Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Thursday, March 9, 2017

 Twins' Miguel Sano no longer getting caught with his hands up. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1  Trevor May, Twins turn back Team USA in exhibition. Star Tribune (Neal lll) p. 2  Twins offer new pass: 30 home games in April and May for $99. Star Tribune (Rand) p. 2  Twins' day at camp: Healing Stephen Gonsalves misses shot to play with Team USA. Star Tribune (Neal lll) p. 3  Dozier remains with Twins as Team USA prepares for WBC. Star Tribune (Neal lll) p. 4  : Brian Dozier recalls late grandmother as his ‘biggest fan’. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 5  Memory of ‘Father John’ drives Minnesota Twins Stephen Gonsalves. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 6  May holds his own vs. potent Team USA lineup. MLB (Bollinger) p. 7  Twins taking advantage of strong outfield arms. MLB (Bollinger) p. 8  Team USA pitcher D.J. Baxendale wore his Twins jersey to face the Twins' . MLB (Garro) p. 9  Soreness in shoulder sidelines Gonsalves. MLB (Bollinger) p. 9  Wells makes impressive debut in WBC '17. MLB (Knobler) p. 10  Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: Did Twins make right call by not trading for Jose De Leon? ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 11  Hilbrand Family's Love for the Twins. Voice of Alexandria (Korkowski) p. 12

Twins' Miguel Sano no longer getting caught with his hands up Phil Miller | Star Tribune | March 9, 2017

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Miguel Sano swears he was never trying to intimidate with the way he wielded his bat as he waited for a pitch. Yes, his hands were high, sometimes above the bill of his helmet. And yes, he waggled his bat back and forth, as if emphasizing the danger the weapon posed.

“I wasn’t trying to scare them,” Sano said. “It’s just how I hit.”

He’s got a new way to hit now, and while the adjustment isn’t a huge one, he hopes it does put a little fear into pitchers — because of how effective it is.

“It’s working really good,” Sano said. “I think it will be better this year.”

That’s an acknowledgment that 2016 wasn’t the season Sano had hoped for, and not just because of his two stints on the disabled list. He hit only .236, his on-base percentage fell to .319 and he set a new Twins franchise record for with 178 in only 116 games. To restore his potency at the plate, Sano tinkered with his mechanics. But it wasn’t until he got home to the that he found what he hopes was the answer.

It came from former major leaguer Fernando Tatis, who hit 113 home runs over 11 major league seasons. Tatis, whose son Fernando Jr. is a top prospect in the Padres organization, watched Sano take batting practice and made a suggestion.

“He said hands up high takes me too much time to [get in position to] swing,” Sano explained, demonstrating the extra motion required to trigger his swing. “Put my hands lower, and it’s just one move. Faster.”

The result, according to Sano? “If I put [my hands] lower, I have more time. I can see the ball more,” he said. “I start them down, see the pitch, and boom.” Boom is indeed the goal. And while reducing the amount of movement necessary to get his bat cocked only produces a split-second more time to see the ball, his new Twins hitting coach, James Rowson, says that millisecond is more significant that it might seem.

“Even a split-second, with the speed of his hands, can really make a difference,” Rowson said. “If he gets a better look at the ball, he’s going to make better decisions. It can really help.”

Besides, Rowson said, Sano seems more comfortable with the adjustment. His hands are shoulder-high at most, and at times he’ll drop them even lower.

“The goal is making good contact, so we start from there. Put your focus on the contact, and then so whatever you need to do to get to that point,” Rowson said. “We sort of work the problem backward. The more focus we put on what comes before the swing takes away from what we need to do to get that contact. It’s not me telling him, ‘Hey, move your hands,’ it’s more me saying, ‘Let’s find a good place to hit and let your mechanics flow naturally.’ ”

Sano admits he might tinker with his swing a little too much at times, so he likes Rowson’s do-what-works approach.

“Hands up high, I learned that a long time ago,” Sano said. “But this feels good. I think this works.”

Trevor May, Twins turn back Team USA in exhibition La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | March 8, 2017

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Ian Kinsler singled to left. singled to right. Nolan Arenado slammed a two-run off the wall.

After three batters, Team USA looked ready to batter Twins righthander Trevor May on Wednesday and use his pitching to raise its confidence heading into the World Classic. Instead, it was May feeling good about himself after he shut down the national team during the Twins' 3-2 exhibition victory. May relished the chance to face a lineup, he said, that consisted of No. 3 hitters across the league.

"Team USA, man," May said. "We're all rooting for them to take home the title. Honestly, I was really, really excited."

After the first three batters, May shut out Team USA for 3⅔ innings on one hit and two walks. He kept his fastball on the corners and broke off a few nice curveballs — a pitch on which he's changed the grip.

Team USA fielded its A lineup, but started reliever Luke Gregerson and borrowed a few Twins farmhands to fill out the bullpen.

The Twins tied the score in the second with a couple of two-out hits. Jason Castro ended a nine-pitch at-bat with a single to right to score . followed with an eight-pitch at-bat that resulted in an infield hit when Arenado couldn't hold on to his soft liner.

ByungHo Park's sacrifice fly in the sixth put the Twins up 3-2. Craig Breslow pitched two innings to pick up the save.

May has given up only one earned run over 7⅔ innings this spring and is making his case to win the job as the Twins' No. 5. starter.

