Dman

Hoping he finds that out pitch. That is pretty much the only thing holding him back IMO. Would be really nice if he was an MLB answer sooner rather than later. Would love to see him up with the Twins mid season. Hopefully he continues to be as good or better than he has been.

I am concerned about CES as well but I have been saying his BABIP is too high and K rate too high for two years now and he still has the best OPS in the system. We will find out if he will succumb to more and better breaking balls and off speed stuff as he moves up but to this point he just keeps on producing. I thought the knock on him was the plane of his swing or something like that. I thought that is why he fell to the 4th round and he may have fallen further if the Twins didn't take him there. I also think that scouting report said they thought he would have more trouble as he moved up and especially at the MLB level. Obviously the Twins disagreed with that assessment and so far they appear to be right. He is one of if not the best hitter in the minors for the Twins right now.

Funny the other day I was going to start talking about CES being in a slump and then he goes out and has a three hit game. Prato has been scuffling at the plate too and I hope he starts hitting soon as well. Lawyerson has been on a tear recently. He started off a bit off and has really put together back to back elite outings. So many good pitchers at high A there is no way they can keep them all from rule V. I never really understood the Travis Adams pick at number 6. He didn't have good K number in college and hasn't had a good K/9 so far in pro ball either. Maybe someone can fill me in is he great ground ball guy? Or his stuff is good at missing barrels? The WHIP and ERA are really good so he is getting good results just wondering what kind of pitcher he is or is supposed to be. I have been watching Swain and he has been dominant so far this year as well. Lots of under the radar guys are having pretty good seasons. Lot's of fun watching guys in the system this year.

Yeah that makes sense. I can't believe how far Strotman the Walk machine and Vallimont the hit and walk machine have fallen. I was a huge, huge Strotman believer but I just don't see it happening for him now. With the lack of control he could never be trusted to be a reliever. Vallimont is even worse. I had such high hopes but yes I think Cano has them beat by a mile right now.

I was as big Cano believer last year when he dominated AA only to get pounded in AAA to some degree. He might be an answer to the pen but he makes me nervous and if he needs to be added to the 40 man I hope he is completely ready because I would hate to lose him.

Festa has been pretty consistent all year. A couple of hits. A run or two and more K's than innings pitched. However, Six no hit innings while K'ing nearly 2 batters per inning is very impressive stuff. I guess he wanted to take things up a level? This is the first I have heard of him hitting 99 on the gun. He must have been feeling it last night. While I could see Festa No hitting the Cardinals I thought Nowlin would for sure give it up. He is giving up more hits than innings pitched to this point and tons of walks as well. It all came together though for an impressive pitching performance. Happy for those guys and the legend of Festa continues to grow. Headrick just keeps doing his thing Pitching into the 5th with no runs allowed. It was an off night for him as he only K'd about 1 batter per inning rather than 2, lol. Camargo has been heating up and had another home run as well. He has been quiet about doing it but Alex Isola bumped his BA to 300 and OPS to 900 at AA. Pretty nice line for a catcher at AA. Not sure where his defense is at but he is starting to look like he could make it to MLB at some point. Another nice night for the affiliates.

Been watching Mark for a long time. Last year he really turned it up a notch. Really glad he gets to join the Twins and make the Majors. Seems like he has worked so hard and he is right on the cusp of long term 4th outfielder status. I hope he does well and will be cheering for him.

Good point! Yes it would.

I totally jinxed him writing about it the other day. Should have kept my thoughts to myself. At any rate it was a possibility and in my mind this what the PTNL was for. Insurance in case he got injured. The Padre's are going to come out alright on this one. At least the Twins have Maeda to hold down that spot next year but it does kind of hurt us this year that 6 to 7 man rotation is evaporating really fast. Unfortunately no one really looks ready at AAA right now except maybe Smeltzer who imploded the other night. Sands has been erratic. Henriquez has been far from lights other than his first outing. Balazovich just started at AAA. The rest of the guys like SWR or Canterino would need to be added to the 40 man. So things are getting tight right now.

Man Chicago is having 2021 Twins luck this year. They are a better team than this but the baseball gods are against them at least so far.

Things are going to even out and he isn't going to end up "this good" but He has saved the Twins from at least three disasters this season already so hopefully he can keep that going. Surprisingly he has been the pen's most consistent arm to this point. Who knew the guy with the lowest velocity and funky delivery would be the best arm in the pen for the month of April? Right now I love this guy. Can he keep it going that is anybody's guess.

Yep I was pretty hard on the FO as I had him as someone to protect on my list but I did understand them trying to see if he would slip past teams in the Rule V draft. He had been injured and hadn't played in a while it seemed like a solid calculated risk. I was pretty disappointed though when he was doing so well with a highlight every week and the Twins had kept Celestino on the 40 man who looked horrible last year. To me the reason there was no room to add Baddoo is because they had to add Celestino early because he was an International free agent signing and he wasn't likely to slip through Rule V. They had to protect Larnach and Kirilloff so just no more room for another outfielder that they were not sure was ready for the 40 man. What a difference a year makes though with Celestino starting off well and Baddoo back to AAA. I still think Celestino is the better defender in center and if his righthanded bat is for real that helps balance the lefties in the outfield in Kepler, Larnach, Kirilloff and if bullish on Wallner then Wallner as well. Yes, like you I panicked but trends make you do that even if they are relatively small in size. I still think Baddoo will be a very good player. The cold weather seems to have stunted lot's of bats. He has a good eye at the plate and can make contact. He is going to be a good player. Hopefully Celestino will be just as good or better.

I am with you on Carroll when he fell to the Twins spot in the draft I knew he was the pick. A high ceiling bat with the only knock at the time being power as scouts were unsure his line drive swing approach would translate to power. They reached for a defensive stud with an unproven bat instead and here we are. The first round really needs to be about bat first players and if they are high school age I would discount power projections as even the Twins got Steer the onbase machine to reach his power potential. Going with tools and suspect bat in the first round generally is a recipe for disaster. I hope the Twins have learned their lesson. With so many guys graduating or close to making the big club this year is going to be an important draft year. I hope they make some good picks and find some good bats.

I know I wasn't super high on the pick but I am really impressed with Noah Miller. Really his first full year and he appears very well rounded offensively. He has a near 20% walk rate with a 25% K rate so a very balanced approach. He is putting the ball in play a lot and the only thing lacking is power but that is sure to come given his build and as he grows into the man muscles. Millers profile is what I wish Keoni Cavaco could be. With Rodriguez and Rosario there are three young hitters that have great potential. Not sure what happened to Urbina but hoping that they get him going as well. I have been one of the lowest posters on Wallner mainly because of his K rate. I get that he has light tower power but he has badly needed plate discipline otherwise he just gets himself out far too often. His K rate was up to 50% to start the season in MiLB and that rate won't get you to MLB. He started taking walks and it seemed like not long after that things started clicking. I hope he keeps it up because he can mash. Please, please Matt try to wait for pitches in the zone. His numbers this week are off the charts good I just hope he keeps the K's down to a manageable level. He has no trouble reaching his power potential in games and could be a valuable power hitter for the Twins, I still really like this Stancewiecz guy. He bet on himself in 2020 and I really want to see him make it. He is off to a good start at high A and hoping he makes it AA yet this year as well. I can't figure Headrick out. That K rate is crazy for a starter. I wish I knew more about the guy and how he pitches as he has been crazy good this year. I am a big fan of SGL but he is outshining him right now. The High A club has some really good pitchers so I can see why they have been so successful to start the year. Another great writeup Seth I love these weekly reports and lot's of prospects are playing well.

Yeah unfortunately the Twins don't have a lot of shortstop depth beyond Lewis which is why he is such an important player for them. I was pretty high on Palacios last year but he isn't hitting all that much better than Gordon and he is at AAA not the Majors. So why not just keep Gordon where he is unless you fancy a right handed bat. Palacios would provide better D at short but not the all around utility Gordon provides in the outfield. Steer can play short from what I understand but he hasn't played there much and he isn't real fast. Jullien and Martin can't be trusted to play there at all really. I think you have to go all the way down to A ball and Miller to find another player capable of playing short at a reliable level and he might slow down as he moves up hard to say. So I get your point. Not that Gordon is a top notch Shortstop himself but he can at least play there. I still think he is vulnerable unless he can prove he can do more with the bat.

Hard for me to figure out where Gordon fits on this team. He has very good defensive versatility as he can play all infield positions and outfield positions and not lose much from a defensive standpoint except for maybe short. He is also one of the few players who can steal a base when needed. Still the bat seems light to me. He doesn't have much power and isn't a great OBP guy either. His K rate wasn't horrible in 2021 and he puts the ball in play at a decent clip but his OPS has been in the 600 level at the MLB level. With Celestino proving he can cover the outfield and Miranda\Arraez the infield. With Steer, Martin and Jullien in the wings he is going to need to hit more to save his job IMO. He seems like a well liked player but at some point you have to provide offensive value or someone who does will take your place. His versatility will keep him around but IMO not forever.

Gotta say I wasn't a huge Sonny Gray fan but the way he can get the ball to go horizontal and end up in the zone was very impressive. Honestly if he stays healthy he could be a big difference maker.

You were not alone. Before this year he didn't really have an out pitch. He seemed to always end up in these long battles with batters and his pitch count would sore. This year he really has that slider working and he is getting swings and misses when he sends it horizontally outside to righties. I don't want to get too crazy high on him just yet but he has been looking pretty elite recently. Sure could use another Taylor Rogers type arm in the pen and if can keep his current mojo I think he can be that good.

Was super impressed with Millers 4 for 4 night. He has been putting balls in play but not seeing great results so was nice to see him have a great game. It is really hard to go 4 for 4. Hopefully Cavaco can catch some of that magic. Stankewiecz just keeps rolling. Hopefully another month of great results and he gets moved to AA where he belongs. I guess the one question I have is why he didn't get more innings in A ball last year? Was he hurt? At any rate hopefully he makes up for lost time and is another pitcher on the rise.

Going to be interesting to see how Lewis does at the Big league level. It looks like A lot of the young guys we were waiting on are finding their way to the Majors this year. The Twins continue to build for 2023 and beyond. I wish Royce the best. Considering all the adversity he has faced he deserves something to go his way for a change. He is a big part of this teams future plans so would be nice to see him do well. I guess we will know more soon enough.

I think they are and or will be working with Martin to get to his power more often especially early in counts or when he has a count advantage. I am curious if the reason he got off to the slow start was the cold weather or trying to incorporate something new in his swing. Could be either thing but I agree with the Twins that now is the time to work with him to establish more power. He doesn't need to be added to the 40 man until 2023. I don't see the Twins adding him and bringing him up this year when they already have Gordon and Arraez in his spots. Granted they are lefties but they also have someone at AAA who can play short and center who has great speed, a good OBP, good power already and bats righty and his name Royce Lewis. Martin looks buried to me right now. In fact I think they would would move Steer up before him as he has good plate discipline and power as well. Might not run quite as well but the power makes up for that. Steer had Martin's exact issue. He was more of on base guy not known for power. He changed his swing and now he has power. They will work with Martin and see if he can get there too. I agree he is still valuable without a power stroke but as an Arraez type bat that can also run but IMO the Twins have time and will use it to try and maximize all of his skills before calling him up.

I have no comment on Donaldson but I will say Correa has really impressed me with his positive vibe. As well as his willingness to speak up and lead with words and actions. His Elite defense coupled with his good offense is something this team has lacked for a long time. I don't like high AAV long term deals but he has me thinking about the Twins trying for a 7 year deal to see if they can get him to stay. I just can't see going 10 as that could hurt the team pretty badly in future years. He is just what this team needs IMO. Together with Buxton and the young players coming up this team could be really good the next 5 years or so.

Seth what is the skinny on Headrick. He looked kind of bad last year, giving up more hits than innings pitched. Has he gained more velocity or is he just picking his spots better this year. He had a good K rate last year but this year is even better and the WHIP is fantastic. Any insight?

In that first paragraph those were my thoughts at the start of the season. Things have changed quite bit since then as we know more about each pitcher. A pitcher like Bundy doesn't sign for 5M with an option for 11M the next year unless that is the best offer he can get. If no one else really wanted him the odds seemed low for a turn around. He was lights out his first three times out and fearless in the zone but lately as I said in my other post he is looking more like the Happ signing which didn't work out well. Archer has been battling injuries for three years now. He has looked wild and hasn't made it past the 4th inning yet but the results have been good. The challenge though is will they be able to keep him healthy all year? He hasn't been healthy for a full season in three years. Paddack seemed like a decent pickup to me but with a UCL sprain last year he could be a TJ candidate as early as this year if unlucky. I think that might be why the Twins got three years of him for one of Rogers because if his arm does break down 1 to 2 of those years will be gone anyway. The Twins also picked up insurance for that in the player to be named later IMO. Gray's issue is health as well and he hasn't pitched a full season in a while. He hasn't even really pitched the first month of this season. He has been good when healthy but his numbers did regress last year which is likely why Cincy needed to trade him before he potentially lost all value. I still think he is a good pitcher but I think he could be exposed especially later in the year when his arm isn't fresh. Ober looks like a 5th starter to me and I don't see much more there. He has to have pinpoint control to make it but he has been able to get it done so far. I think he is who he is at this point and that is someone who can hold down his spot when healthy. I really like Ryan and Winder and always have. I was concerned about Ryans hard hit rate last year and expected him to struggle with home runs but he has proven me wrong to this point. Winder was just a question mark. Would his stuff play at this level. It looks like the answer to that is yes. To answer your question if this rotation stays relatively healthy and given what I have seen so far I would say yes I think they can be a top 10 rotation. However, at the start of the season was anyone saying that? I didn't see one post that said they thought the Twins rotation would be this good.

OK I had my doubts especially after the FO's trust last year in Happ and Shoemaker. Bundy seemed like more of the same to me. Archer seemed done three years ago. What are the odds he would be useful this year. Ober and Ryan seemed like they could hold down spots but what if they regressed? Sonny Gray was a good get but would he be able to pitch a whole season? Paddack had been struggling since 2019 with a partial tear in his arm. Put that all together and it didn't scream elite yet alone top 10 rotation to me. So yeah, sorry, I had my doubts. There still is a lot of season left and arms get tired so this won't last forever. Pitchers have the greatest advantage when they are fresh and strong. Keeping it going through the season will be a whole other test. Still I have to say I am incredibly surprised by how well they are doing so far this year. If they can keep this up this team will be in great shape to take the division.