Luis Arraez News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/luis-arraez/ Minnesota sports, but different Mon, 21 Apr 2025 01:58:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 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 Luis Arraez News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/luis-arraez/ 32 32 Brutal Collision Lands Former Minnesota Twins Fan Favorite in Houston Hospital https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/former-player-luis-arraez-collision-carted-off-houston-hospital-padres-astros/ Mon, 21 Apr 2025 01:58:49 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=62572 The Minnesota Twins traded Luis Arraez to Miami for Pablo Lopez over two years ago now, but he never left the hearts and minds of fans in Twins Territory. After a couple of years in Miami, Arraez was traded to San Diego before the 2024 season, where the now 28-year-old slap-hitting infielder is now a staple at the top of the Padres lineup.

On Sunday night, while the Dads were in Houston playing the Astros, a scary moment happened at the first base bag, involving Arraez and Astros second baseman, Mauricio Dubon. It all started when Arraez attempted to pull a drag bunt with him down the first base line.

Collision lands former Minnesota Twins fan favorite in Houston hospital

Former Minnesota Twins player Luis Arraez carted off field: San Diego Padres at Houston Astros
Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The bunt was fielded cleanly by Houston first baseman, Christian Walker. He turned to his left and flipped the ball to Dubon, who was running behind him to cover the first base bag, as was his responsibility with the switch-hitting Arraez batting lefty for this plate appearance.

Unfortunately, Arraez and Dubon arrived at first base at the same time, resulting in an ugly collision that the former Twin got the worst of. Luis fell to the ground and appeared unresponsive. Eventually, a cart was brought out and he was wheeled off Minute Maid Field, before being transported to Houston Methodist Hospital.

Entering tonight’s game, Luis Arraez was batting .287 with a .755 OPS (113 OPS+) on the young 2025 season. As a member of the Minnesota Twins, the eccentric Venezuelan hit .314 over the course of four seasons.

Luis Arraez is currently awake and responsive

Thankfully, the San Diego Padres’ most recent update revealed that Luis Arraez is currently “conscious, responsive and able to move his extremities”. Given how bad this story started, this is about the best possible update we could have gotten.

In an age where the home run is king, Arraez is a taste of old school hitting greatness, posting a career batting average of .322, earning him three All-Star appearances and three batting titles, the first of which came in 2022 as a Twin.

Related: Brock Stewart is Finally Back in MN Twins Bullpen

He’ll never be an .800 OPS guy, which is why he has been traded twice, despite his incredible ability to hit the ball where fielders are not. But tonight, none of that matters. We all just hope and pray that the news coming out on Luis Arraez continues to be positive, and he makes a full recovery, sooner than later.

]]> Sun, 20 Apr 2025 20:58:51 +0000 Minnesota Twins Yankees Checking in on Multiple Former Minnesota Twins Infielders https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/minnesota-twins-rumors/jorge-polanco-luis-arraez-new-york-yankees-interest/ Wed, 08 Jan 2025 18:53:34 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=58993 There are few franchises, across any sport, that Minnesotans hate more than the New York Yankees. It’s not just that the Bronx Bombers have had the Twins’ number in the postseason. They represent a giant dragon that doesn’t go away.

Free agency is part of the process in big league baseball. Players are always going to come and go. Minnesotans love those that become one of us though. We definitely don’t want to see them forced to shave and wearing pinstripes. Unfortunately, that may be a reality once again.

Which Twins infielder goes to New York next?

The story of the offseason for New York was their inability to land Juan Soto, and him choosing the little brother New York Mets. That meant Brian Cashman had a bunch to spend. They have filled plenty of their holes, but second base remains open after Gleyber Torres signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers.

So far they haven’t met Alex Bregman’s asking price and that brings a pair of former Minnesota Twins infielders into their view.

“As they sort through options following the departure of Gleyber Torres, the Yankees have checked in on 11-year pro Jorge Polanco, a source said.”

Mark Sanchez on the Yankees 2B pursuits (NY Post)

“The Yankees are unquestionably a deeper team — and they’re not done, either. They’ve continued to discuss Luis Arráez with San Diego”

Jeff Passan on the Yankees pursuits (ESPN)

New York knows that second base remains a priority, and there’s a pair of former Twins options that could fit the bill. Unfortunately neither of them play good defense, and even Arraez’s batting average prowess doesn’t save him there.

Polanco posted just a .213/.296/.355 slash line across 118 games for Seattle. Injuries were part of the problem, and he will be 31 years old. Arraez won his third-straight batting title, but has now done so with three different teams. His .314/.346/.392 slash line didn’t stop him from moving to first base, and his defensive metrics everywhere are awful.

