Theodore Tollefson

The Twins are sending eight of their own prospects as well as Saints bench coach Tyler Smarslock to manage in the AFL this season. But the players being sent aren't headliners such as Royce Lewis or Austin Martin were only a few years back. So are they just roster fillers, or will these prospects take advantage of their extra playing time in October? View full video

The news of Derek Bedner's release from the Twins organization came as a surprise to many last week, but how rare of a thing is this to happen in the Minor Leagues? Jamie and Jeremy evaluate the situation and what it not only means for Bender's future in organized baseball but also the teammates impacted by his actions. View full video

Emmanuel Rodriguez has finally arrived to Triple-A but how have his numbers faired given he has spent three months on the injured list before being activated and joining the Saints? His numbers suggest similarities to Edouard Julien at the plate when striking out looking, is this a concern or something he can improve upon being only 21-years-old. View full video

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. has been a steady bat in the Saints lineup all season and knocking on the door of the Twins for his MLB debut. The Twins 40-man roster is full up with the final month of the season ahead, is there way for Keirsey to find his way in? View full video

"He just wanted to work through some things and he’s been Mr. Consistent for us from both sides of the plate.” Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints St. Paul – After leading all of Minor League Baseball with 35 home runs last season between Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul, Yunior Severino was added to the Twins 40-man roster and had a lot of expectations placed on him for the 2024 season. Those expectations quickly weighed heavy on him starting this season with the St. Paul Saints. The first six weeks of the season were grim for the 24-year-old corner infielder. Over 38 games, Severino had a measly .148 batting average and was only hitting .190 with balls in play. There were slight flashes of his power, but only six home runs and 17 RBI through nearly 40 games was a concern. “The first six weeks he was not the player he wanted to be,” said Saints hitting coach Shawn Schlechter, who worked with Severino most of last year at Double-A Wichita. Severino, Schlechter, Twins Player Development, and Front Office members began to notice something in his swing. He was swinging too hard at pitches inside the strike zone and throwing the balance off in his head, not following through on pitches with his eyes. They all decided it was time for Severino to simplify his approach, and when he started doing that on May 22 against the Buffalo Bison, things started changing for the better. Full disclosure: Severino, who does not speak English as his first language, provided all the quotes in this interview without the help of an interpreter. “I’ve focused on my swing to hit good pitches and not swing too hard,” Severino said on his swing approaches. “ Because the first two months of the league because I don’t feel too good swinging too hard and moving my face when I hit the ball. Right now my focus is to swing at a good pitch and swing more slow and only focus on the contact of the ball.” The Saints won that Wednesday afternoon game in May over Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate 18-3, and Severino was a massive part of that as he went 4-for-6, with 5 RBI, the majority of which came off a ninth-inning grand slam. He and Schlechter credit the simplification of his swing as a big turning point for him that afternoon. “A lot of it is a credit to his ability to make adjustments. He just wanted to work through some things and he’s been Mr. Consistent for us from both sides of the plate,” said Schlechter. Mr. Consistent is the best title to describe who Severino has been for the Saints as the summer has gone on. Following the dreadful first 38 games, he’s been the Saints' best hitter over his last 55 games posting a .337/.439/.564 triple slash, 1.003 OPS, has hit 12 home runs, 47 RBI, and has a .407 BABIP, all of which lead the team in that stretch. He's also cut down on his strikeouts considerably, having 58 over those first 38 games, but has only reached his 58th strikeouts since then during Tuesday night's 7-1 loss to Columbus. Cutting down on strikeouts has also led to more walks for the switch-hitter. He only had 19 on the season during his cold streak but has doubled that to 38 over this 55 game hot-streak. “The start of the season was my first time I swung a little bit too much but that’s okay the new moment is to focus on only contact on the ball and more focus on the swing and the rest of it is more better,” said Severino on the changes he’s felt since late May. The effort Severino has put into hasn’t gone