Cody Pirkl

The Twins clearly feel differently. Larnach was up for Kepler's injury, so when Larnach hit the IL, Wallner came up. Castro has been playing well and now has to be used in CF so they're not sending him down. They're also not going to DFA Solano or Kepler in May no matter how much fans call for it, so those aren't options that can seriously be argued. There isn't much else they could have done.

Kepler being a proven mediocrity is exactly my point. Yeah he was a 2.0 Win player last season but he did it almost completely with his defense at an offensive premium position. That's probably the least impactful way of being a 2 win player. I also think when looking back on the Kepler decision, there are several considerations. Do you think any combo of Wallner/Larnach etc. can combine to produce 2.0 fWAR throughout a season? You could call it a stretch. Consider the value of however small of a return they could've gotten for Kepler in addition to his salary that could have been spent elsewhere. Those three add up to more than a defense first platoon outfielder with no impactful ceiling for me personally. I understand if not everyone agrees with that, but that's just how I look at it.

Kepler himself is inconsistent too though. He routinely goes on stretches of providing nothing just like everyone loathes from players with Wallner's profile, except instead of striking out he's weakly grounding out to second base. The decision to do what they did is justifiable, it's easy to see why they did it. That being said, it stinks to see a prospect come up and show what he can do in an offense that desperately needs contributors and he gets sent down for someone who I think we're all certain at this point isn't an offensive game changer at all. We saw it yesterday with Kepler going 0-5 with 2 Ks and 3 groundouts with several opportunities to help us win that game squandered. Unfair to bash him for his first game back, but he's got plenty of similar games on tap.

How do you figure that? If Kepler weren't here it would have been more ABs for one of the many left handed options. It's not like Kepler is the barrier keeping Garlick from playing everyday.

I think people underestimate how difficult it is to just be thrown into right field with that overhang too. That takes time to learn. Wallner may not have Kepler's range but the arm brings a whole different form of value.

That's a piece of it, yes. The question to ask is whether the veterans like Kepler are valuable enough to justify the lack of opportunity for players who may be better than him.

This winter the Twins chose not only to hang onto their overwhelming depth of left-handed corner outfield bats but to add to the group. Finally, as they approach June, they’re starting to feel the effects. Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports Matt Wallner has become something of a forgotten top prospect before his recent stint in the big leagues. Many write him off because of his lack of range as a defender and his heavy swing-and-miss tendencies. He’s been stashed in St. Paul for much of the season where he’s dominated the competition, as he has at every other stop in the minors. Having finally been given a chance to show what he can do at the big league level, Wallner has come through. Unfortunately, the Twins have set up a situation where it doesn’t matter what Wallner shows, he’s buried too far down the depth chart. This winter the Twins reportedly had trade offers on the table for Max Kepler. He’s underperformed expectations in every year of his career aside from the juiced ball 2019 and was coming off of a 2022 season in which he failed to produce at even league-average levels. It seemed Kepler’s time as a Twin was coming to an end, especially when they signed Joey Gallo to hit from the left side and play a gold glove-caliber corner outfield. Instead, they kept them both. To be fair, neither move has been an albatross. Kepler has been a shade above average offensively, and his defense remains a plus. Gallo has been a boon at least at times as a source of power in an offense that has been the team's Achilles Heel. Unfortunately, those are just two pieces of the left-handed puzzle. Nick Gordon was still in the picture, as was the switch-hitting Willi Castro, not to mention Trevor Larnach, who was recently placed on the IL with pneumonia. It took injuries to three left-handed outfielders for Matt Wallner to get an opportunity at the big-league level despite posting a 120 wRC+ at every stop in the minor leagues. Last September he was called up and posted an above-league-average slash line in the MLB as well. Wallner was called up for a brief five-game spell when Larnach hit the IL and has showcased what he could do. His total after 11 big league games this season includes a .368/.520/.579 slash line. The major red flag in his profile is the strikeout rate, and he’s kept the whiffs below 20% so far. Wallner’s on-base power combo has been a refreshing addition to a Twins lineup that continues to sink further into the abyss. With news of Max Kepler’s IL trip coming to an end, however, Wallner is getting sent back to St. Paul. There isn’t a corresponding move that makes more sense than sending down a left-handed corner outfielder for Max Kepler’s return. If Larnach were healthy and playing he would have been the casualty considering it was Kepler’s injury that got him up in the first place. That being said, it’s a huge bummer. There was never any level of performance that would have kept Wallner in the big leagues, and they set themselves up for this situation. The only route for young left-handed bats to get an opportunity is through injury. No matter how well they perform, they’re doomed to be sent back down when the corresponding player is healthy. The Twins find themselves in the middle of a no man's land that they had to have known was a possibility. It’s possible that Wallner’s recent stretch of success puts him ahead of Larnach on the depth chart, but they’ll both still fall behind two players in Gallo and Kepler who have been too good to cut bait with but have no possibility of being cornerstones of a lineup. Alex Kirilloff will hopefully be up to stay. Nick Gordon will also be back later this season. The Twins have an undeniable unwillingness to turn the page on organizational favorites like Max Kepler, and to be fair, Kepler has justified the move. Joey Gallo has been a strong addition to the team even with his well-known deficiencies. Rostering both is beginning to stretch the definition of the word “depth” As the lineup continues to find new lows it’s becoming fair to wonder whether new faces might be the answer rather than relying on a full lineup rebound. Matt Wallner will head back to St. Paul having reached base in eight consecutive plate appearances. There’s a small chance at the very least that he was becoming a much-needed contributor to the Twins lineup, and if they had the ability, it’s fair to say the Twins would have allowed this hot streak to play out. Unfortunately, we really won’t know until another injury occurs, and that’s a shame. View full article