"Here it is, getting ready to use all of my stuff," May said. "Taking some risks, like when I get behind in the count and throw something I normally wouldn't. Not falling into patterns and being competitive from day one."

Twins offer new pass: 30 home games in April and May for $99 Michael Rand | Star Tribune | March 8, 2017

The Twins on Wednesday announced a new Ballpark Pass deal for the months of April and May: $99 for access to 30 home games — all of them except the home opener — in those two months.

No, that is not a misprint.

There is some fine print, such as you don’t get a seat for the games. Basically, “Ballpark Access” is what used to be known as a standing-room only ticket. You choose every game you want to go to, and the ticket is delivered to your mobile device.

Still, this is a fairly absurd deal — working out to just a little more than $3 per game if you went to all 30 — considering the cheapest individual regularly priced ticket you can get to a game is $6 — and that’s only offered for select games. There’s pretty good variety of opponents; only the 2

Royals are here twice in the first two months. You also get to see the White Sox, Indians, Tigers, A’s, Red Sox, Rockies, Rays and Astros.

The offer is clearly a nod to declining overall attendance at Target Field — which didn’t get any help from last year’s 59-103 record — and the annual struggle to attract fans in colder weather before school gets out. The Twins drew 40,000+ for their home opener April 11 last season, but the number was barely 20,000 for the next game and dipped below that mark several times in the first two months.

The overall attendance at Target Field in 2016 was 1,963,912 — the seventh consecutive season it decreased since the ballpark opened. In both 2010 and 2011, attendance topped 3 million fans.

The Twins’ strategy appears to be essentially: hey, there’s room. Let’s let people in, hope they buy some concessions and expose them to what the organization hopes is a better product — perhaps converting some of those Ballpark Pass holders into regular ticket buyers or even season- ticket holders as time goes on.

It’s a practical strategy, but there is also some risk when you devalue your product to such a level as the Twins are doing now. It’s not quite to the old days of the Metrodome, when you could get an upper deck general admission SEASON TICKET for $99, but it is far cheaper than any other deal I can recall in Target Field history. It can feel less special to attend a game when a price is so low, and it can also alienate ticket buyers who paid more to get in.

The Wolves tried similar things in recent years after mighty struggles, offering season ticket packages with a per-game price equivalent to whatever pick the Wolves got in the NBA draft lottery. I went in on that deal with some friends during a couple seasons; the seats were lousy, but the price was right. The price being so cheap, though, also made it easy to skip a game or care less about it.

In any event, I’ll be interested to see what kind of traction the Twins get from this experiment.

Twins' day at camp: Healing Stephen Gonsalves misses shot to play with Team USA La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | March 8, 2017

FORT MYERS, FLA. – A handful of Twins minor leaguers were able to say they played for Team USA on Wednesday, but not Stephen Gonsalves.

Gonsalves, the reigning Twins minor league pitcher of the year, has been slowed because of shoulder soreness that forced the Twins to take him off the list of prospects to be used as extra players for Team USA on Wednesday as it prepares for the World Baseball Classic.

The Twins hope Gonsalves’ injury is minor. He reported some discomfort after his outing Friday, and the club wants to be careful because Gonsalves missed three weeks of action last year because of a sore shoulder. He played long toss Wednesday and felt good.

“He feels OK,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “ He had a little posterior tenderness after his last outing. We’re just kind of making sure before we put him back out there. They tested his arm strength, and it was down.”

Gonsalves was 13-5 with a 2.06 ERA between Fort Myers and Class AA Chattanooga. He has thrown 3⅓ scoreless innings so far this spring, impressing the coaching staff.

Getting to know you

New Twins catcher Jason Castro has worked with the Twins pitchers in the bullpen but hasn’t yet worked with everyone in games, particularly the starters.

Molitor pointed out Wednesday that Castro already has worked three games with . A look at the pitching logs shows that he’s worked with Ervin Santana twice and Jose Berrios and Ryan Vogelsong once each.

That means he hasn’t caught , Phil Hughes and Hector Santiago in a game yet, so the Twins are going to make sure Castro is lined up with those pitchers in the coming days.

Santiago will have to wait a bit, because he’s pitching for Puerto Rico in the WBC.

“It hasn’t been as distributed as evenly as I thought it would be at this point,” Molitor said, “But we still have a lot of time to pay a little more attention to that. We’re going try to spread that out a little bit.”

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Castro worked with starter Trevor May on Wednesday for the second time this spring.

Etc.

• Twins trainer Lanning Tucker almost landed in the WBC as one of the trainers for Team China. He received a message from the team the day after Thanksgiving, got clearance from Twins officials and was looking forward to meeting the team in Tokyo for pool play. But he was notified in early January that China decided to bring two of its own trainers. “It would have been exciting, going to Tokyo and all that, for the experience,” Tucker said. “But this is huge, too, getting us ready for the season.”

• Lefthander Mason Melotakis, working his way back from a right oblique strain, will throw live batting practice Thursday.

On deck

WBC week continues at Hammond Stadium as the Twins play host to Team Colombia at 12:05 p.m. Twins minor leaguers Yohan Pino and Reynaldo Rodriguez are on Colombia’s roster. Ervin Santana will make his third start of the spring while righthander Erling Moreno starts for Colombia.

Dozier remains with Twins as Team USA prepares for WBC La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | March 8, 2017

It's strange to see Team USA pull into Hammond Stadium without Brian Dozier.

