Week in Review: Big Debuts, Bad Defense

The Weekly Nutshell:
The week opened on a positive note, with the Twins pulling off an impressive comeback win over Nolan McLean and the Mets. From there, it was all downhill. Minnesota dropped the next five straight, scoring two or fewer runs in four of the losses as the bullpen and defense repeatedly let them down. 

Any lingering good vibes from their surprising 8-1 hot streak were quickly erased by a counterbalancing 1-9 cold spell, and sadly the latest sample feels a lot more reflective of who this team is — for now, at least. On the bright side, we did get some previews of a more favorable future during this rough road trip, and hopefully there's more of that to come soon.

Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 4/20 through Sun, 4/26
***
Record Last Week: 1-5 (Overall: 12-16)
Run Differential Last Week: -12 (Overall: +0)
Standing: 3rd Place in AL Central (2.5 GB) 

Latest Game Results

Game 23 | MIN 5, NYM 3: Twins Break Through Against McLean, Top Spiraling Mets

• Twins bullpen: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 6 K

Game 24 | NYM 3, MIN 2: Mets End Skid Despite Strong Debuts from Prielipp, Rojas

• Prielipp: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Game 25 | NYM 10, MIN 8: Exciting Comeback Falls Short as Bullpen Erases Momentum

• Jeffers: Game-tying GS

Game 26 | TB 6, MIN 2: Bradley Gives Up Four Home Runs in Return to Tropicana Field

• Bradley: 6.1 IP, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 4 HR

Game 27 | TB 6, MIN 1: Familiar Story as Pitchers, Bats Struggle in Fourth Straight Loss

• Rogers: 0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 ER

Game 28 | TB 4, MIN 2: Rays Complete Sweep in Series Where Twins Never Held Lead

• Woods Richardson: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

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NEWS & NOTES

The week opened with a flurry of roster moves, including a couple of high-profile prospect promotions. On Tuesday, left-hander Kendry Rojas was called up from Triple-A, and a day later he was joined by fellow southpaw Connor Prielipp. Ranked eighth and fifth respectively on Twins Daily's top prospects list, these are the two top arms in the high minors for the Twins. Both pitchers debuted on Wednesday against the Mets.

The exciting promotions came at a cost. Mick Abel, coming off back-to-back excellent starts, was placed on the injured list Monday with right elbow inflammation, which flared up during his latest bullpen session. Fortunately, an MRI showed no structural damage and the team is viewing it as a best-case scenario for the emerging young righty. Hopefully he won't be sidelined for too long, but every precaution should be taken with this hopeful rotation staple.

With the Abel IL move opening up one spot on the pitching staff, Kody Funderburk's transfer to the paternity list (congrats!) opened the other, at least for a few days. Funderburk was reinstated on Friday, sending Rojas back to the minors, but Prielipp remains on the roster and in the rotation for the time being.

Royce Lewis returned from the IL after the minimum 10 days, confirming that his knee sprain indeed proved to be very minor. Ryan Kreidler returned to Triple-A in (essentially) a corresponding action. I'd have rather seen James Outman shipped out personally, but for now the Twins are keen to avoid exposing him and his .115 batting average to waivers.

A few other quick roster notes:

• The Twins claimed reliever Christian Roa off waivers from the Astros, designating first baseman Eric Wagaman for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. Roa has a similar profile to Garrett Acton: 27-year-old righty who's barely played in the majors but has posted big strikeout numbers in Triple-A. Wagaman, acquired from the Marlins during the offseason, was basically a flop, missing out on the Opening Day roster and then posting a .538 OPS in Triple-A before being cut from the 40-man. 
• Travis Adams, who's been out since spring due to an elbow issue, moved his rehab up to St. Paul on Wednesday and is in line to become a bullpen option very soon. He appeared twice for the Saints, allowing three earned runs with five strikeouts and a walk over 3 ⅔ innings.
• The Twins signed veteran reliever Luis García, a 39-year-old righty with more than 600 appearances in the majors, to a minor-league contact. He also could factor into the bullpen depth equation pretty quickly, given his experience.
• A final unfortunate note: outfielder Alan Roden suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder, and will be sidelined for at least the next month. The hope is that he won't need surgery but as we're all aware, shoulder injuries are pesky and pernicious. It's a big downer for Roden after a thumb injury knocked him out down the stretch last year.

