The five Wichita Wind Surge prospects who could reach the MLB’s Minnesota Twins
With the Wichita Wind Surge set to begin their 2021 season on Tuesday with a six-game road series against the Springfield Cardinals, here is a look at the top prospects who will begin the season playing for Wichita.
The Surge is the Double-A team in the Minnesota Twins’ farm system, which has been rated by MLB.com as the 12th-best farm system of the 30 major league franchises. Several of Minnesota’s top prospects were included in Wichita’s opening day roster. Wichita’s home opener at Riverfront Stadium is May 11.
The Eagle spoke with Wind Surge manager Ramon Borrego to go over the five best prospects in Wichita entering this season.
Gilberto Celestino
A 22-year-old center fielder from the Dominican Republic, Celestino is considered the top prospect in Wichita. Acquired in a 2018 trade with the Houston Astros, Celestino was recently rated as the eighth-best prospect in the Twins’ farm system by MLB.com. He was added to the Twins’ 40-man roster in November 2019 after playing most of the season at Low-A Cedar Rapids, where he finished with a .277 batting average with 28 doubles, 10 home runs and 14 stolen bases. While his bat is still developing, Celestino is considered an elite defender and has already made a highlight reel of plays with his glove in the outfield. He’s expected to receive a call-up to the majors at some point this season. “Gilberto is already one of the top defenders in the whole minor league organization,” Borrego said. “He’s got a really good chance at making it to the majors. We’re still working with him on his offense, but he’s already a plus defender and a plus runner. Now we’re working with him to add some power to his game.”
Josh Winder
Drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 draft by the Twins, Winder has become an intriguing prospect since the shutdown. He has reportedly drastically improved the velocity of his fastball, going from the low 90s to topping out at 97 mph. He had success at Low-A Cedar Rapids in 2019, finishing with a 7-2 record, a 2.65 ERA and 118 strikeouts with only 30 walks in more than 125 innings pitched. At 6-foot-5, the 24-year-old will be Wichita’s opening-day starter and has potential to crack the Twins’ starting rotation with another strong season in Wichita. “I had a chance to see Josh in instructional league and this is a guy who bumped his fastball up to 97 mph,” Borrego said. “He’s improved a lot of things. His off-speed stuff has really improved. He’s a guy who will attack.”
Cole Sands
After three years at Florida State, the Twins drafted Sands in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft. After spending most of the 2019 season in A-ball, Sands finished the year at the Double-A level to put the finishing touches on a season that saw him finish with a 7-3 record, a 2.68 ERA and 108 strikeouts to only 19 walks in 97-plus innings. Armed with a fastball in the mid-90s, Sands has also developed out pitches with his array of off-speed pitches. Along with Winder, Sands, who will be the third-game starter, should make a formidable starting rotation in Wichita. “I really like how he makes his pitches,” Borrego said. “He’s a guy who is going to command all of his pitches really well. If he strings together some really good starts, then hopefully that will open the way for him to go to Triple-A.”
Jose Miranda
Miranda, a 22-year-old third baseman from Puerto Rico, was drafted in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Twins. He was recently rated as the 19th-best prospect for the Twins by MLB.com. In the 2019 season, Miranda played mostly for High-A Fort Meyers and finished the season with a .252 batting average with 26 doubles, eight home runs and 55 RBI’s in 119 games. A fun side note, Miranda is cousins with Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Broadway star who wrote the popular play Hamilton. “I’ve known Jose for a long time and we’ve had a long road together,” Borrego said. “We won a championship together and he’s a guy who is going to really help us. He can play all four positions in the infield. He’s a really good defender and his bat has come a long way. He’s starting to produce more power. We’re expecting a lot from Jose and at some point, we think he’s going to play for the Minnesota Twins.”
Dakota Chalmers
The other player in Wichita who is on the Twins’ 40-man roster, Chalmers is a former third-round draft pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. He signed a seven-figure signing bonus as a standout prep pitcher from Georgia, but had Tommy John surgery in 2018 and has been on the road to recovery since. He has a big-time arm, evident by 185 career strikeouts in 156 innings in his minor-league career so far. His fastball tops out at 97 mph and his off-speed pitchers are also developing. The 6-foot-3 right-hander should pair nicely with Winder and Sands in the starting rotation in Wichita.
Wichita’s opening day roster
Pitchers
Player Throws Ht. Wt. Age Hometown
Yennier Cano R 6-4 185 27 Havana, Cuba
Dakota Chalmers R 6-3 175 24 Snellville, Ga.
Calvin Faucher R 6-1 190 25 Chula Vista, Calif.
Tom Hackimer R 5-11 195 26 Floral Park, N.Y.
Hector Lujan R 6-3 220 26 Mira Loma, Calif.
Ryan Mason R 6-6 215 26 Auburn, Calif.
Josh Mitchell L 6-2 220 26 Ridway, Pa.
Jovani Moran L 6-1 167 24 Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
Zachary Neff L 6-1 195 21 Belleville, Ill.
Alex Phillips R 6-4 220 26 Buda, Texas
Bryan Sammons L 6-4 235 26 Wilmington, N.C.
Cole Sands R 6-3 215 23 Tallahassee, Fla.
Austin Schulfer R 6-2 175 25 Plover, Wis.
Joshua Winder R 6-5 210 24 Richmond, Va.
Catchers
Player Bats/Throws Ht. Wt. Age Hometown
David Banuelos L/R 6-0 205 24 Ontario, Canada
Nick Garland R/R 6-1 200 25 Massapequa, N.Y.
Roy Morales R/R 6-2 195 25 Lares, Puerto Rico
Infielders
Player Bats/Throws Ht. Wt. Age Hometown
Andrew Bechtold R/R 6-1 185 25 Chadds Ford, Pa.
Jose Miranda R/R 6-2 210 22 Vega Alta, Puerto Rico
Peter Mooney L/R 5-6 155 30 Loxahatchee, Fla.
Jermaine Palacios R/R 6-0 145 24 Barquisimento, Venezuela
Damek Tomscha R/R 6-2 200 29 Sioux City, Iowa
Outfielders
Player Bats/Throws Ht. Wt. Age Hometown
Gilberto Celestino R/L 6-0 170 22 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Mark Contreras L/R 6-0 195 26 Moreno Valley, Calif.
Ernie De La Trinidad L/L 5-9 165 25 Phoenix, Ariz.
Jimmy Kerrigan R/R 6-1 215 27 Philadelphia, Pa.
Aaron Whitefield R/R 6-4 210 24 Brisbane, Australia
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