In May, when it was unclear whether Major League Baseball would hold a 2020 season, Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson estimated it would take a month for his pitching staff to be physically ready to play real games.
On Monday, the Twins wrapped up their summer training camp with a round of batting practice, a half-hour of grounders and fly balls and a five-inning intrasquad game, just 17 days after they started. They may play catch Tuesday in Target Field and Thursday in Chicago, and they'll face the Cubs in a Wednesday exhibition game, but basically, practice is over for the Twins.
Johnson, shorted by two weeks of the preparation time he wanted, is OK with that.
"It was enough time. Do you wish for more? Absolutely. But it's a huge testament how these guys came [to Minnesota] in shape," Johnson said Monday. "They were ready to go, ready to compete. I keep hearing over and over, 'Man, I don't want to throw any more bullpens. I'm ready to see hitters.' "
Even better, Johnson said, nearly every young pitcher on the staff has used the time to add to his game.
"We're trying to get Jose [Berrios] to utilize his changeup a little more. He's done that," Johnson said. "Where Taylor Rogers is with his breaking ball right now, we're very happy. He's thrown a lot of sliders and curveballs [and] we're starting to get a true separation between those two pitches. I really like what Tyler Duffey is doing with his breaking ball as well. …Yeah, we could be here a long time talking about different [improvements]."
Club and country
Berrios on Friday will become the fourth Puerto Rican pitcher to make more than one Opening Day start, joining ex-Brewer Ricky Bones, former Cubs and White Sox pitcher Jaime Navarro and former Expos and Diamondbacks pitcher Javier Vazquez.
"It makes me feel proud of where I come from. I didn't see all of them growing up, but I saw Javier Vazquez," the two-time All-Star said. "I'm just happy I'm representing Puerto Rico this way."