Devin Smeltzer News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/devin-smeltzer/ Minnesota sports, but different Fri, 27 May 2022 15:45:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg Devin Smeltzer News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/devin-smeltzer/ 32 32 Twins’ In-Game Pitching Plans are Predetermined and Non-Negotiable https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/minnesota-twins-in-game-pitching-plans-are-predetermined-and-non-negotiable-rocco-baldelli/ Fri, 27 May 2022 15:45:32 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=39151 Devin Smeltzer may have had the best pitching performance of his young Major League Baseball career on Thursday night. The 26-year-old left-hander was only called up in wake of Joe Ryan’s trip to the ‘health and safety protocols’ list but Smeltzer took the form of a rotation ace in Ryan’s absence.

How good was he? It took just 80 pitches for Devin Smeltzer to slice and dice his way through 7 innings vs the Royals. He allowed 0 runs on just 2 hits and struck out 6. Kansas City hitters appeared lost in the batter’s box all night. It was probably the most dominant performance from a Minnesota Twins starting pitcher this season.

Smeltzer Pulled After 7th

So when Tyler Duffey walked to the mound in the top of the 8th inning, fans were dumbfounded. Myself included. Smeltzer’s pitch count was still well under 100 pitches and he had left Royals hitters hopeless at the plate all night. Oh, and the first batter of 8th inning was a lefty. Was Smeltzer hurt or sick? That’s the only sensible explanation, right?

Nope, pitching Duffey in the 8th with the lead was a decision that was made pregame. And Rocco Baldelli made it very clear with media, after the game, that it didn’t matter how much common sense fell into his lap last night. Devin Smeltzer could have morphed into Game 7 Jack Morris and the Twins would still have went to Duffey in the 8th. Why? Because that was the plan and nothing, not even winning, was going to stand in the way of letting things unfolding as planned.

“The Plan” > Everything

To Rocco and the Minnesota Twins’ braintrust, “the plan” takes precedence over everything else. We’ve seen it with Byron Buxton’s management, Royce Lewis’ demotion and, last night, with Devin Smeltzer’s early exit. Choosing “the plan” over winning looks like the new ‘Twins Way’.

Asked Rocco Baldelli if a pitcher (Devin Smeltzer) can lobby his way into another inning: “Sometimes the decisions are already made, and (Thursday), after the seven, I think it was pretty solidly going to the bullpen. Guys can lobby. That can happen. But when the decisions are made, there’s really no lobbying, no matter how hard they’re going to push for it.”

Dan Hayes – The Athletic

What happened to adaptability? For a decade, new age baseball fans and nerds have ripped and destroyed ‘old-school’ baseball managers and classic ‘ball guys’ for their inability to adapt in an always-changing environment. We have all of this information at our fingertips telling us what works and what doesn’t. Adapt or die, right?

Adapt or…

There isn’t a franchise in the league nerdier than the Minnesota Twins. We’re told that no organization is more adaptable or more open to change than the one located at 1 Twins Way in downtown Minneapolis. Unless, apparently, a game is being played. When the team steps between the lines, adaptability dies.

It doesn’t matter that Devin Smeltzer is willing and able to carry you to a victory or if a batter vs pitcher matchup might be more favorable. The Twins pregame plan, if they had a small lead entering the 8th inning, was to pitch Tyler Duffey. Nothing was going to make them deviate from that “plan”. Including, but not limited to, winning.

This in-game attitude makes no sense. There isn’t an environment more apt to change in baseball than on the actual field during actual competition. Why is that the place where fluidity is not allowed? That in-game rigidness cost the Minnesota Twins a victory last night.

It won’t be the last, either.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Fri, 27 May 2022 10:45:37 +0000 Minnesota Twins Dress Rehearsal Wednesday Showed a Twins Team Ready to Pounce on AL Central https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/dress-rehearsal-wednesday-showed-a-twins-team-ready-to-pounce-on-al-central/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/dress-rehearsal-wednesday-showed-a-twins-team-ready-to-pounce-on-al-central/#respond Thu, 16 Jul 2020 15:40:14 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=27199

The Minnesota Twins played… themselves, Wednesday night, in a 7-inning intrasquad game/scrimmage/dress rehearsal that ended in a 3-3 tie. While it didn’t count towards any standings and statistics won’t be written in pen, It was amazing to finally watch live baseball again! We saw some exciting performances from veterans and new guys, alike.

With Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler (aka One Thicc Bih) as the honorary “captains”, this game had it all. It had some bombas and it had good pitching. The Twins looked like they were in mid-season form. The stadium crew added in all the bells and whistles (PA announcers, crowd noise, etc.) to make an empty Target Field feel more…. not empty.

EARLY RETURNS

The game started with a bang (or should I say Bomba) when Max Kepler took newly acquired Kenta Maeda deep on a 3-1 count in the first. Leadoff homers you ask? Kepler is becoming a rich man’s Brian Dozier if you ask me. Kepler also doubled later in the game. Driving in prospect Alex Kirilloff.

Thankfully for Maeda, settled into a groove and finished his outing with five solid innings of work. He gave up only that one run off Kepler’s solo-shot and had plenty of late action on his pitches.

As for the other Minnesota Twins team, rookie Devin Smeltzer got the nod on the mound. He didn’t compete to Maeda’s level, but he held his own. The only damage done onto him, was off the bat of Nelson Cruz in the bottom of the third.

He took a 2-2 fastball into the right field bleachers, for two RBI’s that will never be recorded. Outside of that, Smeltzer had the type of performance that Twins fans have come to expect from him. This sequence against Alex Avila was beautiful.

THE PROSPECTS

The most fascinating aspect of the night came from how the team’s minor league prospects would perform. Both teams had a solid mix of them involved.

Team Polanco ProspectsTeam Kepler Prospects
Alex Kirlloff (1B/RF)Ryan Jeffers (DH/C/LF)
Trevor Larnach (RF)Brent Rooker (1B)
Travis Blankenhorn (3B)

All performed above expectations for their first “game” back against live pitching. Trevor Larnach ripped a single off Devin Smeltzer early and Ryan Jeffers hit a Bomba of his own to tie the game at three. Travis Blankenhorn had a big game at the plate and in the field.

WE CAN BUILD THIS DREAM TOGETHER

Even if there was some early rust showing, like Kirilloff struggling or Arraez grounding into two double plays, the team showcased why they are favorites to repeat as AL Central Champions. Even in an abbreviated 60-game season, this team has all the tools.

I have no worry that these guys will be ready to take on the White Sox, in Chicago on July 24. I know I’m ready. As this t-shirt says, we are going 60-0 and winning the WHOLE DAMN THING!

Here are complete games highlights from Tom Froemming’s (TwinsDaily.com) YouTube page.

Jack Kewitsch | Minnesota Sports Fan

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