Monkeypaws

"He makes it look easy" is one of the highest compliments you can pay a person when it comes to something so immensely challenging as playing baseball at the highest level. 
And yet, that's Brooks Lee in a nutshell. The 2022 first-round pick has handled everything thrown at him with such a sense of grace and nonchalance that it's easy to see why the Twins keep throwing more.
Selected eighth overall out of Cal Poly, Lee impressed the organization enough with his smooth transition to the pro game that they advanced him rapidly over a two-month span. Following a brief opening stint at rookie ball, where he batted .353 in four games, Lee skipped right past Low-A and went straight to Cedar Rapids. 
In 25 games with the Kernels, the switch-hitter slashed .289/.395/.454 with four home runs and an 18-to-16 K/BB ratio. His performance was so impressive that he received a late promotion to Double-A, where he went 11-for-26 (.423) in six contests, including four playoff games.
This spring, the Twins are showing a ton of faith and belief in Lee. Oftentimes when a prospect drafted nine months earlier is invited to big-league camp, it's used as an opportunity to soak in the experience and acclimate to major-league surroundings. 
Not in Lee's case. They're throwing him right into the fire. Through the first four days of spring training games, Lee made three starts and handled the assignment with aplomb, notching four hits in nine at-bats.
"He’s clearly not overwhelmed with the situation," observed manager Rocco Baldelli after Lee went 2-for-3 against the Braves on Tuesday. 
For his part, Lee says he wasn't quite expecting to get this much early-spring action ... not that he's disappointed. "It's pretty surprising, but I signed up for it. I'm having a lot of fun."
For those familiar with Lee's background, his ability to take it all in stride and enjoy the moment shouldn't come as a huge shock.
The Coach's Kid 
The narrative about a coach's kid with supernatural baseball aptitude can be an overplayed trope, but in Lee's case it is impossible to deny. After starring for San Luis Obispo High School in California, he was considered a top name in the 2019 draft, but withdrew his name the day before, informing teams he intended to play at Cal Poly for his father Larry, who'd served as Mustangs head coach for nearly two decades. 
A 2020 season lost to injury and COVID was followed by an excellent 2021, where he batted .342 with a 1.010 OPS, and then an even better 2022, which featured a .357/.462/.664 slash line and cemented his status as a top-10 draft pick. 
Growing up as a coach's kid creates a deep and unique connection to the baseball field, and the fundamentals of the game. It's apparent to Lee's current manager, who himself was coached by his father as a youth. Rocco has credited Dan Baldelli with developing his love for the game, so he can relate to this special aspect of Lee's makeup.
"He’s a very relaxed guy when he’s at the ballpark," Baldelli said. "He gives off the impression that he is a coach’s son and he spent many, many, many years of his life at a baseball field, and he knows everything that goes on at the baseball field. It doesn’t feel like there’s a ton going on here that he’s completely unfamiliar with."
In particular, Baldelli has been impressed by Lee's ability to process information and adapt on the fly.
"The at-bats look good. He makes really good adjustments during at-bats, he finds a way to get his barrel kind of on a good plane. Depending on what’s going on in the count, depending on the pitcher he’s facing, he’s not a one-trick pony at the plate, that’s pretty clear from watching him."
This crucial quality helps explain why Lee emerged as a top 2022 draft prospect – MLB.com had him ranked as the fifth-best draft prospect ahead of time – and why the Twins were so delighted to get him with the No. 8 pick. 
So far he's been everything they could've hoped, with his initial performance standing out so much that Lee managed to sneak (ever-so-slightly) past Royce Lewis to claim the No. 1 spot on our latest Twins prospect rankings. 
Now all he has to contend with is a troubled history for those who've been in this position before.
Breaking a Pattern of Top Prospect Letdowns
I wrote recently about the track record for Twins prospects who've topped our rankings over the past 10 years. It's a list that includes:
Most recently, Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff, who are both grappling with potentially career-threatening health issues as we head into this season.  Austin Martin, who plummeted in the rankings following a tough encore season at Double-A in 2022. Fernando Romero, who fizzled out and never came close to reaching his high-end starter potential. Byron Buxton, whose career thus far has epitomized the disruptive power of uncontrollable forces impacting elite athletes, even when their on-field play matches their promise. Can Lee break the spell? His skill set is so advanced, balanced, and resilient that it feels almost impossible to envision a Martin-esque performance drop-off. Injuries are of course less predictable, and Lee hasn't been able to totally avoid their grip – he suffered a hyperextended knee in 2020 that required surgery – but he's fully healthy and without any restriction this spring.
That differentiates them from so many other players in camp, and has probably contributed to the number of opportunities available to him here in the first week of games.
The natural question now, for The Natural, is what comes next.
What's Ahead for Brooks Lee?
I'm assuming Lee will open the year at Double-A. That's a semi-aggressive assignment on its face, but so send him back to Single-A would feel almost unfair to the pitchers there.
Once he's settled in Wichita, Lee is instantly in range of a big-league promotion, and his showing this spring helps build confidence he'll be ready for the call whenever it comes. "Offensively, defensively, everything we’ve thrown at him, he’s handled it, done it, excelled at it, and he looks good," said Baldelli.
Assuming he picks up where he left off in the minors, it becomes a matter of when and where Lee's opportunity will arise in the majors. The Twins are hoping it won't come anytime soon at shortstop, where Correa is penciled in for years to come. 
The more imminent opportunity figures to come at third base, and it sort of feels like the organization is planning around such a scenario, maybe sooner than later. Playing third would be a relatively new experience for Lee, who played shortstop exclusively in college and has yet to appear anywhere else defensively as a pro. 
He said short is his favorite position, but added, "I love third too." Maybe it's meant to be. After all, Lee was named after legendary Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson. In the past, he's set his sights on an accordingly ambitious career path.
"Honestly, I think I should be a Hall of Famer when I grow up and be in the talk for one of the greatest of all time," Lee said back in 2021 as a redshirt freshman at Cal Poly. 
These days, he's a little more subdued in his goal-setting. Asked what he hopes to accomplish this year: "Just be satisfied with how I did at the end of the season, that’s all I care about. Haven’t really thought about stats or anything like that, or where I’m gonna be."
Sounds like a coach's kid. And while he doesn't have his dad in the dugout anymore, Larry is never too far away – Brooks says he talks to him "every day." Upon reaching the big leagues, Lee will have the luxury of a more contemporary mentor close at hand.
After Correa exited his spring training debut on Wednesday, I asked for his impressions of Lee thus far. 
"Man that kid is a stud," Correa said, with an added emphasis on the last word. "I really, really, really like this kid. I’m very high on him. Don’t be surprised if we see him up this year, he’s very, very good man. Everybody I talk to about him, it’s high praise. I don’t get impressed very easily. That was definitely a great pick by the Twins."
Just a couple of first-round shortstops who make it look easy.

For the first time, Twins Daily is now sharing our choices for the Top 30 Twins prospects. In reality, it's just one more article for you to read as we are including prospects 21-30 today. It is really an interesting mix of prospects in this range, which isn't surprising. There are several prospects who are very young in their careers. These are players with lots of tools and potential, but a long, long way to go before even approaching the big leagues. There are a couple of pitchers who had exciting 2022 seasons that catapulted themselves to this level, but they were previously lesser known so some weren't willing to push them any higher. As you would also expect, there are some minor leagues who were once Top 20, and even Top 10, prospects and whether it be injury or performance, they have dropped down the rankings. They still have the talent and at least one took that will need to carry them to an opportunity. 
Twins prospects ranking between 21-30 in our series highlights a dynamic group of players, some brimming with upside and others with higher-perceived floors. Let's break them down. 
30. OF Byron Chourio 
Age: 17
2022 (DSL Marlins): 51 games, .344/.429/.410 (.838), 9-2B, 1-HR, 12.4% K, 11.5% BB
Just one year ago, the Marlins signed a 16-year-old Chourio from Merida, Venezuela, for $200,000. He stands 6-2 and weighs about 175 pounds. He had a very impressive professional debut in 2022 with the Marlins’ DSL team. He hit for average, got on base, showed good bat-to-ball skills, and showed doubles power. He also stole 19 bases in 26 attempts. He played 20 games in center field, 19 games in right field, and three games in left field. He has a strong arm. The Twins acquired him as a flyer in the Arraez/Lopez trade recently. Jose Salas is the top prospect, but Chourio is equally intriguing. As I like to say, he was impressive in the DSL, but that is six promotions from the big leagues. Chourio is certainly filled with athleticism and tools that should excite Twins fans. 
29. 1B Aaron Sabato 
Age: 23
2022 (A+/AA): 103 games, .215/.336/.438 (.774), 17 2B, 22 HR, 4/5 SB, 32% K, 13% BB
The Twins were excited to select Sabato with the 27th overall pick out of North Carolina where he put up numbers very similar to those of Spencer Torkelson. He really struggled in his pro debut in 2021. He hit just .189 in 85 games in Ft. Myers but came on strong after a late-season promotion to Cedar Rapids where he added eight homers in 22 games. That’s where he began the 2022 season. In 80 games, he hit .226 with 13 doubles and 17 homers. He moved up to Wichita for 23 games late in the season and hit .179 with four doubles and five homers before his season ended with a fastball to his wrist. To this point, he has not hit for average. However, he does walk a lot. He has immense power, so when he does make quality contact, he has the ability to hit the ball a long way. The problem is that he has had trouble making contact, especially on good fastballs. He has become a decent defensive first baseman. He should start 2023 at Wichita and will continue to get opportunities, including another spring training invitation. 
28. OF Kala’i Rosario 
Age: 20
2022 (A): 109 games, .239/.320/.408 (.727), 21 2B, 3 3B, 12 HR, 32.5% K, 8.1% BB
In the five-round 2020 draft, Rosario was the team’s fifth-round pick out of high school in Waiakea, Hawaii. He was one of the most powerful prep bats in that draft. He debuted with 51 games in the FCL in 2021 and hit .277 with 10 doubles, four triples, and five home runs. As a 19-year-old in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, his overall numbers may not look exciting, but he was productive and provided some extra base power. However, with that power comes a lot of strikeouts, something that he will need to continue working on as he moves up the organizational ladder. Rosario played both corner outfield positions with about two-thirds of that time in right field. He has good speed and plays average defense. He’s got an average arm for right field. He’s very young for the level, so he could repeat in the FSL in 2023, though it would be great if he can spend some time in Cedar Rapids as well. 
27. INF Yunior Severino 
Age: 23
2022 (A+/AA): 83 games, .278/.370/.536 (.907), 17 2B, 2 3B, 19 HR, 25.9% K, 11.1% BB
Twice a top international signing, Severino has slowly worked his way up the Twins system. He began 2022 where he ended the 2021 season, in Cedar Rapids. In 46 games, he hit .283/.398/.572 (.970) in 46 games and hit nine doubles and 11 homers. He missed significant time with an injury but when he returned he was soon promoted to Double-A Wichita where he played 37 games. In that time, he hit .273/.338/.497 (.834) with eight doubles and eight homers. He does strike out more than you could like, but he also has a strong on-base percentage thanks to a lot of walks. At Cedar Rapids, he primarily played second base. Once he moved up to Wichita (and Christian Encarnacion-Strand was traded), Severino spent most of his time at third base. While he lacks plus-range, he does make most of the plays. He should start the 2023 season with the Wind Surge where at 23, he’ll be about a year younger than the average player. 
26. SS Bryan Acuna 
Age: 17
2022 (DSL Twins): 43 games, .310/.409/.393 (.803), 12 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 21.1% K, 11.7% BB
You can’t help but start with the Acuna genetics. Ronald Acuna Sr. played in the New York Mets organization from 1999 through 2004. He then spent one season each with the Blue Jays and Brewers organizations. In 2005, Bryan was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, the Double-A home of the Blue Jays. Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was the NL Rookie of the Year as a 20-year-old in 2018 and has been an All-Star in three of the past four years. 20-year-old Double-A shortstop Luisangel Acuna was just added to the Rangers 40-man roster. 
Bryan Acuna signed with the Twins last January from Venezuela for $950,000 and made his pro debut in 2022 in the DSL. His overall numbers look solid, including an OPS over .800. That is more impressive when you consider that in his first 11 games, he went 2-for-30 with 13 strikeouts in 37 plate appearances (35%). That also means that over his final 32 games, he hit .368/.455/.465 (.919) with 11 of his 12 doubles, and he struck out just 17% of the time. While maybe not to the same level as his All-Star brother, Bryan Acuna does have a lot of tools. He played in 42 games at shortstop and had 13 errors. He’s got work to do defensively. He had no homers, but his 12 doubles show that the power could come too. He should come to the States in 2023 and play in the FCL.  
25. LHP Brent Headrick 
Age: 25
2022 (A+/AA): 23 starts (25 G), 108 1/3 IP, 3.32 ERA, 31% K, 6.1% BB
Headrick was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2019 out of Illinois State University where he pitched for former Twins catcher Steve Holm. Like most minor leaguers, he did not pitch in 2020. He made 15 appearances for the Mighty Mussels in 2021 and posted a 3.82 ERA. In 61 1/3 innings, he walked 33 batters, but he struck out 86 batters. In 2022, he made 15 starts with Cedar Rapids and went 8-2 with a 2.34 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. In 65 1/3 innings, he had just 13 walks to go with 77 strikeouts. He moved up to Double-A, and after a rough first outing (7 runs on 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings), he posted a 3.54 ERA and had 57 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings. Following the season, he was a pretty easy addition to the Twins 40-man roster.
24. INF Danny De Andrade 
Age: 18
2022 (FCL Twins): 48 games, .242/.333/.371, 9 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 4/6 SB, 13.5% K, 7.5% BB
De Andrade signed with the Twins out of Venezuela in January 2021 for a $2.2 million bonus. He spent that summer in the DSL where he hit .264/.340/.348 (.688) with 13 doubles and a triple in 50 games. He came to the States in 2022 and played most every day. He made 32 starts at shortstop and 13 more at third base. He is a solid defender with good range, soft hands and a strong arm. Offensively, he’s a work-in-progress. He is an aggressive hitter with a strong swing and good bat-to-ball skills. There is potential for some power. He could spend the 2023 with the Mighty Mussels, which is likely to present a major challenge for him offensively, so don’t be surprised if he repeats the level as he will be very young. 
23. RHP Cole Sands 
Age: 24
2022 (AAA): 19 games (13 GS), 61 2/3 IP, 5.55 ERA, 25.4% K%, 8.5% BB%
2022 (MIN): 11 games (3 GS), 30 2/3 IP, 5.87 ERA, 19.3% K%, 9.0% BB% 
Sands represented Team USA events in high school. He was drafted but chose to attend Florida State University. Three years later, he was the Twins fifth-round pick in 2018. That next season, he pitched at three levels, ending the year with one Double-A start. He didn’t pitch in 2020, and in 2021, he posted a 2.46 ERA at Double-A Wichita. He had 96 strikeouts in 80 1/3 innings. Moving up to Triple-A in 2022, he maintained his strikeout rate and actually reduced his walk rate. However, as you can see above, he gave up a lot of runs. It was an inconsistent year for Sands. He was promoted and optioned several times throughout the season, and also spent a couple of stints on the injured list. Is he a starter or reliever? There are a lot of similarities in terms of stuff between Sands and Tyler Duffey. Sands sits in the low-90s with his fastball but can touch 95. He also has a couple of very nice, albeit inconsistent,  breaking balls. As we saw with Duffey, that can be very valuable. He would not be the first player to struggle in his big-league debut, learn from it, and have some level of success. With the Twins pitching depth, will he get that opportunity? 
22. RHP Blayne Enlow 
Age: 23
2022 (AA): 24 games (10 starts), 57 1/3 IP, 4.40 ERA, 24.8% K, 11.6% BB
Another Team USA alum, Enlow was the Twins third-round pick in 2017 out of high school in Louisiana when they met his signing bonus request to keep him from LSU. It was a slow-go for Enlow early in his career. Like many, Enlow did not pitch in 2020. He returned to Cedar Rapids (now a High-A affiliate) in 2021, but just three starts into the season, he hurt his elbow and had Tommy John surgery in June. Enlow worked hard through his rehab, and in November 2021, he was added to the 40-man roster. He returned to the mound in May 2022, 11 months after surgery, and made one rehab appearance for Ft. Myers before heading up to Double-A Wichita. He made 10 starts and 14 relief appearances. He went 1-3 and had three saves. He was clearly working to get back his form. He walked 30 batters in 57 1/3 innings, well over his ‘normal’ walk rate. That is a number he can reduce quite a bit. He also struck out 64 batters which showed that the stuff was still there. Recently, the front office took the risk of placing him on waivers, but he cleared and was outrighted to the minors. While not necessarily great, it might be exactly what he and the Twins need. It might take some of the pressure off of him in 2023 and he can just work on things. With a low-to-mid 90s fastball and a solid breaking ball and an improving change up, Enlow has potential. Again, will that be as a starter or as a reliever? We shall see. (As you can see in the video below, right before his elbow injury, Enlow was dealing, with all of his pitches.)
21. LHP Jaylen Nowlin 
Age: 22
2022 (A/A+): 22 games (14 starts), 71 IP, 3.80 ERA, 36.0% K%, 11.6% BB%
Yet another late-round steal by the Twins scouting department, it appears. Nowlin was the Twins 19th round pick out of Chipola College. He attended Westlake High School in Atlanta with A’s prospect Lawrence Butler. In the summers, he played with Braves outfielder Michael Harris. He pitched in just one FCL game in 2021, but he made his mark at Fall Instructional League when the southpaw was touching 97 mph with a fastball and showing a solid slider as well. He carried that into the 2022 season. He began at Ft. Myers where he went 4-4 with a 3.65 ERA. In 56 ⅔ innings, he walked 29, but he struck out 89 batters. He moved up to the Kernels late in the season and made three starts. He was 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA. In 14 1/3 innings, he walked seven but struck out 22 batters. Overall, that is 11 strikeouts in 71 innings, a rate of 14.1 K/9. Clearly he will need to improve his control and command, but the Twins can be patient with him and should be because he has immense talent, he just needs to keep improving. 
Feel free to discuss these prospects and ask as many questions as you like in the COMMENTS below. I will try to get to as any of them as I can. 
For more Twins Daily content on these ten Twins prospects, click on the link with their name here: Jaylen Nowlin, Blayne Enlow, Cole Sands, Danny De Andrade, Brent Headrick, Bryan Acuna, Yunior Severino, Kala'i Rosario, Aaron Sabato, Byron Chourio. 
Previous Installments
Honorable Mention
Prospects 21-30
Prospects 16-20 - Coming Soon!
Prospects 11-15

