Cody Christie

Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier are both playing in the last year of their contracts. If 2018 is their last season in a Twins uniform, there are still plenty of records in sight for each of them. Both players are two of the longest tenured members of the organization, so it make sense that some records could fall throughout the course of 2018. What milestones are in reach? Let’s dive in…Mr. 2000 Mauer entered play on Saturday needing eight hits to reach the 2,000 hit mark for his career. He’s hit safely in 17 straight contests against Seattle so there is a good chance that number will shrink before the weekend is done. Kirby Puckett and Rod Carew are the only players in team history to reach the 2,000 hit mark. Puckett holds the franchise record with 2,304 hits, while Carew totaled 2,085 hits before heading to the Angels. Eleven active players have surpassed 2,000 hits with Adrian Gonzalez being the last player to accomplish the feat in August of 2017. Double Trouble Mauer would need to play a couple more seasons to pass Puckett on the franchise’s hit list. However, Mauer does have a chance to set the team record for doubles. Puckett finished his career with a franchise record 414 doubles over 12 seasons. Mauer is in the midst of his 15th season and has 403 doubles. Over the last six seasons, Mauer has averaged 31 doubles so it seems likely for him to pass Puckett at some point during 2018. Solo Homers Mauer and Dozier are both moving up the ladder on the team’s all-time home run list. With 155 career home runs, Dozier needs eight to tie Tom Brunansky (163) for 9th on the Twins all-time list. Mauer has 137 career long-balls and sits four behind Michael Cuddyer for 11th in franchise history. Next in Dozier’s sights would be Gary Gaetti but he knocked 201 home runs during his Twins tenure. Dozier might be a man on a mission this season but 46 more home runs seems like a tough endeavor. Speed, I Am Speed Bryon Buxton has the kind of elite speed that could put him at the top of the team’s record books when it comes to stolen bases. For now, Dozier has made his way into the franchises top-10 list. His 91 career steals are one better than Denard Span for 10th on the team’s all-time list. With his next steal, Dozier will tie Larry Hisle for ninth. Other players in his sights this year include Matt Lawton (96), Christian Guzman (102), and possibly Dan Gladden (116). To pass Gladden, he’d have to break his career best steal total of 21 from 2014. Which record will drop first? How much longer would Mauer have to play to get to 3000 hits? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Around Twins Daily Jason Castro and a Cup of Coffee Proven Leadership Will Set Tone For 2018 Red Wings Blackmon’s Deal With Rockies Sets Precedent For Dozier Click here to view the article

A year after earning a second half playoff berth, many important pieces will be making a return trip to the Florida State League. In fact over half the roster, 13 out of 25 players, spent time in Fort Myers during the 2017 campaign. With a new manager and some new faces, the Miracle will continue to be an exciting team to follow this season. What can the new manager bring to the table? Which top prospects will start the year in the FSL? What else is in store from the Miracle?New Skipper At The Helm Manager Ramon Borrego is making the jump from the GCL Twins. He doesn’t have to move towns but his new gig will certainly come with some high expectations. The native Venezuelan briefly reached Triple-A as a player before becoming a manager. His playing career started in 1996 with the GCL Twins and he finished in 2002. His coaching career started in the Venezuelan Summer league, where he worked from 2005-2008. In 2009, he took the DSL Twins to the Dominican Summer League Finals before losing. He took over the GCL managing duties from Chris Heintz during the 2010 campaign. His team’s best finish was last season with first place finish in the South Division before losing in the first round of the playoffs. His career record with the GCL Twins was 236-235. Borrego will be joined on his coaching staff by some familiar faces. Henry Bonilla will return for his third season as the Miracle pitching coach. Steve Singleton will begin his second season as the hitting coach in Fort Myers and his third as a hitting coach in the Twins organization. Top Prospects To Watch Two of Twins Daily’s Top 20 Prospects and three of Baseball America’s Top 30 Prospects populate the Miracle Opening Day roster. The biggest name might be first baseman Lewin Diaz, who finished 13th on the Twins Daily Top 20 and Baseball America ranks him 26th. Diaz led the Midwest League with 33 doubles last year and added 12 home runs. Infielder Travis Blankenhorn is another familiar name to those who follow Twins prospects. At Twins Daily, we ranked him as the organization’s 17th best prospect entering the season. He’s stock is down a little after hitting .251 with 13 home runs in 117 games for Cedar Rapids last season. Baseball America squeezed him into their top-30 list at number 29. A name less known to Twins fans might be outfielder Aaron Whitefield. Twins Daily didn’t include him in our top-20 prospect list but Baseball America thought highly enough of him to rank him 19th. He was dangerous on the base-paths last season with Cedar Rapids by swiping 32 bases. He added 11 home runs to show some signs of power as well. Returning Core Three important pieces of last year’s playoff starting rotation will return to Fort Myers. Right-handed pitcher Brady Anderson led the Miracle in innings pitched (113.0) and games started (18). In college he pitched at Florida Gulf Coast University so he is getting accustomed to pitching in the Florida sun. Right-handed hurler Cody Stashak pitched at three different levels last season (Rookie, High-A, Double-A) but he was still able to finish second on the Miracle in innings pitched. His 1.10 WHIP was tops among Miracle pitchers with a minimum of 15 starts. He also finished second among starters with 72 strikeouts in 83.1 innings. Sean Poppen, a right-handed pitcher, made 11 starts for Fort Myers last season. Lefty Andrew Vasquez will return to the bullpen where he posted a 1.51 ERA in 23 relief appearances (35.2 IP) with 52 strikeouts. Righty Tom Hackimer posted a 1.93 ERA in 27 relief appearances. 2018 MIRACLE OPENING DAY ROSTER (Returners in bold) Pitchers (13): RHP Brady Anderson, LHP Charlie Barnes, RHP Clark Beeker, RHP Adam Bray, RHP Colton Davis, RHP Tom Hackimer, RHP Hector Lujan, LHP Anthony Marzi, RHP Sean Poppen, LHP Alex Robinson, RHP Cody Stashak, LHP Andrew Vasquez, RHP Tyler Wells Catchers (3): Taylor Grzelakowski, Caleb Hamilton, Mitchell Kranson Infielders (5): Travis Blankenhorn, Lewin Diaz, Brandon Lopez, Nelson Molina, Alex Perez Outfielders (4): Jaylin Davis, Jared Foster, Jimmy Kerrigan, Aaron Whitefield More From Twins Daily Kernels Class of 2018 "Should Be Pretty Entertaining" Man On A Mission Target Field Features New Spaces, Beers And Eats Click here to view the article

There are different expectations surrounding the Twins this season. A year removed from a loss in the AL Wild Card Game, the Twins are looking to make a deeper run into October. Fans even saw manager Paul Molitor utilize a five man infield during a late game situation. Every game is important and for one player the stakes might be even higher. Brian Dozier seems like a man on a mission. His mission, should he choose to accept it, is to guide this Twins franchise to somewhere they haven’t been in quite a while.Mission 1: Playoffs or Bust When the Twins traded away multiple pieces before last year’s trade deadline, Dozier was vocal about his unhappiness with the moves. One year later and the Twins are poised to be in the playoff hunt once again. With the Indians expected to lead the AL Central, Minnesota will be forced to battle multiple teams for a Wild Card spot. There have been ups and downs for Dozier over the last couple of seasons but there have been stretches where he has been able to carry the Twins offensively. If he can do that for an entire season, the rest of the American League better get out of the way. Mission 2: Gold Glove Repeat I’ve been very critical of Brian Dozier’s defense in the past. As recently as last April, I called him out for not being able to get to plays that are routine for other second basemen. In his age-30 season, Dozier made some tremendous defensive improvements. He finished the 2015 campaign as the third-worst AL second baseman according to SABR’s Defensive Index. The 2016 season was a little better as he finished in the middle of the pack. Dozier ranked second in the AL last season and finished with a positive SDI for the first time in his career. Now he needs to prove that his defense wasn’t a fluke in 2017. Mission 3: MLB’s Best Power Hitting Second Baseman Since the start of the 2013 season, Brian Dozier leads all MLB second basemen with 145 home runs. He’s also been a terror for teams out from of the leadoff spot. His 21 lead-off home runs since 2015 are the second most in baseball beyond Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon (22). Because of his placement as the leadoff hitter, he has been able to produce four straight 100-plus run seasons. There are two Jose’s who might be battling for the title of best hitting second baseman. Jose Altuve is coming off an MVP season on the way to leading Houston to the World Series. Jose Ramirez spends time at third and second and led the AL in doubles last season. Final Mission: New Contract Contract talks between Dozier and the Twins dried up last week. He and the club don’t want on-going negotiations to be a distraction during the season. That being said, Dozier is playing for what could be the only big payday of his career. Some players get overwhelmed during a contract year and can’t perform up to their previous level. Other players thrive under this pressure and put together one of the best seasons of their careers. It feels like Dozier is in the latter group and he could be on his way to a record-breaking season. Those are his missions and he certainly has chosen to accept them. Any questions? More from Twins Daily Kernels Class of 2018 “Should Be Pretty Entertaining” Twins Rotation Is Starting Strong Twins at Pirates Series Preview Click here to view the article

