Search the Community

The Twins weren't expected to make significant moves before Tuesday's trade deadline. However, many believed the club would add to an overworked bullpen and a line-up that has struggled mightily versus left-handed pitching. Instead, the front office will stick with the roster they assembled, which has the highest payroll in team history. Following the trade deadline, the message from the front office was similar to recent weeks. Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. "We've seen stretches of our performance as a team that we think can go do that. I don't think that there were clear opportunities here that we felt were going to be achievable based on the conversations that we were having that would change that significantly, so I feel like we think this is a good roster. We think this is a good team. We believe in it. We believe in the group that's in the clubhouse." For the Twins to win the AL Central, the team must be more consistent in all facets of the game. Here are five players critical to the team's division title hopes. 5. Joey Gallo, 1B/OF The Twins announced that Alex Kirilloff's shoulder injury will cause him to miss more time, pushing Gallo into a more regular role at first base. Gallo started the season hot but has been arguably the team's worst hitter for most of the season. Since June 1st, he is hitting .153/.231/.378 (.609) while also providing negative defensive value (-2.1 DEF). Gallo's calling cards for his career have been an ability to get on base, hit for power, and provide strong defense. He's failed to deliver in all areas for the Twins, so does he have anything left in the tank for the stretch run? 4. Jovani Moran, RP Caleb Thielbar recently returned from injury, but there are no guarantees when it comes to the performance of a 36-year-old pitcher. Moran has made the third most appearances in the Twins bullpen behind Griffin Jax and Emilio Pagan. Over his last 21 appearances, he has a 7.64 ERA with a 5.60 BB/9. His walk rate is too high, but there are signs that he might be getting unlucky. His 3.61 FIP and 4.34 xFIP are significantly lower than his ERA, and his .354 BABIP is higher than his career average. Moran can upgrade the bullpen if he pitches closer to some of his peripheral numbers. 3. Jhoan Duran, RP Duran has been a revelation over the last two seasons while shifting from a starting pitching prospect to one of baseball's best late-inning relievers. Unfortunately, the Twins tend not to add to their bullpen mix through free agency, which puts added pressure on Duran. His performance has suffered in recent weeks. Since June 1st, he has a 4.43 ERA with 3.54 BB/9 and 25% HR/FB. Duran must perform at his best for the bullpen to succeed. Minnesota didn't add to the bullpen, which will force Rocco Baldelli to use Duran regularly. He will be responsible for some losses down the stretch without his best stuff. 2. Joe Ryan, SP Minnesota's starting pitchers have struggled in the second half, none more so than Ryan. His first half was tremendous, putting him in the conversation for making his first All-Star team. However, he has posted a 5.90 ERA with an .821 opponent's OPS in his last 11 appearances while surrendering 17 home runs. Ryan is part of the team's long-term plans, and he must make adjustments to succeed in the season's final months. Last season, he pitched around 150 innings, and he's approaching 130 innings during the 2023 campaign. The team needs to monitor his performance as he gets closer to a career-high innings total. 1. Byron Buxton, DH Buxton is arguably the most critical player to Minnesota's success. It's seemingly more unlikely for him to step foot in center field this season, but that doesn't make his performance less valuable. Many expected the Twins to add a right-handed bat at the deadline, but an improved Buxton is the easiest way to increase the team's offensive output. Many of the team's struggles against lefties are tied to his streakiness in the batter's box. There have been signs that Buxton's bat is starting to wake up since he returned from paternity leave, including five doubles in three games. Can Buxton stay hot for the remainder of the season and carry the Twins to the playoffs? How would you rank the players that need to improve the most? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Pablo Lopez: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (94 Pitches, 63 Strikes, 67%) Home Runs: Matt Wallner (2), Michael A. Taylor (12) Bottom 3 WPA: Oliver Ortega (-.439), Jovani Moran (-.189), Emilio Pagan (-.176) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): After surviving two consecutive extra-inning walk-off victories, the Twins looked to win the season series against the Mariners and to keep their good times rolling against right-hander George Kirby. Kirby held the Twins scoreless last week in Seattle over seven innings of work, so the task looked formidable from the start. Turns out scoring runs against Kirby was the least of the Twins' worries, as he only lasted four innings in this game. Yet the Twins still found a way to lose a virtual lock of a game. Twins Pick Up Where They Left Off Offensively The Twins started their offensive attack against Kirby right from the first pitch. Carlos Correa took a fastball to the opposite field for a double and the Twins didn't stop until they put a four-spot on the board. Edouard Julien worked the count full, before bashing a triple off of the left field wall, scoring Correa in the process. Max Kepler followed up a few batters later with a seeing-eye, thanks-for-not-shifting-anymore single through the hole at second. Before Twins fans could even say "Thank goodness Max is back!" Matt Wallner stood up to the plate and torpedoed the first pitch fastball he saw, hitting it 111 mph off of a human in the right field overhang to complete the four-run first inning. Pablo Deals, but the Mariners Hung Around Lopez only gave up three hits over the first five innings, but unfortunately, two of those were home runs. Julio Rodriguez took Lopez deep in the top of the second, and Cade Marlowe followed in the fifth inning by crushing a no-doubter to the bullpen for his first career home run. One might argue that Lopez was pitching as if he was spotted a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but he has already given up 17 homers on the year, and is on pace to set a career-high by the time the playoff push rolls around. Lopez ended up completing seven innings, and only surrendered the two runs. That should be the main point of the story here. It really should be. A few base runners scattered around when those homers launch, like in his July 15th start against Oakland, and the story changes dramatically. Will Lopez be able to make the necessary adjustments for the nights when the offense isn't adding on? The Twins Add On a Little, and Strike Out Far Too Much One of the plagues of the first half of the season for the Twins involved failing to add on to leads when opportunities presented themselves. Slamming extra base hits with runners on base continues to be an effective way to overcome that trend. Willi Castro was the first man up to get it done in the bottom of the third, when laced a triple to right and forced Kepler to run really hard all the way around the bases to make the score 5-1 at the time. The flip side of this quality offensive outburst was the 12 strike outs that Twins batters amassed in the first five innings. 12. In the first five innings. Granted the Twitter-verse disagreed with a few of the called strike threes to Trevor Larnach, but flailing and missing accounted for eight of them, including all three of the vaunted lefties when southpaw Gabe Speier came in to relieve Kirby in the fifth. The Twins Add On a Little, and Strike Out Far Too Much This is a different section than the one above. I promise. Except that it isn't different. It's the same story just shared two innings later. Willi Castro look a walk to lead off the bottom of the sixth for the Twins. Then Castro stole second and third while Larnach was working a strike out. Ryan Jeffers walked, and Donovan Solano came in to pinch hit for Joey Gallo. Solano received a fortunate no-call on what should have been strike three at the knees, and hit a fly ball to right for a sacrifice fly to plate Castro and to put the Twins ahead 6-2. The strike outs kept piling up through the late innings, and the Twins struggled to add more baserunning threats to bolster their lead. This came back to bite them in a big way. Pitching as Though the Twins Need to Trade for Bullpen Help With the game time temperature of 90 degrees and no breeze to speak of, the Twins depleted bullpen faced a slight challenge, but the Twins had a 97% chance of winning when Jovani Moran got the ball in the top of the eighth with a 6-2 lead. He proceeded to walk the first two batters that he faced. Moran delivered a changeup for a strike to Cal Raleigh, but unfortunately for the Twins, the M's catcher drove that pitch to the left field gap to make the score 6-3. Moran exited stage left without recording an out, and Emilio Pagan was brought in to face the heart of the Seattle order in hopes of keeping the lead. Thanks to Julio Rodriguez, those hopes went unfulfilled, as he went opposite field for a no-doubt, game-tying home run off of Pagan. The Twins Strike Outs Kept on Coming The Twins came to the plate in the eighth ready to respond, and Wallner started things off by striking out (called, not flailing) against hurler Matt Brash. Castro was next up, and he struck out. Larnach was next up, looking to avoid the golden sombrero. After getting two strikes early, Larnach managed to work a walk to keep the inning alive. Ryan Jeffers then struck out. That's 18 Twins strike outs for the game if you were keeping track. The Bullpen Kept on Imploding Oliver Ortega got the call to pitch the top of the ninth for the Twins, as the majority of the bullpen was unavailable for the evening. Ortega walked Marlowe, allowed a stolen base, successful bunt, and hit a batter to load the bases with nobody out. The extra innings and inability to put away teams finally came to call upon the Twins bullpen, and things looked dire. They were dire, and Eugenio Suarez placed a double down the left field line to score two and give the Mariners into the lead at 8-6. With runners at second and third with nobody out, the Mariners continued to add on with a sacrifice fly (see sections above for why it's important to make contact when opportunities present themselves). Eventually the Twins came up for the bottom half of the ninth needing three runs to tie the game at nine. A lead-off ninth inning homer for Michael A. Taylor gave a glimmer of hope, but the Mariners were inevitable tonight. Three up and three down followed, and the Twins were left wondering what might have been. What’s Next: The Mariners series wraps up with an afternoon affair to determine the season series victor. The Twins send RHP Joe Ryan (9-6, 3.88 ERA) to the mound, while Seattle counters with RHP Bryce Miller (6-3, 3.50 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 12:10pm on Wednesday at Target Field. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Chart: FRI SAT SUN MON MON TOT Ortega 0 0 36 0 28 64 Pagán 15 0 11 0 19 45 Jax 0 16 8 19 0 43 Morán 22 0 0 5 14 41 Durán 0 21 16 0 0 37 J. López 0 0 9 12 0 21 Balazovic 0 7 0 12 0 19 Sands 0 0 0 0 0 0

Box Score Joe Ryan: 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 10 K Home Runs: Alex Kirilloff (8), Byron Buxton (16, 17), Ryan Jeffers (5) Top 3 WPA: Byron Buxton (.209), Alex Kirilloff (.202), Edouard Julien (.045) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The first pitch couldn’t have gone any worse, as Andrew Benintendi blasted a fastball out to right field, making his second homer of the year a rare lead-off shot. Joe Ryan recovered, but the Twins would now need to respond in a timely manner. They did. Carlos Correa didn’t join the fun—he simply lined out sharply to center field—but Edouard Julien did, crushing a line drive deep to left field. Benintendi played the ball well, collecting the bounce and unleashing a throw to second base that should have nailed a lethargic Julien. Elvis Andrus muffed it. Oh well, surely the base-runner wouldn’t matter soon. Alex Kirilloff homered two pitches later. One of Lance Lynn’s cutters didn’t cut, and all Kirilloff had to do was lift the offering a little, earning his eighth homer of the season. Byron Buxton homered eight pitches later. Max Kepler reached on an infield hit—perhaps botched a little again by Andrus—and Matt Wallner walked on five pitches. Despite being 0-July (not really, but emotionally, perhaps), Buxton lasered a first-pitch fastball at 114.3 MPH, giving the Twins a sudden 5-1 advantage. The game calmed down, entering the usual see-saw to nowhere that many baseball games see for a few innings. Until Buxton, again, somehow, hit his second homer of the night, breaking free from the arctic grasp the baseball gods had on him; this time with a bomb less prodigious, but still effective. Ryan Jeffers joined him quickly. The runs were needed, because Ryan wasn’t as sharp as usual. The strikeouts were there—he whiffed 10 and elicited 17 swings and misses—but Chicago found a way to hit him hard; Yasmani Grandal’s two-run shot in the sixth inning was especially brutal. What should have felt like an untouchable lead was now well within reach. Lynn was battered, ineffective, and tiring, but he remained in the game, tasked with keeping the lead at three. He should have, having earned a flyout from Correa that should have ended the frame, but right fielder Zach Remillard booted the ball, giving Minnesota extra life. Oh well, surely the base-runner wouldn’t matter soon. Julien worked his second walk of the night before Kirilloff plastered Lynn’s final offering of the night: a fastball turned two-run double pelted off the right-center wall. And that was it. Emilio Pagán shut down the White Sox in the seventh and Jovani Moran carried the pitching effort to the finish line, tossing a pair of scoreless innings to end the game 9-4 in favor of the Twins. Notes: Byron Buxton's multi-homer game was his first since June 22nd against the Red Sox. Joe Ryan's 10 strikeouts tied a season-high; he's punched out 10 in a game five times in 2023. Alex Kirilloff has four homers since the All-Star break ended; he had four homers before the break. Edouard Julien extended his hit streak to nine games. Post-Game Interviews: What’s Next? The Twins and White Sox will play the second game of their weekend series on Saturday, with first pitch at 6:15. All-Star Sonny Gray and somehow-not-an-All-Star-in-2022 Dylan Cease will face-off on the mound. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