For the last decade, players, fans, owners, and the media have become obsessed with “fixing” baseball. Some of these complaints have been unfairly placed on “analytics,” which has become a catch-all term for anything not understood by older generations. But the rise of Three True Outcome baseball has fundamentally changed the game, and not by making it necessarily as pleasing to the eye as it once was. That’s why players like Arraez have remained almost as important as winning. He provides unique, aesthetic entertainment value.
When Luis Arraez stepped up to the plate, it wasn’t just the excitement that he might score another hit and put the Twins in the potential place of winning. It was the question of how he might do it. Arraez would essentially perform something akin to a TikTok dance of quick moves, funny glances, and incredible gestures. His little swings were hardly the elegance of big boppers, but like strange little darts to foul balls that would surprise when he made contact. Whenever he poked one into foul territory or even took a critical ball just off the plate, he would jump up and down with excitement. There was a reason veterans like Rod Carew and Ichiro Suzuki quickly saw the potential for a batting title champ. He seemed transported from their era of baseball. 
Any look at Baseball Reference or FanGraphs will show something different of course: Arraez made plenty of contact but ultimately was not worth the same as players like Buxton or Correa. Part of that came from his lack of defensive skill—though he notably was cited as a Gold Glove finalist after moving to first base—but also because the way statistics have changed our understanding of value. To put it in context, incoming Twin Joey Gallo produced more WAR hitting under .200 but with 38 homers in his 2021 season than Arraez did in 2022. Singles aren’t worth much when the home run ball is the only thing that matters.
But this has been the precise problem in baseball that many are trying to fix. Whether it’s high strikeouts, low BABIP, or just the exceedingly long pace of play, baseball is in need of some fixes. When Theo Epstein, who revolutionized both the Red Sox and the Cubs into World Series winners, joined the MLB Commissioner’s Office in 2021, he joked in part it was to reverse trends he had helped create. Does it matter what the game looks like if it isn’t particularly fun to watch anymore? The new rules coming in place this year are responding to exactly that. 
For some, and in the eyes of a recent book on the Astros by Evan Drelich, Winning Fixes Everything. And for a lot of Twins fans, a playoff win is the only thing that will fix the problem. But the reason Arraez was so special for so many fans was not necessarily about his on-field production. He represented an entire aesthetic experience that has been dwindling in baseball (his Wario-like twin Willians Astudillo was similar though lacked an ability to make it to first, making Arraez a bit better of a balance). His plate appearances became appointment viewing because you were about to see something that few other hitters might do. He has always seemed determined to buck the trend of what baseball is supposed to look like, waving his finger at pitchers he refused to hit. Losing Arraez’s ballet at the plate will sting no matter how many swings Lopez gets on his change-up.
Years ago, former baseball writer Sam Miller explained why we watch baseball in what became a bit of insider lore on the sport:
That might seem a little drastic, but part of the point for us to ask us to actually define the entertainment of baseball, in which we demand so much from people that we will never meet in our lives doing something none of us could do even to a sliver of a percentile as better. I understand for many Twins fans, watching the best baseball team possible is the point. But for many of us who cherished Luis Arraez, the point was in part, to see them having as much fun as we did. I know I won’t be the only Twins fan checking in at Marlins games this season.
 

The Twins paid Miguel Sano over $9 million for only one home run among five hits in 60 at-bats in 2022. And then paid him another $3 million to simply go away.
Much has been made of Sanó’s inability to stay healthy or in shape or, simply, not show up a few dozen pounds overweight.
Everything above is completely true. So true, in fact, that even those who look for silver linings aren’t going to have much of an argument to make. 
But I still think the Twins should consider bringing him back into the fold. 
The expectations surrounding Sanó were sky-high well before he made his major-league debut as a 22-year-old in the summer of 2015. And despite striking out in over a third of his plate appearance, he still managed to hit 18 home runs in 80 games, reach base over 38% of the time and put up an OPS of .916. He rarely played in the field as he was coming off missing the 204 season because of Tommy John surgery, but the vision of being the third baseman of the future was still bright.
Of course, we all know what happened the next year: someone got the wise idea that Miguel Sanó could be a right-fielder (while literally every not-as-smart person knew he couldn’t) and Sanó was back to playing third base exclusively by July 1. 
Getting jerked around caused him to struggle offensively, but still he managed 25 home runs and bounced back to be an All-Star in the 2017 season. 
The 2018 and 2020 seasons were both really bad, but sandwiched around a 34-home run year in 2019 where Sanó post a career-high .923 OPS.
You could take the 2020 season for what it was - short with a lack of time to prepare - add it to the 30 home run season in 2021 and think maybe, just maybe, Miguel Sanó could get back on track in 2022. But that train derailed before even leaving the station. 
A torn meniscus on April 26 and more knee issues almost immediately after returning in July caused an abrupt end to a short, disappointing season.
The Twins paid Sanó more than $34 million as a major leaguer and watched him strike out over 1000(!) times. And when his Twins career ended unceremoniously when they bought out his contract, many were happy to wipe their hands off him.
And that’s fine.
But as you look at the current construction of the Twins roster, you can’t help but wonder about the health and depth of first base. 
Luis Arraez - all 5’ 10” of him - is expected to be the Opening Day starter. Arreaz was fantastic in 2021 and led the league in hitting, but is not your prototypical first baseman… and he’s not exactly a model of healthy knees.
Jose Miranda played a lot of first base last year… but with Gio Urshela getting traded, Miranda is the primary third baseman.
Alex Kirilloff is a solution… if he recovers from having his arm shortened after battling wrist that cut short his last two seasons.
Max Kepler and Joey Gallo are both options in the sense that they’re bigger targets, but neither has played a lot of first base recently. But that’s an easy fix. Tell ‘em Wash.
And there’s where Sanó should enter the conversation. On a minor-league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. If he shows up overweight and out of shape, you can cut him. If he shows up a little overweight and in a shape other than completely round, you can send him to St. Paul to hit bombs and be a call away if the questionable depth fails in front of him.
Miguel Sanó doesn’t have to be the #3 hitter. There doesn’t have to be the expectations of being an All-Star or hitting 30 home runs. But any gas that might still be in his almost-30-year-old tank sure beats the idea of rostering the likes of the Curtis Terrys, Roy Moraleses and Tim Beckhams of the world.
It does for me anyway.
 
