Devlin Clark

I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt on Opening Day. Guys getting into the routine of the season.

https://www.mlb.com/twins/video/lopez-on-starting-opening-day?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share The new rules regarding larger bases, pitch clocks, and banned shifts didn't seem to bother the Twins on Opening Day. Baldelli's bunch pieced together a sparkling 2-0 win behind 5.1 very solid innings by off-season trade acquisition Pablo Lopez. (Although he wasn't the only Lopez who pitched well). The Twins didn't hit any home runs, they didn't resemble the 2019 Bomba Squad. But they did resemble a team built with depth and bench players who can give you quality, MLB level at bats, and not give them away. I will be highlighting my 6-4-3 below, what is it? 6 things or players who stuck out to me during today's game, 4 things I really liked seeing, and updates on 3 former Twins, who have had a pretty good Opening Day! So sit back, read your 2023 Media Guide (or Twins handbooks from previous years), pour yourself a drink in your Twins Winter Meltdown glass, and enjoy: 6 Things or Players who really stood out to me: Pablo Lopez-- It always starts with your starter. When you get a good strong quality start (or better!), you keep your team in the game, and especially on Opening Day, you give your team a chance to get you runs and win, and that's what he did. His line was pretty stellar: 5.1 IP, 2H, 3BB, 8Ks. In a sentence: Pablo shoved. He was in control all day, and when he did get into a jam I'm the 5th, he managed to stay calm and induce your standard 3-2-4 double play. Byron Buxton-- What can I say about this guy that hasn't been said? He is the engine that makes this team go. You saw it when they needed a spark and he hit an oppo triple to RCF that the KC CF missed and Buxton made third (He later scored on the very next AB on a single up the middle by Larnach, but more on that later). He really makes this lineup longer and better, even as the DH. He was 2-4 today with a single in the 1st and a triple and run scored in the 6th. His run scored put the Twins ahead 1-0, and was the first run scored of the season. More of this all year please! Trevor Larnach-- Larnach had maybe the best day of any Twins hitter, as an oft injured player with a very high ceiling, 2023 was seen as a crucial season for him, some even saying a make or break. He drove in Buxton with a single (up the middle, which is great to see him taking the ball back up the middle) giving the Twins a 1-0 lead. After a Buck Farmer walk gave the Twins runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out, newly acquired Donovan Solano came up a single to RF to score Larnach and give the Twins, and Lopez all the insurance and runs they'd need. 2-0. Very encouraging start for Larnach as 2023 is an important season for him and he remains a HUGE bat for the Twins if he stays healthy. Twins infield defense. They got two HUGE Double Plays, both off the bat of MJ Melendez, at important times. None more so than the beautiful Gallo to Vasquez to Gordon, 3-2-4 Double Play to get the Twins and Pablo off the field, and out of trouble, after the Royals had mounted their only threat of the day. If the Twins infield defense, led by Correa, can continue to be solid, reducing errors, mental mistakes and taking advantage of ground balls hit at them(and producing 2 puts from them), that is a HUGE benefit for Twins pitchers this season. It will be something to monitor as the season progresses. Twins Bench-- After Farmer and Solano (combined 2-3 with a walk and RBI) replaced Nick Gordon and Joey Gallo (combined 0-4 with a K) at the plate, the Twins scored their two runs, one coming off the previously mentioned single from Solano. This is the kind of bench depth the Twins have lacked in past years, real, quality depth. Guys who give you good, smart, MLB ABs and don't get overwhelmed by the moment. (See not Jake Cave, Gilberto Celestino, etc, the last few years). If the Twins bench can continue to produce like they did, next man up, so to speak, that will be a big advantage for the Twins, and for Rocco, especially in late inning games when he's going based on match ups. Twins Bullpen-- Just because they're last on the list doesn't mean they're last in my heart. The Twins bullpen was one word today: outstanding! After Thielbar replaced Pablo Lopez in the 6th inning with 1 out, the bullpen went 3.2 hitless innings. That's right, no hits allowed by the pen. They struck out 2. It seemed like whoever Rocco brought in was always in control, and the Twins minimized any damage. This was, to me, the best part of the game today, especially given the issues the bullpen faced last year. The 3.2 innings were thrown between Thielbar, Lopez Jax, and Duran. All of them, except Duran, getting a Hold, while Duran recorded his first save of the 2023 season. 4 things I really liked seeing: Offense never gave up. They were mostly shut out for the first five innings by Grienke, but the bats came alive in the 6th and produced 2 runs without a home run. One of them by a non starter (Solano). Good to see. Quality start by Lopez in his Twins debut, 5.1 IP 2 H, 3 BB, 8 Ks. Not much to say that I didn't say earlier. Today was his day. Buxton kickstarting the offensive scoring with an opposite field triple. He's such a difference maker for this team. Let's hope he stays healthy. Rocco's decisions, I liked his call to pull Lopez at 81 pitches and turn the game over to the bullpen, especially given how good they were (and can be) against a lowly KC team. He also made the right call to pull Gordon and Gallo for Farmer and Solano, which ended up securing the Twins an insurance run! 3 former Twins who had a good day on Opening Day: Robbie Grossman (the human OBP machine) hit a big 3R HR in the Rangers game to tie it at 5, and help them later to secure the win after a very shaky start by DeGrom. Spencer Steer-- Former Twins prospect Spencer Steer hit a HR on Opening Day for the Reds, it was his 3rd career big league Home Run. Congratulations, Spencer. Luis Arraez, in his first AB as a Marlin, he roped a single down the LF line in typical Arreaz form. He later had a run producing 2B and finished 2-4 as the Marlins fell to the Mets 5-3. This was a great win for the Twins, a team win. One of the few wins in the last 3 years where I never really felt the Royals were going to make a run or tie the game, or where the Twins would give up the lead. They were in cruise control from start to finish. If the Twins continue this style and level of crisp, solid play, throughout the summer, it will be a VERY fun summer at Target Field.