unnoticed by either Schlechter or Saints manager Toby Gardenhire. It’s great, I’m really happy for him,” said Gardenhire on Severino’s changes. “I think he was putting a lot of pressure on himself because he got added to the 40-man roster but now he’s just playing again, which is really good to see. Because when he just goes out there and plays, I mean this guy can hit up against anybody.” “It gives us some flexibility in the lineup whether we’re facing a lefty or a righty to be able to do some damage and be productive in the top half of the lineup. A lot of that has been rebuilding confidence and trusting his ability to hit,” added Schlechter. On the defensive front, Severino has been the Saints' primary first baseman this season with only eight games at third base. Being a corner infielder, the opportunities for Severino at the Major League level but Gardenhire got creative for Tuesday's night game starting him in right field against the Clippers. This was Severino's first start in the outfield since 2022 when he was with High-A Cedar Rapids. "I called our farm director the other day and talked to him about it because Sevy's been playing first base, and he's doing fine, he's been working really hard. He's moving around better now than he did back in A ball, he's leaner. He was shagging fly balls out there the other day and I was watching him and it might be something he can do a little bit better if we just get him some work out there," Gardenhire said on starting Severino in right field. As the Saints only have seven weeks remaining on the season, and are likely out of contention for the Triple-A playoffs. Severino can simply focus on maintaining the hitter he’s been since late May, develop more power, and chase down the Saints single-season home run record to set a new one. “My focus right now is contact on the ball and not swinging too hard because hits are good and we are continuing the routine to focus on the contact of the ball and I’m doing the rest of my job for my teammates.” With Severino on the 40-man roster, the possibility of his MLB debut is not out of the question, and if he keeps up his performance at the plate and adjusts well to new positions on the field, the opportunity could present itself sometime in September. 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oe Ryan's tricep injury will have him missing a couple of starts over the Twins next turn or two in the rotation. With the Twins doubleheader on Friday, they will need someone to make a spot start on Tuesday. Will they opt to a bullpen game or will meteoric prospect Zebby Matthews make his MLB debut against the Royals next Tuesday? View full video

Kyle Farmer is the latest Twin on rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints. Read up on how his first two games went, and how he's progressing going into Thursday night's game. Image courtesy of © Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports ST. PAUL– This week, the Twins sent yet another player on a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints. Kyle Farmer joined the team for the start of their six-game homestand on Tuesday night, starting at second base in his first game since Jul. 10 against the Chicago White Sox. Farmer had not faced any live pitching before his rehab assignment started, which set up a bit of a challenge to end a nearly month-long drought. “It was good,” Farmer said on his first game. “It didn’t, you know it always, especially when you get older it kind of takes you a little bit longer, but today. During my last at-bat, I came back in here to watch video of my swing in my 2021 season and noticed my front hip was opening up a little bit and I made that adjustment in my last at-bat and it was good.” His shoulder hasn't been an issue at all, as Farmer said it's felt back to normal during these first two rehab games. With his shoulder in good health, he took the time to focus more on getting his swing back into form. He went back to the video from 2021 because it was one of his best seasons at the plate, and it certainly was. He had career highs in home runs (16), slugging (.416), and OPS (.732). The numbers backed up the motive to revisit footage from that season and make adjustments from there. “I wanted to look at the move I was doing, and this past year, my front hip has been open up a little bit all year. I usually dive, and I haven’t been diving towards the plate a little bit. So my last at-bat, I kept my hip in a little bit longer,” said Farmer. In his first two rehab games, Farmer has gone 1-for-8 at the plate, with an RBI double to end Wednesday’s 4-2 Saints win over the Columbus Clippers. The focus for many major-league players on rehab stints is getting back into gameday routines, rather than results, especially for hitters. In Farmer’s case, his first game on the field Tuesday was focused on getting reps on the field at second