Seth Stohs

The Adrianza/Torreyes question was already answered... As for worrying about the lack of hitting, nothing to worry about here.

I think these questions were answered in previous answers.

I asked for your questions and you came through. It's a little intimidating to find 33 questions but I'll try to answer them all. Thank you very much for your participation... Answers to your questions below: ------------------------------------------------------------- Good Wednesday morning, Twins Fans! Get your questions in! I have been in Ft. Myers for a few days now. I've been to two Twins spring training games, a Twins minor league intra-squad scrimmage, and a few practices. I'll be at Hammond Stadium again today for the morning practice but will be staying on the back fields for the first minor league spring training games.As I did a couple of weeks ago, I welcomed your questions in the Comments below. Following the minor league spring training games, I will spend time answering your questions in this article, so be sure to #AskAway! You can ask questions about the big league club or the minor leagues and I will try my best to answer as many as I can. As always, I do want to thank you all for your support of me individually but also for Twins Daily. Your readership is valued and appreciated. Be sure to follow me (SethTweets) on Twitter, but also follow Twins Daily on Twitterand on Facebook. I have been posting pictures and videos at a variety of places and will continue to do so. ---------------------------------------------- Here we go. My attempt to answer your questions: From Clutterheart: "Hi Seth thanks for doing this. Will you start wearing a helmet during games?" You're welcome... And, nope, not at all. I may need to make sure I always know where ice can be found! From bighat: "Marwin Gonzalez spring stats: 0-for-8 with three strikeouts in 3 games, and he's missed the rest of the games with a bum shoulder. Should we be concerned about our new starting 3B yet?" Short answer. No. Longer answer. Not at all. He just needs some at-bats. He will, or at least should, get plenty of those over the next week or so. From strumdatjaguar: "How is the competition for the first base job and backup looking right now between Cron, Austin and Camptown Races?" Duda was always a long-shot. I think that Tyler Austin has made a very strong case for the 25th spot on the roster, probably competing with Willians Astudillo for one spot. He's been hitting, and hitting for average, and showing the immense power we have seen in the past. CJ Cron will start the season as the starter. From biswrest: "Are you believing the hype for Perez?" I believe that he can be a quality, solid MLB starting pitcher. The hype is probably a little out of hand. Spring training numbers mean zilch. But what does matter is stuff, and he does have stuff. Martin Perez has always had impressive stuff, but if he can sit 94-97 and maintain his secondary stuff, he will prove us all very wrong. And ultimately, I would hope that we all are just fine with that! From rdehring: "Interested in two minor league guys, Seth.Curious if you have seen Jax pitch? Also, Rortvedt got significant playing time with the big club in spring training games.Was curious how he looks if you have seen him?" I have seen Jax throw a bullpen. He's not real tall and looks thin, but as we all know, he's very strong. He's got a good, crisp fastball and a biting breaking ball. I can't say I've seen enough in person this year to note any sort of changes. It was just a bullpen. Rortvedt is impressive. I think he just keeps getting stronger and stronger. He looks better at the plate. He has more power than people may think. Frankly, he just looks so much more comfortable. Reports are that he's made some big strides behind the plate this season, and that he needed to. But he has a chance to be good. But it's going to take some time. We need to be patient, and so does he. From Joe A. Preusser: "1. Why does everyone assume Astudillo is a lock to go north? Am I missing something here? Don't get me wrong, I really like him. I just dont understand his "lock" status. 2. Is there any truth to the rumor you screamed and dove under a table when a foul ball came your way in the press box?" 1. I don't think he should have ever been a lock. I don't get it either, but fans love him, teammates and coaches love him, and he does provide some versatility. He's very unique. It's hard to know what he could do given opportunity. I do think he's competing for a end-of-the-bench spot with a few guys including Tyler Austin, Ronald Torreyes and others. 