Seth Stohs

On Sunday the Twins submitted their 60-player roster to MLB. That list was announced on Monday morning. (See 60-man roster here) As with any roster, there will be discussions of who was or who wasn’t added, but on Monday Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey and Manager Rocco Baldelli discussed the roster and player development, among many other topics.The Twins 60-man player pool includes the 38 members of the 40-man roster (including Michael Pineda and Fernando Romero who are both on the restricted list). The ‘taxi squad’ includes some of the organization’s top prospects, at least those who are playing at the upper levels of the minor leagues such as Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Brent Rooker and Jhoan Duran. The group also includes several of the minor league veterans that were still in big league spring training in March. My initial thought after looking at the roster was that there are some very talented top prospects included, but several others (including RHP Jordan Balazovic) are not on the roster at this time. There are also a lot of replacement level minor league veterans with MLB service time that are included. What does that tell me? That this organization wants to win right now. While some other organizations are filling their roster with prospects, the Twins are going with veterans who can fill in if needed right now. Those guys are also the type of player that can be utilized, then DFAd and you won’t have to worry about losing them. But, rather than just trusting my own opinions, let’s find out what Derek Falvey and Rocco Baldelli had to say. Falvey began by saying that the first step was simply to read and fully understand the rules of the 60-man roster. Since this is new concept, it is important for the team to know the rules, especially those that are different from a “normal” season. How do you add or remove someone from the 60-man roster? How does the addition of a COVID-IL affect their ability to alter the roster? With that in mind, Falvey explained, “We focused on the group we had at the end of major league camp in Spring Training. I think every team has a different reason or rationale for bringing in this subset of players. We felt like our focus had to be on this Major League team. Making sure that we had the right depth. Making sure that we have development opportunities for our top prospects as well. We just happen to have quite a few of our upper tier prospects, as noted by several publications, that happen to be in the upper levels and were in spring training with us.” Baldelli added, “From a process standpoint, our focus is how do we fill it with guys that we think will help support the major league team in the event that we have issues at the major league level during the course of the year.” He accentuated those thoughts later by saying, “I think what we’re learning is that depth is going to be very important in a lot of different ways. The best ways that we can back up our major league group is to have quality, ready and able, upper level advanced guys, guys that have had big league time. Guys that we can rely on, not just for game action, but also for some prep work too.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Twins 60-man roster includes several players from my personal updated (post-draft) Twins prospect rankings: Royce Lewis (1), Alex Kirilloff (2), Trevor Larnach (3), Jhoan Duran (5), Ryan Jeffers (6), Gilberto Celestino (11), Edwar Colina (12), Lewis Thorpe (13), Brent Rooker (14), Travis Blankenhorn (20), Dakota Chalmers (22), Randy Dobnak (23), Devin Smeltzer (26), LaMonte Wade, Jr. (29), Nick Gordon (34), Sean Poppen (38), Jorge Alcala (39). Again, the biggest name that is missing would be Jordan Balazovic (4). However, starting pitching prospects such as Blayne Enlow (10), Cole Sands (16), and 2019 second-round draft pick Matt Canterino (8) are not on the list either. Neither is 2020 first-round pick, 1B Aaron Sabato (9) or 2019 first-round pick Keoni Cavaco (7) and 2019 Competitive Balance pick Matt Wallner (15) A case could have been easily made for including Sabato and Wallner, two very powerful bats, and Canterino. However, none were added at this time. “We didn’t focus on anyone from this year’s draft, or even last year’s draft. We hope there are some development opportunities for them down the line,” said Falvey. Those players will continue to receive some remote coaching as available. Other than that, the players are responsible for finding time to get their work in. When news of positive COVID-19 tests were found at team complexes in Clearwater and Dunedin last week, MLB shut down all team’s spring training facilities. According to Derek Falvey, “Two specific things came out of that. Shut everything down from a workout standpoint. Do a deep clean, making sure everything is in a good place. Reopen the facilities after those things are done. We’ve done all of those bits and pieces, gone through the testing protocols.” So the Twins now have some players that are rehabbing at their Ft. Myers facilities. Also, there are still players from Venezuela that couldn’t go home in March that remain at the Twins academy. The team has staff there providing meals and such. However, the Twins (and all MLB organizations) can’t have minor league workouts or activities, so the teams wait for that to be allowed. Players wait and keep trying to work on their games. Falvey noted that the team doesn’t currently have plans for the short term return of player development, but there’s no question they understand its importance and hope it can return to normalcy soon. “We obviously are focused on developing all of our minor leaguers throughout the course of this year. We are just limited in what we can do at present. It’s my hope, if we can continue to proceed down the path at the major league level, we can at some point focus on how we can potentially (provided) some further development on some other players who aren’t part of the 60” Which presents a great opportunity to the prospects on the 40-man roster or on the ‘taxi squad” Baldelli said, “I think there are a lot of positives about having good, young prospects involved and keeping them active and doing things. Every team is doing things with different objectives in mind. We spent a lot of time on it. We also have a couple of spots that are still available that we can still work with as we continue to see how this plays out and see what we need to do.” That’s important to remember. For instance, on Monday the Miami Marlins officially signed former Gophers righty and #3 overall pick in the 2020 draft Max Meyer and added him to their 60 player pool. Maybe Jordan Balazovic will get a call in the coming days or weeks. Regarding the likes of Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff, Royce Lewis, Ryan Jeffers and other prospects, Derek Falvey hopes that this is a great spot for them to develop and improve. “We felt that putting them in this environment and being around guys who are going to continue to develop to the major leagues, that was the best way to advance their development this year given the circumstances and the absence of games. It was better for them to be playing and be around our coaches and getting a little more hands-on instruction. The short-term answer is they’re part of the group. They’re going to continue to go through the workouts. They’ll intrasquad just like everybody else. Hopefully we can use this time to advance their overall development.” While there will be larger groups of players and staff at Target Field than at CHS Field, there will likely be five to six coaches in St. Paul at any given time. (The team will announce the staffs for spring training 2.0 after they get back the results of COVID testing in case they need to alter their current staffing plans) According to Falvey, ““We bring our hitting coordinators, our pitching coordinators, and make sure we have everything covered where we’re not missing anything as that group of 20 some players starts their workouts.” And what will those players be doing in St. Paul besides just practicing and working out? Rocco Baldelli laid out some of the plan and in doing so highlighted why this is such a great opportunity for these prospects. It could be a great opportunity to grow as a player. “The sim games and the intrasquading, we’ll allow for a competitive environment once everyone gets up and going. And truthfully, this could be one of the better learning experiences for some of these guys. It’s something they really couldn’t get during a season. A lot of times during the season you’re spending your time on performing, not taking chances, not trying something new and really learning and growing. This could be an opportunity for some of our guys to make some adjustments that they wouldn't normally be able to make.” The primary goal of the taxi squad is to provide depth to the big-league roster as needed throughout the summer. For many of the prospects, the odds of getting ‘called up’ may be low, but the opportunity to develop is potentially immeasurable. 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 that the Twins will treat prospects as they would in a regular season: Kirilloff needs to be added to the 40-man roster AFTER this season. So they can bring him up during the season, but the goal should absolutely be that if he is brought up, they don't use an option on him. Will he need three options? We hope not, but no need in just giving one up. The other side of that is Larnach who doesn't have to be added until after the 2021 season, so it would probably take an everyday job to open up for him to get added this year (and I think he's very near ready too). As for Romero, this is obviously a big deal. Sano was cleared but the situation is crazy and he was able to get back here already... Romero can't... It must be something bigger. (not to say it's anything like the Sano situation or worse, but something must be going on).

