Is it ok to root for the Twins to lose? The cost of 5 wins

[cmb0252]

The last few years once the Twins start their nose dive to the bottom of the standings after the all star break the topic of "is it OK to root for the Twins to lose" seems to always come up. Rooting for the Twins to lose isn't the same as rooting against the Twins. It is just hoping for a better draft spot. Does draft spot really matter? Well, 5 wins might have cost the Twins from having the top two prospects in baseball.

 

2012 standings:

Twins: 66-69

Cubs: 61-101

 

The cubs selected Bryant at #2, who hit his 9th spring training HR today, while the Twins drafted Stewart at #4. Bryant and Buxton are considered by most the top two prospects in baseball and because of the 2011 tie breaker if the Twins would have tied the cubs record they would have had the #2 pick. If the Twins are as bad as many "experts" think just keep this in mind when this topic comes back up. Just food for thought.

[Kwak]

Consider the team's performances in August and September the past four years, I wonder if there weren't some in the FO doing just that.

[TRex]

But your premise it that the Cubs would have won the same number of games independent of our record. Nothing happens in a vaccuum... if we lost more games, why wouldn't they?

[Willihammer]

http://i.4cdn.org/wsg/1427235655084.gif

[Willihammer]

Too soon!

[nicksaviking]

I think there's room for compromise here. How about we just tank two games instead and draft Jon Gray?

 

Most people had Gray ahead of Bryant anyway, quite possibly the Twins as well considering how pitching starved they were (are). Everyone was expecting Gray or Appel to go to the Cubs.

[Dantes929]

Out of all the bad years 2012 felt like the bottoming out.    In 2013 it felt more like guys were earning promotions rather than just being the best of lousy options like in 12 and 11 so I guess I wouldn't have minded losing 5 or 6 more games since inning those extra 5 or 6 gave little pleasure. or reason for optimism.

[KGB]

With Sano as the 3rd base prospect, I bet they would have just passed on Bryant and still gone with pitching.

[jimmer]

Teams don't normally pass on best player available no matter what they think they may have in the system. Twins likely would have drafted Kris Bryant and then figured out who could actually play there and have the other play somewhere else.  And looky looky, Bryant is MLB ready now.

 

Cubs were smart and got him and passed on pitching with that pick even though they needed pitching too. Smart move.

[gunnarthor]

I think it's ok to root for a better draft position although this year I'm rooting for a .500ish season.  

 

On Bryant, I think there are two real questions - 1) did the Twins have him ahead of Appel, Grey and Stewart on their own board?  2) Would the Twins have drafted a Boras client that high?  

 

I'm not sure on #1 but would assume they had Bryant #1 or 2, IIRC the rumors.  Pretty sure they had Appel #1 but I do believe they had Stewart ahead of Grey so maybe they really liked Stewart.  As to #2, they did draft Ryan Eades so they have taken some Boras guys so maybe that's a fake concern on my part.

[Hrbowski]

I think that back in 2013 Deron Johnson said they would have drafted Stewart even if they picked first.

[jimmer]

 

I think that back in 2013 Deron Johnson said they would have drafted Stewart even if they picked first.

what else would he say? and, to be honest, if it's true that's sad.  I like Stewart, but Bryant should have been an easy call.

[jimmer]

I would never root for the Twins to lose.

[gunnarthor]

 

what else would he say? and, to be honest, if it's true that's sad.  I like Stewart, but Bryant should have been an easy call.

I don't think that's fair.  Some scouts were on record saying that Stewart was the best pitcher in the draft.  Crawfishboxes had an article on that here.  mlbtraderumors had similar quotes and Klaw supported the idea of taking Stewart #1.  And Bryant wasn't the concensus #1 guy, like Harper or Strasburg were.  He was #3 on mlbpipeline's draft list, not #1.  Obvioustly, in hindsight, he's the clear #1 but he wasn't at the time.  But hindsight kills every draft.

 

And there's this old report from mlbtraderumors that the Twins would be "pleased" if Bryant fell to them, moreso than if Appel did.

[jimmer]

All I'm saying is this.  The Twins drafted Stewart really high.  I doubt they would openly say 'we wish we would have been able to get Kris Bryant but he was gone and we were happy to have Stewart still there.' I don't imagine the Stewart camp would take too kindly to that. 

 

Some mock drafts had Kohl as the 3rd pitcher that would be drafted.

 

I was super high on Bryant anyway, I thought he was an easy call.  Then again, I was high on Pedroia too and he got passed on by every team but Boston (and by the Twins six times in one draft :-)

 

Cubs were smart, they obviously had him higher than some.  They got the right guy. I have a Cubs fan at my work and he was hoping for Gray at first.  After telling him about Bryant he changed his tune and was excited when they drafted Bryant.

[Mike Sixel]

Once the season is lost:

 

1. I want old guys with no future gone

2. I want them to lose, but still be entertaining

 

Before that, i want them to win every game.