Cody Schoenmann

I forgot to mention Celestino in my piece, so I thank you for bringing him up. I don't think the Twins see Celestino as an every-day center field option. Once Celestino is able to return from this year the UCL tear he suffered in his thumb during the beginning of Spring Training, I think he will initially slot in as the starting center fielder for the Triple-A St. Paul Saints. If a healthy Celestino is able to add more consistent power as well as the ability to drive the ball to left field more, which is an odd request to have for a right-handed hitter, I do think he could eventually join the mix and compete for a platoon role in CF with players such as Nick Gordon and Willi Castro, but for now I think the Twins and Celestino want him to heal from his injury and perform well in Triple-A before anyone begins to think about his potential role with the Twins at the Major League level.

In an ideal world, I would pick Lewis as Buxton's long term replacement in CF as well. Unfortunately, I think with Lewis tearing his ACL at Target Field last year, he, and his agent Scott Boras, would prefer if he stayed at a defensive position that he was more familiar with like SS, 3B, or 2B. Hypothetically, I would love if in 2026 the Twins were able to trot out Lewis at CF, Correa at 3B, Brooks Lee at 2B, and say, Jacob Gonzalez from Ole Miss, who the Twins are reportedly interested in with the #5 pick in this year's draft, at SS, but I don't see Lewis wanting to take over at CF full time, at least not in the near future. Only time will tell.

I agree that Buxton playing CF and being able to stay in the lineup would be the best case scenario, but it sadly has only happened once and that was roughly six years ago when he, as I noted in my article, played 140 games in 2017. I think we need to start getting used to seeing Buxton as the DH for the rest of this season and seasons to come whether we like it or not.

