Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Saturday, March 11, 2017 Twins' Day at Camp: Power surge in victory. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1 Thorpe is back with a chance still to be Aussie prize Twins long have sought. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 2 In a first, siblings Dee Gordon and the Twins' Nick Gordon meet on field as rivals. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 4 Minnesota Twins: J.T. Chargois working to sharpen his command. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 5 Dee Gordon s message for Minnesota Twins: My brother is a shortstop. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 6 First roster cuts on agenda for Molitor, staff. MLB (Sattell) p. 7 Bullpen, led by Mejia, effective vs. Marlins. MLB (Sattell) p. 7 Duffey solid as Twins slug three homers. MLB (Frisaro and Sattell) p. 8 For Gordons, a memory to cherish. MLB (Frisaro and Sattell) p. 9 Duffey, with eye on rotation, limits Marlins' bats. MLB (Sattell) p. 9 Twins pile on with three homers in win over Marlins. FOX Sports p. 10 Twins Hire Former Mets Righty Hefner As Advance Scout. MLB Trade Rumors (Adams) p. 10 Twins' Day at Camp: Power surge in victory Phil Miller Star Tribune March 11, 2017 JUPITER, Fla. ByungHo Park hadn t hit a home run yet this month. John Ryan Murphy had never hit one with the Twins in spring training. Dan Rohlfing s last homer in Twins camp came in 2013. But all three players changed that on Friday, and the result was the Twins seventh consecutive victory, 8-2 over the Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Tyler Duffey allowed one run over three innings in his first start of the spring, and Adalberto Mejia and Justin Haley combined for five more scoreless innings. J.T. Chargois surrendered a home run by Marlins farmhand Brian Anderson in the ninth inning. Mejia, acquired by the Twins in a trade for Eduardo Nunez last summer, especially intrigued Twins manager Paul Molitor. The 23-year-old lefthander gave up two hits and two walks over three innings but never allowed a runner to reach third base. lowering his spring ERA to 1.35 in 6 2/3 innings. You just get the feeling that he knows what he wants to do with the ball. He s got a couple of fastballs that he uses. He s a strike thrower, Molitor said. It was crisp today. He s had a nice run here early in camp. The Twins added two runs without a hit in the seventh inning, when Kyle Barraclough hit Eduardo Escobar with a pitch, then walked four consecutive batters. First cuts coming The first round of cuts looms early next week, but Molitor is already thinking about the choices he ll have to make three weeks from now. My gut tells me we re going to have some very tough [decisions] as we get closer to [finalizing] the 25-man roster, the manager said. Next week s will be a little easier, of course, as the Twins, who currently have 62 players on their spring roster, send players projected to spend the season in the minor leagues across the complex.
No excitement yet Counting their pair of wins against World Baseball Classic teams, the Twins have won seven consecutive games. Don t expect Molitor to show much excitement about it, though, and not just because they don t count. As Molitor pointed out, the Twins won their final eight games of March last season, and it didn t matter much once April arrived. Still, he said: We ll choose winning any day. We just don t get too excited about the fact that it s happening at this particular juncture. If it helps guys feel good about their days, and guys are contributing to finding ways to help win, that s part of the process, too. Etc. A day after his first bullpen session of the spring, lefthanded reliever Mason Melotakis was feeling fine on Friday, the Twins said. He s day-today, with his next session not yet scheduled. Righthander Stephen Gonsalves remains sidelined by soreness in the back of his left shoulder, but he s receiving treatment and the injury is not considered serious. Up next The Twins Fort Myers neighbors, the Boston Red Sox, make their first visit to Hammond Stadium on Saturday, with Kyle Gibson hoping to build on a four-inning start earlier this week. Thorpe is back with a chance still to be Aussie prize Twins long have sought Patrick Reusse Star Tribune March 11, 2017 FORT MYERS, FLA. The first recollection of Melbourne was as a kid in southwest Minnesota, watching the one available channel out of Sioux Falls, S.D. [KELO] as Abilene Christian s Bobby Morrow broke to the tape in both the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints in the Olympics. These were the Summer Games, although held in late November into December due to that confusing stuff about the equator and the Southern Hemisphere. Wouldn t this be a simpler place if Kyrie Irving was correct and Earth was flat? I did get a chance to spend three weeks in Sydney when the Olympics returned to Australia in 2000. Nice city, with the Opera House and all that, but those