All Things 2024 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

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pick #27 of the 1st round - Dante Nori, CF, Northville, Michigan HS to the Phillies.

His father is Micah Nori - assistant coach of the Timberwolves.
 

and with pick #33, the Twins select
Kyle DeBarge, SS, Louisiana-Lafayette.

ESPN had him at #35 on their big board.

not a big guy - 5'9" 170lbs but projected to stick at SS.

was a HS Catcher who moved to SS in college. described as a contact hitter who doesn't chase pitches out of the zone. plus speed as a base-runner.
 





as noted:

pick #60 Twins take Billy Amick, 3B, Tennessee- 6'1", 220lbs
was ranked 36th on ESPN big board & 32nd by MLB.com -son of former NASCAR driver Lyndon Amick
scouting report - aggressive at the plate with hard contact and raw power. average at 3B, could wind up at 1B. some mocks had Amick going in the 1st round.

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pick #69 Twins take Dason Hill, LH Pitcher, Grapevine TX HS
6'5", 165lbs- led his HS to the TX State class 5-A title, was a late bloomer who came on his SR year in HS. ranked 82nd by ESPN, but 52nd by MLB.com
throws fast ball in low to mid-90's, but best pitch is a slider. he also has a good curveball and a decent changeup. lanky frame with ability to add strength and velocity.
 



The kid from Texas is already my favorite prospect, basically because I've been begging this organization to invest in left-handed pitching since Neal Heaton left the rotation.
 



speaking of left-handed pitching, I see that Connor Prielipp has begun his rehab assignment. in his first outing - with the Florida Complex League team - he threw 2 innings allowing 1 hit and 1 HBP with 6 K.

this guy is the ultimate lottery ticket. including college and minor leagues, he has thrown 36 innings over the last 4 years. the pride of Tomah, Wisconsin.
 

Some former Twins of note with updates:

- Sonny Gray has cooled off a bit with an ERA of 4.06 over his last five starts. Still has a pretty good 3.34 ERA on the season.
- Tyler Mahle is expected to make his second rehab start tonight. Hasn't pitched for Texas all year (shocking I know)
- Kenta Maeda continues to struggle big time. 6.88 ERA for the Tigers. It's unfortunate, I was really pulling for him to get his mojo back.
- Emilio Pagan has a 4.43 ERA for the Reds. Been on the IL since early June.
- Joey Gallo has a .164 BA for Washington with 5 HR. Been on the IL for about a month.
- Michael A Taylor has struggled for the Pirates hitting .203 with .537 OPS.
- Donovan Solano continues to just do his thing, now playing for the Padres. .292 with .750 OPS.
- Jorge Polanco has been bad for Seattle. Hitting just .197 with 5 HR.
- Old friend, Mitch Garver has been only a little bit better at .208 with 8 HR for the Mariners.
- Nick Gordon has been getting good playing time for Miami, hitting .234 with 8 HR.
- Gio Urshela has been less than average for Detroit, .252 with 4 HR.
- Luis Arraez has cooled off for SD, but still hitting .310. With how good of an eye he has at the plate, it's crazy how little he walks. Just 15 walks in 416 PA. Results in only a .342 OBP. For comparison, Willi Castro has a .352 OBP despite a .265 BA. Arraez was selected to the All-Start team for a 3rd consecutive season but won't play due to thumb injury.
- Gary Sanchez is currently on the IL for the Brewers. Is hitting .218 with 7 HR.
- Miguel Sano was just released from the Angels after hitting just a few HR for them early in the season. I would be surprised if he signed anywhere this season but someone might give him a shot with a minor league contract.
- And Jake Cave is hitting .256 with 2 HR for Colorado. I don't know why Colorado just continues to be so bad. They have good fan support, even though they're awful most years.
 

GophersInIowa said:
I don't know why Colorado just continues to be so bad. They have good fan support, even though they're awful most years.
Click to expand...
Because the Rockies draw well win or lose, management doesn’t seem to have much incentive to put a winning team out there.
 