New York only has to pay money for Polanco, who is a free agent. Arraez is projected to get just over $14 million in arbitration this season after losing his hearing against the Marlins a year ago. He is a free agent in 2026.

Related: Minnesota Twins Top Prospects to Keep an Eye on in 2025

What the Yankees opt to do could depend heavily on where they go with the starting rotation. Either player, being bad defenders, would not help groundball savant Marcus Stroman. If he is dealt, then there may be more of a willingness to roll the dice.

Related: Minnesota Twins Sale May Be Nearing the Finish Line

It seemed like Max Kepler could be a fit in New York after they missed out on Soto. Instead he went to the Phillies and it’s a pair of infielders stoking the fire instead.

]]> Wed, 08 Jan 2025 12:53:36 +0000 Minnesota Twins Rumors Minnesota Twins Luis Arraez Misses Minnesota… a Lot https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/minnesota-twins-news/san-diego-padres-luis-arraez-still-misses-minnesota-twins/ Tue, 20 Aug 2024 13:32:05 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=53977 The Minnesota Twins traded reining batting champ Luis Arraez to the Miami Marlins last offseason, in exchange for Pablo Lopez. Their rotation needed pitching, and Arraez provided an avenue to seizing it.

But you have to give, to get, a lot of times. Arraez was a fan favorite in Twins Territory, and he still has a Major League soft spot for his former organization, and the teammates he grew to love.

Rocco Baldelli brought his Minnesota Twins to San Diego yesterday, and Luis Arraez was quick to connect with his former teammates. Traded to the Padres earlier this season, Arraez won’t be a free agent until 2026.

Luis Arraez will forever love the Minnesota Twins

Still contending for batting titles and doing his high average thing, the All-Star clearly misses Minnesota. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes caught up with the former Twins infielder on Monday.

“I cried a lot when (the Twins) traded me. It was painful but it’s baseball. I understand. Baseball is a business. … It feels (like) a while because I played last year with Miami. I need to just stay focused. I don’t want to think about that. I want to still stay focused with my team right now.”

Luis Arraez on leaving Minnesota (via The Athletic)

Although Arraez now plays in San Diego, he still makes his offseason home in Miami. The Venezuelan still keeps an apartment in Minnesota, but he has yet to return to Target Field since the trade. Last season the Marlins hosted the Twins in April, and the Padres aren’t heading to Minneapolis until August 29, 2025.

Related: Twins Getting Aggressive With Top Pick Kaelen Culpepper

For now, Arraez can continue to keep relationships with his former teammates, but he clearly misses the organization he grew up in… a lot

“I played my whole career there. I never forgot Minnesota. I miss Minnesota. … I can’t wait to go there.”

Luis Arraez (via The Athletic)

Arraez is still chasing batting titles with Padres

Luis Arraez owned just a .299 average after 33 games for the Marlins this season. He has batted .306 for the Padres and his 2024 batting average sits at .304. As he looks for a third straight batting title, the Padres infielder will need to chase down Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.

Of course many players would love to have a .300 average be their threshold of positivity. It has become a given for Arraez. His ability to hit for contact is a boost to the overall profile given the other shortcomings.

Despite the high average, Arraez owns just a 101 OPS+, which is a far cry from Ozuna’s 165 OPS+. With poor defense that detracts from his production, he has been worth just 0.5 fWAR this season. For context, Edouard Julien has provided 0.7 fWAR for Minnesota.

Related: Hardware Coming for Twins Carlos Santana?

Arraez is incredibly good at what he does, and his ability is something not often replicated in today’s game. He has always been an extremely likable person as well, and will continue to be fondly remembered in Twins Territory.

It seems unlikely the sides would like up in free agency, but that remains to be seen. For now, Arraez can hang onto the apartment and enjoy a feeling of home next summer when he returns to Target Field.

]]> Tue, 20 Aug 2024 08:52:10 +0000 Minnesota Twins News Minnesota Twins Luis Arraez is Back to Chasing Ted Williams in San Diego https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/luis-arraez-batting-average-san-diego-padres/ Sat, 01 Jun 2024 16:43:36 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=51609 When the Minnesota Twins traded Luis Arraez to the Miami Marlins, they were in need of a high-end starting pitcher, which they got back in Pablo Lopez. It seemed like the perfect trade for both teams last season, when Arraez won a batting title as a Marlin and Lopez proved to be the playoff ace Minnesota needed.