Box Score Kenta Maeda: 3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K Home Runs: Joey Gallo (16) Top 3 WPA: Donovan Solano (.362), Joey Gallo (.331), Jovani Moran (.142) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Fresh out of the All-Star break, the Twins were handed a gift from the baseball gods: the Oakland A’s. Despite over 90 games already played, Minnesota had yet to establish a consistent, positive offense identity; the team recently leaned on the all-important semi-religious “players-only meeting,” to save their season, but the results hadn’t improved—outside a date with the lowly Royals. Would an entangle with the worst team the west coast could scrap up prove similar? Twins bats exploded with a mighty crash. Ken Waldichuk thought he had more time, more opportunities to toss his weaker stuff. Still, Minnesota offered no quarter, attacking quickly with a double from Carlos Correa and a single from Donovan Solano. Byron Buxton flew out deep enough to plate Correa. With a critical potential run on second base, Kyle Farmer crushed a changeup nearly as far as a batter can hit a ball without earning a free jog around the bases; instead, he earned a triple for his efforts. The game was underway. Unfortunately, Kenta Maeda was not sharp. He fired off a ton of pitches—entirely too many of them—to fend off Oakland in the 1st, and his frame proved prophetic: he would not last beyond three innings. He labored again in the 2nd, handing back a portion of the lead his offense earned. With another rally in the 3rd, Minnesota’s advantage was now a deficit—and Maeda’s day was over. These are the A’s we’re talking about—intentionally bad; served as a self-evident excuse to bolt cities—so the game was far from decided. A few walks inspired Rocco Baldelli to pinch-hit early, sending the rookie Edouard Julien to the plate with a pair of runners on the bases. He delivered. Julien smashed a double to left field, tying the game at three as the teams settled into their equal struggle for victory. And so the game entered its bullpen stage. This was not a smooth affair; batters often reached base, threatening to change the balance of power only to remain stagnant, forced to watch their teammates come up short. Twice the Twins loaded the bases. Both times they failed to net that critical damage-inducing knock. Twins hitting coach David Popkins was tossed in the 7th—the strike zone was nebulous all day—following a called third strike to Joey Gallo. Ironically, the call in question was correct; it was one of Nic Lentz’s best calls all night. So was the lone spark between the 4th and 9th. Both teams displayed a hideous understanding of hitting, working poor at-bats in crucial situations, leading to a slow and muddy affair—one dragging on far beyond any reasonable person’s tolerance for mediocre baseball. Until the sudden jolt. Gallo stepped up against Shintaro Fujinami, with Solano standing on 2nd. He received a fastball—Fujinami’s special—and turned it around with vigor, smoking a two-run shot into Oakland’s right field seats to give Minnesota the lead. The game was not done being mischievously annoying, though, as Jhoan Duran wobbled in the 9th, enough to sow real doubt regarding the potential win. He allowed a double and a single, bringing Brent Rooker to the plate as the go-ahead run. Duran plunked him with a curveball. Seth Brown now stood in the batter’s box, but he could not muster any magic, and his groundout to Julien mercifully ended a brutal 5-4 win for the Twins. Notes: Joey Gallo is now three homers away from tying his total from 2022; he has 234 plate appearances this year and earned 410 last year. Griffin Jax has not allowed an earned run since May 19th. Donovan Solano has reached base at least three times in three of his last six games. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and A’s play the second game of their weekend series on Saturday. Pablo López returns from his first All-Star game to pitch against Hobie Harris; first pitch is at 6:07 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Kenta Maeda, 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (82 pitches, 53 strikes, 64.6%) Home Runs: none Bottom 3 WPA: Kyle Farmer (-.109), Joey Gallo (-.103), Michael A. Taylor (-.098) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins came into this game looking to avoid their second sweep of the season and perhaps gain some momentum ahead of the Baltimore series. But that would be no simple task: the Braves, who currently have the best record in the National League, have kept the Twins' offense on a leash in the first two games of the series. This afternoon, they brought lefty Kolby Allard to the mound, and with the Twins having the third-worst OPS against lefties in all of baseball (.666), the task seemed even harder. If the Twins were to have a chance in this game, they would need to rely heavily on their pitching to keep them alive, and based on their starter’s track record against today’s opponents, their chances looked good (in theory). Making his sixth start of the season, the second since returning from the Injured List, Kenta Maeda was looking to have another solid start, similar to the one he had last Friday when he tossed five scoreless with eight strikeouts against the Tigers. Maeda had a 2.00 ERA against the Braves in his previous three starts against the Braves, his lowest ERA against any single opponent in his career. After the offense fell down in order with three strikeouts in the top of the first, Maeda was off to a strong start, but a defensive miscue in right field allowed the Braves to get on the board first. Joey Gallo dropped an apparently easy foul ball near the railing, allowing Ronald Acuña Jr. to work out a walk and later score on a Matt Olson two-out double. Without any sign of life from the Twins lineup, the Braves scored another run in the third, taking advantage of back-to-back singles given up by Maeda to open the inning, followed by an RBI sac-fly. Allard looked fantastic through four, allowing no runs, just two hits, and striking out six, having tossed only 51 pitches. But in the fifth, the Twins' offense put together its first real threat of the game. Alex Kirilloff hit a leadoff single and was followed by a Christian Vázquez walk, and for the first time in the game, the Twins had two men on with no outs. Allard fought back and retired the next two batters but was removed from the game despite having thrown only 71 total pitches. Kirby Yates took over and struck out Donovan Solano to end the inning. With that out, the Twins were 0-for-22 with runners in scoring position in this series. After giving up back-to-back hits in the third, Maeda went on to limit Braves hitters to 2-for-10 with a walk, completing five once again. This was the second time this season in which he’s tossed at least five innings in two consecutive starts, but only the first time he does so while also allowing two or fewer runs in each start since July 9, 2021. He did his part by keeping the Twins' chances alive, but the offense would need to step up if Minnesota was going to steal this game. Jovani Morán took over in the seventh and, like Maeda, kept Minnesota alive by tossing two scoreless frames next. Yates retired the side with ease in the sixth, but hopes went up when Willi Castro hit a leadoff single in the seventh. But after a couple of short-lived at-bats, Vázquez grounded into an inning-ending double play, and all hope was gone. The offense was a no-show again in the eighth, but Jordan Balazovic got two quick outs in the bottom of the inning, seemingly keeping the Twins’ chances alive too. But that didn’t last long: in the very next at-bat, he gave up a solo home run to Olson, making it 3-0 Atlanta. A three-run deficit isn’t an impossible one to overcome… if you’re not the current Twins offense. The bats went down in order in the top of the ninth against closer Raisel Iglesias. Postgame interview What’s Next? The Twins travel to Baltimore, where they’ll enjoy a day off on Thursday and start a three-game series against the Orioles on Friday (6/30). Taking the mound for Minnesota is Pablo López (3-5, 4.41 ERA), while the O’s turn to Dean Kremer (8-3, 4.50 ERA). The series opener’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 pm CDT. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Balazovic 6 18 0 0 18 42 Headrick 0 6 0 35 0 41 Pagán 30 0 8 0 0 38 Morán 0 0 0 0 36 36 Ortega 0 0 0 32 0 32 Winder 0 0 19 0 0 19 Jax 0 17 0 0 0 17 Durán 0 15 0 0 0 15

The Twins have a mess of established players not answering the bell from Carlos Correa in the lineup to Griffin Jax out of the bullpen. This has shifted some of the pressure onto the less established members of the team to pick up the slack. Luckily, a few of them have. Jovani Morán Morán has been serving as the bullpen’s sole lefty since Caleb Thielbar hit the IL, and it appears we have a ways to go until he’s ready to return. Morán got off to a dreadful start to the season, with his patented walk issues on display and allowing a few uncharacteristic home runs. When the Twins have needed him most, he’s stepped up in what has been a leaky bullpen. The most encouraging piece here is his walk rate in May being about a third of his career rate in the MLB. It’s likely wishful thinking to believe this is some new norm for the inaccurate left-hander, but any reduction would be a welcome development. His command issues reared their head in Tuesday’s game when he walked a hitter with bases loaded, but also flashed the stuff to nearly escape after entering the situation with no outs. The same goes for Thursday when he walked the first hitter of the inning and promptly struck out the side. Morán’s rocky start wiped many fans' memories of his 2022 season in which he posted a 2.21 ERA in 40+ innings. If he can limit the walks just a bit, he has the ability to help fortify the bullpen during the summer months. Willi Castro Willi’s bar isn’t set very high, but he’s definitely flashing the skills that the Twins saw when they named him the super-utility man coming out of spring training. Bouncing around the outfield and occasionally filling in at third base, Castro has posted a plenty respectable 89 wRC+. He’s posted a .711 OPS in May and more recently a .757 OPS since May 12. His .674 OPS on the season is just a touch behind Carlos Correa, and his 0.3 Wins Above Replacement is tied despite appearing in 8 fewer games. Castro’s recent success has largely been the result of a batting average on balls in play that would make the Cleveland Guardians blush. The fact of the matter is he’s doing more than enough offensively relative to where he’s at in the order regardless of how. There aren’t many other hitters across the Twins lineup that this can be said about. A continued hot streak may just keep Castro around deep into the summer. José De León De León sports an unsightly 5.79 ERA, but the bad news stops there. De León was added to the roster to fill a long relief role but in a very small sample, looks like he should get a chance to develop into more. Averaging near 95 mph on the fastball so far, De León has struck out nearly 47% of the hitters he’s faced. His fastball has allowed a .226 xWOBA, and the changeup and slider have generated whiff rates above 40% apiece. This explains why every existing underlying stat says he should be dominating. De León isn’t a young up-and-comer at 30 years old, but as we’ve seen with Brock Stewart, relievers can find a switch to flip even into their 30s. The Twins will likely be a bit less inclined to send him down based on the raw stuff he’s flashed, as doing so would expose him to waivers, and even in a small sample size, he’s shown enough to catch the eyes of other teams across the league. We’ll likely see De León get a chance to play himself into or out of a legitimate bullpen role, though for now, we can expect him to pitch in low leverage. Hopefully, some of the big dogs get going, but some of these names continuing to do what they’ve done and possibly even taking it a step further can help. Are there any other Twins trending up under the radar? Let us know below!

