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Alex Kirilloff To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Recent Twins first-round draft pick Alex Kirilloff will undergo Tommy John surgery in about a week, per a team announcement (h/t Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, via Twitter). That will cost the outfielder all of the 2017 campaign.

That’s an unfortunate development for the 19-year-old, who’ll lose a year of development opportunities. Of course, given that he’s not a pitcher, it’s somewhat less concerning in regards to his long-term outlook.

Kirilloff, who was taken 15th overall in last summer’s draft, seemingly suffered the injury late last summer. He was shut down and rested all winter, but obviously was still dealing with issues as camp opened.

Minnesota will still look forward to a future contribution from Kirilloff, who was a long way from the majors before today’s news. He had shown quite well at the Rookie level last year, posting a solid .306/.341/.454 batting line with seven home runs over 232 plate appearances. Both MLB.com and Baseball America rated Kirilloff the Twins’ third-best prospect entering the 2017 season.

Romero Opening Eyes In Twins' Camp

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  • The Twins have unearthed a surprising pitching prospect in righty Fernando Romero, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star-Tribune writes. A 22-year-old power pitcher who is expected to open the season at Double-A, Romero has opened eyes with his big arm at camp. Injuries have limited his professional time, but Romero has already shown plenty to make the organization glad that it invested a relatively meager $260K to sign him — a deal that was struck within half a day after the club first saw him throw. The Dominican righty logged a sensational 1.89 ERA with a 90-to-15 K/BB ratio in 90 1/3 innings across two Class-A levels last season. And while he didn’t receive an abundance of fanfare on prospect rankings, ESPN’s Keith Law did tab Romero as the game’s No. 65 overall farmhand (subscription required/recommended).

Trevor May Aiming For Starting job

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  • After working mostly as a reliever from 2015-16, including all of last season, Twins righty Trevor May is ready to leave the bullpen behind and win a starting job this spring. “I think I have a little bit of a chip, being unclear about knowing what I was going to be doing the last two years,” May, 27, told Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. “It wasn’t ideal for me or the vision I had for myself of my career. I’m going at it at 100 percent. There’s no, ’Oh, I could fall back to the bullpen.'” May, who has logged a 5.61 ERA (3.85 FIP), 8.17 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 126 2/3 career innings as a starter, is competing against several other candidates for a rotation spot, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams detailed Friday.

Ryan Vogelsong On 2016 Injury, 2017 Signing

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Astros senior vice president of broadcasting and alumni relations Jamie Hildreth passed away Friday at the age of 72, reports Alyson Footer of MLB.com. Hildreth joined the Astros in 1987 and became their longest-tenured employee. “Jamie was a vital part of the Astros’ organization for over three decades,” owner Jim Crane said in a statement. “His knowledge of the industry and great ability to connect with people were invaluable. He has left an indelible mark on those of us that were fortunate to work with him. We send our deepest condolences to his many friends and family members.”

