Latest news with #McCusker
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
MN Twins Reliever Takes Surprising Trip to IL… and Here Comes Carson McCusker
All the Minnesota Twins do is win, win, win no matter what. Seriously, the Twins have won 13-straight games and that now includes three straight without Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa, who were both placed on the 7-day concussion list this weekend. But on Sunday, they made a more surprising roster move, sending lefty reliever Danny Coulombe to the injured list with a 'left forearm extensor strain'. In his place, the Twins have recalled starting pitcher Zebby Matthews to start on Sunday afternoon, a move that was reported on Saturday. Minnesota Twins roster moves made official on Sunday In another official move that was announced alongside the Coulombe for Matthews swap, Minnesota transferred infielder Luke Keaschall — and his right forearm fracture — to the 60-day injured list. That made room on the 40-man roster for the much anticipated MLB debut of young slugger, Carson McCusker, whose closest MLB comp is… Aaron Judge. But more on him momentarily. The surprising injured list stay for Danny Coulombe significantly hurts the Minnesota Twins bullpen, which now needs another arm in the very near future. Not only was Coulombe the only lefty in the bullpen, but he had pitched 16.2 scoreless innings for Rocco Baldelli & Co this season, prior to his injury. Advertisement Not only is his ERA+ incalculable, but his 0.600 WHIP and 1.18 FIP are nearly just as impressive. The 35-year-old former 25th round draft pick in 2012 has already amassed 1.1 WAR, 5th most among MLB relievers, in part thanks to his 19 strikeouts vs just 2 walks allowed. Onto the exciting news that was made official today, but yet another move that was actually reported on Saturday. He isn't in the starting lineup Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee, but 6'8″, 250 lb right-handed slugger Carson McCusker is now on both the 40-man and active 26-man Minnesota Twins roster. Here comes Carson McCusker… Why has the fanbase been waiting so impatiently to see McCusker in a Twins uniform? Well, because the 27-year-old's closest comp is Aaron Judge. And not just because of his overwhelming human frame. Advertisement Related: New Minnesota Twins Promotions Bring Two Debuts Yes, McCusker look like the right-handed version of the New York Yankees superstar, when he's standing in the batter's box, but Carson McCusker's been hitting the baseball a lot like Judge recently too. In 38 games this season down at Triple A St. Paul, the former undrafted kid out of Oklahoma State is hitting an absurd .350, with a 1.061 OPS built on 10 HR, 11 doubles, 13 walks and 36 RBI. He's also struck out 46 times… but with these numbers, who's counting? While McCusker was undrafted after college, he was selected in the 26th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, out of Folsom Lake Community College, in Folsom (CA). Instead, he chose four years at Oklahoma State, where he slashed .294/.367/.519 (.886 OPS). Advertisement That wasn't good enough to get a phone call during the 2021 MLB Draft, though. After going undrafted, McCusker played two summers of Independent League baseball, in the Frontier League. Related: Origin of Minnesota Twins Spartan Helmet Celebration Revealed Then in 2023, at 25 years old, he finally got his shot in affiliated ball, signing with the Minnesota Twins. Now, after 207 minor league games in the organization between single A and triple A, the right-handed hitting monster batted .290 with a .886 OPS (43 HR, 147 RBI). Two years later, even if it doesn't come Sunday, Carson McCusker will soon get his first opportunity to prove he can hit anywhere, including the big leagues.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NI leaders urged to support families 'living in fear' of sectarian attacks
The first and deputy first ministers have been called on to publicly condemn sectarian attacks on homes in north Belfast. Independent councillor Paul McCusker, who has written to Michelle O'Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly, said they need to "come out, show commitment and get behind these families". TUV councillor Ron McDowell said local residents are living in "terror and fear". It comes after masonry was thrown at properties in Annalee Street and Alloa Street on Wednesday. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said they have stepped up patrols in the area. On Friday, a number of residents said they planned to leave their homes. McDowell said those targeted were "young girls in their early 20s with babies in their arms". "When they say their houses have been attacked - there are no windows in their homes – they are completely boarded up with a threat of a repeat visit," he added. McDowell said there was an issue with police resources in north-west Belfast. "I don't doubt that the police are doing what they can – they stepped up yesterday and pledged more – they now have the alarms that people can press - but they don't appear to have the resources to deal with this adequately," he added. He said there was a high density of peace walls in the area. "There is a lot of insecurity around community displacement – there are predators within the community within paramilitary gangs who would play on the fears of the local inhabitants, who are protective of homes for their own people and their children," he said. "This has been a minority group of Catholic houses that have been targeted in a predominantly unionist area. "Incidents along the peace line are nothing new though they don't often get reported - they go on for months and it can be a living hell for people in those areas." Following a meeting between the affected families, police and community representatives on Sunday, McCusker said most families want to stay, but "no one can guarantee their safety". McCusker called for the NI Executive to intervene and for the first and deputy first ministers to "come out and call this out for what it is". Speaking to BBC News NI on Monday, he said: "I mean this is a major problem, you know, north Belfast is one of the most divided parts of Belfast, and a lot more work needs to done to ensure that people regardless if you're Catholic or Protestant or whatever religion you are, that you're entitled to live in a safe home in any community." He added: "It's a massive big upheaval in anybody's life, particularly if you're homeless for eight years to then get a new house and then to be treated this way is just shocking." He said the sectarian attacks are "becoming more of a problem here in north Belfast" and are "not being reported enough". "And we're aware of other families in recent months this has happened to as well and we need that commitment from first minister and deputy first minister to actually to come out, show commitment and get behind these families." PSNI Supt Allister Hagan said: "We are treating what happened in these residential areas not just as criminal damage, but sectarian-motivated hate crime - which is totally unacceptable. "This will not be tolerated. We will continue to work closely with our partners, housing provider, community representatives and local residents in relation to these issues." Police have been "regularly patrolling these areas at varying intervals to deter crime and provide reassurance to the community," Supt Hagan added. "In addition, we have been meeting with residents regularly to listen to their concerns and offer practical support." Clanmil Housing said it has been on site over the weekend. In a statement, a spokesperson said: "Some families have left their homes at this time, and we have provided alternative temporary accommodation where needed. "We absolutely condemn the continued and unprovoked threat to families living peacefully in their homes. Everyone should be allowed to live safely in their home, free from any type of intimidation or threat." The NI Executive office has been contacted for comment. Residents 'on edge' following sectarian attack
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New Twins OF Carson McCusker accidentally launches bat into left field during rainy matchup with Guardians
The rain got the best of Carson McCusker on Monday night. McCusker stepped up to the plate in the second inning of the Minnesota Twins' matchup with the Cleveland Guardians as decent rain was falling at Target Field in Minneapolis. But when the right fielder went to swing at a pitch, well, McCusker completely lost control of the bat. It wasn't just a little bit, either. McCusker sent his bat absolutely flying. The bat made it all the way into left field, where it calmly came to rest as everyone slowly realized what had happened. As Guardians players went to retrieve it, McCusker and the home plate umpire just stood there laughing. Carson McCusker nearly hit a home run with the bat… literally.#MNTwins — Talkin' Twins (@TalkinTwins) May 20, 2025 Whoops. To make the situation even better, McCusker had just been called up to the Twins from their Triple-A affiliate on Saturday. Monday was just his second game in the big leagues. But, to McCusker's credit, that very likely would've been a single had he actually made contact with the ball instead of trying to cut corners with his bat. Eventually, McCusker struck out looking. The game was tied 1-1 at the time, but Willi Castro hit an RBI double later in the inning to put the Twins up by a run. By the end of the third inning, however, officials decided they had had enough and sent the game into a rain delay. The game was called off for the day and will resume on Tuesday at 5:10 p.m. CT, with Game 2 of the series to follow. The Twins entered Monday's contest with a 26-21 record. They have won 13 of their last 14, too, after their impressive win streak came to an end on Sunday when the Milwaukee Brewers beat them, 5-2. The Guardians, on the other hand, came into Monday's game on a four-game losing skid. While McCusker is hoping to get the hang of things with his new club, Monday's bat incident was an incredible way for him to kick off his time with the Twins.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New Twins OF Carson McCusker accidentally launches bat into left field during rainy matchup with Guardians
