Blogs

I was curious about great 3B players so I went to check on a few to see how they aged and whether the four year contract for Josh Donaldson was really a good deal for both team and player. What are the potentials for regret? I cannot predict injuries or aging, but this list makes me feel better and optimistic.

Mike Schmidt ages 34 - 37 hit HRs to almost...

If you follow me on Twitter, you know I've been taking advantage of legalized sports betting in Iowa. Not many days go by between my comments or observations concerning the betting lines on the teams and sports that I tend to follow.

http://knuckleballsb...79315630183.jpg

Naturally, that mean...

In his fourth offseason at the head of the Minnesota Twins, there are two words Derek Falvey wishes he could take back, "Impact Pitching".

It's all the casual Twins fan has been talking about this offseason, up until the Josh Donaldson signing, of course.

The fact of the matter is that the Twins were agressive in pursuing their "Plan A" options for the...

I have been a Twins fan since I was six years old, when they moved to the Twin Cities from Washington. After nearly sixty years, I doubt that that will ever be a fan of another baseball team or lose interest in "my team". In the course of the 59 years that the Twins have been the Twins, I have always had a favorite player or two every year. Sometimes that...

Tonight Josh Donaldson agreed to a four-year, $92 million contract with the Minnesota Twins. It's the largest in franchise history by nearly double the financial commitment, and it's the first major commitment placed by the new front office. Early into the decade or not, this one is something that will go down in history.

Last offseason I touched on Dona...

For more precise discussion I decided to open this blog. I have great hopes for Graterol! What we need most is starting pitching, we need him to work on what needs to be worked on thru spring training & minors until he`s ready. Then take him slow, maybe use him as an opener & gradually increase his innings. He has pretty good spin rate. Seems like...

Luis Arraez was a human adrenaline shot for the 2019 Minnesota Twins, providing 2.1 fWAR in 92 games. That value was driven nearly entirely from his .334/.399/.439 slash line, which amounted to a 125 wRC+ and comparisons to Tony Gwynn. Arraez is clearly mature beyond his years with his ability to handle the bat, but his defense is among the team's worst....

It seems like the Twins are settling in on a 4-year window of being competitive. Last year the Twins signed 2 of their core players to 5-year contracts totaling just over 60 million. Note, they now have 4 years left on those extensions. Just a few days ago the wins signed Sano to an extension that has a guaranteed 3-year extension with a 4th year option....

MLB Statcast recently unveiled its Outs Above Average (OAA) rankings for MLB infielders (it was previously only available for outfielders) and the numbers make a compelling case for Marwin Gonzalez. With Gonzalez rated as Minnesota’s best defensive infielder and a current need to fill in C.J. Cron’s place at first base, moving Miguel Sano to first and slo...

A lot has been made of Jorge Polanco's rough defense this season, and rightfully so. His fielding percentage was the worst of his career aside from 2018, where he only played about half of the innings. His 22 errors were second worst among shortstops only to Tim Anderson. I think 2020 holds an opportunity for improvement however, as Polanco recovers from...

There's been talk for a very long time about the Twins getting Josh Donaldson and moving Miguel Sano to 1st. Last week, I listed all the reasons why signing Donaldson was a good idea. Today, I'm going to list the reasons why it might not be such a good idea.
PRICE
One of the main things that might not be good about signing Donaldson is his price. He want...

I’ve been having bomba withdrawal of late. You can't give somebody 307 of them and then just expect them to go cold turkey! So over on my YouTube channel I whipped together some quick highlight reels of home runs from the 2019 Minnesota Twins.

Jorge Polanco:


Technically next up were Jonathan Schoop and C.J....

Per Dan Hayes the Twins have signed Homer Bailey and Rich Hill. Homer Bailey will be an interesting project 5th starter and Rich Hill will be really solid, when he’s healthy and that won’t be until July at best. These signings don’t fit Falvey’s “impact pitching” he said he’d go get, a quote he probably is wishing he never said now.


Homer Bailey

Comin...

December 29
Happy Birthday, Jim Brower

Happy 47th birthday to 1991 Minnetonka graduate and Golden Gophers all-time great Jim Brower (1994 Dave Winfield Pitcher of the Year Award winner).

He spent parts of nine seasons in the majors with Cleveland, the Reds, Expos, Giants, Atlanta, the Orioles, Padres, and Yankees.

He led the majors with 89 appearance...

For those of us that keep an eye on the financial side of the Minnesota Twins, 2024 is going to be a big year. No, there’s no long-term albatross contract that finally comes off the books (at least not yet). 2024 is the first year of a potential new local TV rights deal with Fox Sports North (or whatever Sinclair will call the station once it takes over o...

Honorable Mention:
Twins open Target Field with win over Red Sox (2010)
Kennys Vargas walk-off homer against league-leading Cardinals (2015)
Twins come back from 6-0 deficit to beat Orioles (2017)
Minnesota defeats Boston in 17 innings (2019)
Eddie Rosario hits three homers against Cleveland, including walk-off (2018)

10. Devin’s Day (2019)

When Devin...

Ken Rosenthal said on Twitter this morning (I can't figure out how to embed on here):

"Expectation within the industry is Ryu will exceed Bumgarner's $17m aav in deal of at least four years. Two industry people with knowledge of starting pitching market predict minimum 4 years/$80 million. Teams still in need of starter include Blue Jays, Angels, Twins....

Lots of teeth gnashing on Twins' offseason so far - and for good reason. The strong FA pitching class has been whittled down to almost the vanishing point, or so it seems to many of us. After a record-setting 101 win season, followed by the crushing exit at the hands of the Evil Empire, the FO made noises about adding impact pitching. As most of us on T...

Felix Hernandez RP 34 - Doesn't want to share crown with Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes
Josh Donaldson 3B 34 - Loons kinda freak him out
Jacoby Ellsbury CF 36 - No longer very good at baseball
Dallas Keuchel SP 32 - Concerned that North Stars fans still aren't over it
Edwin Encarnacion DH 37 - Weather too cold for imaginary parrot
Alex Gordon CF 36 - Retr...

So far the 2019-2020 MLB offseason is getting off to a hot start, while the Atlanta Braves have been resigning some of their own Free Agents they signed Will Smith to a 3yr/$39M deal, they also signed Travis d’arnaud to a 2yr/$16M deal, they even signed Cole Hamels to a 1yr/$18M deal. The White Sox signed the top catcher on this year’s market by signing...