 

I doubt anyone needs a recap at this point, but to quickly summarize: Nearly a month ago, Carlos Correa reached agreement with San Francisco on a historic 13-year, $350 million contract that would have made him one of the highest-paid players ever. It was the culmination of a lengthy gambit by Correa and Scott Boras, which included signing a short-term deal with the Twins last offseason and waiting out the shortstop market this year.
Or so it seemed. Just ahead of Correa's deal with the Giants being made official, San Francisco balked at something in his physical, leaving the deal in doubt. The issue at hand, evidently, was an old ankle injury from 2014 that had required insertion of a metal plate in his lower leg.  
Wasting no time, Boras quickly pivoted and got in touch with Mets owner Steve Cohen, swinging a late-night agreement for 12 years and $315 million less than 24 hours after the Giants deal fell through.
That the agent was so eager to strike another agreement – for a whopping 10% less than San Fran's original offer – was somewhat alarming. More alarming was what came next: in spite of Cohen's impulsive and free-spending ways, and in spite of Correa's flagged ankle being a known factor, the Mets still ran into significant reservations upon their own medical inspection.
The Mets and Correa spent nearly three weeks haggling over details and protective language in the contract. In the end, they could not reach an accord. 
And so along came the Twins, who weren't quite willing to stick with their original offer of 10 years and $285 million in light of all the new information, but won the day with a reduced six-year, $200 million guarantee featuring vesting options that can push the total value to $270. The Mets, evidently, offered $42 million less in guarantees and only WITH the caveat that Correa pass new physicals annually.
The Twins outbid the Mets considerably, making it a fairly easy decision for Correa. Yes, the Mets whose ultra-rich owner was clearly adamant about acquiring the star shortstop and has shown an appetite for risk. They couldn't stomach it.
The Twins, in this case, had greater appetite than the Mets for assuming financial risk in order to acquire proven starpower. It feels weird to type that sentence but it's true. Granted, Minnesota's final framework with Correa does add some new protections compared to the first offer, with four fewer guaranteed years. The shortstop will need to prove he can stay healthy if he wants to be making the big bucks into his late 30s, and it seems that was going to be the case wherever he signed.
But why? Why was Correa such a special case at a time where decade-long contracts are being handed out by MLB teams with seemingly reckless abandon? It comes back to that ankle, which is now a focal point going forward for a Twins team already plagued by health question marks.
What do we know about it? Not much, other than that whatever the doctors from the Giants and Mets saw spooked them big-time. Correa's 2014 injury, and the plate insertion to address it, were no secret going in. Still, something popped up on closer inspection that wound up costing Correa some $150 in guaranteed money over the course of a month.
I'm not going to pretend to have any expertise on this matter. But I will make an observation. While it's true that Correa has never missed time or received treatment for the old injury as a big-leaguer, that's not to say it hasn't affected his play. 
With the benefit of hindsight, we can point to some evidence that Correa has potentially been acutely aware of his ankle being a risk point.
Thinking back now, I'm struck by an article Phil Miller wrote for the Star Tribune last April detailing how Correa -- despite his solid speed -- had attempted zero steals in the previous two seasons, and seven in the past five, due to concerns over getting hurt.
"It's a decision I had to make. Every time you steal a base, there's a greater risk of injury, right? The tag can take you out, hitting the base, you can twist your ankle, break your hands," Correa said at the time. "It's higher risk for little reward. I realized that I'm more valuable offensively and defensively than I am trying to steal bags."
Sure enough, when Correa did attempt one single steal during 2022 season, in mid-September, he jarred his ankle. The shortstop looked visibly scared as he quickly collapsed on the ground and grabbed for his leg. He later admitted as much, telling reporters, "He just hit my plate. … Just kind of felt numb, vibrating. So I was just waiting for it to calm down. It was a little scary, but when I moved I knew I was good."
The ankle was not an issue thereafter. Correa missed no time and played out the remaining two weeks without incident. And yet, given what we now know, the moment foreshadowed a tumultuous offseason ahead for Correa. Did he stir up or exacerbate the injury in some way? Was this simply an early sign of the underlying issues coming into play as San Francisco and New York fear? We don't know. 
The upshot here, theoretically, is that Correa has been managing and mitigating the problem for years. Seemingly there is no reason he can't continue to do so at least for the next few. We're talking about a supremely intelligent and dedicated athlete who knows how to take care of himself. 
With that said, the Mets couldn't sell themselves on C4 despite knowing about all of these qualities and being highly motivated buyers. It seems likely he would've chosen New York if they could've surpassed Minnesota's offer even on the six-year term, but the Mets wouldn't do it. 
The Twins, already fraught with as much pivotal injury risk as any team in baseball, are now taking one of the most publicized high-risk gambles in the history of free agency. They said from the start they were serious in their desire to bring back Correa and now they've proven it resoundingly by outbidding a skeptical field for a player now labeled as damaged goods.
We'll see if more details and information come out in the coming days about the specifics of Correa's ankle, and why the Twins were ultimately much more willing to live with the risk.

TRANSACTIONS 
Recently signed non-drafted free agent LHP Michael Boyle was assigned to Ft. Myers. 

So was MLB veteran RHP Brock Stewart who has worked his way back to affiliated ball after recovering from injuries the past few seasons? 
SAINTS SENTINEL 
Iowa 6, St. Paul 5
Box score 
Ronny Henriquez has been coming out of the bullpen for the Saints the past couple of months, generally still working multiple innings situations. He returned to the starting rotation this week and put together arguably his best start of the season. The right-hander gave up one run on three hits over five innings. He struck out six batters, and maybe most important for his development, he walked none. 
The bullpen came on and had some moments. Juan Minaya recorded the first two outs in the sixth inning. But, he gave up one run on two walks. Austin Schulfer came on and got the final out of that inning. Jharel Cotton gave up a run on one hit and one walk in the seventh inning. 
Heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Saints held a 5-3 lead. Jovani Moran came on and struck out two in the eighth inning. Unfortunately, he gave up three runs on two hits and two walks, and a hit batter to blow the save and take the loss. The outing bumps his Saints season ERA up to 6.00. Just 15 of his 31 pitches were strikes. There are openings in the Twins bullpen, and he certainly isn’t putting up the Triple-A numbers to force the Twins’ hand. 
Matt Wallner went 2-for-4 with a walk and his sixth double since joining the Saints. Jermaine Palacios went 2-for-5. Nash Knight went 2-for-4. 
WIND SURGE WISDOM
Frisco 2, Wichita 1
Box Score 
Lefty Kody Funderburk gave up two runs in the third inning, and that was it for the Frisco run-scoring on this night. Unfortunately, it was one run more than the Wind Surge were able to muster. 
Funderburk gave up those two runs on two hits and two walks. He struck out four. The bullpen followed with four scoreless, hitless innings. Denny Bentley walked one and struck one out over two innings. Alex Phillips and Steven Cruz each worked one inning. Cruz struck out two batters. 
The Wind Surge batters had twice as many hits as Frisco, but just half as many runs. Wichita had four hits, but the lone run came in the top of the seventh inning in the form of Jair Camargo’s eighth Double-A home run. Austin Martin found three different ways to get on base. He was hit by a pitch, walked, and had a single. He also stole his 31st bag.
KERNELS NUGGETS
Lake County 1, Cedar Rapids 5
Box Score
Cedar Rapids got some great pitching and kept the offense rolling, scoring their five runs in four different innings. 
Let’s start on the mound where David Festa improved to 7-2 with a 2.25 ERA with 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, no walks, and he struck out six batters. Matt Mullenbach got four of the five batters he faced out. He did hit one batter. Bobby Milacki struck out four batters over the final two innings. The lone run allowed came on a ninth-inning home run. 
It’s been a tough season for outfielder Willie Joe Garry. He missed more than two months with injury, but since his return, the speedster has been playing very well. On this night, he went 3-for-4 with a single, double, and a home run. He drove in two of the Kernel runs and scored three runs. Jake Rucker went 2-for-3 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. 
If not the fewest in the league, the Minnesota Twins big-league club has very stolen bases. On Friday night, infielder Mikey Perez stole his 12th base since joining the Kernels. He had 32 stolen bases in Ft. Myers earlier in the season. 
Here are the organization’s Top 10 leaders in Stolen Bases in 2022: 

  Mikey Perez - 44
  DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. - 34
  Austin Martin - 32
  Michael Helman - 30
  Yasser Mercedes - 30
  Will Holland - 26
  Daniel Ozoria - 20
  Anthony Prato - 20
  Luis Baez - 19
  Noah Miller - 19
MUSSEL MATTERS
Lakeland, Fort Myers (Game Suspended in the 3rd inning)
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels played two games on Thursday but only completed two innings on Friday night due to rain. We’ll have more on this game when it is completed (hopefully on Saturday), but we’ll show you a little of what happened. 
30-year-old Brock Stewart started for the Mussels and went the first two innings. He gave up two runs on just one hit. Immediately following a hit batter in the second innings, he gave up a home run to Mike Rothenberg. 
But all that is the background to a potentially great story. Stewart was drafted by the Dodgers in the 6th round in 2014 out of Illinois State. Just two years after signing, he made his big-league debut. Between 2016 and 2019, he pitched in 36 games for the Dodgers, including 11 starts. He went 6-3 with a 6.05 ERA over 105 2/3 innings. When the Dodgers let him go, the Blue Jays claimed him and he went 4-0 over 10 late-season appearances. After that season, he was selected by the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft, but they let him go in late May of 2020 as the season was in doubt. He pitched in six games for the Chicago Deep Dish of the City of Champions Cup League.  The Dodgers signed him before the 2021 season, but he had Tommy John surgery in May of 2021 and rehabbed the rest of the season. He hadn’t pitched at all this year either, but after a tryout, the Twins signed him in mid-July to a minor league deal. 
Maybe it’s a long shot, but maybe he works his way back and gets to the big leagues in a bullpen role. Those are the kind of stories that are fun to tell when a game is suspended in the bottom of the third. 
Michael Boyle pitched a scoreless top of the third. He is 28 years old and hasn’t pitched since 2019 with the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate in Tulsa. He’s healthy and attempting to come back. Hopefully we’ll continue to write about him the next year or so and get to know more about his story too. 
Noah Cardenas hit a solo home run in the second inning, his ninth of the year. In the bottom of the third inning, Misael Urbina led off with a double. Ben Ross drove him in with a double. One batter later, Ross stole third base and then scored on a Cardenas single. Kala’i Rosario followed with an RBI double, his 20th two-bagger of the season. And that’s when the game was delayed by rain. 
The teams will attempt to finish this game as part of a modified doubleheader on Saturday late afternoon. That will be a nine-inning game. The regularly-scheduled game will then be a seven-inning game. 
TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day –  David Festa (Cedar Rapids) - 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, (73 pitches, 47 strikes)
Hitter of the Day – Willie Joe Garry, Jr. (Cedar Rapids) - 3-4, 2B (9), HR (2), 3 R, 2 RBI, K
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed:

#2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, BB, RBI 
#4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-2, BB, HBP, SB (31)
#9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-4, BB, R, RBI, 2 K 
#13 - David Festa (Cedar Rapids) - 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, (73 pitches, 47 strikes) 
#14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-4, 2 K
#16 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K (67 pitches, 45 strikes)  
#18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 0-2, 2 K
#20 - Kala'i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 1-2, 2B(20), RBI K
SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Here are the start times and probables for their games. 

St. Paul @ Iowa (6:08 PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson
Wichita @ Frisco (7:05 PM CST) - LHP Aaron Rozek 
Cedar Rapids @ Lake County (5:35 PM CST) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin 
Lakeland @ Fort Myers (DH starting at 3:30 PM CST) - TBD, RHP Tomas Cleto
Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday's games
 
 

The Twins waited until Tuesday, the trade deadline, to make their moves, but in the end, they added right-handed starter Tyler Mahle, right-handed relievers Jorge Lopez and Michael Fulmer, and a backup catcher option in Sandy Leon. It came at a price as the Twins dealt infielders Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, left-handed pitchers Cade Povich, Steve Hajjar and Juan Rojas, right-handed pitchers Yennier Cano, Sawyer Gipson Long and Juan Nunez. 
Seth Stohs: As you know, I don’t like to see prospects traded, and yet, I fully understand that it is a necessary evil in order for the big-league club to add talent and fill holes. Before the deadline, the obvious question is: What do the Twins need to do? I would tell people that they need to add at least one starter, two reliable relievers, and another catching option. That’s exactly what the Twins front office did. Mahle now rejoins Sonny Gray at the top of the Twins rotation. Lopez should team with Jhoan Duran at the end of ball games. Fulmer should slot into 7th and 8th innings with Griffin Jax.
Back to the prospects, Spencer Steer has a chance to be a really good player, but with the Twins, he’s behind Jose Miranda and others. Same with Christian Encarnacion-Strand who has destroyed baseballs since entering pro ball in 2021. Steve Hajjar has had an up and down season, but he has a chance to be good if healthy. Cade Povich has a chance to be a mid-rotation starter, maybe even more. The Twins had to give up something in order to get something, but they did just that. The front office made the necessary moves. The question, in my mind, is if the Twins added enough to stay ahead of the White Sox in the AL Central. We shall see. 
Jeremy Nygaard: For me, the long and the short of it is that you hope your prospects turn into productive players. Not that they’re great comparisons, but you hope you can develop Cade Povich into a player with Tyler Mahle’s ability. You hope that any of those other pitching prospects that were dealt if they fail as starters, turn into really good relievers like Jorge Lopez. And that’s exactly how the teams that dealt Mahle and Lopez feel too. They just acquired three or four chances. Nobody that the Twins dealt is sure things and like you mentioned, Seth, even Steer was going to have a hard time breaking into the lineup. It’s hard not to like the deals they made because they give the Twins a chance to go deeper this year, Mahle will be a big part of the rotation in ‘23 and Lopez helps the bullpen for the next two years. Plus they still have all their top prospects. Sure, Fulmer was a rental, but at a low cost. Now, if you want to talk about if Lopez has two more years being the dude he is now… well, that’s another story.
Melissa Berman: Tuesday represented the most active trade deadline day the Twins have had in years, maybe ever, and is a clear message from the front office: "We see ourselves as serious contenders, and we want to win now." While losing high-flying prospects like Steer and Encarnacion-Strand is unfortunate, it simultaneously is a vote of confidence for the Twins' young corps of Arraez, Miranda, Lewis, Kirilloff, and Larnach. When healthy, each player has produced at a high level, and it is outwardly apparent that the Twins see them in their long-term outlook. Consequently, there would not be a lot of places for these hitting prospects to go in the Twins organization. The Twins made good moves on Tuesday that provide them with much-needed help for the rest of the 2022 season and several more to come.
Contrast the multitude of Twins moves with the Chicago White Sox, who only added reliever Jake Diekman, and the Cleveland Guardians, who added pitcher Ian Hamilton. The lack of moves could mean one of two things: the teams think they can compete with what they currently have, or, conversely, they don't see themselves as serious division contenders this season. Rebuilding and major retooling of lineups are best done in the offseason with the free agent market at a team’s disposal. Time will tell if the AL Central, currently the most competitive division race in baseball, will stay a close three-horse race, and if the Twins’ moves will be enough to keep them on top. 
Rena Wang: To echo Melissa, it was exciting as a fan to see the Twins so active at the trade deadline for the first time in years. We’ve become accustomed to disappointment and a lack of urgency to win (CC. the trade Correa crew), but we’ve known in the back of our minds all along that the Twins’ front office is ready to win with the moves that were made in the offseason.
It's always painful to lose prospects, especially Christian Encarnacion-Strand who was recently named the Minor League Hitter of the Month for the second time, but the definition of a prospect speaks for itself. I’m always an advocate of taking a risk for something tangible and certain. The Twins also exceeded expectations by trading for Jorge López, the best young closer in baseball. Although Michael Fulmer fits the profile of the average Twins’ trade target, he’s having a career season in the bullpen and would slot in perfectly with Griffin Jax and Tyler Duffey as a middle reliever. Tyler Mahle is the starter that the Twins desperately need with Bailey Ober headed to the 60-Day IL. All in all, if these trade targets continue to perform as advertised, the Twins have a real shot to compete for the first time in years. 
Theo Tollefson: The Falvey and Levine regime had their best trade deadline to date Tuesday. They acquired the bare minimum of what many Twins fans had been asking for since mid-June with a reliable middle-of-the-rotation starter and two backend relievers. 
Tyler Mahle was the best acquisition of them all. Mahle has had much better numbers on the road this year than he had at Great American Ballpark with the Red. Given that Target Field is more of a pitcher-friendly ballpark than GAB, Mahle should find himself more comfortable in his new home ballpark for the next year and a half with the Twins. 
Jorge Lopez was a surprise acquisition but a welcomed one at that. Lopez has finally reached the potential he was given as a prospect with the Brewers over seven years ago. Although Rocco Baldelli has never officially designated someone as the closer in his five years as manager, people can expect Lopez to unofficially fill that role for the Twins and take a load off of Duran and the rest of the bullpen.
Michael Fulmer is just another good addition for a depleted Twins bullpen. He will certainly help in any role he is used for in relief. 
The Twins did give up a good amount of prospects to acquire who they needed this deadline, but they did not sell their entire farm system as the Padres did to get what they needed. This sets the team up well to win the AL Central this season and retool themselves for next year as well. 
Nash Walker: The Twins filled their biggest hole with a bang in Jorge López. They so badly needed a high-leverage right-handed reliever to pair with Jhoan Duran in the back of the bullpen. Other than Josh Hader, López was the best reliever dealt during the deadline. He’s also under team control through 2024, a significant wrinkle that sets up the Twins’ backend for the future. 
Tyler Mahle was my No. 1 target for the Twins when combining every factor. He should thrive outside of Cincinnati and I love his stuff. He knows how to pitch and there’s room for upside. Mahle is a mid-rotation starter *right now,* but I think there’s a real chance he’s a frontline starter very soon. Could they have used another starter? No question. Mahle is a great addition either way. 
After Mahle and López, I was hoping the Twins wouldn’t stop short. They then traded for Michael Fulmer, who I think is one of the more underrated relievers in baseball. Fulmer shuts down right-handed hitters and the Twins now boast a strength in the bullpen with Duran, López, Griffin Jax and Fulmer. It was a good finish to a good deadline. Let’s see how it plays out. 
Matt Braun: This was exactly the trade deadline the Twins needed; each move perfectly covered a weakness and two of the deals netted players who will impact future Twins teams as well. It’s hard to complain about that. What excites me—beyond the added talent—is that the team found a way to trade uncertain or blocked prospects without losing the big names. Spencer Steer is a major loss, but he had no easy path to the Twins; Cade Povich is a serious blow—I thought that he had the potential to become a solid mid-rotation arm—but he’s the only player I’m truly worked up over. 
Tyler Mahle is the dude. I’ve wanted Mahle on the team for years; I think his performance has another gear left and moving him away from a little league ballpark will neutralize his home run issue. I’m absolutely ecstatic that the Twins snagged him away from the Reds, and I might argue that he would be a theoretical game 1 starter (don’t worry, I knocked on wood after typing that). Jorge López is another great get. His stuff is mind-bending, he’s only 29, and the Twins will have him for two more years following this season. He and Jhoan Duran in the back-end may be the best—and nastiest—1-2 punch the team has had in a long time. Michael Fulmer is an acceptable get; he fills the 6th/7th inning role adequately—although his control worries me—and a middle relief piece deepens the bullpen. Gone are the days of Tyler Thornburg pitching in the 8th inning.
My only qualm is that Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer still constitute 40% of the starting rotation. That’s not a terrible problem—every team will tell you that they aren’t fully comfortable with their starting staff—but it’s still an area the team could have improved upon. Netting Carlos Rodón would have made this an award-winning deadline; instead, it’s a great one.
Your Turn: Share your thoughts in the comments below. Try to keep it to 150-200 words, and enjoy reading the thoughts of others.  
 

Jon Heyman was the first to report that the Twins are acquiring Jorge Lopez from the Orioles. The Twins will send four pitchers including Twins Daily Top 10 prospect Cade Povich, reliever Yennier Cano, and two more pitchers from the low-minors, Juan Rojas and Juan Nunez. 
Prior to this year, Lopez, 29, was a struggling starting pitcher. He debuted with two games with the Brewers in 2015 and then pitched in another 11 games with the Crew between 2017 and 2018. He went to the Royals and pitched in 47 games between 2018 and 2020.
He went to the Orioles in 2020. That year, he posted a 6.34 ERA over 38 1/3 innings in nine games (six starts). In 2021, he went 3-14 with Baltimore with a 6.07 ERA over 121 2/3 innings.
But this season, the O's moved him full-time into their bullpen and he became an All-Star. In 44 games, he is 4-6 with a 1.68 ERA. In 48 1/3 innings, he have given up 30 hits, 17 walks and struck out 54 batters. He has given up just three home runs, a couple to the Twins in back-to-back blown saves last month. Lopez throws hard, with a fastball averaging over 97 mph. 
As of right now, Lopez ranks as the second best reliever (behind Josh Hader) traded at the MLB deadline, though he’s likely to fall to at least third when Cubs closer David Robertson is dealt. He’s also under team control for two more seasons after this one. His worth is reflected in the quantity and quality of prospects the Twins gave up to acquire him. 
Twins Daily has learned that left-hander Cade Povich, their third-round pick in 2011 out of Nebraska, will be sent to the Orioles. Povich has spent the season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. He became a top prospect with the organization when he arrived at instructional league last fall throwing 97 with a slider. 
Cano was signed after leaving Cuba. The 28-year-old has been impressive the past two seasons in Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul. He has made 10 appearances for the Twins. In 13 2/3 innings, he has walked 11 and struck out 14 while posting an ERA of 9.22. He's got good stuff and a rubber arm and will do well with the Orioles. 
Juan Nunez, 21, signed with the Twins from the Dominican Republic. He pitched in 11 games in 2021 in the DSL. This season, he is 0-2 with a 4.85 ERA in eight games (7 starts). Over 29 2/3 innings, he has walked 10 and struck out 47 batters. 
Juan Rojas is 18 years old, signed out of Venezuela. He also pitched in the DSL in 2021. This season, he is 1-2 with a 3.60 ERA in eight games (5 starts). In 30 innings, he has 38 strikeouts and just four walks. 
So, the Twins need to make sure that Jorge Lopez 2022 is the Jorge Lopez they are acquiring, and not turn back into Jorge Lopez circa 2015-2021. Will Lopez be thrown into the closer's role? Most likely, Rocco Baldelli will be able to simply choose between Lopez and Jhoan Duran, along with Griffin Jax, in the late innings, and that is a positive. 
The Twins made one move... Will they make more? Let us know your thoughts and what more you would like to see in the comment section.
 

Nate Baez began starting in 2021 for the Sun Devils, and then drew starts in 55 of 57 games last season. He slashed .319/.403/.562 last season, and while the home run total jumped just from eight to ten, Baez pushed his doubles total from three to 21 last season. He’s seen as a decent receiver, and he has played some second base as well. Minnesota would certainly love to see him stick behind the dish, and catcher depth is something the system can use.
Baez took the time to answer a few questions following his selection by the Twins.
Twins Daily: Having worked a little on the infield and corner outfield, the Twins drafted you as a catcher and that's probably where you'd like to stick. What is your process and game behind the plate? What are some of your biggest strengths?
Nate Baez: My game behind the plate is to do everything I can to help my pitchers succeed. Their success is my success. My biggest strengths behind the plate are my presence and toughness. Whatever I do I like to go all out and catching is no different. 
TD: With electronic strike zones still at least a few years away, what would you say about your game as a framer and receiver? Minnesota has been influential when it comes to a knee-down stance, is there something that makes you most comfortable behind the dish?
NB: Framing and receiving are the better part of my game. Coming from the infield, the quickness of my hands has helped me to transition and have success early. I like doing a little of everything when it comes to what stance I’m in. The situation will dictate it but there are times when one knee is best and times when it’s not. I am open to everything. 
TD: At the plate, it seems like you tapped into more power this season. Was that intentional? How did you go about tweaking your swing?
NB: I am always looking to add more power to my swing. I just need to do it with less swing and miss. I worked a lot on pitch selection and plate discipline which helped me to hit better overall, and in turn, added to my power. I didn’t really tweak my swing. I tweak my mentality and game plan when I hit.
TD: What has been your process in the box? You've done a great job limiting swing and miss issues. Are you a big video or analytics guy?
NB: This past year I worked completely off of feel. I never really looked at video or analytics. I know how my swing works and what it needs to feel like to be good. I do like watching video, It just wasn’t really something I did this past year. 
TD: What do you know about the Minnesota Twins? Have you ever been to Target Field?
NB: I do not know much about the Twins, but I do know that they have a very good organization with great development and I’m honored to be a part of it. Never been to Target Field, or even Minnesota.
TD: If there's something you want Twins Territory to know about you as a person or player, what would it be?
NB: I'm just a kid from Tucson, Arizona, having fun, playing the game I love.
 

