Seth Stohs

On Tuesday, I got to participate in a really cool event showcasing the Twins Virtual Hall of Fame. Minneapolis-based REM5 Studios have been working for months on this fun, interactive site that Twins fans will truly enjoy.I'll be the first to acknowledge that I'm not a video game guy anymore. I have very little experience with virtual reality or interactions. However, when I got to participate in yesterday's VIP/media event showcasing the Twins virtual-reality Hall of Fame experience, I was extremely impressed. In conjunction with the folks at REM5 Studios, the Twins have worked to put together this great opportunity. It launches today (Wednesday, February 10th). To participate, simply register at www.twinsbaseball.com/xr. Twins senior director of brand experience and innovation Chris Iles pointed out to the group that this project has been in the works for six months. He noted that it will likely continue to be updated including a midseason refresh. And, just think of the possibilities of this technology! I truly enjoyed the opportunity to see this site. I don't know if I would have signed up for it on my own. But once I did, I have to admit. I think I will be in there often. I can see us having small Twins Daily events in a TwinsXR room sometime. Again, the possibilities really are endless. Again, head to www.TwinsBaseball.com/xr to register and you'll get an e-mail when it becomes available today. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments below. Click here to view the article

Yeah, been disappointing, and injured, but both are still so young and so talented. No reason to give up on 21 or 22 year olds.

In 2019 in Cedar Rapids, he was clocked at 96. His average fastball was obviously less than that, but he's young, and he's a big dude, so yes, it will be interesting to see where he is at in 2021!

JT Riddle, Tzu-Wei Lin, Rob Refsnyder...

For Winder: Seth - #22 Nick - #29 Tom - #21 Cody - #22 For Rijo: Seth - 25 Nick - 28 Tom - 23 Cody - NR (not in top 30)

Prospect rankings have little to do with performance... it's just one small part of a ranking. It's much more about tools and upside and potential... Of course, to move up levels, performance has to be there to some level.

Blankenhorn is a prospect. He needs to play. He should split most of the season between AA and AAA (mostly AAA, maybe) and play most every day. He shouldn't be playing one or two games a week in MLB. Astudillo can sit on the bench and be depth and rarely play and that's fine.

Yeah, I would put Thorpe over Hamilton for now because 1.) they need a long-man, and 2.) he's out of options... not necessarily in that order. 2020 was a lost season for him, but he's got talent.

For sure. It's fun to see 5 Twins minor league pitchers in the Honorable Mentions that hit 95-98 mph is very encouraging.

Because Blankenhorn needs to play most every day and can do that in AA or AAA (or likely both) in 2021 rather than sitting on the bench for the Twins and playing once or twice a week.

I like these picks... Gotta like a guy who was clocked at 97 at Instructs, has good size, a military work ethic... I think he could be a 2or even 3 level pitcher in 2021. Holland is certainly intriguing. He's not a big guy. With his power numbers, I thought he'd be bigger. He's very athletic and swings hard. It'll be interesting to see how he develops, but he's got a ton of talent and certainly could move up!

Midseason rankings tend to look fairly different under normal situations, and now we have to consider a missed season and players working to develop at home... Will be an interesting season to follow, for sure.

