Seth Stohs

Today we jump into the Top 10 most-viewed articles of the year. It's always interesting to see which articles readers chose to click into more often. Image courtesy of Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports One thing I enjoy most about looking into which articles were most viewed over the past year is seeing which seemingly random articles were clicked into and read and discussed. This group has at least one of those topics. There's also an article in this grouping that probably represented how many Twins fans felt in July, but almost immediately, things turned around. Rumors tend to bring an audience as well. Such was the case when the calendar changed to 2023 and Carlos Correa was still available. That is also the cast as 2023 winds down with Jorge Polanco. Feel free to discuss the articles, how they played out and if your mind changed on any of these topics. #10 Jorge Polanco’s Twins Tenure is Approaching an End by Cody Christie Aug 18 Jorge Polanco has been one of the top Twins players for most of the past half-dozen seasons. A solid, consistent performer at the plate and in the field, the 30-year-old second baseman’s days in a Twins uniform may soon be coming to an end. That appeared true in mid-August when this article was written. He was again struggling with injury and Edouard Julien was playing very well (and Brooks Lee and Austin Martin being nearly ready). There was never any question that his option for 2024 would be picked up, but his name has been popular in offseason rumor circles. #9 Can Either Miguel Sano or Kennys Vargas Get Back to the Bigs? by Ted Schwerzler Feb 7 The last time that Kennys Vargas played in the big leagues was with the 2017 Minnesota Twins. Since then, he has played in Japan, Mexico and all around the Caribbean. He has played for three teams in Mexico during this calendar year and in 140 games, he has hit .292/.373/.504 (.877) with 34 doubles and 25 home runs. Sano had not played at all since his time with the Twins came to an end late in the 2022 season. He had a scout day in May in the Dominican but no one signed him. This winter, he is playing in the Dominican. The now-30-year-old looks slim and trim. Through 26 games for Estrellas, he was hitting .221/.340/.395 (.735) with nine doubles and two homers . #8 The Twins Need to Shake Things Up with Two Obvious Changes by Adam Friedman June 29 Adam suggested two moves for the Twins to make at the end of June. First, he wanted to swap Matt Wallner for Max Kepler. Second, he believed that the Twins top hitting coach, David Popkins, should be fired. The offense was striking out a ton, not hitting in the clutch, or showing any sort of situational awareness. When this article was written, Kepler was hitting .198/.271/.401 (.672). Over 75 more games, Kepler hit .301/.371/.538 (.909) with 17 doubles and 14 home runs. He went from a guy whose 2024 option would clearly not be picked up to a guy that not only had his option picked up, but he may be the top outfield trade target. In general, the entire Twins offense turned things around right about that time as well. They ended up with one of the top 6-10 offenses in the major leagues. #7 Did the Twins Lose the Jose Berrios Trade? by Ted Schwerzler July 5 The Twins traded Jose Berrios to the Toronto Blue Jays at the deadline in 2021. He ended that season going 5-4 with a 3.58 ERA. That offseason, he signed a seven-year, $131 million contract extension to stay in Toronto. While he went 12-7 in 2022, he had a 5.23 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP and no AL pitcher gave up more hits or earned runs. While his record in 2023 was 11-12, Berrios came back to form. He posted a 3.65 ERA with 184 strikeouts in 189 2/3 innings. He finally received a Gold Glove Award. At the time this article was written, Austin Martin was finishing up his rehab games after missing most of spring training and the first three months of the season with an elbow injury. Woods Richardson was 1-5 with a 7.46 ERA. From this point forward, Martin went to Triple-A and hit .264/.387/.405 with 11 doubles and six homers for the Saints. He also had 16 stolen bases. Simeon Woods Richardson made 12 more appearances and went 6-1 with a 2.92 ERA. Opponents hit just .196 off of the 23-year-old after that point. #6 Are the Twins Frontrunners for Carlos Correa? by Ted Schwerzler Jan 8 He had already agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal with the Giants, but that fell through after his physical. Soon after, he agreed to a 12-year, $315 million deal with the Mets, but as you know, that fell through. So, in early January, the Twins and their fans rightfully felt that they had as good a chance as anyone at signing the star shortstop. Earlier in the offseason, the Twins had offered Correa 10 years and $285 million. For his part, Carlos Correa said all the right things about loving his time with the Twins. This was during a time in which there was seemingly new Correa news every day. Two days later, he was back, having signed a six-year, $200 million contract with the Twins that included options that could push the deal to 10 years and $270 million. It may not have been as shocking as when the Twins signed him a year earlier. Tomorrow we will share the top five most-viewed articles of 2023 at Twins Daily. If you missed a previous day: Part 1 (21-25) Part 2 (16-20) Part 3 (11-15) Part 4 (6-10) Part 5 (1-5) - Coming Tomorrow! View full article

On Thursday, we learned of the death of former Twins pitcher Carlos Pulido. The Venezuelan southpaw pitched in just 32 games for the Twins, but his career was quite interesting. Image courtesy of George Frazier Thirty-five years ago, there were some MLB players from Venezuela, but very few in comparison to today. The Twins signed Carlos Pulido as a 17-year-old in February of 1989. He jumped directly to the Gulf Coast League, where he went 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA. In 36 innings, he had 46 strikeouts and issued 14 walks. In 1990, he moved up to Low-A Kenosha, where he pitched in 56 games out of the bullpen. He was 5-5 with a 2.34 ERA. In 61 2/3 innings, he had 70 strikeouts, but he also walked 36 batters. The following year, 1991, was a pretty good one in Twins history. Pulido pitched in 57 games for High-A Visalia. He went 1-5, but posted an ERA of just 2.01. He had 17 saves. In 80 2/3 innings, he struck out 102 batters. He also walked 23, a very respectable improvement. He ended the season with two appearances at Triple A. In 1992, he was 20 years old and moved up to Double-A Orlando. He pitched in 52 games, and for the first time as a pro, he made a start. In fact, he made five. He went 6-2 with a 4.40 ERA. Then, in 1993, he moved up to Triple-A Portland, where 22 of his 33 appearances were as a starter. He went 10-6 with a 4.19 ERA over 146 innings. Of course, as a starter, his pure stuff wasn’t as dominant. In 146 innings, he had just 79 strikeouts. However, some of you may remember 1994. The Twins struggled to a 53-60 record in the strike-shortened season. Their starting staff was comprised of Kevin Tapani (4.62 ERA), Scott Erickson (5.44 ERA), Jim Deshaies (7.39 ERA), Pat Mahomes (4.73 ERA). Eddie Guardado posted an 8.47 ERA over his first four MLB starts. On April 9th, 1994, Pulido made his MLB debut. In a Metrodome game against the Oakland A’s, he gave up six runs on nine hits and three walks over 3 1/3 innings. In his second outing, he worked two scoreless innings against the A’s. Then, a week after his debut, he worked six innings out of the bullpen against the same club and gave up just two runs. On May 6th, Pulido completed eight innings and gave up only an unearned run on five hits against the Royals, for his first big-league win. His next outing came against the Red Sox. He gave up just one run on three hits and no walks over seven innings. The Twins won that game 21-2, and Pulido was 2-3. Then came some losses, and then in mid-June, he tossed six innings and gave up just two runs against the White Sox. That game marked the first time in MLB history that two pitchers from Venezuela started against each other. That we're still shy of the 30th anniversary of that milestone is rather jarring, considering the prevalence of venezolanos in today's MLB, and underscores the important trailblazing role Pulido played, even if it was partially incidental. Not long ago, Venezuela was considered the land of shortstops--but only shortstops, or mostly so. Now, many of the best players in baseball hail from that nation, and there's no one player type that is radically overrepresented. Pulido was among the first major wave of players who helped forge that new reality. Overall that year, Carlos Pulido made 19 appearances and 14 starts in the big leagues. He went 3-7 with a 5.98 ERA over 84 1/3 innings. He gave up 87 hits, walked 40 batters and struck out 32. The strike began in early August and eventually pulverized the rest of the season. He spent the 1995 season with the Twins' Triple-A affiliate, which had moved to Salt Lake City. He pitched in 43 games and made just three starts. He went 8-1 with a 4.67 ERA. In 71 1/3 innings, he had just 38 punchouts. Following the season, the Twins released him. That’s when things got interesting in his career. After seven seasons in the Twins organization, he was a free agent. He signed with the Cubs. He split the 1996 season between Double A and Triple A. In 1997, he made 44 appearances for the Expos' Triple-A affiliate in Ottawa. In 1998, Pulido signed with Somerset, an independent team in the Atlantic League. In September, he signed with the Mets and made three Triple-A appearances. He pitched for Somerset again in 1999. In 2000, he headed to Japan and played for Orix for two seasons. In 2002, he went 13-7 with a 3.57 ERA for Oaxaca in the Mexican League. Then in November of 2002, the now-31-year-old re-signed with the Minnesota Twins. At Triple-A Rochester, Pulido went 12-5 with a 3.56 ERA in 25 starts and 149 1/3 innings. He returned to the big leagues with the team he had signed with (and then debuted with) years earlier. In late August, he was promoted. He worked two scoreless innings in relief on Aug. 29 in Texas, and then 2 2/3 scoreless innings against the Rangers two days later. He then gave up only an unearned run on one hit over 3 2/3 innings against the Angels. However, he gave up seven earned runs over 7 1/3 innings the final four outings. In 2004, Pulido again began the season with the Twins. He pitched in six games and gave up runs in five of them, including five runs in three innings on April 21st and four runs (two earned) in one inning on April 24th. He was sent to Triple A following that game, and didn’t get back to the big leagues. He spent 2005 and 2006 in Mexico and then played two more winters in Venezuela before calling it a career. —------------------------------- On Thursday, Carlos Pulido passed away at the age of 52, at home in Venezuela. Long-time Twins minor-league pitching coach Ivan Arteaga was a very close friend of Pulido’s going back to their playing days. Pulido is the all-time winningest pitcher in the Venezuelan League. His nickname was “Domador de Leones” (Lion Tamer) because of how much he dominated los Leones de Caracas. Carlos Pulido is a Twins player that I always found intriguing. He was left-handed and debuted at a young 22 years old. But after debuting in 1994, he didn’t return to the big leagues for nine seasons… and it was again with the Twins. In all, he pitched professionally for teams in 10 US states, and in the highest pro leagues of three other countries. His was a meaningful and eventful baseball life, though perhaps not a widely remembered one in most corners. Condolences to his family, and to those who knew him. View full article