You would think that a second baseman who has been an All-Star and who belted 42 home runs the year before would get the opportunity to represent the Stars and Stripes.

But Dozier will be in the Twins lineup tonight, playing against Team USA as it prepares for the World Baseball Classic.

Ian Kinsler and Daniel Murphy are the second basemen for Team USA. Dozier let it be known that he would love to be a part of the cause, but never heard back as the roster was being assembled. He would have been happy in a utility role. Team USA went with Josh Harrison and Alex Bregman in that role.

Dozier didn't make a big deal out of it before Wednesday's game. "I've never had the chance to represent Team USA at any level," was all he said.

This is the fourth WBC, and it continues to be a hard sell to some U.S. sports fans as well as club officials. I mean, is in line to be the next face of baseball in the post era and declined to play. Part of it might be because of nudging from his manager, but the big names need to buy in to help build the event. Bryce Harper is on that list to be the new face of the game, too.

Harrison is on the roster. Bregman just broke into the league. Dozier, who has never played for Team USA, was willing to be a role player. Who is better?

I've stated this before. The WBC is blend of my favorite sport (baseball) and my favorite event (the World Cup). But if it is going to take a great commitment from players and owners to grow. What owners must come to grips with is that a tournament with 60-pitch limits stinks. The final rounds of the event need to be moved to the middle of the season. Perhaps a whole week off for the All-Star Game, the WBC semis and then the WBC finals.

Early round games would likely have to be played during , there's no way around that. But the semis and title game should be played when pitchers are stretched out and the game can be conducted like a real game.

With four months from qualification to the semis, fans would have time to plan to attend games and cheer on their countries. It could work. An in-season WBC could be profitable, which makes that format worth pursuing.

MLB actually is cracking that door open.

The 2018 season will start mid-week, to create more off days. Once you go there, it would not be much more of a stretch to start a week early every four years for the WBC.

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I didn't mean to ramble on like this. But I've been wondering how Dozier was left off the roster for months. And I've been staying up late and getting up early to watch WBC games, wondering how to nudge this thing to the next level.

Team USA is on the field right now mingling with Twins players. Waiting for the gates to open to see what kind of crowd shows up. Fans here come out to root for their teams, not All-Stars. Hearing ticket sales estimates anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000.

Trevor May is on the mound for the Twins. Ryan Vogelsong, Matt Belisle, Ryan Pressly and Craig Breslow on the list to pitch. The Twins are supplying Team USA with Drew Rucinski, , Aaron Slegers and Jake Reed as extra pitchers.

Minnesota Twins: Brian Dozier recalls late grandmother as his ‘biggest fan’ Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | March 8, 2017

FORT MYERS, Fla. — As Brian Dozier reconnected with extended family and friends Monday at his grandmother’s funeral, he was amazed by how many people walked up and told him the same thing: “You lost your biggest fan.”

Laynette Dozier, known as “Mammaw,” died Saturday in her hometown of Fulton, Miss. She was 97.

“She really was, man,” Dozier said Wednesday after returning to Twins camp. “She didn’t miss a single (Twins) game on TV. She watched every one. Only time she’d miss it was if she had her Tuesday night senior Bible study. Then she would tape it and watch it later.”

Dozier didn’t speak at the funeral, which included a number of family members who made the four-hour drive west from Atlanta. There were times this winter when it seemed the Braves might outflank the and trade for Dozier, but he said the trade rumors didn’t particularly trouble his grandmother.

“She knew what was going on as far as other teams wanting (me), but she didn’t really get the whole gist of it,” he said. “She’s always been in really good health up until not too long before she died. She started having trouble breathing. A couple days right before she died, she went straight downhill.”

The Dozier family has taken solace in the fact there was no extended suffering for the family matriarch. Dozier’s heart was warmed by the fact he was able to play with his grandmother in attendance during two interleague trips to Atlanta’s Turner Field — in 2013 and again last year.

“No matter how old somebody is, it’s always tough losing somebody,” Dozier said. “But at the same time, she lived a long and happy life. She lived it the right way too. I know every time the doors were open to church, she was there. She never said a bad word about anybody. If we had more people like her, I think this world would be a lot better place.”

Dozier recalled going to the Gulf Coast League Twins in June 2009, shortly after being drafted in the eighth round, and receiving a call from his grandmother.

“Here I am, rooming with somebody on a caravan bus, pretty much miserable, to be honest with you,” Dozier said. “It just so happened a few days later the Twins were on ESPN. She’s calling me and she’s like, ‘They won’t show you. Where are you? Why aren’t you on there?’ I’m like, ‘Mammaw, it’s a difficult process. I don’t just go straight up there.’ She was so excited when I got drafted.”

ROSIN JACKED

Former University of Minnesota pitcher Seth Rosin has four big-league appearances on the back of his baseball card, but he might have been the most excited person in uniform in the Twins clubhouse Wednesday afternoon.

Signed last month to a minor league deal as he works back from June surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow, the 6-foot-6, 265-pound right-hander from Mounds View High School could hardly believe his good fortune.

“It couldn’t have been scripted any better,” Rosin said. “Seeing a Twins uniform in my locker is just surreal. The earliest pictures I have are of me in Twins Zubaz and Twins T-shirt and a hat. I’m just, like, super jacked-up to be here.”

