Cody Pirkl

Joe Ryan had an uneven 2023 season. After being one of the best pitchers in the AL in the first half, he was a completely different pitcher down the stretch. Where does he go from here? Joe Ryan's struggles are easy to summarize. In the first half of the season, he threw 107 innings with a 3.70 ERA and allowed 16 homers. In the second half, he threw 54 innings with a 6.09 ERA while allowing 16 homers in about half the time. It would be easy to say he needs to give up fewer homers, but the trick for Ryan is to find out how to achieve that goal. The knock on Joe Ryan throughout his minor league career was that he was too fastball-heavy and bound to be homer-prone. Through two seasons, this has proven to be true. Ryan still throws his fastball over half the time. While it's still a unique pitch that induces swings and misses, it's hard to deny that, as the league has seen it multiple times, they've found a way not to be fooled. Luckily, Ryan and the Twins have worked to add variety to his repertoire. First, in 2022, it was the sweeper, and in 2023, a split changeup became his second most used pitch. These different pitches have added different layers to Ryan's pitch mix for opposing teams to worry about, but neither has yet to emerge as a dominant offering thus far. Ryan was known to use almost purely fastball in the minors, so it's unsurprising that he hasn't picked up a new grip and immediately found a wipeout secondary. Pitching is always a work in progress, and Joe Ryan may be playing catchup when it comes to his offspeed pitches. Fortunately, Ryan and the Twins are investing plenty of resources into his development. Ryan spent time last offseason at Driveline, and things were paying off significantly during the first half. The facility helps pitchers tweak pitch characteristics and general mechanics, and another offseason of Ryan working to develop his offspeed stuff under their guidance can only help. They'll likely tweak the pitches he already has. They may even work on adding another. We may have to wait until the spring to find out. In addition to pitching specific endeavors, Driveline also works with players to help them physically get in the right place to endure a 162-game season. Health is an underrated factor for Joe Ryan headed into 2024. His dominant first half seemed so long ago, and many fans forget that the real turning point in his season was a groin injury that sent him to the IL. He was never the same after that point. It's reasonable to say that Ryan's injury had much to do with his sharp decline in the second half. He had a clean bill of health throughout his professional career before his IL trip in 2023, and the hope is that the injury was just a blip on the radar. He'll have a typical offseason to prepare for another grind in 2024, and Driveline may also assist in this. Joe Ryan will never be Sonny Gray when it comes to suppressing homers, but the degree to which he allows the long ball will determine what level of success he finds moving forward. His first half in 2023 wasn't smoke and mirrors. He was a dominant pitcher even as he continued to find consistency in his offspeed pitches. The hope is that further development and returning to good health can help Joe Ryan return to form and be the mid to high-end starting pitcher the Twins need. It's possible that Joe Ryan doesn't just return to form but has another level to reach. 2024 will tell us a lot about him. View full article

The Twins showed their hand this offseason when Ryan Jeffers started every game. With Christian Vázquez under contract through 2025, the Twins could have a compelling offseason regarding the catching tandem in place. Image courtesy of Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Christian Vázquez struggled significantly at the plate throughout much of 2023. His down year came to a head in the postseason, where his lack of a single appearance confirmed that he's undoubtedly the backup to Ryan Jeffers moving forward. On the wrong side of 30 years of age, and with multiple years of a relatively high salary remaining, could the Twins shake up the catching mix this winter? The Twins aggressively pursued Christian Vázquez last winter, eventually signing him to a 3-year, $30m contract to ensure he came to Minnesota. The bottom fell out in the deal's first year, as Vázquez posted a .598 OPS. His barrel rate plummeted to just 3.2%, and he struck out a career-high 23.1% of the time. At 32 years of age, it's fair to wonder whether this was a skills decline rather than just a down year. To the credit of Vázquez, he was still a plus defender behind the plate, something that the Twins indeed value for good reason. His blocking and framing were still excellent, even if his pop time declined. The defense is a significant consideration for two reasons. From the Twins' perspective, it may help bridge the gap between his offensive decline and the price tag. We know by now that the Twins believe in a near timeshare behind the plate to keep their catchers fresh. As long as Vázquez remains a plus defender, he'll likely still be seen as a perfectly viable option to start roughly half of the time in 2024. On the other hand, the defense could offer one final chance for the Twins to get out of the remaining $20m through 2025. After such a down year offensively, it may be hard to envision teams lining up to trade for Christian Vázquez, but it's not impossible. Just one offseason ago, the Twins had to go to great lengths to outbid multiple other teams. It may be tempting if they're willing to pay down at least some of the money to trade him and have a few million to spend elsewhere. When it comes to backup catchers, there are always plenty of options. Another significant factor in how the Twins pursue the catching position for 2024 likely has much to do with their opinion of Jair Camargo. The 24-year-old spent all of 2024 in St. Paul with a league-average .253/.323/.503 slash line. He slugged 21 homers with adequate defense behind the plate. He may not be a top prospect, but if the Twins believe he can hold his own offensively and play passable defense, he would likely be a fine backup catcher. The allure of this scenario is that Camargo would make the league minimum instead of $10m. The Twins could sign another glove-first backup at a more appropriate price tag, with Camargo still waiting in the wings in the event of injury. There may not be exciting names hitting the open market to replace Vázquez. Still, a player such as Victor Caratini could make sense as a switch hitter who provided near-league-average offense and plus defense last season and still won't break the bank. The Twins will have to decide this winter whether so much shuffling would be worth it at such a low-impact position. With revenues likely to decline with the TV network situation, it could be a reasonable way to save a few million. It's also possible they still see Vázquez as worthy of his $10m price tag, which would be fair given his strong defense. Perhaps they even project him to bounce back to some degree with the bat in 2024. After signing a sizeable three-year deal, it's been an odd first year for Christian Vázquez. Should the Twins look to move on from Christian Vázquez in 2024 to reallocate some payroll? Do they have what they need in Jair Camargo, or can they find another worthy replacement? Let us know below! View full article

Injuries, unfortunately, are nothing new to the Twins. Depth became key in 2023, as the front office looked to insulate several positions with high-risk players. In 2024, first base should be added to that list. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports Production-wise, 2023 was a successful season for Alex Kirilloff. The former top prospect bounced back from years of wrist issues that kept him off the field. His overall offense was 20% above the league-average hitter. While the wrist finally held up, a shoulder issue emerged, first sending him to the IL midseason, and then knocking him out of the ALDS. Unfortunately at this point, the Twins need to be careful with how much they expect to get out of the former first-round pick. 2023 was surely a major step forward for Kirilloff’s health, appearing in 108 games, his most since 2018. While this can be considered a positive, the fact that his season ended in injury yet again is difficult to ignore. He’ll spend his offseason rehabbing a surgically repaired shoulder, and his readiness for day one of the 2024 season isn’t guaranteed. We all love Kirilloff after having watched him ascend through the organization across so many years, but relying on him being durable and effective in 2024 is too much of a risk. First base is one of the easiest positions to find help. Offense is the number one factor, with gold glove-caliber defense rarely being a priority. In addition to there often being many available options that are pure first basemen, it’s also a position that former outfielders and other position players will transition to relatively often. Regardless of how the Twins see Kirilloff, first base will certainly be a spot to add to with Joey Gallo and Donovan Solano departing. The question becomes whether they add platoon/depth pieces, or if they pursue top-tier contributors. They could look to add someone like Garrett Cooper or CJ Cron on cheap deals to platoon. The risk of course is the possibility that Kirilloff continues to miss time and these players find themselves in a much bigger role than intended. Perhaps someone like Edouard Julien is trusted at first base more in 2024, making this route more viable. The Twins could also look to make an addition that immediately becomes a key offensive piece. If they were to sign someone like Rhys Hoskins to a deal, the Twins would be making a legitimate full-time addition to the lineup. Hoskins has a career .846 OPS and would add a hulking right-handed bat to a lineup that has needed more thump against left-handed pitchers for years. It may make Kirilloff’s path to everyday playing time a bit more narrow, but he was often platooned even when he was healthy and productive. The Twins can also utilize the DH spot to make it work. The Twins have found themselves in a familiar situation. First base may not be quite at the level of center field, where they have to plan for the backup potentially becoming a full time player, but there are significant question marks for Alex Kirilloff headed into 2024. As a team looking to compete for a second consecutive division title, and a young core that could carry them into October as they develop, the Twins can’t afford to downplay the uncertainty at a position that’s so easy to insulate. Should the Twins be wary of trusting Alex Kirilloff too much headed into 2024? Should they be looking to make a modest addition to first base, or a major splash to make sure the position is completely covered? Let us know below! View full article

The Twins 2023 season is hard to look at as anything but a success. With the playoff curse behind them and a new core arriving, they’ll be looking to build on 2023 next year. Consistency on offense should be a priority, but how can they do it? Image courtesy of Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports The Twins had a good offense in 2023, finishing seventh in all of baseball by OPS and 10th in runs scored. As fans surely remember, they accomplished this by following up a .709 OPS in the first half with a .809 OPS in the second half. Despite this marked improvement and solid overall numbers, consistency always seemed to be lacking to some degree, and this really showed up in the postseason. How might they improve this over the offseason? Cut The Strikeouts The Twins set the all-time record for strikeouts in the regular season with 1654. Based on their final offensive numbers for the season, it’s easy to say this wasn’t a major problem, but it was clearly this team’s biggest issue. Far too often did the lineup fall into a rut of hitter after hitter failing to put the ball in play. Based on their strong second half, the hope was that they could overcome this record-setting flaw, but their playoff performance showed that this is a tall task. True to their offensive identity, the Twins struck out 28 times in their final two postseason games in front of the home crowd, an untenable 52% strikeout rate. It was an offensive formula Twins fans watched plenty often in 2023, and it leaves so little margin for error that fixing it should be priority number one this offseason. There were rumblings of the scouting approach or overall team philosophy being a problem in the first half that could certainly be tweaked. The front office could also do a better job of the personnel they’re targeting in avoiding the Joey Gallo types this winter. By all accounts, the Twins expected to be top 10 in the league in strikeouts from day one in 2023. They don’t need to model their team after the Cleveland Guardians, but perhaps they should challenge themselves to not have such low expectations in the strikeout category in 2024. Development of Youth The Twins were undoubtedly saved by the next offensive core that emerged in 2023. There’s no doubt the offense remains stagnant without the emergence of Edouard Julien, Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner, etc. While prospect development isn’t linear, the Twins have several young players who have flashed their star power and ability to adjust. Royce Lewis showed strides in plate discipline down the stretch that he’ll hope to build off of, and perhaps a normal offseason and being another year out from ACL surgery keep him healthier for the grind of a full season. Edouard Julien emerged as a postseason star, and his plate discipline and power should only continue to improve as he prepares for a full-time role in 2024. Matt Wallner fell into a deep pit of strikeouts in early September and was able to adjust back in less than a week. It’s hard to deny that the Twins best hitters were rookies in 2023. If they stay at the same level the Twins will be formidable in 2024. It’s easy to see a scenario where they improve and bring the offense to a whole new level. New Faces As always, the departure of several players will bring new additions from the trade and free-agent market. It’s become nearly impossible to predict what this front office has in store, but additions to the outfield and infield are certainly in the cards. Effectively rounding out the roster around the emerging rookies that weren’t yet factors last offseason will be key. The Twins may see another emergence of youth in 2024 as well. Several young players are on the doorstep of the MLB and will surely make their debuts next season. From the power profile of Yunior Severino, to Austin Martin’s on-base and speed combo , to Brooks Lee’s well-rounded profile making him a top-20 prospect in all of baseball, the Twins have no shortage of candidates to come up and help the team next season. While the Twins are sure to add to the pitching staff in some fashion, it’s hard to deny that building a more consistent offense should be priority number one in 2024. What the team accomplished with record-breaking strikeout numbers is impressive, and it’s interesting to consider how much more effective the offense can be with a bit more balance. Hopefully, in 2024, Twins Territory will find out. View full article

Rarely do teams slug their way to postseason success, as October always features some of the biggest arms in baseball to help suppress offenses. Through their first two games, the Twins have shown that their pitching staff should be able to hang with the best of them. Image courtesy of Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports Pitching has been a question mark for the Twins seemingly forever. After showing what looked to be a Top 5 staff in baseball in the first half, they came back down to earth after the All-Star break after injuries and a bit of regression hit. With a few pieces missing and a lack of deadline moves, the Twins hinged on several players returning in good health at he top of their game, and through the first round of the playoffs, it looks like the bet paid off in a big way. While the Blue Jays offense is far from a juggernaut, they were comfortably a lineup in the top half of the league ranking 11th in OPS at .745. In two games against this lineup, the Twins pitching staff was utterly dominant. The pairing of Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray was predictably formidable, but the bullpen is where the Twins' stable of arms really answered a lot of necessary questions. The Twins leaned on their bullpen for 7 1/3 innings, allowing just five hits, one walk, and striking out 10. Perhaps more impressive than the pitching lines was how dominant each arm looked when called upon. It goes without saying, this is a bullpen unlike any we’ve ever witnessed in Twins territory. For years it seems Twins fans have watched opposing postseason-caliber bullpens be called upon with a stable of arms capable of approaching triple digits, wondering how this was even possible. Those days are now over. From Brock Stewart and Louie Varland to Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran, the Twins' postseason bullpen looks every bit the part. It seems just yesterday that the Twins' main targets were soft-tossing, pitch-to-contact, ground ball specialists. Skipping ahead to 2023, the Twins reliever with the lowest average fastball velocity to appear in either game was Caleb Thielbar averaging 93.8 in Game 2. This isn’t the mid-2000s Twins anymore. Beyond the pitchers who dominated in the first round, the Twins have yet to turn to other pitchers who have dominated to varying degrees such as Chris Paddack, Kody Funderburk, and Emilio Pagán, each of whom we’ll likely see at some point against Houston in the coming days. The playoffs are random, but the Twins have the tools to compete in an atmosphere so often dominated by pitching staffs. With two legitimate top-of-the-rotation options to lead what is finally a dominant, high-octane bullpen, fans should have a reason to believe that the Twins are legitimate contenders to go on a run for a few weeks, which is all it takes in the postseason. There are no assurances in October, but the Twins have put together a pitching staff worthy of hanging our hopes on. Regardless of where the season goes from here, it’s worth celebrating. It’s time for Twins fans to sit back and enjoy the smoke being thrown on a daily basis. View full article

St. Paul had an impressive list of top prospects pass through this season. The downside of the big names hanging around is some performances were underappreciated. Three players in particular deserved a lot more attention. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Michael Helman) Just because a player isn’t on top 100 prospect lists doesn’t mean they have no chance to impact their Major League roster. In addition to several global top prospects who are sure to have a future with the Twins, a trio of less-known names will be pushing for a shot in 2024. It should be interesting to see how things play out. Anthony Prato The former 7th-round pick Anthony Prato looked like a success story throughout his professional career through 2022, but what he did in 2023 was different. After a disappointing start with a .553 OPS in Double-A, Prato was promoted to St. Paul and never looked back. He wound up finishing the season slashing .302/.452/.539 with 10 homers and 10 steals with the Saints. He walked nearly 20% of the time while bouncing around the infield and outfield. Between his plate skills and defensive versatility, Prato looks like a legitimate option for a super-utility role. The issue, of course, is finding room for him. With several top prospects on the verge of debuts and some such as Royce Lewis and Edouard Julien already having arrived, the opportunity is slim before even mentioning the assumed return of Willi Castro in 2024. Prato is Rule 5 eligible this winter, and it’s very possible a team will take a shot on him if the Twins don’t have 40 man space. Prato deserves a shot somewhere. Michael Helman Helman had a very unfortunate season from an injury standpoint, as his right-handed bat almost surely would’ve been called upon by the Twins had he been available. After a 20-homer, 40-steal season between Wichita and St. Paul in 2022, Helman showed more of the same when healthy in 2023. Between three levels, Helman hit seven homers and stole eight bags in just over 150 plate appearances. A shoulder injury caused him to miss significant time, but he hit .296/.356/.546 with the Saints. There’s no way the Twins couldn’t have found him a spot during their offensive outage of the first half, especially when they were so in need of right-handed options. Like Prato, Helman can play just about anywhere, including shortstop in a pinch. Turning 28 next year, it’s time he gets a shot somewhere, and he’s Rule 5 eligible as well. Perhaps his lack of volume this year keeps him from getting snagged, and the hope is that a healthy 2024 gives him an opportunity to make his debut if he sticks around in the Twins system. Jair Camargo It was pretty surprising that Camargo didn’t debut this season, but the Twins were incredibly fortunate with the health of their catching duo of Christian Vázquez and Ryan Jeffers. Camargo held up his end of deserving a promotion, socking 21 homers and posting an .826 OPS from behind the plate in 2023. He has the profile of a solid backup catcher at the major-league level with his passable defense, strikeout concerns, and thunderous bat when he gets his pitch to hit. The question in 2024 will be whether the Twins trust Ryan Jeffers to take over the lion’s share of appearances behind the plate. Both defensively and offensively, Jeffers has blown Christian Vázquez out of the water, and he’s the younger option. Some have suggested that the Twins should shop Vázquez and see how much they’d have to pay to unload the remaining two years, $20 million elsewhere since it’s possible Jeffers playing time increases to a point where that dollar amount isn’t justified. If the Twins trust Jeffers to catch 60-70% of the innings behind the plate, The bar to clear for the other half of the tandem becomes lower, and Camargo is deserving of an opportunity to fill a modest role in the big leagues. A lot would have to change, but hopefully, Camargo can find a way onto the big league roster at some point in 2024. The Saints had an incredible season. Hopefully, several future pieces emerge as part of the Twins' future from the 2023 Saints roster. We know plenty of top prospects such as Brooks Lee, David Festa etc. Some of the underrated prospects deserve a lot of attention too. View full article

Misfortune has hit the playoff-bound Twins again, as Carlos Correa has hit the IL, and Royce Lewis suffered a hamstring injury in Tuesday’s contest. If either is unavailable for the playoffs, the Twins need to prepare for drastic measures. Image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports The Twins had lofty goals of establishing a sea of roster depth heading into 2023 and were successful in doing so. They’ve held onto struggling veterans all season, sometimes at the expense of younger, better players to ensure they avoid a repeat of the 2022 collapse. The marathon is ending, and as they finish the home stretch of the regular season and approach the postseason, it’s time for a change in philosophy. Along with the misfortune of the Twins potentially losing their starting shortstop and third baseman, comes a bit of good fortune in regard to who can qualify for a postseason roster. Any player in the organization can be deemed eligible for postseason play as long as they were in the organization as of September 1 and are replacing an injured player. This includes legitimate prospects who are big parts of the Twins' future, such as Brooks Lee. One could argue that Brooks Lee has had something of a down season relative to his debut in 2022. That does include an .841 OPS in Double-A, even if his .708 OPS with St. Paul leaves much to be desired. So why should Lee get the call when it appears he has work left to do with the Saints? If the Twins are without Carlos Correa for the playoffs, very much still an if at this point, this likely pushes Kyle Farmer into a full-time role at shortstop. While Farmer has certainly been a solid contributor to the Twins this season, he’s far from a player you want starting every day, especially in the postseason. Farmer’s .708 OPS is a slight improvement on his 2022 numbers, but there are several things to consider before handing him the keys to a starting job when it matters most. He’s always been a lefty masher, and while that wasn’t quite true to the same degree this year, he was still nearly 20% above league average against southpaws. He’s a valuable piece to be able to pull off the bench in a big spot, especially now that Jordan Luplow is likely out of the picture. Farmer has also posted a .687 OPS against righties this season, a number that suggests tough times ahead when the Twins are facing an opposing team’s best pitchers, many of which