Lucas Seehafer PT

The New York Mets are officially an entity of the Steve Cohen empire and the hedge fund magnate wasted no time cleaning house, bringing back Sandy Alderson to run the front office and relieving the divisive Brodie Van Wagenen of his general managing duties. The Mets are looking to return to the top of the National League and arguably their best opportunity to do so is by leaning heavily on their new owner’s deep, velvety pockets (I assume that all pockets of billionaires are lined with velvet anyway).The New York Mets are officially an entity of the Steve Cohen empire and the hedge fund magnate wasted no time cleaning house, bringing back Sandy Alderson to run the front office and relieving the divisive Brodie Van Wagenen of his general managing duties. The Mets are looking to return to the top of the National League and arguably their best opportunity to do so is by leaning heavily on their new owner’s deep, velvety pockets (I assume that all pockets of billionaires are lined with velvet anyway). New York is coming off a disappointing 26-34 season that saw them finish fourth in the NL East and three games clear of the final Wild Card spot. No single Met performed particularly well on the season - that is besides perennial Cy Young candidate Jacob DeGrom and outfielder Michael Conforto - and the team was without starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard for the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Cohen will give the greenlight to any move - through free agency or trade - that will result in the Mets contending next season; one may even go so far as to say that it is likely. Should that be the case, there is a real argument to be made that the Minnesota Twins should be one of the first teams reaching out to Alderson and the Mets’ new GM...whoever that may eventually be. New York doesn’t have a remarkably deep farm system - only three prospects rank in the top 100 according to MLB.com - though they do possess a number of team-controlled, young players already with the major league club that may be of interest to the Twins. One such name is Amed Rosario. Rosario debuted for the Mets in 2017 at the ripe old age of 21-years-young and is a former high-level prospect. He has primarily appeared at shortstop across the 400 or so games of his career, but also has appeared in the outfield. (The Mets are reportedly considering moving him to centerfield next season.) Rosario possesses a strong arm and quick feet, making him viable at shortstop or in the outfield long-term. When compared to current Twins’ shortstop Jorge Polanco, Rosario grades out similarly in UZR and defensive runs saved, while performing slightly better in outs above average. (TL;DR: Neither are future Gold Glove candidates, by any means, but they’re both serviceable shortstops at worst.) On offense, Rosario isn’t anything to write home about as he will provide an OPS and wRC+ that trends toward league average, which is roughly similar to if not better than former utility man Marwin Gonzalez. However, his young age and solid hit tool allows for some projectability. Where Rosario could be of value for the Twins is if they miss out on signing the likes of Swiss Army knife Kike Hernandez or wish to spend their money at a different position; he isn’t arbitration eligible until 2022 and has two minor league options remaining. In all, Rosario would provide defense akin to Polanco and offense akin to Gonzalez, but at a much cheaper price than either of the two or Hernandez. He shouldn’t be the Twins’ top priority this offseason, but he’d be a respectable consolation prize, especially if he can be had for reasonable capital. Another name that should be on the Twins’ radar is David Peterson. Peterson is a former first-round draft pick for the Mets who made his major league debut this past season. Despite coming in at 6’6”, 240 lbs, the left hander ranked in the 35th percentile in fastball velocity and the 26th percentile in K% during the 2020 season. However, he possesses two skills that Twins’ pitching coach Wes Johnson loves: he doesn’t get hit hard and his slider is dominant. Only 3.6% of batted balls off Peterson in 2020 were categorized as Solid, according to Baseball Savant, while 5.8% were categorized as Weak, which was better than the MLB averages of 5.6% and 3.2%, respectively. Additionally, Peterson’s hard hit percentage (70th percentile) and exit velocity (65th percentile) were solidly above average. As for his slider, well... Peterson threw his slider 210 times last season and it produced 60% of his total strikeouts (24), a .119 BA, and a 37.1% Whiff%. For reference, Kenta Maeda’s split-change up - the pitch that propelled him towards a Cy Young caliber season - produced similar numbers. This is not to say that Peterson is an ace-level pitcher waiting to be unleashed - his ceiling is probably that of a mid-rotation starter - but Johnson’s previous success with pitchers who have one defining pitch is enough to make him an intriguing trade acquisition option. But what would it take for the Mets to part with Rosario and/or Peterson? That’s the million dollar question. The Twins would likely have to build a package centered around catcher Mitch Garver. New York lacks talent behind the plate and figures to be a major player in the JT Realmuto sweepstakes, but Garver would be a solid back up plan. Minnesota would also likely have to include a low-high-tier or a couple of mid-tier prospects to round out the deal. All in all, a Twins-Mets trade isn’t likely high on the priority list for either team, but should one or both miss out on their top targets this offseason, they should keep each other’s phone numbers handy, just in case. 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