Over the next couple of weeks, Twins Daily will be counting down our Top 20 Minnesota Twins Prospects. We start today by discussing several Honorable Mentions, guys who received votes but finished outside the Top 20. Today’s list of players illustrates the depth that is developing in the organization.Two years ago, our 2019 Honorable Mentions included Luis Arraez who went on to be the team’s top rookie that season. It also included Jordan Balazovic who jumped into the top five the next season. In last year’s Honorable Mentions, you’ll find Jorge Alcala who had just been shifted from starting pitcher to a reliever. We saw his impressive rookie season in 2020. So which players who received votes this year will climb the prospect ladder in 2021 and maybe even contribute to the big league club this year? This year’s prospect rankings are difficult. Because of the pandemic, there wasn’t a 2020 minor league season. Some of the top prospects spent the summer at the Twins alternate site in St. Paul. Some even made their MLB debuts. The minor leaguers did report to spring training, several had been there for weeks before being sent home. Some players went to Instructional League and there were some reports from there. Before we start, the following players are no longer “prospects” according to Baseball-Reference: Jorge Alcala, Randy Dobnak, Lewis Thorpe, Cody Stashak and Devin Smeltzer. HARD-THROWING PITCHERS The Twins’ player development group has done a nice job in recent years developing arms in the minor leagues. The next step will be seeing those pitchers work their way to the big leagues. There are some strong pitchers in the top 20, but there are a few impressive arms in our honorable mentions as well. Josh Winder was the talk of the Twins Instructional League after the missed 2020 season. He is a big, strong kid whose fastball jumped up to 97 mph this past fall. Chris Vallimont throws just as hard. He came to the Twins in the Sergio Romo trade late in 2019. Luis Rijo is the youngest of the group, and he too is reaching into the mid-to-upper 90s with his fastball. When the Twins acquired him from the Yankees in the Lance Lynn deal, he was touted as an advanced pitcher. He still has a good mix, but now with the increased velocity too. Dakota Chalmers came to the Twins in the Fernando Rodney deal with the A’s. He was coming off of Tommy John and completed his rehab in 2019. He was added to the 40 man roster and spent his 2020 summer at the Twins alternate site in St. Paul. ALREADY DEBUTED Travis Blankenhorn made his MLB debut in September with one game played. His role will likely be a versatile utility player with some power. We will likely see him some in 2021, but he will see most of his time in St. Paul. COMEBACK KIDS? Wander Javier was once a top ten, and even a top five prospect for many in the Twins system. Unfortunately, he has missed about three of the past five seasons due to injury and then last year’s lost season. He struggled at Cedar Rapids in 2019. Despite that, he is ultra-talented and just turned 22 years old in late December. Yunior Severino was set to return in 2020 after breaking his thumb early in the 2019 season. He was twice a seven-figure international free agent, and he will be just 21 throughout the 2021 season. He likely is a second baseman, but he has a lot of offensive potential. WE HARDLY KNOW YE Spencer Steer was the Twins 3rd round pick in 2019 out of the University of Oregon. He had an impressive pro debut that summer but didn’t get the opportunity to back that up in 2020. That year, the Twins also selected shortstop Will Holland in the fifth round. In 36 games at E-Town, he hit seven homers and stole eight bases. His college teammate at Auburn was Edouard Julien, an infielder that the Twins took in the 18th round. Unfortunately, he was hurt during the Pan Am Games and had Tommy John surgery and hasn’t yet made his pro debut. Seth Gray is a very talented third baseman that was the Twins fourth round pick in 2019. He’s got a lot of power potential. In the 2020 draft, the Twins took right-handed pitcher Marco Raya in the fourth round. He’s got an impressive pitch mix and can throw hard. He’ll need to gain strength, but he’s certainly got some potential to move up this list. Then in the fifth round, the team took outfielder Kala’i Rosario. The Hawaii native has as much power as any prep player in last year’s draft. Emmanuel Rodriguezsigned a seven-digit bonus with the Twins in 2019. He was set to begin his professional career in the DSL in 2020, but instead we will begin in 2021. It was just last month that the Twins signed 16-year-old shortstop Danny De Andrade for $2.2 million. The Venezuelan was one of this year’s top international prospects. For each of these players, 2021 will be their first opportunity to make a real impression. Some may move up this list next year. Some may find themselves outside of this list. That is a lot of talent, and those are guys who rank outside of the Twins Daily Top 20 prospects. Check back over the next two weeks to see who our 2021 Top 20 Twins Prospects are. Click here to view the article

That is a very good point. I could see them bringing in another veteran catcher on a minor league deal who is known for his defense to work with pitchers. Rortvedt presumably starts at Wichita this year.

I don't want Blankenhorn or Larnach only playing once or twice a week. They need to play almost every day in the minors to get them ready for the big leagues. Telis is a far better catcher and hitter than Astudillo, but Astudillo being versatile (even if not good at any of those spots) is probably more valuable as the 26th man.

I don't mind him on the 40 man roster, kind of in the mix for 26th-28th man, the #3 catcher (preferably #4 behind Telis), able to play 3B, 2B, 1B, LF, RF, and occasionally pinch hit. He's not good defensively at any of those positions, and his offensive approach is awful. Yup, it works out from time to time. It's nice that he's got one more option left and hopefully the Twins front office will have a solid group of guys going back and forth to St. Paul. Astudillo can be part of that.

I think, with Tomas Telis on his team in Venezuela, the only position that he played in the VWL this year (and last year) was left field. Out there, you can get great diving catches like this: https://twitter.com/ElExtrabase/status/1349484033563123715

With Price and Bauer likely just there for the year, and Gonsolin and May having options, I don't think those two would be available. Maybe Price, and I don't think he would cost much even if the Dodgers ate a lot of the contract. If nothing else, it's worth the phone call.

This... Is... Awesome!!! Can't wait for future installments!!

The Twins could also just put Hamilton right back on waivers. They would have had a late waiver spot/position, so maybe they would just need to get him past a few more teams and then they could keep him in the organization on a minor league deal.

