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Friday night was the non-tender deadline and the Minnesota Twins made a couple of moves that surprised me. With news of the payroll being scaled back some, I figured Kyle Farmer was as good as gone either by trade or non-tender. Nope, he's still around. Another surprise was that Jovani Moran needs Tommy John surgery and so the Twins decided to remove him (and Ronny Henriquez) off the 40-man roster. Here is my reaction to these moves. View full video

Former Minnesota Twin Mitch Garver just won the World Series with the Texas Rangers. Let's take a look back at how the move to trade him has aged since it happened a couple offseasons ago. Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports As the baseball world was treated to a Texas Rangers World Series championship, Minnesota Twins fans watched former Twin and fan favorite Mitch Garver perform well throughout the playoffs. His highlights included a golf-shot home run off of Merrill Kelly in Game 2 and an RBI single to break open the scoring in the title-clinching game. With the Rangers' incredible run fresh in mind, let’s take a trip back to examine the trade that landed Garver in Texas. The trade followed a 2021 season with the Twins where Garver had played in only 68 games but hit for an .875 OPS and 139 OPS+ in those limited plate appearances. That left the front office with a decision to make. Could they rely on the often-injured Garver, was it time to hand the reins to the rising Ryan Jeffers? Or, could they both share the catching load? With other needs to fill on the roster, the decision ultimately was made to trade Garver away. A deal with the Rangers materialized and resulted in Garver leaving with Ronny Henriquez and Isiah Kiner-Falefa coming to Minnesota. This trade will always be challenging to analyze on its own because it set off a string of moves, which included trading away Josh Donaldson and eventually signing Carlos Correa. The Immediate Move Based on the holes on the Twins roster at the time, it was understood that either Garver or Jeffers could be traded at some point in the 2021-2022 offseason. The return of Henriquez and Kiner-Falefa did feel light for what fans had hoped to see in a return for Garver. Kiner-Falefa was an example of the front office setting a floor at an empty position. His bat has never been that impactful, boasting a meager 84 and 78 OPS+ over the past two seasons. What IKF does provide is above-average defense across the infield and, most notably, at shortstop, which was a hole on the roster heading into the 2021-2022 offseason. There is still a chance that Henriquez will turn into a bullpen arm for the Twins. He came to the organization as a potential starter but, due to his struggle to stay healthy, has shifted primarily to the bullpen. While there is still a chance for Henriquez to impact the Twins roster, he will need to rise the ranks to meet the value of Garver when the two are placed side by side. The Long-Term Ripple Effects The positive of this move comes from the chain reaction it set off. The trade allowed the Twins to send out Josh Donaldson, his contract, and his negative clubhouse presence to the Yankees, who were keen on acquiring Kiner-Falefa. Donaldson’s absence opened up payroll space to bring in Carlos Correa for his initial deal, paving the way for this year's long-term contract. Garver has also seemingly had the judgment passed on him that between injuries and performance, others should be playing catcher over him. The Twins did pass on Garver in favor of Jeffers, and the Rangers chose Jonah Heim and trade deadline acquisition Austin Hedges behind the plate. While they were two of the three best defensive catchers in the game, according to Baseball Savant, it is still worth noting that the Rangers saw a need to acquire Hedges when Garver was in the locker room. Even as just a right-handed bat, Garver could have helped the Twins, especially considering his .938 OPS against left-handed pitchers in 2023. The only issue would be roster space and playing time. The Twins are currently seeing a roster crunch when all players are available at designated hitter (and corner positions if he was willing to play first base), and Garver would only add to that crunch. In the end, the initial deal looked like a short-sighted one. Thankfully for the Twins and us as fans, the Yankees were desperate to grab IKF and created all those other moves. Moves that, in ways, laid the groundwork for 2023 and beyond. Now, Garver will hit the free agent market, and we will see if everyone views him simply as a designated hitter or if someone will give him a chance to catch again. How did watching Garver win a championship with another team sit with you? How do you feel about the trade a couple of years later? Let us know below! View full article

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

