Hendry Mendez is rapidly becoming a name to know among Twins prospects.
Mendez, still just 21, was acquired in the midseason trade that sent Harrison Bader to the Phillies. And while he ranks only 25th on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Twins prospects, he’s on the club’s radar after an impressive start with his new organization.
The left-handed-hitting outfielder homered in the first game of the Arizona Fall League season on Monday, helping Peoria beat Scottsdale, 4-3. In 33 games after the trade, Mendez hit .324 with a .461 on-base percentage and a .450 slugging percentage with Double-A Wichita. His final overall regular-season slash line was .299/.399/.439.
For now, Mendez is playing only the outfield, but he continues to get work at first base. The club would like to see how he works out at that position. He’s tall (6-foot-3) and rangy but has some defensive limitations in the outfield, meaning he could be an intriguing fit for first base at some point.
In the meantime, the Twins are happy to watch him hit. Mendez has an advanced approach and was one of the younger players in Double-A this year. So there’s some intrigue about what he can be.
Awards nominations
Awards season has begun in baseball, and the Twins have a few early nominees.
Byron Buxton is one of 10 American League finalists for the Hank Aaron Award, which is given annually to the top overall offensive player in each league. Fans can vote on the Aaron Award by visiting this link.
Buxton also was nominated for the All-MLB Team, along with Joe Ryan. All-MLB also contains a fan vote component. To participate, you can visit this link.
Both the Hank Aaron Award winner and the All-MLB Team will be revealed on Nov. 13.
Manager search
There’s not a great deal of movement yet in the manager market, and that includes the Twins. As expected, the Rangers hired former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, who had been working in their front office. But none of the other seven teams with openings has made a hire.
Some interviews have begun, though with seven teams still alive in the postseason, plenty of potential candidates are still occupied.
There is one reported possibility for the Minnesota vacancy. The San Francisco Chronicle reported earlier this week that longtime big league catcher and former Twin Kurt Suzuki is a “potential candidate” for the Twins job. That’s a long way from saying he’ll be hired, or even that he has interviewed, but it makes him a name to know. Suzuki has been working in the Angels’ front office.
This is only the beginning, and plenty of candidates will emerge before a hire is made.
