Kalai Rosario News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/kalai-rosario-3/ Minnesota sports, but different Tue, 23 Sep 2025 18:44:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg Kalai Rosario News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/kalai-rosario-3/ 32 32 Minnesota Twins Unveil MiLB Players of the Year https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/kaelen-culpepper-connor-prielipp-milb-player-of-the-year-texas-league-all-star/ Tue, 23 Sep 2025 18:30:19 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=68769 Each year the Minnesota Twins look to compete at the major league level. They didn’t do a great job of that this season and are going to lose 90-plus games for the first time since 2016. That has also translated into a 25-year low attendance figure.

While competing at the highest level is always the goal, the lifeblood of an organization is the farm system. Right now Minnesota has one of the best in baseball. They relied on some of that depth too early this year, but there are pieces waiting in the wings to contribute.

When the Twins host their annual Diamond Awards event each winter, two of the awards handed out are for Minor League Pitcher and Hitter of the Year. Now we know the recipients.

Culpepper and Prielipp lands MN Twins MiLB Awards

The Minnesota Twins came into this season with plenty of exciting pitching depth. Many of those prospects will close in on the big league level next season. On the hitting side, top prospects Kaelen Culpepper and Walker Jenkins were expected to lead the way. Both had stellar seasons and one of them lands an award.

Culpepper was the Twins 1st round pick (21st overall) in the 2024 MLB Amateur Draft. He made the All-Star Futures Game this season and earned a promotion from High-A Cedar Rapids to Double-A Wichita.

Across 113 games, split almost evenly between the two stops, Culpepper batter .289/.375/.469. He recorded 16 doubles, launched 20 homers, and stole 25-of-29 bases. The entire profile is one to dream on as things have developed better than expected.

Culpepper looks like he can stick at shortstop, and even if he moves to third base, the power has played much more than anticipated. There was a chance for him to earn a Triple-A promotion, but it’s likely he starts there, or winds up in St. Paul quickly next season.

On the mound Connor Prielipp had his breakout season. A second round pick in the 2022 MLB Amateur Draft, Prielipp was a highly-regarded, hard-throwing lefty from Alabama. He came with injury concerns and those slowed his professional career out of the gate.

Healthy this season, Prielipp pitched 82 2/3 innings between Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul. He owned a 3.65 ERA and 10.7 K/9 in 61 2/3 innings with the Wind Surge. Prielipp threw 21 innings with the Saints, and while he 5.14 ERA and 13 walks leave something to be desired, he held onto the 10.7 K/9.

Minnesota handled Prielipp cautiously this season given his injury history. He was on tight pitch counts and didn’t go deep in games. That could change next year as he looks to crack the big league rotation, or he could be utilized in shorter stints as a high-ceiling option to supplement a barren bullpen.

Both players are key parts of Minnesota’s future at the big league level. Each of them put up highly-deserving seasons.

Four MN Twins prospects named Double-A All-Stars

It wasn’t just the Twins organization putting out notable prospect awards today. The Texas League, Double-A home of Wichita, named their 2025 All-Star Team as well. Four Minnesota Twins prospects made the cut.

Kala’i Rosario, Kyler Fedko, Kaelen Culpepper, and Pierson Ohl all represent the Twins system among the recipients. Fedko and Ohl both made their way to St. Paul, with the latter pitching this season with Minnesota. Culpepper gets the Twins MiLB Hitter of the Year award, and Rosario parlayed his second trip through the Arizona Fall League into his best professional season.

Fedko certainly could have been in consideration for hitter of the year honors as well. The former 12th round pick (2021) batted .258/.367/.487 between Double and Triple-A. After hitting 19 homers over the past three seasons, he launched 28 this year. He also swiped 38 bags (in 46 attempts) and added another 25 doubles.

The standout season for Rosario culminated in a .256/.358/.487 slash line with 25 home runs and 35 steals (in 42 attempts). He added the speed after seeing others work that into their game during Fall League action.

Minnesota has a six-game road trip to conclude the major league season. Instructs have begun down in Fort Myers. The Arizona Fall League will kick off in October. Then it’s all eyes towards Spring Training 2026.

]]> Tue, 23 Sep 2025 13:44:46 +0000 Minnesota Twins Minnesota Twins Prospects That Still Need to be Added to the 40-Man Roster This Week https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/minnesota-twins-news/40-man-additions-rule-5-non-tender/ Mon, 18 Nov 2024 15:30:42 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=57386 Major League Baseball’s 2024-25 offseason is underway. Predictably, it has been a relatively slow burn, to this point. While the Minnesota Twins need to add talent, they weren’t ever going to come out of the gate throwing cash around.

Tuesday (5 PM CST) is the deadline to set the 40-man roster for 2025, and that means adding eligible prospects that they don’t want to lose in December’s Rule 5 Draft. There are a considerable amount of players eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter. The Minnesota Twins won’t protect all of them, but three should be considered a lock.

Prospects the Minnesota Twins will likely add to 40-man roster by deadline

Kala’i Rosario put up another strong Arizona Fall League season that resulted in his team winning a championship. His .813 OPS was nearly a match to the .816 OPS he posted last fall. The 2020 5th round pick could play the bulk of his 2025 season at Triple-A St. Paul. In all likelihood, he will be added to the 40-man roster in the next 24 hours.

Both (RHP) Marco Raya and (C) Ricardo Olivar are likely to join Rosario on the 40-man roster. The former may be the next best pitching prospect in Minnesota’s system. The latter gives the Twins another catching option, although his defensive abilities leave plenty to be desired. It would be pretty surprising if we don’t see all three (Rosario, Raya and Olivar) added to the 40-man roster before tomorrow’s 5 PM deadline.

Related: 3 Prospects Minnesota Twins MUST Add to 40-Man Roster Before Rule 5 Draft Deadline

Minnesota’s 40-man status and next decisions coming

Minnesota’s 40-man roster currently has 35 spots accounted for. Kyle Farmer and Manuel Margot are bother free agents. Alex Kirilloff has since retired. Thus, they have plenty of room to maneuver, but it’s unlikely they fill it with Rule 5 eligible players, but they have that option.

After Tuesday’s deadline, the next date to be aware of on the MLB offseason calendar is the November 22, 2024 non-tender deadline. Minnesota has 11 candidates eligible for arbitration-based raises. Among them, three are legitimate non-tender candidates.

It’s possible that neither Michael Tonkin or Justin Topa return to Minnesota’s bullpen, even at nominal financial figures. Willi Castro is the most intriguing name here, and it’s unlikely he will be non-tendered. The Twins do appear intent on trading him though, as it seems his modest salary of more than $6 million may be too rich for their projected 2025 budget.

Related: Griffin Jax Floated as a Possible Minnesota Twins Starter Again

As the fall turns into winter, the offseason moves will begin in earnest. Derek Falvey is probably looking to trade multiple veterans, and he’ll need to free up money in order to spend any.

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