2. Not at all true. I protected the clubhouse from a laser of a foul ball. The tip of my poor left ring finger took the brunt of the pain. From mikelink: "The BP is our biggest concern in this era and I read about various guys throwing really well and new changes in pitching abilities.But it still comes down to the real season and I wonder what you are seeing in the emerging BP - mirages, ups, downs, surprises?" I do not think that the Twins have a great, Top 10 bullpen, but I do think that they have talent. I believe in May, Rogers, Parker, Hildenberger. I think Romero and Mejia could be very exciting out of the bullpen. I believe in Matt Magill's stuff. Tim Collins looks very impressive. But so do the likes of Ryne Harper, Preston Guilmet, Mike Morin, Jake Reed and others. From that group, there'll be some mirages and a couple of surprises. Trying to guess is hard. Again, maybe not a great bullpen, but I think it can be solid, and as we know, free agent relievers are a complete guessing game. From NumberThree: "When I was down earlier, I noticed no TK. Is his health too poor these days, or is he ‘not on board’ with all the newfangled changes?" Tom Kelly showed up one time since he had his mini-stroke several years ago, and as I recall, it just tired him out. He hasn't been back for probably the last three years. Kelly has stayed very loyal to the organization and been quite active around the Twin Cities at events. I don't know what his relationship is with the new front office. From nasu1970: "Are the Twins going to have any type of Spring Ballpark Pass this season?" I have no idea. I do think they have made several ticket offers available.already to encourage people to come to the ballpark. I'm sure there would be more information on the Twins ticket page. ' From NoCryinginBaseball: "Now that spring training invitees are being sent down, when are assignments made or do they just go to where they ended the 2018 season and promotions happen later" As players are sent to minor league camp, they get assigned to a place in minor league camp. Over the next couple of weeks, some players will get released. Official full season minor league rosters will be set probably a week before minor league opening day. Where they ended 2018 is just one factor in where players will go in 2019. From Chris Knutson: "Is Fernando Romero a lock, or are we really gonna send him him down in favor of Hildenberger and Magill?? Also, what are the chances of us making a trade or signing another relief arm?? I mean, Madison is still a free agent, and I’d imagine that Mychal Givens is available as well." I think two of Romero, Hildenberger and Magill will probably make the team. I think Hildenberger is pretty close to a lock, and should be. I think Magill being out of options makes him the next most likely to make the team. He obviously is a DFA candidate and out of options, so I think he's likely to make it so that they don't lose him. They can send Romero down and let him work out of the bullpen until they go to a 13-man pitching staff at some point. That's the business side, but it also just makes sense. As for free agents, the guys that are out there won't cost much at this point (other than Kimbrel) so they're available due to concerns about them. And with Givens, I'm sure the asking price is just silly. From scottz: "How do you think the extra IF/utility shakes out? My read between the lines assessment of Baldelli quotes shows a decent amount of interest in Torreyes. How do you see Torreyes fitting (or not)?" From Baldelli quotes, the coaches and players really like Torreyes. He's had some success in a utility role with the Yankees. He can hit for average and play around the infield. He's got an option left, so I think he begins the season in Rochester. He's similar to Adrianza, who is out of options. Adrianza can play four infield positions pretty well and left field. Torreyes can play three infield positions. They definitely like Torreyes, no doubt about that. I mean, they wouldn't have signed him if they didn't. But I think Adrianza is the better utility infielder right now. Dollars will factor in, as well as Adrianza's shoulder. From clutterheart, "I've mostly just been skimming ST news this year. How has Thorpe looked?" He didn't pitch much in MLB spring training. He was among the first cuts. I saw him pitch (against Kohl Stewart) in the intrasquad scrimmage on Tuesday afternoon. He gave up a couple of first-inning runs, but overall, I thought he looked good. Of course, what matters right now is just getting him lengthened and able to throw 90 pitches in three weeks. From amjgt: "Tim Collins...For the sake of argument, let's say someone assumed to make the opening day bullpen goes on the IL (Reed seems like a good candidate). Since he has an April 1 opt out do we think he might make the team over, say Hildenberger?" In that case, I think Collins would take Reed's spot. But, the reality is that Hildenberger has three options remaining and that may make him an option candidate. From nytwinsfan: "Ryne Harper has been fantastic both in terms of the stats and the eye test this spring. Any chance he makes the team, and if not, any chance we can keep him at Rochester?Would be a shame to lose him." Ryne Harper, and specifically his breaking ball, has looked really, really good this spring. There is a