Box Score Starting Pitcher: Louis Varland: 5 IP 6 H 2 ER 1 BB 4 SO (92 P, 62 Strikes, 65.2%) Home Runs: Gallo (11), Top 3 WPA: Jovani Moran (0.226), Kyle Farmer (0.119), Trevor Larnach (0.10) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): Buxton Uses Speed, Then Leaves Game Byron Buxton was all over the bases in the early innings, going first to third by way of deking the outfielder on two separate occasions, pretending to slow down as he approached second base before turning on the jets and reaching third easily. Both times, as well as after beating out a double play, Buxton got up slowly while grimacing. This has been a common occurrence this year, although Buxton has made numerous game changing plays with his speed despite the pain. Today may have been a bridge too far, as he was removed for a pinch hitter in the sixth, with the initial diagnosis being “leg tightness.” The Buxton-playing-center-field train retreats deeper back into the station. Varland Holds it Together, Continues Run of Success Coming off of two excellent outings against the Padres and Cubs, Louie Varland was solid for the most part. He got off to an auspicious start, with both his pitchcomm and backup pitchcomm devices malfunctioning and home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz gesticulating like he was just told his plane was overbooked. Varland kept his composure and even struck out Shohei Ohtani looking to end the first, although the pitch was a fastball right where Ohtani likes it. Varland settled in and continued to dot the edges of the strike zone with his fastball while working in some decent cutters. A misplaced slider and cutter to the middle of the Angel’s order in the fourth led to an Angels run, and a fat fastball in the sixth allowed Ohtani to get extended and make the game 4-2 with a long home run to right center. Twins Hit a Lefty? The Twins have struggled against left-handed starters all year, and were thoroughly deconstructed by lefty Reid Detmers on Friday. On Saturday, the Twins faced a more accomplished lefty in Patrick Sandoval, who finished with a sub 3.00 ERA in 2022 and is off to a good start this year. Armed with an effective changeup and slider, Sandoval struggled to spot his fastball in the first, allowing the Twins to work deep counts, and for Kyle Garlick and Farmer to contribute RBI singles. Sandoval settled in after that, but Twins batters still worked him hard and he was done after striking out Garlick with two outs in the fifth. Bullpen Pitches Four Scoreless Starting with Jovani Moran’s great effort cleaning up Varland’s mess in the sixth, Jorge Lopez, Brock Stewart, and Jhoan Duran made quick work of the powerful Angels lineup, looking dominant and delivering a relatively stress-free win after struggling as a unit for the first four games of the current west coast road trip. Rocco Biffs His Challenge There was a curious play in the first inning, when, after Garlick’s single made the game 2-0, Willi Castro was asked to sacrifice and did so successfully, bringing in Farmer for the third run of the inning. Castro hustled down the line and was close enough to being safe that Rocco Baldelli decided to challenge the call. The replays were pretty inconclusive so the decision was potentially damaging. Jared Walsh Returns, Doesn’t Kill Twins Wisconsin native Jared Walsh, an All-Star in 2021, made his return to the Angels' active roster after recovering from a disturbing neurological disorder in which he lost depth perception, experienced intense tremors, and was unable to sleep with any regularity. He also underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, a difficult condition to come back from in its own right, during his recovery. He went 0-4 and popped out a bunt attempt, but it is good to see him back. What’s Next: Pablo López (2-2, 4.00 ERA) will try to deliver the Twins a road series win opposing wunderkind Shohei Ohtani (5-1, 3.23 ERA). López has been inconsistent since signing his extension, logging a 6.11 ERA in five starts. Ohtano has been human on the mound lately, giving up five runs to the Orioles in his most recent start. Postgame Interviews: Bullpen Usage Chart

Box Score Bailey Ober: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (102 pitches, 65 strikes) Home Run: Kyle Farmer (3) Top 3 WPA: Bailey Ober (.259), Jovani Moran (.165), Kyle Farmer (.135) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Even the gruffest amongst us could not fault him if he did it. Clayton Kershaw lost his mother on Saturday. Suffering a painful Mother’s Day and coming to terms with life without one his most crucial supporters, Kershaw insisted on making his scheduled start, hopefully using baseball as the emotional crutch so many others before have done. Heartless—and cruel—the Twins allowed no time for grievance: a leadoff double by Donovan Solano begat a Kyle Farmer single beyond the infield, plating a rare early run off the future Hall-of-Famer. And so the game stayed during its first act. Bailey Ober found similar challenges in his time on the mound—hits, general chicanery—while his command swayed in the gentle California breeze. Perhaps fortune or gumption aided him, but in any case, Ober was able to avoid the damaging blow Minnesota earned against their opponent. It wasn’t from a lack of trying by the Dodgers: they placed two runners on in the opening frame before flailing meekly to end the inning. Things got crazier in the 4th, however; Max Muncy attempted to swipe home on a double steal; a wise Solano anticipated his move and promptly threw him out by many feet. The Dodgers likely felt the need to press because the Twins again jumped on Kershaw. A walk and two singles added a second run to Minnesota’s total, with Willi Castro providing the clutch hit on a slicing single into left. Underpinning all the offense was a truly bizarre inability by Austin Barnes to throw the baseball to second base. The catcher has struggled with baserunners all season, and—despite their stagnant nature—the Twins pushed firmly on that pressure point at all times, leading to four total steals and a disengagement violation when Kershaw tried to save his backstop from embarrassment in the 4th. The opportunity for small-ball shenanigans was great, and Minnesota embraced it fully in the 5th, earning a run off a walk, steal, groundout, hit by pitch, and safety squeeze bunt. And Ober held up his end of the bargain. A shaky opening to his start gave way to solid, effective, normal Bailey Ober proceedings; the big right-hander ended his night after six innings with one earned run to his name and more than a few warning track threats. The Twins could avoid it no longer, though, and the game shifted to a battle between the bullpens. Both exhausted after a nightmare game on Monday, the onerous was on Minnesota to defend the lead, placing their relief arms in a much more precarious position. Brock Stewart was the first hero, and he could only muster two outs after his 28 pitches last night. Jovani Moran then stepped up the mound, immediately walked Freddie Freeman on four pitches, and coaxed a soft fly out from Chris Taylor on the only strike he threw in the inning. The Twins needed six more outs. Yet, somehow, as if the forces surrounding the game joined together in one miraculous effort, Moran made it through a clean 8th inning, eliciting three outs with relative ease. And the same forces grew from a quiet grin to a shining smile in the 9th, observing the Twins’ lost work from the previous night and realizing that a correction was in order: Farmer extended the lead with a relieving two-run shot just above the outfield wall. Dodgers fans left their seats in frustration. It finally ended. Minnesota’s 18-year drought of winning at Dodgers’ stadium, Clayton Kershaw’s nearly two-year grip on winning on his home turf, and whatever demons have cursed Griffin Jax in 2023 all came to an end. Post-Game Interview What’s Next? The Twins and Dodgers will partake in a day game on Wednesday as Sonny Gray will face off opposite Dustin May. The game starts at 2:10 PM central time. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

Brent Headrick wasn’t one of the Twins locks to be added to the 40-man roster this winter but made the cut along with Casey Legumina who was later traded to Cincinnati. Despite being somewhat of an afterthought, the left-hander has been one of the more impressive up-and-down pitchers on the roster this season. The Twins could possibly start looking for a way to get him up for good soon. Headrick’s MLB career is in its infancy having only made three appearances to date. We can be cautious given the incredibly small sample size, but the early results are encouraging. In 8 1/3 innings, Headrick has a 3.24 ERA and 12 strikeouts. His WHIP stands at an impressive 0.96. He’s showing signs of being able to consistently retire Major League hitters, and it can be argued that may be going to waste in a long relief role. Headrick is in an interesting spot. The Twins clearly believed in him having protected him from the Rule 5 draft. It’s important to note that his addition to the 40-man has to speed up his timeline to the big leagues which is likely why he’s filling long relief innings. So far, his effectiveness in bulk innings makes it worth wondering whether Headrick could be a usable big-league starting pitcher. The dominoes are starting to fall at the big-league level. Kenta Maeda's injury has opened up a well-deserved opportunity for Bailey Ober, who very well may not allow Maeda to get his job back when healthy. On Thursday night, Tyler Mahle left his start after four innings due to elbow soreness. He played down the injury after the game, but at this point, it's a little difficult to take Mahle's word after several brief returns from the IL only to head right back in 2022. We hope it's just an early-season tweak, but the Twins should be making plans in case it isn't. The likely replacement for Mahle is Louie Varland, who appears to be another MLB-worthy starter stuck in Triple-A due to the roster crunch. The Twins pitching depth is coming through for them early, but it's already beginning to run out. Assuming Ober and Varland get the call, the Twins' rotation in Triple-A will be headed by Simeon Woods Richardson. The right-hander the Twins got in the Jose Berrios trade has already debuted this season in long relief. It's possible he would be the next man up, but his future as a starting pitcher is not yet written in stone. He appears to have a fastball that's going to regularly dip into the 80s with a changeup as his main secondary pitch. Even if the Twins' plan is for Woods Richardson to be slotted into the rotation in the event of another injury, he's the tail end of the list of starters you want to see called up. Aaron Sanchez, Jose De Leon, and Dereck Rodriguez are the best of what's left. Given what we've seen from Headrick, it may be time to settle him into a role as a legitimate starting pitcher. Headrick has only made nine starts above A-Ball but has essentially reached a starter's workload in the MLB. Dropping him into the Triple-A rotation should be an easy task and should leave him available if the Twins still need to cycle him in occasionally as a long reliever. His success thus far at the MLB level (and his spot on the 40-man roster) has put him ahead of the veteran minor-league signings they have stashed away in Triple-A. Veteran starting pitching depth is great to have, but it's hard to call it depth when there's so little promise in the event that any of these guys get called up. Headrick has been found money for the Twins, and he could wind up playing a bigger role than many thought he would when he was given a 40-man roster spot in the offseason. He may not be the most seasoned starting pitching prospect, but what he's shown in the majors should be taken into account. The Twins should have Brent Headrick starting every fifth day in Triple-A. To have another seemingly solid starter waiting in the wings could pay off, especially on with the health luck the Twins have had in recent years. Do you agree?

The Twins have a strong top of the bullpen in Jhoan Duran, Jorge Lopez, Griffin Jax, and Caleb Thielbar. They also have a surplus of long relievers they’ve cycled through to begin the season. The bullpen problems have mostly fallen into the low-leverage, middle-relief tier, which so far has been occupied by the ineffective duo of Emilio Pagán and Jovani Morán. It may be time for the Twins to get creative. The Twins have already begun searching for an internal addition for what it’s worth. Brock Stewart was called up Tuesday after 8+ innings and 17 strikeouts in Triple-A to begin the season. The 31-year-old former top prospect may not be the most exciting option based on his age and career thus far, but the recent performance gives hope that Stewart has made some changes and can carry them over to the big league level. However, the Twins should pivot to other options if it doesn't pan out. The depth of the aforementioned “long reliever” group in Triple-A is nice in theory, but one could argue that such depth for this role is a bit overkill. Cole Sands, Simeon Woods Richardson , and Brent Headrick are all on the 40-man roster and have been used at the big-league level thus far. Jose De Leon and Randy Dobnak remain as options who could be added if needed. Their performances aren’t as inspiring, but considering they’d be pitching almost exclusively in blowouts, it’s easy to argue it doesn’t much matter. Woods Richardson remains a legitimate starting pitching prospect, with Headrick and Sands less so. Rather than having five candidates for a role that may come in handy once per week, the Twins should be looking to transition one of these options into a traditional reliever. Focusing more on Headrick and Sands assuming Woods Richardson will continue taking the mound every fifth day, there’s reason to believe either one could come up and settle into a traditional middle innings role. The benefits of changing a bulk innings pitcher into a traditional reliever have been covered plenty at this point. The velo ticks up, and they can throw their best pitches more often. Brent Headrick is averaging around 92 mph on the fastball in his debut season, and he grades out tremendously in command with a usable changeup to equalize his left-handedness against right-handed hitters. He’s a prime candidate to be one of the many fringe starting pitching prospects who move to the bullpen and flourish as we’ve seen in recent years. Sands has been an option for a similar move for a year-plus now because of his wicked breaking ball. He hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2021, and it may be time to crack the door open to a consistent big-league job and see if he can kick it in. They could also pivot on Josh Winder, who’s on the rehab trail in St. Paul, though he’s also filled a multi-inning role in four of his five outings thus far. His inability to hold up to a starters' workload could be solved by putting him into a traditional reliever role given his issues with the fastball and impressive slider. The Twins have no shortage of options, and it’s becoming untenable to maintain such long relief depth to cycle guys in and out of a role at the MLB level that’s so unplanned and rarely utilized. Especially when it’s become clear that there are little to no situations in which the Twins have a lead where Emilio Pagán and Jovani Morán can be trusted to get even three outs. Hopefully, Brock Stewart’s minor league stuff translates, but the Twins should be working on a backup option now in case it doesn’t. Worst case scenario, Stewart grabs the job and runs with it, and another option establishes themselves in Triple-A in case they’re needed. They have more than enough long relief depth with not many answers in middle relief. Is it time to start actively seeking out more internal relief options?

Box Score SP: Sonny Gray 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K (107 pitches, 66 strikes (61.6% strikes)) Home Runs: Joey Gallo (6) Top 3 WPA: Sonny Gray .267, Jorge Polanco .165, Michael A. Taylor .078 Win Probability Chart It was the top of the eighth. Griffin Jax versus Anthony Rizzo, bases loaded with two outs. The Twins were in crisis mode. Sonny Gray had dominated through seven innings shutting the Yankees down 5-0, but it could be an entirely new ball game with one swing from Rizzo. What would happen? Pitch one; 96 mph fastball, called strike one. Pitch two; 86 mph sweeper, fouled off. Pitch three; 87 mph sweeper; swing and a miss by Rizzo. Crisis averted for the Twins, a 5-0 lead maintained as the Twins went to bat once more in the bottom of the eighth. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be the last Yankees rally of the game. The ninth inning went to Jovani Moran with a 6-0 lead. His struggles showed before an out was made. A walk, a single, then another walk. The nightmares caused Twins fans by the Yankees were awakening once more. However, the baseball gods felt a need to show grace to the Twins just as the nightmare came alive. First a force out to Jose Miranda at third. One out, but a run scored, 6-1, Twins lead. Then a fly out to Trevor Larnach in foul territory, out number two. Finally, Moran would have a moment of redemption on the mound by striking out former Twins outfielder Aaron Hicks to end the game. Gray improves his MLB-best ERA Sonny Gray looked as sharp as ever Monday night against the Yankees. With his command of the strike zone and strong defense behind him, the Yankees couldn’t get any momentum against him. Gray wasn’t striking hitters out constantly, but averaging a strikeout per inning had him keeping the Yankees hitters in check. His biggest strikeout of the game came against Aaron Judge with two out and a runner on in the bottom of the sixth. Gray retired him on a nasty 83 MPH slider Judge chased outside the zone, and kept the Yankees from chipping at the Twins' 4-0 lead at a pivotal moment. Even with a low strikeout total, Gray still had a good number of swings-and-misses which showed his sharpness. The Yankees swung and missed on his pitches 18 times missing on his curveball eight times and cutter seven times. Gray’s seven shutout innings brought his ERA on the season down to 0.62. Exiting after the seventh, he had the Major League lead for ERA, passing Shohei Ohtani who held the lead going into the night at 0.64. A Different Approach Against Brito Last time the Twins faced Yankees starter Jhony Brito he didn't make it out of the first inning. This time Brito went deeper, but the Twins' offense took a different approach against him; working his pitch count up early in the game. Brito faced the minimum in his first inning and only walked one batter in the second, but with Twins hitters working the count in each at-bat, he had thrown 42 pitches through two innings. Working a high pitch count through two innings paid off for the Twins' offense as they mustered a bases-loaded threat with no outs in the bottom of the third. With one out and the bases loaded, Jorge Polanco drove in the first two runs of the game with a single to right field. Yankees manager Aaron Boone had enough of Brito before the third inning was over. Seven of the Twins almost doubled his pitch count at 80 for the evening which resulted in two walks, three singles, a strikeout, and an RBI ground out by Byron Buxton. No Brito, no problem Brito’s early exit from the game made no difference for the Twins hitters as the Yankees bullpen would be dealt further implosion from their offense. It began with another Joey Gallo home run, perhaps his most satisfying of the season so-far, which put the Twins up 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth. The Twins knocked out the Yankees' first reliever, Greg Weissert, in the next inning with a career-high pitch count at 39 following a two-out single to Larnach. Albert Abreu was next out of the Yankees bullpen. He walked the first two hitters he faced but got out of his jam with a lineout by Christian Vazquez. The Twins still managed to get Abreu’s pitch count to 15 with just three batters. Only one Yankees pitcher managed to throw fewer than 20 pitches against Twins hitters. Wandy Peralta had a nine pitch, one, two, three, seventh inning. Otherwise, the Twins hitters were cooking Yankee arms all game on the mound. Other notes The Twins last run of the game came from an impressive RBI triple by Carlos Correa. With some luck and a bad read by Yankee right fielder Franchy Cordero, Correa got the big break he needed at the plate in the game to put the Twins up 6-0. His triple made him the last Twin to reach base in the 6-0 victory. What’s Next? The Twins play their second game of the series against the Yankees on Tuesday night with Joe Ryan facing off against All Star lefty Nestor Cortes. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

Jovani Moran has been far from the pitcher he showed he could be in 2022. Granted, he mostly saw low leverage, but his 2.21 ERA across 40+ innings was enough for the Twins to pencil him into a bullpen role in 2023. Despite his rough start, there are reasons to continue to hope for more from the left-handed reliever. Morán’s biggest flaw has been control throughout his entire career. He’s rarely been able to put up walk rates under 10% but has ascended to the MLB level because of the rest of his skills. Morán is a unicorn, as his out pitch is a wicked changeup that has helped stave off traditional platoon splits against right-handed hitters. He’s managed eye-popping strikeout rates at every level and has avoided the longball to an impressive degree. Morán’s walk rate has increased from 11% in 2022 to 14% in 2023. It’s a fine line to walk, but a familiar one for Morán thus far in his career. Unlike past seasons, the rest of his skills haven’t been up to snuff to bail him out. The strikeout rate has been acceptable at 25.6%, but it's a far cry from the near 33% mark from 2022. More importantly, Morán has already allowed two homers in seven innings pitched so far. He’s never allowed even one home run per nine innings pitched in his career across a full season. Can we hope for a bounce back? It’s worth noting that Morán’s ugly outing on Tuesday could have gone a lot differently had his strikeout to begin the inning not resulted in the hitter reaching first base. He did walk a batter, but allowed three hits, none of which surpassed an 80.6 mph exit velocity. It was the weirdest game the Twins have played all season, and Morán was on the tough end of plenty of said weirdness in the 10th. Most of his ERA indicators aren’t great, but they all show some bad luck regarding his 7.27 ERA, and his xERA weighing the quality of contact he’s allowed is only 3.45. The walks aren’t going away, but some of the poorly hit balls should start finding gloves. It's also fair to wonder whether Morán has a stretch of avoiding the long ball in him after showing such a strong aversion throughout the minors and into his big league career. Morán may not be perfect, but he should be better. In regards to Morán’s role, I think we all know that he’ll likely never be the first to get the call in situations like Tuesday. The Twins were out of their traditional high-leverage relievers and didn’t want to turn to rookie Brent Headrick or open the door for another Emilio Pagán disaster. It was an unfortunate situation with a poor result, but Morán was scheduled for a return to low leverage regardless of the outcome. Jovani Morán should be better moving forward. The walks may keep him from moving too far up the bullpen hierarchy, but the strikeouts and aversion to homers should make him a perfectly usable MLB reliever. The Twins also don’t exactly have another reliever beating down the door in Triple-A. As frustrating as the loss was, he’s still a 25-year-old with team control through 2029. It’s very possible we look back on Tuesday’s nightmare outing as having little bearing on the pitcher he is. It’s not time to give up on Jovani Morán.

Box Score Sonny Gray: 5 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K Home Run: Max Kepler (2) Bottom 3 WPA: Jovani Moran (-.902 good lord), Griffin Jax (-.184), Kyle Garlick (-.070) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) From being dominated by Chris Sale to watching umpires decipher through grain whether their night would end, the Twins experienced the full range of baseball emotions on Tuesday. Oscillating between uneasy optimism and certain expectations losing, the game had it all, and each reaction and re-action was more extreme than the one that came before. Be warned: this is the kind of game that can eat up lesser souls. Boston wasted no time scoring. Lead-off man Alex Verdugo stroked a double into the right-center gap and Rafael Devers chopped a single too far to Willi Castro’s right to score him. Just like that, before Sonny Gray could ease into the start, the Red Sox had a run, and Minnesota would need a response. Unfortunately for them, their opponent was a certain stork-like pitcher, known for regularly—although inconsistently, recently—making fools of even the best hitters. And he was on his game. The opening innings consisted of whiffs, and wrong guesses; the first out Chris Sale recorded that didn’t come via a punchout was in the 3rd—when Donovan Solano tapped out directly to Rafael Devers. Whenever Minnesota expected fastballs, he tossed sliders, always in the perfect spot to coax a swing. Gray suffered no such fortune. The veteran righty did a lot of pitching—entirely too much pitching—battling himself over the first two frames as Red Sox batters stood stoically against his balls and smoked his strikes. He had over 50 pitches after just two innings. Somehow, though, he slithered away from damage, never allowing Boston to secure the knock-out blow they desperately craved. He ended his start with five innings, and a medium-sized village stranded on base; the opening run was his lone blemish. Just as soon as it seemed that Sale would settle in, he finally wavered, relenting in his command to walk Michael A. Taylor, hit Max Kepler, and see Castro split the infield with a bunt single. Solano struck out, but a Carlos Correa liner brought Taylor home to somehow even the game at one. Even as Byron Buxton extended his dreadful streak of ineffective hitting—batting as if he were blinded—the Twins could finally claim a competitive match. In a sign that the baseball gods absolutely have a sense of humor, the second Sale exited the game, Max Kepler took fresh pitcher Josh Winckowski deep to right field, inconceivably handing the Twins a 2-1 advantage. It was his second shot of the season. Thus started the running of the bullpen: Jorge López’s 6th frame was smooth, while Caleb Thielbar’s only 7th inning trouble came when Devers poked a shift-beater the other way. Griffin Jax found his 8th difficult, though, as a cheeky soft liner and a confusing catcher’s interference placed runners on the corners. Rather, actually, Solano took the play off after the catcher’s interference was called, allowing Reese McGuire to reach base while Kiké Hernández took off for third base. An obscure rule—one so unheard of that Dick Bremer had to provide clarity to the people watching— allows for a manager to elect for the play to count, allowing the runner to advance to third base. No matter; it isn’t like the extra base had game-altering implications. Anyways, Boston tied the game when Jarren Duran’s grounder provided enough space for Hernández to bolt home safely. Jhoan Duran carried the 9th, turning the match into a Manfred Man fest with Minnesota up first. Boston reliever John Schreiber couldn’t locate the strike zone, hitting Solano and walking Correa to load the bases. Buxton then sent a deep enough fly ball to right to score a run—and advance the runner from second to third—which allowed Miranda to plate a second score with a grounder. Lacking a hit, the Twins still scored two. If you’re counting at home, Rocco Baldelli was now left without his best relievers, making Jovani Moran the pitcher called upon to save the game. Hernández struck out with suspicious intent; Moran’s changeup is good, but the offering was so low in the dirt, it seemed that he anticipated the chance to scamper to first base. A walk loaded the bases and finally, McGuire re-knotted the game with a dumping single to left field. A knock placed Moran into familiar confines. With Rob Refsnyder at the plate, Moran delivered another signature change, getting the roll-over he wanted; Miranda snagged the ball, tagged the runner going to home, then gunned out Refsnyder to turn an immaculate double play. It was all for nothing, however, as Verdugo’s painted fly ball to right fell on the field side of the wall, giving Boston the bizarre walk-off a game like this deserved, but only after the lights person, the umpires, and every player stood around thoroughly baffled at what just occurred. Notes: Post-Game Interview: The Twins will take on Boston again tomorrow; Joe Ryan will pitch opposite Corey Kluber. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

When Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler came to Fort Myers for spring training this year, it marked their 15th season as members of the Minnesota Twins organization. It also marked the first time that Miguel Sano was not in the organization with them. Every year, the Twins draft and sign players. They sign international free agents. It is very difficult for a player to remain in the organization until he can become a minor-league free agent. Consider this: players drafted in 2016 could have become free agents at the end of the 2022 season if not on the 40-man roster. Of the 33 Twins 2016 draft picks that signed, just four remain in the organization. The Twins drafted and signed 29 players in 2017. Just five of those players remain in the organization. If those players are not on the Twins 40-man roster by the end of the World Series, they can become free agents. Four of the Twins top five picks from the 2021 draft have already been traded. So it is in that light that I think it's important to recognize those players that have remained in the Twins organization the longest. Honorable Mentions Before we get to the ten players who have been in the organization the longest, here are the next ten on the list of longest-tenured Twins players. #20 - Randy Dobnak - 7/28/17 #18b - Andrew Bechtold - 2017 draft (7/22/17) #18a - Blayne Enlow - 2017 draft (7/22/17) #16b - Wilfri Castro - 7/3/17 #16a - Miguel Rodriguez - 7/3/17 #15 - Luis Baez - 7/2/17 #14 - Bailey Ober - 2017 draft (6/22/17) #13 - Royce Lewis - 2017 draft (6/17/17) #12 - Mark Contreras - 2017 draft (6/16/17) #11 - Jeferson Morales - 10/6/16 THE TOP 10 LONGEST-TENURED TWINS #10 - In the fifth round of the 2016 draft, the Twins selected Jordan Balazovic from St. Martin Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario. He didn’t sign until July 19, 2016. He looked good in the GCL that summer but really struggled in 2017. In 2018, he impressed as a 19-year-old in the second half of the season at Cedar Rapids. He went 7-3 with a 3.94 ERA over 61 2/3 innings (he had 78 strikeouts). Keith Law made him a Top 100 prospect at that time before others did. He was even better in 2019. He made four starts for the Kernels and then 14 starts for Ft. Myers. Combined, he posted a 2.69 ERA and had 129 strikeouts and just 25 walks over 93 2/3 innings. He joined the Twins alternate site in the last few weeks in 2020. He was good again in Double-A Wichita in 2021 when he struck out 102 batters in 97 innings. And… Grace. Since then, things have been a struggle for Balazovic. He had a knee injury coming out of spring training, then went straight to St. Paul where he went 0-7 with a 7.39 ERA in 21 starts. He did have 76 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings, but he also had 35 walks. It was the first time that control had been an issue for him, which could have been, in part, related to the knee injury. Looking to move forward in 2023, Balazovic was punched in the face in a Fort Myers bar just before spring training started and had to have surgery in which his jaw was wired shut. He missed spring training and was optioned quickly to minor-league camp. He has started this season in the Saints bullpen where he has four strikeouts and given up just one run over 3 2/3 innings. He also has five walks. However, it would be too early to completely give up on a pitcher with his talent. #9 - On the first day of the 2016 international signing period (7/2/16), the Twins signed Osiris German from San Cristobal, in the Dominican Republic. He made his pro debut in 2017 in the Dominican Summer League. He split 2018 between the DSL and the GCL. In 2019, he struck out 47 batters in 37 2/3 innings at Elizabethton. Like other minor leaguers, he did not pitch in 2020. Now 22, he split the 2021 season between Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids. While his overall numbers didn’t look great, he had 90 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings. People started really talking about his remarkable changeup. He began 2022 with the Kernels but very quickly moved up to Double-A Wichita. He posted a 3.33 ERA and had 49 strikeouts in 46 innings. #8 - In 2016, Jose Miranda was the Twins' third of four high school hitters drafted in the first two rounds. Alex Kirilloff was selected first. Ben Rortvedt was the second-round pick. Miranda and Akil Baddoo were taken back-to-back with the 73rd and 74th picks. Miranda also became the second player drafted out of Leadership Christian Academy in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. A year earlier, the Twins drafted outfielder Lean Marrero in the 16th round. He signed on June 23, 2016. Drafted as a shortstop, it was pretty well known he wouldn’t stay there. He split most of his minor-league years between second base and third base. He has incredible bat-to-ball skills, but he struggled with his knowledge of the strike zone. He would often swing at pitches outside the strike zone and get himself out. He had a great experience in the Puerto Rican Winter League before the 2021 seasons and even played in the Caribbean Series. His focus became knowing the strike zone, and he did just that and saw immediate results. He began 2021 in Wichita and in 47 games, he hit .345/.408/.588 (.996). Two months in, he was promoted to Triple-A St. Paul. He hit .343/.397/.563 (.960). Combined, he had 32 doubles, 30 home runs, and 94 RBI and was the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Year. He began the 2022 season with 21 games in St. Paul, but he came up and hit .268/.325/.426 (.751) with 25 doubles and 15 homers in 125 games for the Twins. This season, he will be playing third base and hitting in the middle of the Twins lineup. #6c - The Twins were thrilled to see the sweet-swinging Alex Kirilloff with the 15th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of Plum High School, in Pittsburgh. He signed on June 21, 2016. He spent that summer in Elizabethton, but his season ended a little early with an elbow injury. Unfortunately, in spring training in 2017, he needed Tommy John surgery and missed the whole season. He returned in 2018 and showed himself to be one of the best hitters in minor-league baseball In 65 games at Low-A Cedar Rapids, he hit .333/.392/.607 (.999), and then in 65 games at High-A Ft. Myers, he hit .362/.392/.550 (.943). Combined, he hit 44 doubles, seven triples, 20 home runs, and 101 RBI. He played 94 games at Double-A Pensacola in 2019 but missed some time with a wrist injury. He spent the 2020 partial season at the Twins' alternate site in St. Paul. He made his MLB debut in the playoffs against the Astros. In 2021, he played 59 games with the Twins before his season ended early with wrist problems and surgery. In 2022, he played 45 games with the Twins, continued having wrist issues, and had a much more aggressive wrist surgery where some of the bone was essentially chiseled off. He continues to rehab in Ft. Myers and just recently started the rehab assignment. #6b - In the third round of the 2016 draft, the Twins made Griffin Jax that highest-drafted player from the US Air Force Academy. He signed on June 21, 2016. The Twins thought they would get Jax full-time by May 2017. However, the Department of Defense altered its policy and required him to serve two years of active duty. Jax spent his military leaves pitching in the minor leagues, but the fear was he would not be able to be a full-time baseball player until at least 2019 if not 2020. However, the military has a World Class Athlete Program which allows active-duty military personnel to make training for the Olympics their full-time responsibility. Because Baseball was again an Olympic sport in 2020, he could do that. The Twins and the Air Force figured out the financial side of things and he was fully with the Twins starting in 2018. In 2019, he pitched at Double-A and ended the season with three games in Triple-A. He was at the alternate site in 2020. In 2021, he made eight starts for the Saints and then 14 starts for the Twins. He became the first Air Force Academy graduate to play in the big leagues. He struggled, but he moved to the bullpen in 2022 and went 7-4 with a 3.36 ERA in 72 1/3 games over 65 games in the big leagues. His role will continue to be in high-leverage situations for the Twins this year. He continued his education and worked on gaining a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, focusing on Marketing and Data Analytics. After the 2021 season, he was honored as the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award recipient. He maintains the rank of Captain in the Air Force Reserves. He and his wife Savannah recently had their first child. She is also a Captain in the Air Force. #5 - The last remaining member of the Twins 2015 draft is left-hander Jovani Moran. The 25-year-old was the Twins’ 7th-round draft pick from the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy. He signed in early July and worked in six games in the GCL. Unfortunately, he missed the 2016 season because he had bone chips removed from his elbow. In 2017, he dominated at Elizabethton and was the easy choice for Twins Daily Short-Season Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He has experienced a lot of ups and downs over the years. His changeup made him intriguing and helped him to strike out a lot of batters, but he also struggled with his control often too. In September of 2021, he made his MLB debut and pitched in five games. He split 2022 between the Saints (6.00 ERA in 20 games) and the Twins (2.21 ERA in 40 2/3 innings). He made his first Opening Day roster in 2023. #4 - The Twins used the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft to select shortstop Nick Gordon from Olympia High School in Orlando. He signed days later (June 9, 2014). The son of Tom Gordon, and the brother of Dee Strange-Gordon, Nick Gordon advanced through the Twins organization one level per year until he reached Triple-A. Unfortunately, that’s when he started experiencing several injuries and health issues. He was added to the 40-man roster after the 2019 season. In 2020, he was having some stomach issues and ended up with a very serious bout with Covid. He was down below 150 pounds and felt weak. Thankfully, he eventually got healthy and doctors figured out his stomach ailment. He’s been adding strength since. In 2021, he got an opportunity in the big leagues and hit .240 (.647) over 73 games as a rookie. He broke out in 2022. In 138 games, he hit .272 (.743) with 28 doubles, four triples, and nine home runs. In 2023, he played in left field, center field, and second base. He’s off to a slow start, but the Twins will (and should) stand by him. #3 - The Twins were not a good baseball team in 2011 and truly earned the second overall pick in the 2012 draft. As you know, the Astros selected a talented shortstop from Puerto Rico with the first overall pick. I wonder where Carlos Correa is these days. I hope he has found success somewhere. The Twins followed by selecting outfielder Byron Buxton out of high school in Georgia. On June 13, 2012, he signed. He quickly became the top prospect in baseball. He debuted with the Twins in 2015. In 2017, he received MVP votes, won his first Gold Glove, and was also awarded the Platinum Glove as the best defensive player in the American League. Unfortunately, injuries have cost Buxton a lot of time since. He hasn’t had another season in which he played 100 games or more. When healthy, he is a huge difference-maker for the Twins. He has become a tremendous talent with the bat. Following the 2021 season, the Twins and Buxton agreed on a $100 million contract extension, loaded with incentives. In 2022, he was named an All-Star for the first time and homered in the game. #2 – On July 11th, 2009, the Twins signed highly-regarded German outfielder Max Kepler. Though Kepler was always blessed with great athleticism and tools, it wasn’t until 2015 that everything came together for him. He was the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Year when he was named the Southern League MVP and led the Chattanooga Lookouts to the league title. While his team was celebrating, Kepler learned that he was heading to the big leagues. On the season’s final day, he recorded his first MLB hit off of Johnny Cueto. He put up very similar numbers from 2016 through 2018. In 2018, he hit .224 with 30 doubles and 20 homers. He signed a five-year contract extension for $35 million in the offseason. In 2019, Kepler broke out. He hit .252/.336/.519 (.855) with 32 doubles and 36 home runs. In 2020, his OPS dropped to .760, then .719 in 2021, and just .666 in 2022. His 129 home runs rank 16th in Twins history. Another 20-homer season would put him into the Top 12. The Twins have an option on Kepler’s 2024 contract. #1 – On July 2, 2009, the Twins signed defense-first shortstop Jorge Polanco from the Dominican Republic. The Twins were very patient with him in the lower levels, but in 2014, he became the youngest player to debut with the Twins since Joe Mauer in 2004. He moved up and down between Triple-A and the big leagues in 2016 until July when Eduardo Nunez was traded. He missed the first 80 games of the 2018 season on a PED suspension but came back strong in the second half. He signed a five-year, $25 million contract extension. In 2019, he was voted as the starting shortstop in the All Star game. He ended the season by hitting .295 with 40 doubles and 22 home runs. In 2020, the Twins moved him to second base. He played 152 games in 2021 and hit .295 with 35 doubles and 33 home runs. He played in just 104 games in 2022 and will start the 2023 season on the Injured List. The Twins have options on Polanco’s contract the next two offseasons. So there you have it, the players in the Twins organization who have been in the system the longest, consecutively. I’ll guess that at least a couple of the names may not surprise you. I’m certain that you wouldn’t have guessed all 10 on this list. Feel free to leave your thoughts, or let me know if I forgot anyone.

