Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper Among Non-Roster Invites Headed to Big League Camp ​

It has to be the last we will hear of Sabato unless he improves has Gallo light profile finally. If only he could have developed into a viable 1B man. 
Its going to be fun watching K. Pepper and WJ. Hopefully they are they are the deal. It might actually be a fun season if those two and Erod play on varsity. 

Rosario may be the 4/5th OF RH that we have been looking for. They should play him at 1B in st paul more. 
Maybe Fedko is a for real late bloomer and snags the 4/5 OF spot by July. It sure seems like we have depth. 

This is just compounding more and more how much development was lost for some players during the COVID season (or lack thereof).

I believe this is gonna be Sabato's last shot at making the big league squad. I feel as if he doesn't make the squad, the Twins will grant him his release to pursue other teams or other opportunities like McCusker. 

Sabato looked like he was going to be a total bust until last year, so the fact that he's gotten to the point of getting a spring training invite is kind of amazing. Who knows, maybe he'll be the 2026 Sire of Fort Myers.

5 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Affecting the Twins uniquely, dang the luck.

Never said it was affecting the Twins uniquely. If you look back, I said some players. Look at a lot of players that have shifted teams and found tremendous success. So, maybe you shouldn't put words in someone's mouth or make assumptions. 

3 minutes ago, se7799 said:

Why would it be the last we hear from him, even if he completely underperforms in spring training.  Why wouldn’t you give him the season in AAA and see if he continues to make strides and develop?  Why just right him off if he doesn’t crush his first big league camp invite?  Sounds like you would have wrote Rooker off as well.  And if you have followed his career, he is much more talented than McCuscker.  I guess so just have a hard time understanding why people dismiss players because fans say it’s time too.

It is definitely nothing first nod at getting a ST invite. He has been invited every year since 2022. So 3 (4 being this year) ST invites and he hasn't been able to break big league camp yet? Sounds like his time is limited with us.

On that note, he wasn't added to the 40 man when France was shipped out last year and when we didn't resign Santana after 24. Just goes to show that he is leaving a lot to be desired behind an aging Bell and and aging Caratini. Not to also mention last year was the first year he made it AAA. 

52 minutes ago, mac098 said:

This is just compounding more and more how much development was lost for some players during the COVID season (or lack thereof).

Sabato was drafted in 2020; as far as time missed we're talking about 4-6 weeks in A ball at most. He's spent the last 5 full seasons in the minors as a college bat drafted in the 1st round. At what point can we just admit he's a bust?

27 minutes ago, se7799 said:

Why would it be the last we hear from him, even if he completely underperforms in spring training.  Why wouldn’t you give him the season in AAA and see if he continues to make strides and develop?  Why just right him off if he doesn’t crush his first big league camp invite?  Sounds like you would have wrote Rooker off as well.  And if you have followed his career, he is much more talented than McCuscker.  I guess so just have a hard time understanding why people dismiss players because fans say it’s time too.

I was the guy begging to keep Rooker. Sabato was the 27th pick and has consistently under performed since being drafted. I sure hope he proves everyone wrong and is just a late bloomer but he has been a complete bust so far.  For all of his pedigree, he has even gone undrafted in the minor league rule 5, let alone the mlb rule 5 twice. 

@se7799 AAA players don’t get released, they become minor league free agents as they age out. Sabato is on that path if he doesn’t get put on the 40 man roster and contribute in MLB. I wasn’t a fan of his profile when he was drafted and he has not done enough to claim a 40 man spot with the twins or any other team via rule 5.  He had a pulse for part of last season and he needs to build on that right away in ‘26 or the org will definitely give up on him and let him become a FA. Its been 5 yrs of futility so far. Its likely the last no. roster invite by the twins if he doesn’t develop a better hit tool very soon. 

11 minutes ago, se7799 said:

I understand AAA players are granted FA and not released. I miss spoke.  I w am still wondering why grant him FA now?  Who is he blocking?  I understand you are done with him. That’s fine.  I’m not defending him as a prospect or player.  I am wondering who  is he blocking?  Is your answer to grant any and all players free agency that probably won’t make the majors?  Who would we have left for depth?  

