Seth Stohs

Caleb Thielbar signed with the St. Paul Saints yesterday. Broken by Twins Daily: https://twitter.com/SethTweets/status/714467046105329664 A couple of weeks ago, Nate Hanson re-signed with the Saints.

Note - Today, Shane Robinson elected free agency when told he wasn't making Cleveland's roster. Philip Humber chose to retire after not making the Padres roster.

I'll throw out my guesses: Duffey - by about May 10th. Berrios - by about June 10th.

I would guess they'd just release Nolasco.

On Tuesday morning, the Twins made four roster moves leaving their roster at 25. The Twins optioned LH RP Ryan O'Rourke and RHP Tyler Duffey to Rochester. They also re-assigned LH RP Logan Darnell and RH RP Brandon Kintzler to minor league camp. Image courtesy of Kim Klement, USA Today On Tuesday morning, the Twins made four roster moves leaving their roster at 25. The Twins optioned LH RP Ryan O'Rourke and RHP Tyler Duffey to Rochester. They also re-assigned LH RP Logan Darnell and RH RP Brandon Kintzler to minor league camp. In dropping four players and getting the spring training roster to 25, the Twins most likely have their Opening Day roster. That said, with five days until Opening Day, anything can happen. LH RP Fernando Abad has not yet been added to the Twins 40-man roster. The Twins theoretically could still take Michael Tonkin off of their 40-man roster if there is someone else they would like to add from another organization. There were a couple of big stories in today's transactions. First, Ricky Nolasco "wins" the 5th starter job. Tyler Duffey was optioned to Rochester where he will work through some things. It was clear that he would need a third pitch (probably the change-up he's been working on to be a viable long-term starter. He was asked at the beginning of spring training to work on it. He did, and he struggled. So it makes sense to send him to Rochester where he can continue to work on that pitch. But it was more than that. Duffey noted that in some games hitters were sitting on his curveball, and hitting his fastball. While fans (and in my opinion, the Twins) wanted Duffey to be in the rotation to start the season, it is clear that he needs to work through a couple of things. I expect Duffey will be back with the Twins within four to six weeks, though Jose Berrios will likely factor into the timing as well. As for Nolasco, it is my opinion that his salary got him an opportunity to be in the rotation, but it was more about Duffey's issues that allowed him to actually be in the rotation. His numbers were certainly not inspiring in spring training. Then again, he's healthy and his curveball is terrific. It would be nice if he could return to the form from his days in Miami. I don't know that I would expect it. (I wouldn't.) His leash could (and should) be short. The other possibly controversial decision is keeping Michael Tonkin on the roster. While he is out of options, he really struggled for the first month of spring training. However, he has been very good his last three or four outings. He throws 94-96 and he does have a slider that can be effective. He's certainly not a guy who you would want to lose for nothing. As their roster is currently set, the Twins really don't have any relievers who can throw more than two innings. If the starters do their job most times out, that shouldn't be an issue, but a couple of consecutive sub-four inning starts and it could create issues. Then again, they are fully capable of calling down to Rochester and calling guys up in those scenarios. Brandon Kintzler is a veteran who will go to Rochester. No word on whether he's got an opt-out at some point in the season. It does appear that Fernando Abad has made the roster. He will still need to be added to the 40-man roster before Monday. Two weeks ago, Mike Strong was removed from the 40-man roster so there is a spot. Abad is the only left-hander in the bullpen aside from closer Glen Perkins. Ryan O'Rourke and Logan Darnell had very solid camps. O'Rourke did what O'Rourke does. He gets lefties out, and did better (in the small sample) against right-handed bats. Logan Darnell would have been the options as a long-reliever. So, as of right now, the Twins Opening Day roster looks like this (subject to change): SP - Ervin Santana, Kyle Gibson, Phil Hughes, Tommy Milone, Ricky Nolasco RP - Glen Perkins, Kevin Jepsen, Trevor May, Casey Fien, Michael Tonkin, Ryan Pressly, Fernando Abad C - Kurt Suzuki, John Ryan Murphy IF - Joe Mauer, Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe, Eduardo Escobar, Eduardo Nunez, Byung Ho Park OF - Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Oswaldo Arcia, Danny Santana View full article

It is ironic that the same people who think it is crazy for the Twins to move Sano to the outfield find it crazy for the Twins to want him to get in great shape. It's been a concern since they signed him and it remains a concern. No one is questioning his talent or his drive to be a great baseball player. There are a lot of questions about how long it can last if he doesn't get his weight in control. As someone who has struggled with that for 20 years, it doesn't get easier as you get older.

It was clear since the end of last season that the Twins brass, the manager and fans all wanted to see Byron Buxton as the Twins Opening Day centerfielder. On Saturday, it became official. When the Twins are in Baltimore next Monday, manager Paul Molitor will write Buxton’s name and the number 8 in the ninth spot of the Twins lineup. While working through all of the predictions for Twins starters in 2016, Buxton was the most difficult. There are just so many variables. How ready will he be offensively from the start? Can he get off to a fast start? Will he need to spend any more time in AAA? Can he stay healthy? Can he get on base enough to eventually slide into the leadoff spot in the lineup? Of course, that’s the beauty of spring training and Opening Day. No one knows, and that’s why it is fun to predict. Image courtesy of Kim Klement, USA Today It was clear since the end of last season that the Twins brass, the manager and fans all wanted to see Byron Buxton as the Twins Opening Day centerfielder. On Saturday, it became official. When the Twins are in Baltimore next Monday, manager Paul Molitor will write Buxton’s name and the number 8 in the ninth spot of the Twins lineup. While working through all of the predictions for Twins starters in 2016, Buxton was the most difficult. There are just so many variables. How ready will he be offensively from the start? Can he get off to a fast start? Will he need to spend any more time in AAA? Can he stay healthy? Can he get on base enough to eventually slide into the leadoff spot in the lineup? Of course, that’s the beauty of spring training and Opening Day. No one knows, and that’s why it is fun to predict. Last year, Buxton started in center field 35 times for the Twins. Jordan Schafer was the center fielder to start the season, but that didn’t go well and then he got hurt. Aaron Hicks had the majority of starts in center with 87. Twins center fielders were 25th in baseball with a .243 batting average. They were 27th in on-base percentage at .296. They rank 27th in slugging percentage at .360, and their .656 OPS was 28th in the big leagues. In other words, Buxton can help the Twins team improve by more than just what he provides on defense. Buxton has been a Top 2 overall prospect each of the last three years. He was Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year in 2013 when he split the season between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. Unfortunately, 2014 was injury-filled and he was unable to really get things going. He got off to a very slow start in Chattanooga last year and was very inconsistent through the season’s first two months. The Twins had a need in center field in June when Aaron Hicks got hurt and Torii Hunter chose not to appeal his suspension. Terry Ryan called up Buxton, knowing that he wasn’t ready. Mientkiewicz told those who wanted to hear that Buxton wasn’t ready, at least not offensively. So, no surprise that he struggled, but his star shines no less bright than it did a year ago. The 23-year-old’s tools are all still intact. He continues to grow. He has always struggled at new levels, but typically he picks things up fairly quickly. It will continue to take time, but with patience, Twins fans will be thrilled to have a player like Buxton patrolling center field and potentially leading off. KEY NUMBERS 0.300 - Sure, a .300 batting average would be great, but for Buxton in 2016, I would love to see an on-base percentage above .300. He can be a huge contributor for the Twins if he can get on base 30% of the time when you factor in the defense. 16 - It’s not really a “key” number but I want to set an over-under on the number of triples Buxton has in 2016. Of course, some of that will have to do with how much playing time he gets. 16 would be one more than Eddie Rosario’s league-leading 15 from last year. It would be the most by a Twins player since Cristian Guzman’s 20 in 2000. PREDICTIONS Byron Buxton: 413 at-bats, .247/.302/.424 (.726), 18 doubles, 11 triples, 11 home runs. Because of batting ninth, and some likely struggles at times, I have Buxton with fewer at-bats than others in these lists. That said, I think we’d all be happy with a .726 OPS at the end of the season. In my mind, he will likely be steadily improving over the course of the entire season. I think that .300 is a good over-under for his on-base percentage. Consider Rays CF Kevin Kiermaier in 2015. He hit .263/.298/.420 (.718) and he won the Gold Glove. Despite a 97 OPS+, Kiermaier was worth 7.3 bWAR and 5.5 fWAR. I think looking at Kiermaier’s 2015 shows just how valuable Buxton’s defense alone can be, so if he can find a way to be nearly league average offensively, that is tremendously valuable. YOUR TURN Your turn. Share your thoughts on and predictions on Byron Buxton in 2016. We can take a look back at the end of the season and see how we did. PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS Kurt Suzuki/John Ryan Murphy Joe Mauer Brian Dozier Trevor Plouffe Eduardo Escobar Eddie Rosario View full article