Minnesota finished up their series with Baltimore on Sunday and the club is off to a strong start. After faltering on Opening Day with Dylan Bundy pitching, the Twins came back and took two of three to win the series. Now the team’s focus turns to Pittsburgh before the Home Opener on Thursday against Seattle. So how does Minnesota’s early season schedule stack up? Can the Twins get off to a hot start?Pirates (4/2 & 4/4) 2018 Projected Record: 77-85 In a quick two game series, the Twins will face Jameson Taillon and Ivan Nova. Taillon will be making his season debut after returning to the mound last season following a battle with testicular cancer. Nova held the Tigers to two runs on Opening Day, as he fought through six hits and three walks. Lance Lynn is scheduled to make his Twins debut on Monday and Jake Odorizzi will look to build off his six scoreless innings from Opening Day. Prediction: Twins Split Series 1-1 Seattle (4/5, 4/7-8) 2018 Projected Record: 80-82 Kyle Gibson should get quite the rousing ovation when he takes the mound on Thursday. Gibson threw six hitless innings to earn the team’s first victory of the season. He’s looking to build off of his strong second half. Minnesota might miss out on Felix Hernandez so this could leave them facing James Paxton, Marco Gonzales, and Mike Leake. It’s also important to remember Minnesota was only one game over .500 at home last season while being seven games over .500 on the road. Prediction: Twins Win Series 2-1 Houston (4/9-4/11) 2018 Projected Record: 99-63 Houston, the defending World Series champions, look like a team destined for greatness again. Having Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole for an entire season is only going to strengthen a rotation which already includes Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers Jr. There also isn’t much of a weakness at any point in their line-up. If things break like they should, this might be Minnesota’s first series loss of the year. Prediction: Twins Lose Series 1-2 Chicago (4/12-4/15) 2018 Projected Record: 68-94 In the midst of a rebuild, the White Sox shouldn’t be taken for granted if the Twins want to be in playoff contention. Young pitchers like Lucas Giolito and Carson Fulmer are looking to make their mark at the big league level. Chicago’s bullpen has a lot of unknowns so the Twins could do some damage in the later innings. Yoan Moncada is only 22 years old and he’s looking to prove he is one of the best young players in the game. Prediction: Twins Win Series 3-1 Cleveland (4/17-18) 2018 Projected Record: 93-69 The Indians are the kings of the AL Central but this two game series in Puerto Rico will come with a lot of emotions for both teams. Minnesota has Jose Berrios line-up to pitch Game 1 so he will have to keep his emotions in check. Minnesota’s Eddie Rosario and Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor will also want to put on a showcase in their home country. For Minnesota to stay in the AL Central race, they are going to need to take games away from Cleveland. Prediction: Twins Split Series 1-1 Tampa Bay (4/20-22) 2018 Projected Record: 78-84 Tampa Bay traded away multiple starting pieces this off-season including dealing Odorizzi to the Twins. Chris Archer and Blake Snell are still a solid one-two punch at the top of their rotation but beyond that there are some question marks. Three former Twins (Denard Span, Carlos Gomez, and Wilson Ramos) will face their old squad. Logan Morrison will also get his first shot back in Tampa Bay. However, 27 of his 38 home runs in 2017 came away from Tropicana Field. Prediction: Twins Win Series 2-1 New York (4/23-26) 2018 Projected Record: 95-67 Minnesota will be looking to get a little revenge after falling to New York in last year’s AL Wild Card Game. Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Gary Sanchez make-up a formidable middle of the line-up that can hit the ball out of the park at any point in the game. New York’s bullpen continues to be a strength so the Twins are going to need to get out to early leads because mounting a comeback would be tough. Prediction: Twins Split Series 2-2 Cincinnati (4/27-29) 2018 Projected Record: 71-91 In a battle of two of the fastest players in baseball, Byron Buxton and Billy Hamilton could make this an exciting series to watch. Last season, MLB’s Statcast ranked Buxton and Hamilton as the two fastest players in relation to sprint speed. The Reds are going to struggle to keep pace with the Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers at the top of the NL Central. Joey Votto is still a force in the middle of the line-up but there isn’t much help around him. Prediction: Twins Sweep Series 3-0 If all of my predictions come true, the Twins would have a 17-10 record entering their first series of May with Toronto. Is this a realistic expectation? Is the early season schedule in favor of the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. More from Twins Daily MIN 6, BAL 2: Good Gibby Rides Again As Rosario Shows, Raw Power Comes In Many Forms The Twins Almanac For April 1-7 Click here to view the article