Byron Buxton has been healthy and productive at DH. If he stays there, what could the Twins plan for centerfield in 2024 be? Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Since Byron Buxton became the full-time DH for the Minnesota Twins at the beginning of the 2023 MLB season, he has played in 47 of the Twins' first 52 games, translating to him playing in 90% of games or a 146-game pace. The last time Buxton came close to playing 146 games was during the 2017 season when he played 140 games. The next highest number of games played by Buxton in a season was 92, which was last year and ended with Buxton needing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Buxton is nearly halfway to his games played total from last year, and we are only in late May. Through his first 47 games as full-time DH, Buxton has managed to hit .230/.332/.456 (.797) with a wOBA of .344, which is outperforming his xwOBA of .322, and an OPS+ of 119. Buxton also has a wRC+ of 131, an fWAR of 1.2, and a team-leading Win Probability Added (WPA) of +1.50. To put Buxton's performance into perspective, through the first 50-or-so games of the season, Buxton, according to Fangraphs, ranks fifth in statistics for DH only behind MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez (Astros), second-year-breakout star Nolan Gorman (Cardinals), former Twin and surprise breakout player Brent Rooker (A’s), and the baseball prodigy himself Shohei Ohtani (Angels). Buxton is breaking out as an everyday DH and, more importantly, staying in the lineup with a relatively outstanding bill of health as evidenced by his ability to play in 90% of games so far this season. With the Twins being comfortable moving forward with Buxton being the full-time DH, the next step the Twins need to take is finding someone who can take over the role of full-time starting center fielder. Although Michael A. Taylor has handled center field for most of the season, it is still being determined whether Taylor, who will be a free agent this upcoming off-season, is in the Twins' intermediate-to-long-term plans at center field. With a looming sense of uncertainty around the position, I will explore three avenues the Twins could pursue while attempting to find a starting center field for 2024 and possibly beyond. Option 1: Extend Michael A. Taylor The first avenue the Twins could go down when finding a starting center fielder for 2024 is through extending current starting center fielder Michael A. Taylor. Through the first 52 games of the season, Taylor has played in 47, putting him at a 146-game pace, just like Buxton. Through those first 47 games, Taylor has generated a 0.6 fWAR, which ranks 29th amongst qualified center fielders. On the defensive side, Taylor has been superb. He has generated an Expected Catch Percentage of 90% and an Actual Catch Percentage of 92%, which generates a Catch Percentage Added (%) or an Outs Above Average (OAA) of 2. With an OAA of 2, Taylor is ranked 19th out of 92 qualified outfielders and is the highest-ranked Twin, with Nick Gordon being second at 45th with an OAA of 0. Although Taylor has been above average defensively, his offensive numbers are cause for concern. Taylor has put up a slash line of just .218/.265/.395 (.660) with an OPS+ of 82 and a wRC+ of 82, all below league average. Taylor's Baseball Savant page numbers confirm his early-season struggles. As illustrated in the chart above, Taylor ranks towards the bottom of Major League Baseball in xwOBA, xBA, and BB%. The most concerning aspect of Taylor's performance at the plate this year is his strikeout rate. Taylor ranks towards the bottom of the league in Chase Rate, Whiff%, and K%. These numbers are exemplified in Eno Sarris' most recent piece in The Athletic, where he illustrates that Taylor is currently ranked second in the MLB, only behind Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu, with a K% increase of 9.4%. Like most of the Twins lineup, Taylor is struggling, but Taylor's struggles are especially alarming. However, a silver lining, as illustrated in the chart above, is that Taylor ranks towards the top of the league in Barrel% and Max Exit Velocity. If Taylor can find a way to lower his strikeout rate, he should become a more productive offensive player, as evidenced by the fact that when he hits the ball, he hits it hard and on the barrel of the bat. Taylor, who is 32 years old, signed a two-year/$9 million contract with the Royals in 2021, and is making $4.5 million to play for the Twins this year. I could see an extension with the Twins looking nearly identical, with the only difference being that the second year of the extension is a team option or vesting option, instead of it being fully guaranteed like it was when he signed with the Royals in 2021. Option 2: Test the trade or free-agent market The third avenue the Twins could go down this upcoming off-season is the one they took this past off-season when they went outside the organization for a starting center fielder. When the Twins traded minor-league relievers Steven Cruz and Evan Sisk to the Royals for Taylor in January, many in the organization still believed that Buxton would start a majority of games at center fielder as long as he was healthy, and Taylor would take on the role as the Twins fourth outfielder behind Max Kepler, Joey Gallo, and Buxton. This off-season, the Twins could be more aggressive. This offseason, there may be four desirable center field free agent options. Cody Bellinger can opt out of his mutual option with the Chicago Cubs. Kevin Kiermaier, Harrison Bader, and, if the Twins don't end up extending him, Michael A. Taylor, are the others. Bellinger, Kiermaier, and Bader all appear to be more appealing options than the soon-to-be 33-year-old Taylor, but they will likely carry heavier price tags. This year, Bellinger is making $12.5 million (with the potential for a $5 million buyout if he decides to leave the Cubs), Kiermaier is making $9 million with the Blue Jays, and Bader is making $5.2 million with the Yankees. If Bellinger continues to perform well with the Cubs, the former NL MVP is expected to sign a multi-year contract worth north of $20 million a year. If Bader performs well, he is expected to get a pay raise, and it is fair to assume that Kiermaier will once again sign a deal within the $9 million range this upcoming off-season. Although Bellinger, Bader, and Kiermaier are possibly better options than Taylor, I find it improbable that the Twins will want to invest over $10 million a year into a starting center fielder. Not because the Pohlads are cheap or any tropes like that, but because Falvey and the current Twins regime likely feel they could get similar production from potentially Taylor and younger internal options at a much lower price. The Twins could also go down the following route: trading for a starting center fielder. This route feels more likely than the Twins signing Bellinger, Bader, or Kiermaier, and that is because this front office tends to favor trading for veteran players over signing them. Some starting center field options the Twins could trade for include Mike Yastrzemski, Trent Grisham, Lars Nootbaar , Manuel Margot, Victor Robles, and, if they want to swing big, Jazz Chisholm Jr. Although some of these options are more enticing than others, the more realistic options are likely Yastrzemski and Grisham. If the Twins did pursue Yastrzemski or Grisham, it could be considered redundant, as the Twins already have so many left-handed outfield options in Max Kepler (if they exercise his option), Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, Nick Gordon, Alex Kirilloff, and potentially Joey Gallo under team control for 2024. Besides Nick Gordon, who was platooning with Taylor earlier this season before fracturing his tibia, none of these outfield options play center fielder, but adding another left-handed outfielder to an already packed left-handed hitting outfield could be considered redundant by the Twins front office. If the Twins decide to give Martin more of a role, as I suggested in option #2, trading for a left-handed bat, such as Yastrzemski or Grisham, would make more sense as the two would take on platoon roles. Option 3: Royce Lewis? Ideally, Twins fans would love to witness a seamless transition of Buxton handing over center-field duties to 2017 first-overall pick Royce Lewis, but it, unfortunately, won’t be that simple. On May 29th of last year, Lewis tore his ACL for the second time in two years while making an incredible catch in which he collided with the outfield wall while playing center field. During Lewis’ rehab, there has been an inkling from those plugged in with the Twins that playing center field is not an option for Lewis, at least when he first returns. With Jose Miranda getting demoted earlier this year and Kyle Farmer having more value as a infield utility player, Lewis will transition into playing almost exclusively at third base once he returns from the 60-day IL. Also, even though Carlos Correa played against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 27th after being diagnosed with plantar fasciitis just days before, it is reasonable to assume that Lewis could spend time at shortstop to give Correa some days off to rest his ailing left heel and foot. If Lewis can stay healthy for the rest of the 2023 season while playing third base and shortstop, the door for adding center field into his defensive repertoire could open again. If that door opened and Lewis was comfortable with playing center field, then Lewis taking over fulltime in center field seems logical, of perhaps splitting time with a healthy Nick Gordon and potentially the recently surging Willi Castro. Which of these options intrigues you the most? Are there any options or players that I didn't list that you think would make sense as the starting center fielder for 2024? Comment below with your answers. View full article

