\n\tIt\u2019s been an eventful few days of spring baseball for the Twins. They opened the stretch with a dominant 15-0 win over the Yankees on Thursday before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Braves on Friday and a tight 3-2 game to the Orioles on Saturday. Sunday\u2019s matchup with the Phillies provided some late drama, as the Twins walked it off in a 7-6 victory.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThe results themselves aren\u2019t the main focus this time of year. Early March is more about individual progress, building innings, and seeing which players are starting to separate themselves as camp moves along.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tWith that in mind, here\u2019s the latest temperature check from the past few days of Twins spring action.\n<\/p>\n
\tWho\u2019s Hot?\u00a0\ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n
\tBailey Ober<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tOber finally made his spring debut on Friday, and it couldn\u2019t have gone much smoother. The right-hander tossed two scoreless innings without allowing a baserunner, giving the Twins exactly what they were hoping for in his first outing of camp. His fastball averaged around 90 mph, which is right in line with expectations. Ober has never been a power arm, typically working in the low 90s while relying on command and deception to keep hitters off balance. The biggest takeaway here is simply that he\u2019s healthy and back on the mound, and his first appearance of the spring was a clean one.\n<\/p>\n \tBrooks Lee<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tThe Twins\u2019 starting shortstop put together a strong weekend at the plate. He went 3-for-6, including a triple and a double, and four of the five balls he put in play were classified as hard contact. For a player who hasn\u2019t quite lived up to the early hype surrounding his prospect status yet, this is an encouraging sign. When Lee is driving the ball with authority like this, it\u2019s a glimpse of the offensive impact the Twins believed he could provide when they drafted him.\n<\/p>\n \tMick Abel<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tThrough three spring starts, Abel continues to look like one of the most dominant pitchers in camp. In his latest outing, he threw four scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and no walks. That now gives him 10 innings this spring without issuing a free pass, to go along with 13 strikeouts. He didn\u2019t rack up quite as many whiffs as he did in his first couple of appearances, but that was largely because Baltimore\u2019s hitters were aggressively swinging early in counts as Abel attacked the zone with fastballs. He still consistently ran his heater up to 98 mph and needed just 41 pitches to get through four innings, 30 of which were strikes. Considering he was facing several Orioles regulars, it was another impressive showing and further evidence that Abel is making a strong case for a spot in the Twins\u2019 rotation.\n<\/p>\n \tJames Outman<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tOutman has quietly put together a strong stretch over the past few days. Since Thursday, he\u2019s gone 3-for-7 with a home run and three stolen bases, showing off both his power and athleticism. A couple of his batted balls have come off the bat at 100 mph or harder, highlighting the kind of impact contact he\u2019s capable of when he\u2019s locked in. With several outfielders competing for limited spots on the Opening Day roster, performances like this keep Outman firmly in the mix.\n<\/p>\n \tWho\u2019s Not?\u00a0\ud83e\uddca<\/p>\n \tJustin Topa<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tIt\u2019s been a rough spring for Topa, and that continued Sunday when he squandered a Twins lead against Philadelphia. He allowed four runs on three hits and a hit-by-pitch, and the damage came against a Phillies lineup made up mostly of backups rather than regulars. Through his appearances this spring, Topa\u2019s ERA now sits north of 30, which obviously isn\u2019t the kind of line you want to see this late into camp. There\u2019s still time for him to turn things around, but each tough outing makes the battle for a bullpen spot a little more difficult.\n<\/p>\n