FORT MYERS – Minnesota Twins baseball returned on Friday night, though it won’t count even in spring training’s Grapefruit League standings. The Twins beat the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers baseball team, with Zebby Matthews starting and Cole Sands following him on the mound.Â
Gophers pitchers faced a mix of veterans (Josh Bell – 1B, Kody Clemens – 2B, Gio Urshela – 3B) and top prospects (Emmanuel Rodriguez – CF, Henry Mendez – DH, Gabriel Gonzalez – RF; Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper subbed in midway).Â
I’m not going to go over any of their stats, because it would create the false impression that any of it means anything. Instead, I’ll tell you that it was a beautiful night, included a great sunset, and was appreciated by an appropriately sized half-full Hammond stadium. Matthews threw hard and seemed to feel good, which is probably the most important takeaway.
Tomorrow afternoon, the Grapefruit League schedule will start with a home game versus the crosstown rival Boston Red Sox, and with Joe Ryan starting the game.Â
Ownership Thoughts
New Twins executive chair Tom Pohlad has spent the week in Fort Myers with his family, the team, management, and even the media. The message has been consistent: he wants to be hands on, he wants to be aggressive, and he wants the team to win this year. The reaction, of course, has been skepticism, because the Twins have consistently spent less under the Pohlads than the average MLB team for at least the entirety of 21st century.
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