Minnesota Twins Daily Clips. Friday, March 3, 2017

Transcription

1 Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Friday, March 3, 2017 Twins day at camp: Paul Molitor expects some rule changes to be 'a little tough'. Star Tribune (Neal lll) p. 1 Twins play 6-6 tie with Orioles after Minnesota relievers give up three homers in eighth, ninth innings. Star Tribune (Neal III) p. 2 Ryan Pressly close to taking 'that next step' as a standout in Twins bullpen. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 3 Molitor will try to adjust to rule changes. Star Tribune (Neal lll) p. 4 Twins' day at camp: Timing of Kirilloff's Tommy John surgery 'a shame. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 5 Rogers trying to regain changeup to help status as bullpen lefty. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 6 Twins prospect Daniel Palka finds unlikely mentor in Shane Robinson. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 7 Twins will adjust to new walk, replay rules, Paul Molitor says. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 8 Twins' young outfield stocked with 'dangerous' arms. MLB (Bollinger) p. 9 Polanco drives in four, powers Twins' offense. MLB (Mullen & Bollinger) p. 10 'Conviction, command' key for Hughes at camp. MLB (Bollinger) p. 11 Molitor mostly content with 2017 rule changes. MLB (Bollinger) p. 11 Wetmore s 2017 Twins outlook: Is the arrow pointed up for Max Kepler?. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 12 Jorge Polanco homers as Twins, Orioles tie. FOX Sports p. 13 MLB and MLBPA announce modifications of some rules for 2017 season. NBC Sports (Baer) p. 13 ETAS FOR REBUILDING MLB TEAMS TO BECOME PLAYOFF-BOUND. Bleacher Report (Rymer) p. 14 Twins day at camp: Paul Molitor expects some rule changes to be 'a little tough' La Velle E. Neal lll Star Tribune March 3, 2017 SARASOTA, FLA. Twins manager Paul Molitor is preparing for a bumpy transition to one of the rule changes announced by Major League Baseball on Thursday. One of them will require managers to decide in 30 seconds to have a play reviewed. It s the latest attempt by the league to shave time off games. What will make the new rule challenging is that managers usually wait for their video coordinator to look at replay first. And many times the coordinators are waiting for certain angles or slow-motion replay to become available before telling their manager what to do. I think it s going to be a little tough, Molitor said. We all know that certain places, the feeds are slower. Day games, midweek when we are at home, we might have five cameras when someone else has 20. There s some inconsistencies there, but we will try to work around it. Molitor suggested that a manager might go onto the field and converse with umpires to buy time while the video maven is making up his or her mind. Once replays are activated, the league also would like decisions to be made in as close to two minutes as possible. We re getting into it a few years now and we re getting better in how we get those replay guys their feeds, Molitor said, so if we can figure out a way to make it more efficient then maybe it won t be a factor. I ve got a feeling it is going to come into play.

2 Another rule is aimed at keeping first and third base coaches in their coaching boxes during games. There is one big reason for that some coaches like to creep toward the foul line and see if they can pick up signs from the other dugout. There s no need, with nobody on base, for your first base coach to be somewhere close to the paint, Molitor said. Other rule changes include the implementation of the no-pitch intentional walk, a banning of markers in the field that fielders can use for reference points, and stopping pitchers from taking a second step while delivering a pitch. Good Polanco, bad Polanco Shortstop Jorge Polanco went 2-for-3 with a double, home run and four RBI, but his throwing error in the fifth allowed Johnny Giavotella to reach base. That s three errors for Polanco all on throws. He s trying to find ways to get it done and stay accurate, Molitor said. It hasn t happened too much here early. The Twins remain committed to using Polanco at short, but he needs to be more consistent with his throws. Perkins throws again Lefthander Glen Perkins threw 15 pitches on Thursday as he continues to work his way back from surgery last season to repair a torn labrum. The Twins have not hinted at when he will face hitters. On deck The Twins on Friday head to Clearwater to face the Phillies. Righthander Trevor May will start for the Twins while righthander Jeremy Hellickson will start for Philadelphia. Twins play 6-6 tie with Orioles after Minnesota relievers give up three homers in eighth, ninth innings La Velle E. Neal lll Star Tribune March 3, 2017 SARASOTA, FLA. After struggling in his spring training debut last week, Twins righthander Phil Hughes was sharper Thursday against a Baltimore Orioles lineup that included Adam Jones, Manny Machado, Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo. The Twins led 6-1 at one point, but Baltimore rallied and hit two home runs off lefthander Ryan O Rourke in the ninth inning to tie it 6-6, which ended up being the final score after 10 innings. Hughes filled the strike zone with all his pitches and stayed out of trouble. His fastball measured miles per hour on the radar gun, but that didn t limit his aggressiveness. He threw 30 of his 45 pitches for strikes. Compared to last time, it was miles better, Hughes said. Starting out with some strike ones and throwing some decent cutters and moving the ball around the zone and elevating. I had the chance to work on some things instead of trying to get back into a bunch of counts like I did last time. Hughes had 0-2 counts five times, which allowed him to work on making quality pitches in that situation something Twins pitching coach Neil Allen wants the staff to improve on. It opens up everything for you if you get to 0-2, Hughes said. You can control the at-bat. The Twins tied the score 1-1 in the second when Eddie Rosario legged out a triple after his sinking fly bounced past diving Hyun Soo Kim in left. Jorge Polanco socked a bases-clearing double in the third and added a solo home run in the fifth to make it 5-1. Tommy Field s RBI single in the eighth made it 6-1. But Michael Tonkin gave up a two-run homer in the eighth before O Rourke took over in the ninth. 2