There has arguably been no better story in the 2020 MLB playoffs than the emergence of Tampa Bay Rays’ outfielder Randy Arozarena out of obscurity and into the collective baseball zeitgeist.Arozarena was brought over from the St. Louis Cardinals as a throw-in component of a January trade that saw Tampa Bay ship out two top prospects - pitcher Matthew Liberatore and catcher Edgardo Rodriguez - in exchange for pitcher Jose Martinez and immediately slotted in as the 19th best prospect in the Rays’ farm system. MLB.com’s scouting report described him as a raw outfield talent with decent power potential and good speed who “profiles as more of a bench outfielder” than an everyday starter. The 25-year-old Cuban debuted for St. Louis in 2019, where he produced 0.2 WAR, a .891 OPS, and a .200 ISO over the course of 23 at-bats. However, after the trade and with more readily available playing time in the outfield of The Trop, Arozarena’s numbers rose to 0.8 WAR, 1.023 OPS, and a .359 ISO in 76 regular season at-bats. Arozarena’s rise from random low-tier prospect in his mid-20s to a legitimate contributor on the American League East’s best team would have been a great feel good story in and of itself...but then along came the playoffs where his numbers have ballooned even further - he boasts a 1.222 OPS and .426 ISO in 69 ABs - on his way to being named the ALCS MVP. Developing a prospect much like the Rays have with their newfound star outfielder is the dream for the 29 other MLB franchises, though the feasibility of doing so is rather low; it is difficult to make chicken salad out of, well, you know. Tampa Bay has established itself over the years as the gold standard for prospect development and helping their athletes achieve levels of play that many thought highly unlikely, or in some cases impossible. The Minnesota Twins have emerged over the last couple of seasons as another team that has been able to derive more bang from their proverbial buck as it pertains to their young and inexperienced players. So that begs the question: Do the Twins have any candidates to have a breakout season in the mold of Arozarena in 2021? The short answer is, probably not. The majority of the Twins’ MLB-ready outfield prospects - Kiriloff (2), Larnach (3), Rooker (12) - rank in their top 15 according to MLB.com and their overall skill sets are stronger and differ than that of Arozarena (though Rooker is probably the closest of the three). However, glancing further down the list of prospects reveals a few names that have the potential to become Arozarena-types two or three years down the line. Misael Urbina, 18, Rookie Ball Urbina has an overall similar body type to that of Arozarena - approximately six-feet tall and 180ish lbs - though MLB.com grades his run and field tool slightly faster (they also have Arozarena with a stronger arm). At the ripe old age of 18-years-young, Urbina has plenty of time to grow into his body and develop the kind of power numbers that will rival those of Arozarena. He produced a .825 OPS and .164 ISO in 217 ABs during his lone minor league season. Alerick Soularie, 21, Fort Myers Miracle Soularie was the Twins’ second round pick in the 2020 MLB draft almost solely due to his potential to unlock a 20-30 home run per season swing. He clubbed the ball during his final season at the University of Tennessee - 1.068 OPS - but possesses neither the speed nor arm strength to call any outfield position his home, according to MLB.com. He did not appear in a game in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Matt Wallner, 22, Cedar Rapids Kernels Wallner is much bigger than Arozarena - 6’5”, 220 lbs - however, his minor league numbers approximate those of the Rays’ rookie. His strikeout and walk percentages correlate closely with Arozarena and he has produced similar ISO and OPS numbers as well through his young minor league career. Wallner’s arm grades out stronger than that of Arozarena’s, but both figure to be corner outfielders primarily in the majors, according to MLB.com. 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

There is arguably no better spectacle in the wide world of sports than when a pitcher absolutely baffles an opposing hitter with a pitch of such filth that it requires to be bleached in order to be sufficiently free of pathogens and grime.Sometimes the batter ends up corkscrewing themself into the ground after sitting fastball only to see a changeup come out of the pitcher’s hand; other times it’s a slider that ultimately leaves them staring off into space as the bat swords off their shoulder. The Minnesota Twins’ pitching staff frequently left hitters questioning why they took up the game of baseball in 2020 as they logged 535 strikeouts - fifth most in the American League - and posted the seventh-best whiff percentage (28.1%) in all of MLB, according to Baseball Savant. For the first time since the days of Johan Santana the Twins’ bread and butter was their pitching staff. So that begs the question: What was the nastiest pitch thrown by a Minnesota Twin during the shortened 2020 season? There is no way to answer this question in a completely objective manner, but it’s a question that needs an answer, regardless. Plus, I figured it would be really fun to watch video upon video of opposing batters looking silly at the hands of the Twins. The process was straightforward. I narrowed down the Twins’ pitch staff to their best performers based on the available pitching stats provided by Baseball Savant. I then determined which pitch type was each pitcher’s strongest and watched each occurrence in which said pitch resulted in a whiff. It’s common scientific knowledge that those pitches provide the best optics, after all. My very scientific research resulted in concluding that the following four pitchers and their respective pitches were the Twins’ nastiest this past season: Top Pitchers and their Best Pitch Type (in no particular order) Kenta Maeda, changeupMatt Wisler, sliderTyler Duffey, curveCaleb Theilbar, curveThese players made the cut as they most frequently ranked in the top 10% of all MLB pitchers in various categories including WOBA, Hard Hit %, Whiff %, and xBA. Each pitch was selected largely based on opponent BA and Whiff %. Scouring the video catalogs of each pitcher revealed numerous potential individual candidates, but in the end I decided to select one example to represent each pitcher. Without further ado, here are the four nastiest pitches thrown by the Twins’ best pitchers that resulted in a swing and miss in 2020. Number 4: Hooked on a Thielbar Chicago White Sox infielder Yolmer Sanchez never stood a chance. Thielbar’s curveball started at the belt and ended by the foot by the time it meandered to the plate at a cool 69 mph. Sanchez must have been sitting fastball as his lead foot landed early and his weight shifted forward. Thielbar’s curveball - which averaged a glacial 68.7 mph - struck out seven batters this past season and yielded a Whiff % of 38.7%; he did not allow a single hit off his curveball in 94 pitch attempts. Number 3: Wisler While You Work Wisler was arguably the biggest breakout on the Twins in 2020 due to the newfound reliance on his slider. As the video clip above shows, that was a good call. Wisler makes MVP candidate Jose Abreu look like an amateur with his filthiest slider of the season. Wisler’s slider accounted for a whopping 83% of all his pitches thrown, but that didn’t matter because opponents simply could not touch it; it produced a Whiff % of 37.9% and opponents hit .143 against it. Number 2: When the Going Get Duffey, The Duffey Gets Going Pour one out for Oscar Mercado. Duffey’s curveball starts middle-middle leading Mercado to think that he is going to get Cleveland right back in this thing...but then the bottom drops out and he misses the ball by a good foot. Duffey essentially threw a 50/50 fastball-curve pitch mix this past season and his release point for each pitch was virtually the same. As a result, his curve produced a Whiff % of 40.2% and an opponent batting average of .158. However, it could be argued that Duffey’s best pitch is actually his fastball, because the stats are virtually identical to that of his curve. Number 1: You Kenta-lways Get What You Want What an absurd changeup. An opponent BA of .122; 38 strike outs; -5 degree average launch angle; 45.6% Whiff %. Maeda’s changeup was the best pitch for the Twins’ best pitcher and it didn’t take Franmil Reyes long to figure that out. What is a batter supposed to do with a changeup that looks like a fastball and drops like a curveball? Nothing. The answer is nothing. 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

If the Minnesota Twins had a calling card during the abbreviated 2020 season it was pitching. But as the old adage goes: You can never have too much pitching, particularly starting pitching.Offseason acquisitions Kenta Maeda, Matt Wisler, and Caleb Theilbar burned the hottest and helped lead the Twins to post the third-best ERA (3.58), give up the fewest home runs (62), and strikeout the fourth most batters (535) in the American League. Maeda evolved into a verifiable ace over the course of his 11 starts and Jose Berrios bounced back strongly after a slow and frustrating start, but the rest of the starting rotation left much to be desired. Michael Pineda reproduced his production from the tailend of the 2019 season, but only started five games due to suspension; Randy Dobnak began the season as a Rookie of the Year candidate, but petered out as the season went on; Jake Odorizzi, Lewis Thorpe, Devin Smeltzer, and Homer Bailey were largely ineffective or unavailable due to injury; Rich Hill performed admirably, but lost zip on his already zipless fastball and was not the Rich Hill of past years. Maeda, Berrios, and Pineda are the only three with a guaranteed rotation spot for the 2021 season, leaving two spots to be filled. While reinforcements may be coming around the corner internally in the form of top prospects Jordan Balazovic and Jhoan Duran, relying on young pitchers to anchor a championship caliber starting unit is a big ask and the upcoming free agent class is weak on high-end starters. It would be prudent for the Twins to aggressively pursue starting pitching in the trade market. One could argue that the Twins have never been in a better position to shoot for the moon. The team is coming off back-to-back 100-win pace Central Division titles in which they drastically underperformed in the playoffs and own one of the deeper farm systems in all of baseball. Additionally, the team is currently “burdened” with a logjam of high-end, young talent in the outfield. It’s become a forgone conclusion at this point that the Twins will look to move Eddie Rosario in the offseason and replace him with either Alex Kiriloff or Trevor Larnach next season, but one must also consider that the team also has Brent Rooker, Gilberto Celestino, Alerik Soulaire, and Akil Baddoo at various levels on the farm. (The logjam becomes even more, well, jammed if number one prospect Royce Lewis makes the transition to the outfield at some point.) Could the Twins entice the Philadelphia Phillies to part with Aaron Nola? What about the Los Angeles Angels with Dylan Bundy or the Colorado Rockies with German Marquez? The Twins’ success with the Brusdar Graterol-for-Maeda swap lends credence to the fact that Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have the ability to identify starting pitching talent and Maeda’s subsequent blossom shows that Wes Johnson knows how to unlock their full potential. Why not lean on these strengths again? The Twins’ farm system is stacked with outfield depth and the team has never had a better reason to trade a blue chip prospect and go all in. Parting with one or two of their young outfielders to fetch another quality starting pitcher seems like a no brainer. 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

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the times, they are unprecedented. The game of baseball has seen an unprecedented (there’s that word again) increase in soft tissue injuries, particularly among pitchers, and teams are scrambling to figure out not only how to treat the injuries effectively, but also how to prevent more from popping up.The season is one-third of its usual length; the amount of teams that will qualify for the playoffs has increased by 33%; drones are interrupting games; and the designated hitter is now universal, at least for the time being (but, let’s be real, it’ll probably stay that way). But the game of baseball is still, well, baseball in its essence despite all of the changes. However, that isn’t necessarily the case when it comes to rehabilitation and the athletic training, medical, and strength and conditioning staffs that coordinate and administer treatments. A number of factors have contributed to this increase, but the two biggest culprits are likely the short “Summer Camp” ramp up period as well as the grueling game schedule. Rehabilitation science is a legitimate science, though it is young compared to other medical sciences and is peppered with many so-called gray areas; very few laws (in the scientific sense) exist when it comes to rehabilitation and recovery. However, one