Matthew Lenz

Wow...Pineda missed his spot and paid for it.

It doesn't help that the Twins (like all teams) don't provide a lot of detail when it comes to player injuries. How many times has it seemed to happen that a player is day-to-day for a few days and then next thing you know is out for weeks or months? It's their right to do that (and protect the players deserved privacy) but doesn't help people who think everyone these days is soft, should throw 150 pitches/outing, and make 50 starts every year.

I am always conflicted on this, I agree it seems long but I'm not a medical professional and obviously not the player involved so really have no idea how bad the injury is versus how overly cautious they're being. That said a rehab stint occurs nearly 100% of the time, even if the player comes out in their first game back and has a day at the plate, so I don't think it's fair to say that his rehab stint has been extraordinarily long.

Valdez only needed 10 pitches to get through the Twins 1-4. Even worse, he only threw three strikes.

Twins right-handed pitching prospect, Bailey Ober, made his Major League debut on May 18th against the Chicago White Sox. Unlike his rise to the majors as a 12th round pick, we were a little slow to this but, as they say...better late than never! Let’s take a look back at his rise to the Majors in his prospect retrospective. Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Twins right-handed pitching prospect, Bailey Ober, made his Major League debut on May 18th against the Chicago White Sox. Unlike his rise to the majors as a 12th round pick, we were a little slow to this but, as they say...better late than never! Let’s take a look back at his rise to the Majors in his prospect retrospective. He was knocked around a bit in his debut going four innings, allowing six baserunners and four earned runs off of two homeruns while striking out four hitters. In his second start, against the Kansas City Royals on June 6th, he once again went four innings with four strikeouts but kept the ball in the ballpark and allowed just one run. Prep Career Ober attended Charlotte Chrisitan School in Charlotte, NC where he helped his team win state championships in his Junior (2012) and Senior (2013) years. His bio at the College of Charleston, where he would go on to played for three years, goes onto say that as a Senior he “posted [a] 10-0 record with 0.45 ERA and 99 strikeouts”, and actually played baseball with another local professional athlete: Ober started his college career strong as head coach Monte Lee, who is now at Clemson, said “Ober has been our guy. He really commands the strike zone well and doesn’t miss his spot...He spots his fastball well and his changeup is very good. The breaking ball, over time, has become a much better pitch, too” in an Mid Major Spotlight article by Perfect Game. He would go on to be selected as Freshman Pitcher of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association posting a 10-3 record, 1.52 ERA, and 85 strikeouts across 106.2 innings. Unfortunately, Ober was forced to take a redshirt for his true sophomore season as he required season-ending Tommy John surgery. Although he was not as dominant upon his return in his redshirt sophomore, he did well enough to get drafted by the Dodgers in the 23rd round of the MLB Draft but ultimately elected to return to Charleston for his redshirt Junior year where struck out more than one hitter per inning and more than six strikeouts to each walk across 10 starts. That lead to him getting drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 12th round of the 2017 MLB Draft Professional Career Despite striking out 11.7 batters per nine in his final collegiate season, Ober was drafted being known for his command of the strike zone and having a four-pitch arsenal with great movement. That said, in his first three professional seasons he continued to strikeout more than one batter per inning combined with an elite walk rate of around one per nine. His success lead to a quick ascension through the Minor League system starting the 2019 season with the GCL-Twins and ending the season at AA-Pensacola, where he posted a 0.69 ERA and 11.11 K/BB over 78.2 innings and 13 starts. In 2020, Ober was rated as the 30th best prospect in the organization and moved up to 23rd in 2021 despite losing a second season of competition in six years. Following the 2020 season, Ober was added to the 40-man roster and prior to making his 2021 debut, he had made four starts for AAA-St. Paul with a 2.81 ERA and a 4.20 K/BB. Ober was then called up on May 18th after the Twins moved Michael Pineda to the IL. Twins Daily Coverage READ: Get To Know Twins RHP Prospect Bailey Ober by Seth Stohs in January of 2018. READ: Bailey Ober on His 2019 Successes by Seth Stohs in September of 2019. READ & WATCH: Highlights: 4 Twins Prospects Off to Hot Starts by Tom Froemming in May of 2015. READ & WATCH: Twins Spotlight: Episode 9 (Bailey Ober) by Seth Stohs in November of 2020. READ: Twins Daily 2021 Top Prospects: 16-20 by Tom Froemming in February of 2021. READ: The Next Minnesota Twins by Steve Lein in April of 2021. READ: Time for a Changing of the Guard by Cody Pirkl in June of 2021. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