base. His second game, at DH, gave him more time to solely focus on his swing and make adjustments, like he did with his hip, to get back into the literal swing of things. Saints manager Toby Gardenhire confirmed this as he broke down Farmer’s outlook following Wednesday’s game. “He seemed like he felt good,” said Gardenhire. “Like we talked about yesterday, he’s just working into things, hasn’t had at-bats in a long time so him getting at-bats. He’s going to get more comfortable over time.” And Farmer will have more time in the field again Thursday, as he’s expected to play on the Saints' left side of the infield. If Farmer had his choice, he’d be playing shortstop, but he understands that where he’s playing isn’t as important as getting the reps in. The rehab outing isn’t just something that benefits Farmer, but his Saints teammates as well. Farmer is one of the most respected veteran players in the Twins clubhouse these last two seasons, and many have looked to his leadership on the team. While many of the Saints players haven’t spent nearly as much time around Farmer since Spring Training, they’re still taking advantage of his presence there. “I learn from them too. They’re a lot younger than me and some guys are ten years younger than me, so I enjoy being around these younger guys. They keep me loose and I just try to teach them positivity. You never know when this game is going to end and you’re going to get out, learn from it, and always stay positive,” said Farmer. Farmer will have at least one more game with the Saints Thursday night. What happens to him ahead of the doubleheader against Cleveland that opens a seven-game homestand Friday afternoon is anyone’s guess. But Farmer isn’t focusing too far ahead, and will do his part to get himself ready for the Twins one game at a time. View full article

Start went crazy; the rubber match went snap. Now we have to find out who'll hold it down til Ryan gets back. Image courtesy of David Banks Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (33 pitches, 22 strikes (66.7% strikes)) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Max Kepler .143, Matt Wallner .089, Carlos Santana .034, Bottom 3 WPA: Trevor Richards -.347, Willi Castro -.100, Austin Martin -.094 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Getting Runs Early Following Tuesday night’s 8-3 loss, the Twins bats determined to get on the board early in this one. Trevor Larnach drew a one-out walk in the top of the first, and two batters later, Matt Wallner drilled an RBI double to right-center to drive him in and put the Twins up 1-0. That lead was shortlived, but the Twins offense continued to be a thorn in Cubs starter Javier Assad’s side. Carlos Santana and Max Kepler led off the second with back-to-back singles. With one out, Brooks Lee was up. He battled out a 12-pitch at-bat and managed an RBI groundout to score Santana and give the Twins back the lead again. The Joe Ryan Experience Makes a Sudden Stop Joe Ryan had heavy expectations on him on Wednesday afternoon. He’d be making the Twins' last start before a four-game series against the Guardians at home, and he needed to do his part to ensure a win before a pivotal series for the American League Central takes place. Ryan struck out Ian Happ on three quick pitches to begin the game. The next batter, Cubs first baseman and Minnesota native Michael Busch, would not make things so easy. On a 2-2 count, Ryan threw a 94.1 MPH fastball right down the middle for Busch, who crushed it for a solo home run to right-center field. Ryan would have a quick 10-pitch, 1-2-3 second inning. But things turned for the worse in the third. After throwing only four pitches to Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ryan had a visit on the mound from Twins trainer Nick Paparesta. Whatever Ryan felt on the previous two pitches didn’t sit right with him, and Ryan removed himself from the game after facing only eight batters. He was diagnosed with triceps tightness, which could mean any number of things. Now, we wait. Unexpected Bullpen Game Trevor Richards was the first man out of the Twins bullpen following Ryan’s exit from the game. He came in inheriting a 1-2 count on Crow-Armstrong, threw two balls outside the strike zone, then allowed a base hit into right field to get one of the Cubs' deadliest baserunners on. Things would not get any easier for Richards, as his command of the strike zone was not there. He walked three batters in the bottom of the third, including a bases-loaded freebie to Seiya Suzuki that tied the game. Suzuki’s RBI walk was followed by a sacrifice fly from Isaac Parades that gave the Cubs a 3-2 lead. Richards did not even make it out of the third inning after throwing 41 pitches, walking five batters, and having only 17 of those 41 pitches landed for strikes. Cole Sands came into the game to mop up Richards's mess, getting Dansby