very, very small chance that he makes the Opening Day roster. He is here on a minor league contract. He doesn't have an opt-out. The Twins can send him down without worrying about losing him. From beckmt: "I see Astudillo is catching more, does this mean that he is in play, or that Twins are trying to find out if he can actually be a catcher, more than a utility player." If he can play catcher, he is much more valuable to the team. They should continue to work on that skill. Protects them from injury, and allows Garver to play other places too, or be used as a pinch hitter. ' From dbminn: "Are there any minor league pitchers that have impressed/surprised you?" I mean, it's from bullpens, so it's hard to make too much out of it at all. Landon Leach is a guy that will get noticed with a big fastball. Regi Grace is impressive, a big kid with a strong lower half for someone that young. A younger Graterol (in terms of strength). Graterol is impressive, obviously. Steve Buhr and I both watched 2018 draft picks Cole Sands and Josh Winder and came away impressed. Please also note that I haven't seen several guys yet. I haven't seen Duran or Alcala or Balazovic or Enlow this spring. From jkcarew: "Tyler Austin kind of having an interesting spring so far. Even before the HR yesterday...and SSS disclaimers aside...seems more balls have been put in play, (although still not getting BB's). See or hear anything indicating a demonstratively different approach? Or just showing some general signs of improvement?" Small Sample Size, to be sure, but anecdotally, there have already been a few times that he has put the ball in play and with his strength he still can get hits beyond the infield. From splash45: "Do you think any of the under the radar bullpen guys, such as Harper, Collins, Eades, etc, will make the opening day 25?" Collins possible since he has an opt-out. From Vanimal46: "Best concession stand item you've ate so far at Hammond?" I haven't yet. Maybe tomorrow. From bobs: "Seems to me the Twins have a number of guys with major league experience and some past success...guys like Duda, Collins, Austin, Torreyes, etc.Do any of them have options left so the Twins could store them in Rochester for depth in case of injury?" Of that group, Torreyes is the only one with an option remaining. Austin is on the 40-man and out of options, so he would have to make the roster or be placed on waivers. Likely someone would claim (or trade for) him, but if he did clear, he would report to Rochester. Collins is a non-roster guy, but I believe he's got an opt-out. Duda is a non-roster guy, and I haven't heard anything about an opt-out for him, so if that's case, he'd report. From Steve Penz: "I feel like I am late to the game with this question but her goes.Do I understand correctly that Romero will only pursue a bullpen spot going forward?If yes, why have they decided that pitching as a starter is no longer in the picture?" The Twins have moved Romero to the bullpen for 2019. I don't think they have completely shut the door to him starting again in the future. 2019 would be his final option season, so they kind of have to make a decision at some point in 2019. From nasu1970: "How about that Brian Navaretto?" Happy for him. He's such a good kid. Always smiling. It's always fun to catch up with him in the spring. He's got the size and strength. If he can just become a 'decent' hitter, he could have a long MLB career as a backup catcher. Defensively, he is very good. From Dantes929: "I saw a bunch of questions last week in the "Ask Seth" but none of the answers.How do I find that link?" The answers are right in the article here. From MileHighTwinsFan: "Does Adam Rosales have a chance to make the club?With Sano out - it seems like he could add value through the first month at least. He has had a fantastic spring and it seems he deserves a look." The 36-year-old has had a long, solid career. He can play SS and be a utility guy. He's competing with Adrianza and Torreyes and Astudillo and Austin and maybe some pitchers for the 25th man spot. He has an opt-out a few days before the season starts. I think he's unlikely to make the roster, but he has made himself potentially tradeable. From Sconnie: "I was at the game and got to “Ask Seth” in person today at the backfields. He maintains the ball never came in the press box, but from my vantage on the first base stands it clearly did." Like I said, that's why I wish there was a good replay because it happened so fast. Ha!! Good to chat with you for a few minutes. From JD Green: "With opening day 2 weeks away, have you heard any reports on the condition of Target Field, considering the weather conditions we have had the last 4 months?" From the Twins Twitter Account yesterday: Thank you for all the great questions... I've got a few more days/games here in Ft. Myers before heading back. Nick Nelson will take the final week and report on all the stuff going on there. Click here to view the article