In Part 3 of the review of the top Twins Daily articles from 2023, there was... Image courtesy of Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports In a season like the Minnesota Twins had in 2023, they got contributions from a number of player including some who they likely weren't expecting big things from. Donovan Solano was signed just before spring training and likely contributed much more. When determining their playoff rosters, they had plenty of good choices on the periphery of their roster. A 'new' position for a veteran sure didn't work out as the team hoped, but it also makes sense to move one of the team's brightest stars to a new position. Feel free to discuss these five topics today. #15 The Twins Found a Diamond in the Rough by Ted Schwerzler Apr 15 There was a lot of head shaking when the Twins signed veteran infielder Donovan Solano. Ultimately, it was a tremendous, valuable addition to a roster in which depth was supremely important. That proved true nearly from Day 1. Jorge Polanco and Alex Kirilloff started the season on the Injured List. Early in the year, Kyle Farmer took a fastball to the face and missed significant time. Joey Gallo spent time on the IL early in the season. And Solano rewarded the Twins by starting fast. #14 Byron Buxton, Bailey Ober and Other ALDS Roster Decisions by Cody Christie Oct 6 After winning their first playoff game in nearly 20 years, and winning a playoff series for the first time in over two decades, the Twins advanced to the ALDS where they took on the Houston Astros. As there are with each new playoff series. For instance, needing just three starting pitchers in the Wild Card round, would Bailey Ober be on the second round roster? Yes, and he started Game 1. How about Byron Buxton? Would he be on the roster? Well, initially no, but when Alex Kirilloff re-injured his shoulder and was removed from the roster, Buxton was added. Who would be the Game 4 starter, if needed? Since the Twins played just two games in their sweep of the Blue Jays, they didn’t need a Game 3 starter. So, the assumption was that Joe Ryan would start Game 1. Instead, Ober made that start and Ryan started Game 4. #13 The Twins Continue to Deal in Distressed Assets by Cody Christie Jan 19 In mid-January, Cody considered the Twins trend of acquiring players with injury concerns. For instead, Kenta Maeda had long had a slight tear in his UCL, but the Twins traded for him and got a great season before he needed Tommy John surgery. Tyler Mahle was an injury risk when the Twins acquired him. Sam Dyson wasn’t an injury risk when the Twins acquired him, though it didn’t take long to realize he had been hurt for some time. Chris Paddack was an injury risk. The Twins were able to sign Josh Donaldson in large part due to his injury concerns. In the most obvious example, the Twins were able to sign Carlos Correa in large part due to potential injury concerns. #12 It’s Time to End the Byron Buxton Experiment at Designated Hitter by Matthew Taylor June 3 The Twins made the decision before the season began that keeping Byron Buxton’s bat in the lineup was a priority. It was logical based on the offensive production he put up in 2022 before injury. Just two months into the season, Buxton was struggling at the plate, and he had already suffered through a couple of long, extended slumps in which he failed to make much contact. While the Twins didn’t expect a lot of offense from Michael A. Taylor , he provided tremendous defense in center field. #11 A New Position for Royce Lewis? by Ted Schwerzler July 29 After returning from his second ACL surgery, Royce Lewis played well. Then he missed about a month due to an oblique strain. At that same time, Jorge Polanco was getting some time at third base so that he and Edouard Julien could both be in the lineup most every day. Should the Twins have considered moving Lewis back out to center field. While his fluke injury a year earlier occurred in center, many still believe that with his speed and athleticism, it might be his best position. Tomorrow we will jump into the Top 10 most-viewed articles of 2023. If you missed a previous day: Part 1 (21-25) Part 2 (16-20) Part 3 (11-15) Part 4 (6-10) - Coming Tomorrow! View full article

In Part 2 of our Top 25 most-viewed articles series, find out which articles rank 16th through 20th. Today we've got Hicks... some picks... and a lot of nicks. Oh, and find out what made the Twins so shady in 2023. Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports There are some interesting topics in today's group of five frequently viewed articles. We had a look back at a Twins trade from nearly a decade ago. Initially, it looked real bad, but ultimately, it didn't work out great for either side. There are a couple of spring training articles on the Twins injury situations. They were two weeks apart, yet information had changed already. Coming into 2023, how were the Twins past decade of top picks doing? More important, how are they doing now, after the 2023 season? Finally, there is an article on the Twins still being a little shifty, even after rules involving shifting changed. #20 Aaron Hicks and a Complete Trade Result 8 Years in the Making by Matt Braun May 28 In November of 2015, the Twins traded center fielder Aaron Hicks to the Yankees in exchange for catcher John Ryan Murphy. With the Yankees releasing Hicks in May, Matt took the time to look back at the trade. The Twins basically got nothing. Hicks was very good for the Bronx Bombers and turned it into a seven-year, $70 million contract. The Yankees released him with three years and $31.5 million. Out from Yankees Stadium, Hicks signed with the Orioles for the remainder of 2023 and helped them. The Twins had Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, and Eddie Rosario. #19 Where are they now? The Twins last 10 First-Round Draft Picks by Cody Christie Jan 23 From Kohl Stewart in 2013 through Brooks Lee in 2022, Cody reviewed where the Twins top picks were heading into the 2023 season. The Twins first-round picks from 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 contributed to the 2023 big-league roster, though only two of them were on the playoff roster. That said, I think we can all agree that 2021 top pick Chase Petty helped the 2023 Twins as well since he was traded to the Reds in a one-for-one swap for Sonny Gray. #18 Injuries Already Impacting the 2023 Twins Roster by Cody Christie Mar 6 Shortly after spring training began, the Twins already had a significant number of injured players. We knew already at this time that Alex Kirilloff and Jorge Polanco would start their season’s a little late. Gilberto Celestino had already had thumb surgery. A couple of the injuries were believed to be minor, but obviously Jose Miranda’s shoulder issue affected him all season. #17 Injury Concerns Are (Sigh) Already Mounting for the Twins by Nick Nelson Mar 19 Two weeks later, Nick was in Ft. Myers and just 10 days before Opening Day, there were still a lot of question marks. The hope was Byron Buxton would be ready for Opening Day. The front office finally admitted that Jorge Polanco would not be ready for Opening Day. Along with Polanco, Jose Miranda and Alex Kirilloff had also not yet played in a spring training game. In addition, Nick noted that Max Kepler had left a spring game with hip soreness and that there were concerns about Tyler Mahle’s velocity and Kenta Maeda’s readiness. #16 The Twins Are the Shadiest Team in Baseball by Matthew Trueblood Dec 13 In 2022, the Twins shifted in the infield more than all but five other MLB teams. Heading into the 2023 season, baseball added several new rules, one of which altered how much shifting could be done in the infield. For instance, there had to be two infielders on each side of second base, and all four infielders had to be set up on the infield grass (not in shallow right field as had become “normal.”) The Twins played within those rules, but stretched them as much as they could and as often as they could. This is an excellent Caretaker article. More to come tomorrow, but if you missed a previous edition: Part 1 (21-25) Part 2 (16-20) Part 3 (11-15) - Coming Tomorrow! View full article

It's hard to believe that we are just days away from 2024. It's always fun to look back at which stories at Twins Daily that were clicked on the most. It's often surprising to see what type of article fits that bill. Enjoy the list and feel free to discuss each topic. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints 2023 began with the saga of Carlos Correa. Expectations were reduced, but there was an excitement. The front office stayed busy in free agency and in the trade market. And then the season began, and while there were ups and downs, the Twins led the division much of the year and returned to the top spot. More important, they won a playoff game and a playoff series which, maybe you had heard it had been awhile. But looking back at 2023 through which articles you clicked into most frequently is always fun. #25 The Case to Bring Back Miguel Sano by Jeremy Nygaard Jan 16 The first entry in our Top 25 came from the first month of the calendar. Miguel Sano missed most of the 2022 season with injuries, so it was a no-brainer to turn down his option and let him become a free agent. While it may not have been a very popular idea among most Twins fans, there certainly was a case to bring him back at a reduced, incentive-laden contract. While Sano ultimately may not have met the extremely high expectations that came with his controversial amateur career. It would have been nearly impossible to do so. However, Sano did have some great years with the Twins and some not-so-good years. He struck out a lot, but he hit a lot of home runs and was certainly intimidating in the batter’s box through most of his career. Ultimately, Sano didn’t sign with anyone in 2023, he is playing in the Dominican Winter League right now and appears to be in very good shape. Don’t be surprised if someone gives him another opportunity in 2024, and then don’t be surprised if he takes full advantage of it. I hope he does. #24 Twins Announce Promotional Schedule and Ticket Deals for 2023 Season by Melissa Berman Jan 18 When the Twins locked up Carlos Correa to a six-year, $200 million contract, there was a ton of excitement around the Twins. The Twins released their promotional schedule and some really exciting ticket sales opportunities. Hopefully the Twins will announce some similar ticket offers in the coming weeks. #23 Joey Gallo’s Last Stand by Cody Christie Aug 7 Eyes rolled when the Twins signed Joey Gallo to a one-year, $11 million contract last December. That signing came shortly after the Twins and their fans thought that Correa had signed elsewhere. While he had a bad 2022 season, he was an All Star in 2021. He had won Gold Gloves. There were certainly plenty of reasons to think that he could return to some semblance of that 2021 and earlier player. In fact, in April, he had three doubles, a triple, and seven home runs in just 65 plate appearances. However, after the calendar changed to May, Gallo really struggled. He hit around .160, took some walks and hit some homers when he actually made contact. Gallo was solid defensively in the outfield and at first base. Despite the struggles, there were never reports of him being disruptive or anything but a supportive teammate. His final appearance with the Twins came on September 5th. #22 The Natural: Brooks Lee is Special, and the Twins Know It. by Nick Nelson Mar 2 The excitement around 2022 first-round draft pick Brooks Lee was palpable in spring training. Some called him the top college hitter in that draft, he was impressive in his professional debut late in 2022, even hitting .423 for the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge in six games (2 regular season, 4 playoff games). Early in spring, he got a lot of playing time in big-league games and made a strong impression on manager Rocco Baldelli. He also earned some compliments from Carlos Correa. “Man, that kind is a stud! I really, really, really like this kid. I’m very high on him. Don’t be surprised if we see him up this year. He’s very, very good, man. Everybody I talk to about him, it’s high praise. I don’t get impressed very easily. That was definitely a great pick by the Twins.” Lee didn’t get to the big leagues in 2023, but he ended the season at Triple-A. He was also named the winner of the Twins Minor League Player of the Year award. #21 The Twins Forgotten Center Fielder by Cody Pirkl Jan 29 When Gilberto Celestino was first called up to the Minnesota Twins in April of 2021, all involved knew that he wasn’t ready. He had only a handful of games above A-ball. He struggled that year. He made some strides in 2022. Last offseason, the Twins added Michael A. Taylor to be the Buxton insurance in center field. That proved to be a wise move. The hope was Celestino could finally just get a few months of everyday playing time in St. Paul and let him develop his immense talent. Unfortunately, he broke his thumb early in spring training and missed a lot of time. The Twins DFAd Celestino very late in the 2023 season. He went unclaimed, but days later, he was able to become a free agent. He has since signed a minor-league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. We will be back tomorrow with the next group of five. Feel free to discuss this group and any updates to this group from the time the articles were written. View full article

ah jeepers... should have known @Cory Engelhardt would beat me to it...

