Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Saturday, February 11
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Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Saturday, February 11, 2017 Twins' perfect season more than wins, losses. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 1 Byung Ho Park holds onto dream despite humbling times in baseball. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 2 Reusse: Twins' Pressly looks to keep gaining importance, weight. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 4 Five key spring questions for Minnesota Twins. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 5 Wetmore’s 2017 Twins outlook: Brian Dozier’s approach makes the most of what he’s got. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 6 Spring training preview: Spotlight on Twins’ pitchers. Associated Press p. 7 Twins' perfect season more than wins, losses Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | February 10, 2017 After losing a franchise-worst 103 games in 2016, the Twins know that a perfect 2017 season is about much more than where they finish in the standings. Projection systems such as Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA provide some optimism for the Twins, projecting 79 wins and a second-place finish in the American League Central, but the long-term success of the organization will be determined by more than wins and losses. The Twins have talent on their roster, but many of their players are young and inexperienced, so the growth of potential stars such as Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco and Jose Berrios is critical. The Twins essentially know what they'll get from veterans such as Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer, but the 23-year-old Buxton is the club's most important player, as he's a true five-tool talent who could boost the fortunes of the franchise if he can build on his impressive September that saw him hit .287 with nine homers over his final 29 games. He's been hyped as a potential superstar since his time in the Minor Leagues, and if he can reach that ceiling, he's the kind of cornerstone player a franchise can be built around. But players such as Sano and Kepler have high ceilings as well, as Sano has as much power as anyone in baseball, while Kepler is an all-around talent like Buxton. A perfect year would see Sano cut down on his strikeouts and reach at least 30 homers, while Kepler would continue to make adjustments at the plate to fare better against lefties and raise his overall batting average. The pitching, however, is Minnesota's biggest concern this season, and a perfect year would see the rotation make strides after the Twins posted the second-worst ERA in the Majors in 2016. The rotation features several ifs, as much of it hinges on whether Ervin Santana can repeat his impressive '16, Phil Hughes can return from thoracic outlet syndrome, Kyle Gibson can bounce back after a down year and Hector Santiago can cut down on his walks and homers. So while those veterans will have a major say on how the rotation fares in '17, the long-term outlook will be affected more by the performances of prospects such as Berrios, Stephen Gonsalves, Tyler Jay, Kohl Stewart, Adalberto Mejia and Fernando Romero. A perfect year would see all of them healthy and taking a step forward to reaching the big leagues with pitchers such as Berrios, Mejia and Gonsalves making an impact with the Twins. Berrios has the potential to be a frontline starter, but posted an 8.02 ERA in 14 starts last year, so regaining his form and translating his success to the Majors will be key for the Twins. As for the bullpen, a perfect year would see closer Glen Perkins be healthy after his labrum surgery, while he'd be flanked by rising stars Ryan Pressly and Taylor Rogers as well as veterans such as Brandon Kintzler, Matt Belisle and Craig Breslow. The Twins would also love to see young relievers such as J.T. Chargois, Nick Burdi, Mason Melotakis and Trevor Hildenberger make an impact, which would bode well for the future of the bullpen. It's also a reason why the Twins brought in veterans such as catcher Jason Castro, Belisle and Breslow, as their impact will also be felt in terms of the leadership and mentorship they provide to young pitchers. So much of 2017 will be about continuing the youth movement for the Twins, and a perfect year would set them up for long-term success, which has been the stated goal of the new front office led by chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine. Byung Ho Park holds onto dream despite humbling times in baseball Patrick Reusse | Star Tribune | February 10, 2017 Byung Ho Park was 26 and had emerged as the most valuable player in the Korea Baseball Organization in 2012. The unofficial roster for South Korea’s team for the 2013 World Baseball Classic was revealed later in the year, and Park was left off in favor of other first basemen: Dae-ho Lee, Tae-kyun Kim and Seung-yeop Lee, a KBO legend who was 36 and being honored for past accomplishments. Park responded to this snub by winning the MVP award again in 2013. And then he led the KBO with 52 home runs in 2014 and 53 home runs in 2015. South Korea announced its provisional roster for the 2017 WBC last November. Again, Park was not on the list. Those rosters became official on Wednesday and South Korea’s first basemen were Lee and Kim. Park arrived at the Twins’ Florida complex on Sunday and started working out on Monday. He finished a workout that included batting practice on Thursday morning. He was asked if not being on South Korea’s WBC roster was partially his decision – a reflection of a desire to have a full spring training with the Twins? Park looked at interpreter Jae Han to fully understand the question, answered in Korean, and then Han said: “He would have liked to play for the Korean team. He says there was a better player than him for first base.’’ Park was a 29-year-old rookie with the Twins in 2016 and wound up getting sent back to Class AAA Rochester. The massive Dae-ho Lee, known as “Big Boy’’ in Korea, was a 34-year-old rookie for Seattle and batted .300 with 19 home runs and 68 RBI. Also: Kim batted .359 in the KBO last season and is the highest-paid player in the league, so he was locked in as a member of the team. Park’s comment on the World Baseball Classic was more instructive about him than the strength of South Korean baseball. The interviewer had offered up an excuse – Park preferred to be here to try to establish himself with the Twins – and he waved it off: Park wanted to play in the WBC and there were better players to fill first base for South Korea. Simple as that. He came off as a humble person with a dream of major league success on arrival here for 2016 spring training. A year later, he has endured several humbling things in his career, and the top of the list came last week: The Twins took Park of the 40-player big-league roster. He cleared waivers on Thursday and was placed on the Rochester roster. He will be in spring training with the Twins, but as a considerable underdog to Kennys Vargas (among others) to open the season as the team’s designated hitter. Park was asked about the roster demotion, answered in Korean, and Han said: “Derek Falvey called him and explained the decision. He said don’t pay too much attention to the media, which probably will say the Twins now have everything planned for him (to be in the minor leagues). “Falvey said he still is in the picture to make the team, and to have a good spring training.’’ 2 Terry Ryan was the general manager who signed off on the Twins’ investment in Park after the 2015 season: a $12.85 million “posting fee’’ that went to the Nexen Heroes, his KBO team, and then a four-year contract that guaranteed $12 million for Park. Ryan was fired last summer and Falvey was hired with the title of chief baseball officer in October. The Twins dropped Park from the 40-man roster knowing that he would clear waivers with $9.25 million still due. Perhaps, if Park lights it up this spring, he could open as a right-handed option for Vargas (much better lefthanded) at DH and Joe Mauer at first base. Then again, the Twins tried to sign Mike Napoli, and there are rumors of interest in Pedro Alvarez, which means Falvey is looking for a DH option that isn’t Park or Vargas. Park was the Twins’ regular DH through the first three months of the 2016 season. He played in 62 games and started 60 of the Twins’ first 76 games. He was showing power and hanging in as a hitter during his first 32 games. He hit two home runs in Cleveland on May 13; three days later, he was batting .257 with nine home runs and 15 RBI, and 38 strikeouts in 109 at-bats. And then Park lost it – or the scouts and analysts by then had found the formula to turn him into a big-league out. Park played in 30 games from May 17 to June 28. He batted .123, with three home runs and nine RBI, and 42 strikeouts in 106 at-bats. The Twins sent him to Rochester after a five-game stretch when he was 0-for-16 with 10 strikeouts.