Minnesota Twins Daily Clips. Thursday, March 17, 2016

Transcription

1 Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Thursday, March 17, 2016 May will start season in Twins' bullpen. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 1 Tireless Dozier makes team unity a priority. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 2 Buxton scratched after pregame illness. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 3 Dozier backs Gibson as Twins top Red Sox. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 4 Reusse: Will the Sano/Buxton/Park plan pay off? Evidence still sketchy. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 5 Byung Ho Park's double, Gibson's strikeouts lead Twins past Red Sox. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 6 Twins day at camp: May gets the news he's headed for bullpen. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 7 LaRoche is wrong. Star Tribune (Souhan) p. 8 Trevor May loses out in Twins rotation bid, returns to bullpen. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 9 For Twins John Ryan Murphy, meeting Nomar Garciaparra made the dream real. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 10 Twins pitcher Aaron Thompson might have the coolest ride in the players lot. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 11 Taylor Rogers one of 7 left-handed relievers shooting for a spot on the Twins ESPN (Wetmore) p. 12 Trevor May out of the running for a starting spot, will be moved to the bullpen ESPN (Wetmore) p. 14 Wetmore s 5 thoughts: Miguel Sano s wheel, Trevor May decision, Kyle Gibson dealing ESPN (Wetmore) p. 15 Gibson strikes out 7 as Twins top Red Sox 9-4. Associated Press p MLB team preview: Twins season hinges on Sano, Park and defense. CBS Sports (Snyder) p. 18 Trevor May is going back to the Twins bullpen. NBC Sports (Baer) p. 20 Trevor May To Open 2016 Season In Bullpen. MLBTradeRumors (Adams) p. 20 May will start season in Twins' bullpen Rhett Bollinger MLB.com March 16, 2016 The competition for the fifth spot in the Twins' rotation is down to three, as right-hander Trevor May will open the year in the bullpen, general manager Terry Ryan said on Wednesday. May was competing to be the club's fifth starter along with veterans Tommy Milone and Ricky Nolasco and No. 2 prospect Jose Berrios. But he struggled in his last outing, allowing four runs (three earned) over 2 2/3 innings against the Orioles on Saturday. He's scheduled to pitch on Thursday in a Minor League game, but Ryan said he'll no longer be stretched out as a starter. May is expected to make seven more appearances this spring, all in relief. "We are going to put him in the bullpen," Ryan said. "I don't know how they'll use him. If he throws two innings, three innings, I don't care. I kind of like those multi-inning relievers." Manager Paul Molitor said the meeting with May went well, as he told the 26-year-old before Spring Training that this was a possible outcome. Molitor also liked what he saw from May in relief last year and believes the move made the most sense for the team. "He made a nice transition from never having done it," Molitor said. "I think he kind of enjoyed the adrenaline rush of coming in for three outs. But the

2 hard part is he has a four-pitch mix and it kind of speaks to starting. But we saw the velocity jump and I think he complements the people up here pretty well." May pitched in both roles last year, combining to go 8-9 with a 4.00 ERA and 110 strikeouts and 26 walks in 114 2/3 innings. According to traditional stats, May fared better in 31 1/3 innings as a reliever than in his 83 1/3 innings as a starter last year. He had a 2.87 ERA and 1.21 WHIP as a reliever compared to a 4.43 ERA and 1.38 WHIP as a starter. But advanced stats such as FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) that focus on strikeouts, walks and home runs allowed, showed that May fared well as a starter, as his 3.35 FIP while in the rotation was second only to Tyler Duffey among Twins starters. The Twins believe May still has potential as a starter, but they need help in their bullpen and have rotation depth. May gives them a much-needed power arm who can strike out batters to go along with closer Glen Perkins and setup relievers Kevin Jepsen and Casey Fien. "I've said a couple times that I've envisioned him being a future starter," Ryan said. "There are other factors in the decision and who is in the rotation and how they've done. But I don't know why he couldn't be a future starter in the Major Leagues. He's got the pitches, he's got the strength. He's shown he can do it. But right now for this ballclub, the better fit is in the bullpen." Tireless Dozier makes team unity a priority Rhett Bollinger MLB.com March 16, 2016 During a round of batting practice early in camp, Eduardo Escobar puts his arm around double-play partner Brian Dozier behind the batting cage, calls him his brother and tries to say they make a good combination. But Dozier interrupts the Venezuela native with a smile and tells the affable Escobar to enunciate the word better. Escobar gives it one more try but is quickly onto the next subject, seeing guest instructor Torii Hunter, whom he calls over for a group hug. Escobar calls Hunter their father, but as Hunter walks away, he jokingly calls the 40-year-old a "Grandpapa." Hunter, though, hears Escobar say it and calls him out, leading Escobar to claim that he was trying to call Hall of Famer Rod Carew, who is also behind the cage, grandpa and not Hunter. Dozier watches it all unfold with a big smile. He believes it's the kind of interaction that builds team chemistry and goes unnoticed by the common fan. "Me and Torii talk about chemistry, and he told me it's like the flu -- just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not there," Dozier said. "And that's what we try to do in here. We have a lot of fun, and I think that correlates to our play in the field." Dozier, an All-Star for the first time in 2015, has developed into a clubhouse leader for the Twins, and it shows in his actions. He's usually among the first to arrive at the club's Spring Training complex every day and spends his mornings doing extra work with a group that includes third baseman Trevor Plouffe and Escobar, who are also his lockermates in the corner of the Twins' clubhouse. "I get a 5:45 wake-up call from my wife, and I'm here by 6:15," Dozier said. "I have some breakfast and some coffee to get the day started. I like to take a few ground balls early and some cuts in the cages. Then I stretch at 9 a.m., and we have a meeting right after." Dozier's routine after the team meeting varies depending on whether he's playing in a game that day, but the Twins usually stretch on the field around 9:40 a.m. for a 1:05 p.m. game. Infield fundamental drills are held at 9:55 a.m., with batting practice starting at 10:20. Dozier said his target is to get between at-bats during Spring Training. But it generally doesn't take long for him to get his timing at the plate, as he's been one of the club's best hitters in Spring Training in recent years, causing him to joke that he's a "Grapefruit League All-Star." He's a career.287/.355/.500 hitter in Spring Training, including.367/.436/.694 last year and.400/.455/.750 through seven games this year. "You want to slowly get back into it, because you have a whole month of games down here," Dozier said. "That's something I've learned over the years. 2

