Numbers back eye test: Twins' D improved

No, it's not just your eyes -- the Twins really are playing better defense this year.

It's admittedly a small sample size through 14 games, but considering both traditional and advanced metrics -- as well as the eye test -- the Twins have been rather sure-handed in the field in 2020, which has contributed to their 10-4 start while playing a larger share of close games than expected, considering the offensive talent.

"We've been playing a lot of close, lower-scoring ballgames -- ballgames that we didn't play a ton of last year, relatively speaking," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "Our guys have gone out in those games and made big plays. They've continually gotten those good first steps, and the ball's going in their glove and they're making good throws. I don't want to get ahead of ourselves because we're very early, but they've been putting on a nice clinic out there."

The Twins have only committed two errors this season, tied with the Cardinals for second-fewest in the Majors behind the Blue Jays. A more nuanced look at defense from two advanced metrics -- ultimate zone rating (UZR) and defensive runs saved (DRS) -- paint a similarly rosy picture. UZR has the Twins' defense as the second best in baseball behind Baltimore, while Minnesota's plus-7 DRS is tied for fourth behind Cleveland, the Dodgers and Rockies.

Having a (mostly) healthy Byron Buxton in center field certainly helps, as does the newfound health of Eddie Rosario, who never fully recovered from a sprained left ankle last June and saw his defense suffer as a result. The Twins' outfield, unsurprisingly, is tied for second in baseball with plus-6 DRS.

Though both Luis Arraez and Jorge Polanco have appeared much-improved to the eye on defense, the Twins' infield has actually still been a net negative with minus-4 DRS, though Baldelli and Arraez have both talked about a renewed focus on first step for all of the Twins' infielders as a way to improve their effective range in the field.

"We've talked about the consistency in jumps and reads and first movements for our infielders," Baldelli said. "That's something that has been a point of emphasis for a lot of our guys. It's been a very easy conversation in a sense that they've been very open and wanting to hear where they think they can improve."

Twins infield coordinator and third-base coach Tony Diaz has had his hands full with not only Miguel Sanó's transition to first base, but also with the 2019 infield challenges for both Arraez (minus-6 outs above average, per Statcast) and Polanco (minus-14 OAA). Still, Polanco said the Twins are putting in plenty of work with Diaz during batting practice to continue to close that gap, and Arraez has also spoken to some more nuanced elements of his defense that have become a focus.

"Also, I pay a lot of attention to the catcher signs right before every pitch, and that helps me with my first step and positioning myself in the right place," Arraez said. "Just connecting with the pitcher. By following the catcher's signs, I know what the pitcher is going to throw. Just that first step and staying in my position and not [being] behind or [getting] too much ahead."

Littell expected back soon
It shouldn't be long before the Twins' bullpen is fortified with the return of Zack Littell. Baldelli said Saturday that the 24-year-old will likely not require too much more than the minimum 10 days on the injured list for his left hamstring strain, and the timing of Littell's activation could depend more on roster considerations around the rest of the pitching staff.

Littell is eligible to come off the IL on Monday in Milwaukee. Baldelli said that the final concern with Littell was in his ability to sprint, cover first base and field ground balls, and those are not expected to be an issue upon the right-hander's return.

"It obviously has nothing to do with his arm," Baldelli said. "He’s been throwing the ball great, looks great. I talked to him the other day in the office, just checking in, and he said he was feeling really good."

Littell posted a 2.68 ERA in 29 relief appearances for the Twins last season. Minnesota is currently using a 16-man pitching staff, including bullpen depth options like Jorge Alcala, Caleb Thielbar and Sean Poppen.

Hill won't pitch in Milwaukee
The Twins have announced two of their starters for the upcoming three-game series in Milwaukee, with Randy Dobnak slated for Monday's series opener and Kenta Maeda penciled in for Wednesday's finale. According to Baldelli, that middle slot won't belong to Rich Hill, who will be eligible to return to the roster by then but hasn't progressed enough with his left shoulder fatigue to make the start.

Though Hill said earlier this week that he could throw a bullpen session sometime this weekend in Kansas City, Baldelli indicated Saturday that the Twins are still taking Hill's recovery day by day, and he doesn't yet have a bullpen day planned for the veteran left-hander.

"I think we'll learn a lot while we're in Milwaukee, too, about exactly where he's going to be," Baldelli said. "He's of course going to need to throw at least a substantial bullpen session before we would see him out on the mound. He's going to have to lengthen out that throwing program again, throw a bullpen and then we can assess at that point."