I don't know. I like to think that with 26 years of experience at my job I should be making more than someone in their 2nd year of doing the same job. I get that in theory the best system for the players would be everyone get one year contracts and be a free agent every year... but I don't want guys jumping around that much. I want the young players to stick around 5-6 years, or more. So there needs to be a system. and players should be rewarded for longevity. They've earned that right in a free market to earn what someone is willing to pay them. This is just a nice incentive for those pre-arb guys who don't have the ability to negotiate what winning an MVP award might be worth.

Six Minnesota Twins players received a nice bonus from the league on Monday, thanks to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2022. Image courtesy of David Richard-USA TODAY Sports Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the two sides (players and owners) agreed to provide bonus money for pre-arbitration eligible players who perform well based on a joint Wins Above Replacement (WAR) calculation. The idea is that these players barely make the league minimum for their first three MLB seasons. Then, through the arbitration process, they can start earning some money. This system eases the frustration and inequity of that framework for young players. The league sets aside $50 million. Specific amounts are earned for receiving Rookie of the Year, MVP, or Cy Young votes, or finishing first- or second-team All-MLB. For those award allocations, a player can only receive one bonus each year, whichever is higher. For instance, Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll was named Rookie of the Year and was first-team All-MLB. The award for winning Rookie of the Year is $750,000. For finishing first-team All-MLB, he gets $1 million. He would only receive the $1 million award. The remainder of the award pool is spread out between the top pre-arbitration players in baseball, based on the blended WAR metric negotiated by the two sides. Carroll’s total bonus was $1,812,337. That ranked second to Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez, who received $1,865,349. Ten players earned a bonus over $1 million. This year, a total of 101 players earned a bonus through this program. Twenty-five players earned at least $500,000. None of the Twins players reached that level, but several 2023 Minnesota Twins earned a significant (if retroactive) raise. Only two teams (the Orioles and Tigers) had more players receive a bonus. Both of those clubs had seven recipients. Here's the Twins list: Bailey Ober ($432,752) Edouard Julien ($397,629) Joe Ryan ($341,931) Royce Lewis ($341,190) Ryan Jeffers ($300,304) Jhoan Duran ($271,789) It may surprise some that Ober leads that pack, but the righthander was remarkably consistent throughout the 2023 seasons, despite some interesting circumstances. He made 26 starts, and was 8-6 with a 3.43 ERA. He nearly matched his innings pitched total from 2021 and 2022 combined (148 1/3) with 144 1/3 innings pitched in 2023. Because of his injury history (which included some leg injuries in 2023), the Twins carefully managed his workload at times. He began the season with a couple of starts with the Saints. In late August, he was sent down to Triple A again just to keep his innings count down, after only throwing 56 innings in 2022. But Ober's consistency throughout the year was ballast for the ship of the rotation. The league minimum was $720,000 in 2023 (it will be $740,000 in 2024). Here are the ‘regular’ salaries of those players in 2023: Bailey Ober ($730,000) Edouard Julien ($720,000) - pro-rated to 135 service days (~$540,000) Joe Ryan ($730,250) Royce Lewis ($727,100) Ryan Jeffers ($741,650) Jhoan Duran ($720,000) Short story long, this allotment is a nice little bonus for these players heading into the holiday season. For some, it's more than 50-percent raise. Again, this is based on a formula called the Joint WAR. It uses the more popular WAR, Baseball Reference, and FanGraphs, though the exact formula is not publicly available. Bailey Ober: bWAR (3.0), fWAR (2.4) Edouard Julien: bWAR (2.6), fWAR (2.8) Joe Ryan: bWAR (1.2), fWAR (2.2) Royce Lewis: bWAR (2.4), fWAR (2.4) Ryan Jeffers: bWAR (3.3), fWAR (2.7) Jhoan Durán: bWAR (1.9), fWAR (1.0) In total, the pool for this player bonus is $50 million, funded equally by all 30 teams. The players are paid by their respective teams, and then the Commissioner’s Office reimburses the clubs. For the Twins, this system yielded almost $2.1 million in extra money in the pockets of their best young players, after they paid in just under $1.7 million for their share of the pool. Congratulations to all six players! View full article

