Theodore Tollefson

Three of the four Twins minor-league affiliates won their games on Wednesday. Two of the top three prospects hit homers. The Number 5 prospect made his MLB debut. It was a good day in the Twins organization. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge TRANSACTIONS Edouard Julien was officially called up from the Saints to the Twins. Ernie Yake was promoted from Cedar Rapids to take Julien’s on the Saints roster. Wichita activated catcher Frank Nigro from the Development List and placed Aaron Sabato on the 7-day injured list SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Indianapolis 1 Box Score Bailey Ober was on the mound for the third time this season and had his best start so far. The 6’9" righty dominated Indianapolis hitters striking out six while only allowing two runners to reach base through six innings pitched. Ober threw only 67 pitches with only 20 of those missing the strike zone, a great improvement from his previous start when he walked four batters through 3 2/3 innings. The offense was carried by a couple of two-run home runs by two Andrews; Bechtold and Stevenson. Stevenson had the first home run following the Saints' first run of the game, which came courtesy of a throwing error by Indianapolis catcher Grant Koch in the top of the fourth. The Saints only needed two relievers out of the bullpen Wednesday afternoon, Randy Dobnak and Trevor Megill. Dobnak threw two innings and allowed two hits, a walk, and Indianapolis’s only run in the game. Megill had his best inning of the spring in the ninth. He struck out the side on just 13 pitches. Mark Contreras led the offense. He went 2-for-3 and walked twice. He also stole his third base. Stevenson went 2-for-5 WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 8, Naturals 2 Box Score The Wind Surge had a fantastic day on offense led by Twins Daily top prospect Brooks Lee. Lee hit his first Double-A home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, extending his team’s lead to 6-0 over the Naturals. The home run may have been Lee’s only hit but was enough to extend his hitting streak to five games. Jake Rucker went 2-for-4 with a walk. Alex Isola was 2-5 and hit his first home run of the season. Pat Winkel and Anthony Prato each walked twice. Blayne Enlow made his second start of the season for Wichita. He threw 4 2/3 innings and struck out eight batters. However, he walked three batters and gave up four hits. The bullpen remained consistent keeping the Naturals bats quiet. Tyler Beck threw three scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit and two walks. He also struck out five batters. Jordan Brink recorded the final four outs for the Wind Surge, but not without giving up one run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 10, Quad Cities 5 Box Score Twins Daily’s #3 prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez followed up his walk-off grand slam from Tuesday night by crushing a three-run home run in his second at-bat on Wednesday. He struck out three times and is hitting just .167, but he has a .971 OPS and seven of his nine RBI came in those two at-bats. Noah Miller continued his hot start and has more than validated his spot at the top of the lineup. In this game, he went 2-for-2 with three walks. 2022 fifth-round pick Ben Ross went 2-for-5 including his first home run of the season. Jeferson Morales went 2-for-2 with two walks and his first double and home run of the season. Jaylen Nowlin made his second start of the year and struggled. In just 3 1/3 innings, he was charged with four runs on five hits and three walks. Orlando Rodriguez came in and recorded four walks, but no hits, over 1 2/3 scoreless, hitless innings. John Stankiewicz was next out of the ‘pen. He struck out four over two innings. He gave up only a solo homer. Regi Grace finished by getting all six batters he faced out, two on strikeouts. MUSSEL MATTERS Clearwater 5, Ft. Myers 3 Box Score The main news with the Mighty Mussels on Wednesday may have been who was not playing in their game, rather than who was. Jorge Polanco and Alex Kirilloff, who began rehab assignments with the team in the last week, were both on a scheduled rest day on Wednesday. They are expected to be in the lineup on Thursday. Starting on the mound for the Mighty Mussels was C.J. Culpepper, making his first-ever professional start. Culpepper tossed a strong four innings, but his command of the strike zone was inconsistent. He walked three batters and gave up two hits. Culpepper was replaced by fellow 2022 draft pick Ben Ethridge. He gave up one run on two hits over two innings. Hard-throwing Juan Mendez took the loss. He gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in the seventh inning. Lefty Zach Veen needed just six pitches to work a perfect inning. The Mussels lineup had a great game getting on base eight times via the walk, but their hitting game did not translate into as great a performance. The Mussels five hits came at the wrong times (they were 0-for-12 with Runners in Scoring Position). 2022 sixth-round draft pick Jorel Ortega went 0-for-2, but he walked three times. He also stole his third base of the season. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Bailey Ober (St. Paul) - 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-2, 2 R, 2 H, RBI (2), 3 BB PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 prospects performed today: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - (1-3, HR(1), 2 R, 2 RBI, K) #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - (1-for-4, HR(2), R, 3 RBI, BB, 3 K) #5 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - (0-for-2, BB) #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - (0-for-4, R, K) #11 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - (0-1, pinch hit for Julien) #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - (2-for-2, 2 R, 2 H, RBI, 3 BB) #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - (1-for-5, R, 3B, RBI) THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS The Saints will play their third game in Indianapolis with Louie Varland on the mound. The game starts at 6:37 p.m. CT The Wind Surge will have their third game of the homestand against Northwest Arkansas. David Festa will pitch against Jonathan Bowlan with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. CT The Kernels will play another game at home against the Quad Cities River Bandits. First pitch (from Kyle Jones) is set for 6:35 p.m. CT. Develson Aria is set to make his season debut for the Mussels on Thursday night against the Threshers with first pitch set for 5:15 p.m. CT> Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games. View full article

