You all care about this site. The next step is caring for it. We’re asking you to caretake this site so it can remain the premier Twins community on the internet.
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch -----In the first part of this series, I discussed why the Twins should focus only on improving 3 things, and if they do so, they will be competitive. I also spoke in length about the first of those things, fixing the bullpen. Today, in the second part, I will be discussing the outfield. The outfield situation was, using one word, horrid in 2014. And this is nothing new. I looked at the outfield defense performance at length, while the ashes
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---- At first read, the title of this series sounds very much like A Midsummer Night's Dream: Do I dare suggest that the team that went from 99 to 96 to 96 to 92 losses the past five seasons needs to do only three things to compete? The next number to that Arithmetic Progression up there is between 88 and 92 and that is not competing by any means. Let me explain my train of thought here before the nice kind people in white come and get me to war
The mantra has been the same over the last month, regardless of the source. “The best division in baseball? You have to think it’s the AL Central.” or “The most competitive division this season looks to be the AL Central!” No matter how it is framed, the reasons listed are always the same: “The perennial favorite Detroit Tigers still have David Price, Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera.” “The AL Champion Royals still have that speedy offense and one of the best bullpens in baseball.” “The
Spring training is meaningful. Jobs are won and lost as a result. They should be. Statistics from spring training exhibition games have no meaning. They should not be kept, reported or used in support of roster making decisions. I hope the Twins don't keep them or use them. Not only is the data in a sample too small to be meaningful but the level of competition varies. It is critical the Twins get the roster right though. They need to rely on the skill of the coaching staff and other staff
You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L45Ao4eiZEw/VPB4BbIs-JI/AAAAAAAALGE/p2oCHg62n80/s1600/paul%2Bsaul.jpg Paul is a cranky pants this week, I think he hates Spring Training. We dive into that assumption and figure out what the heck the Twins are doing for the next couple weeks. We're joined this week by Jeremy Ny
All New Talk To Contact Podcast! Paul is a cranky pants this week, I think he hates Spring Training. We dive into that assumption and figure out what the heck the Twins are doing for the next couple weeks. We're joined this week by Jeremy Nygaard from TwinsDaily.com to talk more about prospects, pitching, and even a little fantasy baseball. Then, as always, beer, baseball, and the news. Thanks for listening!
As the beginning of the 2015 season quickly approaches, the Twins marketing team has been hard at work. How do you try and sell a team that has lost 90 games for four consecutive seasons? Twins single game tickets went on sale last weekend and one thing that seems to get fans in the door is offering some unique giveaways. This year the club will offer such items as a Vintage Twins Bobblehead, a Brian Dozier Bobblehead, a Torii Hunter Adult Jersey, and a Fur Bomber cap. One noticeable name no
ESPN rankings for SABR metrics Twins were in the skeptic category, second from the worst. Some teams have quants from nasa and Phd's, we have "an mba from local st thomas" Kc and cleveland get good grades http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/12331388/the-great-analytics-rankings#mlb-sfg
The first two entries in this series focused on players who are moving up in the system and the question is one of advancing to AA baseball, which is really (Jorge Polanco 2014 aside) the real first glimpse of closeness to the majors that a minor leaguer can see. For the final installment, I am turning to another major step in the system--full season A ball--and am profiling catcher Brian Navarreto as a "push candidate" for promotion to Cedar Rapids. The Player Brian Navarreto is 20 years ol
I originally wrote the following analysis of Terry Ryan as GM of the Minnesota Twins for The National Pastime, 2012: Short but Wondrous Summers: Baseball in the North Star State. I was the editor of the publication—one I heartily recommend by the way for those interested in the history of baseball in Minnesota--and pulled the essay just prior to publication when the publisher informed me that we had gone over our allotted page count. It is great to have this outlet to finally run the article. Du
You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FaxsmGyPooU/VOdK863yS1I/AAAAAAAALAg/mvhg1kcVieQ/s1600/hiccup.jpg Jay and Eric take you on a long over due road trip around the last three weeks of Twins news, which includes a bunch of smart baseball folks thinking the Twins will lose 90 games again, a pretty miserable collection
You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P3bLoAsn7Pk/VOdJ5nQAKPI/AAAAAAAALAU/fkLkX0A4RAk/s1600/whatsupdawg.jpg This week we try out to sing the National Anthem at a Twins game, talk about how lame baseball nicknames are in 2015, and Paul tries to figure out what the Twins are doing with Eduardo Nunez. We go down on the p