The Twins come out on top against the Royals on Sunday afternoon after another game of struggling to push across runs. They were able to split the four-game series against the Royals improving to 23-35 on the season. That and more in today’s game recap. Image courtesy of © Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports The Twins come out on top against the Royals on Sunday afternoon after another game of struggling to push across runs. They were able to split the four-game series against the Royals improving to 23-35 on the season. That and more in today’s game recap. Box Score Bailey Ober: 4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (72.5% strikes) Homeruns: none Top 3 WPA: Rogers (.452), Larnach (.120), Duffey (.110) Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Ober Efficient in Second Career Start Like his first Major League start, Ober gave the Twins four strikeouts in four innings but this time he was able to keep hitters in the ballpark leading to just one run scored. Ober was looking good early after going six up-six down in the first two innings including three strikeouts, executing the scouting report on the Royals: The “Rocco pulls his pitchers too early” crowd will not be happy as Ober only needed 51 pitches to get through those four innings, but the Royals were hitting the ball hard and had an xBA of .342 going into the top of the fifth. Moreover, in the third the Royals had runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out before Miguel Sanó was involved in his third triple play in as many years and the fifteenth in franchise history: Even in the fourth inning, Royals hitters were starting to get to Ober after Alex Kirilloff misplayed a lead-off Whit Merrifield single, turning it into a standup triple. Fortunately, Andrelton Simmons was shifted behind second base to snare a Carlos Santana line drive that helped limit the damage of the inning to just one run on three hits. Twins Load the Bases but Struggle to Score I mean that both figuratively and literally. Brady Singer needed 106 pitches to get through five and two-thirds innings where he allowed eight hits and three walks, yet the Twins were only able to manage two runs scored going 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position. But literally in the fifth, Polanco placed a bunt perfectly down the third baseline which loaded the bases with nobody out. After back-to-back strikeouts from Kirilloff and Sanó, the Twins were able to scrape together a run thanks to a Trevor Larnach hit-by-pitch. On the day the Twins finished going 2-for-11 with 10 left on base. With all of that said, it’s hard to be totally negative when you are able to get on base 13 times like the Twins did today. Strikeouts aside, Miguel Sanó continued to hit the ball hard today with an RBI double that gave the Twins their first lead in the third, as well as hitting a shot to centerfied in the 6th that had an exit velocity of 96.5 miles per hour and an xBA of .390. More encouraging is the continued hitting of Nick Gordon who went 2-for-4 upping his OPS to .979 while swiping his third base on the season, as the Twins organization continues to develop middle infield talent after seeing Luis Arraez and Jorge Polanco experience success in recent years. Bullpen Turns in Solid Series A Taylor Rogers high leverage save was a great way to cap off a tremendous weekend by the Twins bullpen. After a taxing six and two-thirds inning on Friday night, the Twins relief pitchers were able to shut down the Royals for three innings on Saturday and five innings on Sunday, not to mention three innings of one (unearned) run ball on Thursday night. Although it may be too little too late for 2021, the Twins will likely be seeking to get some value out of one-year rentals Alex Colomé and Hansel Robles via trades while also giving pitchers like Jorge Alcala and Luke Farrell an opportunity to showcase their talents for 2022 and beyond. WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Anderson 0 0 62 0 0 62 Farrell 0 11 0 0 13 24 Colomé 21 0 0 0 0 21 Robles 0 20 0 10 15 45 Duffey 0 12 0 7 14 33 Alcala 3 0 7 0 10 20 Rogers 0 0 0 12 0 12 A lot of fans were hoping that 13 games against the Orioles and Royals would ignite this team into the playoff contender they were projected to be. Unfortunately, the Twins end up going 6-7 over that stretch and now face Yankees and Astros for six games at home after an off-day on Monday. I’d imagine these last two weeks were the figurative “nail in the coffin” for even the most optimistic fans. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Wait so do you want Rogers in with a clean set of bases or not because it's been two days in a row. Can't tell... Ian Anderson is out after Friday night and Colome would be only other arm available, I believe. I can only imagine what your negative comment would be if he threw Colome out there.

I didn't miss it. Did you miss the 104 mph lazer he hit to left field immediately following that comment?

His slugging is 200 points lower than his xSLG. He's pretty consistently hit the ball hard. The hits will come.

Ober was getting hit pretty hard. Needed a triple play and Simmons playing behind second to avoid multi-run innings. FYI, he threw 80-some pitches in his first start.

Didn't you previously acknowledge that he was getting tagged when in the strikezone??? Can't have it both ways.

I love that the Royals got a triple play turned against them because of a bunt, but Polanco lays one down and we're like THATS WHY YOU BUNT?