As a backstop, Andrew Cossetti became a pillar of health in his final two collegiate years. He started 92 games and drew starts in 149 of the 150 he played in for St. Joseph’s. Last season Cossetti put up the best power production of his career with 19 bombs translating to a .714 slugging percentage. Not a traditional slugger, Cossetti also drew more walks than he tallied strikeouts.
Minnesota needs an influx of catching talent in the system, and Cossetti is eyeing an opportunity to be among that. First I caught up with him for a few questions.
Twins Daily: As a hitter, it seems like the power production really broke through for you the past two seasons. What led to that and what is your approach at the plate?
Andrew Cossetti: I have always been a hitter with some power, but in the past two years, I really turned myself into a power hitter.  It was the result of getting stronger in the weight room and refining my swing mechanics to make me a more consistent hitter and allow my newfound strength to carry the ball over the fence.  A combination of this and growing maturity as a player in the game brought my abilities to new heights.  As a hitter, my approach at the plate became more mature as well.  I used to swing hard every pitch hoping for something to happen.  I have since learned to trust my mechanics and my preparation so the only thing I'm focused on at the plate is seeing the ball and making solid contact.  I have found the simpler you make your approach, the more you will trust your abilities and the more success you will find.  Baseball can be a complicated game so when in doubt just simply everything. 
TD: Even while hitting for power, you're a big on-base hitter. How much does what you do behind the dish translate to how you attack a pitcher when up to bat?
AC: The most important thing in baseball is runs because runs win games.  As a hitter, I am not always going to be the one putting the ball over the fence to score the runs which is why it is just as important to get on base and allow the guys behind you in the lineup to hit you in.  I definitely have an advantage as a catcher because my mind is constantly thinking about how to get hitters out.  Seeing this from a pitch-calling standpoint and knowing what the umpire is calling balls and strikes allows me to understand how the opposing pitcher will try to get me out. 
TD: As a catcher, tell us about your style defensively? Are you an adept framer and solid receiver or is blocking something you see yourself better at?
AC: As a catcher, I have recently adopted the knee-down approach the past two years, and it has transformed my game. The Twins have been advocates of this style and were one of the first teams to allow their catchers to do this consistently which excites me because I can see myself improving even more with the coaching of the organization. I first got put behind the plate because I had a good arm and I would say that continues to be my best trait as a catcher.
TD: When transitioning to pro ball, what is the thing that you think can most be advanced about your game?
AC: I think the biggest advancement I can make in my game is becoming an all-around great defensive catcher.  I am confident that I can hit and hit for power but what I am most excited about is being part of an organization that does a phenomenal job at developing catchers.  I think it is the perfect scenario for me and cannot wait to get started on this journey. 
TD: What do you know about the Minnesota Twins? Have you ever been to Target Field?
AC: Being from the Philadelphia area, I cannot say that I've gotten to watch a lot of Twins baseball, but I know that it will not be easy to fill the shoes of Joe Mauer who is one of the greatest catchers of all time.  He was one of my favorite catchers to watch growing up because he was so consistent with the bat and defensively, he did everything right and played the game the way it should be played.  I have never been to Target Field, but I remember watching the Homerun Derby there in 2014 and thinking to myself that this would be a great place to hit bombs in. The Twins have a lineup with a lot of power now and they're only getting better.  It'll be exciting to see what the organization has in store this season and in the coming years and I'm hoping I can be a part of their future success.
TD: If there's something you want Twins Territory to know about you as a person or as a player, what is it?
AC: I want Twins Territory to know that they're getting a player who will play every game like his hair is on fire and do whatever it takes to win a ballgame.  My dad taught me to play baseball hard because you never know when your last time stepping on the field will be and when it is all said and done you want to be able to look back and know that you gave it everything you had.  So that's what you'll get in me as a player and a person.  Someone who gives it everything he has and just wants to win.
 

A Mississippi native, Ethridge didn’t need to travel far for college. Two years ago he worked his way into the starting rotation for Southern Miss and posted a 3.25 ERA including two complete game shutouts. This past season saw Ethridge as somewhat of a hybrid arm pitching both in the rotation and out of the bullpen. His 147/25 K/BB over the course of his college career highlights the type of strike thrower he can be.
Now looking to begin his professional career, I had the opportunity to touch base before his Twins development gets started.
Twins Daily: Moving from a starting role last season to more of a bullpen spot this year, what have you learned about yourself as a pitcher and the way you attack hitters?   Ben Ethridge: Either way whether it’s starting or relieving I look to just fill up the strike zone. When I get to that strikeout count I will try and throw a plus pitch to get the swing and miss. Most hitters go into an at-bat looking for something so my goal is to try and keep them off balance so that they can’t do that. TD: Talk about your arsenal, what works, and what are your best pitches?
BE: I throw a four-seam, slider, curve, and split change. My fastball and slider are my more dominant pitches in the fact of better movement, and also are easier for me to locate. My curve and changeup have started to come along greatly, to where I am comfortable throwing them for get-me-over pitches or swings and misses out of the zone.    TD: If there's something you're looking to tweak in professional baseball to take your pitching to another level, what is it and what tools do you utilize to get yourself there? BE: Gaining some velocity and working on getting the great third pitch as well. A lot of time needs to go toward velo training. I also need to work on throwing more of my changeup to try and figure out how to develop that better and make it elite.   TD: What do you know about the Minnesota Twins? Have you ever been to Target Field?   BE: I know they are winning the AL Central right now, and I know a couple of players on the team. One is Matt Wallner, who is from Southern Miss, and has been doing very good! I have never been to Target Field, but I am looking forward to going there!   TD: If there's something you want Twins Territory to know about you as a person or player, what is it?   BE: That I’m easy going and going to give it everything I got to help the Twins win!

Cory Lewis went through a UC-Santa Barbara program that also produced current Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber. Lewis is a big-bodied thrower at 6’5” and uses an analytical background to get the most from his stuff. He has a plethora of offerings and also mixes in a knuckleball that can be usable at the big league level. This type of talent is one that should turn heads for Twins fans.
I caught up with the Gauchos' former Friday starter, and he had a lot of great insight to offer.
Twins Daily: As a California kid, how much of a priority was it to stay in your home state and play college baseball?
Cory Lewis: I would say it was pretty important to me because I knew that I wanted my parents to be able to come to most of my games. Going to Santa Barbara was perfect for me because it was just far enough away for me to feel away from home but also it gave me the opportunity to play at a place where my parents were able to attend the games.
TD: You pitched as one of UCSB's best starters over the past two years, what helped you to be so successful at that level?
CL: I would definitely say how my fastball and curveball paired up, as well as throwing five pitches for strikes most of the time really helped me be successful. The vertical break of my fastball really helped me be able to pitch up in the zone and miss barrels. My curveball tunneled perfectly with my fastball so it was a great 1-2 punch. When I had all five pitches around the zone, the hitters were usually in trouble.
TD: Predominantly a fastball/curveball pitcher, what's your total arsenal look like?
CL: The full arsenal would probably go in order of fastball, knuckle curveball (12/6), changeup, knuckleball, and slider. The slider has always been a work in progress as it has been pretty inconsistent, but I have been pretty confident in my other pitches. I have thrown fastball, curveball, knuckleball, change-up to lefties and fastball, curveball, knuckleball, slider mostly to righties.
TD: As a taller pitcher and someone that may benefit from spin rates and advanced analytics, how much do numbers play into your process?
CL: I would say they play a pretty big role in my process mainly with my fastball. Without advanced analytics on my fastball, I do not think that I would have known how well my fastball plays up in the zone. The induced vertical break usually hovers around 23-25 on average and has gotten up to 29 at its top. As for my off-speeds, they typically have less spin than expected. My curveball and slider do not spin at crazy high numbers, but they still tend to work well with my fastball.
TD: What do you know about the Minnesota Twins? Have you ever been to Target Field?
CL: Honestly, I don’t know much! But I am excited to learn much more about the history and current team. I would say most of my knowledge has come from MLB the Show whenever they release Twins legends like Joe Mauer, Kirby Puckett, Justin Morneau, and many others. I have never been to Target Field, but it looks great on TV.
TD: If there's something you want Twins Territory to know specifically about you, what is it?
CL: Something specifically about me would be that I love to golf in my free time, although I’m not the best, but I have a good time on the course. I also want to get into fishing a little more because I know there are a ton of lakes in Minnesota. I’ve mainly only been fishing in the ocean so I know freshwater fishing can be a lot different.
 

Looking at the MLB.com pre-draft rankings, Tanner Schobel found himself checking it at 96th. He started every game of his college career, and has played both up-the-middle positions. Schobel broke out in a big way playing in the Cape Cod League last summer, and he continued to ride that momentum towards a solid season with the Hokies.
Looking forward to getting his professional career started, Schobel was kind enough to answer a few questions first.
Twins Daily: You started all 111 games during your college career. Making a pretty substantial offensive leap over the last two seasons, what would you attribute most to the growth?
Tanner Schobel: Through my two seasons at Virginia Tech I would attribute my growth to the scouting reports that our coaches put in place for us as well as developing and maturing in the weight room as well as in my workouts on the field. Also being around experienced players like Gavin Cross, Nick Biddison, Cade Hunter, and many more I was able to grow in my game and learn from them. 
TD: Power production showed up this season, was there a change in approach to generate that? How much do you lean into analytics when looking to improve your swing?
TS: My power numbers were much better this season due to getting stronger in the weight room and paying closer attention to detail. In our pre-game and pre-weekend scout meetings, I would recognize patterns that pitchers would fall into. I would study the at bats before me and get a good idea of what kind of pitch I was getting in which counts. I would also try and pick up on the locations that the pitchers were trying to target. By doing this I had a game plan and a set approach and was able to put good swings on pitches that I was comfortable doing damage with. 
TD: As a defender ,the Twins tabbed you as a shortstop. Having played second base as well, is there a side of the diamond you feel more comfortable on? How would you describe your defensive abilities?
TS: At school, I was very comfortable filling in whatever role my coaches wanted of me. If it was at second base, I would do my best to be the best second baseman. If it was at shortstop, I would do my best to be the best shortstop. I am very comfortable on both sides of the infield and view myself as the type of player that can play any position asked of me to help our team win the most amount of games. 
TD: When transitioning to pro ball, what is the one thing about your game you feel most confident in and where's an area you look forward to further developing?
TS: Going into professional baseball I am most confident in my knowledge of the game, especially in the batter's box. Being able to have a set game plan and approach that I developed throughout college and have been successful with is really exciting for me moving forward. I understand the game is only getting harder and that I will have to make adjustments physically and mentally but I feel like I have a very good foundation and am excited to get going with it. As I continue to grow in professional baseball I am looking forward to becoming more versatile and learning from the very talented and hardworking players around me. There are things within my game that I may not notice that my teammates and coaches will point out and I’m excited to soak in a ton of information to help me be the best baseball player I can be. 
TD: What do you know about the Minnesota Twins? Have you ever been to Target Field?
TS: What I know about the Minnesota Twins is that they are very good at developing their players within the organization from top to bottom and that they want their players to succeed and will give them every opportunity to succeed. I have never been to Target Field before or Minnesota in general but I am excited to make it there someday and compete for the Twins. 
TD: Either as a person or a player, what is something you want Twins Territory to know about you?
TS: Something I want Twins Territory to know about me is they will get nothing but my absolute best and I’m excited to win a whole lot of ball games with them.
 

A Michigan native, Kyle Jones is a four-year senior from the University of Toledo. A starting pitcher for the Rockets, Jones was a workhorse throwing 91 1/3 innings this past season. He posted a 4.24 ERA alongside 11.3 K/9. He became the third pitcher Minnesota selected in the 2022 MLB draft, and was noted as a high-character guy by a few different people I reached out to.
I caught up with Jones after his selection to ask a few questions and introduce him to Twins Territory.
Twins Daily: Working as a starter this season for Toledo, what does your repertoire look like and what is your best pitch?
Kyle Jones: As a starter this year for Toledo, I worked with a four-seam fastball, spike curveball, and splitter. This summer I have been working on adding a cutter to my arsenal as well. My best pitch has always been my curveball since it has been hard with late break. My splitter played pretty well this year in spots and I’m excited to gain confidence with it.
TD: How do you set yourself up to attack hitters? What type of pitcher would you describe yourself as and what goes into your preparation?
KJ: I try to get ahead in the count as early as possible to reduce walks and let my offspeed work. I see myself as a pitchability guy since I can get swings and misses on my offspeed and fill up the strike zone. I stick to my weekly routine as much as possible to make sure that I am ready to go whenever I get on the mound. This includes mobility, conditioning, lifting, and a weekly bullpen.
TD: The 114 strikeouts across just 91 1/3 innings are more than impressive, but then paired with just 25 walks, your ability to command the zone looks even better. What do you think can separate you as a pitcher in professional baseball?
KJ: I think that being able to throw three pitches for strikes without walking many will be a separator for me professionally. I also think that being routine-oriented can help me stay healthy and consistent throughout the season.
TD: Minnesota is trending towards an organization that heavily employs advanced analytics. What is your background with using the data and incorporating it into the way you pitch?
KJ: I love having access to analytics whenever I have the chance. In the past, I have done pitch design sessions and training with Rapsodo which has been great for me to learn about my arsenal and metrics. Being at a mid-major, we do not always have access to Trackman data during the season, but I try to use it whenever I have the chance. I am really looking forward to diving deeper into the analytical part of pitching and am excited that the Twins will be able to provide that.
TD: What do you know about the Minnesota Twins? Have you ever been to Target Field?
KJ: Growing up in Detroit, I had watched the Tigers play the Twins, but have never been to Minnesota or Target Field. I know they have been playing some good baseball recently and am excited to contribute to the organization!
TD: What is something you want Twins Territory to know about you as a person or player?
KJ: I just want to say that I can’t wait to get down to Fort Myers and get going with the Twins. I also want to give a shoutout to my family for all the love and support throughout my career as well as to all my coaches who have gotten me to where I am today.
 

