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About this blog

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

Entries in this blog

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
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

2

WARNE: Power Ranking the Fits for the Twins in Free Agency

The hot stove has remained tepid to this point, and while that has been cause for a bit of antsiness among fans and people who care about this news, it also allows us to do what teams are doing with these players — dig in a bit deeper.   So today, we’re taking a look at the power rankings of the players who offer the best fits for the Twins as free agents this offseason with all avenues considered.   1. Shohei Ohtani – RHP/LHH – Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters   Because of the cost-to-potential rat
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

2

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
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

2

REPORTS: Miguel Sano Will Compete in HR Derby

While it’s still in the air whether he’ll be voted to start the All-Star Game — voting ends at 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday — there have been reports that Miguel Sano will be taking place in the Home Run Derby at Marlins Park on Monday, July 10.   Gomez lists himself as the editor of Z101, a verified account on Twitter whose bio says it is the “station with the largest circulation in the Dominican Republic.” A post from that site dated one week ago lists Gomez as winning a prestigious award for h
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

2

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
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

2

7/5 GAME NOTES: Ervin Santana Goes the Distance in Twins 2-1 Loss

Baseball is a game of inches. Of what-ifs. Of should haves, would haves and could haves. This is rarely more evident than in a 2-1 Twins loss Wednesday night at Target Field, when the go-ahead run scored on a steal of home -- as part of a double steal -- and a potential home run ball just missed going out by perhaps less than a foot.   Ervin Santana was brilliant for the Twins, as he tossed his fourth complete game of the season in a losing effort. He threw 117 pitches (80 strikes), and got his
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

Twins Complete Trade for Braves LHP Jaime Garcia

The upshot is this: this trade shows that Thad Levine and Derek Falvey have a pretty good idea of what’s going on with this Twins teamThe long-rumored, yet once-thought-perhaps-dead trade for Jaime Garcia has come to fruition, as the Atlanta Braves announced on Twitter Monday afternoon that the team had moved the left-handed starter, along with catcher Anthony Recker and cash for minor-league pitcher Huascar Ynoa     According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Twins are taking on the rema
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

WARNE: Joe Mauer’s Going Oppo … Again

There isn’t a more polarizing figure on the Minneapolis sports landscape than Joe Mauer. It’s not hard to see, either. For instance, have a look at social media when Mauer gets a day off — any day off — and how the average fan reacts to it. Never mind the fact that Mauer came into Wednesday tied with Brian Dozier for the most games played on the team.   One certainly can’t fault the average fan for suggesting Mauer hasn’t played particularly well this season, however. Mauer’s hitting just .263/.
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

Vargas Down, Enns Up as Twins Continue Roster Churn

Kennys Vargas spent one day with the Minnesota Twins in his latest stint, as the club announced Thursday morning that the first baseman/designated hitter has been sent back to Triple-A Rochester following the previous night’s game.   Vargas appeared in Wednesday night’s game to pinch-hit for starter Bartolo Colon, popping out in foul territory in the eighth inning. Vargas, who was granted a fourth-year option by MLB, has been promoted by the Twins four times this season, but has failed to capita
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

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
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

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
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

REPORT: Twins Sign Anibal Sanchez to One-Year Deal

Twitter was ablaze with the news that the Minnesota Twins had signed former Marlins and Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez to a one-year deal. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports was the first to report a done deal, and also reported that it was a big-league deal worth $2.5 million over one year with the possibility of doubling that total via starts-based incentives.   MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger passes on that the deal is not guaranteed, though it does mean Sanchez will get a 40-man spot — one step up from a
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

8/18 PREGAME NOTES: Godley vs. Santana, Enns Injury Update, Gardy Back

It’s warm and overcast as the Minnesota Twins prepare to open a three-game interleague series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It’ll be righty Zack Godley (2.95 ERA, 3.17 FIP in 106.2 innings) going for the Diamondbacks, with Ervin Santana (3.28 ERA, 4.71 FIP in 156.1 innings) taking the ball for the Twins.   More on that in a bit.   This will be the first regular-season meeting between the Twins and Diamondbacks since Sept. 22-24, 2014 — also at Target Field. The Twins the last two games of th
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

WARNE: Keeping Track of All the Moving Pieces in the Twins Offseason

The Minnesota Twins made a flurry of moves over the past few days that have left fans and media types buzzing with anticipation not only for the 2016 season, but also the rest of this offseason. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, and the Twins have already made or have the wheels in motion on three moves that had direct 40-man and even 25-man roster implications.   The trade to move Chris Herrmann to the Diamondbacks was mostly borne out of a necessity to clear roster space. Even with catcher Eric
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

