Twins Send Four Pitchers to Minor League Camp

[Seth Stohs]

Following their 3-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Monday afternoon at Cool Today Field, the Twins announced that four pitchers have been sent to minor-league spring training. 

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

The Twins announced on Monday afternoon that lefty Brent Headrick, and right-handers Matt Canterino and Simeon Woods Richardson have been optioned to St. Paul. In addition, right-hander David Festa was reassigned to Twins minor league camp. 

Certainly there were no surprises in this group of players sent down. With Opening Day just over three weeks away for both the Twins and the Saints, their starting pitchers need to start being stretched out. All four pitchers that were sent back to minor-league camp should be expected to start the season in the Saints starting rotation. 

Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, and Chris Paddack appear to have four of the Twins starting pitcher spots locked down. Anthony DeSclafani and Louie Varland may be competing for a fifth starter job, a spot the Twins may not need for the first couple of times through the rotation due to early-season off days. 

The assumption is that Varland will start the season in St. Paul and be called up when there is a need for a starter. Varland, Headrick, Woods Richardson and Festa should comprise four starters for the Saints. Randy Dobnak, who was reassigned last week, should be a regular starter there as well, and there are a couple of veterans, such as Caleb Boushley, who will also make starts in St. Paul. 

Festa, Twins Daily's #5 prospect heading into the season pitched just one inning in one game for the Twins this spring. The hard-throwing right-hander has a strong three-pitch mix, but now he needs to get ready for his season. 

Brent Headrick pitched in three games this spring. He gave up just two runs over 6 1/3 innings (2.84 ERA), and both runs came in his second inning of action in today's game. 

Canterino's stuff is as good as anyone in the organization, but he hasn't pitched much since being the Twins second-round pick in 2019 from Rice. In his two outings, he gave up one run on three hits in three innings. He had five strikeouts. 

Simeon Woods Richardson had a lot to prove coming into spring training, and I think he opened some eyes. He pitched five innings and gave up no runs on just one hit. He walked two and struck out three batters. But more important, he was sitting between 92 and 94 mph consistently. It was a focus this offseason because late last season, he was topping out at about 90 mph. With his solid second half in St. Paul last year, coupled with some new mechanics and improved fastball, he's put himself back on the map. 

Along with being the St. Paul Saints starting rotation, they are the depth for the Twins pitching staff in 2024. If Varland starts the season in St. Paul, he's likely the #6 starter. But once the season gets going, each of them will need to work to get ready for the call. 

With Monday's moves, the Twins now have 46 players in spring training camp. Of those, 10 are non-roster players. They have 22 pitchers (4 none-roster), five catchers (2 non-roster), 10 infielders (3 non-roster), seven outfielders (0 non-roster) and two utility players (1 non-roster). Josh Winder is also on the 60-Day IL. 

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[CoachDW]

So, is that a picture of Festa or Canterino? It would be nice to have the pictures of the players captioned. 

[Cornholio]

11 minutes ago, CoachDW said:

So, is that a picture of Festa or Canterino? It would be nice to have the pictures of the players captioned. 

Canterino.

[JosiahDeBoer]

Nothing too surprising. Wouldn't be surprised at all to see Headrick, Canterino and SWR all get some innings with the Twins this year but none ever had a real shot at breaking camp with the team.

Lets see how they play over the next few months with St Paul to see if/when they'll get their shot!

[DocBauer]

If Varland does end up with the Saints to begin the season, I wonder if that bumps Canterino down to AA initially?

Considering what he did in AA last time he was healthy, the argument can easily be made he should begin at AAA. But might Wichita be a little warmer maybe? Maybe coming off surgery and so much missed time, maybe he gets the first month there to warm up and get in a groove?

Just speculating. I'd love to see him at AAA, but just wonder about a numbers crunch to begin with. Same with Pierson Ohl, who I don't think will be at AA for very long.

[roger]

Ah Seth, isn’t opening day a little over two weeks away?

Can’t believe how fast this spring is going.

[FlyingFinn]

2 hours ago, DocBauer said:

If Varland does end up with the Saints to begin the season, I wonder if that bumps Canterino down to AA initially?

I'll say no. I've got a 6 man rotation with the Saints - Varland (until needed for his 1st start with the Twins which I think will be the first time they need the 5th pitcher, Desclafani still injured), Canterino, SWR, Festa, Ohl, and Headrick.

