Sire of Fort Myers Update: Favorites Emerge

[Tom Froemming]

Hear ye, hear ye! ‘Tis time to check in on the race for 2021 Sire of Fort Myers. The Twins are now a baker's dozen games into their spring schedule, so let’s take a look at the players who’ve emerged as the top contenders.ON ELIGIBILITY

 

I always like to start these things out by reminding everybody who is eligible. Anyone not on the 40-man roster, regardless of MLB experience, is eligible along with anyone on the 40-man roster who has not appeared in an MLB game.

 

So that means Kyle Garlick, who leads the team in total bases and is the only hitter with multiple home runs, is not in the mix for the cape and scepter. He’s on the 40-man roster and has 42 career MLB games under his belt between the Dodgers and Phillies.

 

Another standout performer this spring who is not eligible for the throne is Lewis Thorpe. He’s had a great spring, pitching four no-hit innings with six strikeouts. Let’s move on to the early favorites for 2021 Sire of Fort Myers.

 

THE HITTERS

 

Keon Broxton

This guy was expected to be the favorite coming in and he’s delivered. Broxton has an eye-popping .429/.556/.714 batting line (1.270 OPS), but perhaps most importantly he’s drawn nearly as many walks (four) as he has strikeouts (five). In 376 MLB games, Broxton has struck out 396 times and drawn 107 walks.

 

 

Rob Refsnyder

This guy has been a tough out so far, hitting .222/.417/.444 (.861 OPS). Refsnyder has a long track record of being a plus on-base guy in the minors (.378 OBP in 2,809 plate appearances), but was never able to translate that over in the majors. You may remember him playing some second base with the Yankees a few years back, but it appears he’s strictly a corner outfielder these days.

 

Gilberto Celestino

This Twins prospect is off to a solid start so far, hitting .308/.308/.462 (.769 OPS). If he continues to produce at the plate and makes a couple flashy catches, which he has a knack for, Celestino could shoot up this list.

 

THE PITCHERS

 

Derek Law

In three innings pitched, Law has surrendered just one hit, has three strikeouts and one walk. By far the most accomplished major league pitcher on this list, Law has a career 4.22 ERA in 167 MLB appearances. He had a 2.13 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 5.56 K:BB ratio as a rookie back in 2016 with the Giants but never repeated that success. If the Twins could find that guy again he’d be quite the addition.

 

 

Luke Farrell

Farrell only has 2 1/3 innings under his belt, but he’s struck out five of the nine batters he’s faced, has yet to issue a walk and has only surrendered one hit. That will certainly earn him some more looks.

 

Ian Hamilton

Another guy who’s impressed out of the pen, Hamilton has struck out four of the 11 batters he’s faced. In 2 2/3 innings of work, opposing hitters have mustered just one hit off Hamilton. He’s topped out at 95.8 mph so far this spring.

 

Matt Canterino

We’re probably not going to see too much more of Canterino, but he was very impressive in the inning he pitched against Tampa Bay. In addition to retiring all three batters he faced, two of them via strikeouts, Canterino also topped out at 98.7 mph.

 

 

Brandon Waddell

He’s given up some damage, but seven strikeouts in just 3 1/3 innings pitched is eye-opening enough for him to make this list. A rough outing against Atlanta in which he gave up four runs may end up being too much to overcome in terms of capturing the crown, but a lefty who can tough 95 mph is going to get plenty of opportunities to recover.

 

We’re 13 games into the spring schedule with 16 left to play, so while these players have made strong impressions early, there’s still plenty of time for other contenders to emerge. We’ll check back in with another update next weekend.

 

Which players have caught your eye so far this spring?

 

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MORE FROM TOM

3 Up 3 Down: Early Spring Training Reactions

 

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[Dman]

It's really a nice group this year.  I have been hoping Broxton could show he can command the strike zone and it looks good so far but the true test would be having him start against the other teams starter as he hasn't always gone up against the toughest pitchers.  Also he almost has to be addition by subtraction and with Garlic playing well there could be some tough decisions ahead for outfield 40 man spots.

 

I know Lin has the better line but I generally like Maggi for some reason.  Maybe it is his confidence I don't know but I am pulling for him. Same with Refsnyder guy looks good at the plate but you can see why maybe he is not quite good enough to be a starter.  I haven't seen Linn much but the batting line is very good.

 

Law looked really good today.  He had the ball diving under bats and moved it all over the zone.  I don't think he has faced the elite competition yet so hard to say just how well his stuff might play but he looks good right now.

 

I have had my eye on Waddell and got to watch him today.  He looks tough on lefties but he has given up hard contact at least earlier this spring.  Today he struck out the side.  He has a ways to go to be the SOFM but nice to see him improving.

 

I really have enjoyed watching Ferrell pitch.  The stuff looks soft but nothing seems very straight.  I don't know if he can keep up that K rate but if he does the Twins might have something there.

 

Hamilton has been rock solid but would like to see him face some tougher hitters.  He seems to always show up after the lineup changes.

 

We are close to half way through and I am really enjoying the effort these guys are putting out there.  Someone will rise to the top.  Right now I have no idea who that will be as I seem to like all of them. 

 

If forced I am still high on Broxton because if his offense is improved his defense is above average everywhere in the outfield.  That makes him a great backup upgrade especially in center.

 

For pitcher I am sticking with Hamilton who was my initial pick but hot on his heals for me is the deep underdog Ferrell.  Underdog because I don't believe he is a hard thrower like Hamilton.  The pitchers seem the most unpredictable to  me at this point as there are things to like about all of them and with such a small sample size things can change with a bad game or two.

[bighat]

Brandon Waddell has a 10.84 ERA. He's also given up 4 hits in his 3.1 innings, and walked two.....why did he make this list again? Oh yeah, he struck out a few guys. I know we've entered the age where real stats like wins and ERA don't matter to anyone, but c'mon man. At some point you gotta look at something besides strikeouts to determine whether or not a pitcher is good.

 

The other options in the mix so far have been fun to watch and certainly will be fun to watch as we enter the 2nd half of ST. Can't wait to see how it pans out. Thanks Tom!

[tarheeltwinsfan]

This contest for squire has become a really fun spring training contest. Thank you.

[Doctor Gast]

Thanks Tom for your analysis. From the beginning I've been cheering for Broxton. He's come to camp a different person. He's more relaxed and more disciplined at the plate. What sticks out most is his BB/SO ratio, except for a lapse after his HR that went to his head. Broxton is our only true CF besides Buxton but he has shown that he's more than a Buxton insurance policy. There's been doubt about him having a player's option but it sounds like from Park that he doesn't. In any case he should be on the 26 man.

I'm also cheering for Lin. I'm a fan of Astudillo but I'd pick Lin over him on the basis that he can play SS. I'm impressed with Law

[rv78]

With Broxton and Celestino having a good spring it would appear centerfield isn't as bare as we thought. Hopefully Lin can continue also. It looks like we won't miss Marwin or Adrianza. Not that I thought we ever would! They were two guys that were easily replaceable.

[Tom Froemming]

 

Brandon Waddell has a 10.84 ERA. He's also given up 4 hits in his 3.1 innings, and walked two.....why did he make this list again? Oh yeah, he struck out a few guys. I know we've entered the age where real stats like wins and ERA don't matter to anyone, but c'mon man. At some point you gotta look at something besides strikeouts to determine whether or not a pitcher is good.

He had one poor outing and three others in which he looked about as good as a pitcher possibly can.

[h2oface]

 

Brandon Waddell has a 10.84 ERA. He's also given up 4 hits in his 3.1 innings, and walked two.....why did he make this list again? Oh yeah, he struck out a few guys. I know we've entered the age where real stats like wins and ERA don't matter to anyone, but c'mon man. At some point you gotta look at something besides strikeouts to determine whether or not a pitcher is good.

 

He had that one appearance where all the damage happened. The others have been lights out. With that reasoning, we should release Colome (9.00 ERA, 4 earned with 7 hits in 4 innings, and one was a homer - they both have 7 strikeouts, but Waddell with 3.1 innings) for his first outing on March 3 and move on now. And Tyler Duffey would have no future anywhere. All his outings have been horrible.