Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Friday, March 24, 2017
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Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Friday, March 24, 2017 Souhan: Cuddyer enjoying life as a former baseball player. Star Tribune (Souhan) p. 1 WBC hurts Jose Berrios' chances to make Twins roster. Star Tribune (Neal III) p. 2 Twins beat Phillies 4-2 as Molitor continues search for pitching candidates. Star Tribune (Neal III) p. 3 Today's Twins relievers include one hard throwing prospect. Star Tribune (Neal III) p. 3 Well-traveled Nick Tepesch still attacking as he tries to impress the Minnesota Twins. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 4 Twins’ rotation bid fading for long-absent Jose Berrios. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 5 Mom's advice gave Buxton boost he needed. MLB (Bollinger) p. 6 Field plus defense a winning formula for Twins. MLB (Bollinger) p. 7 Tepesch, Haley stretch out for starter's spot. MLB (Bollinger) p. 8 Twins get four players back from WBC 2017. MLB (Bollinger) p. 8 Projecting the Minnesota Twins Starting Five. FOX Sports (Wessels) p. 8 Twins turn three double plays to defeat Phillies. FOX Sports (Associated Press) p. 9 Twins Considering Nine Prospects As First Overall Pick. MLB Trade Rumors (Polishuk) p. 10 Buxton, Kepler Only Twins Untouchables In Trade Talks. MLB Trade Rumors (Polishuk) p. 10 Souhan: Cuddyer enjoying life as a former baseball player Jim Souhan | Star Tribune | March 24, 2017 FORT MYERS, FLA. – The open secret shared by many retired baseball players is that they don’t miss the game. Many of them feel that they can’t admit this publicly. They appreciate what the game did for them, the clubhouse camaraderie and friendships forged in a rarefied environment, the privileges bestowed on athletic celebrities, but the daily pressure and scrutiny? Life is often better, or at least easier, when the player can brush the tiny hitting or pitching coach off his shoulder for good. This winter, Michael Cuddyer was elected to the Twins Hall of Fame and became a special assistant to the team’s baseball operations department. Always a friendly presence, Cuddyer this spring is more relaxed than he has ever been in a baseball clubhouse. “It’s great,” he said of the retired life. Then he laughed and said it again: “It’s great! “Obviously you’re born and bred as a competitor, so my time playing was unbelievable. But after you’ve had a pretty decent career and a lengthy career — you did it for 20 years — it’s nice to be able to be a fan of baseball again, be able to hang out with my family and do the things I never got to do.” Last spring he took his family to Atlantis, the resort in the Bahamas. “That was my first spring break,” he said. “Then I had my first Fourth of July outdoor barbecue party I’ve ever had. By no means am I complaining that I had never had that before. But it was nice.” Many athletes feel obligated to say they love the game and the competition, and that they are unfulfilled without a championship ring. In reality, baseball players live with the fear that one injury or one slump could leave them unemployed at a young age. If they complete a successful career set for life financially, they achieve what most people aspire to. “Would it be nice to have a ring?” Cuddyer said this week at Twins camp. “Of course. Is it cool to show up at a banquet and have this big thing on your hand? Of course. But it doesn’t define who you are or what your career was. For me, I got to the World Series and that was cool, that was great, but losing it didn’t put a sour taste in my mouth.” After he retired, Cuddyer, 37, found himself going to sleep at 9:30 instead of midnight. “As a player, you grind through the offseason, you grind in March, you get nervous about who’s pitching or what position you have to play, or that your swing doesn’t feel good,” Cuddyer said. “Your mind never wanders away from those worries, even in the offseason. When you’re done, you exhale. You say, ‘I don’t have to worry about that anymore. It’s nice. I thought I was going to watch more baseball than I did. But I did what my kids were doing and didn’t turn the TV on very often.” What Cuddyer remembers more than the games are the moments around the games. He carried a camera with him on the road and took photos of other cities and ballparks. He constantly spoke with executives, managers, coaches, players, writers, searching for different perspectives. “I don’t remember games, or even many moments in games,” he said. “I remember conversations and relationships. I remember walking down city streets, and