OhioTwinsfan, Thanks SO much for listening! Please be sure to subscribe as I have plenty of Twins guests lined up in the future. I will be doing a giveaway at 100 subs. He talked about how Molitor asked him what kind player he wanted to be, and that he learned to hit off speed pitches and that's when he felt like a complete hitter.

Interesting. McCartney was highly rated but unlike Lawton never achieved much. Yes he won a WS because he was on the roster, but hardly contributed in Boston. Also, I think to compre Lewis and Lee to Lawton and McCartney isn't fair as today we have much greater metrics and analytics to be able to assess players like never before.

Seth had posted in this article that he's 6th all time in obp. Rick Reed was solid and good for the Twins, but never had the success Lawton did. Reed was a solid #3. It was such a fun interview, subscribe for more videos,as I'll have plenty of more Twins interviews in the coming days and months.

Stringer Bell, Yes, absolutely. Matt was very forthcoming and talked about learning how to become a professional hitter, learning how to hit more than just fastballs, and the first half success he had most of his career, along with the 2nd half struggles, PEDs and 9/11. Really great guest and very easy to listen to.

Thanks, Clare. Be sure to like and subscribe. I'll have plenty of former 90s and 2000s Twins on my show coming soon! I always like to prepare and make sure I talk about things listener's want to hear about. Thanks for listening!

Thanks for listening! Don't forget to subscribe as I'll have many more 2000s Twins players on in the future.

Thanks, Doctor Gast. He talks briefly about umpiring and gives his VERY candid thoughts.