3 Ryan Pressly close to taking 'that next step' as a standout in Twins bullpen Phil Miller Star Tribune March 3, 2017 FORT MYERS, Fla. It had already begun to dawn on Ryan Pressly that things have changed for him with the Twins this spring. There were hints in his conversations with teammates, occasional deference from his coaches. But even so, he wasn t sure how far he could push things. So when he stopped by Paul Molitor s office with a request on Tuesday, he still found himself mildly shocked by the answer. I was pitching [on the road] Wednesday, so I asked Mollie, Can I drive myself to Port Charlotte? Pressly said. Driving is considered a perk, because it allows players to leave once they ve been removed, rather than waiting for the team bus after the game. He said, Yeah. I was like, I can? You said yes? And he said, You ve accumulated enough time around here to do that. Wow, time flies, huh? Even Pressly can t believe what s happened to him. There s a word to describe players like him, but he sounds almost afraid to use it. It s kind of snuck up on me, it really has, he said. I ve been walking around the clubhouse, seeing all of these younger guys, and I start to wonder: Am I a veteran now? Well, consider the evidence: Only four of his teammates Joe Mauer, Glen Perkins, Brian Dozier and Eduardo Escobar were Twins already when Pressley, a Rule 5 pickup the previous winter, made his Minnesota debut on April 4, Only Perkins, among current Twins, has pitched in more Twins games since that day. Pressly is in camp to prepare himself for the season, not to battle for a roster spot. And every other Friday, his paychecks will be more than twice as large as they ve ever been before, because arbitration eligibility gave him negotiating leverage. Sure sounds like a veteran, even if Pressly is still getting used to the idea. To me, veterans are the guys who you look up to. You look at our bullpen, we ve got Matty [Belisle] and Brandon [Kintzler] those guys have years in the majors, Pressly protested. Matt s got more than a decade. Same with Bres [Craig Breslow]. Those are the guys you want to be sitting next to, listening to, picking their brains. But Pressly is the guy who s gradually gained some experience, figured out how to attack hitters, and put himself, the Twins believe, on the precipice of becoming a bullpen virtuoso and perhaps a star. He s got the stuff to do it. He s got the arm, and he s fearless, pitching coach Neil Allen said. That next step, and he s close, is just using all his pitches to set up the hitters. Pressly s fastball averaged 95.1 mph last year, higher than any Twins pitcher over the past seven seasons except J.T. Chargois or Alex Meyer, and his command is excellent. He averaged 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings and less than one home run per nine. He didn t allow a home run to a lefthander last season; he hasn t done that since Aug. 28, 2014, in fact. No wonder the Dallas native increasingly has been Molitor s choice in the late innings. Pressly pitched in the seventh inning 33 times last season and in the eighth 37 times nearly equaling his 79 career appearances in those innings in the first three years of his career. I think he is ready to take on a little bit more, Molitor said. He got a chance to get some bigger outs last year. I talked to him on the caravan, and he s excited for a chance to do that and get better at it. And maybe start to enjoy this veteran stuff a little more. Rather than obsess over working out to prepare for 2017, he took a couple of tropical trips with his girlfriend over the winter, to Cancun and to Jamaica, because I had never seen clear water before, he said. And the only time I had ever been out of the country was when we played Toronto. Now that he s back in camp, though, Pressly is acting like a rookie again, trying to earn a job he s already won. I guess it s a little bit more relaxed, but it s not easy for me to take it easy, really, he said. It s nice to know I can get away with a bad outing and not have to worry too much in years past, giving up a couple of runs could be pretty stressful. I know I ve still got to put up numbers. I feel like I m in a gray area where, yeah, you have a contract now, but they can still get rid of you at any time. 3

4 Molitor will try to adjust to rule changes La Velle E. Neal lll Star Tribune March 2, 2017 The league announced today some rule changes for the 2017 season. A couple of interest: Giving managers 30 seconds to decide on challenging a play and keeping first and third base coaches in the coaches box. The first one I mentioned will be a challenge for managers. They will be under the gun to ask for replay when they are at the mercy of their video coordinator, who is back in the clubhouse watching replays. Some stadiums will have more camera angles than others. And the slow motion feed is not always available right away. But it's all going to be on the manager to make a decision. You'll see some managers play it safe and some signal for replay before getting confirmation. Watch. "I think it's going to be a little tough," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We all know that certain places, the feeds are slower. Day games, midweek when we are at home, we might have five cameras when someone else has 20. There's some inconsistencies there but we will try to work around it." Making sure coaches remain in the first and third base boxes is aimed at one thing and one thing only - to stop base coaches from trying to steal signs. As for today's game, it would be somewhat of a relief if a Twins starter could breeze through an outing. That's been difficult this week. Kyle Gibson reached his 45 pitch limit in the second inning on Wednesday. Hector Santiago pitched well in the first inning on Tuesday but labored in the second and was taken out when he hit his 30-pitch limit. Pitchers getting pooped in the second inning of outings does happen. But there also are some who breeze through their outings and complain about spotting their fastball later. Phil Hughes is on the mound today with a 45-pitch limit. He gave up two runs over two innings last week to the Red Sox in his spring debut. Brandon Kintzler, Taylor Rogers, Nick Tepesch, Justin Haley and Michael Tonkin are among pitchers scheduled to appear today. Glen Perkins threw off the mound again today with no problems. He's still not letting it loose, as he eases his way back from shoulder surgery last season. Orioles Hyun Soo Km, LF Adam Jones, CF Manny Machado, SS Chris Davis, 1B Mark Trumbo, DH Seth Smith, RF Wellington Castillo, C Chris Johnson, 3B Johnny Giovotella, 2B Kevin Gausman, RHP Twins Byron Buxton, CF Jorge Polanco, SS Max Kepler, RF Kennys Vargas, 1B Eddie Rosario, DH Drew Stubbs, LF Eduardo Escobar, 2B Matt Hague, 3B 4

