stringer bell

Martin’s going to have to wear the three CS for a while, but that OBP is pretty doggone impressive. If the Twins would have had challenges remaining last night, I’m pretty sure he would have had another walk and one less K. The last pitch looked low and away to me.

I’ve heard that too. Must be the voices in my head.

Somebody (still) needs to find a batting helmet that fits Lee’s noggin.

I believe Martin had arm surgery when he was a minor leaguer. Much like Keaschall, when he debuted with the Twins he hadn't fully recovered and his arm was well below average. According to statcast, he now has a 55th percentile arm (certainly not a cannon) but satisfactory.

He's also hitting below .200 thus far for the Saints.

Martin is getting his first ever start in right field today.

Bobby Nightengale reporting that Lewis is already feeling better and expects to be on the IL for the minimum (ten days), Nightengale reports that the team was cautious because they had two more games on artificial turf and Lewis' injury was to his lead (plant) leg for his swing.

Yeah, yeah. The TD faithful have written Lee off as a shortstop. Shelton hasn't. He's the regular shortstop until he isn't and it makes sense if Lee is viewed as an everyday player. I have my doubts about Lee as well, but giving him more than two weeks to show what he can do is the right thing to do. Same for Wallner, same for any one else that has struggled.

Kreidler in the starting lineup at third base and Larnach gets a start against a lefty (Wallner out). BuxtonCF R 0 1 0 .180 .543 MartinRF R 0 2 2 .286 .795 Keaschall2B R 1 7 2 .204 .532 JeffersC R 1 6 0 .294 .856 BellDH S 3 10 0 .289 .978 Caratini1B S 0 4 0 .275 .662 LarnachLF L 0 2 0 .263 .808 Lee, BSS S 1 5 0 .206 .564 Kreidler3B R - - - - -

We can't be sure, but it appears he's playing this much because the Twins are facing so many left handed pitchers. Martin has started one game against a right hander and it was is center field because Buxton was dinged. I don't really think Martin is a better hitter against right handed pitching than Larnach or maybe even Clemens, but I think there's more in his overall game than either of those guys offer.

I wonder if Kreidler and Morris have made it across the border at this point. If Kreidler got a good night's sleep, he will probably be in the starting lineup today. Another left hander! What is it, nine out of fifteen games?

I don't disagree. Triple A numbers don't always predict success. Just ask Mickey Gasper. IMHO, Outman has one thing that Keirsey doesn't. He has big time power, but just doesn't make contact nearly enough. Outman's speed has surprised me. I googled his sprint speed and the reply was that it was elite (28.9 fps). His sprint speed was recorded as 28.5 in 2025. That is equal to Keirsey and faster than Austin Martin.

Outman was good in AAA last year as well,

Per Bobby Nightengale, Kreidler and Morris recalled with Lewis and Laweryson on the IL.

Austin Martin was one of the few bright spots on the Twins team after the trade deadline in 2025. He played a much-improved outfield, stole a few bases and hit quite well. Based on that performance, he was viewed as a lock to make the 2026 Twins team. Due to scheduling quirks and chance, Martin has been in the lineup frequently so far in 2026. The Twins have faced left handed starters more than right handed starters and that will not be sustained over the course of a season. I am advocating that the Twins use Martin as their everyday left fielder for weeks or months to see if his skill set and abilities are good enough to be an everyday player. So far in 2026, Martin is getting on base at an elite level. He has eight hits in 28 at-bats, but also has eight walks and has been hit by two pitches, yielding a .437 OBP. If he had enough plate appearances, he would be right around the top ten of all MLB. According to BBRef, Martin is also a positive in the field, already having a +3 in Defensive Runs Saved and +1 in Total Zone Fielding. In addition, Martin provides value on the bases. He is showing negative value right now because he was picked off twice, but over the course of a season I am confident his base stealing and extra bases taken would eventually provide positive value. These are all really small sample sizes and to me that is the point. If, and it is a big if, Martin can sustain elite OBP, defense and base running, shouldn't he be in the lineup most or all of the time? In this small sample size, BBRef gives him .5 WAR, which projected to a full season would be around 6 WAR, which is an All-Star level. Martin, in his career which includes 476 plate appearances has 31 extra-base hits and only two homers. A power hitter he is not. His overall fielding metrics are subpar, but as noted he has improved dramatically since he has concentrated on being an outfielder. In his career, he has a .673 OPS against right handed pitching (below average), but his only sustained run of regular playing time against righties, he did much better. Austin Martin recently turned 27 years old. In baseball age, he is no longer young. The Twins have three corner outfield prospects playing in Triple A and it is assumed that one or all of them will be promoted this year. I think the Twins need to know if Martin can or should be a full-time player. Regular readers of TD will know this isn't a new idea for me. I've been banging this drum since the end of the '25 season. I believe Martin can provide an offensive spark while helping the team on defense and the bases and that he shouldn't be assigned a short side platoon role. In this year of transition, it should be determined if Martin is a keeper or a role player. I hope this posting can stimulate some discussion. Maybe I'm missing something, but I'd like to see more guys who put the ball in play and can win games with their bat, their legs and their glove. I think Austin Martin can be one of those guys.

I believe Caratini is one of the Twins top nine at this point, so Clemens would be a "bench player" and he has started every game against right handed pitching IIRC. If that continues, he will play in well over 100 games (eventually the Twins will normalize and play far more games against right handed starters). Different teams use their bench differently. Some use their extra players in platoons, some have seldom used guys who might specialize and some have their bench players give days off to multiple players when they have the platoon advantage (but not a true platoon). Gray, in theory is a multiple position backup. Outman has been a defense and pinch running specialist. Clemens has been a platoon player, as is Larnach, but because of the outsized use of left handed starters against them, they've played less than Caratini and Martin.

