They Are Who We Thought They Were!

[Alex Boxwell]

The Twins are off and running led by good pitching, good defense, and good at-bats. What's not to like? 

Image courtesy of Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

The Twins have enjoyed a start to the season that even optimistic fans like myself may not have expected. With Jorge Polanco and Alex Kirilloff still on the shelf, this team has overwhelmed their opponents in the small sample size we have seen. Even in the close games, they haven’t felt that close.

In the immortal words of the late great Dennis Green, “They are who we thought they were.”

There were many question marks around this ball club coming into the season, but none of those questions were related to the sheer baseball ability of this team, at least offensively. Every player in the lineup appears to be as advertised or overperforming.

Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa operate on a different frequency than other players on the field. The game moves slower for them. Now, the reservations on these two don’t stop because they’ve played five games, obviously, but you can’t be anything but encouraged by what we’ve seen so far.

A player that I had the fortune or misfortune (he went deep twice against us) of playing against is Oregon State alum Trevor Larnach. The heavy hands paired with a strong frame and left-handed bat opened some eyes this spring, even of the people who drafted him in the first round. The song remains the same here with another potential all-star-level talent. How do we keep him on the field and keep this thing rollin’?

I am quickly falling in love with Pablo Lopez. He is a player I have liked, but his World Baseball Classic performance and Opening Day outing in Kansas City were impressive. His repertoire is much better than I thought. He also busted out a new pitch for his Twins debut, the sweeping slider. That pitch was nasty and will be a problem for right-handed batters all year. Lopez also showed a tick-up in velocity on his pitches that previously had data. The Opening Day nod was not justifying a trade; stuff-wise, Pablo Lopez is our best guy. 

I think it’s been a picture-perfect start to the year. Yes, I know. Bold statement saying that for a 4-1 team whose only loss came last night against the NL's reigning Cy Young winner, Sandy Alcantara). It’s not just the record, though. Every player has been as advertised right from the word go. The only player that has concerned me is Sonny Gray. His command was spotty, and he couldn’t get a below-average lineup to swing and miss. A veteran arm like Gray comes with less concern naturally, with guys being able “wave the veteran wand” and find ways to be solid. I don’t want to sound any alarms, but it’s something worth following.

Lastly, how can we not touch on Joey Barrels, or as I like to call him, ‘your dad’s least favorite player’. Gallo squeezed (by last year’s standards) a month's worth of production into two games. He’s always seemed to be a streaky hitter, so lets enjoy the good times, but a downturn will happen, and we have to remember these two games. He and every other player in this talented Twins lineup are always one swing away.

I’m not trying to crown them, but the Twins did seem to do the impossible and win some games without Luis Arraez. Seriously though, it was good to see him rope a couple of balls for hits on Monday night, and the Twins still got a convincing win. It was also great to see Kenta Maeda strike him out twice in Tuesday night's game.  

Regarding the Twins taking the next step with the offense, I hope we see some guys steal some bags in closer ball games. The team has decent speed, but with the rules limiting pickoff attempts and the inability of pitchers to hold the ball very long, look for the Twins to unlock that one last piece to the offense.

I’ve said it before, and I will dare to repeat it. The Twins are a good team, and they are better than they were last year. There are plenty of reasons to show up to Target Field this Friday for the home opener and throughout the weekend and watch two of the more exciting teams in baseball right now, the Twins and the Astros. 

Go, Twins!

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[Beast]

I’m not sold yet.  It’s still very early, and as stated we haven’t played anybody yet.  With the balanced schedule, we don’t get to beat up on these bad teams as much as we used to (mainly central division opponents).  An easy schedule now means a hard one later.

the bullpen has been good.  But, the it still concerns me.  I just don’t trust Jorge Lopez, and we’re still running Pagan out there way more than we should be.

Same with the rotation.  Lopez looks like a stud.  Great trade.  Ryan looks like Ryan.  Another great trade.  After that, Sonny looked rough in his outing.  Mahle is a ticking time bomb until proven otherwise.  I need to see more from Maeda as well before concluding he’s back for good.  There’s certainly a lot to be excited about there, but it can change quickly.

Offensively, we’re already tapped out in terms of depth.  I know some people love Gordon for whatever reason, but he’s just not that good.  Him hitting lead off at any point is a huge concern for me.  That’s just terrible.  Al cantata is a great pitcher, but the offense looked beyond anemic last night.  If we need to rely on Joey Gallo to hit multiple extra base hits to score runs, it’s going to be a long year.  I don’t expect Larnach to keep up his hot start.  We’re still riddled with injuries.  I’m fairly concerned about the lineup right now.

Great start to the season, but I’m reserving judgement until I see more.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

The good news is that the team is winning games and mostly looking pretty good.  The pitching has been mostly as advertised, even if there are still questions out there (Name a team that never has questions about at least one member of their starting rotation).  Holding down the opposition means that even though the Twins' hitting has just been "OK", the team can still compete.  Good start, now let's keep it going through the tougher schedule coming up!

[Doctor Gast]

The pitching has been pretty good. the defense has been pretty good, but base running could be improved on (besides Buxton & Taylor) along with clutch hitting. It's easy to hit a bunch HRs when we don't need them but get a hit when we need it is a difficult thing for us.

[h2oface]

Can we just move on to playoffs now?

 

[chpettit19]

33 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

The pitching has been pretty good. the defense has been pretty good, but base running could be improved on (besides Buxton & Taylor) along with clutch hitting. It's easy to hit a bunch HRs when we don't need them but get a hit when we need it is a difficult thing for us.

Twins are hitting .353 with runners in scoring position. 3rd in baseball. Problem is they're just a super slow team and don't score on those hits.

[rv78]

Yep, some of them definitely are. Gallo is an all or nothing hitter. Kepler continues to flounder. Correa isn't half as good as what they are paying him, off to an abysmal start hitting barely above the mendoza line. Rocco gives his best player a rest day in yesterdays game so he can theoretically make it a throw away game. Had Buck played they might have been able to win a close 1-0 ballgame but not a chance with Rocco running the show. Yep, there are exactly what we thought they were.

Had it not be for playing and sweeping the weak Royals the first 3 games of the season this team would be .500 at best, which is where they will finish the season if they are lucky. Now on to some real competition against the Astros, WhiteSox and Yankees. 

[KirbyDome89]

"Every player in the lineup appears to be as advertised or overperforming."

They've scored 2 runs or fewer in 4/6 games. Is this satire? 

We're 6 games into the season. We have no idea who or what this team is. 

[USAFChief]

This team is going to struggle to score runs all year. Hopefully run prevention gets them to the postseason, because they're not going to consistently outscore anyone.

[Alex Boxwell]

1 hour ago, KirbyDome89 said:

"Every player in the lineup appears to be as advertised or overperforming."

They've scored 2 runs or fewer in 4/6 games. Is this satire? 

We're 6 games into the season. We have no idea who or what this team is. 

One of those games was against, arguably, the best pitcher on the planet and the at bats weren't bad for facing a dude who has elite stuff. If you choose to put more weight on the last two games which are losses that's fine but coming off a six game road trip to the tune of 4-2 to start the year along with plenty of missed opportunities... I'm encouraged.

[Doctor Gast]

16 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Twins are hitting .353 with runners in scoring position. 3rd in baseball. Problem is they're just a super slow team and don't score on those hits.

You are probably right on that. But in my book, clutch hitting isn't always hitting with RISP. It's some how getting a hit in a close a low scoring game & then the next does the same. You scratch & claw for a run. IMO it's not getting a hit with RISP when the game is not in play.

We are not that slow we rank 14 out 30 teams. We have only 2 players under the 27 ft./ sec. MLB average. Jeffers & Vasquez. Which alludes to my 2nd need of improvement "base-running". 

https://www.mlb.com/news/fastest-mlb-teams-in-2023

[Alex Boxwell]

1 hour ago, rv78 said:

Yep, some of them definitely are. Gallo is an all or nothing hitter. Kepler continues to flounder. Correa isn't half as good as what they are paying him, off to an abysmal start hitting barely above the mendoza line. Rocco gives his best player a rest day in yesterdays game so he can theoretically make it a throw away game. Had Buck played they might have been able to win a close 1-0 ballgame but not a chance with Rocco running the show. Yep, there are exactly what we thought they were.

Had it not be for playing and sweeping the weak Royals the first 3 games of the season this team would be .500 at best, which is where they will finish the season if they are lucky. Now on to some real competition against the Astros, WhiteSox and Yankees. 

Well that's certainly one way to look at it... I'm going to go out a limb here and say Rocco doesn't hurt this ball club. 

Also, Correa is a great shortstop and we are more than lucky to have him at his current price tag.

[Alex Boxwell]

1 hour ago, USAFChief said:

This team is going to struggle to score runs all year. Hopefully run prevention gets them to the postseason, because they're not going to consistently outscore anyone.

If I was scouting the Twins lineup the only players that look below average to me offensively are Taylor, Kepler, and Gallo (he's not going to keep this up all year). All whom bring plus defense. It looks like a pretty good lineup and Polanco will give them jolt eventually as well.

There's still a lot to be answered but this is a talent club.

[MABB1959]

I wouldn’t call the hitting great.  A few are doing good but last time I looked more than half of the batting averages were low 200’s.   Yes it is early.  

[Alex Boxwell]

59 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

You are probably right on that. But in my book, clutch hitting isn't always hitting with RISP. It's some how getting a hit in a close a low scoring game & then the next does the same. You scratch & claw for a run. IMO it's not getting a hit with RISP when the game is not in play.

This is a good point. Last year the offense had a tendency to disappear for games at a time, with 2 or less runs being put on the board too often. Having a guy hit a double with 2 outs and a guy on first in a close game is as clutch as it gets.

I feel like we have guys that will step up to be run producers. With Larnach and Miranda being clear candidates to be step up guys. Buck showed a flair for the dramatic last year and Correa's post-season heroics are noted (hopefully the RBI total will improve with more guys getting on base in front of him).

It's an interesting topic because it felt like there was a feast or famine bit to last years lineup.

[Rosterman]

First six games - 24 runs, 47 hits. Walked 18 times. Striking out only 46 times.

But the name of the game is pitching - 11 runs (7 from the bullpen in 15 innings), 58Ks, only 16 walks (a quarter from Gray) and 34 hits in 52 innings. Whew.

[KirbyDome89]

2 hours ago, Alex Boxwell said:

One of those games was against, arguably, the best pitcher on the planet and the at bats weren't bad for facing a dude who has elite stuff. If you choose to put more weight on the last two games which are losses that's fine but coming off a six game road trip to the tune of 4-2 to start the year along with plenty of missed opportunities... I'm encouraged.

Alcantara is a stud, no doubt, but the Twins mustered 3 singles (one of which was an IF single) in 9 innings. The guy needed 100 pitches to get 27 outs. Those are ABs that "aren't that bad?" I mean c'mon, we can be a little objective here. 

I'm not choosing to focus on any of the games, hence my comment about us having no clue what this team is. I'm being critical of you labeling the lineup as overperforming, when it very clearly hasn't been.

If you want to point to the current record and call scoreboard, ok, but that's a pretty weak supporting argument. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

3 hours ago, Alex Boxwell said:

Also, Correa is a great shortstop and we are more than lucky to have him at his current price tag.

So this is up for debate. I think you said it better in a different post elsewhere in your thread— Correa might become a postseason hero. I think the front office is praying heavily for this outcome. Otherwise, Lewis and Lee figured to provide almost the same WAR at a fraction of the cost, in years to come, 

[Brazilian Twins Fan]

Oh boy, I wish I was that positive. Let's get this conversation back after the next homecoming...

[stringer bell]

With the exception of the Rays, everyone has lost a couple of games. Without checking all the scores, it is my guess that all offenses have been shut down by good pitching once or twice during this young season. Even Luis Arraez has o-fers, so it should be understood that occasionally a team will struggle to score runs. 

That said, good lineups don't get dominated that often and the Twins, so far, have scored four or less runs in four of their six starts. The lineup hasn't looked as solid or deep as one might hope. Proven veterans like Correa and Buxton will hit, but the Twins don't have that many proven veterans. They have Kepler and Gallo, trying to come back from seasons where they could have or should have been benched for lack of offensive productivity. It would help if another proven veteran offensive player, Jorge Polanco, were there to play second base. Polanco would provide a proven and consistent left handed bat solidify the top of the order. 

The next step is for young guys to step up. Trevor Larnach has done his part (and more) so far. He has carried a good spring training (where he secured a spot on the roster) into the regular season and looked the part of a middle-of-the order bat. Jose Miranda hasn't hit much, but I think the Twins are counting on him as well. Jose will need to hit because he appears to be a below average third baseman defensively. Catchers Vazquez and Jeffers have provided decent offense and seem to work well with the pitching staff. Michael A Taylor has performed about as expected, solid in the field but a net negative as a bottom-of-the-order hitter. It would be great for Taylor to be an occasional starter instead of an every day player.

The remainder of the month provides the Twins with good competition. One would hope that they'll get several wins from top-notch pitching, but they'll need to score more than a run or two per game. I have seen no updates on either Polanco or Alex Kirilloff that would suggest they can help the Twins for the next three weeks, so it will most likely fall on the guys that are here to score runs. 

[stringer bell]

15 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

The pitching has been pretty good. the defense has been pretty good, but base running could be improved on (besides Buxton & Taylor) along with clutch hitting. It's easy to hit a bunch HRs when we don't need them but get a hit when we need it is a difficult thing for us.

There's not a lot of speed on the Twins' roster. I think their base running has been fine. Castro got thrown out on a steal attempt, that happens, but I can't recall anyone else failing to take an extra base or who was thrown out trying to make a risky advance. 

[Doctor Gast]

11 hours ago, Alex Boxwell said:

This is a good point. Last year the offense had a tendency to disappear for games at a time, with 2 or less runs being put on the board too often. Having a guy hit a double with 2 outs and a guy on first in a close game is as clutch as it gets.

I feel like we have guys that will step up to be run producers. With Larnach and Miranda being clear candidates to be step up guys. Buck showed a flair for the dramatic last year and Correa's post-season heroics are noted (hopefully the RBI total will improve with more guys getting on base in front of him).

It's an interesting topic because it felt like there was a feast or famine bit to last years lineup.

My point is that CLE is going to be tough. For us to compete against them, I just stated 2 areas that we could improve on for us to wrestling the title away from them. Buxton motivates by his exploits and Correa verbally but now when  his production is light his motivation is shallow. We have the talent but lack the confidence to come from behind & win the tight games.

[stringer bell]

6 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

My point is that CLE is going to be tough. For us to compete against them, I just stated 2 areas that we could improve on for us to wrestling the title away from them. Buxton motivates by his exploits and Correa verbally but now when  his production is light his motivation is shallow. We have the talent but lack the confidence to come from behind & win the tight games.

Cleveland has already won a bunch of tight games. If their pitching holds up, I think (unfortunately) they are the real deal. More than any other team in the AL, they use good speed and make contact in key situations. For the Twins to be better than Cleveland (both in the standings and head-to-head), they need to have a deeper lineup and starting pitching. So far (I know its' really early), the Twins have demonstrated a really deep starting staff, but they haven't shown their lineup can be counted on 1-9. 

[Melissa]

10 hours ago, Hosken Bombo Disco said:

So this is up for debate. I think you said it better in a different post elsewhere in your thread— Correa might become a postseason hero. I think the front office is praying heavily for this outcome. Otherwise, Lewis and Lee figured to provide almost the same WAR at a fraction of the cost, in years to come, 

Watching the games on TV, as contrasted with relying on batting stats and box scores, it is clear how elite Correa’s work at shortstop is. More than once it was his strong and accurate throws (to a defensively strong Gallo at first base) that bailed our pitchers out of sticky situations.

[Doctor Gast]

22 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Cleveland has already won a bunch of tight games. If their pitching holds up, I think (unfortunately) they are the real deal. More than any other team in the AL, they use good speed and make contact in key situations. For the Twins to be better than Cleveland (both in the standings and head-to-head), they need to have a deeper lineup and starting pitching. So far (I know its' really early), the Twins have demonstrated a really deep starting staff, but they haven't shown their lineup can be counted on 1-9. 

I was going to add before but I'll add now, that when Polanco & Kiriloff come back 100% healthy that'll change the outlook quite a bit, 

[stringer bell]

2 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

I was going to add before but I'll add now, that when Polanco & Kiriloff come back 100% healthy that'll change the outlook quite a bit, 

I really want to believe this. In the two weeks since the Twins broke camp we’ve heard…………..very little about either player. 
 

Polanco is an established major leaguer who had a rather non-threatening diagnosis—tendinitis/bone bruise—and yet eight months after the original injury, isn’t ready to play. Kirilloff is a potential star hitter coming back from two surgeries. Will he ever be what some (myself included) thought he would be? I will believe it when I see it for both players and if they both get back and hit, the Twins lineup looks so much better. 

[Whitey333]

You must be working for the Twins PR department.  Do you get a cut in season ticket sales by over pro.oting them lol?  Anyway it is too early but like everyone else I can speculate too.  Let's just wait and see 4-2 against two of the poorest teams in baseball does not make them world series champs.  Of those 6 games we scored 2 runs in three of those.  We will be getting a heavier dose of good competition in the coming weeks.  Still not sure where the offense will come from.  Polanco is a proven major league player who should be able to help the club if and when he comes back.  Kirilloff is hard to tell as the past couple of years we hardly ever see him play.  You hardly ever hear them talk about their progress and when they may return.  They are 0 for 7 with the bases loaded.  Starting pitching looks good so far while the bullpen is still iffy.  I think we should know more of what we really are in about 2-3 weeks.  If Rocco doesn't lose us too many games with his managing " skills" we just may make it.  Will he give Buxton and Correa off on the home opener because it's their scheduled days off?  He's done that at home before.

[JD-TWINS]

15 hours ago, Alex Boxwell said:

One of those games was against, arguably, the best pitcher on the planet and the at bats weren't bad for facing a dude who has elite stuff. If you choose to put more weight on the last two games which are losses that's fine but coming off a six game road trip to the tune of 4-2 to start the year along with plenty of missed opportunities... I'm encouraged.

Finally, after only 6 games, some comments that aren’t all doom & gloom. As you state we’re 4-2 & I’m pretty sure these wins count just as much as if we beat the Yankees.

Alcantara & Luzardo may be better than any one/two in Baseball.

Kiriloff returns to the line-up & pushes Gallo into OF.

Polanco returns to the line-up & pushes Gordon into OF.

These moves remove Taylor & Kepler or Gallo from the line-up daily. They also displace Castro & probably Solano from the roster.

Kiriloff - Larnach - CC - Buxton - Gordon - both Catchers - Miranda - Polanco - Gallo - Farmer……..this group on the field regularly will put runs up!

Our pitching, while only having faced lesser opponents, looks sharp with some grinding from Gray. Mahle pitched the way he does normally, nibbles too much and gets behind & throws too many pitches per inning. Get used to it from someone in Cincinnati.

Thielbar made a mistake on the homer - otherwise he’s been fine. Pen has been good $ to date & looks promising!

[JD-TWINS]

2 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

My point is that CLE is going to be tough. For us to compete against them, I just stated 2 areas that we could improve on for us to wrestling the title away from them. Buxton motivates by his exploits and Correa verbally but now when  his production is light his motivation is shallow. We have the talent but lack the confidence to come from behind & win the tight games.

Through 6 games, we lack the depth in the line-up v. RH pitching w/o Polanco & Kiriloff. Can’t have Castro & Taylor coming up in RBI situations v. RH pitching - won’t work! I think that is a talent issue & not a confidence issue.

The 4 guys you mention along with Polanco, Kiriloff (or Julien) & Gordon & Gallo will lift our talent through the line-up to generate more runs.

Jeffers - Farmer - Taylor will be great v. RH pitching. Right now we are light on lefty hitters, particularly with Kepler & Gallo in the mix & with Gordon not heated up yet.

Castro & probably Solano have to go in the interest of raising the talent pool.

[Doctor Gast]

59 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

Through 6 games, we lack the depth in the line-up v. RH pitching w/o Polanco & Kiriloff. Can’t have Castro & Taylor coming up in RBI situations v. RH pitching - won’t work! I think that is a talent issue & not a confidence issue.

The 4 guys you mention along with Polanco, Kiriloff (or Julien) & Gordon & Gallo will lift our talent through the line-up to generate more runs.

Jeffers - Farmer - Taylor will be great v. RH pitching. Right now we are light on lefty hitters, particularly with Kepler & Gallo in the mix & with Gordon not heated up yet.

Castro & probably Solano have to go in the interest of raising the talent pool.

As I mentioned prior to what you quoted. 

"I was going to add before but I'll add now, that when Polanco & Kiriloff come back 100% healthy that'll change the outlook quite a bit,"

Besides the talent, I'd also believe we need the confidence that come from reaching down & winning the tight games.