Cody Christie

https://twitter.com/FinsTwinsLakers/status/1096825629440385034 After locking up Jorge Polanco and Max Kelper last week, the Twins could still lock up another piece of their young core before the season begins. I believe the Twins lock up one more piece before the season begins and I think it will be a pitcher. That leaves Jose Berrios and Kyle Gibson in the discussion. Berrios is coming off an All-Star season and some recent MLB contract extensions could provide the outline for getting a deal done. Seth prognosticated on those possibilities over the weekend. Gibson can be a free agent at season’s end, but I believe the Twins want him to stay with the organization beyond this season. If I was betting on the next extension, it would be on Berrios. https://twitter.com/gary_pecinovsky/status/1096380337574346752 Even with the extension for Jorge Polanco, I believe Royce Lewis won’t be impacted. Nick Gordon will be slated to make his debut this season, but his stock has significantly dropped over the past year. Jonathan Schoop is only under contract for this season so Gordon could take over second base next year. Granted, Gordon is going to need to show some offensive improvements during the 2019 campaign. Lewis will spend the first half of this season in Fort Myers with the possibility to make it to Pensacola in the second half. Depending on how he does in 2019, he could split time next season between Double- and Triple-A during the 2020 campaign. That puts him in line for a debut at the end of that season or early in 2021. Middle infield depth is never a bad thing. It’s also something Minnesota hasn’t had in quite a long time. https://twitter.com/jrodsup/status/1097293374250455042 At this point in their careers, I think Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario are both trade worthy. Neither of them has shown me they are irreplaceable and there will certainly be some pressure from the minor leagues. Alex Kirilloff could make his debut in 2019 (see below) and this could put added pressure on some of the other young outfielders on the roster. Overall, I think John was right when he wrote about the Kepler deal at the end of last week. The club and the player might have found a balanced deal. However, it doesn’t mean Kepler is going to be in a Twins uniform for the remainder of his professional career. https://twitter.com/Baumy19/status/1097237610622271489 Yes, I do believe the Indians win the division, but baseball is a crazy game. If I was a betting man, I would say Cleveland wins the division but only manages less than 90 wins. Their roster has flaws for the first time in multiple years and this is when other AL Central teams can begin to try to take advantage. For Minnesota, it will be about their start to the season and how well their key players perform. The Twins could easily win as many games as Cleveland, but a lot of things are going to have to go right. Minnesota’s front office will also have to be willing to deal young players at the deadline to add impact pieces. Is that something that is in the best interest of the club? We will have to wait and find out. https://twitter.com/Mike_AnthonyFL/status/1097230407161073664 For me, the easy answer is Willians Astudillo. He might be a fan favorite, but I don’t see a scenario where the Twins will need three catchers on the roster. Jason Castro and Mitch Garver are ahead of him on the depth chart. He provides some defensive flexibility, but I don’t think it is enough to warrant a utility spot on the 25-man roster. Will he play for the Twins this season? Yes, but I don’t think he makes the 25-man roster out of spring training. https://twitter.com/MikeAmundsen12/status/1097229446887673856 Hot or cold starts are a tough thing to predict. In recent seasons, the Twins haven’t exactly come bursting out of the gate with an 8-14 record last April and a 12-11 record the year before. With a new manager and plenty of young pieces, I would guess on a slower start for the core to gel. I think the team will have around a .500 record at the end of April. From there, the club will have to make strides in the right direction to make the playoffs. https://twitter.com/nater79a/status/1097228755980959746 I believe the Twins are going to use an opener most of the season. I don’t think it will matter if the starter is Jose Berrios or someone at the back end of the rotation. Minnesota is teaching their young players about the benefits of the opener and I think the veteran pitchers will follow the lead of Rocco Baldelli. He’s coming from the Rays organization that created the opener concept. Openers won’t be used every day, but I would guess the Twins use an opener four out of six games in a week. https://twitter.com/twolvesfan/status/1097227151592644610 As I wrote about in his profile last week, Alex Kirilloff is clearly on a path to Target Field. Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, and Max Kepler all sit on the 25-man roster ahead of Kirilloff. He hasn’t played a game above High-A so the team will have to be aggressive with him this season for him to make his debut. That being said, I certainly think it is a possibility. He should be given the opportunity to start the year at Double-A. In the past, top prospects have shown the ability to skip Triple-A and head straight to the big leagues. Minnesota did this with Joe Mauer when he was making his debut. Even if Kirilloff moves quickly this year, there is no reason for him to debut before the second half of the year. Last season was outstanding, but he needs to show he can produce in the upper levels of the minor leagues. https://twitter.com/DoubleDDe/status/1097249486181748736 With a new coaching staff, there is plenty that is left to be seen with how it impacts the club. The Twins have put a new spring training format into focus so far with the club. This has been meant to minimize time standing