Seth Stohs

Very kind of you to say. Thank you! And, I read through the lines and thought the same thing... and personally, I am comfortable with going with some of these 24-25 year old pitchers and seeing how ready they are.

They had all their paperwork before the lockout. They had all the conversations. And they've only added to that during the lockout. And, I have no question in my mind that within probably 2-3 hours of the end of the lockout, they had talked to every team and every agent.

100% that was the right first call...

Early in December, Major League Baseball’s owners locked out the players. Nearly 100 days later, the two sides agreed to a new five-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). A ton of work has been done by both players and owners over the past two weeks (after owners didn’t make any attempt for the first 45 days). And now, the offseason and spring training are upon us, and it will be crazy. Most important, we know we will have baseball. Over the past three months, Derek Falvey’s staff in Twins Baseball Operations has remained busy. They’ve been crunching numbers, reading and inputting scouting reports, signing minor league free agents, and all the while planning for this day, the day baseball would be back, and the offseason could continue. The only thing is… it is beginning as spring training is about to start. Sunday is the mandatory report date for 40-man roster players. Next Friday is, at least tentatively, the first scheduled spring training game. And, Opening Day (April 7) is less than a month away. As soon as the owners ratified the new CBA, baseball was back in business. Thankfully, Falvey was willing to take some time to answer questions for Twins media. He notes that they have been following the negotiations closely, especially the past few days. Falvey said, “Obviously, over the last couple of days, following closely with the information and the news that was coming out and feeling like things were getting closer, it’s just great for our group. We’re all here. We’re in the office. Once we knew everything was good, we ordered in food and said, ‘We might be here awhile.’” We haven’t seen free agency like this in baseball before, except to some degree right before the lockout. With about 300 free agents still unsigned, this has the potential to look a lot like NFL and NBA free agency over the coming days. It’s not something any of the front offices have navigated before, but Falvey and his team are ready for it. “A lot of groundwork was laid before the lockout with players, with agents, with front offices around trades, so I would just tell you we’re picking up really where we left off. Now I recognize during that period of time, things may have changed for individual players, for teams, and their plans, so we’ve already done our dividing up of clubs among a bunch of us and making sure that we’re checking back in tonight to know where things stand with those teams. It’s going to be difficult. I’m not going to sugarcoat that.” Falvey said that his first call after news broke of an agreement went to Twins player representative Taylor Rogers. “He and I talked a ton going up and into the lockout and all the COVID protocols and everything else we had to navigate over the last couple of years. We had an awesome conversation. He’s excited to get here. He said he’s talked to a bunch of guys that feel the same.” While Rogers appears to be fully recovered from his finger injury that cost him the final two months of the 2021 season, he is just one pitcher. Last year, the Twins used 35 pitchers. So there is work to be done. Regarding pitching, Falvey said, "I think we made no secret that's a focus and an area we need to spend some time and we're going to. We've talked about trade market and free-agent market. We're excited about some of the young guys that are coming. I think we look at our stable of young pitchers who have been in our camp. I've been watching Simeon Woods Richardson the last week, the way he's throwing the ball. Matt Canterino is healthy and throwing the ball as well as anybody. We're excited about the young guys on our roster that we haven't yet seen, the Josh Winders and Jhoan Durans and Jordan Balazovics, guys we think are going to be another part to join the Joe Ryans and Bailey Obers and that group. But we know we need some veteran presence too so that's going to be a focus of us here. We're going to contact as many teams and agents as possible to work that market." The other "area of focus" for the front office is shortstop. Falvey said that Jorge Polanco could play there, and that Luis Arraez can play around the infield. He also mentioned some younger players. "Some of our young players who aren't quite at the major league level yet but could be really interesting fits for us along the way. And whether that's the Nick Gordons of the world who haven't had as much experience. [Jermaine] Palacios has been in camp here and watching him go. We're excited to see Royce [Lewis] come in, though we recognize he's had a lot of downtime here with his injury. So I can't answer that today perfectly that we're going to seek to see what the market might bear in that space." The players will start reporting this morning (Friday, March 10), at least the players who live nearby Ft. Myers. They will have physicals and a short workout in the late morning. The mandatory report date will be Sunday, March 13. It will not be an easy task in some cases, especially for players from other countries. But, the Twins have been preparing for this day for a while. Falvey noted, “We did all we could before the lockout, knowing that could become an issue at some point during the winter so that agents, players knew what their status was, what the situation was. Certainly players under control with us. We got ahead of that as much as we could. We’re hoping now that we can accelerate that process. Amanda Daley does a great job for us, making sure that all the details are taken care of in that space. I would anticipate that with 30 clubs trying to navigate some of these travel visas and work visas in the Dominican or Venezuela, places where a lot of our players come from, it can be a challenge.” Tentatively, the first spring training games will be played next Friday, March 18th. That will be after just four full-team practices. To help with that, the team will soon be announcing a group of non-roster invitations to big-league spring training. And, as they have always done, they can pull guys over from the minor league side to play in games. Because teams have been able to have zero contact with any of the 40-man roster players, there was some anxiety, hoping players such as Royce Lewis and Blayne Enlow were rehabbing appropriately. Falvey said, “We want to get those guys going. Obviously, in Royce’s case, losing the minor-league season was difficult because that’s just lost development time. He was at the alternate site (in 2020). He used that time really productively. He’s been in the Fall League (2019). Had some of those experiences. But ultimately losing last season due to his ACL reconstruction, it’s difficult.” Regarding Lewis and right-handed pitcher Blayne Enlow, working his way back from Tommy John surgery last June. The Twins prepared them before the lockout began for this time away. Falvey said, “our medical people did a really good job, and so did our folks in strength and conditioning and rehab side of things, and position coaches talked to him about how they would want to navigate his offseasons, whether this happened or not.” He noted that Enlow would be a little bit behind the timeline. That was known. As for Royce, they know he works with his agency (Scott Boras) to “prep and get himself ready. He’s a tremendous worker, and he’s going to put in his time and efforts, so I’m confident in guys like that have put themselves in good positions.” Opening Day will be at Target Field on April 7th. It will likely be a sprint for these next four weeks. Twins President Dave St. Peter said that the fans have been great. “They want to see games. The volume of concern went up exponentially when you started to cancel regular-season games. So the last ten days, I will tell you, we heard from a lot of fans. We’ve been trying to actively engage with them and try to assure them that there was still a path to play a full 162 games, and I’m just absolutely thrilled today that that vision ultimately is going to be possible. I wasn’t always sure it would be.” Ultimately, the Twins will miss a couple of weeks of spring training, and the season will start one week late, but there will be a 162-game season and a lot of the Ultimate this deal will hopefully help grow the game, and there can be extended peace again between the owners and the players as there had been for nearly 30 years. St. Peter thinks that it’s time to heal and move forward. “It’s paramount that we as an industry do a better job of building trust with our players. There are so many exciting things happening in baseball. For those things to ultimately transcend the game, for us to ultimately move the game forward to where it’s incrementally more relevant amongst young people, where it’s more relevant around the globe — for us to really achieve those goals, we’re going to need incremental alignment with our players. And I hope this agreement allows us to move forward in a way to where we can be better aligned and in partnership. That’s ultimately in the best interests of the players, and it’s certainly in the best interests of the industry.” A challenge for Twins fans will be to move forward too. Ultimately, we will get a 162 game schedule, more playoffs, and more. It will be an interesting and exciting time over the next few days, and the Twins should be active, not only through the weekend but right up to the season. Twins Daily has provided anywhere from three to seven articles every day since the lockout began (and obviously before that). We sure hope that we have kept you entertained, enlightened, and updated. Thank you all so much for sticking by the site, and we sure hope that we will celebrate a winning season in 2022. Oh, by the way, Friday is the first day that teams can place players on the 60-Day Injured List. It’s also the first day that players can be placed on waivers. We should get a list of non-roster players soon too. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email View full article

In the Twins Daily prospect rankings, you will find Austin Martin and Royce Lewis filling the top two spots. In fact, they were separated by just one point in the vote. The 22-year-olds have a connection that goes back about eight years. Way back in 2014, these two future stars were teammates on Team USA’s 15U national team. Royce Lewis and fellow top prospect Hunter Greene were from southern California. Austin Martin grew up in Orange Park, Florida, a suburb south of Jacksonville. The US roster was comprised of players from across the country. They worked out and made the team at the USA Baseball facilities in Cary, North Carolina. They played two exhibition games in Cary and then a game at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, before heading down to Mazatlan, Mexico, for the World Cup. The team began with a 14-2 win against Panama. Then they beat New Zealand 16-1. In their third game, they beat South Africa 25-0. Then the games got a little closer. They beat Japan (7-2), then Germany (11-1), then Cuba (10-2). Then the games got even closer. They beat Venezuela (6-2), then Chinese Taipei (5-4), and Mexico (10-9). That put them into the championship game, a rematch against Cuba in the Gold Medal game. After starting the tournament with nine straight wins, including that 10-2 win against Cuba, the US team lost 6-3 in the Gold Medal game. Martin and Lewis, who were roommates in Mexico, played in eight of the team’s ten games. Lewis started six games while Martin started four games. Lewis recorded 26 at-bats and hit .462/.533/.808 (1.341) with five doubles, two triples, and six stolen bases. Martin had 15 at-bats. He hit .533/.500/.733 (1.233) with three doubles. They returned home with World Cup Silver Medals and many great memories. Lewis and Martin were roommates throughout the entire Team USA experience. They both enjoyed their time together. Martin said on Friday, “We kind of fell out of contact a little bit, just two different parts of the country, two different paths in terms of our journey through baseball.” Royce Lewis was in California, and he was the #1 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of high school. Martin was in Florida. He was the 37th round draft pick by Cleveland in 2017, in part because he was committed to going to Vanderbilt, one of college baseball’s best programs. And, he became one of the best players in college baseball. Over two-plus college seasons in Nashville, Martin hit .368/.474/.532 (1.007) with 39 doubles, 14 homers, and 43 stolen bases. He walked more than he struck out. He also was part of Vandy’s 2019 College World Series championship team. Martin said of the experience, “I think I just matured a lot in the 2 1/2 years that I was there. Looking back at it now, I don’t necessarily think that I wasn’t ready, but I know that those 2 1/2 years at Vanderbilt have made me a lot more prepared for what’s to come.” By the time the Covid-shortened draft came in 2020, Martin was considered one of the best players in the draft. Some thought he could or even should go first overall. Instead, he went to the Toronto Blue Jays with the fifth overall pick (and signed the second-highest bonus). —----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Martin began his pro career in 2021 in Double-A with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. As you know, on July 31, he was traded with Simeon Woods Richardson to the Twins in exchange for Jose Berrios. He joined a group of very talented players with the Wichita Wind Surge and felt welcomed right away. “I think that group of people kind of helped me transition easier. As soon as I walked into the clubhouse, there were my teammates trying to help me get adjusted, show me where my locker was, show me where this is, what time we had to do that. I don’t think necessarily how talented that team was had to do with it, but more that group of guys and that group of people, of staff, is what made the transition so smooth, in my opinion.” Martin spent much of his time working out at Scott Boras’s facilities in Florida in the offseason. In addition, the Twins sent minor league hitting coordinator Bryce Berg to Florida to spend a couple of days working with Martin. Later, Triple-A hitting coach Ryan Smith spent some time with him as well. “It was really just an opportunity for us to connect and kind of just give an update on how things were going this offseason.” When the lockout ends, Royce Lewis will get back on the field, ready to play regular-season games for the first time since 2019. Martin and Lewis have reconnected since the trade, just not in person. “I actually talked to him maybe three or four days ago. Reached out just to see how he was doing. We had a really good conversation. I look forward to him getting down here and being able to see each other because I haven’t seen him since I was like 15 years old. So it’ll be good to catch up with him for sure.” Where will he play defensively? Minor League Director Alex Hassan previously said, “On the defensive end, we’re still evaluating him, to be honest. I feel really confident in his ability to play the outfield right now. He has real skill in the infield. He has the ability to make some plays. He played a lot of shortstop last year. If we had to say where his focus is going to be, especially early in camp, it’ll be on the infield and continue to refine him defensively. He’s going to get the bulk of his work at shortstop, but I do think there’s going to be an opportunity to move around the infield as well, but we’re going to start at shortstop and try to concentrate the majority of his work on the infield in the early going.” And Martin is just fine with that. Asked how he feels about potentially moving around the diamond, Martin responded, “Honestly, I look at it as a blessing, to be honest, because it's something that I didn't know I could do until I was in college, and I was kind of, I would say, forced to do it. It's a part of my identity as a baseball player now, and it's a part of my game. And I don't really think it's a negative thing. Is it challenging? Yeah, for sure. It's definitely challenging, but at the same time, I look at it as not everybody's able to do that. Not everybody's capable of being able to do that. So the fact that I can, it's something that I want to keep in my toolbox and keep trying to work on getting better at both infield and outfield.” Offensively, Martin is really good but still has things to learn. Hassan said, “ I think throughout his career, and certainly his college career, he was conscious of putting the ball in play, on making contact which is a good and unique skill in some ways, especially as the game is trending. I think there were things he would do mechanically to optimize for putting the ball in play. We don’t want to strip that away. We don’t want to take that away, but there are also instances where we think he can be more aggressive and look to drive the ball a bit more.” So, how does he go about doing that, adding power? Martin said, “It’s not much of an adjustment. Honestly, it’s just putting the barrel to the baseball, and I’m capable of doing that. I just need to do it more frequently.” Simple, right? Yes, there are mechanical things he is working on too with the Twins personnel too, but he wants to keep it simple. One thing that Martin has consistently done well in his baseball career, at every level, is get on base, and he very frequently is hit by pitches. Is that just how it will be, or does he think he can do anything about it? “I think I could definitely back up off the plate a little bit more, but being hit by baseballs is just been a part of my game since I could even tell you, to be honest. I’ve just always been a ball magnet.” Martin continued, maybe thinking forward, “Now that guys are throwing 98 to 100 mph, I kind of want to start moving out the way and lessening that a little bit, but it is what it is, honestly, a free base.” —---------------------------------------------------------- While both players have some question marks, Royce Lewis and Austin Martin have great versatility, strength, speed, athleticism, and baseball acumen. Twins fans should be excited and hope that the two talents that were teammates as 15-year-olds will be teammates for the long-term in the Minnesota Twins lineup. I guess if you wanted, you could say that Martin and Lewis Belong Together. View full article

When the Twins acquired Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson from the Blue Jays last June, they were both playing for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. One of their teammates was one of the best pitchers to come out of Minnesota in the past decade. While prospects like Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson have long been household names, Brody Rodning may only be known by die-hard Blue Jays prospect followers and the people from Gaylord, MN, Sibley East High School, and Minnesota State, Mankato. However, more people should be talking about the hard-throwing left-handed relief pitching prospect who had 16 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League in 2021. Brody Rodning grew up on a farm, just outside of Gaylord, MN, a town of about 2,300 people southwest of the Twin Cities. A drive to Target Field will take just over an hour (depending on what time you are driving there!). He became a star athlete at Sibley East High School. He was a three-time letter winner in three sports. He was the quarterback on the football team. He was the leading scorer on the basketball team. But it was baseball where he really shined. As a senior, he went 4-2 with a 0.74 ERA. In 38 innings, he struck out 81 batters. Upon graduation, he took the short drive south to pitch at Minnesota State, Mankato, one of the strongest Division II teams in the country. As a freshman in 2015, he went 9-0 with a 2.85 ERA. In 66 1/3 innings, he walked 18 and struck out 65 batters. In his sophomore season, he went 6-2 with a 4.34 ERA. In 74 2/3 innings, he walked 36 and struck out 84 batters. In his junior year, he went 6-4 with a 3.47 ERA. In 70 innings, he had 34 walks and 77 strikeouts. Following his junior season, he was the 13th round draft choice of the Toronto Blue Jays. After one appearance in the Gulf Coast League, he was pushed to the Advanced Rookie League in Vancouver where he went 4-1 with a 4.64 ERA in 33 innings. Rodning spent the 2018 season in the Midwest League. In 35 games, all out of the bullpen, he went 5-3 with a 3.89 ERA. He pitched well for Lansing in 2019, but he only got into seven games due to time on the Injured List. As we all know, 2020 was the Covid pandemic year. There was no minor league season. Rodning was at home, helping on the family farm and playing catch at the local ball field. He reached out to his employer, the Blue Jays, and asked if he could play town ball for the Gaylord Islanders. The Minnesota Baseball Association had to approve it too. They did. He got to work some innings. He got to play in the outfield and even hit for the first time in years. As you would imagine, he was dominant on the mound. And just as nice, he got to play ball for the summer with his brother McKoy. You may recall that the 2021 minor-league season started about a month late due to Covid protocols. However, at the start of the MLB season, Rodning was pitching at the team's alternate site. When their regular season began, he was assigned to Double-A New Hampshire where he went 3-4 with a 5.58 ERA in 32 games. In 40 1/3 innings, he walked 18 and struck out 43 batters. The numbers may not jump out, but when you consider that he had a five-game stretch where he gave up 11 of his 25 earned runs in five games (6 2/3 innings). He was pretty dominant the rest of the season. With the Fisher Cats, Rodning was a teammate of Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson, at least until they were traded to the Twins in the Jose Berrios deal. Both new Twins prospects discussed what a great friend and teammate Rodning is, but they also noted the quality of his stuff on the mound. On Twins Spotlight in November, Wood Richardson said of Rodning, “(He’s a) hard-throwing lefty. Nasty slider. Nasty cutter. Great guy. One of those guys that throws across his body, it’s just so funky that no one can pick it up. His delivery is one of a kind, very unique. Hard-throwing lefty. One of those guys that just will come after you. Don’t care. He’ll just shut the door.” Last week, Martin said of Rodning, “Great teammate. Awesome guy. I talked to him sometime last week. Great teammate. Hard worker. And then facing him is an uncomfortable AB. He’s got a three-quarter slot. His fastball gets on you. He’s got good stuff. He’s a good baseball player.” Rodning told Twins Daily this weekend, “Both of them are great teammates, for sure, both on and off the field. The Twins definitely got two guys that are hungry and ready to grind.” Regarding Martin, Rodning said, “(He) is an incredible athlete and will succeed at any position he plays. He’s a winner, and that’s huge.” On Woods Richardson, Rodney said, “Sim, that man competes at any level he plays and always thinks he’s the best, which is a great characteristic to have. We’ll save the last words for Rodning’s agent, Matt Gaeta of Gaeta Sports Management. “His drive and relentless pursuit to better himself each and every day are contagious and inspiring. He’s been through a lot, on and off the field, but his vision and hunger for success are traits that will make him successful not only on the field but also off of it as well.” Rodning is in Dunedin, Florida, for spring training right now, excited to get the season going, hoping that he’ll be able to pitch at Target Field sometime. Martin and Woods Richardson are both in Ft. Myers, hoping to make Target Field their home field. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

I love it. To me, that's the biggest way to improve pace of play... hitters can stay in the box. Pitchers can catch and throw. That said, I think that the 14 seconds is really fast... I'd be fine with just a flat 20 seconds for all pitches. Keep the game rolling.

Think about this... Jason Kubel, as a prospect, was touted as being able to "hit for average like Mauer with the power of Morneau." He was getting there too before the devastating injury. Still have a nice career, but absolutely... what could have been. David McCarty was supposed to be a sure thing, the replacement for Hrbek when he would retire, but able to play the OF until then. He had a decent career after leaving the Twins but never became a star. Do you remember he was given an opportunity as a lefty reliever too?

Not at all... That said, there were pitchers who didn't want him in the field when he was pitching too. the defense was that bad.

I would think he would start at AA regardless. Let the veteran pitch those AAA innings. He needs to be in AA and he's such a big prospect, they're going to make those decisions on what's best for him, not roster needs, etc.

The Twins acquired Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for All-Star Jose Berrios last July. Just 21, Woods Richardson is looking forward to a “normal” season in 2022. Last week, Simeon Woods Richardson spoke to Twins media about coming to the Twins and the circuitous baseball journey that he hopes and believes will take him to Target Field. The New York Mets drafted Simeon Woods Richardson in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of high school in Sugar Land, Texas. He split the remainder of that season between two Mets rookie-level teams. In 2019, he made 20 starts for their Low-A affiliate and went 3-8 with a 4.25 ERA. However, he had 97 strikeouts and just 17 walks in 78 1/3 innings. He had been promoted to High-A St. Lucie and spent three days in their uniform when he found out that he was traded from the Mets to the Blue Jays organization in a trade for Marcus Stroman. He headed to High-A Dunedin, where he made six more starts in 2019. Still just 18, he held his own. He went 3-2 with a 2.54 ERA. In 28 1/3 innings, he had 29 strikeouts and just seven walks. Then came 2020. The minor league season was lost to the Covid pandemic. While he wasn’t on the 40-man roster, the Blue Jays had him spend the summer at the team’s alternate site. While he never was considered for a call-up to the big leagues, he was getting valuable work with older, more veteran players. As strange as the 2020 season was, 2021 might have been even more strange Woods Richardson. Just 20, and with just six High-A starts on his belt, he was pushed up to Double-A New Hampshire for the start of the season. He made 11 starts for the Fisher Cats. He went 2-4 with a 5.76 ERA. However, in his 45 1/3 innings, he struck out 67 batters (13.3 K/9). Unfortunately, after averaging about two walks per nine innings previously, he walked 5.2 per nine in those 11 starts (26 batters). However, at that point, he joined Team USA and headed to Tokyo, Japan, for the Olympics. While he didn’t pitch in a game, he enjoyed the experience and took advantage of the opportunity to be a teammate of several major-league veterans on the roster. Edwin Jackson, David Robertson, Homer Bailey, and John Jay were some MLB veterans on the Team USA roster. “We had a bunch of guys that were at your disposal for knowledge. So I took that time just to be a sponge. I was the youngest player there. Take that time. Be a sponge. Ask questions. Pick their brains. Be on the field with them. See how they operate. See how they move. See how they get ready for their day. Just take from them and learn from them.” Just days after fellow Olympic teammate and part-time roommate Joe Ryan was traded to the Twins while he was in Japan, Simeon Woods Richardson got a late-night (or early morning) phone call too. He recalled last week, “I get a call at like 3:30 in the morning. Something told me to answer it. I'd normally just roll back over and go to sleep and answer it in the morning. Turned out to be the GM for the Blue Jays talking about the trade. So, I had to call the family, make some moves back in the States while in Japan, get my life situated over there, and when we got back, hit the ground running.” He came back to the States, silver medal around his neck, and took some time to pack up in New Hampshire and get to the Wichita Wind Surge, the Twins Double-A affiliate. After reporting, the Twins put him on the Wichita ‘development roster.” Essentially, after not pitching for so long, the Twins could have their coaches work bullpens with him while he was rebuilding arm strength. He came back and made four starts for the Wind Surge before the season’s end. It’s no surprise, but when he was asked last week for his goals for 2022, he responded. “Honestly, the goal this year is fewer walks, more strikeouts definitely. Making it to the big leagues this year is definitely a big goal of mine. Wherever I start out, it’s where you finish, and that’s been my goal ever since I started playing this game. That will never stop being a goal. Mechanically, I know myself better than I did last year, know my game better than I did last year, know everything that I can do to help the team win. That’s kind of the goals for this year.” While he is engaging, personable, and fun-loving off the mound, he finds a different tone when pitching. “Competitive. Aggressive. Four-plus pitches and can throw them at any time in the count. Just aggressive. Competitor. Fast tempo.” And, that last point is exciting. His average time between pitches has been about 15 seconds. In recent years, the fastest workers in the big leagues have come in at 20 seconds. It’s great for the pace of play, but it’s also great to keep his fielders on their toes. Away from the baseball field, Woods Richardson has an excellent perspective. As with most good advice we get in our lives, it comes from our moms. He said, “My mom told me this at a young age. ‘Baseball is a big part of your life, but it’s not you.’ It clicked for me.” For Simeon, those non-baseball interests include, “I love cooking. I love drawing. I love driving around seeing countryside hills. I love traveling.” What does he cook? "Depends what you want, man. If you want some really good Asian food, some barbecue, Italian, Mexican, street food, it just depends, man. Just depends." As for travel, he and his girlfriend made trips to Mexico, Las Vegas, and then to Disney World. As much as he enjoyed that time in the offseason, he’s excited to be back to work. He reported to Ft. Myers for the team’s pitching camps in mid-January and went right to work. “It was mainly mechanics, cleaning up some stuff from last year, seeing if I could get everything in the zone, cleaning up swing-and-miss stuff, just cleaning up little stuff for the season. It helped tremendously. I’m glad I went to that camp because I do see progress. I do see me going in the right direction, and we’re only going up from here, so I’m glad to go in there and get some early work, get some feedback from those guys, some good one-on-one time.”: What kind of feedback has he heard from teammates after bullpens or Live BP sessions? “Pretty much everybody’s telling me it’s hard to pick up some certain things, which is great on my end because I’ve really been working on that. Mechanically I’ve been working on a bunch of stuff, watching video, watching film, watching everything. It’s starting to all click again, so I’m pretty happy.” As for joining a second new team, Woods Richardson has the personality to thrive. “You go to the new team, and you’re pretty much telling your whole life story over again to a different set of guys. You’re describing yourself pretty much all over again.” And, after what can only be described as an interesting baseball journey, Simeon Woods Richardson looks forward to a sense of normalcy, as all baseball fans do. After the trades, the pandemic, the Olympics, and other obstacles, he remains focused on that ultimate goal of pitching - and pitching well - in the big leagues. What are your hopes for Simeon Woods Richardson in 2022 and going forward with the Twins? MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email — More Twins Daily content on Simeon Woods Richardson. View full article

I'm sure all the NDSU fans won't mind being called SDSU twice in here... Right?