Industry buzz had the Twins interested in Connor Prielipp at number eight overall in the draft. Instead, they were able to nab him with their second pick at #48 overall. The slot value for the #48 pick is $1.62 million. Jeremy Nygaard drafted Prielipp at #8 overall for the Twins in the Prospects Live Mock Draft.
Prielipp already has two plus pitches. The first is a 60 grade fastball that sits 93-95 mph. His slider is his best secondary pitch and one of the better offerings in the entire draft. It generated 50% whiffs when he threw it in college. Finally, he has a serviceable changeup that is already above average, and can be developed further. Prielipp had good command pre-surgery, but this may take some time to return.
Prielipp didn't allow a run in 21 innings pitched in the 2021 season before COVID halted play in the SEC. He struck out 35 hitters. Prielipp is 6'2, 205 pounds and still has a ton of projectability to add velocity, an endeavor the Twins have shown proficiency with. When he is fully recovered, I'd expect them to be able to add a tick or two to his fastball as he fills out more.
Prielipp missed the entire 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery. The Tomah, Wisconsin native was in line to be a top ten overall talent in the draft has he remained healthy. With his surgery and rehab behind him, Prielipp was able to throw multiple times in front of talent evaluators in late spring, including at the MLB Combine. Expect the Twins to bring Prielipp along slowly, but the upside here is a front of the rotation arm. Prielipp fell due to such a limited track record. If he can remain healthy, the Twins may have a steal at 48 overall. Prielipp was recommended by Twins scout Matt Williams.
What do you think of the Twins taking Connor Prielipp at #48 overall?
 

The 2022 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game will be played at Dodgers Stadium on Saturday, July 16th at 6 pm central time. You can watch Twins prospects Spencer Steer and Matt Wallner live on Peacock and SiriusXM with MLB Network producing the telecast and re-airing the game at 7:30 pm that night. 
The two Twins representatives are the two hitters with the most home runs in the system.  Wallner has hit 20 homers, and Steer has hit 19. 
It is a big deal for the players. Not only does it show that they are recognized by their own organization, but they are given the respect of the other organizations too. And finally, their names can become more well known to fans on a national level. 
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I'm so excited to get to experience." Steer said following the announcement. 
It is extra special for him for another reason. "It means so much to me that I get to go play a game so close to my hometown. This will be the first time a lot of my family have seen me play professionally, so I couldn't be more excited about that as well." 
Spencer Steer, 24, grew up in Long Beach (CA) and went to the University of Oregon to play college ball. The Twins drafted him in the 3rd round of the 2019 draft. He began the 2022 season at Double-A Wichita where he hit .307/.385/.591 (.976) with 13 doubles and eight homers. He was promoted to Triple-A St. Paul where he has now played 36 games. He has hit .243/.330/.533 (.862) with nine doubles and 11 home runs. Just so you don't have to look it up, combined, he has played in 71 games and hit .273/.356/.561 (.916) with 22 doubles, 19 homers and 58 RBI. 
One more reason for Steer's excitement? "It's awesome that I get to go play with Wallner, who is a great friend of mine." 
Wallner is a 24-year-old from Forest Lake (MN). He was the Mr. Baseball choice in Minnesota in 2016 and drafted in the 32nd round by the Twins, as a pitcher. He went to Southern Mississippi and became an All-American outfielder with immense power. The Twins drafted him with the 39th overall pick in 2019. 
He has been on fire this season. In 73 games at Double-A Wichita, he has hit .282/.422/.585 (1.007) with 13 doubles and 20 home runs. He also has 58 RBI. 
When the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospect rankings were updated on July 1st, Spencer Steer ranked #6 with Matt Wallner ranking #12. 
Below is an interview with Spencer Steer shortly after his promotion to St. Paul. Check it out! (Then below the interview you can see the players that Steer and Wallner join as Futures Game Twins representatives since the game's first year.)
 
Past Twins in the Futures Game
1999: Michael Cuddyer, JC Romero, 
2000: Luis Rivas, Brad Thomas, 
2001: Grant Balfour
2002: Justin Morneau,  Michael Restovich,  
2003: JD Durbin, Joe Mauer, 
2004: Jason Kubel, Justin Morneau, 
2005: Travis Bowyer, Francisco Liriano, 
2006: Trent Oeltjen, 
2007: Matt Garza, Matt Tolbert, 
2008: Luke Hughes, Denard Span, 
2009: Rene Tosoni, 
2010: Liam Hendriks, Ben Revere, Anthony Slama, 
2011: Kyle Gibson, Liam Hendriks, 
2012: Oswaldo Arcia, 
2013: Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, 
2014: Jose Berrios, Trevor May, Alex Meyer, Kennys Vargas (at Target Field)  
2015: Jose Berrios, Max Kepler, 
2016: JT Chargois, 
2017: Nick Gordon, 
2018: Alex Kirilloff, Lewis Thorpe, 
2019: Jordan Balazovic, Royce Lewis,  
2020: No Futures Game 
2021: Josh Winder
2022: Spencer Steer, Matt Wallner

Earlier this week, ESPN’s baseball writing team identified the most watchable teams and players so far this season. The article featured Twins in multiple spots, including being named one of the must-see teams. Minnesota was identified as a team to watch “if you love seeing an experiment in action.” Overall, the premise is the Twins decided not to rebuild after a last-place finish and began rebuilding a competitive roster. 

Here are four experiments that have worked out well for the Twins. 

The Superstar Experiment
Minnesota was never supposed to be in the market for Carlos Correa, but many pieces fell into place this winter. The Twins used the money saved from the Josh Donaldson trade to sign Correa to a unique contract. Both players bring vastly different personalities to the clubhouse, and those differences may be helping the team’s clubhouse chemistry this season. Twins fans are well aware that Correa can opt out of his contract at the season’s end, and that’s another part of this Twins experiment. Can a superstar player help a team win even without previous or future ties to the organization?

The Closer Experiment
Taylor Rogers was entering his final year of team control, and the Twins front office traded him just hours before Opening Day. One can debate whether or not that was the right decision, especially now that Chris Paddack underwent his second Tommy John surgery. However, the Twins received Emilio Pagan to add to the bullpen, and the team had a secret weapon in waiting. ESPN named Jhoan Duran one of their pitchers to watch because of his unique splinker. When added with his triple-digit fastball, Duran is one of baseball’s most dominant arms. Minnesota has been careful with his transition to the bullpen, so it will be interesting to see how his role changes throughout the year. 

The First Base Experiment
The Twins started the year with a plan to use Miguel Sano and Alex Kirilloff at first base . Unfortunately, Minnesota got little to no production out of this position as both players dealt with injuries and poor play. So, the front office had to get creative and try another experiment. Players that are 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds aren’t supposed to handle first base, especially when that player averages less than five home runs per season. Luis Arraez hasn’t fit the typical mold for most of his professional career, but it’s clear the Twins are a better team when he is in the lineup regularly. He entered the season with a 114 OPS+, but he’s raised that by over 40 points this season, even in baseball’s muted offensive environment. 

The Pitching Pipeline Experiment
Many Twins fans were clamoring for the team to spend money on starting pitching this winter. That didn’t happen as the team trusted that their young pitching would continue to develop, which has looked like the right bet. Joe Ryan doesn’t fit the mold of a typical ace, but his start to the 2022 season puts him in the AL Rookie of the Year conversation. Bailey Ober, a former 12th-round pick, is proving he can be more than organizational depth. Minnesota decided it couldn’t leave Josh Winder off the roster, and he has been successful as a starter and a reliever. Other top-pitching prospects are also getting closer to the big leagues, so replacements can be ready when the need arises. 

Minnesota is clearly experimenting with a variety of roster components this year, but everything seems to be mixing together quite nicely. Do you think these experiments can last the entire season? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Sonny Gray 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
Homeruns: None
Top 3 WPA: Sonny Gray .389, Gio Urshela .148, Carlos Correa .116
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

On Tuesday night, the Twins were out to secure another series win against Detroit. Here’s how they lined up against the Detroit Tigers.
Sonny Gray came out looking comfortable on Tuesday night. Through his first two innings, he allowed two soft singles to Miguel Cabrera and Spencer Torkelson (66 mph and 71 mph respectively). Gray appeared ‘on’ from the get go, locating well, with Ryan Jeffers stealing plenty of close calls for the Twins pitcher.
After a solid first inning, Tigers starter Beau Brieske ran into trouble in the second inning. He walked Max Kepler, who came around to score on a Gio Urshela single. Kepler would have been dead to rights at home plate, had Javy Baez not inexplicably indicated to Tigers’ left fielder Willi Castro to throw to second. The Twins were up, 1-0 after two innings.
The Twins increased the lead in the third inning. Byron Buxton, mired in a slump, just missed a home-run to right center-field. The ball had a .970 xBA and was recorded at 105.7 mph off the bat, a promising sign. A Luis Arraez single and Carlos Correa double increased the lead to 2-0.
In the top of the fourth inning, Jeimer Candelario scalded a ball into the right center field gap. Byron Buxton made his best catch of the season to prevent extra bases for Detroit.
The Twins had a threat in the bottom of the fourth inning. Gio Urshela singled (110 mph) and Jose Miranda doubled (108 mph) to put men on second and third with one out. Ryan Jeffers flew out to center field and Gio Urshela was thrown out at home plate after tagging up at third. At the end of four innings, the Twins led just 2-0 in a game that could have been put on ice. Twins fans have to be encouraged by Miranda, who seems to be driving the ball more consistently in recent games.
Meanwhile, Gray was on cruise control. Through five innings, he had given up three hits, one walk, and struck out six Tigers hitters on just 68 pitchers. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Twins threatened again. Luis Arraez missed a home run to right field by a few feet and had to settle for a single. Carlos Correa and Gary Sanchez walked to load the bases with Max Kepler up, fresh off a grand slam on Monday night. Kepler flew out to shallow left field, not deep enough for Arraez to tag. Gilberto Celestino grounded out to end the inning. Through five innings, the Twins had seven hits, three walks, but only two runs to show for it.
Gray had retired seven straight hitters when Jonathan Schoop singled in the top of the sixth inning. A rare passed ball by Ryan Jeffers moved Schoop to second base, with no outs. Gray bucked down, striking out two of the next three hitters to escape the inning unscathed, his seventh and eight strikeouts of the game. In the bottom of the inning, Gio Urshela led off with his third hit of the game, before Jose Miranda grounded into a double play to extinguish yet another Twins scoring opportunity. 
Gray came out to start the seventh inning with a pitch count of 83. He left it at 95 pitches, having retired the side in order and struck out 10 in seven innings of scoreless work.
Tyler Duffey relieved Gray in the eighth inning. Duffey struck out two and retired the side in order on just 12 pitches. The Twins offered nothing in the bottom of the eight inning, leaving Jhoan Duran to close the game out for Minnesota. Duran allowed a single to Miguel Cabrera and hit Jeimer Candelario to put runners on first and second base with one out. Duran got Willi Castro to ground into a double play to secure the shutout for the Twins.
The Twins have now won six in a row, their second such streak in 2022. They’ve won four series in a row since being swept by Houston and sit 11 games over .500, with a 5.5 game lead over the White Sox. So sound the clubhouse gong, its just like Max Kepler said, ‘vibes over everything.’

