Seth Stohs

Love it!!! Here's hoping he can connect for 30+ homers again!

This takes like 5-8 minutes, but please take a few minutes to fill out this survey. Lots of questions on how the Twins will do, who will win the division, Any award winners? Best pitchers and hitters? Etc. Please take the survey by about noon on Wednesday as I'll share the results on the site. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7QMQLDB

Parker is in Fort Myers for a few days, watching the Twins. After watching Twins Opening Day starter Pedro Lopez start a game on the backfields, he and Seth talked about how he looked, the Twins pitching coaches, the starting rotation, Brooks Lee, Baseball Day in Minnesota and much more. View full video

It's hard to know because it's impossible to know when an injury will happen. But it's clear that they wanted to see Martin at 2B, LF and CF because he could be called up quickly and until the Margot deal, maybe had a chance. Larnach likely ready when a need in LF or RF or DH. If the need is at SS, it'd likely be Lee early in the year (if he'd be out an extended time). However, once the season gets going and we're in June, it'll come down to who is playing well in St. Paul, and I would assume guys will play all over. I know that Lee spent time at 2B and 3B on the back fields and took a lot of ground balls at those spots throughout the spring. He'd be fine there if needed too.

It's sure hard to get rid of old narratives, even if they haven't been true for a long time.

Ability to hit spin was pretty important then too. And people still cared about batting average.

Spring training stats shouldn't be a factor.

I don't think it's a failure to encourage hitting the ball in the air. Doesn't mean pop ups. The goal is always to know the zone, know your swing, and hit the ball hard. If the swing produces launch between like 16 and 34, that's a good thing. Launch Angle and Exit Velocity are nothing to be afraid of. They don't take away from player strengths, they are just stats, numbers, etc. Launch Angle = just a result, and all know that ground balls are generally outs, and pop ups aren't good. Exit Velocity = hit the ball hard. I can't imagine anyone disagreeing with that.

No, because I know they have different, unique improvement plans for each player. That said, we've heard it with Austin Martin. The Twins wanted to pull more power out of him, and after trying it, and struggling, he went back to his old mentality with the bat (get on base, use the whole field, etc.). Adding power has helped a lot of players over the years. It's probably helped Larnach as he does have the ability. I just think it'd also be good for him to hit the ball the opposite way more, focus on contact. he's still got enough power to launch homers, but contact now is the key.

On Monday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins reduced their spring training roster to 41 players by sending a group of three former top prospects to minor-league camp. Image courtesy of © Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports Just 10 days away from Opening Day, the Twins have little time left to reduce their roster to 26 active players. On Sunday, we learned that Jhoan Durán, Caleb Thielbar and Anthony DeSclafani will start the season on the Injured List. Josh Winder is already on the 60-day injured list. So really, they have fewer cuts left to make than it appears, because injured guys won't take up those active places. Take a quick look through Twins top prospect lists between 2019 and 2022, and you are likely to find Jordan Balazovic, Trevor Larnach and José Miranda quite high on them. All three of these players have shown up on some global Top-100 rankings in their time. Yet on Sunday, March 17, 2024, all three of them were told that their seasons would begin in Triple-A. All three have had highs and lows in their young careers. At times, their prospect lights shone bright. At other times, injuries or on-field (or even off-field) issues kept them from reaching the potential many believe that each possesses. Let’s take a look at all three and figure out what they most need to work on not only to get back to the Twins, but also to stick with the team. Jordan Balazovic It’s a strange place to be for a former top prospect. Balazovic burst onto the scene in 2018, when he put together a strong rookie season in the Gulf Coast League and Keith Law pointed him out as a top prospect. The 2016 fifth-round pick from Mississauga, Ontario has had ups and downs in his time with the Twins. In fact, earlier this year, he was designated for assignment to make room for a waiver claim. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to St. Paul, so he’s not on the 40-man roster. A quick look at the Balazovic profile and it’s impossible not to see why people would be excited. He's 6-foot-5 and lanky. His fastball averaged 95.2 mph. He’s got a sharp mid-to-high-80s slider that can be a strikeout pitch. He also has a low-80s curveball that can be 12-6 or 11-5 in shape, because of his high release point. He also can throw a splitter. It will be interesting to see if or how his pitch mix is updated throughout the season and in his transition full-time to the bullpen. The stuff is there. What he needs to focus on most: Consistency and command. There are times when Balazovic has shown good control and kept the walks down. Other times, he can have extended stretches of poor control. As we all know, too, control is just part of the equation. Command is even more vital. Being able to command the ball within the strike zone is crucial in the big leagues, where hitters just don’t miss mistakes as often. José Miranda Miranda was the third of four high-school hitters selected in the first 75 picks of the 2016 draft. He had the size and strength to be a top prospect, but he often found himself in the 15-25 range of prospects. We kept hearing about his potential, and it definitely showed up at times with power. However, it always felt like there was a limiting factor. He didn’t strike out much, but he also didn’t walk. In other words, he was a very aggressive hitter who would not only swing at too many pitchers’ pitches, but had tremendous bat control and often put those pitches in play with weak contact. During the lost 2020 season, Miranda put in a lot of time really working on better understanding the strike zone. He wanted to understand not only what was a strike, but what pitches he could put into play with authority. If you look at Miranda’s Contact% in the big leagues, it was 77.5% in 2022 and 77.3% in 2023. That’s negligible. But digging into the details, we see something that might be a factor. In 2022, when swinging outside the zone, he made contact on 63.8% of swings. In 2023, that number bumped up to 66.9%--not a huge jump, but noticeable. On the other side, on pitches inside the strike zone, he made contact 88.2% of the time in 2022 and that number dropped to 85.8% in 2023. These aren’t huge changes on their own. However, it can be noted that he made contact more often with pitches outside the zone, likely resulting in weaker contact. At the same time, more swing-and-miss on pitches in the zone. Again, that combined 5.5% doesn’t seem like a huge deal. But sometimes that turns a 2-1 count into a 1-2 count, or a 3-1 count (hitter’s advantage) into a 2-2 count (pitcher’s advantage). So as I’ve said throughout spring training, with Miranda it isn’t so much about the stat line for me. It’s all about plate discipline. When he improved his ability to lay off tough pitches, as he did in 2021 and 2022, he mashed. He hit for average and power. In 2023, when he swung at more pitches outside the zone, the numbers just weren’t there. So, I will be watching how his strike zone judgment improves in 2024. What he needs to focus on most: Controlling the zone. To be fair, Miranda spent the 2023 season fighting a shoulder injury. It cost him time in spring training, and during the season, and then late in the season he had surgery. This spring, he really only acted as a designated hitter and played some first base. Hopefully, the shoulder continues to improve and he can get back to third base as well. Trevor Larnach The Twins' first-round pick out of Oregon State in 2018, Larnach is still struggling to establish himself. While he didn’t play during the COVID-marred 2020 season, he did spend that year at CHS Field. Despite the lost season, he was called up quickly in 2021. Each year when he has been called up, he has done very well. He has shown immense power and offensive ability. At his best, he has a great swing that hits line drives to the opposite field. There was some concern about his ability to turn on pitches with authority, but a look back at some of his home runs in Triple-A and the big leagues shows that he’s got plenty of power to the pull side. You hear it talked about often: Larnach’s struggles have come from an inability to hit breaking balls or changeups. There’s no denying that. There has been a lot written on these pages about that, which you can find here. His Barrel rate has increased in each of his three seasons. His Hard Hit rate has increased each season, from 33.5% in 2021 to 46.0% in 2023. His average exit velocities have been either 90.0 mph or 90.1 mph during those three years, and his maximum exit velocity is a robust 112.0. Two things jump out to me, though. His Launch Angle was 13.1 degrees his first two MLB seasons. In 2023, it jumped to 17.5 degrees. In addition, his fly-ball rate jumped from 39.0% in 2022 to 47.8% in 2023. Don’t get me wrong. Launch angle is good. Obviously, avoiding ground balls is a good thing. However, there is also a limit to productive launch angles. Lazy fly balls and pop-ups are just as easily turned into outs as grounders. But has it been preached into his mind so much that hitting the ball in the air and pulling the ball and hitting homers are what he needs to do, has it messed up what makes him a great natural hitter? In an ideal world, I’d love to watch Larnach with a season full of line drives to left or left-center. Every once in a while, turn on a pitch, but go back to hitting the ball hard somewhere on a line. What he needs to focus on most: Hit the ball where it’s pitched. Get back to some basics, the things that made him a first-round pick. Keep it simple. Don’t overthink it. See ball in zone, hit ball. Larnach is a big, strong dude. He’s going to hit a lot of homers one year soon. "Back to the basics" is a good theme for any pitcher or hitter to remember. For pitchers, mix up your pitches, throw strikes and really work on command inside the zone. For hitting, know the strike zone. Try not to expand the zone. Hit it hard where it is pitched. This is a big season for all three of these former top prospects. Larnach turned 27 last month. Miranda and Balazovic will turn 26 during the season. Larnach has been passed up, at least for now, by Matt Wallner. However, Wallner has struggled this spring, and Max Kepler is likely gone into free agency a year from now. Miranda knows that Royce Lewis is going to get the majority of time at third base. Edouard Julien has taken over at second base, and Brooks Lee and Austin Martin are getting close. Alex Kirilloff hasn’t taken hold of a position, first base or DH yet, and Carlos Santana is on a one-year deal. Playing time can be had. And with how liberally the Twins use their 40-man roster in the bullpen, Balazovic could get more chances. The Twins' spring roster now stands at 41 players. Nine of them are non-roster guys. Twenty-one pitchers are still in camp (three of them non-roster invitees). There are still four catchers (two non-roster). There are eight infielders; just one is a non-roster player. There are five outfielders, all on the 40-man roster. Two utility players remain. Non-Roster players remaining include right-handed pitchers Matt Bowman, Jeff Brigham, and Daniel Duarte. Brian O’Keefe and Chris Williams are the two non-roster catchers. The versatile Niko Goodrum, Michael Helman, Anthony Prato, and Brooks Lee remain in big-league camp as well. View full article

A few of my thoughts: 1.) E-Rod's PA vs Drew Sommers was awesome!! Lefty-Lefty match up. Sommers had a rough outing after the E-Rod PA, facing all right-handers. However, he threw Rodriguez some really tough fastballs and sliders. For him to work the walk was incredibly impressive. 2.) Jack Noble was really good for two innings. Interesting for him to be on this roster as a guy who was a non-drafted free agent late in 2022 from Long Beach State. 3.) Rays prospect Xavier Isaac was pretty impressive. Two homers, one to dead center, the other to the opposite field. . 4.) Charlee Soto has a chance to be special.

Nick Nelson is hanging out around the ballpark in Fort Myers, so we put him to work. Seth and Nick went live to talk about several Twins-related topics including: Caleb Thielbar throwing some Live BP, an Anthony DeSclafani update, which pitchers could be Next Up if needed, today's Spring Breakout game, a Walker Jenkins update, Matt Wallner's roster spot, and Jose Miranda's approach... and more. View full video

and some 2B and DH.

The Twins traveled north to Lakeland to take on the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday afternoon. Four of the players returned with the news that they have been optioned and will report to minor-league camp. Image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA Today Sports (photo of Camargo), Sam Navarro-USA Today Sports (photo of Martin) On Tuesday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins announced that four players were optioned and will soon report to minor-league camp. Some of the organization's top offensive prospects will begin the season in the minor leagues, but it's possible we could see each get time with the Twins in the 2024 season. Twins Daily's #3 prospect, outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez, was optioned to Double-A Wichita. During his first big league spring training, he went 4-for-21. He went .190/.292/.333 (.625) with one home run. He had three walks and 13 strikeouts. Along with being the #3 Twins prospect, the 21-year-old center fielder is a consensus Top 100 prospect in baseball. Last year, he played in 99 games with the Cedar Rapids Kernels and hit .240/.400/.463 (.863) with 13 doubles, nine triples, and 16 home runs. He added three huge home runs in helping the Kernels win the Midwest League championship. Rodriguez will walk a lot, strike out a lot, and hit for power. Twins Daily's #7 prospect, Austin Martin was optioned to St. Paul. Finally healthy, Martin had a solid run with the Saints. In 59 games, he hit .263/.387/.405 (.791) with 11 doubles, six homers, and 16 stolen bases. This spring, Martin spent time at second base, left, and center field. In 10 games, he went 5-for-24. The Vanderbilt alum hit .208/.321/.250 (.571) with a double and three walks. He also did a really good job defensively and showed that he should be ready for a call-up when needed. Yunior Severino, the #16 prospect at Twins Daily, was optioned the St. Paul as well. After leading minor-league ball with 35 home runs in 2023, the Twins added him to the 40-man roster. He went just 1-for-15 over 12 spring games. He hit .067/.067/.125 (.192) with one walk and eight strikeouts in 16 plate appearances. He played first base, second base, and third base during the spring training. In 2023, he played in 84 games in Wichita before he finished the season with 36 games in St. Paul. Combined, he hit .272/.352/.546 (.898) with 17 doubles, three triples, and 35 home runs. Finally, catcher Jair Camargo was optioned to St. Paul. He played in 90 games for the Saints in 2023 and hit .259/.323/.503 (.826) with 16 doubles and 21 home runs. Camargo likes to swing the bat. He had just 29 walks to go with 119 strikeouts. But Camargo has really made big strides the last couple of seasons with the power. He's also come a long way defensively. He is a good athlete with a very strong arm. He has improved his pitch calling and works very well with pitchers. Last year, Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vazquez stayed healthy. If either spends time on the Injured List, Camargo will be the guy. This spring, Camargo played in nine games. He went 5-for-21 and hit .238/.273/.476 (.749) with two doubles and a homer. There are now 46 active players in Twins spring training, 22 pitchers, five catchers, 10 infielders, seven outfielders, and two utility players. There are 10 non-roster players. What are your thoughts on these four players optioned on Tuesday. What role do you see each contributing for the Twins in 2024 and beyond? View full article

Following their 3-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Monday afternoon at Cool Today Field, the Twins announced that four pitchers have been sent to minor-league spring training. Image courtesy of William Parmeter The Twins announced on Monday afternoon that lefty Brent Headrick, and right-handers Matt Canterino and Simeon Woods Richardson have been optioned to St. Paul. In addition, right-hander David Festa was reassigned to Twins minor league camp. Certainly there were no surprises in this group of players sent down. With Opening Day just over three weeks away for both the Twins and the Saints, their starting pitchers need to start being stretched out. All four pitchers that were sent back to minor-league camp should be expected to start the season in the Saints starting rotation. Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, and Chris Paddack appear to have four of the Twins starting pitcher spots locked down. Anthony DeSclafani and Louie Varland may be competing for a fifth starter job, a spot the Twins may not need for the first couple of times through the rotation due to early-season off days. The assumption is that Varland will start the season in St. Paul and be called up when there is a need for a starter. Varland, Headrick, Woods Richardson and Festa should comprise four starters for the Saints. Randy Dobnak, who was reassigned last week, should be a regular starter there as well, and there are a couple of veterans, such as Caleb Boushley, who will also make starts in St. Paul. Festa, Twins Daily's #5 prospect heading into the season pitched just one inning in one game for the Twins this spring. The hard-throwing right-hander has a strong three-pitch mix, but now he needs to get ready for his season. Brent Headrick pitched in three games this spring. He gave up just two runs over 6 1/3 innings (2.84 ERA), and both runs came in his second inning of action in today's game. Canterino's stuff is as good as anyone in the organization, but he hasn't pitched much since being the Twins second-round pick in 2019 from Rice. In his two outings, he gave up one run on three hits in three innings. He had five strikeouts. Simeon Woods Richardson had a lot to prove coming into spring training, and I think he opened some eyes. He pitched five innings and gave up no runs on just one hit. He walked two and struck out three batters. But more important, he was sitting between 92 and 94 mph consistently. It was a focus this offseason because late last season, he was topping out at about 90 mph. With his solid second half in St. Paul last year, coupled with some new mechanics and improved fastball, he's put himself back on the map. Along with being the St. Paul Saints starting rotation, they are the depth for the Twins pitching staff in 2024. If Varland starts the season in St. Paul, he's likely the #6 starter. But once the season gets going, each of them will need to work to get ready for the call. With Monday's moves, the Twins now have 46 players in spring training camp. Of those, 10 are non-roster players. They have 22 pitchers (4 none-roster), five catchers (2 non-roster), 10 infielders (3 non-roster), seven outfielders (0 non-roster) and two utility players (1 non-roster). Josh Winder is also on the 60-Day IL. View full article

Drafted out of college. Was hurt a bunch his first couple of seasons in the minors, plus the lost 2020 season. Came on strong in 2022 and more in 2023. But, he's 26ish, almost 27, so age matters in prospect rankings. But that still doesn't mean he can't be a valuable MLB player in a role.

https://www.mlb.com/news/tyler-duffey-diagnosed-and-treated-for-melanoma?partnerID=mlbapp-iOS_article-share Emotional story! Tyler Duffey signed a minor-league deal with the Royals this offseason, but he noticed a freckle that looked a little different. When he met with the Royals doctors upon arrival at spring camp, he got it checked out and was diagnosed with Melanoma. The news was certainly jarring for Duffey who lost both of his parents to cancer. He asked if he could wait 6 months and try to make the Royals roster, but the doctors said he could but that he shouldn't. So, he had surgery. Best wishes to a long-time Twins pitcher...

Oh, and Chris Gimenez is on quite a bit too.

He is really, really good... The Julien interview was really fun. I've just been impressed with Morneau's knowledge of other organizations, and he's just a really good talker. Trevor May is on once in a while too. I only listen in my car, so I don't know if he's on a schedule. I think I've only heard him on weekends.