Please don't tell my JV baseball players this ? This is my rationale for them to stop focusing on the umpire/strike zone and to focus on what they can control in the game

It's been an "unwritten rule" for as long as I can remember that if you don't touch the ball then it's technically not an error.

Even his baserunning error was just kind of an odd play. Looked like he was trying to dodge the ball and not often cutoff man in that situation is standing where Gutierrez was.

Same. I was very surprised that Minaya was DFA'd over Shoemaker. When the season is a wash before mid-June why give a rent-a-starter who is pitching terribly more innings? I'd rather see Dobnak, Ober, Jax, Thorpe, etc.

Great matchup against Perez. High FB (swing n miss), highER FB (ball), FB middle/out (swing n miss), high FB (swing n miss)

Impressive inning for Ober. My guess is he'll need to stay closer to the zone when he gets to two strikes when the lineup turns over....

Why Sano is batting above 6 is beyond me.

I'm excited for todays game as the youth moment is taking over. Only reason to continue watching, amirite?

Twins outfield prospect, Gilberto Celestino, made his Major League debut on June 2nd against the Baltimore Orioles going 0-for-2 with a strikeout before being lifted in the top of the 8th by a pinch hitter. Let’s take a look back at his rise to the Majors in his prospect retrospective. Image courtesy of © Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports Twins outfield prospect, Gilberto Celestino, made his Major League debut on June 2nd against the Baltimore Orioles going 0-for-2 with a strikeout before being lifted in the top of the 8th by a pinch hitter. Let’s take a look back at his rise to the Majors in his prospect retrospective. Amateur Career Coming out of the Dominican Republic, there isn’t really any statistical data on his amateur career before being signed as an international free agent in July of 2015. At the time he was considered the #11 international prospect and MLB.com’s scouting report read as follows: “Known for his athletic ability and instincts in the outfield, Celestino is projected to start in center field and likely stay there as he develops because of his speed, arm and his ability to get good jumps in the outfield. He's lean but is expected to fill out as he matures. Scouts like his makeup and expect him to reach his potential once he signs with a team and receives daily instruction. One of the most polished players in the class, Celestino is known as a "gamer" because he has a track record of success in tournaments in the Dominican Republic. He's gained a reputation as one of the better game players in the class, despite varying opinions on his some of his tools.” Professional Career After signing with the Astros for a total of $2.5 million, including a $2.25 million signing bonus, Celestino played 56 games between the Dominican Summer League and Gulf Coast League with two home runs, 15 stolen bases, and an OPS of .758. Over two and a half seasons and 152 games, Celestino sported an OPS of .753 with 10 homeruns and 39 stolen bases reaching as high as AA for the Astros. Just nine days before he was traded to the Twins, The Runners Sports published this article comparing him to the 6th overall pick from the 2012 MLB draft. On July 29th, 2018 the Twins received Celestino and right-handed pitcher Jorge Alcala in a package that sent Ryan Pressly to the Astros. At the time, Celestino was their 15th rated prospect in a farm system that ranked 10th best in baseball according to Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com. In his one-and-a-half seasons prior to losing the 2020 Minor League season to COVID, he hit 11 homeruns, stole 22 bases, and had an OPS of____. The Twins thought highly enough of the speedy centerfield to add him to the 40-man roster following the 2019 season and added him to the 60-man player pool in 2020. After many injuries at the Major League level and a solid start at AA-Wichita he was called up on June 2nd. Twins Daily Coverage WATCH: Highlight Reel created by Tom Froemming in February of 2020. Consider this his HYPE video. READ: Trade Retrospective: How Did the Twins Do in the Ryan Presley Trade? by Cody Christie in August of 2020. I don’t know that we are any closer to a clear answer right now, but it’s encouraging that both pieces from that trade have made it to Minneapolis. READ: Twins Daily 2021 Top Prospects: 11-15 by Nick Nelson in February of 2021. He came in as Twins Daily 11th ranked prospect in 2021, one spot ahead of Brent Rooker, which is one spot higher than he was in 2020. READ: Celestino Looking to Impress this Spring, Debut this Summer(?) by Seth Stohs in March of 2021. Is there anyone more in tune with the Twins farm system than Seth? My vote: “nay”. READ: One Twins Prospect to Watch at Each Minor League Level by Cody Christie in May of 2021. Celestino was Cody’s prospect to watch heading into this season...who knew we’d get to do it at Target Field or on Bally Sports North?! Oh yeah, Seth had a feeling. READ: Examining Minnesota's Center Field Depth by Cody Christie in June of 2021. This was written days ago amid the Twins throwing Rob Refsnyder and Kyle Garlick in centerfield. Welcome to the bigs, Gilberto! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article