Cody Schoenmann

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Image courtesy of Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Turn on Twins.TV or the Treasure Island Baseball Network (TIBN) radio feed during a Connor Prielipp-started Minnesota Twins baseball game, and you will quickly hear Cory Provus, Kris Attebery or one of the many talented analysts discuss how well Twins decision-makers are managing Prielipp’s innings this season. On the surface, the assumption that the front office and coaches are carefully monitoring the 25-year-old’s workload makes sense. The University of Alabama product threw only seven innings in his 2021 college campaign before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He then underwent internal brace surgery in 2023, delaying his first extended stint as a starting pitcher in Minnesota’s minor-league system until 2025. Splitting his 2025 campaign between Double- and Triple-A, the hard-throwing southpaw netted 82 2/3 innings pitched over 23 starts, signaling he could soon join the parent club’s starting rotation. That assumption became reality on April 22 of this year, when the former top prospect was recalled from Triple-A, joining the Twins' starting rotation. Despite a brief 15-day IL stint in mid-July, Prielipp has remained a fixture of Minnesota’s rotation since his promotion, starting every fifth or sixth day. You could argue his stint on the IL was more about maintenance than serious injury, and he's twice had his starts pushed back one game, lengthening the rotation. Those are small safeguards for a pitcher with big injury trouble in his recent past, though. Over 19 starts (functionally 20; Andrew Morris opened Prielipp’s last appearance), the lefty has averaged roughly 5 1/3 innings pitched per outing—a rate typical of an unrestricted starting pitcher. In fact, since April 22, Prielipp ranks third among Twins pitchers in innings with 104, trailing only Zebby Matthews (112) and Taj Bradley (126 2/3). Prielipp has thrown more innings than Joe Ryan (98 1/3) and Bailey Ober (87 1/3) during that stretch, though of course he's spent less time on the shelf than they have. Assessing Prielipp’s workload from a league perspective, the hard-throwing lefty ranks 34th in innings pitched among AL starting pitchers, tied with New York’s Gerrit Cole and ranking just ahead of Chicago’s Erick Fedde. Inserting NL starting pitchers, Prielipp ranks 63rd in innings pitched, tied with Cole and Milwaukee’s Dustin May. Does that read as a starting pitcher on an innings limit? Again, I don’t blame Twins broadcasters for assuming that Twins decision-makers were limiting Prielipp’s workload this season. He's had just one campaign resembling a full workload in the past three minor-league seasons. I’m sure they’re monitoring his innings and are in constant communication about how his left arm feels. Yet, to suggest his innings have been limited this season would be incorrect. Going forward, I beg Twins broadcasters (and fans) to resist the urge to suggest Prielipp is pitching under an innings limit. In fact, one could argue it would be more apt to refer to him as one of Minnesota's few workhorses. View full article

Recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on April 13, Dean Kremer joined the Baltimore Orioles starting rotation, with intentions of performing like the steady, above-average right-handed starting pitcher he was in 2025 before losing a rotation-spot battle to Zach Eflin in spring training. The 30 year old resembled his 2025-self, generating a 4.09 ERA, 5.45 FIP, with an astounding 37.5% strikeout rate over 11 innings pitched in two starts in mid-April. The long-time Oriole was however placed on the 15-day IL with a right quad strain on April 23. The right-handed starter was transfered to the 60-day IL before rejoining Baltimore’s rotation on July 1. Kremer struggled upon returning, netting a 7.56 ERA, 6.56 FIP, and a less inspiring 20% strikeout rate over 25 innings pitched. The struggling veteran appeared to be at threat of being designated for assignment by Baltimore, given he no longer possessed minor league options after being recalled earlier in the season. Yet, Baltimore traded him to the Minnesota Twins on July 31 for left-handed hitting outfield prospect Jhomnardo Reyes. The veteran immediately slotted into Minnesota’s five-pitcher rotation, making his Twins debut on August 5. He performed well for his new club over his first two starts, manufacturing a 1.50 ERA, 2.33 FIP, and a 22% strikeout over 12 innings pitched. Yet, he has quickly regressed to his early-season form over his past three starts, netting a 6.75 ERA, 5.47 FIP, and a 21.2% strikeout rate over 14 2/3 innings pitched. Understandably, Twins Territory immediately was immediately enamored by Kremer, given the spectacle of him being a trade deadline acquisition and performing at an elite rate over his first two starts with his new club. The organization’s pitching development staff also implemented meaningful changes to his arsenal, having him rely on four-seamer more, while using his splitter as his go-to offspeed pitch. While these adjustments were sound and worked well over a two-game sample, Kremer has largely remained ineffective in Minnesota, netting a 4.39 ERA, 4.06 FIP, and a 23-to-11 strikeout to walk ratio over 26 2/3 innings pitched. Kremer’s greatest hindrance this season is his inability to limit walks. In Baltimore, he walked 7.2% of hitters this, which is around league-average. Yet, he was getting hit hard and often, resulting in his aforementioned bloated metrics. With Minnesota, however, he has walked 10.3% of hitters—an untenable rate. The only major league starting pitchers who can sustain success in the majors while walking hitters over ten-percent of the time are ones with elite stuff. Think Dylan Cease or Taj Bradley. Kremer, however, has zero plus pitches despite sporting a six-pitch arsenal. Possessing catastrophically poor command, below-average stuff, and a knack for allowing home runs (15 over 62 2/3 innings), it is no surprise that Kremer has been one of the worst starting pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched this season. I don’t fault Twins decision-makes for making the trade. The club was in dire need of starting pitching depth and Reyes is an 18-year-old lottery ticket sporting a 79 wRC+ with Baltimore’s Single-A affiliate. Still, if Kremer’s struggles continue the last month of the season, Twins decision-makers would be wise not to non-tender Kremer this offseason, quickly cutting ties with the right-handed starter targeted one month ago. View full article

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Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images In 6,721 defensive innings over his 11-season major-league career, Byron Buxton has only ever played center field. The last time he played a position other than center in affiliated ball was in 2014, when he notched 14 innings in right field at High-A. This development shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who follows the Twins—or baseball, for that matter. Buxton has long been a world-class athlete, with elite sprint speed and a feel for making late adjustments when needed. That athleticism resulted in him winning a Platinum Glove Award in 2017, when he was arguably the rangiest center fielder of the 2010s. Nine years later, however, the 32-year-old is no longer one of the sport’s best center fielders. That's no knock against Buxton; him still being one of the fastest players in baseball 11 seasons into his career is a remarkable feat. Despite maintaining that speed on the bases, though, Buxton has regressed in multiple defensive metrics over the past two seasons. He still makes all the routine plays, but he no longer takes away should-be hits. Of course, Buxton doesn’t have to be an elite defender to remain at center field. He's still playable there, with 3 Outs Above Average (OAA) over 193 attempts this season. Cracks are still forming beneath the surface, however. He’s remained elite at tracking balls hit in front of and behind him this season. However, his ability to reach balls on which he has to range far to his left or right has steadily regressed over the past couple of seasons, with 2026 as a low point. Moving toward third base, Buxton has generated 1 OAA. At the same time, he has manufactured 0 OAA moving toward first. His combined 1 OAA while moving laterally would be the lowest mark of his career (save his 2018 campaign, when he played only 28 games). Can you guess his second-worst season getting to balls hit laterally? Great job, valued reader! You’re correct. It was 2025. Buxton has steadily regressed in his ability to reach balls hit in the gap over the past two seasons, and at this point in his career, it's extremely likely that he'll continue to fade. Again, nobody is holding Buxton to the same standard as Pete Crow-Armstrong or Ceddanne Rafaela. Twins decision-makers would be more than justified in finishing the 2026 season with Buxton as the club’s primary center fielder; his regression doesn’t require immediate attention. Still, Minnesota would be wise to have a succession plan in place for 2027. Luckily, the organization’s top solution is knocking on the door of the majors in Triple-A: first-ranked prospect Walker Jenkins. I’m not advocating that Minnesota call up Jenkins right now. He's a 21-year-old enjoying his first extended success against Triple-A pitching. He is still a platoon liability against left-handed pitching, netting a .277 xwOBA over 80 plate appearances at Triple-A. He is undeniably at the parent club’s door, preparing to rush through, with intentions of immediately becoming one of Minnesota’s best position players. That time will come, but there’s a strong chance it won’t be until 2027. Whenever Jenkins does get his contract selected from Triple-A St. Paul, the Twins should make him their primary center fielder, moving Buxton to the corner outfield. Jenkins has played center field in most of his appearances at Triple-A, with 370 innings at the position. He's been solid, with no errors and good range. Right now, Buxton is probably as good or better in center than Jenkins is. However, by this time next year, that won't be true. What separates Jenkins from Buxton now is the top prospect’s elite arm value, an area in which Buxton has declined more obviously and sharply. Buxton sports a -1 Arm Value over 168 advancement attempts in 2026, placing him in the bottom third of the league. Runners have been able to take extra bases on him, a trend that has become significantly worse since 2024, when Buxton was toward the top of the league. Jenkins, however, has one of the best arms in the minors. Whether Buxton moves to left or right field is largely inconsequential. Right field is higher on the defensive spectrum, with clubs often placing stronger-armed fielders there in order to reduce a runner’s likelihood of advancing from first to third on a single or tagging up from second to third on a flyout to right. Buxton is probably better-suited to left, particularly given that left-center is deeper than right-center at Target Field. One way or another, though, it's time to start making a succession plan—which, in this case, is also a relocation plan. View full article