Well, if we have readers from any of the Minnesota colleges and who want to blog about that team, that would be fantastic. As for this tournament... a guy I played ball with in high school played for the Gophers from like 91-94, played for Team USA and spent a few years in minor league ball. Anyway, my family went down to the Dome to watch a day (at the time, I think it was the Dairy Queen Classic) to watch him play. I remember watching Georgia Tech, and they had Jason Varitek and Nomar Garciaparra... and I think Jay Payton. I think maybe Arkansas was another team and they had some players too. It's a ton of fun.

For Transparency's sake... here are our votes... Based on this, you can see why I would rank guys like Marco Raya and Cade Povich as the picks to click.

Julien Timeline (Potentially): Finish 2022 in Wichita, whether he spends the full year there or gets another 6-8 weeks in Cedar Rapids first. November 2022 - added to 40 man roster. 2023 - most of the season at AAA, but could be up late in the year or early 2024. I really like Palacios as a solid defensive shortstop and #9 hitter (who could eventually be a little more than that)... The Twins really seem to believe in his defense. As they have signed the likes of Beckham, Robertson and Soto, it makes me think that Palacios at SS could be a possibility.

I think if he's be an "adequate outfielder" that would be good... and he's not really a contact hitter. He had 144 Ks last year. But, yes, the on-base skills are real. .400 OBP in MLB would be tough!