MLBTR sends our condolences to Hildreth’s family, friends and organization.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • Thanks in part to injuries, the Angels’ rotation finished last season 20th in the majors in ERA and 28th in fWAR. The Halos responded by making several depth-oriented additions during the offseason, including Yusmeiro Petit, Bud Norris and John Lamb, and expect to have far more success in 2017 as a result. “We’re confident we have the depth that is going to give us a championship-caliber rotation,” manager Mike Scioscia said Tuesday (via Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times). “Exactly what the names are gonna be or what order remains to be seen, but we’re excited with the depth that we have. We’re excited with our defensive team, which should be an excellent team, and the positive effect that’ll have on all of our pitching, especially on our starters. We’re confident.” While Scioscia is clearly optimistic about the Angels’ pitching depth, rival talent evaluators are largely skeptical of the group, according to Moura.
  • In the same piece, Moura relays that infielder/outfielder Dustin Ackley still hasn’t received medical clearance to throw since the then-Yankee underwent shoulder surgery last June. Of course, that will make it all the more difficult for the early February minor league signing to earn a spot on the Angels’ Opening Day roster.
  • With a strong spring, first baseman James Loney “could rise to prominence in the Rangers’ camp,” writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Fellow minor league signing Josh Hamilton is also competing for a roster spot, and his knee issues might aid Loney in his quest to crack the 25-man, suggests Sullivan, who points out that they could use a lefty-swinging first baseman to complement the right-handed Mike Napoli. It’s worth noting that Hamilton has never played first, whereas Loney has lined up there almost exclusively since debuting in 2006. Although Loney batted a meek .265/.307/.397 in 366 plate appearances last year, Rangers manager Jeff Bannister told Sullivan that the lifetime .284/.336/.410 hitter “has proven over time that he’s a pretty tough out.”
  • While Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey’s stock has dropped since he peaked as Baseball America’s 30th-best prospect after the 2014 season, the club remains bullish on the 24-year-old. “We think he’s part of the future, left field or whatever, in this organization,” manager John Gibbons informed Paul Hagen of MLB.com. Continued Gibbons: “We think he’s going to have a great career, but he just needs to go out there and play and don’t worry about anything else. Because he’s got a ton of talent. He’s really got everything he needs to be really, really good.” Only two of Pompey’s 384 plate appearances last season came in the majors, and with Kevin Pillar, Jose Bautista, Ezequiel Carrera, Melvin Upton Jr. and Steve Pearce around as outfield options, he seems likely to head to the Triple-A level to begin 2017.
  • Twins right-hander Ryan Vogelsong was worried the line drive he took off the head last May would not only end his career, but perhaps cost him his vision, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Fortunately, the ex-Pirate returned to the mound with his vision intact last year, and he’s now vying for a role with Minnesota after signing a minor league pact in January. On coming back for 2017, the soon-to-be 40-year-old Vogelsong said: “I love to compete. I think talking to guys who are done, it’s hard to replace that. I love being around the guys. I just love the game. I don’t play this game to make tons of money. The money is nice, but I play it because I love it. That’s what drives me. I still feel like I have good seasons left.”

Camp Battles: Minnesota Twins

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Despite their rebuilding status, the Twins had a mostly uneventful offseason. The signing of Jason Castro and the two month barrage of Brian Dozier rumors headlined an otherwise quiet winter for new chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and new general manager Thad Levine, due in part to the fact that the Twins have a number of young, MLB-ready position players that they hope will cement themselves as core pieces in 2017.

Here’s a rundown of some of the spots that are up for grabs in the Twin Cities…

Starting Rotation (Fifth Spot)

Jose Berrios
Age: 22
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options Remaining: 2

Trevor May
Age: 27
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2020-21 offseason.
Options Remaining: 1

Tyler Duffey
Age: 26
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2021-22 offseason.
Options Remaining: 2

Adalberto Mejia
Age: 23
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason.
Options Remaining: 2

Ryan Vogelsong
Age: 39
Throws: R
Contract Status: Signed minor league deal in January; $1MM base + $2.5MM of incentives; can opt out near end of Spring Training.
Options Remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent.

Nick Tepesch
Age: 28
Throws: R
Contract Status: Signed minor league deal in January; $1MM base salary
Options Remaining: 1

The Twins’ front four in the rotation won’t wow anyone on paper. But, barring injury, the quartet of Ervin Santana (their likely Opening Day starter), Hector Santiago, Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson figure to be assured spots.

Berrios is the sexy pick for the fifth spot in the rotation. The former No. 32 overall pick was long heralded as a top 50 prospect and reached the Majors with huge expectations in 2016. However, he was bombed for an astounding 52 runs in 58 1/3 innings. A rookie struggling is hardly uncommon, but Berrios’ excellent command and minor league dominance led many to project a high floor for him. He’ll look to right the ship in 2017 and prove that he belongs at the game’s top level.

Duffey and May have both had success as starters, but each struggled greatly in recent years. Duffey’s brilliant 2015 debut was followed up with a 6.43 ERA in 133 innings as a sophomore. ERA alternatives like xFIP and SIERA don’t feel there was a drastic downturn in his skill-based performance, but an enormous spike in his homer-to-flyball ratio caused his ERA to soar. May went from an intriguing starter to dominant reliever in 2015 when the Twins saw Glen Perkins go down with an injury. He’ll look to prove that he can hack it as a starter this year. If either or both of these arms miss out on the rotation gig, I can envision both in a relief role. May’s been a reliever since July 2015, and Duffey was a reliever in college.