GopherVotary said:
Because the Rockies draw well win or lose, management doesn’t seem to have much incentive to put a winning team out there.
Click to expand...
Their payroll is usually around the middle of the pack actually. They don't develop worth a crap, especially pitching. Colorado has to develop pitching because they will never be able to sign anyone of value and it may be hard to trade for anyone too if there's a no trade clause involved or the 10 and 5.
 



GophersInIowa said:
Some former Twins of note with updates:

- Sonny Gray has cooled off a bit with an ERA of 4.06 over his last five starts. Still has a pretty good 3.34 ERA on the season.
- Tyler Mahle is expected to make his second rehab start tonight. Hasn't pitched for Texas all year (shocking I know)
- Kenta Maeda continues to struggle big time. 6.88 ERA for the Tigers. It's unfortunate, I was really pulling for him to get his mojo back.
- Emilio Pagan has a 4.43 ERA for the Reds. Been on the IL since early June.
- Joey Gallo has a .164 BA for Washington with 5 HR. Been on the IL for about a month.
- Michael A Taylor has struggled for the Pirates hitting .203 with .537 OPS.
- Donovan Solano continues to just do his thing, now playing for the Padres. .292 with .750 OPS.
- Jorge Polanco has been bad for Seattle. Hitting just .197 with 5 HR.
- Old friend, Mitch Garver has been only a little bit better at .208 with 8 HR for the Mariners.
- Nick Gordon has been getting good playing time for Miami, hitting .234 with 8 HR.
- Gio Urshela has been less than average for Detroit, .252 with 4 HR.
- Luis Arraez has cooled off for SD, but still hitting .310. With how good of an eye he has at the plate, it's crazy how little he walks. Just 15 walks in 416 PA. Results in only a .342 OBP. For comparison, Willi Castro has a .352 OBP despite a .265 BA. Arraez was selected to the All-Start team for a 3rd consecutive season but won't play due to thumb injury.
- Gary Sanchez is currently on the IL for the Brewers. Is hitting .218 with 7 HR.
- Miguel Sano was just released from the Angels after hitting just a few HR for them early in the season. I would be surprised if he signed anywhere this season but someone might give him a shot with a minor league contract.
- And Jake Cave is hitting .256 with 2 HR for Colorado. I don't know why Colorado just continues to be so bad. They have good fan support, even though they're awful most years.
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Did your interns provide this🥸?

Thanks for the comprehensive update and glad Donny 🦇 continues to have an opportunity to rake
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Did your interns provide this🥸?

Thanks for the comprehensive update and glad Donny 🦇 continues to have an opportunity to rake
Click to expand...
Nah, I just looked up to see how Sonny Gray was doing and decided to keep going with guys that played for us the past few seasons.

Might do an update on past trades too that involve minor league guys.
 

From Dan Hayes’ column where he correctly calls SWR our unsung hero of the first half -

The Twins are 12-4 in games started by Woods Richardson, who has a 3.51 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 82 innings, a tick over five innings per outing.

“It was a good first half, but it could be better,” Woods Richardson said. “Job’s not finished. I’m really happy with it, really happy with what I’ve been able to do in commanding the strike zone. But it’s not the All-Star break for me. I’m going back to Texas (where I’m from). I’ve got to put in the work, I’ll still throw bullpens, still get ready to face who I’m going to face against Philadelphia(after the break). … It feels great when we win. If I’m part of that and contribute to that, it

Wow, love that commitment and drive to get better - I bet he’ll be a solid middle of the rotation hurler with a few more seasons of seasoning🤓
 

Keith Law’s take on Culpepper. He’s The Athletic’s scouting guru -

21. Minnesota Twins: Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Kansas State​

No. 30 on Law’s big board

I loved Kaelen Culpepper’s swing, and he’s worked hard on his defense to make him a no-doubt shortstop. He came out strong to start the year and definitely helped himself at the end, with some great swing and hard-hit balls in the super regional at UVA, but some teams were scared off by the plate discipline, with higher chase and whiff rates than you’d like, and the good-not-great exit velocity numbers. If you’re into drafting athletes with good swings who play up the middle, though, this is your guy.
 

