Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Transcription

1 Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Tuesday, May 9, 2017 Chaos returns as Twins finding little relief from their bullpen. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1 Twins trade Danny Santana to Braves for lefty reliever Kevin Chapman. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 2 Quietly, the Twins' roster doesn't look like it did a year ago. Star Tribune (Rand) p. 3 Twins-White Sox series preview. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 3 Twins trade Danny Santana to Braves for lefty reliever Kevin Chapman. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 4 Red Sox's 10-run ninth inning demolishes Twins Star Tribune (Neal) p. 4 State of the rotation: Twins need pitchers for Thursday, Saturday. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 5 Twins deal away Danny Santana for a lefty pitcher. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 6 Are MLB rules too lenient on most dangerous issue? Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 6 Sweet-swinging Sano slows down to speed up. Pioneer Press (Bollinger) p. 7 Twins trade Danny Santana for a pitcher and cash considerations. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 8 Another good start in Triple-A, Berrios next start should be in a Twins uniform. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 9 Twins, White Sox aim to rebound with familiar faces (May 09, 2017). Associated Press p. 10 Braves acquire utility option Danny Santana in trade with Twins. FOX Sports (Dillard) p. 11 Braves Acquire Danny Santana From Twins For Kevin Chapman. MLB Trade Rumors (Todd) p. 11 Twins legend Rod Carew opens up about his second chance at life'. KARE 11 (Shaver) p. 15 Chaos returns as Twins finding little relief from their bullpen Phil Miller Star Tribune May 9, 2017 The Twins starting rotation has only three concrete members at the moment, with what-ifs and we ll-sees filling out their plans for the other two spots. And that s the stable side of the pitching staff. The bullpen, one of the reasons for surprise and optimism though the first four weeks of the season, melted down during last week s six-game homestand, with Boston s 10-run ninth inning Sunday the final inferno. The Twins arrived home a week ago with a 3.75 bullpen ERA, sixth-best in the American League. They left for Chicago on Monday toting a 4.90 mark worse than even their 4.63 ERA that ranked dead last in the AL in Sometimes you re going to take it on the chin. It s not something you want to have happen, said Twins manager Paul Molitor, trying to put the ugliness behind him. Sometimes we have to give [opposing] hitters a little credit, too. That might be, but the sudden downturn, even if overstated by that big number Sunday, has to worry the Twins. Molitor was forced to use a franchise-record 23 relief pitchers in 2016, including infielder Eduardo Escobar, and the constant shuffle gave the season a chaotic feel. That feel returned last weekend. Michael Tonkin, who surrendered a hit in all nine of his appearances this year and at least one run in six of them, was designated for assignment. Nick Tepesch, called up as a long reliever but never used, was suddenly switched to the rotation. Drew Rucinski was added and Justin Haley was activated, but they have 14 games of big-league experience between then. We have been scrambling the whole homestand. A lot of transactions and people getting shuffled around, Molitor said. The dynamics of your pen change fairly regularly throughout the year. Obviously, these guys are going to get a chance to regroup and come back. Even the front of the bullpen became vulnerable when the Red Sox arrived. Closer Brandon Kintzler failed to convert a save for the first time this

2 season Friday, though the hits off him were more well-placed than well-struck. Matt Belisle, who had 11 scoreless appearances among his 14 games, was the chief victim Sunday, giving up six runs. Taylor Rogers gave up a run Sunday, too, while recording only one out. And Ryan Pressly was rescued by a double play from surrendering a run for the third consecutive outing. This has definitely been the worst month of my career overall majors, minors, probably all the way back to when I started playing baseball, Pressly said. I m just trying to power through it, stay mentally strong enough to keep myself going. I know my stuff plays up here. It s just a matter of throwing strikes. The good news? Help is on the horizon. By jettisoning Tonkin and demoting Kyle Gibson last week, Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey and General Manager Thad Levine demonstrated a willingness to hold players accountable for subpar performance, and the Twins leadership has some bullpen prospects, gathered by the previous regime of Terry Ryan, to promote when ready. Sidearmer Trevor Hildenberger has struck out 11 batters in 9 ⅔ innings for Class AAA Rochester, albeit with 10 hits, too. Hard-throwing J.T. Chargois is recovering from an elbow impingement but could get another shot once he shows he s healthy. Alex Wimmers has converted his past three save situations for the Red Wings, though he is battling control problems. And at Class AA Chattanooga, four of the organization s top bullpen prospects are making cases to help the Twins soon. A solo home run is the lone run Nick Burdi has given up in nine games; he has struck out 13 in 10 innings. Luke Bard has 24 strikeouts in 15 innings, with only five walks. John Curtiss hasn t given up an earned run in 11 ⅓ innings, with 14 strikeouts and four saves. And Mason Melotakis, scouts report, is most dominant of all: 13 ⅔ innings, five hits and a 0.00 ERA. There will be some tough decisions down the road. But you want those type of decisions [sorting] through talented guys who can help, Molitor said. When it happens, who can say? My job is to stay in the present and try to win with the guys who are here. Twins trade Danny Santana to Braves for lefty reliever Kevin Chapman Phil Miller Star Tribune May 9, 2017 Kevin Chapman, a lefthanded relief specialist with 58 games of major league experience, was acquired by the Twins from Atlanta in exchange for utility player Danny Santana, the team announced Monday night. Chapman, 29, owns a career 4.09 ERA in parts of four seasons with Houston, including a strong rookie season in 2013 when he posted a 1.77 ERA in 25 appearances. The Braves claimed the Florida native off waivers in March but sent him to Class AAA at the end of spring training. Chapman, a fourth-round draft pick of Kansas City 2010 who has been plagued by control problems, was off to a subpar start at Class AAA Gwinnett, giving up 10 runs in 11 ⅔ innings. Chapman has held lefthanders to a.263 average over his major league career, compared to.250 against righthanders, but he never has given up a home run to a lefthander. He will be assigned to Class AAA Rochester. The Twins designated the 26-year-old Santana for assignment on Friday, after he went 5-for-25 (.200) over the first month of the season. The switch hitter was placed on the Braves active roster and will supplement their bench. Santana batted.319 with seven homers and 20 stolen bases as a rookie in 2014, but he hit only.225 with three homers in the three seasons since. The Twins also have yet to make a move with righthanded reliever Michael Tonkin, who was designated for assignment Saturday. 2

3 Quietly, the Twins' roster doesn't look like it did a year ago Michael Rand Star Tribune May 8, 2017 The offseason lament from some Twins fans was that the organization wasn t making a whole lot of changes or upgrades in an attempt to fix a team that went in The two-pronged counter from the Twins was that 1) new bosses Derek Falvey and Thad Levine were taking a patient approach to roster decisions, preferring to see things with their own eyes before making big decisions and 2) the roster that lost 103 games in 2016 was also in large part the same one that went the previous season and contended for a playoff spot until the final weekend. A little over a month into 2017, however, the Twins roster has been tweaked more than you might think. It hasn t come in a gush of flashy moves, but the constant drip-drip-drip of decisions has added up some fairly significant changes. Sunday s game against Boston offered a convenient (albeit maybe a little skewed) look at just how much has changed in a calendar year, since the pitching matchup Ervin Santana vs. Chris Sale was exactly the same as it was a year ago on May 7, In that game a year ago, the Twins lost 7-2 to the White Sox (Sale s old team), keeping Santana winless on the season and dropping them to 8-22 overall. The last three pitchers to work a year ago for the Twins Fernando Abad, Kevin Jepsen and Michael Tonkin. Abad (trade) and Jepsen (release) weren t with the Twins by the end of Tonkin was a recent roster casualty, but hardly the only one. But perhaps the most stark difference comes from the differences in the Twins lineup from last year to this year. This was the batting order a year ago: Darin Mastroianni, Eduardo Nunez, Miguel Sano, Trevor Plouffe, Joe Mauer, Oswaldo Arcia, Jorge Polanco, Kurt Suzuki and Danny Santana. Only Sano, Mauer and Polanco remain on the Twins roster. The Twins roster looked different in September last year than it did in May. But even the changes made since the end of last season are starting to add up. The left side of the infield is different, with the Twins committed to Sano and Polanco. Jason Castro and Chris Gimenez have replaced Kurt Suzuki and Juan Centeno at catcher. Underperforming players who received more than their share of chances have started to disappear from the major league roster, too. Tonkin was DFAd. So was Danny Santana. Kyle Gibson was sent to the minors. ByungHo Park was designated for assignment in the offseason perhaps a sign of what the new regime thought of an old regime move and didn t make the Twins after a hot spring. There is still a lot to fix, obviously particularly with a pitching staff that has shown some obvious cracks after a better-than-expected April. But the narrative that the Twins don t look much different than last year has faded, both in terms of results and actual roster construction. And we should only expect more changes in the coming months. Twins-White Sox series preview Phil Miller Star Tribune May 8, 2017 Dozier expected back; will Sano have to sit? Three-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. FSN, 96.3-FM: LHP Hector Santiago (3-1, 2.78 ERA) vs. RHP Mike Pelfrey (0-2, 5.02) Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. FSN, 96.3-FM: RHP Phil Hughes (4-1, 4.32) vs. LHP Derek Holland (3-2, 2.02) Thursday, 7:10 p.m. FSN, 96.3-FM : RHP Nick Tepesch (0-1, 5.40) vs. RHP Miguel Gonzalez (3-2, 3.18) TWINS UPDATE 3

4 The Twins are 7-4 on the road, and went 4-1 on their last trip to Texas and Kansas City. They are 3-3 against the White Sox this year and won two out of three at Chicago in April. They gave up more than 10 runs in back-to-back games over the weekend against Boston. The franchise record for consecutive double-digit games against them is four, set in Chicago reached double digits against them three times last season. 2B Brian Dozier is expected to play after missing the past two games because of a sprained left ankle. Dozier has hit 18 home runs against the White Sox, more than any other opponent. 3B Miguel Sano expects to learn before Tuesday s game whether he must serve his one-game suspension for shoving Tigers catcher James McCann on April 22. Sano appealed the punishment Friday. Santiago, who spent with the White Sox, owns a 4-1 record and 1.40 ERA against his former team. WHITE SOX UPDATE The White Sox were swept in Baltimore over the weekend and have lost six of eight since a six-game winning streak to close April that briefly lifted Chicago into first place. They are 6-5 at home in the former new Comiskey Park. They have hit only 27 home runs, one more than Kansas City and Boston, who have the AL s fewest. Pelfrey, with a 4.94 ERA in three seasons with the Twins, will be making his fourth start against his old team since he left Minnesota after the 2015 season. Pelfrey, picked up by Chicago to fill in for injured James Shields, gave up 11 runs over 11 innings in three starts against the Twins for Detroit last year. Chicago s pitching staff has been good this season it has given up more than four runs in only 10 games, and its 3.35 team ERA is the American League s best. But the White Sox have been stricken with injuries of late, with starters Shields and Carlos Rodon and relievers Nate Jones, Jake Petricka and Zach Putnam all sidelined. Twins trade Danny Santana to Braves for lefty reliever Kevin Chapman Phil Miller Star Tribune May 8, 2017 Kevin Chapman, a left-handed relief specialist with 58 games of major-league experience, has been acquired by the Twins from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for utility player Danny Santana, the team announced Monday night. Chapman, 29, owns a career 4.09 ERA in parts of four seasons with the Astros, including a strong rookie season in 2013 when he posted a 1.77 ERA in 25 appearances. Atlanta claimed the Florida native off waivers in March, but sent him to Class AAA at the end of spring training. Chapman, a fourth round pick of the Royals in 2010 who has been plagued by control problems, was off to a subpar start to the 2017 season at Gwinnett this year, allowing 10 runs in innings. Chapman has held left-handers to a.263 average over his major-league career, compared to.250 against righthanders, but has never allowed a home run to a lefthander. He will be assigned to Class AAA Rochester. The Twins designated Santana, 26, for assignment on Friday, after he went 5-for-25 (.200) over the first month of the season. The Twins also have yet to make a move with righthander reliever Michael Tonkin, who was designated for assignment on Saturday. Red Sox's 10-run ninth inning demolishes Twins 17-6 La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune May 8, 2017 Normally mild-mannered Joe Mauer was far from that in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday, when he had a spirited conversation with plate umpire Dan Iassonga about a borderline strike call. I m still a little fired up about it now, Mauer said. I like Dan. He s a good umpire. I just thought he missed it right there. It was a big situation to miss on. How big? The Twins failed to complete their second game-tying rally and the Red Sox then turned a one-run game into a 17-6 laugher at Target Field by scoring 10 runs in the ninth inning. The game hardly turned into the anticipated pitchers duel betwen the Twins Ervin Santana and Boston s Chris Sale, who entered with the best and third-best ERA in the majors. Both starters had their troubles, and the outcome remained up in the air in the eighth inning, when the Twins scored twice to make it 7-6. With Chris Gimenez on third base and one out, Boston brought in closer Craig Kimbrel, and Mauer pinch hit for Byron Buxton to face the fivetime All-Star for the first time. Mauer fell behind 1-2 but worked the count full. Kimbrel s eighth pitch to Mauer was a breaking ball. I saw it right out of his hand, Mauer said. It wasn t even close. I went back and looked at it. I thought it was a pretty bad pitch. 4

5 Iassonga signaled strike three. As many among the announced crowd of 31,763 booed, Mauer complained at length. Replays showed the pitch being off the plate. Kimbrel added fuel to Mauer s fire, saying: I thought I got a favorable call there. The impact of Iassonga s call was substantial. If Mauer walks, the lead run is on base and Kimbrel is in a real jam with one out. Instead, there were two outs and Max Kepler, who pinch hit for Ehire Adrianza, was overpowered by Kimbrel on three pitches to end the inning with Gimenez stranded on third. Twins manager Paul Molitor would have had Brandon Kintzler pitch the ninth with the score tied. That would have kept Matt Belisle in the bullpen and probably would have kept Boston from sending 16 batters to the plate in the inning. The Red Sox scored 10 runs off Belisle and Justin Haley in the ninth the most runs the Twins have given up in an inning since Oakland scored 10 fourth-inning runs Sept. 11, That sealed the Twins second loss of the three-game series and ended their homestand 3-3. The marquee matchup between Santana and Sale was not as spectacular as hoped. Santana (5-1) gave up two home runs in the first inning to put the Twins in a 3-0 hole, and he tied a career high by giving up four homers in the game. Sale (3-2) struck out seven of his first nine hitters, but the Twins scored four fifth-inning runs on three singles, two walks, a hit batter and two sacrifice flies to tie the score 4-4. Santana took the mound for the sixth and but gave up a two-run homer for Sandy Leon he hit another in the ninth as Boston look the lead for good. The Mauer-Kimbrel matchup ended up being the Twins last stand. Joe had a heck of an at-bat, Molitor said. One of those borderline pitches that looks high from the side. [Iassonga] had it on the plate and he [rang] him. So there is not much you can do about that. State of the rotation: Twins need pitchers for Thursday, Saturday La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune May 8, 2017 The Twins need