Twins Release Spring Training Non-Roster Invite List

The Blue Wahoos' Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff, two of the team's No. 1 draft picks by Twins in last three years, had big games in Friday's win against Mobile BayBears. (Photo: MiLB.com)

Oh, February can suck the life out of you sometimes, especially when you’re stuck in the middle of a long Minnesota winter…. but it also offers hope… Spring Training hope.

That’s right, Spring Training is right around the corner… the very immediate corner. Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 12, just 9 days away and the full team will will be in Fort Myers by Feb. 17 for their first scheduled team workout.

The Twins have exhibition games scheduled vs other teams starting Saturday, Feb. 22 when they take on the Pirates. They’ll actually play vs the Minnesota Gopher baseball team the day before. I love the sports world. It just never stops.

Non-Roster Invitees:

The Twins just released their list of non-roster invitees to start off this afternoon, and looking at the names got me halfway to midnight. There aren’t any surprises on the list, that pop out necessarily, but that doesn’t mean it lacks excitement.

Let’s just say, it’s a perfect place to showcase all of the young UNPROVEN talent this organization has ready to burst onto the scene… a scene that is already pretty crowded with PROVEN young talent, most of which is under contract for the foreseeable future.

Here is another look at some of the names that MLB’s Do-Hyoung Park spotlights above (projections and rankings via mlb.com). These videos are via Tom Froemming, who has a great YouTube channel and writes for TwinsDaily.com

Royce Lewis, SS – #9 MiLB Prospect (ETA: 2020)


Alex Kirilloff, OF/1B – #32 MiLB (2020)


Trevor Larnach, OF – #81 MiLB (2020)


Brent Rooker, OF/1B (2020)


Those are just 3 names out of the top-10 MLB farm system, the Twins are touting. According to MLB Pipeline, eight of those ten are just one good year away from being called up.

That doesn’t include Nick Gordon, who will join the team as part of its 40-man roster. He needs to continue his bounce-back while proving he can stay healthy for an entire season.

We haven’t even started talking about the regular MLB lineup that will be congegating in Fort Myers over the next couple weeks. Let’s not forget about a healthy and active Miguel Sano, paired with the ageless Nelson Cruz and incoming Josh Donaldson.. plus a healthy Byron Buxton (for a little while at least).

Then you get to the boring players, like Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario (for now), Mitch Garver, and Jorge Polanco… but I guess we’ll just have to read a book or something, while they are up to bat.

via GIPHY

If you’ve been looking for a year to migrate down to Florida to get a head-start on the baseball season, this is the year to do it.

The Wolves and Wild both suck and the Gopher Basketball team is on the verge of the same thing. Why not go somewhere warm and watch February baseball from a team we hope will still be playing deep into October.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Mentioned in this article:

More About: