Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Game Results:
Tuesday, 10/28 | Salt River 1, Peoria 9
Wednesday, 10/29 | Peoria 10, Salt River 1 (7 innings)
Thursday, 10/30 | Surprise 0, Peoria 0
Friday, 10/31 | Peoria 3, Glendale 6 (7 innings)
Saturday, 11/1 | Peoria 4, Surprise 6
Sunday, 11/2 | Peoria 1, Scottsdale 4
The Peoria Javelinas and some of your favorite Minnesota Twins prospects opened week four of the Arizona Fall League season by blowing the Salt River Rafters out in two straight games. Their momentum quickly hit a wall, however, as a nil-nil tie on Thursday gave way to three consecutive losses to end the week. They sit at 10-11-1 after week four, in fourth place in the standings, a half-game back of third.
It was a light week for Twins prospects as a whole, outside of Brandon Winokur, who got the start in four of six games. Each of the Twins pitchers made only a single appearance, and Billy Amick made just one start, though it included getting off the schneid.
Once again, there is no Twins player among the standout performers of the AFL in week 4, but there were still some notable moments—good and bad—from the Twins contingent.
OF Hendry Mendez
Week (did not play)
Overall: .300/.391/.500 (.891 OPS)
While there is some good news (in that Mendez has not been missing AFL games due to an injury, but instead a personal matter), he has not yet returned to Arizona. It’s unclear whether he will be able to do so.
Mendez had collected a hit in each of his five games, including the first home run of the season across the league, so even if he doesn’t get back, it was a successful small sample for the outfielder.
IF Brandon Winokur
Week (4 games): 3-for-14, 2 R, HR (2), 2 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K
Overall: .203/.284/.322 (.606 OPS)
Winokur continues to get the most run of any of the Twins prospects, as he played in two-thirds of the Javelinas’ games on the week, splitting his time between third base and shortstop. He even moved himself up into the “middle” of their lineup, batting sixth in his last two games.
After hitting his first AFL home run last week, Winokur started this one by hitting his second bomb in his first at-bat on Tuesday against Salt River.
That was his only hit of the game, and he also grounded into two double plays, but his homer was the initial spark to lead Peoria to a 9-1 win.
In a near-repeat the following day, the Javelinas beat the Rafters again, this time by a score of 10-1. It was largely because of a big first inning that included five walks, three singles, a double, and a sac fly for an early 6-0 lead. Winokur drew one of those walks, and was the final run of the inning to score.
In Friday’s loss to Glendale, Winokur led off the fourth inning with a single and was on third base with nobody out, but ended up being stranded. He finished 1-for-3.
He finished his week on Saturday, playing a part in the Javelinas taking a 1-0 lead after the top of the first. With the bases loaded and two outs, he drew a walk to push that run across. Peoria was behind 6-2 when the ninth inning started, but three more walks and a two-run single got them within two. Winokur then delivered a two-out single to load the bases, but the next batter grounded out to end the game.
IF Billy Amick
Week (1 game): 1-for-3, BB, 2 K
Overall: .040/.314/.040 (.354 OPS)
I’m going to admit something about my amateur baseball playing career, in an effort to make Billy Amick’s AFL season seem a bit less disastrous than it actually has been:
I once started a Minnesota Town Ball season 0-for-40-something. I think it was 47, but I like to forget that fact. Anyway, I also finished the rest of that season something like 10-for-20. Once I got that first hit out of the way, they came in bunches. So I guess what I’m saying is, don’t put too much stock into Amick’s numbers in the AFL after the great regular season he had with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, hitting .310/.418/.455 in 56 games. Besides, he got that first hit out of the way this week!
Amick got the start at first base in Thursday’s 0-0 tie against the Surprise Saguaros. The matchup was a pitching duel, as the teams combined to finish 10-for-60 (hey, pretty close to my bad season…) in the game. In case you’re wondering, Amick’s single to lead off the bottom of the third meant he finished 1-for-3. He also added a walk, so he reached base in half of his plate appearances for the week. Let’s hope he can keep that momentum in week five!
RHP Miguelangel Boadas
Week (1 appearance): 1 2/3 IP, R (0 ER), 3 BB, 2 K
Overall: 1-0, 1.54 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .158 BAA, 9 BB, 8 K (11 2/3 IP)
Boadas has perhaps been the top story among Twins prospects playing in the AFL, as he hadn’t pitched in a game since the middle of the 2024 season before coming to Arizona.
He has been working as a “bulk” reliever for the Javelinas, and that was likely the plan again when he came on to begin the fourth inning on Saturday against the Saguaros. The score was 3-1 Surprise at the time, and after a leadoff walk, he retired the next three hitters for a scoreless frame.
In the bottom of the fifth, he struck out the first two hitters, before throwing eight straight balls for a pair of walks that ended his outing. One of those runners would end up scoring for an unearned run on his ledger, as a double-steal attempt included an error at third base, allowing the runner to scamper home.
Boadas topped out at 97.6 MPH in this appearance, with 23 of his 43 pitches going for strikes (53%) (including four whiffs), but he wasn’t particularly close to the strike zone on those last eight pitches.
LHP Zander Sechrist
Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, BB, K
Overall: 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, .211 BAA, 3 BB, 5 K (6 IP)
The soft-tossing lefty’s lone appearance of the week came in Thursday’s scoreless tie against Surprise. He was the first reliever summoned by Peoria for the top of the fourth inning. While he issued a one-out walk, he worked with his catcher to get a strike-’em-out, throw-’em-out double-play to end his inning in scoreless fashion.
RHP Dylan Questad
Week (1 appearance): 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB
Overall: 0-1, 24.30 ERA, 4.20 WHIP, .286 BAA, 10 BB, 4 K (3 1/3 IP)
Whether Questad was slotted in as the starter on Friday, or just the opener of a bullpen game, it wouldn’t have mattered too much. Peoria had scored a run in the top of the first for the early lead, but Questad wasn’t able to get out of the bottom half.
He walked the leadoff man (who then stole second and third) before a groundout tied the game at 1-1. The next three hitters went single, single, walk, to load the bases before Questad was lifted. Of his 22 pitches, only eight went for strikes (36%). A sacrifice fly followed his exit, resulting in the two earned runs allowed.
In positive news, the Wisconsin native celebrated his 21st birthday on Sunday, so happy birthday, Dylan!
RHP Jakob Hall
Week (1 appearance): 1 2/3 IP, H, 2 K
Overall: 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .350 BAA (5 1/3 IP)
Hall was the pitcher to come on and take over in the first inning after Questad’s start on Friday. He gave up the sac fly that put Glendale in front 2-1, but got the next hitter on a grounder to end the inning. Back out for the second, he struck out the first batter and worked around a two-out single with another punchout, to finish a solid 1 2/3 innings. He needed just 23 pitches to record his five outs, with 14 of them going for strikes (61%), including five swinging.
RHP Hunter Hoopes
Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, BB, K
Overall: 0-2, 12.00 ERA, 2.33 WHIP, .333 BAA, 5 BB, 7 K (6 IP)
After being saddled with a loss last week, Hoopes had the same fate this week, with his lone appearance coming in Friday’s 6-3 loss to Glendale.
After Questad and Hall had gone the first two innings, Hoopes came on to start the third with the score tied 2-2. The first three hitters reached base (walk, single, single) to load the bases before he got his first out with a called third strike. But that was followed by a bases-clearing double to put the Desert Dogs in control, 5-2. He got a groundout and a flyout to end the inning, but in between, he allowed another RBI single to account for Glendale’s sixth and final run that would hold up.
Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects playing in the AFL this week!