There is plenty of hope at the dawning of a new season. Every team starts with an equal playing field. No batters have struck out. Pitchers have a perfect ERA. There are 162 games to separate the contenders from the pretenders. It’s an exciting time for every fan. The beginning of a new season also means players want to focus on the season. A lot of players and agents don’t want to be bogged down in contract negotiations. For Brian Dozier and the Minnesota Twins, this seems like the situation they are facing.Jerry Crasnick, one of ESPN’s national baseball writers, is reporting that contract talks between Brian Dozier and the Minnesota Twins have come to a halt. For those following the Twins this spring, it seemed like Dozier was destined for free agency. When he signed his current contract with Minnesota, the deal only bought out his remaining arbitration eligible seasons. For Dozier, it provided him some financial stability. At the same time, it allowed the Twins to have some cost certainty. Dozier and his agency took a gamble on Dozier being able to produce in his late 20s to set him up for free agency for his age-32 season. This is typically the time when players start to decline but Dozier has been one of the best hitting second basemen over the last two seasons. Barring an injury, Dozier might be headed for a big pay day. Next year’s free agent class looks stacked. Dozier will join a free agent class including Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson, Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel, Charlie Blackmon, Andrew Miller, Daniel Murphy, Cody Allen, Adam Jones, and Andrew McCutchen. Other players like Clayton Kershaw and David Price could be free agents if they opt out of their current contracts. After this year’s cool free agent market, it will be interesting to see how much money will be thrown around next season. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado could get record-breaking deals. Heck, Harper could be headed for the richest contract of all time. For teams that miss out on the top tier free agents, there will be other options like Dozier waiting in the wings. As I wrote about this spring, Minnesota has a multiple top prospects in the middle infield. Nick Gordon will be knocking on the door of the big leagues this season. Other top prospects like Royce Lewis and Wander Javier also play up the middle. If Dozier signs with another organization, one of these players could take over at second base next year. What are your thoughts on a possible Dozier extension? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Expectations for the Twins this season might be higher than they have been at the beginning of any campaign during the Target Field era. However, there is likely to be quite the roster turnover before the beginning of the 2019 season. Does that mean the Twins are in win now mode?It seems weird to contemplate the Twins as a win now team. A young core of under-25 players like Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Max Kepler, and Jose Berrios should solidify the roster for the next decade. There are plenty of roster pieces that will be shifting by the time the calendar shifts to Opening Day 2019. Team leaders like Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer are set to be free agents for the first time in their career. Other veteran pieces like Eduardo Escobar can test the free agent waters as well. Heck, even Ervin Santana could end up on the market if the team declines his $14 million option for his age-36 season. Brian Dozier might provide the team with the most difficult decision. He’s clearly become the vocal leader in the clubhouse but he’s also made it clear that he will be a free agent at season’s end. It’s tough to think of Joe Mauer in any uniform besides the Twins but there are no guarantees about him playing beyond 2018 either. In fact, there are no guarantees about any of these players returning and Minnesota has given themselves some flexibility when it comes to this year’s free agent additions. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine struck out landing Yu Darvish but this left more money to add multiple other pieces. Lance Lynn, Logan Morrison, Zach Duke and Fernando Rodney were all added on one year contracts. Lynn was considered one of the top starting pitchers on the market but it was a strange off-season with few free agents signing for large contracts. Morrison would have led the Twins in home runs last season and the club inked him to a team friendly $6.5 million deal. Rodney and Duke were signed early to help bolster one of the worst bullpens in the American League. Duke might have had an even more important role before the club signed Addison Reed. Reed seemed to fall into the Twins’ lap and he could be a deadly bullpen weapon over the next two years. So here we are, Twins Territory, on the cusp of a new season with a strangely different feeling. Minnesota should win. Minnesota needs to win. It might be the closest feeling to World Series-or-bust this organization has felt in a long time. Are the Twins in win now mode? It certainly seems so… Click here to view the article

