Game Thread: Twins v Royals, OPENING DAY! @ 3:10pm CT

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

I haven't been an advocate for Julien to break camp with the Twins, but there seems to be a glaring need to have a high OBP guy at the top of the lineup. Julien fits that. If Twins leadoff hitters struggle through April, I wonder is Eduord will be up with the big club.

One can hope that Kepler will capture his 2019 magic, but that is now four years ago and actually seems like longer. Max is the only member of the Bomba Squad still in Minnesota and playing the same position. 

The Twins understandably want to see Julien get some at bats above AA, and I get that. However, I have been that guy pushing Julien to open the season batting leadoff because both Polanco and Kirilloff are out and Gallo really struggled with his swing in March (yes, ST means very little). Kepler is best down in the lineup but I do agree that under the circumstances he is suddenly the best choice to lead off. I'm not sure how Julien will get to MLB, but suspect he will need to torch AAA before he is taken seriously.

Greinke is one of the great pitchers of the 21st century and still was pretty effective last season and the Royals players absolutely love him as a teammate. I have enormous respect for ZG. That said, the Twins can be successful against him by staying back on the ball because he manages so much soft contact with how he varies speeds, deliveries, and location.

This is the first Twins team in some time to get excited about. So many things have to go well for them, but the blend of experience and youth is there for a great season.

[stringer bell]

Some other Opening Day ponderings. I wonder how long it will take for all the position players to get a start. Rotowire has the Twins facing only one lefty in the first two weeks, so playing time for Solano and maybe Farmer might be limited. Related, not only when but where will Castro get a shot?

On the flip side of when will everybody play, Which Twin position player will be the last to get a day off? I would expect it to be Correa, he's healthy and one of the top players, but who knows?

I'm believing Twins' starters will max out at six innings the first couple of times through the rotation. Middle and long guys Pagan and Sands might get some work in the first ten days. I actually hope not. 

Finally a bit of fluff. Will someone get Miranda a real number instead of one for a Vikings offensive guard?

[tony&rodney]

28 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

I would have just put my best hitter out there and not thought too hard about it. Let your big money free agent lead off the season. It's not a frightening lineup, might as well get your best hitter to the plate as many times as possible and hope for the best.

I kind of agree with this, having Correa lead off. I'm not too sure Correa wants to lead off though and he likely communicates clearly. It seems like he wants to watch the first guy bat before his turn and that makes a lot of sense because C4 is an analytical player. 

[stringer bell]

1 minute ago, tony&rodney said:

 because C4 is an analytical player. 

With a moniker like that, you would think he was explosive!!

[tony&rodney]

2 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Finally a bit of fluff. Will someone get Miranda a real number instead of one for a Vikings offensive guard?

Funny. I have put that in comments a half dozen times. Baldelli should offer up his #5. Along those lines ... coaches shouldn't being tying up good numbers. In addition to Baldelli's blunder, Tingler (#33), Conger (#35), and Watkins (#40) are guilty.

[nicksaviking]

8 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

The Twins understandably want to see Julien get some at bats above AA, and I get that. However, I have been that guy pushing Julien to open the season batting leadoff because both Polanco and Kirilloff are out and Gallo really struggled with his swing in March (yes, ST means very little). Kepler is best down in the lineup but I do agree that under the circumstances he is suddenly the best choice to lead off. I'm not sure how Julien will get to MLB, but suspect he will need to torch AAA before he is taken seriously.

 

I get that too, but that's no one's fault but the Twins. He should have been in St Paul by June last year. And if not June, then he should have been there when they traded Spencer Steer, and if THAT wasn't late enough, then he surely should have been promoted when Polanco went down. Julien's absence from AAA last year was one of the most puzzling things the team did all last year.

[PDX Twin]

2 hours ago, wsnydes said:

Already behind the Royals in the standings too.  It's all over!

Alphabetical, I presume? I must say, as an Aston Villa fan I quite like seeing them in second place (behind Arsenal) in the Premier League all summer! :)

[wsnydes]

Just now, PDX Twin said:

Alphabetical, I presume? I must say, as an Aston Villa fan I quite like seeing them in second place (behind Arsenal) in the Premier League all summer! :)

That is my assumption, but mentioning that isn't nearly as fun as using it for sarcastic purposes!

[Squirrel]

8 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Funny. I have put that in comments a half dozen times. Baldelli should offer up his #5. Along those lines ... coaches shouldn't being tying up good numbers. In addition to Baldelli's blunder, Tingler (#33), Conger (#35), and Watkins (#40) are guilty.

There are still other available numbers. Maybe Miranda likes and wants what he has?

[tony&rodney]

2 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

I get that too, but that's no one's fault but the Twins. He should have been in St Paul by June last year. And if not June, then he should have been there when they traded Spencer Steer, and if THAT wasn't late enough, then he surely should have been promoted when Polanco went down. Julien's absence from AAA last year was one of the most puzzling things the team did all last year.

I defer to the coaching staff on Julien. My impressions of his at bats against some good pitchers (does Gerrit Cole count?) indicated a guy who was very comfortable in the batter's box. I would have Julien leading off and playing 2B, pushing Gordon to CF. The defense is not optimal and I have consistently whined for the team to be better both defensively and athletically, which they are trending towards. Still, Julien is pretty much the same as Arraez, Miranda, or others who have taken their gloves out to the field and I'm enamored with his approach at the plate. Julien will just need to force his way on to the team, especially in light of reports that suggest Polanco is a good month plus away from MLB.

[tony&rodney]

2 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

There are still other available numbers. Maybe Miranda likes and wants what he has?

Of course - totally agree. Just personal optics, right? Not important.

[Puckett34]

PTC: Miranda

[WLFINN]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

I would have just put my best hitter out there and not thought too hard about it. Let your big money free agent lead off the season. It's not a frightening lineup, might as well get your best hitter to the plate as many times as possible and hope for the best.

So……Gallo?

[wsnydes]

6 minutes ago, WLFINN said:

So……Gallo?

Don't be silly.  He's referring to Castro!

[tarheeltwinsfan]

2 hours ago, Puckett34 said:

Happy Opening Day to all who celebrate!

...which I'm guessing all here do.  lol

Same to you Puckett.

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, Squirrel said:

There are still other available numbers. Maybe Miranda likes and wants what he has?

The word was that he wanted #22, but Jax got it because of seniority. 

[Squirrel]

3 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

The word was that he wanted #22, but Jax got it because of seniority. 

Okay, so? There are still other numbers available if he wanted something lower ... that's all I'm suggesting is that he did have options, maybe not his first choice, but he did have other options and went with what he has. Shrug.

[weneedneshek]

1 hour ago, PDX Twin said:

Alphabetical, I presume? I must say, as an Aston Villa fan I quite like seeing them in second place (behind Arsenal) in the Premier League all summer! :)

Wouldn't the White Sox be in 5th place then? Just sticking it to the twins as usual 😒

*Edit i guess by city/state name we are last, but i saw Twins and Royals so 🤷‍♀️

[Nine of twelve]

3 hours ago, miracleb said:

I will start.......Grienke....let's put him out to pasture!  Twins need to start him off with a 15.0 ERA after game 1.

I say go for ∞.

[LA Vikes Fan]

I know there's been a lot of comments on the lineup on this thread so I hope I'm not just repeating what others have said. I really like one thing about this lineup and really have concerns about one thing. I like the fact that Larnach, Miranda, and Gordon are hitting 4, 5 and 6. I think that's the lineup against right-handed pitching that needs to work for this to be a dynamic offense. Frankly, I am hoping that Larnach and Miranda can hit in the 4 and 5 spots basically all year with Gordon/Farmer hitting number 6 until Polanco comes back. Kepler and Gallo cannot be in the middle of the order.