AA Wichita - plenty here as well - Raya, Lewis, Nowlin, Jones, Adams, and Carr. And that's still leaving Morris, Ethridge, Matthews, Culpepper, Bowen and MacLeod back in Cedar Rapids. 

Prielipp - anyone hear anything about his health this spring?

[Squirrel]

38 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

I'll say no. I've got a 6 man rotation with the Saints - Varland (until needed for his 1st start with the Twins which I think will be the first time they need the 5th pitcher, Desclafani still injured), Canterino, SWR, Festa, Ohl, and Headrick.

AA Wichita - plenty here as well - Raya, Lewis, Nowlin, Jones, Adams, and Carr. And that's still leaving Morris, Ethridge, Matthews, Culpepper, Bowen and MacLeod back in Cedar Rapids. 

Prielipp - anyone hear anything about his health this spring?

Didn’t the article say Dobnak would be in the starting rotation for St. Paul?

[FlyingFinn]

31 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Didn’t the article say Dobnak would be in the starting rotation for St. Paul?

It said "should" which I take as meaning sometimes he won't. For Canterino, he will need a piggy back early in the season so Dobnak could be that guy. Headrick could very well be that guy and Dobnak is a starter. I just don't see Dobnak as taking that many starts away from the guys who are the real Twins future. Guess I'm not that high on Dobnak.

[GNess]

Much anticipated Pitching Pipeline may well be rounding into shape. Performance matters though and these prospects need to get it done at their respective levels.

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, FlyingFinn said:

...Prielipp - anyone hear anything about his health this spring?

I wouldn't think there was any expectation he'd be pitching before mid season at the earliest. He underwent UCL surgery in late July. Every surgery and person who undergoes the process is different, but a second UCL repair can be slower than the first.

Maeda had an internal brace in September, 2021 and he wasn't ready for 2023.
Ohtani had an internal brace in October, 2023, and while he's hitting, he hasn't even started a throwing program. He's all but completely ruled out for pitching this year.
Paddack had his second UCL surgery in May, 2022 and he didn't start throwing off the mound for nearly 14 months afterward.
Prielipp has been in Ft. Myers already according to the TD scouting report page, but I'd be surprised to see him progressing much into a throwing program until well after the season starts. I'm sure the Twins are going to be taking him along slowly like they did Royce Lewis last year because of the 2nd ligament tear in a short time. Maybe mid-season?

The "internal brace" procedure sure seems to have been sold with an overly rosy view on recovery time recently so I think fans got 6 month time frames into their heads as reasonably possible when it doesn't seem to have truly accelerated the time frame much for pitchers. I'm with you, though. It'd be fun to hear some good news on him.

[DocBauer]

2 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

I'll say no. I've got a 6 man rotation with the Saints - Varland (until needed for his 1st start with the Twins which I think will be the first time they need the 5th pitcher, Desclafani still injured), Canterino, SWR, Festa, Ohl, and Headrick.

AA Wichita - plenty here as well - Raya, Lewis, Nowlin, Jones, Adams, and Carr. And that's still leaving Morris, Ethridge, Matthews, Culpepper, Bowen and MacLeod back in Cedar Rapids. 

Prielipp - anyone hear anything about his health this spring?

I'd definitely like to see Canterino at St Paul for sure. I'm just looking at DeScalfini feeling good and projecting as of NOW to be ready when they need him. So I'm just speculating there might be a crunch for the first month. Hard to find anyone as high on Canterino than me! :)

I'm confused about Ohl. I think there is NO SP flying under the radar in the entire system more than him! Despite great control and a collection of solid secondary offerings, a really good 2023, and reportedly throwing mid 90's consistently these days, why didn't he get an invite to ST? Are they trying to "hide" him a little from other teams? Doesn't make sense to me because if he's what I think he might be, he could see ML time in 2025.

I'm higher on Dobank than you and others are. Hes not a prospect, and hes not part of the Twins future. But with his experience, if his hand is finally 100%, I could see him doing great at St Paul this year and be a viable call up June/July if injuries hit and the Twins don't want to turn to a younger Festa or Canterino at that point.

I think Ohl MIGHT start at AA just becasue of Varland, SWR, Festa, Hendrick, Canterino potentially at AAA. But yeah, I'd like him at AAA too.

I generally agree on your AA rotation though. But I'm wondering if Carr isn't going to shift to the pen? The velocity and K's haven't really been great. He might be better in the Pen?

