NORTH PORT, FLA. – Trevor Larnach, the Twins' 2018 first-round draft pick, hit a 450-foot home run to straightaway center field, singled and even stole a base. Shea Langeliers, drafted ninth overall by Atlanta last June, smacked a tiebreaking two-run home run, too, off Twins lefthander Caleb Thielbar.
Tyler Webb, Trevor Larnach homer as Twins tie Braves
The Twins salvaged a tie against Atlanta behind a top prospect and a 40th-round draft pick.
February 26, 2020 at 2:54AM
But the biggest home run of the day was provided by a 40th-rounder.
Tyler Webb, the Twins' final pick in last year's draft, crushed a two-run shot to right-center in the ninth inning, and the Twins — despite what the scoreboard at brand-new CoolToday Park said — avoided their first Grapefruit League loss of the spring by salvaging a 4-4 tie against the Braves on Tuesday.
Larnach, the Twins' minor league player of the year for his 44 extra-base hits at Class A and AA last summer, led off the second inning by connecting on a 1-2 pitch from Mike Foltynewicz, launching over the batter's eye in straightaway center. Foltynewicz was a 2018 All-Star, not that the Twins' rookie outfielder knew it.
"Was he? I just know he's a big leaguer, and my job is just to go out there and produce runs," said Larnach, who is serving as designated hitter while working out soreness in his right shoulder. "It felt good, and I'll take that and try and keep it going for upcoming games."
His manager wouldn't mind seeing that, either. "He's getting pretty close to being able to be an option for us," Rocco Baldelli said. "Stick him somewhere in a prominent spot in the lineup and let him go hit."
The Twins trailed 4-2 in the ninth when Webb, who finished last season at Class A Cedar Rapids, tied the score.
The game ended in a tie, though the 4,937 in attendance might have been confused. A scoreboard glitch in the eighth inning credited the Twins with an extra run, and operators in the new park, which opened last week, were unable to erase it.
The St. Petersburg City Council reversed course Thursday on whether to spend more than $23 million to repair the hurricane-shredded roof of the Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark, initially voting narrowly for approval and hours later changing course.