fact that is pretty set in stone is that injuries are more likely to occur when an athlete undergoes a large increase in activity in a relatively short amount of time. This is essentially what the Twins and the league’s 29 other teams experienced as their second spring training was only three weeks long and very few games were ultimately played. And not only that, but now teams are playing games with fewer off days built into the schedule compared to a normal season. If a normal season is a marathon, the 2020 season is a marathon-sprint hybrid. It’s a marathon in the sense that athletes need the neuromuscular endurance to be able perform at a high level without much time or opportunity for rest, but it’s a sprint in that every team will play 60 games in approximately 65 days. The established rehabilitation protocols and processes, particularly in regard to professional baseball, aren’t necessarily designed for such an environment. The teams who are best able to adapt, both with in-game decision making as well as with injury management, are likely to be the most successful...and healthy. The Twins’ training staff has caught some flack this season for how they’ve handled and communicated the injuries of Jake Odorizzi, Josh Donaldson, Luis Arraez, and Homer Bailey, among others. There are a few realities that need to be taken into account when broaching this topic. First and foremost, each of these players is suffering from a soft tissue injury that is nagging, but not overly serious if handled correctly; the injuries also fit the description to a T of what would be expected to be seen early in a marathon-sprint hybrid season preceded by a short ramp up period. Second, and this bears repeating, the current circumstances call for a new rehabilitation and recovery playbook. Take the case of Josh Donaldson for example. Twins’ President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey explained during Friday night’s broadcast the reasoning behind placing Donaldson on the injured list a week after he was removed from the game with right calf tightness. “Josh came out of a game against the Indians in that last series we played here at home and was a little tight in his calf. We felt like we wanted to take this day-to-day, if we could, and slow it down. With 30-man rosters, we felt we had the flexibility to maybe play this out for a few days. After having him run a little bit today he was still sore and we felt like the best thing to do was to be smart about this and make sure he gets this fully taken care of before he gets back on the field. So we’re going to put him on the IL for a few days.” The logic is solid. The Twins have an expanded roster, were winning without him, and Donaldson has a history of calf injuries, so it’s in both parties’ best interest for him to be fully healthy before returning to play. Donaldson’s pain levels and ability to tolerate activity were very likely assessed every day since the injury first occurred, and with it improving slowly the Twins decided it was the best decision to place him on the IL. That’s not an example of a team being nefarious or coy with their decision or press conference wording, but rather the example of adaptability and good process. Soft tissue injuries, particularly relatively minor soft tissue injuries, can be difficult to treat even when the times are precedented. MRIs usually return negative or largely inconclusive; the injured tissue can feel great one day and not so much the next; one twist of a nearby joint can either make the pain better or worse and it's anyone’s guess as to why. All of these factors likely contributed to Donaldson being placed on the IL later rather than sooner. That doesn’t mean the Twins were lying when they defined his absence as “day-to-day” or handled the situation poorly. I’d argue it actually means the opposite; again, the result is less than ideal and it may be frustrating, but the decision making process - employed with Donaldson as well as Odorizzi and Hill and Bailey - is good. Falvey continued when discussing the most important aspect of the 2020 season, “Making sure our guys are healthy every day and on the field. We talk about quick summer camp, getting guys back on the field; you didn’t have your normal spring training ramp up, so that’s part of it. Beyond COVID, you want to make sure everyone is healthy. So, we’ve been slow to bring guys back. I know it’s a 60-game season, it’s a sprint, but you can’t speed up health. And I do feel like we’ve got to make sure that guys are healthy and going as we get ramped up and back into this ‘cause we’ll play a lot of games in a short period of time and it’s important for us to be healthy into September and hopefully into a good playoff run.” The Twins have a method to their madness and it can - understandably - be frustrating from a fan’s perspective. But the Twins’ process is good and their ability to be adaptive in a difficult situation is an advantage than many teams wish they had. Trust the process. 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

Despite struggling with command, José Berríos held the Pirates to one run over six innings of work to help lead the Twins to victory Tuesday afternoon. In the middle of the fifth inning, Berríos and the Twins had to vacate the field because a drone was flying above Target Field. Only in 2020.Box Score Berrios: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Berríos .176, Cruz .128, Kepler .068 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: Winchart.png The Minnesota Twins took down the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3 Tuesday afternoon to secure the two game sweep and advance to 9-2 overall on the young season; the team’s hot start is tied with the 2001 squad for the best record to begin a season. The teams will now travel to Pittsburgh to play another two. Berrios Better, But Command Issues Continue Jose Berrios made the start today for the Twins and went six innings, striking out six and allowing only a single run; his ERA now stands at 4.80. However, the Twins’ ace continues to struggle with command, particularly - as pointed out by fellow Twins Daily writer Matt Trueblood - with fastballs and sinkers on the third base side of the plate. Berrios’ fastball velocity hovered around 94 mph all afternoon and accounted for approximately 60% of his total