Image courtesy of Brad Rempel-Imagn Images Demoted to Triple-A St. Paul for the second time this season on June 2, a struggling Kody Funderburk rejoined the Saints, having posted a lousy 5.65 FIP and a -7.3 strikeout-to-walk ratio (meaning he was walking batters considerably more often than striking them out). The 29-year-old struggled with St. Paul, netting a 5.14 ERA, 4.10 FIP, and a lackluster 19.4% strikeout rate over seven innings pitched from June 5 to 21. Funderburk has often battled control issues, but at times this season, he's also run into barrels. After falling behind in counts, he was unable to sneak fastballs past hitters, and was hit hard, as well as giving out free passes. df6014ad-c6159a9d-3311a408-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Necessity brought Funderburk back to the bigs relatively quickly, though. The team's dearth of relief depth and Funderburk having a place on the 40-man roster positioned him for a promotion on June 24, upon which he looked to regain his post-2025 trade deadline form. Down the stretch of last season, he generated a 0.75 ERA, 2.30 FIP, and a 28% strikeout rate over 24 innings. “I know I was flying off a lot of stuff mechanically, causing some misses east-to-west.” Funderburk said, noting that Twins bullpen coach LaTroy Hawkins worked extensively with him upon his latest return. “We kind of just got back to staying closed, keeping my head on the target, and I was able to keep my torso closed just a split second longer, and everything timed up better.” Since June 26, the left-handed reliever has regained his dominant form, producing a 2.18 ERA, 2.36 FIP, and a 27.7% strikeout rate over 20 2/3 innings pitched. bGJ3R0JfWGw0TUFRPT1fQUFsVkFsZFhVQWNBRFFZREJRQUhBQWNBQUFNRVZnTUFWbFlOVXdNTUJWVmNVUVVE.mp4 “So, I think mechanically, like, that was a big adjustment for me and [Hawkins] and I got the work done. And, I mean, our catchers kill it with game-planning, and once I feel like I'm involved and can execute, it’s putting all my trust in them,” he said. Funderburk regaining his dominant form couldn’t have come at a better time, given the club’s lone high-leverage left-handed throwing reliever (Anthony Banda) was transferred to the 60-day IL with a left lat strain on July 11, ending his 2026 campaign. Minnesota’s front office traded for southpaw A.J. Minter on July 31, effectively replacing Banda’s production as a high-leverage, late-inning lefty. Still, Funderburk’s ascension has provided Minnesota with two trustworthy lefties ahead of veteran Taylor Rogers. “It’s just baseball; there’s ebbs and flows. That’s part of it, too—like, you go through stretches where you’re not quite yourself," he mused. "I think the better players are able to figure out what they’re doing wrong faster, and they nip it in the bud, and they’re able to get back on track.” Funderburk has always been an east-to-west pitcher, as mentioned above. He lives or dies by his sinker-cutter combination, which he throws a combined 68% of the time. His inability to throw his fastball variants in the zone earlier in the season was the primary reason he couldn't suppress walks and limit runs. However, by tightening his mechanics, Funderburk has regained plus form, becoming a high-leverage, left-handed-throwing bullpen anchor alongside Minter. View full article

