Are we actually under-reacting to the Twins' offensive struggles?

[Craig Arko]

In over a decade here I’ve never known this group to underreact to anything.

It’s a mistake to think this team is the Bomba squad, and it’s a mistake some of the people on the team are making. This team needs to be more like the Piranhas, and the sooner they figure out how to do that the more successful they will be. The whole baserunning debacle is an area crying for vast improvement. And that’s equally a coaching problem and that group needs to adapt as well.

The point of analytics is to understand and adapt to the context you are dealt; this team is capable of doing that but there’s only a limited amount of time to learn the lessons.

[Riverbrian]

12 hours ago, USAFChief said:

The problem with the offense is, there's no there there.

Good offenses start with a couple great hitters, helped by some good hitters, surrounded by average hitters, crippled by few bad hitters.

The Twins have no great hitters. Who is going to put up a 1.000 OPS? A .950 OPS? 900? 850?

They don't even have many good hitters. How many will end the season above .800?

Now how many below .700?

 

I agree with you. I'm willing to wait and see what they become but yeah... I agree with you. 

If you look at last year numbers, you have a long list of players who have to do a lot of improving of last years numbers.... just to have the type of offensive roster that you mention. 

Using OPS numbers by level the way you do, certainly illustrates the problem. 

Here's another way to view the problem.

There isn't a ton of power on this team. Optimistically... I'd guess they finish around 15th in team home runs this year IF we get the individual player improvement over last year's number that we need to see. 

There isn't any team speed. 

So... Little power... No Speed game to turn to. If that is the context of your team. You are going to need your hitters to put the ball in play and that isn't working out so far.  

 

[baul0010]

22 hours ago, Rik19753 said:

The question is, who is in that "core group"? Other than Correa and Buxton, I don't see anyone that we can confidently point to to bounce back. That scares the hell out of me.

The core was 6 months to a year out at the beginning of the year.  Hopefully by mid-2023 the core of Buxton, Correa, Miranda, Lee, Lewis, and Julien are powering the offense for many seasons after this one.  Or we can hope that was the plan!

[chpettit19]

14 hours ago, USAFChief said:

The problem with the offense is, there's no there there.

Good offenses start with a couple great hitters, helped by some good hitters, surrounded by average hitters, crippled by few bad hitters.

The Twins have no great hitters. Who is going to put up a 1.000 OPS? A .950 OPS? 900? 850?

They don't even have many good hitters. How many will end the season above .800?

Now how many below .700?

 

As shocking as it may be, I agree with you, Chief. This offense just doesn't have the top end bats. It'd been my argument for Kepler being useful in previous years. The problem wasn't that he wasn't a useful player, it's that he was expected to be a core offensive piece when that's never what he's been. This team has too many 6 hole through bench players, and not enough top 5 in a lineup bats so guys like Kepler, Gordon, etc. are pushed into spots they don't belong. Those guys as platoon bats at the bottom of the order are good, but as leadoff, 3 hole, 4 hole types? You're not winning with that.

Correa is a decent enough second best hitter on a championship type club. They need someone who's consistently over an .850 OPS every year, though. Preferably 2, but there's only about 30 guys a year that do that so 1 over .850+Correa is a solid place to start. Buxton is too streaky to be one of the top 2 bats in a lineup. Good Buxton in the playoffs could do what Rosario did a couple years ago and win a series for you on his own, but the odds are better that he disappears and Ks 12 times in the series. This club desperately needs Lewis and/or Kirilloff to be a top 3 in the order hitter. They need Miranda to be a top 5 hitter, and they need Polanco to be his usual self. That's their only chance at having an offense good enough to be playoff worthy.

I'm not sure that'll happen. And I'm not sure Rocco/the FO would just put the top 5 guys in their spots 95% of the time and let it role. The offense has always been the biggest question mark this season, and it'll remain one until Polanco, Kirilloff, and Lewis start playing and we see what they look like. Correa, Polanco, Lewis, Kirilloff, and Miranda carry the fate of this team. Now and into the future.