The Twins are having some bullpen issues between over usage, performance, and injury. An addition at the deadline may be in the cards, but it’s too early to move on that. What do the Twins have for internal bullpen options? Image courtesy of Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports If the Twins front office has developed an identity for themselves, it’s that they don’t care about bullpen additions at all. Their one big external addition was Jorge Lopez in 2022, who cost them dearly in prospect capital after ignoring relief additions in the offseason. Still their approach to bullpen construction didn’t change. Their relief corps is off to a better start in 2023 than last season, but it’s been far from ideal. Griffin Jax is struggling, Caleb Thielbar is on the shelf, and after a solid start, Emilio Pagán is Pagáning it up once more. It may be time for the Twins to take a leap and try a new reliever in the big league bullpen. What internal options do they have? Cody Laweryson Laweryson is a former 14th-round pick from 2019 who’s worked his way up to Triple-A this season. He doesn’t throw hard and lacks any particular wipeout pitch, but his results speak for themselves. Geared with 70-grade command, Laweryson posted a sub 2.00 ERA between Wichita and St. Paul in 2022 and boasts a 2.66 mark so far in 2023. His 1.33 HR/9 to begin the season is inflated by an absurd 15% HR/FB rate, and he’s striking out over 27% of hitters so far and holding them to a .211 average. It’s possible the prospect pedigree and lack of velocity keep him from being a quality MLB reliever, but at 25 years old it may be worth a try. If Laweryson can replicate anywhere near his homer-limiting, high-strikeout ways at the MLB level, he should be more than capable of contributing to some degree. Kody Funderburk Like Laweryson, Funderburk is far from a top prospect. Selected in the 15th round in 2018, he’s another example of the Twins doing an impressive job of getting such a lottery ticket draft pick so far into a minor-league career. Funderburk was promoted to St. Paul after allowing a single run in 9 innings for Wichita, and while he’s given up a few since his promotion, his skills look fantastic. Striking out 31.4% of hitters and walking under 9% Funderburk looks like he really has it working so far in 2023, and in his age-26 season, the Twins may be inclined to see if those gaudy numbers can translate. It’s almost odd we haven’t seen a test run yet with Thielbar out, as Funderburk is a left-handed pitcher and their only current southpaw in the bullpen is Jovani Moran who’s essentially a righty. Even when Thielbar returns, Funderburk may be an option for this very reason. Ronny Henriquez Acquired from Texas in the Mitch Garver trade, Henriquez was feared to be lost to injury earlier this spring when his elbow kept him off the field. Henriquez has since returned and looks to be completely healthy. Still just 23 years old, Henriquez appears to be on the reliever path for good in St. Paul. He’s listed at 5’10, though many reports say he’s closer to 5’8, leading to questions about his ability to hold up as a starter. He has a high spin fastball that plays up beyond its velocity and likes to use it at the top of the zone similar to Joe Ryan, which leads to some homer problems. In short stints, however, Henriquez is capable of running it up into the high 90s and has a good changeup and solid slider to pair it with. His numbers in St. Paul thus far aren’t incredibly impressive, but his most recent outing is one that may catch the Twins eye. He’s already on the 40-man roster and made his debut at the end of 2022, so Henriquez could be fast-tracked to the Twins bullpen. Many thought he could have broken camp on Opening Day if healthy, but Henriquez is still capable of helping the Twins now that he’s finally in good shape. The Twins will likely start digging beyond the long relief types to help the bullpen soon here. You never know which ones could come up and stick around if they catch fire. Are there any other underrated bullpen options you’d like to see them give a shot to? View full article