the other thing to remember on Balazovic or others... the Twins are at 59 on the 60-man roster right now. So, they could add one. Second, the 60-man roster can change, so you never know. Third, guys will be taking the COVID test and likely several may have it, so that could alter things as well.

Definitely CHS.

So I asked Derek Falvey about that earlier this afternoon. The facilities in Ft. Myers and around baseball were shut down to people to be cleaned over a weekend. The Twins have a bunch of their minor leaguers from Venezuela staying at the academy, and then there are rehabbing players down there as well. I don't know about Rortvedt specifically. Balazovic lives off 'campus' with Enlow, Baddoo, etc. I don't think they've all been there the whole time, but I think Balazovic has been. And, I don't know that he has (or has been able to) work out at the Twins facilities anyway.

Balazovic has been in Ft. Myers the whole time.

Not necessarily... This team is strong and deep and any one player being out for awhile will hurt but shouldn't be the end of the world. For Tovar to get called up, maybe Polanco gets hurt and another SS option gets COVID... You have to make sure you're covered three deep at least at each position. And guys like Tovar, Renheimer are definitions of 'Replacement Level Player" but if they can make the plays at short, hold things down, the other 8 in the lineup and this pitching staff can make up for it.

Initial 60-man roster thoughts... the #MNTwins have some of their top prospects that are in at least AA, but they chose their veteran, minor league free agents, most with MLB service time. Tells me they are in it to win it. I think that's OK actually. Sure, I'd like to see Balazovic, Enlow, Canterino, Javier, Baddoo, etc. But, 40-man roster spots are valuable. The minor league veterans are more ready to contribute to what we all think will be a really strong team. And, no need to worry about DFAing. Also, they have room to add thanks to two players on the restricted list and presumably Chacin being on the 30-man roster and such.

The teams are announcing their rosters... I mean, the ones that have announced their rosters...

Also... Thank you!!

I can add Ryan Jeffers to the list of players who will be on the 60-man roster.

I'm guessing pinch runner will be the final thing they would consider in making their regular season roster... Maybe a playoff roster, but not a regular season roster.

So, the Twins dropped their roster down to 29 players when MLB put the roster freeze on in March sometime... This roster is 30 players... The Twins likely will stick with those 29 and then maybe add one more player. So, who is that player? If I'm reading this correctly, it's Lewis Thorpe, right?

I haven't looked. I figure I don't need to know until they start up. But, I thought they might be creative with that kind of stuff, but it doesn't sound like it.

