Trending (March 10)

Phil Hughes, starting pitcher

Since joining the Twins in 2014, Phil Hughes has set an all-time baseball record (11.63 SO/BB - only 16 walks - in 2014), signed an expensive extension and then turned around and led the league in home runs allowed the following year. Everyone who follows the Twins and even Hughes himself would admit that last year was a bad year. Hughes missed seven starts due to various hip and back ailments. The velocity on Hughes’ fastball dropped from 92.0 to 90.7. He swing-and-miss percent dropped from 8.9% to 5.5%.

Recognizing that he needed to get back to his 2014 form, Hughes reported to camp 15 pounds lighter than when he left last October. The dividends appear to be paying off already.

Through two spring training starts, Hughes has pitched five innings, surrendering only one hit (which was erased by a double-play). He’s thrown 45 pitches*, with 29 of them reaching the strike zone. This percentage (64.4%) is almost a 10% decrease from his 2014 season, but it’s early in the season and the sample is admittedly tiny. Though he hasn’t recorded a swing-and-miss pitch to this point, he’s passed the “eye-test” through two brief appearances. That’s progress over anything that Hughes did in 2015.

Trending: Up (and toward the Opening Day nod?)

Tyler Duffey, starting pitcher

It was going to take something “fairly significant” for Duffey to work his way out of the rotation. His first start was OK, though he did walk a batter which is slightly out of character. The start he made against Toronto on Tuesday was significantly worse: a five-run first inning that included a walk and a home run. He settled down and finished his outing with a 1-2-3 seven-pitch third inning. But not before issuing his second walk of the day in the second inning.

I’m as big of a Duffey supporter as anyone and I believe he’ll still end up in the rotation, but a string of poor starts, coupled with dominant outings by the other members of the rotation competition, could make heading to Rochester more likely.

At this point, though, let’s just chalk it up as one bad inning.

Trending: Slightly down

Oswaldo Arcia, outfield

2015 was an abysmal year for Ozzie. After starting the year as the Opening Day right-fielder, he fell so far that he finished it with a sub.-200 batting average in the minor leagues.

Arcia spent his winter in Fort Myers working his skills and his body back into shape. So far, the work is paying off. After drawing only four walks in 65 plate appearances with the Twins in 2015, Arcia drew three walks on Monday and showed some defensive chops in both right field on Sunday and left field on Monday. The out-of-options Venezuelan will need to stick as a left-handed bench bat and he appears to be on his way to earning that spot.

Trending: Slightly up

Miguel Sano, right fielder

We know about the big bat and the big arm. What we’re not sure about is the outfield glove on his left paw and the mobility to use it productively. Don’t get me wrong, Sano is athletic enough to play the outfield. But will the experiment work?

He’s turned a semi-routine line out in a double. (Sorry, Ricky.) He’s quadruple-skipped a throw to the cut-off man. But he’s made all of the clearly routine plays and threw out Troy Tulowitzki trying to leg out a double on Tuesday. Oh, and he also hit his first spring training home run as well.

Trending: Steady (but better than expected)

Byung Ho Park, designated hitter

Well, those two blasts certainly helps you forget about all the early swings and misses, doesn’t it?

Trending: Up (up and out of here)

BONUS BATTLE:

Ricky Nolasco vs Tommy Milone, starting rotation

Both have pitched well in their most recent outing, but there’s really only room for one in the rotation. Milone isn’t built for a bullpen success and is making $4.5 million; Nolasco, could be successful in the bullpen, and has two years and $25 million left on his deal. Oh, and Nolasco isn’t going to be too happy if he has to go to the bullpen. He probably isn’t alone in feeling the way he does, but not every player (or his agent) publicly states how they feel. Regardless of how this plays out, Nolasco is going to get his money. The Twins could remove Nolasco from the roster, but he would have to consent to a minor-league assignment. If he won’t go to the bullpen, there’s no reason to think he’d go to Rochester. So the question that remains, will he earn his money as a team player (in the bullpen) or will he force the Twins to make a move? (Call the Dodgers.)

Trending: Towards Tommy

Obviously, those are only five players out of a number that could be mentioned. (Both good and not-so-good.) Who do you have trending one way or the other?

* Spring Training stats are much more difficult to come by, so these stats are based on what Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press has reported on Twitter.