[Twodogs]

Well, I look at it like, hey the Twins have done pretty good and they aren't hitting.  Imagine what could happen if they start hitting a little bit.

[Twodogs]

1 hour ago, MABB1959 said:

Terribly concerning.  Only 2 players in yesterday’s line up have batting averages above .250. Another 4 are 200 or lower.  

I thought batting average was an old unworthy stat in today's game?  😀

Along with stolen bases.  

 

I am by no means picking on MABB1959, I'm just using your post to poke some fun at baseball.

[Riverbrian]

26 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

As shocking as it may be, I agree with you, Chief. This offense just doesn't have the top end bats. It'd been my argument for Kepler being useful in previous years. The problem wasn't that he wasn't a useful player, it's that he was expected to be a core offensive piece when that's never what he's been. This team has too many 6 hole through bench players, and not enough top 5 in a lineup bats so guys like Kepler, Gordon, etc. are pushed into spots they don't belong. Those guys as platoon bats at the bottom of the order are good, but as leadoff, 3 hole, 4 hole types? You're not winning with that.

Correa is a decent enough second best hitter on a championship type club. They need someone who's consistently over an .850 OPS every year, though. Preferably 2, but there's only about 30 guys a year that do that so 1 over .850+Correa is a solid place to start. Buxton is too streaky to be one of the top 2 bats in a lineup. Good Buxton in the playoffs could do what Rosario did a couple years ago and win a series for you on his own, but the odds are better that he disappears and Ks 12 times in the series. This club desperately needs Lewis and/or Kirilloff to be a top 3 in the order hitter. They need Miranda to be a top 5 hitter, and they need Polanco to be his usual self. That's their only chance at having an offense good enough to be playoff worthy.

I'm not sure that'll happen. And I'm not sure Rocco/the FO would just put the top 5 guys in their spots 95% of the time and let it role. The offense has always been the biggest question mark this season, and it'll remain one until Polanco, Kirilloff, and Lewis start playing and we see what they look like. Correa, Polanco, Lewis, Kirilloff, and Miranda carry the fate of this team. Now and into the future.

I think the pitching can keep us close. I'm really excited about the talent and depth of our arms.  

The other 13 players... I worry that too much emphasis was placed on defense. 

 

[chpettit19]

1 minute ago, Riverbrian said:

I think the pitching can keep us close. I'm really excited about the talent and depth of our arms.  

The other 13 players... I worry that too much emphasis was placed on defense. 

 

100% agree the arms will keep us close. Part of that is tied to the defense, obviously. I think too much emphasis was given to bounce backs, health, and being able to take advantage of platoon splits. I think that's something we don't discuss enough. Solano and Farmer vs lefties and Gordon and Kepler vs righties is all well and good as long as Solano and Farmer are hitting lefties and Gordon and Kepler are hitting righties. When Gordon and Kepler aren't hitting righties it all falls apart. Which isn't terrible if they're hitting 7-9 in the order, but they aren't because the health hasn't been there yet. At least Gallo has an early bounce back, though. He's looked like a wonderful signing, and I hope he keeps it up.

The caveat to this all is the same as usual, small sample size. Buxton was hitting over .300 a week ago. He has 1 more hit than you and I in the last week so things look terrible. But this is how it'll be until the end of May. We just won't really know what things are looking like until we get a little deeper into the year, and a little warmer weather. But I don't see much hope for help if the top guys don't produce, because, as you said, the guys brought in, or kept in Kepler's case, are much more productive in the field than at the plate.

[John Belinski]

When the Twins 2 highest paid batters are not hitting the team is in trouble. I am really concerned about Correa, but maybe his hitting will pick up. Is it possible that the hitting coach is a problem. Player after player keeps swinging at bad pitches.  Time after time players have had no pitches thrown in strike zone, but strikeout.  I have seen Twins batters get 5 or 6 pitches out of strike zone, but they still strike out.  Everyone knew that scoring runs this year was going to be a problem, but hitting has been a bigger problem than expected with Buxton and Correa having really poor at bats.