5 John Ryan Murphy, C Phil Hughes, RHP Twins' day at camp: Timing of Kirilloff's Tommy John surgery 'a shame Phil Miller Star Tribune March 2, 2017 On the third anniversary of the day Miguel Sano was told he needed Tommy John surgery, the Twins learned Wednesday they have lost another top hitting prospect for a full season to elbow surgery. Alex Kirilloff, Minnesota s 2016 first-round pick who already had scouts enthused about his swift adaptation to professional baseball, will miss the 2017 season after soreness recurred in his elbow upon reporting to minor league training camp. The outfield prospect s ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow is torn, doctors have determined after a magnetic resonance imaging test this week, and will require surgery to replace it. The Tommy John procedure will be performed next Wednesday in New York by Dr. David Altchek, who also replaced ligaments inside the elbows of Kyle Gibson, Joe Nathan, Scott Baker and Sano, back in I know he was disappointed, Twins General Manager Thad Levine said. It hurts. He s a high-value player in our system, he s 19 years old and he still has his whole career ahead of him. The timing is a shame because he will miss the entirety of the season, but we have a degree of confidence that he s going to come back stronger than he was. Said Kirilloff: While I am deeply disappointed, I am looking forward to the challenge of getting back on the field as soon as possible. Kirilloff, who batted.306 in 55 games at rookie-level Elizabethton after being chosen with the 15th overall pick last June, first reported pain in his elbow during an Aug. 28 game against Greenville. He was examined by Twins orthopedist Dr. John Steubs, and the decision was made to try PRP therapy in which platelet-rich plasma is injected into the elbow and rehabilitation in an effort to avoid surgery. But the soreness returned this week, and after the MRI revealed a partial tear, the Twins and Kirilloff decided to go ahead with surgery. The teenager from suburban Pittsburgh will spend the summer in Fort Myers, rehabbing the elbow. The Twins estimate that Kirilloff, whom Baseball America already rates as the Twins No. 3 prospect, will be able to resume baseball activities in five months, though full recovery will take at least nine. Spaced out Pirates first baseman John Jaso lined a home run into the Hammond Field seats Wednesday, but that wasn t the Jaso play that bothered Twins manager Paul Molitor. That came in the first inning, when Jaso caught the Twins not paying attention. Jaso singled to right field, moving David Freese to third base ahead of Zach Granite s throw, which shortstop Ehire Adrianza cut off. When the play ended, Adrianza didn t call time and Jaso noticed second base unguarded, so he suddenly sprinted to the bag. It s a pretty obvious play that you don t expect to see at this level. Just a momentary lapse of focus, Molitor said. It was a little disappointing, I must say. It certainly jumps out at you for a guy who s got time in the bigs. Up next Three long bus rides await the Twins over the next four days, beginning with Thursday s trip to Sarasota to meet the Orioles in a noon CT game. The entire starting outfield will make the trip, as will Phil Hughes, who makes his second start. 5

6 Rogers trying to regain changeup to help status as bullpen lefty Patrick Reusse Star Tribune March 2, 2017 Taylor Rogers was among seven non-rostered pitchers invited to 2015 spring training with the Twins. How was that? I didn t throw in a game, he said. I had a lot of [baseballs] bucket duty. I was good at that. Rogers went back to Class AAA Rochester, started 27 games in 28 appearances, with an record, a 3.98 ERA and 174 innings. Throw in six starts and 25 innings in the Arizona Fall League, and Rogers had more starts (33) and innings (199) in 2015 than any pitcher in the organization. This earned Rogers a place on the 40-man roster in He pitched 7 2/3 innings in six exhibition appearances. The first one, against Boston, was horrible, Rogers said. I didn t give up a run in the other five. Manager Paul Molitor and pitching coach Neil Allen started to express the opinion that Rogers future could be as a reliever. Before last spring, 85 of Rogers' 92 minor league appearances had been as a starter. Rogers was sent to minor leagues on March 23, but then was involved in the first of the endless pitching moves the Twins would make in the lost season of Glen Perkins went on the disabled list, where he remained all season, on April 13 and the left-handed Rogers was recalled. He pitched only once before returning to Rochester on April 19. When he next was recalled on May 17, with Jose Berrios being optioned, it was with a place in the Twins bullpen. Rogers was behind veteran Fernando Abad in the pecking order for lefties until Aug. 1, when Abad was traded to Boston for pitcher Pat Light. Rogers wound up pitching in 57 games and 61 1/3 innings. That was the third-highest total for the Twins relievers, behind righthanders Ryan Pressly and Michael Tonkin, but it gives him high status among bullpen lefties in this camp. Perkins is coming back from shoulder surgery and there s no chance he will open the season on the Twins active roster. Buddy Boshers had 36 appearances for the Twins and Ryan O Rourke had 25 in The Twins did add veteran Craig Breslow to the spring training mix as a late signee (to a minor-league contract). Presumably, he s a long shot. And, presumably, there will be two lefties among the seven relievers who will be with the Twins for the April 3 opener in Minneapolis. Rogers will be one, barring an unforeseen obstacle. The other one? O Rourke faced 29 lefties last season, walked three, and held them to a.077 average (2 for 26). Boshers came out of independent baseball in 2015 to be dominant in Rochester and then reasonably effective for the Twins. The Twins also signed Matt Belisle, a right-hander but a veteran with a cutter that made him better against lefties for Washington in Who knows? Maybe it will be one lefty. If that s the case, Rogers spent the offseason working to make sure it will be him. The biggest change out of the bullpen was I became a two-pitch pitcher, Rogers said. As a starter, I threw enough changeups to feel good about it. As a reliever, you come in with a runner or two on base, and it s the same old question: Who wants to get beat with his third best pitch? I was throwing five or 10 percent changeups last season, at the most. I lost the feel for it. So, that s what I did this winter worked on trying to get the feel back on the changeup. Taylor spends the winter in Denver, and doesn t have to look far for an offseason workout partner. His twin brother Tyler is a pitcher in the Giants system, and on the Class AAA Sacramento roster. They share an offseason home in Denver. One twist: Tyler is a right-handed pitcher. Rogers was scheduled to make his third exhibition appearance vs. the Orioles in Sarasota on Thursday. He broke out the changeup for a few 6