The Twins didn’t add to the bullpen in the offseason and barely did so at the deadline. Left with only in-house options at this point, it’s time for them to start pressing some buttons and making adjustments to try to make up for it. Image courtesy of Jonathan Dyer, USA TODAY Sports The Twins seem to find themselves backing into comfort zones when it comes to roster decisions on occasion. Sometimes it’s because of veteran status or it’s a player they personally like. Sometimes they’re just being overly protective of depth. Whatever the reason is currently, it simply isn’t justifiable to continue with how they’ve managed the bottom half of the bullpen. The middle of the Twins bullpen has picked up a lot of slack recently between Emilio Pagán and Caleb Thielbar. Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran have been struggling, which is bound to happen to even the best relievers in baseball. It’s also expected that the bottom part of a bullpen shouldn’t exactly be rock solid. After all, that’s why they’re at the bottom. The way the Twins are using the low-leverage parts of their bullpen simply makes no sense as we approach September. The team has been adamant in regards to keeping a long reliever on the roster. So much so, in fact, that coming out of spring training, it cost them several high-leverage relievers such as Danny Coulombe (2.77 ERA in 39 IP) and Jeff Hoffman (2.86 ERA in 34 2/3 IP) who both looked great in the spring. If having a long reliever really is that important to them, that’s fine. Minor league relievers being cut loose and going on to success can be overlooked. The Twins are taking it to another level though, and completely wasting opportunities and at least one roster spot. By currently rostering Cole Sands and Josh Winder, the Twins are playing with a hand tied behind their back when it comes to the bullpen, and it’s completely self-inflicted. Let’s start with Cole Sands. He’s actually been electric in St. Paul with a 1.64 ERA and near 40% K rate. In his time bouncing up and down with the Twins, he’s barely pitched. In fact, despite being completely healthy, he’s made three appearances, all with the Saints, since July 20th. He’s thrown only 4 1/3 innings in just under a month. In Wednesday’s game when the Twins were down four runs, they needed an inning filled. Instead of going to Sands who hadn’t pitched in over a week and actually has promising numbers in St. Paul, they went to supposed long reliever Josh Winder, who allowed a run that put Detroit over the edge to eventually win 8-7. Sands’ lack of usage is puzzling. If they aren’t going to let him pitch, why is he here? The easier question to ask has more to do with Josh Winder. At this point, it’s becoming time to wonder why Winder is an option in the MLB bullpen at all. He had an ERA over 6.00 in Triple-A and an ERA over 5.00 in the big leagues. In 11 appearances with the Twins this season, he’s only held the opposing team scoreless three times. There’s a difference between rostering a long reliever/mop-up man and continuing to give opportunities to pitchers who should be working on things in the minors. Winder is a former top prospect who still has hopes of recapturing the pedigree. He should be focusing on making adjustments against lower competition. Whatever the reason behind the Twins continuing to give Winder these chances, it's time to try something else. Perhaps they see something in him long-term, but there’s zero reason to let him try to find it in the big leagues at this point. At the very least, when a one-inning opportunity comes up, they should be giving it to Sands who has at least been able to get minor-league hitters out this year. Another usable middle-reliever developing would be a big boost down the stretch, and that’s not going to happen by giving opportunities to arms who are struggling so mightily. At this point, the Twins should be looking for upside in the lowest leverage rungs of the bullpen ladder. At the very least they shouldn’t be allocating those spots to players they’re never going to let pitch. A recent hot stretch by Ronny Henriquez should make him an option to get some runway in the majors. It shouldn’t be a problem to add Kody Funderburk to the 40-man, who has dominated Triple-A all season since his promotion just two weeks into the season. The Twins seem intent on making things as difficult as possible when it comes to the bullpen. It almost seems like they’re trying to show the world just how unimportant the bullpen is. It’s time they try to make improvements for the first time all year and give some different names an opportunity. What they’re doing right now isn’t helping anybody. View full article

The Twins’ hole in their bullpen hasn’t gotten any smaller since the trade deadline. As they enter the stretch run and try to solidify their roster, do they have a potential bullpen piece emerging in St. Paul? Image courtesy of Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Ronny Henriquez has had his fair share of ups and downs in his Twins career. Acquired as part of the Mitch Garver deal, he’s gone from a starting pitching prospect to a relief prospect before injuries wiped him off the map. Henriquez may finally be righting the ship, and the Twins may be smart to see if they can hop aboard. The Twins perhaps waited too long to transition Henriquez to a full-time reliever. His body has been a red flag for his future as a starting pitcher, as his listed 5’10 height is considered extremely generous. He was making starts well into the 2022 season despite suffering from crippling home run issues. The Twins clearly liked what they saw when he finally landed in the bullpen, as they called him up for three appearances at the end of the season as a reliever. Henriquez began this season on the shelf after experiencing some elbow problems this spring. He didn’t make his first appearance until May, and the results as a whole have been less than impressive. In just under 40 innings, Henriquez’s 5.50 ERA looked earned when looking at his 18.8% strikeout rate compared to his 14.8% walk rate. He’s likely been off the Twins' radar when it comes to being a call-up, but things may finally be clicking. It’s an incredibly small sample, but a dominant one. Henriquez has a fastball that