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On our pitching staff we have a rock solid starting 5 or even 6 if you count Mahle. (Lopez, Gray, Ryan, Ober, and Meada) In the pen we have Duran, Jax, Pagan, and Thielbar and then we have the other guys. Who are the other guys? They are the depth starters and relievers used to round out the staff. The other guys include: Varland, Winder, Keuchel, Headrick, Balazovic, Sands, Brock, Deleon, Ortega and Funderburk. These guys combined to make 17 starts and pitch 283.33 innings giving up 135 Earned Runs for a 4.29 ERA with 113 BB and 281 Ks. They combined to go 16 wins and 7 loses and 3 saves. We wouldn't have been able to win the division without their contributions. Much like our bench who managed to hit league around league average and provide value on offense and some on defense. These pitchers held their own in the rotation and bullpen. Some of them will be counted on for bigger roles as early as next season with the hopes that Varland and Funderburk can step up and be major parts of the staff. And Brock made it to that point already in his limited time with the Twins (27 2/3 innings pitched). Will anyone else step-up next season? Who else will step up and be a bigger part of the pen? who will remain as one of the other guys. Someone who helps glue the staff together and contributes in places where needed. And who will join this group of unheralded pitchers to step in where needed if only for a start or a few relief appearances?

The Twins are moving on to the ALDS to face the defending World Series champions. What decisions must the team make when finalizing its roster for the second round? Image courtesy of Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports The Wild Card series is a condensed three-game set that requires different roles on the 26-man roster. Teams need fewer starting pitchers, allowing the team to add other bullpen or bench options. Entering the ALDS, the Twins will get to reset their 26-man roster, and there are some decisions to make before Saturday. Will Byron Buxton Be Healthy Enough to Play? Buxton didn't make the Wild Card roster after dealing with multiple injuries during the 2023 season. He has been out since the beginning of August with a hamstring strain, and he dealt with knee issues during his rehab appearances with the St. Paul Saints. He made two rehab appearances at the end of the Saints' season and went 1-for-8. Buxton also didn't participate in the team's workout leading into the Wild Card Series. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli had to have an emotional conversation with Buxton about him not being on the Wild Card roster. He told reporters, "I probably could play, but it's all about contributing. I can go out there and do what I want to do, but it probably wouldn't be at the speed I want it to be. It's one of those where I don't want to hurt the team. I don't want to put a team in a bad spot with me coming back at 50-, 60-, 70-percent. There's guys in here that have done a great job of keeping us where we're at. It's just knowing your body, knowing who you are and putting yourself in a place to help the team." There will only be five days between the start of the Wild Card Series and the opening game of the ALDS. It's tough to imagine that Buxton has made significant improvements over the last week so that the Twins would consider putting him on the ALDS roster. There's a chance the team wants him to serve in a bench bat role, but they would likely need him to be able to play outfield too. Can he help the team? That remains doubtful at this point. Which Starter Fills the Fourth Rotation Spot? Minnesota only needed two starting pitchers for the Wild Card Series, but Joe Ryan was scheduled to start Game 3, if necessary. Since the ALDS begins on Saturday, Joe Ryan is the likely starter, but he has been home run prone this year, and Houston is a dangerous offensive team. The Twins may want to pitch one of their other starters in Houston and push Ryan back to Game 4 at Target Field. Pablo Lopez can start Game 2 on regular rest, putting Sonny Gray pitching in a pivotal Game 3 in front of the home crowd. Bailey Ober wasn't on the Wild Card Series roster, but he will likely be needed to start Game 4 if the ALDS series lasts that many games. Minnesota can also turn the fourth spot over to Kenta Maeda, who pitched well in the second half. It seems likely for the Twins to follow this rotational plan (*if necessary): Game 1: Ryan Game 2: Lopez Game 3: Gray Game 4*: Ober Game 5*: Lopez Which Wild Card Series Players Don't Make the ALDS Roster? Kody Funderburk was a surprise inclusion on the Wild Card roster, but the Twins thought an additional left-handed pitcher would be helpful. In 11 appearances, he posted a 0.75 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP and a 19-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His spot on the ALDS roster will likely need to be filled by Ober as the fourth starter. Minnesota could keep Funderburk and use Maeda as the fourth starter, but he shifted to the bullpen over the season's final games, and the team might want him to stay in that role. On the position player side, Andrew Stevenson is the only roster spot that might be up in the air. Stevenson offers a unique skill set as a pinch runner and defense replacement. If Buxton makes the roster, Stevenson likely needs to be the player removed from the bench. It seems most likely for the team to keep Stevenson, especially since Buxton's health is still questionable. Do you think Buxton makes the ALDS roster? How would you organize the team's rotation for the second round? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

The Twins found multiple everyday contributors in arguably the best rookie class since 1982. Although various rookies caught our attention, one stood out among the rest. Congratulations to Twins Daily 2023 Rookie of the Year Award recipient Royce Lewis. 2023 was a challenging year to select just one Twins Daily Rookie of the Year Award recipient, but before we announce the winner, let's give the runner-ups their flowers. Many years, the Twins (and most other organizations) may not have five rookies on the roster all season. Even if they do, the odds of all of them finding success is not high. Three rookies especially are often credited with providing a spark and extended quality play. Two other pitchers have come up as rookies and contributed in whatever role they have been given. Fifth Place: LHP Kody Funderburk In fifth place is Twins relief pitcher Kody Funderburk. Beginning the season with the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge, Funderburk skyrocketed through the upper levels of the Twins organization and made his Twins debut on September 4 against the Cleveland Guardians. Funderburk sprung onto the scene and quickly became a dependable reliever for the Twins in the middle of a division title pennant race. Congratulations to Funderburk on a successful first month in the big leagues. He was also Twins Daily's choice for Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. Fourth Place: RHP Louie Varland In fourth place is rookie pitcher and Minnesota native Louie Varland. Beginning the season as a rotation fill-in for the injured Tyler Mahle, Varland quickly became one of the Twins' best and most reliable young starting pitchers alongside Bailey Ober and Joe Ryan. Unfortunately, Varland developed a problem giving up too many home runs and was demoted to Triple-A St. Paul in late June. Varland provided quality starts at the beginning of the season before developing into a lights-out reliever in September. Varland will be a key fixture for the Twins bullpen in their upcoming Wild Card series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Congratulations on a promising 2023 season, Louie. Third Place: OF Matt Wallner Twins corner outfielder and fellow Minnesota native Matt Wallner comes in third place. After getting recalled from Triple-A St. Paul with the Twins for the third time this season in mid-July, Wallner became an everyday corner outfielder who could mix his immense power with a strong eye at the plate, leading to a high on-base percentage. Wallner had an encouraging 2023 season and looks to be in the Twins' corner outfield plans for the foreseeable future. Second Place: 2B/DH Edouard Julien In second place is the pride of Québec City, Edouard Julien. Admittedly, I voted for Julien to win Twins Daily Rookie of the Year, but Twins Daily participates in a democracy, so the majority wins. Although the player I voted to win didn't, this is nonetheless a fair and healthy process. Thank you, John, Seth, Nick, Brock, and Parker. Okay, sorry, back to baseball. Julien had an incredible inaugural season and was arguably the Twins' best hitter for much of the season. Julien was one of the rookies that signified the Twins' turn-around in offensive production post-All-Star break and deserves as much credit as anyone for essentially saving the Twins' season. Congratulations to Julien on an incredible rookie season, and although he didn't win the Twins Daily Rookie of the Year Award, he came incredibly close. It was as close a vote as we have had in the decade of handing out these awards. First Place: 3B Royce Lewis Varland, Wallner, and Julien put together impressive rookie seasons, but the Twins Daily Rookie of the Year Award winner is Royce Lewis. In his first extended run as a Major League Baseball player, Lewis has met every expectation of being the first overall pick in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. Let's see how Lewis got there. Lewis's Return From His Twice Torn ACL Lewis's start of the 2023 season began on May 29, when Lewis returned to the Twins lineup against the Astros in Houston. Returning exactly a year after tearing his ACL for the second time in as many seasons, Lewis instantly lit a spark under the Twins, hitting a three-run home run in just his second at-bat back from the 60-day IL. Lewis followed the home run with a game-tying RBI single in the ninth inning. Lewis's heroics propelled the Twins to a 7-5 win and signified the beginning of great things to come. Lewis followed his May return by hitting .322/.351/.444 (.795) with 29 hits, two doubles, three home runs, and a 122 wRC+ over 94 plate appearances from May 30 through through July 1. Unfortunately, Lewis was placed on the 10-day IL on July 1 with a grade-2 oblique strain and stayed there for 36 days before returning on August 15. Lewis's Second Return and the Dawning of "Mr. Grand Slam" Returning from an extended absence on August 15, Lewis immediately jumped back into the Twins lineup as their everyday third baseman, and the grand slam barrage began. Grand Slam #1: Arrival On August 27, the Twins were trailing the Texas Rangers 5-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Lewis stepped up to face reliever Chris Stratton with the bases loaded and one out. After falling behind 0-1, Lewis saw a hanging breaking ball deep to straight away center field, trimming the Twins deficit to 5-4. Lewis's home run was the spark for a Twins comeback, and the Twins beat the Rangers 7-6 in 13 innings. Grand Slam #2: Sacrifice Fly? NOPE The next day, Lewis stepped up to the plate in the 2nd inning with the bases loaded against the Guardians. Rookie pitcher was Xzavion Curry on the mound, and the Twins were down 4-2. Lewis again fell behind 0-1, and just like the day before, he drove a breaking ball over the wall in left center field, propelling the Twins to a 6-4 lead. Lewis's grand slam ignited a Twins comeback, and they were able to defeat the Guardians 10-to-6 and increase their division lead to seven games. Grand Slam #3: The Day Twins Territory Stood Still Lewis's third grand slam came on September 4. If you don't recall, one of the most stressful days in recent Twins history occurred just four days earlier, The Guardians, who were just two games back of the Twins, claimed Lucas Giolito, Matt Moore, and Reynaldo López off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels. The first time the Twins could do something about it came the next Monday when they began a three-game series in Cleveland. Giolito made his Guardians debut in Game 1 of the series. The Twins began the scoring with a Jorge Polanco leadoff home run in the top of the first inning. With two outs in the second frame, Polanco walked with the bases loaded to give them a 2-0 lead. That brought Lewis to the plate. On a 2-0 count, Lewis got a middle-middle fastball and crushed it deep into the left field bleachers to give the Twins a 6-0 lead. The Twins went on to win 20-6. CATHARSIS! Grand Slam #4: The Fourth Kind Last but not least, Lewis's final grand slam of the 2023 season came on September 15 against another divisional foe, the Chicago White Sox. On a 3-1 fastball from Jesse Scholtens, Lewis destroyed his fourth grand slam. It gave the Twins an early 4-0 lead and propelled the team to a 10-2 win in Chicago. After hitting his fourth grand slam of the 2023 season and fifth of his career, Lewis, as Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic noted, found himself tied for the eighth-most grand slams in Minnesota Twins history. Although his 2023 regular season came to an unfortunate end on September 19 when he strained his hamstring during an at-bat against the Cincinnati Reds, Lewis's grand slam propensity is an incredibly improbable and impressive feat. 2023 was the first season that Lewis, a traditional shortstop, began playing third base on an every-game basis in his professional career. Although he initially struggled some, he quickly began refining his craft. He became a respectable defensive third baseman. Lewis ended the 2023 season hitting .309/.372/.548 (.920) with seven doubles, 15 home runs, 8.4% BB%, 23% K%, .240 ISO, and 155 wRC+ over 239 plate appearances. Lewis had an incredible 2023 season, even if his time was still limited. Watching him in his first extended run in the big leagues was enjoyable. Congratulations to Royce Lewis for winning the Twins Daily 2023 Rookie of the Year award. How would you have voted for the Twins Top Rookie? Lewis or Julien, and how close should Wallner be to the top of the list? Comment below. Final Voting Points Tally Royce Lewis: 64 Edouard Julien: 62 Matt Wallner: 36 Louie Varland: 16 Kody Funderburk: 1 View full article