There were several breakout performances throughout the Twins minor league system in 2021, but Edouard Julien’s delayed debut was as impressive as it gets. He’s looking to continue to build on that success in 2022. In 2019, Edouard Julien was set to go back to Auburn University. He had just helped the team to the College World Series and had two years of eligibility remaining. The Twins took a flyer on him in the 18th round of the draft. When they had some extra draft dollars available, they offered him fourth-round money, and Julien decided to sign. Soon after, he left Twins camp with Jordan Balazovic to participate in the Pan-Am Games in Lima, Peru. In a Twins Daily interview last May, he said, “First practice there, we were doing cuts-and-relays. I cut a ball from right field and tried to throw it to home plate. It just flew to the right, and I heard a pop in my elbow. I knew something happened to my arm.” When he got back to Florida, an MRI showed a tear in his UCL. He quickly had Tommy John surgery and started the rehab process. He may have made his pro debut sometime in the middle of the 2020 season, but as we know, the pandemic caused the cancellation of the minor league season. So it wasn’t until 2021 that Edouard Julien was able to make his professional debut. “It was special. I had goosebumps. I was stressed. I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I was ready to go and attack and play the best baseball I can.” Julien has had a chance to look back at that 2021 debut season and realize just how well he played. The Quebec native started the season with 47 games in Ft. Myers. He hit .299/.490/.456 (.946) with 12 doubles and three homers. He also stole 21 bases in 23 attempts after stealing just ten bases in two seasons and 127 games. He was then promoted to Cedar Rapids, where he played in 65 games and hit .247/.397/.494 (.891) with 16 doubles, 15 home runs, and 13 stolen bases. In 112 total games, he led all minor league baseball with 110 walks. “It's always been part of my game to have a good eye and to swing at good pitches and not chase out of the strike zone. But I'd say this year I took it to another step. I was more focused on what I wanted, and my approach was more defined. I knew what I wanted to hit and what I didn't want to hit. I knew my strength a little bit more.” In the Low-A Southeast Division (formerly the Florida State League), they used the electronic strike zone in 2021. There were certainly mixed reviews on it by those involved in those games. Julien didn’t seem to mind it. “It was the first time playing with a strike zone that's consistent like that. You know, with the umpires sometimes, they give calls to the pitcher, or they give calls to you. So it's different. And with the automatic strike zone, you get the same thing every day. So I kind of liked it for me.” Offensively, Julien is filled with potential. He had a strong approach. He knows the strike zone well. He can hit for power, and he uses the whole field. Yes, he will want to strike out less (144 K in 2021), but that’s what this whole player development thing is for, right? Defense is where there are some question marks, but he is self-aware and spent the offseason working on it. “I'd say over this offseason, I worked a lot on my defense because I think that's one of my weaknesses here. I try to be a little more consistent defensively. I try to add on to everything. I try to have more power, have more contact, be faster, I try to be a little bit of everything. But like I said, I worked mainly on my defense and my arm." Between Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids in 2021, Julien played 39 games at second base, 23 at third base, 21 at first base, and 18 at left field. “I'd say my natural position is second base. I'm starting to learn left field. I think I'm more of a second baseman and left fielder, and I can play some first and third. I can fill in a little bit everywhere, but I'd say I'm more natural at second and in left field.” Don’t worry, though. Julien is still working on offense, and his approach, something he thinks will be important as he moves up the minor-league ladder. “Sometimes, I was getting caught up during the season of being too patient and letting good pitches go. I think that's one of the adjustments I'm trying to make this year to be more aggressive early and challenge, and when I get my pitch, to go for it. Whenever you go up a level, the pitching gets better, and the mistakes, they don't (make as many), and I'm aware of that. And so I'm going to be a little bit more aggressive,” UNIQUE PATH Julien grew up in Quebec City. Not exactly a baseball hotbed. He said, “It's hard because in Canada, the biggest sport is hockey, and in the summer, it's soccer now. There's not a lot of baseball players. There's not a lot of people that come back home to watch us play. We only play two months of the year, so it's pretty hard to get visibility.” But Julien joined the likes of fellow Twins prospects such as Landon Leach and LaRon Smith on the Canadian junior team. They would head to the States regularly for tournaments and other events. That is where he gained his visibility. He was the Phillies 37th round pick in the 2017 draft. Instead of signing, he accepted a scholarship to Auburn. He was headed to the SEC. For Julien, it was a significant adjustment on so many levels. “It's been a pretty big adjustment. I'd say the biggest one was the different language because back home, I don't speak English. So I got to Alabama. I couldn't speak English, only French. So it was pretty hard at first in my classes. And the food's different. How people act is different. So I had to acclimate to everyone. And it was a big, big change.” So aside from the ‘normal’ educational opportunities, Julien learned a lot more with the help of his teammates and roommates. “I learned my English from them, and I went to them every day. They taught me everything, like what to eat what not to eat in Alabama. The food was different. I had to acclimate to that because we eat very differently back home. And how you talk, too, because I used what my friends were saying to me. So it's not always the best word to say around coaches. So I had to learn a lot. I learned a lot in Alabama.” But jumping from Canadian secondary school, even with his time on the junior national team, to the SEC, the best conference in college baseball is a huge undertaking. It was a big adjustment for Julien too. “I saw a little bit of pitching and some velocity, but I'd say the biggest step for me when I got to college is that the guys are so much more polished. They throw a lot of offspeed and a lot of offspeed in the zone. They have plans against you. It's not just to go out there and play. They play to win. They try to get you out. I think that was the biggest adjustment I had to make -- to make adjustments against pitchers, to read what they're trying to do with me.” Like his adjustment to college life in Alabama, Julien made the adjustments on the diamond look easy too. In 62 games played as a freshman, he hit .275/.398/.556 (.954) with seven doubles and 17 home runs. His 69 RBI broke the freshman record previously set by Frank Thomas. He came back for his sophomore season in 2019. In 65 games, he hit .259/.388/.453 (.841) with 14 doubles and ten homers. It was a bit of a drop-off, but he (along with fellow Twins prospect Will Holland) led the Auburn Tigers to the College World Series. Then pro ball. “And to go pro ball was a different world, too. And everybody's trying to make it to the highest level, and it's fun to be around here and to be part of that.” When he signed with the Twins, he was one of few that spoke French. By that point, his English was approaching, if not fluent. Spanish? “I used to go to a high school where it was Spanish. Since I came here with all of the Latin players, I picked it up pretty quick. I understand a lot of Spanish, and I speak a lot of it. I'm not trilingual, but I'm close to it.” Well-rounded offensive game. Development of potential defensive versatility. What are you looking for from Eduardo “Eddy” Julien in 2022, and what do you think his future potential can be? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. View full article

In his professional debut in the Florida Complex League, Chase Petty only tossed five innings after the Twins used their first-round draft pick on the New Jersey prep star. Find out what he’s learned since being drafted and what he’s looking forward to in 2022. With the draft in July last year, the Twins had their drafted pitchers report to Ft. Myers and then take time away from throwing. In that time, they learned more about nutrition and weight lifting programs. They threw some bullpens, in large part, just to have some baseline analytics using their technology. In doing so, they could learn more about themselves and develop a plan for their offseason. Actual innings pitched were not important. Starting the process of development is the most important thing. Chase Petty threw just five total innings for the FCL games over two starts, but he did a lot of learning. He said, “It was new for sure. It was a lot better competition, obviously, coming from high school baseball, especially from New Jersey baseball. It was definitely a big difference. But it was fun. I really enjoyed it. All the guys here are very supportive of you.” He continued, “Really just being a professional baseball player and cleaning up everything off the field and on the field. Just having the mindset of a big-leaguer because that's the goal, that's the dream, and succeed even there. Really this offseason was developing that mindset that this is going to be a grind, and you really have to prepare yourself for it. I'm ready for it.” Petty ended last season at the Instructional League and went back home to Summer Pointe, New Jersey. He trained in nearby Pleasantville at the Baseball Performance Center with Phillies Triple-A pitcher Mike Adams. He has worked at the facility since his freshman year of high school. Fellow Twins pitching prospect Sean Mooney also works out there. Earlier this week, Minor League Director Alex Hassan noted that they are fully aware of the facility and the coaches and trust their work. He also noted, "Chase really has impressed us with his ability to be routine-oriented for a high school player.” He continued, “Normally on the high school front, you’re really trying to emphasize routine in the training room or weight room or just on the field in terms of catch play and things you’re working on. He had a lot of that coming in, which has really stood out and been impressive.” Hassan says that Petty has been impressive on the field too. “I’ve heard the perception among high school players who throw hard that they just want to go out there and blow it out, and it’s a spectacle to see how hard he can throw, but I think he’s got more touch and more feel than that typical profile. He threw strikes in the very, very brief appearances he had in the FCL. In Instructs, he continued to fill up the zone. We’ll continue to work on that.” When drafted, we read a lot about Petty touching 102 or 103 mph with his fastball at times. That certainly can be a concern, but he and the Twins understand the bigger picture. Petty says that last year in games, he was consistently throwing 94 to 97 mph and touching 99 mph at times, and that’s where he would like to be in 2022. “Around there would still be ideal, but at the end of the day, it's all about getting outs and still performing. So doing what I have to do, whether that's velo up, or kind of dominating with my secondary pitches, that's what I'll have to do to become an all-around better pitcher.” To do that, he is working with the pitching coaches and coordinators to clean up some of his mechanics. He said, “It's really cleaning up things that need to be cleaned up whether that is the arm path, whether that is the arm angle, and kind of making sure things are where they need to be to prevent injuries and stay as healthy as possible.” His spring training roommate can certainly help talk him through that conversation. Marco Raya was the Twins’ fourth-round pick in 2020 out of high school in Texas. He did not pitch in 2021 due to a shoulder injury. However, he arrived at Instructional League healthy and hitting 97-99 mph at times. In my personal Twins prospect rankings, I have Chase Petty at #9 and Marco Raya at #10. Petty also ranked ninth in the Twins Daily rankings, while Raya was listed among the Honorable Mentions. Both understand that big-league hitters can hit a triple-digit fastball, so they know they need to keep working on secondary pitches. When the Twins drafted Petty, he talked about having 4-5 pitches and working on others. The Twins have worked with him and helped him focus his early-career attention on thinking long-term. Petty said, “We worked a lot with analytics here, and we’ve done a lot with perfecting our craft and perfecting the things that play the most. So we really just perfected the sinker, the changeup, and the slider for right now, and once those three are where they need to be, we’ll start working on the fourth, and hopefully, they’re on, and we’ll keep going. Right now, it’s really just perfecting what we need to perfect right now to get to where we need to be long term.” Long-term. It’s a great concept, and Chase Petty won’t even turn 19 years old until April 4th, so he and the Twins need to be patient. Last summer, the Twins made him a multi-millionaire, but let’s not forget that this is his first real job. This is the first time he’s lived away from home for an extended period. It’s the first time he’s lived in a dorm or had a roommate. Asked about Petty, Matt Canterino said, “I mean, the stuff’s electric. It’s really, really cool to watch, and I’m 24 now. What is he, 18 still? It’s just incredible. I can tell you I was nowhere near the stuff that he has, and it’s really impressive. I guess if I had to say like one thing - once again, I’m 24, he’s 18 - and I know that if I look back at that pitcher, I was at 18, where I am now, not just like how I’ve developed, but like what I throw now and my mentality and stuff on the mound, it’s two completely different people. It’s not even just from five years ago to now. It’s like from two years ago, three years ago to now. So I think most of the stuff that I would tell him would just be, ‘Be open to new things. Keep working. Listen to what everybody has to say, not necessarily do everything that everybody tells you to do but be open about that stuff. It will be really cool to see how you evolve as a pitcher and as a person.” Sage advice indeed. Be patient, and yet get to work. Petty arrived with the first group of pitchers in mid-January. He said, “Really just got here to get to work and to get after it. We had early camps, and me and Marco (Raya), and Louie Varland, we really worked heavy together in that camp. We really got after it together there.” Petty noted that he grew up in Millville, New Jersey, and a 10-minute drive north takes you to Vineland, New Jersey. Hispanics comprise about 35% of the town’s population, so Petty got to know a little Spanish in elementary school and Little League from just hanging out with his friends. He feels very fortunate to have Marco Raya, who speaks fluent Spanish, as his roommate for many reasons, including that he teaches him some Spanish. He wants to continue to learn and be able to better communicate with his teammates from Latin America. Well, that and he wants to know what they’re saying when they think he doesn’t understand. As for his 2022 goals, he keeps it pretty simple. He is working as a starter and building up strength and innings. But he noted, “Obviously (I want) to have the best season possible for myself and move up the ranks as much as I possibly can, whether that be finishing the season in Low-A, High-A, wherever that may be. Just pushing myself to have the best season I possibly can.” He doesn’t know where he’s going to start the 2022 season. It certainly wouldn’t hurt him to start the season in Extended Spring Training and continue to build him up, but indications are that he will begin the 2022 season with the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels. There are a lot of reasons to be excited about right-hander Chase Petty. He has a big arm with velocity and secondary pitches. He’s shown pretty good control. He has a good head on his shoulders and has really taken to instruction. So what are your overall thoughts on the Twins taking Petty with their late, first-round pick in 2021, and what do you hope to see from him in 2022? Share your thoughts below. 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