Notebook: Twins Beat Boston in Spring Training Opener

[Tom Froemming]

The Minnesota Twins opened their 2021 Spring Training schedule by defeating the Red Sox 7-6 in seven innings Sunday afternoon. Notes on that game and more in today's Twins Daily Notebook.Twins 7, Red Sox 6 (7 innings)

Box Score | Baseball Savant

 

TWINS TAKEAWAYS

Standout pitcher: Taylor Rogers (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K)

Standout hitter: Miguel Sanó (two-run double, the team’s only extra-base hit)

Fastest pitch: Ian Hamilton 95.4 mph

Max exit velo: Mitch Garver 104.9 mph

 

Mitch Garver collected the first Twins hit of spring, a single that came off the bat with an exit velo of 104.9 mph. Jorge Polanco started at second base and walked in both of his plate appearances. Alex Kirilloff was 0-for-2 with a strikeout. Byron Buxton was 0-for-3 with a strikeout and (what sounded like) a nice catch at the wall. Twins 2020 first-round pick Aaron Sabato struckout in his only at-bat. Miguel Sanó delivered the biggest hit of the game for the Twins, a two-run double.

 

 

The only hit Twins starter Devin Smeltzer gave up over his two innings was a solo homer. Tyler Duffey gave up a pair of homers himself. New Twins Hansel Robles and Ian Hamilton each delivered a scoreless inning.

 

John's Report from The Fort today focused on fans being back at the ballpark, so make sure to go check that out. A limited number of fans were allowed in the stands — 2,154 to be exact — and Smeltzer soaked it all in.

 

Tomorrow: Twins at Rays 12:05 pm CT.

 

The first spring TV broadcast will be Wednesday afternoon on FSN. Twins starting pitchers the next four games are expected to be Lewis Thorpe, Charlie Barnes, José Berríos and Kenta Maeda.

 

OTHER NOTES

Seven-inning games!?!? Yup. As Phil Miller reported for the Star Tribune, things are going to be a bit looser than usual this spring. In year’s past, teams would have the majority of their minor leaguers around at the complexes, and could pull from that player pool to provide an abundance of depth.

 

Games will all be seven innings at least through this first week, with the bottom of the seventh being played even if the home team is winning (which was the case today). Innings may be abandoned prior to three outs being recorded and players can re-enter games.

 

Basically, early Spring Training games are now informal scrimmages, but it sounds like we’ll see traditional exhibition games later in the month.

 

PSA: If you’re someone lucky enough to attend one of these Spring Training games, please keep in mind we’re counting on you to follow the rules and make a good impression. Police officers had to remove a fan from the stands at the Tigers’ Spring Training stadium, and were rewarded by having him throw a beer at them. Don’t be this guy. Don’t risk ruining this for the rest of us.

 

Here’s the latest on new Twins pitcher J.A. Happ ...

 

... and shortstop Andrelton Simmons:

After a busier offseason than expected, Kansas City managed to sign Hunter Dozier to an extension. Dozier’s had a 119 wRC+ over the past two seasons, which is a point higher than Max Kepler’s mark over that same span.

 

SEE ALSO

Larnach Focused on Process, Improvements and Winning

Getting Geeky Part 3: Sharing the LI Wealth

Which Pitch Should Kenta Maeda Add in 2021?

 

Click here to view the article

[AceWrigley]

. . . "today focused on fans being back at the ballpark" . . . 

 

Fans? So, it was really hot and they had to blow the air around with fans? I don't get it. 

[mikelink45]

I really had to laugh when you said "The only hit Twins starter Devin Smeltzer gave up over his two innings was a solo homer."  That is faint praise.  

 

The real story is Astudillo at 3B,  This could go a long ways towards giving him a roster spot.

[h2oface]

Simmons still not here. Damn. There has to be a better way to manage this kind of thing. It seems that the team should be more involved, and have better management about it, and clauses in contracts for the employed to comply. Maybe they do. But for this to happen seems so delinquent to have it come to this when the day roles around. If he is still "waiting for his appointment to be set in Curacao to get his paperwork taken care of", it doesn't seem even close at this point!