Bullpen Usage Chart
- FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT               Jax 18 0 0 33 0 51 Pagán 19 0 0 28 0 47 Duran 16 0 17 0 14 47 Duffey 18 0 14 0 12 44 Cano 0 0 38 0 0 38 Smith 0 21 0 17 0 38 Megill 0 0 31 0 0 31 Thielbar 0 18 0 3 0 21 Stashak 0 18 0 0 0 18 Next Up
On Wednesday, the Twins will conclude their series against Detroit. Dylan Bundy starts for Minnesota, against Rony Garcia of the Tigers. First pitch is 12:10 CT. By the way, the game is on YouTube on Wednesday. 
Postgame Interviews
 
 

Baldelli had the makings of a slam-dunk hire in 2019, when he became the youngest recipient of Manager of the Year in history, leading the Twins to a historic 101-win season. He followed with another division title in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. 
One would think such an impressive start to his managerial career would earn the guy a bit of leeway in the eyes of fans. Turns out, not so much. 
While experiencing his first rocky year at the helm, Rocco was routinely derided by a large portion of the fanbase and columnist hive in 2021's last-place debacle. Never mind he was supplied by the front office with Alex Colomé as his closer and the Happ-maker combo as his rotation reinforcements. Never mind dealing with a rotten hand injury-wise. 
Baldelli took major heat nonetheless. It's the name of the game.
As this 2022 season got off to similarly ugly start, with a 4-8 record two weeks in, fans on Twitter were calling for Rocco's head and a certain desperate-for-attention local media outlet was hilariously attempting to manufacture a manager controversy. 
Since that 4-8 start, Baldelli's Twins are 17-7. They're winning tight games. They're playing far cleaner, crisper ball than opponents. And they're bouncing back from adversity.
Tactically, Baldelli has been pressing the right buttons and his decision have paid off time and time again. Here are three examples from Monday's 3-1 victory:
1: Chris Archer pulled after four innings.
It wasn't an obvious call by any means. Archer had allowed only one run on two hits over four innings. He was at just 62 pitches when Baldelli made the decision to pull him. The Twins were in the midst of a stretch with nine games in nine days. They could've tried to squeeze another inning or two.
The skipper did not want to see Archer face Oakland's lineup for a third time and that was absolutely the right call. Yennier Canó came in and mowed down the next two frames, giving hitters a very different look from the starter.
Griffin Jax followed with two scoreless frames, and then Tyler Duffey closed things out in a clean ninth. Another shutout showing from the relief corps.
Minnesota's bullpen, despite losing one of the best relievers in baseball on the eve of Opening Day, has been phenomenal. Elite by any measure. Elite! Who would've expected this based on the personnel we saw forming this unit?
Twins relief pitchers – from Canó to Jax to Joe Smith to Jhoan Duran to Emilio Pagán and beyond – are getting it done. Rocco is putting them in spots to succeed, as has been his trademark. His bullpen ranked third in the majors in WAR in 2019, and second in 2020.
Baldelli quietly has an argument as the best bullpen manager in baseball.
2: Small ball pays off in the 5th inning.
I'm not a big fan of small-ball tactics generally, and based on his tendencies I think it's safe to say Baldelli feels the same. (I mean, that 2019 team was basically a giant middle-finger to small ball as a concept.)
But both of us could agree that it made sense to take such an approach in the fifth inning of a 1-1 game after Royce Lewis drew a leadoff walk. Nick Gordon, the #9 hitter who entered with a paltry .596 OPS, stepped in and got the bunt call. He executed, bringing up the team's best hitter with one out and a man in scoring position.
Byron Buxton? Oh, you know he executed. 
Even if it hadn't worked out, bunting with Gordon there is a move that simply made sense. Baldelli has shown he'll go that route when it's warranted. You wonder if the dead-ball trend might compel this calculating manager to keep adjusting in that direction.
3: Buxton was on the field.
There's been a whole bunch of grumbling lately about the team's "kid-gloves treatment" of Buxton. (Much of it, you'll be shocked to learn, coming from the aforementioned desperate-for-attention outlet.) Apparently it is now controversial to take a cautious approach in a 162-game season with your vitally important superstar who also happens to be banged up, and maybe the most injury-prone player in the league. 
Yes, Baldelli and the Twins have opened up about their intentions to manage Buxton's workload this year in hopes of keeping him off the injured list. Their plan has been successful so far, in every way. Buxton has avoided the IL – despite a few scares that continue to affect him – and the Twins are six games above .500, leading the division, even with him playing only two-thirds of the time.
Winning the division and having Buxton healthy for the playoffs should be this team's utmost aspiration. It's a combination they haven't yet been able to achieve yet. Right now, Baldelli has the Twins on track to do both. And people are still complaining. SMH.
Some of us appreciate you, Rocco, and see the things you're doing to help this team exceed expectations. Many won't. But that's the name of the game.

Matt Canterino has been dominant since the Twins drafted him in the 2nd round of the 2019 Draft. Canterino starred at Rice University, where they’re known to push their young arms. He pitched very well there, but his numbers pale compared to his production in the minors. 
Canterino has pitched 68 2/3 innings in the Twins system. He’s given up nine runs, which equates to a 1.18 ERA. He’s struck out 104 of the 259 hitters he’s faced, a 40% clip. He pairs a mid-to-upper 90s fastball with a hammer breaking ball and a sneaky firm changeup, a pitch Canterino has worked on to better attack lefties. He hasn’t allowed a run in 17 straight innings, striking out 23. Opponents have gone 4-for-55 with one extra-base hit. Canterino, 24, is charging up prospect lists.
It was a rough start to 2022 for Canterino, who walked six in his first 3 2/3 innings of the season. Since then, he’s been absolute nails. Canterino has given up just one homer in his Minor League career, and now he’s shoving at the upper levels. Right-handed hitters have gone 15-for-151 (.099) with 70 strikeouts against him since his Minor League debut in 2019. He struck out 45 of the 81 hitters he faced in 2021. He's posted video-game numbers since day one. 
Canterino has thrown 20 2/3 innings for Wichita, posting a 1.31 ERA and 34% strikeout rate. He’s walked more than he would prefer, but it’s a sterling start considering he spent much of 2022 on the injured list with an elbow problem. Canterino may possess the second-best repertoire in the system, behind only Jhoan Duran. 
Like Duran, there are real questions about Canterino’s ability to remain as a starter. He has a herky-jerky delivery and has already dealt with arm troubles. The Twins are watching his workload closely, and he’s averaging around 50 pitches per start. Canterino may end up in the Twins’ bullpen, and it’s fair to wonder if he could help them as soon as mid-summer. He has the stuff and the makeup to accelerate quickly. 
Canterino is a key part of a wave of upper-minors starting pitchers the Twins have been developing. While Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, and Josh Winder impress for the big league club, the depth in the minors is exciting. Jordan Balazovic is back, Cole Sands is on the cusp of the majors, and Canterino is mowing down hitters at Double-A. Not to mention 2021 Minor League Pitcher of the Year Louie Varland, who is off to a strong start at Double-A as well. This was the plan and remains the largest storyline for the 2022 Twins. 
Beyond the obvious stars in the system, 2020 fourth-round pick Marco Raya has a 2.40 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 15 innings for Low-A Fort Myers. David Festa, the Twins' 13th-round pick out of Seton Hall in last year's draft, is pumping 97-99 with his fastball, carving out his path for a breakout season. Simeon Woods Richardson, acquired at the 2021 deadline, has a 1.67 ERA in five starts for the Wind Surge. Even Blayne Enlow is back after undergoing Tommy John surgery 11 months ago. Improved health (so far) has been the difference between 2021 and 2022 for the Twins' top pitching prospects. 
Canterino could follow a similar path to Duran, who started in St. Paul's rotation last year before going down with elbow soreness of his own. The Twins moved Duran to the bullpen, recognizing that his outstanding stuff could help the team immediately. They seem determined to let Canterino start for as long as possible. An ideal season for Canterino would be reaching the 80-inning mark while finding success in a promotion to Triple-A. It's viable that Canterino joins the Twins for the stretch run, especially if the team is lacking high-powered arms late this season. For now, he's whooping almost every hitter who stands in the box. 
 

Chris Paddack burst onto the scene in 2019 posting a 3.33 ERA in San Diego over about 140 innings. He paired a dominant mid to high-90s fastball with a plus-plus changeup and fantastic command to put together a rookie campaign that hinted at a future ace-level pitcher. Over the next two years, however, Paddack came to find that the MLB is unforgiving toward starting pitchers with only two pitches. And so he went to work.
Contrary to popular belief, Paddack wasn’t quite a two-pitch pitcher in 2021. He had incorporated a curveball 12% of the time and had fantastic results on the pitch. His 5+ ERA finish was instead a result of an underperforming fastball, although you could argue that Paddack wasn’t throwing the breaking ball nearly enough which could have helped the performance of the rest of his repertoire. Luckily, Paddack appears to have made significant adjustments to both pitches.
This small change should pay off twofold. On one hand, getting the fastball away from the heart of the plate is always a good idea. Also consider the fact that he’s upped his breaking ball usage to over 20% so far, meaning it’s harder to look fastball. Mixing in more breaking balls typically makes any fastball more effective, but now that he has one to pair with a devastating changeup, his fastball at the top of the zone should be that much harder to get around on. We’ve seen early signs of hitters already having difficulties with this change.
While it’s admittedly a small sample size, Paddack’s better overall performance appears to be tied to his once broken fastball making a huge rebound. After batters hit .314 on the pitch in 2021, they’re posting a .250 mark so far this year. More impressively, after allowing a .531 slugging % on the pitch last season, hitters have posted a .357 mark so far in 2022. This is all despite the fact that his average fastball velocity is down from 94.8 to 92.9 this year after a shortened spring and pitching in colder weather. It’s possible the pitch may actually improve as the season rolls on.
The biggest Chris Paddack storyline to keep an eye on however is his development of yet another pitch. As a fastball/changeup pitcher for most of his career, Paddack has posted fantastic reverse splits as we often see with pitchers whose primary offspeed is a changeup. Holding left-handers to a .226/.273/.408 line is impressive for a right-handed pitcher, but in Paddack’s case his lack of an equalizer for right-handed hitters has resulted in them posting a healthy .742 OPS against him. Luckily it appears the Twins were two steps ahead on this one.
In his third start with the Twins, Paddack threw what Statcast calls a cutter seven times. Whether it’s a cutter or a slider, this would really round out Paddack’s repertoire with a pitch that traditionally stifles right-handed pitching. It’s too small of a sample to draw any conclusions from the pitch, but the fact of the matter is if Paddack can make any strides in limiting right-handed hitters, it’s not hard to see him being one of the leaders in the rotation for the next three years.
It was easy to question parting with Taylor Rogers for a struggling Chris Paddack at the time, but it’s become very clear in this early season that the Twins did so with a very specific plan in mind. At 26 years old after a few tough seasons, Paddack appears to still have the raw talent that once earned him the reputation as one of the up-and-coming stud pitchers in baseball. With a change in scenery, a change in pitch sequencing, and possibly a new trick or two up his sleeve, Chris Paddack could become the high-end pitcher fans were calling for all offseason. Do you agree?
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The pace of the Twins offseason went from zero to 100 once the lockout ended, with a flurry of moves by Minnesota’s management duo (President of Baseball Ops Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine) leading to a radically different opening day lineup.
And the pace has not slowed down.
Shortly after moving closer Taylor Rogers and prospect Brent Rooker to the Padres for pitchers Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagan, the team announced that they traded team mascot TC Bear to the Jacksonville (FL) Zoo and Gardens. In return, they’re receiving a significant number of snakes, reptiles, and other creatures.
“I’m just going to come right out and say that I don’t know what we’re going to do with a half-dozen Burmese pythons,” said Falvey. “But we hadn’t made a trade in a good 2-3 hours, and the rush of acquiring and sending away assets is unbeatable. We’re hooked, baby!”
Levine, who said he hasn’t slept since Monday afternoon, was equally enthused if unclear about the trade.
“Do you know if a monitor lizard is cool with letting relievers ride him out of the bullpen,” said Levine. “I don’t want to get on PETA’s radar, but I’ll be honest, I don’t know where we’re going to put him otherwise. GOD I LOVE TRADING, CAN’T BEAT IT.”
Neither Falvey nor Levine would comment on the fact that TC Bear is not a real bear, but in fact a person in a pretend bear costume who is being sent to a zoo to live among real bears that will likely visit mind-bending violence upon him.
“He’s dealing with it as best he can,” said a source close to the man who wears the costume. “Is it as bad as when (former Twin) Andrelton Simmons demanded to speak to the mayor of the talking bear village where TC Bear lives about repealing their mask mandate? No. Still, the threat of mauling is one he takes seriously.”
The team says there are no further moves in the offing, and rumors that Minnesota is trading an old Metrodome urinal trough for a shoebox of expired prescription drugs are unfounded but they're very open to it and would throw in a gently-used Mike Maksudian.