Now 28, Rosin spent six weeks in Seattle working out at Kyle Boddy’s Driveline Baseball, where the weighted-ball system and experimental approach helped him get his fastball back up to 95.5 mph. Rosin said the average spin rate on his fastball increased from 1,900 rpm to 2,300 rpm, and his slider is sharper as well.

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“I can really see, playing catch, the carry on the ball,” he said, “and I feel it gets through the hitting zone a little bit differently now than it did before. Plus a little bit of extra velocity, too.”

Rosin, who figures to open the year at -A Rochester as a reliever, has hit 97-98 mph in the past with his fastball. He spent spring training with Thad Levine’s in 2014 and made three big-league outings before bouncing to the .

Now on his sixth different organization, Rosin hopes he’s finally found a home with his hometown organization.

“ was my favorite,” he said. “All of them were my favorite. My mom said when I was 2 years old I sat through Game 7 of the ‘91 and watched every pitch. As a 2-year-old, I guess that was impressive. I’ve always been rooting for the Twins, even when I’ve been with other teams.”

GONSALVES SITS OUT

A day after lefty Stephen Gonsalves got four outs in relief on March 3 at the Phillies, the Twins’ top pitching prospect reported a recurrence of the posterior soreness in his throwing shoulder that plagued him at the Arizona Fall League.

“He feels OK,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “He said he could throw, but we’re just making sure before we put him back in there in a game. They just tested the strength. It was down just a hair. We’re just being cautious.”

Gonsalves played long toss out to 150 feet on Wednesday and was encouraged.

BRIEFLY

In addition to Rosin, pitchers DJ Baxendale, Keaton Steele and David Hurlbut were called over from minor league camp as roster projection for Wednesday’s night’s exhibition against Team USA. Also called over were catcher Brian Navaretto, infielders and Ryan Walker; and outfielders Tanner English and Lamonte Wade.

Molitor said it was “fairly reasonable” to assume lefty Mason Melotakis, out all spring with a strained oblique, will run out of time to appear in Grapefruit League games. The first round of camp cuts are due on March 13, but Melotakis will throw live batting practice for the first time Thursday.

RHP Tyler Duffey will start in place of Hector Santiago (away at WBC) on Friday at the Miami Marlins.

Byron Buxton crashed into the center-field wall to make a leaping catch of an Adam Jones drive in the fifth. Molitor spoke of Buxton’s “wall awareness … wall fearlessness.” … RHP Trevor May trailed 2-0 after 10 pitches but rallied to work 3 2/3 innings in a 3-2 win over Team USA. … LHP Craig Breslow recorded the final six outs to earn the save.

Memory of ‘Father John’ drives Minnesota Twins pitcher Stephen Gonsalves Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | March 8, 2017

FORT MYERS, Fla. — In Stephen Gonsalves’ second spring outing, the young Twins left-hander flipped in a first-pitch curveball to star Gregory Polanco.

Veteran plate Jeff Kellogg never budged.

“I don’t want to say ‘right down the middle,’ but it looked pretty good to me,” Gonsalves, 22, said with a grin. “That’s OK. Big-league strike zone, especially to Polanco.”

Polanco ended up walking on a full count, making him the only batter that Gonsalves failed to retire out of 11 faced in the first three outings of his first big-league camp.

Good thing John Gonsalves wasn’t on hand to take up for his beloved grandson.

“He was the kind of guy who would be vocal in the stands, always yelling and cussing behind the plate,” Gonsalves said. “Cussed out the umpires. If I threw a ball, it should have been a strike, even when I was 12 years old.”

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“Father John” was what everybody called him because of his Catholic high school education. A commercial tuna fisherman for many years in the San Diego area, the family patriarch used to fish with the grandfather of former Twins pitcher Kevin Correia.

Joaquin Gonsalves, John’s son and Stephen’s dad, grew up playing ball with Chris Correia, one of Kevin’s uncles.

“Small world,” said Joaquin, who works for a construction company.

Due to a recurrence of the minor shoulder soreness that bothered him last October at the Arizona Fall League, Gonsalves was scratched from a chance to pitch Wednesday night for Team USA against the Twins. There will be other showcase moments for the Twins’ reigning minor league pitcher of the year, who keeps converting doubters who wondered if he threw hard enough to be this good.

If only Father John, who died at 86 on Dec. 1, 2015, could be here to see it. Fishing was his livelihood from a young age, but nothing brought him more joy than cheering on his favorite grandson.

“We have a big family,” Gonsalves said. “I have 13 cousins, and we’d joke around Christmas time, with all of them saying, ‘Oh … favorite grandchild.’ Everyone knew he loved me. He would always slip me $100 bills.”

No pretense was made about keeping things equal. Stephen, the kid with the easy smile and the powerful left arm, captivated his grandfather from the start.

“He was gone a lot during my dad’s childhood, being a commercial fisherman, so I feel like he wanted to take care of me as much as he could and spoil me as much as he could,” Gonsalves said. “He was just that grandfather that was always there.”

Father John made his presence known, too. Gonsalves remembers being 12 and walking from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box when his grandfather called out to him.

“I’ll buy you a PlayStation if you hit a !” he said.

Gonsalves wasn’t about to let a chance like that slip past. He ripped a pitch down the right-field line and was determined to circle the bases.

“I’m running around the park and, as I’m coming to third, my grandfather is yelling at the other team: ‘Get the frickin’ ball in! What are you doing?’ ” Gonsalves recalled with a laugh. “I ended up getting held up halfway to home.”