"I’m really happy. It's somewhere I thought I had a chance to get on the big league team and make an impact with some young guys here." Twins Daily's Theo Tollefson caught up with long-time Twins pitcher Tyler Duffey when he was in town last week with the Iowa Cubs. They discussed his off-season, time with the Twins, and his goals with the Chicago Cubs organization this season. Image courtesy of Theo Tollefson ST. PAUL – Tyler Duffey’s tenure with the Minnesota Twins did not end how he hoped it would in 2022. He made his last appearance in a Twins uniform on August 4, and surrendered three runs on four hits and a walk in just 1 2/3 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. The next morning the Twins designated him for assignment and two days later he was granted his release. “I think last year was just an anomaly so to speak,” said Duffey. “My fly ball rate, 40% of those were home runs, and it was just not sustainable, not really my kind of thing, and it was just unfortunate.” The man known as The Doof knows he isn’t the only reliever to go through the problems he had with his pitches in 2022. He compared his season last year with old teammate Ryan Pressly’s 2017 season with the Twins when his home run per nine innings rate was at an all-time high. “There's no rhyme or reason to it. It just happens. But here we are, fast-forward eight months. I'm pitching in St. Paul, feel good, and throwing strikes, even though my first outing wasn’t great,” Duffey said. Duffey spent the remainder of the 2022 minor-league season between the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees Triple-A affiliates. His evaluations for the off-season were finding a team that would give him the best chance to return to the big leagues and rediscovering the success he had as a reliever from 2019-2021. The team Duffey ended up signing a minor-league deal with was the Chicago Cubs and now finds himself in their Triple-A affiliate, Iowa Cubs, bullpen. “Everything feels great,” Duffey said on his deal with the Cubs organization. “Obviously, that one outing aside, I’m really happy. It's somewhere I thought I had a chance to get on the big league team and make an impact with some young guys here. And it's all been so far so good” While returning to the big leagues is a top priority for Duffey, the mentorship role came to him in spring training spending time with pitchers who have only had a brief brush of time in the big leagues. One of those pitchers was Hayden Wesneski, another native of the Houston, Texas, area as Duffey, who has only had six games with the Cubs in 2022. “Guys are coming to me sometimes with stuff. You don't realize when you come to a new team, and the most tender guy on their pen probably has only four years of service. So it's just a different animal and to get an opportunity to be around some really good talented players, like Hayden, it's just one of the cool things of getting to a new place,” said Duffey. Having the first full series of his season back in Minnesota made for much time for Duffey to catch up with old friends in the other clubhouse. “Seeing Randy (Dobnak) and (Bailey) Ober over there. Ryan LaMarre... now I’ve played with him in three different places. The longer you’re around the game the more friends you have, the more acquaintances you make, and things like that. Ultimately, it's playing in sync, that means you're still playing the game. Every day it's about us just trying to play baseball and have fun doing it,” said Duffey. Duffey still looks back on his time with the Twins organization fondly as many players do with the team that drafted them. As the season goes on and his numbers continue to improve from a shaky April 6th outing, Duffey has great confidence he'll find himself in the Cubs' bullpen in 2023. View full article

The Twins concluded their first series at Target Field on the year looking to sweep an unbeatable opponent during the 2022 season; the Houston Astros. Tyler Mahle was on the mound facing his first big challenge of 2023. Could he outmatch the next coming of Justin Verlander in Hunter Brown on the mound? Or would the Astros bats beyond Yordan Alvarez awaken from a deep slumber? Image courtesy of Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports Box Score: SP: Tyler Mahle 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (90 pitches, 61 strikes (68% strikes)) Home Runs: none Top 3 WPA: Donovan Solano .075, Kyle Farmer .024, Byron Buxton .021 Bottom 3 WPA: Tyler Mahle -.214, Jose Miranda -.102, Nick Gordon -.076 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Unfortunately, most of the answers to those questions were not encouraging. Mahle had a good news/bad news outing, the Twins struggled against high-velocity rookie pitcher Hunter Brown, and they lost the last game of the series 5-1. Mahle’s Other Big Problem The good news is that Mahle’s velocity numbers remain high, demonstrating that the shoulder fatigue that ended his 2022 season, is being held at bay. The bad news is that was only half his problem in 2022. While the rest of Twins Territory worried about the health of Mahle’s shoulder last year, he was worried about something else. “The big problem I had last year was not to lefties but to righties,” Mahle confided during spring training. “I didn't have a slider breaking ball. So I was, you know, it was pretty tough to get righties out. But I think what I have now, I think it's gonna be a big difference.” His stats last year tell a similar story. Mahle, a right-handed pitcher, had “reverse splits.” Usually, pitchers struggle against opposite-handed hitters, but Mahle was great versus left-handees, holding them to a .192 batting average and a 602 OPS. But right-handers hit .268 against him with a 783 OPS. It was a similar story in 2021. The cliché is that starting pitchers need three pitches, but a more true statement is that they need two pitches that work versus both right-handed and left-handed hitters. A fastball works against both sides, but off-speed pitches are generally more effective vs one side or the other. So a pitcher wants to have two off-speed pitches: one that works vs the same-handed batter, and one versus the opposite-handed batter. A slider generally works against a same-handed batter. So Mahle