Dozier 4 - it's worked to this point. He usually sees pitches. Mauer 3 - best on base guy not named Sano. Want him on base for Sano 9 - best hitter, powerful, and want him batting in 1st inning. Plouffe 5 - it's worked, and he wants to drive in runs. He'll have a lot of opportunity. Park DH - I originally had him and Rosario switched, and still might. Rosario 7 - might switch with Park to split up the righties. Escobar 6 - doubles machine, should drive in some runs. Suzuki 2 - fine in the 8-spot. Buxton 8 - As Buxton figures things out and gets on base more, he's a guy for the 1-2-3 hitters to drive in.

I think I believe that both are true... And I can't wait to watch it! It's must-see TV when he comes to the plate.

I can confirm that the Minnesota Twins released five more players from minor league camp, bringing the total to 14 players released in the last couple of weeks. As I've said many times, the Twins organization is strong, but also deep, so there will be some players released that could wind up signing elsewhere. I think there are a few guys on this list today who would fit into that category. Today, the Twins released the following players: Catcher Brett Doe: The 25-year-old was the Twins 38th round pick in 2014 out of Baylor where he played all over the field. With the Twins, he has primarily been a catcher though he also played some 1B and 3B last year in Cedar Rapids and in his brief stay in Ft. Myers. He had a strong camp, but with all of the catchers in the organization, and "prospects" at each level, Doe was squeezed out. RHP Cole Johnson: The 27-year-old was the Twins 44th round pick in 2011 out of Notre Dame. In 2014 in New Britain, he struck out 82 batters in 72.2 innings. Last year he went to Chattanooga where he posted a 3.18 ERA in 28.1 innings for the Lookouts. He struck out 31 and walked just nine. He moved up to Rochester where he posted a 3.42 ERA in 23.2 innings. He struck out 15 and walked 11. He likely needed to make the Rochester roster this spring. RHP Tim Shibuya: Shiguya was the Twins 23rd round pick in 2011 out of UC-San Diego. That year he was the Appy League Pitcher of the Year. Over the years since, he has fought some arm injuries but pitched well when healthy. Doug Mientkiewicz called him the best fielding pitcher in the game. He pitched at Ft. Myers, Chattanooga and Rochester last year. He was also named the recipient of the Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service each of the past two years, 2014 and 2015. OF Keury De La Cruz: The Twins signed the 24 year old, six-year minor league free agent to a minor league deal this offseason. He spent most of the spring working with the AA group. He had spent the previous six seasons in the Red Sox system, peaking at AA. IF Blake Schmit: The Minnesota native (Eden Prairie) was drafted in the 26th round by the Twins out of Maryland in 2014. Last year, he was limited to just 36 games because he was hit in the face with a pitch. The 24 year old is capable of playing all around the infield. Again, best wishes to each of these players in whatever is next, baseball or real life.

On his radio show this afternoon, Reusse said that Twins fans could have read this story locally (by his article), or they could wait to read it nationally because there is no doubt that scouts and evaluators around the league are fully aware of all of these issues with Sano. Again, Reusse isn't calling him bat. He also points out that this topic would be the same whether he is in RF, 3B or even DHing. The Twins aren't forcing him to do anything. They're encouraging him to think long term, and that's not a bad thing at all.

Paul Molitor informed assembled media that Carlos Quentin asked the Twins for his release and they granted it. I assume the Twins were hoping he would stick with the organization at least through his June 1 opt-out. However, Quentin may have hit well enough to garner some interest from other teams, and frankly, Quentin just doesn't really have a path to the big leagues with the Twins. He's a DH/PH, who can play some in LF or 1B. With Max Kepler and Kennys Vargas in AAA and pretty much ready, Quentin doesn't really have a spot.

Yeah, I don't think anyone's putting it into the categories of those other things... Doesn't make it a bad article though.

A lot will potentially play out today. The Minnesota Twins have to soon decide on their 5th starter. It comes down to Tyler Duffey and Ricky Nolasco. Tyler Duffey starts today in Bradenton against the Pirates big league team. Ricky Nolasco will be starting on the minor league fields against an A ball team from the Orioles. Things are getting interesting. LaVelle Neal wrote about it here: http://www.startribune.com/striving-for-perfection-has-been-duffey-s-way-with-twins/373685651/ We posted a poll on Twitter about this very topic. So, what do you think? Take the poll on Twitter if you would like.

Agreed... a guy who came into the league at 21-22 with his own issues is probably the perfect guy to work with Sano on trying to become the best he can be and not taking things for granted.

It was a surprise in early May when the Twins decided to promote Eddie Rosario from AAA Rochester instead of Aaron Hicks. The idea was for him to spend a couple of weeks in The Show and then head back to Rochester. He homered on the first pitch he saw in the big leagues and played well enough to stick with the Twins the rest of the season. In fact, he more than did “just enough.” He played quite well and earned every day playing time. In 122 games, he hit .267/.289/.459 (.758). He certainly filled out the stat sheet. He had 18 doubles, 15 triples and 13 home runs. He added 11 stolen bases. He also played some great outfield defense. He primarily roamed the vast and spacious left field at Target Field, but he also spent 34 games in right field. In all, he recorded 16 outfield assists with a powerful and accurate arm. One quick prediction; he will have fewer assists in 2016 because it is unlikely that runners will try to take an extra base on his arm any longer. So what is in store for the talented outfielder from Puerto Rico in 2016? Image courtesy of Jerome Miron, USA Today It was a surprise in early May when the Twins decided to promote Eddie Rosario from AAA Rochester instead of Aaron Hicks. The idea was for him to spend a couple of weeks in The Show and then head back to Rochester. He homered on the first pitch he saw in the big leagues and played well enough to stick with the Twins the rest of the season. In fact, he more than did “just enough.” He played quite well and earned every day playing time. In 122 games, he hit .267/.289/.459 (.758). He certainly filled out the stat sheet. He had 18 doubles, 15 triples and 13 home runs. He added 11 stolen bases. He also played some great outfield defense. He primarily roamed the vast and spacious left field at Target Field, but he also spent 34 games in right field. In all, he recorded 16 outfield assists with a powerful and accurate arm. One quick prediction; he will have fewer assists in 2016 because it is unlikely that runners will try to take an extra base on his arm any longer. So what is in store for the talented outfielder from Puerto Rico in 2016? The phrase “No one walks off the island” originated when there was an influx of players from the Dominican Republic who needed to impress big league scouts with their ability to hit. The same can be said of players from another island, Puerto Rico. Rosario has always been a very aggressive hitter. In the low levels, he put up great numbers. In parts of two seasons in AA, he has struggled to get on base. In between, he endured a 50-game suspension. Last year, he had just 23 games in AAA before being promoted. It’s no surprise that he struggled to just a .289 on base percentage. In fact, few players swing at as many pitches inside (or outside) of the strike zone than Rosario did in 2015. There were times he swung at fastballs above his eyes and homered, and there were a lot of times he swung at a curve ball well off of (or in front of) the plate and missed. Last year, Rosario played left field in just over half of the Twins games. Twins left fielders were 12th in baseball with a .265 batting average. They were 25th in on-base percentage at .301. They rank ninth in slugging percentage at .442, and their .743 OPS was 15th in the big leagues. Thanks to Rosario, the Twins led baseball with 16 triples in 2015. KEY NUMBERS 0.022 - With a .289 on-base percentage and a .267 batting average, Rosario posted a .022 Isolated Discipline (IsoD) during his rookie season. He’s unlikely to post an IsoD anywhere near the 0.058 IsoD that was the average in the American League. So, a lot of his success is going to be batting average and extra base pop related. Rosario is going to swing a lot. He’ll miss a lot. He’ll produce some extra base hits and he’ll likely strikeout a lot. The key for me will be seeing improvements. Hopefully, he can take a few more walks. Hopefully he can have a little more control of the strike zone, finding a way to swing at fewer pitches outside the strike zone. Pitchers will adjust to him, and he is going to have to show the ability to adjust back to them. PREDICTIONS Eddie Rosario: 551 at-bats, .282/.316/.457 (.773), 28 doubles, 9 triples, 17 home runs. Many see Rosario as a regression candidate. I can understand that. Twins fans understand regression fully after seeing what happened with Danny Santana from 2014 to 2015. While I can understand that thinking, I think it is a little flawed. While Santana’s 2014 numbers came completely out of nowhere, Rosario’s were not so out of this world as to think they are not replicable, or hopefully even something that he could improve upon. So, I have him hitting for a little better batting average with a slightly improved IsoD. At the same time, with a full season, I think we’ll see a little drop in isolated power (IsoP), maybe even if it only be the reduction in triples. Overall, it’s a small improvement in OPS YOUR TURN Your turn. Share your thoughts on and predictions on Eddie Rosario in 2016. We can take a look back at the end of the season and see how we did. PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS Kurt Suzuki/John Ryan Murphy Joe Mauer Brian Dozier Trevor Plouffe Eduardo Escobar View full article

Yeah, don't believe that. Walker has a strong arm, but for some reason, he just can't throw a baseball right now. They worked on it every day. He threw with the correct leg forward and some mechanics, but the throw is a lollipop and bounces. Few work harder than Walker, but he's got a lot to overcome in the field right now. He's a good athlete, in fact, I've heard he can throw a football 50+ yards. It'll be interesting to watch box scores to see if he's playing LF or if he's DHing.

Got it... But you realize that in the article Reusse isn't questioning Sano's ability to produce, or that he did produce. He's basically just saying that there is some immaturity that MANY are concerned about. Questioning that shouldn't be relegated to only when the players is playing poorly. Then it's just piling on

Just an opinion, but Reusse knows what's going on. As shown in the article, he has comments from Molitor. There is no doubt that many with and around the Twins are saying the same thing, wondering aloud. As Reusse wrote, it has nothing to do with the work he does on the field in practices. But there are plenty of questions out there. If this was New York or Boston, this story would have been written weeks ago. Normally on these forums, we hear people complain about the media not being willing to call people out. Now when there is such an article, it's a bad thing by the writer. If the same article was written, questioning Joe Mauer's work ethic, I guarantee people would be responding different to this article. I think that Sano will be fine. I think it was the right move to send him to right field, but there were a lot of times that the Twins didn't know where Sano was when he told them he would be places. Not a huge deal, but certainly not untouchable for local media. The fact that it was Reusse who wrote the article should have no bearing on that.

Patrick Reusse wrote up a column tonight saying that Miguel Sano has some growing up to do, some maturing. Within it, he definitely goes after the 22-year-old's work ethic this offseason and preseason, especially knowing the change to right field was happening. Pretty hard-hitting column.

Burdi and Chargois are starting in Chattanooga.

Thomas Neumann of ESPN.com wroe a really good article on why so many are so high on Byron Buxton. The emphasis is the tools and the work ethic, but also on character. Very well done article. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/15053055/why-byron-buxton-next-big-thing-minnesota-twins-baseball