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Taylor and Tyler Rogers have emerged as household names in the MLB world. Their mother, Amy, reflects on the wild journey that has taken her twin sons from the backyard in Colorado to the game's biggest stage. The call was brief. Short and sweet. “Mom, I’m going to The Show.” Those were words Twins reliever Taylor Rogers spoke to his mother Amy in 2016 after receiving the news that he would be packing up his bags in Rochester, NY, and heading to Target Field. Coming out of a business meeting, it was a moment that Amy still cherishes like it was yesterday. “I told him to hold on a minute, and then I just yelled in joy,” she recalled. Yet Amy wasn’t the first person that Taylor shared the news with; the lanky lefty kept it to himself for 3-4 hours. The reason why? Taylor’s identical twin brother Tyler was still at practice when Taylor received his call of a lifetime. Taylor and Tyler Rogers have emerged as two of the most prolific relief pitchers in Major League baseball. Taylor was a 2021 All-Star and has earned his stripes as an anchor in the Twins bullpen. Tyler emerged as a breakout star for the San Francisco Giants, garnishing a 7-1 record and 2.22 ERA for the 2021 NL West champion Giants. The best stat? Taylor and Tyler are one of just ten sets of identical twins to play Major League Baseball together at the same time. Amy couldn’t be more proud of her sons. From hours in the backyard to playing at the game’s highest level, one thing has remained constant; their love and support of each other. Linked at the Hip Like many twins, Taylor and Tyler were close from a young age. When Amy wasn’t bussing them to baseball and basketball games the two lived in the family's backyard with a pair of gloves and a ball. “I think they pushed each other's talents,” Amy said. “They complimented each other all the time. They'd come inside, and Taylor would say things like ‘Wow, Ty, you're throwing really hard today,’ and vice versa.” The kindness and love wasn’t just for the brothers, they extended it to their mother too. “I’d get them a new bat and they’d say ‘Thanks Mom, we're gonna hit a home run today,” Amy recalled. “I have a huge bag of 50 baseballs that they signed for me, the only level I don’t have signed by is an MLB ball.” That love extended off the playing field and into the seats. Growing up in Colorado in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, the Rogers’ spent hours at Coors Field as the Rockies franchise grew. And while the high home run rate of the park didn’t scare them away from the mound, neither Taylor nor Tyler were prodigies from a young age. In fact, the two didn’t make the varsity roster until the back half of high school; Taylor his junior year and Tyler his senior year. Yet when Taylor found his stride, he hit the ground running, earning all-state honors his senior year that drew attention from Power Five conferences… and MLB Scouts. Taylor was drafted by the Orioles after his senior high school season in the 37th round of the 2009 Amateur Draft. The excitement was surreal, but it wasn’t his time. Taylor declined and committed to the University of Kentucky. Yet the situation planted a thought for Amy; her son had a chance to ‘make it.’ “He was focused on going to college so he went to Kentucky,” Amy said. “As he progressed through there, we began to realize that (playing professional baseball) was a possibility. Three years later, Taylor was drafted again, this time in the 11th round by the Twins. As a late-blooming right-handed pitcher, Tyler’s journey was a bit different than his brother's. “Tay had different opportunities being a left-handed commodity, Ty didn't have the same opportunities right away,” Amy said. “That was hard to navigate, especially with peer pressure from people who didn't understand it. People would make comments like ‘Why aren't you going to Kentucky?’ to him.” Tyler’s road to The Show went through Junior College in Garden City, Kansas where he developed his submarine delivery. That was followed by two years on the mound at Division I Austin Peay. Just a year after his brother was drafted by the Twins, the Giants selected Tyler in the 10th round of the 2013 draft. Fast-forward seven minor league seasons, Tyler received the call that he had dreamed of; a moment for Amy that was even more emotional than Taylor’s call up. “I'll admit, my reaction to Tyler’s (call up) was more emotional than Taylor’s; he was at the end of his seventh year in the minors and wasn't sure it was gonna happen. It wasn't so much about him going up to the big leagues, it was ‘This is happening for Tyler, he’s finally gotten here and he's living his dream.” Just like Taylor, Tyler made sure the first person to hear the news was his brother. Mother and Fan If there’s anyone that deserves a free subscription to MLB TV, it’s Amy Rogers. When she’s not at Oracle Park or Target Field she can be found glued to her sons’ games that span multiple time zones and start times. “I enjoy watching the dynamics of how the games come together, and then