stringer bell

Hustle double for C-4!

I'm not completely sure he won't supplant Urshela, if he hits as expected. Urshela had only one extra base hit in April, so to be a plus offensive player, he really needs a high OBP. Miranda's hitting is supposed to be legit, having good bat-to-ball skills plus power. If he put up above-average offensive numbers, he could get plenty of at-bats at third, as well as first and DH.

One more comment on Miranda playing first base--Trevor Story had never played second base and Bobby Witt Jr. played half of the innings at third as Miranda has at first coming into this season. Moving someone to the easier position to get their bat in the lineup isn't unprecedented. It is not like they are putting him in center field or shortstop.

28 games at first base last year. I don't think that is "very little" experience at first or is a "virtual stranger".

He is no stranger to first base. His versatility was probably one of the factors that got him promoted.

Silver lining department: perhaps a 40-man roster opportunity.

Sorry to hear the news on Sanó. I would expect he’ll be ready to play some time this summer.

It may be they have the chance to establish themselves before Kirilloff is recalled of activated.

Absolutely. I would expect Miranda to be the starting 1B against left handed pitching. Yesterday, he played third and I would expect some job-share (not a true platoon) with Urshela. DH at-bats should be available, as well.

No question that Duran has great stuff. Can he go back-to-back? Will his arm hold out? Do the Twins want to put him in the bullpen permanently? Will they consider using him for two-inning saves?

Late to this thread, but 14 pitchers is the maximum for teams from yesterday until May 29, at which point the maximum drops to 13. So if there are no more injuries, Gray would have to displace another pitcher. The reference to players being recalled and not getting a chance refers to Drew Maggi, a career minor leaguer, recalled for three days because Simmons wasn't allowed to go to Canada. Not the same thing as Miranda, a top 100 MLB prospect. Sano will be out awhile, perhaps a long while, so Miranda should get a real good shot to see if he's ready for the show. I am pretty sure neither Arraez or Miranda will get any outfield time. I'm hoping, with Miranda's recall, that neither Urshela or Sanchez will have to play first base. Urshela's numbers looked very good when the Twins started their road trip. Unfortunately, he was 0 for Tampa Bay. Numbers bounce up and down this early in the season, ask Kepler or Correa. Worst case scenario, is that Urshela is a valuable utility guy, best case is that he hits lefties well and is the semi-regular third baseman. I've mentioned this in other threads, the thing that stands out to me is that Baldelli and his staff still have legitimate major league players (or in Miranda's case a legitimate prospect) to choose from. He's not choosing the lesser of two evils to DH or having to decide which sub-Mendoza line infielder to play. This is with three position players on the Injured List. The depth is depleted in the outfield and first base, but these are still major leaguers to choose from.

In looking over the prospect lists, the thing that stands out to me compared to last year is that the prospects (especially pitchers) are playing! Balazovic is on rehab starts and Enlow is scheduled to pitch this month. Everyone else is active—great news.

Welcome to MLB Jose Miranda! I was wondering if Arraez would play third and Miranda first or vice versa. I would expect Miranda to get starts at first against left handers. Another lineup note is that Gordon is getting a start at the expense of Sanchez, with Larnach moving into the DH slot. BTW, Urshela probably really needs a day off anyway. It occurred to me that the Twins are building depth. There really isn't anybody on the roster on a pass. Even with the injuries (Sano, Garlick, Kirilloff), there are all major league players on this team.

It seems to me that it is on Kirilloff to make his way back to the Twins. While he hasn't been optioned, if he doesn't perform in his rehab, it seems that he certainly will officially send him down to St. Paul. Kirilloff needs to recover physically and mentally.

Disagree. Kirilloff had played precious little left field and when he and Larnach manned the corners, Alex was in right and Trevor in left. Neither guy is reputed to be a great outfielder, but Kirilloff has played plenty of first base and is solid there. Overall, Larnach is decent in the OF and with experience might become above average IMHO. Kirilloff is probably going to end up at first base.

Martin left the Wind Surge game early. Any report on that?

I think it was Bremer who said that Kirilloff will have to hit his way out of St. Paul (that is barring more injuries) and that makes sense to me. If he can't get his swing going, whether it's due to rust or injury, he really can't help the Twins. I do expect Gray back in somewhere between a week and ten days. I doubt Winder will spend much time at all in the minors. The Twins currently have two starters on the shelf and it will surprise me if they have all seven that have started games this year all healthy and relatively effective at once. Giving Sano a chance for a reset might be a blessing in disguise. Jordy Blaze (Balazovic) didn't have much luck in his first start, but the key thing here is his health. Apparently, Gray had no trouble with minor league hitters and will only need one more tuneup before he is back. Hopefully Ober won't be far behind, but as I said, it won't surprise me at all if one or more of the current five starters is out or ineffective by then.

TBH, no I don't trust any of them more than what the Twins have. I think the Twins should think about trading a prospect for a proven relief arm, ideally a lefty. This would be particularly true if Alcala comes back healthy and effective and Duran continues to wow everyone while staying healthy.

If Garlick has a disabling injury, it would almost have to be Miranda recalled from St. Paul. Ironic, for most of these three weeks we've speculated which pitchers would be sent to St. Paul and/or exposed via DFA. Instead, Sands was recalled yesterday and two position players will be taken off the active roster--one by option and the other on the Injured List.

Twins fans can take a breath and be very satisfied with where the squad is in the standings and how well they have played in the last 10 games. A 9-1 record in the last 10 games tends to relieve our anxieties. However, I think it is human nature to find something to worry about. Befitting the Twins 13-9 (good, not great) record, there are things to worry about--Miguel Sano's poor start, unsustainable success from youngsters and reclamation projects in the starting rotation and, of course, injuries. My greatest concern is the back end of the bullpen. With the expanded rosters, the bullpens have been both used more and used differently in April. The roster will be reduced by two today and pitching staff will be limited to 14 after today's game. So far, the disappointments have been confined to veterans. Tyler Duffey failed in a save opportunity and took a loss when he entered a game in the middle innings with a lead and gave it up. Caleb Thielbar has strung together several poor outings, featuring his lack of command--both walks and falling behind in counts--and although his numbers are okay, Emilio Pagan has given up a lead and had two ulcer-inducing saves as the de-facto closer. The title of this blog entry points out that all three of these guys are over 30. I do want to point out that two other 30+ bullpen guys have been very good--Danny Coulombe and particularly Joe Smith. I think that the track records of Pagan, Thielbar, and Duffey will allow their manager and pitching coach to give them some rope. Duffey and Thielbar started slowly in 2021, but performed better as the season went along. Pitching for San Diego, Pagan went the other way, as did practically the entire team. Duffey and Thielbar haven't closed games regularly. Pagan saved 20 games for the 2019 Rays and seems to be the preferred option for the manager right now. It doesn't make sense to me to trust any of these guys unconditionally at this point. Jhoan Duran would seem to be an obvious answer and perhaps Jorge Alcala could provide another reliable high-velocity arm in the second half of the season. To me, the Twins need to add someone to the mix that isn't on the roster right now.

Not until Ober or Gray is ready. Maybe another rehab start for Sonny and hopefully a short stint for Ober. I really don’t want to see Sands put in a high leverage situation right now.

Gio is 0-Tampa Bay. Somebody has to struggle.

Great job by the rookie! I suppose they go to the ‘pen now, but this was all Wes and Rocco could have asked for.

Slow your roll, Squirrel. Wasn’t it ten days ago we were deciding when to throw up the white flag? Actually, I totally agree, but don’t want to jinx it.

14 on the active roster now.