Seth Stohs

Pitchers: Jordan Balazovic Charlie Barnes Tanner Brubaker Yennier Cano Matt Canterino Blayne Enlow Kody Funderburk Regi Grace Ben Gross Tom Hackimer Griffin Jax Cody Laweryson Jovani Moran Juan Pichardo Marco Raya Luis Rijo Bryan Sammons Cole Sands Austin Schulfer Chris Vallimont Tyler Watson Josh Winder Catchers: Jair Camargo Yeremi De La Cruz Charlie Mack (moved from infielder) Jeferson Morales Ben Rortvedt Chris Williams Infielders: Andrew Bechtold Keoni Cavaco Seth Gray Will Holland Wander Javier Edouard Julien Jose Miranda Aaron Sabato Yunior Severino Spencer Steer Outfielders: Carlos Aguiar Akil Baddoo Willie Joe Garry, Jr. DaShawn Keirsey Kala'i Rosario Alerick Soularie Misael Urbina Matt Wallner Feel free to ask questions about these players, or post notes on any of them that you may ready on Twitter or elsewhere.

Biggest surprises for me: Nate Hadley... put up really good numbers in his pro debut after the draft, including at Cedar Rapids. He's had some injury history at UCLA, so he's a little older, but I think his numbers warranted another shot. He signed with the Milwaukee Milkmen for next season. Taylor Grzelakowski was finally going to be healthy and able to catch again in 2020. Would have been interesting to see what he could have done with the bat with his ankles healthy. Parker Phillips has a ton of power. A late-round pick, but again, but has big power. That said, the Twins have a lot of that type of player, including Aaron Sabato.

' I think there will be... in some form... I'll just have to find time.

Yeah, and I question it in the 9 to noon range too!

I 100% (or at least like 75%) agree with Donaldson... I think good teams and team players make adjustments in the playoffs in an attempt to help the team. In the regular season, sure, go for the downs, swing hard... But in the playoffs, don't get out. Other team gives you a hit, take it... Runner in scoring position, 3 guys one one side of the diamond, take the easy RBI.

Along with Nick Anderson, Oliver Drake, John Curtiss and Aaron Slegers were on the Rays Wild Card roster...

Yeah, figured Poppen would get claimed. His stuff is too good.

I wrote this in January about who the team would need to add this offseason ahead of the Rule 5 draft. http://twinsdaily.com/articles.html/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-minor-leagues/looking-way-ahead-who-needs-to-be-added-to-the-40-man-roster-in-november-r8853 Three of the four "Givens" were added during the season, and the other is certainly a given still. I believe everything business-wise is still on, in terms of dates, including the Rule 5 draft. That said, may not be in person.

I have no doubt that this is heartfelt... I don't think it suggests anything more or less.

