All Things 2024 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

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TRF Guy said:
1980 National League Rookie of the Year, '81 World Series Champion, and '82 All-Star Steve Howe would have turned 66 today. He pitched 13 games for the Twins in 1985.
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Howe was so freakin' good when he was healthy - and not shoving a Tony Montana-sized pile of coke up his nose. first 4 seasons of his career he was without question one of the best relief pitchers in baseball. then the drugs took him down.

but he came back for a 2nd act - had really good years with the Yankees in 1991, 92 and 94. in '92 he had a WHIP of 0.545 - in '94 it was 0.875.

if he could have spent his entire career clean, he would have been a cinch HOF'er.
 


Excellent article from, who else, The Athletic, on Paddack’s Path back to the rotation -

theathletic.com

Rosenthal: After ALDS breakthrough, Twins' Chris Paddack is taking the next step in his comeback

After missing most of the past two seasons, Paddack returned to throw 3 2/3 scoreless innings against the Astros in the 2023 ALDS.
theathletic.com theathletic.com

Here’s a portion of it -

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Division Series was over. The Houston Astros had defeated the Minnesota Twins, three games to one. And as the Astros packed up, preparing to leave Target Field, manager Dusty Baker approached his Twins counterpart, Rocco Baldelli, and said something to the effect of, “Man, Paddack.”

Baker wasn’t the only Astros person impressed by Twins right-hander Chris Paddack, who threw 3 2/3 scoreless relief innings in the series, including 2 1/3 in the finale. Paddack, after entering in the fourth inning of a game the Twins lost, 3-2, ended his outing in breathtaking fashion, striking out Yordan Alvarez swinging and Kyle Tucker looking, then retiring José Abreuon a foul pop.

“Everything was exploding out of his hand,” said Alex Bregman, who struck out twice against Paddack in the series.

“He was filthy. He was legit,” said Alex Cintrón, one of the Astros’ hitting coaches. “It was surprising, shocking how good he was, coming back from the surgery, coming out of the pen.”

Now for the cautionary part of the tale: As inspiring as Paddack’s recovery might prove, there’s no getting around it — his workload could become an issue.

Paddack threw only 22 1/3 innings before undergoing his second surgery in 2022 and only 18 1/3 last season, including his minor-league stint. The notion of him surpassing even his career-high of 140 2/3 innings in his first season back as a starter seems far-fetched. But the Twins do not seem inclined to impose limits.

Falvey said the Twins will take a thoughtful approach with Paddack, steal an extra day of rest for him when possible, assess him month to month. The problem is, Paddack’s intense competitive streak is one of his trademarks. Even his surgeon, Meister, talks about the pitcher’s “fire in the belly.”

Paddack, though, knows restraint is in order.

“I know there are going to be times when I want the ball. ‘Gimme three more outs. Gimme 20 more pitches,’” Paddack said. “Rocco is not going to let that happen. He wants me to be ready to go in October. And I’ve accepted that.

“Being present in the moment is a goal of mine this year. Not jumping ahead. Not having an end goal of 160 innings. Realistically, there’s no way of getting there. I have to start at zero. Let’s get to that first start. Control what I can, the pitch at hand, being a good teammate. Then let’s see where we’re at in September.”
 



This guy has quite the Twins card collection

twinsdaily.com

1963 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

Hi folks. I am Al from SoDak. I have been reading Twins Daily since its inception and always thought of contributing. Well, here I go. I am a collector of Twins baseball cards. About 10-15 years ago, I made it a goal to get at least one card from every Twins player who had a card. That goal seems...
twinsdaily.com twinsdaily.com
 

TRF Guy said:
This guy has quite the Twins card collection

twinsdaily.com

1963 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

Hi folks. I am Al from SoDak. I have been reading Twins Daily since its inception and always thought of contributing. Well, here I go. I am a collector of Twins baseball cards. About 10-15 years ago, I made it a goal to get at least one card from every Twins player who had a card. That goal seems...
twinsdaily.com twinsdaily.com
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That’s interesting. I’ve thought about trying to get every Twins Topps base set. I have some already. The 60’s and early 70’s is what would cost the most. The rest would be cheap.
 












Happy 80th birthday to Rick Renick. He was the first Twins player to homer in their first major league at-bat. The others are Dave McKay, Gary Gaetti, Andre David, Luke Hughes, and Eddie Rosario.

Renick was the third base coach for the 1987 World Series Championship team.
 

TRF Guy said:
Happy 80th birthday to Rick Renick. He was the first Twins player to homer in their first major league at-bat. The others are Dave McKay, Gary Gaetti, Andre David, Luke Hughes, and Eddie Rosario.