[Squirrel]

1 hour ago, Twodogs said:

Well, I look at it like, hey the Twins have done pretty good and they aren't hitting.  Imagine what could happen if they start hitting a little bit.

It's amazing what some good pitching does for you (outside of what was in yesterday's game), but, we really do need both to get through the season.

[Squirrel]

41 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

I think the pitching can keep us close. I'm really excited about the talent and depth of our arms.  

The other 13 players... I worry that too much emphasis was placed on defense. 

 

The pendulum swingeth ... they need to find a way to stop it in the middle, when all is balanced 🙂

[Riverbrian]

4 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

100% agree the arms will keep us close. Part of that is tied to the defense, obviously. I think too much emphasis was given to bounce backs, health, and being able to take advantage of platoon splits. I think that's something we don't discuss enough. Solano and Farmer vs lefties and Gordon and Kepler vs righties is all well and good as long as Solano and Farmer are hitting lefties and Gordon and Kepler are hitting righties. When Gordon and Kepler aren't hitting righties it all falls apart. Which isn't terrible if they're hitting 7-9 in the order, but they aren't because the health hasn't been there yet. At least Gallo has an early bounce back, though. He's looked like a wonderful signing, and I hope he keeps it up.

The caveat to this all is the same as usual, small sample size. Buxton was hitting over .300 a week ago. He has 1 more hit than you and I in the last week so things look terrible. But this is how it'll be until the end of May. We just won't really know what things are looking like until we get a little deeper into the year, and a little warmer weather. But I don't see much hope for help if the top guys don't produce, because, as you said, the guys brought in, or kept in Kepler's case, are much more productive in the field than at the plate.

Agree although I am more of a platoon advocate late in the year (in the playoffs for sure) once you establish who is hitting lefthanders and who is hitting right handers and who is hurt and who is available in those playoff matchups.  

All those carefully made plans for Solano and Farmer facing lefties, Gordon and Kepler facing righties is just a plan providing that health doesn't blow these plans out of the water. We've already seen injuries derail those carefully made off-season plans with Solano, Farmer and Taylor facing right handers in a big heavy dose and you can bet there is more of that to come. 

I absolutely agree that platoons... as in your words... "falls apart" if those lefty hitters are not hitting righty pitchers. Platoon continuation becomes something that you are stubbornly blindly doing for the sake of doing if the lefty isn't out hitting what the short side platoon is capable of doing. 

I still believe in coaching. I still believe that players can improve with hard work, adjustments and coaching,

I still believe that past stats are stats from the past. I still believe that yesterday was yesterday and today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow.

There is only one way to make sure that a player won't perform. Don't let them.    

[Vanimal46]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

I think the pitching can keep us close. I'm really excited about the talent and depth of our arms.  

The other 13 players... I worry that too much emphasis was placed on defense. 

 

Concur. It’s a wonderful change to feel most confident in the starting staff. Hasn’t been that way in a long time. So far, the bullpen has been doing well (with the exception of Pagan’s latest blow up). 

The identity of the team quickly changed from living and dying by the HR to pitching and defense. I wish they would have prioritized 1 more big bat last offseason. The current lineup is missing a table setter like Arraez leading off, and a big bopper in the heart of the order. 

[Vanimal46]

3 hours ago, Craig Arko said:

In over a decade here I’ve never known this group to underreact to anything.

It’s a mistake to think this team is the Bomba squad, and it’s a mistake some of the people on the team are making. This team needs to be more like the Piranhas, and the sooner they figure out how to do that the more successful they will be. The whole baserunning debacle is an area crying for vast improvement. And that’s equally a coaching problem and that group needs to adapt as well.

