Three Storylines for the Twins in the World Baseball Classic

[Ted Schwerzler]

This week we will see the return of the World Baseball Classic. Although certain stars have opted out of the tournament due to injury or in an effort to remain with their Major League club’s, the Minnesota Twins still have more than a few participants. While watching the games, there are a few things to key in on.

 

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

After originally planning to play for Puerto Rico, newly re-signed superstar Carlos Correa will be out of the tournament. He will miss some time this week however as his wife Daniella is scheduled to give birth to their second son. It’s the second time Correa will have missed an opportunity to play third base alongside countryman Francisco Lindor. In his place, Jose Miranda could have been the option at the hot corner, but he too will stay with the Twins as he rehabs a sore throwing shoulder.

Miranda and Correa aren't alone in stepping away from the tournament. Star reliever Jhoan Duran also opted out despite already touching 102 mph during live at bats. After signing with Minnesota, Donovan Solano decided he would take the time to acclimate with his new team rather than play in the tournament as well.

It appears as though Minnesota still has seven players on rosters for the tournament, and that’s where the focus should be as the action gets underway. Jose De Leon and Edouard Julien are probably the two players least likely to be on the Opening Day roster, but they join the likes of Pablo Lopez, Jorge Lopez, Christian Vazquez, Jovani Moran, and Emilio Pagan as participants.

With respect to those playing, here’s some things you should be looking for:

Health
First and foremost, the Twins don’t need to see injury for any of their players competing in the tournament. The expectation will be that players and managers operate with a focus on the regular season. Although there is a certain desire to win the tournament, each player knows their season ahead is most important. Having already seen Nick Gordon and Austin Martin fall injured during Spring Training, Rocco Baldelli certainly doesn’t want to see more issues for any of his potential players.

 

With Vazquez slated to be Minnesota's Opening Day starter behind the dish, him remaining healthy throughout the tournament is paramount. Minnesota has seen Gary Sanchez be ineffective while both Mitch Garver and Jeffers have missed time in recent seasons. Vazquez isn't expected to be an offensive juggernaut, but he's a reliable talent defensively and the depth in the organization below the Major League level is not ideal.

 

Quality of Pitching
The pitchers representing Minnesota in the World Baseball Classic are a very intriguing bunch. Pablo Lopez is the headliner having just come over from the Miami Marlins, so seeing how he looks early against some real competition should be more than exciting. Depending on how De Leon is utilized, it’s Lopez that will be the only starter.

From a reliever standpoint, there couldn’t be more to monitor. Pagan did not show well in his spring debut, and tightening things up is a must if he’s going to instill confidence when he takes the mound. Jorge Lopez struggled after joining Minnesota last season, and returning to an All-Star level would be more than nice to see. Moran is certainly battling for a spot in the bullpen, and while he could have an inside track as a lefty, starting strong on a big stage could certainly do wonders.

Next Step for Julien
Thus far we have seen no reason to suggest that Julien’s bat isn’t legit. He raked everywhere last season in the minors, and then continued to do so during the Arizona Fall League. He has started nicely for the Twins this spring, and carrying that over to elite levels of competition for Team Canada is a must. Given his lack of defensive flexibility, the quality of his bat will be what plays, and if he can showcase it during whatever action he sees now, it could help to influence the timeline he sees in 2023.

Team USA is led by Mike Trout and a host of other superstars. The Dominican squad is absolutely stacked. The tournament itself should be a fun one, and there will be plenty of high intensity action to watch alongside the Spring Training games taking place down in Fort Myers.

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[rwilfong86]

I'll be watching this as much as I can but I worry about injuries.

[Rosterman]

 wish it wasn't in the midst of spring taining. But.....

 

[se7799]

Dominican Republic team showed up at Fort Myers today.  Turned out to be a nice treat to watch.  Nice seeing Nelson Cruz on our fields again.

[Trov]

I personally have little interest in the WBC.  I also wish it was not during spring training.  I am not concerned about injuries, they are not any more likely to happen than any other games, other than maybe a pitcher trying to throw more than arm is ready for.  I would hope the pitcher would identify that issue before it becomes one.  Unless the manager for the team does not care about that. 

However, there is really no good time to fit this in.  Before season, you run risk of too much too soon.  During the season, players will opt out to get rest normally to be ready for team.  Post-season, you run into players being banged up and just ready for a break, so they will either opt out or not be healthy.  I am glad it is only every 4 years. 

[chpettit19]

I love the WBC! Stayed up way too late last night watching the first game, and got up too early this morning to watch that butt kicking. I want to see the best players in the world play against each other. It's a fantastic watch for me.

Really excited to see what Julien can do for Canada. Maybe he can pick up a little nugget of hitting knowledge from Freddie Freeman during his time with him in that clubhouse.

Pablo, Jorge, and Emilio are the arms I care about watching. Is Pablo dominant? Jorge looking more like the Baltimore version from last year or the Twins? Emilio still terrible and I still need to be cranky he's on the roster?

Should be a great few weeks of really great baseball!

[se7799]

4 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

I love the WBC! Stayed up way too late last night watching the first game, and got up too early this morning to watch that butt kicking. I want to see the best players in the world play against each other. It's a fantastic watch for me.

Really excited to see what Julien can do for Canada. Maybe he can pick up a little nugget of hitting knowledge from Freddie Freeman during his time with him in that clubhouse.

Pablo, Jorge, and Emilio are the arms I care about watching. Is Pablo dominant? Jorge looking more like the Baltimore version from last year or the Twins? Emilio still terrible and I still need to be cranky he's on the roster?

Should be a great few weeks of really great baseball!

Yes to all of this ! ! ! Will be fun few weeks as a fan of everything baseball.

[Blyleven2011]

Ted mention Moran is fighting for a roster spotcto go north ...

Why is he fighting for a job on the 26 man roster , yes he walks a few to many but he van get the job done ...

The best players should go north with the club ...

Pagan should be fighting for a roster spot on the 26 man roster ...