I don't think it was a competition. Wade was starting in AAA, where he struggled in the second half last year. I believe in Wade as well, but these decisions are pretty much all made in the offseason unless there are injuries.

Following their game in Bradenton on Tuesday, the Twins optioned four of their players. LHP Stephen Gonsalves, infielder Nick Gordon and outfielder LaMonte Wade were optioned to Rochester. Meanwhile, infielder Luis Arraez was optioned to Double-A Pensacola.Gonsalves started for the Twins in Bradenton on Tuesday and went three innings. He was charged with four runs (3 earned) on four hits and two walks in three innings. He struck out three. He posted a 5.63 ERA over eight spring training innings. Wade entered the game late and went 1-for-2 with a triple and three RBI. For the spring, he hit .296 with a .931 OPS. He had 10 RBI in 27 at-bats. Gordon went 0-for-2 on Tuesday to drop his spring batting average to .300 in 20 at- bats. Arraez, like Wade and Gordon, was added to the 40-man roster this past offseason. He had just three hits in 18 at bats, but he showed defensive versatility around the infield. The moves drop the Twins roster to 47 players. With the season just over two weeks away, there are still a lot of roster cuts to be made. Some of the decisions may be fairly difficult. Click here to view the article

1:00 (eastern time)

On Monday afternoon, Ron Gardenhire rode his motorcycle down from Lakeland and then led his Detroit Tigers to a 3-0 win against his old team, the Twins. Notes on Tim Collins, Nick Gordon, Luis Arraez, the missed foul ball and much, much more.In a nice moment, Toby Gardenhire, the Ft. Myers Miracle manager, walked out to exchange the lineup card with Twins Hall of Famer Rod Carew. There to meet them, along with the umpires, was his father, Ron Gardenhire. Toby Gardenhire spent some time with the Twins as an extra coach in September and the Twins did the same thing then. Kyle Gibson looked good on Monday. He worked three scoreless innings, and he had to work himself out of a little trouble in that third inning. Three straight singles loaded the bases, but after a Wes Johnson mound visit, Gibson really bore down. Gibson said, “You want to work on stuff and you want to use all your pitches, but today was a day that I probably should have just thrown more fastballs. All three of those hits in the third inning were on offspeed pitches and not that they were necessarily bad pitches all the time but I mean just probably could have just challenged them a little bit more and used the fastball a little bit more but that’s why it’s spring training.” He got Jeimer Candelario to ground into a three-two-three double play (first base to catcher and back to first base). But the danger was far from over. Miguel Cabrera stepped to the plate. Gibson struck out the future Hall of Famer in the first inning, but this time Gibson fell behind 3-0. He came back and struck out Cabrera again to end the inning. While often pitchers have certain goals in mind and things to work on in spring training, there was value in being able to work out of a tough situation too. Following the game, Rocco Baldelli noted, “It all matters. When we’re out there and it doesn’t matter what kind of games we’re talking about, he’s very competitive and was not going to just give in and let the at-bat go. Instead of just throwing a breaking ball in the dirt and be done with it, he refused to let that at-bat end.He kept battling and competing, and that’s nice to see. It doesn’t matter that it’s a spring training game for me.” Always humble, Gibson noted that it was just about working a game-situation in March so that he is ready for it when it presents itself in the season. “Once you get to this point, the hitters are treating it like they’re trying to get at-bats and for me I’m still looking at sequences and trying to see what the hitters’ approach is and I try to read what they’re trying to do. Spring training’s a little bit harder. Miggy’s probably not quite in midseason form trying to do this or trying to do that in certain at-bats. He’s really just seeing pitches but you try to attack it like it’s a game and focus on the sequences that you’re doing so when it comes end of March, beginning of April, you’re in that kind of mode where you don’t have to flip a switch and get into game mode.” Gibson said that the plan was to throw 60 pitches and he finished at 53. As Gibson’s post-outing press conference came to a conclusion, the Twins game was on the TVs in the clubhouse. Taylor Rogers gave up three runs in the fourth inning. Gibson joked, “Those are probably the first runs he’s given up since May.” And, at the end, those were the only runs of the game. The Tigers won 3-0. GAME NOTES AND QUOTES Lefty Tim Collins came on to pitch the seventh inning for the Twins. The non-roster invite struck out all three batters he faced. He has been impressive to his manager. Baldelli said, “he looks healthy to me. He's thrown the ball well. He's missed a lot of bats. That's one thing that is impressive and it's something that you do want to see. You bring a guy in from the bullpen with his good breaking ball and good riding fastball, and that's what you want to see. You want to see bats missed, and that's exactly what he's done,” In the bottom of the third innings, infielder Ehire Adrianza lined a solid single to center. As he reached first base, he and Miguel Cabrera embraced. They are both from Venezuela and are friends. Soon after, Tyson Ross threw over to first base to try to pick off Adrianza. There wasn’t really a play. Cabrera faked throwing back to the mound as Adrianza stood up. Cabrera, still holding the ball in his glove, tagged Adrianza for the out. The ol’ Hidden Ball Trick. Rocco Baldelli was asked about it after the game and chuckled. “ It happens. It happens. Miggy has been working on that play for about 15 years and he’s getting pretty good at it so it happens.” And MLB’s official twitter feed had the video up quickly... Feel free to discuss and ask questions as you like. On Tuesday, the Twins are sending a team up to Bradenton to play the Pirates. I will be staying in Ft. Myers and watching a lot of minor league baseball. Click here to view the article