around and to keep the club moving through drills. “I think the best way to describe it is to get the most out of our guys in a good, concise, short period of time,” Baldelli said. “We wanted to get out guys on the field, do good work, get them off the field to try to treat them good.” Less down time during drills could leave plenty of opportunities for off-field bonding. The first position player workouts are just underway so it will be interesting to see how the player react to the new format. https://twitter.com/BTukua/status/1097298945146007552 I think Craig Kimbrel could be a very valuable piece for a bullpen, but I don’t think it will be in Minnesota. Maybe the asking price will become low enough. However, I think the organization is content starting the season with the bullpen arms already on staff. Especially with the news, about Fernando Romero joining the bullpen. I don’t know if the Twins will have a traditional closer. I wouldn’t be surprised if multiple players collect 10+ saves this season. I think Baldelli will go with the best match-up and not have a designated closer. What do you think about the questions asked this week? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Age: 21 (DOB: 11/9/1997) 2018 Stats (Low-A/High-A): .348/.392/.578, 44 2B, 20 HR, 7 3B, 4-for-7 in stolen base attempts ETA: 2020 2018 Ranking: 5 National Top 100 Rankings BA: 31 |MLB: 9 | ESPN: 11 |BP: 39 What’s To Like Kirilloff can hit. That might be the understatement of the century. He might be the best hitting prospect in the minor leagues not named Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He’s been hitting for his entire life, as his dad runs baseball camps and clinics. He could have shown some rust last season, but he quickly made it known that he would be a force to be reckoned with. He started the season in Cedar Rapids and hit .333/.391/.607 with 38 extra-base hits in 65 games. Among Midwest League hitters with at least 280 at-bats, his .999 OPS was the highest. Once he was promoted Fort Myers, he continued to hit. In 65 games in the Florida State League, he hit .362/.393/.550 with 33 extra-base hits. He led the Twins system in hits, doubles, and RBI. His 71 total extra-base hits and 296 total bases each led the minor leagues. At season’s end, the accolades came rolling in. The Twins named him the Twins Minor League Player of the Year and Twins Daily named him the Minor League Hitter of the Year. MiLB.com named him as the Breakout Prospect of the Year. He represented the Twins in MLB’s Futures Game during All-Star Weekend. He was also a midseason and post-season All-Star in the Midwest League. Kirilloff can spray the ball all over the field. His spray chart from last season is a thing of beauty (see below). Even with a left-handed swing, he has power to the opposite field. In fact, he had more doubles and more home runs to the opposite field than from pulling the ball. https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1092798484443480070 What’s Left To Work On Kirilloff destroyed the ball last season so there was really no reason for him to try to draw a ton of walks. He is very aggressive at the plate and so his OBP was only slightly higher than his batting average. As he gets closer to the big leagues, hitting against more advanced pitchers could mean that he will need to be more patient. He knows the strike zone well and he will need to continue to prove that at Double- and Triple-A. His year off following Tommy John surgery might have been a blessing in disguise. For months, he wasn’t able to work on his swing, so he was able to develop his core and the lower half of his body. “It was total body strength,” he told MiLB.com. “I wanted to get all-around stronger. When they make you come in and work out every day, you don’t really have much choice. You’re going to get stronger. Everything happens for a reason, and maybe that was what I needed.” On the defensive side of the ball, he played some center field in high school, so he has plenty of athletic ability. As he has bulked up in the minors, he has moved to a corner outfield spot. At some point, he might need to move to first base, but he has a good arm and should be able to stick in right field. What’s Next Target Field… OK, that might be a stretch, but his bat could carry him to Minnesota by season’s end. Minnesota could decide to keep him at Fort Myers to start the year, but it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he started the year in Pensacola. Prospects of his caliber don’t necessarily need time at Triple-A so he could be called up directly from Double-A. Minnesota’s outfield is full at the moment with Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, and Eddie Rosario. However, an injury or poor play by one of these players could expedite Kirilloff’s timeline. Right now, I think his bat could hold its own at the big league level. Twins Daily 2019 Top 20 Prospects Honorable Mentions 20. Jose Miranda, 2B/3B 19. Jorge Alcala, RHP 18. LaMonte Wade, OF 17. Zack Littell, RHP 16. Gilberto Celestino, OF 15. Yunior Severino, 2B 14. Ben Rortvedt, C 13. Ryan Jeffers, C 12. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP 11. Nick Gordon, SS 10. Akil Baddoo, OF 9. Blayne Enlow, RHP 8. Lewis Thorpe, LHP 7. Jhoan Duran, RHP 6. Brent Rooker, 1B/LF 5. Wander Javier, SS 4. Trevor Larnach, OF 3. Brusdar Graterol, RHP 2. Alex Kirilloff, OF TD Top Prospects: #1- COMING TOMORROW Get to know more about Larnach and many more minor league players in the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. ORDER NOW: 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (paperback, $17.99) ORDER NOW: 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (eBook, $12.99) The 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook goes in-depth and provides player bios, scouting reports, statistics and much more on almost 160 Twins minor leaguers.

Age: 21 (DOB: 2/26/1997) 2018 Stats (Rookie/Low-A): .303/.390/.500, 13 2B, 5 HR, 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts ETA: 2021 2018 Ranking: NR National Top 100 Rankings BA: NR |MLB: NR | ESPN: NR |BP: NR What’s To Like During his junior season, Larnach went from a contributing player on a good team to a breakout star on a national title contender. He hit .348/.463/.652 with 19 home runs and 19 doubles. To put those numbers in perspective, he was a career .296/.417/.494 hitter at Oregon State. He only had three home runs during his sophomore season. Lucky for him, his hard work paid off. After taking a short break following the CWS, Larnach continued to hit when he joined the Twins organization. His professional career started in the Appy League so he could get accustom to hitting with a wood bat on a regular basis. The transition was smooth as he hit .311/.413/.492 with seven extra-base hits in 18 games for the E-Twins. Because of his college experience, Minnesota could be aggressive with Larnach. He would finish the year with over 100 plate appearances with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. After the promotion, he batted .297/.373/.505 with eight doubles and three home runs in 24 games. His excellent exit velocity was one of the reasons the Twins keyed in on Larnach. He also has a strong makeup and he is very coachable. He is a student of the game and spends countless hours studying video and working on improving his game. What’s Left To Work On At 6-foot-4 and 216 pounds, Larnach profiles as a corner outfielder and he has a strong arm to fit those positions. He will continue to add some weight to his frame. When he was drafted, he was listed at 205 but he weighed in at 216 during this past fall’s instructional league action. Even with his breakout season, he continues to refine his swing. “I’ve done everything from changing my batting stance to my mechanics like working on the load and working on the gather,” Larnach said. “I’m not done yet. There are still things I need to do.” Besides his swing, Larnach believes there are other parts of his game that can still be improved. “I’ve been working my tail off since high school,” Larnach said. “I’ve been getting results, but I feel like I can go high and develop mentally and physically.” He will never be an elite base runner, but he has the opportunity to continue to improve his base running abilities. While he continues to add weight, he needs to make sure he can continue to be an adequate base runner. He also needs to have enough speed to play a corner outfield position and he certainly has that ability at his point in his career. What’s Next Larnach could head back the MWL, where he finished last season. It seems more likely for him to spend the bulk of 2019 playing for the Fort Myers Miracle. If he hits well there to start the season, he could spend part of the season’s second half in the Blue Wahoo’s AA line-up. His work ethic and makeup should allow him to move quickly through the Twins system. It seems unlikely for him to get to Target Field before the 2021 season. Current corner outfielders Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler are under team control through the 2021 season and Alex Kirilloff is already ahead of him in the Twins system. That being said, Larnach’s bat might be strong enough to push any player out of his way. Twins Daily 2019 Top 20 Prospects Honorable Mentions 20. Jose Miranda, 2B/3B 19. Jorge Alcala, RHP 18. LaMonte Wade, OF 17. Zack Littell, RHP 16. Gilberto Celestino, OF 15. Yunior Severino, 2B 14. Ben Rortvedt, C 13. Ryan Jeffers, C 12. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP 11. Nick Gordon, SS 10. Akil Baddoo, OF 9. Blayne Enlow, RHP 8. Lewis Thorpe, LHP 7. Jhoan Duran, RHP 6. Brent Rooker, 1B/LF 5. Wander Javier, SS 4. Trevor Larnach, OF TD Top Prospects: #3- Coming Tomorrow Get to know more about Larnach and many more minor league players in the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. ORDER NOW: 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (paperback, $17.99) ORDER NOW: 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (eBook, $12.99) The 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook goes in-depth and provides player bios, scouting reports, statistics and much more on almost 160 Twins minor leaguers.

https://twitter.com/hotts58/status/1094647634290245634 My first thought to this question was I hope so. That being said, the Twins don’t necessarily need him to be what Logan Morrison was supposed to be last year. Morrison was brought in to be the team’s regular designated hitter. Lucas Duda is certainly not going to be give that responsibility with Nelson Cruz on the roster. Plus, Duda isn’t guaranteed any money under his deal with the Twins. He must be on the roster and contributing to get paid. Duda is left-handed so that could help him to find a place on a very right-handed heavy Twins line-up. Last season, he hit .241/.313/.418 with 29 extra-base hits in 107 games between Kansas City and Atlanta. He has a pair of 30 home run seasons under his belt including one as recent as 2017. CJ Cron, Tyler Austin, and Duda will all be battling for time at first base. A platoon with Cron or Austin versus lefties and Duda versus righties could add some power to the Twins line-up. https://twitter.com/MinnFan4Life/status/1094112001775886336 I certainly believe the Twins think they can contend this season especially in a very open AL Central. One of the biggest keys for 2019 is making sure the young core is ready to take the next step. Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano have plenty to prove after last season. Eddie Rosario and Jose Berrios were two of the team’s best players last year but they each could be more consistent this season. Max Kepler destroyed every level of the minor leagues and he hasn’t shown that ability at baseball’s highest level. Prospects don’t always pan out, so the club needs to continue to add depth throughout the minor league system. They were able to do that in last year’s draft and by trading away assets at last year’s deadline. Last year’s club was a good example of why one-year deals don’t typically work. There were a bunch of players with no connection to the club and very little team chemistry. Minnesota is never going to outspend other teams and I doubt many big-name free agents are identifying the Twins as an ideal destination for their talents. As much as fans don’t want to hear it, the Twins need to see what their young core can do this season. Everything could come together and be great or things could crash and burn. We will have to see what players are up to the challenge. https://twitter.com/PaulLovesTacos/status/1094016967755755520 There has been some talk of teams offering Manny Machado and Bryce Harper shorter-term deal with more annual money associated with each contract. I believe both players and their agents are looking for more long-term stability. They are each reaching free agency at a young age so the next contract they sign could take them through the bulk of their formative (and defining) years in the big leagues. They need to make sure the city and team are the right fit and that the contract works for their future. I think there are a few reasons as to why the Twins wouldn’t be interested at four-years and $40 million per season. Adding another $80 million to the payroll seems like quite the jump. Minnesota needs to get into a situation where they can make more money on their television contract and that could help open the coffers for more payroll funding. I also don’t know if these two players want to be on the same team. They both have big egos and each wants to be the face of a franchise. https://twitter.com/gary_pecinovsky/status/1094009443145170944 Nick Gordon is coming off his worst season as a professional. Most of last year, Gordon was playing at Triple-A where he was four and a half years younger than the competition. He struggled mightily with Rochester by hitting .212/.262/.283. His power hasn’t developed, and he doesn’t show much patience in the batter’s box. He’s spent the off-season adding some weight to his frame, which could help him in the power department. He was a consensus top-100 MLB prospect in each of the last four off-seasons, but he didn’t make any top-100 lists this off-season. Here at Twins Daily, he dropped from the organization’s third best prospect to the club’s 12th best prospect. He was added to the 40-man roster this off-season, so I think he will make his big league debut this season. Gordon needs to find his swing at Triple-A and then he will be just a phone call away. https://twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall/status/1093921281458745346 There are certainly some trickle down effects from the big-league level all the way down to Double-A. Players throughout the system are impacted by those already ahead of them on the organizational depth chart. With that in mind, there are a lot of things that will impact who is starting at which level. I believe pitching continues to evolve and organizations are going to start taking a unique approach to the roles of starters. Chattanooga likely starts the year with a six-man rotation, but the organization most assuredly will be using more openers during the season. The Blue Wahoos’ bullpen will be equally important. If I am picking the rotation today, I think it will include Jorge Alcala, Tyler Wells, Sean Poppen, Daniel Camarena, Charlie Barnes, and Clark Beeker. Alcala was acquired from the Astros last season as part of the Ryan Pressly trade. Wells made five starts at Double-A last season and should start the year there again. Poppen spent the majority of 2018 in Chattanooga but there is depth ahead of him that will likely keep him at Double-A. Camarena was signed as a minor league free agent and hasn’t pitched yet in the Twins organization. Barnes pitched all last year at Fort Myers so he should move up a level. Beeker will be 26-years old this season, so he likely starts in Pensacola. What do you think? Leave a COMMENT and answer any of the questions above.

Three-batter minimum This rule would result in a pitcher being required to pitch to a minimum of three batters upon entering a game. For teams, this could significantly reduce the number of pitching changes made by managers. It could also speed up games for team’s that like to change pitchers in the middle of an inning. During last year’s playoffs, the Brewers used left-handed pitcher Wade Miley for one batter before replacing him with right-handed pitcher Brandon Woodruff. This type of move wouldn’t be possible under this possible rule change. Universal designated hitter The MLBPA continues to push for a universal DH and they would like to have it in place for the 2019 season. That seems highly unlikely at this point. Offensive has been down across baseball so adding a DH in the National League could add some more offensive to the game. However, none of these teams have been preparing to add a DH to their roster. I believe this rule will happen at some point, but I don’t think it will be in place for the 2019 season. 20-second pitch clock One of the rules proposed by MLB last year was the implementation of a 20-second pitch clock. Manfred could put this rule in to affect for the 2019 campaign. Pitch clocks have been used in the minor leagues, so some players have already started to be accustomed to having them as part of the game. I think the pitch clock is coming and it might be happening for the current season. Mound visits Another rule that MLB can implement this year is reducing the number of mound visits from six to five. In their most recent proposal, MLB would like to reduce mound visits from six to four in 2019. Then in 2020, they would like the number of mound visits to be reduced to three. This seems like a large jump over a two-year span and I think the MLBPA will try to slow this process down. Roster size MLB would also like to expand rosters to 26 players starting in 2020. Along with that, they would like to reduce September rosters from 40 to 28. Expanding rosters from 25 to 26 would create 30 more big-league jobs and allow teams to be strategic as to what type of player they would like to have on the roster. Do they want another arm in the bullpen? Do they want a power bat for the bench? I don’t like the idea of reducing September roster sizes. We already see teams manipulate service time without using September call-ups and this seems like another way for teams to do that. Anti-tanking One of the ideas the player’s union would like addressed is the idea of teams tanking over multiple years to get a higher draft pick. In recent memory, the Astros did this to acquire high picks over multiple years. From this, they have built a very strong roster. The union would like a team’s draft position to be lowered if the club fails to reach a certain number of wins across multiple seasons. What rule changes would you like to see? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Age: 19 (DOB: 3-21-1999) 2018 Stats (Low-A): 94.0 IP, 3.26 ERA, 71/35 K/BB, 1.37 WHIP ETA: 2022 2018 Ranking: 8 National Top 100 Rankings BA: NR |MLB: NR | ESPN: NR |BP: NR What’s To Like Enlow could be entering his sophomore season at LSU but Minnesota was able to steal him in the third round of the 2017 Draft. They had to go over slot to get him, but the team wanted him badly enough to make the move. It also helped that the club had saved some money on signing Royce Lewis with the number one overall pick. In his professional debut, Enlow burst onto the scene with the GCL Twins. He posted a 1.33 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP in 20.1 innings. He only allowed three earned runs and he posted 19 to 4 strikeout to walk ratio. It certainly seemed like the Twins aggressive draft strategy was paying off. Minnesota continue to be aggressive with Enlow in 2018. Instead of pitching for the E-Twins, he was bumped up to Cedar Rapids. In his last 10 appearances (53.1 IP), he had a 2.36 ERA and a 40 to 17 strikeout to walk ratio. His inning total increased over the season’s final months and he ended August with an 8.9 K/9 mark. His fastball can reach the mid-90s and his curveball continues to be a strong pitch. When he was drafted, MLB.com’s Jim Callis called it the best curveball in the draft. That placed him ahead of multiple college arms. His delivery allows him to put a lot of movement on his pitches. What’s Left To Work On He has a good one-two punch with his fastball and curveball, but he needs time to continue to develop other secondary pitches. He worked on a changeup this season and hopes are that he will be able to continue to work on his secondary pitches as he continues to pitch more professional innings. He continues to have the opportunity to grow into a better pitcher, which should come as he works his way through the system. During the 2018 campaign, Enlow was placed on the DL multiple times with muscle strains. His highest pitch total was 87 last year and he reached that total on three separate occasions. Other than that, there were only three other times he crossed the 80-pitch mark. Enlow averaged just under 67 pitches per game. He should get stretched out even more during the coming season. By pitching deeper into games, Enlow will get the opportunity to work more regularly on his secondary pitches. This will make him a stronger pitching prospect as he pitches his way towards Target Field. What’s Next After spending last season in Cedar Rapids, Enlow should spend all of 2019 pitching for Fort Myers. Minnesota will continue to take their time with Enlow since he is young and continuing to work with his secondary pitches. At this point, it is about him adding strength to his frame and building up his innings totals. Starting pitching continues to evolve, especially with addition of openers and more frequent use of bullpen options. By the time Enlow makes it to the big leagues, starting pitchers might only be asked to make it through the line-up a couple of times. With his top two pitches, he might be a dangerous arm no matter what role he is given. TD Top Prospects: Honorable Mention TD Top Prospects: 16-20 TD Top Prospects: 11-15 TD Top Prospects: #10 Akil Baddoo TD Top Prospects: #9 Blayne Enlow TD Top Prospects: #8- Coming Tomorrow! Get to know more about Enlow and many more minor league players in the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. ORDER NOW: 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (paperback, $17.99) ORDER NOW: 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (eBook, $12.99) The 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook goes in-depth and provides player bios, scouting reports, statistics and much more on almost 160 Twins minor leaguers.

https://twitter.com/hotts58/status/1091534395670962177 When it comes to the man behind the plate, it seems likely for Jason Castro and Mitch Garver to split time. Castro is coming off a major injury, but he should be able to go full-steam ahead with spring training starting. Mitch Garver caught almost 670 innings last season and hit .268/.335/.414. Those are very respectable numbers for a back-stop. Garver might seem like a young player but he will already be 28 next season. I think the Twins will rotate through both these players and allow them to work with specific pitchers to build a rapport. Willians Astudillo has become someone of a cult hero over the last year but I can’t see him filling more than a third catcher role with this team. Obviously, an injury to Castro or Garver could change the plan. Astudillo showed some defensive flexibility last year but it hardly seems likely for the team to give him a utility job. My guess is they carry two catchers and Astudillo isn’t one of them. https://twitter.com/hotts58/status/1092114226045423617 Another catching option for the Twins is newly signed Wilin Rosario. He hasn’t played in the big leagues since 2015 when he was with the Rockies organization. In his five big league seasons, he has combined to hit .273/.306/.473 including two seasons with 20+ home runs. He spent the 2016-17 seasons playing overseas in the KBO, as he hit .330/.390/.625 while averaging 35 home runs per season. Last year, Rosario played in Japan and hit .242/.285/.374 with eight home runs. While some of those numbers sound good, the Twins are not giving him an invite to big league camp. This seems strange since almost every catcher in the system gets a chance to help at big league camp at some point. He will provide some organization depth to start the year. Depending on how he hits in the minors, he could be added to the team later in the year. https://twitter.com/Hey_Yo_Its_GMan/status/1091530143514984448 As many people