Vahn LackeyWalker JenkinsKaelen CulpepperMarek HoustonRiley QuickEmmanuel RodriguezHendry MendezRyan GallagherCarson TinneyEthan WachsmannEduardo TaitGabriel GonzalezCharlee SotoBrett RenfrowEnrique JimenezKhadim DiawBrandon WinokurJames EllwangerCJ Culpepper

Vahn LackeyWalker JenkinsKaelen CulpepperMarek HoustonRiley QuickEmmanuel RodriguezHendry MendezRyan GallagherCarson TinneyEthan WachsmannEduardo TaitGabriel GonzalezCharlee SotoBrett RenfrowEnrique JimenezKhadim DiawBrandon WinokurJames EllwangerCJ Culpepper

Image courtesy of Michael McLoone-Imagn Images The Minnesota Twins entered Sunday afternoon’s matinee matchup against the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers with intentions of handing them their first home series loss since late June against the Chicago Cubs. While they fell short of that goal, Sunday’s get-away game held sentimental value for two young Twins. “Yeah, it’s going to be fun. Connor (Prielipp) and I were talking about it. It’s great,” Alan Roden told reporters Sunday morning. Roden was born in Middleton, Wisconsin, graduating from high school there before committing to play baseball at Creighton University in 2018. “(I was a fan of) Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun growing up. I was talking about the ‘08 season earlier. It was a lot of fun, you know, watching baseball as a kid. Fast forward a couple years, Eric Thames comes to mind—Chris Carter and Jesús Aguilar, too.” Sunday’s starting pitcher for Minnesota, Connor Prielipp, grew up less than two hours from Roden in Tomah, Wisconsin. “I actually faced Connor in high school. I think it was called regionals, it’s like playoffs. Tomah beat us. I did get a hit off him though. Make sure you tell him that.” remarked a smirking Roden. One season after beating Roden’s Middleton club in regionals, Prielipp won 2019 Gatorade Wisconsin Baseball Player of the Year Award, before committing to the University of Alabama. “I would guess (Connor is excited). You know, coming back and pitching close to his to hometown… I would imagine, you know, there’s gonna be some excitement for Connor,” said manager Derek Shelton. Despite surrendering a leadoff home run to Jackson Chourio, Prielipp kept pace with impending NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob Misiorowski, netting seven strikeouts and three earned runs over five innings pitched. Roden grounded out and struck out in two plate appearances against the best starting pitcher in baseball, an outcome one would be hard-pressed to critique much. We can’t all possess world-beating, left-handed swings like Brooks Lee and Kody Clemens. “It was awesome. Being a lifelong Brewers fan, it awesome to say I finally pitched here,” said Prielipp during his postgame interview. “But at the end of the day, I was ready to pitch.” Jake Bauers hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth inning, propelling Milwaukee to a one-run victory over Minnesota. Despite the bitter ending, however, this will be a day to remember for the two Wisconsinites. View full article