Week 1 spring training stars

Spring games may not matter in terms of results, but they matter to everyone playing in them, especially to those who are not locks for their team’s active MLB roster. But every player wants to shine in the spring, and several Twins have already made strides through the opening week of March.

Here are a few Twins who have already left their mark on the Minnesota baseball preseason.

Kyle Garlick, OF
5 G, 4-10, 2 HR, 2B, 3 R, 6 RBI
The mid-February waiver claim has been in a competition for a back-end outfield spot and has put his best bat forward. Tied for second through eight of the team’s games with 10 at-bats, Garlick has led the Twins in homers with a pair, in runs with three, and in runs batted in with six. There’s still plenty of spring to go, but the ex-Dodger and Philly has gotten off to the strongest start on the team.

Keon Broxton, OF
6 G, 5-8, HR, 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI
Broxton is not on the 40-man roster, but he has made a case to play somewhere if this week is taken into account. One of three Twins to appear in six games, Broxton leads Minnesota with a small-sample-size .625 batting average and is tied with Garlick and Gilberto Celestino with three runs scored.

José Berríos, SP
Kenta Maeda, SP
Matt Shoemaker, SP
Lewis Thorpe, SP
Combined: 5 G, 5 GS, 0.00 ERA, 9.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 13 K

Of the Twins’ eight starts at the time of writing, five have been scoreless, Thorpe keeping opponents off the scoreboard in both his outings. Notably, only Berríos has allowed a hit, and Shoemaker’s 2.1-inning start was perfect.

Ian Hamilton, RP
2 G, 0.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, 1 SV, 0 H, 1 BB, 4 K
Hamilton has appeared twice, tallying one of the Twins’ two spring training saves (Griffin Jax has the other) while allowing a single baserunner across his two frames on the mound.

Nelson Cruz, DH
2 G, 2-5, HR, 1 R, 3 RBI
Aside from his way-too-small-sample-size .400 average, Cruz provided the photo of the spring to this point.