know, the Twins have gotten rid of their cream alternate home jerseys in favor of a new blue jersey. These new threads incorporate the Kasota gold colors the team has embraced since the 2014 All-Star Game. I was disappointed to see the cream-colored jerseys go because they reminded me of the early Target Field years with Jim Thome cranking home runs to all parts of the field. They had a throwback feel to them, but the team decided to go in a different direction. From the team’s perspective, rotating alternate jerseys is a good way to keep fans interested in buying new gear. Most likely, everyone that wanted a cream color jersey already bought one. At the beginning of the 2016 season, the club had added in the red home alternate jerseys. Adding in a new color, allows the team to bring in a little extra. However, I believe the team only gets the revenue if the jerseys are purchased at an official team store. Either way, this was an opportunity for the team to rebrand and for fans to pick up another jersey of their favorite player. https://twitter.com/gary_pecinovsky/status/1091046086477791232 Manny Machado and Bryce Harper are still free agents and spring training is days away from starting. Back in January, Buster Olney thought the Twins could be a mystery team for Machado or Harper because of their payroll flexibility. Minnesota has almost no guaranteed money on the books beyond this season so adding a franchise altering player could help push this team to the next level. At TwinsFest, it sounded like the Twins have very little interest in going after either of the mega-free agents. “My view … for doing it is the best time to acquire players of that magnitude is when your window to win is wide open,” Levine said to the crowd. “Not when you’re got your fingers underneath the window and you’re trying to jam the window open. I want to do it when we’re projected to win the Central and we’re ready to put our foot on someone’s throat.” https://twitter.com/filmreviewbyme/status/1091413247134068736 Craig Kimbrel is the number one relief pitcher on the market. He’s a seven-time All-Star and he has topped the 30 save mark in eight consecutive seasons. He will be 31-years old next season and he hasn’t shown many signs of slowing down in recent years. He’s only pitched more than 70 innings in one season so it’s not like he has a ton of wear and tear on his arm. If you follow the trail of this tweet, the Twins seem to be one of the teams in the running for Kimbrel. Jon Heyman, a well-respected national baseball writer, named the Twins as a possible landing spot for Kimbrel. Paul Crane is based out of Atlanta so he might have connections to Kimbrel and his camp from during his Braves tenure. This might be one of the reasons none of the Minneapolis beat writers are reporting on it at this point. Does Kimbrel make sense for the Twins? I’m never a big fan of offering multi-year deals to aging relief pitchers. That being said, three-years and $45 million certainly wouldn’t hinder the team during the life of the contract. Also, he could be an intriguing trade piece if the Twins aren’t in contention. Do you think the Twins should sign Kimbrel? Who catches the most innings for the Twins next year? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Twins owner Jim Pohlad said Paul Molitor would continue to manage the club when Derek Falvey and Thad Levine took over the Twins front office. Molitor would win the AL Manager of the Year Award in 2017 as the Twins surprisingly qualified for the final Wild Card spot. It was hard to dump him at that point so Falvey and Levine stuck with him for one more season. Even with the Twins finishing second in the AL Central, the writing on the wall was clear: The new front office wanted a more forward-thinking manager to steer the Twins back into contention. Molitor was removed from his managerial duties and the Twins went on the hunt for a modern manager. Enter Rocco Baldelli. Baldelli’s once promising playing career was cut short by illness and injuries. He joined the Tampa Bay Rays as an assistant and then was a coach in the years since he was forced to retire. Last season, he was given the title of major league field coordinator. This allowed him to work with the manager on in-game strategy while continuing to work to develop the team’s younger players. Now the 37-year old is tasked with turning around a core of young Twins players that need their own development. Players like Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano underachieved throughout 2018. So far this off-season, Baldelli has visited both of these players at their homes. Just one of the first signs of his abilities to connect with players. Baldelli should also bring some new ideas to the Twins managerial position. Tampa Bay has long been considered a hotbed for forward-thinking coaches. Baldelli played almost his entire career in the Tampa Bay organization and even played under Joe Maddon, who is considered one of the game’s best managers. One of the new things Baldelli could bring to the Twins is a comfort with a concept like the opener. This was originated with the Rays last season and Minnesota has some in-house options that could slide nicely into an opener role. Minnesota started using openers throughout their system last season but Baldelli might make this a regular occurrence for big league pitchers. He’s also mentioned that he wants players to be more mentally prepared for the game. Baldelli even mentioned that the players might not always be ready physically, but he needs them to have their heads in the right place for this team to find success. As a player, he fought through plenty of injuries, so this seems a likely focal point for the new manager. Baldelli will need to establish his culture in spring training and the early months of the season. He’s been saying all the right things but winning isn’t going to happen overnight. Minnesota’s window of opportunity is just starting to open and the club needs Baldelli to take them to the next level. What can Baldelli do for the club in 2019? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Over the weekend, fans at TwinsFest were given the opportunity to ask general manager Thad Levine about multiple topics. One of the most intriguing answers was about the Twins looking to sign their younger pieces to long-term deals. Here are some of the potential options for long-term contracts. Byron Buxton, CF Arbitration Eligible: 2020 Free Agent: 2023 Buxton is coming off one of the lowest points in his young career. The front office decided not to make him a September call-up and in turn, the team picked up an extra year of control over the former top prospect. Minnesota already gave him a hefty off-season raise to try and make up for the September smite. Another way to smooth the waters could be to give him some financial stability and buy out some of his free agent years. If he has a bounce-back year, next off-season his value could be even higher. Miguel Sano, 3B Arbitration Eligible: 2020 Free Agent: 2022 Sano has been dealing with on and off the field issues over the last calendar year. He was accused of assault, ran over a police officer, and wound up being sent all the way back down to High-A last year. There’s obviously some room to grow and adding veteran Nelson Cruz to the roster could help Sano reach his former all-star ability. He will reach free agency a year earlier than Buxton so it might be more pressing to sign the slugger to a longer-term deal. Minnesota is building a power line-up this year and Sano could be the biggest power bat for the team. Jose Berrios, SP Arbitration Eligible: 2020 Free Agent: 2023 Last year, Berrios made the All-Star Game for the first time and he was one of the team’s most valuable pitchers. His value might be at an all-time high so it could be in the club’s best interest to wait a year and see how he performs in 2019. He has yet to reach the 200-inning mark in any big-league season. However, he is one of the hardest working players in the system and he seems to fit the mold of the new front office. Minnesota is always short on starting pitching so it might be nice to have Berrios locked into the rotation for the great part of the next decade, even if he can’t be the team’s ace for that entire time. Eddie Rosario, OF Arbitration Eligible: 2020 Free Agent: 2022 Rosario was arguably the team’s best hitter last season and he can provide value on the defensive side of the ball as well. Minnesota has other outfield options working their way towards Target Field as also. The front office will need to decide if Rosario is part of the club’s long-term plans. He’s coming off his best big-league season; so, like Berrios, it might not be the best time to give him an extension. He’s also the oldest player on this list and he will be a free agent at age 29. It might be better to go through the year-to-year arbitration process for a player like him. Kyle Gibson, SP Free Agent: 2020 Next season could be Gibson’s last in a Twins uniform. His major league career has been full of ups and downs. He was the team’s best starter back in 2015 when he posted a 3.84 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP over 194.2 innings. Last year at age-30, he had an even better season with a 3.62 ERA and a 179 to 79 strikeout to walk ratio. Is Gibson finally finding himself at baseball’s highest level or is the club going to rely on some of the younger talent in the organization? Other players in consideration would have to be Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler. Who should be a priority for the team to sign to an extension? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

https://twitter.com/gary_pecinovsky/status/1089634127882653698 Ideally, Byron Buxton’s leash won’t have to be tested this season. Last week, I identified Buxton’s emergence as one of the keys to the 2019 club. It’s easy to be discouraged after his 2018 season. Buxton rebuilt his body this off-season by adding 21 pounds of muscle. The extra weight can hopefully increase his durability and keep him on the field when he is bouncing off the outfield grass and crashing into centerfield walls. Even if Buxton’s bat struggles again, he continues to provide value through his defense and base running abilities. I believe the team will bat him near the bottom of the order to keep some of the pressure off him. He needs to figure it out at the big-league level, so I think the team is going to sink or swim with Buxton in the line-up this year. https://twitter.com/hotts58/status/1088824695116521472 Minnesota will likely use a few different players at first base this season and the starter could be tied to the player with the hottest bat. Each of the most likely first base options were added to the roster in the last year. C.J. Cron was claimed off waivers this off-season despite a 30-home run campaign in 2018. Tyler Austin saw some action for the Twins last year after being traded from the Yankees. Miguel Sano and Mitch Garver are also possibilities to see time at first. If I’m picking the Opening Day starter now, Cron would be my pick. As far as a replacement for Robbie Grossman, Jake Cave seems like he already started to do that last year. Cave played in 91 big league games and racked up over 300 plate appearances. He hit .269/.316/.481 with 32 extra-base hits. The club also used him at all three outfield positions, so it seems likely for him to continue to be used in a fourth outfielder role. https://twitter.com/C__Lee/status/1088544039408988161 If the Twins are done adding players, there seems to be a pretty clear starting situation for the Twins. No one knows how Rocco Baldelli is going to approach lineup construction, but Minnesota has nine players that should be regulars. Here’s how I would construct the Opening Day lineup: 1. Jorge Polanco- SS 2. Eddie Rosario- LF 3. Nelson Cruz- DH 4. Miguel Sano- 3B 5. CJ Cron- 1B 6. Jonathan Schoop- 2B 7. Max Kepler- RF 8. Jason Castro- C 9. Byron Buxton- CF As I mentioned before, Tyler Austin will probably get some at-bats at first base. The second half of the lineup could be altered depending on who has the hot hand. Buxton might start the year at the bottom of the order, but it will be key for him to be batting near the top by season’s end. https://twitter.com/Mike_AnthonyFL/status/1088813118552186880 This is certainly an intriguing question. In three of the last four seasons, Manny Machado has posted a WAR greater than 6.0. For the Twins, you also need to consider the players he would