3 You have to take it a little slow, get your feet under you and get your timing down before you get to Opening Day." Dozier has also taken it upon himself to make Korean slugger Byung Ho Park feel more comfortable this spring as he makes the move to the United States to play in the Majors. Park joined Dozier and a few of their teammates to watch ABC's "The Bachelor" twice this offseason, including on Monday to watch the season finale. And while Park remains perplexed by American reality television, he told Dozier he's been amazed by how tight Minnesota's clubhouse is compared to those of his teams during his 11 seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization. "One of my biggest things, being one of the leaders of this team, is to make sure he's comfortable," Dozier said of Park. "He even told me this is one of the happiest teams he's been around in a long time. And that's what we want." So for Dozier, building team chemistry doesn't end in the clubhouse, as evidenced by the time he spends with teammates away from the field, whether it's a viewing party of "The Bachelor," or going to an Elton John concert in nearby Estero, Fla., with Joe Mauer, Phil Hughes, Plouffe and their significant others. But Dozier knows better than to make postgame plans without first consulting his wife, Renee, whom he met while the two were students at the University of Southern Mississippi. "I've learned that I don't really plan anything without OKing something with my wife," Dozier said with a smile. "But I'll text her, 'Let's hit some golf balls this afternoon.' And we always get dinner. There's a lot of good restaurants around here." After dinner, Dozier unwinds and gets to bed much earlier than he does during the regular season, trying to be in bed by 10 p.m. instead of 1 a.m. -- but not before he catches up on some television with Renee. "We get back and binge-watch some TV shows," Dozier said. "That's pretty much a day in the life of the Dozier household." Buxton scratched after pregame illness Rhett Bollinger MLB.com March 16, 2016 Twins center fielder Byron Buxton was a late scratch from Wednesday's lineup against the Red Sox, as he had flu-like symptoms before the game. Buxton was able to participate in pregame warmups and was slated to start in center field and bat ninth, but he felt sick in the clubhouse roughly two hours before the game and was scratched in favor of Darin Mastroianni. Buxton, ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect by MLBPipeline.com, is hitting.200 with two doubles and two RBIs in eight games this spring. He's expected to be the club's Opening Day center fielder, but is competing for the role with Danny Santana, who is coincidentally also out of action. Santana has been out with a sore left wrist since Saturday, but is getting closer to making his return. He took some swings in the cage before Wednesday's game and is expected to see live pitching on Thursday before likely returning to action this weekend. "Santana is still making progress," Twins GM Terry Ryan said. "He's day to day now. It looks like he can move forward. He's swinging the bat now. I don't know when he'll be in the lineup, but it's getting close." Worth noting Ryan said he's not worried about the performances of right-handers Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios, despite their struggles while pitching in Minor League games during Minnesota's off-day on Tuesday. Santana gave up four runs on nine hits over four innings, while Berrios surrendered five runs on two hits, two hit batters and a walk. 3

