AceWrigley

I know it's Jorge Alcala but, who would you rather have in our bullpen, Justin Topa or Jorge Alcala? Just asking.

And days like yesterday (opening day 2-1 bullpen loss) probably don't help.

Underwhelming relief pitching.

True, but Chafin's velocity was not good and he's getting old and Funderburk was the better choice, I think. And Chafin was not on the 40-man roster.

Topa saddles Funderburk for the loss.

Nope. Roden has options, Outman doesn't. Simple.

Because he's got .... ummmm ... he can .... ummm .... he could .... well ... you know.

Didn't make the starting rotation, but they will probably look to him as a starter if needed,

Was playing too deep, fielded single not expecting the kinda slow runner to go to third, never even tried a throw. Careless defense.

Ryan Jeffers: Can his body withstand the rigors of catching 100-plus games? YES Victor Caratini: How much will he be used at DH or first base? HOPEFULLY NOT SO MUCH Josh Bell: Can the Twins help him improve below-average defense at first base? YES Luke Keaschall: Can he avoid a sophomore slump? YES Brooks Lee: Can he finally lock in the bat-to-ball skills he showed as a top prospect? YES Royce Lewis: Were his offensive struggles this spring a sign of a larger issue? YES Kody Clemens: Can he establish a regular role? NO Tristan Gray: Is his defense strong enough to back up at shortstop? YES Byron Buxton: Can he replicate his 2025 campaign? YES Matt Wallner: Is 35+ home runs out of the question? NO (PLOUFFE PREDICTS 50) Austin Martin: Can he build off his strong finish to 2025? YES James Outman: Does he provide enough value to stick on the roster? YES, HE MIGHT SURPRISE Trevor Larnach: Why is he still on the roster? CUZ THEY'RE PAYING HIM TO BE THERE, I GUESS Joe Ryan: Can he be the ace of the staff? YES Bailey Ober: Will his velocity concerns follow him all season? I'M THINKING THIS WILL BE A PROBLEM Taj Bradley: Can he finally break out at the big-league level? YES Simeon Woods Richardson: Is there another level to his performance? I THINK HE IS WHAT WE'VE SEEN Mick Abel: Can he show enough control to become a playoff-caliber starter? YES, COULD BE TOP ROOKIE Justin Topa: Can he show enough to be the team’s second-best right-handed option? NOT LIKELY Cole Sands: Which version shows up in 2026? BOTH, DEPENDS WHICH MONTH Eric Orze: Can he prove the Rays made a mistake? DICE ROLL Zak Kent: Can his strikeout numbers translate? DICE ROLL Cody Laweryson: How long does he stick on the roster? MIGHT BE MOST CONSISTENT RELIEVER THIS YR Taylor Rogers: What does he have left in the tank? OK IN THE MIDDLE, NOT AS CLOSER Anthony Banda: Can he get right-handed hitters out? DICE ROLL Kody Funderburk: Can he establish himself as a late-inning option? YES

Seriously? The Yanks and Dodgers are like walking medical wards. I don't think the torn ACL's are due to poor training or coaching, sometimes its just that bad injuries happen. Lewis didn't exactly dominate in the minor leagues, in fact his MLB OPS is better than his Milb OPS, .762 vs .760. He's got definite skills and character but his hit tool still needs work. I'm pulling for him. Lets hope he can find some consistency at the plate and have a solid season for the Twins in 2026.

The 2017 1st round draft hasn't produced much in the way of position players. Two first rounders have accumulated more BBref WAR than Lewis (4.0), Brent Rooker (8.8) and Jake Berger (4.6). Any 2nd round picks from 2017 have any notable value? Daulton Varsho (17.8).

Red Flag.

4 Reasons for Optimism About the 2026 Minnesota Twins: 1 - The sky is blue 2 - Good seats should be available 3 - Parking should be easy 4 - There will be beer

James Outman trying to prove us all wrong going 2-2 today, hitting two 2-run homers. He's had a pretty good spring. Oh, and anybody seen Royce Lewis' hit tool, he sure could use it back.

And today Eddie Gaedel's signature is worth more than Babe Ruth's due to its scarcity.

I don't understand planning on playing Caratini at DH. He's a career .196 hitter (.575 OPS) from the DH position over his career 649 plate appearances there. You need to plan for more than that.

We at least have some contingency plan for the other positions.

If Lewis doesn't hit 3B is going to be a mess.

Brooks Lee leading off, eh? Hmmm . . . maybe. Just think of the number of commercials you could get in before he reaches the next base,

I double down on your "Yeesh" and say "Yowza".

From the month of May until the end of the season Funderburk improved steadily each month. So he trended in the right direction to project as a useful reliever this year. With his long arms and good extension his fastball plays up, he added a gyro slider to his pitch arsenal that helps keep hitters off balance, and now has a good mentor in Taylor Rogers (he did say Tonkin and Sands helped him last year when he was trying to reduce the walks).

I thought Ryan Fitzgerald did a decent job last year when called up, held is own with both the glove and bat and could run pretty good. Not sure why we cast him off. Heck he even pitched in 2 games without allowing a run.

If Kreidler makes the team I think it shows how unbalanced MLB rosters are in general with half the active players being pitchers. Really?

Yeah, and so far it doesn't look good. I don't even see him as a possible star player anymore. Can he play well enough to keep a major league job?