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Twins Beat Pirates in Grapefruit League Spring Training Opener

John Bonnes

By John Bonnes
in Minnesota Twins Talk

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John Bonnes MVP

John Bonnes

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Over 7000 people are expected to attend the Twins' home opener of the Grapefruit League season versus the Pittsburgh Pirates at 1 PM (noon CT) today. Unfortunately, you're not one of them. 😑 Fortunately, I am. 🤩 So follow along and live vicariously through me as I covered the Twins 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Baseball is back, baby! ⚾

12:15 PM ET
Lineups were posted in the clubhouse as we arrived. The opener is often stacked with regulars, and today is no exception. The opener is often your best chance in the first several weeks to see a lineup somewhat akin to what you may see at Target Field. Otherwise, a lot of the time is being given to non-regulars as the regulars slowly ramp up. 

Today's lineup includes six guys expected to be regulars (Carlos Santana, Royce Lewis, Max Kepler, Ryan Jeffers, Edouard Julien, Alex Kirilloff), two bench players (Kyle Farmer, Willie Castro), and two guys who are likely(?) slated for St. Paul, but will be the first guys called up in the event something changes (Austin Martin, Louie Varland). 

That's honestly a better lineup than the Twins will have in some games this year. (Or had for the entirety of September of 2022. 😭)

12:35 PM ET
Alternately, the Pirates are apparently saving their starters for their home opener tomorrow vs the Orioles. Woof. I see one projected starting position player in their lineup, catcher Henry Davis. By default, he's batting third. Their starting pitcher is Bailey Falter, who is projected to be their 5th starter, which may explain why they have a starting catcher making the bus trip here.

The "bus trip" reference to a visiting team is more than just fancy baseball writing. It's a factor for why we see lineups like this. Pittsburgh's spring training is relatively close in terms of Grapefruit League road teams - it's a one-hour, forty-minute drive - but most Grapefruit League games are annoyingly far away compared to the cross-town drives that exist in Arizona's Cactus League. For any established major leaguer, it's almost viewed as a punishment (or an absolute necessity) to be scheduled as a road game. If you want to see Twins regulars, you'll want to come to Hammond or to the Red Sox SkyBlue park, which is also in Fort Myers.

I'd heard behind the scenes that MLB was going to try to crack down on lineups like this because there are supposed to be at least four regulars that make a road trip. It's a battle that MLB has been losing more and more each season, but I'm increasingly wondering if it's a battle worth fighting. A visiting superstar might draw more fans on the road, but superstars don't take any road trips. Is Kepler making a trip to Bradenton change anyone's calculus to attend a game? Fans go to see their own players, anyway. 

12:55 PM ET
I've got great news for you baseball nerds out there: there's an even better way to follow this game than right here. MLB.com is doing pitch-by-pitch tracking of spring training games, and for the first time, it includes Statcast data. (At least it does today at Hammond Stadium. We'll find out if the Red Sox are too, tomorrow.)
Here's the link to it.

So, if you're wondering if Louie Varland is going to use his 2-seam fastball (i.e. sinker) versus right-handers, you may get a chance to track that live. Or, for that matter, go back and see how it worked. The Pirates have right-handed batters in their second and third spots today. Of course, he might be saving that for later in the spring and just trying to get his pitch count in today. We'll see. 

1:12 PM ET
The game time and temperature was announced, which leads to one of my favorite bits in spring training: announcing the temperature both here and in Minneapolis. 74 degrees here and 35 degrees in Minneapolis. Eat it, losers.😜

Varland's first inning was scoreless but there were a couple of noteworthy developments for a guy who was hurt on homers by right-handed hitters last year. Both the second and third batter got hits against him, one of which was a grounder up the middle that Julien was able to get to but unable to field cleanly. He threw the 2-seamer to the second guy twice, went 2-0, and then went back to his traditional pitches. He threw 17 pitches and is coming out again in the second inning. 

(Lots of corrections made in this entry. I had Varland's sides lined up wrong and listed him as "Larnach" in one spot so ... live-blogging might not be my thing.)

1:23 PM ET
An "old friend" just batted for the Pirates, except he is anything but old. Gilberto Celestino, the 25-year-old outfielder who played 145 games with the Twins in 2021 and 2022, signed a minor league deal with the Pirates this winter and is starting today's game. 