the role that Taylor and Tyler play when they come into the game,” she said. “That’s when I get amped up.” Yet nothing can replace times at the ballpark for Amy. The visual of seeing her sons’ success in the flesh is priceless. “Being in the stands at Target Field when it's the bottom of the 9th with a two-run lead, two outs, two strikes, and everyone is standing and cheering, it’s so surreal to think ‘Everyone is cheering for my son’.” Yet while the cheers are loud, the boos and heckling also loom. Despite the occasional negativity, Amy has learned to persevere. “When you head off to places like Dodger Stadium, people aren't necessarily fans of you," she said. "When those (negative) people say things, I cheer even louder to make it known who I am. It doesn't matter if (Taylor and Tyler) get the save or if they blow it, I’m still standing.” How Far They’ve Come Amy smiles as she reflects on the journeys of her sons. “They really just wanted to have fun,” she said. "Obviously every kid dreams of playing MLB, but that wasn’t their end goal. They just wanted to have fun.” And while she’s proud of their baseball accolades, there’s even greater pride in the relationship that they’ve built. When Taylor was named to the All-Star game in 2021, Tyler was there to watch. The favor was returned at the end of the 2021 season. Since Taylor was on IL, the Twins allowed him to head west to watch his brother pitch for the division-winning Giants. It was Taylor’s first time watching Tyler pitch in the big leagues. “When Taylor saw Tyler enter the game, he was dialed in,” Amy said. “He walked all the way down the concourse and down to the field. He didn’t care who was in front of him.” That brotherly love is nothing new. It’s something that Amy feels lucky to have witnessed and experienced since the boys were young. “What I like is that they share the same values and interests, but they're still their own people,” she said. “Each of them have individual traits that they contribute to the world." From the days of youth to adulthood, she describes Taylor as Type A and organized in contrast to the free-flowing and outgoing personality of Tyler. “Even though they’re twins, there's still that first and second-born child dynamic,” she said. The few minutes of age that Taylor has on Tyler doesn’t halt the potential that both men have on the mound. Taylor looks to forge back to health and dominance in 2022, and Tyler will gun for a stellar follow-up campaign coming off a breakout season. In fact, the two teams are slated to face off from Aug 26-28 at Target Field in 2022. It will be the first time that the Rogers’ twins compete head-to-head at the MLB level. Wins aside, Amy can rest easy at night with the young men that she has raised both on and off the field. “I’m most proud that they remember where they came from, they stay humble, and honor their teammates. I just feel like they're really good people that have grown into their positions and haven't let it go to their head. They're really appreciative of what they've got.” Special thanks to Amy Rogers for taking time for this story and sending some photos. View full article

Each night throughout the entire minor league season, Twins Daily will be writing up game notes and highlights from all of the Twins minor league affiliates. Thursday was Opening Day for the full-season minor leagues, so here is our first Minor League Report.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Since I am currently spending the opening weekend following the Cedar Rapids Kernels, that’s where we will start with our report. It will be followed by reports from the other Twins affiliates. As we did in 2012, there will be several writers composing these updates, so please let us know if you would like to see something specific in the report, and please feel free to ask questions in the Comments section. Twins Minor League Hitter of the Day - Chris Colabello, Rochester Red Wings Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Tyler Jones, Cedar Rapids Kernels Cedar Rapids Kernels 9, Beloit Snappers 7 On Wednesday night, Kernels pitching coach Gary Lucas told the crowd of media, “I think there’s potential to strike people out. Fans come to the ballpark looking for home runs and strikeouts a lot of times and from a pitching standpoint, we’ve got some arms and some velocity coming out of those arms.” In Thursday night’s season opener at Perfect Game Field in Cedar Rapids, four pitchers combined to strikeout 16 Beloit Snappers hitters. The tone was set quickly when starter Taylor Rogers, who would not be classified as strikeout pitcher, struckout the side in the top of the first inning. He struckout seven batters in 3.2 innings. Lucas said of Rogers, “He’s a location pitcher. When he’s on his game, he can throw it low and work both sides of the plate. I would say that he has a lot of savvy and ability to read at bats and read swings and work off of hitters’ weaknesses and strengths.” His slider was terrific on this night, especially to lefties. “It was a good pitch, and when he’s on his game, he can double up and triple up on that slider, and he plays a little tune with them. If they go out to try to take the slider away, he has the ability to throw it in on their hands and jam them. He’s more of a finesse guy and a control pitcher compared to getting them to swing and miss bats.” The Kernels grabbed an early lead with a three-run first inning. Byron Buxton led off with a single to center. He stole second, but one pitch later, second baseman Jorge Polanco hit a home run over the wall in right field. After the inning’s first out, Dalton Hicks hit a very long home run over both walls in right field. In the second, the Kernels tacked on another run when Niko Goodrum scored from third on a Buxton fielder’s choice (That was a tailor-made double play ball to shortstop that he simply beat out). Unfortunately, Rogers was hurt by his defense in the top of the third inning, and it cost four runs and allowed the game to be tied. Manager Jake Mauer said, “It started with a leadoff error. That’s the thing we harp on all spring training. You have to protect that starting pitcher. Starting pitcher is making pitchers, we’ve got to get outs.” Following the error, Rogers did make one mistake. As Lucas said, “He didn’t get away with the fastball inside, the one that (Renato) Nunez hit the home run off him. He tried to come inside there, and he didn’t get it in to where he wanted to get it.” Rogers went 3.2 innings due to having met the 70 pitch limit. He left the game with a couple of runners on, and Tyler Jones came in and got the job done. He got out of that jam with a big strikeout. Jones said, “When I came in there the first half inning with two outs and men on 1st and 3rd, I was thinking strikeout. I didn’t want to let the guy get the bat to the ball because anything can happen. Equally important, he was able to pitch very well for the next three innings. Mauer said that Jones’ performance was “Huge! Absolutely huge!” “He attacked. Second time through the league. He’s carrying himself a little differently this year. To get that big out in that inning to stop the bleeding and calm things down, and then really dominate for three. He threw the ball very well. So I was very pleased. He threw a heck of a game.” He is literally carrying himself differently. Jones pitched for Beloit last season, but did not get promoted to the Snappers until early May, and he knows why. “To be honest, it was really my own fault that I wasn’t on the Opening Day roster. I was out of shape.” So, what did he do this past offseason to get ready? “I worked harder in the offseason, so I knew what to expect. The previous offseason, it was the first time I had time to myself. So, I didn’t work hard enough, not nearly hard enough and my diet wasn’t good. So, this past offseason, really ate healthy, worked harder and came in better shape. It paid dividends in spring training and I hope it continues throughout the whole season.” Lucas added, “I was so happy that he gave us those innings. We had some long innings offensively while he was out there. He went out and shut them down and got our hitters back out there again. It was a good thing to see. He was keeping his focus, going after the first guy. It made his job a lot easier. He was in a real groove as far as attacking with fastballs, hitting the low, outside corner, using his slider so they didn’t know when it was coming. Just about the time he lost his feel on his fastball, He went to his slider. He was able to be a pitcher, rather than just overpowering people. So, it was nice to see.” The Kernels answered with three runs in the fourth inning and two more runs in the fifth inning to gain a 9-4 edge. Manuel Soliman came on to pitch in a game for the first time since last April when he threw in just two games for the Ft. Myers Miracle. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk, but he got through the inning. Before the game, he told me that his shoulder felt “Good! Very, very good!” After the game, he said it felt great to get back on the mound, and that he really wasn’t even nervous. Lucas said of Soliman’s game, “The thinking with Soliman was, give us two innings at the end, and I didn’t want to break his arm. He threw 25-30 innings in the inning, and I didn’t want to take a chance.” Mauer added, “You get him out there. Get him out in the cold. Get him used to it. He got two quick outs, looking good, and then a base hit. He needs to understand he’s OK. He’s got good stuff. Just to trust it. Go right at guys. No one on base, they’re not going to hit a five run home run.” Chris Mazza came in and gave up a run in the ninth. Once he gave up a couple of hits, he came on strong and ended the game with two strikeouts to end the game. Mauer said, “Honestly, we didn’t want to get him out there, but we had him in our back pocket. Any time you have a six-man rotation, you’re always scared of using your bullpen and using three guys is probably too many.” It was a nice win for the hometown team in their first night as a Minnesota Twins affiliate. Jim Rantz was in attendance to throw out the first pitch. Over 1,900 fans were at the game, and it was a fun evening. The offensive highlights included: [*=1]Jorge Polanco went 3-5 with that first inning home run and drove in three runs. Mauer said, “Nice two-strike approach there, right? I saw him as a 16-year-old and this is the first I’ve seen him three years later, and he’s starting to physically mature, and he’s swinging the bat like we think he can. [*=1]Byron Buxton went 2-5 with a stolen base and two RBI. Mauer said, “A couple hits. Stole as base. Went first to third. Did a nice job. I thought a couple of balls in the dirt read, he could have been a little more aggressive on, but that might be nitpicking. Did a nice job in center. Paid attention to him moving outfielders and being in control, noticing swings. He’s further along than a lot of the guys I had previously, and he’s a lot younger. So, he’s pretty exciting.” [*=1]Jairo Rodriguez does a very nice job behind the plate. In spring, he was yet to catch more than five innings in a game, and tonight he caught all nine innings. He also hit the ball well, with two hits including a line drive double down the left field line. [*=1]JD Williams is back in the Midwest League and he is all about fun. In this game, he also went 2-3 and had a sacrifice fly. [*=1]Dalton Hicks hit a big, long home run in the first inning. He has asked to be called by his first name, Dalton, rather than his nickname of DJ. His final at bat of the 2012 season resulted in a walk-off grand slam to win the Appalachian League championship for Elizabethton. His first at bat of the 2013 season was also a home run. [*=1]Niko Goodrum went 1-3 with a walk. Travis Harrison added a double. The Kernels will send RHP Hudson Boyd to the mound on Friday night to square off with A’s young prospect, Michael Ynoa. If you leave the Twin Cities by about noon on Friday, you can be at the stadium in Cedar Rapids by about the time the gates open. They also play at 2:05 on Saturday and Sunday. If you’re going to be there, be sure to say Hi. Rochester Red Wings 7, Buffalo Bisons 12 The Red Wings traveled over to Buffalo to take on the Bisons (Blue Jays affiliate) in the first minor league game to be played in the 2013 season. PJ Walters made his second consecutive Opening Day start for the Red Wings. He gave up five runs on nine hits and a walk in four innings. He struckout just one. He was relieved by lefty Caleb Thielbar who, in one inning, gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. Bruce Pugh then made his AAA debut and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk in two innings. Daniel Turpen came in for the 8th and got two outs. However, he walked two and hit one and all three of those runners scored. Luis Perdomo came in and gave up a hit that scored the final runs before getting the final out. It was a terrific AAA debut for a couple of minor leaguers who were talked about a lot this spring. Oswaldo Arcia went 2-4 with a walk, a double, a home run, and he also threw out two runners trying to advance to second base. Chris Colabello debuted by going 3-4 with his first home runs of the season. Both homers went to dead center. Ray Olmedo went 3-4. Mark Sobolewski went 2-4 with a double and two RBI. Alex Burnett, who the Blue Jays claimed last week when the Twins DFAd him, pitched 1.1 innings for the Bisons, giving up just one hit. On Friday, Kyle Gibson will make his season debut against former Twins starter Ramon Ortiz. New Britain Rock Cats 0, Richmond Flying Squirrels 0 (Game Suspended in the 4th due to rain) With two outs in the bottom of the 4th inning, the rains came and the game ended for the night. It will be made up, starting where they left off. Logan Darnell started the opener for the Rock Cats. He did not give up a run despite giving up four hits and walking two. He struckout two. Danny Santana made his Eastern League debut, with two hits in his two at bats. Antoan Richardson doubled for the Rock Cats. Those were the only three hits to this point in the game. Ft. Myers Miracle 4, Bradenton Marauders 3 It was a back and forth game through, but in the end, the Miracle closed out a 4-3 win. Tom Stuifbergen started and gave up three runs on six hits in five innings. He gave up solo home runs in the first and second innings which is interesting because his ground ball to fly ball ratio was 8:1. Ryan O’Rourke came on with a runner on in the sixth and allowed the inherited runner to score. But he worked two innings and gave up just one hit. He struckout two. Chad Rodgers made his Twins organization debut and struckout the side. Then hard-throwing Zack Jones came in for the ninth with a one run lead. He went 1-2-3, striking out one to record his first save of the season. Jhon Goncalves led the offense, going 3-4 with a double. Stephen Wickens was 2-4. Twins Daily’s AJ Pettersen started in left field for the Miracle and was the leadoff hitter. He led off the first inning with a walk, then went 0-3. Miguel Sano was 1-3 with a walk. Eddie Rosario went 0-3 with a walk. Feel free to leave any questions or comments. View full article