With the Super Bowl now in the rearview mirror it is officially
baseball season. This is the last week without the Minnesota Twins in action
for the next eight months. Before the Spring Training action gets underway
however, I’ll take a first stab at how Rocco Baldelli will utilize his 26
roster spots.
The Twins had a very strong offseason, and the front office
did a great job once again allowing the market to play into their strategy. Key
pieces were brought back, and new faces were added to the mix. Looking to go
for a third straight AL Central division title, here is how I see the Twins
breaking camp in Fort Myers as things stand now.
Starting Pitchers (5): Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios, Michael
Pineda, J.A. Happ, Randy Dobnak
I think this is pretty set and don’t foresee anyone else
threatening too much here. Minnesota could still bring someone in as a
non-roster invitee, but Dobnak has earned the opportunity to have first crack.
This is an area that Derek Falvey and Thad Levine can explore an upgrade during
the season, and that could come internally in the form of top prospects Jordan
Balazovic or Jhoan Duran. I still like Lewis Thorpe as a dark horse to throw
meaningful innings this year, but that remains to be seen.
Relief Pitchers (8): Taylor Rogers, Alex Colome, Tyler Duffey,
Hansel Robles, Jorge Alcala, Caleb Thielbar, Cody Stashak, Devin Smeltzer
If there’s a spot with change coming this is probably it.
The first seven names on this list seem pretty straightforward to me and should
make for a solid group. Including Smeltzer means that none of the waiver claims
crack the Opening Day roster and that seems relatively far-fetched. Ultimately
Smeltzer plays as a long-man, and that could be upgraded with the addition of another
relief free agent acquisition. Given the number of names still out there, it’s
probably a good bet that this group remains in flux at the back end.
Catchers (3): Mitch Garver, Ryan Jeffers, Willians Astudillo
This season Minnesota may have the best catching tandem in baseball.
A resurgence for Mitch Garver should be expected, and Jeffers emerged in a big
way during the 2020 season. Both should expect to get a ton of playing time,
and that lends the roster towards inclusion of Willians Astudillo. Tortuga is
still more gimmick than anything to me, and he shouldn’t see time behind the
plate, but Baldelli is afforded flexibility by having him in the big leagues.
Infielders (5): Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco, Andrelton
Simmons, Josh Donaldson, Luis Arraez
There shouldn’t be much surprise here as all of these guys
are starters and going to get regular time. Don’t worry that Luis Arraez is now
slated to come off the bench, he’ll still see north of 400 at bats this season.
Travis Blankenhorn could be considered here, but I’d think Minnesota prefers
Astudillo purely from a roster construction standpoint. Nick Gordon should be
close to a now or never crossroads too, but I don’t see it happening on Opening
Day.
Outfielders (4): Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Brent Rooker,
Jake Cave
Much to the chagrin of Twins fans everywhere, I don’t think
we see Alex Kirilloff out of the gate. Minnesota will likely play the service
time game, while Cave and Rooker are more than capable in left field. I don’t
think the uber-prospect stays down for long, but out of the gate this makes a
good deal of sense.
Designated Hitter (1): Nelson Cruz
He’s back, that settles it.