views from above Melbourne that we get to see during the Australian Open that puts it at the top of the list of the cities that I would like to have visited. You should feel that way, Lewis Thorpe said. Melbourne has been ranked as the No. 1 city in the world. And I would say that s true. Thorpe does have some bias on this issue, since Melbourne is his hometown. He was a pitching prodigy there. He was the object of considerable bidding by major league organizations as a 16-year-old on the international signing date in July 2012. The Twins beat out a dozen other teams to sign the lefthander. A good share of the reason was a $500,000 signing bonus. There was also the Twins history of giving opportunity to players from Australia. I was talking with Thorpe early on Friday afternoon when the noted baseball scribe, LaVelle Neal, sauntered past. He mentioned a conversation with a reporter covering the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo, who had asked LaVelle: Why is it that every player on the Australia roster seems to have a Twins connection? Thorpe laughed at this and said: That s true. The Twins have signed something like 50 of us. The closest the Twins came to hitting an Aussie jackpot was with Grant Balfour, a right-handed reliever with an excellent fastball and mighty slider. Balfour missed the 2005 season with Tommy John surgery, and followed with shoulder surgery that caused him to miss 2006. So, it took a while and it wasn t in Minnesota, but Balfour became an excellent late-inning reliever for five years starting in 2008. Thorpe was 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds when he started in the minor leagues as a 17-year-old in 2013. He pitched in the rookie Gulf Coast League 2
in Fort Myers and had 44 strikeouts in 32 innings. The Twins of Terry Ryan s day seldom were into rushing a prospect, but Thorpe was allowed to skip the traditional Elizabethton [Tenn.] stop and start at Class A Cedar Rapids in 2014. He was the youngest player in the Midwest League at 18. He made 16 starts and had 80 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings against hitters in their younger 20s. There was a bit of elbow tenderness at the end of the season and Thorpe and the Twins agreed that he should not pitch again in the winter Australian League (as he had previously). I threw a sim [simulated game] here in spring training of 2015, felt a little niggle in the elbow but I didn t tell anyone, Thorpe said. Next time I pitched, it was in a spring game in Port Charlotte, and I lasted one inning. I felt something in the elbow, and after that I threw two pitches that were 78 [miles per hour] and 80. They weren t changeups. They were fastballs. I knew the elbow was gone. Thorpe underwent Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on April 10, 2015. He spent the next year rehabbing in Fort Myers, other than for a three-week visit to the world s No. 1 city over the Christmas-New Year s holidays. That s the last time I was home, Thorpe said. My parents came here for last Christmas and we went to New York. They wanted a white Christmas, rather than 105 degrees in Melbourne. A beautiful 105, though? Right, Thorpe said. I watched Thorpe throw here last year in early February, when most of the pitchers in attendance were minor leaguers going through some form of rehab. Thorpe threw off a mound for the first time on one of those mornings, but with a catcher in front of home plate, making it a 55- foot delivery. Thorpe looked as smooth as could be. The idea that he would be pitching for a minor ;eague team by May did not seem overly optimistic. I felt great, and all of a sudden, I started feeling weak, Thorpe said. They tested me and I had mono. I lost 25 pounds. I didn t get over the mono for three months. I didn t pitch for a second straight season. Thorpe paused and said: It was my decision not to come back late in the season. When I came back, I wanted to feel good, to have my weight and strength back. He has been a regular at the Twins Fort Myers complex for two years. He s listed at 6-1 and 218 pounds. He s not undersized anymore, and he has no current problems with his left arm or with his health. I feel back to normal, Thorpe said. Everything is ready to go. This is the season to get back on track. When everything is ready to go, Thorpe s fastball is 91 to 93 miles per hours, the curveball is low 70s with a big break, there s a slider for contrast, and the changeup? Everyone has said that s my best pitch, Thorpe said. He also doesn t turn 22 until Nov. 23, which means: Lewis Thorpe, a left-handed starter, still has a chance to be the prize the Twins have sought as they mined Australian baseball. In a first, siblings Dee Gordon and the Twins' Nick Gordon meet on field as rivals Phil Miller Star Tribune March 11, 2017 JUPITER, FLA. It can t be easy being Dee Gordon s younger brother. You re trying to live up to your first-round-pick identity and get to the big leagues, and all anybody wants to do is make comparisons with a two-time All-Star. For instance: Hey Nick, who s the faster runner, you or Dee? I ve got to give it to Dee. 3