pitches thrown, however, only 38 were either called strikes, swung on and missed, fouled off, or put in play, meaning 22 were balls. The key to Berrios regaining his All-Star form is regaining the command of his fastball as well as generating more whiffs - he produced a 28% whiff rate today - so this will continue to be something to monitor in his starts moving forward. Drone Delay? Right when Berrios seemed to be getting into his groove, the game was delayed for nine minutes in the top of the fifthing inning...because someone thought it would be a good idea to fly a drone over the field during the middle of a game? In a year where supposedly nothing could surprise us anymore, this definitely did. Cruz, Gonzalez Stay Hot Twins’ slugger Nelson Cruz continued his hot streak Tuesday afternoon going 3-for-4 with a league-leading 15th RBI to increase his batting average to .395 and OPS to 1.109. Quite a bit of virtual ink was spilled in the build up to the start of the 2020 season wondering if Luis Arraez could be the first player since Ted Williams in 1941 to hit .400 for an entire season. Maybe we should start wondering if the Twin to do it may actually be the ageless Cruz? While Marwin Gonzalez had only one-third the amount of hits as Cruz in today’s contest, he produced twice as many hard hit balls. Gonzalez went 1-for-4, but all four at bats produced balls with an exit velocity above 95 mph and an xBA above .340 (coming into the game his average exit velocity and xBA was 88.9 and .235, respectively). Gonzalez hot start at the plate as well as his defensive versatility has been an utter boon for the Twins so far this season. Thielbar Makes His Return Relief pitcher Caleb Thielbar returned to an MLB mound this afternoon for the first time since 2015, a season that he also spent with the Twins; he played for the St. Paul Saints in 2016 and 2017 before pitching in the Detroit and Atlanta minor league systems in 2018 and 2019. Thielbar went 2 1/3 innings in relief, giving up two runs and striking out three. Miscellaneous Notes The Twins did not hit a single home run against the Pirates; the only other game this season in which this has happened was the 2-0 loss to Cleveland and Shane Bieber.Today’s official game time was 3 hours and 40 minutes, which beat out the 14-2 win over the White Sox for the longest game of the season by two minutes.Bullpen Usage SpreadsheetDownload attachment: Bullpen.png Postgame Pint The Twins start early, Berrios finds his way, a drone delays the game and the team gets an easy win. Listen to the live virtual audience drive the discussion with Nick Nelson, Nash Walker and Andrew Thares. Download The Postgame Pint Podcast You can also listen to the Postgame Pint and never miss another one. Just head over to our iTunes page and subscribe. Every morning you'll have a new episode waiting for you. Or listen wherever you download your favorite podcasts. Click here to view the article

New Minnesota Twins’ starting pitcher Rich Hill had just wrapped up his first session of long toss when he realized that he was in a good spot. “I’ve been fortunate that there weren't any issues from the onset,” Hill said regarding the quasi-experimental elbow surgery he underwent last fall to address a partially torn left UCL. “I would say probably right after the first time I played long toss I really felt like ‘Ok, this is something that I’m not really going to have too many issues with moving forward.’”New Minnesota Twins’ starting pitcher Rich Hill had just wrapped up his first session of long toss when he realized that he was in a good spot. “I’ve been fortunate that there weren't any issues from the onset,” Hill said regarding the quasi-experimental elbow surgery he underwent last fall to address a partially torn left UCL. “I would say probably right after the first time I played long toss I really felt like ‘Ok, this is something that I’m not really going to have too many issues with moving forward.’” The Twins signed Hill this past offseason to a one-year, incentive-laden $3 million deal to bolster an already deep rotation featuring arguably three All-Star level arms in Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, and Kenta Maeda (who was teammates with Hill with the Los Angeles Dodgers). Hill wasn’t expected to be ready to pitch until mid-June or early July, but with the beginning of the season delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic he’ll be ready to go by season’s start. In a similar fashion, center fielder Byron Buxton - who underwent surgery to address a torn labrum in his left shoulder last fall - is also ready to begin the season without any restrictions. “[The delayed start to the season] gave me that time to fully get [my shoulder] healed and get it to where I wanted it to,” said Buxton. “I got no limits. So, I’m back to being myself and going out there and playing the game the right way.” Athlete health is always a major contributor to a team’s overall success - the 2019 New York Yankees notwithstanding - and the 2020 season will be no exception. Now, more than ever, a team’s ability to keep their players off the injured list - non-COVID variety - will go a long way in determining their playoff chances. The Twins are fortunate as they find themselves with one of the easiest schedules in all of baseball due to them only facing off against teams from the American League and National League Central Divisions. They are unfortunate, however, in that the baseball team in Cleveland - a team not only fighting with the Twins for the AL Central crown, but also the AL Wild Card spot - goes up against the same opponents. The deciding factor in who wins the division - and who potentially misses out on the playoffs entirely - may simply come down to who can keep their players on the field. Hill and Buxton - who have combined for 15.3 WAR according to Baseball-Reference over the last five seasons, Buxton’s first - have struggled with injuries over the course of their careers. However, Buxton has only once not reached the 60 game mark due to injuries - that being his lost 2018 season - while Hill had thrown over 100 innings for three straight seasons prior to 2019. The Twins’ - and their individual - ability to maintain their physical health over the course of the 60 game season may very well push the Twins past Cleveland - and, hopefully, the