will be right-handed. There are going to be games where Christian Vázquez and Kyle Farmer are paired together at the bottom of the order, likely making the trip through the bottom of the lineup a cakewalk for opposing pitchers. So why should we expect Brooks Lee to do any better? For as much as it looks like Lee has to prove in the minor leagues, nearly all of this has to do with hitting left-handed pitching. Lee has posted a .607 OPS against left-handed pitchers, and an .866 against righties. It sets up a perfect situation where he could be lifted for Farmer later in games should a big spot arise with a left-handed reliever coming in. It seems like a tall task, but if anyone is up to it, why wouldn’t it be top prospect Brooks Lee? For anyone thinking “The Twins would never do this”, they found themselves in a similar situation in 2020 when Josh Donaldson and Byron Buxton weren’t able to play in the three-game playoff. Alex Kirilloff made his MLB debut in the postseason having not played above Double-A, and not having played organized ball at all that year due to the pandemic shutdown. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and in this case, the Twins still have a week plus to call Lee up and get his feet wet in an MLB atmosphere. It may seem like a panic response, but Kyle Farmer as the Twins potential everyday postseason shortstop just isn’t a good scenario. Likely to contribute nothing offensively against what will likely be right-handed heavy pitching staffs, the downside is as low as it gets, and the upside is extremely limited. That’s not to say Brooks Lee’s floor is any higher, but at least he has the potential of a top prospect and a track record of mashing southpaws. The potential for him to meaningfully impact a postseason contest should outweigh what will likely be a zero offensively paired with merely capable defense from Kyle Farmer. Hopefully, it’s all a non-factor, and Carlos Correa is ready to return come October. It doesn’t hurt to plan for a worst-case scenario though. Brooks Lee is a legitimate piece of the Twins future, and even if he comes up for this stretch and begins next season back in the minors for a bit, it’s hard to imagine the experience hurting him. The Twins have spent much of the season conceding to veterans and their experience. Now that the playoffs near, the possibility of Brooks Lee’s talent shining and impacting a postseason game should outweigh the veteran status and perceived “safety” of someone like Kyle Farmer. Do you agree? View full article

The Twins have a lot of moving parts as they approach the playoffs, particularly on the pitching staff. With the bullpen having arguably the most question marks, Kenta Maeda could be an answer. Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports Kenta Maeda has been an ace-level starting pitcher at times in his Twins career, even as recently as just a few weeks ago. After coming off the IL, Maeda went on a blistering stretch, posting a 2.47 ERA in eight starts leading up to August 10. Since then, he’s posted a 5.52 mark, possibly taking himself out of the running for the third spot in the postseason rotation with the return of Joe Ryan. As a result, Maeda should have a role in the postseason bullpen instead. It’s easy to forget that Maeda is still just a year removed from Tommy John surgery. He looked like he wasn’t at full strength to start the season, and while Maeda looked much stronger upon his return from the IL, he’s looked to be running on fumes in his last few starts. His 89 innings pitched don’t seem like many, but he threw zero in 2022 and 109 in 2021, and of course, only 66 in his Cy Young runner-up 2020. Fatigue may be starting to catch up. Fortunately, this possibility doesn’t have to take Maeda off the postseason roster entirely. The Twins bullpen remains arguably the most significant question mark on the team, as several young players like Kody Funderburk and Louie Varland are debuting to claim a spot. Paired with pitchers like Griffin Jax struggling and Brock Stewart being questionable at best to return from injury, the bullpen has plenty of openings. Maeda has made the bullpen transition before with the Dodgers. In 21 postseason appearances out of the bullpen in LA, Maeda has a 1.63 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 22 innings. His last relief appearance was in 2019, but he’s never been a flamethrower, and his offspeed pitches still appear capable of fooling opposing hitters. Shorter stints could allow him to lean into his offspeed even more and hopefully minimize the fatigue he may be having at this point in the season. Maeda was not a fan of this usage with the Dodgers, which was part of the reason he was traded to Minnesota. Likely, he wouldn’t be adamantly opposed to making this switch once again if the Twins were to ask, but it undoubtedly plays at least a minor factor in how they move forward. It’s also possible Maeda pitches out of the bullpen in the opening series with intentions of slotting back into a starter role should the Twins advance. Twins advance. He could be available for a multi-inning stint with eyes on starting game four of the ALDS. At any rate, it unfortunately has become challenging to see Maeda starting in a game three situation of the opening playoff series. With how he’s recently struggled, as well as Joe Ryan’s return, his best usage may be to help patch a relief corps leaking oil since the Twins declined not to add to it at the deadline meaningfully. Should Brock Stewart return to form and/or Varland becomes a legitimate weapon, Maeda could make the back end of games even more challenging to traverse for opposing lineups. Should the Twins consider moving Kenta Maeda to the bullpen for the playoffs? Let us know below! View full article

The Twins waited and waited to bring up Kody Funderburk from St. Paul. He’s looked capable in his brief debut so far, and it’s worth digging beyond his surface numbers to date. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily Through five outings and 5 1/3 innings, Kody Funderburk has a 1.69 ERA and has struck out one-third of the hitters he’s faced. The only blemish was a poorly-timed homer allowed against Cleveland. The Twins are surely hoping that they have an emerging piece of the current and future bullpen. So far so good. Funderburk was thrust into enough leverage in his MLB debut to pitch two innings en route to a win against Cleveland. Two days later, he entered in a huge spot and allowed a backbreaking three-run homer, though only one run was charged to him. On Wednesday, he came into a one-run game with two runners on and no outs and shut down Cleveland once more. Rocco Baldelli clearly trusts him, perhaps out of necessity. It’s an interesting development considering the front offices' refusal to call him up to the MLB roster until it was absolutely necessary, regardless of how well he pitched. At the deadline, the Twins declined to meaningfully upgrade the bullpen. Their lone acquisition Dylan Floro has been just as unreliable as the fringe MLB relievers they chose to roster all season such as Cole Sands and Josh Winder. Even Duran and Jax have struggled mightily in recent weeks. The front office waited until they had no choice but to call up Funderburk, who had been absolutely dominant in St. Paul all season. Based on Funderburk’s usage, it seems as though Baldelli had been waiting on those reinforcements for a long time. Can he continue with the success he’s shown in a small sample? The small sample of Funderburk’s pitch mix is interesting so far. His slider has been dominant, drawing whiffs nearly half of the time it’s thrown. It has a hilarious .008 xBA and .024 xSLG so far, a truly dominant pitch. On the polar opposite end, the four-seam has allowed a .345 xBA and .791 xSLG. It could be skewed by the one homer allowed in 31 pitches, but it’s something worth keeping an eye on. We’ve seen pitchers such as Josh Winder come up and have fastballs that get consistently crushed. Not being able to ever throw a fastball makes life hard as a pitcher. Unlike Winder, Funderburk has a backup plan. His sinker is oddly two ticks harder than the four-seam and has allowed a .131 xBA and .144 xSLG in addition to a 4-degree launch angle. Hopefully, the four-seam can come around to provide Funderburk with some whiffs, but if not, it appears he has the ability to make batters pound the ball into the ground and avoid major damage. Sinkers can sometimes be used to limit platoon splits as well. Funderburk looks like he could be more than a lefty specialist. His slider is effective regardless of the handedness of opposing hitters, and his two different fastballs give him the ability to adjust as he acclimates to the MLB level. At this point, the question is likely whether Funderburk has time to earn a postseason roster spot rather than whether he’ll stick around in the majors through the season. Kody Funderburk’s debut was long awaited, but it appears he’s ready to make an impact now that he’s up. With Caleb Thielbar as the only other lefty in the bullpen, Funderburk has the chance to help the Twins through September and hopefully even October. Not to mention being a potential piece in 2024. The wait was worth it. View full article

Carlos Correa has had a massively disappointing year. While injury may play a big role in his struggles, the results are what they are, and they’re only getting worse. It’s time the Twins move Correa down in the lineup. Image courtesy of Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports The Twins were right to stick with Carlos Correa in the top three of the lineup for much of the season. In 2022, he got off to a slow start, and the faith in his star talent paid off as he finished the season arguably as the Twins' best hitter. 2023 has been entirely different, and the Twins are reaching a point where the track record needs to be thrown out the window. For those hoping for a complete 180 in Correa's performance down the stretch, it may be time to throw in the towel. Those again preaching patience in March and April were correct, as he did improve upon his .634 OPS to begin the season, but just barely. Correa's offense peaked in May when his wRC+ reached 101, 1% above the league-average hitter. He hasn't been a league-average contributor in any month since. More recently, August was Correa’s second-worst month of the season, posting a .671 OPS which was good for 14% below the league average hitter. It’s left the former offensive force with a sub .700 OPS on the season, easily the worst of his career if the season ended today. This accompanied by his league-leading 28 double plays hit into, an often devastating development as the Twins' rallies sparked by the top of the order have been repeatedly erased. At this point, it’s safe to say the offense would have been at least slightly better had the Twins moved Correa down in the lineup some time ago. With the absence of a time machine, the argument is that the Twins need to make that change down the stretch. Folks don’t like Win Probability Added as a stat, especially for hitters, but Correa coming in at -1.82 is the worst on the team and the 12th worst in all of baseball. Like the double plays, this is an opportunity-based measure. Keeping Correa in a position to keep seeing these opportunities just doesn’t seem like a great idea based on his performance for the entirety of 2023, and it could continue to cost the Twins offensively. The argument against moving Correa down for much of the season was that the struggling Twins lineup lacked more apparent options. At this point, the better option has unfortunately become more clear: Just about anyone. By wRC+, only Christian Vazquez and Jose Miranda have been worse on the season with a minimum of 100 plate appearances. Players such as Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner are capable of being top-of-the-order bats. In addition, the hope is that Byron Buxton and Alex Kirilloff are on the verge of rejoining the Twins. Adding two more options to lengthen the lineup should make improving the top of the order a no-brainer. While Buxton has struggled on the season and Kirilloff's health is a major question, backfilling the lineup with these players in addition to Correa in favor of the Royces of the world is far from a bad situation. Unfortunately, it's challenging to see Correa making massive improvements at this point in the season. More information continues to emerge surrounding his ailing foot, and it's become clear that there's more at play than just a mental switch he needs to flip at some point. It's time the Twins field their best lineup, which doesn't include Carlos Correa at the top. Do you agree? View full article

Edouard Julien got off to a scorching start to his career but has dipped a bit in August. Is his recent down performance indicative that the league may be catching up to him? Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports After being slightly below average in his first month in the Majors, Edouard Julien posted an above-average offense in May, June, and July. In August, Julien has lost a lot of power and has seen the strikeouts tick back up above 30% despite often occupying the leadoff spot. Is there any reason to be concerned, short or long-term? Edouard Julien was a superstar in July. Slashing .369/.461/.732, he performed 122% better than the league average hitter by wRC+. Everyone hoped the Twins had a superstar hitter on their hands, but even if that was the case, that production level is impossible to maintain. In August, Julien has dropped down to a .250/.360/.319 line. His peak of a 25% strikeout rate in July is back up around 30. It’s undoubtedly a down month, but there are still good signs. As much as the power has disappeared in August, pitchers haven’t precisely found Julien’s weakness. August is his best month regarding walk rate, posting a 15.1% mark. Perhaps after the damage he did in July, pitchers are being much more careful when he’s at the plate, even though he’s often leading off. Regarding the types of pitches Julien sees, opposing pitchers essentially use the same mix, with nearly 60% fastballs followed by about 30% breaking balls and 10% offspeed. They may be pitching around him more, but it’s not like they’ve found a type of pitch to throw him that keeps him from doing damage. Still, his output when making contact hasn’t been the same. August is Julien’s lowest month by flyball percentage, with a 12.5% mark. He’s hitting line drives at career-high levels, but the lack of balls in the air is likely why he’s only hit one homer so far. His batting average being a bit down could be bad luck, but the power likely has more to do with the lack of fly balls. Could an injury be hampering Julien’s swing ever so slightly? He was held out briefly earlier this month with a tight hamstring, and he’s had occasions where he’s hit a ball in the infield and jogged to first. It’s fair to wonder whether something is bothering him just enough to affect his power stroke. At any rate, Julien isn’t being attacked any differently by opposing pitchers, and he hasn’t shown any significant red flags that would indicate that some glaring weakness has been found. Perhaps he’s dealing with a nagging injury, but he’s still walking at incredible rates and spraying line drives all over the park. In what is considered a “down” month for Julien, he’s been slightly below average offensively and still gets on base at an elite rate out of the leadoff spot. If this is Edouard Julien slumping, the Twins have themselves an incredible hitter. There should be little reason to worry about the Twins emerging leadoff hitter moving forward. He’ll likely continue to be a key cog at the top of the lineup down the stretch, and he’s already shown that he can carry an offense when things are going well. If Edouard Julien has a debilitating weakness at the plate, it doesn’t appear anyone has found it yet. View full article

Kenta Maeda is turning back the clock since being activated from the IL in late June. Soon to be 36, it’s fair to wonder how long it’ll last. Could he pitch well enough down the stretch to become a part of the 2024 plans? Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports Kenta Maeda is turning back the clock since being activated from the IL in late June. Soon to be 36, it's fair to wonder how long it'll last. Could he pitch well enough down the stretch to become a part of the 2024 plans? In his last year under team control with the Twins, it seemed evident in the offseason and early on that Kenta Maeda was likely in his final season with the Twins. Given how he's looked since being truly healthy, it's becoming fair to wonder whether he could change the Twins' plans. Through his first four starts since Tommy John surgery, Maeda threw 16 innings and allowed 16 runs. His 19.2% strikeout rate was concerning, and he looked the part of a 35-year-old coming off of a significant injury. The velocity was down even as a pitcher who was never known for his heater, and the command needed to be improved. It appeared to be a deadly combination. Many believed Maeda's IL trip following his 3-inning, 10-earned-run performance against the Yankees on April 26 was the end of the line. It was a fair assumption, given his age, health, and the Twins' ability to plug in Louie Varland for the remainder of the season. Maeda changed their plans. Since June 23, when the Twins activated Maeda from the IL, he's been a different pitcher. In his 53.2 innings, he's posted a 2.68 ERA and a dominant 32.2% strikeout rate. His fastball velocity has trended consistently month by month, beginning at 89.5 in April and peaking at 91.4 in August. His fastball was 91.8 in his Cy Young runner-up 2020 season. Speaking of 2020, his current stretch should be meaningfully compared to that dominant short season. Those 66 innings were enough to elevate Maeda's status in the eyes of many, which is why the 53-plus innings he's thrown on his current dominant stretch shouldn't considered as a small sample. His strikeout rate is almost identical, with the only real difference being a few more walks and being on pace to allow one more homer. Maeda has rediscovered the form that made him a Cy Young runner-up. The argument, of course, is how long he can keep it up, given his major injury in 2021 and his three years older than that electric shortened season. We can debate how long Maeda can keep this up, but the real debate will happen internally in the Twins front office. If Maeda continues anywhere near his current performance, it would be hard not to consider bringing him back in some facet in 2024. A qualifying offer would be surprising, given all the listed concerns and the low innings count he's sure to accrue. That being said, Sonny Gray is sure to depart this offseason. The Twins will still have a rotation, including Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober, but they'll likely pursue at least one more veteran starter, as we've seen in years past. The hope is Joe Ryan returns to form down the stretch, but that remains to be seen after the home run issues exploded on him before hitting the IL. Bailey Ober has an injury history of his own. The hope is for Chris Paddack to return to the rotation, but that's still to be determined. Louie Varland deserves a shot, but the Twins chose to go with Maeda over him when healthy earlier this season, and it's paid off. Maeda could be the perfect fit for a 2024 Twins rotation, with many pitchers riding the fence. If he finishes strong, the plan could be to bring him back as an Opening Day rotation member. It's hard to envision Maeda being a workhorse at 36, and even IL trips for maintenance would create opportunities for younger arms to get their feet wet. If things derail completely in the rotation, he has relief experience the Twins could again try to harness. Maeda would be a better veteran option than the Chris Archer and Dylan Bundy tier they've dipped into in years past. A big multi-year deal is unlikely at his age, but the Twins could get creative with options or incentives, which Maeda is no stranger to in his MLB career. Maeda is happy in Minnesota, and even with a strong finish, he shouldn't break the bank if he and the Twins agree on a reunion. He may be a near-perfect fit for a 2024 Twins rotation that should have plenty of youth and upside. If Maeda continues his dominance, should the Twins prioritize him this offseason? View full article

The Twins didn’t add to the bullpen in the offseason and barely did so at the deadline. Left with only in-house options at this point, it’s time for them to start pressing some buttons and making adjustments to try to make up for it. Image courtesy of Jonathan Dyer, USA TODAY Sports The Twins seem to find themselves backing into comfort zones when it comes to roster decisions on occasion. Sometimes it’s because of veteran status or it’s a player they personally like. Sometimes they’re just being overly protective of depth. Whatever the reason is currently, it simply isn’t justifiable to continue with how they’ve managed the bottom half of the bullpen. The middle of the Twins bullpen has picked up a lot of slack recently between Emilio Pagán and Caleb Thielbar. Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran have been struggling, which is bound to happen to even the best relievers in baseball. It’s also expected that the bottom part of a bullpen shouldn’t exactly be rock solid. After all, that’s why they’re at the bottom. The way the Twins are using the low-leverage parts of their bullpen simply makes no sense as we approach September. The team has been adamant in regards to keeping a long reliever on the roster. So much so, in fact, that coming out of spring training, it cost them several high-leverage relievers such as Danny Coulombe (2.77 ERA in 39 IP) and Jeff Hoffman (2.86 ERA in 34 2/3 IP) who both looked great in the spring. If having a long reliever really is that important to them, that’s fine. Minor league relievers being cut loose and going on to success can be overlooked. The Twins are taking it to another level though, and completely wasting opportunities and at least one roster spot. By currently rostering Cole Sands and Josh Winder, the Twins are playing with a hand tied behind their back when it comes to the bullpen, and it’s completely self-inflicted. Let’s start with Cole Sands. He’s actually been electric in St. Paul with a 1.64 ERA and near 40% K rate. In his time bouncing up and down with the Twins, he’s barely pitched. In fact, despite being completely healthy, he’s made three appearances, all with the Saints, since July 20th. He’s thrown only 4 1/3 innings in just under a month. In Wednesday’s game when the Twins were down four runs, they needed an inning filled. Instead of going to Sands who hadn’t pitched in over a week and actually has promising numbers in St. Paul, they went to supposed long reliever Josh Winder, who allowed a run that put Detroit over the edge to eventually win 8-7. Sands’ lack of usage is puzzling. If they aren’t going to let him pitch, why is he here? The easier question to ask has more to do with Josh Winder. At this point, it’s becoming time to wonder why Winder is an option in the MLB bullpen at all. He had an ERA over 6.00 in Triple-A and an ERA over 5.00 in the big leagues. In 11 appearances with the Twins this season, he’s only held the opposing team scoreless three times. There’s a difference between rostering a long reliever/mop-up man and continuing to give opportunities to pitchers who should be working on things in the minors. Winder is a former top prospect who still has hopes of recapturing the pedigree. He should be focusing on making adjustments against lower competition. Whatever the reason behind the Twins continuing to give Winder these chances, it's time to try something else. Perhaps they see something in him long-term, but there’s zero reason to let him try to find it in the big leagues at this point. At the very least, when a one-inning opportunity comes up, they should be giving it to Sands who has at least been able to get minor-league hitters out this year. Another usable middle-reliever developing would be a big boost down the stretch, and that’s not going to happen by giving opportunities to arms who are struggling so mightily. At this point, the Twins should be looking for upside in the lowest leverage rungs of the bullpen ladder. At the very least they shouldn’t be allocating those spots to players they’re never going to let pitch. A recent hot stretch by Ronny Henriquez should make him an option to get some runway in the majors. It shouldn’t be a problem to add Kody Funderburk to the 40-man, who has dominated Triple-A all season since his promotion just two weeks into the season. The Twins seem intent on making things as difficult as possible when it comes to the bullpen. It almost seems like they’re trying to show the world just how unimportant the bullpen is. It’s time they try to make improvements for the first time all year and give some different names an opportunity. What they’re doing right now isn’t helping anybody. View full article