OK, but base stealing requires more than sheer speed. Who s better at swiping bases? I don t think there s any better than him. Well, forget offense for the moment. You re a shortstop, playing the most demanding position in the infield, and he s over at second base. Which brother is the better fielder? He s a Gold Glover, Nick Gordon shrugged. I can t really argue with that. Hoo, boy. Maybe the Twins have the wrong Gordon in training camp, eh? Here s the thing, though: They re pretty confident they don t. In Nick Gordon, who is getting his first exposure to major league camp this spring, the Twins believe they have an even brighter potential star, with above-average speed, middle-of-the-diamond defense and a middle-of-the-order batting stroke. As Assistant General Manager Rob Antony said in assessing the 21-year-old infielder, For that position, now that he s grown into his body, he s got a lot of pop. Even Dee, who enjoys playing the skeptical elder brother He stinks, Dee said with a straight face when the topic first came up has to concede that s true. He s going to be strong. He s already a lot bigger and stronger than me when I was 21, the Marlins second baseman said. He s got a good eye, and you can already see he s going to develop some power. Hopefully the Twins have got themselves a gem. The Twins got to see both sons of longtime MLB pitcher Tom Flash Gordon on Friday, the first time that the brothers had appeared in the same professional game. It wasn t particularly memorable in the boxscore Dee went 0-for-3 with a strikeout, and Nick flew out to left field as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning but it still meant something to Nick. Definitely. You see your brother out there, you want to be out there with him, Nick said after the Twins 8-2 victory. For me, that was exciting. Just to be able to watch him, know that we re competing against him, it was definitely great. Dee, a former NL batting champion who turns 29 next month. was in the Miami clubhouse and missed his brother s at-bat, because Nick originally wasn t scheduled to play until Molitor realized the double-gordon occasion. Maybe that was OK. To hear Dee tell it, their daily winter workouts inevitably dissolve into quarreling. He doesn t listen to me. I don t know who he listens to. We wind up arguing whenever I try to tell him something, said Dee, who even taunted Nick about his spring-training uniform number: 83, much worse, he said than the 70 he wore as a camp rookie. But we still work out every day. He always gets his work in. For a guy as young as he is, he s really serious about it. The Twins have to decide in the next year or two whether they re serious about keeping Nick at shortstop, which is still up for discussion, Molitor said. He throws well enough to stay over there, and I have a feeling he might even get better, given his age and youth. There s little doubt about his offensive ability, though. It s a little safe to say his bat s ahead of his defense, the manager said. In six spring at-bats, I can only think of one that hasn t been competitive. Progress. The older, more accomplished Gordon is thrilled to see it. Nick is a hard worker and a real professional already, Dee Gordon said. There s going to be no holding him back Minnesota Twins: J.T. Chargois working to sharpen his command Mike Berardino Pioneer Press March 10, 2017 JUPITER, Fla. With an extra day between outings, Twins reliever J.T. Chargois spent a lengthy bullpen session on Wednesday with pitching coach Neil Allen. As veteran reliever Matt Belisle looked on, Chargois worked on his direction to the plate and his release point, both of which tend to get out of whack when a pitcher tries to overthrow. 4
Allen, as hands-on as anyone in his role, pulled out a few of his favorite teaching tools. At one point, he stood near the base of the mound with his back to Chargois, forcing him to stride downhill without crashing into his coach. Later, once he was confident the lessons had taken hold, Allen stood in as a helmet-less hitter, triple-digit velocity or not. It s not like hitting; you can t (throw) off the mound every single day, Chargois said. You can t work on it like that, so every opportunity I have, I like to get off the mound. Chargois, who gave up a solo homer in closing out Friday s 8-2 win over the Miami Marlins, had been working with Twins closer Glen Perkins on a new slider grip, but that project has been shelved for now. It wasn t really taking, so I went back to my old one, he said. They continue to play catch and talk about the desired slider shape and pitching in general. He shares a lot of stuff with me, Chargois said. Pretty much every day, after we re done playing catch, we ll come in close and just throw real slow. It s just feeling the arm path, release point and making sure the spin s right. Despite lockering close to Craig Breslow, Chargois hasn t started inquiring about the actual spin rate on his slider. It s more visual with him. I know what it looks like, he said. I know I m throwing it just like my fastball. It s very similar to my fastball, and at the last second it goes down. Offspeed pitches tend to come a little later. DUFFEY ROLLS Fifth-starter candidate Tyler Duffey overcame a shaky first to turn in three solid innings and lower his spring earned-run average to 6.75. Working at 91-93 mph, Duffey produced four swing-and-miss strikes out of 41 pitches, three of them with a changeup he is still trying to master. I m getting a better and better feel for it versus just throwing it to throw it, he said. The timing of throwing it, when to use it, when that develops it will be a better pitch for me. Duffey, who started eight of 11 batters with strikes, also picked Adeiny Hechavarria off second. He suggested he planned to draw on the experience of last spring s rotation battle, even though he lost out to the more experienced/expensive duo of Ricky Nolasco and Tommy Milone. I wasn t going to try to (tick) people off and say things, Duffey said. I was still learning last year, too. I knew it was a competition, but if you know baseball, if you re not blind, it s not really a competition. SANO S RAISE Miguel Sano struggled at times in his 25-homer sophomore season, but he still received a decent raise for his efforts. The Twins third baseman will make $572,500 this season, a $25,000 raise, according to a person with direct knowledge. Starting right fielder Max Kepler was bumped up from the major-league minimum to $547,500 after a solid rookie year. Utility man Danny Santana received a $7,500 raise to $545,000, while outfielder Robbie Grossman will make $552,500 this year after posting strong offensive numbers last year. The major league minimum under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement increased from $507,500 to $535,000. BRIEFLY Former right-handed pitcher Jeremy Hefner has been hired by the Twins as an advance scout. Hefner, who turns 31 on Sunday, spent two seasons in the majors with the New York Mets (2012-13), posting a 4.65 ERA in 50 outings. Byung Ho Park hit his third homer of the spring, and first since Feb. 27, also against the Marlins. Friday s shot came one pitch after Park swung through a 3-0 fastball from lefty Wei-Yen Chen. Catchers John Ryan Murphy and Dan Rohlfing also went deep. Manager Paul Molitor said not to expect a huge wave of roster cuts early next week after getting through Sunday s split-squad games. It will mostly be younger, 40-man roster types that aren t deemed quite ready for 5
the majors. Dee Gordon s message for Minnesota Twins: My brother is a shortstop Mike Berardino Pioneer Press March 10, 2017 JUPITER, Fla. Whenever a ball is hit to Nick Gordon s right, his eyes light up. There is no sense of dread, no moment of panic. Having idolized Derek Jeter throughout his youth, the Twins shortstop prospect recognizes such tests for what they really are: opportunities to make the patented Jeter-style jump throw from deep in the hole. I do like that play, Gordon said. I had a few last year. That s the play that, before the season even starts, you re like, Oh, yeah, I m going to make this play. I know there s going to be a ball in the hole and I m going to have to throw it. At such moments, the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft gets a chance to show off a throwing arm that some scouts have doubted along the way. Because of his lanky, 6-foot frame and the fact older brother Dee Gordon was moved from shortstop to second base early in his career, there is always that undercurrent of doubt when it comes to Gordon s ability to stay at his natural position. Even Twins manager Paul Molitor, who is getting his first extended look at Gordon this spring, wonders. Still up for discussion, Molitor said before Friday s win over Dee s Miami Marlins. I think it s pretty safe to say his bat s probably a little ahead of his defense. And the arm? I would say he doesn t have a plus arm, Molitor said. He throws well enough to stay over there. I ve got a feeling he might even get better, given his youth. Gordon doesn t pay any attention to the debate over his future. The Twins top positional prospect just keeps honing his skills, taking his reps and trying to prove himself as he waits for that next jump throw. That s a play you wait for, and then you get it and you re like, There it is! Gordon said. I m pretty much 100 percent sure every shortstop sees himself making that play. Some scouts and player-development types wonder if he ll ever be able to do that consistently at the game s highest level. Dee Gordon has a message for those who would doubt his kid brother: Back off. This is the thing I got with the doubters: They can t play, so they doubt people. That s because they re home, said the two-time all-star and 2015 National League batting champ. People have been wrong all the time, so just