Seth Stohs

Believe me... Ryan Jeffers does NOT want a robot/electronic strike zone.

The Minnesota Twins announced on Sunday morning that three more players have been assigned to minor-league spring training. Outfielder Jake Cave and left-handed pitchers Devin Smeltzer and Jovani Moran will not be on the Twins Opening Day roster. UPDATE - following the game, Jake Faria was sent to minor-league camp, and it was announced that Cody Stashak will stay in Ft. Myers with some biceps tendinitis. The Twins open their season on Thursday, and their Opening Day roster is becoming more clear today after three players were sent to minor-league camp. After throwing 11 scoreless innings this spring, Devin Smeltzer was sent to minor-league camp. He missed most of the 2021 season with a herniated disk in his neck. Now healthy, he was very impressive this spring and it is likely he will pitch for the Twins during the 2022 season. Jovani Moran is the Twins' top relief pitcher prospect. He made his MLB debut in September 2021, but he will begin his 2022 season in St. Paul with the Saints. And Jake Cave was outrighted to minor league camp as well. He will travel to Louisville where the Saints season begins on Tuesday. The Twins spring training roster now stands at 33. They will need to get down to 28 on the active roster before Thursday's opener. There are four non-roster players. Right-hander Jake Faria and lefty Danny Coulombe remain. Infielder Daniel Robertson and outfielder Kyle Garlick are also still in big-league camp. Will any of those four players make the Opening Day roster? Garlick and his ability to mash left-handed pitching would seem to be competing with Brent Rooker for one spot. With the 28-man roster only available to teams through May 1, it is a huge decision to add a non-roster player to the 40-man roster. Will they risk losing a couple of depth pieces by adding them to the 40-man roster for three to four weeks? Will they risk losing a player or two on waivers to make room on the 40-man roster. We may know the answer to those questions by the end of today, certainly within the next 36 hours. UPDATE Following Sunday's game, the Twins announced that Jake Faria was being sent to minor-league camp and will join the Saints in Louisville for the Triple-A opener. Also, Cody Stashak will remain in Ft. Myers to work through some biceps tendinitis. How do you think the Opening Day roster will shape up? Leave your thoughts in the Comments below. View full article