We have wondered if there would be any surprise additions to the Twins playoff roster. Well, were you expecting to see OF Alex Kirilloffon it? And, who isn’t on the roster, making room for Kirilloff? The answer, unfortunately, is that Josh Donaldson will not be on the Twins roster for this series. Jake Odorizzi and Willians Astudillo are also on the Twins playoff roster for this series while Rich Hill and Jorge Alcala are not.The Twins won the AL Central Division title on Sunday. In that moment, they knew they had the #3 seed in the American League playoffs and will take on the Houston Astros in the Wild Card round starting on Tuesday. On Tuesday morning, the Twins announced their 28-man roster for the Wild Card round. Game time is 1:00 central time today. Catchers (4): Alex Avila, Mitch Garver, Ryan Jeffers, Willians Astudillo The Twins are going with four catchers. That said, Astudillo’s ability to play some third base and pinch hit likely make him viable for this series. Infielders (5): Miguel Sano, Luis Arraez, Jorge Polanco, Ehire Adrianza, Marwin Gonzalez Obviously the big news here is that Josh Donaldson is not on the Twins roster for this series. Hopefully his calf heals up and he could be ready for a potential ALDS series. When trying to predict the roster, we assumed (and maybe just hoped) that Luis Arraez would be on the roster. Fortunately, he was activated from the Injury List on Saturday and played in two games. The fact that he returned with four hits on Saturday should make fans feel very comfortable. Outfielders/DH (6): Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Jake Cave, Alex Kirilloff, Nelson Cruz Clearly the surprise here is seeing Alex Kirilloff on the playoff roster. The Twins top pick in the 2016 draft has been working at the Twins alternate site in St. Paul and had recently been added to the team’s 40-man playoff pool. It is good to see that Byron Buxton is on the Wild Card roster. Buxton was suffering from mild concussions symptoms since being hit by a pitch in in the helmet on Friday night, but he has been cleared to play in this series. Starting Pitchers (3): Kenta Maeda (Game 1), Jose Berrios (Game 2), Michael Pineda (Game 3) We have really known the three starters for several days now, and it comes as no surprise. The nice thing to know is that Rich Hill pitched well down the stretch and had to have at least made that Game 3 starter decision interesting. Long Reliever Options (2): Jake Odorizzi, Randy Dobnak The Twins (and all teams) simply need to have at least one pitcher who could eat multiple innings and save the bullpen for the next day. Jake Odorizzi returns from the Injured List and is on the roster and can fill that role. Also, Randy Dobnak gets a roster spot for this series. Rich Hill, having pitched on Sunday would not be able to pitch until, maybe, Game 3 on Thursday, so he is not on the roster. Bullpen (8): Taylor Rogers, Sergio Romo, Tyler Duffey, Trevor May, Tyler Clippard, Matt Wisler, Caleb Thielbar, Cody Stashak. I think the surprise omission from this list is Jorge Alcala who has been pitching quite well out of the Twins bullpen. The rest of the bullpen is as expected. Also of note, Sean Poppen was DFAd to make room for Alex Kirilloff on the 40-man roster. So there it is, the Twins roster that will attempt to top the Houston Astros over the next few days. Taxi Squad: Pitchers; Jorge Alcala, Edwar Colina, Jhoan Duran, Rich Hill, Juan Minaya, Devin Smeltzer, Lewis Thorpe Infielders: Travis Blankenhorn, Josh Donaldson, Outfielders: LaMonte Wade, Jr. Here is the Game 1 lineup: Click here to view the article