Renick was the third base coach for the 1987 World Series Championship team.
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Thanks TRF Guy and please keep these Twins’ history snippets coming; one reason I love baseball is the history and how many ex-players end up being lifers - damn good life in my book
 
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Luckily, I had one free article to read and found this gem today regarding Walker Stud Jenkins - Enjoy and make sure to give your mitt some attention before the season kicks off - good luck!

www.startribune.com

Love for game pushes Twins' top prospect Walker Jenkins to be great

2023 Twins first-round draft pick and outfielder Walker Jenkins has work ethic, athleticism
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Walker Jenkins marched to the batter's box, and it instantly turned into one of those high-profile backfields matchups where scouts perk up.

Jenkins, the Twins' top-rated prospect and the No. 5 pick in the 2023 amateur draft, went to the plate in a live batting practice session to face righthanded pitcher Charlee Soto, the No. 34 pick who can make a case for the top pitching prospect in the organization.


In a 0-2 count, Jenkins thumped a 98-mph fastball to the base of the left field wall, a probable double in a real game. Even in a pitcher's count, there was nothing defensive about Jenkins' swing. One American League scout turned to the person next to him and said, "He's going to be really, really good."

Jenkins is determined to prove that.

"I don't think there is anybody who is going to go out there and love the game more than I am, and have more fun doing it," Jenkins said. "When you love something, you want to be the best at it."

Jenkins is 19 and he looks like he could blend in with NFL players. Listed at 6-3 and 210 pounds, he's easy to spot. But his gift lies in the simplicity of his swing. He doesn't need a huge leg kick to generate power. His hands are quiet before he unleashes a lefthanded swing that can drive the ball to all areas of the field.

His swing and athleticism in the outfield made him the fifth pick in a loaded amateur draft class featuring five players who typically would have been in the conversation for No. 1 overall. Jenkins, fueled by the times he was passed over for youth all-star teams, said after the draft his goal was making the four teams that picked in front of the Twins regret not picking him.

"I'm not saying the teams made bad decisions," Jenkins said. "I think all those dudes in front of me are great, great ballplayers. But I want to show them why I should have been there."

Jenkins lived up to his billing in his post-draft debut last year. He hit .362 with three homers, five doubles, four triples and 22 RBI in 26 games between rookie ball and Class A. He had nearly as many walks (nine) as strikeouts (14).

He had three multi-hit games to begin his career. He hit a walk-off single in his second game with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.

What stood out to the Twins, as much as his statistics, was his work behind the scenes. When Jenkins flew to Florida after his introductory news conference at Target Field, he asked if he could take swings immediately once he arrived at the team's spring training facility.

It was after midnight.

Jenkins hit for 45 minutes with Alex Hassan, the club's vice president of hitting development. Hassan's late night in the cages story isn't unique: people who know Jenkins all have one. His high school coaches gave players the option to drive themselves to road games, so they could return home faster afterward. Jenkins often was hitting in the team's batting cage by the time the bus arrived.

"Some people think it's kind of inflated when people say [those stories], but I love it, man," Jenkins said. "There are times when you get back from a baseball tournament and it's like, I want to hit some more. Get home and it'll be 10 or 11 o'clock with my dad. The time I got down here, I went out to sign, and I hadn't hit in like a week. I was like, 'Dude, I want to get some swings in.'"

Jenkins enjoys the practice work. He loves to study video of swings, whether it's his own or the top players in the league. Twins officials rave about his hitting acumen, particularly for a high school draftee, and his refined two-strike approach.

One impressive stat from his 26-game introduction to pro baseball last year: he swung and missed at only one fastball, which was a 99-mph pitch from No. 1 pick Paul Skenes.

"I try not to overcomplicate it because you can definitely do that, and I've done that at times," he said. "I think one of the best things for my development is self-evaluation, and diving in, 'all right, how does this swing look?'"

As much intensity as Jenkins carries throughout his workout and games, he's the opposite off the field. Stadium ushers in Fort Myers light up talking about Jenkins and his family. They laud how much time he spent with fans. After he lost a state championship game in high school and the dugout cleared out, he stayed back to pick up empty cups and trash.

When Jenkins was asked about some of his highlight games last year, he thanked his teammates and the Twins staff.

"Obviously, you're feeling a little bit of pressure, but you've got guys that make you feel at home and make you feel comfortable even before I've played a game," Jenkins said. "It just makes it that much easier to go in and do what you do."

Jenkins drove 45 minutes most mornings to work out in Wilmington, N.C., during the offseason at the same facility as Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. They trained together before Jenkins was drafted into the organization, and they're both competitive in drills. In one social media video, Jenkins jumped over a bar that was 58 inches high with relative ease.

