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For the past month there has been a growing frustration from players in the free agent market and across the game. There have been calls for, a more myth than reality, spring training boycott and now a free agent spring training will be held for the dozens of players still unsigned to this point. It might be a bit dangerous, but I'm going to start this blog out with a series. This series will be aimed at finding solutions to the perceived issues with free agency. This first installment is focusi
Being like most of the people who will read this blog, you are probably a Twins fan like me. I mean why else would be reading a blog about the Minnesota Twins if you were not. Friends of mine who like baseball and know that I am fan, ask me why is this off-season has been so slow. Well I gave them all the same answer that once the top players, (Yu Darvish, Jake Arrieta, J.D. Martinez, Eric Hosmer...), sign contracts, the rest / majority of the signings will fall into place. Here is what my r
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---- This is the next segment in the 2018 Twins top 60 prospect list. You can find the introductory segment that discusses qualifications to be on this list and presents the players who were on the 2017 list but are not in this list here. You can find the list of the previous rankings here: 56-60, 55-51, 46-50 , 41-45, 36-40. You can find all segments in this series here. Here are players 31-35 in reverse order with their 2017 ranking in p
As you probably know, if you have been ready my blogs, I like the stories that are part of the lore and history of baseball more than the gold rush for free agents. Maybe it is because I am old I like to think about players who really loved the game and not the agents and owners. I recognize the talent and the ability of the Hall of Famers and even those who struggle for years in the minors without making it to the big spotlight. In fact I have my own strange sense of hall of fame with deaf,
Pitchers and catchers report for the Minnesota Twins in less than a week, yet the pile of free agents looks as picked over as a Thanksgiving buffet after the first pass. In short, there are plenty of leftovers — and primo ones, at that. The Twins have already signed four pitchers to MLB deals, but could still stand to stock up on the remaining goods — all of which are likely to come at a lower price than when the winter started. It also isn’t a perfect roster for the Twins at this point. Sur
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch -------- This is the next segment in the 2018 Twins top 60 prospect list. You can find the introductory segment that discusses qualifications to be on this list and presents the players who were on the 2017 list but are not in this list here. You can find the list of the previous rankings here: 56-60, 55-51, 46-50 , 41-45. You can find all segments in this series here. Here are players 36-40 in reverse order with their 2017 ranking in pare
The Minnesota Twins were dealt a significant blow on February 6 when they found out the timetable for staff ace Ervin Santana's recovery. After undergoing surgery on his middle finger on his throwing hand, the club had to grasp the reality that he'll be on the shelf for the next 10-12 weeks. Putting his return sometime around late April or early May, Paul Molitor will have to make due in the meantime. With that in mind, Minnesota's focus now has to be on where to go from here. At the current m
It is no question that the Twins top priority this offseason remains on signing free agent Yu Darvish. However, as the season nears, they may need to shift their focus towards an alternative option to fill an open spot in their rotation, especially now that Ervin Santana is expected to miss the first month of the season after having surgery on the middle finger on his right hand. There is a lot of speculation that the Twins will sign one of the other remaining free agent starters if they fail
With just a handful of days left until pitchers and catchers officially report to Fort Myers for Spring Training, Minnesota is nearing the end of its offseason. The main focus when it comes to additions was starting pitching, and due to the market, that remains the one area left unattended at this point. Whether before or after spring training officially kicks off I expect that to be dealt with. What remains to be seen is whether or not Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have interest in adding a bat
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ------ This is the next segment in the 2018 Twins top 60 prospect list. You can find the introductory segment that discusses qualifications to be on this list and presents the players who were on the 2017 list but are not in this list here. You can find the list of the previous rankings here: 56-60, 55-51, 46-50. You can find all segments in this series here. Here are players 41-45 in reverse order with their 2017 ranking in parenthesis. P
With Aaron Judge following up his incredible rookie season by landing the cover of MLB The Show 18, the most limited edition has been dubbed "All Rise." If there's anything to glen from the gameplay release trailer that dropped today, it's that the team at Sony San Diego is going all out. While much of the gameplay is hard to deduce from the trailer, it looks as crisp as we've become accustomed to. The more necessary tweaks include tagging animations, hitting analysis, and overall refinements
It’s been another painfully quiet week for the free agent market, with Yu Darvish at the center of another series of rumors. Last week I wrote about how the top free agent options stack up by various rate stats, and it was clear by those metrics that Darvish stands well above the rest of the free agent pack – and well ahead of any of the pitchers currently slotted into the Twins rotation. But just how much might one of the “Big Four” impact the Twins’ projections for 2018? That is where we’ll tu
Few moments in life result in genuine anticipation. For me, they are predictable. My wedding day, the birth of my daughter, and waiting for a starting pitcher to sign this off-season. In an effort to fill this continually vacuous, and harrowingly stagnant alternate reality in which starting pitchers are no longer required to complete baseball games, I’m taking a stand. I’m going to forget about all the upside that could improve the Twins rotation, and focus on what we already have. Namely, Adalb
Over the past couple of seasons, Ervin Santana has been one of the loan bright spots in an organization that is starved for starting pitching. In 2016, Santana put up the Twins’ lowest ERA from a qualified starting pitcher, at 3.38, since Johan Santana’s 3.33 in 2007. He followed that up in 2017 by improving his ERA to 3.28, the 5th lowest in the American League. This was a big turnaround from a pitcher who had an ERA of 4.16 over his 11 career seasons prior to 2016. So, what is the reason for
This offseason free agents across Major League Baseball have felt a squeeze of sorts. Now into February, more than 50 quality big leaguers still remain out in the cold with respect to playing destinations for the upcoming season. While I will always argue in favor of millionaire players over billionaire owners, the complaints of the job seekers seem to be somewhat shallow given the current marketplace. Looking at the list of the top 25 free agents for 2018 from MLB.com, only four of the top 10
Originally Published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----- This is the next segment in the 2018 Twins top 60 prospect list. You can find the introductory segment that discusses qualifications to be on this list and presents the players who were on the 2017 list but are not in this list here. You can find the list of the previous rankings here: 56-60, 55-51. You can find all segments in this series here. Here are players 51-55 in reverse order with their 2017 ranking in parenthesis. Players n
When Tom approached me about the Big Blog Blowout I was struggling to come up with something to write about. When he gave me the list of topics people had "claimed" it seemed to have a historical theme. So I bring to you the best Twins team that ever was(n't). What I have attempted to do is create the best 25 man roster regardless of era. Interestingly enough, after I compiled my list Seth Stohs wrote about the "Top 15 Minnesota Twins Players". You'll see a lot of overlap here, but I put it in t
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----- This is the third segment in the 2018 Twins top 60 prospect list. You can find the introductory segment that discusses qualifications to be on this list and presents the players who were on the 2017 list but are not in this list here. You can find the list of the previous rankings here: 56-60. You can find all segments in this series here. Here are players 51-55 in reverse order with their 2017 ranking in parenthesis. Players no in the
Entering the 2018 Major League Baseball season, Brian Dozier looks to his future and sees free agency looming. Despite allowing the Minnesota Twins to buy out his arbitration years in a four-year, $20 million deal, the hometown squad couldn't lock him in past free agency. Now, as the two sides ponder an extension, it's worth wondering how the year ahead could go for one of baseball's best players. Dating back to 2014, only Jose Altuve has been at the position (in terms of fWAR) than the Twins
In 1961 Minnesota joined the ranks of Major League Baseball and the National Football League. It might be hard to believe today, but before that there were no Twins and Vikings in the state history, unless you buy the story of the Rune Stone in Alexandria and those Vikings might have tossed rocks, but not footballs. There has never been another year like this in Minnesota sports history and happily I can say I was there – both as a high school sophomore at Central High School in Minneapolis an
http://gentlemint-media.s3.amazonaws.com/images/2012/04/18/6745f59b.jpg.505x650_q85.jpg ANND Welcome! To Minnesota Twins Whine Line: Detective Edition! I'm your LEAD Investigator, Vanimal, along with my trusty sidekick, the intern. Since we last checked in, both of us set down the PS4 controllers, put MLB The Show back in the case, and studied for our Private Investigator license! In the real world, we noticed that it's January 30th, and 8 out of the top 10 free agents have still yet to sig
On March 21, 2010, the Minnesota Twins locked up Joe Mauer to an 8-year extension. They also locked up Joe Mauer's face. The "Face of the Franchise" or FotF (as no one calls it), is an oft-cited, nebulously-valued sports phenomenon. It’s hard to say with certainty that there actually is value to having a FotF, but even if we all agreed there was value, how much value a FotF adds is impossible to quantify. Does having a specific player's face plastered on banners and billboards around town
After narrowly missing the bulk of Hurricane Irma's effects, Puerto Rico will look back on Wednesday September 20, 2017 as a day it won't soon forget. Hurricane Maria makes landfall and demolishes the small island. A place that has become a growing epicenter for baseball talent, and set to host a Major League Baseball series in 2018, was simply devastated. This isn't a tale of the destruction however, but instead a look at the resolve of each part involved. Early in January 2018, Major League
I am not a follower of Donald Trump. I have participated in several no kings rallies and am disgusted with what he and his followers have done to our country and the world. I would like to know what most Brazilians feel about the United States now and about the folks our citizens have elected to represent us.
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hello Seth......you'll wanna correct the date in headline of today's minor league report. :-) Brad· 0 replies
I am not a follower of Donald Trump. I have participated in several no kings rallies and am disgusted with what he and his followers have done to our country and the world. I would like to know what most Brazilians feel about the United States now and about the folks our citizens have elected to represent us.· 1 reply