Box Score SP: Tyler Mahle: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 90 pitches, 53 strikes (58.9%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Carlos Correa (-0.70), Eduoard Julien (-0.68) Jorge Alcalá (-0.37) Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs): Can the Twins run of quality starting pitching continue? Tyler Mahle took the mound for the Twins and his stuff was good throughout his start, generating numerous swings and misses on his split changeup and fourteen whiffs total. His control was a little off however, missing with his fastball in the zone. His error in the second, misplaying a dribbler that allowed Franchy Cordero to reach, put a runner on base for Kyle Higashioka who pulverized an elevated fastball to put the Twins behind two zero. He continued to fall behind hitters and give up hard contact and after giving up a blistered double to Aaron Judge, it became apparent he would be the first Twins starter to fall short of completing five innings this year. It was a good run. Domingo German dominant, but suspicious Thought to represent the soft underbelly of the Yankees pitching staff along with Clarke Schmidt, German instead was sharp with his command, throwing riding fastballs up in the zone and pairing it with a sharp slider and changeup. He was perfect the first time through the order, striking out six. This aroused at least some suspicion from the umpires, who conferred before the start of the fourth regarding some sticky stuff on German's glove. German was allowed to stay after removing a substance, prompting Rocco Baldelli to protest and eventually be ejected from the game. Umpire James Hoye could be seen telling German, who previously was suspended for violating the league's domestic abuse policy, "I told you to wipe it off!" The league was supposed to be cracking down harder on the foreign substance issue this year, following the crackdown mid-2021 and then a gradual relaxation following. Hoye’s exclamation would seem to indicate that German was told to remove a substance but did not comply. His spin rate decreased significantly afterward. Conspiratorial baseball fans will note the Yankees being implicated for sign stealing during the Astros investigation, as well as sample balls from Yankees games being shown to have more bounce to them during the 2022 season, as compared to sample balls from other games. Boom or bust offense continues Twins hitters swung over German’s changeup and underneath his fastball all day. The hitters that chose to be aggressive were rolling over pitches and grounding out quickly, while the hitters that tried to work the count fell behind and let German dictate the at-bat. Whether that was due to some unlawful pitching aid or not, the Twins hitters were not in command of the game. Trevor Larnach and Jose Miranda doubled in the seventh for the Twins’ first run, but Max Kepler grounded into an inning-ending double-play to end the threat. Morán shows improvement Taking over for Mahle in the fifth, Jovani Morán inherited runners on the corners and only one out. He induced a groundout to Cabrera, which Jose Miranda made a nice play on, nailing LeMahieu trying to score. Morán then got Cordero to tap out to end the threat. He then had a one two three sixth inning, although his control was wobbly, getting a few charitable strike three calls from the home plate umpire. Jorge Alcalá was a different story, however, following Morán for the seventh and hitting LeMahieu, walking Judge and allowing a sharp double on a middle-middle slider to Giancarlo Stanton which plated two more runs. He did settle down in his next inning outside of an Anthony Volpe single (and two stolen bases). What’s Next: Pablo Lopez (1-0, 1.35 ERA) will look to continue his run of dominance, going up against Gerrit Cole (3-0, 1.40 ERA) in the series finale. Cole was very effective against the Twins last September, but they did pop five home runs against him at Target field last June. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Chart TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Alcalá 0 15 0 0 44 59 Durán 24 15 0 10 0 49 López 0 12 0 15 0 27 Morán 0 0 0 0 26 26 Sands 0 0 23 0 0 23 Jax 8 12 0 0 0 20 Pagán 0 0 0 12 0 12 Thielbar 4 0 0 0 0 4

Jorge Alcala had a mini breakout at the end of 2021 and was prevented from building on it further due to injury in 2022. Headed into 2023, the hope was that he was 100% healthy and could pick up where he left off. So far it appears that may not be the case on multiple fronts. Alcala looked locked and loaded coming out of spring training. His velocity had crept up considerably, and he looked flat-out dominant. Alcala began his 2023 season with a shutout inning, but has pitched in a multi-inning role twice as well. His velocity is down from 2021 levels and more importantly from the 97.4 we saw this spring. The underlying numbers don’t look great despite his 0.00 ERA thus far. What can we make of it? Velocity-wise, Alcala has long been a flamethrower even during his starting days in the minor leagues. His high 90s fastball has been a staple of his repertoire for years before his elbow acted up. After having it surgically cleaned up last season (arthroscopic debridement on his right elbow), his high 90s fastball has settled in around 95. A couple of ticks may not sound like much, but it can make a world of difference for a pitcher like Alcala who relies on blowing the doors off hitters more than command. That being said, heading to the Midwest spring weather after building up in the warm confines of Ft. Myers is a tough ask. It’s possible we see the velocity tick up as we did over time this spring, and therefore there isn’t much reason to worry yet. The bigger question with Alcala is what the Twins think of him and what role he could play. Rather than setting him up to potentially take the reins on even a middle relief moderate leverage job, the Twins have used him as a multi-inning reliever in two of four appearances thus far. His most recent multi-inning excursion was a bit rocky and questionable on multiple accounts. Alcala allowed just a single in his most recent multi-inning appearance on Sunday before ending it with a strikeout. He was asked to come back out for the 8th inning and threw 45 pitches in the outing. He issued two walks to lead off his second inning. He was clearly not as effective in his second inning. As high as Twins fans hopes were for Alcala coming into the season, that outing may have brought a moment of clarity. It's fair to wonder whether the Twins see the same potential in Alcala when they’re allowing him to rack up his highest pitch count since August of 2020 coming off of elbow surgery. That being said, he was inserted into a relatively high-leverage spot on Wednesday and spun a clean inning. It's kind of difficult to read how the Twins feel about Alcala, but it appears the ball is at least in his court. The hope is still that Alcala can raise his mid-90s fastball into the upper 90s again, as he does still have a pair of secondary offerings to navigate any-handed hitter that comes to the plate. He may have to build that velocity up with sporadic multi-inning roles, which could be more difficult than doing so across strictly single-inning outings where Duran can give it his all on every pitch. The reality is that present day, the perception among Twins fans and the organization may not quite line up. Alcala was never going to get very high-leverage spots right off the bat after missing nearly a full season, but the Twins don’t appear to be particularly inclined to set him up to earn that role. Instead he’ll have to earn his way up the hierarchy by outperforming other relievers the Twins see in the same vein such as Jovani Morán and Emilio Pagán. At the end of the day, Alcala appears to be starting from scratch in regard to his status in the bullpen after missing nearly all of 2022. The Twins are doing him no favors in regard to easing him in and leaving the door open to work his way into high-leverage innings. He’ll have to earn it back himself. It all likely starts with the fastball velocity. Can Jorge Alcala bounce back to end of 2021 levels?

One thing that the Twins have added to their organization this past offseason is depth, and depth all over the diamond. That included left-handed relief pitching, at least until Monday afternoon. As Darren Wolfson first reported, the Twins have lost veteran Danny Coulombe to the Baltimore Orioles. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Coulombe had a tremendous spring for the Twins again this year. He struck out 13 batters over ten innings and gave up only an unearned run. However, with lefties Caleb Thielbar and Jovani Moran around, Coulombe was reassigned to minor-league spring training on Sunday. He deserves to be in the big leagues, so in reality having an arm like that at Triple-A provided the organization with depth. According to Orioles' beat writer Dan Connolly, Coulombe was able to opt out of his Twins deal if there was "a team willing to give him a 26-man roster spot. And it appears the O's are willing to do so." data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== The O's will have to make a move. It was announced that former Twins farmhand Tyler Wells would be in the Orioles' starting rotation rather than the bullpen. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Because of the agreement, when Coulombe and his representatives learned that the Orioles were interested, they were able to opt-out. In other words, the Twins will not receive any compensation in return for Coulombe. In addition, it is assumed that right-hander Jeff Hoffman will invoke the opt-out clause in his contract on Tuesday and become a free agent. Hoffman, who signed as a minor-league free agent just a month ago, flashed a strong fastball in his outings, but he was reassigned to minor-league camp last week. That potentially means two veteran relievers with a lot of big-league service time lost. However, that doesn't mean that the Twins are in a bad place in terms of depth. Cole Sands is starting the season as the long reliever (pending any deals, of course). Josh Winder and Ronny Henriquez will start the season on the Injured List but could be ready for a bullpen role in the near future. Trevor Megill is at Triple-A as are non-roster options such as Jose De Leon, Randy Dobnak, Austin Schulfer, Aaron Sanchez, Oliver Ortega, Brock Stewart, Patrick Murphy, Dereck Rodriguez, Blayne Enlow, and several of the starting pitchers in Triple-A if needed. As for left-handers, the options would include Sean Nolin and Jordan Brink, as well as a sleeper contributor for 2023 (in my opinion), Kody Funderburk. Brent Headrick could get bullpen looks if needed. Two tough losses, but depth is good. And frankly, Jovani Moran needs to get this opportunity. If you are looking for any positives to this transaction, I guess it could be that after the next Gleeman and the Geek episode or two, we won't have to hear the Twins Geek mispronounce his last name anymore. #LittleThings What are your thoughts on the loss of Danny Coulombe, and potentially Jeff Hoffman too? Leave a COMMENT below.

Rocco Baldelli left spring training last year thinking Taylor Rogers would be his "closer." Last March, he was likely assuming that Jhoan Duran would be a starter in St. Paul. Neither of those things proved to be true, and the bullpen was in flux for most of the season. Emilio Pagan was a source of consternation. Duran emerged as a superstar. Caleb Thielbar stayed consistently effective. Griffin Jax looked the part of a late-inning reliever in his first season in the bullpen. Many arms were sent to the mound, but one that continued to go up and down was lefty Jovani Moran. If you guessed that he threw 40 2/3 innings in the big leagues in 2022, I’d question your honesty. Moran was moved between teams seven different times. Splitting time almost evenly, Moran appeared in 20 games for the Saints and threw 31 times for the Twins. What should also jump off the page is genuinely how good Moran was. Last season the Twins southpaw posted a 2.21 ERA and had an even better 1.78 FIP. His expected ERA was nearly even at 2.28, and his xFIP was still solid at 2.88. Those numbers were consistent at Target Field and on the road. For a guy who has consistently issued too many free passes, he does an incredible amount exceptionally well. While he may walk too many, he does a nice job of limiting hard contact. Moran has not given up a home run in nearly 50 major-league innings. He’s only allowed 34 hits in that same period. Sure, he racks up strikeouts in droves, but equally important, his barrel rate is below 6%. Moran is not cut from the same cloth as Duran or a prototypical flamethrower. His average fastball velocity last year was just over 93 mph. With that, he got batters to chase nearly one-third of the time, has an incredible 16% whiff rate, and gives up contact only 64% of the time across the board. It’s truly impressive how good the 25-year-old Puerto Rican was for the Twins, especially considering his 2022 ERA with the Saints was 6.00. Building depth around the diamond was a goal for the Twins' front office in the offseason. That also rings true in the bullpen. For Moran, he could certainly be the odd man out. It remains to be seen if the Twins will carry three lefties. Moran still has two minor-league options, and although Thielbar is a lock, Danny Coulombe could also be added to the 40-man and 26-man rosters. If Moran starts at Triple-A, that level of talent on the farm is something to be excited about. No matter what role Moran fills for the team, he has now shown an ability to perform at a very high level. This isn’t just an arm that loads the bases and dances out of trouble. We have now seen the Twins develop a strikeout pitcher that misses bats and doesn’t allow situations to get him burned. A season ago, Griffin Jax was coming off an ERA north of 6.00 and having been a failed starter (over his 14 career starts). He now looks the part of a bullpen stalwart. Moran has already begun the transformation; another step forward in 2023 could make him scary.