Nowlin is also one of my favorite "is anyone paying attention to this guy" prospects. IF he can get a little more consistent, he's a viable back end rotation arm, maybe with #3 potential. I think he's a potential stud pen LH option if the rotation just doesn't turn out.

[DocBauer]

56 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

I wouldn't think there was any expectation he'd be pitching before mid season at the earliest. He underwent UCL surgery in late July. Every surgery and person who undergoes the process is different, but a second UCL repair can be slower than the first.

Maeda had an internal brace in September, 2021 and he wasn't ready for 2023.
Ohtani had an internal brace in October, 2023, and while he's hitting, he hasn't even started a throwing program. He's all but completely ruled out for pitching this year.
Paddack had his second UCL surgery in May, 2022 and he didn't start throwing off the mound for nearly 14 months afterward.
Prielipp has been in Ft. Myers already according to the TD scouting report page, but I'd be surprised to see him progressing much into a throwing program until well after the season starts. I'm sure the Twins are going to be taking him along slowly like they did Royce Lewis last year because of the 2nd ligament tear in a short time. Maybe mid-season?

The "internal brace" procedure sure seems to have been sold with an overly rosy view on recovery time recently so I think fans got 6 month time frames into their heads as reasonably possible when it doesn't seem to have truly accelerated the time frame much for pitchers. I'm with you, though. It'd be fun to hear some good news on him.

Just to add, when Prielipp first had his 2nd surgery, it was reported as TJ surgery. Then it was reported he didn't have another tear...maybe a sprain??...and the brace was put in place. 

So I think you're right that the whole procedure is a bit of a mystery as to what happened, what they saw, and the recovery plan. It doesn't appear to have been an actual TJ surgery, but more of an additional procedure to add greater stability? If true, we shouldn't be looking at a 14 month rehab. But I have a hard time seeing 6 months either. But it would seem mid season to begin to rehab and throw normally. 

If he could be cutting loose about July, even on limited innings, that should put him on course for a normal 2025. That could mean an escalation through A ball and a finish at AA. And that could mean a debut, potentially, in 2026?

[arby58]

5 hours ago, DocBauer said:

If Varland does end up with the Saints to begin the season, I wonder if that bumps Canterino down to AA initially?

Considering what he did in AA last time he was healthy, the argument can easily be made he should begin at AAA. But might Wichita be a little warmer maybe? Maybe coming off surgery and so much missed time, maybe he gets the first month there to warm up and get in a groove?

Just speculating. I'd love to see him at AAA, but just wonder about a numbers crunch to begin with. Same with Pierson Ohl, who I don't think will be at AA for very long.

It's a good point, if it matters. The April average high/low temperature in Wichita is 71/43, and in St. Paul it is 58/36.

[arby58]

51 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

I'm higher on Dobank than you and others are. Hes not a prospect, and hes not part of the Twins future. But with his experience, if his hand is finally 100%, I could see him doing great at St Paul this year and be a viable call up June/July if injuries hit and the Twins don't want to turn to a younger Festa or Canterino at that point.

I don't see the point in bringing him up. As you say, he's not part of the Twins future. If they don't have pitchers more ready than him (Varland first, then I'm thinking that should be SWR or Headrick), then things have gone off the rails development-wise.

[Alex Wilde]

13 minutes ago, arby58 said:

I don't see the point in bringing him up. As you say, he's not part of the Twins future. If they don't have pitchers more ready than him (Varland first, then I'm thinking that should be SWR or Headrick), then things have gone off the rails development-wise.

I mean Keuchel pitched in 10 games last year so what if that went to Dobber this year? I don’t think anything would have gone off the rails necessarily if that happens except for some injuries here and there and some spot starts needed throughout the dog days of summer.

[Lasorda_This_Out]

TD never captions player photos   👎

Let's go guys.....

[Jeff K]

9 hours ago, DocBauer said:

I'd definitely like to see Canterino at St Paul for sure. I'm just looking at DeScalfini feeling good and projecting as of NOW to be ready when they need him. So I'm just speculating there might be a crunch for the first month. Hard to find anyone as high on Canterino than me! :)

I'm confused about Ohl. I think there is NO SP flying under the radar in the entire system more than him! Despite great control and a collection of solid secondary offerings, a really good 2023, and reportedly throwing mid 90's consistently these days, why didn't he get an invite to ST? Are they trying to "hide" him a little from other teams? Doesn't make sense to me because if he's what I think he might be, he could see ML time in 2025.