7 pitchers during his one inning vs. Miami on Monday. I got a swing and a miss with one changeup, Rogers said. This was followed by an admission: The home run I gave up was also on a changeup. It was a two-run homer by Tyler Moore. Rogers gave up seven last season in those 61 1/3 innings, a number that he s hoping to reduce with a changeup option that can get hitters off the fastball. My changeup was too firm as a reliever, Rogers said. It was coming in 87 or 88 [miles per hour], way too close to my fastball to be effective.. I have it down to 84, 85 here, so that should make it more of a usable pitch. Twins prospect Daniel Palka finds unlikely mentor in Shane Robinson Mike Berardino Pioneer Press March 2, 2017 SARASOTA, Fla. At first glance their association would seem unusual. Daniel Palka, a 25-year-old slugger who stands 6 feet 2 and weighs 220 pounds, is a Triple-A outfielder in the Twins system whose 34 combined homers last season ranked fourth among all minor leaguers. Shane Robinson, 32, is generously listed at 5-9 and 170 pounds. A reserve outfielder who spent the 2015 season with the Twins, he is considered one of most fundamentally sound players in the game but six career home runs. Yet, when Palka reflects on the best advice he received this offseason and for several years before that he thinks of his conversations with Robinson. He s my baseball mentor, Palka said. We re polar-opposite players, but when it comes to the mental side and defense, obviously I can learn a lot from him. They first met six years ago, when Palka was a Georgia Tech freshman with power to burn. A Florida State product, Robinson had moved to Atlanta and had a connection to the Tech program through a former Seminoles strength-and- conditioning coach. Robinson, then with the St. Louis Cardinals, fit in seamlessly with the two dozen pro ballplayers training each winter on The Flats, including Matt Wieters, Charlie Blackmon and recently retired Mark Teixeira. As much as he tried to pick the brains of the aforementioned all-stars, Palka found himself repeatedly drawn to Robinson s wisdom. He s just a good dude, said Palka, a former first-team all-american from Greer, S.C. He s got a really good mentality. Harper Robinson, Shane and Jessica s 2-year-old daughter, was born with a stomach/esophagus condition that has required at least half a dozen surgeries. Robinson would shuttle back and forth between Boston, where Harper was hospitalized, and offseason workouts in Atlanta. Palka, like so many others in baseball, took note of the personal strength Robinson showed amid family heartache. A third-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Palka was just arriving in the Twins system (in a November 2015 trade for catcher Chris Herrmann) as Robinson was moving on via free agency to the Los Angeles Angels. As Palka s stock rose, Robinson spent even more time counseling him on all aspects of being a professional. His power is some of the best I ve seen, Robinson said. I ve played with some power guys in my time, but he can put a little spectacle together during batting practice. Robinson has worked with Palka, a natural first baseman trying to master the corner outfield, on his jumps, reads and routes. He has explained to him the importance of handling the routine play rather than attempting highlight catches that could easily go awry. We just talked about what coaches expect from him, Robinson said. I kind of put it out there because I feel like these days, a lot of times they don t sit you down and say, Look, this is what we need out of you versus This is what you re probably thinking you re expected to be doing. 7