Tuesday evening saw the St. Paul Saints kick off their season against the Louisville Bats down in Kentucky, and it’s hard not to drool at the top of their lineup that started with Jose Miranda, Royce Lewis, and Trevor Larnach. They've got pitching too, with Jordan Balazovic (though he's on the IL to start the year), Cole Sands, Jovani Moran, and Drew Strotman some of the names to watch or that you already know.
The biggest story in this one is, without a doubt, the return of Lewis to official game action. The last time he was seen on a minor-league diamond, was all the way back in 2019 when he ended the year mashing in the Arizona Fall League to the tune of a Most Valuable Player award. He definitely made his presence known in this one, and in each phase of the game, which we will get to.
TRANSACTIONS

With it being Opening Day in Triple-A and the other affiliates kicking off their seasons on Friday, there will likely be a lot of roster movement in the next few days, so be sure to check out this section moving forward. Outfielder Elijah Greene, who was signed this spring, was released.  SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 3, Louisville 2
Box Score

Taking the mound for the Saints to start the year, was offseason signee Mario Sanchez and he was solid for the first four innings, allowing just one hit, one walk, and striking out one. He threw 59 pitches, with a whopping 42 of them going for strikes (71%). Up to that point he was matched by Bats starter Ben Lively, who had held the St. Paul lineup hitless through the first four frames.
Outfielder Derek Fisher changed that with a leadoff double to start the fifth inning and would later score the first run of the season for Twins affiliates on an RBI groundout from catcher David Banuelos.
After a nice play at shortstop to end a threat from the Bats in the bottom of the inning, Lewis led off the top of the sixth with a single through the hole into left field. After a Trevor Larnach flyout, Lewis then demonstrated he still has his speed, taking second base for his first steal of the season. He would then come around to score on a Jake Cave single and 2-0 lead for the Saints. 
Wladimir Pinto was the first reliever for St. Paul, pitching the fifth and sixth innings. He gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out four. Trevor Megill then came on and worked around a leadoff single for a scoreless seventh inning, before serving up a home run to JT Riddle in the bottom of the eighth to make the score 2-1 and before it was said and done Yennier Cano would be summoned to end a two-out threat to tie the score. He got a flyout to keep the Saints out front heading into the ninth. Megill went 1 2/3 innings total, allowing three hits, walking one, and striking out two.
In the top of the ninth, catcher David Banuelos added a needed insurance run with the first home run of the 2022 season, a 431-foot blast to left-center:
Cano stayed in the game with a chance at his first save of the year, and it got interesting. A check swing led to a leadoff infield single and was followed by a double into the right-field corner that put the tying run in scoring position. An awkward passed ball led to a run (I could swear it was a foul tip, and Cano complained about it…), before he got a big strikeout and a lineout into left field for two outs. With the game on the line, Louisville brought on a pinch hitter, and Jose Miranda proceeded to make a game-saving play diving to his left to get the final out, and secure the first win of the 2022 minor league season!
The Saints lineup managed just five hits, were 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and left eight men on base for the game. Miranda went 0-for-5 with a pair of strikeouts, Trevor Larnach was 0-for-3 with a walk and one K, and as a team, they struck out twelve times.
In his first action since the 2019 season, Royce Lewis finished 1-for-4 with a single, walk, run scored, and a stolen base. He also struck out twice, but what stood out to me was there are no ill-effects from his knee surgery. He made a couple of nice plays in the field, showed his speed on the base paths, and there wasn’t any type of leg kick I’d call even remotely excessive in his swing. Most of all, I am sure it felt great for him to be back in action!
Be sure to take a look at the Saints Roster Preview.  
WIND SURGE WISDOM

The Wind Surge will begin their season on Friday at home against the Tulsa Drillers. While the Wind Surge have yet to name their opening day starter, the Tulsa Drillers have a prospect named Gus Varland scheduled for them. This is notable, as he’s the older brother of Twins Daily’s #14 Prospect Louie Varland, who is on the Wind Surge roster to start the year. If Wichita and Twins brass know what’s good for them, they’ll make this brotherly battle happen to start the year! In the meantime, be sure to check out the Wind Surge roster preview.
KERNELS NUGGETS

The Kernels open their season at home as well, facing off against a former Twins affiliate, the Beloit Snappers. You can also get a look at the Cedar Rapids roster in advance of their opener on Friday.
MUSSEL MATTERS

Fort Myers hits the road to Clearwater to open their 2022 season against the Threshers on Friday. There should be quite a few of the Twins 2021 draft picks on their roster, which has yet to be officially announced.
TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day - Wladimir Pinto, St. Paul Saints (W, 2 IP, H, BB, 4 K)
Hitter of the Day - David Banuelos, St. Paul Saints (1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB)
PROSPECT SUMMARY

#2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, R, BB, SB (1), 2 K
#3 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 0-for-5, 2 K
#4 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - Injured List (knee strain)
#11 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K
WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

St. Paul @ Louisville (5:35 PM CST) - RHP Daniel Gossett
        Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s game!

There’s no denying that Twins fans know what Miguel Sano is at this point. While a streaky hitter, it’s hard to argue against his body of work being a solid outcome from a prospect projection standpoint. You’d prefer fewer peaks and valleys, but a career .819 OPS is nothing to scoff at. Sano will always rack up strikeouts in droves, but it’s not because he’s lacking ability.
 
In differentiating the two, let’s first understand what Sano is. The Twins' first baseman is a power hitter. He has a significant amount of swing-and-miss in his game, but he also displays a substantial amount of plate discipline. Sano’s hard-hit rate thus far has been 45.1%, often ranking near the top of Statcast leaderboards relative to his peers across the league. A 52.1% hard-hit rate in 2019 is the high watermark, and a 117 mph max exit velocity is nothing to scoff at. Sano’s 16.6% barrel rate is propped up by career-best numbers over the past three seasons.
 
When Sano struggles, it’s a reflection of timing and velocity. A 27.8% chase rate isn’t evidence that he expands the zone often, and Sano has only topped 30% once in his career. At his worst, Sano has pushed the whiff rate near 20%, but he sits at 15.8% to this point. A 63.7% contact rate isn’t ideal but reflects the three true outcomes approach, while his zone contact rating jumps 14% to 77.1%. A steady diet of fastballs is often fed to Minnesota’s first baseman, a rate of 31.7% over his career, as it’s been the pitch he’s had the most against.

Summarizing Sano’s output at the plate would suggest thunderous contact with immense power while displaying a good eye but struggling with velocity. He swings with intent, and there’s rarely contact that isn’t loud.
 
Now, how does that compare to Sanchez?
 
Yes, Sanchez, too, is a power hitter, but the outputs are hardly the same. Unlike Sano, Sanchez has never posted a 50% hard-hit rate in his career. Across the totality of his production, the hard-hit rate sits at 37.3%, a considerable drop from his childhood friend. Sanchez also owns a barrel rate 2% lower than Sano and rarely creeps towards the top of exit velocity leaderboards. Production is reflected in a lower HR/FB rate and a lesser line drive percentage.
 
When in the box, Sanchez also expands the zone nearly 5% more often. Despite doing this, the former Yankees backstop whiffs roughly 4% less than his teammate. Sanchez makes considerably more contact, both in the zone and out of it, but it comes at the cost of a desirable swing. If the goal is to get off an “A” swing each time, it’s clear that concessions are being made where results reflect a less-than-ideal process.
 
On the most basic level, comparing these two players boils down to this. One is a power hitter working with those parameters. The other is a power hitter working against those parameters. Miguel Sano has struck out roughly one-third of the time during his career, while Gary Sanchez has done so only one-fourth of the time. Sano takes more walks and is honed in on pitches he can do something with while exhibiting a swing that bears fruit at contact. Sanchez plays into pitcher’s hands while getting off a swing that may not generate desired results anyways.
 
They are very similar hitters that could benefit from one another. Every Twins fan has seen Sano go through periods where velocity ties him in knots. Yankees fans have grown accustomed to Sanchez failing to produce. This regime should hope to find a middle ground where both take walks and utilize loud contact in marrying their hulking pair.
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With the draft in July last year, the Twins had their drafted pitchers report to Ft. Myers and then take time away from throwing. In that time, they learned more about nutrition and weight lifting programs. They threw some bullpens, in large part, just to have some baseline analytics using their technology. In doing so, they could learn more about themselves and develop a plan for their offseason. Actual innings pitched were not important. Starting the process of development is the most important thing. 
Chase Petty threw just five total innings for the FCL games over two starts, but he did a lot of learning.
He said, “It was new for sure. It was a lot better competition, obviously, coming from high school baseball, especially from New Jersey baseball. It was definitely a big difference. But it was fun. I really enjoyed it. All the guys here are very supportive of you.”
He continued, “Really just being a professional baseball player and cleaning up everything off the field and on the field. Just having the mindset of a big-leaguer because that's the goal, that's the dream, and succeed even there. Really this offseason was developing that mindset that this is going to be a grind, and you really have to prepare yourself for it. I'm ready for it.”

Petty ended last season at the Instructional League and went back home to Summer Pointe, New Jersey. He trained in nearby Pleasantville at the Baseball Performance Center with Phillies Triple-A pitcher Mike Adams. He has worked at the facility since his freshman year of high school. Fellow Twins pitching prospect Sean Mooney also works out there.  
Earlier this week, Minor League Director Alex Hassan noted that they are fully aware of the facility and the coaches and trust their work. He also noted, "Chase really has impressed us with his ability to be routine-oriented for a high school player.” He continued, “Normally on the high school front, you’re really trying to emphasize routine in the training room or weight room or just on the field in terms of catch play and things you’re working on. He had a lot of that coming in, which has really stood out and been impressive.” 
Hassan says that Petty has been impressive on the field too. “I’ve heard the perception among high school players who throw hard that they just want to go out there and blow it out, and it’s a spectacle to see how hard he can throw, but I think he’s got more touch and more feel than that typical profile. He threw strikes in the very, very brief appearances he had in the FCL. In Instructs, he continued to fill up the zone. We’ll continue to work on that.” 
When drafted, we read a lot about Petty touching 102 or 103 mph with his fastball at times. That certainly can be a concern, but he and the Twins understand the bigger picture. Petty says that last year in games, he was consistently throwing 94 to 97 mph and touching 99 mph at times, and that’s where he would like to be in 2022.  
“Around there would still be ideal, but at the end of the day, it's all about getting outs and still performing. So doing what I have to do, whether that's velo up, or kind of dominating with my secondary pitches, that's what I'll have to do to become an all-around better pitcher.” 
To do that, he is working with the pitching coaches and coordinators to clean up some of his mechanics. He said, “It's really cleaning up things that need to be cleaned up whether that is the arm path, whether that is the arm angle, and kind of making sure things are where they need to be to prevent injuries and stay as healthy as possible.” 
His spring training roommate can certainly help talk him through that conversation. Marco Raya was the Twins’ fourth-round pick in 2020 out of high school in Texas. He did not pitch in 2021 due to a shoulder injury. However, he arrived at Instructional League healthy and hitting 97-99 mph at times.  
In my personal Twins prospect rankings, I have Chase Petty at #9 and Marco Raya at #10. Petty also ranked ninth in the Twins Daily rankings, while Raya was listed among the Honorable Mentions.   
Both understand that big-league hitters can hit a triple-digit fastball, so they know they need to keep working on secondary pitches. When the Twins drafted Petty, he talked about having 4-5 pitches and working on others. The Twins have worked with him and helped him focus his early-career attention on thinking long-term.  
Petty said, “We worked a lot with analytics here, and we’ve done a lot with perfecting our craft and perfecting the things that play the most. So we really just perfected the sinker, the changeup, and the slider for right now, and once those three are where they need to be, we’ll start working on the fourth, and hopefully, they’re on, and we’ll keep going. Right now, it’s really just perfecting what we need to perfect right now to get to where we need to be long term.” 
Long-term. It’s a great concept, and Chase Petty won’t even turn 19 years old until April 4th, so he and the Twins need to be patient. Last summer, the Twins made him a multi-millionaire, but let’s not forget that this is his first real job. This is the first time he’s lived away from home for an extended period. It’s the first time he’s lived in a dorm or had a roommate.  
Asked about Petty, Matt Canterino said, “I mean, the stuff’s electric. It’s really, really cool to watch, and I’m 24 now. What is he, 18 still? It’s just incredible. I can tell you I was nowhere near the stuff that he has, and it’s really impressive. I guess if I had to say like one thing - once again, I’m 24, he’s 18 - and I know that if I look back at that pitcher, I was at 18, where I am now, not just like how I’ve developed, but like what I throw now and my mentality and stuff on the mound, it’s two completely different people. It’s not even just from five years ago to now. It’s like from two years ago, three years ago to now. So I think most of the stuff that I would tell him would just be, ‘Be open to new things. Keep working. Listen to what everybody has to say, not necessarily do everything that everybody tells you to do but be open about that stuff. It will be really cool to see how you evolve as a pitcher and as a person.”
Sage advice indeed.  

Be patient, and yet get to work. Petty arrived with the first group of pitchers in mid-January. He said, “Really just got here to get to work and to get after it. We had early camps, and me and Marco (Raya), and Louie Varland, we really worked heavy together in that camp. We really got after it together there.”
Petty noted that he grew up in Millville, New Jersey, and a 10-minute drive north takes you to Vineland, New Jersey. Hispanics comprise about 35% of the town’s population, so Petty got to know a little Spanish in elementary school and Little League from just hanging out with his friends. He feels very fortunate to have Marco Raya, who speaks fluent Spanish, as his roommate for many reasons, including that he teaches him some Spanish. He wants to continue to learn and be able to better communicate with his teammates from Latin America. Well, that and he wants to know what they’re saying when they think he doesn’t understand. 
 As for his 2022 goals, he keeps it pretty simple. He is working as a starter and building up strength and innings. But he noted, “Obviously (I want) to have the best season possible for myself and move up the ranks as much as I possibly can, whether that be finishing the season in Low-A, High-A, wherever that may be. Just pushing myself to have the best season I possibly can.”
He doesn’t know where he’s going to start the 2022 season. It certainly wouldn’t hurt him to start the season in Extended Spring Training and continue to build him up, but indications are that he will begin the 2022 season with the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels. 
There are a lot of reasons to be excited about right-hander Chase Petty. He has a big arm with velocity and secondary pitches. He’s shown pretty good control. He has a good head on his shoulders and has really taken to instruction. So what are your overall thoughts on the Twins taking Petty with their late, first-round pick in 2021, and what do you hope to see from him in 2022? Share your thoughts below. 
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