plays up in the mid-to-high 90s with an impressive changeup and usable slider. As a reliever, he should have all the tools he needs to contribute to an MLB bullpen. The walk issues he’s shown have never been seen before in his career, contributing to the theory that he may have just needed time to get his feel back after a worrisome injury and subsequent time off. It’s also the first season of his career where he’s been able to fully focus on the routine of being a reliever. Henriquez is already on the 40-man roster at the age of 23. The Twins have also been rostering multiple bulk relievers for several weeks now. As a former prospect of at least some pedigree, it’s likely Henriquez doesn’t need to show a ton more in Triple-A to find his way into the MLB bullpen mix. Considering their willingness to call him up in 2022, they’ve likely been waiting around for any signs that something has clicked. The Twins have plenty of options to cycle out in order to take a shot on Henriquez. First and foremost, they don’t need Josh Winder and Cole Sands in the same bullpen, as historically they’ve gone weeks without needing to use a bulk reliever, let alone two. Especially if Dallas Keuchel is no longer in the rotation, the need just isn’t there often enough. Jordan Balazovic also has regressed in unfortunate fashion. After filling more of a bulk relief role in Triple-A, he was thrust into more of a traditional relief role upon his debut. It’s possible more seasoning in Triple-A would benefit him if the Twins insist on having multiple long relievers on their MLB roster. Ronny Henriquez is clearly a pitcher the Twins saw something in at the end of 2022, and if he looks like he’s found his groove, it costs them little to see how it translates to the big league bullpen which is in need of someone to step up. Should Henriquez have to show he’s flipped the switch a bit longer? Should they call him up as soon as possible? Let us know below! View full article

The Twins are having some bullpen issues between over usage, performance, and injury. An addition at the deadline may be in the cards, but it’s too early to move on that. What do the Twins have for internal bullpen options? Image courtesy of Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports If the Twins front office has developed an identity for themselves, it’s that they don’t care about bullpen additions at all. Their one big external addition was Jorge Lopez in 2022, who cost them dearly in prospect capital after ignoring relief additions in the offseason. Still their approach to bullpen construction didn’t change. Their relief corps is off to a better start in 2023 than last season, but it’s been far from ideal. Griffin Jax is struggling, Caleb Thielbar is on the shelf, and after a solid start, Emilio Pagán is Pagáning it up once more. It may be time for the Twins to take a leap and try a new reliever in the big league bullpen. What internal options do they have? Cody Laweryson Laweryson is a former 14th-round pick from 2019 who’s worked his way up to Triple-A this season. He doesn’t throw hard and lacks any particular wipeout pitch, but his results speak for themselves. Geared with 70-grade command, Laweryson posted a sub 2.00 ERA between Wichita and St. Paul in 2022 and boasts a 2.66 mark so far in 2023. His 1.33 HR/9 to begin the season is inflated by an absurd 15% HR/FB rate, and he’s striking out over 27% of hitters so far and holding them to a .211 average. It’s possible the prospect pedigree and lack of velocity keep him from being a quality MLB reliever, but at 25 years old it may be worth a try. If Laweryson can replicate anywhere near his homer-limiting, high-strikeout ways at the MLB level, he should be more than capable of contributing to some degree. Kody Funderburk Like Laweryson, Funderburk is far from a top prospect. Selected in the 15th round in 2018, he’s another example of the Twins doing an impressive job of getting such a lottery ticket draft pick so far into a minor-league career. Funderburk was promoted to St. Paul after allowing a single run in 9 innings for Wichita, and while he’s given up a few since his promotion, his skills look fantastic. Striking out 31.4% of hitters and walking under 9% Funderburk looks like he really has it working so far in 2023, and in his age-26 season, the Twins may be inclined to see if those gaudy numbers can translate. It’s almost odd we haven’t seen a test run yet with Thielbar out, as Funderburk is a left-handed pitcher and their only current southpaw in the bullpen is Jovani Moran who’s essentially a righty. Even when Thielbar returns, Funderburk may be an option for this very reason. Ronny Henriquez Acquired from Texas in the Mitch Garver trade, Henriquez was feared to be lost to injury earlier this spring when his elbow kept him off the field. Henriquez has since returned and looks to be completely healthy. Still just 23 years old, Henriquez appears to be on the reliever path for good in St. Paul. He’s listed at 5’10, though many reports say he’s closer to 5’8, leading to questions about his ability to hold up as a starter. He has a high spin fastball that plays up beyond its velocity and likes to use it at the top of the zone similar to Joe Ryan, which leads to some homer problems. In short stints, however, Henriquez is capable of running it up into the high 90s and has a good changeup and solid slider to pair it with. His numbers in St. Paul thus far aren’t incredibly impressive, but his most recent outing is one that may catch the Twins eye. He’s already on the 40-man roster and made his debut at the end of 2022, so Henriquez could be fast-tracked to the Twins bullpen. Many thought he could have broken camp on Opening Day if healthy, but Henriquez is still capable of helping the Twins now that he’s finally in good shape. The Twins will likely start digging beyond the long relief types to help the bullpen soon here. You never know which ones could come up and stick around if they catch fire. Are there any other underrated bullpen options you’d like to see them give a shot to? View full article