went to DriveLine, a performance training center, to work on it early in the offseason. Things clicked fast. There was a slight change to the grip, but the big change was a mindset change: quit trying to throw it so hard. “I'm not like trying to throw a 90 mile an hour slider, you know, because what I'm good at is getting behind the ball. So if I think I'm gonna try to throw something hard, I'm gonna get behind it, which isn't good for a slider,” said Mahle. So while we’re all interested in Mahle’s velocity readings to gauge the strength of his shoulder, it may be nearly as important to see how he’s doing versus right-handers, and particularly when throwing that slider. This makes the Astros a tough matchup for Mahle. They only have three left-handed hitters on their roster, and usually only two are in the lineup. Except for Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez – two excellent hitter in their own right – Mahle had to face all right-handed bats. Sure enough, the damage that was done in third inning was done by two right-handed hitters. #9 hitter Mauricio Dubon singled on a ground ball through the middle. Then Chas McCormick belted a home run into the right field bleachers. And yes, both hits came on sliders. The story was similar in the fifth inning, when the Twins gave up two more runs. All three hits that led to runs were hit by right-handed hitters – a leadoff single by Jeremy Pena, a double down the first base line by Dubon and a two run-scoring single by McCormick again. The slider, it looks like, remains a work in progress. Mahle threw it 34 times, got 16 strikes on it (five swinging), three outs, but gave up four hits. "Yeah, today it was good. I thought it was better than my last start," Mahle said after the game. "It's just more consistent and the action I wanted." His development of that pitch, and the results he gets versus right-handed hitters, will likely drive his success this season at least as much as his radar gun numbers. How Would You Score It? There was a scoring change on the run that Byron Buxton scored in the fourth inning, and that led to some debate in the press box. Buxton hit a ground ball that would likely have been an infield single, but the throw also got past the first baseman, so Buxton took second base. The next two batter struck out. Then Donovan Solano hit a double into the right-field corner that scored Buxton. Originally, his run was counted as an “earned” run. A run is earned if the scorekeeper decide that the run would’ve scored regardless of any errors made during the inning. Essentially, the scorer was saying that had there not been a throwing error and Buxton would have had to stay on first base, he still would’ve scored on that double. In the fifth inning, that was changed to an unearned run, saying the opposite was true: that Buxton would’ve been held up at third base (or been out had he not). Here’s the play. Judge for yourself. Let’s hear what you think in the comments. Low Leverage Leakage If you’re looking for something from the series to worry about (and what Minnesota sports fan isn’t?), one group that struggled in the series was the backend of the bullpen. That’s to be expected of course - the Astros have a great lineup, and Jovani Moran, Jorge Alcala, and Emilio Pagan are in the back-end of the bullpen for a reason: because they are not yet accomplished enough to be among the Twins top relievers. But it’s doubtful this series did much to build their (or Rocco Baldelli’s) confidence. Saturday, Moran was handed a five-run lead in the ninth inning and turned it into a save opportunity for Jhoan Duran. Sunday, Alcala cruised through a seventh inning, but started the eighth with two walks that eventually turned into a run (albeit unearned). Finally, Pagan was the pitcher on the mound when that run came across the plate. Pagan got the Twins out of the jam and had a more tempered ninth inning after giving up a lead off double in the inning. This is part of the learning process, and it’s how low-leverage become high-leverage relievers. But right now, it doesn’t look like any of the three are ready to leapfrog into a more critical role. What’s Next? Twins begin their second series of the homestand against the Chicago White Sox on Monday afternoon. Kenta Maeda is set to make his second start of the season against last year’s runner-up for the AL Cy Young, Dylan Cease. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Postgame Interview Coming soon. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

ST. PAUL – The Twins and their Triple-A affiliate St. Paul Saints were both an hour away from starting their games on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Then a call came to Saints manager Toby Gardenhire. His lineup was in need of a change. Image courtesy of Theo Tollefson Matt Wallner was penciled in as the Saints designated hitter for the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, but the Twins made a call for the 25–year-old Forest Lake native to get back up to the big leagues. The move was retroactive to Max Kepler officially being placed on the 10-day injured list and the Twins needed another outfielder to take his place. Wallner and many of his Saints teammates were in a hitters meeting at the time Gardenhire received the call from the Twins' front office. No time was wasted thereafter. Wallner was scratched, Jair Carmargo took his place as the DH for game one, and Saints clubhouse manager Matt Tramp quickly organized Wallner’s belongings to get him off to Target Field in time for the first pitch against the Astros. “I told Wallner. I just said, ‘Be ready. You're not in the lineup (Saturday), but be ready to go off the bench,’” said Gardenhire. Given Wallner’s time in the big leagues late in the 2022 season and limited time before both the Twins and Saints games started. Gardenhire didn’t have many more words of wisdom to pass to Wallner that he had not already shared with him. “I talked to him a little bit during spring training and just told them, ‘Hey, just keep doing your thing. You're doing good. They got a lot of outfielders out there but stuff is gonna happen. It always does,” Gardenhire said on what he shared with Wallner. “Nobody knows how quick it's gonna be, but it all usually plays out at some point. It just happened to be the first full week of the season. He's a good player, a good hitter, and I hope he goes up there and it helps him grow more,” said Gardenhire. Gardenhire had not chosen Wallner to be the DH for the first game knowing this move was a certainty Saturday morning. Wallner had played all five games of the Saints season so far in right field and was in need of a defensive break. “I was planning on splitting him [Wallner] DH one game. playing in the field the other, but I had an idea that it was a possibility that he was gonna get called up. So I had a solid backup plan in case that happened,” said Gardenhire. Fortunately, Wallner was not needed in the Twins lineup for their 9-6 victory over the Houston Astros Saturday afternoon. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli shared with a pool of beat reporters after the game Wallner will see action in the Twins lineup, but did not comment on if it would be as soon as Sunday afternoon’s finale against the Astros. View full article

ST. PAUL – After days of setbacks due to weather, the St. Paul Saints finally had their home opener Thursday afternoon against the Iowa Cubs. Here’s what went down. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints Bailey Ober made his second start of the Saints' young season to keep his days off between starts normal. Opposing him was Roenis Elias, a seven-year MLB veteran, who had seven relief appearances with the Seattle Mariners in 2022. It all came down to which team could have the more patient hitter as both teams’ pitching staffs combined for 16 walks and 25 hits in the game. The Saints had hope for a victory after they mounted a large comeback in the bottom of the eighth that put them up 11-8. All that died after the Cubs came back with four more runs in the top of the ninth, making the game a 12-11 final. Ober’s home start did not go as planned Ober’s first inning of work was shaky. A walk to Christopher Morel that started the game came back to haunt him as he surrendered a two-run homer to Cubs center fielder Nelson Velazquez that put the Cubs up 2-0. Ober escaped the inning on the next batter by striking out former Yankee Mike Tauchman. The second inning fared much better for the tall righty as he struck out the side, all-swinging, keeping his team in the lead. Ober’s third inning had a 1-5-4-6 fielders choice that shook things up but otherwise, the inning was smooth. The fourth was a struggle for the 6’9 righty. After striking out the lead off-man, Ober walked a batter, gave up a single, got a flyout, and then walked two more hitters tying the game up at 3-3. The last walk marked the end of his afternoon with 6 K’s, 4 BB, 2 H, and 3 ER in 3 ⅔ innings of work. Ober’s fastball averaged 93 MPH and after the game he spoke on how he felt about the pitch. “It felt really strong and healthy, felt like a ball was coming out of the hand well and same with all my other pitches,” said Ober. The tight strike zone by home plate umpire Anthony Perez was a large contributor to Ober’s walk total. The cold weather also made it harder for any pitcher to have the command they hoped for. “Obviously, I would like to throw a little bit more strikes, stay in the game a little bit longer. But it's one of those days where you're just not gonna get some of those calls because it's cold out there. The winds blown out. Just gotta put that behind you and try to make pitches work as best you can,” said Ober. "He was close but in baseball close is still a ball," said Saints manager Toby Gardenhire. "He was throwing a lot of good pitches that could have gone either way. It's just one of those one of those things where he was just just missing a little bit. So I think if he keeps going this way, turn it in the right direction, then he'll be fine." Home runs and a bases-clearing double from Wallner isn’t enough to beat Cubs The Saints were trailing 2-0 when they first came to bat and they didn’t waste time to get back into the game. Edouard Julien lead off the inning with a solo shot to get the first run on the board for the Saints, making it 2-1. Then Kyle Garlick, facing a lefty, followed up with a home run of his own tying the game 2-2. Two batters later, first baseman Tyler White had the final solo home run in the first inning to give the Saints a 3-2 lead. After an explosive first inning, the Saints bats had a hard time getting on base until the fifth inning. A lead-off walk by catcher Tony Wolters, followed by Julien reaching base on a single, gave Matt Wallner his first RBI opportunity with men on base for the day. Wallner delivered putting the Saints up 4-3. Julien later scored on a wild pitch to give the Saints the 5-3 lead. The Saints had a dismal sixth inning that lost them the lead for the first time since the start of the game. A grand slam by Cubs first baseman Matt Mervis put the score at 7-5. In the next inning, Cubs top outfield prospect Brennan Davis hit a solo shot of his own to make it 8-5. When all looked to be lost in the bottom of the eighth, the Saints got hope from an old friend of the Twins, Tyler Duffey. Duffey walked four hitters and gave up a single to set things up for Wallner. He smacked the ball on a 106.6 MPH exit velo for a bases-clearing double, which gave the Saints back the lead and put the score at 10-8. Unfortunately, the hope died once more as Cody Laweryson gave up four runs in his CHS debut in the top of the ninth, making it a 12-11 Cubs win. An unusual delay of game As the top of the third was set to start, the game entered an unexpected delay as Wallner flagged down the grounds crew to check on the dirt on the right field warning track. The grounds crew came in to pack down fresh dirt which ended up being an 11-minute delay. “That part of the field has been in the shade most of the day,” said Gardenhire. “So there’s frost underneath there. At the start of the day it was flat and it was fine. Then as the sun starts to hit it, that frost starts to come up so it created a little bit of mud. We had to go through some of the quick dry stuff and check some of that down there so we didn't have guys slipping.” Other Notes The Saints had a one-of-a-kind double play in the top of the eighth from a diving Elliot Soto at shortstop, who flipped the ball while lying on the ground to Julien to get the out at second, followed by a quick relay to first from Julien. "It was tough because the ball actually was in the sun," said Gardenhire. "The sun shines through the concourse there in certain innings. Elliot's lost the ground ball in the sun so to actually get any part of the glove on that at all was pretty impressive. And then he was able to flick the ball towards second base with gloves. Soto can do things like that and it's always impressive." The paid attendance for the day was 3,023. The Saints play their next game against the Cubs tomorrow night at 6:37 p.m. Louie Varland is set to make his 2023 debut for the Saints on the mound. View full article