let him play. He s 21. Just let him play. What about those who say Nick, son of former all-star closer Tom Gordon, could fill out enough to outgrow the position? I like how big he is, said Dee, who is 28 and listed at 5-foot-11. I hope he s still growing; maybe then he ll stay healthy, hit for some power. I have a tough time, being a smaller guy. For him to have some weight on him, you can t say that s a (negative). He waved a hand at the rest of the Marlins clubhouse. Look at all these big guys in here, he said. And you re saying he s too big? No. Come on, man. They need to stop with that. Three years into his pro career, Gordon has shown the ability to make that deep play more often than not. His concentration level enables him to handle the routine play, and his anticipation and preparation make it possible for him to squeeze out every ounce of range from his natural tools. It s all about positioning, Gordon said. It s about being in the right place. Since being drafted, Gordon has played all but three games at shortstop. After impressing on both sides of the ball last season in the Florida 6
State and Arizona Fall leagues, Gordon is slated to open this year at Double-A Chattanooga. He is unsure if that will include more time on the other side of the bag, but Molitor got multiple looks at Gordon as a second baseman this spring. Dee Gordon, who made that same conversion after three big-league years at shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers, hopes the Twins will let his brother stay put. I m not their front office, he said, but my brother is a shortstop, and it s going to be tough for him to play second. First roster cuts on agenda for Molitor, staff Glenn Sattell MLB March 10, 2017 JUPITER, Fla. -- The first wave of cuts is next week, and Twins manager Paul Molitor doesn't anticipate it being an exceedingly long list. "I don't expect it to be a huge wave," Molitor said. "Obviously you're looking at your ability to protect 40-man guys that might not be, at least as of yet, not quite in the mix to consider." The names that might appear on that list are still to be determined. Molitor said there would be a meeting of the minds this weekend to discuss it. "We're going to talk on Sunday as a staff to kind of make sure we're on the same page as to what moves we're going to make over Monday and Tuesday," he said. Molitor said that he feels confident in the fact that he's seen enough during Spring Training to make a fair determination. "I think I've gotten a pretty good look," Molitor said. "For the most part, I think as far as being able to do some things here, at least trim a little bit, we'll probably do the right thing. The Twins opened camp with 62 players, including 22 non-roster invitees. The group includes 31 pitchers and 16 infielders, with nine outfielders and six catchers. That number will dwindle next week. "[Cuts] are not easy," Molitor said. "My gut tells me we're going to have some very tough ones as we get closer to 25-man. But we'll go through the stages to get to that point." Bullpen, led by Mejia, effective vs. Marlins Glenn Sattell MLB March 1p, 2017 JUPITER, Fla. -- While Twins starter Tyler Duffey turned in a solid three innings of work, it was an equally impressive effort by the bullpen that sealed an 8-2 win over the Marlins Friday at Roger Dean Stadium. "It was a good pitching day," said Twins manager Paul Molitor. Three relievers combined for six innings of work, allowing just one run on four hits, striking out four and walking three. Adalberto Mejia, the Twins' No. 8 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, was first in relief and was stretched out to three innings of two-hit ball. "Mejia has been going about his business," Molitor noted. "We had such a short look at him. I kind of wanted to see what he was all about. You just get the feel that he kind of knows what he wants to do with the ball. He's got a couple of fastballs that he uses." Mejia worked effectively, needing just 37 pitches to complete his three-inning stint. "He's a strike thrower," Molitor said. "It was crisp today. He throws it over and he throws any pitch on any count. He's had a nice run here in camp. And he's left-handed." Justin Haley went two innings, yielding just one hit and worked out of a bases-loaded situation. "As he got down to the end of his pitch-count there, I let him have one more hitter because he had three runners out there, and he took care of that," Molitor said. 7