likes of Yankees, Astros, and Dodgers. According to Hill, the path is relatively straight forward; listen to your body, keep doing the little things, and keep preparing for the season. As for Buxton, he’s made adjustments - both mental and physical - to his defensive approach - perhaps the primary cause of his injury history. “I’ve had a little bit more time to figure out when to be aggressive and when to be a little more conservative. I worked a little bit more on jumping off of two feet, which keeps me a little bit more in control, especially towards the wall. That’s probably the biggest thing I worked on this offseason and over this break.” While it may seem like a small change, jumping off of two feet versus one could have a rather large impact on Buxton’s health and at the same not not impact his ability to catch balls at the wall. For starters, jumping off of two feet produces essentially the same vertical height as jumping off of one. Additionally, jumping off of two feet functions to decrease Buxton’s velocity as he careens towards the wall. If you remember from high school physics, force is equal to mass multiplied by velocity; a decrease in velocity when approaching the wall is akin to a decrease in force when ramming into it. It would be a bit of a surprise if the Twins missed out on the playoffs should Hill and Buxton - and the rest of the key members of the team - remain healthy and perform at high levels. However, in a 60 game season anything can happen. Keeping these two healthy should be a top priority for the Twins’ medical staff. 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

It goes without saying at this point, but the 2019 season was an utter success for the Minnesota Twins in terms of performance. The team won 101 games and the American League Central for the first time since 2010; three players - Jake Odorizzi, Jose Berrios, and Jorge Polanco - were named to the All-Star team; and the Bomba Squad was birthed, hitting a record 307 home runs.But how about in terms of health? One may assume that the Twins were pretty successful in that domain as well - after all, it’s pretty difficult to win over 100 games without the team’s best players remaining healthy for the majority of the season (the 2019 New York Yankees notwithstanding). But I decided to take a look into the data anyway because 1. I was interested and 2. What else am I going to do with my - suddenly expansive - free time anyway? My Method This was pretty simple, though it was rather tedious and time consuming. I scoured the Twins’ transactions pages on MLB.com from March to October 2019, so as to include all injuries that occurred from spring training to the end of the postseason. I logged the names, diagnoses, dates (both the date that athlete was injured as well as when they returned to play), and the total number of days missed of all Twins’ injuries that required a stint on the injured list. I then further broke down the data into pitcher and position player categories. The Results Prior to addressing the data, a quick disclaimer. A single season’s worth of data doesn’t provide enough of a sample size to draw big, sweeping conclusions. So what’s the purpose of this analysis, you ask? Again, I have free time and was curious. But, in all seriousness, it does provide a decent snapshot into whether or not the Twins’ players suffered from a particular type of injury (i.e. muscle strains or shoulder problems) more than others, as well as if one group of athletes (i.e. pitchers versus position players) were injured more frequently or seriously. Analyses such as this could help inform the team’s medical, front office, and coaching staffs and determine if more research needs to be conducted (such as if the data from previous seasons when combined with this displays any trends or if the team needs to look into establishing or refining rehab protocols). This type of analysis isn’t without its flaws - again don’t draw conclusions; this is more like a snapshot of a single moment in time rather than the whole movie. So, without further ado, the data. I developed the chart below from the information gathered during my research. Download attachment: gallery_12465_316_120733 (1).png Download attachment: gallery_12465_316_120733.png General takeaways: The Twins really only had two players of consequence suffer significant injuries: Byron Buxton and Willians Astudillo. The total days missed of these two combined (159) accounted for approximately one-quarter the team’s total (159 of 660; 24.1%).Injuries of the shoulder and wrist-hand complex accounted for over half of all injured list stints (14 of 26) and nearly half of total days missed (318 of 660; 48.2%).Position players accounted for more IL stints and total days missed compared to pitchers; however, both groups’ average days missed were essentially identical.Injuries care not for which side of the body they come for. What does this mean? Most likely nothing!The ConclusionIt would be difficult to argue that the Twins weren’t generally successful when it came to remaining healthy during the 2019 season. While 26 individual trips to the IL - provided that there aren’t any holes in the data - may seem like quite a bit, the fact of the matter is that the Twins only lost two players who were regular contributors for extended periods of time. Additionally, the Twins didn’t lose any of their starting pitchers - or relief pitchers of consequence, for that matter - to significant shoulder or elbow injuries. In a day and age where velocity is king - and many Twins’ pitchers saw their velocity increase last season - it was encouraging to see a lack of serious arm trouble. Consider that a win and potentially a positive sign moving forward for Wes Johnson and company. What are your thoughts? Do you think the Twins’ relative health during the 2019 season was luck? Or is it a sign of things to come? 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

There's decent research out there that says training with heavier and lighter bats can improve swing speed in the long run; that's part of what the guys at Driveline preach. As for golf, I guess I really haven't looked into it, but that is an interesting thought. My initial thoughts would be that it would produce a similar effect, but as you say timing and mechanics are incredibly important.