The first series of the season concluded with a Twins win on Sunday and their first Opening Series sweep to start a season since 2017. Image courtesy of Peter Aiken, USA Today Box Score SP: Joe Ryan 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (80 pitches, 52 strikes (65 strike %)) Home Runs: Joey Gallo 2 (2) Top 3 WPA: Joe Ryan .259, Joey Gallo .205, Ryan Jeffers .200 Win Probability Chart The Twins concluded their first series of the season in Kansas City looking for a sweep over their division foe. With Joe Ryan tossing six strong innings, and Byron Buxton, Ryan Jeffers, Trevor Larnach, and Joey Gallo having multi-hit games, the Twins were able to complete the sweep. Shutout Streak Ends, but Ryan has Quality Start Ryan’s season debut for the 2023 Twins got off to a very good start as he threw his fastest recorded pitch in the big leagues, a 96 mph fastball against Bobby Witt Jr in the top of the first. The downside of Ryan’s start was the end of the Twins' scoreless inning streak to start the season, ending at 19 2/3 innings. The home run from Edward Olivares tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second. Ryan got into another jam in the bottom of the third with runners on second and third, but he escaped on a groundout by Vinnie Pasquantino. Ryan dominated the rest of the way, retiring nine of the last 10 hitters he faced with Salvador Perez being the only hitter to get the better of him with a double and a walk in Ryan’s last three innings of work. Ryan’s career totals against the Kansas City Royals now include a 1.20 ERA in 30 innings of work across five starts. Jeffers, Gallo Keep Bats Hot for Twins Lineup Ryan Jeffers made his debut for the 2023 season as well on Sunday and showed himself to be a completely different hitter from last year. Jeffers drove in the Twins' first two runs of the game, both on RBI singles, and made it the first time ever for Twins catchers to have multi-hit games in all three games to start a season. Joey Gallo’s bat also came alive Sunday afternoon. He started the game by going 2-for-3 with a double and the Twins' first home run of the season. His homer came off of fellow Henderson, Nevada native and left-handed pitcher, Amir Garrett, and was pulled straight away to right field landing 431 feet from the plate. Gallo figured one home run wasn’t enough and in his next at-bat hit a three-run home run off of Dylan Coleman to extend the Twins' lead to 6-1 in the top of the seventh inning. This was also Gallo’s third multi-home run game against the Royals in his career, the last coming on June 26, 2021, in an 8-0 victory by the Rangers. Other Notes Buxton went 2-4 with a walk in Sunday’s game and made it the first time in his career he has ever started a season with three straight multi-hit games as well. Larnach added on the Twins' final run of the game and had his first three-hit game in the big leagues since May 29, 2022, which was also against the Royals. Emilio Pagan came in for the ninth and made the end results more dramatic as he usually does. However, he recorded the final three outs to finish the victory. The sweep over their Royals brings the Twins' record to 3-0 and is their first 3-0 start to a season since 2017 when the Twins swept the Royals at Target Field in another three-game series. What’s Next? Twins head south to Miami for the second series of the season, reuniting with Luis Arraez and playing the Marlins on the road for the first time since 2019. Tyler Mahle will be on the mound for the Twins against Johnny Cueto for the Marlins. Postgame Interviews View full article

Twins top prospect Edouard Julien made himself a household name thanks to his time with Team Canada in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Find out what the young second baseman learned from the experience and what he learned from other great Canadian ballplayers. Image courtesy of Zachary BonDurant, USA Today ST. PAUL – It has not even been two full weeks since the conclusion of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). Still, the global tournament ended sooner for Twins prospect Edouard Julien who represented his home country of Canada. Julien raked for Team Canada. In their four games, he hit .538/.667/1.154 (1.821) with a double, triple, and two home runs in 18 plate appearances These stats alone made him the unofficial team MVP for Canada in this WBC, but the experience beyond his on-field performance was what made the whole thing worth it to Julien. “It was a great experience for sure,” said Julien. “Just to be able to play for your country, represent a whole nation, and to be with guys that you play when you're younger, growing up, even meet Freddie Freeman. It was an unreal experience for me, and I learned so much at the WBC and it's something I'm looking forward to doing again in a few years.” Getting to play once again with guys Julien grew up with in Quebec is what made Julien most proud of team Canada’s infield. Everyone, minus Freeman, was a French-Canadian between him, Abraham Toro, and Otto Lopez. “In the offseason, we all work out together and we just do stuff together. And to be able to suit up and be on the same team. It was for sure a cool experience,” Julien said. Julien’s time away for the WBC kept him from spending a lot of time with Twins Hall of Famer and fellow Canadian, Justin Morneau, while he was at Twins spring training. Fortunately, one of Julien’s icons was able to see him play in one game for Team Canada at Chase Field. “I didn't get to be in big league camp when he [Morneau] was there. Last week, I went to play the game at home, I saw him and it was cool just to see him again. He's for sure one of the best Canadian baseball players that have ever played the game. When I was younger, he's one of the reasons why I wanted to be on the Twins,” Julien said. While his time away from camp kept him from spending time with the best Canadian in Twins history, Julien was able to learn more from Baseball Hall of Famer and Canadian legend, Larry Walker. Walker served as Team Canada’s first base coach and a hitting coach for the next generation of Canadian hitters who, like Julien, are following in his footsteps. “It was fun just to be around Larry. He's just been around the game for so long, and he's just such a pure talent. He knows so much about the game and just to be around him, Freddie, Tyler O’Neil, and Russell Martin, was fun. Even the pitching coach, Paul Quantrill. All smart people. Just to be around them. Them giving me advice and just got me to make adjustments and also just trust my abilities.” All in all, Julien is grateful for his WBC experience because, above all else, the knowledge and playing time have made him a better and more confident player, ready to make his major-league debut for the Twins in 2023. “I just believed in myself a little more and made some quick adjustments with what Freddie told me in Arizona. I'm confident that (I'm) ready for this season.” Feel free to discuss Julien and his WBC opportunity in the COMMENTS below. In his first Saints game, he hit his first Triple-A home run. View full article