He got the PlayStation anyway.

As Stephen went on to star in high school at Cathedral Catholic, slipping to the Twins in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, he continued to hear his grandfather’s boisterous support. When Gonsalves pitched at San Diego’s in the 2012 Perfect Game All-American Classic, Father John was there, beaming throughout.

Traveling became more difficult for the aging fisherman, so he was never able to see his grandson pitch in the Twins’ minor-league system. When Stephen would return home each offseason, he would stop by his grandpa’s home and give him detailed updates on his progress.

“He’d look at me and say, ‘How close are you? Give me some years? Four or five?’ ” Gonsalves told a hushed audience at the Diamond Awards in January at Target Field. “He’d sit there and quietly count on his fingers and say, ‘That’s not quick enough.’ ”

Gonsalves dedicated last season to his grandfather’s memory and had his best season yet, ripping through the Florida State and Southern leagues to post a combined 13-5 record and 2.06 earned-run average in 24 starts. He figures to return to Double-A Chattanooga to star the year, but it shouldn’t be long before the lanky lefty is knocking on the door to the majors.

“I was hoping he’d see me, but he’ll be there whenever I’m pitching now,” Gonsalves said. “I’m going to have him out there on the mound with me from here on out.”

May holds his own vs. potent Team USA lineup Rhett Bollinger | MLB | March 8, 2017

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Pitching against a Team USA lineup full of such stars as Nolan Arenado, , Giancarlo Stanton and Andrew McCutchen, Twins right-hander Trevor May faced a stern test on Wednesday night but bounced back after a rough start to turn in a solid outing 7 in Minnesota's 3-2 win.

May gave up three straight hits to open the game, including a two-run double to Arenado, but settled down from there, tossing 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

"I think that's one of the best lineups anybody's ever faced," May said. "My exact thought was, 'McCutchen is batting eighth right now?' They're Team USA, man. We're all rooting for them to win the title."

May said he worked on his mechanics and pitches like he would in any other spring start, and was happy with the results against that stacked lineup.

"I just stuck with it and let the ball move and tried to execute every pitch as best as I could," May said. "I knew the situation and the quality of hitters, facing a No. 3 hitter from each team. It was a unique opportunity to follow a plan and focus solely on making pitches, and I was able to do that."

May isn't the only one who could benefit from a solid showing against a World Baseball Classic opponent, as his top competition for the fifth starter spot, right-hander Jose Berrios, is set to tentatively start for Team Puerto Rico against Italy on Sunday.

"I didn't ask [May] how he felt facing a lineup like that, but to see him get back on track after the start was good to see," manager Paul Molitor said. "There aren't a lot of hiccups in that lineup, and he [bore] down."

Twins taking advantage of strong outfield arms Rhett Bollinger | MLB | March 8, 2017

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Twins are looking to take advantage of the athleticism and strong arms their young outfielders possess, and they used data from last year to determine that they should play shallower this season in certain situations, especially with runners at second base.

Minnesota's starting outfield is expected to be composed of left fielder , Byron Buxton and right fielder Max Kepler, all of whom can handle center and have plus-arms. In fact, according to Statcast™ data, Twins outfielders project to have the highest average velocity on competitive throws this season, at 92.6 mph.

"We're trying to get these guys to be comfortable playing shallower when the situations dictate it," manager Paul Molitor said. "You just look at all the data we had last year and the positioning, and we're trying to make some adjustments."

According to Statcast™ data, the Twins already played slightly more shallow than the Major League average last season. Buxton averaged 313 feet from home plate, slightly ahead of the average of 316 feet; Kepler was at 291 feet, compared with the right-field average of 293, and Rosario was 289 feet, against the left-field average of 295 feet.

But it made sense not to play too shallow with Minnesota's struggles on the pitching end, as Statcast™ data shows the Twins were tied for second (behind the Rockies) in allowing the most average distance of non-grounded batted balls.

The Twins, though, expect their pitching to be better this season, and they're counting on the range of their outfielders to make up for balls hit over their head. They're also going to play more shallow only when situations call for it.

"You watch some outfielders in our league, and there's not much room in front, but they're still able to get back to the wall on balls hit deep and balls hit into the gap," Molitor said. "It's percentages and hitters and all those things. If we're up three runs in the fifth, I'm more worried about the bloop than the double."

New outfield coach Jeff Pickler has been working with the outfielders to make sure they're more comfortable with the possibility of playing shallower, working on things as basic as how they position their glove as they get to the ball, first-step reactions and being in better position to make throws.

"He wants me to be more aggressive charging balls," Kepler said. "We've worked on some footwork in the outfield on how to approach ground balls and fly balls differently. With runners on second, we're trying to throw guys out."

Rosario has had the most success throwing out runners, with 16 outfield assists in 2015 and 10 in 2016, while Kepler had nine assists as a rookie last season and Buxton had two. Buxton, though, has the best arm and the best range of the group, and has credited Pickler with helping him 8 make improvements this spring.

"He's making me get on top of the ball to keep the ball straighter," Buxton said. "He's helping me with soft hands when I get to the ball. It sounds like small things, but it all adds up in the long run."