“I enjoyed crushing the baseball. That was probably the thing I loved to do most." Here's how an All-American slugger turned into a big-league pitcher. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Kody Funderburk was a four-year letterman at Queen Creek High School in Arizona. Yet, he received just one offer to play baseball in college, and that went away after a rough junior season. Central Arizona Community College, in Coolidge, Arizona, was one option. However, Funderburk stayed close to home and went to Mesa Community College. As a freshman, he went 8-4 in 15 games (13 starts) on the mound. At the plate, he hit .324 with four home runs. As a sophomore, he only made eight appearances (three starts) and pitched 12 2/3 innings. However, he hit .400/.504/.651, with eight homers and 55 RBI. He was named First Team All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American. Because of the success, he opted to go to Dallas Baptist University. He had played well during their sophomore showcase the year before. “It was really hard to pass up. They're known for their offensive production. I was getting recruited as a first baseman, so it was right up my alley. The field was beautiful. It was right in the middle of Dallas. Downtown was 20 minutes away. The campus was gorgeous, but at the same time, midweeks, we were playing Big 12 schools all the time. Even on weekends, we played teams like Clemson and Texas Tech. Also, I got to stay in a warm-weather state.” He certainly didn’t slow down at the plate. In 63 games, he hit .304/.429/.584, with 19 doubles, 13 home runs, and 58 RBI. He also continued to pitch. He pitched in 15 games (14 starts) and went 1-3 with a 6.84 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP. In 50 innings, he had 53 strikeouts, but he also walked 31 batters. That slugging success and mound struggle led, unexpectedly, to this moment: “With the 454th overall pick in the June 2018 MLB Draft, the Minnesota Twins use their 15th round pick to select Funderburk, Kody, left-handed pitcher.” So, Kody, why did the Twins draft you as a pitcher and not as a hitter? “During the draft process, some teams wanted me to hit. Some wanted me to pitch. Some said they may be willing to do both and eventually play into one. The Twins scout I talked to was Trevor Brown. I feel like I only talked to him twice: when I met him, and then the night before the draft, he called me. There was really no inclination of what the Twins wanted [me to do]. It was just on Day 3 when I heard my name called, and they said, 'Left-handed pitcher,' I knew I was a pitcher. I knew it was a possibility, but I thought with how my year went pitching-wise and how my year went hitting-wise and my past production as a hitter. I thought for sure I’d be drafted as a first baseman. I guess it’s a testament to the Twins' pitching development, taking a guy with horrible numbers like that and turning him into a big-leaguer. “All my friends and family are like, “How the heck are you a pitcher?” "I didn’t pitch that well. Honestly, I feel like I was training so much on the hitting side of things. Whenever scheduling conflicted, I always erred on the side of hitting. So I never really felt like I got to practice (pitching), really, until I got into pro ball. But with Covid, I got a whole year of developing pitching-wise. I really feel like it was pure rest. I didn’t get to practice much.” Asked what he saw when he scouted Dallas Baptist in 2018, Brown said, “Yes, Kody was a good college hitter and wasn’t as polished back then on the mound. But our group thought there was still a lot of untapped ceiling on the mound. It wasn’t a real comfortable at-bat for guys, and I just thought Kody needed innings and could be just scratching the surface of what he could be as a pitcher.” As you would expect, Brown transferred the credit to two other places. “So much of what he is today is due to Kody and our player development. Kody’s worked as hard as anyone to get in the position he’s in and deserves so much of the credit.” Peter Larson joined the Twins organization after four seasons at Fordham University. In 2019, he was the minor-league rehab pitching coach. In 2020, he was supposed to be the pitching coach in Cedar Rapids (Low A), but then the season was canceled. In 2021, he was the Low-A Fort Myers pitching coach. In 2022, he was a pitching coach for Double-A Wichita and moved to Triple-A for the 2023 season. In other words, he has spent a lot of time working with Funderburk over the past two years. Larson and Funderburk are on the same page about what has helped the lefty succeed. Larson spoke of the work done during the lost Covid season. “Kody really took off after the Covid shutdown. Changed his workouts and body, and really came in ready to go for 2022.” Funderburk acknowledged, “I lost 30 to 40 pounds, which cleaned up my mechanics and helped me move a lot better. I threw pretty much a year of bullpens, and that really helped. It was kind of gritty. I was out at public parks by myself, throwing into a Jugs net. I feel like, along with all those other things, it taught me a work ethic and a discipline that I learned by myself.” “He really turned a corner middle-to-late in the 2022 season and hasn’t looked back," Larson added. "I think Kody knows himself at a really high level currently. He understands his strengths and weaknesses and knows when and where to use his pitches.” Funderburk mentioned it in the interview, but Larson also spoke to some pitch suggestions they worked on together. “His pitch mix changed throughout 2022. We suggested adding a sinker to have something hard running arm-side. We also wanted to add bigger movement to his slider. This gave him a new look and when executed, tough on both hitters but specifically left-handed hitters. In 2023, he continued to fine-tune that same mix with the main goal of attacking the strike zone more consistently.” Scouts, minor-league coaches, and player-development personnel don’t get the credit they so often deserve. For them, the “glory” comes when a player with whom they’ve worked develops and gets a chance in the big leagues. Larson noted, “It’s a blast to see anyone achieve their goals of making it to the big leagues. But seeing a guy like Kody put in the work and push through was really special. There might have been points in his career where he thought the big leagues seemed so far away, but his buy-in on training and trusting the process helped make his dream come true. For one final thought, let’s get back to Kody Funderburk, Hitter. Hey Kody, in your heart of hearts, do you believe that you could hit? “In the big leagues? I don’t know—maybe even a Low-A game. But even in Low A, you have guys [who] throw 100 with wipe-out stuff. As much as I want to say, ‘Yes, I can still hit,’ the stuff in the big leagues and young guys in the minor leagues, it’s pretty ridiculous what guys can learn. It’s no wonder it's so hard to hit, and I’m thankful I’m on the other end of it and making guys feel that way.” Indeed, it is fair to ask what the Twins saw in Funderburk on the mound when he was so dominant at the plate. You can do that. And then you and I need to step back and say, Hey, the Twins were right. Trevor Brown saw uncomfortable at-bats and maybe a guy who just needed innings. Peter Larson, Cibney Bello, and several other pitching coaches and coordinators deserve credit for working with Funderburk and making him a big-leaguer. The ultimate credit belongs to Kody Funderburk himself. He may have had questions, but he went to work and made it happen. And he saw the fruits of all that work become worthwhile when he made his big-league debut in 2023. And, with that work ethic, the goal will now be to stick in the big leagues and get a lot of batters out for years to come. One final thing... check out this YouTube video... "Fundy" figured it out first! View full article