I am concerned about the lack of a leadoff hitter. Kepler might be okay so I understand trying him there while we wait for Polanco. He's the best option if he can run. Kepler and Gallo should be hitting in the bottom 3rd of the order with Vasquez/Jeffers. That unfortunately leaves us in a bad spot unless Buxton or Gordon plays centerfield. I think that's really the direction we should go. Against the right-handed starter, leave Taylor on the bench as an occasional starter/late inning defensive replacement, play Buxton in CF when we can and Gordon if Buxton is the DH. Taylor can start in CF against left-handed pitching with Gordon on the bench or at 2B if he learns how to hit same side pitching.

Of course, all it takes is one injury and all of this is idle speculation. Still fun, though.

 

[Nine of twelve]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

Funny. I have put that in comments a half dozen times. Baldelli should offer up his #5. Along those lines ... coaches shouldn't being tying up good numbers. In addition to Baldelli's blunder, Tingler (#33), Conger (#35), and Watkins (#40) are guilty.

The coaches and manager have a right to a number they like too. But the thing is I don't think I've ever seen Baldelli wearing a numbered jersey in the dugout, at least not as the outermost layer. If you're not going to wear the jersey it shouldn't matter what number is on it.

[Squirrel]

14 minutes ago, weneedneshek said:

Wouldn't the White Sox be in 5th place then? Just sticking it to the twins as usual 😒

Well, technically ... Chicago White Sox comes before Minnesota Twins ... alphabetical is by location name not team name:

Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Guardians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins

[Nine of twelve]

A lot of criticism regarding the batting order so far with the critics citing analytics as the basis of their criticism. That's valid, of course, but then don't turn around and say that management of the pitching staff should not be based on analytics.

[tony&rodney]

9 minutes ago, Nine of twelve said:

The coaches and manager have a right to a number they like too. But the thing is I don't think I've ever seen Baldelli wearing a numbered jersey in the dugout, at least not as the outermost layer. If you're not going to wear the jersey it shouldn't matter what number is on it.

Exactly, we don't ever see the coaches' numbers. Still, not important at all. I just like to see those numbers that carry some historical value on the backs of our players.

[stringer bell]

5 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Exactly, we don't ever see the coaches' numbers. Still, not important at all. I just like to see those numbers that carry some historical value on the backs of our players.

Rocco wore #5 throughout his major league playing career. I can see him wanting to keep it. Same for Molitor when he was the Twins manager. 

[ashbury]

This has been around a few years and maybe you've already seen it, but if not, everyone sing along!

[Mike Sixel]

Why do coaches even wear uniforms. It is stupid. /rant

[Vanimal46]

1 hour ago, Puckett34 said:

PTC: Miranda

 

Stay hot Miranda! 

[umterp23]

So if we are criticizing based on analytics to start the season, how do we feel about S/T stats?  Do we care about them at all?  For example Vasquez starting over Jeffers today where Jeffers clearly out played him in S/T.  Vasquez because we paid out a crap ton on money gets the nod.  Same could be said for Solano getting roster spot because we paid him couple $MM to be on team and not a Julien who lit up S/T and WBC.

Just curious on thoughts of recent performance vs salary influence.  Not everyone falls in this category I know.  We can't argue stats in spring don't matter for some but matter for others.  

Go Twins

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, umterp23 said:

So if we are criticizing based on analytics to start the season, how do we feel about S/T stats?  Do we care about them at all?  For example Vasquez starting over Jeffers today where Jeffers clearly out played him in S/T.  Vasquez because we paid out a crap ton on money gets the nod.  Same could be said for Solano getting roster spot because we paid him couple $MM to be on team and not a Julien who lit up S/T and WBC.

Just curious on thoughts of recent performance vs salary influence.  Not everyone falls in this category I know.  We can't argue stats in spring don't matter for some but matter for others.  

Go Twins

Analytics would say ignore spring stats 100x out of 100 (other than indications of injury).