What are your realistic expectations for the Twins in 2016?

[Reider]

I've been reading a lot of posts this off season and some of them make me wonder what fans are expecting for the Twins in 2016. What are your expectations for 2016? Am I crazy for expecting / wanting the Twins to take a step forward and earn a Wild Card spot? Is that not a realistic expectation/goal? Of course, if the Twins don't have the right pieces in place, it probably won't happen, but I think the right players are out there to make this goal attainable.

 

There have been talks about trading players like Dozier and Plouffe. I've read posts about fans not wanting the Twins to bring in any outfield help after Hunter retired and Hicks got traded away. I've read posts about bringing in a 4th outfielder, when the Twins don't even have 2nd or 3rd outfielders. I've read a lot of bizarre and confusing posts since the end of the season. It's difficult to take a step forward as an organization when vacant positions are not properly filled.

 

Is it somehow a bad idea to not make a reasonable attempt at achieving that goal (earning a Wild Card spot) in 2016?

[stringer bell]

I put "other". My off-the wall prediction is that three teams from the Central will make the playoffs with the Twins squeezing in as the second wildcard. They advance, but lose out to someone in the ALCS.

[stringer bell]

 

 

I've been reading a lot of posts this off season and some of them make me wonder what fans are expecting for the Twins in 2016. What are your expectations for 2016? Am I crazy for expecting / wanting the Twins to take a step forward and earn a Wild Card spot? Is that not a realistic expectation/goal? Of course, if the Twins don't have the right pieces in place, it probably won't happen, but I think the right players are out there to make this goal attainable.

 

There have been talks about trading players like Dozier and Plouffe. I've read posts about fans not wanting the Twins to bring in any outfield help after Hunter retired and Hicks got traded away. I've read posts about bringing in a 4th outfielder, when the Twins don't even have 2nd or 3rd outfielders. I've read a lot of bizarre and confusing posts since the end of the season. It's difficult to take a step forward as an organization when vacant positions are not properly filled.

 

Is it somehow a bad idea to not make a reasonable attempt at achieving that goal (earning a Wild Card spot) in 2016?

The reason for the disparity is that so many players fall between "established" and "unproven, but with good or better upside". There is resistance to bringing in a deAza or Lough to start in excess of 100 games while someone else (Kepler, Buxton, Walker, Arcia) might do much better and perhaps blossom to stardom. On paper, right now, there are logjams at the grouping of 1st, 3rd, DH and RF and in the starting rotation. I don't want to sound like Pollyanna, but most times these things work themselves out. Depth is a good thing and someone that we fans want to discard may well end up a key cog.

 

Mediocre pitching is worth big money, ask JA Happ or Mike Pelfrey. The Twins have a bunch of those guys.

[Halsey Hall]

I went with undecided because the uncertainty with Plouffe.  With him we lose, without we have a good chance of going a long ways. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

I went with undecided because the uncertainty with Plouffe. With him we lose, without we have a good chance of going a long ways.

Yeah. 3 WAR players are pretty terrible to have around and often make their teams worse by taking the field.

[gunnarthor]

I think they should be a bit better than last year and the Royals should be a bit worse.  I think we could win the Central. 

[SwainZag]

 

I went with undecided because the uncertainty with Plouffe.  With him we lose, without we have a good chance of going a long ways. 

 

I was thought your hatred and dislike of Plouffe was just a schtick, but I'm starting to believe you have some strong feelings about him.

[SwainZag]

 

I think they should be a bit better than last year and the Royals should be a bit worse.  I think we could win the Central. 

 

I like this and feel the same way.  One can point to the luckiness of the month of May and I could say a full year of Sano and Santana.  Overall I think they should be better.

[theBOMisthebomb]

If they don't make the playoffs it is a major fail and some of the young guys/prospects/Park will have shown us they are not what we thought they were.

[sane09]

All my of my expectations for the Twins are UN-realistic.

If my expectations were realistic, I would be settling for mediocrity, and that was already judged unacceptable on another thread.

[sane09]

All my of my expectations for the Twins are UN-realistic.

If my expectations were realistic, I would be settling for mediocrity, and that was already judged unacceptable on another thread.

Keeping that in mind, my expectations for the Twins are:

1) Win 120 games during the regular season

2) Sweep the ALDS in three games

3) Sweep the ALCS in four games

4) Sweep the WS in four games

5) Move the franchise to New York City....

6) Forcing the Yankees to move to Antarctica where only penguins attend their games

[sane09]

Keeping that in mind, my expectations for the Twins are:

1) Win 120 games during the regular season

2) Sweep the ALDS in three games

3) Sweep the ALCS in four games

4) Sweep the WS in four games

5) Move the franchise to New York City....

6) Forcing the Yankees to move to Antarctica where only penguins attend their games

WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' MEDIOCRITY!!

[Platoon]

KC won't get that terrible, that quickly and they weren't a fluke. They are soundly construct d, with a plan. That puts us an automatic second. I think Cleveland still has pitching, and underperformed. And Chicago had more talent than wins. By almost anyone's analysis we over performed. We still, as of this writing, have not resolved any pitching issues, only have questions. We will lose games while Park learns ML pitching. (If he does), and while we teach Sano to play OF, if he can. CF is a crapshoot. I would start Buxton there and suffer through the learning curve, you have to do it sooner or later. But they might acquire a fill in CF, and start Buzton in AAA, and delay that process costing more wins? As currently constructed, this is not a finally tuned machine! I think 3rd, no playoffs. I realize a lot of teams have questions, but for a team with a supposedly fixed lineup, except for CF, this team has a lot of questions!

[sane09]

"That puts us an automatic second"

 

I agree with everything you wrote, except the word "automatic".

IMO baseball is an unexplainable  game, where bad teams beat good teams about 50% of the time.

Some days you are the big dog, some days you are the fire hydrant, and you can't choose WHICH days.

Not my idea of "automatic".

[GMinTraining]

I know everyone says that the 4th outfielder needs to be a vet where it is ok to sit at watch - while a prospect needs to get reps and start in AAA before bringing up.  My question is this:

 

(1) Would it not benefit a young outfielder to receive tutoring on defense in batting practice while taking a ga-zillion reps (more than he would see in any AAA game)? (Under the eyes of Molitor and coaches)

 

(2) Wouldn't he benefit from hitting in bullpen sessions while seeing real MLB Sliders / Curve Balls / Fastballs / Etc.?  (Under the eyes of Brunansky).  

 

[Not that AAA pitching is not quality - but it isn't MLB level and requires each of our prospects to re=learn all over again when they do get called up.]

 

A sort of On the Job Training with first hand feedback and daily study of MLB talent.

 

I'm in favor of going young with on the job training.  

 

[Platoon]

"That puts us an automatic second"

 

I agree with everything you wrote, except the word "automatic".

IMO baseball is an unexplainable  game, where bad teams beat good teams about 50% of the time.

Some days you are the big dog, some days you are the fire hydrant, and you can't choose WHICH days.

Not my idea of "automatic".

I can't argue! Nothing is ever pre cast in stone in life. Perhaps "likely" would have been preferable to automatic.

[James]

I went with undecided. There is far too much off season left to actually predict what might happen next year. There could still be some major roster moves for every team in the Central.

[HitInAPinch]

I went with "undecided" mainly because last season's playoff run was only because of an attempt at keeping teams that don't have/won't spend the kind of money that it would take to stay relevant is the high-price world of free agent signings. 

 

Give me anything over last season's 83 - 79 record and less than double-digit games outta 1st and I'd be very happy.  A very nice step forward.

[dgwills]

If the Twins are competing for a wild card spot it would be a good season to me. The team is improving, but they're just not that good yet. Pitching is the biggest problem that I see. The offense is going to have to come from the young guys and if they don't improve we're screwed. That's why I think we should of traded Plouffe for pitching. Having him at 3rd is not going to make or break this team. At best it's a luxury.

[Boom Boom]

Realistically, I think they battle with Cleveland for second place in the division.