Team USA pitcher D.J. Baxendale wore his Twins jersey to face the Twins' Byron Buxton Adrian Garro | MLB | March 8, 2017

Never since the days of Joe Maddon's midsummer pitchers-playing-in-the-outfield has the game seen as many unique positional circumstances as what transpired during Wednesday's contest between the Twins and Team USA.

For context's sake, several pitchers from the Twins' organization suited up with Team USA for the game. One of those pitchers is D.J. Baxendale, a right-hander who spent 2016 with the club's Double-A and Triple-A squads.

Baxendale trotted out in the third inning. First up to the plate against him? Why, that's none other than Byron Buxton -- a player on the Twins, making this an odd Twin-versus-Twin matchup. Spoiler alert: A Twin prevailed. It was Baxendale, who retired Buxton on a flyout after a scene that honestly looked a bit strange:

[GIF]

But wait, this twisted tale gets even more off-the-wall considering this:

Defensive Substitution: Levi Michael replaces second baseman Ian Kinsler. Defensive Substitution: Tanner English replaces center fielder Adam Jones. Defensive Substitution: LaMonte Wade replaces right fielder Giancarlo Stanton.

What's so special about that? Well, Levi Michael, Tanner English, and LaMonte Wade are all members of the Twins' organization. Just like Baxendale.

So, therefore, this is a trio (triplet?) of Twins appearing in a game against their own team. Naturally, all three outs in the inning were recorded by Wade (two flyouts) and Michael (a groundout, with an assist from Paul Goldschmidt).

Got all that? Weird things can happen when it comes to Spring Training and unique circumstances, of which there were plenty on Wednesday.

Soreness in shoulder sidelines Gonsalves Rhett Bollinger | MLB | March 8, 2017

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Top pitching prospect Stephen Gonsalves was set to pitch against his Twins teammates for Team USA in their exhibition game at Hammond Stadium on Wednesday, but he was scratched due to minor soreness in the back of his shoulder.

Gonsalves, ranked as MLBPipeline.com's No. 92 overall prospect, is dealing with a similar injury that shelved him during the Arizona Fall League. But this is considered less serious and won't require an MRI; Gonsalves is considered day to day and is expected to play catch soon to test the shoulder. He has yet to allow a run in 3 1/3 innings this spring.

"He feels OK," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "He said he could throw, but we're just making sure before we put him in a game. We're just being cautious."

Although Gonsalves didn't get to play for Team USA, Twins Minor Leaguers D.J. Baxendale, Drew Rucinski, Alex Wimmers and Aaron Slegers all pitched, with Alex English seeing action in center and Levi Michael playing second base.

"It's something that they won't forget," Molitor said. "Looking around, sitting in the dugout with some pretty prominent people. Just putting that uniform on. In 1975 I had that privilege, and it's pretty special."

Worth noting

• Left-handed reliever Mason Melotakis, who was slowed early in camp by a strained oblique, is scheduled to throw his first bullpen session against hitters on Thursday, but Molitor said it's "fairly reasonable" that he won't pitch in a game before being sent to Minor League camp. 9

• Second baseman Brian Dozier returned to the lineup after missing Monday's game to attend his grandmother's funeral in Mississippi.

Wells makes impressive debut in WBC '17 Danny Knobler | MLB | March 8, 2017

TOKYO -- The is a long way from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that's for sure.

And it's a long way from Beloit, Burlington and all those other towns Lachlan Wells pitched in last season for the Twins' Class A team, too. Facing the Bowling Green Hot Rods might have seemed a pretty good challenge for a 20-year-old kid from Australia, but it's nothing like walking into a noisy Tokyo Dome with the fans singing for their Samurai Japan heroes.

"That's not just the biggest crowd I've ever pitched in front of," Wells said after Australia's 4-1 loss to Japan in the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday. "It's the biggest crowd I could have dreamt of pitching in front of."

Wells, who is ranked the Twins' No. 26 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, made a very impressive debut on the world stage. Wells faced six Japanese batters, all of them veterans, from a lineup that scored 11 runs the night before against Cuba. He retired all six, striking out No. 2 hitter Ryosuke Kikuchi and cleanup man Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh.

"He went into a tough situation," said Australia manager Jon Deeble, who turned to Wells with a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning, with runners at first and third and nobody out. "He wasn't afraid."

Wells wasn't afraid, but he was a bit in awe, at least as he walked onto the field from the bullpen that is under the stands at Tokyo Dome. "Running out there and taking over for [starter Tim Atherton], I was taking it all in," Wells said. "I was thinking, 'There's a lot more people here than I thought.' Then I said, 'OK, it's time.' Then I wasn't focused on the crowd noise. I was focused on nothing but hitting that glove." Wells hit it, throwing 14 strikes among his 20 pitches. He hit 91 mph on the radar gun.

"The kid's got a great future," Deeble said. "I think he's going to pitch in the big leagues."

That future will affect how Deeble uses Wells in the tournament. While Deeble admitted there was a temptation to leave Wells in the game longer, he said it wouldn't have been fair.

"We've got to be really careful with him," Deeble said. "He hasn't pitched in games since last summer. We've got to put his future and the Twins ahead of the Australia team."

Wells isn't thinking too much about the future beyond WBC 2017, unless it's about going back to Spring Training in Fort Myers, Fla., and pitching well enough for the Twins to assign him to their Class A Advanced team in the .

Already, this winter and spring have been like a dream come true.

"There's nothing better than being able to wear the green and gold [of Australia]," said Wells, whose twin brother Alex (rated the Orioles' No. 17 prospect), is in the designated pitcher pool for Australia. "My goal was to get here. People said it was unrealistic, because I was so young, but I wanted it. When I got the email at the start of February saying I'd made the team, I wanted to get on the plane right away."

Instead, Wells was on a plane from Australia to Florida, for two weeks of preparation at Twins camp. Then he was back on a plane headed halfway around the world to Japan.

There Wells was Wednesday, before a crowd so big he couldn't have imagined it, pitching against some of the best players in the world. And he wasn't afraid.

The World Baseball Classic runs through March 22. In the U.S., games air live exclusively in English on MLB Network and on an authenticated basis via MLBNetwork.com/watch, while ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN provide the exclusive Spanish-language coverage. MLB.TV Premium subscribers in the U.S. have access to watch every tournament game live on any of the streaming service's 400-plus supported devices. The tournament is being distributed internationally across all forms of television, internet, mobile and radio in territories excluding the U.S., Puerto Rico and Japan. Get tickets for games at Marlins Park, Tokyo Dome, Gocheok Sky Dome in , Estadio Charros de Jalisco in Mexico, Petco Park, as well as the Championship Round at , while complete coverage -- including schedules, video, stats and gear -- is available at WorldBaseballClassic.com. 10

Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: Did Twins make right call by not trading for Jose De Leon? Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | March 8, 2017

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Did the Twins make the right decision to stand pat and not trade Brian Dozier this winter?

Well, that remains to be seen. But it’s worth keeping in mind as spring progresses and the regular season gets underway with Dozier wearing a Twins uniform. The most-often rumored trade this winter was a swap with Los Angeles in which Dozier would put on Dodger Blue, and the Twins, in turn, would get pitching prospect Jose De Leon and maybe a little something more. Let’s use that as our baseline assumption, just for the purposes of this column. Because it’s my contention that for every trade rumor we hear or read, we’re actually talking about somewhere between 5%-25% of what’s actually being discussed between teams.

So we won’t be able to answer the Dozier trade question right now. But let’s take a stab at the partner query. Did the Twins make the right choice to not trade for De Leon?

FanGraphs editor Dave Cameron recently ranked his 10 favorite transactions of the 2017 offseason, and that’s what led me to this question in the first place. The Dodgers wound up trading De Leon for a second baseman, but it was Logan Forsythe of the Rays instead of Dozier, which I view as a step down for the Dodgers, but maybe not a significant one.

Cameron ranked Tampa Bay’s end of the De Leon trade as the second-best transaction of the winter. (Meanwhile, he ranked the Dodgers end of the trade the third-worst transaction of the offseason.) Cameron writes: “…while I understand why the Dodgers traded from their surplus of arms to make a win-now upgrade, I think the Rays did exceptionally well to land De Leon for a good-not-great player.”

Now, it’s fair to note that Cameron is a big believer in De Leon. He advocated for the Twins to take him and run while they had the opportunity. If there’s a De Leon fan club somewhere, I don’t know that Cameron would be president but he probably would be on the executive board.

De Leon dominated in the minors and then struggled in a brief taste in the Majors last year. He probably could have helped the Dodgers this year as they push for a World Series, but they’re also fairly deep among starting pitchers. Still, to get six years of team control over De Leon for two (inexpensive) years of Forsythe was a big win for the Rays, Cameron writes.

“It’s the kind of move that makes the team significantly better in the long run without making them much worse in the short term. And if De Leon is close to what the projections think he could be, then this could end up being one of the best moves the Rays have ever made.”

I’ve got a few thoughts on this from the Twins perspective.

1. De Leon had some minor back tightness earlier this spring, according to reports, and he got roughed up by the Red Sox in his spring debut last week. For the purposes of this column, this is such a small sample size that I won’t give it much thought. Consider it considered.

2. Having Dozier on their team almost definitely makes the Twins better this year. Dozier has been prone to extended slumps, but he’s also been prone to go on tears as one of the best hitters in the league. Add to that De Leon is somewhat risky because he’s a young pitching prospect with a bit of an injury history and with no track record of MLB success. I’m not saying he’s not going to be a good or even great pitcher someday, just that those are the facts of his present reality.

If the goal is to win in the short term, I believe that Dozier is the safer bet.

3. The Dodgers would know more about De Leon’s medicals and history and makeup than any other team. If baseball transactions in their simplest form represent trading on information, then the sellers – of minor leaguers in particular – always hold the advantage. I won’t dwell on this, because it could be trivial. The Dodgers went into the offseason knowing they had a relative glut of pitching and some great high-end prospects, they added more pitching, and they had an apparent hole at second base. It could be as simple as they wanted to trade from a perceived area of strength to shore up a relative weakness on a team that looks ready to contend for a World Series.

4. I think the Twins will eventually need to trade for a high-end starting pitcher. That is, if they want to contend for the ultimate prize. My general philosophy in baseball has evolved over time. My belief used to be that teams should simply try to be competitive for as many years as they possibly can, surviving until October and then rolling the dice once they get there. Because, hey, some team has to win every year and you’re just playing the percentage.

I’ve changed my tune. Now, in an era in which we’re seeing legitimate super teams constructed, and even the best big-league teams with high payrolls are also demonstrating a clear interest in cultivating the best farm systems, it’s getting tougher for mid- and small-market teams to 11 compete. My current philosophy is that to win a World Series your best bet is to win a lot of games in the regular season and then have a healthy ace ready to go for the postseason—and two aces if you can swing it.

