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One of the newest additions to the Twins¡¯ 40-man roster, right-hander Travis Adams, had long wanted to take a trip to Japan, so he and roommate Jaylen Nowlin went abroad for two weeks at the end of their season, meandering through Kyoto, Osaka and the outskirts of Tokyo while enjoying the high-speed train system and the food.

But they still took some time away from leisure to find a chance to help out -- even a world away from home.

During one of their nights in Japan, Adams and Nowlin left Shibuya (on the outskirts of Tokyo) and traveled two hours to meet their old coach in the Twins¡¯ organization, Takashi Miyoshi, at his youth clinic, where the duo of Minor Leaguers spoke to a group of young ballplayers -- aged 8 to 16 -- about their journeys through American baseball and the mental side of the game.

¡°It was kind of funny -- [Miyoshi] said there¡¯s stuff that he's told the kids, and they kind of didn't believe him,¡± Adams said. ¡°And so when we said basically the same things, they realized that he was right. He said the kids didn't believe him or what he was saying before, until we said it. Then, they believed it.¡±

Miyoshi, now with the Reds, had been a coach in the Twins¡¯ organization from 2018-23, most recently serving as the bench coach for Double-A Wichita, and Adams and Nowlin had known that Miyoshi would go back to Japan to work with kids during his offseasons -- and had told him that they hoped to visit one day, too.

They followed through on that, reaching out to Miyoshi around their trip, and had the chance to talk about the roles of changeups and sliders as part of secondary arsenals in the U.S., even showing some of their mechanics as part of a small clinic for the 40-50 pupils and their families.

¡°We just talked about mentality with them, and changed their view on how they viewed these things,¡± Adams said. ¡°They got to watch us throw and [see] the mechanical difference from Japanese players to us. ¡­ They watched us throw and learn what we do differently.¡±

That was, in theory, the relaxing part of what should be Adams¡¯ busiest offseason yet as a professional, because things are about to escalate for the 24-year-old former sixth-round Draft selection from here.

Adams was added to the Twins¡¯ 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, which means he¡¯s likely in line to attend TwinsFest in January, then report early to Spring Training, where he¡¯ll be on the Major League side for the first time -- his reward for a 3.90 ERA with 118 strikeouts and 35 walks in 127 innings with Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul in ¡¯24.

His August in particular was ridiculous -- a 0.70 ERA with 28 strikeouts and seven walks in 25 2/3 innings -- and for that, he credits his trust in the Twins¡¯ player development staff, who helped him add a cutter, then convert his sweeper into a slider with big swing-and-miss numbers, rounding out a six-pitch arsenal that might have him on the cusp of impacting the Twins.

¡°I think it'll feel more real once I get into Spring Training and big league camp stuff starts,¡± Adams said. ¡°I think that¡¯s when it¡¯ll more set in.¡±

And if taking that trip to Japan and making the 40-man roster hadn¡¯t already made for a crazy enough season, wait until you hear how the year started.

During Spring Training in Fort Myers, Fla., Adams and Nowlin had their own housing, away from the Twins¡¯ complex -- and one day, they heard a loud bang from across the street, where a circuit breaker had blown in their neighbor¡¯s place and caused the entire back of the house to erupt in flames.

Adams ran out onto the street, asked the gathered crowd if anyone was inside, then kicked open the front door, which was blocked by a pile of things. He then went around the side to another door, where he got the door open and helped the homeowner escape the flames -- an act that later made the rounds on local news.

¡°It was the funniest thing, having to explain to some people the next day what had happened over the weekend,¡± Adams said.

¡°A lot of stuff happened in 2024 for me,¡± Adams added with a laugh.