It's time to sign Miguel Sano. (ducks and then runs away laughing)

They have what they have for players and with the exception of Royce Lewis, there’s no one in the minors that can help much right now. Giving Nick Gordon some at-bats isn’t crazy, butI doubt he can lead the charge. I am in favor of a more equal sharing of the catcher position, but that won’t move the needle much either. Buxton, Correa and Polanco need to start hitting like All-Stars. Kirilloff, Gallo and Kepler need to be hitting like good major league regulars.  

20 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

They have what they have for players and with the exception of Royce Lewis, there’s no one in the minors that can help much right now. Giving Nick Gordon some at-bats isn’t crazy, butI doubt he can lead the charge. I am in favor of a more equal sharing of the catcher position, but that won’t move the needle much either. Buxton, Correa and Polanco need to start hitting like All-Stars. Kirilloff, Gallo and Kepler need to be hitting like good major league regulars.  

I agree on what has to happen. I wonder if switching lineup positions might help change their perspective or relieve some pressure, thus leading to better ABs.  I think it's unlikely that Gordon can be a long term leadoff hitter but I do think what he showed the second half of last year might be repeatable in the short term. It's worth a shot and would help quite a bit if he can get on base. I think we can see that hitting Kepler 1, Correa 2, and Gallo any where near the middle of the lineup isn't working right now. Let's shake things up and see if an alternate arrangement can work better.  It would be difficult to have it work any worse. .  

Quote

Gordon LF

Buxton DH

Kirilloff 1B

Polanco 2B...

though I share your opinion, Bro' Baldelli doesn't.

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/padres-vs-twins/2023/05/10/718224/preview

Yup, you're right. I'd just like to see Gordon get a shot to see if he can replicate last year. The 2022 Gordon would be a hitting upgrade over Gallo, Kepler, and Taylor. Well, at least Farmer is playing. Maybe he can hit some although his track record against RH Pitching leaves one to say the answer is probably not.   

It looks like the only real potential upgrades coming are Lewis when he's ready and improvement from the core 5-6 guys.  I'm hoping they bring up Lewis as soon as they can, put him at 3B, DF Solano or demote Castro, and hit Lewis leadoff.  

Just too many puzzle pieces missing right now...

Anything that may get a few of the player rolling I'd be all for.

Bring Larnach back and send the infield down ( except Miranda, put him back on 1st).

Unfortunately 5 players in the regular lineup on right on their career numbers. Two have just been added to the lineup, Farmer and Kirilloff and the last two are Correa and Vazguez. Are you to take them out of the lineup? I think not, although I wouldn't mind.

I would like to see a stable lineup.  Let them start to jell and see what happens.  Knowing you will be in the daily lineup or ever in majors could take off pressure to perform.  Also would get the fans a team to get to know.  I don't think the back and forth to the minors really helps.  For some of the guys it is time to be able play a the ML level or be gone.  A superstar like Correa shouldn't crack under the pressure of batting in the superstar prime position.  He it too good for that.  

Gordon is 7 for last 21 I believe?

Anyway, he’s coming around. He’s a good 7-8 guy at this point, if goes to lead-off he’s under the scope and pressured. Nobody needs that. Maybe in 2-3 weeks after a stretch of OK!

Gallo & Gordon & Castro can share LF.

Kepler & Gallo in RF.

Gordon & Taylor share CF.

Last night our 2-6 hitters all had at least one hit & a couple had 2! 2 of 3 Pinch hitters came through. Thought we could have had some smarter AB’s but overall more like a normal club.

We need Edouard Julien. He was great during the WBC and showed that he can hit well at the majors so what is the hold up? Also bring back Larnach I can’t believe Willi Castro even made the roster in the first place, all he has been is a stinker at majors.

Wanna  make a Splash,   Brooks Lee at a.a. is close, Kid might be the one to provide a spark,   Great BaseBall insticts and Smart ,  Switch Hitter also

Put Buxton into center field.  Stop coddling the guy.  It's ridiculous.  It's not doing him or the team any good.

5 hours ago, mrtwinsfan said:

Wanna  make a Splash,   Brooks Lee at a.a. is close, Kid might be the one to provide a spark,   Great BaseBall insticts and Smart ,  Switch Hitter also

Brooks Lee is in a bad slump, He's been O for his last 20, give or take.  He has his hands full at AA; there's no way he can handle the Majors.

2 games later…….Farmer has 2 hits in first 2 games back, one being a homer. (….and I don’t have to see Miranda’s line)

Gallo has hits in 2 consecutive games……one game he had 2 hits & a walk!

CC has had big RBI doubles in 2 consecutive games.

Kiriloff is contributing.

Kepler hit another homer.

ALL in last 2 games - it’s a long season and there are days we are going to look bad ……,,it’s just tough when everybody looks bad. Can’t change approach/line-up every 2-3 games just because somebody sucks for a day or two.

Get a couple W’s v. Cubs this weekend & all is good!!

9 hours ago, Fat Calvin said:

Brooks Lee is in a bad slump, He's been O for his last 20, give or take.  He has his hands full at AA; there's no way he can handle the Majors.