Swanson to ground out and keep the Twins out of further damage only trailing 4-2. Sands would remain on for the fourth, and while his command of the strike zone was much better than Richards's, the results were just as bad. After Christian Bethancourt hit a one-out double, Happ drilled a 96.5 MPH fastball down and in for a two-run shot to extend the Cubs lead to 6-2. Fortunately, Sands would regain his composure and avert any further damage as he retired the final two batters. Josh Winder threw only 10 pitches to get the Twins through the fifth without the deficit growing. He remained in the game for the bottom half of the sixth and was once again perfect, getting a groundout and two strikeouts on just 13 pitches. He did allow a hit in the seventh, but held Chicago scoreless for a third frame in a row. In the meantime, though, zeros piled up on the Twins' row of the scoreboard. Caleb Thielbar was the Twins' last man out of the bullpen Wednesday, and things did not go well for him. The Cubs managed to get three hits and score two more insurance runs off him, all but securing their win with an 8-2 lead. Bats go Cold After Ryan's Exit While the Twins were able to get at least one base runner in each inning from the 4th to the 6th, they managed to leave each runner stranded. Kepler drew a walk in the fourth and was left behind, José Miranda had a two-out double in the fifth, but saw no help from Wallner who struck out swinging. Santana had his second hit of the game in the sixth, but was left stranded. The trend continued into the seventh inning, as Lee had a leadoff single, but was out on a force out at second hit by Willi Castro. Aside from Austin Martin getting hit by a pitch in the top of the ninth, the Twins combined to go 0-for-6 with no base runners in the last two innings, leaving five runners on base after Ryan's departure. Other Notes Ryan’s injury exit from the game was announced to be a right triceps injury. This was the first time all season Ryan left a game due to injury. More details are to come following the Twins postgame. What’s Next? The Twins are off on Thursday but will return home for their biggest series of the summer against the Cleveland Guardians. They will play a doubleheader Friday against Cleveland with Bailey Ober and Louie Varland as their starters. The Twins have yet to announce who is starting which game. Game 1 starts at 4:10 p.m. Postgame Interview Coming soon. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The former Twins pitcher is currently in the Royals organization and has seen more time in the majors already this year than he had in all of 2023. But his journey has been bigger than baseball. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints ST. PAUL–He got famous with a fierce, high-spin curveball, but this spring, life threw him one. Tyler Duffey has had a strong go-around with the Kansas City Royals Triple-A affiliate Omaha Storm Chasers, following a month-long stretch with the big-league club from Apr. 22 to May 20. Duffey had mixed results over nine games for the Royals in those 28 days, allowing five earned runs in nine innings of work, but he avoided giving up any home runs. Four days after his last outing on an MLB mound, Duffey was designated for assignment by the Royals, as they reactivated fellow right-handed reliever Carlos Hernández from the 15-day injured list. Duffey cleared waivers and remained in the organization. While it was a bit of a downer, it was far from the most alarming thing on his mind this season: he faced a cancer diagnosis a week into Spring Training. “We got there and had our physicals and it was just a general check,” Duffey said. “I mentioned I had a little freckle up here (his left shoulder) that didn’t look normal, and the doctor looked at it and said, “Yeah, it’s not great.” They (the Royals team doctor) got me in good hands, and within five days I had it seen, got a biopsy, and then a week later they said it had to be taken out.” Fortunately for Duffey, the freckle that Royals team doctors identified as melanoma was identified at an early stage. An additional plus on the baseball side was that it wasn’t on his throwing shoulder. The treatment still set him back in Spring Training, as he had around 40 stitches in his shoulder to help heal the wound. But it was a short detour Duffey was happy to have, to avoid long-term health issues. “It was definitely a shock to the system. I showed up to Spring Training ready to go and felt great, but I literally couldn’t play catch for about 10 days. Thank God I was in the right place to talk to the right doctor and got ahead of it,” Duffey reflected. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Duffey has had to face down this enemy. Both his parents, Tim and Shanna, battled and died of cancer. Shanna Duffey was diagnosed with breast cancer when Tyler was still a student at Rice University, and died from blood clot complications related thereto in 2012. Tim Duffey, like his son, was diagnosed with melanoma, and died from the cancer in 2021, when Tyler was still with the Twins. Having lost both his parents to different types of cancer, Duffey has been especially grateful toward the Royals organization for their care, as well as the endless support from his wife and his brother Travis. “From the get-go, they were taking care of me great, anything I needed, things like that. Fast-forward, here we are, my family has been traveling with me and I’m enjoying that,” said Duffey. Duffey conspicuously covered up head to toe in pre-game workouts at CHS Field last week when the Storm Chasers played the St. Paul Saints, with leggings and long sleeves. His diagnosis has had teammates throughout the organization asking them about how it was identified and what they can do to avoid a similar (or even more severe) diagnosis down the road. After going through what he did this spring, Duffey has been more open to the whims of the game than ever. Since being outrighted to Omaha, he has 16 solid outings out of the Storm Chasers bullpen, posting a 2.11 ERA in 21 ⅓ innings, along with 24 strikeouts and only six walks. “It’s a joke that I have with a lot of these guys, that if I had the 99 MPH like a lot of these guys have I wouldn’t be fun for anyone to face. But I get to go in and show them it can be done without it. If I can do that, hopefully, what I’m tinkering here and there, shaping pitches things like that--as we all are,” Duffey said on his performance of late. The end of his tenure with the Twins wasn’t a happy send-off, as he pitched his final game with the franchise nearly two years ago. Duffey always has a bittersweet time returning to Minnesota--even if it’s at a ballpark he never called ‘home’. “It’s a homecoming, but the irony is I never played here. Everybody on the team’s like ‘Oh you played in St. Paul,’ and no, we were in Rochester, New York, that was where I played Triple-A with the Twins.” There are fewer former teammates with the Saints this time around, compared to when he last threw at CHS Field on Apr. 8, 2023. Despite that, there’s still a plethora of familiar faces across the International League. “The International League is littered with Twins guys and Royals guys, and everything for that matter. So it's a tight-knit group and there’s always so many of us around, and there’s only so much you get to control up in the big leagues," Duffey said. "So it's a brotherhood that is unique to itself and I’m definitely appreciative of that.” Every player in the International League is still itching to get their first opportunity in the majors, or to return there, as Duffey is currently doing with the Royals organization. The additions of Michael Lorenzen and Lucas Erceg at the trade deadline have put a couple more names ahead of Duffey in the pecking order of who will be up in their MLB bullpen. “Staying here, I thought was my best bet," Duffey said about accepting his assignment. "They gave me an opportunity, so why not keep trying to roll with that? And it’s a great group of guys here, that’s what makes it fun to do this. Our pitching coaches are great, they’ve been around the game for a long time and little stuff like that matters to a guy like me, who’s just trying to be comfortable somewhere and get another chance and so far, so good.” But none of that is a major concern for him. Duffey is happy to be where he is, and making the most of it, following the cancer scare. He hopes acting on it early will not only give him more years to keep throwing, but many more to spend with his friends and family both on and off the field. View full article

The Mets outscored the Twins 17-2 over the first two games of their series in New York this week. On getaway day, the better team took its righteous revenge. Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Pablo López: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K (103 pitches, 66 strikes (64% strikes)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (13), Matt Wallner (6) Top 3 WPA: Royce Lewis .100, Trevor Larnach .099, Byron Buxton .096 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Racking Up Runs in the Third The Twins offense had been mostly absent in the first two games against the Mets, supplying only two runs in 18 innings. Fortunately, the bats woke up against Luis Severino Wednesday afternoon. It all kicked off with a solo home run from Byron Buxton in the second inning. Carlos Santana and Ryan Jeffers followed Buxton in the batting order, and both of them drew walks to try and get a rally going. Unfortunately, Brooks Lee grounded into a double play to end the frame, but unlike other days, the Twins would make up for the lost opportunity later. The top of the third was all about passing the baton to the next guy in the order. Austin Martin, Trevor