Five of 19 Twins spring training invitees really stand out
With pitchers and catchers reporting Wednesday, the Minnesota Twins announced 19 players as non-roster invitees to spring training in Fort Myers, Florida.
The group of 19 players features nine pitchers, four catchers, four infielders, one outfielder and one utility player. Of the nine pitchers only one is a lefty and that's Jovani Moran.
There are five players that highlight the invitees that Twins fans should keep an eye on throughout February and March, and perhaps when the big-league season begins in late March.
Brook Lee
2023 stat line: .275/.347/.476 16 HR 84 RBI in 2023 (AA: 87 games, AAA: 38 games)
Despite the Twins having their shortstop and third base positions locked up for the foreseeable future, Brooks Lee won't be stuck in the minors for long. The 22-year-old infielder was taken by the Twins with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 draft. He has already made his way up to Triple-A, hitting .237 with five homers and 23 RBIs in 38 games for the Saints to end 2023. Twins general manager Thad Levine told MLB Network Radio in January that Lee will be called up to the majors "when he tells us he's ready to go."
DaShawn Keirsey
2023 stat line: .294/.366/.455 15 HR 61 RBI (AA: 91 games, AAA: 39 games)
The 26-year-old outfielder has been working his way through the Twins farm system since being taken in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. The lefty bat ended his 2023 season with Triple-A St. Paul, hitting .264 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 39 games. Keirsey can play all over the outfield, featuring mainly as a center fielder in Double-A but playing a majority of games in left field in Triple-A.
Jovani Moran
2023 stat line: 2-2 5.31 ERA 48 K 27 BB 42.1 IP (MLB)
Moran is the lone lefty pitcher invited to camp. The 26-year-old spent all of last season in the majors, coming out of the bullpen for the Twins. While the Twins didn't make a lot of moves this winter they did stockpile on bullpen arms which saw Moran bumped off the major league roster. Moran will have stiff competition to get back to the majors with FanGraphs projecting the Twins to have the best bullpen in the entire league this season.
Aaron Sabato
2023 stat line: .221/.329/.430 12 HR 45 RBI (AA: 77 games)
The Twins recently signed veteran first baseman Carlos Santana to fill one of the few holes in their everyday roster but at 37 he isn't the long-term solution. Sabato may be that guy one day and this will be the Twins' first chance to see if he can cut it with the big boys. The 24-year-old was taken by the Twins with the 27th overall pick in the 2020 draft.
David Festa
2023 stat line: 4-4 4.19 ERA 119 K 42 BB 92.1 IP (AA: 21 games, AAA: 3 games)
Festa has quickly risen through the Twins system, ending 2023 at Triple-A. In his first start for the Saints, Fest struck out seven batters. The 23-year-old is a 6-foot-6 righty who was represented the Twins at last summer's Futures Game, where he struck out Brewers top prospect Jackson Chourio. MLB Pipeline ranks Festa as Minnesota's 10th-best prospect. He boasts a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches 98-99 mph.
Jul 8, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; American League Futures pitcher David Festa (48) of the Minnesota Twins pitches to the National League during the fifth inning of the All Star-Futures game at T-Mobile Park.
© Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
The full list of non-roster invitees is below:
Pitchers:
- Jordan Balazovic
- Matt Bowman
- Jeff Brigham
- Randy Dobnak
- Daniel Duarte
- David Festa
- Ronny Henriquez
- Ryan Jensen
- Jovani Moran
Catchers
- Alex Isola
- Brian O'Keefe
- Chris Williams
- Pat Winkel
Infielders
- Michael Helman
- Brooks Lee
- Anthony Prato
- Aaron Sabato
Outfielders
- DaShawn Keirsey Jr.
Utility Players
- Niko Goodrum
Pitchers and catchers will go through their first workout Wednesday while position players will report Saturday and start working out Sunday. The Twins' first spring training game takes place Feb. 24 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
