FORT MYERS, Fla. — A poor weather forecast for Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis has put the Twins’ scheduled opener in jeopardy.
The Twins are supposed to host the Seattle Mariners at 3:10 at Target Field to kick off the 2022 season, but forecasts for Thursday currently project a mixture of rain and snow with temperatures in the 30s. Friday is expected to be slightly warmer and, most importantly, dry. The off day after Opening Day is built into the schedule for this possibility.
“We are watching the weather closely. Any decision to shift the opener to Friday will be made a minimum of 24 hours prior to Thursday’s scheduled game time,” the Twins said in a statement.
Should Thursday’s game be postponed, it would be the first postponement of Opening Day at Target Field since the Twins’ stadium opened in 2010. But that doesn’t mean Twins’ openers the past several seasons have gone according to plan.
The Twins originally were scheduled to begin this season with three games in Chicago, beginning on March 31. They were then supposed to travel to Cleveland, where they would play three games against the Guardians. All six of those games were postponed as a result of the lockout and will be made up later in the season.
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The Twins’ opener in 2020 was postponed due to COVID-19. That year, the Major League Baseball season did not start until late July.
Prospect watch
The Minor League Baseball season kicked off on Tuesday, and many of the Twins’ top prospects were in action.
The Twins are expected to break camp with three of their top 10 prospects (per MLB Pipeline): No. 4 Joe Ryan, who will be their Opening Day starting pitcher; No. 6 Jhoan Duran, who will be in the bullpen, and No. 7 Josh Winder, also a pitcher.
While the Twins have not officially named their roster, the 25-year-old Winder, a starter, is also expected to slot into the bullpen for the time being.
Three more of the franchise’s top 10 prospects — No. 1 Royce Lewis, No. 3, Jose Miranda and No. 5 Jordan Balazovic (who will begin the year on the injured list with a left knee strain) — are starting with the Triple-A Saints, while No. 2 Austin Martin, No. 8 Simeon Woods Richardson and No. 9 Matt Canterino are all beginning in Double-A.
Noah Miller (No. 10) will begin his season with Class-A Fort Myers.
Briefly
The Twins wrapped up their spring slate on Tuesday with a 10-6 exhibition loss to the Red Sox at jetBlue Park. They finished 9-10 this spring. … Byron Buxton hit his fifth home run of the spring, finishing off Grapefruit League play hitting .469 with a 1.608 OPS in 32 at-bats. … Shortstop Carlos Correa also homered in the game, wrapping up a spring in which he hit .350 with a 1.250 OPS.