Opening Day is less than 48 hours away and Minnesota made their final roster moves of the spring on Tuesday. There were multiple questions still to be answered at the back of the 25-man roster with a couple of surprises mixed in. Either way, the Twins will head to Baltimore on Tuesday night with multiple new faces joining the squad.The first moves of the day finalized the final battle for position players. With Granite heading to Rochester, it meant Ryan LaMarre would be joining the Twins outfield for the season’s beginning. LaMarre was crowned the 2018 Sire of Fort Myers. Earlier this week, Seth speculated that LaMarre could break camp with the club. Kennys Vargas also saw his crazy week continue. It looked like he might be heading to the National League with the Reds but they figured out they don’t need a DH. Over the weekend, the Twins claimed him back from Cincinnati. Today, they were able to pass him through waivers and outright him to Triple-A Rochester. This move leaves the Twins with one open spot on the 40-man roster. Phil Hughes also provided an interesting situation for the club. Hughes looked like an option for a long-relief role. During his last spring start, Hughes was pulled with a mild oblique strain. This means he will start the year on the DL. This seemed like a convenient solution to the Twins roster crunch. With all of the moves above, here’s how the Twins 25-man roster will look on Opening Day. C: Jason Castro, Mitch Garver 1B: Joe Mauer, Logan Morrison 2B: Brian Dozier SS: Eduardo Escobar, Ehire Adrianza 3B: Miguel Sano OF: Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario, Ryan LaMarre, Robbie Grossman SP: Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson, Jake Odorizzi, Lance Lynn RP: Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed, Zach Duke, Ryan Pressly, Trevor Hildenberger, Taylor Rogers, Gabriel Moya, Tyler Kinley DL: Ervin Santana, Phil Hughes With a four man starting rotation, the Twins won’t need a fifth starter until April 11th. Last week, I thought that spot start might be filled by Hughes. His injury puts that start into question. Tyler Kinley’s impressive winter in the Dominican and his electric fastball made it easier to keep him around. How do you feel about the final 25-man roster? Obviously, there will be plenty of other players who impact the roster this season. Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Cleveland has been at the top of the AL Central for two consecutive seasons and things seem to be trending that way again in 2018. By season's end, the AL Central might end up being the easiest division in baseball. Besides Minnesota and Cleveland, there are a lot of young, rebuilding clubs. This could help both the Indians and the Twins to separate themselves from the pack in the American League. Will Minnesota be able to catch Cleveland, the Kings of the AL Central?I was on 670 The Score out of Chicago last week to help them preview the AL Central. TAKE A LISTEN HERE. Cleveland Indians 2017: 102-60, first place, lost to New York in ALDS Manager: Terry Fancona (sixth season) New Faces: 1B-DH Yonder Alonso, LF Rajai David, RHP Alexi Ogando Key Losses: 1B Carlos Santana, OF Jay Bruce, RHP Bryan Shaw Outlook: Cleveland hasn’t won the World Series since 1948 and they’ve suffered through some postseason heartaches over the last two years. In the 2016 World Series, they blew a 3-1 to the Cubs. Last year, they were up 2-0 on the Yankees before losing in the divisional round. Cleveland might have the best pitching staff in all of baseball, including the reigning AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber. Offensively, Jose Ramirez led the AL in doubles and Francisco Lindor smashed 33 home runs. Veteran players Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley need to stay healthy. It might be World Series or bust for Cleveland this year. Minnesota Twins 2017: 85-77, second place, lost to New York in Wild Card game. Manager: Paul Molitor (fourth season). New Faces: RHP Lance Lynn, RHP Jake Odorizzi, DH-1B Logan Morrison, RHP Fernando Rodney, RHP Addison Reed, LHP Zach Duke, RHP Michael Pineda. Key Losses: C Chris Gimenez, LHP Hector Santiago, LHP Glen Perkins Outlook: Minnesota surprised the baseball world by becoming the first team to finish in the playoffs one year after losing 100 or more games. Now the Twins will need to try to surprise again as they attempt to hunt down the Indians. With a core of players under the age of 25, the Twins seem to rising at the right time. Adding Jake Odorizzi and Lance Lynn to the rotation helps to address a weakness and there are plenty of other arms populating the Rochester staff. While the American League looks a little top heavy, the Twins should have enough to fight for a Wild Card spot. Thankfully, the Twins are scheduled to play each of the teams listed below 19 times in 2018. Kansas City Royals 2017: 80-82, third place. Manager: Ned Yost (ninth season). New Faces: RHP Jesse Hahn, CF Jon Jay, 1B Lucas Duda, RHP Wily Peralta, RHP Justin Grimm. Key Losses: 1B Eric Hosmer, CF Lorenzo Cain, RHP Joakim Soria, LHP Mike Minor, OF Melky Cabrera, DH Brandon Moss. Outlook: Out with the old and in with the new. Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain are off to greener pastures, which is going to put more pressure on new additions Jon Jay and Lucas Duda. Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar didn’t get great offers on the free agent market so they returned to Kansas City. Even with them back in Royals blue, it could be tough for this club to be around the .500 mark. There are holes in nearly every part of their roster. Look for them to be busy at the trade deadline as they might be forced to go into full rebuilding mode. Chicago White Sox 2017: 67-95, fourth place. Manager: Rick Renteria (second season). New Faces: RHP Miguel Gonzalez, C Welington Castillo. Key Losses: LHP Derek Holland, RHP Mike Pelfrey, RHP Al Alburquerque, C Geovany Soto. Outlook: While the Royals haven’t hit full rebuild mode yet, Chicago traded away plenty of pieces last season. This means the White Sox have a nice young core with players like Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito and Miguel Gonzalez. There are other top prospects on the way but that could mean Chicago is still a year or two away from making a playoff push in the AL. A completely rebuilt bullpen makes it hard to know what to expect in late game situations. Chicago will likely continue to take its bruises this year while the young guns try to figure it all out at the big league level. Detroit Tigers 2017: 64-98, fifth place. Manager: Ron Gardenhire (first season). New Faces: OF Leonys Martin, RHP Mike Fiers, LHP Francisco Liriano, OF Victor Reyes. Key Losses: 2B Ian Kinsler, RHP Anibal Sanchez, INF Andrew Romine, RHP Bruce Rondon. Outlook: Ron Gardenhire’s return to managing doesn’t seem exactly like a dream job. He will have to piece together a roster that traded away Justin Verlander, Justin Upton, J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler over the last calendar year. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez are still part of this roster but no one is sure how much they have left in the tank. Gardy is very familiar with the AL Central but he is going to have his hands full in a division that looks top heavy entering 2018. What are your predictions for the AL Central? What will it take to catch the Indians? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

It’s been a whirlwind week for Mr. Kennys Vargas. After spending his entire career in the Twins organization, Vargas was put on waivers earlier this week and claimed by the Reds. His tenure in a Cincinnati uniform didn’t last long. Now just two days later, he finds himself back with the TwinsVargas was designated for assignment by Cincinnati and Minnesota claimed him back. The Reds seemed like a tough spot for Vargas to fit, with Joey Votto occupying first base and no designated hitter in the National League. Because of his switch-hitting ability, there was some thought that he could serve as a bench bat or the club could try to sneak him through waivers to the minors. That plan didn’t work as he is back in Minnesota. Some Twins fans were a little paranoid about losing Vargas. It’s hard to blame fans for remembering when the club made one of the biggest judgment gaffes in baseball history. Letting David Ortiz go was a mistake. Even former General Manager Terry Ryan has admitted as much. But let’s make one thing clear… Kennys Vargas isn’t David Ortiz. It’s easy to see why fans can see similarities between the two players. Both players fit a similar profile as large men who have little to no defensive value. Even more eerie might be the fact that the Twins let both players go entering their age-27 season. Beyond those surface level similarities, there are some stark differences between these two players. Ortiz broke into the majors as a 21-year old in 1997. He played a little over 100 games through his first three seasons before becoming a regular player in 2000. From 1997-2002, he hit 266/.348/.461 (.809) while averaging 10 home runs and 18 doubles per season. He also had 339 strikeouts compared to 186 walks in 455 games. His best season in Minnesota was his last as he hit .272/.339/.500 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs in 125 games. He battled injuries throughout his time in a Twins uniform. During the 2002-2003 off-season, Ortiz was due to make roughly $2 million through the arbitration process. Matt LeCroy would take over the designated hitter role with Doug Mientkiewicz penciled in at first base. Justin Morneau was closing in on the big leagues as well. “There wasn’t any one thing,” Terry Ryan told MLB.com. “If you look at his numbers across the board, they were very respectable. And not that it was totally about money, but we were a little bit strapped. That would be a good excuse, but it wasn’t that entirely. It was just a bad error in judgment of a guy’s talent.” Ortiz would sign with the Red Sox for $1.25 million and the rest is history. Vargas is a much different story. He made his debut as a 23-year old in 2014. During his four seasons in Minnesota, he hit .252/.311/.437 (.748) with 35 home runs and a more strikeouts (251) than hits (197). While Ortiz showed flashes of brilliance in the upper minors, Vargas posted a .248 batting average in 630 Triple-A at-bats. Vargas might the definition of a replacement level player. Ortiz became known for his clutch hits to help the Red Sox win multiple championships. Vargas struggled to be successful in high-leverage spots on rebuilding Twins teams. Because both the Twins and Red Sox train in Fort Myers, Vargas and Ortiz have become acquaintances over the years. In fact, a friendship has developed between these Caribbean born players. Vargas also knows it took Ortiz multiple years to make it as a big leaguer. “He was in my spot years and years ago,” Vargas told the Pioneer Press. “He just trusted in himself, and he found a spot and (won) three World Series.” Vargas is still searching for his spot and now he’s back with the organization he’s known for his entire career. Click here to view the article

Yes. I mentioned that in the article as well.

Opening Day is a big deal for fans and players. The anticipation of a new season reverberates throughout the stadium. Gates open early and there are plenty of festivities leading up to the year’s first pitch. For the first time since 2015, Ervin Santana won’t be the first man on the mound for the Minnesota Twins. His offseason surgery will keep him on the sidelines for the season’s first 4-6 weeks. This opened an opportunity for a new pitcher to get the Opening Day honors.Twins manager Paul Molitor announced Jake Odorizzi as the Opening Day starter on Thursday. It will be his first Opening Day start and he seems ready for the opportunity. “You always want to set the tone in Game 1 and put one in the win column,” he told the Pioneer Press. “If the team believes in you enough to give you that Opening Day start, I think that’s just a big vote of confidence of how they view you and what type of player they think you are.” Odorizzi will be followed in the rotation by Kyle Gibson, Jose Berrios, and Lance Lynn. Phil Hughes will start the season in the bullpen but could be used as a fifth starter if he is needed. Gibson is lined up to start the Home Opener at Target Field. Berrios would then get the opportunity to start one of the team’s games in Puerto Rico, his homeland. Here’s how the early weeks are schedule to play out: March 29 @ BAL: Odorizzi March 30: OFF March 31 @ BAL: Gibson April 1 @ BAL: Berrios April 2 @ PIT: Lynn April 3: OFF April 4 @ PIT: Odorizzi April 5 SEA: Gibson April 6: OFF April 7 SEA: Berrios April 8 SEA: Lynn April 9 HOU: Odorizzi April 10 HOU: Gibson April 11 HOU: Possibly Hughes April 12 CHW: Berrios April 13 CHW: Lynn April 14 CHW: Odorizzi April 15 CHW: Gibson April 16: OFF April 17 CLE (in Puerto Rico): Berrios April 18 CLE (in Puerto Rico): Lynn Since Target Field opened in 2010, the Twins will have used seven different Opening Day starters. Ervin Santana and Carl Pavano are the only two pitchers to make multiple starts during that stretch. Other Opening Day starters include Scott Baker (2010), Vance Worley (2013), Ricky Nolasco (2014) and Phil Hughes (2015). Brad Radke holds the team record for Opening Day starts (9) and consecutive Opening Day starts (7, 1999-2005). Click here to view the article

Opening Day is just a few short days away. For many players, the fate of their careers could be on the line. Twins fans have already seen the club make a decision on Kennys Vargas and there will be other player decisions in the days to come. For Tyler Kinley and other Rule 5 Draft picks, the yet to be made decisions will help determine which organizations they will play for in the coming season. Rule 5 picks must stay on the 25-man roster or the disabled list for the entire season or be offered back to their former organization. Kinley will certainly be packing his bags but will his final destination be Minnesota or back to Miami?Miami left Kinley unprotected this offseason following an up and down minor league season. He posted a 1.98 ERA at High-A but struggled to a 5.19 ERA after being bumped up to Double-A. There were some control issues as he averaged 3.7 walks per nine innings but his 12.7 strikeouts per nine was tough to ignore. Over the winter, Kinley pitched in the Dominican Winter League. In 14 appearances, he posted a 0.47 ERA with a 0.84 WHIP and a 32 to 11 strikeout to walk ratio. During one stretch, he had an 18-inning scoreless streak. It’s hard not to be impressed with those numbers even if it is a limited sample size. Kinley knows his time with Minnesota could be fleeting. “I really try not to think about it. I try to just think about preparing myself the best I can and trying to go out and execute the plan,” he told the Associated Press. “Just to establish myself as a reliable bullpen arm, not only to the coaching staff and front office’s eyes, but to the players as well.” Twins bullpen coach Eddie Guardado likens Kinley to a former Rule 5 pick. “Johan [santana] was willing to work and get better. Kinley reminds me of that. I’m not saying starting-wise, but he wants to learn, works hard, [a] very good person.” Control issues have continued to follow Kinley this spring. In the 10 innings pitched, he has six walks and a hit-by-pitch. According to the Star Tribune, Kinley’s fastball was clocked at 99 miles per hour earlier in the spring. Pair that with his 91 mile per hour slider and he could provide a power arm the Twins need in the bullpen. Minnesota’s addition of Lance Lynn added another wrinkle to fitting Kinley on the roster. The Twins were expected to start the season with a four-man rotation because of additional off-days worked into the schedule. This could allow