On Sunday morning, Royce Lewis was walking around the Twins clubhouse. He was called into manager Rocco Baldelli’s office and was told that he had been re-assigned to minor league camp. He got right to work and reported to the minor league side on Monday. The Twins now have 51 players in big-league spring training.Lewis handled the news very well, very professionally and chatted with assembled media shortly after learning the news. While he didn’t get to play in games during spring training because of an oblique injury, he said that he learned a ton about the game from players in the locker room as well as some of the legends that are also in spring training. Lewis noted, “Everyone really appreciated me asking questions, and I had guys over here like Nelson (Cruz) and Rod Carew, just everyone helping me out. Schoopy (Jonathan Schoop), CJ (Cron),, they all just talked to me and I was very appreciative of it.” Rod Carew was in his ear frequently, and Lewis took in every bit of information. For instance, when asked what he learned from talking with Tony Oliva and Rod Carew, Lewis said, “That if I bunt, I’ll raise my batting average about 40 points so I might bunt a little bit more this year.” Yes, they talked about more than just bunting. He continued, “But just a lot about hitting and little things about the game. I sat next to him for three straight games, and basically every game, but basically three straight games of him in my ear about every pitch. I wasn’t even looking at the game like that. I was looking at it like just a normal fun game. There’s a lot more to it.” It sounds as if Lewis is very near a return to the field. An oblique injury cost him most of spring training, in terms of games. Before he had learned about being re-assigned, I had asked him if he was disappointed about not being able to play in the games. Obviously he wanted to play and be healthy, but he said he wasn’t disappointed at all. He knew his job was to get himself ready for the 140 game season and even though he couldn't play, he loved the opportunity and took advantage of everything that big league camp has to offer. His manager was also impressed with Lewis during spring training. “Royce could not have made his camp any better than it was. Obviously we all wish and especially Royce wishes that he was out there playing and running around and showing us all what he could do but we know the injury happened and he did not pout, he did not waste a day here. He got all of his work done. He got a chance to spend time with a lot of very important and helpful people. He used this camp to learn and grow and I think he accomplished that and then some.” Lewis will be at minor league camp on Monday. On Monday and Tuesday, the minor leaguers will have their morning workouts. In the afternoon, the “Rochester” roster will scrimmage the “Pensacola” roster. Also the “Ft. Myers” roster will scrimmage the “Cedar Rapids” roster. On Wednesday, the teams will start playing their schedule against other organizations. That is when they are targeting Lewis getting into a game. He is feeling “good. I think we just wanted to take care of it just because it was spring training. It was something mild. We just wanted to make sure it was not going to linger on throughout the whole season and create a disaster for me.” Along with staying healthy, Lewis doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. When asked about his goals for the upcoming season, he said, “I think every player thinks about where they’re going to play and stuff, but honestly it’s not in my hands. All I can control is my controllables and my main goal this year is to create a routine off the field that makes me prepare well for on the field each and every day so I can be healthy and not deal with an oblique or a hamstring or anything crazy, so I can play at my highest level.” NOTES FROM ACROSS THE PARKING LOT I was able to spend about two hours observing at minor league spring training camp before the Twins-Blue Jays game on Monday afternoon. Here are a few notes. The Twins signed former MLB catcher Willin Rosario to a minor league contract. He hasn’t played in affiliated ball since 2015. He has played in both Korea and Japan. However, he has played very little behind the plate. On Sunday at spring training, he spent the day in catcher’s gear and catching bullpens when he wasn’t hitting.Michael Davis was the Twins 24th round draft pick in 2018 out of Texas Tech where he had played on two College World Series competing teams. He hit ten home runs after the draft last year (9 in Cedar Rapids) while playing shortstop most games. This spring, he is also catching. In a brief conversation with him on Sunday afternoon, he noted that he’s going to work as a super-utility player this spring and into this season. He will catch, but he will presumably continue to play around the infield as well.The weather in Ft. Myers on Sunday was brutal. Not Minnesota brutal. Trust me, I am happy to be away from the snow and seeing green grass. But it was 84 degrees and very humid. Many of the minor leaguers pointed out how humid it was. However, in a brief conversation with outfielder Aaron Whitefield, he pointed out that when he left Australia last month, it was 120 degrees there. Yikes!On Monday, Brusdar Graterol threw a bullpen. He tells me that he will be pitching in a minor league. While the Twins played the Tigers on Monday afternoon, the minor leaguers were participating in their first scrimmage of the year. After four days of workouts, the “Rochester” roster played the “Pensacola” roster, and the “Miracle” roster took on the “Kernels” roster. I will be in attendance on Tuesday when they scrimmage again. On Wednesday, the Rochester and Pensacola rosters will travel to Port Charlotte to take on the AAA and AA affiliates of the Rays.Please feel free to ask any questions you might have. Click here to view the article

This stuff isn't about immediate results. It's about process and player development. This is all positive. The players seem to really like it and appreciate it. There's no doubt that the goal is to make players better.

This is awesome, Parker! And just from my one day here, these practices are different. The whole session is different, looks different, technology all over, coaches/coordinators/data entry folks all over