The Twins don’t have an ace. Ervin Santana is their best starting pitcher and he’s a mid-rotation starter on a World Series-caliber club. It’s possible that J.O. Berrios evolves into being that top-of-the-rotation stud. Or Fernando Romero, or . I don’t know what the likelihood that any of those three reaching that height. I imagine it’s somewhere between “stone-cold lock” and “technically nonzero.”

So if the guy isn’t currently in the system, there are three ways to acquire an ace. You can draft one. The Twins might try that this June, when they have the first pick in the first-year player draft. How long before that guy’s ready? And what’s the percentage chance that he’s an ace in the Majors?

Another route would be to sign him either in free agency or on the international free-agent market. Do you see the Twins lining up to pay somebody Zach-Greinke money? How is that David Price contract looking right this moment? The Outspend Model is possible, although I’d call it unlikely and perhaps the riskiest.

That leaves a trade as the final way to acquire an elite pitcher.

It doesn’t have to be this year. If you’re the Twins, though, and you think the window to contend is about to swing open, you’ll need an ace (or two) at some point.

5. Lastly, consider the percentages for De Leon. He’s shown an excellent rate in the minor leagues and the fact that he’s remade himself physically from non-factor to top prospect is impressive.

And with that said, what’s his distribution of his likely outcomes? Let me rephrase that for clarity. De Leon, like a lot of pitchers in his position, has a wide range of potential endpoints. The top end has him in Cooperstown when it’s all said and done, and the bottom end would mean he’s a big bust or an injury flameout or something like that. Let’s narrow that a little bit.

What’s the percentage chance De Leon is at least a capable No. 5 starter in the big leagues? I’d say given his minor league track record, it’s a pretty decent chance, assuming he’s healthy. OK, then, what’s the percentage chance he’s one of the 15 best pitchers in baseball? I think that’s a bit of a longshot. (If he is, the Dodgers would really regret giving up on that for two years of Forsythe.)

So anyway, all of this is a long way of saying that if you’re the Twins, you might be forced to make a scary trade at some point in the future. But if you assessed the risk-reward of this particular rumored trade – De Leon for Dozier, essentially – and decided it wasn’t worth it, then I guess it’s hard for me to criticize that without the benefit of knowing the future.

Hilbrand Family's Love for the Twins Joe Korkowski | Voice of Alexandria | March 8, 2017

(Fort Myers, FL) Alexandria Area High School teacher Kelly Hilbrands is a bit of a Twins fanatic. She readily admits that she is actually more of a fan, but a Twins fan none-the-less.

For many of the past 7 years (yes, Joe Mauer’s number), Kelly and Corey Hilbrands and their sons have traveled down to Spring training in Fort Myers to see the team.

Kelly often jokes with her psychology students that she is heading down to Spring Training to help them with their 'hitting, pitching, and catching issues'...and since she's a psychology teacher...she can help!

This year’s trip was extra special as Kelly’s oldest son Jack, age 16, was able to spend one game as the team’s bat boy. He and younger brother Gabe, age 13, have been playing baseball since they could hold a bat in their hand. Baseball is something the family all loves to play, watch and be a part of. On March 1st, the family was watching Brian Dozier, , and Danny Santana take batting practice and one of the Twins staff people asked how old Jack is. Kelly told him he was going to be 17 on March 11th to which the man replied that was a 'good age'. When Kelly inquired as to why that was he responded, 'that is how old you have to be in order to be a bat boy for the Twins games. Would he like to be one today?' Of course Kelly says, “we were shocked to hear of this opportunity as we had planned on going to the beach all day, but instead....we would be going to the game where Jack would be the bat boy for the Pirates players. “

Jack needed to report to the Twins locker room at noon that day and start work for the 1:05 game. For his trouble he received a Twins hat and uniform and sat on the field next to the Pirates' head and assistant coaches as well as some of the players (John Jaso, Gregory Polanco, and 12 others). Before the game Jack got to eat with the players and helped hand out equipment (cleats) to the players and talk with them a bit. Part of his responsibilities included being in charge of getting the bat, any equipment (braces/shields/etc) for the players and putting them back in their dugout as well as getting foul balls on his side of the field.

Kelly remarked that “It was quite exciting when Gregory Polanco got up to bat (in the on-deck circle area) and looks to Jack and waits to get a 'knucks' from him before he goes to bat!” It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for Jack. He also received an autographed ball from Brian Dozier (his favorite player) for being bat boy. Naturally Gabe hopes his turn to be bat boy is coming soon.

According to Kelly, “The annual trip is something we have done as a family as we love the fan-friendly experience that the Twins organization puts on. We typically go to Hammond Stadium to watch them take batting practice, work on different drills, pitching, etc and typically are able to talk with the players quite often.”

Kelly says the Twins players also sign autographs, take pictures with fans, like the Hilbrands, when they’re done with practice. Kelly says the family would rather go to the Twins’ practices because they can typically talk with the players and get autographs/pictures with them because the players have more free time. The players take time to talk with the fans, especially the kids which makes them a fan for life!

Kelly says that some of the family’s fondest memories were while on vacation from the Spring Training days. The accumulation of , jerseys, a bat, and pictures have filled up their home’s baseball rec room area.

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