When Twins manager Rocco Baldelli announced that Joe Ryan will be making the Opening Day start for the Twins next week, it showed how much the team and front office believe in Ryan. Speaking of belief in Ryan, when the Twins traded catchers Mitch Garver and Ben Rortvedt last month, they showed their belief in Ryan Jeffers. One question that I have been asked frequently over the past couple of offseasons was, “How would you split up the catcher position between Mitch Garver and Ryan Jeffers?” It was a great question and one I enjoyed answering. In my mind, there was a great answer. Play both of them half of the time. Keep them both fresh. Keep them both playing often. Help both of them keep their legs underneath them. The two backstops are so similar in so many ways offensively and defensively in such a way that should allow for continuity for the pitchers. Physically, Mitch Garver and Ryan Jeffers are both big catchers. Garver is about 6-1 and 230 pounds. Jeffers stands 6-4 and about 240 pounds. I think in some ways, their size gave both of them a perception of poor defense. Garver certainly acknowledged his defensive deficiencies early in his career and set out to improve behind the plate with the help of then-minor-league catching coordinator Tanner Swanson. True to the hard work, over one season he went from the worst pitch framer in baseball to league average. That’s more impressive when you consider that it was becoming a huge focus in the game and the overall framing numbers were improving. Like Garver, Jeffers was drafted as an offense-first catcher, at least in the eyes of national sources. However, the Twins scouts saw something in Jeffers that told them he can be a very good catcher. When he got into pro ball and started having the technology and analysis to determine such things, it showed that he was a plus-pitch framer. And he has continued to rank highly even in his first two big-league seasons. Jeffers and Garver are both very smart away from the baseball field. Garver went to the University of New Mexico to become a chiropractor and play a little baseball. Jeffers was a physics major at UNCW. Aside from general intelligence, both have a very high Baseball IQ. Both are analytical and study the game. They put in the time before the game to understand what the opposing hitters like and how that day’s pitcher could use their repertoire to get each hitter out. As important, both are tremendous communicators. They work well with their pitchers and their coaches. They both have talked about their communication with each other on pre-game scouting reports and planning. And yes, both are fantastic with the media too. And then there is the offense. Yes, both can mash. Both have had rough spots in their careers, but overall, these guys can really hit Mitch Garver posted an OPS over 1.000 in his junior and senior seasons at New Mexico. He was the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter in 2014 when he played at Cedar Rapids, and in 2017 with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. He made his MLB debut late that season. He has been in the big leagues since. He earned the American League’s Silver Slugger Award in 2019 when he hit .273/.365/.630 (.995) with 16 doubles and 31 home runs. Yes, he struggled and was hurt in the shortened 2020 season. But after a slow April in 2021, he was back. Overall, he hit .256/.358/.517 (.875) with 15 doubles and 13 home runs in 68 games. Jeffers posted an OPS over 1.000 in all three seasons he played at UNC-Wilmington. Along with power, he walked more than he struck out, something that was important to him. After being drafted in 2018, he crushed the ball at both Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids. He split the 2019 season between Ft. Myers and Double-A Pensacola. He was invited to the Twins’ alternate site in St. Paul, and when Garver was hurt, the Twins went directly to Jeffers. In 26 games, he hit .277/.355/.436 (.791) with three homers. He had a rough season offensively in 2021 as Garver began the season by getting significantly more playing time. While he hit just .199, he still provided the team with 10 doubles and 14 home runs. His power is legit. Following the lockout, the Twins front office traded Garver, 31, to the Texas Rangers which started a series of moves. A week later, Ben Rortvedt was included in a deal with the New York Yankees. After having the question about how to split up playing time between Garver and Jeffers for a couple of years, there were questions about the Twins’ sudden lack of catcher depth behind Jeffers. Yes, they acquired veteran Gary Sanchez from the Yankees, but he will certainly do less catching and more DHing. That’s why they added minor-league veteran Jose Godoy on a waiver claim to provide another body, a guy who can play good defense. And, after Jeffers’ disappointing .199 batting average in 2021, it is fair for some Twins fans to question the decision of handing him the reins behind the plate. However, if one thing is clear, it’s that the Twins front office has complete confidence in the abilities behind the plate and at the plate of 24-year-old Ryan Jeffers. When a team is looking for a catcher, there is a mental checklist that a front office marks up in their mind as they evaluate a player. For a catcher, that list includes defense, framing, leadership, communication, and then offense, quality plate appearances, power, etc. While needing to show more consistency, Jeffers is a guy who checks all the boxes. So why even bring up Mitch Garver in this article? Why not just speak on the accolades and talents of Jeffers? I think it's important for a couple of reasons. First, it's OK for Twins fans to miss Mitch Garver. He was great with fans and media alike. And, he was a senior sign who made it big, against the odds, to be a Top 5 player at his position. Second, and certainly more important to the Twins and their fans going forward, I think it showed the similarities. Just because players are similar does not mean that the results will be similar. However, it is important to understand what kind of potential Ryan Jeffers has. In 2022, Ryan Jeffers will start getting that opportunity to prove it on a larger scale, as the Twins’ primary catcher. He will likely be able to hit toward the bottom of the lineup which may help take a little bit of the pressure off of his bat. He will be challenged with a pitching staff with three new veteran starters and two pitchers with less than one year of service time. That is a lot to take on, to be sure, but Jeffers is certainly up for the challenge. View full article

This is good stuff.... My random thoughts: - I think the "path of least resistance" makes the most sense if you think of it this way... You've got the two extra roster spots, so why add someone knowing you're going to remove them in 3 weeks and potentially lose them. I get the "do we care (if they're claimed)?" thing, but I would say, at least to some degree, yes. Why lose depth pieces at Triple-A when you don't need to? - Devin Smeltzer would be a great story. He was solid and then last year was hurt, removed from the 40-man, unclaimed, and now he's healthy. He deserves a shot, for sure. - Jhoan Duran is a given for the bullpen. What a weapon! - I think Moran starts at Triple-A. He's got a big future, but he needs to relax. That can be his one downfall. He gets a little nervous and loses the strike zone. When he's throwing strikes, he's almost unhittable. - I do think that Rooker vs Garlick might be a real thing. I personally think giving up on Rooker would be disappointing because at every level, once he gets a month or so of time.

Moran has 3 options left. Jax has 2 options left. Stashak has 1 or 2 left. Romero has 3. Ryan has 3. Ober has 2. Thielbar has one, I believe. Duran has two.

Yeah, although Sano could get days at DH with Kirilloff at 1B and they've got plenty of DH options.