FT. MYERS - Blue Jays prospects pummeled Twins pitching on Sunday in a 10-1 decision. Shortstop prospect Bo Bichette led off the game with a home run onto the berm beyond the left field fence, and Twins starter Jake Odorizzi did not complete the first inning. He talked about his outing, and several other notes from Sunday in Ft. Myers.Spring Training stats don’t matter at all. We know that. And whenever a player or pitcher struggles in spring training, we repeat that sentence over and over. That is the key point when looking at veteran Jake Odorizzi’s pitching line from Sunday. He gave up five runs on four hits and two walks in 2/3 of an inning. Odorizzi noted after his outing, “Hopefully it (today’s outing) means good things because I think I gave up one run last year and it didn’t go very well. So I hope so. It’s spring training; I was trying to work on offspeed a lot today.” Veteran starting pitchers come to spring training knowing their sole job in the spring is to be ready by Opening Day. Sometimes that means working on fastball command, or offspeed pitches. For Odorizzi on Sunday, it was the secondary stuff. “I mixed all my pitches. I didn’t throw too many fastballs, but that was by design. It probably played a bit of a role getting behind in counts, but I’m not going to my good stuff that I know well while spring training when I want to work on getting the other stuff that’s not as good up to that. I could have very easily started throwing my pitches how I would have in the game, but that’s not going to make you any better.” Rocco Baldelli came out of the dugout and removed Odorizzi from the game with two outs in the first inning. Pat Dean needed just one pitch to end the inning. Baldelli said, “Odo has a very mature approach to everything he does. He’s got a very good head on his shoulders. He went out there today and he was using this as one, a way to prepare and get himself in shape and also work on some things.” He continued, “He was able to go finish his work and complete his preparation on the side. These sort of things do happen, and in the regular season the leash is probably also a little bit longer than it would be in a fairly early spring start.” Odorizzi’s work was not complete. Because he didn’t reach a total pitch count goal for the day, he went down to the bullpen where he continued to work. He wanted to throw 36 more pitches. While he didn’t get more game-situation work, he tried to replicate it as much as possible in the bullpen. “I had (assistant pitching coach) Jeremy Hefner stand in and bounce back and forth from righty and lefty. And I would do up-downs. So I would throw 12 pitches, sit down, watch whoever was hitting at that point, and just treat it as a game situation. Obviously it’s not the same max effort as a game, but I treated it just like a normal game with batters in the box. So it was good. Got the same sweat I got going on in the bullpen as in the game. It was a little warm out there. For us, it’s really about the up-downs, and building your pitch counts in the spring.” In years past, Odorizzi threw both a slider and a cutter, but he decided in the offseason to just focus on one of the two and put all his efforts into the cutter. He said, “I decided this offseason I wanted to focus on one pitch and give all my effort to that instead of spreading it out where you have two average pitches and maybe one's even below-average. You take that away, and just focus on one and make it as best as you can. It's worked out really well for me so far.” “And like a good teammate, he has been sharing information on his pitches. “I actually taught it to Martín (Perez) the other day, and it's been working well for him in spring training so far from everything I've been told. So I'm helping guys with it while helping myself at the same time. If we can make each other better in here.” He continued, “It's good for me to sometimes talk it out with people. It helps me talk about my mindset, if I'm trying to teach it to somebody, it kind of gives you that teaching point as well. ” GAME NOTES/QUOTES Blue Jays Prospects The Blue Jays announced before the game that top prospect Vlad Guerrero, Jr. will miss about three weeks due to a mild oblique strain. If I were to venture a guess, it will likely cause him to start the season in Triple-A before being called up to the major leagues about three weeks into the season. Other top Blue Jays prospects made the trek down from Dunedin and were very impressive. Shortstop Bo Bichette led off the game with a home run. In his next at bat, he lined a double down the left field line. Later in the game, he hit an opposite field homer off of Michael Pineda. Seth Stohs Slugging first baseman Rowdy Tellez had three hits including a first-inning homer off of Odorizzi and a sixth-inning homer off Pineda. Cavan Biggio was in a car accident a couple of days ago. On Sunday, he went 2-for-5 with a home run off of Matt Magill. Pineda Throwing Ball “Pretty Well” Pineda gave up three runs over his three innings of work, including the two home runs. However, Baldelli believes he is healthy and throwing the ball well. “He's healthy and ready to go. He's actually throwing the ball pretty well. His arm strength is good. He's spinning the ball well, and for him, that's what it comes down to in a lot of ways. He's a guy that, when he's been very good in the past, a big part of his game is spinning the ball and cutting the ball and doing things like that. He is back to that now. You could look at a couple of different pitches here and there, but overall, I thought it was a very successful outing for him. Just getting out here and making some good pitches and doing it in this sweatbox that we do it in every day -- it's good for all the players, especially the pitchers, to get out there and do the work in that environment. I think it's helpful in preparing them for the year. I think Michael looks great." Return of Marwin A look at Monday’s lineup shows that Marwin Gonzalez will be leading off and playing third base. He has been out of the lineup in recent days due to a shoulder injury. Following Sunday’s game, Rocco Baldelli said that Gonzalez is ready to return. “Marwin declared himself beyond ready to go today but we wanted to give it one more day and we had it scheduled and we ended up rolling with it. Yeah, we expect him out there and all systems go.” That has long been a Twins thing. When a player says that he’s ready to play, and the training staff agree, give him one more day to be more certain. Especially in spring training, it’s the right thing to do. Tyler Austin Making His Case On Friday, Tyler Austin went 3-for-3 to raise his spring batting average to .318. On Sunday afternoon, he went 3-for-3 again and now has a .400 batting average. Seth Stohs CJ Cron is most likely going to be the Twins primary first baseman. However, Austin is out of options and it’s hard to imagine that the team is going to want to lose him for nothing. Could he compete with Willians Astudillo for the final roster spot? Could a trade be possible? Torreyes Impresses Ronald Torreyes, playing third base on Sunday, made a couple of really nice defensive plays. He is not a big man, but he also can hit. He has impressed his new manager both on and off the field. Seth Stohs “He does everything right. He does everything right from the moment he walks on the field every morning. He's got a great energy. He's a clubhouse favorite. The guys love him. The staff loves him. He couldn't handle himself any better in the clubhouse or on the field. He's a good player. Move him anywhere. He makes all the plays. He's a headsy player. He's a baseball player. He has all good at bats. I enjoy being around him. I know I'm not alone in that thought.” Click here to view the article