The 2023 Twins Daily Minor League Reliever of the Year is familiar to Twins fans since he's been in the big leagues for about a month. Learn more about lefty Kody Funderburk and other top relievers this year in the Minnesota Twins organization. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints We started this week by naming the Twins Daily short-season minor league award winners. Infielder Dameury Pena was named the hitter and Juan Cota was named the top pitcher. Today, we start handing out the full-season awards. Relief Pitchers are often overlooked in the big leagues, much less in the minor leagues, but not here at Twins Daily. Relievers need to be recognized too! We have seen the value of having a lock-down bullpen in the big leagues. Unfortunately, the times that relievers get talked about are when they have a bad day. So let's discuss several relievers that had good days most of the 2023 season. Past Winners of the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year Award 2021: Jovani Moran 2019: Anthony Vizcaya 2018: Andrew Vasquez 2017: John Curtiss 2015 & 2016: Trevor Hildenberger Honorable Mention RHP Patrick Murphy (St. Paul): 42 G, 4 GS, 85.1 IP, 83 H, 50 BB, 97 K, 3.69 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 5.3 BB/9, 10.2 K/9. RHP Oliver Ortega (St. Paul): 24 G, 34.2 IP, 24 H, 10 BB, 44 K, 1.82 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9, 11.4 K/9. RHP John Stankiewicz (Cedar Rapids): 37 G, 66.2 IP, 51 H, 15 BB, 66 K, 3.11 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9, 8.9 K/9. Others Receiving Votes Jordan Carr, Jackson Hicks, Isaac Mattson, Hunter McMahon, Samuel Perez , Cole Sands, Ricardo Velez. Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year Here are the top three Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year vote-getters. 3. RHP Miguel Rodriguez, 24 (Cedar Rapids/Wichita) 46 G, 54.2 IP, 51 H, 15 BB, 66 K, 3.13 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 10.9 K/9 Rodriguez has been in the organization for a long time, and in 2023, we started getting a strong feel for why. The Twins signed Rodriguez in 2017, and he has slowly worked up the organization's ladder. He spent a season in the DSL and one in the GCL. He missed the 2020 season. He pitched for Fort Myers in 2021, and in 52 innings, he struck out 58 batters. In 2022, he pitched in 39 games in Cedar Rapids and posted a 3.36 ERA. He had 67 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings. For whatever reason (likely a numbers game, and too many walks), he returned to the Kernels in 2023. He went 2-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 14 saves. He was quite dominant in the closer's role. In 41 innings, he had 11 walks to go with 42 strikeouts. He was promoted to Wichita in early August and struggled a bit. However, in his 13 2/3 innings, he had 24 strikeouts and four walks. He was hurt by unearned runs (just 6 of 14 runs allowed were earned). 2. RHP Regi Grace, 23 (Cedar Rapids/Wichita) 44 G, 73.2 IP, 52 H, 28 BB, 83 K, 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9, 10.1 K/9 Regi Grace took some positive strides forward in 2023. He was the Twins 10th round draft pick out of high school in Mississippi in 2018. He spent 2018 and 2019 in the GCL, and then after missing the 2020 season, he appeared in the FCL in 2021 before ending that season with the Mussels. He spent most of the 2022 season in Ft. Myers, where he shifted to the bullpen. In doing so, he struck out 74 batters in 56 2/3 innings. He ended the season with three games in Cedar Rapids. That is where Grace began the 2023 season. In 17 games, he posted a 1.16 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP. In his 23 1/3 innings, he gave up just 12 hits, walked five, and struck out 30 batters. He posted a 4.11 ERA in 27 games with the Wind Surge, but a handful of games certainly inflates it. In his 50 1/3 innings, he had 23 walks, but he struck out 53 batters. At 23, Grace remains a very intriguing bullpen arm. He works hard and is very strong. 2024 could be an exciting season for him. 1. LHP Kody Funderburk, 26 (Wichita/St. Paul) 42 G, 2 GS, 61.0 IP, 42 H, 27 BB, 89 K, 2.36 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 4.0 BB/9, 13.1 K/9 Not all prospect development is linear. It very rarely is. And that is true for several reasons beyond just that baseball is tough. Funderburk was the Twins' 15th-round pick in 2018 and has slowly moved up the organizational ladder. He finally got The Call to the big leagues in late August, and you have to feel good for him considering the journey. Funderburk is from Arizona and was an All-State performer his senior season. He went to Mesa Community College. As a freshman, he was 8-4 in 15 games (13 starts) and hit .324 with four homers. As a sophomore, he hit .400/.504/.651 with eight home runs and 55 RBI. He pitched in eight games and just 12 2/3 innings. He then went to Division I Dallas Baptist and hit .304/.429/.584 (1.013) with 19 doubles and 13 home runs in 63 games. He had 47 walks and just 53 strikeouts. He pitched in 15 games (14 starts) on the mound and went 1-3 with a 6.84 ERA. In 50 innings, he struck out 53 batters and walked 31. However, the Twins scouting staff saw something they liked when watching him on the mound. It's easy to understand why he fell to the 15th round, but as we have seen from Sean Johnson's drafts, their ability to find little characteristics in a pitcher to take a shot. Player development deserves a ton of credit, too. Despite putting up huge offensive numbers in college, he has zero plate appearances in his professional career. Instead, the southpaw has been developed on the mound. He finished the summer of 2018 at Elizabethton. He pitched at Low-A Cedar Rapids in 2019 and ended the season with one game in Fort Myers. Like most others, he didn't pitch in 2020. He was the Kernels' (now High-A) Opening Day starter in 2021 and made ten starts. He moved to Wichita and pitched 21 2/3 innings over seven relief appearances. He was 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA in that stretch. He ended that year with six starts in the Arizona Fall League. In 2022, Funderburk began the season making starts for Wichita. In total, he pitched in 32 games and made 17 starts. He went 10-5 with a 2.94 ERA over 107 innings. And that brings us to the 2023 season. Funderburk began the season back at Wichita but gave up one run over nine innings and was quickly promoted to the Saints. In St. Paul, he went 4-1 with a 2.60 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP. In 52 innings, he gave up just 37 hits, walked 21, and struck out 75. He has worked on his fastball and has gained velocity. Earlier in the season, he hit 96 on the radar gun. Since joining the Twins, he has been in the 91-94 range. However, his breaking ball has become very good. He's got a sharper slider/cutter, but he also sometimes slows it down with more of a slurve. Both have been good strikeout pitches. In nine games with the Twins, he had given up one run on four hits and four walks over nine innings. He has 13 strikeouts. Twins Director of Player Development Drew MacPhail touted Funderburk and his makeup, "Few players have improved as much year in and year out as Kody Funderburk, and that's a total testament to his buy-in and work ethic." For example, MacPhail added, "Kody had a tough assignment going back to Double-A to start the year. He didn't complain once. Instead, he proved he was better than the level by dominating and moving quickly through the minor leagues this year." What is clear is that if Kody Funderburk continues to develop and throw more and more strikes, he can be a reliable late-inning reliever for years to come. Congratulations to Kody Funderburk and the other relievers mentioned today. For more Twins Daily content, click on the below links: Kody Funderburk, Regi Grace, Miguel Rodriguez, Patrick Murphy, Oliver Ortega, John Stankiewicz. View full article

The St. Paul Saints played their final game of the season Sunday, wrapping up the Minnesota Twins minor league system schedule for 2023. Here are some highlights from that game, including another impressive Jair Camargo home run, plus a discussion on some of the best minor league performers in the system this year. In addition to relaying my Saints hitter and pitcher of the year, I also go over those picks for the other three full-season Twins affiliates and my picks for Twins minor league players of the year and organizational all-stars. View full video

The Twins waited and waited to bring up Kody Funderburk from St. Paul. He’s looked capable in his brief debut so far, and it’s worth digging beyond his surface numbers to date. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily Through five outings and 5 1/3 innings, Kody Funderburk has a 1.69 ERA and has struck out one-third of the hitters he’s faced. The only blemish was a poorly-timed homer allowed against Cleveland. The Twins are surely hoping that they have an emerging piece of the current and future bullpen. So far so good. Funderburk was thrust into enough leverage in his MLB debut to pitch two innings en route to a win against Cleveland. Two days later, he entered in a huge spot and allowed a backbreaking three-run homer, though only one run was charged to him. On Wednesday, he came into a one-run game with two runners on and no outs and shut down Cleveland once more. Rocco Baldelli clearly trusts him, perhaps out of necessity. It’s an interesting development considering the front offices' refusal to call him up to the MLB roster until it was absolutely necessary, regardless of how well he pitched. At the deadline, the Twins declined to meaningfully upgrade the bullpen. Their lone acquisition Dylan Floro has been just as unreliable as the fringe MLB relievers they chose to roster all season such as Cole Sands and Josh Winder. Even Duran and Jax have struggled mightily in recent weeks. The front office waited until they had no choice but to call up Funderburk, who had been absolutely dominant in St. Paul all season. Based on Funderburk’s usage, it seems as though Baldelli had been waiting on those reinforcements for a long time. Can he continue with the success he’s shown in a small sample? The small sample of Funderburk’s pitch mix is interesting so far. His slider has been dominant, drawing whiffs nearly half of the time it’s thrown. It has a hilarious .008 xBA and .024 xSLG so far, a truly dominant pitch. On the polar opposite end, the four-seam has allowed a .345 xBA and .791 xSLG. It could be skewed by the one homer allowed in 31 pitches, but it’s something worth keeping an eye on. We’ve seen pitchers such as Josh Winder come up and have fastballs that get consistently crushed. Not being able to ever throw a fastball makes life hard as a pitcher. Unlike Winder, Funderburk has a backup plan. His sinker is oddly two ticks harder than the four-seam and has allowed a .131 xBA and .144 xSLG in addition to a 4-degree launch angle. Hopefully, the four-seam can come around to provide Funderburk with some whiffs, but if not, it appears he has the ability to make batters pound the ball into the ground and avoid major damage. Sinkers can sometimes be used to limit platoon splits as well. Funderburk looks like he could be more than a lefty specialist. His slider is effective regardless of the handedness of opposing hitters, and his two different fastballs give him the ability to adjust as he acclimates to the MLB level. At this point, the question is likely whether Funderburk has time to earn a postseason roster spot rather than whether he’ll stick around in the majors through the season. Kody Funderburk’s debut was long awaited, but it appears he’s ready to make an impact now that he’s up. With Caleb Thielbar as the only other lefty in the bullpen, Funderburk has the chance to help the Twins through September and hopefully even October. Not to mention being a potential piece in 2024. The wait was worth it. View full article

The lanky, shaggy Twins reliever resembles somebody or something. But who? But what? Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports Recent Twins bullpen addition Kody Funderburk stands out for a couple reasons: 1. That name. Kody with a “K” especially. Just a joyful collision of consonants and vowels. 2. That hair. There’s a third reason, actually. He looks like that guy. You know the one. It’s on the tip of my tongue. You know? Him? In truth, Funderburk looks like a lot of things. Here’s what I’ve come up with: The mechanic who takes one look under the hood, shakes his head, and is about to tell you this is going to be expensive and the part is on back order. The guy from your hometown who set the record for most Busch Light Drafts consumed at the 2014 Homecoming after party. “Would have had a couple more if the cops hadn’t showed up,” he says to this day. A friendly scarecrow who comes to life during the annual Cornstalk Festival. A RealTree jacket that was accidentally stocked in the baseball section of the West Fargo Scheel’s. Bass player in a nu-metal band that got very popular in 1999 for a song about being mad at society. He’s embarrassed about the rap verse, too, but the royalties are enough to keep him from needing a real job. Overwhelmed dad in the pick-up line after school, driving a Bondo-ed minivan. The MY KID BEAT UP YOUR HONOR ROLL STUDENT bumper sticker came from the previous owner, he’d scrape it off if he wasn’t going straight to back to work after taking Khloe and Kaydence to their stepdad’s house. Sure would be nice if Gordon could pick them up once in a while, but I guess his job at the courthouse is more important. Sick of Gordon. The entire 2019 Houston Astros bullpen smashed together. A BMX racer who changes his name to Kody Thunderburk for competitions. His mom doesn’t like it. In a coming-of-age movie, he’s the guy who is part of the bully’s friend group, then sees the bully for who he really is, shakes his head, gives the nerd protagonist a bro hug and says, “I always got your back, Brian.” A skateboarder who knows where all the drained pools in your neighborhood are. View full article

As the Twins open up six games over ten days against Cleveland Monday night, Royce Lewis found the big moment once again. Becoming the first Twin to ever hit a grand slam in back-to-back games as the Twins increase their division lead. Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports Box Score SP: Kenta Maeda: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (66 pitches, 43 strikes (65.2%) Home Runs: Royce Lewis (8), Matt Wallner (10), Jorge Polanco (10) Top 3 WPA: Royce Lewis (0.357), Jorge Polanco (0.278), Matt Wallner (0.119) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Twins Find Themselves in Familiar Territory Early Sunday, the Twins found themselves down 5-0 after the 4th inning. After the Cleveland half of the second inning, the Twins would find themselves down once again. This time by a 4-0 margin. In the second inning, the Guardians bats found Kenta Maeda’s pitches with some hard and effective contact. The run-scoring was accented by a Gabriel Arias double to put the Guardians up 2-0. Then Bo Naylor flashed his power, hitting a two-run home run to score the third and fourth runs of the inning. By the inning's end, Cleveland had three hits with an exit velocity above 100 mph. Royce Lewis Grand Again A Xzavion Curry Balk and a Donovan Solano double got the Twins on the board first, cutting the lead in half to 4-2. Unfortunately for Solano the inning will not be remembered for his RBI effort. Instead, we will remember the second inning of Monday night’s game for Royce Lewis. Like Sunday, Lewis found himself at bat with the bases full of Twins. Just like Sunday, Lewis launched a pitch over the outfield. This one dropping into the bullpen. The grand slam is Lewis’ third of his career. Lewis also became the first Twin in the club’s history to hit grand slams in back-to-back days. Lewis continues his tear after finding his groove earlier this season after some early struggles. Coming into tonight, Lewis had hit for a .352 average and .942 OPS in the past 29 games. Wallner and Polanco join the party Over the third and fourth innings, the Guardians and Twins traded runs. With the score 6-5, another rookie in Matt Wallner also went deep. Wallner put the ball into the seats in right-center field for his 10th home run on the season to put the Twins up 7-5. Cleveland would get a run back on a pair of doubles off the bats of Arias and Steven Kwan in the fourth inning, making it 7-6. The Twins wouldn’t leave the lead that small for long. Jorge Polanco, during his at-bat, joined the home run parade. He hit his 10th of the season, scored three runs and put the Twins up 10-6. Kody Funderburk Makes Debut Shortly before the game, the Twins announced that Bailey Ober was being sent down to St. Paul while they brought up left reliever Kody Funderburk. After Maeda could only make it through four innings, Funderburk was called upon for his major league debut to protect the Twins 10-6 lead. He started his MLB career off by fielding a grounder off the bat of Kole Calhoun. He then recorded his first MLB strikeout by freezing Ramon Laureano. After the strikeout, Funderburk finished the inning the way he started it by fielding an Andres Gimenez grounder to get out of the inning three up, three down. Many have been waiting to see Funderburk step on a major league mound, and all of Twins Territory saw why as he completed two perfect innings. If he keeps this performance up, another solid left-handed arm like Funderburk's would help bolster a weak point of the Twins roster all season down the stretch. Winder Proves Valuable Again Over the homestand, Josh Winder has come up big by providing bulk innings twice this homestand. He has provided six innings of shutout pitching. Three coming tonight in an all too important spot after Sunday's extra-inning game and Maeda's short start, which left the bullpen a bit taxed. What’s Next? Pablo Lopez will take the mound to attempt to continue the Twins winning ways. While Lopez has been very good for the Twins this season, he will look to rebound after struggling his last time out and giving up a career-high three home runs. Cleveland will counter with rookie Gavin Williams, who will bring with him a 3.52 ERA over 64.0 innings pitched. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet THU FRI SAT SUN SUN TOT Winder 46 0 0 0 24 70 Jax 15 0 28 0 0 43 Sands 0 32 0 0 0 32 Floro 0 0 12 19 0 31 Funderburk 0 0 0 0 28 28 Pagán 0 0 14 11 0 25 Durán 0 0 12 9 0 21 Thielbar 0 0 10 11 0 21 Balazovic 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

After taking a look at the best starters of the month, read about what their reliever counterparts did to stand out from the crowd. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints Relief pitching in the minors is weird. Not only are pitchers often shuffled between the rotation and bullpen, leaving the designation of titles obsolete and confusing, but their broad lack of command can lead to bizarre peripherals and misleading ERAs. It is far from uncommon to see a relief outing with three or more walks. Knowing this, let us cut through the fray, hopefully striking at a few names that rose from the control muck and grime, making themselves undeniable in their excellence. Honorable mentions: RHP Regi Grace - AA Wichita, 17 2/3 IP, 19.7 K%, 2.04 ERA, 3.33 FIP Regi Grace’s ERA masks an ordinary strikeout rate; he also allowed multiple baserunners in every outing in August except one. The volume is excellent, though. RHP Devin Kirby - FCL Twins, 11 2/3 IP, 35.4 K%, 3.09 ERA, 4.81 FIP An undrafted signee out of the University of Connecticut, Devin Kirby struck out a whole bunch of batters but also walked a ton of them. RHP Kyle Bischoff - FCL Twins, 11 1/3 IP, 28.6 K%, 1.59 ERA, 4.48 FIP Copy the previous text but change the college to “Michigan State,” and you have Kyle Bischoff’s August with the FCL Twins. LHP Jordan Carr - A+ Cedar Rapids/AA Wichita, 16 2/3 IP, 26.1 K%, 1.08 ERA, 3.77 FIP 2023 has been a dream for Jordan Carr. The lefty toasted Midwestern hitters all season, holding a tiny 1.48 ERA over 60 2/3 frames for the Kernels. The performance earned a recent promotion to AA—he’s made just one appearance there, as of August 31st—as the 25-year-old will now feel the joys of pitching in one of the most offensive-friendly environments in baseball. If Carr’s placement feels low, consider that he also hit four batters this month, artificially keeping his walk rate lower than it would have been if he just handed them four free ones. 5. LHP Aaron Rozek - AA Wichita, 16 1/3 IP, 30.4 K%, 3.31 ERA, 3.05 FIP Aaron Rozek may be the first player to make both the Starting Pitcher of the Month list and its relief counterpart. That’s… maybe not great, but at least it seems that he’s found a home in the bullpen. August was a great month for the Burnsville native; Rozek allowed one or fewer runs in six of his seven outings (the one clunker was a start, funny enough), as he punched out over 30% of batters and kept the walks at an acceptable level. It’s been a true rollercoaster season for him, oscillating between domination and frustration, but his recent results may reveal a newer, better version of Rozek perfectly suited for the bullpen. 4. LHP Kody Funderburk - AAA St. Paul, 13 1/3 IP, 36.5 K%, 2.03 ERA, 3.07 FIP Kody Funderburk’s work in August was so notable that the Twins called him up to the majors to help provide middle relief depth down the stretch. He made two outings there—one excellent, the other dreadful. Nonetheless, Funderburk appears ready for the major-league challenge; the lefty crushed his AAA competition in August, striking out batters at a Haderian level while often acquiring more than just three outs. His sinker/slider/weird cutting fastball combination looks quirky enough to keep hitters on their toes, leading to batters wondering what in the world they just swung at. With nothing left to prove at AAA, this may be Funderburk’s final mention in this series. 3. RHP Mike Paredes - A+ Cedar Rapids, 14 2/3 IP, 30.6 K%, 2.45 ERA, 1.92 FIP A late 2021 draftee, Mike Paredes has now had back-to-back seasons with an ERA in the low 3s. The peripherals aren’t as sexy as other pitchers, but the run prevention has been tremendous—and it looks like Paredes found his strikeout stuff in August. I originally had him off the list, but looking at his numbers, I had to find a place for him somewhere, even if I had full write ups for five other players. Paredes had a disastrous outing on the 16th, but was otherwise stellar for the Kernels, bringing stability to games with quality multi-inning outings. He even vultured three wins. The 22-year-old could very well find himself in Wichita in 2023. 2. RHP Ricardo Velez - A Fort Myers, 15 1/3 IP, 40.7 K%, 1.17 ERA, 1.60 FIP Pound for pound, perhaps no reliever was better in August than Ricardo Velez. He was dynamite for the Mighty Mussels, striking out batters at a rate reserved only for the truly elite bullpen arms. Born in Puerto Rico, Velez attended the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, an NAIA school originally founded as a women’s only institution with an attendance of around 800 (sorry, I’m fascinated by small schools like this). Anyways, Velez barely pitched in 2021 and 2022 in the Twins system before breaking out as a big-time punch-out arm in 2023; his strikeout rate on the year is over 30%. Velez probably should have taken the crown for reliever of the month, but the piece was written and the thumbnail was made before his final, outstanding outing on August 31st. Should have dominated earlier! In all seriousness, it was an incredible month for a pitcher off most peoples radar. 1. RHP Patrick Murphy - AAA St. Paul, 22 IP, 32.6 K%, 2.45 ERA, 4.18 FIP The imposing hard-throwing Patrick Murphy was not your typical reliever in August; he made just one outing that didn’t go for multiple innings as the Saints tried to stretch him into a long relief weapon. It worked. Murphy dominated every multi-frame outing to the tune of a 1.29 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 21 innings. Armed with a fiery fastball and a sharp breaking ball, Murphy appears well-prepared to succeed if the Twins asked him to return to the majors; he owns just under 40 career major-league frames. If not, the Saints will happily watch Murphy gobble up innings with his impressive strikeouts rate and quasi-starter stamina. View full article

Sonny Gray looked like a Cy Young Award frontrunner, and the Twins were one out away from winning the game and taking one of the most important series of the season. But it’s 2023, after all, and the Guardians rallied to steal the game in extras. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Sonny Gray, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (81 pitches, 56 strikes, 69.1%) Home Runs: none Bottom 3 WPA: Kody Funderburk (-.459), Jhoan Duran (-.207), Carlos Correa (-.147) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Gray and Bibee dominate their opposing lineups early Neither offense was able to accomplish much during the first portion of this game, with both lineups combining for only two hits during the three opening innings. Both Sonny Gray and rookie right-hander Tanner Bibee looked dialed in right out of the gate, and this game seemed destined to be a low-scoring affair. Gray, in fact, surrendered a leadoff double to Steven Kwan on the game’s second pitch, but not only did he retire the side to finish the inning, he also actually retired 13 consecutive batters. He needed only 43 pitches to complete four innings of scoreless ball while striking out four. Not only was Gray brilliant to start this game, but he also had some stellar defense behind him, with Carlos Correa making a pair of great stops at short and Max Kepler making a beautiful sliding catch in the third: Bibee was just as brilliant, no-hitting the Twins for two innings and piling up five strikeouts through three. But his second time through the Twins lineup was anything but pleasant. Jorge Polanco jumped on the very first pitch of the fourth for a leadoff double, and Correa, Kepler, and Royce Lewis, despite not reaching or moving up Polanco, managed to drive Bibee’s pitch count up. It took the Cleveland righty 21 pitches to retire the trio. Twins take advantage of their first big opportunity The quality of the at-bats didn’t change for Minnesota in the fifth, and the Twins created their first big offensive moment of the game. Matt Wallner drew a four-pitch walk to lead