Seth Stohs

Correct... That is due to the timing from Article completion to it getting published.

On Tuesday, the Twins began their 40-man roster cleanup. When the World Series is complete, several players will become free agents. The Twins will have several minor-league players becoming free agents. We will explain which players are eligible for free agency, and in today's installment, I'll write about three hitters that I think the Twins should try to bring back. Image courtesy of Steve Buhr, Twins Daily (left: Jair Camargo, right: Wander Javier) Immediately following the completion of the World Series, players eligible for free agency will officially become free agents. The Twins have over 30 minor leaguers eligible for free agency at that time including 11 hitters. Here are three that I think the Twins should attempt to retain. But first, let's talk about the team's transactions from Tuesday and which players are eligible for free agency. Tuesday Transactions Let’s start by going through the Twins-related transactions from Tuesday. RHP Jhon Romero and LHP Devin Smeltzer were outrighted and sent to the Saints. Three players were claimed by other organizations. C/1B Caleb Hamilton was claimed by the Boston Red Sox. OF Jake Cave was claimed by the Baltimore Orioles. SS Jermaine Palacios was claimed by the Detroit Tigers. The Twins roster is currently at 47 players (27 pitchers, 20 hitters). There are still 10 players on the 60-Day IL that will soon have to be removed from the 60-Day IL. About ten players will either become free agents or have a player or team option on their 2023 seasons. Minor-League Free-Agent Hitters Let’s start the regularly-scheduled portion of today’s article by considering who is eligible to become a minor-league free agent. Sometimes, they are called six-year minor-league free agents because they become free agents after they have played six minor-league seasons. Of course, being on the 40-man roster means that they won’t be a free agent. At that point, the three option years come into play Players drafted in 2016 can be minor-league free agents. For example, LHP Zach Featherstone was the Twins 12th round pick in 2016. He’s missed a lot of time with injuries. If the Twins don’t add him to the 40-man roster before the end of the World Series, Featherstone will be a free agent. Alex Kirilloff. Jose Miranda. Griffin Jax. Jordan Balazovic. Each of these players was also drafted by the Twins in 2016. Each of them is currently on the 40-man roster. Because of that, they cannot become free agents. Devin Smeltzer cleared waivers and was outrighted and sent to St. Paul. However, since he was drafted by the Dodgers in 2016, he will become a free agent after the World Series. Had Caleb Hamilton cleared waivers, he would have been a free agent also. That’s important because of the Red Sox DFA and he clears, he can be a free agent. That tells me that the Red Sox are likely to keep him on their roster throughout the offseason. However, if the Twins remove any of them from the 40-man roster, they can choose to become a minor-league free agent. International players signed in 2015 can be minor-league free agents Wander Javier signed with the Twins on July 2, 2015, as a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic. Jair Camargo signed with the Dodgers on July 10, 2015, out of Colombia. Their pro careers began in the Dominican Summer League in 2016. Of note, Jhon Romero cleared waivers on Tuesday, but at the end of the World Series, he will become a free agent. Veterans Players signed as minor-league free agents will again become minor-league free agents. Occasionally there are two-year minor-league contracts. One example of that is veteran Brock Stewart. The Twins signed the former top prospect late this summer. He finished his rehab and pitched in some games late in the season. He should come into 2023 fully healthy and ready to compete for a return to the big leagues in a bullpen role with the Twins. Three Hitters to Keep It is probably worth noting that as a minor-league free agent, players can actually make some decent money. Obviously, that is based on their level of play, age, and competition for the player’s services. Often, minor-league contracts will come with an invitation to big-league spring training. #1 - Catcher Jair Camargo Camargo came to the Twins in 2020 with Kenta Maeda in the deal that sent Brusdar Graterol to the Dodgers. He split the 2020 season between Cedar Rapids and Wichita. In 