Acquired in last year’s Eduardo Nunez trade with the Giants, Mejia has previously been billed as a top 100 prospect with a strong likeliehood of becoming a back-of-the-rotation arm. While prospect watchers have been less bullish on his ceiling, which may work against him, Mejia tossed 132 innings of 3.00 ERA ball between Double-A and Triple-A last season.

Vogelsong and Tepesch are decided long shots to make the roster, let alone the rotation. The depth is nice to have, but both seem far likelier to open the season as a swingman if they’re on the 25-man roster at all.

Prediction: The Twins’ hope is almost certainly that Berrios makes the decision an easy one. He brings the highest ceiling of the bunch and has dominated Triple-A (2.79 ERA, 10.0 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 in 190 innings). I expect him to claim the job.

Shortstop

Jorge Polanco
Age: 23
Bats: B
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason.
Options Remaining: None

Eduardo Escobar
Age: 28
Bats: S
Contract Status: Signed one-year, $2.6MM deal to avoid arbitration; controllable through 2018.
Options Remaining: None

Ehire Adrianza
Age: 27
Throws: B
Contract Status: Signed one-year, $600K deal to avoid arbitration; controllable through 2020.
Options Remaining: None

Danny Santana
Age: 26
Bats: B
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2020-21 offseason.
Options Remaining: None

The Twins are hoping that the switch-hitting Polanco, who hit .282/.332/.424 with four homers in 270 plate appearances last year, is a long-term piece in their infield. The former top 100 prospect has hit at every stop in his minor league career, and the only question surrounding him is his defensive home. Shortstop isn’t Polanco’s best position, but Miguel Sano is at third base and Brian Dozier remains entrenched at second base. The Twins could bounce Polanco around the diamond, but regular at-bats will be a priority.

The veteran Escobar, like Santana, is former Opening Day shortstop for the Twins but is coming off his worst season in the Majors. He’s well-versed at short, third, and second and has even mixed in a bit of outfield time, so he’s all but assured of a fairly healthy utility role even if he doesn’t win the regular shortstop job.

Adrianza, claimed off waivers earlier in February, might offer the best defensive option of the bunch but has yet to show any offensive potency in the Majors. His ability to handle multiple infield spots could make him a nice utility option, though the Twins could deem it redundant to carry Adrianza and Escobar if neither wins the starting role.

While the out-of-options Santana could certainly win a bench role and see time in both the infield and outfield, he’d likely only be looked at as a shortstop option with a huge spring and an injury to one of his competitors. The 26-year-old had a monster rookie season three years ago (.319/.353/.472), but that was buoyed by a .405 BABIP and never looked sustainable.

Prediction: Polanco is part of the Twins’ future, whether it’s at shortstop, second base or third base. Getting him everyday at-bats and regular exposure to big league pitching should be a priority. He’ll be the Opening Day starter barring a truly disastrous Spring Training.*

Designated Hitter

Kennys Vargas
Age: 26
Bats: B
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2021-22 offseason.
Options Remaining: 1

Byung Ho Park
Age: 30
Bats: R
Contract Status: Owed $9.25MM through 2019 season (including buyout of 2020 team option); has already been outrighted off 40-man roster
Options Remaining: 3

Robbie Grossman
Age: 27
Bats: B
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2020-21 offseason.
Options Remaining: None

Park raked for the first six weeks of the 2016 season but showed a troubling strikeout tendency all the while. Whether his rapid decline was due to the wrist injury that ultimately required surgical repair or due to Major League pitchers exploiting holes in his swing, the results were poor enough that Park went unclaimed on waivers after being surprisingly designated for assignment this winter.

Vargas has shown glimpses of promise at the Major League level but hasn’t replicated his prodigious Triple-A numbers. The switch-hitter has been significantly better from the right side of the dish in his short career. There’s huge power in Vargas’ swing — 10 homers, .270 ISO in 177 MLB plate appearances last season — but he’s also fanned in more than 29 percent of his plate appearances and been ineffective against right-handed pitching.

