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All things Minnesota Twins

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The Past, Present, and Future for Miguel Sanó

Photo credit: © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports   On his 27th birthday, let’s review Miguel Sanó’s up-and-down Twins career.   The past:   Sanó, a shortstop at the time, was widely regarded as the top free agent teenage prospect in Latin America in 2009. At just 16 years old, Sanó signed for $3.15 million with the Twins and began his trek to Minnesota.   Sanó thrived in rookie ball. As an 18-year-old, he hit .292/.352/.637 with 20 home runs and 18 doubles in 66 games for Elizabethton.   Gaining s
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Keeping Graterol, Acquiring Maeda Should Be the Twins' Goal

In a bizarre and frustrating twist, the Red Sox are staunchly refusing to get anything less than Graterol (and more) from the Twins. It just ain’t gonna work with Boston, Falvine.   Kenta Maeda, with his underrated toolbox, would look great in Minnesota. Since his rookie season in 2016, Maeda ranks second to Max Scherzer among all pitchers with at least 1,000 at-bats against right-handed hitters (.199). In a right-handed heavy league and division, his prowess is welcomed with open arms.   A larg
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Plan B: Dallas Keuchel and Josh Donaldson

Somewhat expected news dropped on Saturday night when LaVelle E. Neal of the Star Tribune basically removed Hyun-Jin Ryu from the Twins' potential list of targets in his latest Winter Meetings primer article.   Similar to Zack Wheeler, Ryu has a preference to stay on the coast. For Wheeler, the east was most desirable. But for Ryu, he would like to remain in or near Los Angeles, where he has spent his entire career.   With this presumably in mind, Madison Bumgarner has the best resume of the rem
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Pros and Cons: Ryu or Bumgarner?

The Twins missed on Zack Wheeler when he signed a 5-year, $118 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine made an offer that Wheeler may have considered had he not been tied so heavily to New Jersey and the National League East.   The good news is that Wheeler is not the only realistic impact pitcher that the Twins can acquire. They took a considerable step forward by resigning Michael Pineda to a 2-year, $20 million contract late Thursday night.   The
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Why the Reds and Twins Should Talk About Trevor Bauer

As I was pondering about the potential rotation for the Twins in 2020, I remembered something. It had been in the back of my mind but it came to the forefront today.   Thad Levine, in an interview with Aaron Gleeman, proclaimed that the Twins explored a trade during the season for Trevor Bauer. I can not remember the exact quote, but it went something like this: “We are interested in the player (Bauer), but it is unlikely that the Minnesota Twins will make a deal with the Cleveland Indians.”   O
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Why Jordan Balazovic has the makings of an ace

Rightly so, Twins fans are very excited about Brusdar Graterol, the flame-throwing 21-year-old from Venezuela. Graterol was called up to the Twins bullpen last summer and mostly impressed, even touching 102 MPH on his sinker. Graterol will be in the rotation soon enough, and his future partner in crime, the one they call "Jordy Blaze,” is on his way to stardom.   Jordan Balazovic was drafted in the 5th round of the 2016 Amateur Draft out of Mississauga, Canada. Balazovic played in eight Gulf Coa
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One Reliever the Twins Should Be Locked in On

The Twins bullpen was mostly great in 2019 as they finished with the third best WAR in baseball, per Fangraphs. They had the best second half reliever WAR and watched Tyler Duffey and Trevor May become legitimate weapons along with the great Taylor Rogers.   Starting pitching will be the main focus this offseason, and rightly so. Trade deadline acquisition Sergio Romo is the only impending free agent from the bullpen. One of the other names circling at the deadline was left-hander Jake Diekman.
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What will the Twins Opening Day lineup be in 2020?

Much of the discussion in the early part of the offseason has understandably been pitching. While the Twins must fill in their rotation, there are still plenty of questions to be answered at the plate. Here is my crack at the 2020 Opening Day lineup:   1. Luis Arraez, 2B   Arraez is the quintessential leadoff hitter. He takes elite at-bats and rarely strikes out.   2. Jorge Polanco, SS   Polanco should again slot in second. Do the Twins prefer to put more power behind Arraez?   3. Nelson Cruz, D
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Winning in Dobtober

Game one has come and gone. The Twins fell 10-4 in 8 1/2 gut wrenching innings. Manager Rocco Baldelli will send Randy Dobnak to the hill in game two today at Yankee Stadium. Here are the keys to victory for the standout rookie:   1. Get ahead in the count   Dobnak has portrayed an exceptional ability to throw strikes. Dobnak sports phenomenal per-nine numbers: 1.6 BB, 7.3 K, and 0.3 HR. His unique ability to limit fly balls gives him a substantial advantage at Yankee Stadium. When Dobnak gets a
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How important is Luis Arraez?

Rocco Baldelli is putting his rookie "through the ringer" to get healthy for the ALDS:     Let's pretend we read that before the 2019 season began. First, the Twins are in the ALDS? Second, who is the rookie? Is it top prospect Royce Lewis? Alex Kiriloff? Trevor Larnach? Brusdar Graterol? nope. It is 22-year-old Venezuelan phenom Luis Arraez. Arraez ranked 15th in the Twins minor league system on MLB.com in 2018. In October 2019, he is the Twins starting second baseman and best hitter.   Ar
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ALDS: Bomba Squad vs. Bronx Bombers

With just two weeks remaining, the Twins are in firm control of the AL Central.   The real race is happening between the Astros and Yankees, and Houston is closing in on the top seed. This sets up for an ALDS matchup between Minnesota and…The New York Yankees.     Minnesota:   The Twins will head to October with one of the most prolific offenses in MLB history. Minnesota ranks first in homers, second in batting average, and third in OPS. On Tuesday, Miguel Sano broke the league record for most p
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How will the AL Central finish?

MINNESOTA TWINS OPPONENT (# OF GAMES) - SERIES PREDICTION   @ Texas (4) - Twins 3-1 vs. Chicago White Sox (3) - Twins 2-1 vs. Detroit (3) - Twins 3-0 @ Chicago White Sox (3) - Twins 2-1 @ Detroit (4) - Twins 3-1 @ Boston (3) - Red Sox 2-1 vs. Cleveland (3) - Twins 2-1 vs. Washington (3) - Twins 2-1 @ Cleveland (3) - Indians 2-1 vs. Chicago White Sox (3) - Twins 2-1 vs. Kansas City (4) - Twins 3-1 @ Detroit (3) - Twins 3-0 @ Kansas City (3) - Twins 2-1   Final Record: 101-61   CLEVELAND INDIANS
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Sensational Sano

On an 0-1 count in the bottom of the ninth inning, Miguel Sano crushed a 443 foot home run to help the Twins defeat the Braves 5-3 on Monday. Jake Odorizzi went six full innings and allowed just one run on a Freddie Freeman gift to the short left field porch. Trevor May was phenomenal in two innings of work, and Max Kepler blasted his 31st homer of the season. What does this win really mean?   1. If you did not already know, the Twins are one of the best teams in baseball. Atlanta is in first pl
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What should the Twins give up for Madison Bumgarner?

As the deadline lingers, Madison Bumgarner is reportedly on the block again.   What should the Twins realistically give up for the World Series Champion?   Too much: Any of SS Royce Lewis or OF Alex Kiriloff This was a different situation for Noah Syndergaard, as he had team control for seasons, but Bumgarner is a rental for 10-12 starts. Losing Lewis or Kiriloff would be an expensive blow for a short-term option.   Too little: Nothing including P Brusdar Graterol or P Jordan Balazovic While I d
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Jake Odorizzi: the X Factor

Although there have been a number of surprises, Jake Odorizzi has been one of the best for the Minnesota Twins. After going 7-10 and posting a 4.49 ERA in 2018, Odorizzi has improved mightily. His 9.4 SO/9 is the highest of his career. Odorizzi had a phenomenal month of May, going 4-0 with a 0.94 ERA and opponent BA of .160.   In July, Odorizzi holds a 9.35 ERA and is allowing a 1.106 OPS in four starts. His last start came at home against the Yankees, where he surrendered nine runs and two home
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Defying History: a preview and prediction of game two with New York

The Garvsauce delivered for Minnesota on Monday as they defeated the Yankees 8-6 in game one. Here is the full recap: http://twinsdaily.com/articles.html/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins/twins-game-recap-722-twins-turn-triple-play-mitch-garver-homers-twice-in-win-over-yankees-r8133   The Twins will send Kyle Gibson to the mound tonight. Gibson pitched well Thursday against Oakland, going seven strong and striking out seven to improve his record to 9-4. Gibson is now 6-1 at Target Field wit
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Healing Heartbreak: a preview and prediction of the series finale with Oakland

Written by Nash Walker   Saturday was a whirlwind for the Twins. You watched it. You read about it. Let's move on. Final: Minnesota 4, Oakland 5 Series Score: Minnesota 1, Oakland 2 Central Division: Minnesota by 3 over Cleveland   MIchael Pineda takes the hill Sunday and is enjoying a spectacular July. In 12 innings, Pineda has struck out 12 and walked one. Pineda struggled in April and May, but his ERA has plummeted this summer. He is an efficient pitcher, allowing just two homers in his last
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Beating the Blister: a preview and prediction of game two with Oakland

Written by Nash Walker   Game one recap: Eddie Rosario was the hero on Thursday, golfing a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 4-3 lead. Kyle Gibson pitched well and earned the victory on the bump. Mitch Garver and C.J Cron added much needed insurance in the eighth with solo homers. The final: 6-3 Minnesota. Series score: Minnesota 1-0.   Game two is set for tonight and we will see Jake Odorizzi face off against Chris Bassitt. Odorizzi returned from the break with 89 pi
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R-E-L-A-X: A preview and prediction of game one with Oakland

The stunning streak is over. Your Minnesota Twins finally fell for the third straight time on Wednesday, losing 14-4 to the Mets. Through 94 games, Minnesota is 2.5 games behind the Yankees for the first seed in the playoffs.   This is the toughest stretch of the second half for the Twins. Oakland comes to town this evening for a four game set, and the Yankees will follow next week. Both teams are well above .500 and Oakland is red hot with a +31 run differential in five wins since the break. Pe
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