Larnach, and Max Kepler hit back-to-back-to-back singles to start the inning, and put the Twins back in the lead 3-2. Royce Lewis kept things going, hitting an RBI double that scored Kepler, and Matt Wallner crushed a two-run homer, extending the lead 6-2. The six runs in the second and third combined were more than the Twins had scored since the fourth inning of their 5-0 victory over Detroit. López’s Composure Continues Pablo López made his 22nd start of the year for the Twins on Wednesday. The first inning started out scary, as Francisco Lindor crushed a 97-MPH fastball to left field, but Larnach reached up for a catch that prevented Lindor from extra bases to start the game. López walked J.D. Martinez with two outs, but then got Pete Alonso on a groundout to avoid further damage. The second inning was the only portion of López’s start where the Mets got the better of him. With the Twins holding a 1-0 lead thanks to Buxton’s homer, Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil hit a bloop infield single over the head of Lewis at third. Then came red-hot third baseman Mark Vientos, who crushed a two-run homer off López to right field to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. Following the two-run shot from Vientos, however, López would go on to dominate over the next five innings, allowing only three baserunners on two walks and a hit and tallying six of his seven strikeouts. This marks López’s fourth consecutive start of allowing two runs or fewer. The ace is dealing again. Twins Daily's winning "Make It Official!" game recaps are sponsored by Official Fried Chicken, which you can find in center field of Target Field. With a name like "Official," we know we have to be the best in the game every day, and from your first bite, you'll know thats a promise we make good on. The Dobnak Report It took a few injuries, 267 ⅔ innings of work across 69 minor-league games and a grand total of 1,062 days, but Randy Dobank finally made his return to a major-league mound with the Twins in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game. Dobnak retired the first batter he faced, Tyrone Taylor, on a slider that Taylor hit to Lewis for a groundout. Lindor was up next and hit a single up the middle, but Dobnak was able to bounce back and strike out Ben Gamel. Unfortunately, Dobnak then did his least favorite thing on the mound: he allowed a walk to Martinez. But he got out of the inning unscathed, retiring Alonso on a groundout to Lee at short, and completed his first full inning of work in the majors in nearly three years. Dobnak would not return for the ninth, as Jhoan Durán closed this one out, but the former undrafted free agent's scoreless frame brought his MLB career ERA down from 4.94 to 4.90. Other Notes Kepler left the game in the bottom of the fifth, following an odd strikeout in the top of the fourth where he landed in front of home plate as he struck out swinging and was then hit in the back of the head by a throw from Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, who threw out Lee attempting to steal second. Kepler remained in the game for an inning but was taken out for precaution. It was later announced Kepler was removed due to a head injury on that throw, with more details to come on concussion tests and protocol. The Twins hitters also keep getting hit by at least one pitch per game, of late. This afternoon, it was Buxton leading off the top of the eighth. He was nailed by an 83.7 MPH sinker from Phil Maton and gave the Twins their MLB-leading 75th hit-by-pitch on the season. What’s Next? The Twins are off on Thursday but will return home for a quick three-game series against the Chicago White Sox this weekend. Joe Ryan will start for the Twins against Davis Martin of the White Sox, who will be making his first start in MLB since 2022. Postgame Interview Coming soon. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

That was fun for a good hour and a half

The Twins remain one of just two teams who have not made a trade, in the waning hours before the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline. There's still hope a move could be made before 5 PM, though, and the Marlins may have the best target onto which the front office could lock its sights. Image courtesy of Thomas Shea - USA Today Sports Only about six hours remain until the trade deadline, and the Twins are still without external reinforcements. Fewer players than usual remain on the open market in the final hours of this year’s deadline, as teams have steadily made moves since last Thursday. One player whose market is heating up is Marlins left-handed starter, Trevor Rogers. The 26-year-old lefty has had a mediocre season with Miami, posting a 4.53 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 105 ⅓ innings in 21 starts. Rogers's price on the market will be considerable, as he’s arbitration-eligible and