HIGHLIGHTS

While the Twins have flirted with competitiveness during the first month, this season was always going to be about getting a real glimpse of the future and ushering in the next wave of talent. That's why games like Wednesday's against the Mets are so invigorating, even if that one ultimately turned out to be a tough 3-2 loss. 

Prielipp was as advertised in his MLB debut, piling up whiffs with a power slide en route to six strikeouts with no walks over four innings. An exciting preview of things to come. Prielipp is going to be a force on this staff for some time as long as he can stay healthy.

Rojas was not nearly as sharp when he made his own first MLB appearance, entering as a reliever later in the same game. He got through two scoreless frames but issued three walks with no strikeouts and labored a bit at times. That said, he was touching 98 with his fastball and got through the outing cleanly, so all in all it was far from a disastrous first impression. He was optioned back to Triple-A after one appearance but we'll surely see Rojas again soon.

On offense, Austin Martin has been the clear standout and it's earning him more trust from his manager. This was best demonstrated on Friday when Martin found himself starting in right field and batting third against a right-handed starter in Drew Rasmussen. Martin still isn't quite starting every day, but he's moving well beyond the strict platoon role, and it's well deserved as he keeps getting on base in literally half of his plate appearances. 

Four hits and four walks in the past week leave Martin sitting with a .327/.500/.455 slash line, and he leads the team with 0.9 fWAR despite ranking eighth in plate appearances. He's also making far more of a defensive impact than we've seen in the past as he appears to grow comfortable and confident in the outfield.

LOWLIGHTS

There were some poor individual hitting and pitching performances over the course of the week, but what continues to really stick out as a negative for this team is the defense. Just excruciating to watch, night after night.

Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) shared on Friday a list of the best and worst defenders in the major leagues, per Defensive Runs Saved. The Twins had three different players ranked as the least valuable fielder at his position: Ryan Jeffers at catcher, Brooks Lee at shortstop, Matt Wallner in right field. As a team the Twins have the third-worst defense in the majors by DRS.

Jeffers is probably being underrated a little by defensive metrics that aren't fully accounting for the impact of his ABS challenging proficiency, and his bat is definitely adding value on the other side (he hit a big grand slam to briefly tie Thursday's game in the eighth), but the rough patches in his game have been evident. Earlier in Thursday's game he let a passed ball get by him in the second, costing Joe Ryan a strikeout and leading to three unearned runs scoring. Opposing baserunners are 15-for-19 on steals against Jeffers. He's been very good overall, but there are warts.

The defensive metrics definitely check out on Lee, who is constantly letting grounders sneak past him at short. Statcast pegs his fielding range in the 3rd percentile. He was at least able to get his bat going to pull out of his latest slump, posting back-to-back three-hit games on Thursday and Friday. He's going to need to bring a lot more of that to be a useful player because he lacks the skills to be anything more than a liability at short.

Wallner, at negative-5 DRS, is one of the worst overall defenders in all of baseball. He's getting terrible jumps in right field, his running speed has declined from last year, and his big arm hasn't yielded much value. Making matters worse is that Wallner also hasn't been able to find his groove at the plate. He's slashing .190/.281/.329 with a league-leading 36 strikeouts. He was 2-for-20 over his past seven games before sitting against a right-hander in the finale at Citi Field, which is perhaps a precursor to a more significant move if things stay as they are. Wallner does notably have an option remaining.

Luke Keaschall doesn't quite make the cut as baseball's worst at his position, but he has not looked good at second base. Any hope that his arm strength would improve significantly as he distanced from elbow surgery hasn't really come to fruition. Keaschall's lackluster throwing ability — illustrated by a pattern of floating, fluttering, bouncing deliveries across the diamond — doesn't even meet the relatively low demands of second base. He's also been a complete mess at the plate, stranding 12 runners in Wednesday's and Thursday's losses alone, part of a 4-for-20 week that leaves his OPS hovering around .500. I'm cautiously optimistic that his offensive game will turn around, but I just don't see it working out for Keaschall in the infield, which is non-ideal for the Twins who are far deeper in the outfield.

