Twins Spring Training Takeaways: Biggest Winners and Losers from Camp

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of © Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Spring training has officially come to a close, with the Twins wrapping up Grapefruit League play at 11-18. The record doesn’t look pretty on the surface, but it rarely tells the full story this time of year. What does matter is how the team finished, and in that sense, there’s at least some momentum to build on. The Twins closed camp on a three-game winning streak, highlighted by a 15-6 splattering of the Red Sox on Tuesday that served as a fitting final tune-up before the games start to count.

Spring is ultimately about evaluation. It’s where roles are earned, adjustments are made, and early impressions begin to shape expectations for the season ahead. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the biggest winners and losers from Twins camp, as Opening Day dawns.

Winners

Luke Keaschall
After a mini-breakout in 2025, Keaschall picked up right where he left off this spring. In 53 at-bats, he slashed .377/.411/.717 with 10 extra-base hits. He led all Twins this spring in doubles (5) and RBIs (12), along with being tied for the team lead in triples (2) and runs scored (10). After a strong but limited showing last season, Keaschall’s impressive contact quality this spring could turn into him taking the next step as a hitter in 2026. He figures to hit near the top of the Twins' lineup every day. 

Mick Abel
Abel was not only one of the Twins’ biggest spring risers; he was also one of Major League Baseball’s biggest risers. The young right-hander looked absolutely dominant, allowing just five earned runs over 22 innings, and posting 27 strikeouts against just four walks. The impressive command and confidence he showed in attacking hitters are things we did not see from him during his time with the Twins last year. His spring performance earned him a spot in the Twins’ rotation to start the season, and Abel has a chance to turn into a frontline starter in 2026. 

Matt Wallner
Just a month ago, I would not have guessed that I’d be talking about Wallner as a spring winner. Yet, here we are. After a very slow start to camp, he wrapped up the spring with a .333/.439/.604 slash line, and gave Twins fans a glimpse into the upside they’ve always known is there. The swing-and-miss aspect of Wallner’s game was still there, as he struck out 14 times in 48 at-bats, but his eight walks and .439 OBP more than made up for it. He’ll enter the regular season as the Twins’ everyday right fielder, and he'll be an important piece of the Twins offense near the top of the order. This kind of production is likely unsustainable, but if Wallner can hover in the .260 range with the batting average, his power and on-base ability will make him a fun player to watch. 

Losers

Zebby Matthews
Entering this spring, Matthews looked like a safe bet to have a rotation spot. However, he gave up seven earned runs over just 11 innings, and was never able to string together multiple quality outings in a row. Because of his struggles, he lost out on a big-league rotation spot and will start the year in Triple-A. However, his 3.11 FIP would indicate he ran into some bad luck along the way, and it shouldn’t be long before he’s back up in the majors.

Royce Lewis
Nobody is taking his roster spot, but this was not the spring you were hoping to see out of Lewis. In 45 at-bats, he slashed .133/.160/.289 with 11 strikeouts to just two walks. The underlying data largely backs up Lewis’s disappointing performance, and he found himself hitting eighth in the batting order toward the end of camp. He’ll still enter the regular season as the Twins’ everyday third baseman, but if these struggles continue over the next month, it’s going to be time to start asking some tough questions. 

Connor Prielipp
The Twins’ top pitching prospect, according to Twins Daily, Prielipp came to camp looking to showcase why he deserves a big-league roster spot. Instead, he showed that he’s not quite there yet. Over 5 ⅓ innings, he allowed four runs on six hits and six walks, striking out six. Opposing hitters consistently squared him up, as Prielipp allowed a 95.4 MPH average exit velocity and a 62.5% hard hit rate. As has always been the case, his stuff was not the problem. But Prielipp has some room left to grow in terms of command before he’s ready to make an impact at the major-league level. 

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Spring training rarely provides definitive answers, but it does offer a glimpse of what might be coming. Some players took clear steps forward, others have adjustments to make, and now the focus shifts to whether those trends carry into the regular season. With camp in the rearview, the evaluations are over. What comes next is what really matters.

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[Nshore]

In the early games I saw in Ft. Myers, Lewis often seemed to be his usual befuddled self and was sometimes missing pitches by half a foot.  By the end, he was at least putting the barrel of the bat on the ball more often - one faint glimmer of hope.

