Matthew Taylor

Although the Minnesota Twins offense finally broke through on Wednesday night, the combination of current injuries along with 28-man rosters present the Twins with an opportunity to call up a top prospect. Which top prospect (if any) should the Twins call up?As humans, we love to argue about things. MJ or LeBron? Which pizza spot is tastiest? Which fitness app is best? Lately, there has been chatter around Twins Territory about which top prospect the Twins should call up. In order to determine which prospect would best suit a spot on the big league roster, it should first be determined if the Minnesota Twins could stand to benefit from adding another position player to the roster. With the news that MLB rosters would remain at 28 for the remainder of the 2020 season, the Twins were awarded a tremendous amount of roster flexibility. With 28 men, the Twins are able to have three players on their roster that they didn’t have last season (when rosters were at 25). To begin the season, the Twins have heavily weighted their roster heavily towards pitchers, with pitchers using up 16 of the 28 roster spots. As of late, though, as pitchers have become more stretched out, the Twins haven’t utilized the glut of pitchers that they possess. Meanwhile, the Twins have been stretched thin in their position player depth. With Josh Donaldson out with injury and Luis Arráez hampered by a knee, Marwin Gonzalez and Ehire Adrianza have turned into everyday players. This has left the Twins bench with almost no infield depth, and only Jake Cave as depth in the outfield. On Wednesday afternoon, the Twins announced that they had made a trade for Diamondbacks utilityman, Ildemaro Vargas. As soon as Vargas clears his physical, he will join the Twins in Minneapolis and join the bench as infield depth. While the Vargas acquisition addresses the Twins’ need for infield depth, there is still depth to be had in the outfield. With Marwin González and Ehire Adrianza playing so much in the infield, Jake Cave is really the only outfield depth that the Twins have right now. By adding another outfielder to the roster in addition to adding Vargas in the infield, the Twins will still have 14 pitchers on the roster, as well as the appropriate amount of depth in the field to spare Kepler and Rosario an off day, as well as ensuring that the Twins don’t overdo it with Byron Buxton. Now that it’s been established that the Twins could utilize a call up from CHS Field to provide outfield depth, let’s look at three options for who that could be: Alex Kirilloff As the number two prospect in the Minnesota Twins organization, there is a lot of reason to be excited about Kirilloff. As Twins Daily writer Jeremy Nygaard put it in a recent Postgame Pint, “Kirilloff could get out of bed and hit .300 in the Major Leagues”. As a left handed hitter, Kirilloff isn’t quite as strong against lefties as he is righties, but he has more upside at the plate than any other Twins player in the farm system. Kirilloff did make a bit of a transition to first base in 2019, as he logged over 300 innings there in 2019, however most of his career he has played in the corner outfield and he should be a more than capable defender there. Kiriloff’s high ceiling and ability to play corner outfielder make him a viable option to be called up to the Big Leagues. His left handedness, though, makes him a it redundant with the likes of Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, and Jake Cave all being left handed as well (Happy Left Handers Day, by the way!) Trevor Larnach If you were to try to make a clone of Alex Kirilloff, he would like a whole lot like Trevor Larnach. Standing just 2 inches taller and 1 year older, Larnach shares a lot of the same traits as Kirilloff. Larnach has a similarly strong build and presents a lot of the same power that Kirilloff does. Blessed with better health in 2019, Larnach hit the cover off the ball at AA last season and won Minor League Player of the Year for the Twins. In calling up Larnach, the Twins would again gain someone who could give a huge spark to the Twins offense while being able to rest some of their key guys. However, similar to Kirilloff, Larnach’s left handedness doesn’t afford the Twins quite the same upside of a platoon advantage while giving one of their existing lefties an off-day. Brent Rooker Although Brent Rooker is the lowest ranked of the three prospects, there is an argument to be made that Rooker would make the most sense to be called up to the Major League Squad. Rooker might not have the upside that Kirilloff or Larnach have at the plate, but he can certainly rake at the plate and has experience at AAA that should allow for a quicker transition to Major League pitching. In 65 games at AAA in 2019, Rooker posted a .281 average with a sky-high OPS of .933. What Rooker has going for him most, though, is his right handedness. As was mentioned previously, the Twins don’t currently have a right handed corner outfielder on their bench. With his right handedness, Rooker would allow the Twins to rest Eddie Rosario or Max Kepler against lefties and play Brent Rooker in their place who wouldn’t present much of an offensive dropoff as he would instantly have a platoon advantage against a left handed pitcher. Brent Rooker might not be the caliber of prospect of Alex Kirilloff or Trevor Larnach, but given the current status of the Minnesota Twins roster, he might make the most sense to join the club. Which top prospect do you think the Minnesota Twins should call up to the Big Leagues? Or, do you not think the Twins need to call up any additional hitters? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