An old friend of the Twins outfield has returned to the organization for the first time since 2019. While he only contributed two of the record setting Bomba Squad's 307 home runs that year, Ryan LaMarre is happy to be back and playing a bigger role with the organization this year. Image courtesy of Dave Nelson, USA Today ST. PAUL – It’s been almost four years since outfielder Ryan LaMarre put on a Minnesota Twins uniform during the waning days of the Bomba Squad season of 2019. His first stint with the Twins came at the start of the 2018 season playing 43 games in the outfield before the Chicago White Sox claimed him off waivers on July 9th of that year. He later returned to the Twins as they purchased his contract from the Atlanta Braves on September 8, 2019, to play in 14 of the 19 final games that year. Now being back in the Twins organization for the start of the 2023 season at Triple-A St. Paul. LaMarre sees himself filling a new role both on and off the field for the team; leadership. “This is my 13th season and I've had a lot of people help me along the way,” said LaMarre. “I'd say a couple of years ago, I started feeling like I was an older guy in the clubhouse in Triple-A and I think, you know, rather than fight that, I try to embrace that role. I always get more out of that than something that just might help myself.” One notable thing to LaMarre in the minor leagues today compared to when he first joined the Cincinnati Reds organization in 2010 is how much quicker players develop. The quicker development of players that he is mentoring provides a strong two-way system between the parties in helping make their game’s much better on the field. LaMarre will not be the only veteran leader in the Saints’ clubhouse as infielder Elliot Soto has returned for a second season with the Twins organization. Soto was a notable leader to many players in the Saints clubhouse throughout the 2022 season, and LaMarre already believes the duo will be a great tag team for leadership in 2023. “I feel like we've crossed paths a lot but we never played together. So getting to know him as a person and watching how he competes and plays, it's not a surprise that he's played the game for as long as he has. We clicked right away and we’ll be in that same boat of looking to help the team in any way we can. Whether it's on the field or off the field in the clubhouse, helping these young guys, trying to help ourselves, and putting ourselves in a position to maybe help the Twins too.” LaMarre’s return to the Twin Cities was not just a move that he felt would be good for himself at this point in his career. His wife’s family also resides in the greater Twin Cities area and will be a great balance for them while he is on the road for Saints games this season. LaMarre is one of seven outfielders on the Saints' Opening Day roster, an outfield that includes Twins Daily’s #11 prospect Matt Wallner, Mark Contreras, Yoyner Fajardo, Kyle Garlick, Armani Smith, and Andrew Stevenson. View full article

ST. PAUL – After 30 years of making baseball more fun, the Goldklang Group, who revitalized the St. Paul Saints franchise in 1992 and played their first season in 1993, are selling off their team to Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH). The sale was announced by both parties on Wednesday, March 15, and talks between the parties began after the conclusion of the 2022 minor-league season. Image courtesy of Theo Tollefson Jeff Goldklang was still in college and playing for his baseball team when the St. Paul Saints played their first season in 1993. He’s worked at every type of position a minor-league team can offer from concession stand sales to his current role as president of Goldklang Group. Goldklang shared his memory of seeing the Saints in 1993 shortly after his college career ended. “I had heard all of this hoopla about these St. Paul Saints,] and I couldn't wait to get there. I remember showing up the first day and thinking that I was dropped off at the wrong ballpark when we were at Midway. I thought, ‘This isn't a minor-league stadium. This is a high school ballpark. We’ve come very far from our humble beginnings there, which were probably the most enjoyable times of most of our lives in baseball,” said Goldklang. Goldklang is the son of Saints Chairman and CEO, Marvin Goldklang, and he spoke on what brought the parties together after the Goldklang Group originally declined an offer from another party to purchase the Saints in the summer of 2022. “We talked internally, after we said no, and decided that if an offer came from a group or an individual that we felt could continue the Saints along the same path as we built it. Effectively fans first entertainment first, with baseball, obviously as the backdrop that that we would consider it,” said Goldklang. The right partner came around with Peter Freund, founder, and CEO of DBH, who has been affiliated with the Goldklang Group for several years as a partner owner in the Charleston Riverdogs and a limited partner in the Group’s stake in the New York Yankees. “He gets it. He knows who the Saints are and when they [DBS] came along and made us what we felt was a reasonable offer at the time. That was when we decided this was the right opportunity,” said Goldklang. Freund was unavailable for comment on this story, but a quote from him in a March 15 press release was provided by the St. Paul Saints to Twins Daily. “The Saints are an iconic franchise, unquestionably one of the jewels of Minor League baseball, and the club’s incredible legacy cannot be understated in St. Paul. DBH’s primary objective