I'm higher on Dobank than you and others are. Hes not a prospect, and hes not part of the Twins future. But with his experience, if his hand is finally 100%, I could see him doing great at St Paul this year and be a viable call up June/July if injuries hit and the Twins don't want to turn to a younger Festa or Canterino at that point.

I think Ohl MIGHT start at AA just becasue of Varland, SWR, Festa, Hendrick, Canterino potentially at AAA. But yeah, I'd like him at AAA too.

I generally agree on your AA rotation though. But I'm wondering if Carr isn't going to shift to the pen? The velocity and K's haven't really been great. He might be better in the Pen?

Nowlin is also one of my favorite "is anyone paying attention to this guy" prospects. IF he can get a little more consistent, he's a viable back end rotation arm, maybe with #3 potential. I think he's a potential stud pen LH option if the rotation just doesn't turn out.

I still  believe DeScalfini begins the season on the DL and Varland with the Big Club.

[FlyingFinn]

49 minutes ago, Jeff K said:

I still  believe DeScalfini begins the season on the DL and Varland with the Big Club.

Close. I have DeSclafani on the IL but Varland in AAA for at least one start because the Twins don't need five starters for a couple weeks. Then, it depends whether the extra time was enough to get DeSclafani ready.

[stringer bell]

2 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

Close. I have DeSclafani on the IL but Varland in AAA for at least one start because the Twins don't need five starters for a couple weeks. Then, it depends whether the extra time was enough to get DeSclafani ready.

If that is the plan the extra reliever would have to be somebody who is optionable, ruling out Duarte and Brigham, who have been good so far this spring. It would open the door for Alcalá or Funderburk (Funderburk's numbers look pretty bad so far) to start the season with the Twins and maybe kind of compete with Staumont for a longer stay on the big league team. 

[Dave The Dastardly]

I'm not sure who the guy in the photo is but I think he just pulled a groiner.

[JD-TWINS]

1 hour ago, Jeff K said:

I still  believe DeScalfini begins the season on the DL and Varland with the Big Club.

Can’t imagine you are not 100% correct!!

Games start in 15 days……..even if the first start for the “5th starter” isn’t until April 8-10, I can’t imagine how a guy that’s been dealing with elbow soreness and HAS NOT thrown in a live game can viably be considered to be on the 26-man.

I think Varland, if there’s no unforeseen meltdown, will be on the Staff well into May.

[arby58]

9 hours ago, Alex Wilde said:

I mean Keuchel pitched in 10 games last year so what if that went to Dobber this year? I don’t think anything would have gone off the rails necessarily if that happens except for some injuries here and there and some spot starts needed throughout the dog days of summer.

There is nothing about Dobnak's career stat line that suggests he is a valid option if/when the Twins need a starting pitcher. Besides the injury issues the last few years, he owns a career -0.2 WAR, 9-12 record, 4.94 ERA, 30 walks and just 77 Ks in 126 IP, and a 1.377 WHIP.  Meanwhile, at St. PauL last year, he was 5-9 with a 5.13 ERA and a 1.654 WHIP.

Yuck.

[1985Fan]

52 minutes ago, arby58 said:

There is nothing about Dobnak's career stat line that suggests he is a valid option if/when the Twins need a starting pitcher. Besides the injury issues the last few years, he owns a career -0.2 WAR, 9-12 record, 4.94 ERA, 30 walks and just 77 Ks in 126 IP, and a 1.377 WHIP.  Meanwhile, at St. PauL last year, he was 5-9 with a 5.13 ERA and a 1.654 WHIP.

Yuck.

Remember that Dobnak was good enough to start a playoff game for the Twins in 2019 and was one of their better starters at the end of that season. That’s why he was he was rewarded with a contract. 
If he is healthy and back to 2019 form, he is a veteran starter that can slot in at #5 and do well. When his sinker is on he was very good at the MLB level. 

[bean5302]

12 hours ago, DocBauer said:

Just to add, when Prielipp first had his 2nd surgery, it was reported as TJ surgery. Then it was reported he didn't have another tear...maybe a sprain??...and the brace was put in place. 

So I think you're right that the whole procedure is a bit of a mystery as to what happened, what they saw, and the recovery plan. It doesn't appear to have been an actual TJ surgery, but more of an additional procedure to add greater stability? If true, we shouldn't be looking at a 14 month rehab. But I have a hard time seeing 6 months either. But it would seem mid season to begin to rehab and throw normally. 