[Fatbat]

LK and Abel for the win. Will have a few more impact younger stars by July. Definitely not sold on some of the opening day roster. 

[LeatherAntenna]

18 minutes ago, Nshore said:

In the early games I saw in Ft. Myers, Lewis often seemed to be his usual befuddled self and was sometimes missing pitches by half a foot.  By the end, he was at least putting the barrel of the bat on the ball more often - one faint glimmer of hope.

I’m afraid we saw his best in 2023 and we will never see again.  He did have a career year with those 4 GS’s.  How does this fall off happen with someone so young?

[CRF]

Sure looks like Keaschall is the real deal when it come to his bat. If he can be at least average defensively, he'll be a lot of fun to watch. It would be great if Abel can build on his performance in ST and show that he's going to be a solid starter for this team. We really need him to do that. As for Wallner...they need to just leave him in there against righties and lefties and see what happens. We need his power in the lineup. Hopefully, they stop messing around with him at the 1 spot. I think they should put him at 4 and leave him there. At least give him the chance to drive in some runs. I don't know what to make about Lewis. I sure hope he figures some things out and starts to hit like he did a couple years ago. Seems like he's lost right now. He'll be playing just about every day no matter what. It'll be tough to watch if he hits a buck fifty and strikes out half the time. If he continues to struggle, they have to put him down at the bottom of the lineup. Time to play ball! Go Twins!

[Whitey333]

Big year for Lewis in 2026.  He definitely needs to step up.  I think its make or break time.  If he doesn't show some big positive steps it ma be time to move on without him.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Wallner a winner from camp? In 2023 and 2024 his wRC+ ranked 12 and 13 of all hitters w/ 250 plate appearances.

two seasons of hitting 40-50% better than average.

2025 was a down year, 2026 may not be in the 150 wRC+ range, but it should not surprise to see him well above average again. He’s a darn good hitter.

 

[Cory Engelhardt]

I wrote him off a while ago, but I'd very much argue that Outman was a winner at camp too. We'll see if the production translates to the regular season.

Another loser could be the roster spot that is being held up by Larnach. Wagaman or another right handed hitter would be so much better for this roster currently, let alone getting into Roden or other prospects at AAA.

[Twins GFP]

Biggest loser coming out of camp is the fans. No Lopez, no major acquisitions, no superstar prospects on the roster, continued empty Pohlad promises...

[old nurse]

Zebby did not lose a job in camp, he lost his status last year with a repeat of his performance of the year before 

[Byrdman]

Just the fact they kept Larnach on the roster is the biggest loss.  We should have Emmanuel starting in LF to get accustomed to MLB life.  So he could have a AAA reset, if needed, as this is his last option year. It is a down year, there was no reason to keep Larnach. 

[jmlease1]

I think Roden has to be listed as a loser out of this camp. He never really had much of a chance to earn a spot on the roster, despite having nothing left to do in AAA. His option year and Outman's lack of one is sending him to Saint Paul rather than give him a real chance to see if he can be an impact hitter.

It's funny to see Wallner mentioned here, but it says something about how a sector of Twins fans view him. He's been a quality hitter over his MLB career, but his style is so despised by some that at any sign of trouble the pitchforks get sharpened and the torches lit. There was never any real chance that Wallner was going to be dismissed from his starting role, but you had people around here immediately jumping on a slow start to the spring training as "proof" that the Twins should move on from him. 

[twinstalker]

Re: ABS

I've mentioned this somewhere, maybe here, more as an example of how the Twins are playing a different game than the good teams.  The rule, as far as I know, is that you have to indicate within five seconds that you are making a challenge and (I thought) can receive no external help.

 

In the last spring training game, I noticed what I suspected.  On a very close one on edge of strike zone, Ryan Jeffers immediately tapped his head.  He was obviously on his own, and he was rewarded as it showed maybe one centimeter of the ball hit the zone.

 

On the other hand, on a low ball thrown to Boston catcher Carlos Narvaez, his head went directly to the Bosox dugout, stared for a second or two, then patted his helmet.  The difference in how the two teams handled it was striking.  Twins, as usual, stupidly playing by the rules and preparing to pay for it (Carlos Correa's and Marwin Gonzalez' downturns are no coincidence).  Meanwhile the Red Sox just cheat like all the other top clubs do and like they all are allowed to get away with, at least until they're ratted out by a player who ends up ostracized.  