Jordan Balazovic had reached what the Twins hoped was rock bottom this spring after struggling in 2022 and getting a late start to 2023 due to an off-field injury. Since then he’s built himself back up. Does Balazovic deserve a promotion? Image courtesy of William Parmeter What does it take for a starting pitching prospect to torpedo off of global Top 100 prospect lists aside from injury? Jordan Balazovic showed us in 2022, when he spent his entire season in Triple-A St. Paul allowing 2.55 HR/9 innings, and finishing with a 7.39 ERA in just over 70 innings. It was quite the uphill battle to regain the lost prospect status, and that was before he suffered a broken jaw during an off-field altercation at the beginning of spring training, resulting in him being the first player sent out of Major League camp. Fortunately, since returning to the mound, Balazovic has shown that he has the talent to wipe away the past. The Twins appear to have changed their view on their 2016 fifth-round pick. He began the season as a traditional reliever and has since moved back to making scheduled starts for the Saints. The Twins remain consistent in saying that they look at Balazovic as more of a potential bullpen piece for the MLB roster this season despite his starter’s workload thus far. If that’s the case, Balazovic is nearing the point where he’s more than deserving of a look. It’s been a small sample thus far in 2023 for Balazovic, but it’s hard not to be impressed. In 18 2/3 innings, the 6’5 right-hander has posted a 33.8% K rate and a 2.89 ERA with matching peripherals. Most notably, he’s allowed just one homer after struggling with the long ball in 2022. His walks have been uncharacteristically high at 14.3%, but it’s the only real blemish on his otherwise dominant line to begin 2023. Balazovic is currently built up to around 70 pitches per outing and has been able to maintain his mid-to-high-90s velocity along the way. He has secondaries to face off against hitters on both sides of the plate between his slider and splitter, though it's worth noting that during his last outing hitters did a decidedly better job of staying on him in his fourth inning. It's possible he's just destined for a bullpen role at this point rather than starting. The Twins have been churning multiple bullpen spots to begin the season, and while the bullpen performance has been acceptable as a whole, they’ve had some relievers struggle mightily. Unfortunately, Jorge Alcala appears to be a husk of his pre-elbow injury self, as his velocity remains down 2+ mph, and he continues to allow a barrage of homers. Cole Sands had an opportunity to stake his claim to a bullpen role on Saturday and subsequently allowed five walks in mop-up duty. Simeon Woods Richardson and Brent Headrick likely need to maintain their Triple-A starting jobs at this point due to the injuries to the MLB rotation. Balazovic conveniently is on the 40-man roster already as well. There are a few ways the Twins could use Balazovic. He’s built up to fill a true bulk reliever role, but that spot has been rarely utilized so far this season and regardless of how well he pitches, it would remain a revolving door with whatever pitcher filling it being optioned immediately after each appearance. They also appear to be dead set on the struggling Jorge Alcala being a multi-inning reliever, and they’ve declined to send him right back to St. Paul following his outings so far. If they want to give him a chance to cement himself onto the big league roster, they could simply send Alcala down to see if he can right the ship while giving Balazovic a chance to snag that job. He wouldn’t be so stretched to fill multiple innings and can have a real opportunity to work his way up the bullpen hierarchy. Whatever the Twins decide for his role, Balazovic is at the doorstep of his Major League debut. His main competition if Sands or Alcala are optioned back to St. Paul is likely Ronny Henriquez fresh off a rehab assignment and Josh Winder who has been an absolute disaster since being moved to the bullpen. Having just thrown over 70 pitches Sunday, it may be a few days until Balazovic is available to throw again. When that day comes, should he get the call? View full article

Donovan Solano was a hired gun brought in to do a specific job. A bit over a month into the season, Solano hasn’t been as advertised. Could the Twins' platoon first baseman be in danger of losing his roster spot? Donovan Solano was a late addition to a Twins roster that has struggled against left-handed pitching for years. Being one of the most consistent hitters against lefties in the last few years, the hope was for Donnie Barrels to carry the short side of the platoon. At 36 years old, Sovano’s start to his Twins tenure may already be in danger of ending. Through his first 55 plate appearances, Solano slashed .314/.364/.392, good for 11% above the league average hitter. In 32 plate appearances since, he’s slashing .107/.219/.143. Hitters go through cold streaks, but on the season as a whole, Solano has a .667 OPS. More worrisome, Solano is slashing .240/.240/.360 against left-handed pitching. He’s failing to a tremendous degree at the main job he was brought in to do. Solano was also a plus defender in 2022 for Cincinnati at first base. After saving 5 runs defensively, he’s been worth -1 Defensive Run Saved in 2023 at first base, and another -1 at second. His fielding struggles have cost Twins pitchers at times this season to the extent that we may not see him at second base again, and even playing first has become anxiety-inducing. At his age, it’s possible Solano is simply at the end of the line. The Twins were able to bring him in for $2m in the spring because of this possibility, and because of the small price tag, they shouldn’t be inclined to give him months of a sample size to show that his start is simply a fluke. They’ve sometimes made a habit of sticking with players too long because of their veteran status, and they’ve paid dearly for it. With the small role Solano plays and the small amount of money committed, it’s not worth waiting months to compile enough evidence that Solano just doesn’t have it anymore. The Twins have no shortage of replacement options either. Though they don’t have another right-handed hitting first baseman, they don’t need one. Alex Kirilloff’s arrival has pushed Joey Gallo to the corner outfield, once again creating a surplus of left-handed hitting corner options between him, Max Kepler, and Nick Gordon . The Twins could stick to Gallo and Kirilloff as the everyday first basemen and call up Kyle Garlick to play the short-side platoon role. Unlike Solano, Garlick’s performance against southpaws can be considered all but guaranteed as long as he can stay healthy. They could also use Solano’s 40-man spot to add a right-handed player with more versatility such as 27-year-old Michael Helman who’s been playing in St. Paul for a couple of weeks after returning from injury. Helman has played every outfield and infield position aside from first base so far in his brief time in Triple-A this season. Last year, between Wichita and St. Paul, he hit 20 homers and stole 40 bases, and sports a .273/.400/.606 line with 3 homers and 2 steals in his 9 games so far this year. Helman likely wouldn’t be a regular at some of the more demanding positions such as shortstop or center, but his ability to play there in a pinch as well as his competence all across the rest of the diamond would certainly be a plus. His clear ability to steal bases would also add an element to the Twins lineup that they have very little of. It’s unfortunate, but the Twins shouldn’t need to see much more from Solano to make a move. The offense is struggling mightily and is one of the worst in baseball against left-handed pitching, a job Solano was brought in to do. They have too many alternative options to let this go on for very long, as plan B or C is almost certain to be better than what they’ve gotten so far. Donovan Solano is running out of opportunity. It may even be too late. Do you agree? View full article

It's bad

In a vacuum it's a good fit depending on whether they plan to have Buxton ever move back to the outfield because like you said, probably don't want Eloy in the field. The wild card of that one is that since he isn't a rental it may take more than just low level prospects and those types of trades always get tricky in division. I'm sure the Twins don't want to aid the White Sox too much in their rebuild.

I've been a longstanding Christian Walker fan with the DBacks. He really impacts the ball and plays gold glove caliber 1B which can push Gallo to the outfield. Of course this would require a few things to happen, including Arizona to not be contenders and Kirilloff not working out or Buxton moving back to the OF.

Can guarantee the Twins don't feel the same way and it's not an either or. There are at least two other options in Triple-A they could try if Larnach continues to struggle.

The point those two are at in their careers are very different though and Larnach's lack of power spans his entire career to this point and there are options to replace him. I just fear the Twins don't give him much more leash.

I'm definitely in agreement on Larnach>Wallner. I think the likeliest scenario is that when Kirilloff's 10 days are up and Larnach is still doing what he's been doing, the decision simply becomes too easy. I'd hope if he gets sent down he could start driving the ball again, seems like he's just fighting everything off to keep his head above water right now. I think trading for a bat is definitely in the cards closer to the deadline. Too many inconsistent hitters across the lineup and bats usually don't cost too much.

I've been a Larnach believer the entire season, and while I think he is nearing a point where they have to send him down, I don't look at that as giving up on him. They have other options to try, and if he continues with what he's been doing I think it's a pretty straightforward assumption that Larnach gets optioned for Kirilloff when his 10 days are up. Unlike a lot of people, I have no issue with Larnach's approach, including the strikeouts that come with it. There just has to be a payoff. He can't pace out as a 12-15 HR hitter at the MLB level if he wants to be a regular, which is what he's done so far in his career. He's had the two injuries, yes, but he's healthy now and so far in 2023 he has yet to show any kind of meaningful power. The bottom line is guys with 30+% K rates and SLG%s in the .300s usually don't stick around very long. The walks are likely to dry up as pitchers realize they can just throw strikes and he won't punish them for it. If a trip to Triple-A could potentially get him driving the ball again, I don't think it'd be the worst thing.

I don't mean to come across as writing him off, I was a huge believer coming into the year and still think his plate approach makes him a potentially solid regular left fielder. I do think he needs to find a viable identity as a hitter and I'm not sure the Twins will let him do so in the major. If he wants to work counts and try to force the pitcher to make mistakes, it's going to result in some strikeouts, which is fine. There needs to be a payoff when those mistakes are made though and he's struggled to do that through his first 600 plate appearances in the majors. As I mentioned in the article, he has a power hitter's plate approach without the power so far in his career. Pairing his plate approach with a slugging % in the .300s leaves him contributing little on offense aside from walks. He isn't a threat on the bases so that's just not very helpful. If he keeps failing to drive the ball the league also likely reaches a point where they stop walking him because they'll just decide he's not capable of making them pay for throwing strikes. The Twins have enough options that it's very possible that they decide to give someone else a shot very soon.