stringer bell

Noah Miller looked outstanding late in spring training. I didn't realize that Encarnacion-Strand was a third baseman. If he is for real, the Twins have an embarrassment of riches on the left side of the diamond in the minors. Why do people limit a starting pitching prospect to "middle of the rotation"? I think Woods-Richardson, Canterino and Balazovic, to name a few, have the potential to lead a rotation, maybe not as rookies but soon. Finally, Martin appears to be off to a tough start in Wichita. I wonder if a permanent move away from shortstop might not help him. I like what I saw of him hitting in spring training, but he looked shaky in the field and he's already committed three errors in three games at AA. I realize that errors aren't the be-all and end-all in projecting a player's fielding ability, but the consensus since Martin was acquired was that he wouldn't be a major league shortstop. There doesn't appear to be room for him to play short at the next level and I'm confident his bat is capable to be advanced.

I was wondering if one of the left handed hitting catchers might end up in Wichita. Godoy and Sisco pretty much fill the profile that Rortvedt provided, although neither is probably as good a defensive catcher as Rortvedt. When the Twins add a 13th position player, one of the two might be added to the major league roster although they would have to create a spot on the 40-man roster.

6-4. Ugh.

Reminds me of a game vs. Seattle last year. Masters Sunday, big lead and then we’ll, Columé blew it in the ninth IIRC.

At this rate the Twins win 24-0 and Buxton hits 8 homers…..I’ll settle for 12-3 with a no-pressure 3 inning Winder save.

Too many pitches in the first inning for Ober.

Thanks for the great work! Where ex-Twins go and how they perform is a constant interest of mine. Most of the time, I have no problem with a player doing well and I don’t blame the Twins often if the players thrives. Once in a while, there’s an obvious mistake by the front office.

I imagine Celestino will get a start today. He could replace Kepler, Kirilloff or Sano. My guess would be that Kirilloff gets the day off. So far, Buxton, Correa, Polanco, Sano and Kirilloff have combined for two hits in two games. That won't continue.

Rogers (not Rodgers) was traded. Duffey (not Duffy) is now the Twins longest serving relief pitcher. Both have been around long enough to properly spell their last names.

Need to score now! Buxton, Correa, Polanco.

Wow! And that was the heart of their order.

The kid might be a bit nervous.

Really excited to see Duran.

I hope Kirilloff doesn't start this season 0-20.

Who had Urshela hitting the first homer for the Twins? We can see why Rocco had him hitting cleanup.

One good opportunity wasted.

Must be tough to hit when the pitcher is in the sun and the hitter is in the shadows.

Here we go. Two on for the best three hitters on the team!

Really nice play by Correa.

Ryan hasn't been sharp with his command. He hasn't left many in the middle except the one to Haniger.

More broken bats than hits. Surprisingly no Ks for the Twins. Of course, the bottom half of the order is when there the K percentages are really high, especially against a lefty.

Is if too soon to call for Ryan to be sent to St. Paul?

Good thing he's got size 14s.

We're going to lose the first challenge of the season on the first play of the season.

I think this trade shows a lot about the Front Office's philosophy. After the debacles of Addison Reed and Alex Colume, they aren't going to pay market price for relief pitchers. We've also seen a reluctance for long-term deals (most likely why Berrios was traded). After losing the entire starting rotation from Opening Day of 2021 (trades, injury, free agency, ineffectiveness), they have replenished mostly by trading (Gray, Ryan, Paddack) and low-cost bounceback contracts. The bullpen is a work in progress, especially since the pitching staff will need to be trimmed by three from their current total of 16 pitchers. There seems to be a bit of conceit in this approach, that the Twins can make a competitive bullpen and pitching staff out of low-cost pieces. Maybe the front office is right, but color me skeptical.