Confirmed that Alex Kirilloff is being called up for the Wild Card playoff round.

No question, the biggest surprise on the Twins AL Wild Card series roster when it gets announced on Tuesday morning will be outfielder Alex Kirllloff. The Star-Tribune’s Phil Miller tweeted that the “Twins may have a surprise in store on tomorrow’s playoff roster: They are discussing promoting former first-rounder Alex Kirilloff for this series.” Twins Daily has confirmed that Kirilloff did receive The Call late on Monday night.Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said before Game 1 on Tuesday. "It's a move that, once you get to know the player and the person, you're excited to make. He's a young guy. very mature guy." He added, "He doesn't seem to let very much affect him at all. A guy who worries about the things he can control, and that's it." Baldelli was talking about Alex Kirilloff, the Twins first-round draft pick in 2016 out of Plum High School in Pittsburgh, the 15th overall pick that year. The day he was drafted, he led his team to the state championship game. Derek Falvey noted before Tuesday's game that with using just 13 pitchers on the 28-man roster. "Thinking about how we could maximize some of the potential matchups and opportunities over the course of a two or three game series, just felt like he could fit with Josh being clearly down and the ability to play the outfield. Rocco has a lot of options now as he works through managing a game, and we have some protection in a few spots. Also, he is a good hitter, and he's someone we think can help us." After the phone call, he called his parents and his wife. His wife, Jordan, and their daughter were in St. Paul for a little over a month. If he were to play during the series, he would become the first Twins player to make his Major League debut in the playoffs. Let’s take a quick look at his journey to the big leagues. More On Alex Kirilloff Twins Daily Draft Preview: Alex Kirilloff (June 2016)Get To Know: Twins Outfield Prospect Alex Kirilloff(January 2017)Twins Daily 2018 Top Prospects: #3 Alex Kirilloff(February 2017)Seth’s Twins Talk (Episode 2) (January 2018)Twins Daily 2018 Top Prospects: #5 Alex Kirilloff (February 2018)Lewis, Kirilloff Provide High Character, Huge Potential (May 2018)Looking Back: Twins Take Four Prep Hitters Atop 2016 Draft (August 2018)Twins Daily 2019 Top Prospects: #2 Alex Kirilloff (February 2019)Alex Kirilloff Should Make his Twins Debut in 2020 (November 2019)Twins Daily 2020 Top Prospects: #2 Alex Kirilloff (February 2020)Twins’ Top Outfield Prospects Shine in Shortened Spring (April 2020)Reviewing Minnesota’s Recent First Round Picks (June 2020)Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach or Brent Rooker: Which Top Prospect Should the Twiins Call Up? (August 2020)Twins Most Impactful Roster Additions Will Likely Come from St. Paul (August 2020) Click here to view the article