But then in early May, Miami traded Arraez to the San Diego Padres, surprising everyone. Since the trade, Luis has continued to do what he does best. Rake. Entering Saturday, the 2-time batting champ is again at the top of the National League, carrying a .342 batting average to go with his .380 on base percentage.

Luis Arraez may be the greatest one-trick pony currently running across Major League Baseball. He is not a good defender, and he doesn’t hit for power, but he makes contact and picks up base hits. Like, a lot of hits. If there’s something to be good at when playing at the highest level, that’s a pretty solid thing to choose.

Another Four-Hit Game for Luis Arraez

It has been less than a month since the Miami Marlins shipped Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres. Of course Miami is among the most poorly run franchises in sports, but the deal was entirely about their ineptitude this season, while having no desire to pay Arraez after he becomes eligible for free agency.

The San Diego Padres gladly grabbed his services, and since joining them on the West Coast, all he has done is hit…more. On Friday night Arraez posted a four-hit game. Many very good players don’t see a single one of those during an entire season, let alone multiple.

For Arraez though, this was his fourth such occurrence since joining his new team. In just 24 games with the Swinging Friars, Arraez has collected 41 hits in 107 plate appearances… which is truly insane.

Call Luis Arraez the Modern Ted Williams

It might be too easy to make the comparisons between Tony Gwynn and Luis Arraez. With the latter now playing for the same franchise, the parallels are obvious. When with the Twins, it was correct and easy to draw similarities between Arraez and Hall of Famer Rod Carew. Really though, if you’re scoring at home, Arraez is trying to do the whole Ted Williams thing.

The military won’t be asking Arraez for his services any time soon (Ted missed 5 seasons for WWII + Korean War), but like Williams, Arraez is locked in on batting .400 over a full season. Williams last accomplished the feat in 1941, and while Ty Cobb did it three times (1911, 1912, 1922), it’s often the former Boston Red Sox outfielder seen as synonymous with the accomplishment.

Related: Twins Sign Pablo Lopez to 4-Year Contract Extension

It will be nearly impossible for Arraez to hit .400 this season, given his “slow” start in Miami, where he batted “just” .299 in 33 games, before being traded to San Diego, where he is hitting .401 in 24 games.

But Luis just turned 27-years-old. If he plays another ten years in the league, it’s certainly plausible he will challenge .400 at some point. Last year, he finished with a .354 batting average.

No matter how many years go by since Arraez was with the Minnesota Twins, it’s hard to imagine the fan base ever failing to root for him. He remains incredibly likable, constantly wears a smile, and was part of a deal that brought a similar personality to the franchise in the form of Pablo Lopez.

]]> Sat, 01 Jun 2024 11:43:40 +0000 Minnesota Twins Twins’ Trade Haul for Luis Arraez Looks Even Better After Marlins Gave Him Away to Padres https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-luis-arraez-traded-marlins-padres/ Sat, 04 May 2024 14:06:27 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=50412 Minnesota Twins fans were upset before last season even started following the trade of Luis Arraez. Sure the Twins finally found a staff ace in Pablo Lopez, but we didn’t know that at the time of the trade.

What Twins fans saw was a fan-favorite batting champion with one of the best eyes in baseball departing the team. Arraez felt like a necessity for a power-hitting squad that felt like it was headed toward a three-true-outcome approach, whether it be a home run, walk, or strikeout.

Arraez was the opposite, a player who constantly wore down the opposing pitching staff by working the pitch count to his favor before finding a ball he could spray to any part of the baseball diamond.

But what fans didn’t know at the time was just how good Pablo Lopez would become, helping locals quickly forget about the sweet-hitting unconventional ways of Arraez.

Confirmed: Minnesota Twins won the Luis Arraez trade

Then on Friday night news broke that the Luis Arraez had been traded again, this time going across the country, from Miami to the trade-happy San Diego Padres, this time for a prospect ‘haul’, if that’s what you want to call it. Let’s just say the Marlins’ trade return pales in comparison to what the Twins got for the former batting champion in January of 2023, when they traded him to Miami for their now ace pitcher, Pablo Lopez.

In 2023, the Minnesota Twins made the playoffs, and so did the Miami Marlins. This shouldn’t be the baseline for evaluating the original Luis Arraez-Pablo Lopez trade, but it shows that top decision-makers Derek Falvey and Thad Levine were able to build a playoff roster even after trading their young All-Star. The same goes for the Marlins.

Yet, just one year later, the Marlins are already essentially hitting the reset button and are admitting that Arraez is nowhere near the solution to fixing their perpetual failure to thrive. While he’s one of the best hitters in baseball, Arraez doesn’t bring power to the plate, and his defense leaves a lot to be desired since he has no true position he thrives at.

Bouncing between second and first base, Arraez is a defensive liability wherever you play him, and he doesn’t exactly have the power to be a mainstay at DH. This was part of the problem in Minnesota, too, so the Twins felt comfortable moving on and rolling with Edouard Julien, who’s since become arguably the best hitter not named Royce Lewis on the team.

While the Twins have seamlessly found a way to replace Arraez in the batting order and in the field, let’s take another look at the original trade and compare it to what the Marlins just got for the 27-year-old hitter who won’t even become a free agent until after the 2026 season.

  • Minnesota Twins traded: Luis Arraez
  • Miami Marlins traded: Pablo Lopez, Jose Salas, Byron Chourio
  • Miami Marlins traded: Luis Arraez
  • San Diego Padres traded: Dillon Head, Jakob Marsee, Nathan Martorella, Woo Suk-go

Amazingly, the Marlins didn’t receive a single top-100 prospect, according to MLB.com. The top prize headed back to Miami in this trade is 19-year-old outfielder Dillon Head, San Diego’s first-round pick in 2023. But he’s still down in Single-A, meaning he won’t help Miami for several seasons, and he still ranks as the team’s sixth-best prospect.

What did Marlins all get from Padres for Luis Arraez?

MLB: Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The other two prospects, Marsee and Martorella, land at ninth and 13th on the Padres’ top 30 prospects list, but both are expected to make their debuts in Miami at some point this season.

The final part of the trade package is reliever Woo-suk Go, who’s already 25 but isn’t in the major leagues after signing a two-year, $4.5 million contract as a free agent in January. Go arrived in MLB via the posting system from South Korea this past offseason, but he wasn’t able to crack the roster and is currently in Double-A.

Ultimately, it looks like the Marlins didn’t get incredible value for one of their best players. While there have been long-term durability concerns relating to Arraez’s knees in the past, it’s crazy to see the stark contrast in trade hauls between the Marlins and Twins just one year apart. But you won’t find the Twins complaining.

Related: How Can Comcast Xfinity Customers Watch the Minnesota Twins on Bally Sports North?

Lopez has developed into a bonafide staff ace. Jose Salas has fallen off the radar a bit after ranking as the Twins’ 9th-best prospect a year ago due to finishing 2023 with an OPS of .531. But the 21-year-old is bouncing back in High-A ball this year, with an OPS of .602.

Byron Chourio, who actually is not related to baseball super-prospect Jackson Chourio, is still just 19, but he’s already circulating basepaths in Fort Myers and is up to an OPS of .749 this season.

Both Salas and Chourio may be scratch-off tickets that could turn into big winners or complete duds. But to think that the Twins still have a couple prospects who could make the Arraez trade even more lopsided than it already is feels like robbery. Yet, the Twins are getting away with it, scot-free.

]]> Sat, 04 May 2024 09:06:30 +0000 Minnesota Twins News Minnesota Twins Twins Trade Luis Arraez to Marlins for Pablo Lopez, Prospects https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/trade-luis-arraez-pablo-lopez/ Fri, 20 Jan 2023 20:14:53 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=41542 The Minnesota Twins have reportedly traded 2022 AL batting champion, Luis Arraez, to the Miami Marlins for starting pitcher, Pablo Lopez and top-5 organizational prospect, Jose Salas (infield). Outfield prospect, Reiner Chourio.

Lopez will be 27-years-old when the 2023 season starts and he isn’t set to hit free agency until after the 2024 season. Outside of a rough start as a rookie 2018-2019, the Venezuelan right-hander has had a dynamite start to his career.

In the three seasons since, Pablo Lopez has posted a sub-4.00 ERA every year and collected 8.5 WAR. He ate 180 innings for the Marlins in 2022, posting a 3.75 ERA, 108 ERA+, 1.167 WHIP and 3.71 FIP.

Standard Pitching
Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W Awards
201822MIANL24.3334.141010000058.2562827818546402247934.491.2618.61.22.87.12.56
201923MIANL58.3855.0921210000111.1111646315273951126469844.281.2409.01.22.27.73.52
202024MIANL64.6003.611111000057.15027234181592002401263.091.1867.80.62.89.33.28
202125MIANL55.5003.0720200000102.2893735112611157034181383.291.1207.81.02.310.14.42
202226MIANL1010.5003.7532320000180.01577875215311748047361083.711.1677.91.12.78.73.28
5 Yrs2831.4753.9494940000510.046323422359142114893221521101063.771.1868.21.02.58.63.44
162 Game Avg.1011.4753.9434340000184 16785812151417712157631063.771.1868.21.02.58.63.44
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/20/2023.

