Twins stay confident in Matt Wallner despite another slow spring

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Matt Wallner did something unusual in the first inning of the Twins’ 4-1 loss to Philadelphia at Hammond Stadium on Monday. Well, two unusual things.

The first was that he led off by hitting a ball squarely, toward the right-field wall with an exit velocity over 100 mph, but in the gusting wind swirling around the park, it somehow didn’t reach the seats. That doesn’t happen often.

Wallner settled for a double, his first non-home run hit of the spring. And simply recording a hit of any kind — much less two, which he accomplished for the first time in 2025 with a fifth-inning single — is rare in itself.

It’s both bizarre and yet somehow comforting that Wallner, in his third spring camp with the Twins, is enduring his third consecutive springtime slump, too. With those two hits in four at-bats, the Forest Lake product raised his batting average by 44 points — all the way to .152. That’s roughly halfway between his .132 camp average last year, and his .207 debut in 2023.

Wallner, whose three home runs lead the team, said the numbers lie, that he’s having a good spring. “Honestly, I feel I’m in a really good spot. I’m getting really good swings on the ball,” the 27-year-old right fielder said. “I feel good at the plate. I’d rather hit balls hard right at people now than start 10-for-12 and run out of luck during the year.”

His manager agrees.

“You can’t explain it, but honestly, I don’t worry about it,” Rocco Baldelli said of Waller’s rough month. “I pay significantly more attention to the types of at-bats, pitches that are being swung at, how close a guy is to being on everything. The numbers in spring training, the statistics, don’t really matter. He’s had good, deep at-bats.”

In fact, Baldelli believes Wallner’s annual slow starts mask the kind of hitter he actually is. ESPN reporter Buster Olney did a tour of Florida camps last week, and on the network’s “Baseball Tonight” podcast he said “The most surprising statement I heard [during his trip] was this [from Baldelli]: ‘On the days that he plays, Wallner is one of the five best offensive players in baseball.’ He really believes that.”

Indeed he does.

“He not only was our best hitter in the second half of the season, there was a long stretch where he was one of the five best hitters in the league,” Baldelli reiterated over the weekend. “Over the last two seasons, he’s been our best hitter. The most productive hitter in our lineup — you can look it up.”

Over the two seasons combined, in fact, Wallner’s .886 OPS is the best on the Twins, as is his 144 OPS+, which adjusts for ballparks. And his .914 OPS after the All-Star break last summer ranked seventh in the American League.

“I’m not a fortune-teller, but I know his track record is really strong,” Baldelli said. “I know I like guys who hit like Matt Wallner.”

Pablo López allowed the Phillies to score four runs in the second inning of Monday’s game, which was delayed by nearly an hour by a pregame thunderstorm, but the righthander said he was satisfied with the 78-pitch start.

“Despite those long, taxing innings, my stuff was still there,” said López, the Twins’ Opening Day starter on March 27. “I was like, ‘Let’s attack, let’s get some quick outs.’ But I didn’t execute my location on two-strike counts. Too much in the zone. … On those kill counts, I didn’t go for the kill.”

The Twins didn’t manage a run until the ninth inning, when their regulars were out of the game. Their best scoring chance came in the fifth inning, when they loaded the bases with one out. But Byron Buxton hit a sharp ground ball at shortstop Rafael Lantigua, who started an inning-ending double play.

“You don’t see him hit into many double plays. But it’s the middle of camp,” Baldelli said. “When he hits a two-hopper directly at the shortstop, I don’t want it to be in his playbook to try to run the fastest time he’s ever had down the line. He’s doing more than enough at this point physically.”

• Speaking of slow starts, Carlos Correa went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks Monday, making him 1-for-21 (.048) in Grapefruit League play. Deadpanned Baldelli of the three-time All-Star: “If this keeps up … I project there’s a strong chance he’s going to be our Opening Day shortstop. Next question.”

• The Twins arranged for a petting zoo to set up in the players’ parking lot Monday morning, and invited the players to bring their families to enjoy the llamas, baby goats and other animals. “Just trying to do something to thank the wives and children for their support,” Baldelli said, “and break up the monotony of camp a little bit. Looked like the kids were having a great time.”

• Passes to all 81 games at Target Field went on sale Monday for $324 each, or $4 per game. The passes do not come with seats, but fans may watch from any standing-room spot or any of the social spaces around the ballpark, or upgrade to available seats on a per-game basis. Monthly passes are available for $59 per month.