Carson McCusker completely lost control of the bat while trying to swing at a pitch on Monday night in Minneapolis. (AP/Matt Krohn) The rain got the best of Carson McCusker on Monday night. McCusker stepped up to the plate in the second inning of the Minnesota Twins' matchup with the Cleveland Guardians on Monday as decent rain was falling at Target Field in Minneapolis. But when the right fielder went to swing at a pitch, well, McCusker completely lost control of the bat. Advertisement It wasn't just a little bit, either. McCusker sent his bat absolutely flying. The bat made it all the way into left field, where it calmly came to rest as everyone slowly realized what had happened. As Guardians players went to retrieve it, McCusker and the home plate umpire just stood there laughing. Whoops. To make the situation even better, McCusker had just been called up to the Twins from their Triple-A affiliate on Saturday. Monday was just his second game in the big leagues. But, to McCusker's credit, that very likely would've been a single had he actually made contact with the ball instead of trying to cut corners with his bat. Advertisement Eventually, McCusker struck out looking. The game was tied 1-1 at the time, but WHO Castro hit an RBI double later in the inning to put the Twins up by a run. By the end of the third inning, however, officials decided they had had enough and sent the game into a rain delay. The Twins entered Monday's contest with a 26-21 record. They have won 13 of their last 14, too, though their impressive win streak came to an end on Sunday when the Milwaukee Brewers beat them 5-2. The Guardians, on the other hand, came into Monday's game on a four-game losing skid. While McCusker will get the hang of things with his new club, Monday's bat incident was an incredible way for him to kick off his time with the Twins.
New York Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Three under-the-radar Twins prospects off to stock-raising starts, led by ‘McCrusher'
Six weeks into the minor-league season seems like a good time to highlight some notable early performances in the Minnesota Twins' farm system. With a focus on Twins prospects who weren't included in my preseason top-10 list, here are three less-heralded hitters off to stock-raising starts, including a Triple-A slugger putting up big numbers in St. Paul, a Double-A line-drive machine and a High-A speedster showing why he was a first-round pick. Advertisement Current assignment: Triple-A St. Paul Twins preseason prospect ranking: 38th It's easy to see why the Twins might be skeptical about McCusker. First and foremost, they signed him out of an independent league in mid-2023, after he went undrafted out of college, so he was not expected to become a legit prospect. Sometimes initial expectations are tough to shake. Beyond that, McCusker turns 27 next week, which is elderly for a prospect, and he's a high-strikeout hitter whose massive 6-foot-8 frame creates swing holes for pitchers to exploit. There are valid reasons to be dubious about his chances of becoming a long-term MLB regular, let alone a star. It's unlikely. But as McCusker destroys Triple-A pitching, it's becoming harder to justify not giving him a chance to prove he at least belongs in the big leagues. And for a Twins lineup that has struggled against left-handed pitching, his right-handed power could get his foot in the door in a platoon role. McCusker has hit .333/.400/.658 with 10 homers in 33 games for Triple-A St. Paul, out-producing the International League average by 328 points of OPS. He's crushed lefties (1.066 OPS) and righties (1.055 OPS), with eye-popping batted-ball data to match and potent opposite-field power. Among every Triple-A hitter to see at least 500 pitches tracked via Statcast this season, McCusker ranks in the top three for average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and expected slugging percentage. He's responsible for the Saints' three hardest-hit balls of the season and eight of their top 17. McCrusher. 