There is no service time if they're not on the MLB active roster. Only active roster counts toward service time. Lewis doesn't have to be added to the 40-man roster unless he is added to the 26-man active roster at some point.

Just FYI... Sounds like the Twins made the phone calls yesterday... I've heard from one player who is heading to Minneapolis, and another who said he is not on the 60 man team. So it will be interesting to see how this gets announced.

Ryan O'Rourke retired a couple of weeks ago and announced that on social media. Maybe that's who you were thinking of? https://twitter.com/RyanO_Rourke/status/1270180198231822338

Matthew did some digging for his list... Just noticed he's got Juan Minaya and Lane Adams, two guys that were minor league free agent signings without invitations to big league spring training. I put Caleb Thielbar over Blaine Hardy since Hardy had Tommy John surgery in March.

This was a fun exercise, so I did it before I read through Matthew's choices... Here are mine (in yellow). My philosophies: 1.) Make sure you have enough depth at each position, noting that several players can play multiple positions, but make sure you'll be OK if a starter is out for any extended period. 2.) Make sure there is enough pitching. 3.) At that point, it's all about the prospects. The choices: C: Ryan Jeffers and either Tomas Telis or Ben Rortvedt. IF: Zander Wiel, Aaron Sabato, Royce Lewis, Wander Javier (just can't have another entirely missed season). OF: Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, Brent Rooker RP: Caleb Thielbar, Cory Gearrin, Jake Reed SP: Jhoulys Chacin (who will be on the 40-man probably), Griffin Jax, Jordan Balazovic, Blayne Enlow, Matt Canterino, Cole Sands What do you think? What would your strategy be, and who might make your list?

The cap is only related to the draft, not the free agents.

Larnach should have been inclujded as a college bat, but at the same time, he's just such a good all-around hitter that he doesn't fit that same profile. I don't know. As for Sabato, I looked at a few pre-draft mock drafts. I think Baseball America had Sabato going 14th overall. I saw him in the late teens in another one. I think on draft day, Jonathan Mayo had him going #27 to the Twins. So I don't think he was an over-draft at all. Jeremy Nygaard reminded me on Twitter that Sabato is a draft-eligible sophomore, so he had two more years of eligibility.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Twins officially signed their 2020 first-round draft pick, Aaron Sabato. Slot value was $2.57 million. Sabato and the Twins reached an agreement at $2.75 million.When meeting with media, Aaron Sabato reiterated often just how well he fits into the Minnesota Twins organization. At one point, he noted, “I’m in the perfect spot with this organization and I want to be a Minnesota Twin.” That connection is obvious. As we discussed before the draft, the Sean Johnson-led Twins scouting group has made a concerted effort to select powerful collegiate bats in the high rounds. That has been evident in the selections of Brent Rooker, Ryan Jeffers, Matt Wallner and now Aaron Sabato; all college sluggers who absolutely mash. In 83 college games at North Carolina (64 in 2019, 19 in 2020), he hit .332/.459/.698 (1.158) with 31 doubles, 25 homers and 81 RBI. He walked 61 times to go with 72 strikeouts. Sabato recalled a conversation he had with Twins minor league hitting coordinator Donegal Fergus shortly following the draft. Sabato said that Fergus reiterated the Twins hitting philosophy. “We want you to swing at strikes. We want you to take balls, and we want you to hit the ball a long way and do it at a high rate without striking out and walking a ton. For me, that’s what I base my hitting about. I’m trying to do the most damage on every pitch, but also be disciplined enough to take my walks and spit on the good pitches.” Sabato knew right then and there that he was in a great situation for himself. “Right there, (I realized) that I was in a pretty good spot with the organization that had just drafted me.” Sabato discussed drills that he has done often in college with his hitting coaches. He stands in the batter’s box and takes pitches, calling out the pitch type and its location. He said it has helped burn into his brain what strikes and balls look like, and ultimately which pitches he can try to hit really hard. He also talked about hitting against top pitchers such as former Gopher right-hander, and the #3 overall pick in the 2020 draft, Max Meyer in February. It is a challenge, of course, but Sabato has learned how he wants to handle those situations. “People say you have to get amped up, but for me it’s How calm can I be and How relaxed can I be against the best guys? And that’s when I’m at my best.” Sabato continued, “I realized I need to get more disciplined and more fine tuned in how I go about it. That’s what I’ve learned. I stopped worrying about who I am facing and started just worrying about what am I doing in the box.” The reality is that he has lofty goals for himself and all pitchers that he will face going forward are going to be good, and should he get to the big leagues, he will want to remain calm for every at bat. “I want to play Major League Baseball, and I want to do really well for a really long time.” With the signing of Sabato, the Twins have signed three of their four 2020 draft picks. Last week, they signed UT outfielder Alerick Soularie and prep pitcher Marco Raya. Kala’i Rosario, a high school outfielder from Hawaii, was their fifth round pick. He remains unsigned. The team is about $150,000 under their slot value, so they could go well above Rosario’s slot value of about $330,000. Click here to view the article

Sharpe is definitely their #1 post-draft prospect.