visiting ballparks. The games were fun and cool, but they weren’t that important to me. I’m not trying to diminish them — I played hard, and I cared. But those weren’t the most meaningful things to me.” Former players often feel compelled to emphasize their love of the game and their competitiveness. But for many players, baseball is a difficult way to earn a great living. “I like my role now,” he said. “I like being a resource. I feel I can offer something because I’ve seen a lot. I was always interested in different perspectives. I’d grill scouts, and pitching coaches, and the front office. I wasn’t second-guessing them. I was looking for information I could use later in life, because I was interested.” WBC hurts Jose Berrios' chances to make Twins roster La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | March 23, 2017 CLEARWATER, FLA. – The Twins are expected to meet with righthander Jose Berrios on Friday, when there’s a good chance the 22-year-old will be informed that he won’t break camp with the team. Berrios has spent more than two weeks pitching for the Puerto Rican team at the World Baseball Classic. The Twins had hoped that Berrios would remain on a progression to build arm strength for the regular season. But he pitched in only two games, posting a 8.10 ERA. After throwing 62 pitches on March 12 against Italy, Berrios threw 40 pitches Wednesday in relief during the 8-0 loss to Team USA in the championship game in Los Angeles. The Twins will likely be careful with Berrios and make sure his arm is ready for 100 pitches or so. “Before I would say that,” manager Paul Molitor said. “I would like to talk to him.” The Twins expect their Puerto Rican contingent from the World Baseball Classic to be available to play on Friday night against Baltimore. In fact, Molitor plans to have designated hitter Kennys Vargas and outfielder Eddie Rosario in the starting lineup against the Orioles. Opening Day starter Ervin Santana, who left camp for about a week to make a start for the Dominican Republic in the WBC, is scheduled to start Friday. So everything will be back to normal — or as normal as it can be — as the Twins reach the final stretch of camp. “It helps that they are here,” Molitor said. “I don’t have a specific timetable as to when the 25-man roster will be announced. But I would kind of like to have at least a few days where everyone knows where they are at. We’ll just evaluate and see where these guys are at and make decisions. It’s going to be tough.” Rotation watch There’s still time for the Twins to make adjustments, but the rotation currently sets up in the following order: Santana, Hector Santiago, Kyle Gibson, Phil Hughes, then the winner of the race for the No. 5 spot. Santiago, like Berrios, Rosario and Vargas, played for Puerto Rico in the WBC. Berrios is in line to pitch the same day as Hughes, so a decision will be made as to who will get to face minor leaguers on Monday. 2 “To be determined,” Molitor said. Etc. • German media have been following outfielder Max Kepler this week and they view him as potentially the first baseball star from Germany. “We are going to enjoy the next few stages of his development,” Molitor said. Kepler was 0-for-2 with a walk in Thursday’s 4-2 victory over Philadelphia. • First baseman Trey Vavra, son of bench coach Joe Vavra, came along to Clearwater as an extra player and made a diving stop of a hot grounder from Logan Moore to strand two Phillies runners in the eighth. “Play of the game,” Joe Vavra said. On deck Santana will start as the Twins play host to Baltimore. Mike Wright will go for Baltimore. The game will be televised on Fox Sports North. Twins beat Phillies 4-2 as Molitor continues search for pitching candidates La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | March 23, 2017 Clearwater, Fla. – Circumstances called for the Twins to let righthander Nick Tepesch stretch out Thursday, face more hitters and see if he can help them as a long reliever. Tepesch survived to have a respectable outing during the Twins’ 4-2 Grapefruit League victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Odubel Herrera tagged him for a two-run homer in the first inning, but Tepesch managed to pitch into the fourth without giving up any more runs. He threw 56 pitches, including 37 strikes. “Just trying to make an adjustment the whole game,” said Tepesch, a nonroster invite to camp. “I finally felt like I got a little more consistent there at the end and felt like it was coming out well at the end.” Tepesch escaped a bases loaded, one-out jam in the second when Howie Kendrick lined out to right fielder Tommy Field.