be replacing. Miguel Sano and Jorge Polanco are currently penciled in to play on Machado’s side of the infield. As Thieres Rabelo wrote about last week, Polanco might be as potent on offense as Machado. Polanco could slide over to second base but then he would be taking Jonathan Schoop’s spot in the line-up. Schoop was only worth 0.5 WAR last season and his career high WAR total was 3.8 back in 2017. That being said, Machado is one of the best players in the game. Over the course of 162 games, he could add 2-3 wins to the club. This might all be purely hypothetical because it sounds like the front office isn’t adding Machado or Bryce Harper. https://twitter.com/C__Lee/status/1088813937511022594 Season ticket sales are usually tied to the team’s performance in the previous season. Last year, the Twins were coming off a playoff appearance and their young players seemed poised to take the next step. The club also had veteran stars like Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier that can help to drive sales. Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano were a disappointment in 2018 and Mauer and Dozier are no longer with the club. Also, the team didn’t make the playoffs. Nothing drives ticket sales like having a consistently winning product on the field. Season ticket data won’t be released until later in the year. It seems likely that sales will be down, and the demand will be low for the current team. However, winning cures everything. https://twitter.com/Hey_Yo_Its_GMan/status/1088830128786980864 TwinsFest is a wonderful weekend of events and activities for the entire family. Yes, the organization covers the traveling cost for players to attend. While the players are in town, the club usually completes some of the players' physicals so they can save time when players get to Florida. Twins President Dave St. Peter has done a good job of building relationships with former players. Luckily, the dates for the event are almost always the last weekend in January. This can make it easy for players to plan their attendance at the event. That being said, a lot of fans want to get autographs from the newer players and the former players aren’t as big of a draw. (Ask Corey Koskie about that.)

Byron Buxton didn’t finish last season in Minnesota. The organization decided not to make him a September call-up. In doing so, the club picked up an extra year of service time as Buxton now won’t be eligible for free agency until 2023. There were high hopes for Buxton entering the 2018 campaign. He ended 2017 on an upswing as he hit .300/.347/.546 with 23 extra-base hits in the second half. However, the 2018 campaign quickly turned into a nightmare for Buxton. He only managed to play 28 games at the big-league level while hitting .156/.183/.200 with four extra-base hits. He struggled through injuries and spent time trying to find his swing in the minor leagues. Some players take time to develop. In recent memory, Aaron Hicks was a player that took some time to figure it out at baseball’s highest level. Since leaving the Twins three years ago, he has been the tenth most valuable outfielder in the American League. Another former Twin, Joe Nathan, didn’t see his career take off until being traded to Minnesota and becoming the team’s closer at age 29. Baseball is a funny game. Sometimes it pays to be patient, especially with a player like Buxton who seems to have endless potential. Buxton is the one player on the Twins roster who can impact the game in every way. He’s shown the ability to be the best defensive player in the league. He can drive teams crazy on the bases with his ability to turn a single into a double or move from first to third on a slow roller to the outfield. The Twins don’t need Buxton to hit. 350 and crack 40 home runs. His defense and running ability make him valuable without even considering his hit and power tools. A healthy Buxton could result in more of what Twins fans saw in the second half of 2017. Buxton showed his ability to hit for average and to post some strong power numbers. Minnesota’s next window of opportunity is right now, and Buxton’s emergence is key to the club moving forward. Miguel Sano is an important piece as well, but Buxton can impact every facet of the game. If Minnesota sits atop the AL Central at season’s end, Buxton was likely part of the team’s success. Baseball’s former top prospect is only 25-years old so there is no reason to give up on him now. Buckle-up Twins fans because Buxton could be just one key component to the team’s success next season. He is a threat to break out at any moment. How important is Buxton to the Twins in 2019? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

ESPN’s Buster Olney is reporting the Twins could be one of a handful of mystery teams interested in signing either Machado or Harper. Olney’s biggest reasons for identifying the Twins is their lack of free agent spending, which gives the club an opportunity to pull off this kind of contract. Over the last week, Minnesota’s payroll has been a hot button topic in Twins Territory. (I wrote a little about it in this week’s Twins Daily mailbag and you can listen to Gleeman and the Geek discuss it in their latest episode). Joe Mauer’s contract came off the books and the organization has few contractual commitments moving forward. According to Forbes, Minnesota ranks 22nd in MLB team valuations. The club made $261 million in revenue last year and spent $133 million on player expenses. Currently, the Twins are projected to start next season with a payroll around $100 million. If it takes longer for these two players to sign, their asking price could continue to drop. It could also drop the length of the contract. Both players are relatively young for reaching free agency since they made their debuts as teenagers. This could allow teams to sign them to a longer contract because the prime of their careers would be throughout most of the new deal. Since these two players debuted in 2012, Harper has the 12th highest WAR total, while Machado comes in at 15th. These are two of the best players of this generation and they are reaching free agency in their prime. All of baseball should be interested… why not the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.