77 games, he hit .262/.310/.483 (.793) with 11 doubles and 18 home runs. While he still didn’t walk much, his approach at the plate was much improved. And he became a reliable middle-of-the-order hitter for his teams. Defensively, he has work to do behind the plate, but he does continue to improve. He is athletic and has a strong arm. In 2022, he threw out 38% of would-be base stealers at both Cedar Rapids and Wichita. Camargo may not be one of the Twins more well-known prospects, but he is a name to know. He just turned 23 on July 1st. I don’t know what kind of offers he could get as a minor-league free agent, but I would prioritize bringing him back. Ideally, the Twins would offer him a fantastic minor-league deal and get him to sign it after the Rule 5 draft so they don’t have to worry about him being selected. If not, they may need to consider adding him to the 40-man roster, and if that’s the case, they might as well do it before the World Series ends to avoid the risk of losing him. #2 - Infielder Wander Javier In 2015, Javier was one of the top 16-year-olds available in the international market. The Twins signed him to a $4 million bonus. This summer, Twins Director of Player Personnel Mike Radcliff acknowledged on Bally Sports that the Twins also had an agreement with Juan Soto before he backed out and signed with the Nationals for $1.5 million. While he put up some strong numbers in the rookie leagues, he also missed a lot of time due to injury. He played just nine games in 2016 in the DSL. He missed all of 2018 with a shoulder injury that cost him time early in 2019. Then, he didn’t play in 2020. In 2021, he stayed in Cedar Rapids, though the league had changed from Low-A to High-A. He hit .225 with a .280 on-base percentage, but he also had 15 doubles, 10 triples, and 12 home runs in 96 games. He returned to the Kernels this year, and in 109 games, he hit .209 with a .273 on-base percentage. He hit 14 doubles, five triples, and 12 home runs. He ended the season with seven games for the Saints and had two hits in 20 at-bats including a home run. So why would I want the Twins to bring back Javier? Well, he will turn 24 near the end of December. He is a very good athlete, and while he just has not hit at High-A, he has the speed and strength to develop at some point. Maybe. Defensively, he is a better-than-average defensive shortstop with good range and a strong arm. The Twins have had him play almost exclusively at shortstop throughout his time in the organization. However, after 2022 top pick Brooks Lee joined the Kernels, Javier played mostly third base and a couple of games at second base. I wouldn’t mind it if the Twins brought him back and used him as a utility infielder. He has had the pressure of his signing bonus all these years, and maybe being able to remove some of that might help. Of course, potentially the best way for him to do that would be to get a new start elsewhere. #3 - Outfielder Leobaldo Cabrera Leobaldo Cabrera, a 24-year-old outfielder from Venezuela has had an interesting career. He originally signed with the Yankees back in July 2015 for $250,000. A year later, they signed his brother Oswaldo Cabrera. Leobaldo was released by the Yankees in 2018. Oswaldo made his MLB debut in August. The Twins allowed Leobaldo to spend a weekend with his family to be at his brother’s debut. In 2019, Cabrera began to play in the independent Empire League. The Twins liked his power potential and his big outfield arm and in April of 2021, they signed him as a depth piece in the minor leagues. He began in Ft. Myers where he rarely played where he played five games. Then he moved up to Cedar Rapids and only played 14 games. But then he went to Double-A Wichita and hit .235/.335/.482 (.817) with seven doubles and 11 homers in 52 games. He re-signed with the Twins and spent the whole season in Wichita. In 83 games, he hit .223/.309/.356 (.665). When you consider he started the season by going 0-for-32 in April, it’s not quite so far. He is still just 24. He has some right-handed power, and like his brother, he has a rocket for an arm. He’s also just a pretty good defensive outfielder. Other Soon-To-Bee Minor-League Free Agents C/1B Roy Morales IF Nash Knight IF Elliot Soto OF John Andreoli OF Braden Bishop OF Cole Sturgeon C Chance Sisco OF Zach Huffins Would you be interested in seeing the Twins bring any of these hitters back? I’ll be back soon with the potential minor-league free agents. View full article