A member of The Soul Patrol, Matt Lawton joined Devlin on The Show about The Show podcast. They talked about many topics that Twins fans will really enjoy including his development, his relationship with Kirby Puckett, his highlights, and more. He even discussed a couple of his mistakes including the extensive details regarding his PED suspension. Image courtesy of Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports Just months before the Twins won their most recent World Series championship, the Minnesota Twins drafted a second baseman out of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College named Matt Lawton. While top picks from that draft came with high floors and ceilings, first-round picks David McCarty (Stanford), Scott Stahoviak (Creighton), and Mike Durant (Ohio State) did not live up to their expectations, the Twins had success later in the draft. In the 7th round, they drafted a high school pitcher from Gary, Indiana, who went on to have a 21-year MLB career. The first nine seasons of his big-league career were with the Twins. In the 8th round, the Twins drafted a high school pitcher from Tampa, Florida, who went on to win 148 games over 12 seasons with the Twins. Brad Radke became a Twins Hall of Famer. Their 6th-round pick in 1991 was a catcher from Florida State who spent five seasons in the Twins farm system. He has been a well-respected MLB coach for several years, and 2023 will be his first year as the manager of the Chicago White Sox. Matt Lawton began his professional career in 1992 and played second base. In 1993, he moved to the outfield, a move that proved to be beneficial. Following a strong 1995 season at Double-A, Lawton received a September call-up and hit .317 over 21 games. He split the 1996 season between Triple-A Salt Lake and the big leagues. He remained a starter in the Twins outfield until he was traded to the Mets for right-hander Rick Reed at the deadline in 2001. Lawton spent a decade in the Twins organization including parts of seven years in the big leagues. In 771 games, he hit .277/.379/.428 (.808) with 163 doubles, 72 homers, and 96 stolen bases. He was an All-Star in 2000 when he hit 44 doubles and posted a career-best .865 OPS. In 1998, he posted an .864 OPS when he hit a career-best 21 homers. One thing is for certain. If Matt Lawton played in today’s game and put up the numbers he is putting up, he would be making a ton of money. On-Base Percentage wasn’t as appreciated until Moneyball came out in 2002, and even then it took a while to become a factor in salaries in pro ball. On the new The Show about The Show, I chatted with the vastly underrated former Twins outfielder. Ideally, these conversations wouldn’t be quite this long, but this was Lawton’s first interview ever on Zoom, and it was so much fun that it is a Gleeman and the Geek-lengthed show. You will want to watch it all, but if you don’t have time, here are just some of the highlights. The big ‘talker’ of this interview will likely be Matt Lawton’s acknowledgment of his PED usage and 10-game suspension. (1:06:30 mark) He talks about where he got the steroids from, why he decided to try it, how it affected him, and how he got caught. Lawton is very candid about it. At 37:30, Lawton was involved in an on-field spitting incident in Toronto that nearly got him arrested. “My momma wasn’t happy about me that day.” Starting at about the 6:00 mark, Lawton talks about his development and how he decided to become a more well-rounded player. Paul Molitor played a role, but also playing in the Florida State League gave him tremendous confidence in his game. At 10:00, Lawton discussed why he took so many pitches. You may be surprised at the reason he walked so much early on, and how that carried forward. At 14:45, find out why he called his first MLB home run “bittersweet.” When you hear why, you’ll likely agree. There are several Kirby Puckett stories throughout the podcast including: why he kept calling Lawton “Wally Pipp,” Puckett showing off his check and motivating and providing wisdom to players, buying him his first suit, playing cards on the plane, protecting a bag for Puckett overnight and why it scared him to death. (1:37:45 mark) We played a lot of “Name Association” during the show. Find out what words or phrases Lawton used to describe teammates and coaches. Several Tom Kelly stories and descriptions. Harmon Killebrew. Rod Carew. Brad Radke. Terry Ryan, Todd Walker, the Metrodome’s roof (when was it toughest to see?), Torii Hunter, Jacque Jones, Corey Koskie, David Ortiz (“I don’t think Papi would have been Papi if he wouldn’t have been with Manny Ramirez”), Paul Molitor, Ken Griffey Jr. Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Frank Thomas, and more. Around 24:15, Lawton talks about one reason he got hit by a lot of pitches… he believes he was one of the first big bat flippers. At 25:55, Lawton discusses going to arbitration with the Twins. “I wouldn’t wish that process on anyone.” At the 40:30 mark, Lawton talks about what it meant to him to play in his first (of two) All-Star game. At the 51:00 mark, he talks about his reaction following the news that he had been traded to the Mets. “It was devastating! It was one of those things I never got over.” The Mets were in Pittsburgh on 9/11. Find out how he and his wife learned the news of the terror attacks, and then returning to action in New York. At the 1:00:00 mark, he discusses how going to Atlantic City with Mike Piazza cost him over $117,000 in jewelry. At 1:09:30, Lawton talks about hearing about the death of Kirby Puckett. He was with the Mariners that spring, and along with Eddie Guardado, they left spring training to attend the funeral. At the 1:19:00 mark, Lawton talks about the umpires back then and why he wishes there would have been an electronic strike zone. Things were especially bad at Yankees Stadium, “I know the strike zone. That’s not even close.” And comparing the defense in center field of Torii Hunter and Byron Buxton… Check out the full podcast below. Be sure to subscribe to The Show about The Show YouTube page, and follow Devlin on Twitter (@Devlin_Clark84). I appreciate you taking time to read this and watch. Please leave your comments below. I have a couple more interviews set up with Twins players from that general era, so any feedback would be great. Thanks! FULL VIDEO View full article

Great stuff, Nick!

I gotta think Hoffman makes it.