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BW on the Beat

A blog by Brandon Warne in Twins Daily

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About this blog

On-site Twins coverage from Brandon Warne, Zone Coverage Twins beat reporter

Entries in this blog

Garver, Donaldson Express Thoughts, Concerns on Proposed Altered MLB Season

This is an excerpt from a story which originates at Zone Coverage, please click here to read in full.   Minnesota Twins players Mitch Garver and Josh Donaldson addressed local media on a conference call Thursday afternoon, and it covered a wide range of subjects -- many of which would come as no surprise to curious fans. What are they specifically doing to maintain as much of their Grapefruit League progress as possible? What are they doing to pass the days when they aren't working out? Where

From Class A to the Bronx: Detailing Randy Dobnak's Rapid Rise

This is an excerpt from a post originating at Zone Coverage. Please click here to read it in full.   A couple of offseasons ago, we ran a series similar to what we’re doing here, entitled “Minnesota Twins 40-Man Report Cards.” The only key difference to be aware of is since it’s happening now instead of during the offseason, we’re going to make it forward-looking — that is, with the current roster as constructed, looking back on their 2019 season.   Previous editions: Homer Bailey Jose Berrios

Minnesota Twins 2019 40-Man Report Cards: Homer Bailey

Here's an excerpt from an article originating from Zone Coverage. Please click through here to support the content.   A couple of offseasons ago, we ran a series similar to what we're doing here, entitled "Minnesota Twins 40-Man Report Cards." The only key difference to be aware of is since it's happening now instead of during the offseason, we're going to make it forward-looking -- that is, with the current 40-man roster as constructed, looking back on their 2019 season.   So in some cases -- s

The Case for Trading Eddie Rosario this Winter

This is an excerpt from an article that appears at Zone Coverage in full here. Please click through to read it in full.   No matter what direction the 2019 season takes the Minnesota Twins, their offseason is going to be filled with intrigue.   Three of the team’s five starting pitchers — Kyle Gibson, Jake Odorizzi and Michael Pineda — are eligible for free agency, leaving Jose Berrios and Martin Perez, who has a team option, as potentially the sole holdovers heading into 2020. And while the Twi

Despite Recent Turmoil, Twins Rotation has Provided Immense Boost in Strong Season

This excerpt is from an article originating at Zone Coverage. Click here to read it in full.When Devin   Smeltzer was summoned to make a spot start after Michael Pineda was placed on the injured list last Sunday, he became the first pitcher outside of the team’s established rotation to make more than two starts in 2019.   Kohl Stewart has made two starts and Lewis Thorpe has made one. Through 100 team games, 95 of them were started by one of Jose Berrios, Martin Perez, Kyle Gibson, Jake Odorizzi

Observations as the Twins Complete a Sweep of the Royals behind Smeltzer's Gem

This is an excerpt form an article which originates at Zone Coverage. Click here to read it in full.   This isn't the first time Devin Smeltzer has been summoned to the Twin Cities to replace an ailing Michael Pineda on the Minnesota Twins' 25-man roster.   That came back in late May.   But if how the young lefty has thrown in his big-league stints has been any indication, there might not be many more recalls -- he's been that impressive.   The last time we saw the lefty on a big-league mound, h

Twins Clubhouse Reacts to Escobar's Homer off Dozier on Saturday Night

This is an excerpt of an article originating at Zone Coverage. Click here to read it in full.   On the surface, it was just a home run. In a year where 4,588 of them have been hit already, that hardly seems like a real headline-grabber.   MLB hitters have been hitting home runs at a rate of 1.39 per game -- by far the most in a season in history. It's not even really close; the 2017 season ranks second at 1.27 long balls per nine, and no other season is over 1.20.   The homer also came late in a

The Promotion: Devin Smeltzer

This is an excerpt of a story which originates at Zone Coverage here. Please click through to read it in full.   The Minnesota Twins have placed right-handed starting pitcher Michael Pineda on the disabled list with right knee tendinitis, and are purchasing the contract of 23-year-old lefty Devin Smelzter to take his place on the roster.   Smeltzer will make his debut in a start against Milwaukee on Tuesday night at Target Field.   The Player: Left-handed pitcher Devin Smeltzer   The Situation:

Warne Out (5/26): Power Ranking the Current 25-Man Roster of the Minnesota Twins

This article appears in full on Zone Coverage here. Please click through to read it.   Power ranking things can be a fun exercise.   It can be exhausting.   But few things get people talking as much as seeing their favorite things — be it baseball teams, foods or pop culture phenomena — ranked in an orderly list.   We’ve done this in this space before, but here’s how we’d power rank the current 25-man roster of the Minnesota Twins. Like most power rankings, a special formula is used with room fo

WARNE: Twins Capitalized on Unusual Offseason Marketplace to Build a Winner

This content originates at Zone Coverage here -- please click through to read it in its entirety.   In the mid-1980s, MLB teams colluded to keep player contracts — both in terms of length and dollars — from getting out of control. And while we’d stop short of using the c-word to describe the last two offseasons, there are some stunningly similar situations playing out before our very eyes.   Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel are both sitting at home twiddling their thumbs as teams now wait for th

Offseason of Work at Florida Baseball Ranch Appears to be Paying Off for Odorizzi

This is an excerpt from a story which originates at Zone Coverage here. Click through to read in its entirety.   3.34 ERA 3.18 FIP 9.1 K/9   These are the numbers of a pitcher who came to Target Field on Monday night and completely shut down one of the most powerful lineups in the American League.   And believe it or not, they aren't those of Houston Astros fireballer Justin Verlander -- they're from his mound counterpart that evening, Jake Odorizzi.   After a year that didn't go the way he had

WARNE: How Can the Minnesota Twins Address their Relief Woes?

This is an excerpt from an article which originates at Zone Coverage. Click here to read it in full.   It’s not hard to find people with the opinion that the Minnesota Twins need to make a move to address their bullpen.   Those people aren’t exactly wrong, either.   As of this writing, the Twins are ninth in the AL with a bullpen ERA of 4.73. They’re also ninth in WHIP (1.39) and 11th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.3).   Each of those numbers, on their surface, are not terribly exciting. But

Funneling to Tunneling -- the Rebuilding of Tyler Duffey

This is an except of a post originating from Zone Coverage. Read it in full at this link.   You could be forgiven if the Minnesota Twins recalling Tyler Duffey on the last homestand didn’t register on your radar.   A lot of things are going on with this team right now — most notably, winning and hitting homers — and the return of a reliever who posted a 7.20 ERA when fans saw him last probably doesn’t many of them too excited.   But if you think it’s the same Duffey you’ve seen before, you’re so

Common Health Concern Spawns Special Bond Between Kohl Stewart and Young Fan

WRITER NOTE: This is an excerpt from a story that appears in full on Zone Coverage here.   Sometimes you’re just in the right place at the right time.   On Saturday afternoon, that place was Bat & Barrel — the restaurant that used to be known as the Metropolitan Club — down the right-field line at Target Field.   Twins players and fans gathered at the stadium for the yearly gathering known as TwinsFest, which caps the club’s winter caravan and begins the road to Spring Training each year. M

Minnesota Twins Offseason Blueprint -- Version I

This is an excerpt from an article that appears at Zone Coverage; click here to read it in full.   The celebratory alcohol is barely dry on the shirts handed out to the Boston Red Sox after winning the World Series on Sunday night, but in a news cycle that never sleeps, we’re already moving onto the 2019 season via offseason moves.   The Minnesota Twins are facing a pivotal offseason. The brain trust of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have overseen a swinging pendulum so far through two seasons, an

WARNE: How Can the Twins Find Their Brewers-like Path to October?

This is an excerpt of an article that appears at Zone Coverage, click here to read it in full!   By the looks of it, it was going to be a battle reminiscent of David and Goliath. Well, that is, the way Vegas might have seen that battle before it happened.   In one corner was the team everyone expected to be there. The Los Angeles Dodgers opened the year with a payroll of a touch over $187 million, and that was on the heels of spending $200-plus million in each of the previous five seasons.   In