4 "They got their work in," Ryan said. "That happens often. You send a couple guys over to get their innings and the Minor League players are very anxious to face Major League guys. They cherish that opportunity to face big leaguers. So I'm not going to make much of it." Ryan had the chance to watch No. 4 prospect Tyler Jay pitch in a Minor League game before Wednesday's night game against the Red Sox. Jay, ranked as the No. 60 overall prospect by MLBPipeline.com, impressed Ryan with his repertoire. Jay, 21, was the No. 6 overall pick in last year's Draft and is being stretched out to be a starter. "I think the one thing that's apparent is his stuff," Ryan said. "Now it's just a matter of experience and making the transition to the starting role." Dozier backs Gibson as Twins top Red Sox Rhett Bollinger MLB.com March 16, 2016 Right-hander Kyle Gibson struck out seven in 3 1/3 strong innings and Brian Dozier and Eddie Rosario homered to lead the Twins to a 9-4 win over the Red Sox on Wednesday night at Hammond Stadium. Gibson, making his third Grapefruit League start, gave up one run on two hits and a walk before exiting with one out in the fourth inning after reaching his 60-pitch limit. The lone run he gave up came on a homer from Mookie Betts to open the game. "I feel like I was 1-2 against most guys, and most of my pitches I had decent command of tonight," Gibson said. "I'm not sure if it's the curveball being in the mix making it different, but I feel like that's been a pretty good pitch for me this spring. So I'm pretty excited about that. Now that I'm throwing it more, I feel like it's another pitch they have to think about." Right-hander Clay Buchholz started for the Red Sox, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks over four innings. The Twins scored against him early, as Miguel Sano drove an RBI double to right-center field in the first. Sano then scored on a single from Trevor Plouffe to give the Twins a 2-1 lead. Dozier connected on a solo shot off Buchholz in the third for his second homer of the spring. The second baseman went 2-for-3 and is hitting.435 in Grapefruit League play. "First time going out there and throwing all of my pitches," Buchholz said. "I'm still feeling for the changeup, obviously. Other than that, I gave up two well-hit balls, a lot of ground-ball outs. "This team is aggressive. They've been that way over the last couple of years. You know what you're going to get when you go out there -- early swings and contact. It's not necessarily a bad thing if you can locate your stuff. The first inning, I had a little bit of trouble locating, but I felt like it got better through the next three." The highlight of the night for the Red Sox came on defense, when Hanley Ramirez made a spectacular diving stop on a hot shot down the first-base line and took a hit away from Joe Mauer. Ramirez is transitioning from left field to first base this season and is looking more comfortable by the day. "I got lucky," quipped Ramirez, who went 1-for-3. "Any time we get outs, it's good." Rosario padded Minnesota's lead with a two-run blast in the fifth against reliever Koji Uehara after a single from Dozier. The Twins added on in that inning on a two-run double from Byung Ho Park off Uehara. Park, who joined the Twins this offseason after starring in his native Korea, leads Minnesota with nine RBIs in 10 Grapefruit League games. The Twins added a pair of runs in the seventh on RBI singles from non-roster invitees Juan Centeno and Wilfredo Tovar. The Red Sox got on the board again in the eighth, scoring on a throwing error from second baseman Buck Britton. Up next for the Red Sox: Lefty Henry Owens, in competition for the fifth spot in the rotation, starts Thursday's 1:05 p.m. ET game against the Orioles. Tommy Layne, Noe Ramirez and Matt Barnes are expected to see action out of the bullpen. Fans can listen live to an exclusive free webcast on 4

5 redsox.com. Up next for the Twins: With back-to-back night games and Trevor May being moved to the bullpen, the Twins are set to use a string of relievers in Thursday night's game against the Orioles in Sarasota. Left-hander Taylor Rogers, who is competing for a spot in the bullpen, gets the start in the 6:05 p.m. CT contest, which will be available live on Gameday Audio. Right-hander Phil Hughes will start in a Minor League game and May will see action in a Minor League game as well. Reusse: Will the Sano/Buxton/Park plan pay off? Evidence still sketchy Patrick Reusse Star Tribune March 17, 2016 The Twins played the first of 31 exhibition games in Florida on March 2. On Tuesday, the big leaguers had the lone day off during spring training, after having played 14 exhibitions. Throw in the fact there were a handful of full-squad workout days before the first exhibition, and Tuesday s day off could be called the halfway point of the Twins stay in Florida. They arrived here in late February with three major questions involving position players: Would the move of Miguel Sano to right field work? Would Byron Buxton show enough progress at the plate to open the season in center field? Would Byung Ho Park, the Korean import, look competitive against the harder throwers in North American baseball? There were only two possible answers on Park that would come out of spring training: Maybe or What were they thinking? The pitchers will be throwing harder from start to finish when the season opens, but for now, Park gets the maybe with his nine hits, three home runs and seven RBI in 25 at-bats. As for the other two questions, Sano in right and Buxton at the plate, it would be great to be able to offer an observation halfway through spring training. Can t be done for this reason: Manager Paul Molitor has given Twins followers precious little to observe. There is a complication the Twins and many other big-league teams bring upon themselves during spring training: minor league free agents. Players who have spent six years in professional baseball (independent doesn t count) and are not on a 40-player major league roster are free agents. If there s any market for these players, a team has to offer an invitation to spring training as part of the incentive to sign. The Twins started with 64 players in this camp, and 17 were minor league free agents. There were 33 position players, and 11 were minor league free agents. I was talking with former Twins manager Tom Kelly as the exhibition games started. He thought Molitor was going to have to hurt some feelings among the nonroster invitees because of a need to see a great deal of Sano, Buxton and Park. Another player that would seem to have a need for heavy work was Oswaldo Arcia, coming off a horrible 2015 season and out of options to be returned to the minor leagues. Would the months of offseason work here at the Twins complex enable Arcia to regain his standing as a big-league power hitter, or would he continue to flail to the point the Twins would let him go at age 24? 5