 

The spring needs to be spent getting Polanco ready at second, and the teamwork of Simmons and Polanco fine tuned. If Simmons doesn't show up, we will have a real problem with the process.

 

I hope they separate the wheat from the chaff this year and we don't see Astudillo anywhere but in St Paul's CHS Field.

[denarded]

 

Simmons still not here. Damn. There has to be a better way to manage this kind of thing. It seems that the team should be more involved, and have better management about it, and clauses in contracts for the employed to comply. Maybe they do. But for this to happen seems so delinquent to have it come to this when the day roles around. If he is still "waiting for his appointment to be set in Curacao to get his paperwork taken care of", it doesn't seem even close at this point!

 

The spring needs to be spent getting Polando ready at second, and the teamwork of Simmons and Polanco fine tuned. If Simmons doesn't show up, we will have a real problem with the process.

 

I hope they separate the wheat from the chaff this year and we don't see Astudillo anywhere but in St Paul's CHS Field.

I agree, but the teams HAVE to be doing something earlier than the week players report. The assistant to the assistant Travel Coordinator I'm sure has responssabilities and deadlines to get this sussed out. Otherwise, sign me up

[adjacent]

 

Simmons still not here. Damn. There has to be a better way to manage this kind of thing. It seems that the team should be more involved, and have better management about it, and clauses in contracts for the employed to comply. Maybe they do. But for this to happen seems so delinquent to have it come to this when the day roles around. If he is still "waiting for his appointment to be set in Curacao to get his paperwork taken care of", it doesn't seem even close at this point!

 

The spring needs to be spent getting Polando ready at second, and the teamwork of Simmons and Polanco fine tuned. If Simmons doesn't show up, we will have a real problem with the process.

 

I hope they separate the wheat from the chaff this year and we don't see Astudillo anywhere but in St Paul's CHS Field.

As it was stated in another thread, work visas are initiated by the employer, and have to be approved by the US consul in the foreign country. Other than show up at his appointment, there is little that the player can do.

[h2oface]

 

As it was stated in another thread, work visas are initiated by the employer, and have to be approved by the US consul in the foreign country. Other than show up at his appointment, there is little that the player can do.

 

 

So.... this is all on the Twins' FO?

[Jacksson]

Crack the whip.

Get the Feds involved.

Player gets in to the USA on an expedited basis or

No cushy job for the US consul.

No foreign aid for that country.....

[Squirrel]

So.... this is all on the Twins' FO?

It’s on no one except the process and the two countries. If Simmons had been signed in November, this wouldn’t be an issue, but Simmons’ signing wasn’t official until Jan. 31. As adjacent said, there is a whole thread on this in the Twins Talk forum with some good information. I’ve been through this process before ... the employer makes the application, not the player, and it takes time.

[twinfan]

I hate the mph off the bat. So what? I'd take a 60 mph single over a 110 mph out anytime. It's stats like that that are ruining baseball (IMHO). While it's fun to get to watch your teams in early spring training, the real meaning of games comes in the last week before the season starts.

GO TWINS

[adjacent]

 

 

No foreign aid for that country.....

That wouldn't be very smart since the country itself has nothing to do. It's all on the US consul (or the US delegation as a whole) in that country, And also, the fact that Simmons was signed just before spring training. You can't start the immigration paperwork for an employee before the contratc is signed.

[prouster]

 

I hate the mph off the bat. So what? I'd take a 60 mph single over a 110 mph out anytime. It's stats like that that are ruining baseball (IMHO). While it's fun to get to watch your teams in early spring training, the real meaning of games comes in the last week before the season starts.

GO TWINS

 

If I'm comparing player A, who averages a 60 mph exit velocity and goes 3 for 10, with player B, who averages a 110 mph exit velocity and goes 2 for 10, I know who I think will wind up with more hits over the long term.

 

This isn't some weird new stat. Players who hit the ball harder get more hits.