8 Robinson pulled no punches in his talks with Palka. Having never seen Palka play live in a real game, Robinson asked him what he viewed as his weaknesses and went from there. I just told him, You re never going to be a blazing outfielder that s going to run down balls and make ridiculous grabs, he said. I said, You re athletic enough to make good catches, but you don t have to be more than what you are. I just told him to understand his game. If Kyle Schwarber, another burly former college masher with a sweet lefty swing, can handle left field for the World Series-champion Chicago Cubs, maybe Palka can do the same one day for the Twins. It s getting to the ball quick as you can and getting it to the cutoff, Robinson said. He s got a good arm. You ll limit the number of throws you have to make by getting to the ball. Little things that people didn t tell me that I had to figure out on my own. Adding a bit of roster analysis, Robinson told Palka to just keep plugging away and something would open up soon. It s good over there because Joe (Mauer) is getting older, so they re looking for that first baseman-type guy, Robinson told Palka. Their outfield is young. If those guys aren t doing well, they ll send them down and bring you up. If you re hitting well, they ll give you an opportunity over there to play. Through it all, Palka s baseball mentor will be watching from afar. Twins will adjust to new walk, replay rules, Paul Molitor says Mike Berardino MLB March 2, 2017 SARASOTA, Fla. At heart, Twins manager Paul Molitor is a traditionalist, but he had no major quarrels with the two latest rules changes put into effect for this major league season. For the first time, intentional walks may be issued with a signal from the dugout rather than four pitched balls. In addition, managers will be given a maximum of 30 seconds to decide whether to mount a replay challenge. I understand the theories behind trying to do things a little differently, Molitor said. Pace is a big thing. The new intentional-walk process is not a huge deal, he said. Just kind of a break from what the game s always done, he said. We ll work with it. It doesn t really affect a lot of things. It might save us a game for a guy who can t throw that pitch. That last part was an indirect, joking reference to former Twins reliever Pat Light, whose misfired lob over the head of undersized catcher Juan Centeno allowed a run to score from third last September against the Detroit Tigers. More of a concern, Molitor said, will be the discrepancies between available camera angles in various ballparks. That makes the 30-second challenge rule less than equitable. We all know in certain places the feeds are slower, he said. Day games when we re at home midweek, we might have five cameras and someone else has got 20. There are some inconsistencies, but we ll try to work around it. An unintended consequence, Molitor said, could be more on-field discussions between managers and umpires as teams try to buy extra time. Twins major league video director Sean Harlin has developed a synergy with bench coach Joe Vavra in relaying his suggestion whether a close play should be challenged. I trust him; he knows, Molitor said of Harlin. Like anybody that s in that role, he might say, Hey, I need a little more time. While he s trying to figure it out, I m trying to measure the situation and the risk/reward of using it vs. not using it. Hopefully, we re a few years into it now, so we re getting better at how we get those replay guys their feeds. If we could figure out a way to make it more efficient, maybe it won t be a factor. But I ve got a feeling it s going to come into play. HUGHES IMPROVES 8

9 After needing six batters to register a first-pitch strike in his spring debut, Phil Hughes was much more his strike-throwing self on Thursday. He started nine of the 10 batters he faced with strikes, although he also issued a pair of walks after jumping ahead 0-2. A game-opening strikeout of Hyun Soo Kim on a backdoor cutter that froze the South Korean contact hitter was encouraging as well. I felt a lot more comfortable, Hughes said. Compared to last time, it was miles better. Hughes, who has faced 19 batters overall, is still looking for his first swing-and-miss strike coming off July surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome in his upper right arm. Against the Baltimore Orioles, he threw 30 of 45 pitches for strikes but also gave up 12 foul balls while pitching at mph with his fastball. I m trying to get out there and just get my feet under me and command the ball, he said. I don t necessarily want to say, OK, I have to throw this pitch as hard as I can right now, because I have to prove that I m healthy and back. I don t want to get too far ahead of myself. FRIENDLY FACES Judy Gergen, Molitor s sister, was in the front row of the box seats next to the Twins dugout with her husband Bob, a former minor-league infielder who reached Double-A in the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians organizations in the 1980s. After visiting with her brother on the field after batting practice, Judy Gergen was asked if the Twins skipper might let his visitors put a play on. His sister playfully touched her nose twice and joked, We have our signs. The Gergens split their time between the Twin Cities and their winter home in Sarasota. POLANCO S BATTLE Shortstop Jorge Polanco hit a bases-clearing double from the left side and a solo homer from the right in the Twins 6-6 tie Thursday with the Baltimore Orioles. He also was charged with a throwing error on a chopper to his backhand, giving him three errors in four spring games. The defense hasn t been great yet, Molitor said. We all see it. It s the speed of the game. It s a fast game. It s just internal time clock. It s getting a feel to where it becomes more automatic and he doesn t have to think about it. BRIEFLY Relievers Michael Tonkin and Ryan O Rourke gave up three combined homers over the eighth and ninth innings to blow a 6-1 lead with four outs to go. Both home runs off O Rourke were by right-handed batters, although Joey Rickard s came on a split-change that Molitor thought was a good pitch. Eddie Rosario, who singled and tripled in four at-bats, will start in center field on Friday in Clearwater in preparation for the World Baseball Classic. He leaves Monday to join Team Puerto Rico. Twins' young outfield stocked with 'dangerous' arms Rhett Bollinger MLB March 3, 2017 SARASOTA -- Twins manager Paul Molitor clearly wants to see what he has in youngsters Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco, as all four have appeared in the same four games together early this spring. The Twins project to have a young and athletic outfield led by 23-year-old Buxton, 24-year-old Kepler and 25-year-old Rosario, and they're counting on Polanco, 23, to be the everyday shortstop. Third baseman Miguel Sano, 23, is a part of that youth movement, but he didn't make the trip to Sarasota to play the Orioles on Thursday. Molitor has been experimenting with the lineup. Buxton has led off in all four games he's appeared in, and Polanco has been hitting second. Rosario has bounced around in the fifth, seventh and ninth spots, while Sano has hit third and fourth. Buxton could be ready to hit leadoff to open the season, but Molitor said he's not sure how the top of the lineup will look with veterans Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer also expected to hit up top, although Mauer could be out of the lineup or slide down against lefties. Polanco helped his 9

