Chin Music w/ Roy Smalley, LaVelle E. Neal III & Jim Souhan - Minnesota Twins Podcast · Talk North Podcast Network

Lineup shuffle

·31 min·2 clips

Royce Lewis is at 1,008 career plate appearances, and Roy says "this will be the year" he finds out what kind of hitter he is.

1. Chin Music w/ Roy Smalley, LaVelle E. Neal III & Jim Souhan - Minnesota Twins Podcast uses "Lineup shuffle" to frame the Twins’ opening-day roster questions. 2. Roy Smalley, LaVelle E. Neal III, and Jim Souhan matter here because they connect spring training observations to the Twins’ batting order and pitching staff. 3. The episode asks which Twins hitters and pitchers are ready when the regular season opens against the Orioles in Baltimore. 4. Roy says the Twins still lack a clear No. 3 hitter, and he says that spot will shape the rest of the order. 5. He expects Byron Buxton and Luke Keaschall to bat first and second because both can run and get on base. 6. Roy says Keaschall is the best third-place hitter right now because he takes tough at-bats against all kinds of pitching. 7. LaVelle points to Keaschall’s spring line, including a .364 average and a strong role after injuries limited him last year. 8. The hosts say Josh Bell could end up cleanup because he is a switch hitter with pop and has played well this spring. 9. They also say the order changes a lot against left-handed pitching, where the Twins could look vulnerable until Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee hit better. 10. LaVelle says Allen Roden may make the team because Austin Martin is out, and he could start in left field against right-handers. 11. Roy says spring training numbers do not usually matter for established players, but they do worry managers when the player is supposed to carry real responsibility. 12. Royce Lewis is the clearest example because he has 1,008 career plate appearances and is hitting .091 in spring training. 13. LaVelle says Lewis remade his swing, hired a hitting coach, and went back to his old workout plan. 14. Roy says Lewis has to "be the guy" because the Twins once thought they could build the club around him quickly. 15. LaVelle notes that Lewis has looked good defensively in Florida, including several strong plays in the field. 16. The episode also covers Matt Wallner, whom Roy describes as a 40-home-run type who still needs more contact. 17. The pitching conversation turns to Mick Abel, whose "nasty" stuff has drawn praise even though command remains the key question. 18. Zebby Matthews comes up as the opposite case: he says he nibbles, and Roy argues pitchers need to attack hitters early and pitch inside. 19. The tone is conversational and baseball-nerdy, with long back-and-forth analysis and a spring-training memory about raccoons and family life on the road. 20. Twins fans tracking the lineup battle and spring stats will get the most from this episode; listeners wanting a tight game recap may skip it.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Chin Music w/ Roy Smalley, LaVelle E. Neal III & Jim Souhan - Minnesota Twins Podcast