Spring Temperature Check: Who's Hot and Who's Cold in Twins' Camp? (March 16-19)

The Twins entered the week looking to bounce back from a winless weekend, and they did just that with a 5-1 win over the Pirates on Monday. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to build much momentum from there, dropping a 2-0 game to the Phillies on Tuesday and a 4-2 contest to the Red Sox on Thursday. They did, however, cap things off with an impressive 9-3 win over the Phillies in Thursday’s Spring Breakout game, bringing them back to .500 on the week.

While the results themselves don’t carry much weight in spring training, the way players are performing within those games can still be telling. At this point in camp, roles are starting to come into focus, and these outings can offer a clearer sense of who’s finding their stride at the right time and who may still be trying to put things together.

With that in mind, here’s a quick temperature check from the past few days.

Who’s Hot?

Emmanuel Rodriguez: Rodriguez put together, arguably, the most impressive individual performance of the Spring Breakout game. He opened things up with a 115.6 MPH single in the third inning — which was not only the hardest-hit ball of the game, but the third hardest-hit ball by any Twins hitter since the start of the 2024 season. He followed that up in his next at-bat with a 113 MPH triple to left-center field, continuing to show off the kind of raw power that’s always made him such an intriguing prospect. The tools have never been in question. If he can stay healthy and continue to string together results like this, there’s a lot to be excited about.

Joe Ryan: After a solid first spring outing, Ryan turned things up a notch on Monday. Over four strong innings, he allowed one run on five hits and a walk while striking out six. He generated nine whiffs on 68 pitches (48 strikes), and his fastball sat just below 93 MPH. It’s also a good sign that he’s already getting his pitch count that high in just his second outing of the spring. Ryan is lined up to start Saturday to get one last tune-up outing before (presumably) taking the hill on Opening Day. 

Gabriel Gonzalez: It was an impressive showing in big league camp for Gonzalez, and he carried that momentum into the Spring Breakout game. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, including a 105 MPH RBI single that highlighted his ability to drive the ball with authority. It’s been a strong overall spring for Gonzalez, and if that continues into the regular season, he may not be far off from putting himself in the conversation for a call-up.

Matt Wallner: Wallner has quickly turned a slow start into a very productive spring. Over his limited opportunities this week, he’s gone 3-for-5 with a double and two walks, continuing to show a much more disciplined approach at the plate. He’s now up to eight walks this spring and owns a 1.022 OPS, a strong indicator of how well-rounded his offensive performance has been. With consistent at-bats near the top of the order, Wallner looks like someone the Twins will be counting on to carry this momentum into the regular season. 

Who’s Not?

Royce Lewis: Spring numbers don’t mean everything, but it’s getting harder to ignore the slow start from Lewis. After a hitless start to the week, he’s now just 3-for-33 this spring with 11 strikeouts, dropping his average below the .100 mark. The underlying contact quality hasn’t been particularly encouraging either, with an average exit velocity of 88.4 MPH and a hard-hit rate below 40 percent. For a player with Lewis’s talent, it’s still not quite time to full-on panic. But it would certainly be reassuring to see him square some balls up over the next few days.

Josh Bell: After trending in the right direction just last week, Bell has cooled off considerably. He’s 0-for-6 with three strikeouts over the past few days, and the contact he’s made hasn’t been especially loud. Given his track record, this isn’t something that should raise major concern. But with the season right around the corner, you’d still like to see him finish camp on a stronger note.

James Outman: This has been a tough stretch at a time when Outman could least afford it. He’s 1-for-8 this week with four strikeouts, and his lone hit came on a soft blooper. After putting himself firmly in the mix for an Opening Day roster spot earlier in camp, he now sits at 8-for-37 with 15 strikeouts this spring. With time running out, he’ll need a very quick turnaround if he has any chance of getting back into the conversation.

Spring training always comes with the usual caveats, but there’s still value in looking at how players are trending. A few Twins are clearly building momentum as camp winds down, while others haven’t quite clicked yet. With only a handful of games left, these final performances could play a big role in shaping both the roster and early-season expectations.