Vasquez had a month in AA and a week in AAA before the call up. He was amazing last year, but depth is good. Mejia being out of options probably a factor.

Late on Friday afternoon, the Twins announced that seven players have been sent across the parking lot to minor league camp including some of the organization's top prospects.The Twins optioned three players. Right-handed pitcher Kohl Stewart and left-handed pitchers Lewis Thorpe and Andrew Vasquez were optioned to Rochester. Catcher Ben Rortvedt and outfielders Alex Kirilloff, Brent Rooker and Luke Raley were all assigned to minor league camp. There are rumors that there could be more transactions over the weekend. The Twins spring training roster currently stands at 52 players including six catchers (3 non-roster), 14 infielders (4 non-roster), seven outfielders (no non-roster) and 25 pitchers (8 non-roster). With the starting rotation relatively set, Stewart and Thorpe are able to go to minor league spring training camp and start getting prepared to make starts when the minor league season starts on April 4th. Vasquez is a bit of a surprise though Taylor Rogers and Adalberto Mejia are likely givens to make the Opening Day roster and Gabriel Moya is also a contender. Lefties Tim Collins and Justin Nicolino also remain in big league camp. The four non-roster players all were given opportunity to play while they were in camp. Rooker hit two long homers and had a triple in spring training. Raley had two doubles and a triple among his five hits. Alex Kirilloff had five hits. Rortvedt went 2-for-8 with a double. Click here to view the article

Hey y'all... just got notification that the Get To Know 'Em podcast is now available on iTunes. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/get-to-know-em-podcast/id1455379592

After Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Craig Kimbrel, Dallas Keuchel was arguably the top free agent on the market after the 2018 season. The 31-year-old left-hander certainly assumed that he would be signed and making spring starts by now. He likely assumed he would have a four or five year contract for $80-100 million. Instead, he remains on the sidelines, waiting for a team to meet his likely much-reduced contract expectations.Should the Twins be interested in signing free agent lefty Dallas Keuchel? What factors should go into that decision? What Should The Front Office Like When healthy, innings pitched: Three times in the last five years, Keuchel has made at least 29 starts and threw at least 200 innings. Control/Command: Keuchel has pitched in seven major-league seasons. He has typically not hurt himself by issuing walks. In his past six seasons, he has walked no more than 3.0 batters per nine innings and averaged just 2.5 walks per nine innings. 2015 Cy Young In 2015, Keuchel went 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA. He received 22 of the 30 first-place votes for AL Cy Young Award. He also pitched in a career-high 232 innings. Four Gold Gloves Keuchel also fields his position well. He has been awarded the American League Gold Glove in four of the last five seasons. Jose Berrios and Kyle Gibson are both very good athletes who field their position well. What Should Scare The Front Office Already 31 Keuchel turned 31 years old on January 1st. On its own, that is not a big deal. However, it would certainly be a deterrent to a four or five year deal. Lack of Velocity Keuchel rarely touches 90 mph with his fastball. But as you can see from the chart below, it’s not like his velocity has diminished. He has never thrown hard. Health I have already and will again write the all-important phrase “if healthy.” That’s obviously an unknown and can’t be predicted with exact science (yet?). But Keuchel has had a variety of issues physically. He acknowledged after the 2016 season that he fought shoulder pain the whole year. He had a minor foot injury that cost him some time. He also had a neck injury. Draft Pick Compensation The Astros made a Qualifying Offer to Keuchel, so the team that signs him will have to give up a draft pick. What Signing Him Would Do For the Twins There is little question that, assuming Keuchel is healthy, he would improve the Twins rotation. Essentially Keuchel would take a spot in the Twins rotation and either Martin Perez or Michael Pineda would be moved to the bullpen. That’s not to say that Keuchel would fit in as the Twins fifth starter. But I also think it’s important to realize that he is not an ace, by any means. He would be a 2/3 in the Twins rotation. His 2018 numbers were very similar to those of Kyle Gibson. Again, assuming health, that would give the Twins a pretty solid 1-2-3 in their rotation for a potential playoff rotation with Odorizzi, Pineda and Perez (and all that minor league depth) getting their opportunities. Length of Ideal Contract To be honest, I would prefer a one-year deal between the Twins and Keuchel. Frankly, the (lack of) velocity scares me. If he loses another tick or two in velocity or if he loses even a little bit of command, his productivity could drop dramatically, and quickly. However, if he’s going to sign just a one-year deal, why wouldn’t he return to the Astros? Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole are their top two starters. They added Wade Miley this offseason via free agency. Top prospect Forrest Whitley is likely close. Lance McCullers will miss the full season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Collin McHugh and Brad Peacock could return to their rotation as well. Would you be willing to give Keuchel a second year? I probably would, especially because the Twins don’t have a lot of funds tied up on 2020 yet. But a third year? No, thank you. And a fourth year? Just no. Why Might Keuchel Have Interest in the Twins Keuchel has won and experienced a lot of success. He will want to be part of a team that has a chance to compete for a playoff spot. The Twins certainly fit that category. Keuchel certainly has seen the moves that the Twins have made this offseason. They added Nelson Cruz, Jonathan Schoop, CJ Cron and Keuchel’s long-time teammate Marwin Gonzalez. The lineup also includes several mid-20s players who he knows have the potential to add even more offense. Keuchel’s best years came with Jason Castro as his catcher in Houston. He also has to look at the Twins outfield and know that hits turn into outs, especially when Byron Buxton is out there. Like Marwin Gonzalez, Dallas Keuchel is represented by Scott Boras. Boras and the Twins front office seem to have a solid working relationship, and top prospects Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff are also Boras clients. What Would be a Reasonable Offer at this Point So, with all of that in mind, I think the following offers would be fair: Ideally, I would prefer a one-year, make-good contract. One year, $16 million. I would guess that Boras and Keuchel would like to get a second guaranteed season (and probably a third and fourth too), again, similar to the Gonzalez contract. So how about Two Years, $30 million deal? Summary As you read earlier in the week, LaVelle Neal wrote that the Twins will not sign Keuchel (or Kimbrel) unless something drastic changes. There are enough red flags around Keuchel that the Twins (and clearly most MLB teams) have shied away. Personally, I agree with that assessment. For a guy who rarely touches 90 mph with his fastball, Dallas Keuchel has put together a really strong free agent resume with his work in Houston the past six seasons. However, some of his peripheral numbers, understandably, could give teams reason for pause. Clearly they have. The Twins are currently about $12 million below where they started the 2018 season, so the proposed deals above would put them just over those numbers. The front office has to ask themselves which they prefer: A 31 year old lefty with no velocity but a great track record of success.A 27 year old lefty who is hitting 95-97 mph this spring but whose numbers have never matched his stuff.Note that if the Twins signed Keuchel, Perez wouldn’t be lost, just moved to the bullpen. What makes sense to you? Click here to view the article

Episode 2 of the Get to Know 'Em Podcast is now available. In this episode, we get to know left-handed pitcher Pat Dean all over again. We also learn a bit more about slugging Twins prospect Brent Rooker.Two very different stories in this week's Get To Know 'Em podcast. Listen to the podcast! Pat Dean is a 29-year-old pitcher. He was the Twins 3rd round draft pick in 2010 out of Boston College. He pitched for the Twins during the 2016 season, even beating Felix Hernandez for his first big league win. After the season, he went to Korea where he has pitched the past two seasons. Just last month it was announced that he was returning to the Twins on a minor league contract. We ask him about a variety of topics including his big league call up, the decision to play in Korea and the differences in cultures and on the baseball field there. And we also talked about his decision to return to the Twins. (Here is a Twins Daily story on Pat Dean from September 2015, before his MLB debut) Brent Rooker hit 32 doubles and 22 homers in Double-A Chattanooga in his first full season of professional baseball in 2018. He earned a big league spring training invitation. We talked to him about what Twins spring training has been like for him and what he has learned already. We talked about his 2018 season of ups and downs and what he wanted to work on going into the offseason. He was married in November as well. (Rooker was previously on this podcastwith Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff) Click below to listen to the full podcast. LISTEN Any and all feedback is welcomed. Who would you like to see me interview? I may be able to do more like this while in Ft. Myers next week. Click here to view the article

In case you missed the article update: https://twitter.com/ParkerHageman/status/1102297598071840775