6'8, 250. This one is the 5th hardest hit ball in franchise history at an even 115.0 mph. An absolute missile by @carson_mccusker a.k.a. McCrusher clubs his 10th homer of the season. This solo shot makes it 2-0. His 10 HR's are tied for the most in the Minors — St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) May 11, 2025 McCusker has also struck out in 39 of 131 plate appearances, a high but not necessarily red-flag-raising 29.7 percent rate. Matt Wallner (29.0), Brent Rooker (30.0) and Trevor Larnach (28.6) had similar Triple-A strikeout rates for the Saints. It comes with the power-hitting territory. Since joining the organization two years ago, McCusker has hit .286 with 43 homers and an .881 OPS in 202 games. During that period, the Twins' only minor leaguers with a higher OPS over at least 500 plate appearances are Wallner (.908), Luke Keaschall (.886) and Emmanuel Rodriguez (.885). Advertisement If the Twins' lineup continues to be the weakest aspect of the team, leaving a hulking right-handed slugger in the minors would be every bit as much of an active decision as calling him up would be. McCusker has done enough to warrant an opportunity, and his skills could help fill a useful, needed role. Current assignment: Double-A Wichita Twins preseason prospect ranking: 16th Olivar's consistently strong low-minors production led me to rank him as the No. 16 prospect in the Twins' farm system going into 2024 and 2025, deeming him underrated each time. Now that he's doing it against Double-A pitchers, perhaps the 23-year-old can shed the underrated label soon. Olivar has avoided lots of hype because he signed for just $20,000 out of Venezuela in 2019 as an unheralded international prospect and lacks big-time power potential, which can be difficult to evaluate for a bat-first player without an obvious long-term home defensively. But at some point, the bat does enough talking, and Olivar is proving his low-minors success was no fluke by hitting .324/.386/.480 in 25 games at Double-A Wichita. He's shown some pop with four homers and has just 16 strikeouts in 114 plate appearances, one of the farm system's lowest rates. Olivar has always controlled the strike zone well, drawing plenty of walks and keeping his strikeouts in check while batting .290 with a .395 on-base percentage over five seasons. He struggled following a late Double-A promotion last year but looks comfortable there now. Olly, The Tie Swatter! Ricardo Olivar ties the game on a two-run double into the left field corner. B9SPR 6, WCH 6 — Wichita Wind Surge (@WindSurgeICT) April 23, 2025 Figuring out where Olivar fits defensively could be tricky. He's worked hard to become somewhat serviceable at catcher, but likely lacks the arm strength and overall tools to stick there. He also plays left field, but is merely passable there. And his 5-foot-10 frame isn't ideal at first base. Olivar's uncertain defensive future is part of the reason he was left unprotected from the Rule 5 draft and went unpicked in December, but he has the offensive ability to hit his way into the Twins' plans … somewhere. Unlocking at least 10-15 homers from his contact-oriented right-handed swing will be key. Advertisement I'm higher than most on Olivar's potential to become a quality regular, but even if that doesn't pan out, he should be able to carve out a niche as a line-driving-hitting platoon corner outfielder/first baseman/third catcher. And his bat carrying him to the majors is looking more and more plausible. Current assignment: High-A Cedar Rapids Twins preseason prospect ranking: 15th DeBarge had a mediocre 26-game pro debut last season after being drafted by the Twins with the supplemental first-round pick they received for losing Sonny Gray in free agency, casting some doubt on the flukiness of his 2024 college breakout at Louisiana Lafayette. Previously known as a speedy contact hitter, DeBarge smacked 21 homers in 62 college games last season and did so with just 30 strikeouts, boosting his draft stock dramatically. But then he batted just .235/.322/.343 with one homer and 28 strikeouts in 115 plate appearances at Low-A Fort Myers. Pushed aggressively to High-A Cedar Rapids to start this season, DeBarge has looked much more like the 2024 college star, hitting .282/.416/.473 with four homers and more walks (25) than strikeouts (21) in 28 games. He's also running wild, going 17-for-17 stealing bases. KYLE DEBARGE GAME.#CRKernels | #CRWIS — Cedar Rapids Kernels (@CRKernels) April 23, 2025 There aren't many 5-foot-9 sluggers, so DeBarge's power potential will be in question until proven otherwise, but he's shown an encouraging all-around skill set in his first full season, out-producing the Midwest League average by 194 points of OPS as a 21-year-old who rarely whiffs. DeBarge was a full-time college shortstop, but he's seen most of his action this season at second base, along with some shortstop, center field and left field reps. He profiles as an above-average defensive second baseman and has just enough shortstop chops to possibly bounce around in a utility role. Advertisement DeBarge's strike-zone control and speed are standout skills, but the power development could determine if he's an impact regular or more of a quality role player. He's expected back in the lineup this week after a recent hit-by-pitch to the hand and should move quickly through the Twins' system. (Photo of Carson McCusker: Nick Cammett / Diamond Images via Getty Images)
