Several familiar names to those who follow the Twins minor leagues, but a few new names, will be in Major League Spring Training in February. Here is the press release from the Twins. The one name from another organization that we have not yet heard is Ryan Sweeney. The Cedar Rapids native did not play in 2015. 

 

 

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that 22 players on minor league contracts have been invited to major league spring training camp in 2016.

 

Joining the Twins will be eight pitchers: right-handers Jose Berrios, Nick Burdi, Brandon Kintzler and Jake Reed; left-handers Fernando Abad, Buddy Boshers, Dan Runzler and Aaron Thompson; five catchers Juan Centeno, Mitch Garver, Carlos Paulino, Alex Swim and Stuart Turner; five infielders James Beresford, Buck Britton, Heiker Meneses, Wilfredo Tovar and Engelb Vielma; and four outfielders Joe Benson, Darin Mastroianni, Reynaldo Rodriguez and Ryan Sweeney.

 

Of the 22 players invited to camp, 10 have major league service time: Fernando Abad (Houston, Washington and Oakland), Joe Benson (Minnesota), Buddy Boshers (Los Angeles-AL), Juan Centeno (Milwaukee and New York-NL), Brandon Kintzler (Milwaukee), Darin Mastroianni (Toronto and Minnesota), Dan Runzler (San Francisco), Ryan Sweeney (Chicago-AL, Oakland, Boston and Chicago-NL), Aaron Thompson (Minnesota and Pittsburgh) and Wilfredo Tovar (New York-NL).

 

Twins pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on Sunday, Feb. 21, with their first workout slated for Monday, Feb. 22. The balance of the squad is scheduled to report on Friday, Feb. 26, with full-squad workouts beginning on Saturday, Feb. 27.

 

The Twins currently have 62 players scheduled to report to 2016 spring training.

I did not know about the Sweeney signing... 

 

Seems like we have added a lot of depth... 

 

Now for the sure fire signing... we NEED for the pen! 

Edited December 17, 201510 yr by Homer Hanky

Fernando Abad is interesting. He had a really good year two years ago with pretty good strikeout numbers the past few years.

I fanned on several of my predictions for the list of STI's.

I guessed that Tyler Jay, Stephen Gonsalves,  Brian Navaretto, Nick Gordon and Daniel Palka would be invited.

I was surprised that Fernando Abad, Alex Swim, Heiker Meneses and Ryan Sweeney WERE invited.

Abad was signed last night and Sweeney came out of nowhere.

Swim over Navaretto;  and Meneses over Gordon were the real surprises, although I suspect that Navaretto and Gordon will play in later ST games after some of the other invitees have been invited to leave.

They're already at 62... that's a lot, so it does become a numbers game to some degree... Of course, we assume more will be added to the roster yet (and of course, adding to the MLB roster will be leveled out by removing someone from the 40 man, so it could be even. 

 

Swim can hit for average... And he has a strong arm. 

I hope Berrios gets a real shot to make the team

If I do make it down this year there's going to be a lot of "who's that, who's this guy" flying around until later when they start sporting numbers. 

One of the LH relievers, for sure, and one of the OFers, almost for sure, make the opening day roster

 

Book it.

 

Pretty disapponting offseason.

 

One of the LH relievers, for sure, and one of the OFers, almost for sure, make the opening day roster
 

As long as they aren't on our World Series roster.

 

"Pretty disapponting offseason"

 

It's not over until they replace all the invitees that get invited to leave.

But Swim never seems to actually catch when I look at the box scores and nobody ever talks about him when we discuss catching prospects and depth in the system. He seems like an enigma of sorts.

 

One of the LH relievers, for sure, and one of the OFers, almost for sure, make the opening day roster

Book it.

Pretty disapponting offseason.

That's my guess too, especially on the pitchers.  Kintzler and Abad each have extensive and not altogether terrible recent MLB experience outside the Twins org.  In recent history, those guys have made the team much more often than not.

 

Looking back at the 2011-2015 invitee lists, the only such player that didn't make the team appears to be Jason Bulger back in 2012.

 

Meanwhile, such invitees making the team since 2011 include Robinson, Boyer, Kubel, Bartlett, Guerrier (technically they renegotiated his opt-out date and called him up a month later), Burton, and Sean Burroughs.

 

Ryan Sweeney is the only position player to come close to that criteria this year, although he sat out all of 2015 after being released by the Cubs last spring, so it's hard to gauge his chances.  He doesn't have the "former Twin" factor of Bartlett to compensate for the lost season, but there does appear to be an opening for backup outfielder.