Where a baseball game is played has an impact on the game itself. This shouldn't surprise anyone. How much of an impact does location have on player success? That question is still up for debate. Park Factors continue to advance in quality and scope year after year. While we haven't seen this metric necessarily impact in-game decision-making, a look at the 2022 Twins season's home and away splits points out a few telling factors that might be worth a closer look during the 2023 season. Looking through the wonder that is FanGraphs, I dug into some of the Twins FIP information for 2022. Since I actually wanted to keep stadium type and normal schedule in the mix, I chose FIP over xFIP, but feel free to run the names and numbers yourself to see what changes. The first thing that I noticed was that Jermaine Palacios ranked top ten in FIP in 2022. For those who weren’t paying attention, Mr. Palacios isn’t a pitcher, and only pitched 2/3 of an inning of mop-up time in one game for the Twins. Apparently, this advanced metric requires intentional sifting in order to establish helpful information. Jovani Moran and Chris Paddack are the first two current Twins players that crack the top of the FIP list, and these names are significant to the Twins’ plans in 2023. The crickets chirp until #148 with Griffin Jax making an appearance. Caleb Thielbar checks in at #183, and Bailey Ober ranked #214. Other than the utter lack of mainline Twins starters at the top of the road pitching success list, Jhoan Duran’s away FIP of 3.63 (ranking him 300th) serves as the most startling statistic. Especially since Duran's home FIP of 1.34 ranks him 30th. This trend obviously needs attention if the Twins are to make a playoff push in 2023. Is the split difference enough to warrant a bullpen rotation change on the road? Another interesting parallel trend comes in the fact that Joe Ryan and Emilio Pagan reside in similar places on the away FIP list, both on the home and away sides of the ledger. Ryan’s 3.62 FIP at home compares to his 4.47 FIP on the road, while Pagan’s 3.80 FIP at home balloons to a 4.83 FIP on the road. The rookie Ryan’s performance might be explainable through the lens of experience (or lack thereof), but Pagan’s trend points to a bigger problem at the back end of the bullpen when combined with Duran’s youthful struggles. As a team, the Twins fell in the bottom of the MLB in FIP on the road, with a move up the charts if xFIP is considered. With the bulk of the Twins starters residing on the bottom half of the list, this isn’t surprising but definitely needs some directional change in order to improve in 2023. Perhaps the brightest light that emerged from this research was the perspective on just how strong and balanced of a rookie campaign Moran provided. You can see how his presence in the bullpen became a source of hope for Twins territory as the season progressed. Pitching staff construction involves many variables game in, and game out. As metrics continue to develop for road games and individual ballpark success, it will be interesting to see just how much the Twins bullpen usage fluctuates from series to series. In a world where righty/lefty splits rule the game without a second thought, is the home/away split metric the next wave of overthinking baseball? It’s near impossible to manipulate the starting pitching assignments from series to series due to requirements and rhythm of off-days, but the bullpen could be a worthy environment for this strategy as the Twins look to improve in 2023. PREP FOR THE SEASON WITH PREVIOUS 2023 TWINS' ROAD TRIP GUIDES Trip #1 Kansas City & Miami (3/30-4/5) Trip #2 New York & Boston (4/13-4/20) Trip #3 Chicago & Cleveland (5/2-5/7) Trip #4 I love LA!? (5/15-5/21) Trip #5 Houston, We have a Correa! (May 29-31) Trip #6 Tampa to Toronto (6/6-6/11) Trip #7 Detroit to Atlanta to Baltimore (6/23-7/2) Trip #8 West Coast Bound Again! Oakland/Seattle (7/14-7/20) Trip #9 Kansas City & St. Louis (7/28-8/3 Trip #10 Detroit & Philadelphia (8/7-8/13) Trip #11 Milwaukee (8/22-8/23) Trip #12 Texas & Cleveland (9/1-9/6) Trip #13 Chicago & Cincinnati (9/14-9/20) Trip #14 Colorado (9/29-10/1)

The Minnesota Twins could end the competition for the final bullpen roles if they declared the incumbents (Trevor Megill and Jovani Moran) victors. Given how the Twins have operated this offseason, particularly in terms of depth, it’s likely that they may insulate their roster by sending one or both of them to Triple-A instead. With a few non-roster invites in camp staking their claim, The Twins could add depth to their bullpen. Dennis Santana, already holding a 40-man roster spot, looked to be the likeliest candidate to make the Opening Day roster at another reliever’s expense. After quietly being put on waivers, Santana’s name is no longer in the competition. Instead, it may be time to turn our eyes toward veteran Jeff Hoffman , who signed an interesting minor-league deal earlier this spring. Hoffman has never quite put it all together, but he has pitched in parts of seven MLB seasons. Originally a starter, Hoffman transitioned to the bullpen in 2020 and has been able to strike out over a batter per inning in each of the last two seasons. His 3.83 ERA in just over 44 innings last season may be the most successful campaign of his career thus far. So why would the Twins be enticed by such unexciting numbers? Hoffman averaged a solid 94.2 on his fastball in 2022. It wasn’t a dominant pitch, but opposing batters hit only .237 and slugged .443 off of it that season. Despite a spin rate in the 93rd percentile, the pitch only had a swing-and-miss rate of 16.5%. For a pitch with solid results but potentially lacking something, it seems that he went to work on it this winter, and early on, the returns are encouraging. Hoffman has consistently sat in the mid-90s all spring and has hit the high 90s on the heater with regularity. Gains made on the fastball could be a game-changer for Hoffman, and the Twins may be inclined to take a gamble considering the low risk. Hoffman’s two secondary pitches were legitimately dominant in 2022. The slider earned a 38.5% whiff rate and punished hitters to a .222 batting average and .370 slugging. His changeup had a whiff rate of 37.6% and allowed a .209 average and .348 slugging. He threw both pitches around 24% of the time. The assumption based on the pitch mix is that Hoffman’s repertoire is built to match up with both right-handed and left-handed opposing hitters. His numbers don’t match what would be expected from a reliever with two dominant secondaries. It’s possible the Twins planned to bring him in and cut back on fastball usage while increasing the offspeed. While this still may be the plan, Hoffman potentially increasing his fastball velocity brings his potential to a whole new level. Hoffman has only made three appearances this spring, allowing two runs in three innings. He’s walked one batter and struck out six. With multiple opt-outs in his contract (March 28, May 15, June 15), Hoffman may not be a candidate to take a Triple-A assignment. Given his velocity gains, he’s likely to take the first opportunity to pursue a job elsewhere unless the Twins add him to the 40-man roster by March 28. The organization is obviously aware of this. For the bottom of the bullpen pecking order role that Hoffman would likely fill, the Twins would have little to lose if they believe in the improvements he’s shown early this spring. An arm like Trevor Megill could be stashed in Triple-A in case of injury or if Hoffman himself struggles. The Twins may see this as a more advantageous option than letting Hoffman walk for nothing and having no obvious replacement waiting in St. Paul should another reliever go down. Has Hoffman’s performance this spring been enough to earn an Opening Day roster spot? Should we trust the velocity gains we’ve seen from him early in camp? Let us know below!

Rocco Baldelli will have a much better bullpen entering this season than last year. That much is already a given. Jhoan Duran is established as an elite arm, Jorge Lopez was an All-Star closer in 2022, and Griffin Jax has emerged as a high-leverage arm. The Twins are in a much better position. There are a few candidates when trying to figure out the final pieces. From the left-handed side, Caleb Thielbar and Jovani Moran have been considered the top two candidates. That is still true, and while he’s not on the 40-man roster, Danny Coulombe continues to make noise for Minnesota. This is the fourth straight season that Coulombe has agreed to a minor league deal with Minnesota. He has made it into major league action each year and clearly feels a level of comfort with the organization. Coulombe established himself as a big league reliever with Oakland spending the 2016-2018 seasons there, but has truly taken off with the Twins. For a team that has built more depth this season across the roster, Coulombe is another example of that. A season ago, the veteran reliever pitched just 12 1/3 innings before dealing with an injury. Calling his season a wash is a pretty accurate description. In 2021, Coulombe threw 34 1/3 innings for Minnesota, and his 3.67 ERA was plenty usable. He recorded roughly a strikeout per inning and limited walks to less than two per nine innings. Now healthy and back to work for the Twins, Coulombe has looked the part of a quality left-handed arm this spring. He has pitched in four games and has not given up a run across six innings. He has eight strikeouts and four walks. The sample size is admittedly small, but it’s not as though he hasn’t shown this type of production previously. It would stand to reason that Minnesota currently has two spots open for southpaws in their bullpen. There is almost no way that Thielbar misses out on the 26-man roster, and even if Moran is optioned, there would still need to be room made on the 40-man roster. The more likely outcome is that Coulombe starts his season with Triple-A St. Paul, but he could be relied upon when first needed. A year ago, Minnesota saw a substantial amount of injury and had to constantly shuttle pitchers from different levels of the farm system. Rather than immediately relying upon an unproven resource, Coulombe could provide a level of veteran depth that the starting rotation now seems to be afforded. We won’t know how this story plays out until later during spring training. The expectation should be that Coulombe is among the Twins final cuts, and that will give him plenty of opportunities. He has seen a good amount of work through the first two weeks of spring, and that should only increase as additional bodies are sent out of camp. Combining ZiPS and Steamer projections show Coulombe throwing something just north of 30 innings at the big-league level this year. Both systems see him posting an ERA similar to 2021 and a modest strikeout rate. While there is no such thing as a lefty specialist anymore, given the three-batter minimum, the Twins have helped the 33-year-old develop a few new tricks to keep him relevant. Don’t be surprised if we see Coulombe throw some serious innings for the Twins this year, and that really shouldn’t be a bad thing.