Rounding out the infield malaise is Lewis, who returned to the fold with a thump. At the plate he went 3-for-20 with six strikeouts and zero walks, and Lewis is tied for the worst Outs Above Average in the majors at negative-six. I'm pretty close to losing hope at this point. Lewis still sprinkles in the occasional reminder of his former prowess, including a home run and a nice defensive play down the third base line last week, but they are heavily outweighed by bafflingly inept play.

It was entirely too easy to see this coming. The Twins were one of the worst defensive teams in baseball and did little to remedy that during the offseason. In fact, they actively worsened their state of affairs for the sake of saving money. They're paying Carlos Correa $10 million to play at an All-Star caliber level for another team — his 3 DRS and 2 OAA would both lead the Twins, as would his 1.0 fWAR through the first month of action. 

TRENDING STORYLINE

How soon is too soon to take action on this rapidly unraveling ballclub? It seemed like their charmed 8-1 run was going to at least set them up to hang around the .500 mark even after regression inevitably set up, but the fall has been harder than anyone could've foreseen. Now they find themselves four games under, with no end to the losing in sight. 

What options are available to provide a jolt? Swapping Wallner out for someone like Emmanuel Rodriguez is the most straightforward lever to pull at the moment. Then again, Wallner is also one of the team's highest-upside bats and slumps are part of his game. Sending him to Triple-A at age 28 would be rough. 

Gabriel Gonzalez is a name to watch. He's batting just .202 for the Saints, suppressed by a .188 BABIP, but hit three homers this past week and has been seeing time at first base as the Twins seek to boost his defensive versatility. Kaelen Culpepper looms as a possible solution for the woes on the left side of the infield, but he probably needs to find more of a sustained groove before that's on the table — Culpepper ended the week in an 0-for-14 skid and his OPS is below .700.

On the pitching side, Rojas should be back sooner than later, and I'd also like to see Prielipp stick around even after Abel recovers. He's clearly one of the staff's highest-caliber arms, and sending him back to the minors to waste bullets seems senseless at this point. 

Minnesota's optimal rotation probably includes Prielipp in favor of Simeon Woods Richardson, whose ERA inflated to 6.30 with a couple more ugly starts this past week, but that's not as straightforward since SWR is out of options. Would they consider a bullpen move if he keeps churning out clunker starts? 

A potentially relevant and related note here: Zebby Matthews delivered his finest start of the season on Sunday, striking out six over five shutout innings with just one hit and one walk allowed. After a brutal spring and start to the season at Triple-A, Matthews is maybe starting to round into form, with a 2.57 ERA and 16-to-2 K/BB ratio in 14 innings over his past three starts.

LOOKING AHEAD

The two clubs that faced off in the American League Championship Series last year are coming to Target Field in a jam-packed week that should hopefully feature some good weather and entertaining baseball. Prielipp and Ryan are both scheduled to start twice during the home stand.

MONDAY, APRIL 27: MARINERS @ TWINS — RHP Luis Castillo v. LHP Connor Prielipp
TUESDAY, APRIL 28: MARINERS @ TWINS — RHP Logan Gilbert v. RHP Joe Ryan
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29: MARINERS @ TWINS — RHP George Kirby v. RHP Taj Bradley
THURSDAY, APRIL 30: BLUE JAYS @ TWINS — RHP Kevin Gausman v. RHP Bailey Ober
FRIDAY, MAY 1: BLUE JAYS @ TWINS — RHP Dylan Cease v. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson
SATURDAY, MAY 2: BLUE JAYS @ TWINS — LHP Patrick Corbin v.  LHP Connor Prielipp
SUNDAY, MAY 3: BLUE JAYS @ TWINS — LHP Eric Lauer v. RHP Joe Ryan