Trader Joe’s shoppers call stores ‘a hellish experience’ and reveals two reasons why chain is ‘going downhill’
Not a lot went right for the Minnesota Twins last season. The lack of spending started the year on a sour note, and the implosion down the stretch put an ugly bow on it all. If you’re looking for silver linings though, the future is as bright as ever. Farm system more than just Minnesota Twins graduations Rocco Baldelli’s team went through a myriad of different injuries last season. The lack of consistent stars remaining on the field meant putting together a lineup card changed on a daily basis. That also brought plenty of rookie debuts along the way. Fans saw Brooks Lee, David Festa, Zebby Matthews, and others all take the field at Target Field for the first time. Despite graduating multiple projects from their farm system, the group is still well stocked. MLB Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra called the group one of the most improved across baseball. “Despite an early hamstring strain, 2023 fifth overall pick Walker Jenkins solidified his place as one of the game’s best hitting prospects with his climb to Double-A Wichita, and he gives the Twins a potential superstar in the making at the top of the pyramid. Below him, Luke Keaschall , David Festa and Zebby Matthews (the latter two have since graduated) all pushed their way onto the Top 100 with breakout seasons. Marco Raya ‘s career-high 97 2/3 innings certainly helped the top of the pitching group as it stands now. At the time of our midseason farm system rankings, Minnesota boasted six Top 100 talents and placed second. The graduations will probably cause them to slip, but there’s no ignoring Jenkins up top alongside the toolsy Emmanuel Rodriguez .” There’s a pretty solid chance that Walker Jenkins winds up being baseball’s top prospect before making his big league debut. He made it to Double-A last season and played in 82 games across all levels . His .282/.394/.439 slash line was impressive and the six home runs with 17 steals showed off the power and speed combination. Walker Jenkins last game of the season was his best game at Double-A, recording his first XBH and RBI 2-for-5 2B (110 mph) RBI R The 19-year-old started the season at Low-A and is currently ranked the No. 2 prospect in MLB by @MLBPipeline #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/ZzcbvHA8Ek Emmanuel Rodriguez could be the first prospect called upon by Minnesota with questions in the corners. He hit .280 with a 1.026 OPS and blasted nine home runs in 47 games . It’s too bad he isn’t right-handed from a roster construction standpoint, but even as a left the Twins are already considering his timeline. It isn’t just the best of the system that is notable for Minnesota either. Luke Keaschall went from top-10 depth to top-100 talent. Kyle DeBarge is a notable name from the 2024 draft and arms like C.J. Culpepper and Cory Lewis being around 15th in the organization is crazy. C.J. Culpepper ( @Twins ' No. 8 prospect) ties his career high with eight strikeouts through six perfect innings for the High-A @CRKernels . pic.twitter.com/9WTsOBjqeA There’s no reason to believe that Minnesota will avoid injuries this season. Last year they used 21 position players and 32 pitchers toed the rubber. That means utilizing the farm system will again be a must, especially considering a lack of free agent spending. It’s great to have a unit that is truly an asset. This article first appeared on Minnesota Sports Fan and was syndicated with permission.NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Newcastle’s winning run in the English Premier League came to an abrupt end when goals from Thomas Souček and Aaron Wan-Bissaka gave West Ham a surprise 2-0 win at St. James’ Park on Monday. The Hammers rose into 14th place and the pressure on coach Julen Lopetegui was eased. The London club has been inconsistent all season and Monday’s win was just its fourth in 12 league games. West Ham was worth the win in the end but the three points came courtesy of slack defending by the home side. Emerson whipped in an out-swinging corner after 10 minutes and, with Newcastle defenders rooted to the spot, Souček stole in to nod home the opener. Then eight minutes into the second half, captain Jarrod Bowen found Wan-Bissaka in the penalty box and he was left unchallenged and had time to fire an angled drive past Nick Pope. Newcastle brought on Harvey Barnes, and then Callum Wilson returned from a long-term back injury to make his first appearance of the season but to no avail. The defeat ended a three-game winning streak for Newcastle and left the Saudi Arabia-owned club in ninth place, four points outside the top four. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerFormula One owner Liberty Media shares up after GM entry
By Nate Raymond BOSTON (Reuters) - A former engineer at a semiconductor manufacturer pleaded not guilty on Friday to U.S. charges that he illegally procured technology for an Iranian firm that made a key component of a drone used in a January attack by Iran-backed militants in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members. Mahdi Sadeghi, who was fired by Analog Devices after his Dec. 16 arrest, pleaded not guilty during a hearing in federal court in Boston to charges that he engaged in a scheme to violate U.S. export control and sanctions laws. He entered the plea nearly two weeks after the U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against the dual U.S.-Iranian citizen and the head of an Iranian navigation systems manufacturer, Mohammad Abedini, who was arrested in Italy. Prosecutors said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was the primary customer of Abedini's company, San'at Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak Co, which made the navigation system used in its military drone program. Prosecutors say that system was used in an unmanned drone that struck a U.S. outpost in Jordan called Tower 22, near the Syrian border, in an attack that killed three Army Reserve soldiers from Georgia and injured 47 others. The White House has said the attack was facilitated by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization of hardline Iran-backed militant groups. Iran has denied involvement in the attack, and its foreign ministry was quoted in Iranian media on Saturday saying the arrests of Sadeghi and Abedini, an Iranian citizen, violated international law. Prosecutors said that in 2016, Sadeghi, a resident of Natick, Massachusetts, traveled to Iran to seek funding from a governmental organization for a fitness wearables company that he had co-founded. Through an affiliated Iranian company he established, Sadeghi began helping procure U.S.-origin electronic components on behalf of Abedini, who is also known as Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, prosecutors said. After taking a job at Massachusetts-based Analog Devices in 2019, Sadeghi helped a Switzerland front company for Abedini's Iranian firm enter into a contract with Analog Devices, and assisted Abedini in procuring U.S. technology, prosecutors said. The electronic components Abedini obtained included the same type used in the navigation system found in the drone, prosecutors said. Sadeghi has been detained since his arrest. U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell set a Jan. 2 hearing to potentially grant his release after a defense lawyer reported progress in talks with prosecutors on acceptable bail conditions. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Rod Nickel)
Georgia turns to backup Stockton to face Notre Dame