You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FKCEP5KqGn8/VOdJOQ1xutI/AAAAAAAALAM/7nXzzV5S5iE/s1600/twinsfestdawg.jpg This week the guys talk about TwinsFest, the TwinsDaily.com Winter Meltdown, what it means that Trevor Plouffe is the highest paid third basemen in franchise history, and about one Twins minor league pit
You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y1Q2Ya2ZDIg/VOc_upiWH6I/AAAAAAAAK_8/Edy4jke4Wtc/s1600/shirtpodcast.jpg This week on the show our friend from North Dakota, Cody, is taking the week off to focus on the youth of the greater Fargo area. What a noble man he is. The rest of us forge ahead without him to discuss the ne
You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--afO4EjF3Rs/VOc-2JcmH2I/AAAAAAAAK_0/B1uXeQHGvRs/s1600/nye%2Bpodcast.jpg After a week off celebrating 2014 and welcoming in 2015, the podcast crew was back together (minus a Rolf) to begin a new year of Talk to Contact radio gold. This week we make some New Year's resolutions on be
The second of three articles featuring players who I believe should be "pushed" to the next level in the system will focus on Travis Harrison. Harrison had some high expectations after being drafted and has moved through the system in the same way that Adam Walker has. There are still a number of question marks about Harrison's potential, both in the field and at the plate. I do think that the Chattanooga Lookouts' roster has room for both Walker and Harrison, and thus I think that there are mor
<img src="http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400_10366187.jpg" alt="itunes pic" /><br />Jay and Eric take you on a long over due road trip around the last three weeks of Twins news, which includes a bunch of smart baseball folks thinking the Twins will lose 90 games again, a pretty miserable collection of teams in the American League Central, and what Spring Training is really all about. Reviewing the roster this week we dive deeper on Glen Perkins, Eddie Ros
I originally wrote the following analysis of Terry Ryan as GM of the Minnesota Twins for The National Pastime, 2012: Short but Wondrous Summers: Baseball in the North Star State. I was the editor of the publication—one I heartily recommend by the way for those interested in the history of baseball in Minnesota--and pulled the essay just prior to publication when the publisher informed me that we had gone over our allotted page count. It is great to have this outlet to finally run the article. Du
“People ask me what I do in the winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” Roger Hornsby Part I: Arrival in Fort Myers and Baseball March 2013 Hammond Stadium: I’m sitting in the 90-degree heat (down the third base line) with my then four-year-old son. I’m in-between bullpen and dugout, and we’re close enough to get that in-person feeling that only Spring Training can provide. I’ve got my trusty Prospect Handbook at the ready, and I’m
Originally posted at IowaTwinsFan.com. It was 1977, Jimmy Carter had just become president. New York City celebrated the opening of the World Trade Center and suffered through a 25-hour black out in the middle of a hot summer. Two guys named Steve (Jobs and Wozniak) gave us the Apple II computer. The Vikings were beaten by the Raiders in the Super Bowl and Seattle Slew won the triple crown. In the movie theaters we were introduced to Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Rocky Balboa. We also lost t
The Twins have invested over 100 million dolars in their pitching rotation buying 8 seasons of starting pitching. What can they expect for their $100,000,000? I started with Ervin Santana looking for a similar group. From ages 27-31 he has performed at a 99 ERA+ with about 1000 innings pitched. I wondered how other groups of pitchers performed from ages 27-31. With the help of BR's play index, I searched for all pitchers since 1975 who have pitched at least 900 innings in their age 27 through
I will be at spring training for the fourth straight year. I have watched three straight non-contending teams gear up for a disappointing regular season. I have seen impressive individual performances that didn't stand up to regular season pressures. I have seen guys showing obvious potential take a step from prospect to established player and others not be able to establish themselves. I have seen comments that seem to espouse an open competition for almost every spot on the roster and also
The current Twins Forum is filled with prognostication and speculation. There really isn't much else to talk about until the team starts Spring Training. Many comments have been written in reference to disturbing predictions from outside of Twins Territory: Being picked in the bottom five by an ESPN writer and being given an over/under of 68.5 in Las Vegas. The realists have joined the negatives in predicting a long, losing season. There is certainly a realistic basis for such predictions/p
Houston reached base 3 times on Thursday. He's hitting .308/.398/.440 (.838) since joining the Surge and stole his 14th AA base. His 38 total SB is tied with Yasser Mercedes for organizational lead.
The Twins Daily Caretaker Fund
Winning the Cedar Rapids Kernel prize from TD is far better than winning the FIFA World Peace Prize. Thanks.· 0 replies
