Twins

The second game of the Twins season started out with a bang, the bats were swinging and Sonny Gray got his first start as a Minnesota Twin. In a repeat performance of the first game of the series, the Twins lost by one run. As much as a second loss hurts, there are positives to the game and a lot to look forward to!

With 31 hours until their first game, the Twins traded away their closer, Taylor Rogers. With the season starting very soon, the Twins now have a few big question marks in their bullpen. Who will they rely on to get big outs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings? What roles will each reliever play in the bullpen? How confident are we in each arm? Here are confidence rankings in the Twins bullpen.

And you thought Spring Training stats were pointless. However, looking back on some of MLB’s 2021 Opening Day overreactions, the future was painted pretty clearly despite the non-existent sample size. If not, you’ll have some great ammo on this humble writer come September. It’s a win-win for all, minus the Twins today.

Braving the spring Minnesota cold, for the first time since 2019, Twins fans streamed through the Target Field gates and were welcomed to a “normal” Opening Day experience- no zip-tied seats, mask regulations, or limited ticket sales. 

Minnesota put together a lovely pitching performance, but Robbie Ray’s fantastic outing ultimately was the difference-maker. The Mariners held off a Twins rally late and handed Minnesota’s first season loss.

So the day before the season starts the Twins traded away the head of their bullpen and supposed closer. Taylor Rogers made up half of the projected fWAR of the Twins bullpen per Fangraphs. What was the front office thinking?

As the 2022 season for the Minnesota Twins rapidly approaches, let’s rank every player on the Twins from 40 to 1.

Last week, MLB Network released their Top-100 Players Right Now, and the only Twins players to make it were Carlos Correa at number 14 and Byron Buxton at number 39. As we all know, a healthy Buxton is not the 39th best player in the league; he is more towards the top ten. This dynamic duo for the Twins is amongst the best in the league, but could it be the best duo the Twins have ever had?

Better late than never. The lockout and then weather led to multiple delays for Minnesota Twins Opening Day, but now it's finally here. Today at Target Field, Robbie Ray and the Mariners will kick off the 2022 season against (rookie!) Joe Ryan and your Minnesota Twins.

Get yourself fully ready with the links and resources below, including analysis of today's pitching tilt, breakdowns of each position on the roster, top prospect profiles, and more. It's all ahead. 

Joe Ryan joins a unique company with Jose Guzman and Steve Busby as one of only three MLB pitchers to make their sixth career start on Opening Day. Guzman started Opening Day in 1986 for the Texas Rangers, and Steve Busby pitched on Opening Day in 1973 for the Royals. Do their performances from those starts set any realistic expectations for Ryan?

At the end of the season, Twins Daily will vote on the Minnesota Twins MVP, Pitcher of the Year, Most Improved, Top Rookie, and other awards, including several in the minor leagues. It is Opening Day, not only for the Twins, but also for the Wichita Wind Surge, the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels. 14 Twins Daily writers cast their preseason votes. We want to see your predictions too! 

Making his Triple-A debut, Twins pitching prospect Cole Sands looked the part of a star in what was a dazzling first outing. Unfortunately things got away from the Saints late as they dropped their first game of the season.