The St. Paul Saints played a pair of contests today as they dealt with rain all weekend, and the rest of the organization split their decisions. Get caught up on the action within. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Nashville 3 (Game 1) Box Score Looking to play a doubleheader yesterday, the weather decided not to cooperate. Instead, the Saints were able to reschedule a twin bill today and Randy Dobnak was on the bump for game one. Dobnak worked a solid 5 1/3 innings allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four. Josh Winder took over for Dobnak in the 6th and allowed both the inherited runners to score before locking things down the rest of the way to earn the win after recently being optioned. Nashville scored first, but Kyle Farmer continued his strong rehab assignment as he returns from his hit by pitch. Having doubled twice yesterday, he launched a solo shot in the 1st inning today to knot things up. It would seem likely that he returns to the big league roster on Tuesday. Down 3-1 in the bottom of the 6th inning, Michael Helman stepped in and launched a three-run homer to put St. Paul in the lead 4-3. Farmer and Andrew Stevenson came in on the big fly. Helman’s dinger came of the brother of Twins pitcher Louie Varland, Gus Varland. Nashville 7, St. Paul 1 (Game 2) Box Score It was quick revenge for the Sounds as Aaron Sanchez recorded just two outs for the Saints in the second game. He allowed six runs on two hits. Four walks did him in as they came around on a pair of homers. Nashville led 6-0 before St. Paul took their first at bats. Leading off the game for the Saints, Edouard Julien hit his fourth home run of the year to put them on the board. Despite generating five hits on the afternoon, the one run was all they could muster. WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 12, Wichita 3 Box Score David Festa took the mound today for Wichita and it wasn’t his best start of the season. Lasting 4 1/3 innings, NW Arkansas touched him up for six runs on eight hits and three walks. He did record five strikeouts on the afternoon. The Wind Surge jumped out to an early lead as they plated two in the 1st inning. Yunior Severino doubled to drive in Alex Isola before DaShawn Keirsey Jr. singled in Severino. They did give both runs back in the bottom half of the inning before Yoyner Fajardo tripled to score Will Holland in the top of the 2nd inning. Fajardo’s triple extended his hitting streak to eleven games. That was as far as Wichita would lead in this one however. Two runs in the 3rd inning were followed by three-spots in the 5th and 6th inning for NW Arkansas. The Naturals added two more in the 8th inning and the 12-3 tally stood as a final. Fajardo racked up a pair of hits as did Keirsey Jr. The six hits for Wichita checked in 13 behind the Naturals 19 for the game. Twins prospect Royce Lewis will begin a rehab assignment this week starting out at Wichita. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, South Bend 1 Box Score It was Kyle Jones on the mound today for Cedar Rapids, and he was very sharp for the afternoon. Working five innings of one-run ball, Jones allowed five hits and a single walk while striking out five. The bullpen then worked four scoreless innings while giving up just two hits to close it out. Scoring got underway in the 2nd inning when Misael Urbina grounded out but plated Kala’i Rosario in the process. Ben Ross then doubled in the 3rd inning to score Emmanuel Rodriguez and make it 2-0. After giving up a run back in the 3rd inning, the Kernels put the game away with a four-run 5th inning. Rosario walked with the bases loaded to score Rodriguez before Jose Salas singled in Ross. Urbina then took another bases loaded walk and brought in Noah Cardenas and Willie Joe Garry Jr. ended the inning on a sacrifice fly that allowed Rosario to score again. Cedar Rapids only had six hits for the game, and only Ross recorded a pair of hits, but the Kernels had great plate discipline taking nine walks. MUSSEL MATTERS Dunedin 8, Fort Myers 5 Box Score Tomas Cleto was on the bump today for the Mighty Mussels, and his day got started a bit late after a brief delay. Working 3 2/3 innings, Cleto gave up five hits that turned into three runs. Cleto punched out four while walking three. Ronny Henriquez did get two innings of work in relief, and the Twins prospect will move up to St. Paul shortly. After getting behind 4-0 through the top half of the 5th inning, Fort Myers began to answer. Danny De Andrade singled in Rubel Cespedes to put the Mighty Mussels on the board. It was De Andrade doing damage again in the 7th inning when he took a bases loaded walk to drive in Dalton Shuffield. Andrew Cossetti then followed his lead and walked to score Dylan Neuse and make it a one-run game. Dunedin doubled their tally in the 8th inning and made it an 8-3 contest. While Alec Sayre was able to drive in Ricardo Olivar on a single in the bottom half, that’s where this rally would end. Carlos Aguiar was the only hitter to record multiple hits in the game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Kyle Jones (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Day – Ben Ross (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, BB, K PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-5 #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) -0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 2-7, R, RBI, 2B, HR(4) K #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, RBI, K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, 3 K #17 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (6:37PM CST) - TBD Wichita @ Frisco (6:05PM CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30PM CST) - TBD Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games! View full article