The title of the article really says it all. This was a question I began pondering after stumbling across a research article published in this month’s edition of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, in which it was determined that warming up with a heavy bat (57-oz.) actually decreased subsequent swing velocity.Attend any baseball game at any level and you’ll find that a good chunk of athletes will be taking their practice cuts in the on-deck circle with a heavy bat; usually this involves swinging a “normal” bat with a weighted donut or sleeve around the barrel or an implement such as a metal rod or sand-filled tube designed to mimic the ergonomics of a typical baseball bat. It is an action that is ubiquitous in the game and, on the surface, it makes logical sense. Swinging a heavy bat primes the muscles and makes a lighter bat feel, well, lighter in the hand, allowing the athlete to generate a higher swing velocity; this is often referred to as “the overload approach.” It’s been well established that swing velocity correlates strongly with exit velocity, meaning the quicker one swings, the faster the ball leaves the bat. The faster the ball leaves the bat, the farther it flies; it’s simple physics. However, upon delving into the research, it appears as though warming up with a heavy bat does not actually produce this result. A term that popped up regularly was “kinesthetic illusion” - sometimes referred to as “kinesthetic aftereffect”. This term describes the athlete’s perception that they are swinging faster after warming up with a heavy bat, when in reality, they are not. Five studies published in 2009 or later (linked below) involving a total of 88 participants who participated in high-school or college baseball found that warming up with a heavy bat did not increase swing velocity in a statistically meaningful way when compared to warming up with a standard bat - no matter the modality used to make the bat “heavy.” (The standard bat was often 33-in., 30-oz. - though it wasn’t until the later studies that this became standardized.) All five studies also assessed whether or not warming up with a “light” bat impacted the resulting swing velocity with a standard bat. Four studies found that warming up with a light bat did not impact resulting swing velocity, though one study found that it improved swing velocity by (this same study also found that warming up with a heavy bat slowed resulting swing velocity). The overall range of light to heavy bats across all five studies was 6.9-96-oz. An additional study, looking at 30 collegiate baseball players, found that utilizing weighted batting gloves did not alter swing mechanics compared to swinging a standardized control bat; however, swinging a bat with a weight applied to the barrel did impact swing mechanics. So not only does warming up with a donut or weighted sleeve not impact - or possibly have a negative impact on - resulting swing velocity, but it may also change the mechanics of the athlete’s swing compared to that of a standard bat. I think that Charles Williams and his research team summed it up best when they concluded: “If presented with the current options, athletes should choose the warm up implement with which they are most comfortable using before an at-bat situation.” After all, kinesthetic illusion - a variant of the placebo effect - can be a powerful tool. Links and Resources Cited in this article: https://www.drivelin...at-speed-myths/https://www.tandfonl...41.2015.1123762https://journals.lww...Warm_Up.29.aspxhttps://cdn.journals...t_Swing.42.aspxhttps://journals.lww...Velocity.1.aspxhttps://journals.lww...ents_on.23.aspxhttps://journals.lww...ded_and.25.aspxhttps://bjsm.bmj.com...14/935.full.pdfMORE 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

When major league baseball will resume is anybody’s guess. But assuming baseball does have some semblance of a season during the 2020 calendar year, how will it impact the health of MLBers, however stunted it may be?When major league baseball will resume is anybody’s guess. But assuming baseball does have some semblance of a season during the 2020 calendar year, how will it impact the health of MLBers, however stunted it may be? In many ways this is an impossible question to answer with any sort of confidence at this time. For instance, we don’t know when the season will begin, when it will end, the amount of doubleheaders it will contain, if roster sizes will extend and for how long, nor to what extent will there be an extended Spring Training, among other factors that may be in play during the upcoming season. It seems intuitive that injury rates may increase during the upcoming season as athletes and teams will assuredly have less time to prepare physically compared to a typical season with a typical Spring Training; during the strike-shortened 1995 season, MLB had a three-week “Spring Training” prior to beginning the regular season on April 25th, which may serve as precedent for how MLB will handle the upcoming season. While athletes around the league are doing their best to remain in game-shape, each week without access to live pitching and batting practice at game speed decreases the likelihood that the athletes will remain ready for action. There is some debate, however, regarding the role that Spring Training plays in athlete injury prevention. Spring Training likely decreases injury rates as many musculoskeletal injuries - among athletes as well as the lay population - occur after a sharp increase in activity which was preceded by relatively less activity, however, to what extent is unknown and likely impossible to study with a high-degree of accuracy. Injury rates are usually highest among MLB athletes during the early portions of the season. A study conducted in 2011 found that injury rates during the 2002-2008 seasons were highest during April (5.73 injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures) and steadily decreased throughout the rest of the season, bottoming out at an injury rate of 0.54 during September. Later studies published in 2019 and 2020 found that lower body and upper body injuries, respectively, suffered during the 2010-2016 seasons had the highest occurrence during the month of April (24% of all upper extremity and 21% of all lower extremity injuries suffered over the six year timeframe); these same studies found, perhaps unsurprisingly, that pitchers were more likely to suffer upper extremity injuries, whereas position players were more likely to suffer lower extremity injuries. This is a guess, but it would not surprise me to see an increase in the rate of lower extremity soft tissue injuries - i.e. muscle strains - during the first month or two of the 2020 regular season compared to other seasons, particularly among position