Celestino only hit .222 with a 592 OPS over those two years, but he was also just 22 and 23 years old and had been rushed through the minors due to injuries in the Twins outfield. He had some initial success by driving pitches the opposite way, but pitchers started busting him inside and he couldn't pull the ball with any authority.

Last year, he was supposed to get the development time he needed in AAA, but he had a thumb injury that required surgery in spring training. He didn't join St. Paul until mid-June, and he wasn't bad, posting a .392 OBP, albeit with no power (.389 SLG). But again, thumb surgery. That happens.

If he had stayed with the Twins, he might have made my "guys we should not forget about" list, but he was probably wise to find another organization. Austin Martin is on his way, Walker Jenkins is behind him, Buxton looks healthy, Willie Castro can fill some gaps, and Michael A Taylor is still on the free-agent market. The Twins are a crowded place to try and get time in center field. 

True to his history, he struck out in his first at-bat, but only after having a likely triple go foul by about two inches. Always so close..... I'll be rooting for him this year to get the opportunity his talent deserves, even with another team. 

1:36 PM ET
The Twins get their second run of the inning on a ground ball single by Austin Martin with an exit velocity of 102.3 MPH. I am an avid believer in not paying too much attention to spring training results, but my conviction on that is going to be challenged by Martin this year. He is arguably the best option for the last roster spot for position players, because he's a right-handed outfielder who can play all four spots. But will the Twins instead sign a right-handed hitting free agent? Would the even want Martin on the bench or would they prefer he play full time in St. Paul? I don't think I'm the only one watching him closely; I think the Twins are too, as they try to figure out which way to go.  

2:15 PM ET
Sorry about the long delay. We went down to talk to Varland, who I'll talk about next. On the way back, I took a midgame break to try out the concessions, which is not mandated for Twins Daily writers since we have created our Ultimate Guide to Spring Training. Today I checked out Bomba's Grill, which I rememberd I had liked, but I wasn't sure why. 

Today, I remembered. They do a "walking taco," which is essentially a taco salad that is tasty, filling, made-to-order, and reasonably priced. I will not overlok them again. I just added them to our Spring Training Guide. I'd recommend you click over for more options, or if you just like to daydream about visiting spring training.

Next game: I try the Philly cheesesteaks. I'm not optimistic. I'm an admitted cheesesteak snob.

2:25 PM ET
We talked to Louie Varland about his outing. It was pointed out that he hit 98 on his first pitch, but that was not a goal, and he didn't do that afterwards. (It did look like his 4-seam fastball was pretty effective.) He did try using his sinker versus some left-handers, and so I asked whether he usually has trouble getting in the zone, because he missed it a fair amount today. He said that hasn't usually been a problem - except for today. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ One thing to watch is that he is also apparently working on his slider a bit. He has so many pitches and so many ways he can pivot, it's not too hard to believe he's going to find his way back to the majors and succeed. 

2:35 PM ET
The Twins position players have almost all been pulled after going through the lineup twice. Carlos Santana had his first at-bat in exactly the role he was primarily brought in to fill: as a right-handed hitter versus a left-handed pitcher. He also had his first hit, grounding a single past shortstop. There's your good omen if you're looking for one.

Max Kepler began the season where he left off. His first at-bat resulted in an out, but it was hit at over 106 mph, just right at the shortstop. That was versus a southpaw, too. In his second at-bat, he had a line drive single to left field. 

I mentioned a play Julien did not make in the first inning, but he had a fantastic pickup in the top of the fourth. Already shifted towards second base, he ranged even further to his right, charged a ball, and threw across his body to record an out. 

3:01 PM ET
I just went to sit down in section 207 which ended up being a shooting gallery for about a half inning. There must've been half a dozen foul balls that made their way into or around that section. There's another reason to come to spring training - just make sure you have your head on a swivel.

While I was there, I also saw the Twins grab the lead, courtesy of an opposite-field home run by Dalton Shuffield. Shuffield isn't in big league camp; he's one of twelve minor leaguers that were called over to play in the late innings in this game. He also He isn't on any of our prospect lists, but he made AA-Witchita as a 24-year-old, so there's still time. His weakness seems to be power - he had a .398 SLG last year - so homering in Hammond is an auspicious start to his 2024 season. 

Then, to put the cherry on top, he ended the top of the seventh by throwing out the Pirates at the plate. Have a day, Dalton. 🙌

(FWIW, Twins Daily has talked about Shuffield quite a bit. Here's what I found when doing a quick site search on him.)