Grossman will make the team in some capacity after hitting an impressive .280/.386/.443 in 389 plate appearances upon signing a minor league deal with the Twins last May. His production was bolstered by a likely unsustainable .364 BABIP, but he walked at a 14 percent clip and should be a solid on-base option. Grossman’s glovework in left field drew abysmal ratings from UZR and DRS, but the switch-hitter could still serve as a right-handed complement to corner outfielders Eddie Rosario and/or Max Kepler. And, if both Park and Vargas tank in Spring Training, there could be more regular at-bats for Grossman at the DH slot as well.

Prediction: Park could win the job back with an eye-opening March performance, but the pick here is that Vargas, who is already on the 40-man, opens the year with the job. (Bonus prediction: Park forces his way back into the picture by early summer.)

Bullpen (Two to three spots)

J.T. Chargois
Age: 26
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason.
Options Remaining: 2

Michael Tonkin
Age: 27
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2020-21 offseason.
Options Remaining: None

Justin Haley
Age: 25
Throws: R
Contract Status: Rule 5 pick; must remain on 25-man roster to remain with organization (barring a trade)
Options Remaining: 3

Taylor Rogers
Age: 26
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason.
Options Remaining: 2

Craig Breslow
Age: 36
Throws: L
Contract Status: Signed minor league deal with $1MM base salary.
Options Remaining: If added to 40-man roster, cannot be optioned without consent.

Mason Melotakis
Age: 25
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason.
Options Remaining: 2

Buddy Boshers
Age: 28
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2021-22 offseason.
Options Remaining: 2

Ryan O’Rourke
Age: 28
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2021-22 offseason.
Options Remaining: 3

Other Candidates: May, Duffey, Vogelsong, Tepesch (depending on the outcome of the rotation battle)

The number of spots that are open for competition depends on the health of closer Glen Perkins, who missed nearly all of 2016 due to shoulder surgery, as well as the outcome of the rotation battle. If Perkins is able to start the season, he’ll join Brandon Kintzler, Ryan Pressly and Matt Belisle as virtual locks in the Minnesota relief corps. And if May and/or Duffey miss out on the fifth spot in the rotation, either could join the relief corps. Even Vogelsong and Tepesch could be considered for long relief work.

Chargois’ outstanding numbers in Triple-A (1.80 ERA, 41-to-8 K/BB ratio in 35 innings) and near-100-mph fastball should give him a legitimate chance. He was shelled in his MLB debut (five runs in two-thirds of an inning) but logged a 2.82 ERA in 22 1/3 innings from that point forth. Tonkin is out of minor league options and punched out better than 10 hitters per nine innings last year, though an extreme penchant for surrendering long balls tanked his ERA.

Rogers, Breslow, Melotakis, Boshers and O’Rourke represent options to serve as southpaws in Paul Molitor’s bullpen. Rogers is probably the front-runner, coming off a 3.96 ERA, 9.4 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 61 innings as a rookie last season. Breslow’s revamped delivery got a bit of hype this winter, but the results will dictate whether he’s added to the 40-man roster.

Boshers posted a 2.84 FIP in 36 innings with Minnesota last year and an even more impressive 37-to-7 K/BB ratio in 36 innings. He struggled with men on base, though, leading to a 56.7 percent strand rate and a 4.24 ERA. O’Rourke was outrighted last year but fought his way back to the 40-man roster. He’s held lefties to a putrid .134/.244/.239 batting line in 80 career PAs. Righties have been more of an issue, though he’s held his own. Melotakis has yet to crack the big leagues, but he logged a strong 2.97 ERA with 11.3 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in Double-A last season.

As a Rule 5 pick, Haley faces an uphill battle. The Twins surely like the idea of hiding him in a long relief role, as they did with Pressly several years ago. However, the number of MLB ready arms — this write-up hasn’t even factored in names like Trevor Hildenberger, Nick Burdi and Jake Reed, who could emerge later in 2017 — is problematic for him.

Prediction: May returns to the ’pen. The Twins’ new front office will want to get one more look at Tonkin, giving him the edge over the remaining right-handed candidates. (Chargois will be waiting to take his spot should he falter and will be the next in line if Perkins isn’t ready for Opening Day.) Among the lefties, Breslow and Rogers will open the year as Molitor’s primary setup options. The Twins can afford to open the year with an eight-man bullpen to delay the decision a bit, as teams often don’t need a fifth starter in the earlygoing, and Berrios can be optioned to start the season.