José De León is back in the majors, and having some limited success early. Image courtesy of © Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports With once reliable relief arm Griffin Jax struggling, Caleb Thielbar and Jorge Alcala injured, and dread-inducing Emilio Pagán inducing dread, it feels as if the only relief arms that Twins fan can trust are Jorge López, Jhoan Duran, and, unexpectedly, Brock Stewart. With the Twins front office struggling to both find arms and maintain adequate depth, the Twins will soon have to resort to taking flyers on young arms and veterans looking for another chance at the Major League level. On May 16th, the Twins selected the contract of a veteran right-handed pitcher looking for another chance at the Major League level, and that veteran's name is José De León. De León, who dons number 87, last worn by shortstop Jermaine Palacios in 2022, has pitched himself to a 3.62 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 26 strikeouts, and 12 walks through 27.1 innings pitched with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints so far this year. Although reasonably limited, these numbers were encouraging enough for the front office to promote him and have him pitch both the sixth and seventh innings versus one of the best teams in baseball. The 2023 World Baseball Classic introduced many Twins fans to José De León for the first time as he threw 5 1/3 perfect innings for Puerto Rico versus Israel on just 65 pitches, which is the maximum number of pitches that are allowed to be thrown by a starting pitcher in the World Baseball Classic. Since then, De León had likely fallen off the radar for most Twins before having his contract selected by the Twins on May 16th. On the surface, this addition to the 26-man roster may seem uninspiring, but what if José De León, unlike the Derek Laws and Jharel Cottons of years past, can, similarly to Brock Stewart, become a reliable setup man? This proposition may seem ludicrous on the surface. Still, during his first two relief appearances with the Twins, De León showed flashes of possessing the ability to handle mid-to-late high-level relief situations. De León, who made his Twins’ debut in the sixth inning of a tied game versus the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 17th, struck out James Outman on five pitches, got Chris Taylor to lineout in nine pitches, and got Trayce Thompson to pop out to the catcher on three pitches to end the innings. Over his first inning of relief work for the Twins, De León looked effective in utilizing a sinker that hovered around 95 MPH as well as an 80-81 MPH slider that was effective against the right-handed hitting Taylor and Thompson. De León's next inning started out even more encouraging than his first as he struck out former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman on three straight pitches. Not many pitchers can say they struck out Betts and Freeman back-to-back on just six pitches. Unfortunately, the wheels began to fall off after the impressive beginning of his second inning of relief work. After striking out Freeman, De León gave up a first-pitch single to arguably the best catcher in baseball in Will Smith, another single to Max Muncy, and was pulled for the soon-to-implode Pagán. Of course, those baserunners were charged to De León's ERA. De León's second relief appearance had similar results to his first. On May 21st, while facing the Los Angeles Angels, De León replaced López in the bottom of the seventh inning and was met with facing Shohei Ohtani with a runner on third and only one out. De León started the at-bat off by getting ahead of Ohtani with a 95 MPH fastball. De León then got Ohtani to chop into a weakly hit ground ball to second baseman Donovan Solano, which led to Solano throwing Angels left-fielder Mickey Moniak out at home on a 4-2 fielder's choice. De León then got Angels right-fielder Hunter Renfroe to strike out on an 80 MPH changeup, ending the once daunting threat. De Leon's next inning was similar to his first relief appearance against the Dodgers. After getting Jared Walsh to ground out on just two pitches, De León gave up an opposite-field single to former Minnesota Twin Gio Urshela. In the next at-bat, while facing Luis Rengifo, Ryan Jeffers threw down to second base attempting to throw out a stealing Urshela. Jeffers errant throw skipped past Carlos Correa, which led to Urshela being able to take third base on Jeffers' throwing error. Despite having Urshela on third base with only one out, De León persevered and got Rengifo to ground out to second base. With two outs and an end to his second inning of relief in sight, De León gave up an RBI triple to Matt Thaiss, which grew the Twins' deficit to 2-4. Despite giving up an RBI triple, De León was able to hone in and get Zach Neto to strike out on an 85 MPH changeup. Although De León ended his first two appearances on a relatively negative note, his first 3.1 innings of work, and particularly how effective he looked against Betts, Freeman, and Ohtani, gave traction to the idea that De León could potentially become a reliable relief option for the Twins, which is something they desperately need in this particular moment of the season. De León's fastball, which head analyst Justin Morneau tabbed as a sinker, looked especially effective, as it sunk in on both right-handed and left-handed hitters. De León's slider, which he appeared to have some control issues with, was a valuable complement to his sinker as he induced the handful of the righties he faced to chase it as it slid low and outside, and De León’s changeup, which he used much against the Angels than he versus the Dodgers, looked extremely effective as Angels hitters were caught swinging through it multiple times. De León, who this Twins front office has been enamored with since they were discussing trade packages with the Los Angeles Dodgers for Brian Dozier in 2018, was impressive for most of his first two relief outings with the Minnesota Twins. Now, the only question is if he, like Stewart, can continue to impress and capitalize on his opportunities to where he can supplant himself as a reliable relief option for the Twins. View full article