I don't think the price of doing business changed all that much. I mean, I wasn't expecting $700 million either, but Ohtani's always been the exception. Yomamoto was always going to get around $250 million. He's got the Yankees and Mets fighting over him. Soto was always going to get Trout-like money to $500 million. Other contracts have been in line with where they have been, for the most part. Pagan, after his 2023 season, got what other relievers of that ilk get. Gray got what we expected. So did Lynn, Gibson, and others. Oh, and I say all that cuz I don't go to any/many games. I don't plan on it either. As long as I can find most of their games on TV, it won't bother me... But I understand that is a frustration for those that do go to a lot of games.

Seems like the finances of baseball are pretty good... Cuz the Dodgers wouldn't pay him that kind of money (and Betts, and Freeman and others) if they weren't going to make it. Ohtani's been on a team with a $400 million player (Trout) and a $300 million player (Rendon), and they kept adding players each year and never got to the playoffs. Love watching teams spend crazily for two reasons, 1.) cuz the players deserve it, and 2.) it guarantees the team nothing.

Sounds like it's official. MLB Trade Rumors has it... Haven't had one of the big-name reporters verify yet... Where does this rank among free agent surprises in MLB history.

It's not ideal, but it's not like it doesn't happen. It's probably much more likely with catchers... and there are usually three catchers on rookie league rosters and each catches maybe twice a week, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. However, he was available in the minor-league Rule 5 draft, so the odds of him being a big leaguer aren't real high. But it's always good to have catchers, and there are always exceptions. I mean, Brian Buscher was a minor-league Rule 5 pick! :)

Pretty sure he was mentioned in there quite a lot! ;-) Here are some of those mentions... These are the articles that he was tagged in, but obviously we could only tag five players per article, so he was probably mentioned in like 4-5 times this many articles. A google search for "Twins Daily" "Yoyner Fajardo" brings back a ton of articles.