starters for Thursday against the White Sox and Saturday against the Indians. Indications are that righthander Nick Tepsech will get the ball Thursday for the series finale against the White Sox in Chicago. Tepesch was knocked out in the second inning Saturday against Boston, but it was his first game in over two weeks and the Twins want to see what he does when he s on a regular five-day schedule. That still leaves the Twins with a need for Saturday at Cleveland. The two candidates are lefthander Adalberto Mejia and righthander Jose Berrios. Mejia is coming off a poor outing for Class AAA Rochester, raising the possibility that Berrios, their top starting pitching prospect, gets the nod. Sunday, Berrios improved to 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA for the Red Wings, giving up one run over 6⅔ innings on six hits and no walks with four strikeouts in a 3-1 victory over Pawtucket. The Twins would prefer that Berrios remains at Rochester to fine-tune his pitching, but they are running out of options for their major league rotation. Meanwhile, the Twins are expected to face former teammate Mike Pelfrey in the opener of their three-game series in Chicago on Tuesday. Pelfrey, who pitched for the Twins from , was released by Detroit after a 4-10 record and 5.07 ERA with Detroit last season. He has lost two of his three starts with the White Sox and has a 5.02 ERA in 14 1/3 innings. 5

6 Twins deal away Danny Santana for a lefty pitcher Mike Berardino Pioneer Press May 8, 2017 The Twins officially cut ties Monday with Danny Santana, their one-time shortstop of the future, dealing him to Atlanta Braves for Triple-A lefthander Kevin Chapman. Santana, 26, hit.200 in just 25 at-bats before being designated for assignment over the weekend. Once ranked among the Twins top 10 prospects, Santana was named Twins rookie of the year in 2014, when he hit.319 in 405 at-bats, but he was unable to seize the starting shortstop job the following year before settling into a utility role. Chapman, 29, has a 4.09 career earned run average in parts of four seasons with the Houston Astros from , when he teamed with current Twins catcher Jason Castro. A 6-foot-3 reliever, Chapman had struggled to a 7.71 ERA in nine outings for Triple-A Gwinnett this season. Control has been an issue for Chapman, who will join Triple-A Rochester. His nine-inning walk rate in 55 major-league innings has been an alarming 5.1 compared with a strikeout rate of 7.9 per nine. A former fourth-round pick out of the University of Florida, Chapman averages mph with his sinker and also has a slider, change and curve. Are MLB rules too lenient on most dangerous issue? John Shipley Pioneer Press May 8, 2017 Despite rules against it, retaliation is more or less tolerated in major league baseball. But a beanball back-and-forth between the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox that started last month might change that. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred was so concerned about a pair of fastballs thrown behind Orioles third baseman Manny Machado during last week s series at Boston s Fenway Park that he organized a conference call with the teams brass and told them to knock it off. It was a first for Manfred, who succeeded Bud Selig in July The message, he said, was enough s enough before someone gets really seriously hurt. Baseball already has taken steps to protect players on what were once considered typically hard-nosed plays breaking up a double play at second base and trying to dislodge the ball from the catcher at home. If in the judgment of the umpire a base-runner does not engage in a bone fide slide and initiates contact with the fielder in each case, he s automatically out. But how do you stop intentional, dangerous pitches when they re already against the rules? Manfred is willing to try. If you think about the things we ve done in recent years, like the catcher s rule and the second-base slide rule, those are player-safety rules, he said. This is a similar player-safety issue. The debate is renewed every season, but the fact is, to Intentionally Pitch at the Batter is already against MLB rules, resulting when deemed applicable by the umpire in ejection of the pitcher or the pitcher and his manager. Players seemed to agree on one thing: You don t throw at a player s head, or bean, the origin of the term beanball. That doesn t fly, no matter what, Twins second baseman Brian Dozier said. Everyone feels that way. Said Dozier s teammate right-hander Tyler Duffey: When that happens, no one s on your side; it s one of those things where, OK, that was the line and you crossed it. And yet, it happens. On April 24, Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes threw a 90 mph fastball at Machado s head, retaliation for a slide in which the Orioles infielder spiked Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia perhaps inadvertently in the left calf. Machado barely ducked out of the way, and Barnes was rewarded with a four-game suspension. 6