10 cause with a three-run double and a solo homer in Thursday's 6-6 tie with the Orioles, but he also made his third error in his past four games. "It's tied into the discussions with Joe and Doz and everyone else," Molitor said. "We'll see how it fits. You could see it working out as Buck, Doz, Joe and Miguel. Or do you put Miggy in the five-hole and make the other parts work [with Polanco second]? We're still figuring it out." One thing Molitor does like, however, is the outfield defense that Rosario, Buxton and Kepler provide. All three have plus range, especially Buxton. Collectively, they had the best outfield arms in baseball in 2016, averaging 92.6 mph on competitive throws, per Statcast data. "I think it would be fun to see those three guys together," Molitor said. "We've got young athletes that have multiple ways to influence a game on the defensive side, between instinct and range and fearlessness and strong throwing arms. Potentially, that's three dangerous guys." Polanco drives in four, powers Twins' offense Maureen Mullen and Rhett Bollinger MLB March 2, 2017 SARASOTA, Fla. -- Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco went 2-for-3 with four RBIs, including his first home run of the spring, but the Orioles made a late comeback keyed by ninth-inning homers from Joey Rickard and Ryan Mountcastle to force a 6-6 tie on Thursday at Ed Smith Stadium. The Orioles were down to their final out against left-hander Ryan O'Rourke, but he served up a solo homer to Rickard before giving up the game-tying homer to Mountcastle. Neither team scored in the 10th, so the matchup ended in a tie. Twins right-hander Phil Hughes, making his second start of the spring, went two innings and faced one batter in the third, giving up one run on three hits and two walks with one strikeout. He threw 45 pitches, 30 for strikes. "Compared to my last time, it was miles better," Hughes said. "I was able to throw some strike ones. I was able to use my cutter and throw my pitches all over the zone. I also got a chance to work on things instead of just trying to get back into counts like last time." Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman, making his spring debut, went two innings, giving up one run on a hit with no walks and two strikeouts. He threw 30 pitches, 16 for strikes. "First time getting out there, the most important thing is how you feel, physically," Gausman said. "I feel good, physically. No limitations on that, so I say today's a win. Threw a lot of strikes. I feel like I was moving around my fastball pretty good. Second inning a little bit different than the first. Got into some deep counts, but threw some real good sliders, too. I'd say definitely a good day." Orioles manager Buck Showalter was satisfied with what he saw from Gausman. "Good, he was crisp," Showalter said. "That's good to see. He's feeling good. Normal soreness and stiffness in the early part of camp. It was good to see him get that behind him." Manny Machado went 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Orioles. After his double in the first, Chris Davis followed with another two-bagger to drive him in for Baltimore's first run. David Washington launched a two-run homer in eighth. Polanco gave the Twins the lead with a three-run double in the third, and he hit a solo homer in the fifth. He also made his third error in four games. Eddie Rosario went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored. Twins: The Twins make the drive up to Clearwater to face the Phillies on Friday at 12:05 p.m. CT. Right-hander Trevor May, who is competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, is set to make his second start of the spring. Fellow right-hander Jose Berrios, May's top competition for the final spot in the rotation, is also set to pitch for Minnesota. Orioles: The Orioles travel to Bradenton to face the Pirates on Friday at 1:05 p.m. ET. Left-hander Wade Miley is scheduled to make his second start of the spring. Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV. 10

11 'Conviction, command' key for Hughes at camp Rhett Bollinger MLB March 2, 2017 SARASOTA, Fla. -- Twins right-hander Phil Hughes, coming back from surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome in July, said he's continuing to make progress, but it's still too early to say he's back to feeling like his old self. Hughes made his second Grapefruit League start on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks over two-plus innings in a 6-6 tie against the Orioles. He reached his 45-pitch limit, throwing 30 strikes, and he was mostly pleased with his command. However, he didn't want to compare how he feels this spring to how he felt in 2016 before the surgery, during which his upper right rib was removed. "It's still hard to say," Hughes said. "It's really going to have to take going out there and having to sit down for six or seven innings to really know. These first few are kind of like [bullpen sessions]. So I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but I feel pretty good." Other than building up his arm strength -- he topped out at 90 mph on Thursday -- Hughes said he's not looking to change his repertoire this season, sticking with his mix of fastball, cutter, curveball and occasional changeup. "I feel like my combination of pitches is good, as long as I'm healthy and throwing with conviction and command," Hughes said. "I feel like I don't need to change anything. But hopefully my velocity gets back to where it was, and then my confidence and command kind of stem from that." Worth noting Twins closer Glen Perkins, coming off labrum surgery, threw his fourth bullpen session of the spring on Thursday. He's continuing to throw off a mound every four days. Left-hander Mason Melotakis, slowed by a strained oblique, continues to make progress, and he is expected to throw his first bullpen session of the spring this weekend. Molitor mostly content with 2017 rule changes Rhett Bollinger MLB March 2, 2017 SARASOTA, Fla. -- Twins manager Paul Molitor found himself mostly in favor of the rule changes for 2017 aimed at improving pace of play, but he pointed out Thursday that there are inconsistencies with the video they receive when deciding to challenge a play, which could make it difficult to make a decision in the allotted 30 seconds. Among the rule changes is the creation of a no-pitch intentional walk, a 30-second limit for managers to decide to challenge a play, a conditional two-minute deadline for replay officials to review a play, enforcing rules to keep base coaches in the coach's box and the elimination of any onfield markers for defensive positioning. "I understand the theories behind why they do things a little differently. Pace is a big thing," Molitor said. "The walk isn't a huge deal. It's just a break from what the game has always done. We'll work with it. It might save us a game from a guy who can't throw that pitch." Molitor, of course, was jokingly referencing former Twins reliever Pat Light's air mail of an intentional walk that led to a run last year. But Molitor was more serious in describing the issues regarding the new limits placed on managers to decide to challenge a play. "I think it's going to be a little tough," Molitor said. "You know, at certain places, the feeds are slower. Day games when we're at home midweek, there might be five cameras, and somewhere else has 25. There are some inconsistencies there, but we'll try to work around [them]. I'd imagine it would require having to go out there sometimes to have the guy tell you what he saw to try to buy a little bit of time." As Molitor pointed out, the number of cameras and even the availability of super slo-mo cameras can be dictated by whether the game is televised, especially at the national level. The time limit puts more pressure on Twins director of Major League video Sean Harlin, but Molitor said they have a strong relationship. Of the 28 challenges Molitor issued in 2016, 17 were overturned. "I trust him," Molitor said. "Like anybody in that role, they're going to want more time. So I have to measure the risk-reward on whether to use it." Molitor, though, was happy to see the new rules about the base coaches, as he said some were breaking unwritten rules by getting closer to the field to try to read catcher's signs. Base coaches can leave the box once the ball is put in play, but they have to position themselves behind the line of the coach's box closest to home plate and the front line that runs parallel to the foul line before each pitch. 11