He began his 2023 season with the Wichita Wind Surge, but Kody Funderburk’s campaign ended on the first Minnesota Twins team roster to win a playoff game in nearly 20 years. We asked the southpaw to reflect on that journey, with a particular focus on his time in the majors. Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports By August 28th in many Minnesota summers, sports fans are excited about the Vikings and Gophers football seasons. Students are excited about the upcoming school year, starting right after Labor Day. However, in 2023, the Twins were well on their way to running away with the American League Central title. The pitching staff was one of the best in baseball. After a rough first half, the Twins’ offense was one of the best in the league in the second half. Things just felt different. Across the river in St Paul, players were enjoying their typical Monday off day. When minor-league baseball re-aligned before the 2021 season, teams began playing six-game series. Mondays are either travel days, or a regular day off. The Saints had completed a six-game split in Omaha and were back home on Sunday night. On Tuesday, they were beginning a new set against Columbus. Kody Funderburk had been pitching very well for the Saints all season. In 37 games, he was 4-1, with five saves and a 2.60 ERA. In 52 Triple-A innings, he had just 15 walks and an impressive 75 strikeouts. However, no one knew if he would be called up to the Twins. He acknowledges that he was never a big pitching prospect. He was a 15th-round pick back in 2018. He had solid numbers working his way through the system, primarily as a starting pitcher. In Low A, he posted a 4.68 ERA in 50 innings. In High A, he posted a 2.96 ERA over 48 2/3 innings. He spent a lot of time at Double A, where he went a combined 14-5 with a 2.55 ERA in 137 2/3 innings. He made 17 starts at that level, but midway through the 2022 season, he was moved full-time to the bullpen. Despite those excellent numbers, including strikeouts, he wasn’t added to the 40-man roster and went unselected in the Rule 5 draft the past two years. Funderburk began the 2023 season with five games and nine innings in Wichita. He had a 1.00 ERA, and quickly moved up to the Saints. He pitched great, but did the Twins think he could help them down the stretch? “In my head, I was just trying to keep the same mentality," said Funderburk of his thinking at the time. "The only way I’m going to guarantee (more) opportunities is to continue doing well.” So, after sleeping in a bit on the off day, Funderburk and his wife had made plans to go to The Great Minnesota Get Together (aka, the State Fair). They began to get ready in the early afternoon. “Around 3:00, I looked at my phone and had five missed calls from Toby (Gardenhire)," Funderburk recalled. "I thought, ‘This is probably the call I want it to be,’ because I really only talk to Toby around the field and in the clubhouse.” Funderburk called his manager to see what was going on. It was The Call. “(Gardenhire) said, ‘Congratulations, you’re going to the big leagues. We think it’s for the Tuesday game. Let me get back to you.” At this point, Funderburk, his wife, a couple of teammates, and their wives were excited for the 26-year-old lefty. Just a few minutes later, the phone rang. It was Gardenhire again. “He said, 'Actually, it’s for the game tonight, and you need to get over there as fast as you can.'” Twins games during the week begin 30 minutes earlier than their 7:10 PM start times on weekends. “My wife and I scrambled and got ready really quick.," Funderburk said. "Got things together. Got over to the field.” Upon entering the home clubhouse at Target Field, Funderburk walked into manager Rocco Baldelli’s office. His message to the lefty? “Be ready to pitch." Kenta Maeda made the start. After a scoreless first inning, he gave up four runs in the second. Fortunately, the Twins put up a six-spot in the bottom of that inning. The big hit was a Royce Lewis grand slam. Maeda gave up single runs in the top of the third and the fourth. However, Matt Wallner hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third. A three-run Jorge Polanco blast in the fourth provided insurance. So, as the fifth inning began, the Twins had a 10-6 lead, but Maeda’s day was done. Funderburk found himself jogging in from the bullpen, set to make his big-league debut. “With it being so quick (from getting the call to getting to the stadium and then into the game), it just kind of ripped the Band-Aid off. I really only had a couple of hours. “I was just thinking I just have to trust my stuff. It has worked in Triple A. Hopefully, it works now.” It certainly worked that night. Funderburk showed his stuff, and his work during PFPs (Pitchers' Fielding Practice). The first batter he faced was veteran lefty Kole Calhoun. He grounded out to the mound. Next up was Ramon Laureano. Funderburk got him on a called third strike. Andres Gimenez was next, and grounded back to the mound for the third out—a one-two-three inning in his major-league debut. Next, Funderburk needed to be ready to keep pitching. He was asked to work the sixth inning as well. He struck out both Will Brennan and Gabriel Arias to start the inning. Bo Naylor then popped out to shortstop Carlos Correa for the third out of the inning. Two perfect frames. Who could ask for anything more? Rocco Baldelli and Pete Maki didn’t. They turned the game over to Josh Winder, who faced nine batters and got nine outs. Funderburk was the winning pitcher in his major-league debut. Winder recorded his first career save. Following the game, Bally Sports North’s Audra Martin interviewed Funderburk and Royce Lewis. When she asked Lewis to describe Funderburk’s debut, he implored the crowd, “Give it up for Fundy!” And the crowd did just that. “That was pretty special. You guys have talked to Royce a bunch. He is a special, special guy—an incredible, incredible talent on the field. The grand slam stretch was absolutely unbelievable. (He has) some of the best talent I have ever seen, but also, to go with it, he is a plus-plus person," Funderburk said. Be ready to pitch. The next night, the Twins went into extra innings, and in the 10th inning, with two runners on base, Funderburk was called on to face Calhoun again. This time, Calhoun won the battle, hitting a three-run home run. “That maybe was my big-league moment, my 'Welcome to the big leagues, Rookie!' But you’ve got to learn through it. It gives me confidence that Rocco trusted me in those spots and thought I could handle it enough. And what happened happened." Funderburk was charged with one run on the homer. The other two runs were inherited runners. Then came September. Counting October 1st, he pitched nine more games and 9 2/3 innings. He gave up zero runs, and did not allow another inherited runner to score, either. He gave up five hits and five walks--too many free passes, but he also had 16 strikeouts. If you like Win Probability Added (WPA), Funderburk had games of 0.110, 0.214, and 0.325, showing that he was put into challenging situations late in games and came through. “I knew my role coming in there at the end of the year was to help that last month, whatever way that meant," Funderburk said. "If it meant pitching in the fifth inning of a blowout game or in the eighth inning like I did in Texas of a real close game. Whatever role it was, I knew down the stretch I was going to take whatever opportunity.” He learned much from Dallas Keuchel in St. Paul and in his time with the Twins. After the Calhoun homer, Emilio Pagan approached him, put his arm around him, and said, “'Hey man, I hope you give up a bunch more, because you’ll be pitching for a long time up here.'” “T-Bar (Caleb Thielbar) is just a great model for how I should be," Funderburk said of the primary southpaw in the Twins pen. "He’s a lock-down, left-handed, high-leverage guy for the late innings. Just to watch him go about his work.” “The guy I mostly hung out with and really talked to was Louie Varland. Great teammates. I really like Louie as a person and as a player," Funderburk went on. "He’s like Royce. Great player. Great person. We talked about a lot of things.” This was Funderburk’s sixth season in the organization. He’s been a part of a lot of good teams and seen how the organization develops players and people. He also fully understands the narrative behind the 0-for-18 playoff streak, and he noted that being a part of the pennant chase and the playoff run was meaningful. The players knew it, and they felt they had something special. Getting the first win against Toronto (and then winning that series) was special. He wasn’t on the roster for the Astros series, but noted that just being around the atmosphere was something he’ll never forget. It was only a month, but Funderburk experienced a lot in his short time in the big leagues. It's all stuff he can draw from in the future. In Part 2 of this story (and video), we'll discuss Kody Funderburk's pitching journey that led him from an unlikely prospect to the big leagues. View full article