AL Wild Card: Guardian over Rays, Blue Jays over Mariners NL Wild Card: Cardinals over Phillies, Mets over Padres ALDS: Yankees over Guardians, Astros over Blue Jays NLDS: Dodgers over Mets, Braves over Cardinals ALCS: Astros over Yankees NLCS: Dodgers over Braves World Series: Astros over Dodgers

I came away immensely impressed by him, and in interactions with him since then. As for Sunday's start, how he does really doesn't matter at all. That he's getting the opportunity to get his feet wet is what matters.

Why the vitriol? He isn't doing or saying anything that wasn't expected. He was always going to opt-out. That was clear from Day 1. I thought he phrased it very well. It's actually a really good analogy, very true. Also, why would he get any less than Seager got? He's still young for a free agent, so he should get 10 years (like Seager), but certainly would get at least 8 years. And he'll get $30-35 million per year. At the lowest, he's looking at 8 years and $240 million, and at the highest, it could be 10 years and $325 million. All of that is more than 1 year, $35.1 million. Pretty sure none of us would do any different.

It was a running full speed toward a wall, taking a look at said wall (looking away from the ball) and then just an error. Not a lack of hear or 'brain.' I mean, we could look at every error, or poor running play and say it's lack of heart. I think @Doc Munson said it right when he said "perceived" lack of heart. To those watching on TV or in the stands who don't get the game, it can look like lack of caring. Especially when the guys handle it well and don't outwardly show their disappointment or anger in self.

Lewis would have been hugging Hamilton too. Very high character... Also, Mark Contreras... high character also, and apparently a pretty solid hugger.

We are down to the final week of minor league baseball in the Twins organization. On Sunday night, the Wichita Wind Surge played game one of the Texas League Championship Series in Frisco, Texas. The Saints will conclude their season with a three-game series starting on Monday. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge The Wind Surge are in the championship series. We'll alter the "normal" template and order of the minor league report today and start with them.. On Sunday night, the Wind Surge were in Frisco for Game 1 of the Texas League Championship Series. Unfortunately, it did not go well for Wichita. However, they will make the drive back to Wichita where they will host Frisco for Game 2 on Tuesday and, hopefully, Game 3 on Wednesday. Turnabout is fair play, I guess. In the semi-final series, the Wind Surge beat Tulsa by a combined, two-game score of 28-2. On Sunday, the Wind Surge were on the other side of a blowout game. Lefty Kody Funderburk got the Game 1 start for the Wind Surge. In the regular season, he had gone 10-5 with a 2.94 ERA. He had made 17 starts and 15 relief appearances. On this day, it didn't translate. He gave up one run in the first inning and then four runs in the second inning. In his 1 1/3 innings, he gave up five runs on four hits and four walks. Osiris German came on and allowed one inherited runner to score but that was it. He struck out two batters in 1 2/3 innings. In the top of the fourth inning, Yunior Severino put the Wind Surge on the board with a solo home run. Blayne Enlow worked the fourth and fifth innings. After a scoreless inning, he gave up a solo homer to Scott Kapers. Wichita was down 6-1 heading into the sixth inning. Jordan Gore came in to pitch the sixth inning. He recorded one out. Unfortunately, he walked two batters and then gave up an RBI single. He then walked the bases loaded before being replaced by Francis Peguero. His first batter faced was Scott Kapers who hit a grand slam to put the game out of reach. (Should I mention that Kapers batted ninth? He went 2-for-5 with five RBI in the game?) Denny Bentley and Aaron Rozek each pitched a scoreless inning. Jair Camargo scored Will Holland with a single in the top of the eighth inning. Severino added a sacrifice fly that scored Austin Martin and give us the final score of 11-3. Severino went 1-for-2 with a walk, his home run and two RBI. Jair Camargo and Brooks Lee each went 2-for-4 in the game. The Rangers have a solid minor-league system, and the Frisco RoughRiders roster includes several of the organization's top prospects. Consider the pitching staff includes the likes of Jack Leiter, Antoine Kelly, Owen White, and Avery Weems. They never did activate their 2022 top pick Kumar Rocker who will participate in the Arizona Fall League. Several of the top prospects were moved to Double-A over the past several weeks. The top six hitters in their lineup on Sunday night are Top 30 prospects. Jonathan Ornelas is the Rangers #22 prospect according to MLB Pipeline (Not top 30 at Baseball American). He was the RoughRiders leadoff man in this game and went 4-for-5 in the game. Outfielder Evan Carter (#1 at MLB Pipeline #3 at Baseball America) batted second and went 0-for-1 but walked four times. Justin Foscue (#5 at MLB Pipeline, #9 at BA) was the Rangers first-round pick in 2020. He went 2-for-5 with three RBI in the game. Batting fourth was OF Aaron Zavala (#11 MLB Pipeline, #12 at BA) who walked twice. Thomas Saggese (#20 MLB Pipeline) had a double and a walk. Luisangel Acuna (#7 MLB Pipeline, #6 Baseball America) walked once. Game 1: Frisco 11, Wichita 3 Box Score SAINTS SENTINEL The Saints had a scheduled off day on Sunday as they returned home from Indianapolis. On Monday, the team will start its final series of the 2022 season. They have three home games against the Omaha Storm Chasers at CHS Field. Tickets for all three games are available at the Saints website. TRANSACTIONS Utility man Elliot Soto was activated from the Injured List. Also, RHP Aaron Sanchez cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Saints. It will be interesting to see if he reports or elects free agency this late in the season. PITCHING PROBABLES Monday Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07 pm) - RHP Jackson Kowar (4-10, 6.16 ERA) vs RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (1-0, 2.64) Tuesday Game 2: Frisco @ Wichita (7:05 pm) - TBD vs LHP Brent Headrick (8-2, 2.34) Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07 pm) - LHP Angel Zerpa (0-0, 1.59 ERA) vs RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-7, 7.81 ERA) Wednesday Game 3 (if necessary): Frisco @ Wichita (7:05 pm) - TBD vs TBD Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07) - RHP Alec Marsh (1-0, 1.80 ERA) vs TBD IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Last week, Twins Daily handed out our 2022 Minor League Awards. If you missed any of them, see below. Short-Season Hitter of the Year: Jose Rodriguez Short-Season Pitcher of the Year: Miguel Olivares Minor League Hitter of the Year: Matt Wallner Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year: Louie Varland Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year: Evan Sisk View full article

While it wasn't a long career, and the overall numbers don't look great, Hildenberger was very good his first couple of seasons, and until Molitor decided to use him almost literally every day, he was very effective. My bigger point is more that guys like this aren't considered maybe the "priority" prospects, but if they keep playing well in their opportunities, they can stick around and every once in a while they get to the big leagues, which is a remarkable outcome.

I would assume they'll try to bring back Jermaine Palacios even if he is removed from the 40-man roster after the season. Austin Martin will move up to St. Paul. I would assume the Royce Lewis will spend a little time there, whether it's rehabbing or some extended time. Helman will be there. Brooks Lee will likely spend part of the season there. Edouard Julien will be there.

Like they did with Trevor Hildenberger?

Correct. the Saints aren't a playoff team, and with all the guys who have moved up to the Twins, they need numbers. This is pretty normal stuff especially the last couple of weeks. For Shuffield, they sent him straight to Cedar Rapids after the FCL. The Kernels were going to the playoffs, so they weren't going to move Brooks Lee, Jake Rucker, Wander Javier or Mikey Perez up. They wanted those guys playing in the playoffs. They also weren't going to move any of the Wind Surge guys up since they were going to the playoffs. So Shuffield bumps up to St. Paul. It's just awesome that he's done so well! Once the Kernels playoff run was done, Lee joined the Wind Surge for their final games and their playoff run. In addition, Jake Rucker moved up to the Saints.

He won't. He will go to Cedar Rapids. And, his age is completely insignificant. His future role, if he ever gets to the big leagues, is a utility infielder (most likely), so it really doesn't matter if he gets to the big leagues at 26, 28, 30, etc.

The Twins topped the Angels on the back of the bullpen and some big bats coming through in important situations. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Joe Ryan: 7 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (69 pitches, 41 strikes (59.4%)) Home Runs: Gary Sanchez (15) Top 3 WPA: Gio Urshela (0.169), Gary Sanchez (0.146), Jake Cave (0.100) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Eight is Enough, at least tonight When a team's bats are struggling, as the Twins certainly have of late, it sure is nice to see a pitching staff toss a shutout. When a team gets a short start from a starter, it is really nice to have the offense provide a little cushion and help deliver the team a relatively easy, low-stress win. The Twins jumped on the board first in the bottom of the first when Gio Urshela ripped a ground-rule double to score Jose Miranda. Gary Sanchez followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. In the second frame, Carlos Correa singled to score Jermaine Palacios and give them a 3-0 lead. However, the Angels two big bats tied the game in the third inning. Mike Trout doubled to score Livan Soto. Shohei Ohtani followed with a two-run single. In the fourth inning, Jermaine Palacios just missed a home run but flew out deep enough to left field to score Jake Cave who had led off with a double. Palacios had some quality plate appearances on Saturday, but he is now hitless in his past 31 at-bats. It is the longest hitless streak since Oswaldo Arcia went 0-for-31 in 2014. The big blast came in the bottom of the fifth inning when Gary Sanchez came to the plate with two runners on base. He took a 3-0 pitch down the middle and crushed it well into the left field bleachers. Sanchez's 15th homer gave the Twins a little breathing room with a 7-3 lead. The Sanchez homer was the 153rd of his MLB career, so it is surprising that it was the first that he has hit on a 3-0 count. Gilberto Celestino drove in Urshela with a ground out to give the Twins their eighth run which proved to be enough on this night. The Twins snapped their five-game losing streak and can tie the season series with the Angels with a win on Sunday. Big Boppers Jose Miranda took off with a big July, and while he has still been quite solid in August and September, there is no question that he has cooled down. On Saturday night, Miranda had three hits in his first three at-bats. His first-inning single ended an 0-for-14 streak. In addition, Gio Urshela went 3-for-4, but as you can see from his WPA, he had a couple of big hits to help the team win. Luis Arraez had two hits, and clearly, the big hit of the game came off the bat of Sanchez. Arraez Watch Luis Arraez batted third and played first base on Saturday night. He went 2-for-4 in the game so his average now sits at .313. He recorded multiple hits for the 46th time this season. Xander Bogaerts went 2-for 4. He is hitting .315. Aaron Judge went 0-for-3 with a walk, so his average is now down to .314. Jose Abreu went 0-for-4 to drop his average to .305. Nathaniel Lowe (Rangers) went 0-for-3 with a walk, so his average fell to .305 as well. Bullpen Provides Zero(es) Joe Ryan went just four innings, but the bullpen really stepped it up in this game to help the team to a win. However, Ryan did record five strikeouts and is now one strikeout shy of setting the Twins rookie record. Francisco Liriano struck out 144 batters in his 2006 rookie season. Griffin Jax received his seventh win of the season. He walked one and struck out one in a scoreless fifth inning. Caleb Thielbar came in and looked dominant. He struck out the first two batters before the inning ended on a strikeout. Michael Fulmer only needed nine pitches to work a perfect seventh inning. Jorge Lopez got two groundouts and a strikeout in a perfect eighth frame. Thielbar, Fulmer and Lopez faced a total of nine batters and needed a combined 33 pitches. Then the Twins bullpen ace, Jhoan Duran came on and struggled, but didn’t really struggle. He gave up one run on three hits, though none of the three hits was hit hard. The bases were loaded with one out and Mike Trout coming to the plate. Duran had already thrown a lot of pitches, so I’m sure the bench was getting a little anxious. However, Duran got Trout to line out to right field for a sacrifice fly before getting Ohtani on a slow roller to end the game. What’s Next? The Twins will send RHP Dylan Bundy (8-7, 4.78 ERA) to the mound on Sunday to attempt to gain a series win over the Angels. The team will face Jose Suarez who is 6-8 with a 4.11 ERA. The game is scheduled for 1:10 pm. On Monday, the Twins will have their final off day of the year. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Thielbar 23 0 0 10 13 46 Megill 17 0 0 28 0 45 Fulmer 23 0 0 0 9 32 Moran 0 0 31 0 0 31 Jax 4 0 0 0 27 31 Duran 0 0 0 0 24 24 Pagán 0 0 0 23 0 23 López 0 0 0 0 11 11 Henriquez 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Again, didn't really see it. If he threw a ton of pitches in the 4th, that could be a reason. From the looks of it, Trout and Ohtani did some damage against him, so maybe it's getting another pitcher to face them. Maybe in keeping that pitch count down, he can get two more starts this year instead of one. Maybe it's a decision based on the fact that he's already way over his career-high in innings. There are potentially a large number of reasons to remove him there. I don't know which one or five reasons led to that. But thing, or attempting to win thing.

I was at a birthday dinner, so I didn't see it, but that's not a mental error. It's actually probably not a physical error. It's a teachable communication thing. Doesn't mean players are quitting at all.

It might exist... but a lot of people didn't think that Joe Mauer was competitive because he was so cool and calm. That was often interpreted as not having heart and that couldn't be further from the truth. I would certainly think that Carlos Correa plays with heart. Arraez looks like he does, though injured. I am certain all the young players are playing with a lot of heart. It's not about quantifying it as much as just that there is absolutely no way of knowing. Playing poorly, or being inexperienced, or making errors, doesn't mean that they aren't playing with heart.

How do we measure "Heart"? How can we see on TV if they're playing with "Heart"? What does that even mean? How does a player 'show leadership'? How can we visually see on TV who the leaders are?

100% true... I had them ranked 3 and 4 even with the trades... Would have been much more difficult.

100%... I've had people in the Twins and other orgs tell me that they thought the lost season would take 2+ years for pitchers to catch up. So, that is a big deal. While the Twins want to increase velocities and love spin rates, they also work with each player on a development plan for them individually. Same with hitters. They aren't looking to make cookie cutters.

Hildenberger had a nice 3-4 year run. Molitor used him nearly every day. Curtiss has a World Series win under his belt. He had Tommy John this year, but in his limited time, he's done pretty well.

makes sense, but I didn't even consider Laweryson for the relief pitcher of the year award because he made 10 starts. Maybe I should have given him more thought here.