stringer bell

I think the spot will be created by injury. An injury to almost any position player except a catcher could be filled by Lee if the Twins think it’s his time. It would mean he would have moved past Martin, Larnach and Miranda. I’m not sure the Twins are convinced he’s ready.

Lee with a homer and a triple in his first two plate appearances today against the Blue Jays.

Good news that DeSclafani pitched yesterday. I firmly believe he is more than a suspect innings-eater if he is healthy and the Twins need starting pitching beyond the four projected to start the season in the rotation. I'm quite skeptical that his elbow will survive all season since he didn't have surgery, only rest and a PRP injection. Using DeSclafani in a minor league game keeps the Twins' options open. If he has a setback he can be placed on the 15-day IL and presumably Varland would start in his place. If they feel he needs more time before he starts for the fifth game of the season, they could also put him on the IL and he might make one start in the minors (some place warmer--Wichita or Ft. Myers--not sure when those minor league seasons begin or he could just stay in Ft. Myers and work out with the minor leaguers. They also could bypass the fifth starter once due to off days and perhaps have a bullpen game for the first time a fifth starter would be needed (April 8), but that is based on games happening on schedule, which isn't always a thing in Minnesota in April.

The underlying numbers for Duarte don't scream breakthrough, but relievers have relatively small sample sizes, so that might change. He's been pretty healthy, which is a plus (that had/has been Stewart's major issue), but he walk/strikeout numbers aren't promising. So far, Stewart is a partial season wonder. The Twins have had others--I recall Juan Minaya coming out of nowhere and being very good for part of one season, for example. I think Duarte would compare more to him than Stewart.

Good conversation about a trade. I am not convinced that Graterol is elite as a bullpen arm. He's had quite a few injuries and he's not been a closer. The low strikeout rate is eventually going to get him in a season. Circumstances limited Maeda's contribution to the Twins. His "great" year was the COVID year and he missed an entire season due to TJ surgery. He's a quality pitcher in his mid-thirties and now pitching for somebody else. The other guys in the trade may or may not balance out. I am not particularly high on Camargo, but it stands to reason he will debut this season and hopefully provide valu

I agree with both of these opposing views. My guess is that an injury gives Lee a chance this year. When and where is uncertain.

The Twins lost again yesterday and their Spring Training record stands at 6-13 in the Grapefruit League. I know that everyone forgets Spring Training records when the season starts, but are there causes for concern? Several hitters slated for the major league team have struggled so far in the spring. Matt Wallner (.475 OPS), Manuel Margot (.223 OPS) and Max Kepler (.136 BA but .705 OPS) have not hit much at all so far. A few pitchers slated for the staff have struggled, including Justin Topa (7.71 ERA) who was supposed to be a key relief option and the members of the rotation haven't exactly thrived. Reliever Caleb Thielbar and prospective starter Anthony DeSclafani have not performed in games to this point. Presumed regulars Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton have played sparingly so far this year and are healthy by all reports, and they project to do well when the real season starts. Most of the rest of the position players are healthy and have performed okay in Florida. Most of the pitchers slated to make the team have been okay, but not great this spring. I'd like to see the Twins start to win games and some of the struggling players show signs of life. I am not quite to the point where I am really concerned, but it will make my anxiety about the team subside with some good performances in the balance of the exhibition season. What is the temperature of the Twins Daily community? Are we still optimistic or thinking this is an indication that the Twins had their chance last year and they are cycling down?

Signed to a minor league contract by the Phillies today. He wasn't unemployed long. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/03/phillies-jordan-luplow-agree-to-minor-league-contract.html

Thanks Brian I think this scenario is the floor for Kirilloff. If so, he’s not a failure or bust, but not a success. The ceiling is still possible and I think he could be an All-Star. At two years plus of service time, I don’t think options are that important, but the three other knocks on AK need to be addressed if he is to become more than a corner platoon bat. Improved health, improved defense and more success against left handed pitching are all areas which need improvement to take the next step. I don’t expect AK to be available for all 162, have neutral splits and positive defensive metrics in one year, but notable improvement is needed for him to become someone the team is counting on and maybe building around.

Jake Odorizzi goes back to one of his former teams on a minor league deal. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/03/rays-sign-jake-odorizzi-minor-league-deal.html

So would I, but I'm guessing we are going to see much more of Santana than Castro against right handed pitching.

Jordan Luplow released by the Braves. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/03/braves-release-jordan-luplow.html

There isn't a great option for the ninth starter against right handed pitching and I think Santana will get a lot of playing time at least until someone emerges. It has been mentioned often that Buxton most likely will get some DH time and it is possible that other regulars will also occasionally DH. When this occurs, AK should get 1B time. I don't think Kirilloff profiles as a bad first baseman long term as I mentioned before he had neutral numbers in 2021-2022 and his skills shouldn't be diminished at his age.

