Twins Spring Training Notes and Thoughts: 3/8/2019

This season's abbreviated Spring Training has really snicked up, and the Opening Day of the 2019 season is just 3 weeks away.  I will be spending the biggest part of the next two weeks in site at Fort Myers and will be able to provide daily eyewitness reports of the Twins.  Another different thing for this site this season is that I have waited to see the various Twins prospects before I create my annual prospect list.   Way too many new faces and very little video relatively. 

A few things has become pretty clear so far this Spring Training:

• The absence of Miguel Sano from the opening day Twins' roster will likely open up two (or even three if they decide to go with 12 pitchers) spots on the Twins bench besides Mitch Garver (Marwin Gonzalez will replace Miguel Sano at 3B.)  Gonzalez's positional flexibility will allow the Twins to chose a potentially variable mix of position players for that spot.  Infielders Adam Rosales (35, 1.526 OPS, 19 PA, RHH) and Ehire Adrianza (29, 1.056 OPS, 18 PA, SHH) and first baseman/ designated hitter Lucas Duda (33, .840 OPS, 25 PA, LHH) have been very good with their bats.  Infielder Ronald Torreyes (26, .777 OPS, 25PA, RHH), and outfielders Jake Cave (26, .763 OPS, 25PA, LHH), LaMonte Wade (25, .760 OPS, 22PA, LHH), and Luke Raley (24, .750 OPS, .18 PA, LHH) have not hurt themselves at the plate.  Superutility catcher Willians Astrudillio (27, .673 OPS, 20 PA, RHH) and first baseman Tyler Austin (27, .474 OPS, 19 PA, RHH) have been lagging.  Duda, Raley, and Rosales would need a 40-man spot to make the team.  Only Adrianza is out of options (Duda and Rosales as well if they make the team;) Austin has an option left.  Michal Reed who would have have a chance in making the team has not played this spring because of back issues and he is unlikely to make the team.  If I were to guess, the 3 most likely players to make the team are Adrianza, Cave, and Duda, in this order, with Astrudillo next, but it is still early.
• The rotation is pretty much set pending injury:  Righties Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson, Jake Odorizzi, Michael Pineda and lefty Martin Perez (in that order,) will be the Twins' five starters.  Perez will likely make pen appearances if a fifth starter is not needed.  All the starters but the opening day starter, Berrios, have been excellent to very good this Spring.
• As far as the bullpen goes, RHPs Trevor May (29, 1.80 ERA, 0.20 WHIP, 5 IP,) and Blake Parker (33, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 3 IP), and LHP Taylor Rogers (28, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 3 IP) are pretty much certain to make the trip North.  There are several pitchers fighting for the 4 spots behind them in three categories:  Well performing starters who may make the team in the pen or start the season in the AAA rotation to provide future depth LHP Adalberto Mejia (25, 2.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 4 IP, 1 option left) and RHP Fernando Romero (24, 1.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 5 IP, 2 options left).  Former pen members who are underperforming in various degrees or had mixed results: RHPs Trevor Hildenberger (28, 4.50 ERA, 0.750 WHIP, 4 IP, 3 options left,) Tyler Duffey (28, 6.35 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 5-2/3 IP, 2 options left,) Matt Magill (29, 7.36 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 3-2/3 IP, no options left,) and LHP Andrew Vasquez (25, 0.00 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 5 IP, 3 options left). The third category are overperforming dark horse RHPs not on the 40-man roster: Mike Morin (27, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 4 IP), former Twins' second round pick Ryan Eades (27, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 3 IP,) and Ryne Harper (29, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 4 IP).  LHP Gabriel Moya (3 options left) who have pitched only one inning and allowed 3 ER, is dealing with back and shoulder issues and is unlikely to make the team.  With Magill the only pitcher out of options and potentially 4 open spots left, the Twins have plenty of different ways of filling them and plenty of time to figure it out.  RHP Addison Reed, normally a lock, has been horrible this Spring (27.00 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 2-1/3 IP), his velocity has been down and just does not look right. I predict that he will start the season in the Injury List, thus is not a part in the discussion.
• The Twins' prospects with the big team have been a mixed bag this Spring but mostly underperforming: Alex Kirilloff (.375 OPS, 16 PA,) Luis Arraez (.436 OPS, 16 PA,)  Louis Thorpe (11.57 ERA, 1.93 WHIP, 4-2/3 IP,) Nick Gordon (.690 OPS, 15 PA), Jake Reed (4.91 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 3-2/3 IP), look overmatched in various degrees, whereas Luke Raley (.750 OPS, 18 PA), and LaMonte Wade (.760 OPS, 22 PA) held their own, and Brent Rooker (923 OPS, 16 PA) has been outperforming. Top prospect Royce Lewis has been out with an oblique injury.  Certain Twins' fans have been superhopeful to see Kirilloff, Thorpe, Arraez, and Lewis this season in the majors, but the first three are clearly overmatched even for Spring Training level of competition.   Nevertheless it has been an excellent learning experience for everyone involved (including the fans.)