can remain under team control through the 2026 season. However, with slim pickings left for the Twins to trade for in their desperate need to add rotation depth, Rogers is another Marlins starter whom this team could try to revamp into an All-Star--er, an All-Star again. As fellow Twins Daily writer Lucas Seehafer pointed out on Twitter, the Twins' player development and coaching staff has found a way to get the most out of a former Marlins starter very recently, in Pablo López. Like López, Rogers possesses a changeup and sinker in his arsenal, and has an intriguing arm slot. López has taken a step back in terms of how good his changeup has been this season, compared to last year. But the numbers on that offering in 2023 were a testament to the value of the Twins' ability to augment an already successful hurler. Maybe they would look to add a sweeper for Rogers, as they did with López. This season, hitters have a .306 batting average off Rogers's changeup, the highest out of any of his four pitches, but his opponents' wOBA of .329 off the changeup is the lowest of the four. This is just a place for the Twins to start helping Rogers get on a better path, like they did with López, but the relevance of any of this depends on their willingness to go in on him at a high price point. In addition to the work that could be done with Rogers's changeup, his fastball velocity has seen a decline since his 2021 All-Star season. Back then, Rogers averaged 94.5 MPH on his heater, compared to the 92.5 MPH he has on it now. The Twins have been able to help pitchers improve their velocity, whether they be draft prospects like Louie Varland going through the system or a veteran like López, who went from averaging 93.4 MPH on his fastball with Miami in 2022 to 95 MPH in his tenure with the Twins. It's becoming a tradition: any time the Marlins make the playoffs, they disassemble the team at the trade deadline the very next season. This is yet another year of that, as the Marlins squeezed into the second N.L. Wild Card spot last season and were swept out of the playoffs by the Phillies. Now, it’s only a matter of who the Marlins would want in return for a left-handed starter with two and a half years of control left. Luke Keaschall is a likely name to come up in any conversations, but the Twins were able to acquire López and some prospects for Luis Arráez a year and a half ago. It’s possible they could get a second Marlins starter to bring back into All-Star form, without having to empty their farm system. View full article

Zebby Matthews has become one of the better-known prospects in the Twins Minor League System in 2024. He's made it from High-A Cedar Rapids to Triple-A St. Paul in just two and half months and will have more opportunities for Twins fans to see him up close and personal before he makes his last step to the big leagues. Image courtesy of Tim Grubbs, Wichita Wind Surge ST. PAUL– Things have been moving very quickly this season for Twins right-handed prospect Daniel Zebulon Matthews, better known as Zebby Matthews . The 24-year-old has jumped from High-A Cedar Rapids to Triple-A St. Paul in a matter of two and a half months. His rise through the system has been a surprise to some, but when you look at his strikeout-to-walk numbers, it makes sense why he’s where he is today. “Any department in the org you talk to, they know Zebby works his butt off, and it shows a lot,” says Cedar Rapids pitching coach Jonas Lovin. Matthews himself is modest about his quick jump through the Twins' minor league system this season. It’s been an unexpected journey to make it this fast from high-A to triple-A, but he’s not overthinking the call-up. “I didn’t think much about it, to be honest,” said Matthews. “I just show up to the field and try to do my job to the best of my ability and let the results and everything else take care of themselves. It’s awesome to be here. Everyone’s goals are completely different, but for me, it’s just another step along the journey.” The results certainly have taken care of themselves this year. Between the three levels he’s pitched, Matthews has compiled a 1.95 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, a .188 opponent batting average, and an insanely high 16+ strikeout-to-walk ratio in 83 innings of work across 15 games. The numbers he’s posted on the mound have garnered a lot of attention within the Twins organization and by fans. Saints Manager Toby Gardenhire had not seen him pitch until his first start with the team on Sunday, July 21. He was impressed, to say the least. “He’s throwing in the upper 90s with his fastball and his cutter’s one that he’s throwing low-to-mid 90s,” said Gardenhire. “He’s got a really good breaking ball he throws it really good over the plate so it’s a pretty good recipe for good pitching. If he can do all that stuff like we saw the other day, he’s going to be really