6 Again, good question. It would be nice to have an opinion, but the evidence is too sparse halfway through the spring for that. Arcia has 18 at-bats (and three walks) in nine games. Joe Benson has 16 at-bats (and three walks) in 10 games. Joe Benson. If you have met him, you like him. Joe also re-signed with the organization last Nov. 25 knowing there was zero chance he would make a return to the Twins through his efforts in spring training. Joe has to be happy for every day he sticks around big-league camp, with or without an at-bat. You have a decision to make on Arcia and he s getting as much playing time as Benson? Excuse me for being puzzled. Here s a better one: We know after watching him for 46 games last season that Buxton is going to run down the ball better than any center fielder in Twins history. That includes Torii Hunter in his prime, Kirby Puckett at his slimmest and, heck, even Lyman Bostock. What nobody knows including Molitor and his coaching staff is can Buxton hit at an acceptable level in the big leagues? He batted.209 with the Twins last season. I figured him for three at-bats, six days a week here in Florida. Not quite. Buxton had played in eight games with 20 at-bats (and two walks) going into Wednesday night s game with Boston. By contrast, Ryan Sweeney out of the game after being released by the Cubs last April had played in 10 games with 21 at-bats and four more plate appearances than Buxton. As for Sano, he went into Wednesday having played eight games and a total of 39 innings in right field. Huh? We sign minor league free agents for a reason, General Manager Terry Ryan said. Some are here with a real chance to make our club. Others, we re looking at as players who will be in [Class AAA] Rochester and ready to be called up if necessary. Paul Molitor is a respectful guy. If we bring a player to camp, he s going to try to give him a chance. Presumably, as the second half of the Grapefruit League starts, respect will get pushed aside in favor of dealing with big questions that so far only a cursory attempt has been made to answer. Byung Ho Park's double, Gibson's strikeouts lead Twins past Red Sox Phil Miller Star Tribune March 17, 2016 The hey-maybe-he-can-do-this phase of Byung Ho Park s tenure with the Twins officially has passed. He s making a believer out of some people, manager Paul Molitor said, including myself. The Korean slugger added to his résumé and his team-leading RBI total with a two-out, two-run double off Boston closer Koji Uehara on Wednesday, capping the Twins four-run inning that put away Minnesota s 9-4 victory over the Red Sox. I think he s gaining confidence. I haven t really seen him overmatched, his first day being an exception, Molitor said of Park, who drove a Uehara pitch to deep left field, scoring Max Kepler and Trevor Plouffe for his team-leading eighth and ninth RBI of the spring. Molitor said there is plenty still to be decided about the two-time Korean MVP, like where he ll bat in the lineup (he was sixth Wednesday, as he has been much of the spring), and how often he ll play, especially early in the season, as he gets further acclimated to his new home. 6

7 But the consistently effective at-bats are a great sign. That third at-bat, he came out of the game on a good note with that big two-out double, Molitor said. He s doing fine. I ve seen the intelligence to his approach. He s seen some smarts from starter Kyle Gibson, too. The fourth-year righthander has gradually added a curveball to his fastball-changeup-sinker-slider mix, and he s discovered how off-balance it can make hitters. Gibson struck out seven of the 13 batters he faced Wednesday, and while none of the third strikes came on a curve, several were set up by it. I m not sure if it s the curveball being in the mix adds a little wrinkle for them, but that s been a pretty good pitch for me this spring, so I m pretty excited about that, Gibson said. I think it s adding something in there that they have to think about. Gibson allowed a home run to the game s first batter, Mookie Betts, but was nearly flawless after that over 3 ⅓ innings. He seemed a little amped up [Wednesday], in a good way. His velocity was good, Molitor said. We didn t see a lot of the curve last year. He s getting more confidence in that pitch. Brian Dozier and Eddie Rosario each homered for the Twins, the second of the spring for both, and Miguel Sano doubled home Joe Mauer in the first inning. The Twins travel to Sarasota on Thursday night to face Baltimore in the final night game of the Grapefruit League season. Twins day at camp: May gets the news he's headed for bullpen Phil Miller Star Tribune March 17, 2016 Trevor May still is definitely, positively, unequivocally in the Twins plans as a starting pitcher. Just not this year. The 26-year-old righthander was informed by manager Paul Molitor and pitching coach Neil Allen on Wednesday that they are removing him from the competition for rotation spots and moving him to the bullpen, where he thrived for the final three months of last season. The manager and the pitching coach [told him], OK, that s the way we re going to go, general manager Terry Ryan said. I don t know if he s pleased, but he took it in the right way. May had been promised an opportunity to pitch himself into the rotation, his preferred role, this spring, but it was always an unlikely prospect, no matter how May fared. The Twins have seven other candidates for five starting spots, and May proved too valuable last summer to a bullpen that lacks depth. His 2.87 ERA as a reliever was third-best in the 2015 pen. Still, Ryan said May remains a potential starter eventually. He s got the pitches, he s got the strength, he s shown he can do it. [But] right now, for this ball club, it seems to be a better fit for him in the bullpen, Ryan said. There may be a day when the manager really likes [May] pounding out innings. May pitched well in his first two starts this spring, allowing no runs in his first 4 1/3 innings. But he surrendered four runs to the Orioles last Saturday, and the Twins decided the time had come to prepare him for more frequent outings. The family plan 7

8 Ryan had not heard about White Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche s reported decision to quit the game rather than bring his son to the ballpark less, as the team requested. But he said the Twins have never heard a complaint about their own policy about players children in the clubhouse. We allow children after the games. And Sundays are usually our family days, when children are allowed on the field before games, he said. We always stress that we re a family-oriented organization. There comes a time when you ve got to get down to work. There comes a time when you have to put some limitations. Buxton takes ill Byron Buxton was in the Twins clubhouse early on Wednesday, eager to get to work again after the Twins mid-month day off. I m seeing pitches a lot better now, he said. Hitting coach Tom Brunansky has been throwing me breaking balls to get my pitch recognition down. But shortly after talking about his desire to get back in the lineup, Buxton was scratched from it. After a long session in the outfield with coach Butch Davis and right fielder Miguel Sano, working on his defense in unusually humid weather, the rookie outfielder began to feel sick in the clubhouse. Buxton was sent home to recover, and Darin Mastroianni started in his place. Avoiding the Birds Phil Hughes will skip the bus ride to Sarasota on Thursday and make his scheduled start against a Tampa Bay Class A team in Fort Myers instead. It s the second straight start that the Twins have chosen to avoid using Hughes against the Orioles, a team he will face in a couple of weeks in the season-opening series. May and Kevin Jepsen will also stay home. Instead, the Twins will use seven relief pitchers, starting with lefty Taylor Rogers, in the final Florida night game of the spring. On deck The first of three consecutive road games begins against the Orioles, against whom the Twins have scored 28 runs in three games so far this spring. LaRoche is wrong Jim Souhan Star Tribune March 16, 2016 It seemed strange when Adam LaRoche walked out of White Sox camp the other day, promising to retire. Now Fox reporter Ken Rosenthal, one of the best in the business, is reporting that LaRoche left over a dispute with White Sox VP Ken Williams. I know where I stand, as strange as this might sound: I am on the side of Williams, the attention-seeking executive, and against the kid. Well, not against the kid, or kids in general, or kids in a clubhouse at any time. The Twins make home Sunday games family day. Everyone knows the kids will be around, and because the Twins usually don't take organized batting practice before home Sunday games, the kids don't really get in the way of anything. LaRoche had made his 14-year-old son a de facto part of the team. The kid had his own locker and was at the ballpark every day. That crosses the line. Former Twin Blaine Boyer, now with the Brewers, told Rosenthal that the White Sox' policy was ``evil,'' that LaRoche is just being a good father. I disagree. A big-league clubhouse is a workplace. No child should spend all of his time as his parent's workplace. 8