7 On May 2, left-hander Chris Sale threw a 98 mph pitch behind Machado at the knees in Boston. That one spurred Manfred to inject himself directly into the conversation in his May 3 conference call. Manfred acknowledged that schedules that now include games against division rivals might play a role in rivalries becoming more heated but noted, I don t think that somebody needs to throw at someone s head to prove that they want to be competitive, or that they are competing as hard as they can. On Aug. 16, 1920, Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Champan was hit in the head and died 12 hours later, the only major league player killed by a pitch. Don Zimmer nearly died after being hit in the head while playing for the St. Paul Saints in 1953, and others have had their careers cut short by beanings, including Hall of Fame player Mickey Cochrane in None of those players was wearing a helmet, which has been required in MLB since Throwing around somebody s head is not ideal; there s just so many things that can go wrong, Duffey said. (Pitchers) know where the ball is going, but even guys that do sometimes don t. Rules must be bargained with the Major League Baseball Players Association, which might be difficult. The slide rules were modified; because intentionally hitting a batter already is against illegal in baseball, a rules change would likely mean stiffer penalties. Duffey said that could be an advantage to hitters. It s a really hard subject to handle, and that s why I think it is what it is. There s no easy route for it, he said. Someone like me, I go inside on righties, I don t want to have to worry about being thrown out of a game. If I m hitting three guys an outing, maybe that s when you need to address something (but) it s a hard line to draw, whether it s intentional or accidental. You can watch video after the fact, or whatever, but even watching all that unfold, it s a tough call. Dozier said there also is a fine line between playing dangerously and being a good teammate. In my career so far, a number of times I ve gotten thrown at because of retaliation, I m OK with it, he said. Sometimes you ve just got to take it. That s part of the game, whether you like it or not. You always want to know you ve got everybody s back in here no matter what happens. And whether it s right or wrong, I don t know. But it s part of it. Retaliation is part of the game. OFFICIAL RULE Rule 6.02 (c) (9) of the Major League Baseball rules book states, under Pitching prohibitions, a player shall not Intentionally Pitch at the Batter. (1) If, in the umpire s judgment, such a violation occurs, the umpire may elect either to: (A) Expel the pitcher, or the manager and the pitcher, from the game, or (B) may warn the pitcher and the manager of both teams that another such pitch will result in the immediate expulsion of that pitcher (or a replacement) and the manager. Sweet-swinging Sano slows down to speed up Rhett Bollinger MLB May 8, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- Miguel Sano says the key to his breakout season so far is easy to explain -- he's just being more patient, and when he sees a pitch he likes, he's swinging hard. The numbers back up Sano's assertion, and those hard swings are leading to even harder contact -- he leads the Majors in average exit velocity by more than three mph, averaging 98.9 mph off the bat, per Statcast. A's slugger Khris Davis is second at 95.8 mph, but the difference between him and Sano is roughly the same as the margin between Davis and the 15th-highest average exit velocity. Sano's hard contact, coupled with his career-best 18.7 percent walk rate, has helped him hit.300/.431/.640 with eight homers, six doubles, two triples and a league-leading 28 RBIs in 29 games. It's been a major bounceback from last season, when he hit.236/.319/.462 with 25 homers and 66 RBIs in 116 games. "It's just more patience and trying to hit the ball up the middle," Sano said. "I've just been trying to simplify the game." Sano believed he was putting too much pressure on himself at the plate, which caused him to chase pitches out of the zone. He has improved 7

8 his swing rate on pitches out of the zone from 23.7 percent to 22.2 percent, while also swinging at more strikes, going from swinging at 62.9 percent of pitches in the zone to 71.4 this year. It's allowed Sano to make harder contact, improving his average exit velocity on pitches in the zone from 93.3 mph last year to an MLB-best 100 mph this year. For context, the league average is 88.8 mph, and Sano 's worst average exit velocity in any of the nine quadrants of the strike zone is 92.1 mph. "What an incredible talent, but more importantly what a good hitter," Twins hitting coach James Rowson said. "The power takes away from the fact he's a great hitter. He sees the ball well. He understands how to get a pitch to hit and will take walks when they're given." So while Sano has been helped by a.440 batting average on balls in play -- higher than his career BABIP by 100 points -- much of it is because of how hard he's hit the ball. He's not hitting the ball on the ground as much, improving his average launch angle from 16.5 degrees to 20.2 degrees, leading to more extra-base hits when combined with his elite exit velocity. The league average is 10.9 degrees. Ideally, players want to hit the ball at least 98 mph between 26 degrees and 30 degrees, which is classified as a "barrel" by Statcast. Sano has been credited with 14 barrels this year, and 24.1 percent of his balls in play are classified as barreled, which is second only to Aaron Judge's 25.7 percent. Sano is crushing fastballs, hitting.348 with an.826 slugging percentage against heaters, and he's batting.333 with a.667 slugging against sliders. The only pitch he's struggled against has been the changeup, against which he's hitting.167 with no homers. Last year, Sano hit.244 against fastballs,.173 against sliders and.188 against changeups. Sano believes his work watching video has helped him identify pitches and patterns better this year, and Rowson said he's easily one of the hardest workers on the team. "He works with a plan and he works with focus," Rowson said. "It shows up at game time. His success is no accident. He's a guy who prepares himself to succeed." Twins trade Danny Santana for a pitcher and cash considerations Derek Wetmore ESPN 1500 May 8, 2017 The Twins moved one of their spare parts for a pitcher and cash considerations. The deal represents a low-risk swap that could turn into something more for the Twins. They traded little-used utility man Danny Santana to the Braves for left-handed reliever Kevin Chapman and cash consierations. Santana had some big supporters within the Twins clubhouse, but the fact of the matter is that he hasn t hit much since his rookie year and he doesn t really have a strong defensive position. That relegates him to all-over utility duty and an occasional pinch running role. Manager Paul Molitor seemed to find it increasingly difficult to find plate appearances and defensive innings for Santana given the Twins current roster construction. So he was DFA d late last week and the Twins basically had 10 days to make something happen a trade, release, or putting him on waivers to see what happens. We ll get to Chapman, the return for the Twins, in a moment. But first, a look at what they Twins gave up. The Braves are getting a versatile player who can pinch run, play a bunch of different positions, and perhaps help add flexibility to a National League roster. My own amateur scouting report is that he can run fast and has a strong arm, but he s not particularly strong at any defensive position, including his original post of shortstop. He hit a dazzling.319/.353/.472 in his rookie year in 2014 while playing out of position in center field. That was fueled by a lot of luck on balls falling for base hits (.405 BABIP), and if you level out that luck, suddenly his buzz-worthy batting line gets a lot less exciting. And in parts of 3 seasons since that year, Santana has hit a combined.225/.258/.310 in 551 plate appearances, with a brutal 131:19 strikeout-to-walk ratio. And his career minor league batting is.276/.318/.399, affirming the idea that he probably just played way over his head in that sensational rookie season. Now, about that Twins return. 8

9 Chapman is a 29-year-old lefty with 55 innings in the big leagues. He owns a career 4.09 ERA in the Majors, and a 48:31 strikeout-to-walk ratio. It s good news when you see him striking out close to a batter per inning in the Pacific Coast League, but it s bad news that he hasn t pitched much in the Majors by age 29, and the walk rate might be a big reason why. In more than 350 career minor league innings, Chapman has walked roughly 11.4% of the batters he s faced (an average of 4.6 batters per 9 innings). For reference, that would have been the second-worst walk rate on the Twins last year among pitchers with more than 25 innings. J.O. Berrios (12.5%) was the only Twins pitcher in 2016 that offered free passes at a higher rate than Chapman has in his minor league career. Chapman will start his Twins tenure by reporting to Triple-A Rochester. The Twins have cycled through arms quite a bit the past couple weeks, which means it wouldn t be at all surprising to see Chapman pitching at Target Field at some point this season. Lefties have hit.263/.354/.325 against him in the Majors, with a high OBP stemming from all those bases on balls. The Twins lost lefty reliever Ryan O Rourke for the season to ligament replacement surgery. Lefty Buddy Boshers has been up-and-down. Lefty Glen Perkins is on the 60-day disabled list trying to come back from extensive shoulder surgery. The two lefties in the pen right now are Taylor Rogers and Craig Breslow. Another good start in Triple-A, Berrios next start should be in a Twins uniform Derek Wetmore ESPN 1500 May 8, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS The Twins need to decide which starting pitchers will take the ball on Thursday and Saturday this week, and the guess here is they ll have to make at least one call to the minors. The Twins are scrambling to figure out their best option from a list that includes Adalberto Mejia, Nick Tepesch and J.O. Berrios. In the short term, recalling Kyle Gibson would not be an option, and nor would stretching out Tyler Duffey from reliever to starter, since it would take 2 or 3 weeks to make that full transition back to the starting rotation. At least one of the picks almost has to be Berrios, who continued his strong season at Triple-A Rochester with a good start Sunday. He should get the nod on Saturday, which would have him pitching on 5 days of rest. The Twins have said that they want to be patient with their budding pitching prospect, but a combination of factors makes it hard to believe that they d pass him up again for a chance to start in the big leagues this weekend. The first that the Twins are in dire need of pitching, having demoted two starters from their opening day rotation to Triple-A Rochester, Adalberto Mejia and Kyle Gibson. The second factor is that Berrios has posted dominating numbers in the minor leagues, suggesting that he s ready for his next crack at getting outs against MLB hitters. In Berrios most recent start, he pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed just 1 run, with 4 strikeouts and no walks. For that season, that brings his minor league pitching line to impressive territory. The young righty is 3-0 in his 6 starts, with a 1.13 ERA in 39 2/3 innings, and a 39:8 strikeout to walk ratio. Striking out one batter per inning, on average, is an indication of the pitching arsenal that s allowed Berrios to thrive. In his case, he runs his fastball into the mid-90s, has a 2-seam fastball with great movement, and he also uses his great changeup to get out of jams. Oh, and he throws a curveball. It would seem he s got the repertoire (and the minor league stats) to succeed at the highest level. Except that in the past, Berrios has struggled to translate his outstanding minor league success to the Majors. In 14 starts with the Twins last year, things didn t go as well as the native of Puerto Rico would have hoped. He pitched 58 1/3 innings with an 8.02 ERA, and a much less impressive 49:35 strikeout-to-walk ratio. A lack of fastball command was his primary undoing. And it makes you wonder if he simply has such great pitches that he can throw them wherever he wants to against minor league hitters, but when he pulls the same tricks against established big leaguers, it doesn t fly. That s speculation on my part, but there are indications the Twins are looking at more than Berrios stat line and impressive strikeout rates when they re decided if he s ready to be an impact pitcher in the big leagues. Like the previous front office regime, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine may be just as concerned with how he s putting up his numbers, and not just that he s able to handcuff a Triple-A lineup through 7 9