Closer prediction: Perkins gets the job back if he can demonstrate his health. Otherwise, Kintzler opens the year in the ninth inning.

Backup Catcher

Chris Gimenez
Age: 34
Bats: R
Contract Status: Signed minor league contract in January.
Options Remaining: None

John Ryan Murphy
Age: 25
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2020-21 offseason.
Options Remaining: 1

Mitch Garver
Age: 26
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration; cannot become a free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason.
Options Remaining: 3

Three solid defenders that hit from the right side of the dish will give the Twins a number of options. Garver has just 22 games in Triple-A, though, and could use some more seasoning despite a strong minor league performance in 2016. Murphy frames well but didn’t hit in the Majors or in the minors last season. Gimenez is known and well-liked by both Falvey and Levine. And, as a plus defender who hits lefties well, he makes a logical pairing with Castro.

Prediction: Gimenez wins the job.

*Correction: The original version of this post incorrectly stated that Polanco had an option remaining.

[RELATED: Minnesota Twins Depth Chart]

Adrianza's Glove Impressing Twins Early

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  • The Twins claimed Ehire Adrianza off waivers from the Giants based on his defensive prowess, writes Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and the 27-year-old’s glove is already drawing attention early in camp. Twins third base coach/infield coach Gene Glynn lauded Adrianza’s instincts and defensive tools, while manager Paul Molitor noted that the report he received on Adrianza was that “he’s going to be the best defensive shortstop on the field when he’s out there.” Adrianza will compete with Eduardo Escobar for a utility role, Miller notes, and his glove could seemingly give him a viable chance of making the roster. Adrianza is just a career .220/.292/.313 hitter, though Molitor offered some optimism about being able to help him improve at the dish.

Twins Asked About Jose Iglesias

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  • Speaking of the Tigers, the organization evidently considered quite a few other deals before largely holding pat. The Mets “seriously discussed” giving up Michael Conforto for the final season of control over star slugger J.D. Martinez, but ultimately backed down. While the Astros reportedly checked in on Miguel Cabrera, they were asking for “more than half of the $150 million remaining on Cabrera’s contract” to be paid by Detroit and apparently never offered enough for the front office to bring a deal to ownership. And both the Twins and Padres made inquiries on shortstop Jose Iglesias, but clearly nothing developed with either team.

Injury Notes: Elbow Therapy, Hamilton, Britton, Cishek, Wright, Wheeler, Braves, Gibson

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With elbow health continuing to generate headlines, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports takes a look at the variety of new treatments — generally grouped under the header of orthobiologics — that pitchers, teams, and medical professionals have turned to in an effort to avoid the necessity of going under the knife. Stem-cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma treatments are now increasingly being deployed throughout the game, though it remains to be seen whether they’ll prove effective. You’ll certainly want to give this piece a full read to understand the state of the science. Those interested in the general subject will also want to read up on the surgical alternatives to the traditional Tommy John approach to torn ulnar collateral ligaments, as we recently discussed here.

Here’s the latest on some injury and health matters around the league:

  • Veteran Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton is headed for a visit with his surgeon after feeling pain in his recently repaired left knee, as Jeff Wilson of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram was among those to report on Twitter. It’s unclear as yet how serious a concern the latest knee issue is, though it’s far from the first time that Hamilton has dealt with problems in that joint. The 35-year-old, who last appeared in 2015, is in camp on a minor-league deal. He has been expected to compete for a reserve role as a left-handed-hitting option in the corner outfield, at first base, or in the DH slot.
  • There’s promising news on Orioles closer Zach Britton’s potential oblique issues, which came to light yesterday. He told reporters, including Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (links to Twitter), that he’s not overly concerned with the issue and would still be available to throw were it the regular season. Britton’s comments largely echo those made yesterday by manager Buck Showalter, serving to further reduce the volume on the alarm bells. The key southpaw adds that he finds it encouraging that he has not experienced any pain while throwing.
  • Mariners righty Steve Cishek has picked up a ball for the first time since his hip surgery last fall, as MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports. For now, he’ll only throw lightly off of flat ground every other day, though hopefully he’ll ramp up from there. “It felt pretty good, surprisingly,” said Cishek. “There’s some discomfort, but the joint has to get used to that motion again. I was surprised how good it actually felt.”
  • Likewise, Mets third baseman David Wright is only beginning to throw the ball, though in his case too it represents an important first step. As Mike Puma of the New York Post reports, manager Terry Collins says it’s likely that Wright won’t take to the field until the middle of March as he continues to work back slowly from serious back and neck issues. Wright is expected to receive opportunities to hit, likely on the minor-league side of camp, in the interim. New York is understandably taking a cautious approach to the veteran. While it still seems unlikely he’ll be ready for Opening Day, the hope may be that he can return to strength in time for MLB action in a relatively early stage of the coming season.
  • Mets righty Zack Wheeler is back on the bump and was able to throw thirty pitches today without incident, as Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News tweets. He, too, will surely be handled with kid gloves after a slower-than-hoped return from Tommy John surgery and some elbow discomfort earlier this month. It’s a good sign that Wheeler has been able to return to the mound relatively swiftly, though it remains anyone’s guess just how much the club will get from him in 2017.
  • There’s some cautious optimism in Braves camp about the health of lefty Paco Rodriguez, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports. Though Rodriguez “has understandably shown occasional signs of rust” as he works back from his own TJ procedure, writes Bowman, the health signs have been encouraging. Atlanta agreed to a $637,500 salary with Rodriguez to avoid arbitration, seemingly leveraging the possibility of a non-tender to secure a deal that fell below MLBTR’s projection of $900K.
  • Likewise, Braves righty Dan Winkler is attempting a return, though in his case it’s from a somewhat scarier elbow fracture, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains. The 27-year-old, who had already battled back from Tommy John surgery, faced a much different recovery process after his second procedure. Now, he’s working on refining his delivery to avoid future problems. Because of the time he’s missed, the 2014 Rule 5 draftee still must stay on Atlanta’s active roster for about two months in order for the organization to take full control of his rights.
  • Twins righty Kyle Gibson is also seeking to make mechanical changes this spring, as Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports. The 29-year-old, who’s set to earn $2.9MM through arbitration, is seeking to tamp down persistent shoulder problems. As Berardino writes, a new training regimen has been designed in order “to teach Gibson’s arm to pronate properly at the end of his delivery” and thus “keep the humerus from rubbing on the shoulder’s connective tissues.”

Twins To Use Analytics In Draft Preparation

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  • Twins scouting director Sean Johnson plans to incorporate analytics into his team’s draft process, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press writes. The Twins have the No. 1 overall pick in June. Exactly how they plan to use analytics to inform that pick is unclear, but Berardino’s piece still demonstrates what appears to be a change in outlook from the Twins’ mostly traditionalist front office under Terry Ryan. Johnson was with the Twins under Ryan, previously serving as their West Coast supervisor, but new Twins front office honchos Derek Falvey and Thad Levine appear to be emphasizing a different approach. “At the heart of it, it’s always going to be about our scouts: who they like, who they want to draft,” says Johnson. “And then you layer on different things to make sure you’re on the right track. It might be numbers or psychological testing. It could be a makeup call. There are numerous things we want to implement.” Still, Johnson adds, “Broadly speaking, we’re going to use more of the metrics. We’re going to have more of the numbers, but not to drive the guys we go evaluate and who we want.” In contrast, Johnson says the Twins didn’t even discuss the spin rate on Tyler Jay’s well-regarded slider before selecting him sixth overall in 2015.

Gimenez Has Legitimate Chance To Make Twins' Roster

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  • Chris Gimenez’s ties to Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey (formerly an assistant GM with the Indians) and general manager Thad Levine (formerly an assistant GM with the Rangers) made it an decision for the new Minnesota execs to sign him this offseason, writes Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Gimenez isn’t in camp as a mere depth option, either, as he’ll be given a legitimate chance to emerge from Spring Training as the backup to offseason addition Jason Castro. While Gimenez doesn’t come with a strong track record at the plate, he’s a solid defender that hits lefties well (.263/.358/.403 in his career), making him a nice on-paper fit with the left-handed-hitting Castro. Miller and Gimenez also discuss the catcher’s winding career, which has included seven organizations in the past nine seasons.
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