It will be sad to see Luis Arraez go. His knack for getting on base and his antics in the batter’s box had helped make him a fan favorite.

But Arraez’ value may never be as high again as it was this offseason and his inability to hit for power or play high level defense made him expendable when Carlos Correa returned in surprise fashion earlier this offseason. That’s why his name has been surfacing in the rumor mill for months.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Fri, 20 Jan 2023 14:36:59 +0000 Minnesota Twins Twins are on Quest for Ace Starter and Shopping Luis Arraez https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/minnesota-twins-are-on-quest-for-ace-starter-and-shopping-luis-arraez/ Mon, 05 Dec 2022 18:47:27 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=41241 The Minnesota Twins desperately need high-end pitching help in their starting rotations, if they’re going to consider themselves real contenders in the American League, or even in the Central division.

Lack of front end talent in their rotation isn’t a new problem. It’s something that has plagued this franchise for two decades. But it’s an issue that Derek Falvey and Thad Levine were hired to solve.

Twins open to trading Luis Arraez

Now reportedly, they want to shop in the deep end of the MLB trade market for the elusive ace they’ve been seeking. And according to Dan Hayes (The Athletic) their sales pitch to potential trade partners at the MLB winter meetings this week, includes dealing the 2022 American League batting champion, Luis Arraez.

The club’s future rotation instability currently leaves members of the Twins front office in an unenviable position where they have discussed the possibility of trading the 2022 American League batting champion. With few, if any, untouchables on the 40-man roster, some in the organization believe the Twins would deal Arraez if it helped bring back a top-tier starting pitcher.

The Twins would prefer not to trade Arraez, one of the toughest at-bats in baseball. But after seeing the Texas Rangers pay Jacob deGrom $185 million over five years, the soaring cost of top-tier pitching has the Twins re-thinking who may or may not be available in a trade.

Dan Hayes – The Athletic
Why Twins are shopping Arraez

Technically, this report by Dan Hayes doesn’t confirm external conversations between the Twins and other organizations, to trade Luis Arraez. But, let’s be real. This leak happened for a reason and, if Derek Falvey wasn’t already shopping the batting champ openly, he will be now.

According to this report, the Minnesota Twins are feeling pinched out of the current and forecasted starting pitcher free agency markets. If Jacob DeGrom is going for $185 million over 5 years, how are they going to afford anyone worthy of a #1 role in their rotation?

Well, they can… but won’t. So instead, the front office is opening up the roster for potential trade suitors who might offer an ace in return for one of their young position players. Arraez makes a lot of sense because his stock will never be higher than it is this offseason. He’s coming off of an AL batting title, career slugging numbers and (most importantly) he stayed healthy.

But in all reality, Luis Arraez is unlikely to ever see his OPS rise above .800 and his defense is mediocre, at best. If the Twins can swap him out for a legitimate ace, they’d have no choice but to pull the trigger.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Mon, 05 Dec 2022 12:47:31 +0000 Minnesota Twins 3 Minnesota Twins Named Gold Glove Finalists https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/three-minnesota-twins-named-gold-glove-finalists-correa-arraez-kepler/ Thu, 20 Oct 2022 20:10:46 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=40873 The 2022 Major League Baseball regular season is over and individual award races are coming to an end, as well. After a disappointing end to their season, we’re unlikely to see a lot of Minnesota Twins players singled out when individual awards are handed out.

But that wasn’t the case on Thursday when THREE Twins — Carlos Correa (SS), Luis Arraez (1B) and (RF) Max Kepler — were named as finalists for AL Gold Glove awards. There are three finalists at each defensive position. The winners will be announced on November 1.

Minnesota Twins Gold Glove Finalists

Minnesota Twins Gold Glove History

The Twins haven’t had a Gold Glove winner since 2017, when they had two. Both Brian Dozier (2B) and Byron Buxton (CF) were named the best fielders at their respective positions that year.