 

I'm not sure whether I'm more mad at MLB or the Twins.

[Coach Wheels]

44 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I think Roden has to be listed as a loser out of this camp. He never really had much of a chance to earn a spot on the roster, despite having nothing left to do in AAA. His option year and Outman's lack of one is sending him to Saint Paul rather than give him a real chance to see if he can be an impact hitter.

It's funny to see Wallner mentioned here, but it says something about how a sector of Twins fans view him. He's been a quality hitter over his MLB career, but his style is so despised by some that at any sign of trouble the pitchforks get sharpened and the torches lit. There was never any real chance that Wallner was going to be dismissed from his starting role, but you had people around here immediately jumping on a slow start to the spring training as "proof" that the Twins should move on from him. 

I'm hoping Roden goes to St. Paul and forces the hand of leadership. He swung the bat very well this spring.

[Over The Hill Again]

50 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I think Roden has to be listed as a loser out of this camp. He never really had much of a chance to earn a spot on the roster, despite having nothing left to do in AAA. His option year and Outman's lack of one is sending him to Saint Paul rather than give him a real chance to see if he can be an impact hitter.

It's funny to see Wallner mentioned here, but it says something about how a sector of Twins fans view him. He's been a quality hitter over his MLB career, but his style is so despised by some that at any sign of trouble the pitchforks get sharpened and the torches lit. There was never any real chance that Wallner was going to be dismissed from his starting role, but you had people around here immediately jumping on a slow start to the spring training as "proof" that the Twins should move on from him. 

Some here do seem to have a quick trigger when it comes to Wallner. I agree he should be put in the 4 or 5 spot and left alone to do his thing. He’s not the worst major leaguer I’ve seen in RF and he’s a good bet to lead the team in RBIs (yes, they still matter) and possibly HRs if he’s healthy and they leave him alone. 

[shimrod]

Spring training is not the time to find out, but as the season begins it will be interesting to see if the new management team will "leave them alone" more than the last group. 

Rocco had guys in and out, and moving up and down the lineup with little apparent rationale. I've seen many comments from players that they prefer knowing their role day in and day out. Perhaps a set routine allows some of our iffy veterans to play their best ball. 

[Linus]

 Credit to Wallner - he made changes to his swing and looks much better. I think people are going to be disappointed in Preilipp I know he has quality stuff but he really hasn’t been that good in the minors and was mediocre last year at AAA. Stuff is great but when your whip is 1.5 something is wrong. Hopefully he is still regaining control after TJ. 

[Senior Softball Guy]

Austin Martin continued to do what he does best: put the ball in play and be aggressive on the bases. Analytics hate his style, but he puts pressure on defenses more often than not and seems to put up good AB's most of the time. Home runs are sexy, but you need guys like Dan Gladden and Martin to fire up a lineup.

[LambchoP]

I'm more excited about seeing the debut of some of our prospects this year. Rodriguez, Jenkins, Gonzalez, Culpeper. If these guys have success along with Keaschal and a rebound from one of Lewis or Lee, our lineup could be fun to watch. As far as pitching goes.....:(

[Nshore]

2 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

I think Roden has to be listed as a loser out of this camp. He never really had much of a chance to earn a spot on the roster, despite having nothing left to do in AAA. His option year and Outman's lack of one is sending him to Saint Paul rather than give him a real chance to see if he can be an impact hitter.

It's funny to see Wallner mentioned here, but it says something about how a sector of Twins fans view him. He's been a quality hitter over his MLB career, but his style is so despised by some that at any sign of trouble the pitchforks get sharpened and the torches lit. There was never any real chance that Wallner was going to be dismissed from his starting role, but you had people around here immediately jumping on a slow start to the spring training as "proof" that the Twins should move on from him. 

Wallner could shut up skeptics like me.  Just put up Lou Gehrig style numbers - maybe 35 hrs. and 140 RBI's.  I don't ask for much.

[gman]

Last year Lewis hit like crap in his first 80-100 plate appearances. Then it was chocked up to injury and recovery from same. This year he started the same. With any luck maybe he's half way to hitting half decent.

[Mike Sixel]

Fans.