is to continue building on what my friends and partners of over a decade, Marv, Mike, Bill, and Jeff, have already created, and to continue supporting the incredible Saints staff, players, fans, and [the] entire St. Paul community,” Freund said. Many of the in-game fan experiences that make the Saints, the Saints, are still planned to occur for the 2023 season. The annual Name the Pig contest put on by the Star Tribune, concluded yesterday, but the Saints Ball Pig will still be at every home game for the 2023 season. “DBH knows who the Saints are and they recognize that we're one of the few minor league teams in a Major [League] market. And in order to not just survive, but to be as successful as we've been the fans have to be in on the joke. You go to a Saints game, you are part of the action, you're part of the fun. DBH understands that and they have indicated to us that they're going to let the staff do what they do,” Goldklang said. There is nothing but optimism from the Goldklang Group on the future of the Saints under the ownership of DBH. Jeff Goldklang has said that Freund sees the Saints as a ‘royalty’ type franchise among Minor League clubs, and wants to continue what makes the team a constant source of fun for the city of St. Paul. The St. Paul Saints open their season on the road for a three-game against the Toledo Mudhens on March 31. Their home opener is Tuesday, April 4, against the Iowa Cubs. DBH has come into ownership of 14 Minor League Baseball teams since launching in 2021, the Saints, are their 15th franchise now under their ownership. The Saints are also the second Minor League affiliate DBH has come into ownership of. The Wichita Wind Surge being the other that DBH purchased in December. View full article

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The Twins announced their first large movement of players from big league to minor-league camp at spring training after their split-squad games on Tuesday. With only 15 days until Opening Day, who among the 40-man roster still at major-league camp is most likely to be cut before the 26-man roster is finalized? Image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, USA Today Seven players on the 40-man roster have been either optioned (Jordan Balazovic, Matt Canterino, Brent Headrick, Edouard Julien, and Simeon Woods Richardson) or placed on the 60-day Injured List (Chris Paddack and Royce Lewis). That leaves decisions to be made on seven players, whether it’s an IL move or an option, before Opening Day. Injured List Alex Kirilloff remains the biggest question mark for the Twins. Will he be ready for Opening Day? The 2016 top pick took live batting practice on Monday against teammate Kenta Maeda. No further news of injury or discomfort in Kirilloff’s wrist from the live BP was reported by Twins beat reporters. The possibility of Kirilloff landing on the IL and staying in Ft. Myers for Extended Spring Training remains a possibility. At least one player will move to the Injured List before Opening Day. Gilberto Celestino's thumb injury will keep him out for six to eight weeks with a rehab assignment to follow. At that point, he will likely be optioned and play daily in St. Paul. The status of Ronny Henriquez and his sore posterior elbow has not been updated over the last week. While his health status has yet to be confirmed for Opening Day, it’s unlikely he’ll start the season on the Twins' 26-man roster as he has not thrown in a spring training game. Henriquez had a strong cup of coffee with the Twins bullpen last season posting a 2.31 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 11 2/3 innings pitched across three games. It’s likely that healthy or not, the Twins' front office will want Henriquez to develop at Triple-A before getting back into the team’s bullpen. Minor League Options Matt Wallner’s has had a decent spring hitting .250/.358/.450 (.798 OPS) in 20 at-bats across eight games. Since he is an offense-first player in a Twins outfield group filled with great defenders, it is likely he will start the season in St. Paul to have more guaranteed plate appearances and continue his development. Wallner’s opportunity to crack the 26-man roster and expect everyday playing time is in the designated hitter role or if there is another injury. Trevor Megill is second to only Jhoan Duran having the fastest pitch out of the entire Twins bullpen, but his lack of command from 2022 is still showing in spring training. Megill had a 2.88 K/BB ratio last year with the Twins. He has walked six batters and struck out 11 (K/BB ratio of 1.83) in 5 1/3 innings this spring. The blazing fastballs will not be enough for Megill to crack the Opening Day roster if he cannot get his command of the strike zone under wrap before then. Cole Sands has no bigger fan than the Twins Geek himself. However, with so many reliever options to choose from and Sands' bad streaks in the majors last year, the Twins front office may see more benefit for him to start the season in St. Paul getting innings as a starter and reliever. Sands can stay ready to be called up and sent back down based on injury moves. Louie Varland and his abilities certainly are exciting. However, while Bailey Ober is forcing the hands of the Twins' front office to consider starting 2023 with a six-man rotation, Varland is Starter #7 on the depth chart. To open the season in the Twins rotation would mean that two of the top six starters would start on the Injured List. Varland could theoretically make the Twins' Opening Day roster as a long reliever. However, the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2021 and 2022 will go to St. Paul and continue to develop as a starter. Who do you think will be among the Twins' last seven roster cuts to trim the Opening Day roster down to 26? Leave your predictions and thoughts below. View full article