The offseason may have progressed slowly, but the Twins front office continues to cross things off of their To-Do List. After signing Nelson Cruz, the Twins have now added reliever Alex Colome to their roster, signing him to a one year, $6.25 million contract with an option for 2022.The 32-year-old Colome has spent the past two seasons with the Chicago White Sox and accumulated 42 saves while posting a 2.27 ERA. He was an All Star in 2016 with the Rays when he posted a 1.91 ERA and had 37 saves. The next season, he had 47 saves. Colome has a lot of late-game, closer experience. He’s got 138 saves over his eight MLB seasons. While his strikeout rate has gone down the last couple of seasons, his overall performance has been very good. It’s probably because his pitch-mix is more conducive to weak contact than missing bats. Over the past two seasons, he has thrown a 90 mph cutter over 70% of the time. The other 30% of the time he throws a mid-90s fastball that averaged 94.5 mph in 2020. Now, will he be named the Twins next closer as Bob Nightengale mentioned in his tweet? Clarification: It is a mutual option for 2022 at $5.5 million. If Colome declines it, the Twins don't have to pay the $1.25 million. The Twins could still add another reliever, or sign more guys to minor league deals. With this move, the Twins roster will be at 40. At 5:45, watch an all-new Twins Daily Offseason Live in which we'll discuss the signings of Nelson Cruz and Alex Colome. Click here to view the article

On Sunday morning, the Minnesota Twins officially announced the signing of shortstop Andrelton Simmons. Soon after, Simmons (along with Derek Falvey and Rocco Baldelli) talked to the media.It quickly became evident that there was a strong interest from both the Twins and Simmons throughout the offseason. Derek Falvey pointed out, “One of the things that became clear to us in conversations with his agent and his representation was how much he had interest in Minnesota and how much this felt like a good fit for him from the outside looking in so once we heard that, had some conversations, this was clear that we could potentially find a good path forward. We’re thrilled to welcome Andrelton to our team here in Minnesota.” Simmons felt the Twins interest right away which is obviously important. “I guess just kind of I was seeing who was interested in me. That’s No. 1. You’ve got to be honest. You can’t go play with somebody that doesn’t show appreciation for what you do. I think the Twins showed that.” Beyond that, Simmons believes that Minnesota provides a place where he can win. “They also are a team that the last couple years have shown that they belong in the conversation of the best of the best teams because they’ve been consistently winning their division, competing for a playoff spot. They’ve been a team that whenever they came into town the last couple years I’ve been playing in Anaheim, they gave us some headaches so I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that right now.” Simmons is 31-years-old and was born in Curacao. Asked how many languages he speaks, Simmons said, “Four-and-a-half. I haven’t been practicing French. Unless we get some French players and have some conversations, I still have a lot to remember on the French.” Baseball players young and old likely have watched YouTube videos of Simmons making great plays at shortstop. Kids dream of becoming the next Andrelton Simmons with the glove. Simmons grew up watching the great shortstops of the game, but it likely comes as no surprise who his favorite player was, fellow Curacao native Andruw Jones. “I have to say, growing up, Andruw Jones was the big name. Even though he wasn’t a shortstop, but his defense and what he brought to the table. Everybody was aware of how great he was. I think that’s one of the inspirations.” But there were shortstops he looked up to as well. “I had guys like Derek Jeter. I liked the way he went about his business and he was so good at it. He was another person. Then I had Omar Vizquel who I grew up watching. Seemed like he never made a mistake. Guys like that kind of help, be somebody, like an idol, or a couple of idols I had growing up. People I learned a lot from. I try to pay a lot of attention to guys who I think are really good at what they do. Those are some of the guys that I try to pick every little detail that I can that can benefit me.” Baldelli was excited to see the Twins bring in Simmons. With the goal of getting better each year and winning a World Series, bringing in a player with Simmons background is important. First, his defense will make the team better, but he may also bring additional value to the team. “We are talking about honestly one of the most cerebral ballplayers in the game and I think there’s a ton he’s going to be able to bring to the table and both lead by example but also probably show us a few things too. Myself included. I’m looking forward to watching him go out there, not just during the games, but even before the games and all the conversations that go along with it.” Simmons knows his role as a leader on the defense. “I know what I bring to the table. When I'm on the field, I bring awareness. I try to, I wouldn't say educate, but keep everybody on their toes, making sure everybody knows what the next play should be. Where we should get the out or 'watch out for this runner, he's trying to steal. Make sure every base is covered.” But Baldelli knows that it is going to help his already-strong pitching staff too. “We have one of the best, I think, pitching staffs as a whole in the American League, and for us to be able to compliment that group with basically one of the greatest defenders of our generation, and to be able to put Andrelton at the shortstop position, which also allows us to really solidify everything going on in the rest of our infield as well. It doesn’t just add to our defense. I think it’s going to add to the way our pitchers throw the ball and go about their business, and I just think that the ability to help ourselves on that side of the ball in such a dynamic way was something that we couldn’t resist.” Simmons on Shifting When the Twins signed Josh Donaldson a year ago, he was asked about the shift and if he liked it. He said at that time that he wasn’t a big fan of it, but that he would do what the team asked. The Twins do a lot of shifting, so Simmons was asked for his thoughts on shifting in baseball. “For me, growing up before the shift became a big thing, I always went on what I saw. It’s an educated decision on what you feel like is going to happen, where the ball is gonna be hit. As more data was put into figuring out where guys are gonna hit baseballs, I always enjoy that input on positioning. Like, what information do you have on this guy, on where he hits the ball. It’s always a good thing to know it.” He continued, noting that he enjoys the conversation on the reports. “I enjoy when I can have a discussion, if it’s something like I don’t feel like this guy is gonna hit the ball here, in certain situations this guy might try to ... there’s maybe sometimes my own way of processing things. I like to discuss, with either the manager or the defensive coordinator, and try to understand why, and share my own input. Try to come up with the best decision for where to position. I like the idea of shifting, but I always like to understand how and why.” Baldelli on Polanco, Arraez Reactions to Simmons Signing One crucial piece to this equation is how Jorge Polanco and Luis Arraez might react to the news that their roles will change. Rocco Baldelli said that he has talked to both players before and since the deal. "Any time we’re going to be adding or potentially making a change with any of our players, one thing we like to do is just make sure that the players who are going to be affected by it are involved in the discussion and in a timely manner. We like to be the ones to explain what’s going on and not let our players hear it elsewhere. So I was able to get a hold of Polo and Luis, who I gave a call to as well, when we came into an agreement with Andrelton." He continued, "So I talked to Polo that night, and really the way that discussion went was very, very straightforward, where we explained that we were signing Andrelton, how it would affect Polo. And frankly, Polo, he stepped up almost immediately as a teammate, as a competitor. He said, ‘I want to be the best second baseman I can be.’ If that’s what best for the team, I want to do what’s best for the team. I want to win. He said, ‘You know that,’ and you know that’s who he is as a person. And Polo proved that he can play a major league shortstop and do it well. Is that always easy for guys to take, when you’ve proven you can do something? No, but it really shows his character, it shows who he is, and frankly any time we do need him to play shortstop, he said on the phone, ‘Anytime you need me to play, I will be there to play.’" Regarding Arraez, Baldelli noted, "And Luis echoed the same sentiment: “Whatever you need me to do, I’m going to be ready. Anytime I’m in the lineup, wherever I’m playing, I’m happy. You know that. I’m going to be ready to go.’ So it makes things easier on the staff and on the organization when you have guys with that kind of character who are willing to do anything to win.” Royce Lewis on the Addition of Simmons In an interview during the Twins Virtual Twins Fest, Royce Lewis was asked by Cory Provus for his thoughts on the Twins signing Andrelton Simmons. Lewis responded by saying, “I thought it was an amazing move. He’s a great defensive shortstop. I mean, for me personally, I can’t wait to learn from the guy.” Lewis continued, “It’ll be really interesting to learn. Hopefully I won’t bother him too much by asking him too many questions about the defense, but he can swing it too and he’s a great addition to the team.” On Sunday, Baldelli was asked about Lewis’s response to the signing. “Yeah, this is also something you can kind of pat Royce on the back about too. Royce is obviously a tremendously talented young man but also a guy that knows he still wants to learn. He still wants to get better. That’s his goal every day when he shows up to the ballpark. I think this is a great opportunity for the guys on our Major league team but also our young players too.” In addition, Baldelli discussed the organization’s belief in Lewis, his ability to play shortstop, and he hinted that Lewis and his development was possibly another reason to bring Simmons in. Certainly Lewis is the reason that the Twins wanted a one-year deal with the Gold Glover. I know Major League Spring Training is actually a really important time for a lot of young players. Not to just get out there and be in the big league clubhouse but actually watch the way that other guys go about their business and watch what they do. Royce is a guy that is such a talent that I think he could play several positions at the Major league level and do it well. But I do believe he has the ability to play a very good shortstop and that’s what we want him to continue to keep working at. He’s going to get exactly where we want him to be. This is another kind of tool and another opportunity for him to improve his game.” Simba on Simba Simmons was asked about the origins of his nickname, “Simba.” “It started in Atlanta in the minor leagues my first year in Danville, Virginia. Paul Runge was the manager and I don’t know why, but Day 1 I think he just made the decision. He was just like, ‘yeah, I’m not going to call him Andrelton or Simmons, I’m just gonna call him Simba.’ I guess everybody kept hearing that when he kept saying Simba over and over again. I guess it just stuck. I don’t mind it. I like the movie. I like the character. So no harm done. I enjoy the name right now, honestly.” Click here to view the article