9 You probably won't hear any White Sox players publicly complaining about LaRoche's son, but having spent 26 years in big-league lockerrooms and clubhouse, I guarantee some other players weren't thrilled with their work space becoming a daycare facility. Having your kid with you every day does nothing to help the team achieve its primary goal - winning games. Trevor May loses out in Twins rotation bid, returns to bullpen Mike Berardino Pioneer Press March 16, 2016 Twins right-hander Trevor May was informed Wednesday that he is moving back to the bullpen. May, 26, has a stated preference for starting, which was essentially all he had done in his career before the final three months last season. Twins manager Paul Molitor and pitching coach Neil Allen met with May before Wednesday s game to tell him he had been eliminated from the rotation competition. It went really well, Molitor said. It was made very clear to him that it would probably take some extraordinary circumstances in terms of unexpected turns or injury, something like that. He understands. He knew it was a long shot as far as the rotation. He s ready to go. : May posted a 3.86 earned-run average in three spring outings, totaling seven innings. Efficiency was a problem this spring as May often went to deep counts on opposing hitters, something that wasn t as much of an issue when he was throwing 98-mph fastballs out of the bullpen last season. He made a nice transition for never having done it, Molitor said. I think he enjoyed the adrenaline rush of coming in there and rearing back for three outs. We saw the velocity numbers jump. I feel a lot better knowing I ve got him potentially as a guy that can get me some big outs in the latter third of the game. A year ago around this time, Mike Pelfrey was demoted to the bullpen against his wishes only to resurface in the rotation when Ervin Santana was hit with an 80-game steroid suspension a few days before the opener. Twins general manager Terry Ryan said it was possible May could still move into the rotation should a need arise in the short term. Seven candidates remain for the five rotation spots, including highly rated prospect Jose Berrios and veteran right-hander Ricky Nolasco, who has $25 million and two years left on his contract. I ve said a couple times that I envision (May) being a future starter, Ryan said. He s got the stuff to start. There are other factors in the decision: who s in the rotation and their resume, how they ve done and all that type of stuff. May s frame and repertoire still bode well for a future spot in the rotation, which he held for a total of 25 starts in the majors over the past two seasons. I don t know why he couldn t be a future starter in the major leagues, Ryan said. He s got the pitches. He s got strength. He s shown he can do it. Right now, for this ball club, it seems to be a better fit with him in the bullpen. BRIEFLY Twins center fielder Byron Buxton was scratched from Wednesday s original starting lineup due to illness. Darin Mastroianni replaced him in center and batted ninth. Left-hander Tyler Jay, taken sixth overall in last June s draft, struck out five in four innings in his first spring outing against outside competition. He s got stuff, Ryan said. There s a reason we took him up there besides just being left-handed. He s got that skill set, there s no question about that. Byung Ho Park doubled in two runs in his third and final at-bat in a 9-4 win over the Boston Red Sox. Park leads the Twins with nine spring runs batted in. Said Molitor: I think he s gaining confidence. I haven t really seen him overmatched. 9

10 Twins starter Kyle Gibson struck out seven batters in 3 1/3 innings and credited a newly emphasized curveball that is making his changeup and slider even more effective. Twins closer Glen Perkins worked a scoreless fifth, stranding Chris Young at third after a leadoff double. Phil Hughes will stay back Thursday and make a five-inning start on the minor-league side. Left-hander Taylor Rogers will start Thursday night at the Baltimore Orioles. Relievers Ryan Pressly, Fernando Abad, J.R. Graham, Alex Meyer, Logan Darnell and Ryan O Rourke also will make the trip. Tyler Duffey is scheduled to start Friday across town at the Red Sox. Lefty Tommy Milone is due to start Saturday at Bradenton, making that trip for the second time this spring. For Twins John Ryan Murphy, meeting Nomar Garciaparra made the dream real Mike Berardino Pioneer Press March 16, 2016 John Ryan Murphy knew very little about the celebrity visitor to his school s athletic complex that long-ago winter day. Maybe he had heard the name of Nomar Garciaparra, but as an 8-year-old baseball fan growing up in Bradenton, Fla., Murphy had no real clue how good the Boston Red Sox shortstop was at the time. He had no idea Garciaparra was in a stretch of four straight top-10 finishes ( ) in American League most valuable player voting. No, this boyhood version of the current Twins catcher only knew that he loved the game that would one day become his livelihood. Kenny Bolek, then director of the baseball academy at The Pendleton School and the man who helped Murphy build his swing from the ground up, made the introduction. Garciaparra, along with Red Sox teammate Lou Merloni, was in town for offseason workouts at the IMG Academy. I really didn t know anything about him, said Murphy, 24. He was hitting one day with Kenny, and Kenny knew what big baseball fans we were. He invited us over. Mark and Carolina Murphy, John Ryan s parents, joined him at the school where Murphy s mother was working as admissions director. Garciaparra, then in his mid-20s as Murphy is now, chatted with the aspiring ballplayer. Garciaparra and Merloni, now a Boston sports radio host, quickly put the awestruck young boy at ease. They were just really nice guys, Murphy said. They took the time. They didn t have to. They went out of their way to be nice and spend time with us. Spring training is filled with quick daily interactions between young fans and the professional athletes they idolize, but the Murphy-Garciaparra summit went beyond a quick autograph, a posed picture and a few awkward questions. Next thing Murphy knew, he was playing catch with the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year. I played catch with Nomar, Murphy said of the six-time all-star. As an 8-year-old. It was something they probably don t remember, but it made a big impact on me. Mark and Carolina Murphy, knowing how much sports meant to their son, could hardly believe his good fortune or the generosity of one of the sport s top stars at the time. Nomar was great, said Carolina Murphy, now director of parent relations at the IMG Academy. He was very polite, giving him a lot of time. Mark Murphy, who operated restaurants and worked for the postal service around that time, recalled Garciaparra and Merloni playing catch with his son 10

