Jorge Alcala is getting chances to grow into a high leverage reliever
Minnesota Twins pitcher Jorge AlcalaTONY DEJAK, AP FILE. The last time the Minnesota Twins were out of contention at the July trade deadline was during the 2018 season. Then, the team traded right handed reliever Ryan Pressly to the Houston Astros for two minor league prospects -- one of whom was right handed pitcher Jorge Alcala. At the time of the trade, Alcala was ranked as the tenth-best prospect in the Astros’ highly regarded farm system by MLB Pipeline. Fast forward three seasons and Alcala is in his second season as a regular part of the Twins’ relief pitching corps. Now, with the Twins again looking to trade away veteran talent mid-season, the focus turns away from competing for a playoff berth to developing talent for the future. For Jorge Alcala, that developmental focus has meant being challenged by increasingly difficult game situations.
Read full storyMinnesota's trade deadline approach will foreshadow plans for next season
Minnesota Twins pitcher José BerríosPhoto by Mike Carlson/Getty Images. The Minnesota Twins will resume their season on Friday. Coming out of the All Star break the Twins have a 39-50 record and are 15 games behind the division leading Chicago White Sox in the AL Central and 11.5 games out of a wild card spot. Their chances of contending for a playoff berth are scant -- just 1.0% according to FanGraphs and less than 0.1% according to Baseball-Reference.
Read full storyLuis Arraez gives the Twins options at the trade deadline
Twenty four year old Luis Arraez has spent the past three seasons adding a throwback blend of contact and plate discipline to the Minnesota Twins lineup. Standing just 5-foot-9, Arraez was never regarded as an elite prospect due to a lack of power, limited athleticism, and a track record of leg injuries. However, he has more than made up for those perceived shortcomings with elite hand-eye coordination that enables some of baseball’s most impressive bat to ball hitting skills.
Read full storyNelson Cruz continues to defy expectations
This past Sunday afternoon, Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz slugged the 434th home run of his career. That total ties him for 47th in Major League Baseball history, with two-time MVP Juan Gonzalez and five-time All Star Andruw Jones.
Read full storyThe pitching fundamental that is failing the Twins
Whenever the keys to successful pitching in baseball are discussed at any level, little league to major league, one of the first things surely to be mentioned is the importance of pitchers working ahead in the count. Throwing a first pitch strike and getting to two strikes as quickly as possible are seen as important fundamental goals for any pitcher to find success. According to this line of thinking, doing those things will lead to success more often than not. Failing to do so (i.e., falling behind in count), favors the batter and leads to pitching struggles.
Read full storyTwins rookies Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach are showing they belong
Alex Kirilloff (left), Trevor Larnach (right)Kirilloff: Brace Hemmelgarn / Minnesota Twins / Getty Images; Larnach: AP Photo/Tony Dejak. With the Minnesota Twins quickly running out of time to turn around a season that has seen their playoff prospects fade significantly, the focus for the organization will begin to shift away from contending now to preparing to contend in the future. In the increasingly likely event the Twins decision makers decide to turn the page on 2021, a great deal of attention will be paid to the upcoming July 30 trade deadline when many of the Twins’ veteran players will be made available to other teams in trade offers for young prospects that might be able to help the team in future seasons.
Read full storyThe Twins' best opportunity to save their season is now
It is easy to lose sight of the marathon length of the Major League Baseball season. 162 games, played in parts of six different months, present many opportunities to draw seemingly definitive conclusions from small samples and incomplete data. Ups and downs will invariably occur for players and teams over the course of a schedule that long. Yet, every year, long hot or cold streaks that deviate from expectations inspire sports media, analysts, and fans to make declarations with confidence about the value of players or teams. Invariably, many of those turn out to be wrong.
Read full storyJosh Donaldson is batting better than it seems
Part way through the second year of a four year, $92-million contract, it’s fair to say things have not quite gone according to plan for Minnesota Twins’ third baseman Josh Donaldson. Now 35, his first year and change in Minnesota has had its ups and downs.
Read full storyThree issues that help explain the Twins' rough start
It’s only mid-May and things are starting to look dire for the Minnesota Twins. A record that is 12 games under .500 after 38 games and a 10.5 game deficit in the AL Central division standings are not what anyone had in mind for this team. The roster was projected to compete for the division title and post a winning record by a comfortable margin.
Read full storyWhat can kick start the stalled development of Max Kepler?
In the offseason after the 2019 season the baseball decision makers of the Minnesota Twins organization looked like they had made a shrewd bargain to lock up one of their young core pieces to a multi-year extension.
Read full storyWhat’s behind Kenta Maeda’s early season struggles?
Photo: (AP Photo/David Dermer) One of the more surprising stories from the Minnesota Twins’ poor April is the ineffectiveness of starting pitcher Kenta Maeda. Through five starts, Maeda -- last season’s AL Cy Young Award runner-up -- is 1-2 with a 6.56 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, and .356 opponent batting average allowed. Already, in only 23.1 innings pitched, Maeda has allowed just one fewer run (19) and four fewer hits (36) than he did over last season’s 66.2 innings pitched (20 runs, 40 hits in 2020).
Read full storyBreaking down the Twins' offense, position by position
Mitch Garver's struggles at the plate are a driving factor in the Twins' recent skidPhoto by Ed Zurga/Getty Images. Through 23 games, the Minnesota offense has scored 102 runs, an average of 4.43 runs per game. That average ranks 11th in the Major Leagues. The team’s overall offensive numbers are more on the good side of average than clearly good or bad, but the season-long data hides the depth of the team’s recent struggles at the plate.
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