Last month, designated hitter Aaron Sabato claimed Twins Daily’s Minor League Hitter of the Month after his monster performance at Double-A forced the Twins to move him to St. Paul. He cooled down a little in July, which allowed a new group of prospects to showcase their offensive prowess. Before we get into the top performances, here are a few hitters who just missed the cut.
Honorable Mentions:
At High-A Cedar Rapids, Jaime Ferrer is continuing to help his prospect stock. A fourth-round pick in 2024, Ferrer slashed .291/.365/.545 (.911) for the month. His OPS jumped over 340 points compared to June. In a five-game stretch, he went 9-for-21 (.429 BA) with four doubles, a triple, and two home runs.
In the Dominican Summer League, offensive performance can be fluky because of the pitching inconsistencies at that level. However, infielder Haritzon Castillo still had an impressive month where he finished with a .807 OPS, including six doubles in 16 games. He’s only faced younger pitchers in five of his 144 plate appearances this season and has an .877 OPS for the year.
While this duo didn’t make the cut, let’s see what players had standout performances.
4. Yovanny Duran, DSL Twins
.373/.506/.418 (.924), 3 2B, 18 R, 12 RBI, 14 SB, 16 BB, 7 K
Duran showed some growing pains in June during his first month of professional baseball as he hit .238 with more strikeouts (14) than walks (7). He completely flipped the script in July, starting the month with a 10-game hitting streak where he posted a 1.055 OPS. On July 3rd, he had a career day, going 4-for-5 with a double and a run scored. At 17 years old, he is one of the youngest players in the Dominican Summer League and has only faced younger pitchers in four at-bats for the entire season. Duran is an intriguing prospect, but he is a long way from Target Field.
3. Ricardo Olivar, Wichita Wind Surge
.294/.388/.500 (.888), 3 HR, 5 2B, 12 R, 16 RBI, 11 BB, 18 K
For most of the month, Olivar sat near the top of the Texas League in OPS before finishing in fifth among players with at least 20 games. From July 1 to July 22, he went 17-for-46 (.370 BA) with eight extra-base hits and a 1.138 OPS in 13 games. He is a year younger than the average age of the competition in the Texas League, and 67% of his plate appearances have been versus older pitchers. He has split time between catcher and left field this season. His bat continues to carry his prospect status, and the Twins could have him finish the year at Triple-A.
2. Caden Kendle, Cedar Rapids Kernels
.315/.358/.562 (.920), 3 HR, 5 2B, 2 3B, 13 R, 13 RBI, 5 BB, 12 K, 4 SB
Kendle struggled through his first three months in a Kernels uniform before finally putting it all together in July. He ended June with a .214 BA and .658 OPS for the season. He started the month with a 12-game hitting streak, including six multi-hit games. During that streak, he went 19-for-45 (.422 BA) with eight extra-base hits and three stolen bases. Kendle’s .920 OPS ranked fourth among players in the Midwest League who played a minimum of 20 games during July. He was drafted last year as a college senior, so it’s good to see him putting it all together at a level where he is slightly older than the competition.
1. Edouard Julien, St. Paul Saints
.309/.423/.568 (.991), 5 HR, 34 2B, 1 3B, 13 R, 15 RBI, 15 BB, 29 K
Julien has slowly been rediscovering his approach at Triple-A and now should have a chance to prove to the Twins that he belongs at the big-league level. His OPS ranked in the top 15 in the International League, and he has a 133 wRC+ since being demoted to Triple-A. His lack of defensive versatility and propensity for strikeouts have always been his Achilles heel, but the Saints have continued to use him at second base, and he made nine appearances at first base. The Twins have been more hesitant to play him at first, but that could change over the season’s final two months.
In July, he had eight multi-hit games, including four straight games where he had multi-hit efforts. From July 9 to July 29, he went 21-for-47 (.447 BA) with a .536 OBP and a .787 SLG. During that stretch, he drew eight walks and only struck out 12 times in 14 games. Julien can insert himself back into the team’s long-term plans if he can translate that performance back to the big-league level.
How would your ballot look for the month? Leave a comment and start the discussion.
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