Fourteen different Twins have won Gold Gloves, through history. Seven of those players won multiple times. Jim Kaat won twelve Gold Gloves as a Twin. Torii Hunter won seven. Kirby Puckett won 6.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Thu, 20 Oct 2022 15:11:29 +0000 Minnesota Twins Twins Opening Day Lineup is Out; Arraez Gets Nod in Left Field https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/minnesota-twins-opening-day-lineup-is-out-luis-arraez-gets-nod-in-left-field/ Thu, 01 Apr 2021 14:55:55 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=34249

The Minnesota Twins Opening Day starting lineup is out and Luis Arraez, after limited playing time in the outfield this spring, will get the nod in left field and bat leadoff. Rocco Baldelli wants to get 400-500 at-bats for Arraez this summer and he’ll try for his first four or five in game one this afternoon. Unfortunately, Nelson Cruz is on pinch hit duty because the Milwaukee Brewers play in the National League, which did NOT add a designated hitter for 2021. If you like watching pitchers hit, enjoy the NL this season because it’s expected to be the last.

Today’s game starts at 1:10 PM and Brandon Woodruff will take the mound for Milwaukee. Kenta Maeda gave up just one run all of Spring Training but don’t carry spring performances with you into the regular season. Unless you’re also willing to drag along the Grapefruit League’s worst offense, which the Minnesota Twins touted.

Let’s just hit the reset button. That’s what Opening Day is for. I’ll see you all this afternoon. Go Twins.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2021 10:03:55 +0000 Minnesota Twins Twins Flex Depth Muscles in Latest ‘Intrasquad’ Matchup https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/twins-flex-depth-muscles-in-latest-intrasquad-matchup/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/twins-flex-depth-muscles-in-latest-intrasquad-matchup/#respond Fri, 17 Jul 2020 23:59:39 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=27250

We were treated to another Minnesota Twins intrasquad scrimmage Friday afternoon, and it was a perfect day for baseball! From getting to see our favorite players to the prospects continuing to impress, there is a lot to dissect.

CHACIN STRUGGLES

With Jhoulys Chacin getting the nod to start for the Minnesota Twins in blue, it was supposed to be an opportunity for him to prove himself as a starting option. Unfortunately it was beyond a rough outing for Chacin. After Jake Cave singled in the first run of the game, it became a mess.

Chacin finished with 2 earned runs, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts while only throwing 50 pitches. This isn’t a good sign for the veteran pitcher’s chances of making the team. After signing a minor-league deal with the Twins this offseason, the hope was for him to perform well enough to be a starting alternative.

Chacin has an opt-out clause that allows him to leave the team five days prior to Opening Day (which is on Sunday), and he may decide to leave the team after struggling to perform.

BAILEY DAZZLES…THEN FIZZLES

As for the white wearing Minnesota Twins team, Homer Bailey got the start and initially played well. He began the game with three innings of no-hit baseball. But it went south relatively quickly after that, as Mitch Garver led off with a double in the third followed by a two-run double by Ehire Adrianza.

It didn’t get better when prospect Brent Rooker took him deep to tie the game 3-3. Bailey finished his outing with four earned runs in only 4.2 innings. The early positive signs were there as seen by his no-hitter through the first few innings.

PROSPECTS CONTINUE TO MASH

While pitching wasn’t elite for most of the game, the prospects continued to build their hype. Not only did Rooker homer, but Alex Kirilloff also went deep to the opposite field. Kirilloff’s home run came off Michael Pineda, who saw some time even while preparing to serve the rest of his suspension.

With Rooker and Kirilloff homering, they have shown that the Bomba Squad is built for the long-term. This also includes Trevor Larnach reaching base in five of his last six plate appearances and Travis Blankenhorn reaching in his last four.

This is especially impressive when considering both are drawing walks and showing signs of what their patience could be at the next level.

ARRAEZ INJURED

As for the rest of the club, Adrianza registered 4 RBI while Jorge Polanco also went deep later in the game. Even LaMonte Wade Jr. drove in two with a double. But the biggest story outside of the prospect performances was Luis Arraez.

The potential-.400 hitter came up limping after sliding into second. Initially, Twins Twitter freaked out…and rightfully so. But thankfully the Twins released a statement saying he is day-to-day with right knee soreness.

Hopefully he is ready to go for Opening Day, which is only a week away, but that week should provide enough time to rest and be ready.

The Blue team eventually won 8-6. The early signs from this intrasquad game is that the organization is deep from top to bottom. With prospects continuing to impress and the veteran hitters looking in mid-season form, the Twins can easily make it back to the postseason.

Jack Kewitsch | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/twins-flex-depth-muscles-in-latest-intrasquad-matchup/feed/ 0 Fri, 17 Jul 2020 18:59:41 +0000 Minnesota Twins