I like the Cash pick for AL Manager of the Year, but wouldn't Charlie Montoya be the odds-on favorite at this point?

He's got an OK changeup, but not great. When he had COVID, and his season was cut even shorter, might as well just develop him as a reliever. Also, they're developing Duran, Chalmers and Balazovic as starters, plus Enlow, Colina's a two-pitch guy who could be a great late-inning guy (when he relaxes!)... and if he develops that changeup, he could be Joe Nathan! (which probably sounds a bit optimistic after a really tough debut tonight!)

I might be wrong,but this feels like it should be in a different thread?

Something like, maybe a 100 mph fastball and the best slider in the organization?

He may not have one. Or he might. But the expectation shouldn't be that he's getting called up with three games left and suddenly he's going to be pitching ahead of Duffey, Romo, May, Rogers, Clippard, Alcala... But if he's your last bullpen arm... that's not a bad thing. The expectation shouldn't be any more than that. He's capable, and maybe it'll play out that way, but yeah... keep the expectations low and the hopes high.

On Friday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins announced that they had Designated Homer Bailey for Assignment. It opened up a spot on the roster which they used to select the contract of Edwar Colina who will be able to pitch out of the Twins bullpen this final weekend.If you haven’t heard much about Edwar Colina, that’s OK. Twins Daily has enjoyed covering the right-hander for a few years now. Colina signed as an 18-year-old in late September of 2015 from Venezuela. He spent a season in the Dominican Summer League. He moved up to Elizabethton in 2017 and was named the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year. In 2018, he spent most of the season at Cedar Rapids where he went 7-4 with a 2.48 ERA in 98 innings. He finished that season with two starts in Ft. Myers. In 2019, he started in Ft. Myers and pitched very well in both Ft. Myers and Pensacola. In 92 2/3 combined innings, he posted a 2.23 ERA and recorded more than a strikeout per inning. He also pitched in two games in Triple A. He earned his first invitation to big-league spring training this year and was impressing the coaching staff at that time. He stuck around Ft. Myers throughout the quarantine. Unfortunately, he came down with Covid-19, so he was unable to join the Twins immediately at the start of Summer Camp. However, he quickly passed the tests and was able to do some rehab work at the Twins facilities in Ft. Myers before joining those players working at the Twins alternate training site in St. Paul. He said, “After everything started, I was in Ft. Myers. I kept working, never stopped. So I was ready for this.” Ready for this? Yes. Expecting this? No. Sure, earlier this week we learned that Colina was on the team’s 12-player playoff taxi squad, but when Colina woke up this morning, he had no idea what news was coming his way. “I was coming down to the breakfast room (when he found out). I was not expecting this. It was a big surprise and I was very excited.” Colina added. “It’s hard to explain how I feel right now. It’s something I’ve been waiting for my whole career. I don’t have the words to explain how I feel right now.” While it may have surprised Colina, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said that it was something that they have been thinking about for a long time. “We’ve talked a lot about Colina throughout the year. He’s a very exciting young arm. The kind of guy that has the stuff that can potentially be dominant in a shorter stint-type of role.” It is fun to think about what Colina could do for a bullpen in the future. It’s exciting to think what he could do in a role yet this season. Baseball is for people of all shapes and sizes. Jorge Alcala is tall and thin and uses a whip-like arm action to reach into the upper-90s. Edwar Colina stands just 5-11 and weighs in around 250 pounds. He hits triple-digits by driving with his massive lower half. That’s right. Triple digits. And not “just” 100. There are some reports that he’s reaching that number that Brusdar Graterol reached in a start in Pensacola last year that got everyone excited. Colina didn’t want to verify that report, but said humbly, and with a smile, “I don’t know about that.” But what is really exciting is that his fastball may not even be his best pitch. Colina noted, “I think my best pitch right now is my slider. I’ve been working so hard on it.” What has he been working on with that pitch? I’ve been trying to be more aggressive with my slider. Throwing it more, getting it better. That is basically what I’ve been working on. More from a former minor league teammate, Nick Brown: It will be interesting to see how Colina is used through this final weekend of the season. Is he just another arm available in case they need one? Could he be a potential bullpen arm in the playoffs? Baldelli only said that he would be used, “We have an excellent group in our bullpen, so we probably have these innings covered for a period of time. You want to use all your bullets, and he is certainly a guy that can miss a ton of bats and has great stuff. Get him activated. Get him into a game or two. Evaluate at that point if what we’re looking at is a good option.” Who knows? If he handles his opportunities this weekend well and is able to keep cool and calm while displaying a potentially dominant pitch mix, he could be part of the playoff bullpen. Colina isn’t concerned about what role he will be used in this weekend or going forward. He feels ready and prepared for anything. “I’ve been working a lot of different spots in the bullpen since spring training, so I will be ready for anything.” Colina ranked #16 in Twins Daily's 2020 Prospect Rankings. When Colina makes his MLB debut this weekend, he will be the 24th pitcher to throw for the Twins this season and the 44th player. The Other Side To add Colina to the 40-man roster, someone had to be removed. In this case, the Twins DFAd Homer Bailey. Rocco Baldelli acknowledged that it wasn’t easy to do. “Homer Bailey, unfortunately we had to Designate for Assignment. That was not an easy thing either. Obviously we’re going to use his spot and have an opportunity to watch Colina pitch. Homer was a real professional in every way for us. Didn’t get the opportunity to pitch as much as we wanted him to, as much as he wanted to. He handled everything the right way. He worked hard. He was able to get out there late in the season and helped us to win a game in an important time in the year for us. We’re thankful for everything he brought to the table, and we’re sad to see him go.” Click here to view the article