I wonder if money played a part in Amick slipping. It seems possible the Twins can sign their first two picks under slot so can potentially offer more to Amick. Might be able to offer more to the pitcher they got at 69 as well as he was expected to go earlier also.

Based on nothing but my own speculation.

The slot value makes the MLB draft so intriguing to me. Lots of strategy involved early on.
 
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3rd round Twins pick Khadim Diaw - Catcher/OF - Loyola Marymount - 6'1", 215 lbs - throws/bats R/R

has had injury issues, missing time with a back injury, a broken thumb and a sprained wrist. makes good contact. scouts feel he can develop more power. as a catcher, shows agility and arm strength. has also played all 3 OF positions.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
3rd round Twins pick Khadim Diaw - Catcher/OF - Loyola Marymount - 6'1", 215 lbs - throws/bats R/R

has had injury issues, missing time with a back injury, a broken thumb and a sprained wrist. makes good contact. scouts feel he can develop more power. as a catcher, shows agility and arm strength. has also played all 3 OF positions.
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First ever player of Senegalese descent to be selected in the MLB draft too.
 

4th round Jamie Ferrer - Florida State - OF - 6'1" 218 lbs - bats/throws R/R

last year at FSU - .317/.418/.665 (1.083 OPS) 22 HR, 67 RBI
 

GophersInIowa said:
Nah, I just looked up to see how Sonny Gray was doing and decided to keep going with guys that played for us the past few seasons.

Might do an update on past trades too that involve minor league guys.
Click to expand...
Jovani Moran is apparently out of baseball completely; he popped in my head during the draft when they listed our weakness as Lefty hurlers. It was only a cursory , but nothing on him and he’s only 27 years old ,

I still remember that game against the Jays, when he was stellar against the heart of their lineup for a save - man I was hoping we had something.
 
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GopherVotary said:
Because the Rockies draw well win or lose, management doesn’t seem to have much incentive to put a winning team out there.
Click to expand...
This. Coors Field is absolutely beautiful, and Denver is becoming more and more of a tourist destination. They can suck and make money pretty easily unfortunately.
 

round 5 - Twins pick Caden Kendle - U of California-Irvine - OF - R/R - was drafted by Cardinals in 10th round in 2023, but did not sign and went back to school. last year went .387/.479/.590 (1.069 OPS) with 19-2B, 3-3B, 6-HR, 61-RBI

round 6-Twins pick Derek Bender, Coastal Carolina - C - R/R
-- considered average to below-average as a defensive C, but also plays some 1B. last year .320/.422./520 -- 11HR, 63 RBI -- in summer of '23 hit .374 in Cape Cod League --

round 7- Twins pick Eli Jones, South Carolina RH Pitcher -
last year went 3-4 w/ 5.24 ERA - 68 IP - 56 K (had better numbers the previous season)
 


Just saw on PTI, that the Dodgers are missing their top 4 starters and the Yankees their top 3.

Here to good continued health in the second half
 

round 9 - Twins pick Jason Doktorczyk - RH Pitcher - Nevada - 6'6", 230 lbs - last year 6-4, 3.95 ERA, 84 IP - 91 K - 22 BB -

round 10 - Twins pick Peyton Carr - High Point U - 3B/1B - 6'2", 205 lbs - R/R - last year .418/.516/.864 (1.380 OPS) 13 HR, 30 RBI - 103 AB w/12 K
 

The college trend continues. Of the first 12 picks, only 1 was out of HS.
 


All this talk about the draft brings to mind one of my favorite nuggets of trivia: in the 1979 baseball draft, the Royals drafted Dan Marino and John Elway. Apparently they both had plans other than a MLB career.
 

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