10 innings. I think that we re seeing slight improvement. It s obviously, potentially an issue up here more so than down there, manager Paul Molitor said. I think you could even look at quality pitches thrown in a game over your 100 pitches, and those have been trending in the right direction, too. I understand wanting to be patient with a prospect that you think has the chance to be special. At this point, though, like with Byron Buxton two summers ago, the Twins may simply be running out of other options. So Berrios should make his next start in a Twins uniform. That would be Saturday, in all likelihood. It s not yet clear who would start Thursday s game in that scenario. It could be Nick Tepesch, who may get a mulligan for an ugly start in his Twins debut against the Red Sox. Twins, White Sox aim to rebound with familiar faces (May 09, 2017) Associated Press FOX Sports May 9, 2017 CHICAGO Two starting pitchers will face their former teams on Tuesday when the Minnesota Twins open a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox. Twins left-hander Hector Santiago (3-1, 2.78 ERA) will return to a familiar site with a new name: Guaranteed Rate Field. The 29-year-old started his career with the White Sox and made 78 appearances (27 starts) from 2011 to Opposing Santiago will be White Sox right-hander Mike Pelfrey (0-2, 5.02 ERA), who started 64 games with the Twins from 2013 to Pelfrey, 33, is looking for his first victory of the season as he makes his fourth start for Chicago. Both teams could use a strong performance from their starting pitcher to turn around recent slumps. Minnesota (15-14) has dropped two straight games and lost three of the last four. The Twins have allowed 28 runs in their past two games as the Boston Red Sox drubbed them in 11-1 and 17-6 victories last weekend. Chicago (15-15) is looking to snap a three-game losing streak after being swept against the Baltimore Orioles. The White Sox concluded a 10- game road trip with a 4-6 record and will return home for the first time since April 26. The Twins and White Sox already have faced each other six times in 2017, splitting the matchups with three wins apiece. Minnesota won two of three games in Chicago in early April, and Chicago responded to take two of three at Target Field during the middle part of the month. Twins second baseman Brian Dozier could return to the lineup for Tuesday s series opener after sitting out the past two games because of a sprained left ankle. Dozier is hitting.229 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in 26 games. Another starter s status could be in jeopardy as Twins third baseman Miguel Sano awaits word on his appeal of a one-game suspension by Major League Baseball. Sano was suspended for his role in a bench-clearing altercation against the Detroit Tigers. If his suspension is upheld, he will serve it Tuesday and be eligible to return for the second game of the series Wednesday. Sano, 23, has enjoyed a breakout season in which he has hit.300 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs in 29 games. Combined, his on-base percentage (.431) plus slugging percentage (.640) equals a whopping What an incredible talent, but more importantly what a good hitter, Twins hitting coach James Rowson said to the team s official website. The power takes away from the fact he s a great hitter. He sees the ball well. He understands how to get a pitch to hit and will take walks when they re given. The White Sox also feature a hot hitter in first baseman Jose Abreu. The 30-year-old Cuban is batting.286 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 29 games. In his past 13 games, he is hitting.404 with five home runs and 10 RBIs. It s a combination of things, White Sox manager Rick Renteria said to the Chicago Sun-Times. It s him really feeling in sync, in tune with his swing, feeling in sync with recognizing pitches and having a skill set to put the bat on the baseball. It s all in tune. 10

11 Braves acquire utility option Danny Santana in trade with Twins Zach Dillard FOX Sports May 8, 2017 The Atlanta Braves were busy on their off day. One hour after announcing the release of potential bench bat Ryan Howard from his minor-league contract, the franchise finalized a trade with the Minnesota Twins for utility option Danny Santana. Atlanta sent left-handed reliever Kevin Chapman, a former Astros bullpen arm who was struggling at Triple-A Gwinnett, and cash considerations to Minnesota in the deal. To create room on the active roster, Atlanta optioned Lane Adams to Gwinnett and moved Micah Johnson to the 60-day disabled list. Santana, 26, will factor into the Braves bench situation after spending the past four seasons bouncing around defensive positions with the Twins. The switch-hitting Dominican Republic product finished seventh in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2014 posting 3.2 wins above replacement with an excellent 132 weighted runs created plus but his numbers have plummeted since his first season. In 551 plate appearances over the past three seasons, Santana is hitting just.225/.258/.310 with 21 stolen bases and 131 strikeouts. Among