My Opening Day roster: Catchers: Ryan Jeffers, Jose Godoy, Gary Sanchez Infielders: Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco, Carlos Correa, Gio Urshela, Luis Arraez, Nick Gordon, Daniel Roberton (NRI) Outfielders: Brent Rooker, Alex Kirilloff, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Jake Cave (NRI), Kyle Garlick (NRI) Pitchers: Sonny Gray, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Dylan Bundy, Chris Archer, Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey, Caleb Thielbar, Jorge Alcala, Jharel Cotton, Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Joe Smith, Cody Stashak, Jovani Moran, Jhon Romero, Josh Winder, Danny Coulombe (NRI), Jake Faria (NRI), Devin Smeltzer (NRI)

We are just one week from Opening Day. The roster cuts continue as the Twins sent two more players to minor-league camp on Wednesday morning. The Twins announced this morning that outfielder Gilberto Celestino has been optioned to Triple-A St. Paul. In addition, utility man Tim Beckham was reassigned to minor-league spring training. The roster is now down to 36 players, eight above the 28-man Opening Day roster. There are still 20 pitchers (3 non-roster), three catchers (no non-roster), seven infielders (1 non-roster), and six outfielders (2 non-roster). With Celestino the day after Trevor Larnach, the team's Opening Day outfield appears to be coming into focus. The starters are likely to be Alex Kirilloff, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler with Brent Rooker and Nick Gordon coming off the bench. The two non-roster outfielders remaining on the spring roster are Jake Cave and Kyle Garlick. It's hard to imagine the team adding non-roster players for the 27th and 28th roster spots. Those will only be available for the first three weeks of the season. With Beckham sent down, the infield comes closer to the Opening Day roster. Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco, Carlos Correa, Gio Urshela, Luis Arraez, with Nick Gordon being able to play around field too. The one non-roster infielder is Daniel Robertson. The Twins will have to drop five or six pitchers to get down to their 28-man Opening Day roster (depending on if they use 14 or 15 pitchers). PICK YOUR ROSTER OK, just as a fun exercise, here are the 36 players remaining on the Twins spring roster. Which 28 will you send down? (My prediction is in the comments below.) Catchers: Ryan Jeffers, Jose Godoy, Gary Sanchez Infielders: Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco, Carlos Correa, Gio Urshela, Luis Arraez, Nick Gordon, Daniel Roberton (NRI) Outfielders: Brent Rooker, Alex Kirilloff, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Jake Cave (NRI), Kyle Garlick (NRI) Pitchers: Sonny Gray, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Dylan Bundy, Chris Archer, Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey, Caleb Thielbar, Jorge Alcala, Jharel Cotton, Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Joe Smith, Cody Stashak, Jovani Moran, Jhon Romero,,Josh Winder, Danny Coulombe (NRI), Jake Faria (NRI), Devin Smeltzer (NRI) You can go 13 hitters and 15 pitchers or 14 hitters and 14 pitchers. Leave your thoughts, rosters or final cuts in the COMMENTS below. View full article

I've heard he's going to AA, but I have zero confirmation of that.

To be fair, Kyle Garlick earned the job last year, and he performed well in the role he was brought in to play. He was brought in to mash left-handed pitching, and he did... until he got hurt.

Which is fine. After his struggles last season, it certainly won't hurt Larnach to get a 2-3 month AAA run to really get it going.

Welp, I missed that today... and Toby would certainly know!

Already? The first Saints practice at CHS Field is on Sunday... Jake Cave isn't on the 40-man roster. they need some extra guys for the rest of spring training.

I've heard mixed reports on Lewis. Just because he was optioned to St. Paul doesn't mean he has to play in St. Paul. That said, I have heard that he very well might, and if he does go to St. Paul, obviously Palacios will then be a utility guy there.

I don't know that there were any spots available assuming Sano and Kirilloff were both healthy.