The part Jenkins relishes is the firsthand look at Jeffers' routine in the offseason. Seeing the preparation in the weight room, hitting and throwing drills gives a guy entering his first full professional season a good blueprint.

Derek Falvey, the Twins' president of baseball operations, said the organization couldn't ask for more from Jenkins since the draft. Jenkins, though, says it's just the start.
 



First BSN game today. Buxton looks outstanding. Lewis with a clutch two-out double.
The bad? Rays have teed off on Lopez for 4 solo shots.
 

TRF Guy said:
Happy 80th birthday to Rick Renick. He was the first Twins player to homer in their first major league at-bat. The others are Dave McKay, Gary Gaetti, Andre David, Luke Hughes, and Eddie Rosario.

Renick was the third base coach for the 1987 World Series Championship team.
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Eddie was even more rare. He homered on his first pitch.

Fun facts on players that homered on their fisrt pitch:

Career leader is Jay Bell with 195, Eddie Rosario leads active players with 159. Sterling Marte has 147, and Wilson Contreras has 137.

First player to do it was Walter Mueller in 1922, the most recent was the most famous player that the Twins have had drafted off their roster in the Rule V draft, Akili Badoo.

For six players, it was their only home run.
 
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Ski U Mah Gopher said:
Eddie was even more rare. He homered on his first pitch.

Fun facts on players that homered on their fisrt pitch:

Career leader is Jay Bell with 195, Eddie Rosario leads active players with 159. Sterling Marte has 147, and Wilson Contreras has 137.

First player to do it was Walter Mueller in 1922, the most recent was the most famous player that the Twins have had drafted off their roster in the Rule V draft, Akili Badoo.

For six players, it was their only home run.
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This is easy😃
Maybe its harder than I thought
Geez, did I get lucky or was that pitcher a 🍅 can?
I never hit another one🥲
Well, at least I got one
 

TRF Guy said:
Happy 80th birthday to Rick Renick. He was the first Twins player to homer in their first major league at-bat. The others are Dave McKay, Gary Gaetti, Andre David, Luke Hughes, and Eddie Rosario.

Renick was the third base coach for the 1987 World Series Championship team.
Click to expand...

Interesting, for players that hit a HR in their 1st Major League AB, Gaetti has the most Career bombs. 360.

en.wikipedia.org

List of Major League Baseball players with a home run in their first major league at bat - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Only 2 that eventually made it to Cooperstown are Earl Averill and knuckle ball pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm.
 


GophersInIowa said:
Gonna be hard to leave him off the opening day roster.

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thing is, if you're going to keep Lee on the 26-man roster, he needs to play. no sense bringing him up to be a 1 or 2-day a week utility player.

so who do you move out of the lineup to make room for Lee?

I would guess that they start the season with Lee in St. Paul. If he's really ripping it up, then maybe you trade someone to open up a spot - or wait to see if there's an injury.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
thing is, if you're going to keep Lee on the 26-man roster, he needs to play. no sense bringing him up to be a 1 or 2-day a week utility player.

so who do you move out of the lineup to make room for Lee?

I would guess that they start the season with Lee in St. Paul. If he's really ripping it up, then maybe you trade someone to open up a spot - or wait to see if there's an injury.
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I posted an article previously that he’ll be spending time at 2nd in St. Paul, as they may end up moving Julian to first depending on what happens with AK and his productivity. They also get to delay the start on his FA clock as well.

You’re correct, he and just like Wallner, last year, will be in St. Paul until a spot where he can play regularly presents itself.
 
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short ornery norwegian said:
thing is, if you're going to keep Lee on the 26-man roster, he needs to play. no sense bringing him up to be a 1 or 2-day a week utility player.

so who do you move out of the lineup to make room for Lee?

I would guess that they start the season with Lee in St. Paul. If he's really ripping it up, then maybe you trade someone to open up a spot - or wait to see if there's an injury.
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Yep absolutely. But it’s still hard to send him down because he’s so good.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
thing is, if you're going to keep Lee on the 26-man roster, he needs to play. no sense bringing him up to be a 1 or 2-day a week utility player.

so who do you move out of the lineup to make room for Lee?

I would guess that they start the season with Lee in St. Paul. If he's really ripping it up, then maybe you trade someone to open up a spot - or wait to see if there's an injury.
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The Twins. Too much talent. ;)
 


TRF Guy said:
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If Kiriloff and Buxton are healthy the offense could really be something. But the rotation might do them in. If Jim wants to be a hero, he could go give Blake Snell the Correa opt out contract he's looking for.
 

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