12 "I think a lot of it is about sign-stealing," Molitor said. "I don't worry about the guy coming down the line, I worry about the guy up the foul line. There's no reason for a coach to be near the field of play when there's nobody on base. There's a lot of information transmitted in-game, and the reason why we try to hide it is because it's valuable." Wetmore s 2017 Twins outlook: Is the arrow pointed up for Max Kepler? Derek Wetmore ESPN 1500 March 2, 2017 Editor s note: This story about Max Kepler is part of an ongoing series at 1500ESPN to preview the 2017 Twins season. We ll glance at the player s 2016 season and try to make some informed judgments about his upcoming year. We ve already done the same for Byron Buxton Miguel Sano Ervin Santana Brian Dozier Trevor May Phil Hughes Every spring that I see Max Kepler, he looks like he s outgrown his wardrobe from the previous season. One of the baseball stats sites that I frequent has him listed at 6-foot-4, 180 pounds. Another one says Kepler stands 6-4, 205 pounds. The Twins 2017 media guide says he s 6-4, 220, and that last estimate looks closest to accurate, considering all the lean muscle Kepler has filled into his previously wiry frame. The first time I saw him he was a skinny kid from Germany learning to make his way in American minor league baseball. Now he s sculpted, muscular and looking to build on a solid rookie season in Minnesota as the Twins everyday right fielder. If you cut up his rookie season into chunks, you find it was a tale of three seasons for Kepler. First, there was April, a bad debut month for him at the plate. Then he went on a three-month tear when he looked like a strong American League Rookie of the Year candidate. Then as the season wore on and the Twins marched toward 100 losses, the rookie right fielder slumped badly at the plate. His final batting numbers (.235/.309/.424, and a.313 Weighted On-Base Average) still look good for a rookie. But what a different perception we would have had if not for those bad months bookending his season. Fun with numbers Kepler didn t make the team out of spring training last year, but was called up early in the season to mostly sit on the bench. He didn t hit well in limited opportunities in April and was sent back to the minors. He also slumped badly in September, which sunk his overall season numbers. Between his recall on June 1 and the final day of August, Kepler hit.247/.326/.473 with 16 home runs in 335 plate appearances. That s not quite All-Star level, but it s getting pretty close. The homer binge, in particular, surprised a lot of people, since he d never hit more than 10 long balls in a season in the minors. If he kept up that pace over 600 plate appearances, he d hit 28 home runs. Let s also say this: stats don t really work like this in a vacuum. We can t take out the unfavorable stats and use only the good stuff. Who s to say if the three middle months represent his real ability and the other two months are slumps, or if those two months tell a story about who he is as a hitter and he just got hot throughout the summer? If I had to guess I d say it s more of the former, because an April slump could be explained by his infrequent playing time in his first MLB exposure, and the September slump could mean he was getting tired after playing more baseball last year than he ever had before. Slump cure So we ve got a few things to sort out with Kepler, and the fascinating thing about young baseball players is that we really can t do much better than educated guesses Kepler s career will have to play out more before we can make any definitive statements. Is that home run rate sustainable? How often will he draw walks in the big leagues? Can he avoid going into those extended slumps? How will he hit lefties as his career progresses? Some of these, like the power, for instance, we ll have to wait and see. 12