The point of analytics is to understand and adapt to the context you are dealt; this team is capable of doing that but there’s only a limited amount of time to learn the lessons.

There are times when they act like Piranhas stringing together a few hits in a row. Far too often when there are runners in scoring position, the next batters swing so hard, to the point of falling down, attempting for the 600 foot HR. 

[Riverbrian]

10 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Concur. It’s a wonderful change to feel most confident in the starting staff. Hasn’t been that way in a long time. So far, the bullpen has been doing well (with the exception of Pagan’s latest blow up). 

The identity of the team quickly changed from living and dying by the HR to pitching and defense. I wish they would have prioritized 1 more big bat last offseason. The current lineup is missing a table setter like Arraez leading off, and a big bopper in the heart of the order. 

I love the addition of Lopez... I hate the subtraction of Arraez. 

[chpettit19]

2 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Agree although I am more of a platoon advocate late in the year (in the playoffs for sure) once you establish who is hitting lefthanders and who is hitting right handers and who is hurt and who is available in those playoff matchups.  

All those carefully made plans for Solano and Farmer facing lefties, Gordon and Kepler facing righties is just a plan providing that health doesn't blow these plans out of the water. We've already seen injuries derail those carefully made off-season plans with Solano, Farmer and Taylor facing right handers in a big heavy dose and you can bet there is more of that to come. 

I absolutely agree that platoons... as in your words... "falls apart" if those lefty hitters are not hitting righty pitchers. Platoon continuation becomes something that you are stubbornly blindly doing for the sake of doing if the lefty isn't out hitting what the short side platoon is capable of doing. 

I still believe in coaching. I still believe that players can improve with hard work, adjustments and coaching,

I still believe that past stats are stats from the past. I still believe that yesterday was yesterday and today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow.

There is only one way to make sure that a player won't perform. Don't let them.    

I like platoons in the 6-9 spots in the order when, as you said, you get a feel for who's hitting who during the year. I want 5 guys in the 1-5 spots 95% of the time (for the Twins hopefully 5 of Buxton, Correa, Polanco, Kirilloff, Miranda, Lewis, maybe Lee at some point). I want that core of the lineup that you can, and do, put out there day after day no matter who's on the mound. If you have 6 or 7 guys, like I named above, then role them out there 95% of the time. Then you fill the rest of the spots with platoons to optimize the lineup. Plus the catcher tandem that isn't usually a straight platoon.

These days most teams sit in the 2-5 range in terms of number of guys who play everyday. If the Twins can get to the top end of that range they have a chance to be really good. Buxton, Correa, and Polanco are the guys they seem to trust no matter what at this point. Buxton's playing time is what it is, and they're never going to just throw him out there everyday like we all wish we could see, but when he isn't on his rest day he's in there no matter who's pitching. They NEED those 3 to be at, or near, their best. And they need a couple of the young guys to step up. We'll see who can.

I also believe in coaching, improving, etc., but I try to be reasonable about expectations for improvement. If somebody has been something year after year I'm not going to expect them to be something different because it's likely a talent/skill level that's holding them back because almost all these guys work incredibly hard. The ultimate example of players telling you who they are was Khris Davis who hit .247 4 years in a row from 2015-2018, after having hit .244 in 2014. He was a .247 hitter. I wouldn't have been holding out hope that with some coaching and hard work he'd hit .275 in 2019. That's just not what his talent level was (unfortunately 2019 saw the start of a steep decline to the end of his career in 2021). I generally try to stay away from blaming coaching, work ethic, etc. unless I have some really good knowledge of what the coaches and players are doing. If it were simply coaching and work ethic there's a number of people on these boards who'd be pro athletes. At some point your talent is your talent, and there's a ceiling on everyone's.

[LA Vikes Fan]

2 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

As shocking as it may be, I agree with you, Chief. This offense just doesn't have the top end bats. It'd been my argument for Kepler being useful in previous years. The problem wasn't that he wasn't a useful player, it's that he was expected to be a core offensive piece when that's never what he's been. This team has too many 6 hole through bench players, and not enough top 5 in a lineup bats so guys like Kepler, Gordon, etc. are pushed into spots they don't belong. Those guys as platoon bats at the bottom of the order are good, but as leadoff, 3 hole, 4 hole types? You're not winning with that.

Correa is a decent enough second best hitter on a championship type club. They need someone who's consistently over an .850 OPS every year, though. Preferably 2, but there's only about 30 guys a year that do that so 1 over .850+Correa is a solid place to start. Buxton is too streaky to be one of the top 2 bats in a lineup. Good Buxton in the playoffs could do what Rosario did a couple years ago and win a series for you on his own, but the odds are better that he disappears and Ks 12 times in the series. This club desperately needs Lewis and/or Kirilloff to be a top 3 in the order hitter. They need Miranda to be a top 5 hitter, and they need Polanco to be his usual self. That's their only chance at having an offense good enough to be playoff worthy.

I'm not sure that'll happen. And I'm not sure Rocco/the FO would just put the top 5 guys in their spots 95% of the time and let it role. The offense has always been the biggest question mark this season, and it'll remain one until Polanco, Kirilloff, and Lewis start playing and we see what they look like. Correa, Polanco, Lewis, Kirilloff, and Miranda carry the fate of this team. Now and into the future.

I agree. I recognize I may be more optimistic than most but would add Larnach to that group who carry the fate of the team. He is slowly learning to hit breaking pitches better. He could be a #5 or #6 hitter on a contending team. I would love to see the "A" July lineup being Polanco, Correa, Buxton, Kirilloff, Miranda, Larnach, Lewis, Gallo, Vasquez.      

[Whitey333]

I'm hoping the offense gets going.  But I'm not that optimistic about it either.  Too many questions marks.  Too much blaming it on facing good pitchers,  too much blaming it on the cold weather, too much on injuries to many otherwise unproven players.  Why do people assume AK is some kind of stud?  He sure hasn't shown much in his limited major league "career".  The starting pitching ha been very good.  The bullpen is already starting to show cracks.  I love the Twins and hope they go all the way.  It just isn't realistic.  That's right it's early and these games don't count.  Last year and starting this year have produced very boring baseball.  The Twins play boring, unaggressive baseball relying on home runs that don't come anymore.  They rank near the bottom in home runs.  They don't steal or even attempt to steal bases. Desire MLB having a huge increase in stolen bases we rank last with one steal.  What's that?  We strike out way too much, leading the league in that.  I will follow them all year as normal but IMO this is one very boring team.  They rank near the bottom in attendance.  Coincidence?

[tony&rodney]

Some of the younger talent needs to step forward for this team to really make a deep run. The numbers from past years may not agree but Kirilloff, Miranda, Julien, Lewis, and Larnach are keys to this and next season. Heck, even Wallner may be needed.

We pretty much know what to expect from all of: the catchers, Gallo, Correa, Buxton, and Kepler. We also have a good idea of what we can get from Farmer, Taylor, and Solano. I'm not sure what to think about Castro and Polanco is a mystery right now. Does Jorge return to the top four of the lineup and put up 2021 numbers again or is he going to look stiff and restricted from his best self? 

Where did Correa bat in Houston's lineup? Where does Buxton fit best? Those decisions, like any call on Maeda or even Mahle, need to be based on what Falvey/Baldelli believe is best for the functioning of the team. I think management does, for the most part, put together the best lineup possible regardless of salary, experience, or reputation. Perhaps that is why we see so many different lineups. Maybe the talent isn't quite there. The season is still very young. The Twins should receive a boost soon from Polanco and then Kirilloff and perhaps Lewis finds himself at Target Field by early June. For now, the offense needs patience while it stutters forth.

[bighat]

I've been moaning about this offense in game threads since March 31st. 

The offense is horrible. A lot of people keep saying "they'll start hitting" very confidently - as if it's a fact. Alas, that's a completely faith-based argument and it seems to me that you have to do a lot of mental jumping jacks to figure out how make that claim work. 

Buxton turns 30 this year - I think we know what he is by this point, which is anything BUT reliable at the plate. Correa did heat up at the end of last year....when the Twins were well out of the race and nothing mattered. He had an incredible September but other than that he was a very average MLB hitter. 

And those two guys are far and away the MOST LIKELY to start hitting. Polanco, Kepler, Gallo, Larnach, Miranda, Gordon - that's the "core group" (!!!!) that the season is riding on. Read that again. 

Remember, there aren't as many inter-division games this year, so fewer games against KC and DET. Truthfully I have no idea how this team will even stay in the running until July in order to merit adding a bat. We could be in for a very, very ugly stretch in May & June.

I'd love to be completely wrong on this. But when you put the names down on paper, I have no idea how anyone could be remotely hopeful about this season. 

[Riverbrian]

39 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

I like platoons in the 6-9 spots in the order when, as you said, you get a feel for who's hitting who during the year. I want 5 guys in the 1-5 spots 95% of the time (for the Twins hopefully 5 of Buxton, Correa, Polanco, Kirilloff, Miranda, Lewis, maybe Lee at some point). I want that core of the lineup that you can, and do, put out there day after day no matter who's on the mound. If you have 6 or 7 guys, like I named above, then role them out there 95% of the time. Then you fill the rest of the spots with platoons to optimize the lineup. Plus the catcher tandem that isn't usually a straight platoon.

These days most teams sit in the 2-5 range in terms of number of guys who play everyday. If the Twins can get to the top end of that range they have a chance to be really good. Buxton, Correa, and Polanco are the guys they seem to trust no matter what at this point. Buxton's playing time is what it is, and they're never going to just throw him out there everyday like we all wish we could see, but when he isn't on his rest day he's in there no matter who's pitching. They NEED those 3 to be at, or near, their best. And they need a couple of the young guys to step up. We'll see who can.

I also believe in coaching, improving, etc., but I try to be reasonable about expectations for improvement. If somebody has been something year after year I'm not going to expect them to be something different because it's likely a talent/skill level that's holding them back because almost all these guys work incredibly hard. The ultimate example of players telling you who they are was Khris Davis who hit .247 4 years in a row from 2015-2018, after having hit .244 in 2014. He was a .247 hitter. I wouldn't have been holding out hope that with some coaching and hard work he'd hit .275 in 2019. That's just not what his talent level was (unfortunately 2019 saw the start of a steep decline to the end of his career in 2021). I generally try to stay away from blaming coaching, work ethic, etc. unless I have some really good knowledge of what the coaches and players are doing. If it were simply coaching and work ethic there's a number of people on these boards who'd be pro athletes. At some point your talent is your talent, and there's a ceiling on everyone's.

I also believe in a core of everyday players. 

I also believe that playing players who are not performing at core every day level is what will keep you out of the playoffs. 

I'm staring at our core right now as I type that. 

 

 

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

I love the addition of Lopez... I hate the subtraction of Arraez. 

So you feel it was a trade not worth doing?

[twinssporto]

18 hours ago, USAFChief said:

The problem with the offense is, there's no there there.

Good offenses start with a couple great hitters, helped by some good hitters, surrounded by average hitters, crippled by few bad hitters.

The Twins have no great hitters. Who is going to put up a 1.000 OPS? A .950 OPS? 900? 850?

They don't even have many good hitters. How many will end the season above .800?

Now how many below .700?

 

This is exactly the issue...where are the stud hitters? Buxton and Correa can play some of that role but they don't register a major threat like some of our other elite hitters over the years: Carew, Killebrew, Puckett, Hrbek, Mauer, Hunter, Morneau, Cruz, etc. 