Hmmm... Wish I would have spent more time on Twitter last night before writing... but ...

The Minnesota Twins have clinched a playoff berth. No surprise there. With just four more games to play, we still don’t officially know yet who or where they will play, though I think most have accepted what is most likely. Who will be on the Twins 28-man roster for the first series? Let’s discuss.Unlike “normal” seasons, the 2020 postseason roster will utilize a 28-man roster, as teams have done since the third week of this abbreviated season. However, no matter what the roster count is, the last roster spots always create some quality discussion. The first thing that they’ll need to determine is how many hitters and pitchers they will want. Remember, the Wild Card series is a Best of Three series. For my purposes here, I am going to say that the Twins will go with 13 pitchers and 15 hitters. It’s very possible that they would go with just 12 pitchers for a short series as well. The Hitters (15) Catchers (3) - Mitch Garver, Ryan Jeffers, Alex Avila Mitch Garver is being given opportunity here late in the season to regain his 2019 form, or something resembling it. Last night’s mammoth home run helps, of course. Ryan Jeffers also has earned a spot on the roster because he really came on strong in recent weeks too. Alex Avila is a terrific backup, and right now having a third catcher makes sense, especially since Garver and Avila are just recently back from their Injured List stints. Infielders (6) - Miguel Sano, Luis Arraez, Jorge Polanco, Josh Donaldson, Ehire Adrianza, Marwin Gonzalez. The only question here is if Luis Arraez is able to return. We learned on Tuesday that he sprained his ankle in an intrasquad game on Monday and needed a little more time. One would think the team would like to get him some at bats over the final four games of the season. But if he’s deemed healthy, he will be on the roster. No other surprises in this group. Outfielders (4) - Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Jake Cave Also, no surprises here. The Twins three outfielders have all impacted a few games of late, and Jake Cave has had some strong moments this year and in the past. He’s also been a pinch-running option for the team. Designated Hitter (1) - Nelson Cruz It certainly is concerning that Cruz hasn’t played for nearly a week with “minor soreness” in his knee and hip. The whole purpose of that is to make sure the MVP candidate is ready for the postseason. That is 14 spots, so the team needs just one more hitter on the roster. Here are the candidates: LaMonte Wade, Jr. - Wade has been on the big-league roster about half of the 2020 season. Early in the season, he didn’t get much playing time. Since his return, he’s provided solid outfield defense and done a nice job in a few games at first base. He puts together great at bats and gets on base which could be important in pinch-hitting duties. Willians Astudillo - Do the Twins need a fourth catcher? No. But in talking about the final ‘hitter’ spot on the roster, Astudillo might make sense as a pinch hitting option. Travis Blankenhorn - Blankenhorn can play second base, third base, first base and a little in the outfield. A depth piece, he could pinch hit or pinch run. Royce Lewis - Since we’d be looking for players to fit certain roles, the team could use a speed guy. The speediest of options would be Royce Lewis. Could he make his MLB debut in the playoffs in a late-inning pinch-running situation? I'm "voting" for Lewis because I think that is a role that could be most useful to the team in a short series. Of course, my 'vote' doesn't hold much weight. The Pitchers (13) Starters (3) - Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios and either Michael Pineda OR Rich Hill I think we can all agree that Kenta Maeda and Jose Berrios are going to be in the rotation. Maeda starting on Wednesday lines him up perfectly for Game 1. Having pitched on Sunday night, Berrios may be more in line for a Game 3 start, which would be fine too. Two weeks ago, I think we mostly agreed that Pineda would be the logical, mayb easy, choice for the third starting spot. He’s been just fine, but so has Rich Hill who has been good in four of his past five starts and has a ton of playoff experience. My assumption is that one of the two will be the third starter, if needed, in the Wild Card series. The other could be left off the Wild Card roster, set up to start Game 1 of an ALDS series. Long Relief (1) - Randy Dobnak Because of the starter situation explained above, I think Dobnak can fill the role of long reliever. It’s an important role because, even with a deep bullpen, it would be good to not have to use up all of those arms in a blowout situation. Relievers (7) - Taylor Rogers, Sergio Romo, Tyler Duffey, Tyler Clippard, Trevor May, Matt Wisler, Jorge Alcala. While there may be questions about individual roles in the bullpen, these seven names are the Givens to make the playoff roster. Who will be the closer? What is the pecking order that Rocco Baldelli and Wes Johnson will use in the Wild Card series? Those are questions for other article. But there is no doubt that these seven will be on the roster (pending something happening over the next four or five days). So, now we are at 11 pitchers which means we have room for two more pitchers. The candidates: Cody Stashak - I think that last night’s impressive outing might be enough to push Stashak from On The Bubble to a lock. He hadn’t been as sharp since returning from a month on the IL, but he sure looked strong on Tuesday. Caleb Thielbar - Another that should be a lock, but it might be more about which team they match up with and their lineup potential. Devin Smeltzer - Really it depends on if the Twins might want a second long reliever. In a three-game series, if you feel like need two long relievers, you probably aren’t in a good situation, at all. Smeltzer would be a good option. Jake Odorizzi/Homer Bailey - Both are options to fill a long-relief role. Bailey returned to the mound on Tuesday and looked good for three innings before not getting an out in the fourth. Odorizzi has been snake bit this season. But he was an All Star last year and could start on Sunday. If he does, he probably wouldn’t be able to pitch in the Wild Card round, but he could be the fifth starter in a later series. Jhoan Duran - Why not throw a surprise name into this? Could Duran make his MLB debut in a playoff role too? Not likely, but worth spending a minute just thinking about what he (or Edwar Colina) could do in a relief inning or two for the Twins. My non-counting votes would go to Stashak and Thielbar. Both are very deserving. Of course, the Twins could decide to go with 14 pitchers and 14 hitters. That could be more likely in the next round when there are more games (if the Twins get there)... We’ll worry about that later though. Let's see how we feel after seeing a playoff game won... and then a playoff series won! Click here to view the article

He has been on the IL with an elbow injury, so every team is aware of that. But a lot of teams put a lot of players on waivers at that same time.