The St. Paul Saints and the Pirates Triple-A team from Indianapolis faced off for an eight-game series in Minnesota this week and featured some of Minor League Baseball’s top talent. Let’s break down performances from some of the standout names in this series and some lesser-known players making a name for themselves.
Notable Dynasty Performances in St. Paul
Twins Triple-A Hitters Who Are Standing Out
Hitter 1: Carson McCusker
Stats from the last 2 weeks: .279/.354/.674/5 HR/0 SB/29.5 K%/9 BB%
Standing at 6’8, 250 lbs, McCusker’s frame reminds many of Aaron Judge, and his stats over the first season of the Minors are Judgian as well. Going into Friday’s doubleheader, McCusker was fourth in the International League in OPS, sitting at 1.047 along with six home runs, 17 RBI, and the second-best slugging percentage in the league at .667, in 18 games. Earlier in the week, McCusker had his first-ever grand slam in pro ball in the Saints’ 16-4 win over Indianapolis. Everything is pointing to McCusker making his MLB debut soon, and if you like big sluggers with names that sound like they belong in baseball, McCusker is the guy for dynasty owners to get to know.
McCusker is a favorite to take the spot that just opened up for the Twins following their decision to remove catcher Diego Cartaya from the 40-man roster on Friday. The Twins will likely wait and see how Royce Lewis’s rehab assignment plays out before making an additional roster move, which could include McCusker’s addition to the 40-man roster.
Hitter 2: Ryan Fitzgerald
Stats from the last 2 weeks: .333/.417/.571 /2 hr/1 sb/16.7 K%/14.1 BB%
A 30-year-old career Minor Leaguer who has yet to see any playing time in the Majors is far from the typical player dynasty fantasy owners need a scouting report on. Every season, though, there’s always a player like Ryan Fitzgerald who goes on a tear in the Minors and earns a chance with the Big League club because of how poorly the season is going.
Fitzgerald joined the Twins organization on a Minor League deal this offseason and has filled in nicely as the Saints’ everyday shortstop to start the season. Funnily enough, Fitzgerald made his pro-ball debut way back when the Saints were still an independent ballclub back in 2017. He faced off against former Twin, Mark Hamburger in his debut.
Visiting Hitters Grabbing the Attention
Hitter 1: Tsung-Che Cheng
Stats from the last 2 weeks: .310/.375/.345/0 hr/3 sb/18.6 K%/9.3 BB%
Following a brief appearance in the Majors with the Pirates two weeks ago to make his MLB debut, Tsung-Che Cheng is back with Triple-A Indianapolis but still making a name for himself with the squad. Typically ranked from 15-20 on Pirates’ top prospect lists, Cheng has made himself an essential piece for the Pirates’ future in 2025 and beyond.
The middle infielder is only 23 years old, and has shown decent plate discipline, striking out below 20% of the time. While he’s typically a bottom-of-the-lineup hitter, Cheng has proven to be a spark plug to get things rolling for Indianapolis on the base paths whenever he can get on them, making him a valuable candidate for stolen bases for any dynasty manager.
Notable Pitching Performances in St. Paul
Pitcher 1: Bubba Chandler
The Pirates’ top pitching prospect pitched game one of a doubleheader against the Saints on Friday. Chandler has dominated for Triple-A Indianapolis in his four starts, keeping to a 1.76 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 41.1% strikeout rate, and 10.7% walk rate in 15 1/3 innings going into Friday’s start.
Chandler proved why he’s the Pirates’ top prospect during his start Friday as he shut down Saints hitters through five innings, allowing only three base runners on a single and two hit batters, while striking out three, including a rehabbing Royce Lewis. Chandler’s fastball velocity averaged out to 98.2 MPH and topped out at 100.5 MPH for his final pitch of the game.
The Twins veteran, Lewis, gave a tip of the cap to Chandler’s performance postgame, even after getting the first pitch he saw in the game from him up inside.
“I felt like I had a really good game plan going up against a great pitcher, so I was joking with them, ‘Oh man, throwing me right in the fire with one of the best prospects in baseball, right?’ I loved that, so if I feel pretty good against him, I’m probably going to be feeling pretty good going forward, especially on day one,” said Lewis.
Despite not being on the Pirates’ 40-man roster, Chandler is showcasing everything it takes to be the number two man in the Buco’s rotation a year from now behind Paul Skenes, making him one of the most enticing pitching options for dynasty leagues.
Pitcher 2: Marco Raya
Raya ranks as one of the top three pitching prospects in the Twins system by many of the national syndicates. His workload has been the most limited of the Saints’ starters, pitching in only 7 1/3 innings over three starts. Despite giving up 12 hits and four walks in those three starts, Raya has only allowed one runner to get across home plate.
Raya faced off against Chandler during the first game of Friday night’s doubleheader, and his issues with command in the strike zone this season accumulated into a poor performance. Raya allowed six hits, three walks, seven earned runs, and got only one strikeout in just 1 2/3 innings Friday night. His ERA jumped from 1.23 to an even 8.00, and his opponents’ batting average was raised from .375 to .667.
Despite being added to the Twins’ 40-man roster in November as protection from the Rule 5 Draft, Raya’s timeline to make it to the Majors is far from soon following this outing. The Twins will take their time developing him at Triple-A, and if he doesn’t see his workload build up past three innings a start before June, his future may be moved to the bullpen.
Other Dynasty Storylines to Follow
Royce Lewis continued his rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints on Friday. Lewis has been out since March 16 after suffering a hamstring strain that saw him leave a spring training game against the Boston Red Sox in just the second inning. Lewis went 1-for-3 with a double in his first game back on the field, and talked after the game about how it felt to be back on the field after a month away.
“Yeah, the first time is always like really weird, but it’s just the game, so I got real comfortable after the second or third inning. Just getting the nerves out of the way, and I was just excited again, and it was fun,” said Lewis.
Right-handed reliever Michael Tonkin is continuing his rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints, which started on Tuesday. Tonkin allowed three earned runs on two different home runs in his first outing. Tonkin pitched 1 1/3 innings in Friday’s game one of the doubleheader, throwing 40 pitches and allowing two home runs and striking out two.
More injury updates were provided by Saints Manager Toby Gardenhire and additional sources in the Twins organization on players currently on the shelf with the Saints.
Utility man Austin Martin and corner infielder Jose Miranda are ramping up their baseball activities this weekend. Gardenhire could not pinpoint an exact date on their returns to the lineup, but they are expected to return to the lineup in the coming week or two.
RHP Randy Dobnak was placed on the 7-day IL on Monday due to an ankle sprain he suffered in batting practice on Sunday. The Saints are evaluating him on a day-to-day basis, and he is expected to miss at least two turns in St. Paul’s rotation.
Lastly, utility players Will Holland and Payton Eeles, who have been out since spring training with a left-hand fracture (Holland) and a right knee chondromalacia (Eeles), are now participating in live batting practice at the Twins complex in Fort Myers. Their start times for rehab assignments are yet to be announced, but the two infielders are progressing on schedule from the time their injuries were announced before Opening Day.