players, due in large part to the likely shortened “Spring Training” interval. However, as long as pitchers are stretched out and brought along at an appropriate pace - such as capping pitch counts and limiting innings - I could see upper extremity injuries maintaining similar rates compared to previous seasons. In all reality, it will be impossible to know how the shortened season impacts MLB athlete injury occurrence until after the 2020 season has been completed, and even then how late the season extends into the calendar year as well as the percentage of games that are played as doubleheaders will likely influence the overall rates of injury. We may never truly know the answer as to how MLB athlete health was impacted during the 2020 season. Blaine Hardy Undergoes Tommy John Surgery Phil Miller of the Star Tribune dropped a surprising nugget Saturday afternoon when he reported that reliever Blaine Hardy underwent Tommy John surgery recently to address a torn UCL and damaged flexor-pronator mass in his left elbow. Hardy was signed to a minor league contract by the Twins during the offseason. Hardy dealt with left elbow pain during his 2019 campaign with the Detroit Tigers - spending time on the injured list twice, including a 60-day stint - and received a PRP injection in August to address his pain under the recommendation of famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. PRP injections involve removing blood from the athlete, separating the plasma from the red blood cells, and injecting the plasma into the injured tissue; PRP is shorthand for “platelet-rich plasma” as the injected plasma is composed primarily of platelets and water. Platelets, which are small cells primarily involved with clotting, also release healing factors such as hormones. The increased density of platelets within the injected plasma theoretically spurs the tissue to recover at an higher-rate, however, the true efficacy of PRP injections is debated. The typical timeframe of return-to-play after Tommy John surgery is 12-18 months. 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 think for the most part he does a pretty good job. He doesn't seem to be exerting himself 100%, but if you look for all 6 components I outlined, he pretty much passes them all.

One of the best ways a pitcher can avoid injury, particularly of the shoulder and elbow, is by utilizing proper and repeatable throwing mechanics. The effect of faulty throwing mechanics on pitcher injury rates has been studied most extensively in high school and adolescent athletes, however, the concepts carry over to collegiate and professional pitchers as well. But what exactly does “proper throwing mechanics” entail?One of the best ways a pitcher can avoid injury, particularly of the shoulder and elbow, is by utilizing proper and repeatable throwing mechanics. The effect of faulty throwing mechanics on pitcher injury rates has been studied most extensively in high school and adolescent athletes, however, the concepts carry over to collegiate and professional pitchers as well. But what exactly does “proper throwing mechanics” entail? First, it would be best to break down the action involved during a pitch. Each pitch consists of six distinct phases: 1. windup, 2. stride (sometimes referred to as early cocking), 3. late cocking 4. acceleration, 5. deceleration, and 6. follow through. The windup phase includes any action that occurs from when the pitcher becomes set until they reach their balance point; the stride phase - as seen in the photo of Jose Berrios above - occurs from when the pitcher progresses from their balance point until the foot comes in contact with the ground; the late cocking phase occurs when the throwing arm achieves maximal external rotation (i.e. rotated “backwards”); the acceleration phase occurs once maximal rotation is achieved and lasts until the ball is released; the deceleration phase occurs after ball release; and the follow through phase occurs until the pitching motion is completed. Faulty mechanics can arise during any of the six phases of pitching, however, they are least likely to appear during the windup and follow through. The American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) was the first entity to develop an assessment tool to evaluate and critique a pitcher’s mechanics, however, the tool was not able to predict injury risk. The ASMI’s tool consists of 24 items, however, two studies - they can be found here and here - conducted separately were able to identify six items that increase a pitcher’s risk for injury if they are deemed to be faulty. These were: 1. supinated hand position when the elbow was maximally extended, 2. open or closed foot position at foot-ground contact, 3. backwards lean at foot-ground contact, 4. open shoulder positioning, 5. trunk to elbow angle below 90-degrees at foot-ground contact, and 6. excessive trunk lean at maximal shoulder external rotation. A study conducted by Emily Quatromoni - the inspiration of this article - found that these six items could be adequately identified upon visualization of a pitch. Of these six, a supinated hand is the least likely to be seen amongst professional pitchers - again most of these studies are conducted with children or high school athletes as the test subjects with less instruction on proper mechanics. However, the other five can be seen time and again in professional pitchers. As an example: below is an image of new Twins’ starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin with a slightly closed foot position. Improper mechanics, such as the six highlighted above, increase the amount of stress placed through the shoulder and inner elbow, which in turn increases the risk for labral tearing and UCL sprain, among other injuries. These six mechanical faults can be avoided - or at least limited - with proper coaching, training, and minimizing pitcher fatigue, such as by establishing a firm maximum pitch count or innings limit. Below is again the image of Berrios displaying proper biomechanics (note: item six - minimal trunk lean at maximum shoulder external rotation - is not pictured as he has not reached that point in his throwing motion yet). For a more dynamic visualization, I encourage you to watch the videos that Twins’ pitcher Lewis Thorpe posted to his Twitter feed the other day. Try to see if you can pick out the six phases of the pitch as well as the avoidance - or lack thereof? - of the six faulty mechanics. 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 guess it would depend on a number of factors including how often he'd play multiple days in a row, how demanding those games would be, etc. I guess my short answer is that I doubt it. I think the Twins thought process is more that Gonzalez is better and more needed in the infield.