With not a single reliever added in free agency for the bulk of the offseason, it appeared the Twins were content trusting their internal options for the bullpen on Opening Day. Things have changed, and the Twins have set the stage for a shakeup in the bullpen, at least at the bottom of the depth chart. On February 26, the Twins made a pair of prospective additions to the bullpen. In claiming Dennis Santana off of waivers and signing Jeff Hoffman to a minor-league deal with opt outs, the Twins added a pair of intriguing relief arms to fight for low-leverage bullpen spots. Each is interesting in their own way. Dennis Santana has bounced around quite a bit for a 26 year old. He does enough well to warrant MLB teams giving him a shot, but has enough warts to have not yet found a long term home. His slider is his primary pitch, and for good reason. The pitch not only allowed an exit velocity of under 85, its 41% whiff rate is dominant. His sinker gets crushed despite sitting in the high 90s and he walks a few too many hitters, but his .7 Wins Above Replacement would put him square in the middle of the Twins 2022 bullpen. It’s easy to see why the Twins would gamble on Santana finally putting it all together. Jeff Hoffman has never really found success in the MLB but features a high spin fastball and a slider/changeup repertoire to help equalize left and right handed hitters. He similarly walks too many, but based on the raw data on his pitch mix, it’s surprising that he’s never put it all together. He has several opt outs if not added to the MLB roster by certain dates, but can be stashed in Triple-A for a brief period. The bar to clear for pitchers like Hoffman or Santana to stick with the team on Opening Day likely aren’t high. For starters, the Twins have shown that depth is their number one priority this offseason. So much so that they want MLB caliber players stashed away in Triple-A if possible. The current bullpen includes Jovani Moran and Trevor Megill, both of whom have minor league options. It’s possible that regardless of the incumbent’s performances, Hoffman and/or Santana could make the Opening Day roster if they look at all like competent relievers this spring. This would allow the Twins to have options ready to go in Triple-A with MLB experience in the event that things go south early. Further complicating things is Ronny Henriquez arriving at camp with some troubling arm pain. Though the Twins claimed no young starters would begin the year in the bullpen, Henriquez was a likely candidate to make the switch in 2023 at some point. If his ability to be on the field is at all in question, it makes sense for the Twins to further insulate their bullpen with viable options in Triple-A. The easiest way to do so would be for Megill or Moran to start the year in St. Paul. Spring Training performances should be taken with a grain of salt, but they matter more for some players than others. On Sunday Trevor Megill went out and pitched about as poorly as possible on the same day the Twins added two of his possible replacements. He struggled to throw strikes, and when he did they were crushed. After getting one out on 33 pitches, Megill allowed three walks, three hits, two homers and six runs. If the door to utilize his remaining minor league option was already open, he likely cracked it just a bit more. Megill already finished 2022 on a poor note as he struggled to reign in his new slider. He’ll have to bounce back in his next few spring outings in order to not make the Twins decision too easy. The odds of a bullpen shakeup have likely increased more than we may have anticipated as the Twins spent most of the winter ignoring the reliever market. With another 40 man roster spot to play with, it’s possible they even make another move to bring in more competition for the bottom of the bullpen pecking order. Either way, there are now a couple more names to keep an eye on this spring, and it’ll be interesting to see who ultimately wins the few jobs that are up for grabs. Please share your thoughts on the Twins bullpen options in the COMMENTS below.

In 40 ⅔ innings in 2022, Jovani Moran indicated he is ready to be an impact reliever for the Twins in 2023. He posted a 2.21 ERA and 1.78 FIP in 2022, driven by a high strikeout rate and ground ball rate. Beyond the topline numbers, Moran was great against both right-handed and left-handed hitters. He gave up a .554 OPS against lefties and a laughable .458 OPS against righties. His terrific changeup drives the reverse splits. While his strong 2022 performance leaves the Twins optimistic, Moran's severe lack of control throughout his career remains a question mark. He has had mammoth walk rates for most of his career, but the similarly eye-popping strikeout rates have allowed him to remain effective. The Twins seem to trust Moran as the second left-handed reliever on the roster behind Caleb Theilbar, and they chose not to add a lefty in free agency. To pay off that trust, Moran must maintain strikeout rates well above 30%, which he has maintained throughout his professional career. He will also need to find a way to keep walks as low as possible, but he has consistently had a walk rate above 10%, which falls comfortably in Fangraphs' "awful" categorization for that statistic. Digging deeper into Moran's 2022 with the Twins, he had an elite 32.9% K% and a dreadful 11% BB%. Those are extreme numbers on each end of the K/BB spectrum. He also had a 48.9% ground ball rate, which is above average and a good sign when the ball is put into play, as ground balls are less likely to do damage than line drives or home runs. The high ground ball rate has been consistent throughout his career, almost as consistent as the walks and strikeouts. Assuming he maintains the strikeout rate and ground ball rate, Moran is likely to be a very solid option out of the bullpen for the Twins and likely to be trusted in medium and high-leverage situations regularly. However, lowering his walk rate could alter the perception of Moran within the Twins organization and amongst their fans. Bringing it below 10% could help make him an elite reliever and a real weapon in an already talented and deep bullpen. In September and an appearance in October, after spending most of August in Triple-A, Moran showed signs of improving his command and control while maintaining his elite strikeout numbers. In 14 ⅓ innings, he still had an elite K/9 of 11.3 and a very good 1.88 BB/9, leading to a minuscule FIP of 1.78. The 1.88 BB/9 is entirely inconsistent with any full season he's had. He has averaged 4.6 for his career. However, if he can land in a middle ground between those points, Moran would force himself into the mix for high-leverage appearances and even put some pressure on Caleb Thielbar for the lefty matchups- despite his reverse splits. The Twins are relying on Moran being at least a reliable middle reliever. But he can be more than that if he carries his command and control from September into 2023. Then, Rocco Baldelli would have a strikeout monster who keeps the ball on the ground to utilize against both lefties and righties, with minimal downside. What are your thoughts on Jovani Moran and his role with the 2023 Twins? Can he turn into the dominant reliever we would love to see, or would the Twins be wise to add some lefty reliever depth to go with Danny Coulombe, Locke St. John, Tyler Webb and other minor-league signings? Leave a COMMENT below.

Derek Falvey rustled some feathers the other day when, in an article written by Phil Miller of the Star Tribune, the exec said, "[i]f we were to do anything at this point, it would likely be to add depth in the middle [innings]. We'll keep an open mind, but [relief pitching is] not a priority." It’s a shockingly straightforward answer not saturated with Falvey’s typical lawyer-ish flourishes. Falvey and Miller covered the gambit in reliever talk in that article; I recommend people read the entire piece before outraging (that will never happen). Initially, it’s tough to accept Falvey’s evaluation. I watched the same 2022 Twins team he did, and that squad specialized in blowing games in the late innings. They often failed to hold leads in games that really should have won. Cleveland proved to be a special problem, as Minnesota handed out late wins like Costco free samples as Tyler Thornburg and his ilk tried their darndest to not be a part of the problem. It didn't work, and they finished with the seventh-most meltdowns, a quick-and-dirty Fangraphs stat that uses win probability to determine poor reliever performance. But you don’t need to hear it from a number: that bullpen stunk. Perhaps we’re looking at the issue too broadly, though. Yes, the relief corps was terrible in the first half of the season—Fangraphs pegged them as the 2nd worst in MLB—but they didn’t remain static. Michael Fulmer and Jorge López joined the squad. Caleb Thielber emerged as a tremendous, reliable arm. People with eyes determined that Emilio Pagán should probably not pitch late in games. Evolution took its course. Quietly, so silent that no one cared to notice, the Twins bullpen improved drastically in the second half. Sure, they couldn’t fall further than before, but their bullpen now ranked 4th in MLB in FIP, only sitting behind the blue-blood organizations who consistently dominate the pitching charts. Part of that may be the inherent randomness in reliever performance, but tangible changes appeared to afflict the Twins for the better. Take it from Falvey: "I feel like we saw a lot of progress as last season went on, and within a group that still can make even more progress as they gain experience." Bullpens aren’t made of numbers. People pitch those innings, at least for now. Minnesota’s group includes four arms dancing around one year of MLB service time with another, Jorge Alcalá, who is about as green as the others. Is it unreasonable to believe that Jovani Moran succeeds in an expanded role, Griffin Jax finds another gear, or Trevor Megill fully realizes his strikeout potential? Jhoan Duran will continue melting faces in the near future. The teams main worry will be the complimenting pieces always at risk for the bullpen randomness bug; there's nothing that signing Corey Knebel would do to alleviate that. The issue with the Twins bullpen is perhaps one of perception: because they seemingly blew an incalculable number of games in 2022, they appear incompetent, doomed to blow games again. But that may not be fair. As this author noted in July, relievers are an odd group, one whose jobs rely on the starting pitcher's effectiveness; it could be an all-hand-on-deck night, or Rocco Baldelli may only need the services of two arms the do the job. Given Minnesota’s dreadfully short starting pitching, the bullpen felt an extreme strain. Much of those games were technically the fault of the relief corps, but part of the battle is placing those arms in a position to succeed; Minnesota lost that fight consistently in 2022. And they likely won’t have to carry that weight in 2023. With plenty of wood knocking, the 2023 Twins rotation appears a more trustworthy bunch than their previous counterparts. Swapping Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer for Kenta Maeda and Pablo López gives them a deep rotation. No arm sticks out as truly dominant, but their reliability should feed into the bullpen, removing pressure and allowing its hierarchy to remain intact. The days of Jharel Cotton saving games are over. It is risky. Fewer outcomes in baseball are less aesthetically pleasing than a late blown lead; the win should have been in hand, after all. If López doesn’t regain his Orioles form, Alcalá fails to show the improvement he flashed in 2021, or if any of the breakout 2022 arms regress, it could be a tough summer to bear.

Last season, the Minnesota Twins tried to utilize a handful of projects in the bullpen. With Wes Johnson on board, for half of the season at least, tweaking different pitches and arsenals was a way to unlock a better output. Unfortunately, it didn’t go that way more often than not. Emilio Pagan was a disaster from the get-go, and deadline acquisitions such as Michael Fulmer and Jorge Lopez regressed with Minnesota. Coming into Spring Training, there was little thought that Jhoan Duran would make the Opening Day roster. Then he impressed everyone and never stopped doing so. Once a starter, he could now unleash his triple-digit fastball at the back end of the bullpen, and he consistently slammed the door on the opposition. Had it not been for his dominance though, Rocco Baldelli’s bullpen would have been in much worse shape. To this point, the Twins have done little to supplement their relief corps. Fulmer is seen as an option simply because he remains available, but there are a few signs that regression could be coming even harder for him. Maybe flipping Max Kepler for a big relief arm makes some sense, but we haven’t seen anything to suggest that is likely to this point. Although the free agent market is largely picked over, former starter and one of baseball’s top prospects... a decade ago, Matt Moore is still available. Recently, Adam Friedmann called him one of "The Best Options" still available for the Twins. Working as a starter for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2021, Moore was not good. He posted an ERA over 6.00 and contributed just 73 innings. Ultimately, he was moved to the bullpen. Last year, as a reliever with the Texas Rangers, Moore was unbelievable. He put up a 1.95 ERA with a 2.98 FIP across 74 innings. The 4.6 BB/9 was suboptimal, but he struck out more than 10 batters per nine innings and limited the long ball. All told, it may have been the best season of his career. Curiously still unsigned, Moore may be dealing with what Ken Rosenthal described as Matt Strahm’s contract destroying the market. Moore played for just $2.5 million last season in Texas, and he was worth substantially more than that. Now looking for a payday on the heels of a lesser Strahm getting $15 million over two years, teams may be apprehensive to meet his ask. For Minnesota, the allure of Moore is multi-faceted. He’s a left-handed reliever that would pair nicely with Caleb Thielbar. Jovani Moran looked the part as a rookie last year, but walks have always been a bugaboo for him, and consistency could be uncertain entering 2023. Bringing in a veteran like Moore would ease Moran’s workload, and could have him a spot down on the pecking order within the bullpen. The Twins also aren’t up against topping out when it comes to their budget. A $160 million payroll should be seen as a good place to be this year, and they have yet to reach it. Incentives will ultimately push them over the number by season’s end, but they didn’t bring in Carlos Correa simply to stop short of their goals before the year starts. If the front office knew they needed to grab a bat, a catcher, a starter, and a reliever, they have done it all except for addressing the bullpen. Moore probably brings a heftier price tag than the likes of Fulmer, Andrew Chafin, or some other leftover. If there is belief in his transition to the bullpen, that should be a cherry on top of an offseason that puts Minnesota right back at the height of the division. It’s hard to imagine the Twins skipping out on relief help altogether, and thus far they haven’t added an arm outside of the organization that should be expected to crack the 26-man roster. Make Moore an offer and roll with it from there.