The Twins have added depth to the starting rotation, pushing some players down the organizational depth chart. Today we start a series looking at young pitchers that might need to shift to a bullpen role to impact the big-league roster in 2023. Image courtesy of Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Entering last season, Jhoan Duran had been a starting pitcher for his entire career. A lengthy injury history made the Twins reconsider his long-term role with the club. He was shifted to the bullpen and became one of the team's most valuable assets. Only some players can be as successful in transitioning to the bullpen, but there are multiple players the Twins may consider shifting to a bullpen role during the upcoming season. The Twins acquired Ronny Henriquez and Isiah Kiner-Falefa last March from the Rangers for Mitch Garver. Texas had initially signed Henriquez as a teenager from the Dominican Republic. He pitched well in his professional debut with a 1.55 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP with 12.3 K/9. In 2019, he made his stateside debut and saw his ERA rise to 4.50, but he struck out 99 batters in 82 innings. The Rangers were aggressive with Henriquez coming out of the pandemic. He pitched at High-A and Double-A in 2021 and posted an impressive 105-to-25 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 93 2/3 innings. He was over two years younger than the average age of the competition at each level and only faced younger batters in 10 plate appearances. Most of the damage against him came via the long ball, but he held opponents to hitting .220/.277/.421 (.697) in 21 appearances (16 starts). Season in Review: 2022 Last season marked Henriquez's first in the Twins organization, and they followed the Rangers' aggressive development plan. Henriquez started in extended spring training before being assigned to St. Paul. He split time between the rotation and bullpen with the Saints while posting a 5.66 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP across 95 1/3 innings. He made 14 starts and 10 relief appearances with a 106-to-33 strikeout-to-walk ratio. For his minor league career, he has posted a 10.6 K/9 and a 2.5 BB/9 while being used primarily as a starter. He made three brief appearances for the Twins last season, all in a long-relief role. He pitched well in a small sample size with a 2.31 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and a 9-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 2/3 innings. Henriquez pitched three innings or more in every appearance. All three earned runs came in his big-league debut at Cleveland in four innings. There were positives to build off of as he headed toward the 2023 campaign. Projections for 2023 Henriquez is dealing with right posterior elbow soreness this spring. The right-hander underwent an MRI, and the plan is to reevaluate him a week after receiving an injection. This likely means he won't have an opportunity to make the Opening Day roster, but he was likely scheduled to start the year in St. Paul. He's the second youngest pitcher on the 40-man roster, so the Twins may want him to continue to get opportunities to start. Those starting opportunities might be tough to find with the Triple-A starting rotation scheduled to be packed with higher-profile pitching prospects. However, a bullpen role might be his best path to the big leagues in 2023. Depending on the severity of his elbow injury, it seems likely for the Twins to continue to use the 22 year old as a starter. His fastball sits in the mid-90s with a high spin rate that can be deceptive in the upper part of the zone. His slider and changeup already have shown flashes of being plus pitches. His age and pitch mix make it hard to give up this early on him as a starter. Summary For 2023, expect Henriquez to continue to make starts in St. Paul and be ready for either role with the Twins when needed. Long-term, the assumption should be that he will pitch out of the bullpen. Much will depend on his third-pitch consistency. However, with his small frame, and some history of minor injuries, it probably makes sense. There are plenty of examples in MLB history where a player who stands under 6-0 and under 170 pounds being great starters. Pedro Martinez wasn't any bigger. It can work, and Henriquez's whip-like arm action is intriguing. Either way, expect Henriquez to be a multi-inning pitcher. The Twins will likely need every pitcher on the 40-man roster during the 2023 season. Does Henriquez need a longer look as a starter or is it time to shift him to a bullpen role? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