PODCAST: Brandon Warne and Cole DeVries - Breakdown, Episode 1.o

Hey friends. Just writing to let you know that I've started a podcast with former Twins righty Cole DeVries called "The Breakdown" and we recorded our first episode on Thursday. Check it out!   http://www.spreaker.com/user/sbarnard4/breakdown-w-brandon-and-cole-de-vries-ep   Heads up: The first minute is a bit goofy, but it gets better after that.
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

WARNE: Pitchers Hesitant to Challenge Patient Sano

t’s hard to envision Miguel Sano rewarding the Twins any more than he has through 18 big league games. The 22 year old has hit .283/.405/.517 in 74 plate appearances, and eight of his 17 hits have gone for extra bases. Strikeouts were always going to be an issue in the short term, and that’s been no exception as he’s fanned in 35.1 percent of his plate appearances so far.   For some context, his 162-game paces according to BaseballReference.com are 27 home runs, 99 RBIs and 234 strikeouts. And c
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

WARNE: In an Offseason Game of Poker, Falvey and Levine Make out Like Bandits

Impatience is a natural tendency. That’s especially true for fans of a team that, despite making the postseason last year, had obvious flaws.   So in a sense, it was understandable when Minnesota Twins fans were annoyed that the team came home from the winter meetings just before Christmas with a 40-year-old closer and a broken down starter who gives up too many homers.   Little did they know what would lie ahead for the winter. In fact, it was another month before the Twins did anything substan
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

WARNE: Twins Should Mimic the Astros -- Sort Of

This is an excerpt from a post at Zone Coverage. It appears in full here.   It’s not terribly controversial to suggest that the Houston Astros just climbed the summit to reach heights that fans hope are possible in the near future for the Minnesota Twins.   Like, winning the World Series is the ultimate goal, and seeing a team that was -- at least for a stretch -- going through their rebuild concurrently with the Twins should give fans at least a semblance of hope for the future.   But what it s
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

Twins Shortstop Prospect Nick Gordon Will Play in Futures Game

News broke Thursday afternoon that Twins infield prospect Nick Gordon had been selected to play in the 2017 All-Star Futures Game at Marlins Mark on July 9, 2017. Gordon, who has spent the whole season at Double-A Chattanooga, is the only player who’ll represent the Twins at the game.       The Futures Game — which was first played at Fenway Park during the 1999 All-Star break — was created to showcase top-end minor-league talent, and is separate from All-Star Games at each level. As o
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

1

Angels-Twins Pregame Notes, July 5

It’s steamy with nary a cloud in sight as the Minnesota Twins look to complete a three-game sweep at home against the Los Angeles Angels. A pair of righties will tangle as recently-named All-Star Ervin Santana takes on Parker Bridwell. More on that in a bit.   Miguel Sano got ready for his upcoming trip to Miami for the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby by putting a number of balls -- at least three which I saw -- into section 332 during pre-game BP. That’s not a misprint -- he hit them to the 30
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

0

WARNE: Where Do The Twins Go From Here?

The Twins snapped a five-game losing streak with a 4-3 in over the Rangers on Sunday. The club is now 4-9 in June and has sunk to 34-28, 1.5 games behind the Royals who were incidentally rained out in St. Louis on Sunday — the exact place the Twins open a series Monday.   But “sunk” and six games over .500 doesn’t really make sense in the grand scheme of things.   After all, wasn’t this a team that was supposed to lose 90 again, or thereabouts? And while even the latest updated projections have
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

0

MIDWEST SWING PODCAST - EP 8.o - Paul Sporer of Fangraphs

Joined by Paul Sporer in the latest episode:   Sporer joins the program to discuss Texas, MLB The Show, and of course, pitching and fantasy baseball. Oh, and there's a little dachshund talk as well.   Listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/midwestswing2/MWS_-_Paul_Sporer.mp3   Subscribe/Review: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/facemidwestswing2s-podcast/id1073026341?mt=2
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

0

WARNE: Twins Well Equipped to Handle Rescheduled Games

This is an excerpt of a story that originates on Zone Coverage here. Please click through to read it in full.   Mother Nature has a cruel and ironic sense of humor.   While the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox had three-quarters of a four-game set turned into a winter wonderland last weekend, it’s going to be a balmy 67 degrees on Monday — just in time for the Twins to open a four-game series with the New York Yankees.   In the Bronx, as luck would have it.   Postponements mean make-up game
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

0

Catching up with the Catcher; Hanging With Mr. Hughes

Hey guys, I've been filming video podcasts with a couple Twins players over the last few weeks, and thought this might be a good spot to post them:   Catching up with the Catcher - Ep. 1     Catching up with the Catcher - Ep. 2     Hanging With Mr. Hughes - Ep. 1  
Brandon Warne

Brandon Warne

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