13 Kepler told me this week that the biggest key to taking the next step is being more consistent. I pointed out that his final numbers last year were strong for a rookie, and he was quick to shoot back that there were too many slumps mixed into his season at the plate. And fair enough. His.313 Weighted On-Base Average ranked just 28th among MLB rookies last year. So if he finds the cure for the batting slumps this year whether it s an antidote to any flaws pitchers are trying to expose with his swing, or physical and mental endurance, or whatever you could expect to see his numbers climb. Lastly, Kepler had more than his share of bad luck last year. He had one of the lowest batting averages when he put the ball in play in all of baseball. If his.261 BABIP creeps closer to a league-average rate of about.300 and his ability to hit the ball hard and stroke line drives suggests it might Kepler will see a production boost across the board. Walk a lot If you can draw walks, you can add on-base value beyond your batting average. It takes patience and discipline, good pitch recognition, and a smart plan at the plate. Kepler seems to me like he has all three. In his breakout season at Double-A Chattanooga in 2015, he earned more walks than strikeouts (67 vs. 63). Last year he drew walks in 9.4% of his plate appearances, fifth-best on the Twins. It s a subtle thing, but it s usually a sign of a good hitter. He finished the year hitting.235/.309/.424 with the Twins. He s never hit as low.235 in a full season in the minor leagues. His worst offensive season by batting average came in A-ball when he batted.237 as a 20-year-old in Five years later, he was busy smashing everything in his path (.322/.416/.531) en route to winning Southern League MVP in Double-A. Lefty numbers Kepler had a lot more success against right-handed pitching last year than he did against lefties. That s not unusual for a left-handed hitter, especially a young and inexperienced one. Pitcher AVG OBP SLG woba PA/HR K-BB% RHP % LHP % Source: FanGraphs.com Indications are that manager Paul Molitor will let a young outfielder like Kepler work through some of the issues against lefties, rather than relegate him to a platoon role so early in his promising career. After all, how would he improve in the area if he isn t given ample opportunity to work on that skill? Combining the numbers and my read on Kepler, I think he s got a bright future. He s not satisfied with what he produced in a solid rookie campaign. That s the latest in a line of evidence that he s very confident, grounded, and has the mentality of a future star player. That, plus a rockstar season in the minor leagues in 2015 and a decent debut in the Majors make me think there s more in the tank for Kepler in the years ahead. Jorge Polanco homers as Twins, Orioles tie AP FOX Sports March 2, 2017 Jorge Polanco had a solo home run and a three-run double, starter Phil Hughes allowed one earned run on three hits and two walks over two innings and the Minnesota Twins played the Baltimore Orioles to a 6-6 tie through 10 innings. Baltimore All-Star third baseman Manny Machado, playing shortstop while J.J. Hardy nurses a sore back, went 2 for 3 with an RBI double and starter Kevin Gausmann gave up a run in two innings. Prospect Ryan Mountcastle hit a two-run homer in the ninth, prompting the extra inning. MLB and MLBPA announce modifications of some rules for 2017 season Bill Baer NBC Sports March 2, 2017 Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association jointly announced modifications of some rules effective for the

14 regular season. As was announced last month, managers will signal to the home plate umpire that he wants to intentionally walk the current batter. Managers now have 30 seconds to decide to challenge an umpire s ruling and invoke replay review When a manager has used up all of his available challenges, the crew chief can invoke replay review for non-home run calls starting in the eighth inning Replay officials will be under a conditional two-minute guideline for review, though there is room for exceptions Players are no longer allowed to make markers on the field (this was an issue last year in a game between the Mets and Dodgers) An amendment to Rule 5.07 now formalizes the balk rule. Specifically, A pitcher may not take a second step toward home plate with either foot or otherwise reset his pivot foot in his delivery of the pitch. If there is at least one runner on base, then such an action will be called as a balk under Rule 6.02(a). If the bases are unoccupied, then it will be considered an illegal pitch under Rule 6.02(b). Think of this as the Carter Capps rule. Rule 5.03 has also been amended. It requires base coaches to position themselves behind the line of the coach s box closest to home plate and the front line that runs parallel to the foul line prior to each pitch. Once a ball is put in play, a base coach is allowed to leave the coach s box to signal a player so long as the coach does not interfere with play. Nothing earth-shattering here. The intentional walk rule is obviously the biggest and most controversial change as we ve seen in the last two weeks. Commissioner Rob Manfred has been quite focused on improving the pace of play. Certainly, making replay review wrap up quicker will help in that regard. Even better would be to do away with the challenge system entirely. The field marker rule was mostly done to address an issue that came up last May after the Mets hosted the Dodgers at Citi Field. The Dodgers wanted to mark certain positions in the grass after determining positions with a rangefinder. The Mets did not allow it and later asked Major League Baseball for clarification. ETAS FOR REBUILDING MLB TEAMS TO BECOME PLAYOFF-BOUND Zachary D. Rymer Bleacher Report March 3, 2017 The following piece was taken from an article Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins seemed to be nearing the finish line of their rebuild in a surprisingly strong But now in retrospect, that looks more like a fluke. For a team that's been rebuilding for so long, it's concerning that the Twins are as short as they are on young building blocks. Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano are potential stars and Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco are solid complementary pieces. But after them, it's a mixed bag. The same term can be applied to their farm system. Even in ranking it at No. 11, ESPN's Keith Law wrote: "What they don t have, at least anywhere at a full-season level, is a future star -- a No. 1 or No. 2 starter, a middle of the order bat, a potential MVP candidate, nothing quite like that." This year's draft should help. The Twins hold the No. 1 pick and picks No. 35 and 37 as well. They can also take advantage of the trade market. Among the players they can dangle this summer are Brian Dozier, Ervin Santana, Hector Santiago and possibly Joe Mauer. In the meantime, the Twins can look to establish what young talent they do have. That will ideally involve starting a young pitching core with Jose Berrios and Kohl Stewart this season, with Stephen Gonsalves, Fernando Romero and Tyler Jay to follow in On the other side of the ball, Nick Gordon, brother of Dee and son of Tom, could slide into Dozier's shoes in So after 2015's false start, 2018 looks to be the year when the Twins will show real progress. If they can get the right kind of talent in trades and the draft this year, the next step could happen in ETA: