Pirates and Twins Release Lineups for Spring Training Opener
By Adam Weinrib
The Minnesota Twins got a head start on their Spring Training competition when they pasted the Golden Gophers on Friday night, but the first, true Grapefruit League game of their 2020 slate hits on Saturday against the Pirates, and yeah, it just hits different!
Minnesota will send out several regulars, alongside some top prospects, in their first MLB battle of the offseason.
#Twins Arraez(L) 2B Astudillo(R) C Cave(L) RF Larnach(L) DH Wade(L) LF Lewis(R) SS Celestino(R) CF Wiel(R) 1B Reinheimer(R) 3B https://t.co/Q1qiobeqlu
— MLB Daily Lineups (@DailyMLBLineups) February 22, 2020
Breakout 2019 rookies Luis Arraez and Willians Astudillo start us off, and Minnesota's fans will be excited to see top prospects Trevor Larnach and Royce Lewis out there, as well.
As for the Pirates? Mitch Keller will be the first man on the mound, and he'll be backed up by star regulars like Josh Bell, Adam Frazier, and Bryan Reynolds.
First Grapefruit lineup of the spring! Our Alex Stumpf will have all your coverage of Pirates-Twins today, 1:05 p.m., from Bradenton! #DKPS #Pirates pic.twitter.com/MuItM1KnDv
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPghSports) February 22, 2020
Minnesota seems better positioned to contend this season, with six batters in their everyday lineup cracking MLB Network's Top 100 players (sorry, Minny, you'll have to wait a bit longer for Josh Donaldson's debut). But hope springs eternal, and every Pirates fan will be glued to the television on Saturday, too.
That's the beauty of baseball.