Maybe Gallo erupts along with Kirilloff, Polanco??? Maybe until Lewis, Lee arrive that will change. The lineup just doesn't seem to have a major threat or "pop" to it. Seems anemic to me at the moment. Of course, this is just a simple observation from a more than casual baseball fan...

Like the pitching staff though! 

[Cory Engelhardt]

Ok, so before the trade deadline, who does everyone hope to target to help the offense? 

[Riverbrian]

18 minutes ago, ashbury said:

So you feel it was a trade not worth doing?

I'm really trying to look big picture and not worry about individual trades when they happen. I really tried to stay even keel when the trade happened and I said to myself... OK... the trade is done... What's next. 

However, I'd be lying if I said that I was successful in staying even keel like I really want to be. The trade scared the crap out of me and still kinda does. 

Don't get me wrong... I thought Lopez was a talented acquisition. We need more than 5 starters this year and we need more than 5 starters next year. Starters are expensive and they get hurt frequently. We have 3 starters who are free agents next year... I get the necessity of the trade in team context. I really can't argue with it.  

But... But... Arraez... OMG... I was already nervous about the offense with Arraez ON the roster. Now they just traded the one guy... and when I say one guy... I mean the only guy who I consistently felt was capable of getting a hit when we needed one. Arraez was the one guy who deserved to part of this every day core that is being discussed.

I can't say that I would have made the trade if I was in charge. I probably wouldn't have had the guts to do it. 

I haven't really answered your question yet.  

OK... Here's the answer. 

Lopez looks amazing. The trade was worth doing... I'll make the trade. But let's fix this offense... Damn it because the pitching looks beyond sufficient. 

 

[MABB1959]

4 hours ago, Twodogs said:

I thought batting average was an old unworthy stat in today's game?  😀

Along with stolen bases.  

 

I am by no means picking on MABB1959, I'm just using your post to poke some fun at baseball.

I hate stats overall.  ERA and BA are just easy

[Teflon]

The Twins should sign recently DFA'd Madison Bumgarner as a DH/pinch hitter as he averages 2.5 WAR hitting per 162 games. He could also give Willi Castro a rest in mop-up pitching situations.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

13 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Buxton's last four years his OPS+ has been 115,125,171,135, when playing, Correa'a lifetime OPS+ is 128, Polanco's is 111, but besides his down 2020 it has been above 110 each year.

AK has shown nothing in the majors that he is a core type player, I blame the injury but regardless besides 35 games in St. Paul last year it is a long way from 2018 season and should be considered a core player (at least not this year)

Vazquez is a good catcher but right now is basically the best he has ever been and isn't a core offensive player.

Larnach is a power guy? He has 36 total homers in the 5 seasons since joining the organization.

Like I said before the core of this offense starts and ends with Buxton, Correa, and Polanco. Hopefully Miranda gets back on track to play second fiddle to those and AK gets healthy for the first time, and the rest are platooned correctly and get hot enough times to help win games.

As for Nick Gordon, I hope I am wrong, but those hoping he someone turns into the hitter he was last year, good luck with that I don't see it happening, he should be nothing more than a defensive specialist last man off the bench for a playoff team, not somebody to be counted on.

I find it interesting that some people want Castro cut (who by the way is younger than Gordon and done more in the majors than Gordon) but think Gordon can turn it around?

Last year Larnach’s ISO was .175 which depending on plate appearance puts him top third of hitters.

in the minors he had several seasons of .180+. He hits for better than average power.

in 550 mlb plate appearances he has 14 homers and 26 doubles. Not huge, but effectively one rookie season.

[Jocko87]

Updated chart with minimum PA filter removed.  Leading or lagging indicator?

 

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

This offense needs Correa and Miranda to warm up.  Correa I am fairly confident in,  Miranda is questionable.  I think he will,  has the hard hit percentage,  just needs to lay off a few more out of the zone pitches.  That allows Buxton to continue to be his hit and miss style.  I wish he played more to contact but I don't see that occurring.