The beauty of baseball is that every day represents a new opportunity to reset and put the past in the past. After a tough loss on Tuesday night, the Minnesota Twins will get the opportunity on Wednesday to take the series against their border rivals and head into an off-day of much needed rest.YESTERDAY’S GAME RECAP MIL 6, MIN 4: Another Loss for Rogers, Additional Missed Opportunities for Offense Today: Minnesota @ Milwaukee, 6:10 PM CT Twins Starter: Kenta Maeda 2-1, 17 IP, 2.65 ERA, 0.65 WHIP Download attachment: maeda.png The Minnesota Twins will be trotting out the ever-steady Kenta Maeda for his 4th start of the young 2020 season. To this point, Maeda has been one of the two most reliable starting pitchers on the Twins staff. Thus far in the 2020 campaign, Maeda has a 2.65 ERA with a team-leading WHIP of 0.65 and a K% of 25.8, tops among all Twins’ starting pitchers. With a fastball that hovers around 92 MPH, Maeda doesn’t overpower hitters, but instead is adept at inducing weak contact and utilizing a slider that absolutely devastates right handed hitters. In his career, right handers own a .198 batting average against Maeda and in 2020 righties are hitting just .136. Outside of Christian Yelich, the Milwaukee Brewers are largely filled with right handed bats, which bodes well for Maeda and the Minnesota Twins. Brewers Starter: Eric Lauer 0-1, 5.2 IP, 9.53 ERA, 1.77 WHIP Download attachment: lauer.png Opposite Maeda, the Milwaukee Brewers will bring Eric Lauer out to the bump tonight to face off against the Minnesota Twins’ batters. Lauer is just 25 years old, making his big league debut in 2018 with the San Diego Padres. Eric Lauer was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers last November in the deal that sent Trent Grisham to San Diego. Lauer hasn’t had a ton of success in the majors up to this point, boasting a career ERA of 4.51 ERA. Lauer is a soft tossing, left handed pitcher who allows about 40% of hits to go for fly balls. The Minnesota Twins bats have yet to completely break out, but Lauer’s left handedness and fly ball propensity present a perfect opportunity for them to do so. Lineup: 2 Things to Watch For: 1. Garver and Sanó Breakout Game? Mitch Garver and Miguel Sanó have both had dreadful starts to the 2020 campaign, posting batting averages of .111 and .125 respectively. Twins fans have been anxiously waiting for them to breakout and it has yet to happen. With left handed pitcher, Eric Lauer, on the mound, though, this might be as good of an opportunity for the righties to breakout as there has been up to this point. In 2019 against left-handed pitching, Garver and Sanó posted OPS of 1.170 and 1.007 respectively. Will tonight be the night? 2. Can Maeda go 6 Innings? Download attachment: bullpen.png After burning through six of their best seven relievers last night, how Rocco utilizes his bullpen tonight will be something to monitor. Based on recent usage it would appear that Matt Wisler, Tyler Duffey, Trevor May, and Taylor Rogers are all unavailable. This leaves Romo and Stashak from your high-leverage guys, along with several of the lower leverage arms available to pitch. Getting at least 6 innings out of Kenta Maeda tonight will be huge as the Twins won’t want to turn to Cory Gearrin or Caleb Thielbar in a tight, high-leverage spot. Other Notes: The latest round of COVID-19 testing for the St. Louis Cardinals reportedly went well with no positive results, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. The Cardinals still have not played a game since they were swept by the Minnesota Twins on July 28 and 29. Their record stands at 2-3 on the season. They are slated to play next on Friday, August 14 against the Chicago White Sox.https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1293548759125819394?s=20 On Tuesday afternoon, Commissioner Rob Manfred laid down suspensions resulting from the benches clearing brawl in the Astros/Athletics game on August 9. Oakland outfielder, Ramon Laureano, received a six game suspension and Houston Astros hitting coach, Alex Cintron, received 20 for his actions in Sundays’ brawl. Writing for a Minnesota Twins website I don’t get much of a chance to talk about other teams in the Majors, but I want to take advantage of this opportunity to talk about my favorite non-Twins player in baseball right now, Fernando Tatis Jr. The 21-year old shortstop for the San Diego Padres is lighting up baseball right now with his .333 batting average, 8 home runs, and league-leading 1.7 fWAR. Tatis is the most exciting young player we have right now, and deserves all of the national attention that he’s getting. Whether it’s at the plate or in the field, Tatis has captivated the country with his elite play, exuberant personality, and love of the game of baseball. Around the AL Central: CWS 8, DET 4 CHC 7, CLE 1 CIN 6, KCR 5 MIN 11-7 (+23 run differential) DET 9-6 (0) CLE 10-8 (+16) CWS 9-9 (-3) KCR 7-11 (-6) Tomorrow’s game Off day See also: Tyler Duffey: The Bullpen Ace that Almost Got Away Paving a Path, Women in Baseball: Vanessa Lambert What are you watching for in tonight's game? What is your score prediction? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

The downward trend continued for the Twins Sunday in Kansas City, as the Royals scored four runs off José Berríos and the Minnesota lineup left seven men on base. The Twins have now lost four straight games, all of them at the hands of a couple of the worst teams in baseball.Box Score Berrios: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Berríos -.161, Gonzalez -.150, Sanó -.114 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: Winchart.png The first inning of Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Royals set the tone for what was another difficult day at the ballpark for the Minnesota Twins. Rather than racing out of the gates, the Twins started the top of the first inning in 1-2-3 fashion, the third straight game they have started in that manner. Kansas City followed that up with a tough bottom half of the inning where the Royals worked Berríos to the tune of 23 pitches, 3 hits and 2 runs. The Minnesota Twins got on the scoreboard themselves in the 3rd inning where they went single-walk-double with Buxton, Avila and Kepler to mount their first rally of the game. Following a RBI groundout by Polonco, the Twins managed to give Berríos some support and tie the game at 2. Berríos quickly gave the lead back to the Royals, though, when Kansas City pushed across another run in the 3rd with a sacrifice fly. After struggling his way through a 22-pitch inning in the 5th, Rocco Baldelli made the curious decision to bring out Berríos again for the 6th inning. The decision quickly backfired, as Berríos served up a 414 foot bomb to Royals’ third baseman, Maikel Franco, to increase their lead to 4-2, which ultimately ended up being the final score. Berríos Struggles Again After taking a step forward in his last start against Pittsburgh, today was another step back for the Twins pitcher as Berríos struggled through 5⅓ innings today. In total, Berríos threw 96 pitches (62 strikes), allowing 8 hits, 3 walks, and 4 earned runs, while striking out 4. Berríos never seemed in control of the game, as he allowed a runner to reach at least second base in every inning except for the bottom of the 2nd. In particular, Berríos struggled mightily with his fastball today, against which the Royals produced an average exit velocity of 96.7 MPH. His velocity on the pitch was between 93-95 MPH all day, but he wasn’t commanding it the way he wanted, which impacted his ability to use the rest of his arsenal. Berríos will get his next shot at revenge next weekend though, when he’ll be lined up to face the Royals at Target Field. Curious Decisions by Baldelli Aside from the peculiar decision to bring back José Berríos for the 6th inning, Baldelli once again made some head scratching decisions with his bullpen management. In what was just a 2 run game in the bottom of the 7th inning, Rocco opted to go with newly promoted Cory Gearrin. Gearrin managed to get out of the inning without surrendering a run, however he did have a runner get to 3rd base. What made the Gearrin move especially strange was that Baldelli had his full arsenal of bullpen arms at his disposal. Trevor May had only thrown 5 pitches in the past week, and Romo, Duffey and Rogers were all sporting multiple days of rest. Trusting Rocco is a must at this point, but his bullpen decisions as of late have certainly been eyebrow-raising. Bats Stay Quiet It was another tough day for the Minnesota Twins bats. After hitting multiple bombas on Saturday, Minnesota only hit one extra base hit today and didn’t get a runner past 1st base after the 5th inning. It was an abysmal series for Twins’ first baseman, Miguel Sanó, who went 0-for-4 today, and finished the 3-game set against the Royals 0-for-11 with 6 strikeouts. Sanó’s season-long batting average is now down to .111. Overall it was a tough end to a tough series for the Minnesota Twins, who are now sporting a 4-game losing streak against two of the worst teams in baseball. The Twins won’t have any time to drown in their sorrows, though, as their next series begins Monday night against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Twins will trot out the red-hot Randy Dobnak to try and stop the bleeding against a similarly hot Brewers pitcher in Adrian Houser. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Download attachment: Bullpen.png Click here to view the article