It certainly will not be Alex Kirilloff as purely a DH. He is acceptable in the outfield and at first base IMHO. As far as his hitting goes, he wasn't as much a standout as the three rookies last year (Julien, Wallner, Lewis), but he was an above average hitter for sure. I don't think Kirilloff is a finished product as a hitter--I think he needs to punish more balls middle in and hit as many homers to the pull side as he does to the opposite field, but having the ability to drive the ball the other way is something not everyone is capable of. Doing a bit deeper dive into Kirilloff's fielding, that Baldelli made mention of getting better defense at first base is more significant to me than the defensive metrics. Kirilloff posted roughly neutral numbers (slightly positive) for his first two partial years (345 innings) and last year his numbers were worse and negative across the board. in 555 innnigs. Why would a 26-year-old get worse at defense? I suspect it could be one of three things. 1) Less focus on defense, perhaps because of a daily maintenance schedule to deal with his wrist. 2) Injury early to his wrist and later to his shoulder impacted his fielding directly. 3) It is an outlier and he's really not that bad. That he was slightly above average in a fair amount of innings prior to 2023 makes his '23 number suspicious. I think the answer is some of all three of these reasons and I continue to believe Kirilloff can be decent or better than that at first base. Regardless, defense at the low end of the spectrum is overshadowed by how well those players hit.

Enjoy Pi 🍰 Day!!

How about a little nuance? 1) Kirilloff was a good hitter last year, but has only had 700 plate appearances in three years due to injuries. Does it make sense to bring in one of the most durable players in MLB to augment his position? 2) Kirilloff was not good against left handed pitching, does it make sense to bring in a guy who has handled left handers better throughout his long career? 3) Kirilloff struggled in the field last year and the guy they brought in is regarded as a good defender. I don't think the Twins believe Kirilloff "is not good enough", but I do think it is more than prudent to have a backup plan for areas where he isn't as good and especially since he hasn't displayed durability to this point.

All on the 40 man, so options are being used.

It is pretty certain how the season will start and Kirilloff should get enough chances to prove his bat is legit and that he can play first base. The article being referenced also made mention that AK was an outfielder through high school and the low minors. I still see him as a first baseman primarily, but I thought he had always played more first than OF.

As the season rolls along, the pecking order can and will change. It was really stable last year, but I think we can see that as an exception to how things proceed normally. Little has been said about Caleb Boushley, who the Twins signed on a minor league deal. He would figure in the starting rotation in St. Paul and may well get a chance with the Twins in 2024. It will depend a lot on how all of these guys pitch in AAA, as it should be.

To me, Wallner made big strides on defense, making himself far from a one-trick pony. As shaky as he looked in '22 and his first handful of games last year, he looked the part of a major league outfielder in the second half of his season. Wallner will always strike out a lot, but if he can manage to hit balls hard in the zone and refuse to chase, he'll be fine.

If that is the plan the extra reliever would have to be somebody who is optionable, ruling out Duarte and Brigham, who have been good so far this spring. It would open the door for Alcalá or Funderburk (Funderburk's numbers look pretty bad so far) to start the season with the Twins and maybe kind of compete with Staumont for a longer stay on the big league team.

The tone here is that Baldelli is on an island with his usage of starting pitchers. That is not true. Twins' starters logged something like the second or third most innings in 2023. 90%+ of managers limit their starters and few get a chance to pitch 200 innings. 150 is the new 200.

First of all, this is all speculation. I guess it is a sign that not much else is happening. Secondly, if DeSclafani is just a bit behind, that isn't the same thing as preparing for TJ surgery. Finally, the carefully laid out schedule that Nick provided depends on good weather. We've had an historically warm low-precipitation winter, what are the odds things even up in the spring? DeSclafani's issue is health. The Twins gambled that he would be able to give them innings and IMHO he has the potential (if healthy) to be a lot better than an innings-eating fifth starter. I will make no predictions here. He may never throw a pitch for the Twins or he might be a valued member of the rotation for the entire year. His health history would lower the chances for a positive result. I do find the alternatives to be interesting. Rocco really seems to want multiple inning guys in his bullpen and there would be an opportunity for someone if Disco was temporarily on the shelf. Running Varland out there would indicate to me that the team has no faith that DeSclafani will ever make it back.

Additional comment: it doesn't seem like that long ago that any organization that had more than two or three guys with velo >95 mph was a rarity.

Woods Richardson has been >94 according to reports, but hasn’t hit 95. Still quite an improvement for him