11 for about half an hour and even taking groundballs with him. He had ears out to here, Murphy s father said, and he became a Red Sox fan immediately. For a time, that included adopting some of Garciaparra s famed mannerisms in the batter s box. Those included kicking the dirt with the toes of his cleats and making sure his batting glove was tight enough between pitches. As fate would have it, Murphy was drafted in 2009 in the second round by the team he had grown to despise: the New York Yankees. By 2013, he was in the major leagues for the first time, sticking for good the following year. In the process, Murphy fulfilled the lofty prophecy he had laid out for himself at a young age. He s always been a sports kid, Carolina Murphy said. He always said he was going to be a major league baseball player, ever since he was a little guy. Those spoken goals only crystallized that day on the back fields in Bradenton with a couple of active big leaguers. He d say, When you see me on TV, Mom. One day, when you see me on TV, Carolina Murphy recalled with a smile. I said, OK, but you ve got to keep going to school. You ve got to keep working hard. Murphy kept up his end of the deal. Now he stands poised to take his career to another level after the Twins acquired him in an offseason trade for outfielder Aaron Hicks. While Kurt Suzuki is still slated to be the Opening Day starter behind the plate, Murphy figures to get plenty of playing time. He could wind up as the Twins primary catcher for years to come. Has Murphy ever had a chance to thank Garciaparra for that long-ago game of catch? I don t think I have, actually, Murphy said. I ll bring it up whenever I run into him. I m sure we ll run across each other at some point. In the meantime, Murphy always makes a point of spending a little extra time with young fans whenever possible. That s his way of paying forward the kindness Garciaparra showed him all those years ago. I think about it a lot when there are kids around, Murphy said. Anytime you have kids out there, that s just something I think about because I know it made an impact on me. I try to take a couple extra seconds or whatever, because I know it takes very little for something I could do to make a big impact. Twins pitcher Aaron Thompson might have the coolest ride in the players lot Mike Berardino Pioneer Press March 16, 2016 Twins reliever Aaron Thompson has been tooling around town this spring in an eye-catching ride: a baby-blue 1963 Ford Thunderbird. The car belongs to his girlfriend s father, Jim Nabors, a radiographer who lives in the area and restores vintage cars in his spare time. This car was just sitting in the woods by his house until recently, Thompson said Wednesday. He asked me to drive it around and see how it was. It s a cool car. Nabors is in the process of restoring a vintage-model Cadillac and an MG that Thompson considered purchasing. But for now, the veteran lefty is sticking with the T-Bird as his daily ride. 11

12 As he pulled into Haley Nabors apartment complex Wednesday to pick up his girlfriend, Thompson had another of the regular exchanges he seems to have with onlookers admiring his ride. This old man comes over and he goes, Is that a 63 Thunderbird? I said, Yes, sir, Thompson said. He said, Me and my wife eloped in one of those. It s funny how nostalgic it is and how many older people are around this time of year. It sends them all down memory lane. Thompson, 29, has had a soft spot for vintage autos ever since he attended a Cincinnati Reds game in his youth and saw Ken Griffey Jr. leave the players parking lot in a 1990 white Mercedes. Jim Nabors was in the process of restoring a similar make and model when he asked Thompson to take it for a spin. He got one that was all but run into the ground, Thompson said. He did the front-end brakes. When I took it driving, though, the rear brakes were out. I said, I can t take your daughter driving around town in this car. He said, Thank you so much for turning around and coming back. SANTANA RETURNS Twins utility man Danny Santana tested his sore left wrist by taking some swings off the tee and via soft toss Wednesday.. Afterward, Santana said his wrist was feeling better, but the Twins still plan to hold him out of game action until Friday. The plan is for Santana to take batting practice on the field Thursday. He said he felt really good, but (team trainers) didn t want to push it, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. Santana was shut down last weekend after reporting pain in the wrist following a March 10 road game against the Boston Red Sox. Considered the top backup plan in center field should Byron Buxton have to start the year in the minors, Santana is hitting just.130 (3 for 23) this spring. Santana, a switch-hitter, has a home run and four runs batted in but also five strikeouts and no walks. Taylor Rogers one of 7 left-handed relievers shooting for a spot on the Twins Derek Wetmore 1500 ESPN March 16, 2016 Chris Davis is one of the most feared left-handed sluggers in the game today. The Twins are looking for a left-handed reliever to pair with closer Glen Perkins to round out a 7-man bullpen. One of the guys in that competition, Taylor Rogers, is a converted starter looking to make the club as a lefty reliever. He got to face Davis (with the bases empty) on Saturday in Sarasota. It s an incredibly small sample, but if that plate appearance was a test of any kind, Rogers passed. He froze Davis on a full-count fastball on the outside corner to end the inning without any damage from the most dangerous hitters in Baltimore s batting order. Rogers got Manny Machado to ground out back to the mound, he got a ground out from Adam Jones, and then the true test, the lefty, Davis, struck out looking. Here s a pitch-by-pitch look at the plate appearance that should serve as part of Rogers spring audition for the club. Afterward is a quick recap of each lefty s camp entering Wednesday s game. 0-0: Fastball, trying to get ahead [in the count], Rogers said. The pitch was called a ball. 12

13 1-0: Breaking ball missed his spot, and just pulled it, he said. Just user error. Mechanically I messed that one up. Davis fouled off the pitch, and the user error didn t discourage Rogers from trying the pitch again. 1-1: Went back to the breaking ball, which was cool that [Kurt] Suzuki called it again because that s what I want to do and he was kind of one step ahead of me there, Rogers said. Davis took the pitch for a strike two. 1-2: Another curve ball that he fouled off again, Rogers said. But there was an awful sound off the bat, and that came from Davis lumber breaking in his hands as he fought off the two-strike breaking ball. Then he took what felt like three minutes to get a new one so I was a kind of rhythm there for a minute, Rogers said. 1-2: Then Rogers threw another curve that was called a ball. By this time, a clear theme had developed in the at-bat with the slugger who hit 47 home runs last season, and 53 in : Then I cut a fastball away; that was a ball, Rogers said. After looking inside several times with breaking balls, Rogers tried to sneak a fastball away, but he didn t throw it for a strike. 3-2: Kurt Suzuki set up on the outside corner and called for a fastball. Rogers hit his spot and Davis just stood there and took it. Just executed it well, Rogers said. Kurt said in the dugout that it just came back over the corner. So I guess it started away and came back a little bit, he added. Considering the spot he s gunning for on the Twins, was that the biggest out of the spring for Rogers? I d say so, yeah, he said. Still just trying to get everything together for the season really. I was able to execute pretty well, and that ll give me more confidence going into the next one, Rogers said. Rogers is one of seven lefties remaining in camp after the first wave of cuts earlier this week. He pitched for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League in October, where he said he was working to refine his changeup. Even in a relief role, he said, he d still like to use the pitch, because it can help him attack right-handed hitters. Twins GM Terry Ryan said he s not opposed to taking multiple left-handers in the bullpen, if that s the way the spring shakes out. But it seems like the more likely outcome would be for Glen Perkins and one other lefty to make the bullpen, which also should include five right-handed pitchers. Of the seven left-handed relievers left in Twins camp not including Perkins, only Rogers and Ryan O Rourke are on the 40-man roster. Tommy Taylor Rogers spring so far: 3 IP, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 strikeouts, 3 walks Here s a look at the rest of the lefties, in no particular order: Glen Perkins: Does not count. He ll be the closer. 13

14 Ryan O Rourke: 4 IP, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks Debuted last year with the Twins after proving that he could be lethal against lefties in the minor leagues. He was good against lefties in Minnesota, but probably over-exposed by facing righties, too. Fernando Abad: 4 IP, 5 hits, 1 earned, 2 strikeouts, 1 walk Signed to a minor league deal, seems to have a reasonable chance to make the club. Had a bad year last season but he was good in Oakland two years ago. Dan Runzler: 4 1/3 IP, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 1 strikeout, 0 walks Aaron Thompson: 4 2/3 IP, 9 hits, 7 earned runs, 5 strikeouts, 2 walks Got hot early in the year last year, after he was tapped to take Ervin Santana s roster spot following Santana s suspension. Whether through overuse or something else, Thompson lost his effectiveness and was sent to the minors, and didn t return in Buddy Boshers: 4 IP, 3 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 strikeouts, 2 walks (1 home run) Logan Darnell: 1 2/3 IP, 2 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 strikeouts, 0 walks (1 home run) Got sick earlier this week and pitched in a minor league intrasquad game Tuesday to get work in after he d been laid up in bed for three days, he said. Trevor May out of the running for a starting spot, will be moved to the bullpen Derek Wetmore 1500 ESPN March 16, 2016 Trevor May s brief audition for a starting spot has come to an end. Twins GM Terry Ryan announced Wednesday that the former starter is now being moved to the bullpen. May began the 2015 season in the starting rotation but was bumped to the bullpen when Ervin Santana returned from his 80-game drug suspension. May was in consideration for the starting rotation this spring training. But with seven other people in that competition and the Twins needing late-inning relief options, the team decided to flip May, and will now groom him to be a reliever rather than a starter. I don t know if he s pleased, Ryan said, but he also took it the right way. Ryan said he still sees May as a starter long-term, which makes sense because he showed strikeout ability last season in both roles, and features a fourpitch mix. May struck out 71 batters in 80 innings while in the rotation, and he struck out 39 batters in 34 innings after he became a reliever. I would envision him I don t know why he couldn t be a future starter in the major leagues, Ryan said. He s got the pitches, he s got the strength, he s shown he can do it. Right now, for this ball club, it seems to be a better fit to put him in the bullpen. The rotation competition now has been boiled down to Ervin Santana, Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson, Tommy Milone, Ricky Nolasco, Tyler Duffey and J.O. Berrios. Berrios had a rocky outing Tuesday in a minor league intrasquad game, although Ryan said it was nothing more than Berrios getting his work in. I view Berrios as a longshot to make the rotation immediately, for a couple reasons, including service time. The Twins haven t made this decision yet, but 14

15 I ll bet the rotation battle has been narrowed down to Duffey, Milone and Nolasco competing for the final two spots, after Santana, Hughes and Gibson claim their spots. The Twins have yet to name their opening day starter. Wetmore s 5 thoughts: Miguel Sano s wheel, Trevor May decision, Kyle Gibson dealing Derek Wetmore 1500 ESPN March 16, 2016 The Twins played with a lineup that resembled what they could trot out opening day and beat the Red Sox, 9-4, at Hammond Stadium on Wednesday. Kyle Gibson pitched well in the win, and Brian Dozier and Eddie Rosario homered. Miguel Sano and Byung Ho Park continued their offensive rolls. This column presents 5 thoughts from Wednesday s game. 1. Miguel Sano ripped a double to right-center field to score Joe Mauer in the 1st inning. Sano hurt his left ankle while running in the outfield before Sunday s game, but he was in the lineup Wednesday, batting fourth and playing right field. Sano favored his left ankle running into second base but only slightly. He ran OK on his way home from second on Trevor Plouffe s RBI single. Sano also singled to right field off Koji Uehara in the 5th inning before he was lifted for a pinch runner. Sano lifted a high fly ball down the right field line, and several Red Sox fielders converged but couldn t catch it. If he had been running hard, it s possible Sano would have gotten to second base on the play, but because he didn t he had to settle for a single. I don t expect the ankle to be a big concern moving forward, but it s worth monitoring. Sano has now reached base safely in eight of his nine games this spring. 2. The Twins on Wednesday decided to end Trevor May s bid for a spot in the starting rotation and make him a reliever. It was a long expected move, with eight players competing for five spots in the starting rotation. The move makes some sense, even if it s hard luck for May. A few thoughts Starters are inherently more valuable than relievers, because the best of them pitch about three times the number of innings as relievers. Relievers can recoup some of that value by pitching in higher leverage situations, but I don t believe it can offset the full difference. As one of the five best starters, May could have provided some value in that capacity. Sure, he showed he was good in the bullpen last year, but he also showed he was good in the rotation before he was pulled midsummer and converted to a reliever. Given the current roster construction, May to the bullpen makes some sense. The Twins have seven other guys they think could give a representative effort in a starting rotation, and they re hurting for capable relievers. May apparently took the news in stride, which is no surprise, given how he embraced the one-inning role last year despite his stated preference to be a starter. Personally I think I would have tried to make it work for May as a starter, but I won t get worked up about the route the Twins decided to go. 3. Kyle Gibson was dealing Wednesday night. The right-hander struck out seven Red Sox hitters in 3 1/3 innings. He gave up just two hits, and the only run was on a solo home run from Mookie Betts 15

16 to open the game. Gibson said the changeup was really working for him Wednesday, and he even threw a couple in full-count situations, and threw changeups to righthanders, which is a tactic pitching coach Neil Allen preaches. Gibson said he couldn t exactly pinpoint why he drew so many swings-and-misses Wednesday, but said he thought his tendency to show more curve balls this spring could have something to do with it. I m not sure if it s the curve ball being in the mix adds a little wrinkle for [hitters to consider], but that s been a good pitch for me this spring so I m pretty excited about that. Now that I m throwing that more, I think it s adding something in there that they re having to think about a little bit, Gibson said. Gibson also said he got strikeouts with the changeup to end the 1st inning (Xander Bogaerts, swinging) and the 2nd inning (Chris Young, looking). 5. Byung Ho Park is making believers. Park, the team s biggest offseason acquisition, continues to assuage some of the concerns about whether he d be able to handle the better pitching in the Majors. Park grounded out twice and then hit a 2-RBI double Wednesday. He s reached base safely in seven consecutive games. He entered Wednesday leading the Twins this spring in hits (9), RBIs (7), home runs (3) and total bases (18). Manager Paul Molitor has certainly noticed. We re still going to have to make a determination of where we re going to hit him and how often he s going to be in there from the start, Molitor said, but he s making a believer of some people around here, including myself. Etc. Danny Santana took 10 right-handed swings and 10 left-handed swings in the batting cage to test his sore left wrist. He said it felt OK, but he wasn t available to play in Wednesday s game. Santana said he ll face live pitching Thursday to make sure everything is OK with his wrist before resuming action. Molitor said he could potentialy play Friday. Phil Hughes is now scheduled to pitch in a minor league game Thursday. Trevor May and Kevin Jepsen will also pitch in that game. Reliever Taylor Rogers will start the Twins game Thursday against the Orioles in Sarasota. Speaking of Rogers, he s one of seven Twins left-handed relievers still fighting for a spot in the bullpen. Tyler Duffey will start Friday for the Twins, and Tommy Milone will start Saturday, as the team works to settle on its starting rotation. Byron Buxton was scratched from Wednesday s lineup with an illness. Gibson strikes out 7 as Twins top Red Sox 9-4 Associated Press March 17, 2016 Kyle Gibson settled down after serving up a leadoff homer to Mookie Betts, striking out seven in an encouraging pitching performance that helped the Minnesota Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 9-4 on Wednesday night. 16