Despite racing out to a 10-3 record to begin the season, the Minnesota Twins have had some of their key players crawl out to a slow start. Many of these players will turn things around sooner rather than later, but for some there is real cause for concern.Luis Arráez .216/.286/.243 Reasons for concern: Luis Arráez practically came out of nowhere in 2019 to have one of the best rookie seasons in Minnesota Twins history. It’s possible that we saw the best of Arráez in 2019, and that he was able to sneak up on the league while being unscouted. Now entering his second season, pitchers have made adjustments and Arráez is struggling early to catch up. In 2019, Arráez thrived on fastballs, producing a .364 batting average against them. This season, pitchers are throwing Arráez less fastballs and more breaking balls, against which Arráez is hitting just .083. Additionally, Arráez hasn’t yet shown much improvement in the power department. After producing 3 hard hit balls (95+ MPH exit velocity) in a July 26 game against the Chicago White Sox, Arráez has only produced 5 hard hits since. Thus far in 2020, Arráez has only recorded a single extra base hit. Reasons for confidence: What made Arráez so special in 2019 was the plate discipline and maturity he showed as a 22-year old rookie. Thus far in 2020, Arráez has proven that his plate discipline was no fluke and that he knows the strike zone like the back of his hand. Thus far in the season, Arráez has lowered his chase rate from 2019 down to just 20% and is seeing more pitches per plate appearances than he did last year. Arráez has an xBA of .268 and a BABIP of .229 showing that he has largely been unlucky this season. Worry-o-meter: 2/10 Miguel Sanó .147/.171/.471 Reasons for concern: Death, taxes, and Miguel Sanó mired in another strikeout-filled slump. To start the 2020 season, Sanó is batting 4-for-30, with 2 of those hits being from his 2-homer game against Cleveland over the weekend. What has been especially concerning for Sanó, as usual for him, are the strikeout numbers. To begin the 2020 season, Sanó is striking out 48% of the time with a sky-high whiff % of 50%. What has been the most concerning for Sanó is the fact that he is not chasing pitches more than usual, but that he is whiffing more on pitches in the zone. Thus far, Sanó has a zone contact % of just 64.2% (Career average is 73.2%). Right now pitchers are throwing Sanó hittable pitches and he is just swinging right through them. Reasons for confidence: Miguel Sanó has shown in the past that he can break out of slumps in a big way. During a stretch from mid-to-late June of 2019, Miguel Sanó suffered an extreme 3-for-39 slump with 23 strikeouts. In the middle of the slump, it was identified that Sanó had been tinkering with his swing and was re-learning his swing on the fly. Sanó turned around his season and had a career year as a result. After Sanó’s 2-homer game on Saturday, Sanó commented that he has again been tinkering with his swing and working on his hand positioning which has contributed to his slump to begin the year. Over his past 5 games, Sanó has hit 3 home runs and a double and appears to be turning the corner. Worry-o-meter: 2/10 Byron Buxton .174/.200/.348 Reasons for concern: Byron Buxton has been awful to begin the 2020 season. He has produced only one hit, a single through the infield, and has struck out 6 times in 16 plate appearances. Thus far in the season, Buxton is chasing out of the zone more than ever (43.8%) and has more swinging strikes than ever (17.4%). Buxton has generally seemed pretty lost at the plate thus far and has not yet built off of his strong 2019 season before his shoulder injury. Additionally, Buxton’s foot will be a concern this season until he proves it’s not an issue. Byron has been consistent saying his foot is not yet 100% so, as is usually the case, health will always be a concern for the speedy center fielder. Reasons for confidence: Byron Buxton suffered mightily by his extremely short Summer Camp. Buxton came into camp late this Summer after welcoming the birth of his child, and then exited camp early after his ankle injury in an intrasquad game. As a result, Buxton is very much gaining back his timing and feel at the plate in real time. The fact that he has struggled is no surprise and should be expected given his offseason timeline. Despite his plate discipline struggles, Buxton has shown some positives at the plate. In limited plate appearances, Buxton has produced an average exit velocity of 89 MPH, topping out at 109.7 MPH. In Thursday afternoon's game, Buxton finally broke through with a solo home run, and came about 5 feet short from hitting a second. Buxton has been gaining more playing time over the past week, and should get more comfortable at the plate in the coming games as a result. Will Thursday's showing catapult Buxton back to how he began 2019? Or will poor plate discipline hold him back all season? Worry-o-meter: 4/10 Mitch Garver .143/.296/.286 Reasons for concern: Twins Daily’s Cody Christie wrote up a great piece earlier this week on Mitch Garver’s struggles to begin the 2020 season. In it, Cody brought up that pitchers have adjusted against Garver and are throwing him less fastballs. In 2019, Garver slugged .838 against the fastball, hitting 25 of his 31 home runs off that pitch. As was mentioned with Luis Arráez, pitchers adjusting against post-breakout players is always something of concern. The other concern for Garver is his high strikeout rate (38.7%) to begin the season. Garver’s zone contact % is down nearly 10% from his numbers last year, meaning he is swinging through pitches in the zone. As a catcher, Garver will only be playing in 60-70% of games as it is, so if he is not taking advantage of the more limited opportunities that he gets, much of his value is taken away and there is some reason for concern. Another reason for concern for Garver is that he was a late bloomer. Garver waited until he was 28 years old to break out, so the potential is there that 2019 was an outlier season. Reasons for confidence: Garver’s plate discipline and knowledge of the strike zone has again been elite to begin the 2020 season. Garver’s chase rate (9.2%) is lower than it’s ever been in his career and he is walking at a higher clip than he ever has before. Additionally, Garver has been seeing more pitches per plate appearances (5.07) than he ever has in his career. If Garver can continue to stay patient and work himself into fastball counts, there is plenty of reason to believe that he can break out of his slow start. There is some reason to believe that Garver has already started to do so, as on Sunday Garver belted a home run off of Cleveland’s Aaron Civale 412 feet at 102.2 MPH. Worry-o-meter: 5/10 Josh Donaldson .182/.296/.318 Reasons for concern: As the crown jewel of the offseason for the Minnesota Twins, nobody could have predicted the start that we have seen from Josh Donaldson. Donaldson has been chasing, whiffing and striking out more than has ever done so in his career. Further, bad luck can’t even necessarily be contributed to his slow start as his expected batting average of .146 shows that his numbers should be even worse than they are right now. The biggest concern with Josh Donaldson, though, is his calf injury. Josh Donaldson has struggled his entire career with calf injuries, missing long parts of multiple seasons due to calf injuries in the past. Will this be another case of a calf injury that contributes to a lost season for Donaldson? Rocco Baldelli has been consistent in saying that the injury is minor, but with something that has hampered him so much in the past, there’s certainly reason to have concern. Reasons for confidence: Josh Donaldson has notoriously been a slow starter in his baseball career. In 2019, Donaldson posted an OPS 100 points higher in the second half of the season compared to the first. Despite the lower contact % to begin the season, when Donaldson has made contact, he has gotten good wood on the ball. Through the early part of the season, Donaldson is in the 85th percentile in exit velocity and 83rd percentile in hard hit percentage. While the calf injury does present concern, it’s easy to see why the Twins would be taking extra precaution with the Bringer of Rain in a season with expanded playoffs. Worry-o-meter: 6/10 Which struggling Minnesota Twins hitter are you most concerned about? Most confident in? What does your "Worry-o-meter" read on each of these players? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

I like this article concept. Nice work. Rich Hill's quote is certainly the most exciting for Twins fans!

There was much talk this offseason about the value of Eddie Rosario. While he brings power and spark to the Twins ballclub, his lack of plate discipline has always held him back from reaching his ceiling as a ballplayer. After showing a desire to improve in this area over the offseason, what do early returns show us of Rosario’s plate discipline in 2020?Up to this point in his career, Eddie Rosario has taken a lot of flack for being a free-swinger who bails out pitchers by swinging at pitches out of the zone. He would frequently find himself in pitcher’s counts, and consistently kill rallies by popping up the first pitch of an at-bat after the players in front of him would grind out long ones. In 2019, Eddie Rosario finished last on the Minnesota Twins after he saw just 3.51 pitches per plate appearance. By comparison, more patient hitters like Mitch Garver and Nelson Cruz saw 4.17 and 4.11 pitches per plate appearance respectively. Additionally in 2019, Rosario led the Twins in 1st pitch swing % (42.1%) as well as O-Swing% (46.3% of swings at pitches outside of the strike zone). It became clear this offseason that his aggressiveness and free-swinging nature was something that Rosario wanted to work on. In a radio interview at Twins Fest, Rosario had a lot to say on the work that he was doing with his plate discipline. “Every bad number? I want to try to get better at it”, Rosario said. “Defense, walks, OPS, those are the numbers in the game right now that are bad for me. OK. I want to try to change that. That’s it.” Eddie continued on later in the interview to say, “I love being aggressive, but I love to help the team”. Manager Rocco Baldelli and new hitting coach Edgar Varela had surely been in Eddie’s ear this offseason, showing him the numbers, and how a little plate discipline could unlock a whole new part of Rosie’s game. Early returns have given some reason for optimism that Eddie has made strides in the plate discipline mark. In Eddie’s first at bat of the 2020 season, Rosario took a 5 pitch walk off of White Sox ace, Lucas Giolito. Up to that point, Giolito had proven that his command was a bit off. He already had walked Josh Donaldson three batters before him and in general seemed frazzled after a rocky start. Rosario stayed disciplined and took all five pitches in the at-bat, laid off pitches outside the zone, and took a walk. One would have expected an aggressive Eddie to jump out of the gates swinging, but that wasn’t the case. Sure it’s just one walk, but that walk seemed to be a good representation of a potential new mindset for Eddie this season. While that initial walk signaled a potential new mindset for Rosario, his numbers through the first five games of the season have borne out improved plate discipline for the Twins right fielder. Rosario has thus far shown improved numbers in pitches per plate appearance, first pitch strike %, O-Swing% and Chase %. Even just by the eye test, Eddie has appeared to show more restraint earlier in counts and has appeared to have a desire to take pitchers deeper in counts. Download attachment: rosario.png While the early numbers do show improved plate discipline for Rosario, small sample size is always the name of the game when we are tossing around stats through five games in a season. There is reason to believe that Eddie’s plate discipline numbers above might not tell the whole story. Eddie has only taken two unintentional walks, and his O-Swing% isn’t too far off of his career numbers. Rosario became a very controversial figure withinTwins circles this offseason. Debates swirled regarding the importance of plate discipline and just how much Rosie's lack of that discipline could take away from his overall value as a hitter. For that reason, it will be important to keep a close eye on these numbers all season as the sample size grows larger and larger. Has Rosario done what he vowed to do at Twins Fest and sacrificed some aggressiveness in favor of helping the team? Or is regression in order, and Eddie will wind up just being the same ole’ Eddie? Only time will tell. What have been your first impression of Eddie Rosario this season? Do you think that he has demonstrated improved plate discipline? What will be the biggest key to Rosario being more disciplined this year? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! Click here to view the article

There were plenty of positives to take away from the Twins’ opening series against the Chicago White Sox, from which Minnesota took two out of three games. Unfortunately for the Twins though, the three game series birthed a nemesis who figures to haunt the Twins for years to come.For years, the Minnesota Twins were haunted by Detroit Tigers corner infielder, Miguel Cabrera. Over his career, Miguel has posted a .313 batting average with an OPS of .944 against the Minnesota Twins. Cabrera seemed to put that fear of God into you that comes from truly the best players. He gave you that awful feeling where every time he stepped up to the plate you just knew that he was going to rip your soul out of your chest. Fortunately for the Twins, Miggy has reached the point where he is past his prime, and Twins fans can finally breathe a little easier when he steps up to the plate. But just when the Twins thought they had gotten past that “fear of God”-type player in the AL Central with Miguel Cabrera, a new nemesis entered the fold over the weekend, and this one has two first names. Luis Robert came into the 2020 season as one of the most highly touted prospects we have had in a while. Robert is a classic 5-tool center fielder who can hit, run, and defend. Standing 6-foot-2 at 210 pounds, Robert entered the season already looking like a seasoned Major Leaguer, despite being only 22 years old. The Chicago White Sox were so confident in Robert’s skills that they signed him to a massive 6-year, $50M contract before he had even played an inning in the big leagues. We have plenty of history, though, of highly touted prospects who have flamed out upon entering the Majors. Recent American League names like Tim Beckham and Dustin Ackley have shown that just because you are highly touted doesn’t mean that it will translate to Major League success. How Robert looked in the opening series against the Minnesota Twins would be telling for just how dominant he could be for the Sox in the years to come. Robert filled up the stat sheet in his opening series with the Chicago White Sox. In 12 plate appearances against the Minnesota Twins, Robert went 4-for-11 (.364) with a walk, a double, and a towering 419-foot home run. Robert recorded a hit in each game of the three-game series and looked every bit the part of a top prospect. When digging into the advanced numbers though, Robert’s 2020 series debut gets even more impressive. In Luis Robert’s first major league at-bat, Robert recorded a single. While a single doesn’t seem to be too impressive, the hit was recorded with an exit velocity of 115.8 MPH, registering as a barrel. In 2019, only 18 different batters recorded a hit of at least 115.8 MPH. Robert reached that milestone on his very first hit in the Majors. Below is the 115.8 MPH laser: Fast forward to the 8th inning of the same game, when Robert recorded his second career hit, a double off of Twins’ reliever, Cody Stashak. Robert took a high fastball to the opposite field with an exit velocity of 103.5, showing more big-boy power. Two days later in the series finale, Luis Robert recorded his first home run as a Major Leaguer. Robert took a first pitch changeup off of Kenta Maeda and launched it 419 feet into the center field bleachers of Guaranteed Rate Field. Robert’s first homer was recorded as a barrel with an exit velocity of 111.4 MPH. Over the first five games of his career, Robert owns an average exit velocity of 93.9 MPH, with a 62.5 hard hit % and 2 barrels. While every article quoting stats through three games needs to be prefaced with “extremely, extremely small sample”, it only took three games for Luis Robert to flash his potential as an all-world hitter and put a knot in the stomach of Twins pitchers for years to come. The Chicago White Sox have oodles of young potential, and while they may or not put it all together in the 2020 season, it’s apparent that they will be a force for years to come. That begins and ends with Luis Robert. What were your first impressions of Luis Robert? How scared are you to have to face him in the AL Central for the next 6+ seasons? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Lol, number 5 was my favorite! Nice piece!

The very first pitch of the 2020 season was hit for a bomba. How appropriate is that? Max Kepler homered in both the first and second innings, and the Twins managed to fend off a comeback attempt by the White Sox.Box Score Berríos: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K Home Runs: Kepler 2 Top 3 WPA: Polanco .222, Cave .127, Kepler .089 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: Winchart.png There was some worry that it would take a while for hitters to gain their timing and catch up to pitchers this season after an abbreviated Summer Camp. The Minnesota Twins proved that wasn’t the case as the bats picked up right where they left off in 2019, to the tune of 10 runs on 11 hits under the lights of Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. Getting the hit parade going was Max Kepler, who took Lucas Giolito deep in each of the first two innings. Kepler became the first player in Minnesota Twins history to hit a home run in each of his first two at-bats of the season (Stat courtesy of @morsecode). In addition to Max’s home runs, the Twins got RBIs courtesy of a Mitch Garver sacrifice fly and Jake Cave single to get out to an early 5-1 lead after 2 innings. Minnesota’s lead didn’t last long, though, as Jose Berrios quickly found himself in trouble and allowed the White Sox to tie the game in the bottom of the second on a passed ball and a three-run home run by Yoan Moncada that made it 5-5. After forcing his pitch count high early, the Twins knocked Lucas Giolito out of the game after just 3.2 innings. The Twins were then able to take advantage of the White Sox bullpen, pushing across 2 runs in the 4th inning and 3 runs in the 7th, to get the Twins to double digit runs, a feat they accomplished 22 times in 2019. Aside from the two home runs from Kepler, the story for the Minnesota Twins bats in tonight’s opener was their timely hitting. On three separate occasions, the Twins produced a 2-out, 2-run hit. Jake Cave in the 1st, Jorge Polanco in the 4th and Luis Arraez in the 7th each came through in the clutch. Some additional notes: Jose Berrios Struggles Hopes were extremely high for Jose Berrios heading into the 2020 season, entering the prime of his career. While he still has time to become the ace that Twins fans have been hoping for, his first impression in the new decade wasn’t the best one. Berrios pitched just 4 innings, allowed five runs, and only struck out one batter. Berrios had his fastball velocity up early, hitting 96 and 97 MPH in the first two innings, but was unable to have much success with the pitch all night, allowing an average exit velocity of 92.8 MPH off of his curveball from Chicago’s hitters. Berrios was able to get through clean innings in the 3rd and 4th before turning the game over to the bullpen, but was repeatedly unable to put away hitters, generating just one strikeout all night. In 2019, Berrios never had an appearance where he recorded less than two strikeouts. Bullpen Looks Dominant Fortunately for Berrios, the Minnesota Twins bullpen was exceptional on Friday night. After receiving the ball in the fifth inning, the Twins relievers combined to throw 5 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out 7. Trevor May was the first reliever called into action, and he quickly showed just how dominating he can be, flashing a fastball that was consistently hitting the upper 90s. Following May, the Twins got their first look at Tyler Clippard who induced weak contact to quickly work his way through an inning of work. Shutting the door for the Twins were Tyler Duffey and Cody Stashak. Stashak in particular looked really impressive, generating 6 swinging strikes, 3 strikeouts, and improving his career K/BB ratio to 28. Josh Donaldson Debuts One of the cruelest parts of the baseball shut down for Minnesota Twins fans was that it delayed the debut of the biggest free-agent acquisition in club history, Josh Donaldson. Josh didn’t make any headlines tonight, but it was easy to see his impact nonetheless. In five plate appearances, Donaldson saw 20 pitches and drew 2 walks. He put together the kind of great at bats you look for in a number 2 hitter, and showed that he can impact the game even when he isn’t crushing the ball. Luis Arraez: Still Good Arguably the game MVP, Luis Arraez was extraordinarily impressive for the Minnesota Twins. Out of the number 9 spot in the lineup, Arraez was 2-for-4 with an absolutely massive 2-run, 2-out hit 7th inning. Facing the lefty Aaron Bummer, Arraez put together a classic Luis Arraez at bat, and smacked a 2-2 single into right field to bring in 2 runs and all but clinch a Twins victory. Additionally, Arraez looked really solid at second place, making a few different plays and taking away some would-be singles up the middle. Game Presentation As the first regular season game back after a 9-month hiatus, playing in front of a fan-less stadium, tonight’s game was going to be weird. The Fox Sports North crew, though, did an exceptional job putting together an extraordinary game presentation that made the game feel as normal as possible given the circumstances. It took the broadcast showing a visual of Dick Bremer and Justin Morenau announcing the game from Target Field to remember that the broadcasting duo wasn’t calling the game from Chicago. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Download attachment: Screenshot 2020-07-24 at 10.48.51 PM.png Postgame Pint After the game, Tom, Seth, John and Matthew Trueblood discussed the game and our most encouraging and discouraging developments. It's something we're trying after most games this season, so join us for our next one and check out last night's discussion below. You can also download a podcast of it here. Click here to view the article

I'll answer your question of the day with probably the most obvious answer, Nelson Cruz

Projected WAR didn't play much of a role in how I determined the teams. Just to give an idea of how Fangraphs sees each player this year. 3rd base was definitely the toughest spot to pick a "winner" and a "runner-up". Ramirez definitely could have been the starter, runner-up or 3rd place and I wouldn't have a quibble. Moncada is definitely in the same tier though. His statcast numbers and upward trajectory point to him being a superstar in this league very, very soon. Mondesi is a solid player, but needs to prove that he can stay healthy before being considered for this list. Same with Rich Hill.