for an eight man bullpen. Phil Hughes might be pushed to the bullpen to make way for Lynn in the rotation. As far as starters go, the Twins are looking at Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson, Jose Berrios and Lance Lynn. Hughes could serve as a fifth starter or a long-man out of the bullpen. Some of the locks in the bullpen are Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed, Tayler Rogers, Zach Duke and Ryan Pressly. Trevor Hildenberger has struggled this spring so he could be sent down to start the year. He was critical to the Twins in the second half of last season so this might be enough to keep him on the roster. Players like Alan Busenitz, John Curtiss, Tyler Duffey and Gabriel Moya all have at least one option remaining. Things might have been made clear on Thursday with multiple bullpen pieces being optioned to Rochester.This could make Kinley the last player to fit into the bullpen. For the Twins and Kinley, the clock is ticking. One way or another a decision needs to be made. Do you think Kinley stays with the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Prediction season is here across the baseball world. Earlier this week, I made some bold predictions about Minnesota’s upcoming season. Truthfully, there’s a chance none of these predictions come true. Jorge Polanco’s suspension earlier this week also put a damper on the optimism that was surrounding the Twins so far this spring. Minnesota is likely going to finish behind Cleveland in the AL Central. The Indians have more depth and have been near the top of the AL over the last two seasons. Let’s take a realistic look at who the Twins might be competing with this season if they are in the Wild Card hunt.Boston Red Sox The Red Sox and the Yankees are setting up for quite the battle in the AL East. FanGraphs is projecting both teams to finish with more than 90 wins. Boston has claimed back-to-back AL East titles but this might be the year for them to fall a little short. David Price might be the team’s biggest question mark after his 2017 campaign was shrouded with elbow issues. Dustin Pedroia is coming off of off-season knee surgery and isn’t expected to be back until the end of May. JD Martinez could add some offensive pop to a lineup that includes young hitters like Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, and Xander Bogaerts. Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout might be the best player of this generation and the Angels have only been to the playoffs one time during his career. The club’s last win in the playoffs was in 2009. Los Angeles added multiple pieces this off-season with the addition of Justin Upton, Ian Kinsler, Zack Cozart, and two-way Japanese star Shohoei Ohtani. Ohtani has struggled this spring but he wasn’t brought in to help the Angles to win pre-season games. Andrelton Simmons and Kinsler make-up the best defensive middle infield in the AL. Some computer models also think the Angels are set-up for failure this season. Houston should run away with the AL West so LA might be forced to fight for a Wild Card spot. Toronto Blue Jays Toronto should be in the playoff hunt but the division might be out of reach with the Yankees and the Red Sox fighting at the top. In 2017, the Blue Jays missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Toronto’s rotation will start the season without their ace, Marcus Stroman, sidelined with shoulder inflammation. Other pitchers like JA Happ, Marco Estrada and Aaron Sanchez help to complete a strong rotation but playing the rest of the AL East could hurt any starting staff. Offensively last season, the Blue Jays scored the fewest runs and Toronto’s lineup isn’t getting any younger. Seattle Mariners Twins fans might think they’ve had it rough but the Mariners haven’t qualified for the playoffs since 2001. Felix Hernandez hasn’t been the King over the last couple of seasons as his fastball dropped to barely over 90 miles an hour. Only three current starters (CC Sabathia, Bartolo Colon, Justin Verlander) have more innings pitched than Hernandez. Adding Dee Gordon should help the top of the lineup but his shift to center field comes with some questions. Some of the key offensive pieces are getting older as well. Robinson Cano will be 35, Nelson Cruz will be 37, and Kyle Seager will be 30. With a top-heavy American League, it looks like the Mariners playoff drought might continue. I was on 670 The Score out of Chicago this week to preview the AL Central. Take a listen here: https://670thescore....central-preview Who is the biggest threat to Minnesota taking a Wild Card spot? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article