There are a lot of ways to look at the "lineup imbalance". Some thoughts from earlier in the thread were that they don't have a first baseman and they don't have a shortstop. Another is that they don't have enough good hitters. Another poster said they have too many DHs playing in the field. I think there is truth in all of those takes. Despite having bigger rosters (now 26 players), there are fewer position player spots than there have been historically. It used to be that nine or ten pitchers was enough, later it moved to 11-12 and now every team carries 13 pitchers. Having so few bench spots increases the value of versatility and makes wholesale platooning difficult, if not impossible. Since the majority of pitchers are right handed, the focus is on the left handed hitters. Having one or two guys who can hit well enough to play almost every day against lefties would minimize some of the "imbalance", but alas the Twins really don't have anybody who fits that description. Filling the problem positions of shortstop and first base might help and would address the "too many DHs" lament. That isn't the case here, so the Twins have a mismatched group that still is vulnerable to left handed pitching. I think they will do all right vs. lefties as the season goes on.

The word "exposed" comes to mind when thinking about the Twins' bullpen. There aren't a lot of overpowering arms and the margin for error is really small, so a misplayed fly ball or unlucky bounce can be fatal. We've seen too many bases on balls for a group that isn't going to strike out many. Letting a deficit go from one run to six runs isn't optimum, but it's far worse to give up a lead. The injury bug bit today and losing Laweryson and Lewis is bad news. I don't know who is coming up, but I'm sure it won't be the last move we'll see.

Sad to see players going on the IL, particularly Lewis. I hope this is a minimum IL stay for both Royce and Cody. Lewis looked like he was running okay after tweaking his knee on Thursday, but I suppose they have to be cautious given his injury history.

With a position player roster as unsettled and unproven as the Twins, the 13th guy shouldn't just be a role player. In 2023, Willi Castro was the 13th guy when the season started, but because of his skill set, by the end of the season he was playing every day and helped the team win the division. The DaShawn Keirseys and James Outmans who only contribute on defense and the bases don't provide enough value. Outman does have legitimate power, but his strikeout rate would make Matt Wallner blush. If the Twins want a premium defense guy, they should call up Kreidler. He's probably a better outfielder than Outman and he's also the best defensive infielder the Twins have in the upper minors. He can't hit either, but at least he could help in more places. If they want somebody to platoon in left field, they should recall Roden.

After seeing the Twins start 3-6, I thought they would never see .500 this season. A poorly put together roster, a suspect bullpen and not enough proven talent were factors I saw as faults too big to overcome and I still feel that way. The Twins pulled off a four-game sweep over Detroit, the AL Central favorite, so I'll suspend my doubt for a while. Here are some topics that I think are interesting and would make good Twins conversations and debates: 1) The ABS system. The Twins have aggressively used the challenge system and have benefitted. The catchers have shown they are in the best position to use the challenges and this has helped both Caratini and Jeffers be more effective receivers. 2) The no-name bullpen doesn't have much firepower, but Shelton has done a good job of putting guys in position to succeed. The group lacks velocity and positive run value pitches, but they've held together better than I expected. If I am going to pick one guy to break through in the bullpen, it is Eric Orze. 3) Roster construction is a problem. The Twins have too many guys who should be LH hitting DHs and some of them have to play in the field. The 13th position player's role thus far is as a defensive replacement and pinch runner. 4) In part because of poor roster construction, defense is an issue again this year. Guys who should be DHing are playing in the field and the Twins are lacking a good defender at the crucial shortstop position. 5) The starting rotation still looks like a strength even with Bailey Ober's diminished velocity. Taj Bradley has made up for any disappointment from the other starters. 6) New guys Josh Bell and Victor Caratini look like good pickups. Bell has hit very well and Caratini has looked decent as a platoon first baseman and backup catcher. 7) I remain intrigued by Austin Martin's skill set. Someone who doesn't strike out much, gets on base and can provide value on the bases and in the field would compliment the skills of most of the other players on the team. He's got to provide some slug eventually, but OTOH he is getting on base over 40% of the time. 8) Royce Lewis looks to me like he might take the step to established regular. Lewis is running well, hitting the ball hard and getting on base. The batting average is substandard, but the OPS is good. 9) I don't think I've ever seen a team face so much left handed pitching. Initial results were terrible, but then the Twins turned around and beat two of the very best lefties in MLB. 10) Health. Yes, the Twins lost Pablo in the first workout and David Festa is on the 60-day IL, but they haven't suffered any injuries in two weeks and i doubt there are many clubs that can make that claim.

So the non-catchers have actually cost the Twins a tenth of a run? Sounds about right. What is apparent is that challenges diminish framing proficiency. Also, a system that gets more calls right is good in my book. The zone is now a square and the "old automatic" on 3-0 isn't automatic, nor is the waste pitch on 0-2.

Outman made a really nice catch down the line today. I don't think Larnach makes that catch and maybe not Martin either. Outman hasn't hit since 2023 so I guess it will really surprise me if he ever hits acceptably. I didn't like the Twins carrying Keirsey Jr. last year for most of the season and I don't like seeing another left handed non-hitter on the roster.

I'd agree if the team keeps seeing 50% LH starters, but the reality is that a right handed platoon guy only ends up playing about 25-35% of the time. I think Martin's skill set would wear pretty well whether there is a lefty or righty on the mound. If Larnach is on the roster, I'd rather see him DH.

I would like to see that as well. He offers speed and on-base skills that are lacking in most of the rest of the roster.