NOTEBOOK: Diamond Awards Winners, Managerial Finalists and Prospect Grades

This is an excerpt of an article that appears in full here at Zone Coverage.   The Minnesota Twins announced their 2018 Diamond Award winners late last week. The Diamond Awards are presented every year on the eve of TwinsFest at a banquet held at Target Field, and the upcoming presentation will be the 14th time they've been handed out.   Here are the awards, as voted on by the Twin Cities chapter of the BBWAA:   Calvin R. Griffith Award (Most Valuable Player): Eddie Rosario   Rosario built off a

What Statcast Says About Minnesota Twins Outfielders — 2016-18

This article appears in full on Zone Coverage here. Please click through to read it all.   Perhaps the most brilliant mind in contemporary baseball analysis — at least among those creating products available to the public — is Daren Willman, the proprietor of Baseball Savant, a website he created on his own before joining forces with MLB.com.   The site is a treasure trove of everything you could ever hope to imagine to learn about the game. You truly are limited only by your own imagination. I

WARNE: Trying to Make Sense of the Buxton Decision

This is an excerpt from an article on Zone Coverage; read it in full here.   Over the weekend the Minnesota Twins made waves in the baseball community by announcing that they were not bringing Byron Buxton up when the Triple-A season ends on Monday. The decision effectively ended Buxton’s 2018 season before it really got a chance to get going, and created a take-storm for one big reason.   By not bringing Buxton up for the last month of the season, they’ll retain his rights through the 2022 seas

The Daily Grind -- and the 2018 MLB Trade Deadline -- through the Eyes of the Director of Team Travel

This is an excerpt of an article from Zone Coverage. Please click here to read the entire piece.   Mike Herman still remembers it like it was yesterday, and can recall it down to the minute.   “June 8, 2012....10:30 a.m.,” he said when we sat down in his satellite office in the Twins clubhouse at Target Field prior to an early-August game.   Prior to that moment, Herman was the team’s No. 1 public relations guy. Dustin Morse -- who has that role now -- was second in command. But that morning, th

Bobby Wilson Using “Eye of the Tiger” to Maintain Perspective During Trying Season

This is an excerpt from a story originating at Zone Coverage. Please click here to read the full story.   One thing I really like about baseball is that there’s always just so much going on. If you don’t pay attention 100 percent, you can easily miss something.   One thing I hone in on is weird personality quirks or tics players have while on the field. Josh Willingham used to open his eyes really wide before stepping into the batter’s box. Addison Reed immediately props his cap atop his head th

Debunking Your Favorite Logical Fallacies Regarding the Twins at the Trade Deadline

This is just part of the full story, which can be read at Zone Coverage here.   In case you've been under a rock over the past four days, you've no doubt seen the widespread reaction to how the Minnesota Twins handled the trade deadline.   It hasn't been great!   But most of it isn't rooted in facts or solid rationale. And I get it; fans are fired up because they get to know these players and then one day they're gone. I don't want people to lose sight of this even though I don't watch the Twins

WARNE: Twins Should Target Yasmani Grandal This Offseason

The full story can be read by clicking through here.   It’s no secret this year hasn’t gone as planned for the Minnesota Twins.   It’s also no secret that the Twins — who look drastically different than they did even a week ago — will see significant turnover this offseason on the roster.   Not only were traded players Eduardo Escobar, Brian Dozier, Lance Lynn and Zach Duke slated to become free agents in the offseason, but so too are Joe Mauer and possibly also Ervin Santana. The upshot here i

Minnesota Twins Player Power Rankings (6/26)

I’ve decided to re-format these a little bit, as I’m going to separate them into position players and pitchers. It’s hard to truly gauge the effect between a utility infielder and a lefty specialist — just an example — but separating the positions out seems to make the most sense to me.   If you have an objection, feel free to air it in the comments section, and it will be heard.   Position Players (10 words or less) OF Eddie Rosario – Saving the entire team’s bacon, one hack at a time. IF Ed

WARNE: Pressly, Morrison United by Similarities from Fathers

This is part of a story that appears in full on Zone Coverage here. Please click through to read it in full, and consider subscribing!   You wouldn’t think Logan Morrison and Ryan Pressly have much in common.   Morrison is a little over a year older, married with a child and is not necessarily brash, but definitely outspoken. That outspokenness has led to times where he’s butted heads with people in charge, but he’ll tell you he’s never said anything he didn’t mean or felt was true in the moment

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