 

Give Lee time. An MLB contribution next year would be a quick advance. He's not a likely answer for 2023.  Those answers need to come from the current 26 man roster, plus possibly Lewis, and a return of Larnach and/or Miranda. There's a possibility of someone like Julien, Hellman or another current MiLB player contributing on the hitting side but I think that's pretty unlikely.  More likely that we might try to trade for a bat at the deadline. 

Gordon is useful.

The problem with giving him ‘regular’ at-bats is that, with the current active roster, you should be sitting a right handed bat when inserting Gordon. If you’re sitting Kepler or Gallo (or even Larnach) against righties, you’re giving up too much XBH potential.

That leaves Buxton, Farmer, Correa, or MAT. Personally, I would have no problem replacing MAT with Gordon against right-handed starters…although I admit I haven’t fully thought through what the drop in defense would mean.

I think what we see is what we get for now.

What I’d LIKE to see if Larnach can figure things out…(assuming right handed starter)…

c..Jeffers or Vazquez; 1B…Kirilloff; 2B…Polanco; 3B Gordon or Farmer; SS…Correa; LF…Gallo; CF…Buxton; RF…Kepler; DH…Larnach

What I’d LIKE to see a month from now (right handed starter)…

c..Jeffers or Vazquez; 1B…Kirilloff; 2B…Polanco; 3B Lewis; SS…Correa; LF…Gallo; CF…Buxton; RF…Kepler…

Gordon rotating around to rest guys (and/or for slumping guys)…Available to DH…Larnach, Farmer, (sometimes Buxton with Farmer/Lewis/Gordon at 3B, and Gordon/Lewis in CF)

I think he needs a little more time. I also think we have needed a new hitting coach for a long time.  The twins do not know how to work the count and take good at bats.  I think the analytics approach is still too focused on hitting bombs rather than working the count to get a good pitch to hit. Even bunting for hits where we have batters with speed would be extremely valuable.  Some of the basic fundamentals have been and continue to be missing.  I would get a new hitting coach.  

It certainly appears we should have a lineup change, but with Rocco as manager that will probably not happen. When the manager has his number 3 batter batting under .200 most every other manager would make a change, but not Rocco. It appears he just refuses to make changes so i guess his way is the only way, but we know what happened last year and it may happen again. I really think the Twins have the talent to be a winning team, but they need better leadership. When I hear the manager say we are hitting the ball hard, but only get 4 hits I wonder what game he is talking about.  When I hear the manager say his pitcher is throwing well and the pitcher gives up 4 hits in a inning I wonder what game he is watching.

I think you left Royce Lewis out of the equation.  I like Royce and Farmer holding down 3rd base as well as backing up Polanco and Correa.  Let's get Buxton platooning in CF with Taylor and part time DH.

Hopefully Lewis will be back on June 1. I think he should be playing 3b every day and I would consider leading him off. Teh comments of his agent suggest pretty strongly to me that he won't be playing in the OF. Lineup something like this against RH pitching - Lewis 3B, Correa SS, Kirilloff 1B, Buxton CF/DH, Polanco 2B, Larnach LF/DH,  Gallo LF/DH, Vasquez/Jeffers C, Kepler RF. Same against LH pitching, except Farmer either goes in Larnach' s spot playing LF or Kirilloff's playing 1B and they either hit one of Kepler/Gallo/Larnach 9 in RF, or they put Buxton at DH and Taylor in CF. Gordon and Castro or Solano ( whichever stays when Lewis comes up) are utilities.  

On 5/16/2023 at 6:30 PM, LA VIkes Fan said:

Hopefully Lewis will be back on June 1. I think he should be playing 3b every day and I would consider leading him off. Teh comments of his agent suggest pretty strongly to me that he won't be playing in the OF. Lineup something like this against RH pitching - Lewis 3B, Correa SS, Kirilloff 1B, Buxton CF/DH, Polanco 2B, Larnach LF/DH,  Gallo LF/DH, Vasquez/Jeffers C, Kepler RF. Same against LH pitching, except Farmer either goes in Larnach' s spot playing LF or Kirilloff's playing 1B and they either hit one of Kepler/Gallo/Larnach 9 in RF, or they put Buxton at DH and Taylor in CF. Gordon and Castro or Solano ( whichever stays when Lewis comes up) are utilities.  

While I have no problems with Lewis playing the outfield, I do think the issues on the infield are a bigger problem.  Assuming the Lewis that we saw last year appears, that's an instant bump both offensively and defensively at 3B.  

Agreed. If the Lewis from last year appears, I like Lewis at 3B and leading off. No question that that Farmer has been good in the field and at the plate, but it's unrealistic to expect him to continue at a .283/.353/467 (.820), OPS+ 126, when his career line is .253/,313/396 (.709), with an OPS+ of 86, and he'll be 33 in August. Farmer can go to the role we had hoped for early on - an IF utility who plays 3-4 days a week at all 4 positions plus DH and starts most games against LH pitching. He's only played a few games in LF or at 1B but you have to think that he could learn 1B if he can play every other IF position, and same with LF.  

Correa to bench and call up Lewis..