off the inning, and after Ryan Jeffers struck out on a seven-pitch at-bat, Donovan Solano singled to left on the first pitch he saw. Bibee struck out Jordan Luplow next, but not before throwing six pitches. Then, with Édouard Julien at the plate, he struggled with his command once more, giving up a bases-loading walk to the Twins rookie. That brought Polanco to the plate, and he lined a short single to center to drive in Wallner and Solano. Gray departs earlier than expected After throwing only seven pitches to get through the sixth, Gray’s pitch count was merely at 62. He looked poised to go deeper in this game than he’s gone in any other start this season, perhaps even shooting for his first complete game since 2015. But oddly enough, he struggled a bit during the seventh, and that ended up being his final inning of the game. His command seemed a little off to begin the seventh, causing him to give up a leadoff walk to Kole Calhoun – his first and only walk of the afternoon. He took some time to apparently remove one of his cleats, and when Ramón Laureano stepped up to the plate next, Gray's command looked even worse. He nearly plunked Laureano in the helmet and threw a wild (I mean wild!) pitch, allowing Calhoun to steal second. Fortunately, Gray was able to settle in and retire the next three batters to finish the seventh, but he was promptly removed from the game after that, even though his pitch count was still at only 81. Gray was able to deliver another excellent start, even though it was apparently cut short. This is the first time he has thrown seven innings or more in back-to-back starts since July 12, 2019, and his season ERA is now down to 2.94. It is shocking that ESPN currently doesn’t include him on their “Cy Young Predictor” top 10 rankings. Bullpen gives up the lead, game goes to extras Things did not look promising when the bullpen took over in the eighth. Griffin Jax gave up a leadoff double to Gabriel Arias, and despite retiring the next two batters, he was replaced by Caleb Thielbar before he could get the final out. With an inherited runner on third, Thielbar gave up a single to Kwan, and Cleveland got on the board. Then, when José Ramírez drew a walk, things got really scary, but Caleb managed to induce the forceout to end the threat. Jhoan Durán came in to get the save, but things didn’t go smoothly for him either. After a quick first out, the Twins’ star closer gave up a walk and a single. Both runners moved up on a groundout by Arias, but Durán was still one out away from ending the game. With Bo Naylor at the plate, Durán struggled mightly and needing only one strike to finish Naylor off, he threw a wild pitch that went behind him, allowing Andrés Giménez to score the tying run. Cleveland rally is complete in the 10th With the game on the line, Emilio Pagan and his 10.50 ERA in high leverage took the mound to pitch the top of the 10th. But despite his poor recent performances in high leverage, he had no trouble getting two outs on seven pitches. Before he could record the final out, though, an intentional walk was given to Ramírez, and Pagán was pulled, with Kody Funderburk being brought in to try to end the inning. But the plan went horribly wrong. The rookie was all over the place, throwing three balls nowhere near the strike zone. The only pitch he threw for a strike was obliterated by Calhoun for a soul-crushing three-run home run. The offense went down in order in the bottom of the 10th, and the Guardians’ season survives. Postgame interview What’s Next? The Twins have a day off on Thursday before they kick off a three-game set against the Rangers in Arlington over the weekend. Game one of the series is scheduled for Friday at 7:05 pm CDT, and Joe Ryan (9-8, 4.33 ERA) takes the mound for Minnesota, making his second start since returning from the Injured List. Max Scherzer (12-5, 3.71 ERA) is expected to start the game for Texas. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Durán 12 9 0 0 20 41 Pagán 14 11 0 14 0 39 Thielbar 10 11 0 0 16 37 Jax 28 0 0 0 8 36 Funderburk 0 0 28 0 8 36 Floro 12 19 0 0 0 31 Sands 0 0 0 24 0 24 Winder 0 0 24 0 0 24 View full article

It's been clear for some time that the Twins needed a boost to the bullpen in the second half. Enter Kody Funderburk, one of the organization’s top relief pitchers over the last two seasons. According to Darren Wolfson, the Twins will be calling up the former Dallas Baptist slugger! Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily The Twins drafted Kody Funderburk in the 15th round of the 2018 MLB Draft from Dallas Baptist University. He split time in college as a hitter and a pitcher, but Minnesota drafted him to be on the mound. During his final collegiate season, he posted a 6.84 ERA with a 1.72 WHIP and 9.5 K/9. The Twins saw enough in his performance that the club believed he could improve on the mound, especially if he focused solely on pitching. During his professional debut, Minnesota sent Funderburk to Elizabethton, one of the team’s rookie league teams at the time. In ten appearances (nine starts), he had a 4.93 ERA with a 1.73 WHIP. He was surrendering over 11.0 H/9, which is too much contact for a pitcher that was older for the level. There was room for improvement in his performance, and Funderburk would get his first taste of full-season leagues in 2019. Funderburk started the next season with one relief appearance at High-A (Fort Myers). He pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings on two hits with two strikeouts and a walk. The Twins sent him to Low-A for the majority of the next season, where he made 12 appearances (10 starts). In 50 innings, he posted a 4.68 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP and a 55-to-25 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He lowered his H/9 to 8.1 for the season while increasing his strikeout rate. There were signs of improvement, but now the non-existent 2020 minor league season would become a factor. After the pandemic, Funderburk began the year as a starter at High-A with some positive results. In 45 1/3 innings, he posted a 3.18 ERA with 59 strikeouts and 21 walks. He only allowed one home run and held opponents to a .199/.298/.259 (.557) slash line. The Twins promoted him to Double-A for the stretch run, and he became a dominant multi-inning reliever. Funderburk posted a 1.25 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and held batters to a .286 SLG. His first taste of the bullpen went well and was a sign of things coming for the lefty. Minnesota sent Funderburk to the AFL following the 2021 season, but he was used primarily as a starting pitcher. The AFL is known as a hitter’s league, and Funderburk’s numbers point to some struggles. He allowed 12 earned runs in 17 2/3 innings but posted an 11.2 K/9. He would pitch the entire 2022 season at Double-A with time as a starter and reliever. In 17 starts (70 2/3 innings), he posted a 3.44 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP and 9.8 K/9. He compiled a 1.98 ERA out of the bullpen with a 26-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 36 1/3 innings. Funderburk continued to surrender too many hits in a relief role, which can’t occur to move up the organizational ladder. For the 2023 season, the Twins wanted Funderburk to focus on his relief role. He began the year back at Double-A, where he was over a year older than the average age of the competition. He pitched nine innings across five appearances and limited batters to one earned run on eight hits with 14.0 K/9. Before the end of April, the Twins promoted Funderburk to Triple-A, where he immediately became one of the club’s best left-handed relief options. In 52 innings, he has posted a 2.60 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP and 13.0 K/9. Outside of those totals, his pitching profile points to potential success at the big-league level. Even as a lefty, Funderburk has posted reverse splits throughout the 2023 campaign. Right-handed batters have hit .184/.258/.234 (.492) against him with 52 strikeouts in 141 at-bats. Lefties have slashed .203/.337/.279 (.615) with 37 strikeouts and 15 walks across 95 plate appearances. His cutter is the pitch he throws most regularly, and it typically sits in the low-90s. Funderburk’s left-handed arm action is unique, and it helps his pitches have more east-west movement to keep batters off-balance. He’s looked big-league-ready for quite some time, and now he will get that opportunity. What should the expectations be for Funderburk? What can he provide the Twins in the stretch run? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

The Minnesota Twins announced shortly before Monday’s game Bailey Ober has been optioned to the minor leagues. The corresponding move is left-hander Kody Funderburk is heading up to the Twins. To make room on the 40-man roster, Oliver Ortega was moved to the 60-day IL. Here is my reaction to the news. View full video

The Minnesota Twins are trending towards the postseason, and while they currently have a lead in the AL Central, maintaining that down the stretch is a focal point. They’ll be given two extra roster spots on September 1, but who do they call upon? Image courtesy of Landon Bost/Naples Daily News/USA TODAY Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK Rule changes across Major League Baseball have drastically shifted how teams approach the month of September. While the active roster was expanded to 26 players in recent seasons, September adds just two spots as opposed to the previous 15. With an intention of keeping the game moving, there isn’t an opportunity for managers to mix and match as much throughout a game. Rocco Baldelli will look to keep his starters fresh, and supplementing with a key addition or two could make sense. How the Twins manage that with players returning remains to be seen, however. Although Byron Buxton, Alex Kirilloff, Willi Castro, and even Brock Stewart won’t be ready on September 1, they should command the priority for additions as the month goes on. Looking solely at the minor leagues, here are the five most likely options for Minnesota: 5. Ronny Henriquez After starting the season behind schedule, Henriquez has not pitched for the Twins this year. Acquired in the Mitch Garver trade with the Texas Rangers, Henriquez is still among the youngest players at Triple-A. Since giving up five runs to the Iowa Cubs in early June, he owns a 3.65 ERA with a .691 OPS against. The command is still an issue with a 5.8 BB/9, but he has strikeout stuff and brings it at a relatively strong velocity. As a right-handed arm, the Twins could take another look at him to cycle in among the Cole Sands, Josh Winder, and Jordan Balazovic bullpen spots. 4. Chris Williams If it seems like Williams made more sense prior to September, it’s because that would be the case. Williams is a catcher that has moved to first base, and he has done nothing but mash for the Saints. An eighth round pick back in 2018, Williams owns a .901 OPS in 2023 for St. Paul. He has hit for substantial power with 19 homers, and he’s done a good job taking walks as well. Batting from the right side, it seemed to make sense that he would be promoted once Alex Kirilloff went down. Not on the 40-man, the Twins would need to make a move, but that shouldn’t be hard to do if they really want to give him a look. 3. Michael Boyle Out of professional baseball since 2019, the Twins signed him as a free agent in 2022. Boyle worked just 11 1/3 innings last year before pitching at Double and Triple-A this year. He’s a lefty that has combined for a 2.53 ERA across 46 1/3 innings for Wichita and St. Paul this season. After posting a 29/9 K/BB at Double-A, he owns a 23/18 K/BB with the Saints. The walks are absolutely a problem and will be the reason he is overlooked, but he doesn’t give up hits and keeps the ball in the yard. Also in need of a 40-man spot, Boyle could give the Twins help from a southpaw not named Caleb Thielbar. 2. Austin Martin It has taken a while for Martin to find his footing with Minnesota, but we finally have appeared to reach that point. The former Blue Jays prospect that was at the center of the Jose Berrios trade, has come on strong for Triple-A St. Paul. He’s not a good infielder, but can play on the dirt. He may be an exceptional outfielder, and looks the part in center. He started slow after rehabbing an arm injury, but has been on fire over his last 23 games. He has posted a .347/.438/.547 slash line in those contests, and brings good speed on the base paths. It seems unlikely the Twins would allow Martin to take WIlli Castro’s spot, but he could probably accomplish the same results with a higher ceiling. 1. Kody Funderburk If not Boyle, then it’s absolutely Funderburk. Drafted in the 15th round back in 2018, Funderburk reached Triple-A for the first time this season. Across 47 1/3 innings he owns a 2.47 ERA along with a 70/19 K/BB. Why he hasn’t been promoted already is anyone’s guess, and it has been to the detriment of Minnesota by not doing so. Sands, Winder, and Balazovic have each been hit around from the right side in their brief time with the Twins. Funderburk would immediately give the Twins another lefty, and possibly emerge as a talent capable of sticking in the pen. He should be rostered in September, and keeping him around for the postseason should results warrant it, makes all the sense in the world. Recently Hans Birkeland took a look at many names on the Saints roster with an eye towards September. With some of them unmentioned here, there are a couple of others worth monitoring. Who would you like to see the Twins promote next month? View full article