Im not saying release him now. He isn’t blocking anyone and will likely spend ‘26 fumbling around in st paul swinging and missing at most breaking balls. Im saying we wont have to see him or hear about him much because he will likely wash out.  I really hope that I am wrong but we just spent $$ on Bell and Caratini & some other dude to maybe play 1B for a day or two.  If Sabato had shown more over the last 5 years, he would be on the 40 man and likely would have played varsity last September. 

6 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Comparing a guy who is now 27 and has struggled mightily and consistently in the high minors for 4 consecutive years except for a 165 PA sample size in AA to Brent Rooker isn't reasonable. Rooker destroyed AAA. Sabato couldn't hold his own there last year.

Rooker made MLB in his 4th season despite that being in 2020. He had a .931 OPS with 20 HR in 267 PA in AAA at age 26.

Sabato had a .741 OPS (wRC+ 86) with 14 HR in 264 PA at age 26.

Sabato is a non-prospect and it's pretty ridiculous hearing his name as a potential contributor at this point. I'm pretty surprised the Twins haven't already released him.

and yet, they haven't

3 hours ago, Fatbat said:

Im not saying release him now. He isn’t blocking anyone and will likely spend ‘26 fumbling around in st paul swinging and missing at most breaking balls. Im saying we wont have to see him or hear about him much because he will likely wash out.  I really hope that I am wrong but we just spent $$ on Bell and Caratini & some other dude to maybe play 1B for a day or two.  If Sabato had shown more over the last 5 years, he would be on the 40 man and likely would have played varsity last September. 

With only two September call ups allowed these days it's highly unlikely that anyone gets the call.  You have to figure that one of the spots goes to a pitcher.

17 hours ago, se7799 said:

Sounds like you would have wrote Rooker off as well.  

The Twins were never keeping Rooker on the 40 man through his bad years. The A's simply timed picking him up at the right time and had a chance to give him extended AB's on a bad team. After the Twins traded Rooker, the Padres and Royals both got rid of him for nothing. Players like Rooker are why the Twins and every team keeps picking up guys with potential, hoping things finally click.

Brent Rooker now joins the ghost of David Ortiz for being fearful to make moves!

Getting back to this list of non-roster invitees and trying to guess whether we will see any of them make the team coming out of spring training.  Spoiler alert: none of them, regardless of what kind of spring they have barring injuries.  Even if Culpepper or Jenkins tear it up in ST and seemingly force the issue, they will still send them down to AAA.  Call it needing extra seasoning.  Call it service time manipulation.  Cory Lewis probably needs a decent ST or season to not be considered a candidate for the bullpen.  That doesn't mean that ST storylines shouldn't be fun to watch.  Many of the players mentioned will look to give some hope that cupboard isn't bare and that maybe we will see some of these players sooner rather than later.

Finally, about Sabato.  I think this is the most coverage he has received since he was drafted.  I believe the point that was attempting to be made is that it's pretty common for non-roster invitees to be granted free agency to try to sign on with another team unless they really want to sign on with the team that invited them.  I would agree that he is not holding anyone back in St. Paul, but I also wouldn't be holding a roster spot for him, either in the majors or in St. Paul.

In years past the Twins usually had some players with Spring Training invites that were not already in their system. But this year it appears that EVERY play invited is already in the organization. But hey, maybe that's actually a good thing. 

Actually they need to move on from Sabato so that they can play some other people at 1B and create some depth. Even if it's not full time, have some of the OF at least learn the rudiments of the position this spring so they have flexibility when spots open up. If Bell gets hurt and Clemens sucks it would be great if, say, Wallner could slide in for a couple weeks and let someone play OF who is good at it. Longer term maybe Fedko or Gonzalez can spend more time there in St Paul this summer and see how they look. Draft is not destiny.