3:17 PM ET
We have a pitch clock for the first time in spring training this year. There is only a small change to the pitch clock rule for 2024: with a runner on base, the block will be set at 18 seconds instead of 20 seconds like it was last year, so there may need to be some small adjustments by pitchers. 

It's amazing how quickly everyone became adjusted to the pitch clock after years of debating whether it was an incarnation of evil. I haven't heard anyone ask a question or comment on it this spring training. Last year, it was the #1 topic. This year, we've moved on to uniforms, I guess?

3:52 PM ET
Twins win 5-3. In his postgame talk, manager Rocco Baldelli responded to reporters' questions and gave his impressions:

  • Louie Varland looked fine and had a good outing.
  • Austin Martin is a player that he wants the coaching staff to see more of. He brings a set of skills that would be a good fit for the team.
  • Carlos Santana's defense at first base is one of the assets he is bringing to the Twins.
  • The play Edouard Julien made is something they have seen before, and they think his defense keeps getting better.
  • They're excited to see a full year of Royce Lewis.
  • Niko Goodrum is known for his ability to hit left-handed pitching and play in the infield, which is a good fit for the team.

Make sure to join our community by commenting on the game below if you're following along!


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ashbury GOAT

ashbury

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He has so many pitches and so many ways he can pivot, it's not too hard to believe he's going to find his way back to the majors and succeed. 

Louie finished the season on the major league roster and pitched in the post-season.  The issue of course is whether he will be allowed to return to starting - which I'm sure is your point as regards the number of pitches in his mix.

big dog FCL Twins

big dog

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Not a comment on today's performance, of course, but i wonder how many more at-bats Sabato is going to get this spring. Not many, that's my guess.

stringer bell Cooperstown

stringer bell

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17 minutes ago, big dog said:

Not a comment on today's performance, of course, but i wonder how many more at-bats Sabato is going to get this spring. Not many, that's my guess.

Agreed. Severino, Kirilloff, Santana and later Miranda will all need reps there this spring for various reasons. 

wabene Ft Myers Mighty Mussels

wabene

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13 minutes ago, William K Johnson said:

"grounder up the middle that Julien was able to get to but unable to field cleanly."   You can get ready to copy and paste that line the rest of the season.

Right next to this one? 

20 hours ago, John Bonnes said:

The play Edouard Julien made is something they have seen before, and they think his defense keeps getting better.

 

sampleSizeOfOne MVP

sampleSizeOfOne

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14 hours ago, big dog said:

Not a comment on today's performance, of course, but i wonder how many more at-bats Sabato is going to get this spring. Not many, that's my guess.

Hope he gets more plate appearances....

sampleSizeOfOne MVP

sampleSizeOfOne

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16 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

I'm in Maine and NESN is the sports channel for this part of New England.

Very comforting to know one can get the New England Sports Network in New England.

(i don't, But i bet i could if only i'd pony up for cable)

tony&rodney St Paul Saints

tony&rodney

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1 hour ago, William K Johnson said:

"grounder up the middle that Julien was able to get to but unable to field cleanly."   You can get ready to copy and paste that line the rest of the season.

This has been a mantra that has followed Julien on Twins Daily since his first awkward fielding plays last summer. Nobody who is familiar with baseball would dispute that Julien had a pretty rough initiation in the field. However, it can also not be disputed that Julien has made great improvement in the field and it is very clear that his lateral movements are actually quite good. 

Perhaps an analogy is in order. If a player seen as a future superstar is put into the lineup and promptly goes 1-24 at the plate, do we then decide that player will never hit? 

I have no idea who is just a fan, has specific playing or coaching experience, or whatever on Twins Daily and more importantly I don't believe that should interrupt anyone from having and voicing their opinions. The one thing I would request is for folks to view the players as human beings who are not static in their lives. If a player improves (or declines) that should be noted. Go to a few games and watch how the different players do at their jobs.

Julien may not be able to replicate his success from last season, he may be moved at some point to a new position, and he may be traded as well in the future. Perhaps those who do not like him but are Twins fans can just watch and wait before they post ridiculous comments.

Fat Calvin College Ball

Fat Calvin

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On 2/25/2024 at 3:10 AM, sweetmusicviola16 said:

I don't know if I'd want the last name of my SP to be Falter.  I wouldn't want my pitcher to Falter.

Here's another one: Pitching for the Twins in the 8th inning against the Red Sox today was none other than that up and coming rookie phenom, Scott Blewett!

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