I thought you might be interested in how the Twins players in winter ball are doing so far this year. We'll divide them into three categories: good, okay, and bad. We'll only look at those who've gotten a half-way decent amount of playing time: we'll say fifty at-bats or fifteen innings pitched.
THE GOOD
Oswaldo Arcia (Aragua, Venezuela) is hitting .281/.420/.607 in 89 at-bats. He has eight home runs and has drawn twenty walks.
Jorge Polanco (Escogido, Dominican Republic) is hitting .331/.396/.444 in 133 at-bats.
Eduardo Escobar (Anzoategui, Venezuela) is hitting .291/.342/.480 in 148 at-bats. He has eleven doubles, four triples, and three home runs.
Kennys Vargas (Mayaguez, Puerto Rico) is hitting .270/.350/.461 in 89 at-bats. He has five home runs.
Danny Santana (Aguilas, Dominican Republic) is hitting .289/.324/.443 in 97 at-bats. He is five-for-six in stolen bases.
Edgar Ibarra (Aragua, Venezuela) is 2-0, 2.16, 1.16 WHIP in 25 innings (21 appearances). He has walked nine and struck out twenty-three.
Jon Velasquez (Santurce, Puerto Rico) is 2-0, 2 saves, 2.41, 0.91 WHIP in 18.2 innings (15 appearances). He has walked four and struck out fifteen.
Deolis Guerra (Magallanes, Venezuela) is 0-1, 4 saves, 2.16, 1.14 WHIP in 16.2 innings (19 appearances). He has walked four and struck out nineteen.
Lewis Thorpe (Melbourne, Australia) is 1-1, 1.72, 1.15 WHIP in 15.2 innings (3 starts). He has walked four and struck out thirteen.
Yorman Landa (La Guaira, Venezuela) is 2-0, 3.45, 1.15 WHIP in 15.2 innings (12 appearances). He has walked five and struck out sixteen.
THE OKAY
Logan Wade (Brisbane, Australia) is hitting .297/.357/.354 in 64 at-bats.
Dakota Watts (Aragua, Venezuela) is 4-3, 3 saves, 3.48, 1.50 WHIP in 20.2 innings (22 appearances). He has walked twelve and struck out seven.
THE BAD
Daniel Ortiz (Mayaguez, Puerto Rico) is hitting .226/.258/.290 in 93 at-bats.
Eddie Rosario (Mayaguez, Puerto Rico) has followed up numbers of .238/.262/.275 in 80 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League with .131/.221/.213 in 61 at-bats in Puerto Rico.
Virgil Vasquez (Zulia, Venezuela) is 0-4, 6.49, 1.37 WHIP in 43 innings (nine starts). He has walked four and struck out thirty-two.
I wouldn't make too much out of any of this. It's small sample sizes, the competition is uneven, and the playing time is often inconsistent. It is presented as information, nothing more.
Oswaldo Arcia (Aragua, Venezuela) ... has drawn twenty walks.
I know it's the LVBL, but a ~18% walk rate is encouraging. I would expect it to be higher than what his MLB average would be, so seeing it high is nice.
His walk rate was about six percent with the Twins last year and around eight percent for his minor league career. I'm hopeful that this suggests a more patient approach from him, rather than just pitchers who can't find the strike zone. I'm also hopeful that if he does have a more patient approach, we won't hear complaints from the Twins that he's lost his aggressiveness.