MINNEAPOLIS — Carlos Correa was introduced Sunday because the Minnesota Twins’ lone All-Star Recreation consultant, incomes a spot on the American League staff as a reserve.
It’s the third All-Star honor of Correa’s profession, and his first with the Twins, after beforehand making the AL staff in 2017 (because the beginning shortstop) and 2021 (as a reserve) with the Houston Astros.
“That is my residence right here in Minnesota now,” Correa mentioned. “And to get my first All-Star Recreation right here with this staff, it’s actually particular.”
Correa has batted .305/.376/.508 with 11 homers, 18 doubles/triples and 45 RBIs in 71 video games, posting a 147 OPS+ that ranks eighth within the AL and is the second-best mark of his profession behind a 155 OPS+ in 2017. Toss in his common stellar shortstop play and Correa was my choose because the Twins’ first-half MVP, main the staff in wins above substitute and Win Likelihood Added.
Nevertheless, he confronted extraordinarily stiff competitors amongst AL shortstops, with voted-in starter Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles and reserve Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas Metropolis Royals being no-brainer picks amid MVP-caliber first halves. Correa’s candidacy got here all the way down to the AL roster carrying a 3rd shortstop, making him the simple alternative for that spot.
“This time will likely be further particular as a result of it’s the primary time I’ll go as a father,” Correa mentioned. “I’ll have my two boys there with me. I’ve all the time seen it on TV when gamers go together with their children, and I really feel like that’s the good factor ever. I instructed my spouse earlier than the season, I actually wished to make it so I may take the boys and hang around with them and meet a few of their favourite gamers.”
It’s not his first rodeo! Congratulations to Carlos Correa on being named to the 2024 All Star Recreation! pic.twitter.com/i1DwrwQfP4
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 7, 2024
About 4 hours earlier than MLB formally introduced Correa as an All-Star, he left Sunday’s walk-off win over the Astros after being hit on the suitable hand by a 96.2 mph fastball. In line with the Twins, preliminary scans have been destructive for fractures and Correa has been recognized with a finger contusion, however he could bear additional testing.
“I’ll be enjoying (Monday),” Correa mentioned matter-of-factly after the sport.
Assuming no different Twins are named as last-minute replacements, it will be the staff’s first season — ignoring 2020, when the midsummer traditional was canceled — with just one All-Star participant since 2018, when José Berriós went solo.
There isn’t any scarcity of Twins having All-Star-caliber first halves at their respective positions, together with Willi Castro, Joe Ryan, Jose Miranda, Byron Buxton, Ryan Jeffers and Griffin Jax, so it’s nonetheless potential they may have a second participant added within the days main as much as the July 16 sport in Texas.
Matt Wallner’s subsequent likelihood
Matt Wallner appeared so helpless on the plate after being on the Opening Day roster that the Twins demoted him to Triple-A St. Paul simply three weeks and 25 at-bats into the season.
They wished to provide Wallner an prolonged likelihood to easy out his swing mechanics and get a “full reset” mentally, and the 26-year-old slugger now returns following essentially the most torrid run of his profession. After some preliminary post-demotion struggles, Wallner hit .331 with 14 homers in his final 33 video games for the Saints, and received Worldwide League participant of the month for June.
“Wally’s made actual changes and actual enhancements,” supervisor Rocco Baldelli mentioned. “He’s had nice at-bats. He’s been swinging the bat very nicely. He’s been impacting the ball. He’s been getting on base. All the issues he was challenged to do, he took it to coronary heart and he went to work. He appears to be like good proper now. And he’s earned his alternative to come back again to the massive leagues.”
Referred to as up Sunday because the corresponding transfer for Austin Martin happening the injured listing with a proper indirect pressure, Wallner figures to play frequently in opposition to right-handed pitchers as a part of the nook outfield and designated hitter combine. It’s an opportunity for the Twins so as to add some left-handed thump to the lineup within the absence of Edouard Julien and Alex Kirilloff.
It’s additionally an opportunity for Wallner to show that his three unhealthy weeks this season shouldn’t wipe away his three good months for the Twins final season, or his three good years within the minors earlier than that. He batted .249/.370/.507 with 14 homers in 76 video games for the Twins final yr, rating second on the staff in OPS behind Royce Lewis, and he’s a profession .267/.374/.515 hitter at Triple A.
Matt Slam. pic.twitter.com/rApTnivCR5
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 27, 2023
Wallner strikes out lots and infrequently appears to be like clumsy within the outfield, however he has top-of-the-scale uncooked energy and arguably the very best outfield throwing arm in baseball. Giving up on a participant with these game-changing expertise due to 25 ugly at-bats can be a mistake in any state of affairs, however particularly so when Wallner has beforehand proven he can produce versus big-league pitchers.
Now he simply wants to point out it once more, and present that the changes made within the minors are sustainable and efficient at limiting his swing-and-miss charge sufficient to persistently faucet into his 30-homer energy. Wallner is simply too good for Triple-A contest and he’s already had extra major-league success than most so-called “Quad-A” gamers, however the burden of proof is on him.
Chris Paddack’s large check
Chris Paddack is predicted to come back off the IL and rejoin the Twins’ rotation Monday night time in Chicago in opposition to the White Sox after getting a two-week break for proper shoulder fatigue.
Fill-in David Festa largely struggled in Paddack’s place, permitting 12 runs in 10 innings, however Twins officers indicated their plan was all the time for the rookie to make solely two begins as a method to give Paddack a midseason breather as he returns from a second Tommy John surgical procedure.
Paddack’s first 15 post-surgery begins have been a blended bag. He had a handful of encouraging outings, together with a couple of legitimately spectacular begins, however his velocity various wildly and he served up 13 homers in 78 1/3 innings on the way in which to a bloated 5.20 ERA (and an solely barely higher 4.69 xERA).
Right here’s a game-by-game graph of Paddack’s common fastball velocity, which regularly fluctuated from 94 to 96 mph in a single begin all the way down to 90 to 92 mph within the subsequent:
This will likely be an important stretch for Paddack, who has already thrown his most innings since 2021 and desires to point out the Twins he could be counted on within the second half and presumably into the playoffs. He’s additionally below contract for $7.5 million subsequent season as a part of an extension signed whereas rehabbing in 2023, a danger the Twins have been keen to take due to his perceived upside.
Paddack is lined as much as make two begins earlier than the All-Star break, and popping out of the break he’d seemingly make one or two extra begins earlier than the July 30 commerce deadline. If he appears to be like good, the Twins could really feel snug with their rotation as is. If he struggles, they may pursue a veteran starter to spice up a rotation that ranks twenty fourth in MLB with a 4.52 ERA.
Pablo López, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober aren’t going wherever, and rookie Simeon Woods Richardson has vastly outperformed expectations. However can the Twins depend on Paddack (and on Woods Richardson, given his restricted observe report) holding up in August, September and October? And might they depend on Festa and Louie Varland because the next-in-line starter depth?
(Photograph of Matt Wallner and Carlos Correa: Brace Hemmelgarn / Minnesota Twins / Getty Pictures)