The 2022 Minnesota Twins had plenty of uncertainty entering the year with regard to their bullpen. On the doorstep of Opening Day, Taylor Rogers was traded and the closer role immediately was a question mark. Fast-forward to 2023 and there are less questions, but a pair of arms could provide big answers. Image courtesy of Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports It was never certain that the Twins were going to have Taylor Rogers in their long-term plans. He was entering the final year of team control, and also coming off an injury that sapped effectiveness in 2021. Emilio Pagan certainly didn’t work out in his place, but the hope is for better returns in year two. Ultimately, it was the emergence of Jhoan Duran that all but saved Rocco Baldelli’s group last season, and the unlikeliness of that being a reality seems drastic. Duran wasn’t supposed to make the Opening Day roster, and he was largely a starting prospect until that point. He now is among the league’s best fireballers, and combined with Jorge Lopez at the back, the Twins could have a nice one-two punch. Similar to how Duran emerged quickly to act as a cornerstone, and someone like Griffin Jax was developed into a key cog, a new duo could represent that narrative this season. Enter Jorge Alcala and Ronny Henriquez. After posting a 3.55 ERA during 2020 and 2021, expectations for Alcala were understandably high coming into last year. While he doesn’t possess the same triple-digit regularity as Duran, his average fastball velocity sits above 97 mph. We didn’t get to see him contribute in 2022 as injury ended his year before it truly started, but a healthy version could put him right back in the thick of high-leverage chances. Alcala did record a save in 2021, but more importantly he was someone Baldelli could lean on in key situations. As a strikeout arm that has done a good job of limiting walks, Alcala has already proven that no matchup is too great for him at this level. He’s now had a full offseason of recovery, and although he’ll need to work his way back into the pecking order, knowing the talent is there should provide solace. On the flip side, Henriquez is an arm that seems poised for more. Acquired from the Texas Rangers in the Mitch Garver trade, Henriquez was pitching well past his level at Triple-A. He was five years younger than the average age, and sometimes that manifested itself in his starting results. Eventually the Twins gave Henriquez more work out of the pen, and a front office source noted early on in the season that he could be a big league factor in relief by the end of the season. That seemed lofty given his age and results, but that was the exact path that played out. Working out of the pen, Henriquez allowed an OPS nearly .150 points lower to the opposition. His ERA, while still inflated, was always more than 1.30 runs less per nine innings. It would be foolish to expect Henriquez to contribute at the same level as Alcala immediately, but if the former is a first-half story then the latter could play in the second half. Henriquez still needs to reign in the longball a bit, but there is plenty to like about the repertoire and body of work as a whole. The Twins may have landed Isiah Kiner-Falefa for the big league roster when swinging Garver, but it was always Henriquez that seemed to be the prize. There is validity in suggesting Minnesota could’ve targeted Michael Fulmer or Matt Moore. Maybe they’ll still find room for a different veteran to compete in the bullpen. Still, blocking someone that should re-emerge, or another arm that could be poised for a breakout, seems like it would be a misstep. After watching Duran and Jax flourish a season ago, the next pair has to be their focus. View full article

News has started to trickle in from Spring Training as we start to learn more about the Twins plans for players in 2023. One bit of news that’s dropped is particularly interesting regarding their depth of young pitchers. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports For once, the Twins have some depth to their pitching staff with a mix of holdovers and younger arms in both the rotation and the bullpen. After a 2022 in which they turned Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax from starters to impact relievers, many have become interested in what struggling starting pitching prospect could be the next to follow that path. There are plenty of candidates to be fair. For now however, it doesn’t sound as though we’ll see those plans play out immediately. Such a small piece of news but so much to draw from it. Assuming health, Bailey Ober appears to be headed for Triple-A to begin 2023 due to the MLB rotation depth. For once, however, the Triple-A rotation will be tons of fun with names such as Louie Varland, Simeon Woods Richardson , and Jordan Balazovic behind him. It’s going to be a treat to attend CHS Field this summer to see some legitimate young arms throwing every day. With only limited spots in the Saints rotation, the Twins immediate plans to keep everyone starting is interesting. Not being too quick to transition starters into the bullpen is good practice. Especially considering the health questions in the Twins rotation, it’s good to make sure there are as many arms as possible to step in if things go south. For now, it appears the last spot in St. Paul is a three-way battle with names such as Ronny Henriquez, Cole Sands, and Josh Winder. With a few injuries this spring, those three options for the #5 spot in St. Paul could all find themselves starting games consistently. It may quickly become an issue that works itself out. It’s also just much easier to transition a pitcher from a starter to a reliever in a hurry than it is vice versa If the Twins health holds through the spring and they reconsider a few of their