J.T. Chargois closed it out although he did give up a home run, the only hit he allowed. Injury updates LHP Glen Perkins continues to report no discomfort from throwing. He is progressing well. LHP Mason Melotakis reported feeling fine after throwing live BP. He is still listed as day to day LHP Stephen Gonsalves is yet to resume a throwing program as he continues to receive treatment for soreness in the posterior of his left shoulder. Duffey solid as Twins slug three homers Joe Frisaro and Glenn Sattell MLB March 10, 2017 JUPITER, Fla. -- The Twins pounded out three home runs and capitalized on free passes on Friday as they routed the Marlins, 8-2, to win their seventh straight game, including two against World Baseball Classic squads. John Ryan Murphy and ByungHo Park each delivered solo shots, and Dan Rohlfing blasted a three-run homer in the ninth inning. In the seventh inning, the Twins padded their lead by cashing in on a string of walks by Miami's bullpen. Kyle Barraclough walked four and hit a batter. And in the eighth inning off A.J. Ramos, Eduardo Escobar delivered an RBI single. "We know what [Barraclough] is capable of, and we've seen it before," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of the wild seventh. "You still don't necessarily like seeing it, but I think the fact we have been through this -- we know Claw kind of bounces back. We've got to keep working and keep moving towards the season." Minnesota right-hander Tyler Duffey gave up one run on three hits with a pair of strikeouts in three innings. Duffey didn't walk a batter, and of his 41 pitches, 28 were strikes. The right-hander exited with a 2-1 lead, courtesy of Park's two-out home run to right-center on a 3-1 pitch in the third inning off Wei-Yin Chen. Chen, who gave up two homers in three innings, received a scare in the second inning when he was struck on the right thigh by a comeback grounder off the bat of Jorge Polanco. But the Miami left-hander was fine, as he deflected the ball first with his glove. He was more upset by missed locations on the two home runs. "Those were mistakes," Chen said through his interpreter. "The first one, I missed my spot. The second one, I fell behind, 3-0, in the count. I was in between, trying to get the strike back, or not wanting to walk the guy. I was caught in between, and I threw a pitch he could hit." The Marlins struck for a run in the first inning on Justin Bour's RBI grounder to short, which scored Ichiro Suzuki, who singled and went to third on J.T. Realmuto's ground-rule double. Brian Anderson hit a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth for the Marlins. It was a family reunion of sorts for the Gordon brothers. Marlins starting second baseman and older brother Dee Gordon and Twins shortstop and little, yet taller, brother Nick Gordon, who pinch-hit in the ninth inning, sat on opposite sides of the field. "It was great to see him out there," the younger Gordon brother said. "It was really exciting for me." Twins Up Next: The Twins host the Red Sox at 1:05 p.m. ET Saturday at Hammond Stadium, where the Twins are 6-2 in Grapefruit League play. Right-hander Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Twins, who will also send right-handers Matt Belisle and Ryan Pressly to the mound along with lefties Ryan O'Rourke and Buddy Boshers. The game can be seen on MLB.TV. Marlins Up Next: The Marlins are taking on the Astros on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, and it will mark the first time Realmuto is scheduled to start at first base. Realmuto, the regular catcher, is projected to occasionally play at first. Right-hander Scott Copeland, expected to open the year at Triple-A New Orleans, will make the start. Houston is going with right-hander Mike Fiers. For Gordons, a memory to cherish Joe Frisaro and Glenn Sattell MLB March 10, 2017 JUPITER, Fla. -- They embraced and mingled for a few minutes on Friday morning during batting practice, and later in the afternoon, bid their 8
goodbyes by the team bus. In a flash, the game flew by at Roger Dean Stadium, but it was a memorable one for Dee and Nick Gordon. The brothers both were in the same game for their respective teams with Nick's Twins coming out on top of the Marlins, 8-2. Dee Gordon, leading off and playing second for Miami, went hitless in three at-bats. Nick wasn't supposed to play, but the 21-year-old got an at-bat in the ninth inning, lifting a fly ball out to left. Twins second-ranked prospect Nick Gordon discusses the advantages of growing up in a baseball family "I hadn't really thought about it until I got out here and saw him talking to his brother before the game," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I didn't know if it would work out, but I was kind of looking for [an opportunity]." Dee Gordon, a two-time All-Star second baseman, was just glad to see his younger brother, who is rated by MLBPipeline.com as the Twins' top overall prospect. "During stretch, we talked," Dee said. "Then, they were in the cage, and I was back here watching him hit. I talked to him a little bit." The brothers were hoping to see each other earlier in Spring Training at Fort Myers. Dee was supposed to be on the Feb. 27 trip, but he ended up not going because he was dealing with an eye infection. Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill talks about Dee Gordon's role on the club and says the team has a lot of depth On Friday, the brothers were together on the same field. A couple of uncles and cousins were on hand, but not their father, former big league closer Tom "Flash" Gordon. From the dugout, Nick got to observe Dee in action. "It was great to see him play," Nick said. "It's the first time I've really gotten to see him on the field." Nick projects to open the season at Double-A, but he is tracking toward playing in the big leagues at some point in the next year or two. "You see your brother out there, you definitely want to be out there with him," Nick said. The more experience Nick gets, the less advice Dee feels he needs to offer. "He doesn't need it," the Marlins' second baseman said. "He knows how to play. He doesn't need my advice. I need his advice. He's raking." Duffey, with eye on rotation, limits Marlins' bats Glenn Sattell MLB March 10, 2017 JUPITER, Fla. -- Tyler Duffey tightened the competition for fifth starter in the Twins' rotation with a solid three-inning start on Friday in their 8-2 win over the Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. The right-hander made his first start of the spring after three previous Grapefruit League relief appearances. It started out a bit rocky as Duffey yielded a run on two hits in the first. He gave up a one-out single to Ichiro Suzuki followed by a double to J.T. Realmuto. But he got the next two batters to ground out to finish the inning and start a string of setting down Marlins over the next two innings. Duffey settled down and gave up just a single to Adeiny Hechavarria to lead off the third inning. He retired seven of the final eight batters he faced. "I was just trying to get ahead," said Duffey, who gave up six runs (four earned) on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings of relief work previously. "I haven't done a great job of that so far. Threw a few good changeups, got a strikeout. So I feel good about it. Just trying to figure out what works best and go with it." The changeup is a pitch Duffey said he feels more comfortable throwing. "I'm getting a better and better feel for it versus just throwing it to throw it," he said. "The timing of it, when to throw it, as that develops, then it will be a better pitch for me." 9
Duffey, 26, looked like a different pitcher than the one coming out of the bullpen earlier this spring. "Getting ahead, but pitching effectively, down with that changeup, it opens up a lot more for me," he said of the turnaround. "It's just extra stuff they have to think about in the box." For the second consecutive Spring Training, Duffey is battling to be the Twins' fifth starter. He's now a year wiser. "I'm glad I went through last year just getting that experience of what it means to have the competition," Duffey said. "Now I know it's working on getting outs. Like today, trying to get nine outs in my pitch allotment and going to the next one. "Pitching is the only thing that's going to determine anything ultimately. I think if I go out there and do my job, I give myself my best chance." He certainly improved his chances with Friday's outing. "I feel good, I feel strong, my mechanics feel clean," Duffey said. "That's the big thing. Last year I was fighting to find that release point for a lot of the year. Now I feel like I can find it. I can feel myself behind the ball a lot better. So as long as I stay on top of that I'll be all right." Twins pile on with three homers in win over Marlins AP FOX Sports March 10, 2017 The Florida Marlins were off to an early lead when Ichiro Suzuki scored on a ground out by Justin Bour in the first inning but the Minnesota Twins rallied for an 8-2 spring training win Friday. Minnesota starter Tyler Duffey earned the win, giving up three hits and one run in three innings. John Ryan Murphy hit a solo home run in the second inning to tie the game and ByungHo Park followed up with a go-ahead homer in the third inning. In the seventh inning, Eduardo Escobar and John Ryan Murphy each came home after the Marlins Kyle Barraclough hit Escobar with a pitch and followed with four consecutive walks by Murphy, Niko Goodrum, Daniel Palka and Drew Stubbs. Escobar further padded the Twins lead in the eighth inning with a line drive single that drove in Max Kepler. Minnesota piled on in the ninth inning with a 3-run homer by Dan Rohlfing. Minnesota s J.T. Chargois gave up a home run to Brian Anderson in the bottom of the ninth inning. Twins Hire Former Mets Righty Hefner As Advance Scout Steve Adams MLB Trade Rumors March 10, 2017 The Twins have hired former big league right-hander Jeremy Hefner as an advance scout, Hefner himself announced (Twitter link). Hefner, who was forced to retire due to myriad injuries (including a pair of Tommy John surgeries in 2013-14), notes that he ll help formulate game plans and reports for the Major League club and adds that he ll have some non-traditional duties with his new position as well. The 30-year-old Hefner last pitched in the Majors back in 2013 when he tossed 130 2/3 innings of 4.34 ERA ball with 6.8 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 for the Mets. 10