There can never be too much depth at the minor-league level, but the Twins seem to have a soft spot for left-handed hitting outfielders as they added another Thursday afternoon. Image courtesy of Geoff Burke, USA Today The Twins signed the player who may be the hardest to remember from the Washington Nationals 2019 World Series roster at bar trivia to a minor-league deal. Andrew Stevenson, 28, spent all of his 2022 season at the Nationals Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings. He had been removed from their 40-man roster early in the season and was never called back up. Stevenson had spent his entire career in the Nationals organization. He made his MLB debut in 2017 and accumulated 449 plate appearances in 248 games from 2017-2021. His greatest asset is his defense, but Stevenson has shown flashes of offensive production at times in the minor leagues and in the big leagues. During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Stevenson posted a .366/.447/.732 (1.179 OPS), though it was in just 47 plate appearances. His 2022 season with the Red Wings was solid. He hit .279/.344/.457 (.801) with 16 home runs and 67 RBI in 135 games for the Red Wings. Stevenson’s addition to the Twins organization is great for any pending injuries. However, the possibility of his call-up would likely entail injuries to the other left-handed hitting outfielders including Max Kepler, Joey Gallo, Nick Gordon, Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, and Mark Contreras. The timing of the signing is interesting. Gilberto Celestino had surgery on his thumb and will miss two months while rehabbing. Plus, the plan was to let him develop in St. Paul this season anyway. Byron Buxton has yet to play this spring. Nick Gordon has been out with a high ankle sprain. Could it mean those players will be out longer than anticipated? Alex Kirilloff has also not played in a spring game yet which might mean that Joey Gallo may find himself at first base early in the season. Providing the Saints with some outfield options is also wise. Stevenson will likely receive nearly every day playing time with the Saints. His hitting abilities will be exciting to see against Triple-A pitching. If Stevenson ends up in a game for the Twins, hopefully, it will be due to hitting too well to ignore and not due to injuries. While this is just a minor-league signing, what do you think it means? Discuss in the COMMENTS below. View full article

MINNEAPOLIS - The role of executive chair of the Minnesota Twins changed hands this offseason with Jim Pohlad retiring from the role and his nephew, Joe Pohlad, taking over for him on November 28, 2022. Joe Pohlad moves up from his role as the team’s executive vice president in brand strategy and growth. Image courtesy of Theo Tollefson Jim Pohlad will still be involved with the Twins to a degree but as his 70th birthday approaches next month, he decided it was time for him to pass his day-to-day roles to Joe Pohlad. Jim Pohlad will still be the team’s representative in ownership for any league matters. Many Twins fans ponder what will be different with Joe Pohlad compared to Jim Pohlad. From the first three months on the job, it’s already apparent to some fans that Joe is more public-facing and involved with the front office. For starters, Dan Hayes of the Athletic wrote in his piece on Joe Pohlad (published February 14) that, unlike his uncle and grandfather’s time as the Twins chairman, he will be keeping an office at Target Field. On top of that, Joe Pohlad was heavily involved in making sure the Twins brought back superstar shortstop Carlos Correa and gave him the largest contract in team history. “I can think of no better way to articulate the seamless transition from Jim, his uncle to Joe than what we just went through,” said Derek Falvey during Correa’s press conference on January 11. “Ultimately going back to March and the contract we came up with, and then this offseason. Joe's been a part of those conversations for the last five plus years, at least that I've been here. So I expected that but Joe's patience was matched in a similar way, what Scott [Boras] and Carlos were showing, but also that persistence and that desire to find a way to get to this outcome.” Later during the press conference, Twins Daily co-owner John Bonnes followed up on this quote from Falvey asking Joe Pohlad if the large contract for Correa was a sign of things to come with future free agent deals. Joe Pohlad responded saying, “We'll take that on a case-by-case basis. Like Derek said earlier, we're in constant communication, and we're always looking at ways to make our team better. So if those opportunities come forward, then we'll evaluate that [them] then.” While Joe Pohlad has had a more active role in team transactions than his uncle in the last five years according to Falvey, he still does not want to become or be seen as an owner “who’s always meddling,” as Hayes wrote in the same article on February 14. Joe Pohlad’s interaction in the team’s baseball operations since returning to the front office in 2018 has not come without experience. He spent time as an assistant in the baseball operations department beginning in 2007. His experience there, which not many owners in Major League Baseball have had, sheds light that he is willing to shed the common trope Twins fans attribute to his family; the “Cheap Pohlads.” When asked individually at the January 11 press conference if Correa’s re-signing shows critical fans that ownership is committed to building the team for a championship, Joe Pohlad responded, “I hope so. I think how we view it, or at least how I view it, is this the best route for us in order to get to where we want to be, which is a competitive team that can compete for a World Series?. Ultimately, the goal is to win and is every move we make going to add to that and achieve that goal? And this [signing] is gonna do that.” Joe Pohlad was built up in the Twins organization to be fitted for this role. He’s worked in a variety of roles within the Twins in anticipation of the day when this role was bestowed on him. In an era of Major League Baseball where the reputations of team owners usually bring negative connotations to their franchises, Joe Pohlad may be the outlier. Especially when compared to the ownership of teams such as the Houston Astros’ Jim Crane, the Cincinnati Reds’ Phil Castellini, and the Baltimore Orioles’ John Angelos. Joe Pohlad is in a similar boat as Castellini and Angelos with other family members (specifically the fathers of Castellini and Angelos), who are still living and have the ownership of the team in their name. Unlike the two though, Joe Pohlad has not made any comments that have had fanbases question their commitments to their franchises or the game of baseball. As the first full season with Joe Pohlad at the helm warms up in Ft. Myers for spring training, he has demonstrated many reasons for Twins fans to hope things are changing for the better. Maybe even enough to made the phrase, “Cheap Pohlads” be heard less often as fans return to Target Field for the 2023 season. View full article