Following their 9-4 win over the Pirates at Hammond Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, 11 players found out they will be heading to minor-league camp. Soon several of them will be on a plane to Minnesota to start their Triple-A season with the Saints. Trevor Larnach and Jose Miranda were both optioned to Triple-A St. Paul today. Nine players were reassigned to minor-league camp. They are pitchers Chi Chi Gonzalez, Ian Hamilton, Trevor Megill, and Juan Minaya, catchers David Banuelos and Caleb Hamilton, infielders Jermaine Palacios and Curtis Terry, and outfielder Derek Fisher. The moves put the Twins' spring training roster at 38 players which means over the next five to six days, they will need to drop ten more players from the roster to get to the 28-man Opening Day roster. Of course, there could be other transactions and Injury List moves in between. There are currently 20 pitchers in camp (3 non-roster), three catchers (0 non-roster), eight infielders (2 non-roster), and seven outfielders (2 non-roster). Jose Miranda was added to the 40-man roster following his incredible 2021 season between Wichita and St. Paul in which he hit .344 with 32 doubles and 30 homers. He hit .231 (.544) during his spring training appearances and made some nice plays at third base. Trevor Larnach needs to play. Last year, after missing the 2020 season due to the pandemic, he was called up to the Twins during the season's first week. He sure showed glimpses of the immense talent he has, but he went through a prolonged slump that included a ton of strikeouts. For both Miranda (23) and Larnach (25), they need at-bats. They need repetition. They will both have long big-league careers, but sitting on the bench for the first month instead of playing every day for the Saints just doesn't make sense. Both will be impact players in 2022 and beyond. No real surprises among the non-roster position players that were reassigned on Wednesday. Both catchers are likely to spend the majority of the season in St. Paul. The question is, will they be joined by Jose Godoy? Jermaine Palacios impressed with his glove, and after a strong 2021 season in Wichita, he should start the 2022 season as the Saints' primary shortstop. Curtis Terry can hit, and at just 25, he will get a lot of at-bats as the Saints first baseman and be prepared if needed. Again, not a lot of surprise with the non-roster pitchers reassigned either. That said, Juan Minaya was so good with the Twins over the final two months of the season, it is a little surprising he was only able to get a minor-league deal this spring. Hamilton and Megill are young and throw hard. My sense is that both will get time with the Twins during the season. And Chi Chi Gonzalez only joined the Twins the last 7-10 days as a free agent. He will likely make starts and/or work long relief out of the Saints bullpen. What do you think? The roster is coming together? Any surprises for you? What do you think the final ten moves will be? Leave your COMMENTS below. View full article

Figured I'd start a forum thread for in-season Twins minor league transactions... This weekend, the Twins signed RHP Ariel Jurado RHP Tyler Viza. Today, they released RHP Seth Pinkerton, C Collin Hopkins, 1B Gabe Snyder and OF Ernie De La Trinidad. No surprises. You just feel bad for them. Hopefully, they are able to catch on somewhere else or with their next profession.

My thought at this point... if you're going to get Montas/Manaea/Castillo/Mahle/Means/etc., great... if they're just going to sign more Chi Chi Rodriguez's, then go with Winder. He's 25 already. He's strong and healthy. Let him work.

The Twins made several roster moves on Saturday morning, sending four hitters to minor league spring training including their two top prospects. They now have 49 players on their spring roster. On Saturday, the Twins sent four of their hitting prospects to minor-league camp. Royce Lewis was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul. In addition, Austin Martin, Aaron Sabato and Spencer Steer were reassigned to minor-league camp. In case you were wondering, the distinction is that Lewis is on the 40-man roster, so this is his first option year. The others are not on the 40-man roster so they don't need to be optioned yet. For Lewis, it's been a good chance to just get back on the field again. As has been greatly documented, he was at the Twins alternate site in St. Paul in the 2020 pandemic-lost season. Last year, he arrived at spring training only to learn that he had a torn ACL and missed the full season. He played in four spring games at went 1-for-8 with a stolen base. He also did a nice job at shortstop. While Lewis was technically optioned to St. Paul, that does not necessarily mean that he will start the season with the Saints. It could still be determined that he begin the season in Double-A Wichita. Either way, it is good to see Lewis back on the field and on the path upward. Martin played in five games for the Twins this spring. He went 3-for-9 with a home run. He walked twice and struck out five times. It will be interesting to see where the Twins assign Martin. He spent his pro debut at the Double-A level. Could he get another month or two there before jumping up to St. Paul? Spencer Steer went 0-for-5 in his limited spring appearances, but it is clear that the organization really likes the versatile slugger. He should begin the 2022 season where he ended 2021, with the Wind Surge in Wichita. Aaron Sabato played in six spring games and went 0-for-9 with six strikeouts. He is likely to begin the 2022 season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels where he finished 2021 with 22 games. The Twins spring roster now consists of 49 players. There are 24 pitchers (7 non-roster), five catchers (2 non-roster), 11 infielders (4 non-roster), and nine outfielders (3 non-roster). With the season less than two weeks away, the team will need to make several more transactions to get down to the 28-man Opening Day roster. View full article

My sense is that the Twins have zero interest in trading Winder. In fact, I won't be even a little bit surprised if he's on the Opening Day roster... Outside shot, but I do think possible. (obviously pending other moves)