to a 4-2 victory over the Hudson Valley Renegades (New York Yankees). The Drive racked up 10 hits but had a tough time with runners in scoring position, going 4-for-14, but they still needed just four runs to take the win. In his first Greenville at-bat, Carlos Gutierrez, who was part of the Marcelo Mayer trade, smacked a double and came around to score. The entire lineup recorded a hit, with Ronny Hernandez providing the only multi-hit game, one of which was an RBI single in the second inning to tie it 1-1. Former UNC teammates Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull gave Greenville a 3-2 lead in the third with an RBI single (Schaffner) and a sacrifice fly (Hull). Gerardo Rodriguez gave the Drive their last run of the game with a single that brought in Hull in the seventh. The MVP award of the game can be shared between Jacob Mayers and Brady Tygart. Mayers started on the mound and was solid enough to keep Greenville’s lead intact, allowing two runs through four innings while striking out four. Boston’s 2024 12th-round pick Brady Tygart was absolutely dominant in his first start for the Drive since his promotion. The Arkansas product delivered five strong shutout innings with just one hit allowed and three strikeouts. Standout Performances: Brady Tygart: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Ronny Hernandez: 2-for-4, RBI Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 45-59 The RidgeYaks blew a two-run lead in the late stages of the game and nearly came back, falling just short 10-9 to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros). Salem’s bats were hot, doing the most they possibly could to save the pitching staff. Anderson Fermin's two-run single put them on the board, and D'Angelo Ortiz doubled home the tying run in the fourth, 3-3. Fayetteville nudged ahead 4-3 in the fifth, but Henry Godbout scored on a fielding error in the bottom half to knot it once again. Now in the sixth, Fermin and Ortiz both came around to score on a bases-loaded Godbout hit by pitch and a Starlyn Nunez sacrifice fly, giving Salem their biggest lead in the game, 6-4. The RidgeYaks pitching staff lost it in the seventh. A hit batter, two-run single, RBI single, and a two-run double turned a two-run lead into a 10-6 hole. Salem got three back in the bottom half, including Skyler King scoring on a passed ball, making it a close 10-9 game, but the game went quiet afterward to end it. Out of the four pitchers sent to the mound for Salem, Wuilliams Rodriguez had the only shutout appearance, tossing two perfect innings with one strikeout, giving the Yaks offense a chance to come back. View the full article

The term “balanced scoring” is generally reserved for basketball, but it applied to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies on a historic Thursday night. All nine batters had at least one hit (seven had at least two) and one run scored in a 23-3 beatdown of the Hartford Yard Goats. Eight of the nine drove in at least one run. Seven drew at least one walk. The team scored in seven of their eight innings at bat en route to shattering the single-game record for the current Binghamton franchise, which began play in 1992. Of course, there were some “leading scorers”: Mitch Voit: 5-for-6, five runs scored, two RBIs. He is still hotter than the sun. The five hits tied a franchise record. All the offense made Gary Gill Hill’s job easy. Binghamton’s starter got through five scoreless innings in his first appearance since being acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Freddy Peralta trade. He allowed three hits, walked two and struck out four before turning a 16-0 lead over to the bullpen. Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit, 2B 6 5 5 2 1 1 Jefferson Rojas, SS 4 1 1 0 1 0 Jacob Reimer, DH 5 3 1 1 1 0 Chris Suero, C 4 2 2 2 2 1 Billy Amick, 3B 4 3 3 6 1 1 John Bay, CF 5 2 3 3 0 1 Corey Collins, 1B 3 3 2 2 1 1 JT Benson, LF 5 2 2 3 0 1 Yohairo Cuevas, RF 5 2 2 1 1 0 Totals 41 23 21 20 8 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Gary Gill Hill (W, 1-0) 5 3 0 0 2 4 0 Douglas Orellana 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 Gabriel Rodriguez 1 2 2 2 2 2 0 Bryce Jenkins 1 2 1 1 1 0 1 Totals 9 7 3 3 6 8 1 Brooklyn Keeps Wilmington's Offense Joel Díaz set the tone for the Cyclones' staff with three hitless innings, although he did allow a run thanks to three walks. Elwis Mijares allowed the Blue Rocks' only hit in the fifth, his second inning of work. Calvin Ziegler, Hunter Hodges and Joe Scarborough built the bridge to Juan Arnaud, who worked around two walks to earn the save. The last four relievers combined for eight strikeouts among the 12 