young arms, they could switch them over in no time as they did with Sands and Henriquez down the stretch in 2022. It may not have them as ready to relieve as they would be had they been preparing from Day 1, but some guys are able to flip the switch very quickly. Not committing young arms to those spots also opens up a few more possibilities. The Twins may not have as much Opening Day bullpen depth with all of these young arms remaining starters, but they can go and get external depth to build up even more. As of February 15, players such as Royce Lewis and Chris Paddack can all be put on the 60-Day IL, opening 40-man spots. It’ll be interesting to see how the Twins choose to fill these spots, but it’s probably safe to bet on one addition to the bullpen at the very least. The reliever market has been nearly bare for some time now, but a few fits still exist. They’ve already been linked to Chaska native Brad Hand, who’s far from the bullpen ace he once was but has continued to limit hard contact. Several other arms remain that they could take fliers on such as Will Smith or Trevor Rosenthal. They’re also due for their yearly waiver claim that makes the Opening Day roster. If they have any moves left to make, it’s easy to see at least one of them being a reliever because of the position-player logjam, and the Twins have at least two 40-man spots to fill if they feel inclined to make an addition. It also may be too early to rule out a trade. It’s been reported that the Twins are likely to hold onto Max Kepler, but this could easily be posturing on the Twins part. The left-handed hitting outfield depth is to a point where it can be argued that it doesn’t make sense. They aren’t trading recently-signed Joey Gallo, and Trevor Larnach’s value is likely at a low point despite a hope that he can still become an impact hitter to pair with the plus defense that graded out in 2022. This still leaves Kepler as the likeliest player shipped out if a trade is made. As a "two-ish" win player who gets most of his value from defense at this point, he’s certainly a candidate to be sent out in a trade involving a reliever. The Twins are left with a non-obvious answer for the next man up if one of the current MLB bullpen arms misses time. The Triple-A bullpen likely won’t have a young, obvious option to get the call if needed early in the season, although any acquisitions would likely push Jovani Moran into that spot once again (to this writer’s exhaustion). It’s likely that as the year goes on, we start to see some of these pitchers transition into the bullpen depending on the Twins MLB roster needs and how the young arms perform in the rotation. Sands is noted as the closest one to making this switch after struggling all-around last season. Henriquez got hit far too hard as a Triple-A starter in 2022. Winder’s shoulder appears to be a chronic issue at this point. If any of these issues persist, look for the Twins to pivot quickly off of their preseason plans to keep these arms in the rotation. By season’s end, we’ll likely be seeing a few of them making appearances out of the bullpen. View full article

He was the only player the Twins acquired at the trade deadline that was effective. He's also still a free agent, but he is not without red flags. Image courtesy of © Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports The Minnesota Twins bullpen is filling out nicely, projected as a top-five unit by some systems. They have arguably the best relief pitcher in all of baseball in Jhoan Duran and a strong supporting cast behind him, but there is plenty of noise that the Twins add one more right-handed reliever to fill out the bullpen. A popular candidate to re-sign for that last spot is one of their 2022 trade acquisitions, Michael Fulmer. Fulmer was solid for the Twins in the back half of the season, claiming a 3.70 ERA, 4.14 FIP, with a 20.6% K% and 7.5% BB% for Minnesota post-deadline. There has been little noteworthy reporting on a potential landing spot for Fulmer this offseason. Would a reunion in MN make sense for the right-hander? Fulmer sits in the mid-90s with his fastball, but his calling card is his slider. Throwing it more than 60% of the time and averaging over 90 MPH, the pitch laid waste to right-handed hitters, as Fulmer held them to a .188/.287/.257 slash line in 2022. However, as devastating as he is to right-handers, he was quite the opposite versus left-handed hitters. Allowing a .337/.404/.526 slash line, this extreme platoon split limits Fulmer’s value, as he is only useful against one side of the plate. Fulmer toes a very fine line of success. His strikeout rate is just under league average (45th percentile), and he does a good job of limiting hard contact (61st percentile HardHit%), but walks were a problem for Fulmer in 2022. His 10.1% BB% was the 20th percentile, and while you can be an excellent reliever with a high walk rate, it is difficult to do so while missing bats at a below-league-average level. I believe Fulmer allows too many free passes to consistently rely on the variance of balls in play to be a sustainably reliable relief pitcher in the future. In addition to his struggles commanding the strike zone, Fulmer is starting to see deterioration in his pitch arsenal. Fulmer saw his pitch velocities decline by more than a mile per hour for all four of his pitches. The thing that concerns me the most is what happened to his slider. In addition to losing velocity, it started to lose movement. According to Baseball Savant, from 2021 to 2022, his slider lost more than an inch of horizontal break and an inch of vertical break. Given how often he throws this pitch and how critical it is for his success, declining speed and movement on his slider is extremely concerning moving forward. For a pitcher that is going to rely on soft contact for outs while also not throwing a lot of strikes, seeing their best pitch starting to slip is a red flag. I’m not opposed to re-signing Fulmer, but it would be a risky bet, and it would have to be a low-cost signing. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Twins decided to fill that final bullpen spot with one of their relief prospects instead of Fulmer. Whether it’s Cole Sands, Ronny Henriquez, Trevor Megill, or another option, it’s not an unreasonable bet that the Twins can generate Fulmer’s value as a righty specialist elsewhere View full article

Be it injury or ineffectiveness, sometimes it just doesn’t pan out for starting pitching prospects. The Twins were carried at times in 2023 by starters who switched to the bullpen. It’s hard to ask for another Jhoan Duran, but who could be the next Griffin Jax? Image courtesy of Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports Griffin Jax got a look as a starting pitcher down the inconsequential stretch of 2021. It didn’t go great as evidenced by his 6.37 ERA in 82 innings, but when his bright spots popped up, they were typically driven by a slider-heavy approach. While it can be rash to judge a starting pitching prospect when they struggle in their rookie season, the Twins opted to allow Jax to play to his strengths. In shorter stints, he could feature his wicked slider and complement it with a middling fastball that played up with a three mph increase in velocity. He went on to be a staple of the Twins bullpen, posting a 3.36 ERA in 72 1/3 innings. Could we see another Griffin Jax-type reliever in 2023? Cole Sands Sands became an afterthought to many in 2022 after being used to fill innings in several spots where the Twins were struggling to field a team. Never a prospect with a particularly high pedigree, it’s easy to see his ERA over 5.00 at both the Triple-A and MLB levels in 2022 and consider him as nothing more than a fringy fill-in type. The Twins however haven’t exhausted all of their options with Sands yet. Sands’ carrying tool as a prospect has always been his huge breaking ball which received an excellent 70 grade by Fangraphs. He doesn’t excel in any other department, but there’s a world where the offspeed is good enough to make him a legitimate weapon if he can go out and throw it as much as he wants for an inning. The pitch was in the 88th percentile in spin rate in 2022 and stymied opposing hitters even as he was often used for multiple innings. With several other starting pitching prospects graduating into the depth chart, it may be time for Sands to make the switch. Ronny Henriquez Henriquez is listed at what has been described as a generous 5’10. Regardless of his size, he’s shown the ability to run his fastball into the mid-to-high-90s with impressive spin. In addition, he features a well-regarded slider and changeup as well. Despite these tools, Henriquez just didn’t show what he needed to in Triple-A, posting a 5.66 ERA in 2022 due to issues with the long ball. He made his MLB debut working as a multi-inning bullpen arm for 11 innings. Henriquez could follow a similar path to Jax if converted to a traditional one to two inning reliever. He already featured his slider in his debut, throwing it about 46% of the time and drawing a 32% whiff rate. Like Jax, his fastball got absolutely pummeled. In a condensed role, it’s possible the fastball which debuted at 93.3 mph could gain a few ticks to help him get away with a few more mistakes. Unlike Jax, Henriquez appears to already have a solid left-hander equalizer in the changeup. If the Twins commit to the move for Henriquez at 23 years old, he has the tools to excel in short stints. Bailey Ober It may seem like a longshot for Ober to wind up in the bullpen, but he may be closer than many fans would like to believe. When it comes to the body of work for the 6’9 right-hander, it’s hard to complain about his performance. Ober has a sub 4.00 ERA across his first two MLB seasons and a legitimate four-pitch mix, making him a painful consideration to ever be moved to the bullpen. It’s more about quantity than quality in Ober’s case, however. He’s had an injury-riddled career and has surpassed 100 innings just once in his five professional seasons. His lack of reliability likely played a big part in the Twins acquiring Pablo López, which appears to have pushed Ober out of the Opening Day rotation. Many would be surprised to know that he’s already 27 years old, and at this point, another multi-week IL stint will likely push prospects like Louie Varland and Simeon Woods Richardson ahead of him on the rotational depth chart. With his age, Ober not only becomes more of an injury risk every year, but his projectability becomes an issue. The idea of building up to even 140-150 innings is almost unfathomable following a 2022 season where he threw just over 70. At some point, the Twins may just decide that if Ober’s cap is 100 innings, he may be better off throwing 50-60 innings out of the bullpen and giving those bulk innings to younger starters who are still capable of reaching a starter’s workload. Ober’s already-sufficient pitch would most certainly play up in the bullpen, and it may even help keep him on the field. Do you think the Twins have any more starting pitching prospects who could be headed for a successful bullpen job? Let us know below! View full article