If he could be cutting loose about July, even on limited innings, that should put him on course for a normal 2025. That could mean an escalation through A ball and a finish at AA. And that could mean a debut, potentially, in 2026?

Sprain = lesser tear. Tear = greater tear.

No matter which way you look at it, Prielipp had some sort of tear in his reconstructed UCL large enough that it wasn't healing sufficiently on its own and it required major surgery to address.

[mikelink45]

This has been fun.  I love the Dobnak quotes.  He has been a great story, but the story ends when his contract ends and I hope we do not see him in a Twins game if the game counts in the standings.

Otherwise I just go by the collective wisdom of all of you commentors.  So here is a question for all of you.  Headrick seems to have plateaued.  I just have not seen him turning any corners. 

Varland is number 6, SWR is number 7, Festa probably needs another season but is number 8.  I see Canterino in the BP.  So where does that leave Headrick?

[FlyingFinn]

34 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

So where does that leave Headrick?

Long relief probably in the majors. That's the position that gets the call up to the majors, waits for a starter to get pulled early (hopefully a long wait) and then throws 100 pitches and takes one for the team. After the game, they get on the train back to St. Paul. The Twins and most teams have used the last bullpen guy in this manner and Headrick would seem to fit in this role now. 

[stringer bell]

44 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

This has been fun.  I love the Dobnak quotes.  He has been a great story, but the story ends when his contract ends and I hope we do not see him in a Twins game if the game counts in the standings.

Otherwise I just go by the collective wisdom of all of you commentors.  So here is a question for all of you.  Headrick seems to have plateaued.  I just have not seen him turning any corners. 

Varland is number 6, SWR is number 7, Festa probably needs another season but is number 8.  I see Canterino in the BP.  So where does that leave Headrick?

As the season rolls along, the pecking order can and will change. It was really stable last year, but I think we can see that as an exception to how things proceed normally. Little has been said about Caleb Boushley, who the Twins signed on a minor league deal. He would figure in the starting rotation in St. Paul and may well get a chance with the Twins in 2024. It will depend a lot on how all of these guys pitch in AAA, as it should be. 

[DocBauer]

11 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

 

Otherwise I just go by the collective wisdom of all of you commentors.  So here is a question for all of you.  Headrick seems to have plateaued.  I just have not seen him turning any corners. 

Headrick is one of those arms that slips through the cracks. He was drafted in the 9th round in 2019 from a smaller school, which is the FO MO with size or something inherently good to work with. He threw 3.2 innings after signing just to throw. Like many others, he missed all of 2020. In 2021 he threw at Ft Myers ,which was A+ at the time. He did OK. He pretty much torched in the new HIGH A Cedar Rapids for half of 2022, and then was pretty good in AA Wichita. His stuff and improvement, and potential, made the Twins place him on the 40 man to begin 2023. He had a good ST in SSS. He was eradicate when called up. Some good, some bad. Both at AAA and with the Twins.

He's not young. He basically didn't pitch for 2yrs...like so many...until 2021. He's actually been moved pretty quickly due to age and potential. He was a surprise 40 man addition following 2022. I don't know that his pure STUFF plays as a ML starting pitcher option. But had he been allowed to just throw on a normal routine for the Saints in 2023 instead of bouncing back and forth between AAA and the Twins in 2023, we might be looking at him differently today. Despite age, he's been rushed somewhat. 

Being rushed is not always a bad thing. It might be the FO believes in you. But being rushed can also mean a re-set to get your game together. 

Personally, from what I've seen, Hendricks has some solid stuff, but it's unrefined. He'll get his shot in 2024. But I think he's Thielbar 2.0. And that's not a bad thing

[arby58]

20 hours ago, 1985Fan said:

Remember that Dobnak was good enough to start a playoff game for the Twins in 2019 and was one of their better starters at the end of that season. That’s why he was he was rewarded with a contract. 
If he is healthy and back to 2019 form, he is a veteran starter that can slot in at #5 and do well. When his sinker is on he was very good at the MLB level. 

That start in the play-offs was five years ago - fast forward to 2023, where he started 26 games for St. Paul last year, threw 126 innings, and had a 1.654 WHIP. If the Twins had traded for that as their number five starting pitcher, people on this site would be less than happy, wouldn't you say?