outs they registered. Brooklyn grabbed an early lead with two runs in the first. Sammy Stafura, the prospect obtained from the Pittsburgh Pirates for reliever Luke Weaver, led off with a single and later scored on a single by Trey Snyder. Yonatan Henriquez singled home Smith for a 2-0 lead. Wilmington answered in the second with a hit by pitch with the bases loaded. Smith gave the Cyclones their two-run lead back in the third with a solo homer, his 12th of the season. The Blue Rocks sliced the margin to one again when a pickoff throw by Hunter went awry, allowing Eli Willits to score from second. Player AB R H RBI BB K Sammy Stafura, SS 4 1 1 0 0 2 Aidan Smith, LF 3 2 2 1 1 0 Trey Snyder, RF 4 0 1 1 0 2 Ronald Hernandez, C 4 0 0 0 0 1 Yonatan Henriquez, 3B 4 0 1 1 0 1 John Spikerman, CF 4 0 1 0 0 1 Jamari Baylor, 2B 1 0 0 0 3 0 Daiverson Gutierrez, DH 4 0 0 0 0 1 Chase Meggers, 1B 3 0 0 0 1 1 Totals 31 3 6 3 5 9 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Joel Díaz 3 0 1 1 3 3 0 Elwis Mijares (W, 1-0) 2 1 0 0 2 2 0 Calvin Ziegler (H, 1) 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 Hunter Hodges (H, 6) 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 Joe Scarborough (H, 1) 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 Juan Arnaud (S, 2) 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 Totals 9 1 2 1 10 13 0 St. Lucie Unravels Late Against Daytona The Mets were down 6-3 going to the top of the seventh, but the Tortugas ended any hopes of a comeback by sending 11 batters to the plate in the frame and scoring six runs. St. Lucie gave them plenty of help, with six walks (including one with the bases loaded), two wild pitches (one of which scored a run) and a throwing error that brought in another run. All the runs were charged to Jean Brito, but Luis Sotillo did allow two inherited runners to score. Things got worse in the eighth as Daytona added five runs against designated hitter Julio Zayas, who was asked to finish the game on the mound. Zayas allowed five hits and a walk, and he also hit a batter. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning, though, working around a hit. Zayas drove in the Mets' third run with a double back in the fifth, scoring John Smith III. Smith drove in Elian Peña with a double one batter earlier. Jose Lopez started and took the loss. He was charged with six runs (all earned) and seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out six. Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña, SS 5 1 2 0 0 2 Aiden Robbins, CF 4 0 0 0 0 2 John Smith III, LF 4 1 2 1 0 1 Julio Zayas, P 4 0 1 1 0 0 Yovanny Rodriguez, C 4 1 1 0 0 0 Kuhio Aloy, RF 3 0 1 0 1 1 Reed Stallman, 1B 3 0 1 1 1 0 Dylan Carey, 3B 3 0 1 0 1 0 Kooper Schulte, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 34 3 9 3 3 7 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jose Lopez (L, 1-1) 5 1/3 7 6 6 1 6 1 Jean Brito 1 3 6 6 3 3 0 Luis Sotillo 0 2/3 0 0 0 3 2 0 Julio Zayas 2 6 5 5 1 0 0 Totals 9 16 17 17 8 11 1 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: DNP Jack Wenninger: 5 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 6 K Ryan Clifford: DNP Elian Peña: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 K Nick Morabito: 1-for-4 Jacob Reimer: 1-for-5, RBI, BB Mitch Voit: 5-for-6, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K Jonathan Santucci: DNP Zac Thornton: MLB Chris Suero: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K Will Watson: DNP Wandy Asigen: 0-for-1, BB Eli Serrano III: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Dylan Ross: DNP Ryan Lambert: DNP Antonio Jimenez: DNP R.J. Gordon: DNP Jonathan Pintaro: DNP Marco Vargas: DNP View the full article

The Toronto Blue Jays were swinging deals at the deadline, and one of those was trading Kevin Gausman out of Canada in exchange for some Chicago Cubs farmhands. The Jays got prospects Ty Southisene (the Cubs' former No. 13 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) and Brett Bateman (No. 21) in the trade. Let’s take a closer look at what those two bring to the table and why the Jays wanted them in exchange for a 14-year MLB veteran like Gausman. Who Is Ty Southisene? Ty Southisene is arguably the headliner of the Jays’ return package, nestling in as their No. 17 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. The 21-year-old shortstop prospect is on the smaller side, holding a 5-foot-7, 170-pound frame. He was originally a fourth-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, as the Cubs selected him for his high baseball IQ and ability to flash a promising hit tool with plenty of speed. Southisene got to work in 2025, playing 90 of his 91 games with the Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. For someone who has to make up for a 20-grade power tool, Southisene found ways to do just about everything else. He logged 36 runs batted in and managed to accumulate eight extra-base hits (six doubles, two triples) in his first year of professional baseball. A Closer Look Taking a closer look at Southisene, he simply possesses elite hand-eye coordination. The middle infielder’s 21.2 percent whiff rate at High-A with the Cubs this year was in the 86th percentile, and he was striking out only 12.7 percent of the time (97th percentile), per Prospect Savant. He’s more of a one- or two-tool player, but if those tools (hit, run) are elite, he could glide up the Jays’ minor league ladder. Maturity and Blistering Speed Southisene is starting with the High-A Vancouver Canadians, and he’ll bring a remarkable sense of plate discipline with him. The rising shortstop tallied 63 walks to 59 punchouts in 2025, and his 41 walks to 37 punchouts this year in the Cubs' system show that Southisene is one of the stingiest swingers in the lower levels of affiliate ball. Toronto’s newest prospect slashed .305/.425/.372 (.797 OPS) in 66 contests this year between Single and High A, and his speed has been on full display from day one. On one hand, his quickness allows him to be one of the more rangey prospects out there. On the other hand, he logged 12 errors and had just a .937 fielding percentage through 57 games at the shortstop position. His run tool, listed at a 55-grade, may be due for an upgrade soon. The speedy middle infielder had 72 stolen bases in 157 professional games with Chicago. Fellow speedsters like Chandler Simpson have shown that there’s still an everyday starting spot for someone who can rely on quickness, but Southisene has a long way to go before those big league conversations can formulate. Welcome, Brett Bateman! Brett Bateman is slightly below Southisene on MLB Pipeline's ranking, but he is the more polished of the two prospects. The 24-year-old outfielder is 5-foot-10 and weighs 170 pounds. The lefty was an eighth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, as the Cubs selected him out of the University of Minnesota. Bateman is another speed-first prospect, earning a 70-grade run tool, but his power is a bit more prevalent than the aforementioned Southisene's. Bateman has 83 stolen bags in 315 games in the Cubs' org, but his career-high .851 OPS this season at Triple-A Iowa shows that he can be more than just a runner. The Gophers alum has developed “doubles power” this year, peppering the gaps with a career-best 18 doubles across 82 contests. He notched a pair of triples and had three home runs for the Iowa Cubs before this trade took place. Diving Deeper Above all else, this is someone who can also make for a stingy at-bat. Similar to Southisene, Bateman walks a ton (17.5%, 92nd percentile per Prospect Savant). He’s earned 60 walks to just 66 strikeouts this year, and his 218 free passes to 253 punchouts have held around that ratio for all four years of his professional career. Bateman also has a remarkable sense for the strike zone, with a zone contact percentage of 85.71 percent. He ranks below the league average in 90th percentile exit velocity, barrel percentage and hard-hit rate, but much like Southisene, the chase rate (20.8 percent, 86th percentile) and whiff rate (16.4 percent, 89th percentile) are impossible to ignore for someone who is on the doorstep of the major leagues this year. Speed for the Future The Blue Jays have landed two players with similar profiles, but they play different positions. Southisene is a minor league speedster who could break into the big leagues in a couple of years, while Bateman’s plate discipline and raw speed could get him into the show by the end of this year. View the full article

The San Diego Padres picked up a split of a four-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks that kept the Friars one game out of an NL wild-card position. Steve Drumwright, with Randy Holt on the injured list this week, recaps the D'backs series, looks back at taking three of four from the San Francisco Giants and then tries to put it all into perspective with the Houston Astros coming to town. Among the other topics Steve covers is the latest with the comeback attempts by Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta and what the new-look rotation might be after the additions of Robbie Ray and Casey Mize. Down in the minors, three draft picks made their pro debuts this week and two hit homers for their first hits. Steve then wraps it up with a look at the Astros series and the pitching matchups, including Ray's debut and a dream matchup. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/padres-mission-podcast/id1896922834 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033xclmydmbLmEp0exYuYz Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-padres-mission-podcast-336930560 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@padresmission View the full article

Owen and Jesse break down a quietly encouraging series win against the Houston Astros, but are brought right back down to Earth after Dylan Cease's seven scoreless innings are wasted by Jays hitters going 1-19 with RISP against the Cubs. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jays-centre-podcast/id1846108462 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Bi7SzfpcqMo5xYWnbCeoL Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-jays-centre-podcast-300304824/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/2qk9wqxd Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayscentre View the full article

Unlike other publications, North Side Baseball enables all users to contribute to our top prospect rankings. Anyone with a DiamondCentric account can participate and give their input on who they think should be in the Cubs' top prospects list. Before you vote, you can hit our top prospects page for the latest stats and news on Cubs prospects, while on the voting page, every name is a clickable link that brings up their current stat card. Voting is simple, just follow the instructions below! Here's the rundown on how to participate: 1. You must have an account and be logged in to vote. If you don't have an account, click here. It requires only 60 seconds to create an account. 2. Review our current top 20 prospect list, catch up on stats, rankings, etc. (you can do so from the voting page link below) 3. Have your prospect list in your filthy little paws? Then flip on over to the new prospect voting page (after reading the rest of this, please). https://northsidebaseball.com/prospect-voting 4. Voting is super simple; you drag and drop players in the order you wish them to be. After you move a prospect, the list automatically renumbers so you don't lose track of the order. This works on mobile devices, but it's a *vastly* better experience on desktop. Sorry, that's just how this kind of thing works. There's no excellent way to make something like this as awesome on a phone screen. 5. Each prospect has a comment section where you can add any commentary you have on that player. At the bottom of the list, there is a general comment section to explain overarching things you'd like to mention. 6. Don't see a prospect you want to put on the list? Just pop back here and give me a mention (in a comment, start typing @Brock Beauchamp and select my name after it appears). Please mention the prospect you would like added, and I will do so as soon as possible. 7. Once you're done with all of it, click Save. You've now voted! 8. When the voting closes, a new thread will automatically generate in the minor league forum with all of your rankings and comments for everyone to read and talk about. 9. You can only vote once. If you have voted in error, pop back here and tag Brock to ask to have your vote deleted. It will be removed, and you can vote again. Voting closes Sunday, August 9. View the full article

We watched the Derek Falvey-led front office operate for years. We saw them work with the Pohlad family and came to understand what to expect. With Tom Pohlad taking over public-facing ownership duties, and Jeremy Zoll replacing Derek Falvey at the head of the front office, we may be seeing a change in the team’s philosophies. Three pieces of evidence in particular stand out from the deadline. Buying Early Between free agency and the trade deadline, patience has been key for Twins fans. The Falvey-led Twins preferred to wait out the market and see what's left at the end rather than targeting specific players. Ironically, it could be argued the Twins could have taken this path at this deadline. Names like A.J. Minter, Tommy Nance, and Dean Kremer weren't at the top of the trade target rankings. The way the Twins acquired them, however, is notable. It's likely the Twins paid a premium to acquire these three pitchers as early as they did. They could regret it down the road. That being said, for better or worse, they identified who they wanted, and they went out and got them. They didn't wait until right before the deadline hoping they'd still be there for a slight discount. Say what you want about the Falvey era Twins, aggressiveness is not a word you would use to describe any facet of their operations. The idea of seeing even just a little bit more of this decisiveness in the future is interesting. Spending Money The Twins took on a franchise record amount of money at this trade deadline. After years of no payroll flexibility, ownership was finally willing to invest at least a respectable amount in a roster that had plenty of needs and realistic playoff hopes. Though the Twins didn't catch the biggest headlines at the trade deadline, this is the most they've been willing to spend in some time. One could make a fair argument that the Twins should have sold at this deadline. They're still a flawed team with shaky playoff chances. They chose to buy, however, and they could have done so by including more prospect capital in the same moves and taken on less money. After Tom Pohlad identified the importance of investing in the roster earlier this season, the Twins showed a willingness to increase payroll for the first time in years. Hopefully this trend continues into free agency. Targeting Relievers The Twins have rarely invested in the bullpen since Falvey took over, and this has especially been the case in the last few years. Perhaps their bigger investments in names like Addison Reed, Alex Colomé, and Jorge Lopez jaded their view. They've been able to develop elite bullpen arms internally, but trading away the arms they did at the 2025 trade deadline without investing in any replacements during the offseason was a major mistake. The bullpen is finally starting to take shape, but rather than hoping that trend continues, the Twins made sure to invest in reinforcements. Even giving up middling prospects for Tommy Nance and A.J. Minter is noteworthy, but the investment in Jeff Hoffman should raise an eyebrow for Twins fans. The Twins made a financial investment in a reliever to a degree we haven't seen in years. They also took a risk in trading away a prospect package that included high upside lefty Dasan Hill. It feels a little ridiculous to be investing these resources in controllable relief help after trading so much of it away last year, which is exactly why it’s a sign that things are changing in the front office. Would Derek Falvey have ever invested these kinds of resources into a bullpen? It’s pretty safe to say no. The Twins operated like a completely different team at the trade deadline. We’ll have to see more, particularly in the offseason, before giving them too much credit, but some of the changes in philosophy are exciting to see. Are you buying into this trade deadline being the new normal when it comes to how the Twins operate? Let us know! View the full article

The wait is finally over. Twins Daily has confirmed that the Minnesota Twins are calling up top prospect Kaelen Culpepper, giving one of the organization's brightest young talents his first opportunity in the major leagues. After months of speculation and an impressive first full season at Triple-A St. Paul, the 2024 first-round pick has officially earned the promotion. Culpepper has an .845 OPS with 14 home runs (31 extra-bae hits), a 116 wRC+ and 17 SB in 74 games at Triple-A. Few prospects have generated as much excitement this season as Culpepper. Entering the year, he was viewed as one of the Twins' cornerstone prospects after being named the organization's Minor League Player of the Year in 2025. Culpepper’s 2025 season reads like the blueprint for a breakout. Between Cedar Rapids and Wichita, he slashed .289/.375/.469 (.844) with 20 home runs, 25 steals, and a 133 wRC+ across 517 plate appearances. He wasted little time proving he was ready for the next challenge, continuing to produce against Triple-A pitching while showing the well-rounded game that made him a first-round selection out of Kansas State. The timing makes plenty of sense. Shortstop has been one of Minnesota's biggest question marks throughout the season, and Culpepper's strong performance left the front office with fewer and fewer reasons to keep him in St. Paul. Also, Minnesota’s offense has sputtered coming out of the All-Star break. It makes sense for Culpepper to get an opportunity with two left-handed starters scheduled in a pivotal series against Milwaukee this weekend. Culpepper's rise through the organization has been remarkably quick. Drafted 21st overall in 2024, he impressed during his first full professional season by climbing from High-A to Double-A while displaying legitimate 20-home run power and the ability to impact games on the bases. That success carried into 2026, where he continued to establish himself as one of baseball's better infield prospects. Now comes the next test. Prospect promotions rarely solve every problem overnight, and the Twins won't expect Culpepper to immediately carry the offense. However, he brings energy, upside, and a skill set that has been missing from Minnesota's middle infield. His athleticism should strengthen the defense, while his offensive profile gives him the potential to become an everyday contributor from the moment he steps onto the field. For a Twins club looking to gain every possible edge during the stretch run, Culpepper's arrival could provide exactly the spark it has been searching for. The organization's future has officially arrived, and beginning tonight, Twins fans will finally get to watch one of baseball's most exciting young infielders take the next step in his career. What are realistic expectations for Culpepper in his debut? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Around this time last week, it remained unclear if the San Diego Padres would buy or sell at the 2026 trade deadline. Mired in a standing a few games back of the top three in the National League Wild Card race—and with a handful of teams between them and an actual place among said three—it would have been difficult to justify outright buying. A five-game winning streak and winning eight of nine overall certainly changed things. Of course, shifting to "buy" mode also comes with a massive caveat in the form of the Padres' president of baseball operations A.J. Preller. Perhaps the most aggressive of any executive Major League Baseball has to offer, Preller's previous trading of seemingly every noteworthy prospect to journey through their farm system certainly set forth expectations of massive deals involving the likes of Ethan Salas and a further decimation of a talent pool that consistently ranks among the game's worst given his prior pursuit of major-league talent. And yet, that's not how things unfolded. Mostly. The Padres entered the deadline stage of the 2026 season facing down as large of a starting pitching need as just about any team in baseball. Cobbling together a rotation that has come to feature a "chaos plan" of Griffin Canning, Randy Vásquez, JP Sears, and Germán Márquez working a few innings at a time (as well as Michael King & Walker Buehler offering plenty of variance in their own volume) made contention a much larger question than even their place in the standings would indicate. With multiple clubs floating names that ranged from pending free agent to multiple years of team control, the spectrum of outcomes was vast, especially with Preller at the helm. Ultimately, though, the Padres emerged from the trade deadline in a way that was entirely normal. In acquiring free-agents-to-be Robbie Ray & Casey Mize (as well as utility man Gage Workman & depth reliever Hunter Stratton), the Padres traded away a pool of five players that included Kash Mayfield & Miguel Mendez. The losses of those two can and probably will hurt down the line, but this is a much more restrained version of Preller than we've seen in the past. You know, the kind of deal wherein he's sending four or five prospects off to another organization for one or two names. Mayfield has as much upside as any arm in the system, while Mendez's floor is unclear (even if his ceiling as a high-velocity, high-spin arm is not). Ultimately, though, this is the kind of deal that a team that fancies itself a contender makes. Robbie Ray is one of the more stable arms in the league. While he's not punching hitters out at the clip he used to, he's offering strong run prevention and nearly six innings per start. Casey Mize, meanwhile, would be in the middle of a breakout season had he enough innings to qualify. He's in the 90th percentile for walk rate and is striking hitters out at a higher rate (24.9 percent) than he did in his All-Star 2025 campaign. Those are two very good pitchers that stabilize a rotation that lacked any sort of certainty. They're the kind of players that you give up legitimate prospects for without selling the whole farm, considering their status as pending free agents. Both Workman and Stratton also provide organizational depth in the upper levels of the minors, an area where the team was lacking. It's the restraint here that's most impressive from Preller. Don't get it twisted; he surrendered legitimate talent from a fairly limited pool of prospects. But he didn't go over the top in the way that we've seen him work in the past. These are the kind of deals that read as entirely logical and, more importantly, justifiable. The Padres may not end up making the playoffs. It remains a hill to climb given the competition directly above and around them in the Wild Card picture. Sitting on the fringes of that race, though, with new arms in tow, they certainly have a better shot than they did last week. View the full article