[Halsey Hall]

 

I was thought your hatred and dislike of Plouffe was just a schtick, but I'm starting to believe you have some strong feelings about him.

Yes I really do.  Been a fan since '61 and never disliked anyone more.  He's got a losing air about him.  Mark my words. 

[sane09]

 

Yes I really do.  Been a fan since '61 and never disliked anyone more.  He's got a losing air about him.  Mark my words. 

A losing "air". Stop sniffing strangers!

[Brock Beauchamp]

Yes I really do. Been a fan since '61 and never disliked anyone more. He's got a losing air about him. Mark my words.

This is absurd. Your irrational hatred of Plouffe makes it hard to take anything you say seriously, Halsey.

 

It's fine to dislike players. God knows how much I disliked Pedro Florimon but even I begrudgingly admitted he wasn't a terrible backup if he kept his OPS in the .650 range.

 

Trevor Plouffe is a league average starter in MLB. One could make an argument he's a tick above average. Should the Twins keep him? I don't know. An argument could be make for either side.

 

But arguing the Twins are a losing team with Plouffe on the roster is an embarrassingly bad argument, a logic black hole that makes it hard to take anything you say about the Twins seriously.

[RaymondLuxuryYacht]

 

This is absurd. Your irrational hatred of Plouffe makes it hard to take anything you say seriously, Halsey.

 

 

 

Which is why I stopped listening quite some time ago - of course, I've only been a fan since '63 so I don't have his 'cred'

[h2oface]

 

I went with undecided because the uncertainty with Plouffe.  With him we lose, without we have a good chance of going a long ways. 

 

I see you added an e on the purposeful never ending (and seeming allowed contrary to guidelines - or at least selectively overlooked or ignored) derogatory mis-spelling of Plouffe's name this time. From Poof to Poofe. Does that mean that he is becoming more endearing to you now?

 

 

edit.....fixed.

[jimbo92107]

I expect the Twins to play hard and have fun. 

 

Was there some other agenda?

[PseudoSABR]

The team over-achieved last year (whether by exceeding their ability or by luck).  Even with the possible increased production from Buxton, Park, and Murphy and full years from Santana, Rosario, Sano, and Jepsen, I expect any gains to be offset by worse luck and regression (esp. from Rosario and Sano).    Unless our luck continues, we should hover around .500 and compete for a wildcard.   X-factor is Berrios; if he can emerge as a top of rotation arm, the Twins playoff hopes substantially improve.

 

The thing I especially like is that we'll have depth both in the line up and in the rotation (though lesser quality).  The bullpen should have much better depth as players like Burdi,  Reed, Meyers emerge throughout the summer.  Adding another bullpen arm this offseason would help, but I hope we don't give out O'Day money or length (or give up too much for someone like Storen, though that move is more palatable), because the emerging arms need to be evaluated going forward and could present better value and results very soon.  For the same reasons, I wouldn't add any more outfield depth beyond a one-year deal or minor league FAs.

[TheLeviathan]

I could realistically see this team virtually any of these choices.  I think that's the nature of a young team with a lot to still prove.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I'm pretty firmly undecided.  I'll decide a bit more in about 2 weeks once I see what was done post winter meetings.  The team as a whole overachieved a little bit last year, but I thought it was an 80 win team last year, at the beginning of the season, so the final record wasn't that much of an overachievement.  I think this team is really primed to be a force in 2017, but I do think that as constructed, it is a potential WC team in 2016 and if things break right, possibly more, but I'd like to see that construction finished.  There's a few too many question marks presently. I'll be much more confident if I see the following:

 

1)  Milone shipped off for whomever.

2)  Plouffe shipped off for a good reliever

3)  OF picked up on a 1 year deal.

4)  Nolasco sent to the pen.

[Squirrel]

Another for undecided. First, I'm just not good at prognosticating. Second, I don't know who will be the team yet and where they will play. Third, I'm just not good at expectations ... too much and it breaks my heart.

 

So ... I'll go with whatever comes my way. Go Twins!