players logging at least 500 plate appearances since the 2015 season, Santana s walk-to-strikeout ratio is the fourth-worst mark in baseball, a problematic trend for a young player who does not provide a premium glove and offers little power. He s fielded every position outside of first base and catcher. Santana clearly fell out favor as Minnesota started transitioning to standout prospects Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco. It s been hard to find him days to play, Twins manager Paul Molitor told the Pioneer Press last week. It s hard to expect a lot when a guy s not playing a lot, but the fits have been hard to come by. You just try to affirm the work when he s out there doing his bunting or his extra hitting. I just try to say something that lets him know you haven t forgotten about him and just be ready when you re called upon. I can t force it either. Something would have to happen probably for him to get regular playing time, at least here in the short term. Santana is under club control through the 2021 campaign. Without giving up much (if any) value in the deal, the front office is essentially taking a flyer on a former star rookie in (desperate) need of a fresh start. Braves Acquire Danny Santana From Twins For Kevin Chapman Jeff Todd MLB Trade Rumors May 8, 2017 The Braves and Twins have announced a swap that will send infielder/outfielder Danny Santana to Atlanta in exchange for lefty Kevin Chapman and cash considerations. Santana had been designated for assignment by Minnesota. Atlanta will hope that Santana represents an upgrade for the team s beleaguered bench. Lane Adams was optioned to open an active roster spot, while the club moved Micah Johnson to the 60-day DL to create 40-man space. Santana, a 26-year-old switch-hitter, brings plenty of defensive versatility in the field and good speed on the bases. But he has struggled badly at the plate in recent years, posting a cumulative.225/.258/.310 batting line since the start of the 2015 season with 131 strikeouts against just 19 walks. What remains tantalizing about him, however, was his debut campaign back in 2014, when he slashed.319/.353/.472 with seven home runs and twenty stolen bases. Chapman has also shown both his talent and some limitations over the years. Across 55 total MLB frames, he owns a 4.09 ERA with 7.9 K/9 against 5.1 BB/9. He has shown bigger swing-and-miss potential at times in the upper minors, though. Since being claimed and outrighted by the Braves, Chapman has tamped down on the walks a career-low 2.3 per nine but has been touched for ten earned runs on 14 hits over 11 2/3 innings. 11

12 Twins legend Rod Carew opens up about his second chance at life' Randy Shaver KARE 11 May 8, 2017 ANAHEIM, Calif. - When Minnesota Twins great Rod Carew played baseball he left nothing to chance. He worked harder than anyone else from the first day he put on the uniform until his last. The numbers reflect his dedication. Carew was an 18-time All Star, seven-time batting champion and Hall of Fame legend. His home in southern California is decorated with reminders of that hard work and incredible talent. Still humble at 71, Rod does allow himself a rare moment. Every now and then I might look at these and think, say to myself, God you were good (laugh), says Carew. "If my wife heard me say that she would say, Aww really? He's earned a pass. Not just because Carew's one of baseball's all-time greats, but because fate and faith have allowed him more time to live and love. Physically, I never thought I was going to have a heart attack, says Carew. A massive heart attack in September of 2015 nearly took his life. One of the guys is sitting on the floor with the paddles and he yells, let's go. Damn it we're losing him, we're losing him and then I was gone, says Carew. It was the last thing I remembered. Over the next year, Rod promoted heart education through his "Heart of 29 campaign." All the while, a mechanical heart pump implant was keeping him alive as he waited for a much-needed transplant. And though Carew showed a brave face in public, in private, his faith was being tested. What I did is I cried every night, every morning. I talked to him (God). I cried to him, not looking for a miracle but looking for something to happen and he did give me a miracle, says Carew. Konrad Reuland was a former NFL tight end. He was a healthy 6'-6" 270 pounds, until suddenly in November of last year, he suffered a fatal brain aneurysm. Only months earlier, he had become an organ donor by checking the box on his driver's license application. Ironically, Konrad grew up just 15 minutes from Rod Carew, and as a young boy met the baseball legend. Konrad was 29 years old when he died. 29. Fate. I told the doctors, whomever gets this heart better deserve it because it was a good heart, says Konrad's mother Mary Reuland. Mary Reuland got her wish. So did Rod Carew. A successful heart and kidney transplant saved his life, and in the process it's allowed a grieving family a path to healing. It's hard to find the right words to describe an incredible moment like this when Mary Reuland listens to Konrad s heart in Rod Carew. For them to be able to hear that and hear that strength is still there. What a moment," says Rhonda Carew. "It was great. So it's not surprising that you'll find Konrad's photo in the Carew home, not far from his baseball accolades, a quiet reminder of how precious life really is. And much like his daughter's request to keep her memory alive, Konrad Reuland's memory is alive with every beat of Rod's heart. This is a second chance at life you're giving life, when you donate a part of your body to someone else you're saying to that person, 'I want to keep you alive,'" says Carew. "'I want you to realize all that you're meant to do.' 12