good.” Matthews worked hard to improve his off-speed pitches this off-season. Matthews was by no means bad for the Cedar Rapids Kernels last year, but he had room for improvement. He had a 4.59 ERA in 66 ⅔ innings and allowed 13 home runs in high-A. The home run issue has been fixed, as he has only allowed four this year. So have the off-speed pitches, but Matthews admits he still has room for growth with those. “They’re still a work in progress, fine-tuning those and trying to make them better and be more comfortable throwing the changeup, that was another big piece for me. I’m still working on that but being able to throw that to lefties and righties has been a big step. The velocity jump has also been a big help there,” Matthews said. Once Matthews arrived in Spring Training and got to work with his off-speed tweaks with Lovin, they were able to hone in on what would work best for him. “He had a couple of outings in Spring Training against tough competition where those pitches played really well. You never really know until you get in season how that stuff is going to work and it seemed like it clicked pretty well for him. It’s honestly been a big separator for him this year, adding that new slider and improving the cutter a little bit,” said Lovin. As the season has progressed, Matthews has become much more comfortable using off-speed pitches in counts in which he falls behind. They may not be noticeable to the average fan’s naked eye when he’s jumping through the system so quickly, but he feels the difference each time he’s on the mound and shows off his impeccable command. “I think all the off-speed pitches, I think I have the ability to get them all in zone. Some like the cutter, slider, and curveball are a little better but I think a lot of it is just the confidence piece and trusting that throwing in the zone and still good enough to get guys out,” said Matthews. The command of the strike zone has always been there for Matthews since he learned how to pick up and throw a baseball. It’s a rare feat to have at such a young age, but it’s stuck with him as he’s struck out 97 hitters this year and only walked six. “I think a lot of it comes from the mechanics' side, like having repeatable mechanics, having a good feel for the ball out of my hand, it definitely has a factor in it. But then also I think it’s a big confidence piece of trusting my stuff, whether I throw it in the zone or out, it’s good enough to get guys out. I think it’s a combination of those things,” Matthews said. While Lovin hasn’t seen him pitch since May 3 as Matthews was called up to Double-A Wichita two days later, he knows Matthews is putting in all the work he needs to and some more, to keep rising through the system. “He’s genuinely one of the most hardest-working players that I have ever coached. He holds himself to a high standard, is constantly looking for ways to make himself better, whether that’s on the mound or the weight room,” Lovin said. Off the field, Matthews receives a lot of support from his family. His parents and brother were able to make it to his first Triple-A start Sunday in Toledo. They had seen a few out in Wichita, but the drive was much shorter to Ohio from his hometown Cullowhee, North Carolina than it was out to Kansas and other cities in the Texas League. “They wanted to make it out to the first one. It was the closest I’ll be to home, so they definitely wanted to make the drive up there,” Matthews said. But it’s not just his parents and brothers showing up as often as they can to support him for his starts. He will still have some family in the stands for his CHS Field debut this weekend as his wife, Kendall, will be in the stands to see him on the mound. Kendall Matthews is still in school becoming a physical assistant making it hard to get to every one of her husband’s starts, but does her best to make it as often as she can. “I’m newly married, November 11 last year, but it’s been awesome. She’s helped tremendously. You know, through all the ups and downs she’s been there. She’s known me since high school. She’s seen me grow, struggle, fail, succeed, all that sort of stuff. She keeps me level-headed and where I need to be,” said Matthews. Despite all the quick changes Matthews has gone through this year, it’s been all for the better for him. And while he has moved on from working with coaches like Lovin, Lovin himself knows that Matthews will continue to rise to each challenge that is brought his way. “I am hoping for the best for him in Triple-A as well. I’m sure there will be new challenges that arise, but that’s the fun part of this job and the fun part about baseball. A lot of times when you have these quick moments of success, that can get to your head a little bit, but that’s not Zebby,” added Lovin. Matthews is set to make his next start for the Saints on Saturday against the Omaha Storm Chasers. View full article