Each year in college football, conferences release their “All-Conference” teams, assigning the best player at each position a spot on the team. On the eve of Opening Day for the Minnesota Twins, let’s do the same for the American League Central and see who figures to be the best of the best.For the All-American League Central team, we will form as close as we can to an actual starting baseball lineup. There will be 8 position players, 1 DH, 5 starting pitchers, and 5 relief pitchers. The spots will be awarded based on who figures to be the best player at each position in the 2020 season. Let’s get to it. Catcher: Yasmani Grandal - Chicago White Sox 2019: .246/.380/.468 | 5.2 fWAR2020 projected (via Fangraphs’ ZiPS): .235/.357/.440 | 1.8 fWARAlso Considered: Mitch Garver - Minnesota Twins While the Chicago White Sox made plenty of splashy moves this offseason, none was more impactful than adding Milwaukee’s Yasmani Grandal. Grandal has long been a star catcher in this league but has yet to receive the national recognition that he deserves. Thanks to his splendid work behind the plate as well as his propensity to always get on base, Grandal has amassed more than 4 fWAR in each of the past 5 seasons. The other part of Grandal’s game that makes him so valuable is his durability. Grandal has caught at least 115 games in each of the past four seasons. Mitch Garver broke out last season and showed that he has the bat skills to be the best catcher in the American League Central (or MLB). If Garver can sustain anywhere near that level of play at the plate in 2020, he will surely be on this “All-AL Central” team by season's end. First Base: Miguel Sanó - Minnesota Twins 2019: .247/.346/.576 | 2.7 fWAR2020 projected: .239/.335/.548 | 1.0 fWARAlso Considered: Carlos Santana - Cleveland Indians Miguel Sanó finally became the player in 2019 that Twins fans had been hoping he would become since joining the big league club in 2015. Not only did Sanó produce eye-popping counting stats like 34 home runs, but his peripheral numbers back them up as he finished 2nd in the Majors in exit velocity and hard hit %. How he adjusts to playing a new position will be something to monitor in 2020, but early returns have shown promise and he has all the tools to be a serviceable first baseman. Now that he is starting the season healthy and heading into the prime years of his career, Sanó has earned a spot at first base on the “All-AL Central” team. Carlos Santana had the best year of his career in 2019, amassing a .911 OPS and making the first all-star game of his career. Santana was average in the field, and figures to have another impactful year heading into his age 34 season. Second Base: Luis Arráez - Minnesota Twins 2019: .334/.399/.439 | 2.1 fWAR2020 projected: .309/.370/.403 | 1.1 fWARAlso Considered: Nick Madrigal - Chicago White Sox Heading into last season, Luis Arráez was the 15th ranked prospect in the Minnesota Twins’ system, preparing for a season with the AA Blue Wahoos. Fast forward 12 months and Arráez finds himself as the best second baseman in the American League Central. What happened? Arráez went out and hit .334 in 92 games with the Minnesota Twins, showing maturity, patients, and elite bat-to-ball skills. Arráez showed everything you look for in a top of the lineup bat, and figures to build on his outstanding 2019 in the 2020 season. The other player who was considered for the second base spot is another young stud with elite bat-to-ball skills in Chicago’s Nick Madrigal. Madrigal won’t start the season with the White Sox, but should be called up within the first handful of games and make an impact. In 532 plate appearances in the minors in 2019, Madrigal posted a .377 OBP with just 16 strikeouts. Shortstop: Francisco Lindor - Cleveland Indians 2019: .284/.335/.518 | 4.4 fWAR2020 projected: .288/.351/.525 | 2.3 fWARAlso Considered: Jorge Polanco - Minnesota Twins The 2019 season was just another year at the office for Francisco Lindor who casually put up his 5th straight 4+ fWAR season and 3rd straight season with an OPS north of .840. Lindor has been as consistent a presence at the shortstop position as possible for the Cleveland Indians since breaking into the MLB in 2015. Whether its at the plate or with the glove, Lindor does it all. The thing to watch with Lindor in 2020 won’t be whether or not he can produce at the plate, but whether or not the Indians hang onto the superstar shortstop through the season. Also considered for this position was Minnesota’s Jorge Polanco. Polanco got off to a hot start in the 2019 season, posting a .882 OPS and starting the all-star game for the American League. Although he cooled off a bit during the second half of the season (.788 OPS), Polanco provides elite value from the shortstop position and at just 27 years old will be a presence in the 6 hole for the Twins for a long time. Third Base: Josh Donaldson - Minnesota Twins 2019: .259/.379/.521 | 4.9 fWAR2020 projected: .253/.375/.488 | 1.5 fWARAlso Considered: Yoan Moncada - Chicago White Sox Moncada edged Donaldson in fWAR with the 5.7 wins above replacement that he contributed last season, but peripherals and defense give the Bringer of Rain the edge over Moncada on the “All-AL Central” team. In 2019, Moncada recorded the second highest BABIP in the expansion era with a .406 batting average on balls in play. While Moncada is a great young player, history will tell us that’s not sustainable. In 2019, Josh Donaldson finished 8th in the Majors with an average exit velocity at the plate of 92.9 and finished 3rd among all 3rd baseman at the hot corner with 9 outs above average. Donaldson is heading into his age-34 season, but has the all-around game to remain an elite player at 3rd base. Outfield: Max Kepler - Minnesota Twins 2019: .252/.336/.519 | 4.4 fWAR2020 projected: .254/.337/.488 | 1.2 fWARKepler was outstanding with the Minnesota Twins in the season following his contract extension. Kepler was able to add elevation to his swings and it paid dividends with his 36 home runs. Kepler is just entering his prime at 27 years old and if he continues on his current trajectory could wreak havoc on the American League Central this season. Outfield: Eloy Jiménez - Chicago White Sox 2019: .267/.315/.513 | 1.9 fWAR2020 projected: .281/.329/.532 | 2.2 fWARAfter struggling his way through the first few months of the 2019 season, Eloy Jiménez caught fire down the stretch of the season. From August 1 through the end of the season, the rookie posted a .917 OPS with 14 HR in 52 games. The talented outfielder should only build on those numbers in 2020 and earns a spot on the “All-AL Central” team. Outfield: Luis Robert - Chicago White Sox 2019:2020 projected: .263/.307/.509 | 2.1 fWARHe may not be the “best player on the planet” like some have crowned him already, but Luis Robert is really, really good. From his minor league numbers in 2019 (1.001 OPS in 122 games), to his incredible first impressions in Summer Camp, there is so much to like about the rookie for the 2020 season. Robert is the type of 5-tool prospect that doesn’t come around too often. While it might seem a bit hasty, Robert has all the tools on offense and defense to be an outstanding player out of the gate, and deserves a spot on the All-AL Central team. Also Considered: Whit Merrifield - Kansas City Royals Designated Hitter: Nelson Cruz - Minnesota Twins 2019: .311/.392/.639 | 4.3 fWAR2020 projected: .272/.353/.542 | 2.2 fWARAlso Considered: Jorge Soler - Kansas City Royals So much has been written about the season that Nelson Cruz had in 2019 and how he projects in 2020, that it didn’t even require a second thought to make Cruz the designated hitter on this team. Cruz led baseball in Brls/PA% and eclipsed the 1000 mark in OPS. Soler is no slouch as he casually led the American League in home runs in 2019, but as long as Cruz is still producing like the best hitter in baseball, he’s the best DH in this division. SP: Shane Bieber - Cleveland Indians 2019: 3.28 ERA | 10.88 K/9 | 5.6 fWAR2020 projected: 3.63 ERA | 9.88 K/9 | 1.8 fWARSP: Lucas Giolito - Chicago White Sox2019: 3.41 ERA | 11.62 K/9 | 5.1 fWAR2020 projected: 3.18 ERA | 12.05 K/9 | 1.9 fWARSP: Mike Clevinger - Cleveland Indians2019: 2.71 ERA | 12.07 K/9 | 4.5 fWAR2020 projected: 3.67 ERA | 10.83 K/9 | 1.2 fWARSP: Jose Berrios - Minnesota Twins2019: 3.68 ERA | 8.76 K/9 | 4.4 fWAR2020 projected: 4.24 ERA | 9.13 K/9 | 1.3 fWARSP: Jake Odorizzi - Minnesota Twins2019: 3.51 ERA | 10.08 K/9 | 4.3 fWAR2020 projected: 4.09 ERA | 9.65 K/9 | 1.1 fWARAlso Considered: Rich Hill - Minnesota Twins The American League might just have the best high end pitching talent in all of baseball with four potential, future aces under the age of 30 in Bieber, Giolito, Clevinger and Berrios. Any of these four pitchers could put it all together in 2020 and become one of baseball’s true aces, but all of them will be key contributors to their clubs in 2020. While the first four pitchers in the “All-AL Central” rotation were easy, the final spot was truly a toss-up between a bunch of pitchers. Carlos Carrasco, Kenta Maeda or Rich Hill could have earned this spot, but in the end Jake Odorizzi nabbed the final spot in the rotation. Odorizzi was arguably the best pitcher on the Minnesota Twins from start to finish for the 2019 season, and in a contract season has all the motivation in the world to be great in 2020. Although Odorizzi’s back injury does present some concerns, the Twins are hopeful that he will only miss one run through the rotation and be ready to go in 2020. RP: Taylor Rogers - Minnesota Twins 2019: 2.61 ERA | 11.74 K/9 | 2.1 fWAR2020 projected: 3.24 ERA | 10.44 K/9 | 0.5 fWARRP: Brad Hand - Cleveland Indians2019: 3.30 ERA | 13.19 K/9 | 1.6 fWAR2020 projected: 3.38 ERA | 12.38 K/9 | 0.4 fWARRP: Aaron Bummer - Chicago White Sox2019: 2.13 ERA | 7.98 K/9 | 1.3 fWAR2020 projected: 3.81 ERA | 8.31 K/9 | 0.2 fWARRP: Tyler Duffey - Minnesota Twins2019: 2.50 ERA | 12.80 K/9 | 1.2 fWAR2020 projected: 4.15 ERA | 10.73 K/9 | 0.3 fWARRP: Alex Colomé - Chicago White Sox2019: 2.80 ERA | 8.11 K/9 | 0.6 fWAR2020 projected: 4.09 ERA | 8.59 K/9 | 0.1 fWARAlso Considered: Trevor May - Minnesota Twins Relief pitchers tend to be pretty volatile, but this class has separated themselves as the upper tier of relief pitchers in the American League Central. Taylor Rogers and Brad Hand as the elite closers of the division, Aaron Bummer and Tyler Duffey each had outstanding 2019 seasons with sub-2.50 ERAs, and Alex Colomé posted his fourth season in his 8-year career with an ERA under 3. Trevor May will be knocking at the door to be on this list by the end of the season with his upper-90s fastball, but for now this list is the top tier of relievers in this division. From the 19 spots on our All-AL Central Team here is how many players each team in the AL Central contributed: Minnesota Twins - 9Chicago White Sox - 6Cleveland Indians - 4Kansas City Royals - 0Detroit Tigers - 0Who would make your All-AL Central team? Which players were left off the list? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Tonight's lineup:

Great idea. See you there!

Just registered. Looking forward to learning!

The Twins definitely view Duran as a long-term starting pitching option for them. That's not to say that he couldn't get called up as a reliever for part of this season, but they want him to be a starter for sure.

For the Minnesota Twins in 2019, only two of their seven opening day relief pitchers finished the season in the Twins’ bullpen. Each year the Twins rely on depth from within the organization to fill holes in their bullpen, and 2020 will be no different.By nature, baseball bullpens are extremely volatile. This comes from the randomness that results from one inning appearances as well as the fact that relievers typically aren’t as talented as their starting pitcher counterparts. Bullpen rosters ebb and flow every season, and without a doubt the Twins will need to rely on pitchers down the organization In April last season, Tyler Duffey and Zack Littell were in AAA while Cody Stashak was in Pensacola with the AA affiliate. None of these pitchers were in the Twins’ bullpen plans for 2019, but each of them played crucial roles with the Major League squad down the stretch and even made playoff appearances. Whether by injury or poor performance, the Twins needed to dig into their organizational depth and ended up finding some gems as a result. With the inevitable call ups and bullpen re-shuffling that will come, especially in a compressed season, who will be this year’s Tyler Duffey, Zack Littell or Cody Stashak? Let’s look at the top candidates: Caleb Theilbar While he hasn’t played Major League ball since he was designated for assignment by Minnesota in 2015, Thielbar has put up great numbers at each stop he has made since leaving the Twins. After dominating the Independent League with the St. Paul Saints in 2016 and 2017, Thielbar has put together back-to-back quality seasons with the Detroit Tigers organization. In 2019, Thielbar pitched 76 1/3 innings for the Tigers’ AAA affiliate, posting a 3.30 ERA with a 10.8 K/9. The Northfield native is 33-years-old, but if given a chance to return to the Majors once again could be a contributor for the Twins in 2020. Jorge Alcala The Minnesota Twins traded away an excellent relief pitcher when they dealt Ryan Pressley to the Houston Astros, but they may have gotten a really good pitcher in return with Jorge Alcala. As a starting pitcher, Alcala has not shown the control or consistency you’re looking for, but with the nasty stuff he possesses, he still has what it takes to be a potentially dominant reliever one day. With a fastball that can get into the upper-90s, Alcala has flamethrower setup-man potential, and if given the chance could make a name for himself in the Twins bullpen this season. Sean Poppen Another guy who came up through the organization as a starting pitcher, the bullpen may also be where Poppen eventually finds his place on the Minnesota Twins’ roster. While his 3.84 ERA across 61 innings in AAA in 2019 were impressive, what sticks out most with Sean Poppen are his strikeout numbers. Across his three seasons in the Twins’ organization, Poppen has consistently posted a K% north of 25, and has the stuff to miss bats consistently in the big leagues with his sharp fastball and slider. As stated by Twins Daily’s Seth Stohs, “If (Poppen) is able to tunnel his pitches at all, the combination of (his fastball and slider) could be a nightmare for opposing hitters. Don’t be surprised at all to see Poppen get a bullpen shot this year. Edwar Colina Although he’s just 23-years-old, Colina has impressed more in a short period of time than just about any other prospect in the Minnesota Twins organization. Last season, Colina dominated his way through A+ and AA ball and worked his way up to AAA. Colina has a plus-fastball and plus-slider and has the demeanor of a pitcher that isn’t afraid of any moment. While nominally a starting-pitcher prospect, could Colina get a call up in 2020 and grab hold of a bullpen spot like Zack Littell did last season? Absolutely. Which of the four guys above do you think has the best chance to be this year's Zack Littell or Cody Stashak? Or do you think it will be somebody not listed? Leave a comment below and start the conversation? MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article